Room Conversation
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
October 13, 1977, Vrndavana

Prabhupada: (Bengali with Pisima and Bhakti-caru) [break]

Tamala Krsna: Puri Maharaja.

Prabhupada: Ah. (Bengali) (meeting with Puri Maharaja and others— Bengali) (kirtana)

Puri Maharaja: (Bengali) Where is he? He is in charge of Colombo. Where…?

Tamala Krsna: Brahmananda Maharaja?

Puri Maharaja: Not Brahmananda Maharaja.

Hari-sauri: Hrdayananda. South America?

Puri Maharaja: (Bengali)

Tamala Krsna: Hamsaduta. Here he is.

Puri Maharaja: Hamsaduta. (laughs)

Tamala Krsna: He took sannyasa.

Puri Maharaja: Ha. I have seen him, but I could not able to… Hamsaduta. He sings well. Last parikrama I saw him.

Prabhupada: (Bengali)

Tamala Krsna: He captured a very big scientist.

Puri Maharaja: Scientist.

Tamala Krsna: One Dr. Kovoor.

Puri Maharaja: Singhali.

Tamala Krsna: Yes, in Ceylon. And this Dr. Kovoor was saying that life comes from chemicals. So Hamsaduta Maharaja challenged him that “If life comes from chemicals, then I will give you ten lakhs’ rupees if you come to this hall and you make chemicals into life.”

Puri Maharaja: Life. (laughs)

Tamala Krsna: So he challenged him to a big thing, and in the newspapers every day for two or three months there was discussion between Hamsaduta Maharaja on behalf of the belief that life comes from life, not from chemicals. Life comes from Krsna. So he defeated this man, big scientist.

Puri Maharaja: Accha. Ah, good.

Tamala Krsna: And the man did not come.

Prabhupada: You can read one newspaper article.

Tamala Krsna: One of the articles?

Prabhupada: Yes. (Bengali) “Prepare one mosquito.” (Puri Maharaja laughs) (Bengali)

Tamala Krsna: Shall I read, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Tamala Krsna: “…the appropriate chemical into himself to check death…” Let him make himself deathless. “And restore his old and worn-out body with youthful luster and beauty. He may find this task too difficult, so perhaps he could just produce a simple form of life like a mosquito or a bedbug. Better still, let him recombine the chemicals of the praying mantis he decapitated, as described in his article, and bring it back to life. Or, is the science of Dr. Kovoor only a one-way road of destruction of life? But it may be that science is not yet ready to produce a finished product of life, so he could make a plastic egg and inject into it the yellow and white chemical substances, incubate such an artificial egg and thereby produce one chicken, which could then go on laying eggs and producing more and more chickens. Even this task may be a little too difficult for Dr. Kovoor, so perhaps he could simply produce a drop of milk or a grain of rice or an ounce of gold by chemical combination. Then we could begin to take him seriously. However, everyone knows that these are impossible tasks for even the most powerful so-called scientist. Dr. Kovoor will undoubtedly give the reader in his next exposition a long-winded barrage of words to cover up his bluff. The sum and substance of it will be, ‘We will do it in the future. We are trying.’ In any language, this is just a bluff.”

Puri Maharaja: Bluff.

Tamala Krsna: Hamsaduta Swami was preaching.

Puri Maharaja: Yes. He’s a Singhalese. I don’t think he’s a Singhalese.

Hamsaduta: No. He’s a Tamil.

Puri Maharaja: His name…

Hamsaduta: He’s a Tamil from South India.

Puri Maharaja: Christian.

Hamsaduta: His father was a minister.

Puri Maharaja: Yes. Proper dose you have given. Krsna must bless him.

Tamala Krsna: Then he gave him big challenge. “Rupees five lakhs’ challenge to Dr. Kovoor.”

Puri Maharaja: (laughs) Dr. Kovoor. He cannot be called as “doctor.” How could he be a doctor?

Hamsaduta: Quack. Quack doctor.

Prabhupada: There is a story. A bridegroom was selected. So, the other party, bride’s party, they inquired how the bridegroom was quite qualified. So they said, “He’s a doctor.” Then they inquired, “What kind of doctor? Doctor of philosophy, doctor of medicine or…?”

Puri Maharaja: Doctor which way?

Prabhupada: So he said, “No, no, no. He’s not all these nonsense. He’s a big doctor.” “What is that?” “Conductor.” (laughter)

Puri Maharaja: He’s a big superior doctor, con-doctor. (laughs)

Prabhupada: (Bengali) …con-ductor. Bhakti-caru?

