Room Conversation -- November 3, 1977, Vrndavana

From Vanisource

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Lay down? (pause) Then I calculated what it would mean for the whole year.

Prabhupāda: Now we have to open temple in every village.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Temples in every village?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Then spend money.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And then spend the money.

Prabhupāda: Don't keep money. Spend it. The karmīs, they spend for sense gratification. You spend for Kṛṣṇa.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, there's plenty of money to spend.

Prabhupāda: Karmī.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We also have plenty.

Prabhupāda: No, no, karmī.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I understand. I said there's no shortage of money.

Prabhupāda: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Kṛṣṇa's giving us... I figured out, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that if we... Just like we did in September, I multiplied times twelve to see how much money in a year your books are selling. And the BBT, in one year, can expect to make, around the world, about $8,100,000. In rupees that comes out to seven crores, seventy thousand rupees. Seven crores, seventy thousand rupees.

Prabhupāda: What karmī can earn so much!

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What karmī can earn so much. For the temples, that means that by selling your books, the temples will collect about sixteen million dollars in one year. Or in other words, fourteen crores, nine lakhs, forty thousand rupees.

Prabhupāda: They'll believe?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, believe it or not, it's a fact.

Prabhupāda: Fact, yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually I don't think these men like Bajaj or any of them could possibly make this much money even in material activities, what to speak of spiritual. Spiritual, they lose money. They have to support it. But we have such a genuine religious movement that it supports itself. We don't require to construct big materialistic enterprises. We simply preach, and Kṛṣṇa supplies all the money.

Jayādvaita: Bajaj is just burdening the world with motorcycles, and you're providing the highest subject matter for hearing and chanting.

Prabhupāda: Where there is need of money, send there. I mean to say, just like Africa and other backwards... I am simply dreaming, and you are actually on the field.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We are actually what?

Brahmānanda: On the field.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, but that's because we're in your dreams. If you weren't dreaming like this, we would be on the material field.

Jayādvaita: It's like Mahā-Viṣṇu is lying down. The whole material world is being expanded by His dreaming. So you're lying down here, and the whole ISKCON activities are being expanded by your dreaming.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (chuckles) (pause) Do you want to hear some of the newsletter? It says here... This newsletter is written by Rāmeśvara. It's especially meant for encouraging book distribution, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It says, "Later on in the morning, Prabhupāda sent for Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Prabhu and explained to him that he wanted to print as many books as possible. 'My point is,' Śrīla Prabhupāda said, 'that I don't wish to keep money in the bank. Invest in printing.' So in this way, although... Then Prabhupāda went on, referring to Harikeśa Swami, after he presented six new hardbound German books to His Divine Grace, 'He is very intelligent boy. My Guru Mahārāja is so pleased. He used to say whatever money is there was to be used for printing books. He was so happy to print books. So you do it all very nicely. I printed my books, and now you do it. These are first class and there is no defect. German printing is very favorable. This is all right. Thank you very much.' It says here, 'Harikeśa Swami told Prabhupāda that now he has to become more healthy to finish the Bhāgavatam. Prabhupāda replied, 'Healthy? I have nothing to do with this body. I have to do with the spiritual world.' Bhagavān prabhu mentioned to Prabhupāda how many books his zone was distributing. They are trying for twenty thousand big books in one week. Prabhupāda was very encouraged and told him, 'Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī will give them all blessings. He wanted this very much.' An hour later Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja was in the room and told Prabhupāda that they had printed 100,000 copies of Kṛṣṇa book in Portuguese. Prabhupāda said, 'Thank you very much. Printing of books is our life force.' Prabhupāda looked through the books and again he asked, 'How many published?' When he heard 100,000, 'Oh, how they are selling, and what is the price? Very good collection? Print more books. This is life. This material body—only bones. So go on and this is life. We are not concerned with bones and stones. Our concern is the living force. The living force is actually sustaining these bones. Bones are not life. Print books as I have shown the way: half again for printing and half spent for propaganda as you like. In this way go on.' Then he turned to Jayapatākā Mahārāja and asked him if he was doing that. He told him, 'Whatever propaganda is needed, you go out and spend, but print books and distribute. Whatever English books we have got, if we translate into Bengali, you have got enough stock.' Jayapatākā Swami replied 'Yes, we have got a treasure house,' and Prabhupāda said, 'In this way, in all languages, distribute. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.' " It says here, "Prabhupāda is translating the Third Volume of the Tenth Canto, and Volume Two is now just being printed and will be available for shipping to all temples on November llth along with a new book written by Śrīla Prabhupāda called the Teachings of Lord Kapiladeva. Fifty thousand copies of each volume have been published."

