Morning Conversation
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
May 29, 1977, Vrndavana

Prabhupada: From all parts of the world. That is history. Generally he goes to Japan. (long pause) (kirtana in background) [break] (Bengali) (long Bengali conversation with Jayapataka and Indian men) [break] What is the rate?

Brahmananda: I’m not sure.

Visala: He said it was sixty-eight, sixty-nine, when we were there last time.

Brahmananda: But then Harjibhai Patel came and…

Prabhupada: Harjibhai?

Brahmananda: Diamond Press. So his sons are in London, and he wants to start a business there in September, but he didn’t want to do so without your blessing. Because you gave blessing for his daughter’s marriage, so he’s always thinking that if you give blessing, then it will come out nicely. (Prabhupada laughs) He also wants to put Radha-Krsna Deities in his home just outside of Birmingham, and he wants to invite the Indian community to come to his house for having programs. So he gave me some money to purchase Deities here in Vrndavana, but he also wanted your blessings for that.

Prabhupada: Who will worship the Deity?

Brahmananda: His wife. They have… The town where they live, there is no temple.

Prabhupada: But they have to observe the rules and regulations.

Brahmananda: Yes. I told him that everything must be… There must be offerings throughout the day, at least three times a day, and then aratis performed morning and evening.

Prabhupada: He has agreed?

Brahmananda: Yes, he will do these things. They will do. With a wife they can do these things, bathing the Deity and so forth.

Tamala Krsna: Some kirtana, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Hm. [break]

Tamala Krsna: Gargamuni, Prabhupada’s inquired about Radha- Damodara. Jayasacinandana says he can’t work there ’cause there’s no electricity.

Ramesvara: No, he said he couldn’t work there because it was too hot.

Prabhupada: He could not work there?

Gargamuni: Well, during the day the electricity goes off all over Vrndavana.

Prabhupada: Oh. So it is not that…

Gargamuni: It is not that he is turning it off.

Prabhupada: Oh. (Hindi)

Indian man (1): (Hindi) (Hindi conversation)

Tamala Krsna: So it’s not that Gauracanda is playing any trick or anything.

Prabhupada: No.

Tamala Krsna: It’s not that Gauracanda is doing any trick.

Prabhupada: No, that’s right. I can understand.

Tamala Krsna: I mean, I spoke with Gauracanda when I was there, and I have to say he had sincere feelings.

Gargamuni: And when I lived there, there were many nights when we had to work with candlelight. So it’s a fact. The power does go off.

Prabhupada: Anyway, that’s all right. I want that he should not play any trick. That’s all.

Tamala Krsna: No, he’s not.

Prabhupada: Then it’s all right. No, in the court also there is a trick. There is no name, our.

Tamala Krsna: Within the court?

Indian man: No name.

Tamala Krsna: No…?

Indian man: Prabhupada’s name is not there. Within the…

Gargamuni: No, his case is…

Indian man: …offendant and defendant, no name of Prabhupada.

Gargamuni: No, his case is between Gauracanda and Madana Mohana.

Prabhupada: Yes, but we have got to do, everything to do. I told you. Tamala said.

Gargamuni: The thing is, Prabhupada, it could affect us. If the court awards the verdict to Madana Mohana, then that means that entrance door is his, and he will lock it, and then we cannot enter.

Prabhupada: We’ll break it.

Gargamuni: Oh, yes. I’ll break it.

Prabhupada: We shall kick it and break it. Then we shall see.

Devotees: Jaya!

Ramesvara: Jaya Prabhupada!

Gargamuni: Also, Srila Prabhupada, we had talked over with some other GBCs about having some puja work.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Gargamuni: Some puja. If we had a deity of yourself within the rooms and we…

Prabhupada: No, first of all go on with the picture. Let us settle that. Then…

Gargamuni: Well, we had talked with the lawyer also, and he said this was a very good idea. He said it was a good idea because if there’s a deity there, then they can never take those rooms because it has some sentimental religious value.

