740130 - Morning Walk - Tokyo

Morning Walks by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

740130MW-TOKYO - January 30, 1974 - 28:55 Minutes

(interspersed with japa throughout)

Devotee (1): . . . as a religious organization, so for a society to be registered we have to own the property. So we purchased a house, and I think that we are going to have to keep a Deity in this . . . in this temple or this house out there. Otherwise they won't accept it as a religious organization.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Devotee (1): So it is going to be difficult for us to do proper worship for two Deities at once. Is it possible to keep a Deity in the house and just perform maṅgala-arotika, and then the rest of the day have it sit?

Prabhupāda: Why not.

Devotee (1): Yes?

Satsvarūpa: Pañcatattva?

Devotee (1): No, we have to have a . . .

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee (1): . . . this eh, mūrtis . . .

Prabhupāda: Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa?

Devotee (1): Yes.

Satsvarūpa: Oh.

Devotee (1): Because that is the name of the Temple.

Prabhupāda: Somebody must remain there.

Devotee (1): Must remain there?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Is it difficult?

Devotee (1): At the moment it is difficult. We are so far away from this temple, about . . . about two hours by train.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So?

Devotee (1): They have a special organization which checks on religious organizations, because they're very much afraid of organizations becoming registered and simply making money and then dissolving the society after some time.

Prabhupāda: So there is no place for living?

Devotee (1): Yes. It is a small house, but it is so far away.

Prabhupāda: No, why not somebody remain there?

Devotee (1): Somebody could remain there.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You take care, and as far as possible worship the Deities. After all, he has to eat something.

Devotee (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: So let him prepare something and offer to Kṛṣṇa.

(dog barking) They have become very busy, and he is so busy for the sake of little bread from the master. What is this meant for? Asphalt?

Devotee (1): It is made to keep the pedestrians out of the street.

Devotee (2): Except at six o'clock in the morning.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee (2): Except at six o'clock in the morning.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Devotee (1): This is a very wealthy neighborhood we have our temple in. All these people here, they are very rich.

Prabhupāda: They are not interested?

Devotee (1): No.

Prabhupāda: Kasmād bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadāndhān (SB 2.2.5). Durmada. When one gets money he becomes durmada, highly intoxicated, durmada. Kasmād bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadāndhān . . .

cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi diśanti bhikṣāṁ

naivāṅghripāḥ para-bhṛtaḥ sarito 'py aśuṣyan

ruddhā guhāḥ kim ajito 'vati nopasannān

kasmād bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadāndhān

(SB 2.2.5)

This is the formula given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi: whether old garment are not thrown in the street. Formerly, in your country—in America also they do so—anything old they throw away in the street, even furniture, carpet. So this was the system. Old garments, clothing, they would be thrown in the street, so that any poor man can collect, pick up. Cīrāṇi. Cīrāṇi means old garments, kiṁ na pathi santi.

Devotee (1): Prabhupada, would you like to come here? There's a park.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee (2): Park.

Devotee (1): There is a small park here.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Whether these old garments are not available in the street. Diśanti bhikṣāṁ naivāṅghripāḥ. Āṅghripāḥ. Āṅghripāḥ means the trees. They drink water through the legs. Their food is they are drinking water through the legs.

Devotee (2): Legs?

Prabhupāda: Āṅghripāḥ. Āṅghri means leg.

Devotee (1): Root. Roots.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) . . . alms, clothes, eh? So your garment, pick up from the street, and take alms from the trees. Āṅghripāḥ bhṛtaḥ apy aśuṣyan. For water go to the river and drink water. Your drinking, food, cloth problem solved. Ruddhā guhāḥ kim, the caves . . . (indistinct)

Devotee (2): See the snow?

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) . . . ruddhā guhāḥ kim ajito. And after all these things, Ajita, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, does He not maintain the servants? Kasmād kavayo bhajanti dhana-durmadāndhān. Why one should go to these intoxicated, blind rich men? This is mendicant's life. Why one should go?

Devotee (2): (aside) Can I go this way?

Devotee (1): Yes, please.

Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct)

Devotee (1): They go to them for their benefit.

Prabhupāda: For their benefit. Not for your subsistence; for their benefit. These rascals are sleeping, thinking life will go in this way, and they have no knowledge that one day death will come and take away all his possessions and kick him out of his place—everyone. This is his ignorance. To give him this knowledge one should go there, not for personal necessities.

Devotee (1): Hmm.

Prabhupāda: Better we go to the street.

Devotee (1): All right. The street is right over here; we will come out again.