Brahmananda: Just calling him. He’s in the kitchen, Srila Prabhupada. (pause)

Tamala Krsna: Here he is, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: (Bengali) [break]

Puri Maharaja: (Bengali)

Tamala Krsna: Srila Prabhupada? Maybe Puri Maharaja would like to see the pictures from the Los Angeles Ratha-yatra. Remember those pictures I showed you in London?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Tamala Krsna: I have a photo album. This is the Ratha-yatra we celebrated in Los Angeles, California. This is Jagannatha. We call it New Dvaraka. Los Angeles we call New Dvaraka. And this is the Jagannatha murtis, Gaura-Nitai, Radha-Krsna. This is in the temple. And Rukmini-Dvarakadhisa. So this is they are constructing the rathas, very big. This was a pandal we are constructing. Many of the little children, they helped to make the garlands, mala. And the artists, they did the paintings.

Puri Maharaja: Paintings. These are artists. Artists. Artists.

Tamala Krsna: Then they made so many signs, preparations. This was the vyasasana in the ratha, and Jagannatha Swami was carried.

Puri Maharaja: Carried, yes, being carried.

Jayatirtha: Each cart is fifty feet high.

Puri Maharaja: Accha? Jagannatha’s ratha is only forty-five feet.

Tamala Krsna: But here it’s fifty feet.

Puri Maharaja: In Puri the Jagannatha ratha is forty-five.

Tamala Krsna: But this is Los Angeles. Everything is big there. You see Jagannatha. You see Him?

Puri Maharaja: Yes. Jagannatha, yes. Dark eyes. (laughs)

Tamala Krsna: Very good eyes. And such a crowd. Two lakhs’ people attended. So many people came.

Puri Maharaja: Jagannatha’s Ratha-yatra. (Bengali—explains to others.)

Tamala Krsna: Lord Jagannatha is all-attractive. You cannot keep Him here. He’s going out the door. This is… One of the sannyasis was giving a big lecture. We had some elephants. The children were riding on them. See, “Free Love Feast.” Prasadam distributed… You can see these people are…

Puri Maharaja: Love Feast.

Jayatirtha: They served full prasadam to fifty thousand people.

Tamala Krsna: Fifty thousand people took full prasadam free of charge. [break]

Prabhupada:ratha (Bengali) prasadam.

Puri Maharaja: Prasadam.

Tamala Krsna: I just sent Hari-sauri to…

Puri Maharaja: Yes, yes. They are preparing.

Hari-sauri: The prasadam will be ready in about five minutes, Srila Prabhupada. They’re just cooking the puris now. The halava is done, and the sabji is almost ready. [break]

Prabhupada: (Bengali)

Tamala Krsna: The prasadam is here, Srila Prabhupada.

Puri Maharaja: (laughs) There is so much prasadam.

Tamala Krsna: No, not so much.

Prabhupada: What you have given?

Puri Maharaja: Puri, halava and gulabjamin. You have prepared very costly feast.

Tamala Krsna: Because you are our most valuable guests. [break]

Prabhupada: (Bengali) (kirtana) [break]

Tamala Krsna: This… At noontime you seemed to be getting a little taste. Did you have a little? You said gradually.

Prabhupada: And now… Just now, I have no taste.

Tamala Krsna: So I don’t think there is any problem. I mean, what you ate today was more than I saw you eat in three months, Srila Prabhupada. You ate a Love Feast today. So whenever we eat a Love Feast, we never have much appetite in the evening. Usually we simply chant.

Prabhupada: So I am trying to drink a little fruit juice.

Bhakti-caru: Prabhupada wanted to drink some of this sweet lemon juice.

Prabhupada: What do you think?

Bhakti-caru: (Bengali)

Tamala Krsna: Maybe your sister can suggest some good drink.

Bhakti-caru: (Bengali)

Prabhupada: (Bengali)

Bhakti-caru: (Bengali)

Prabhupada: Little, that sweet juice.

Bhakti-caru: What Atreya Rsi Prabhu brought.

Prabhupada: What is that?

Bhakti-caru: The sweet lemon. I’ll just get it, yes.

Prabhupada: Hm? What is that?

Tamala Krsna: I’m suggesting that it should be sweet.

