Morning Conversation , Vṛndāvana , 1977-05-29
Prabhupāda: From all parts of the world. That is history. Generally he goes to Ja... [pause] [kīrtana in background] [break] [Bengali] [long Bengali conversation with Jayapatākā and Indian men with a few English words interspersed] [break] What is the rate?
Brahmānanda: I'm not sure.
Viśāla: He said it was sixty-eight, sixty-nine, when we were there last time.
Brahmānanda: But then Harjibhai Patel came and...
Prabhupāda: Harjibhai?
Brahmānanda: Diamond Press. So his sons are in London, and he wants to start a business there in September, but he didn't want to do so without your blessing. Because you gave blessing for his daughter's marriage, so he's always thinking that if you give blessing, then it will come out nicely. [Prabhupāda laughs] He also wants to put Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities in his home. It's just outside of Birmingham, and he wants to invite the Indian community to come to his house for having programs. So he gave me some money to purchase Deities here in Vṛndāvana, but he also wanted your blessings for that.
Prabhupāda: So who will worship the Deity?
Brahmānanda: His wife. They have... The town where they live, there is no temple.
Prabhupāda: But they have to observe the rules and regulations.
Brahmānanda: Yes. I told him that everything must be... There must be offerings throughout the day, at least three times a day, and then āratis performed morning and evening.
Prabhupāda: He has agreed?
Brahmānanda: Yes, he will do these things. They will do. With a wife they can do these things, bathing the Deity and so forth.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Some kīrtana, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Hmm. [break]
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Gargamuni, Prabhupāda's inquired about Rādhā-Dāmodara. Jayaśacīnandana says he can't work there 'cause there's no electricity.
Rāmeśvara: No, he said he couldn't work there because it was too hot.
Prabhupāda: He could not work there?
Gargamuni: Well, during the day the electricity goes off all over Vṛndāvana.
Prabhupāda: Oh. So it is not that...
Gargamuni: It is not that he is turning it off.
Prabhupāda: Oh. [Hindi]
Indian man (1): [Hindi]
Prabhupāda: [Hindi] Imitation civilization finished. [Hindi conversation about only three hours of electricty]
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So it's not that Gauracand is playing any trick or anything.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's not that Gauracand is doing any trick.
Prabhupāda: No, that's right. I can understand.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I mean, I spoke with Gauracand when I was there, and I have to say he had sincere feelings.
Gargamuni: And when I lived there, there were many nights and days..., nights when we had to work with candlelight. So it's a fact. The power does go off.
Prabhupāda: Anyway, that's all right. I want that he should not play any trick. That's all.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, he's not.
Prabhupāda: Then it's all right. No, in the court also there is a trick. There is no name, our.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Within the court?
Indian man: No name.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No...?
Indian man: Prabhupāda's name is not there. Within the...
Gargamuni: No, his case is...
Indian man: ...offendant and defendant, no name of Prabhupāda.
Gargamuni: No, his case is between Gauracand and Madana Mohana.
Prabhupāda: Yes, but we have got to do, everything to do. I told you. Tamāla said.
Gargamuni: The thing is, Prabhupāda, it could affect us. If the court awards the verdict to Madana Mohana, then that means that entrance door is his, and he will lock it, and then we cannot enter.
Prabhupāda: We'll break it.
Gargamuni: Oh, yes. I'll break it.
Prabhupāda: We shall kick it and break it. Then we shall see.
Devotees: Jaya!
Rāmeśvara: Jaya Prabhupāda!
Gargamuni: Also, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we had talked over with some other GBCs about having some pūjā work.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Gargamuni: Some pūjā. If we had a deity of yourself within the rooms and we...
Prabhupāda: No, first of all go on with the picture. Let us settle that. Then...
Gargamuni: Well, we had talked with the lawyer also, and he said this was a very good idea. He said it was a good idea because if there's a deity there, then they can never take those rooms because it has some sentimental religious value.
Prabhupāda: So then do it.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But then a deity would... That worship has to be maintained properly.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That is one thing that Prabhupāda's concerned with.
Gargamuni: Oh, yes. Yes, that we have to talk about.
Prabhupāda: Then there must be regular prasāda-making and offering...
Gargamuni: Then no court can take away those rooms, because there's worship of a deity.
Prabhupāda: So thik hai?
Indian man: [Hindi] [Hindi conversation]
Gargamuni: And we can put some stone plaque, that "This place is a holy place."
Prabhupāda: I think there is already.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There is one. In the room there's a marble plaque with Your Divine Grace's name.
