Conversation After Interview with
Religious Editor, Associated Press
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
July 16, 1976, New York

Prabhupada: Because they are accustomed to the business of hammering the bricks from time immemorial, they think “This is the business. How is that this man is not engaged in this business?”

Hari-sauri: Even after he’d understood the analogy that the man was in the prison and hammering bricks, he was still thinking that “Well, shouldn’t he still be hammering bricks?” He was asking that. He was still thinking like that. It’s amazing.

Radhavallabha: He couldn’t understand any of the analogies.

Prabhupada: That is the karmis. Even the Orissa politicians, they accused Caitanya Mahaprabhu, because the Orissa politician, it is a fact the Maharaja Prataparudra, the King of Orissa during the time of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he was politically very strong. At that time the Muhammadans were conquering different parts of India, but they could not enter Orissa or the southern India. They were very strong. So this Maharaja Prataparudra politically was very strong. So the modern politicians of Orissa, they accuse Caitanya Mahaprabhu that, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to Orissa and Maharaja Prataparudra became influenced by Him, Orissa fell down. They accuse sometimes that Orissa’s political position became weakened on account of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s influence on Maharaja Prataparudra. They say. The modern politicians of Orissa, they also do not like Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement.

Hari-sauri: Srila Prabhupada? There’s this editor from that Trans-India magazine downstairs, but also that…, the doctor is there as well. So would you like to see the doctor, or would you like to do another interview? They tried to…, they were trying to contact the Trans-India to have him come another day, but apparently it doesn’t seem as though they did it. So they’ve come hoping to get an interview.

Prabhupada: So that you decide, which is important.

Hari-sauri: No, I… We’ll see if we can arrange it. Would you like to see the doctor?

Prabhupada: Yes. No, the Trans-India if he wants.

Hari-sauri: I’ll see.

Prabhupada: They can wait or one of them may come. So what is the news?

Atreya Rsi: The karmis decided they want to have a meeting.

Prabhupada: Oh, that GBC meeting.

Atreya Rsi: No, no. My karmi friends, on the l9th in New York.

Prabhupada: Oh, your business.

Atreya Rsi: Yes.

Prabhupada: Oh, that’s nice.

Atreya Rsi: They always decide on perfect timing.

Prabhupada: That’s nice. I shall prefer to see the Trans-India first, because they will give some publicity to our movement.

Radhavallabha: So we’ll tell the doctor to please wait?

Prabhupada: Yes. All right, he has gone to where?

Radhavallabha: He may bring the doctor up first.

Prabhupada: All right, let him come. So who is the chief man dealing with this, who is the chief secretary, all these visitors?

Radhavallabha: Bali-mardana has been greeting them, because Ramesvara is involved in the GBC meeting.

Prabhupada: So you have been in the GBC meeting?

Atreya Rsi: Yes, I was earlier.

Prabhupada: What is the subject matter?

Atreya Rsi: We discussed Jagadisa Prabhu’s request to primarily attend his engagement with Gurukula, and we also discussed Satsvarupa Gosvami’s desire to attend primarily Library Party.

Prabhupada: It is good proposal.

Atreya Rsi: We discussed various difficulties that have been happening in Australia, and that Tamala Krsna should go there and help for…, just for visit, just to help. And then they will report to you.

Prabhupada: What is Iran’s business going on? I got some good report from Nandarani that she is in contact with the Shah’s daughter, princess. Is that a fact?

Atreya Rsi: Well, Nandarani Prabhu is doing very well. She’s got a Gurukula, a school for the Indian children, they are being well attended. Also Maharaja, Parivrajakacarya Svami, he has been in touch with the Shah’s daughter and he’s been preaching to them.

Prabhupada: Shah’s son-in-law is interested, I have heard.

Atreya Rsi: Yes, he is interested.

Prabhupada: That’s good. They are enlightened, the daughter and the son-in-law both?

Atreya Rsi: Well, they are both interested, but they are also very much…

Prabhupada: Biased. They are also biased.

Atreya Rsi: Yes.

Prabhupada: That is natural.

Hari-sauri: The Trans-India people, they’ll come tomorrow, at four- thirty, if that’s all right, and the doctor is on his way up now. He’ll be here in five minutes.

Atreya Rsi: Dayananda Prabhu is doing very nicely.

Prabhupada: Very nicely.

Atreya Rsi: Very, very first class.

Prabhupada: What he’s doing now?

Atreya Rsi: First of all, he’s helping in every program we have. He’s very cooperative, very intelligent boy.

Prabhupada: Yes, he’s very good boy.

