Room Conversation
on Farm Management
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
December 10, 1976, Hyderabad

Prabhupada: Make very nice palatable prasadam. We shall spend for that. Why miserly? There is no need of miserly. You are going to earn money by agricultural produce, so how the money will be utilized? It will be utilized for Krsna’s purpose. By prasadam, by chanting, by drama, somehow or other bring them. That is our mission. Congregational chanting. Always festival, and we shall spend for that. Immediately arrange. If there is scarcity of money, I shall pay, but from… Bring them somehow or other. Tomorrow I want to see at least 500 men. Make arrangement like that. I came here to see that, not to sit down in a room peacefully. So there also we shall inform the meeting that we want to propagate this Krsna consciousness movement town to town, village to village, by attracting them with musical demonstration of sankirtana, dramatic play, movie, prasadam. Somehow or other they should come to the temple, to the pandal and congregationally chant Hare Krsna maha-mantra, hear Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavatam. For this purpose, whatever expenditure is required, that you should collect and spend. This is the scheme of Hare Krsna movement. You must come here, question, understand, and vigorous propaganda should be inaugurated town to town, village to village. Those who are educated, to them distribution of literature. The school, college, library, institution, university, by scholarly presentation. That is wanted. What is that?

Devotee: (indistinct)

Prabhupada: Oh, it doesn’t matter. Understand the idea?

Jagadisa: Oh, yes.

Prabhupada: To attract them to really nice prasadam, palatable food, we shall spend. And we shall argue (?) also by literature produced, and they’re learning. Where is the difficulty? We shall take contribution from rich persons. We shall earn ourself, and spend it, to give them very nice prasadam. Gradually when they come, when you engage them in producing their own food, own shelter, own cloth… This should be organized. And they’ll be glad. As soon as they understand, they will be glad to do. And they will stop all this nonsense: illicit sex, and meat eating. Then their life will be purified. And they’ll make more and more advancement in this path. That is perfection. That you want. Is it clear or not?

Jagadisa: Oh, yes.

Prabhupada: Yes? This is our mission. If you give them very nice palatable prasadam… They go to hotel from miles together to take some palatable foodstuff, restaurant, hotel. And we cannot give nice Krsna prasadam? Why? Why you cannot give? Arrange like that, first class. Simply for eating they will come. Immediately do it.

Jagadisa: I have a question, whether we should always give them khicuri or whether we should…

Prabhupada: Give them nice prasadam by which they are attracted. It doesn’t matter khicuri, puri, kacuri, ladu. Whatever they are attracted, we must give. Whatever that will attract them. That I want. Krsna-prasadam. Don’t waste, give them nice palatable foodstuff. Give them one finest kacuri, one nice samosa, two puris, they will be very glad. Make very, very, nice prasadam. What is this rubbish, the dog cannot eat even? They have done a great mistake, all rascals. I am very angry. I say that if you have got no money, I’ll spend, I will give you money. Why should you make such tenth class, and no food at all. It is to be thrown away. Simply waste of grains and energy. Engage nice professional cook, prepare nice foodstuff. I shall spend for that if you have no money. Gentlemen who are coming immediately should be offered some prasadam. “Please come here, take: puri, kacuri, samosa.” Arrangement should be like that. The doctors came, he comes out of love, but there is no prasadam. Huh? What is this? The doctor comes, but we couldn’t supply him prasadam at 12 o’clock.

Jagadisa: Today?

Prabhupada: Not today, the other day.

Jagadisa: Oh.

Prabhupada: Prasada is not yet ready, you also said. After eating I have no, not yet ready. What is this? At 2 o’clock? As soon as they want. The Vrndavana also, the same thing I told that what they are doing? Prasadam, as soon as they want, they’ll must feed some prasadam according to the position of the person. We shall spend for that. I am not hesitating to spend money, why the arrangement is lacking? Immediately arrange for theirs and invite them. Don’t make it childish. Where are the leaders, they are now engaged there?

Jagadisa: Pardon me?

Prabhupada: Our leaders are engaged there?

Jagadisa: At the kirtana?

Prabhupada: Huh.