Prabhupāda: That's all right.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Śrīla Prabhupāda, with your permission I would like to try to get that first building in New York in which you were..., you started Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Prabhupāda: [laughs] Ācchā?
Ātreya Ṛṣi: On Second Avenue.
Prabhupāda: Twenty-six?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, Prabhupāda said that we could do that.
Prabhupāda: How you can get it?
Ātreya Ṛṣi: I'm going to New York in a week, and I can try to either purchase it...
Ādi-keśava: It's open.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's still available. We checked.
Ādi-keśava: The building's available now.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Should we not acquire it, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: If you can maintain it, then it is all right. That, you mean to say, that storefront or the whole building?
Gargamuni: The rear apartment or the storefront?
Ātreya Ṛṣi: The storefront as well as the building, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Both storefront and the building.
Prabhupāda: Oh. I, I know that that building was several times changed hands.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes. I can find out who it belongs to.
Prabhupāda: But the difficulty will be how to maintain the tenants. To purchase the house is not difficult.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Vacate it? To vacate it.
Prabhupāda: Vacate? What you will do?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What you will do with that building?
Ātreya Ṛṣi: We will have devotees stay, and it's a regular... It's a holy place.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Not a... If you're going to get that building, then you rent it to people, not to devotees. There's no need for devotees to rent it.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Well, the upstairs we can rent to people, and the place where Prabhupāda lived could be a pilgrimage.
Prabhupāda: As soon as you rent, it become botheration.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It means you have to collect the rent.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: No, your apartment can be a place of pilgrimage.
Indian man: [Hindi]
Prabhupāda: Hah. As soon as you rent out, then botheration.
Ādi-keśava: That... Śrīla Prabhupāda, that area has become a very, very bad neighborhood.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very bad.
Ādi-keśava: Very, very bad. There's nothing but dacoits and drug addicts.
Prabhupāda: Yes, it was when I was there. [laughter]
Gargamuni: That's what we were. [laughter]
Prabhupāda: I did not know. I occupied. Otherwise nobody was taking.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: We can make a library.
Prabhupāda: And library means these negroes will go to read? They'll go for drinking.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In that area no one will come to read.
Ādi-keśava: Any decent person would be afraid to come there.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: But...
Ādi-keśava: Only Śrīla Prabhupāda would go there, 'cause he's only a courageous man.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Except for the fact that for our devotees to pilgrimage there...
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Other than that, you won't get outsiders to come in, though.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes. But it's a great... It's an important spot.
Prabhupāda: That is dangerous portion of New York City. Just after my house they were regularly drinking and... Negroes. I didn't care. Neither they did any harm to me. Bowery Street. And still, I was there.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We thought about this.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We had thought about this previously. The difficulty, we felt, was just that no one will... To make it... Unless it was used as a temple now, simply to keep it as some room for a few people to see once every month or two when they pass through New York, that's not living. It should be alive.
Prabhupāda: Hmm.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If there's no life in it, then what's the use? That place is not especially a good place for a temple anymore.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: But fifty years...
Prabhupāda: No, so many houses, they are lying vacant. Nobody goes there.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But what to do with it? Prabhupāda's saying... You're going to have someone just sit there?
Ātreya Ṛṣi: For ten, twenty years we will keep it, and in future we may... It may be a great place of pilgrimage for the whole world.
Prabhupāda: That future hope [laughs] you cannot invest money in, waste. That's not good.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Jaya.
Prabhupāda: Do something positive. [pause] If you have got preacher, then never mind what is the quarter. Have kīrtana and distribute prasādam.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We have... We can do that.
Prabhupāda: Then you can do anything.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We have men we can put there. Right, Ādi-keśa?
Prabhupāda: Simply the drunken negroes, call them, "Take prasādam and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We can put Bhaktijana there, 'cause he's always very fond of preaching. You know, Bhaktijana. He's always wanted to go to Harlem. So...
Prabhupāda: Yes, then we can deliver them. They are, after all, simple. These negroes, they are, after all, simple. We have to claim them. You have got now experience in Detroit. They are very good-behaving negroes. They come to our temple. Nobody could drive there. Therefore we could acquire that house so cheap.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This one on 26 Second Avenue must also be very cheap.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Our Ambarīṣa, he was very much eager = "Oh, don't mind. Take it. We shall arrange."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Cash.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Fifty years ago the cost was six million dollars, and we have purchased, only three hundred thousand.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And the condition is not deteriorated.
Prabhupāda: Oh, it is very first class, palatial building. You have seen?
Gargamuni: No, Śrīla Prabhupāda. I've seen photos.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Deva-sādana, you gave the name.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You gave the name Deva-sādana.
