Room Conversation with Devotees
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
July 1, 1977, Vrndavana

Prabhupada: …allowing permanent residence, to suffer for that, that will help us. That will help us. But if they do not do anything, then what is the use of them? What we can expect from them, profit? What we expect? Our real problem is here, that every time, our men has to go out, they kicked out, trained-up men… So if we can at least, as he has asked, submit the names, let us test what they will do. Otherwise what help you expect from them?

Tamala Krsna: Only that, Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: What help you expect from them? For money’s concerned, we are selling our books, publication, everything. They are also profiting. We cannot expect any money from government.

Tamala Krsna: No.

Prabhupada: So what help we expect?

Tamala Krsna: Simply some allowing our men to be there like that. Simply allowing our men to remain in the country…

Prabhupada: That is our request for them.

Bhakti-caitanya: That is why if people appreciate us, then automatically…

Prabhupada: They are appreciating all over the world.

Bhakti-caitanya: Yeah. No, in India now, when people are appreciating, you are preaching, and when it will catch little fast, then automatically they have to accept it. Sometimes accept the voice of the peoples.

Prabhupada: That they are already presenting. We want this help. Let us see how the judgment… It is a test. And if there is no sympathy, then who would approve? Because we have to mix with these politicians very carefully. They can do more harm than good.

Bhakti-caitanya: They do that. There was one Indira Gandhi’s…, like as a guru, Dhirendra Brahmacari, and now every day news, bad news, are coming in the newspaper, we understand, because he becomes very much close to Indira Gandhi and his son. All his yoga-asrama in Kashmir… He built up big asrama, and the government, they were giving him aid, many lakhs rupees, every year. Now this Janata government took over. He had a… They took over the land and everything, and now they are going to send even back here, because he was so much mixed with the politicians.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Bhakti-caitanya: From there we can see that result.

Prabhupada: So if we mix with these politicians, very bad. Better not to mix. But sometimes this is very important thing, and we have already presented our case. Let us see how he does it. Everywhere you should be very careful about mixing with the politicians. What is that?

Tamala Krsna: This is a bottle of rosewater. I asked him to get it from Seth Visanchand. I asked this man, “Seth Visanchand sent this?” The boy who brought it said, “I’ll just make inquiry.”

Prabhupada: They are so careful.

Tamala Krsna: One boy brought it to another boy who brought it to another boy, and he brings it here. So I said, “Where is it from?” because if it’s from Seth Visanchand we can take it that it’s a good chance it’s pure. So I want to know who has sent it originally.

Prabhupada: That is the difficulty here. I say. You say. Another rascal, he says. Another rascal, another… Ultimately it is done by grace. Rather, what can I do? It is very difficult. He did not hear what I am saying. “Will o’ the wisp.” Without understanding, “garagara,” run off. Bas. Foolishness. What is written there, in the bottle?

Tamala Krsna: Absolutely nothing. It’s just a bottle with water in it.

Prabhupada: And where is that eye washing?

Tamala Krsna: Eye wash? It’s behind you.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Tamala Krsna: We brought the eye wash.

Prabhupada: You have got it?

Tamala Krsna: Upendra didn’t show you?

Prabhupada: No.

Tamala Krsna: I saw him bring it ready.

Devotee (1): There’s one bottle here.

Tamala Krsna: Yeah, Optrix, Optrex.

Prabhupada: But that is another thing. Again the same. In any medical shop you can get eye-washing cup. I wanted…

Tamala Krsna: Yeah, so far, they haven’t brought that. That’s been asked. They are going…

Prabhupada: So you have asked another foolish?

Tamala Krsna: No, I mean, for this and for that, I asked Aksayananda Maharaja, the president of the temple. There’s no higher way of getting unless I go personally. They are still out. They haven’t come back.

Prabhupada: But you have sent. For Visanchand he went. Nobody heard that I wanted from Visanchand.

Tamala Krsna: What, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Nobody heard that I wanted from Visanchand.

Tamala Krsna: Seth Visanchand? Oh, yeah, I heard. I told him…

Prabhupada: But it is not useful. You heard it.

Tamala Krsna: Yeah.