Prabhupāda: Fifty copies?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Fifty thousand.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It says here, "This is the year of Europe," Śrīla Prabhupāda. It says here, "Here are the totals for book distribution in North America." And Europe is leading. The number one zone is Bhagavān Prabhu's. Number two zone is Jayatīrtha Prabhu's, England. And the number four zone is Harikeśa's zone. So Europe is leading the distribution. Maybe sometime later on today you can do a little translating, Śrīla Prabhupāda. No? Actually the kavirāja recommended that you shouldn't do that for a few days. Does that sound right? Okay. Anyway, I think Pradyumna and Jayādvaita have some work to catch up with, so they have enough to stay busy. Should we chant japa now, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hm. [break]

Brahmānanda: Well they were very stubborn. They simply insisted that there were two paths, and they were quoting Bhagavad-gītā . I said, "Well, that may be so, but of the two paths, your path is the most difficult, and you've called the conference to spread Bhagavad-gītā, so why are you spreading the most difficult path of Bhagavad-gītā? Why not spread the most easiest?"

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What did they reply to that?

Brahmānanda: At that point Mr. Bajaj interrupted and said that we shouldn't discuss Bhagavad-gītā but just how to promote Bhagavad-gītā and how to cooperate.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: While they are busy discussing, we are busy doing it. We have not had any trouble distributing the Bhagavad-gītās. Even though we have not attended their meetings, the distribution is going on very well.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Practical application is more important than theoretical knowledge.

Bhakti-caru: That also they don't have.

Brahmānanda: Mr. Nārāyaṇa recognized that about our Society, that we are applying Bhagavad-gītā . He said, "I see from very early morning hours you are applying Bhagavad-gītā, " because he attended the maṅgala-ārati.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He was very impressed. He is naturally a devotee, Gujarati. He's naturally a Kṛṣṇa devotee. He can appreciate the importance of ārati and Deities.

Brahmānanda: That man from that āśrama...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Aurobindo.

Brahmānanda: Auroville. He was poisonous, very poisonous. Mr. Bajaj wanted to conduct the proceedings in English just so that I would be able to understand, because I was sitting as your representative, but that man refused.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What did he say?

Brahmānanda: Well, he just spoke in Hindi, and he said something in Hindi to Mr. Bajaj that "I want to speak in Hindi," and he continued speaking in Hindi.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All artificial platform, surface. "Hindu, Indian, Hindi."

Brahmānanda: He was very envious, that Auroville, of what is going on.

Jayādvaita: They're nothing.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They are nothing. No one ever heard of them outside of India.

Prabhupāda: Aurobindo never preached in Hindi.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (laughs) He was speaking in English?

Prabhupāda: Um hm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You should have said that. "Why don't you follow your master? He spoke in English." That would have been a good point. You could say, "We are following our spiritual master. He speaks in English. Why don't you do the same?"

Prabhupāda: He wrote all books in English.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And who can understand those books?

Brahmānanda: You remember I brought to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that book I was studying in college when I first came to you. I brought one of Aurobindo's books, Message of Gītā. And you asked me to open the book and read one page. So I read the entire page out loud to you. Then you asked me to close the book. Then you said, "Now repeat what you have just read." And I couldn't.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You once described Aurobindo's writing, Śrīla Prabhupāda, giving the example of your childhood friend from school. He had to take the examination. So because he... Instead of writing normally, he made up so many big words, and the professors thought, "Oh, he's very intelligent."

Prabhupāda: (speaks some made-up words)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Did you hear that, what Prabhupāda just said, Jayādvaita?

Jayādvaita: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You didn't follow the Sanskrit?

Jayādvaita: I couldn't hear.