Jagadisa: Mahamsa is there. I don’t know where Hamsaduta is.

Prabhupada: So anyway, this is my instruction. We have to written and discuss and go. And I want to see tomorrow many thousand people. If you cannot make attractive, why they will come? Then it is failure. Make attractive. Whatever money is required, I shall pay. Simply theory will not help. Make such prasadam as people will come and be mad after it.

Jagadisa: Yes, we can…

Prabhupada: Just explain. You have taken in writing?

Jagadisa: It’s on tape.

Prabhupada: So go and discuss. They must be attracted.

Jagadisa: I see.

Prabhupada: Otherwise it is failure. [break]

Mahamsa: …who came, but…

Prabhupada: You are satisfied?

Mahamsa: No.

Prabhupada: Then?

Mahamsa: No. The people also, there was no advertisement that today there would be a program.

Prabhupada: So whatever it is required, you do it.

Mahamsa: So on tomorrow, I will do the advertisement and show them…

Prabhupada: Give them very, very first class prasadam.

Mahamsa: Yes.

Prabhupada: They will come for the tongue.

Mahamsa: Yes. Today the dallers (?), they liked it very spicy.

Prabhupada: That they like, I do not know what they like. But you prepare they should come and eat.

Mahamsa: Yes.

Prabhupada: I do not know what they like.

Mahamsa: There is a lot of sabji in the dal also, today and it’s hot. They like it.

Prabhupada: Whatever it may be, whatever they like, the villagers, you prepare. If you have no money, I shall pay money.

Mahamsa: O.K.

Prabhupada: But attract them. They will come here to eat, “Oh, very nice thing.” That is wanted. I made this movement successful simply by love feast. They did not come to hear Hare Krsna. They came for love feast. From very beginning, when I was in 26 2nd Avenue, every Sunday I was giving nice foodstuff, at least 200 men. Daily at least more than 15, 20. I was cooking myself. That is the beginning of my movement. The capatis with Kirtanananda, first of all he was taking one and two, then twelve. (laughter) There was another boy…

Devotee: Stryadhisa.

Prabhupada: Stryadhisa. Twenty-two capatis. (laughter) “Stryadhisa, can I give you?” “Yes.” I gave him four. Finished. “Stryadhisa, can I give you?” “Yes.” (laughter) Very nice boy. He was eating twenty-two. One day there was no money, so he immediately went and came after some time with some money. “And where did you go?” The shoe booth. He polished shoes and brought some money. (laughter) In this way, this was developed. Give them prasadam, nice prasadam. Any gentleman comes, immediately there must be some prasadam. Engage first class cook. Spend money, don’t be a miserly. If you have no money, I will pay. So long I am living, I shall go on paying. You don’t be miserly. Bring devotees for eating, and then chanting, then cinema, then lecture, in this way you have to develop. Not that people will come, “Hare Krsna mantra is there, let us go there.” They will not come. What do they know about Hare Krsna? They will come, “Oh, there is nice, good prasadam distributed.”

Mahamsa: Some people I know, they said that yesterday the prasadam was not nice, and there was…

Prabhupada: Not nice, it is not eatable even by the dogs. But you are less than the dogs if you (prepare) such thing. I was surprised. You allowed a sweeper to cook. I was surprised. We have distribution prasadam, not dog’s food. Such rascals as here. You do not know. I do not wish to discuss anymore on this point. You have murdered the whole thing in two days. Now if possible, bring them, bring them first class prasadam, very palatable. Foodstuff means even one has no appetite he’ll eat. That is food. Not that even one has got appetite, he’ll forget. That is not food. So do like that and for money produce, use cane, sugar cane, rice. We shall spend for that. Don’t spoil money, but do like businessman. He invests money, he gets a return. Spend it for Krsna. That is wanted. There is no question of becoming a miser. I never did it. When I have got that farthing, I want to spend it. Immediately spend. Oh, what I have made this BBT? Immediately 50% for printing, and 50% for spreading this. (indistinct) and understand what I want to do. So whatever is done is done, now do it very nicely. I want to see at least 1,000 men coming from the villages. There are 20,000 men here, you cannot attract them?