Prabhupada: But it is not useful.

Tamala Krsna: No, a problem…

Prabhupada: No, no, you heard it, but it has not become useful. That I am saying. The management is so nice that what you heard from me, that has not become useful.

Tamala Krsna: You said Visanchand is to send rosewater and eye- wash cup. Now, I…

Prabhupada: Then you did not understand.

Bhakti-caitanya: Prabhupada says that he has not said to get from Visanchand.

Tamala Krsna: He has not said to get from Visanchand. I only heard that.

Prabhupada: The… I wanted from Visanchand because he has got this. And I wanted that washing glass from the market. It can be had from any medical shop.

Tamala Krsna: So for that, the man has gone out to get that.

Prabhupada: That’s all right, but water has come from somebody, somebody else.

Tamala Krsna: Well, I’ll try to find out. This may have come from Seth Visanchand. I sent the boy to ask the man who brought it where he got it from.

Prabhupada: So ask him wherefrom he has brought.

Tamala Krsna: Yeah, I just sent that boy to (indistinct) to find out where he brought it from.

Prabhupada: Anyway…

Tamala Krsna: As soon as he came in the door, I said, “Where is this coming from?” He said, “It’s coming from Ramesh.” I said, “That’s all right, but where did Ramesh get it from?” He said, “I don’t know.” He’s the vice president.

Prabhupada: All right.

Tamala Krsna: I have tried. I can go myself to Seth.

Prabhupada: So you should know that here are so many rascals. When you say something to one rascal, just inject him that “We… I want this. Have you understood? Because you are a rascal.” Otherwise you won’t get.

Tamala Krsna: That’s right.

Prabhupada: You have to inject ten times. Then they will learn. That… They are so rascal: “Oh, all right…” But… And you ask him, “Wherefrom…?” “I do not know.” Anyway, now if I get that glass and… (pause)

Devotee (2): Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Hm?

Devotee (2): I don’t know if you know, but there is a (indistinct).

Prabhupada: I know that. I have given receipt. There is no… That is all right. Work will go on like that… Now that belongs to somebody else. Anyway, the things are there. There will be no difficulty. But the work is being done like that. He does not know. He does not know. What is called? There is a story. A man went to a shopkeeper. He was shaven-headed. You know that?

Trivikrama: Shaven-head.

Tamala Krsna: Shaven-head.

Prabhupada: Yes. You know that story?

Tamala Krsna: Yeah.

Devotee (2): No.

Prabhupada: So he went to purchase something from a grocer. The grocer asked him, “Why you are shaven-headed?” “Oh, such person has…, is now dead.”

Trivikrama: Sargal Singh?

Prabhupada: No, I’ll come to that. So the grocer also thought, “Now I also should shave.” Something saying like that. Then another man met him. He also said. He also said. Then at last, one intelligent man, he asked, “Who is this man?” Then again the news come back through the parampara, (laughter) yes, who is this man. Then he called the man, first, who said. He was a dhobi, and his ass was dead. The ass was dead, so hearing, it has gone so far. The other men… The unintelligent persons are like that. They do not know, inquire what is the real thing. Just like twenty years ago I said, “This is all nonsense, moon-going.” And now they are coming: “Oh, it is hoax.” So that is the difference. Twenty years before and “This is all childish waste of money. This rascal will never be able to go to the moon.” And now they are coming. That is the difference. I said from common sense. Naksatranam aham sasi. And we read in the Bhagavatam that to go to the moon planet, one has to execute such yajnas, karma-kanda. We understand from sastra. And how this rascal with a machine will go there? That is a common sense. But they do not believe in the words of the sastra. Rascals, they were bluffed and they believe. Sastra-caksus. Your eyes should be through the sastra. Yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya vartate kama…, na siddhim sa… We believe in this. Therefore I said twenty years before. That is the difference. We take the words of sastra, words of Krsna, ultimate. That’s all. So we have no difficulty. They do not believe in sastra. They do not believe in Krsna. So they were bluffed. That is the difference. We have… I started this movement. It is not manufactured by me. Take the words of authorities and spread. There is no adulteration. There is no alteration. That is… Mahajano yena gatah… (end)