Brahmānanda: It's very important. If you can't understand it, it means it's important. (laughter)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They make up a language. Aurobindo has done like that. His writings are simply so many long words that no one can understand. Therefore they think, "Oh, he's very intelligent. Important philosophy." Your books are so simple and nice, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that even little children take pleasure in hearing Kṛṣṇa book and find no difficulty in understanding. And the biggest scholars, they are also praising. These are your books. I found that Śrīmān Nārāyaṇa was not so envious.

Prabhupāda: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But the others were too much. He's not envious. He actually appreciated. He's very eager to come to Māyāpura, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Brahmānanda: During our festival.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. He wants to... Especially he said, "I want to come when all of the devotees are there." He's actually appreciating, just like that Mr. Ganatra. He also appreciates very much. Mr. Bajaj is thinking to make a tour around the world of all of our centers. Actually what they have been trying to do for thirty, forty, fifty years, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have done here in India in the last six or seven years. They don't have one such temple as Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir, and you have created hundred.

Jayādvaita: Prahlāda Mahārāja was telling his father that "You can have conferences all you like, but still you can't understand Kṛṣṇa."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Would you like to hear Tenth Canto, Volume Two, Śrīla Prabhupāda, a little bit? Or more of Kapiladeva? Kapiladeva would be nice. Ten, two?

Prabhupāda: Any book.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Any book. You know, Śrīla Prabhupāda, I was thinking, I'm going to write Rāmeśvara that we should have in Los Angeles a Bhaktivedanta Swami Library with all of your books, many volumes of each book in all the languages. Each different bookshelf will be different languages. Some part of the library will be Spanish publications, German, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, different languages of Europe, Indian languages. And then we'll also have a part of the library for archives. At least one or two copies of every single edition of all of the books. All the previous Back to Godheads , as many as we have even from your original ones published in India. In this way make a Bhaktivedanta Swami Library. People can come and read your books. No matter who they are, what language they speak, there should be at least one library like this. Reading rooms we can have all over the world, and we should have some library also like this.

Brahmānanda: They have that for all... Like great presidents of America, they all have a library, memorial library, where all their letters, all their papers, everything is kept. Truman has it, Kennedy has it, Johnson had it.

Jayādvaita: That microfilm is there also, Yadubara has it. [break]

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You said that we should always keep you surrounded. We should never leave you alone and always keep you surrounded. So Ātreya Ṛṣi told everyone that, so all the temples, they're going to be sending some devotees to be with you each month. So I think fifty, sixty devotees every month will be with you. So I was wondering if when they come, sometimes they're here, if they chant softly, is it all right if they are in the room? If they chant softly, then even when you feel like resting you'll be able to rest. Because they have come... They'll be coming from five, ten thousand miles to see you. So that'll be very pleasing if they can be with you a few hours each day and chant quietly. Would that be all right? [break]

Prabhupāda: Resting. (Bengali)

Dr. Kapoor: Can hardly speak.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Resting is good in this case. Best thing. Maybe I can read some nice news, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Would you like that? This is a very nice report, Śrīla Prabhupāda, from Peru. Dr. Kapoor said anyone would fall in love with it at first sight. (laughter) Pañca ought to see the Tenth Canto. This is a new edition of Tenth Canto that has just come out. You'll find some illustrations at the very beginning.

Dr. Kapoor: I think you have excelled all other publishers in this art. (laughs)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: These are Spanish publications. We were just reading. These are the books that they were distributing, that they were talking about, Kṛṣṇa book in Spanish, three parts. There's also some Spanish nectar that came.

Upendra: It's in the other room, I think.

Dr. Kapoor: Which other languages have you translated Prabhupāda's books in? French?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, there's I think twenty-seven languages. French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish...

Dr. Kapoor: Oh. All the books are translated?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. Gradually, one by one. This is Dvārakeśa. He's in charge of the translating department for East Europe. Which languages do you translate?

Dvārakeśa: Russian and Hungarian. And others translate into Yugoslavian and Polish, Czechoslovakian.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He has preached in some of those countries already.

