Morning Walk Giriraja: And then in the temple itself they’re starting to fix the carved marble on these columns and it’s just getting very exciting. Then on the gate they’re starting to put the domes. And yesterday Saurabha and I went to see some samples of furniture, very attractive furniture. So we’re going to make a model room. Prabhupada: Model room? What is that model room? Gopala Krsna: A model, sample. Giriraja: We’re going to fix one of the rooms on the first floor with all of the furnishings and everything just as it will be when the building is complete. But there is still other work going on. So it couldn’t be used for living, but it will look just like a finished room. And Acyutananda Swami is doing very nicely. He attends mangala-arati every morning, he gives class in the temple in the morning and in the evening. And we’re having a lot of programs at Rotary clubs, Lion’s Clubs, colleges and universities. Prabhupada: That’s nice. Giriraja: Mandiras. And distributing literature. Well, the final lift in the building will still take until December, and then so far as another lift for your present quarters… Prabhupada: No, no. Why? There is no need of present quarter lift. No. Giriraja: Okay. Anyway, the new lift is going according to their schedule which is much faster than their original schedule. Prabhupada: So on the whole it is coming nice. Giriraja: Oh yes. There’s a lot of enthusiasm for Krsna consciousness in Bombay. Just due to this Janmastami we made about 15 or 20 life patron members. They just keep coming. “I visited your festival,” then they come back and arrange other programs for us and become patron members. And newspaper people also are starting to… Prabhupada: Giving some coverage. Giriraja: …good… The Free Press wants to make a two page feature with pictures all about our activities. Prabhupada: What about taking action against Blitz? Gopala Krsna: Well he wrote to me but I didn’t have time to discuss with you. Giriraja discussed with everyone and they feel that it’s not worth it. Prabhupada: All right. Giriraja: The thing is that it’s not very certain that we’ll win and if we file… Prabhupada: No. It is not a question of winning. It is a question of discussing in the court. Giriraja: Yes, but that’s also… Prabhupada: And the paper does not give any publicity. Giriraja: Well, see, their paper… You see, this man, the editor, he thrives on controversy and notoriety. So he likes cases. And then when the case comes up, he gives the report of the case in his newspaper. So most people felt that he would be very happy if we filed suit because that will increase his… Prabhupada: It will be in his favor. Giriraja: Yes. Gopala Krsna: I met one, but, I knew the assistant editor of Times of India and I spoke to him about it. He said if we wrote a strong reply, we could perhaps get him to print our reply on third page. We could perhaps get him… He’s done that in the past. But it’s a risky gamble. Giriraja: There was a new article this week. Gopala Krsna: In Blitz? Giriraja: Yes. Prabhupada: About us? Giriraja: Yes. Gopala Krsna: Another one? Giriraja: Yes. Gopala Krsna: You have it? Giriraja: No. I thought you might have it. Prabhupada: What is read? Giriraja: They were very agitated that so many big ministers and people came to our function in Hyderabad. Prabhupada: Oh, that’s nice. Giriraja: Actually, it’s like a backhanded compliment. Whatever they wrote was very favorable. Prabhupada: That is counteraction. Giriraja: Yes. Actually it was good publicity. The headline was that the Andhra government is falling for our tricks. But all the subject was very good. Prabhupada: We got very good coverage in Hyderabad by all the papers. Gopala Krsna: Have you seen it? Giriraja: Yes, you sent me some clippings. They’re very good. In bold type… Gopala Krsna: “CM praises ISKCON.” Giriraja: In the Blitz in the bold type they quote the Endowments Minister that we owe a great debt of gratitude to Srila Prabhupada for reminding us of the great treasure that we have in our own culture. Prabhupada: Then they’ve already owned (won) the case. Gopala Krsna: Actually, they don’t know that you addressed the whole cabinet in that Endowment Minister’s house. That Blitz doesn’t know. Giriraja: They mentioned that the Commissioner of Town Planning designed the temple. They mentioned that the Chief Minister came. They mentioned that we