Mahamsa: Do we announce that you will give darsana on the stage for five minutes?

Prabhupada: Huh?

Mahamsa: Can we announce…?

Prabhupada: Nobody will come for my darsana, but if you want I’ll go.

Mahamsa: Yes.

Prabhupada: That is not very difficult task.

Mahamsa: Because they are all very anxious to see you, because the…

Prabhupada: All right, I shall go. What is that? The difficulty is I would gone very gladly, but they do not understand my language, neither Hindi, nor English.

Mahamsa: It can be translated in Telugu.

Prabhupada: Then I am shall go. I shall go.

Mahamsa: Yes.

Prabhupada: I shall go. I shall speak. Give them very nice food. From tomorrow I will… If there are rascals, you’ll bring. I will pay nice cook. Make varieties, very palatable food. Kichranna,(?) puspanna, rice, there are so many preparations. Paramanna. You do not make paramanna, kichranna,(?) puspanna. There are varieties of rice preparation. They know, the southern people, with curd, yogurt…

Mahamsa: Tamarind.

Prabhupada: Eh? Tamarind, so many preparations. So make like that. Why dog eating? They are not dogs. You cannot expect, because you are giving some dog eatable food, they will come. There must be one first class cook, and all our men should learn. There’s no need of simply keeping unduly: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna, and sleeping. We don’t want such men. Make a show. And do not know anything how to preach. Useless. The householder, the women should be engaged in cooking. Their children should be gathered together. One man… I have said many times, all the children should be taken in a room by one woman, and others should be engaged in the cooking department. I have seen it. Your country, America. When they go to church, all the childrens are gathered together in a room. Is it not?

Devotees: Yes.

Prabhupada: And one or two men take care. And others, they go. Similarly, children they must have, so… Not that everyone is children busy, “I cannot do.” They cannot do if they are busy with children. What is the use of keeping such householders? Let them live outside, earn their money. Women business is to cleanse, to cut the vegetables, to cook, what is this? They’re simply busy with the children? And they have started their mission for maintaining some children, and useless women. You should organize. Radhikara pakka anna vividha byanjana. All the gopis, they are engaged for cooking for Krsna. Mother Yasoda will call them, “You young girls, you can cook very nicely.”

radhikara pakka anna vividha byanjana parama anande krsna korena bhojana

Do you understand Bengali?

Mahamsa: No.

Prabhupada: Radhika with Her friends, they are cooking. And they cook so nicely that parama anande krsna korena bhojana. With great pleasure Krsna is eating. And that we have to distribute. Not dog’s food. You do not know what is the purpose of this mission. No need. Here is a good chance, don’t spoil it. Produce food. Make profit, you spend for Krsna. Train all devotees how to cook. All women. Don’t distribute dog’s eatable things. Krsna prasadam.

radhikara pakka anna vividha byanjana parama anande krsna korena bhojana

Krsna is taking with great pleasure. That prasadam you have to distribute. Not that dog is rejecting and you have and you distribute that prasadam. Why do you think like that? This prasadam, this so- called, rubbish thing which is rejected by dog and you are offering to the human being. You do it. If you have no money I shall pay. There is no question of scarcity of money. Don’t spoil money, but spend for real purpose, that’s all. And you arrange for huge agricultural… Whatever is required, water, we shall arrange for that. Labor. Everything. And if you perform yajna, there will be rain. Anyway, I asked you the other day to fill up the tank. What is the difficulty?

Mahamsa: Which tank?

Prabhupada: That big tank. Well, big well.

Devotee (1): Just here. The one that’s been pumped empty. Anyway the big empty…

Prabhupada: But you were surprised. You do not know that we have got a big well here.

Mahamsa: The one that we drink water from?

Hari-sauri: The big square one.

Devotee: Behind the house.

Prabhupada: Why it is empty? Hm?

Mahamsa: Fill it for what, Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Why the well is empty? There is no water. He’s surprised. As if dropping from the sky. You do not know that well?

Mahamsa: It’s just a tank.

Prabhupada: Tank, yes. Why it is empty?

Mahamsa: Because I didn’t know what purpose it will serve by filling it.