Pañca-draviḍa: Now Bhagavad-gītā in Arabic also.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese. Twenty-seven languages altogether. One by one, they're being translated. Some are doing... Of course, the German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, these are the main languages. And Hindi. These books are going quicker in translation. Shall I finish reading this report, Śrīla Prabhupāda? [break]

Dr. Kapoor: It's a miracle what is happening, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There's another report, from Africa. Should I read it? It says, "The saṅkīrtana movement in the dark continent." This was written by Jalakāra and Śyāmalāl. Śyāmalāl is a Bengali devotee, Śrīla Prabhupāda. You may remember him from Calcutta? He's gone to Africa to preach, and he and this other boy Jalakāra travel together all over Africa.

Prabhupāda: Yesterday... No, yesterday some prominent men, Dalmiya. Who came?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Dalmiya was here, Rāma-Kṛṣṇa Bajaj, Śrīmān Nārāyaṇa, and some gentleman from Auroville Society was here to see you. I think they were participating in that conference, Gītā-pratiṣṭhāna.

Dr. Kapoor: I was also invited. I'm sorry I couldn't come because my wife was very ill.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Dr. Kapoor could not attend. His wife was very ill, he said. He couldn't attend the conference. Śrīla Prabhupāda, maybe you should rest now a little bit. Okay. (Bengali)

Prabhupāda: I'm tired.

Bhakti-caru: Ācchā .

Bhavānanda: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Would you like to take some nice pomegranate juice? Very good. [break]

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Any difficulties?

Prabhupāda: Everything difficult.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This is a gradual recovery, Śrīla Prabhupāda. We can't expect suddenly that overnight there will be recovery. I feel finally that we've understood a little bit what has been the difficulty. I really think this kavirāja has had a little understanding like that. And I think that this Ayurvedic medicine can effect a gradual change for the better. Let us try. We're trying now. We're patient, and if you'll be patient also, then I think we'll see a good change. Is that all right?

Prabhupāda: What can be done?

Jagadīśa: Do you feel better, Śrīla Prabhupāda? Little more strength?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, the strength is not supposed to come yet. You shouldn't expect strength yet, because strength can't come unless you eat. There's no reason for him to feel strong, because he isn't eating yet. The kavirāja explained that in order for Prabhupāda to eat, first of all the liver and the kidneys have to be properly healed. Then automatically there will be appetite. If there's appetite, then Prabhupāda will eat. [break]

Bhakti-caru: (Bengali) Gaura-govinda Mahārāja.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali)

Gaura-govinda: It's okay. Bhāgavata has arrived. Bhāgavata has arrived, so I came to have darśana.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali)

Gaura-govinda: We have been to Jagannātha Purī, and some jagannātha-prasāda we have brought for you. Will you take some?

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) What work he gives? (Bengali)

Gaura-govinda: Now we'll begin construction. Our architect-engineer, Samjata, was there. He was making plans, but unfortunately he passed away the last 23rd. So...

Prabhupāda: What happened?

Gaura-govinda: He suffered from fever. He had some fever, high fever. So he fell unconscious. The doctor came and gave some medicine. The fever was checked, but he gave some high-power medicines that affected his brain, and so he couldn't speak. He just collapsed and stayed still. We came to the hospital that night. Doctor tried his best. He gave saline and oxygen. He stayed the whole night, but at the daybreak he passed away, when the morning came, just on the morning, 23rd morning. It was ekādaśī day. That day he passed away. The day Bhāgavata reached. The very moment Bhāgavata reached there, he passed away.

Prabhupāda: Doctor gives treatment, not reliable. They make experiment.

Gaura-govinda: Yes.

Bhakti-caru: (Bengali about jagannātha-prasāda )

Prabhupāda: Not... Kono... Give me some taste. I lost taste.

Bhakti-caru: (offers miśri-jala )

Gaura-govinda: It is Bhaktivikāśa Mahāyogī Mahārāja at Bhadrak who has donated that maṭha at Bhadrak? We have started new center? He has come with me to see you.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Where is he?

Gaura-govinda: Here.

Prabhupāda: Bhaktivikāśa Mahārāja, daṇḍavat. (Bengali)

Bhaktivikāśa: (Bengali)

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) What is the position of Bhadrak?

Gaura-govinda: Bhadrak, there are three devotees now, Ātma-tattva, Kṛṣṇadāsa and Rohiṇī-nandana, and they were preaching and making some members. Bhadrak is a good place for preaching. And I also come there. Just on the 1st November, there was a festival that on that day Caitanya Mahāprabhu arrived there when He was going from Jagannātha Purī to Vṛndāvana. They observe that festival. So they have invited us to speak in that meeting on that day. Bhāgavata and I came. There was a great festival and we do nagara-saṅkīrtana in the evening. In the meeting Bhāgavata spoke and then I spoke. This was very nice.