Prabhupāda: Very, very nice. Better than our France palace.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There's fourteen hundred ounces of gold in the ceilings.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: Even in the bathroom.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: There's gold on the ceiling.
Prabhupāda: All very aristocratic, very aristocratic. What is aristocracy, that is displayed there.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Those people, they always used to look from the outside in, but they were never allowed to come in. The people from that neighborhood, they used to stare within, wondering what is inside there. Now, since we have come, we have opened our gates and doors and said, "Please come." Oh, they're very much happy to come in and see everything.
Prabhupāda: They're grave. They behave very nicely.
Rāmeśvara: Tourists.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There's two boat docks underneath for boats to come, underneath the house. They're eighty foot long, two boat docks, to come in their boats right into the house.
Prabhupāda: The boats were sold by cheating our... Who was in charge of that?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Er... Govardhana dāsa.
Prabhupāda: No, GBC?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Jaga...
Rāmeśvara: Jayatīrtha is now.
Prabhupāda: Jagadīśa.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Jagadīśa.
Devotee: [aside:] He sold the boats?
Prabhupāda: He made some profit. Actually the boat belonged to the house. Anyway, palace is palace. Very big, big rooms. Now it would have cost ten million dollars. And we have paid only three percent of ten million. Is it not? Three hundred thousand?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: Govardhana wants to have dolls on the outside grounds.
Prabhupāda: Do. Yes, very good. You do.
Rāmeśvara: 'Cause they have so much lands, so right outside the temple there'll be doll exhibits for all the tourists.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, we saw something like that in Rishikesh. Just recently we went to Rishikesh, and in one āśrama they have doll exhibits of all the avatāras. Oh, it was very... Of all kṛṣṇa-līlā. And each doll exhibit is within a little temple, dome-shaped temple. People go and look, and there's a plaque which describes what it is. Very nice.
Rāmeśvara: We'll have more than a plaque.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, that whole thing costs a thousand dollars, not a quarter of a million.
Prabhupāda: Doll exhibition you can have in this temple also. People will come to see.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Along the side?
Prabhupāda: Where is suitable.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, there's room up front where the water, the water fountain carrier, when you enter. There's a lot of open space there.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Now you can go and take rest. Again you can come at one. What is the time now?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Nine-twenty.
Prabhupāda: That's all.
Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda! [obeisances]
Prabhupāda: Make just this garland... [break] ...keep hair. Look very beautiful by keeping hair. What is that explanation?
Bhāgavata: I was advised that because I was going to the European countries for preaching for some time, that...
Prabhupāda: But they, they, they...
Bhāgavata: ...it would be required to keep these hairs.
Prabhupāda: ...owned victory with the court by keeping shaven hair.
Hari-śauri: They won a victory in the court by keeping a shaven head.
Bhāgavata: I asked their advice, whether I should shave or keep the hair.
Prabhupāda: Who is that nonsense advice? Who is that rascal? "Advice." By keeping hair you become beautiful and become victimized. "Advice." This is... Without advice, this mentality is going on outside, to keep hair. We are known as shaven hair, whole society.
Hari-śauri: I've been shaving mine about every..., once a month. It's just about three weeks since I've...
Prabhupāda: Every fortnight.
Hari-śauri: Every fortnight.
Prabhupāda: At least. Before going to Europe, six years ago, you were keeping hair again = "I have to go to Europe." That I have seen. Everywhere. Those who... You like to keep hair. That hippie mentality is going on. That's right. That is good, very intelligent reasoning, actual, long hair by keeping...[?] Everyone is giving some advice. Gurudāsa is giving. "He's keeping. He's..." Gargamuni. Everyone has some explanation. I do not know how you can give up this hippie mentality. Hippie. Lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam [SB 12.2.6]. Kali-yuga. Victim of Kali-yuga. It is... It is not yet whole, but weak men, victimized by Kali-yuga... There are so many things to victimize over the living entities in Kali-yuga, and one of the item is that he will take it that "I have become very, very beautiful, attractive, by keeping long hair." Keśa. That is already stated there. You are victimized by that Kali-yuga. That's all. No explaining. Our trademark is clean-shaven. We are known as shaven hair. Why you should be victimized? You are known as shaven hair. Are you not? Hmm? They say that "Hare Kṛṣṇa people, shaven hair"?
Hari-śauri: Shaven-headed.
Prabhupāda: Shaven hair. So why you should be victimized by keeping hair? What victory you will gain? Conquer over the whole world, Roman Empire, by keeping hair? Hippie mentality, that's all. That is within the core of the heart. As soon as you get some opportunity... Just like during summer season the field appears to be dried up. And as soon as there is some rain, oh, it is green, immediately green. So things are already there. Hmm? Is it not?