Prabhupada: So then do it.

Tamala Krsna: But then a deity would… That worship has to be maintained properly.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Tamala Krsna: That is one thing that Prabhupada’s concerned with.

Gargamuni: Oh, yes. Yes, that we have to talk about.

Prabhupada: Then there must be regular prasada-making and offering…

Gargamuni: Then no court can take away those rooms because there’s worship of a deity.

Prabhupada: So thik hai?

Indian man: (Hindi) (Hindi conversation)

Gargamuni: And we can put some stone plaque, that “This place is a holy place.”

Prabhupada: I think there is already.

Tamala Krsna: There is one. In the room there’s a marble plaque with Your Divine Grace’s name.

Prabhupada: That’s all right.

Atreya Rsi: Srila Prabhupada, with your permission I would like to try to get that first building in New York in which you were, you started Krsna consciousness.

Prabhupada: (laughs) Accha?

Atreya Rsi: On Second Avenue.

Prabhupada: Twenty-six?

Tamala Krsna: Yeah, Prabhupada said that we could do that.

Prabhupada: How you can get it?

Atreya Rsi: I’m going to New York in a week, and I can try to either purchase it…

Adi-kesava: It’s open.

Tamala Krsna: It’s still available. We checked.

Adi-kesava: The building’s available now.

Atreya Rsi: Should we not acquire it, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: If you can maintain it, then it is all right. That, you mean to say, that storefront or the whole building?

Gargamuni: The rear apartment or the storefront?

Atreya Rsi: The storefront as well as the building, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Atreya Rsi: Both storefront and the building.

Prabhupada: Oh. I, I know that that building was several times changed hands.

Atreya Rsi: Yes. I can find out who it belongs to.

Prabhupada: But the difficulty will be how to maintain the tenants. To purchase the house is not difficult.

Atreya Rsi: Vacate them? To vacate them.

Prabhupada: Vacate? What you will do?

Tamala Krsna: What you will do with that building?

Atreya Rsi: We will have devotees stay, and it’s a regular… It’s a holy place.

Tamala Krsna: Not a… If you’re going to get that building, then you rent it to people, not to devotees. There’s no need for devotees to rent it.

Atreya Rsi: Well, the upstairs we can rent to people, and the place where Prabhupada lived could be a pilgrimage.

Prabhupada: As soon as you rent, it become botheration.

Tamala Krsna: It means you have to collect the rent.

Atreya Rsi: No, your apartment can be a place of pilgrimage.

Indian man: (Hindi)

Prabhupada: Ha. As soon as you rent out, then botheration.

Adi-kesava: That… Srila Prabhupada, that area has become a very, very bad neighborhood.

Tamala Krsna: Very bad.

Adi-kesava: Very, very bad. There’s nothing but dacoits and drug addicts.

Prabhupada: Yes, it was when I was there. (laughter)

Tamala Krsna: That’s what we were. (laughter)

Prabhupada: I did not know. I occupied. Otherwise nobody was taking.

Atreya Rsi: We can make a library.

Prabhupada: And library means these negroes will go to read? They’ll go for drinking.

Tamala Krsna: In that area nobody will come to read.

Adi-kesava: Any decent person would be afraid to come there.

Atreya Rsi: But…

Adi-kesava: Only Srila Prabhupada would go there ’cause he’s only a courageous man.

Tamala Krsna: Except for that fact that for our devotees to pilgrimage there…

Atreya Rsi: Yes.

Tamala Krsna: Other than that, you won’t get outsiders to come in, though.

Atreya Rsi: Yes. But it’s a great… It’s an important spot.

Prabhupada: That is dangerous portion of New York City. Just after my house they were regularly drinking and… Negroes. I didn’t care. Never they did any harm to me. Bowery Street. And still, I was there.