Prabhupāda: People are coming?

Gaura-govinda: Yes, people are coming. In Bhadrak they have eight acres of land there. It's cultivated land. If we can manage ourselves, then that will be nice. Now this Mahārāja has given it to other agents. They'll take half and give the half. Nobody was there to look after it. So if we look after it now personally, and take it up ourselves, then it will be managed nicely. And there are two cows also, it has got.

Prabhupāda: The arrangement is nice.

Gaura-govinda: It requires a little modification. We made some constructions there for brahmacārīs. There is one Deity room, that is pakka house, and one more... [break] (whispering) ...Anantadeva and Dr. Śyāmasundara.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I've been writing them.

Gaura-govinda: Yes, they have written letters to Prabhupāda. (whispering)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You can talk out loud. You can talk now. You said Anantadeva and Śyāmasundara dāsa Brahmacārī, they were dealing with the pāṇḍās.

Gaura-govinda: Pāṇḍās. So recently Śyāmasundara Brahmacārī wrote me a letter to come to make Bhāgavata if I went there. He made proposal that we start nirjok sevā(?) there at the Jagannātha temple, Anantadeva's proposal.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Nirjok sevā? What is that?

Gaura-govinda: Nirjok sevā means we'll purchase a fireplace, chimney, and also a little cooking. And we'll give him rice, ḍāl, sabji, cooking prasādam, and that would be offered to Jagannātha, Lord Jagannātha. Then they would use the prasādam. They would distribute it or... That is nirjok sevā. That maṭha has appealed like that, "Do this thing." Then they will recognize us, and get permission to enter.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Who will get permission?

Gaura-govinda: There is a committee there. It is pāṇḍā's committee and temple management committee.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But who will be allowed to enter?

Gaura-govinda: That will be passed in that committee.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, but they will allow Western people to enter Jagannātha temple?

Gaura-govinda: Yes, yes. They have talked with that Anantadeva, but they want money.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They want nirjok sevā or they also want money?

Gaura-govinda: By giving us permission, nirjok sevā, means indirectly they want money. They'll take money. Then they'll give us permission to do nirjok sevā and also, that way, entrance into the Jagannātha temple.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh. So how much money?

Gaura-govinda: I talked with that Śyāmasundara and Anantadeva. He said thirty-six groups are there, nirjoks, pāṇḍā groups. And administrator is there. They want something and all groups want something. (whispering) One lakh of rupee.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One lakh of rupees to see Jagannātha. But we can see Jagannātha in any temple in the world. Why do we have to pay one lakh of rupees? Śrīla Prabhupāda? I was saying that we don't have to pay one lakh of rupees to see Lord Jagannātha in Los Angeles.

Prabhupāda: Let them pray to Jagannātha for my cure immediately, or as soon as possible, I shall do that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If they pray to Lord Jagannātha for your cure...

Bhavānanda: Immediately or as soon as possible, then he'll do that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh. First they should do the praying.

Prabhupāda: Let me be in health. Then I'll do that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Do you understand? Prabhupāda says that the answer is that first of all they should pray to Kṛṣṇa for Prabhupāda's cure, pray to Jagannātha for Prabhupāda's cure immediately, for his health. And then, when he is physically fit, then he will do the needful. But first of all, by their prayers to Jagannātha, they should make him physically fit. Is that right, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Who did you have talk with, Anantadeva or Śyāmasundara?

Gaura-govinda: Anantadeva.

Prabhupāda: Who is Anantadeva?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda said, "Who is Anantadeva?"

Gaura-govinda: Anantadeva... They have written letters to you, from that Śyāmasundara Brahmacārī and Anantadeva.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But Anantadeva is connected with which group?

Gaura-govinda: He is a disciple of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's disciple of Bhaktisiddhānta or Bhaktisiddhānta's disciple's disciple?

Gaura-govinda: No, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Directly.

Gaura-govinda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Gaura-govinda Mahārāja says he is your Godbrother, Śrīla Prabhupāda. There's thirty-six pāṇḍās?