Prabhupada: That is sweet, that sweet…

Atreya Rsi: It’s very sweet. It’s very, very sweet.

Tamala Krsna: Sweet is nice.

Prabhupada: So keep it. When I require, give me little.

Tamala Krsna: Bhakti-caru? Make it and then keep it ready, and as Prabhupada wants it…

Prabhupada: No, no.

Atreya Rsi: It has to be made very fresh.

Tamala Krsna: Oh. Atreya Rsi says it should be made fresh.

Prabhupada: Yes. That lemon should be preserved, not otherwise.

Tamala Krsna: Utilized. Okay. Keep the lemon. Don’t use it for anything else. That’s what you have to tell him. Preserve it only for this purpose. That was a very funny joke you told, Srila Prabhupada, about the doctor, con-doctor? Everybody was relishing it.

Prabhupada: Where is Kirtanananda? He is annoyed (avoiding?)? (Tamala Krsna laughs)

Tamala Krsna: Upendra said because he has a night shift sometimes he rests at this time. You want to see him?

Prabhupada: No.

Tamala Krsna: Just wondering.

Prabhupada: Where is Hari-sauri?

Tamala Krsna: Hari-sauri? He’s bathing, Srila Prabhupada. [break] …comfortably, Srila Prabhupada? Srila Prabhupada? In order to finish the Bombay temple, we’re making a… We’re sending some money to them for completion. So we have a committee called the Mayapura- Vrndavana committee. Persons on the committee are Jayapataka Swami, Giriraja, Gopala Krsna, Atreya Rsi, Ramesvara Maharaja, Gurukrpa Maharaja and myself. That committee was formed by the GBC last Mayapura festival. So they decided that they would give a loan, because the BBT was a little short of money… The BBT sends the money to Bombay. So the BBT wants to loan some money from the Mayapura-Vrndavana account in Los Angeles, and they’ll pay it back with the same bank interest.

Prabhupada: Make me centered.

Tamala Krsna: Make a loan from Los Angeles to the BBT, and the BBT will repay it with the regular bank interest. Is that all right? Had you given power of attorney, now that the MV trust has approved it, Giriraja and I can sign on your behalf. See, we’ll never sign on our own. We only sign after we get authority from the respective committee or from Your Divine Grace.

Prabhupada: That’s all right.

Tamala Krsna: We’re only mechanical signers.

Prabhupada: Very good. Make the body centered.

Tamala Krsna: Make the body centered? Which place is not centered, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: More.

Tamala Krsna: Is that all right? You said to the devotees who came to came to see you from the Gaudiya Matha, you said you were maha-patita. But they said, “Maha-patita-pavana.” We all appreciated that, Srila Prabhupada. Actually, Srila Prabhupada, I don’t think that your Godbrothers really have any bad feelings. If, as you describe, because you had to preach amongst such fallen persons as us, the offense is really on our part, not on yours. I think actually they know that. Of course, they’re a little sorry that they could not do what you did, but actually the offense is ours. We are not very trained up. It is not your fault. It is just that we are so fallen that we are only now beginning to learn a little etiquette. So sometimes, not purposely, but because we’re very fallen, we sometimes make mistakes and offenses. And because we’ve taken shelter of Your Divine Grace, you are always giving us protection. (Yasoda-nandana chants Brahma-samhita) [break]

Prabhupada: …they will appreciate tomorrow.

Yasoda-nandana: Yes. I’m training the boys. There’s three boys I’m training especially in the morning. Dvarakadhisa, Ekendra and Katyayana. I’m training to chant the Brahma-samhita and Bhagavad-gita every day. Tomorrow we have arranged that for the beginning of the conference the boys will chant namah om visnu-padaya, namaste narasimhaya, namo maha-vadanyaya, namo brahmanya-devaya, and four verses from Brahma-samhita, tomorrow at ten- thirty. And every day I’m training some of these boys to chant Brahma-samhita and Bhagavad-gita. Is that all right, Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Some very important men was to come this evening?

Hamsaduta: An important man was to come this evening? You mean for the conference, Srila Prabhupada? I don’t think any men have come yet, Prabhupada. Svarupa Damodara is here, but I think they’re planning to come tomorrow and the following days.

Bhavananda: Dr. Mishra, I think, is going to inaugurate the conference, and his friend, Dr. Chowdury, have just arrived. We’ve checked them into their room. They’re taking a little prasadam. Svarupa Damodara is with them.

Hamsaduta: Yes, some men have come.

