771103 - Conversation C - Vrndavana

Conversations by Date, 1977

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

771103R3-VRNDAVAN - November 03, 1977 - 11:36 Minutes

Brahmānanda: Well, they were very stubborn. They simply insisted that there were two paths, and they were quoting Bhagavad-gītā. I said: "Well, that may be so, but of the two paths, your path is the most difficult, and you've called the conference to spread Bhagavad-gītā, so why are you spreading the most difficult path of Bhagavad-gītā? Why not spread the most easiest?"

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What did they reply to that?

Brahmānanda: At that point Mr. Bajaj interrupted and said that we shouldn't discuss Bhagavad-gītā but just how to promote Bhagavad-gītā and how to cooperate.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: While they are busy discussing, we are busy doing it. We have not had any trouble distributing the Bhagavad-gītās. Even though we have not attended their meetings, the distribution is going on very well.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Practical application is more important than theoretical knowledge.

Bhakti-caru: That also they don't have.

Brahmānanda: Mr. Narayan recognized that about our Society, that we are applying Bhagavad-gītā. He said: "I see from very early morning hours you are applying Bhagavad-gītā," because he attended the maṅgala-ārati.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He was very impressed. He is naturally a devotee, Gujarati. He's naturally a Kṛṣṇa devotee. He can appreciate the importance of ārati and Deities.

Brahmānanda: That man from that āśrama . . .

Bhavānanda: Aurobindo.

Brahmānanda: Auroville. He was poisonous, very poisonous. Mr. Bajaj wanted to conduct the proceedings in English just so that I would be able to understand, because I was sitting as your representative, but that man refused.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What did he say?

Brahmānanda: Well, he just spoke in Hindi, and he said something in Hindi to Mr. Bajaj that, "I want to speak in Hindi," and he continued speaking in Hindi.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All artificial platform, surface. "Hindu, Indian, Hindi."

Brahmānanda: He was very envious, that Auroville, of what is going on.

Jayādvaita: They're nothing.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They are nothing. No one ever heard of them outside of India.

Prabhupāda: Aurobindo never preached in Hindi.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (laughs) He was speaking in English?

Prabhupāda: Um-hmm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You should have said that. "Why don't you follow your master? He spoke in English."

Brahmānanda: I didn't know it then.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That would have been a good point. You could say: "We are following our spiritual master. He speaks in English. Why don't you do the same?"

Prabhupāda: He wrote all books in English.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And who can understand those books?

Brahmānanda: You remember I brought to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that book I was studying in college when I first came to you. I brought one of Aurobindo's books, Message of Gītā. And you asked me to open the book and read one page. So I read the entire page out loud to you. Then you asked me to close the book. Then you said: "Now repeat what you have just read." And I couldn't.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You once described Aurobindo's writing, Śrīla Prabhupāda, giving the example of your childhood friend from school. He had to take the examination. So because he . . . instead of writing normally, he made up so many big words, and the professors thought, "Oh, he's very intelligent."

Prabhupāda: (speaks some made-up words)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Did you hear that, what Prabhupāda just said, Jayādvaita?

Jayādvaita: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You didn't follow the Sanskrit?

Jayādvaita: I couldn't hear.

Brahmānanda: It's very important. If you can't understand it, it means it's important.

Jayādvaita: Oh. (laughter)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They make up a language. Aurobindo has done like that. His writings are simply so many long words that no one can understand. Therefore they think, "Oh, he's very intelligent. Important philosophy." Your books are so simple and nice, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that even little children take pleasure in hearing Kṛṣṇa book and find no difficulty in understanding. And the biggest scholars, they are also praising. These are your books. I found that Shriman Narayan was not so envious.

Prabhupāda: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But the others were, too much. He's not envious. He actually appreciated. He's very eager to come to Māyāpur, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Brahmānanda: During our festival.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. He wants to . . . especially he said: "I want to come when all of the devotees are there."

Brahmānanda: He wanted us to write him.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's actually appreciating, just like that Mr. Ganatra. He also appreciates very much. Mr. Bajaj is thinking to make a tour around the world of all of our centers. Actually, what they have been trying to do for thirty, forty, fifty years, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have done here in India in the last six or seven years. They don't have one such temple as Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir, and you have created hundred.

Jayādvaita: Prahlāda Mahārāja was telling his father, "You can have these conferences all you like, but still you can't understand Kṛṣṇa."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Would you like to hear Tenth Canto, Volume Two, Śrīla Prabhupāda, a little bit? Or more of Kapiladeva? Kapiladeva would be nice. (indistinct aside) Ten, two?

Prabhupāda: Any book.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Any book. You know, Śrīla Prabhupāda, I was thinking, I'm going to write Rāmeśvara that we should have in Los Angeles a Bhaktivedanta Swami Library with all of your books—many volumes of each book in all the languages. Each different bookshelf will be different languages. Some part of the library will be Spanish publications, German, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, different languages of Europe, Indian languages. And then we'll also have a part of the library for archives. At least one or two copies of every single edition of all of the books. All the previous Back to Godheads, as many as we have even from your original ones published in India. In this way make a Bhaktivedanta Swami Library. People can come and read your books. No matter who they are, what language they speak, there should be at least one library like this. Reading rooms we can have all over the world, and we should have some library also like this.

Brahmānanda: They have that for all . . . like great presidents of America, they all have a library, memorial library, where all their letters, all their papers, everything is kept. Truman has it, Kennedy has it, Johnson had it.

Jayādvaita: That microfilm is there also, Yadubara has. (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You said that we should always keep you surrounded. We should never leave you alone and always keep you surrounded. So Ātreya Ṛṣi told everyone that, so all the temples, they're going to be sending some devotees to be with you each month. So I think fifty, sixty devotees every month will be with you. So I was wondering if, when they come, sometimes they're here, if they chant softly, is it all right if they are in the room? I mean, if they chant softly, then even when you feel like resting you'll be able to rest. Because they have come . . . they'll be coming from five, ten thousand miles to see you. So that'll be very pleasing if they can be with you a few hours each day and they'll chant quietly. Would that be all right? So I'll have Dr. Kapoor come in. (break) (end)