Gaura-govinda: Thirty-six groups nirjoks.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Nirjok?

Gaura-govinda: Yes. [break]

Prabhupāda: ...moment I am sick. When I am well enough, I shall do something. Hm? Tamāla Kṛṣṇa?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, that's a very proper answer. So in order for you to be able to do something, they should pray to Jagannātha. Śrīla Prabhupāda? Girirāja is here.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Girirāja?

Girirāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: How is your health?

Girirāja: Oh, I'm better, improved.

Prabhupāda: What is the news of Nepal?

Girirāja: Oh, well, they have a very nice program there. They have a nice house with many rooms, and the Nepalese people...

Prabhupāda: How many rooms?

Girirāja: About nine big rooms. And they do street saṅkīrtana every day in the main street, and they distribute literature. And the Society is not yet registered there, but I went with Prabhaviṣṇu to a lawyer, and we've set up the formalities for getting registered, but the government is presently reviewing the registration law, so it might take a few weeks before they accept our case.

Prabhupāda: On the whole, it is favorable. Hm?

Girirāja: Oh, yes. There is a tremendous scope. And the royal family is very powerful. They run the whole country, and, of course, they're Hindus. So I also went with Prabhaviṣṇu to meet one relation of the Queen Mother, and this lady was very enthusiastic about our activities. So I discussed with Prabhaviṣṇu the strategy how to approach the royal family, and... It's a Hindu state. They don't claim to be secular, like in India, so...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hopeful.

Girirāja: Yes, it is hopeful. Then he has one local boy who has joined, Nepali, and he's a very nice boy. I mean, there's so much field for preaching. There's the royal family, then there's membership for the business community, and there's saṅkīrtana and book distribution for the general people, and then also there are many hippies there. So we could recruit devotees from amongst them.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The hippies seem to be still our best customers, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The hippies seem to be still very good customers. (Prabhupāda laughs)

Girirāja: That's because Prabhupāda's patita-pāvana. And the temple atmosphere is nice. It's mainly saṅkīrtana. There are no women there, so very good atmosphere. They have a nice program. They have a love feast program, and many people are coming. I think they can have two or three hundred people coming very soon. And the people are very simple and good natured. Everywhere we went, people would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They recognized the devotees?

Girirāja: Yes. And they're not envious. It seems that in India many of the people are a little envious of us, but everywhere we went in Nepal, it seemed that the people were very happy to see us.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Have you ever been there, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You'd like to go sometime?

Prabhupāda: Why not?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. We'll include that on our world parikrama.

Girirāja: Actually, the relation of the Queen's mother whom we met, she was also asking about people coming who could give good lectures and enthuse everyone. So I said that you yourself would probably like to come when you're feeling better. So she was really wild about that idea. I'm sure that they would give you a real royal welcome.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very good field it sounds like, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Trivikrama: What about the language? Is there problem with language?

Girirāja: No. The educated people speak English. In all the schools they teach English, so all the youngsters speak English in Kathmandu. And then most people in Kathmandu, even if they don't speak English, they speak Hindi. And there are just a few who only speak Nepali. But Prabhaviṣṇu has arranged for The Perfection of Yoga to be translated into Nepali.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He sounds like he's doing very good, Prabhaviṣṇu.

Girirāja: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Good man.

Girirāja: He's very good. So he's eager to get that in print. Then they'll be able to distribute literature to everyone without exception.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Do you remember when Prabhaviṣṇu was here you told him to go with "the courage of an Englishman and the heart of a Bengali mother"? He remembers those words.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Courage of an Englishman and the heart of a Bengali mother."

Prabhupāda: This is the word of a great poet.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Girirāja's parents took him there, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and they made another offer to him.

Prabhupāda: What is that? (Tamāla Kṛṣṇa laughs)

Girirāja: Well, no, they... My father has increased the fortune, so he was trying to tempt me again, but I wasn't interested. But I think in the end he may give in to Kṛṣṇa, because we were in... We were helping Prabhaviṣṇu by giving him dollars, and he would give us rupees. So we were in a shop, and my mother was making a check, which she was giving to me to give to Prabhaviṣṇu. So the owner of the shop thought that the check was for him, and he started making some objections. So my father said, "No. In our system the husband gives to the wife, and the wife gives to the son, and the son gives to Kṛṣṇa." (laughter) So everyone laughed.