have a farm to help the poor people. Prabhupada: Oh, everything is there. Giriraja: All of our credits are there. Gopala Krsna: Although they are Communist they just want to… Prabhupada: Harer nama [Adi 17.21]. Gopala Krsna: One thing is now that we can expect something almost every few weeks. Blitz, once it starts on something it just goes on. I think we should at least write a letter to them just saying… Giriraja: I was… At first, I thought there is no use to meet the editor because he’s a demon. Prabhupada: No, no, there is no… Gopala Krsna: The Delhi man who wrote the story, this editor told me he’s an outright Communist. Prabhupada: Sit down. Gopala Krsna: Actually an outright Communist. Giriraja: The other point that people felt that nobody will take it seriously because everyone knows that it’s just junk. Prabhupada: Third-class paper. (Child speaking in background.) Gopala Krsna: It has a wide circulation in India. [break] Prabhupada: …leave this boy in the park and we shall go. Let them come, walking. You come walking? Live here? No. Cannot walk? He can walk. Leave him here. (Prabhupada is teasing a little child.) Child: That’s the park! Here we are! Prabhupada: They will come back by walking. Child: There we are. Accha. Child: We’re going to come back by the walk. Gopala Krsna: How many Hindi words do you know? Child: I know accha…. Prabhupada: Yes, no, very good. (laughter) [break] Sudama and Purusottama, another boy, he was also… There was competition in collecting flower. I think Sudama stood first. And he was coming. We have to go this way? Indian man: Any way. We can go this way, we can go this way. Hari-sauri: We want to avoid any hills and things if we can. Devotee: Which one? [break] Prabhupada: Why not? He’ll come walking. We are going in the car. There is no place. They can walk. They are young children. (Children playing and laughing, “Jaya Srila Prabhupada!”) [break] …twice, thrice in a year total. Hari-sauri: Hut! Hut! Gopala Krsna: Prabhupada just returned from his fifteenth world tour. [break] Prabhupada: We have got now… Gopala Krsna: A new house, Feroz Gandhi Road. Indian man: Feroz Gandhi Marg (Hindi) Lajpat Nagar number three. [break] Prabhupada: …place in the car. This way? Indian man: Oh, yes. Prabhupada: All right. Indian man: These children, they are coming from which place? Hari-sauri: France and… Prabhupada: The smaller one from France and the bigger one from America. International. Indian man: And their parents also there. Prabhupada: They are also here. We are a society, so the grhasthas are there, brahmacaris, sannyasis, vanaprastha. All status of life. Missionaries, they have got only sannyasis. We have got all. Indian man: The other missionaries? Prabhupada: Just like Ramakrishna Mission. They have got only sannyasis. No grhasthas. But we have got grhasthas also. Children: Go this way, Srila Prabhupada! Prabhupada: You go this way, I shall go this way. Children: Go this way! Prabhupada: No, you go this way. Children: No, you go this way. Prabhupada: No, you go. We shall go this way. There is no place in the car. You go this way. Indian man: You have got a very good canteen over here, do you care for a cup of milk or tea or something. Prabhupada: Unfortunately, (laughs) I am not eating very much. Indian man: Rice, anything you would care for. Children: Go this way. This way. Prabhupada: I cannot digest. Hare Krsna. [break] Because you have to walk. (laughs) [break] …can stay here. Jaya. Hari-sauri: Hut! Children: Hut! Hut! Hut! Hari-sauri: Don’t annoy it. Otherwise, it might not be so friendly. Prabhupada: Oh, you have to walk, why you are getting? Hari-sauri: There’s no room. Prabhupada said you have to walk. You have to stay in the park. Children: No! Gopala Krsna: It’s a straight road. Hari-sauri: Come on, let’s go. Let’s lock the door. [break] (in the car) Gopala Krsna: His father’s the head pujari. Prabhupada: Yes. Gopala Krsna: Very good pujari. Children: You know the dress that was yesterday? Deity’s dress? The same as your birthday dress. Giriraja: The dress that was put yesterday was the same as the birthday dress? Child: Of Prabhupada. Hari-sauri: No, the Vyasa-puja dress. Giriraja: Oh, the Vyasa-puja dress. Prabhupada: What is that? You know? Giriraja: What is Vyasa-puja? (end)
Conversation About Bombay
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
August 29, 1976, Delhi