Tamala Krsna: We thought about this.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Tamala Krsna: We had thought about this previously. The difficulty, we felt, was just that no one will… Unless it was used as a temple now, simply to keep it as some room for a few people to see once every month or two when they pass through New York, that’s not living. It should be alive.

Prabhupada: Hm.

Tamala Krsna: If there’s no life in it, then what’s the use? That place is not especially a good place for a temple anymore.

Atreya Rsi: But fifty years…

Prabhupada: No, so many houses, they are lying vacant. Nobody goes there.

Tamala Krsna: But what to do with it? Prabhupada’s saying… You’re going to have someone just sit there?

Atreya Rsi: For ten, twenty years we may keep it, and in future we may… It may be a great place of pilgrimage for the whole world.

Prabhupada: That future hope (laughs) you cannot invest money in, waste. That’s not good.

Atreya Rsi: Jaya.

Prabhupada: Do something positive. (pause) If you have got preacher, then never mind what is the quarter. Have kirtana and distribute prasadam.

Tamala Krsna: We have… We can do that.

Prabhupada: Then you can do anything.

Tamala Krsna: We have men we can put there. Right, Adi-kesava?

Prabhupada: Simply the drunken negroes, call them, “Take prasadam and chant Hare Krsna.”

Tamala Krsna: We can put Bhaktijana there ’cause he’s always very fond of preaching. You know, Bhaktijana. He’s always wanted to go to Harlem. So…

Prabhupada: Yes, then we can deliver them. They are, after all, simple. These negroes, they are, after all, simple. We have to claim them. You have got now experience in Detroit. They are very good- behaving negroes. They come to our temple. Nobody could drive there. Therefore we could acquire that house so cheap.

Tamala Krsna: This one on 26 Second Avenue must also be very cheap.

Prabhupada: Yes. Our Ambarisa, he was very much eager. “Oh, don’t mind. Take it. We shall arrange.”

Tamala Krsna: Cash.

Prabhupada: Yes. Fifty years ago the cost was six million dollars, and we have purchased, only 300,000.

Tamala Krsna: And the condition is not deteriorated.

Prabhupada: Oh, it is very first class, palatial building. You have seen?

Gargamuni: No, Srila Prabhupada. I’ve seen photos.

Tamala Krsna: Deva-sadana, you gave the name.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Tamala Krsna: You gave the name Deva-sadana.

Prabhupada: Very, very nice. Better than our France palace.

Tamala Krsna: There’s 1400 ounces gold in the ceilings.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Ramesvara: Even in the bathroom…

Prabhupada: Yes.

Ramesvara: There’s gold on the ceiling.

Prabhupada: All very aristocratic, very aristocratic. What is aristocracy, that is displayed there.

Tamala Krsna: Those people, they always used to look from the outside in, but they were never allowed to come in. The people from that neighborhood, they used to stare within, wondering what is inside there. Now, since we have come, we have opened our gates and doors and said, “Please come.” Oh, they’re very much happy to come in and see us there.

Prabhupada: They’re grave. They behave very nicely.

Ramesvara: Tourists.

Tamala Krsna: There’s two boat docks underneath for boats to come, underneath the house. They’re 80 foot long, two boat docks, to come in their boats right into the house.

Prabhupada: The boats were sold by cheating our… Who was in charge of that?

Tamala Krsna: Er… Govardhana dasa.

Prabhupada: No, GBC?

Tamala Krsna: Jaga…

Ramesvara: Jayatirtha is now.

Prabhupada: Jagadisa.

Tamala Krsna: Jagadisa.

Prabhupada: He made some profit. Actually the boat belonged to the house. Anyway, palace is palace. Very big, big rooms. Now it would have cost ten million dollars. And we have paid only three percent of ten million. Is it not? Three hundred thousand?

Tamala Krsna: Yes.

Ramesvara: Govardhana wants to have dolls on the outside grounds.

Prabhupada: Do. Yes, very good. You do.