Prabhupāda: Just try to manage.

Girirāja: I had a very nice dream last night in which Your Divine Grace appeared. And you were walking around the premises of the Vṛndāvana temple, and there were some doll exhibits. So you were saying that they should improve the quality of the exhibits, because this is their sādhana. So I felt that you were, actually, you were telling me that I should improve the quality of my service and that this was my sādhana, but to be, you know, polite, instead of saying it directly, you were pointing out to their service. And then you started to speak very directly and very boldly, and you were saying... You quoted the verse,

And you were saying, "This is my order, so you do it for me." I mean, I felt that you were saying that since it was your order and we were doing it for you, even though it's very difficult, but it would be successful.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, there is a beginning in Nepal. Try to implement.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? When you took prasādam today did you find a little taste? Not yet. Did you have any avocado?

Prabhupāda: That was little tasteful.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hm. You've been thinking about having that for a long time. You talked about it on and off before. Avocado is said to be very good, nutritious.

Prabhupāda: What is the rent of the house?

Girirāja: The rent? It's about twelve hundred rupees, but that's less than one thousand Indian rupees, and it's right on the way to the Paśu-pati-nātha temple, which is the biggest temple in Nepal.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Very famous temple.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You've heard of it, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hm. People go there to see.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How is it on the way? Directly on the way?

Girirāja: There's a crossroads which all the traffic passes to go to that temple, and our temple is about just a few hundred yards from that crossroads.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We could put a sign on the road. We have a whole building?

Girirāja: Yes. It's a bungalow.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hm. In a compound?

Girirāja: Yes. In the compound they're growing flowers and vegetables.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Wow. How many acres?

Girirāja: Well, it's about half an acre, but whatever land they have, they're using.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They have a lease?

Girirāja: I don't know if they have a lease, but the owner of the house is a Vaiṣṇava, and he's very... Actually his house is next door, and his house is called Viṣṇu-nivāsa. And when he built the second house, he wanted it to be used as a temple, and he called it Bhagavān-nivāsa.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So he's very pleased with the use of the house.

Girirāja: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How many members they've made there?

Girirāja: Well, he's only made two members. I think he's going to get into it a little more. He doesn't have to be registered to make members, because the two members he made... Tax exemption has to be... Each case is considered individually. There's no system, but the lawyer and other people I spoke to felt that, since it was a Hindu state, and since they wanted to encourage such activities, that they would give us tax exemption. There's even a community of Marwari businessmen. So Prabhaviṣṇu had made one or two members by giving receipts from Calcutta, since we're not registered. So I suggested that he should concentrate on the Marwaris for the time being, and he can give receipts from Calcutta, and that would be good practice, because they are the most willing to become members. And then, by the time he got registered, he could start approaching the Nepali businessmen.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How will the Calcutta receipt help them?

Girirāja: Well, I don't think...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They care much.

Girirāja: No. Just to give them something official. He has seven boys there now, and a few of them ...

Prabhupāda: They are taking their prasādam and living there?

Girirāja: Yes. They have nice meal in the morning and evening, and then in the day the main activity is they have the chanting party, and around the chanting party they distribute literature.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very nice beginning, all-auspicious.

Trivikrama: Is the weather very cold?

Girirāja: It's not very cold. The climate is very healthful. In fact, two devotees were there who were in India for some time and they felt a little weary, and they both said that they felt that their health and strength had increased.

Bhakti-caru: It's a beautiful city also.

Girirāja: Yes. It's very peaceful and clean.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sounds like a good place to take you sometime, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Girirāja: The air is very, very pure. They hardly have any industry there, and very few motorcars. It's very unspoiled. So the air is clean and the people are also nice. Until a few years ago, there was no system of compulsory education, so the new ideas, Western ideas, have not come very much there.

Bhakti-caru: Śrīla Prabhupāda? (Bengali)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, would you like a little soft chanting?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Bhavānanda: Śrīla Prabhupāda, you haven't passed urine in some time. Would you like to try?

Prabhupāda: There is no...

Bhavānanda: No need. (end)