Atreya Rsi: And he’s also working as a computer man, very good job.

Prabhupada: Oh, a good salary?

Atreya Rsi: Yes, very good salary.

Prabhupada: He knows computer?

Atreya Rsi: Yes.

Prabhupada: That’s nice. Yes, he’s good electrician. So where he is employed?

Atreya Rsi: He’s employed with one of my clients.

Prabhupada: Oh. What salary?

Atreya Rsi: Sperry, Sperry Univac.

Prabhupada: What salary he is getting?

Atreya Rsi: Ah, he’s getting about twelve, thirteen hundred dollars now.

Prabhupada: Salary? Yes. He was getting in America six hundred. (laughs) Getting double.

Atreya Rsi: And he will get a lot more and more. He will get a lot more. And he is…, we have our regular programs, he brings people from business, we all bring people, and the prasadam and chanting and lecture. It’s very nice.

Prabhupada: And so Nandarani is also working?

Atreya Rsi: She is happy. She, for a while she taught at a karmi school, from that school…

Prabhupada: She has got experience.

Atreya Rsi: Yes, she’s very good.

Prabhupada: Both of them are very intelligent. And Nandarani is more intelligent than her husband. (laughs) I know that.

Atreya Rsi: I find that he is very intelligent, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: Ah, Dayananda.

Atreya Rsi: Yes.

Prabhupada: He is intelligent, but Nandarani is still more intelligent. (laughs) I know that. Both of them are intelligent, but this girl appears to be more intelligent. That’s all right. What about their daughters?

Atreya Rsi: They are there. They’re very happy.

Prabhupada: Where?

Atreya Rsi: In Tehran.

Prabhupada: They have gone there?

Atreya Rsi: They have come.

Prabhupada: Oh, when?

Atreya Rsi: About two months ago, a month.

Prabhupada: I saw them in Los Angeles.

Atreya Rsi: Yes, they left.

Hari-sauri: Must have been just after we left there.

Atreya Rsi: A month ago, five, six weeks ago.

Prabhupada: They have got two daughters.

Atreya Rsi: Yes. They are there, they also attend Gurukula. They have it regularly now.

Bali-mardana: So that reporter was very impressed. He’s a very big reporter. He works for the API, the Associated Press. They give their news to papers all over the world, the news.

Prabhupada: So let him represent properly.

Bali-mardana: Yes. You have given him a very unique interview, I think, with your analogies.

Prabhupada: Yes. That is there. Why they think Eastern, Western, Jewish, and…? We are talking of the human being. That is the misunderstanding going on, that this is Hindu religion, Eastern religion. Krsna begins from the word dehino ’smin yatha dehe [Bg. 2.13]. Find out this. The rascals are taking Hindu, Muslim, Christian. Dehe, the body, and the inner force of the body, He’s beginning His teaching. Where is the question of Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish? Still they are misunderstanding, “This is Hindu.”

Bali-mardana: It is very hard for them to understand.

Prabhupada: This is science. Read that.

Hari-sauri:

dehino ’smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13]

Prabhupada: Now, kaumaram yauvanam jara, boyhood, childhood, youthhood, old age, is it for the Hindus? The Christians do not become child, do not become youth? Ayi. (Hindi)

Hari-sauri: This is Dr. Bhagat.

Prabhupada: Bhagat. You are from Gujarat?

Dr. Bhagat: Gujarat, yes.

Hari-sauri: He’s one of our life members also, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: She’s your wife? Child? How many children you have got? How many children you have got?

Dr. Bhagat: One.

Prabhupada: Only one?

ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tara-ganair api varam eko guni-putro na ca murkha-satair api (?)

There is no need of hundreds of rascal child, children. One is sufficient. Varam eka. Varam guni-putra, he must be qualified. And who is guni, who is a devotee and learned scholar. Ko’ta putrena jatena, yo na vidya na bhaktiman(?). What is the use of such rascal child if he’s not a devotee, neither learned? Khanena caksusa kim caksuh pidaiva kevalam.(?) What is the use of blind eyes? It is simply troublesome. So let there be one child, but he must be like Prahlada, like Dhruva Maharaja, and then child production is beneficial. Otherwise, if we beget children like cats and dogs, what is the use? That is Canakya Pandita’s instruction. Another example is given: ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tara-sahasrasah. If there is one moon in the sky, it is sufficient to give light to the whole sky. What is the use of millions of stars? So, it is very good that you can take care of one child and make him a great devotee and learned scholar. Then it is successful. So Dr. Bhagat, I get some pain. It is… (end)