Prabhupada: Filling it, we shall pump and distribute water. You shall fit pipes. And pump water and distribute to the field, so there will be no scarcity of water, and produce. What it was meant, you do not know?

Mahamsa: No, right now, that field does not need water to…

Prabhupada: Then why you are not growing there something?

Mahamsa: The paddy is drying over there, Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: No, no, there are so many other fields. Why they are empty?

Mahamsa: Oh, we have to go and do boring wells and…

Prabhupada: Therefore that means water supply.

Mahamsa: Yes, that’s what I have to arrange now.

Prabhupada: Ha. So why, when you will arrange? Arrange it immediately.

Mahamsa: Yes, before…

Prabhupada: And that is also one of the water pool to solve water problem. The tank. Do you follow what I say?

Mahamsa: Yes.

Prabhupada: You fill up the tank and by pumping through pipe, you distribute water.

Jagadisa: The viaducts are already there.

Mahamsa: Yes.

Prabhupada: If you have got water filled up in that tank, we can water so many lands. We shall spend for that. We shall… Pipe line, pumping. Here is so much land we can produce gur (?). But you have no brain. Produce gur, get money and spend it for Krsna. This is wanted. Not simply planning and talking. The world is suffering for want of right planning. Otherwise, there is no question of suffering. Purnam idam, complete it is, everything complete. That is the Vedic verse. Why (indistinct) …incomplete means he’s rascals. That supply [break] and still all right. Eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman. Krsna does not want to see that we are starving for want of food. That He does not want to see. But because you have come to the material world, you have to work hard. Then you’ll get your food. That is the material world. Sarira-yatrapi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmanah, Krsna says. Very… If you do not work, then you cannot get food. Simply work together. Sarva-kama-dugha mahi. And you get from the land. You have got land. You get anything from the land. The land must be moist. Then you get everything. That we want to show. Hm, what do you say? Land is…

Mahamsa: Oh yes.

Prabhupada: Eh? You are intelligent, you… Eh?

Mahamsa: You are the intelligent man, Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: Now, what do you think this idea?

Harikesa: No, it’s wonderful.

Prabhupada: Yes, do that.

Harikesa: In Vrndavana I saw a water-bull, just goes around in the circle all day and makes the water come up on these little catchers. And then it goes…

Prabhupada: Yes, so many means there are watering.

Harikesa: The whole field.

Prabhupada: Yes. People have lost the program. These rascals they draw all these men to manufacture Goodyear tire and eat store (?). This is going on. Modern man, they draw all these man, “Come on, I shall pay you 20 rupees daily. Prepare Goodyear tire, and eat store. Take paper. Purchase store. That’s all. This is going on. What brain they will have? Twenty rupees they get and they spend ten rupees for wine, and five rupees for cigarette, and fooding, say five rupees. No ghee, no milk. Soul killing civilization. And again this soul killing civilization. This Krsna consciousness… Hm, what you wanted to say?

Devotee: This, your Dr. Ghosh, where he is staying…

Prabhupada: Mm.

Devotee: We were there this afternoon for a program, and all their land is so green, and they are growing vegetables by a patch no bigger than this mattress that you are sitting. They are working one, planting, then growing another. Just a small piece, they’re planting.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Harikesa: They have some way for the water to go to…

Prabhupada: You should do like that here, in our land. Do like that. If they can do here, some few miles away…

Harikesa: We can do.

Prabhupada: …you can do it. Do it immediately. See how they are doing. So much land, why it should remain vacant? So combinedly immediately begin. Mm. So how long you are staying here?

Harikesa: Till Sunday morning.

Prabhupada: Oh. So your business is complete or…

Harikesa: No, almost.

Prabhupada: So, give him all help.

Harikesa: Yes, people are…

Prabhupada: He is doing very nice there, and he’ll do very nice.

Hamsaduta: One thing I thought it would be good if your divine grace would write a letter making him the GBC, so that he can act with full authority.

Prabhupada: I’ll give full authority. Write letter I shall sign. Yes. You have full authority. Write letter, I’ll sign.

Hamsaduta: Yes.