Ramesvara: ’Cause they have so much lands, so right outside the temple there’ll be doll exhibits for all the tourists.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Tamala Krsna: Yeah, we saw something like that in Hrishikesh. Just recently we went to Hrishikesh, and in one asrama they have doll exhibits of all the avataras. Oh, it was very… Of all krsna-lila. And each doll exhibit is within a little temple, dome-shaped temple. People go and look, and there’s a plaque that describes what it is. Very nice.

Ramesvara: We’ll have more than a plaque.

Tamala Krsna: Well, that whole thing costs a thousand dollars, not a quarter of a million.

Prabhupada: Doll exhibition you can have in this temple also. People will come to see.

Tamala Krsna: Along the side?

Prabhupada: Where is suitable.

Tamala Krsna: Actually there’s room up front where the water, the water fountain carrier, when you enter. There’s a lot of open space there.

Prabhupada: Yes. Now you can go and take rest. Again you can come at one. What is the time now?

Tamala Krsna: 9:20.

Prabhupada: That’s all.

Devotees: Jaya Srila Prabhupada! (obeisances)

Prabhupada: Make just this garland… [break] …keep hair. Look very beautiful by keeping hair. What is that explanation?

Bhagavat: I was advised that because I was going to the European countries for preaching for some time, that…

Prabhupada: But they, they, they…

Bhagavat: …it would be required to keep these hairs.

Prabhupada: …owned victory with the court by keeping shaven hair.

Hari-sauri: They won a victory in the court by keeping a shaved head.

Bhagavat: I asked their advice, whether I should shave or keep the hair.

Prabhupada: Who is that nonsense advice? Who is that rascal? “Advice.” By keeping hair you become beautiful and become victimized. “Advice.” This is… Without advice, this mentality is going on outside, to keep hair. We are known as shaven hair, whole society.

Hari-sauri: I’ve been shaving my head once every month. It’s just about three weeks since I’ve…

Prabhupada: Every fortnight. At least. Before going to Europe, six years ago, you were keeping hair: “I have to go to Europe.” That I have seen. Everywhere. Those who… You like to keep hair. That hippie mentality is going on. That’s right. That is good, very intelligent reasoning, actual, long hair by keeping…(?) Everyone is giving some advice. Gurudasa is giving. “He’s keeping. He’s…” Gargamuni. Everyone has some explanation. I do not know how you can give up this hippie mentality. Hippie. Lavanyam kesa-dharanam. Kali-yuga. Victim of Kali-yuga. It is… It is not yet whole, but weak men, victimized by Kali-yuga… There are so many things to victimize over the living entities in Kali-yuga, and one of the item is that he will take that “I have become very, very beautiful, attractive by keeping long hair.” Kesa. That is already stated there. You are victimized by that Kali-yuga. That’s all. No explaining. Our trademark is clean-shaven. We are known as shaven hair. Why you should be victimized? You are known as shaven hair. Are you not? Hm? They say that “Hare Krsna people, shaven hair”?

Hari-sauri: Shaven-headed.

Prabhupada: Shaven hair. So why you should be victimized by keeping hair? What victory you will gain? Conquer over the whole world, Roman Empire, by keeping hair? Hippie mentality, that’s all. That is within the core of the heart. As soon as get some opportunity… Just like during summer season the field appears to be dried up. And as soon as there is some rain, oh, it is green, immediately green. So things are already there. Hm? Is it not?

Hari-sauri: Yes.

Prabhupada: Now you see to the field. They’re all dry. But as soon as there will be rain in the village, all green. So the seeds are there, hippie seeds. As soon as there is some opportunity, come out, green: “Yes, I am beautiful. Come on.” But in the court room they never addressed. Judge never asked that “Why you are shaven- headed?” Was there any question like that?

Hari-sauri: Actually, when he first went to court, they were wondering why he had hair.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Hari-sauri: When Adi-kesava went to court the first time…

Prabhupada: Yes.

Hari-sauri: …he had suit and hair, and they wondered why he was dressed like that.