Prabhupada: That’s all right. [break]

Paramananda: We’re very much encouraged how it’s working out. We’ve been discussing it for many hours here, and it seems like it’s going to work out very nicely.

Prabhupada: The program is there. If you follow, immediately success. You are leaving?

Paramananda: Tomorrow morning.

Tamala Krsna: Vamanadeva is going to go to Mayapura before he goes back to America. He’s going to go to Mayapura for a week or so with his family.

Prabhupada: Very good.

Paramananda: Also I would like to offer you the obeisances of Gaura Hari Prabhu and Bhurijana, who may not be able to come and see you. They’re also working very dedicatedly to developing this project, and they wanted very much to come and see you.

Prabhupada: That’s all right.

Tamala Krsna: Dhrstadyumna Maharaja is here also, and his brother is here, Srila Prabhupada. His brother’s name is Bill. I think you remember meeting Dhrstadyumna Maharaja’s parents in New York.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Tamala Krsna: So Dhrstadyumna is, I think, the elder. His brother is here.

Dhrstadyumna: My brother is an architect, Srila Prabhupada, and he’s helping us to design the community plan for the small village and the temple. He’s working very hard to help set up an ideal Vedic community.

Prabhupada: Keep always engaged yourself in Krsna activity. That is wanted. Jaya. [break] …yad yad acarati… You can give me two teaspoon glucose.

Brahmananda: Two teaspoons?

Tamala Krsna: Glucose.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Tamala Krsna: I was just… Everything you say is important to us, so I was just explaining to Jayadvaita to make sure that if you speak about these… (microphone moving) What would you like? Turning over? Okay.

Prabhupada: Turn me over occasionally this way and that way, even I do not say.

Tamala Krsna: Oh. Of course, we’ll ask you first, but we’ll do it.

Prabhupada: Yes. [break] …has offered place in Delhi. Is it not?

Svarupa Damodara: For the Institute?

Prabhupada: Some place in Delhi for Institute.

Svarupa Damodara: No. They haven’t offered that place. Did they? No.

Tamala Krsna: No. It was what you told Prabhupada earlier.

Svarupa Damodara: No, they didn’t offer a place, but they wanted to help establish a center for the Bhaktivedanta Institute.

Prabhupada: How to help?

Svarupa Damodara: Various ways, money and supporting us. They said it’s very essential.

Prabhupada: Who supported with money? Will they helpful with money, or what sort of support?

Svarupa Damodara: Actually he was speaking in general terms. This Professor Malsanda(?), he’s the head of the physiology department in the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences. He’s a very religious man. He’s also a very well known scholar. He’s medical doctor by profession. Also he belongs to many different scientific worldwide organizations, and he feels very strongly that we should have a center in Delhi for the Bhaktivedanta Institute.

Prabhupada: So money is required.

Svarupa Damodara: So he didn’t say anything specifically, but he said he would be very happy to help us in establishing a center there. He’s very favorable to our philosophy, and he invited me to his own home, and we discussed at great length about the philosophy that we are trying to present in the scientific community, and he feels that it’s very genuine and we should… They should help us to push forward.

Prabhupada: So with this cooperation, this institution will be very prestigious. So if it is possible, organize. But don’t overburden.

Tamala Krsna: What is that overburden?

Prabhupada: Other business may not suffer.

Tamala Krsna: Hm. Publishing books should not suffer, and lecturing, like that.

Prabhupada: We have already place in Bombay.

Svarupa Damodara: Yes.

Prabhupada: So if Bombay is sufficient, don’t bother in Delhi.

Svarupa Damodara: Yes. I will do it slowly first of all to make sure that whatever we have done is going on nicely, then we can expand later on. But in India it is true that everybody I met, very respectful to Srila Prabhupada’s movement to what we are trying to do.

Prabhupada: Yes. That much we want to keep. The people may not think of it as bogus.

Svarupa Damodara: Our chief guest for tomorrow has already arrived. And he’s very impressed. I took a tour of our temples, also the Gurukula. And they’re very impressed with the whole building and the whole program that we have here. Very nice. He brought also an architect. He’s a retired engineer, Chowdury from…, together. Also we already have a mathematician from Delhi University for tomorrow. So I took three of them tour of our temple and gave them nice prasadam. They were very impressed.

Tamala Krsna: This has never happened before, Srila Prabhupada. You are the real acarya for this age, Srila Prabhupada. You perfectly know how to spread Krsna consciousness. You’re making people who would ordinarily never take interest in Krsna consciousness become devotees.