Harikesa: By your talking, I’m also thinking we should have a farm in Germany, I know…

Prabhupada: Oh, yes, why not? Everywhere. I myself when I go to the farm, I forget whether it is India, or Germany, or France. I forget. The land is there. Sarva-kama-dugha. We get everything from that. I have several times said that why they make this distinction? This is France, this is India, this is… Everywhere is God’s land. Why these rascals make division, I do not understand. Every land belongs to Krsna, and you are sons of Krsna. Let us live peacefully and chant Hare Krsna. All rascals, mudha. There is rain now and then fall in Europe?

Harikesa: Yes, now it’s very much.

Hamsaduta: Now it’s too late.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Hamsaduta: Now it’s too late.

Harikesa: I mean, it wasn’t there, but now it’s so much.

Prabhupada: Hm. But God is giving hint that if, “Rascal, it is in My hand. I can keep you in starvation to death.” The man is dull brain. Anyway, I am anxious to learn, why so many people are suffering? They have become all gray. Throughout whole France I saw. From Paris to Valencay I went. Gray. These people are not lazy, but there was no water. They utilize every inch land for agricultural purpose. At least I saw in France. Then maybe everywhere in Europe. They are not lazy fellow. There is organization, government organization here. People, they… Anyway let us show some example. Immediately make program. You have seen, yes?

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupada: And you are expert. Do it immediately. If there is requires some money, we shall pay. Fill up. What is the difficulty in filling up this tank?

Mahamsa: I’m not still understanding which tank you are… Because there are many tanks…

Devotees: (indistinct—all speak at once)

Harikesa: …it’s empty.

Mahamsa: No one ever swim in here. We took out water to water the fields.

Prabhupada: So why it is empty? Have it filled up.

Mahamsa: How to fill? It has to come by itself. The water comes from the recuperation from the soil, so it is not in our hands to fill it. It just comes by itself slowly. It takes six days. If we empty the well it takes takes 6 days to fill it.

Prabhupada: No, no. By the… By digging a well or something you cannot…

Mahamsa: If we do a boring, then that’s, the well can be filled. We have a pump and we can fill it. But now as it is, it’s fifty feet deep.

Prabhupada: Why not make boring?

Mahamsa: That is my plan, that is what I was telling…

Prabhupada: Why plan, why do it now?

Mahamsa: Yes. now…

Prabhupada: Keep it always filled up.

Harikesa: He’s saying he has the money.

Mahamsa: Yes, I was thinking before you go, we should get the rigs coming here and putting on the whole…

Prabhupada: Yes.

Devotee (3): Tomorrow we should go.

Mahamsa: Yes.

Devotee (3): It’s the first business. We should go to that place and have him come, start the pool.

Prabhupada: Water required. Fill up with water and distribute water and produce. Huge quantity. Whatever can be produced. Sugar cane, rice, these are very valuable commodity at the present moment. Produce. And sugar cane means the upper portion will be the food for the cow.

Mahamsa: Even rice.

Prabhupada: Even… Oh, yes. Very, very practic… We want some (indistinct) food. Annad bhavanti bhutani. Bhutani means both animal and men. Animals should be well fed. Not only human being, but animal also. Otherwise, how he’ll work? Don’t use tractor, use this bulls. Otherwise there will be a problem, how to engage the bulls.

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupada: Engage them for transport, for plowing.

Mahamsa: We should not get a tractor?

Prabhupada: No. When you have got bulls, why should you get…?

Mahamsa: We have only 8 pairs of bulls.

Prabhupada: Yes, and other bulls have been eaten up. Now we stop that eating. Now if you need, you can purchase tractor. But as far as possible try to avoid, and engage the bulls. Otherwise, it will be problems. The Europeans have invented tractors, and the bull is a problem. Therefore they must be sent to the slaughterhouse. So we can not create that problem. How the bull should be utilized? They should be used for transport, and plowing. What is this turmoil?

Devotee: I think they are distributing prasadam.

Mahamsa: Now, they have finished the slide-show and they are sitting down for prasadam.

Prabhupada: All right. Go and see it is done. Announce that “Tomorrow we shall prepare such and such nice preparations. Please you are especially invited.” In this way attract. (end)