Prabhupada: Yes. Then cheater.

Hari-sauri: Yeah, they accused…

Prabhupada: That means, of course, indirectly hinted that “Now you are cheating. You are known as shaven-headed. Now you have kept hair. What is the purpose except cheating?”

Hari-sauri: On sankirtana all the distributors wear wigs and like that to…, because it’s much easier to distribute, to distribute books.

Prabhupada: I do not know all this. Formerly, shaven-headed, they used to distribute. Now it is not possible.

Hari-sauri: It’s increased since they did plainclothes distribution.

Prabhupada: Encourages?

Hari-sauri: Yeah. The distribution has increased.

Prabhupada: Then why don’t you dress like European, half foreign dress and half hair? Who is that foreign and European and gentleman? What is the use of wig? Keep regular gentleman’s hair. There is no need of saffron dress. If by ordinary dress you can sell more book, there is no need of saffron dress. So what is the time now?

Gargamuni: 9:30.

Bhavananda: Kirtana, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Hm?

Bhavananda: Kirtana?

Prabhupada: What is that?

Bhavananda: Would you like to have kirtana now?

Prabhupada: Yes. [break] …come directly, brahmanas sometimes brahmacari, grhastha. That will impress. [break] …hodgepodge. Respect is no. Ideals become a leader. He’ll do. He’ll do. There must be some strong men. Tilaka always must be there. That is our great standard. Kanthi-mala. Every fifteen days you should be cleansed. [break] (indistinct) Don’t be in all this (indistinct). Go on very nicely. Sri Krsna Caitanya Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita Gadadhara Srivasa… [break]

Gargamuni: Well, we only printed two Oriya books. Both were printed in Calcutta so far, because there’s one Oriya printer there. Gaura-Govinda Maharaja is investigating completely the… We went around investigating the presses in Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar, if we might get some cheaper or easier price. It appears that some things we can do cheaper there, like the inside part, but cover cannot do cheaper there.

Prabhupada: Cover you can get there, cover.

Gargamuni: In Bombay we might be able to do cover much cheaper and then the inside cheaper in Orissa. That we have…

Prabhupada: Better quality also.

Gargamuni: It is good quality, similar quality. They agreed, they could get same paper as we had in previous books, but for printing cover that would be very difficult.

Prabhupada: And tell, we can get from Bombay cover.

Gargamuni: Oh. But I had written you in the report that out of the first twenty thousand we have printed, still 18,500 are remaining.

Prabhupada: So not selling?

Gargamuni: Because we have very few men, so now Gaura-Govinda is taking on bullocks cart. He’ll go to the villages, and he’ll distribute. Then some portion of what I will collect, I will put in… I have separate account for book fund and one for construction. Some portion I’ll put in book fund. Then we’ll print, and I will bring…

Prabhupada: No, you gave money. I can give you. There is Book Trust.

Gargamuni: I just feel…

Prabhupada: No.

Gargamuni: …that so many books are there I have not distributed yet. I will print more and…

Prabhupada: No, no. This will come out. Very good idea. Sell.

Gargamuni: Sell first; then print. I should first sell…

Prabhupada: No, at least you must have three, four, varieties.

Gargamuni: Right now we have two varieties.

Prabhupada: So make it four varieties. That will be first class. Don’t print twenty thousand. Print five thousand.

Gargamuni: I have asked Gaura-Govinda to come. He’ll be coming in one or two days.

Prabhupada: There is no need of coming. This is… You must have at least four, five, varieties. And money, if there is scarcity, ask Gopala. He’ll give you money. Then sell and return.

Bhavananda: Srila Prabhupada? Srila Prabhupada? It’s time for massage?

Prabhupada: What is that?

Bhavananda: Time for massage. [break]

Brahmananda: Sixty-five acres.

Prabhupada: He’s already Peace Corps(?)?

Brahmananda: Yes.

Prabhupada: Government will like. (end)