Prabhupada: In the beginning, when I was selling Back to Godhead alone, I wrote one practical businessman, Mr. Bande(?) I think. He said, “Swamiji, why you have made Vrndavana headquarter? (laughs) It is not a place for…” [break]

Svarupa Damodara: …place in Vrndavana, they said the selection is ideal. So this type of conference should start from Vrndavana. They feel that way, many of them. Yesterday Mishra, Dr. Mishra… He’s the head of the biophysics department in the All-India Institute, Medical Sciences. He called me to his home, and I went and we had about half an hour discussion. He told me that he wanted to do this by himself for a long time several years ago. Then somehow, when he saw our flyer, his wife told him that “You’ve been trying to do like this for so many years, but somebody has started doing it.” So she told him “You must join them.” So actually he wanted to come from tomorrow, but some people are coming from Germany, ’cause he has a big grant. He’s actually internationally well known scientist. But he’s coming on Sunday, and he’s also going to speak about half an hour.

Tamala Krsna: Is he bringing his German friends?

Svarupa Damodara: No. His German friends are busy touring all over India to make sure that when they get grant, everything goes okay.

Tamala Krsna: It sounds like this Bhaktivedanta Institute might get a…, maybe get some grant sometime, eh?

Svarupa Damodara: Yes. Once we get incorporated in Bombay, then we can also get some grants from the government, also in the United States when we get it properly established. And the word bhakti-vedanta is so important that it seems everybody knows what it means, at least in India. When they say bhakti, “Oh,” they say, “Oh, that’s different from Maharishi Yogi. That’s different from anybody else. You have to start with bhakti.” So the word is so nice also.

Tamala Krsna: And Prabhupada is very famous also. So people think about Prabhupada and Hare Krsna movement when they hear it also.

Svarupa Damodara: When they hear “Bhaktivedanta,” they immediately know that this is Prabhupada. Many of them told me that “Oh, I have heard Swamiji’s lecture in Delhi. It’s very nice and very impressive and very convincing.” Many of them told me like that.

Tamala Krsna: Your lectures in Delhi drew the most intelligent class of people, Srila Prabhupada. The other swamis, when they would lecture, they would get just the typical pious Indian people, but yours also drew very intelligent group of people, sophisticated people.

Prabhupada: They danced. (laughter) With coat-pant. I have seen.

Svarupa Damodara: Especially there’s one Dr. Murti. He’s the professor of chemistry, Delhi University. He told me that Prabhupada is a very good speaker. He said he heard Swamiji’s lectures. He said, “Very good speaker.” And he’s coming early in the morning tomorrow. Whole chemistry group are coming from Delhi University.

Prabhupada: What is the time?

Tamala Krsna: It’s 9:30 now, Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada? Your glucose is here.

Prabhupada: Give me.

Upendra: Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: A little ladle.(?)

Tamala Krsna: Have Kirtanananda Maharaja give it.

Kirtanananda: Is there a spoon?

Prabhupada: I’ll not sit up.

Kirtanananda: No. I’m getting a spoon so I can give you this. You don’t want to take those pills the other doctor gave you? You don’t want to take those pills for your urine?

Prabhupada: No. That much, warm(?) glucose. That much, and nothing more possible. You don’t increase. And decrease. Little in that ladle(?). That’s all. And preserve those sweet lemon.

Tamala Krsna: Preserve those sweet lemons. Prabhupada wants sometimes sweet lemons for drinking, so you should preserve.

Prabhupada: And chant Hare Krsna.

Kirtanananda: Hare Krsna.

Tamala Krsna: Should we have some chanting now, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Yes, chanting twenty-four hours.

Upendra: Srila Prabhupadaji? I would like to change your dhoti. It won’t take but five minutes. I have everything.

Prabhupada: What happened?

Upendra: Well, you have passed liquid stool.

Prabhupada: Stool?

Upendra: Yes, Prabhupada. And by morning it will be too dry. It’s not that much, so it’s very easy. You’re already on your side, so that’s good. [break]

Bhavananda: And you could take little bit spoon, half spoonful, every half an hour or twenty minutes, I think.

Prabhupada: Very good suggestion.

Bhakti-caru: Srila Prabhupada?

Tamala Krsna: He said, “Very good suggestion.”

Prabhupada: (Bengali) (end)