Morning Walk Conversation
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
April 7, 1976, Vrndavana

Devotee: Morning walk, April 7, 1976, Vrndavana, Ranga Gardens. (Hindi) [break]

Prabhupada: …dozen carts.

Pusta Krsna: It looks like it came from…

Prabhupada: [break] …cannot say, Hare Krsna. There is such competition. (Hindi with others) I like this garden very nice. (Hindi) It is maintained very nicely. We can get flowers. (Hindi) Water is supply there? (Hindi)

Indian man: There are two wells. (Hindi) The river is very near. Just after that garden, Yamuna. (Hindi)

Prabhupada: These people, they like Vrndavana. (Hindi) What is our telephone number?

Aksayananda: 179.

Devotees: 8.

Pusta Krsna: Vrndavana 178.

Indian man: 178. (Hindi)

Prabhupada: So they are not tres…. (Hindi) Whatever you think, as you like, we can ex…. [break] (Hindi) [break]

Tripurari: I can remember from Caitanya-caritamrta, one devotee of Lord Ramacandra was always chanting the name of Rama, but Lord Caitanya convinced him to chant Hare Krsna.

Prabhupada: (laughs) There is competition like that. One will say “Hare Rama.” Another will say “No, Hare Krsna.”

Pusta Krsna: He was very obstinate.

Hari-sauri: Or that man in Delhi.

Prabhupada: Huh?

Hari-sauri: That man in Delhi thought we had something against Lord Ramacandra.

Prabhupada: There are many versions like that. Somebody will say, “Your Ramacandra may be very important person, but when Radharani goes to Krsna, Lord Ramacandra becomes His (Her) guard with arrows…” (laughter) When Radharani goes to Krsna, and Ramacandra has to serve Radharani with arrows and bows. (pause) This is gorur.(?)

Pusta Krsna: Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Hm.

Pusta Krsna: What is that six-pointed star significance?

Prabhupada: Cakra.

Pusta Krsna: Oh.

Hari-sauri: What is the symbol on the right-hand side, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: I think sankha. That is the conchshell.

Aksayananda: [break] …thread from the Deity, the old sacred thread, and they tie it on their wrist. They tie it here.

Prabhupada: Who?

Aksayananda: Some of the devotees have started to do that now.

Prabhupada: Why?

Aksayananda: I don’t know. It’s just like wearing beads. The sacred thread from the Deity, after replacing, they take the old one and they wear it here.

Prabhupada: Who has told them?

Aksayananda: I don’t know.

Prabhupada: Then why…

Aksayananda: Well, I told one boy to stop it, and because I couldn’t quote any authority, he keeps wearing…

Prabhupada: No, no, there is no author…. Where is his authority?

Aksayananda: Yes.

Prabhupada: This nonsense should be stopped.

Aksayananda: Yes, I thought it was wrong. That’s why I mentioned it. I wanted to make sure.

Prabhupada: Stop this.

Aksayananda: Okay. Sure.

Hari-sauri: I think their idea is that because it’s prasadam, it’s from the Deity, that they’re able to wear it.

Prabhupada: That is another concoction. The sacred thread is not used like that, in the hand.

Aksayananda: I thought it was wrong. It seems like some kind of fashion or something, concocted fashion.

Hari-sauri: [break] …small black beads that the devotees are wearing from Radha-kunda. They have a string of beads made of clay from Radha-kunda. Are they…?

Prabhupada: Radha-kunda clay is not bad.

Hari-sauri: So it’s all right to wear them?

Prabhupada: Not very constantly.

Pusta Krsna: Sometimes I think, Srila Prabhupada, that you’re worried that one thing will lead to the next. Actually all we have to do is follow your example.

Aksayananda: Yes, we don’t have to add anything. What can we add?

Pusta Krsna: What is the use of it?

Aksayananda: What can we add?

Prabhupada: There is a proverb in Bengali that the crows, they eat stool. But when the crow is very young, he eats more stool. [break] …tendency always, how to become hippie, as soon as there is little opportunity.

Aksayananda: Yes, it’s something we have to guard against very carefully.

Prabhupada: Don’t allow them. Don’t allow all these.

Aksayananda: Even in India people say like that, “Oh, you are hippies?”

Prabhupada: As soon as you become hippie, immediately your all prestige will go.

Aksayananda: Finished, yes.

Prabhupada: Very carefully.

Hari-sauri: The thing is, a lot of the devotees, they’re not very much conscious that they’re being watched by the, very carefully by the public.

Prabhupada: Bird of paradise? No.

Hari-sauri: No, the bird of paradise is different.

Prabhupada: Different. (end)