Hari-śauri: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Now you see to the field. They're all dry. But as soon as there will be rain in the village, all green. So the seeds are there, hippie seeds. As soon as there is some opportunity, come out, green = "Yes, I am beautiful. Come on." But in the courtroom they never addressed. Judge never asked that "Why you are shaven-headed?" Was there any question like that?
Hari-śauri: Actually, when he first went to court, they were wondering why he had hair.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Hari-śauri: When Ādi-keśava went to court the first time...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hari-śauri: ...he had suit and hair, and they wondered why he was dressed like that.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Then cheater.
Hari-śauri: Yeah, they accused...
Prabhupāda: That means, of course, indirectly hinted that "Now you are cheating. You are known as shaven-headed. Now you have kept hair. What is the purpose except cheating?"
Hari-śauri: On saṅkīrtana all the distributors wear wigs and like that to..., because it's much easier to distribute, to distribute books.
Prabhupāda: I do not know all this. Formerly, shaven-headed, they used to distribute. Now it is not possible.
Hari-śauri: It's increased since they did plainclothes distribution.
Prabhupāda: Encourages?
Hari-śauri: Yeah. The distribution has increased.
Prabhupāda: Then why don't you dress like European? Half foreign dress and half hair? Who is that foreign and European and gentleman? What is the use of the wig? Keep regular gentleman's hair. There is no need of saffron dress. If by ordinary dress you can sell more book, there is no need of saffron dress. So what is the time now?
Gargamuni: Nine-thirty.
Bhavānanda: Kīrtana, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Bhavānanda: Kīrtana?
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Bhavānanda: Would you like to have kīrtana now?
Prabhupāda: Yes. [kīrtana] [break] ...come directly, brāhmaṇas sometimes brahmacārī, gṛhastha. That will impress. [break] ...hodgepodge. Respect is no. Idea is become a leader. He'll do. He'll do. There must be some strong men. Tilaka always must be there. That is our great standard. Kaṇṭhī-mālā. Every fifteen days you should be cleansed. [break] [indistinct] Don't be [indistinct] in all this. Go on very nicely. Śrī kṛṣṇa caitanya prabhu nityānanda, śrī advaita gadādhara śrīvāsa... [break]
Gargamuni: Well, we only printed two Oriya books. Both were printed in Calcutta so far, because there's one Oriya printer there. Gaura-Govinda Mahārāja is investigating completely the... We went around investigating the presses in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, if we might get some cheaper or easier price. It appears that some things we can do cheaper there, like the inside part, but cover cannot do cheaper there.
Prabhupāda: Cover you can get there, cover.
Gargamuni: In Bombay we might be able to do cover much cheaper, and then the inside cheaper in Orissa. That we have...
Prabhupāda: Better quality also.
Gargamuni: It is a good quality, similar quality. They agreed, they could get same paper as we had in previous books, but that for printing cover that would be very difficult, they acknowledged.
Prabhupāda: And tell, we can get from Bombay cover.
Gargamuni: Oh. But I had written you in the report that out of the first twenty thousand we have printed, still 18,500 are remaining.
Prabhupāda: So not selling?
Gargamuni: Because we have very few men. So now Gaura-Govinda is taking on bullocks cart. He'll go to the villages, and he'll distribute. Then some portion of what I will collect, I will put in... I have separate account for book fund and one for construction. Some portion I'll put in book fund. Then we'll print, and I will bring...
Prabhupāda: No, you gave money. I can give you. There is Book Trust.
Gargamuni: I just feel...
Prabhupāda: No.
Gargamuni: ...that so many books are there I have not distributed yet. I will print more and...
Prabhupāda: No, no. This will come out. Very good idea. Sell.
Gargamuni: Sell first; then print. I should first sell...
Prabhupāda: No, at least you must have three, four varieties.
Gargamuni: Right now we have two varieties.
Prabhupāda: So make it four varieties. That will be first class. Don't print twenty thousand. Print five thousand.
Gargamuni: I have asked Gaura-Govinda to come. He'll be coming in one or two days.
Prabhupāda: There is no need of coming. This is... You must have at least four, five varieties. And money, if there is scarcity, ask Gopāla. He'll give you money. Then sell and return.
Bhavānanda: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Śrīla Prabhupāda? It's time for massage?
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Bhavānanda: Time for massage. [break]
Brahmānanda: Sixty-five acres.
Prabhupāda: He's already Peace Corps[?]?
Brahmānanda: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Government will like. [end]