Prabhupāda: Shall we go?

Devotee (1): Yes.

Devotee (2): Shall we cross here?

Devotee (1): No, we can go this way also.

Devotee (2): No, it's a dead end.

Devotee (1): Dead end?

Devotee (2): Yes.

Devotee (1): Right. Śrīla Prabhupāda . . .

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee (1): . . . we can go up this way.

Prabhupāda: This way? All right.

Satsvarūpa: The only exit is up here.

Devotee (1): We can go back the other way.

Prabhupāda: There is another path . . . (indistinct)

Devotee (2): This way. How far is that exit? The best way.

Devotee (1): We can go out here, but then we have to cross the street. If we just go back the same way we came.

Prabhupāda: All right. Let us go, same way. (break) . . . (indistinct) . . . is person. Generally Lord Buddha . . . (indistinct) . . . is person. How the Supreme can be imperson? Also in this place . . . (indistinct) . . . how it can be imperson? (break) (walking again)

Devotee (1): Yeah, we go this way, straight. Right straight.

Satsvarūpa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, we heard that some hippies, like in Hawaii, they follow all the instructions of those verses, but that does not make them saintly.

Prabhupāda: No . . .

Satsvarūpa: They just take whatever clothes they can . . .

Prabhupāda: No, simply following this vairāgya is useless. That is called markaṭa-vairāgya. Markaṭa means monkey. The hippies are like monkeys.

Devotee (2): Monkeys?

Prabhupāda: Yes. They are showing that "We have left everything," but they will have whole time sexual intercourse, like the monkeys. So they have renouncement is monkey renouncement. The monkey also lives in the forest naked, eat fruits. These are the vairāgyas. But each monkey has two dozen women, you see. So this is called . . . this has been described as markaṭa-vairāgya. Markaṭa-vairāgya. Markaṭa-vairāgya is forbidden the hippies are markaṭa-vairāgya. Their renouncement is like the monkeys. They are living in the forest, naked, eating fruits, at the same time every three, four women, and having . . . (indistinct) . . . and sex intercourse. That is . . . (indistinct) . . . The renouncing state is that.

Devotee (1): We go this way, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Eh? (flute sound in the background) Who is it? . . . (indistinct) . . . why they are covering their mouths?

Devotee (2): When they have colds, they do it to stop the germs from spreading. Everyone wears those over their mouths.

Prabhupāda: Germs?

Devotee (2): Germs, yes.

Prabhupāda: What is that germ?

Devotee (1): They don't want to spread the cold to other people. Therefore instead of coughing in their faces they keep this over their mouth.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Like the Jains.

Devotee (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: Buddhists or Jains do like that. Buddhist, Buddhism and Jainism almost the same, or rather Buddhism . . . Jainism is the imitation of Buddhism. Which way?

Devotee (1): We can go . . .

Prabhupāda: (sound of walking on pebbles) . . . (indistinct) . . . it is difficult to walk, eh?

Devotee (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: This is also park?

Devotee (2): No, this is a man's home.

Devotee (1): Apartment . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: So, . . . (indistinct) . . . ? We are leaving?

Devotee (1): Yes. (dog barking) (break) . . . street. [break]

Prabhupāda: Who makes samosa, you can make in that way. Remember? Are you . . . ?

Devotee (2): How is that you liked them?

Prabhupāda: Twice. First of all, soft . . . (indistinct) . . . then when it is hard, then I take. Then it will be, crisp. And the dough must be sufficiently added with ghee. Then it will be nice. Filling should be fried, with ghee and masalā, chili, salt . . . (indistinct)

Devotee (1): Yes. We go this way.

Devotee (2): It's a dead end.

Devotee (1): Okay. Huh?

Prabhupāda: For the breakfast, you can prepare little halavā.

Satsvarūpa: Yes, we are doing that.

Prabhupāda: Hot halavā, be good. What is the price of this?

Devotee (1): This is about $100.

Prabhupāda: Oh, it is very costly.

Devotee (1): Yes.

Devotee (2): Because it is small. (aside) Shall we go the other way?

Prabhupāda: Which one is the cheapest?

Devotee (1): There are some for five thousand yen, which is about twenty dollars. Japan is very expensive, second most expensive country in the world.

Devotee (2): Right.

Devotee (1): It's a dead end.

Prabhupāda: But for twenty dollars . . .

Devotee (1): We have to go the other way. The street is closed off.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Devotee (1): The street is closed off. Things are becoming more expensive every day because the yen is losing its potencies. So they have to increase the prices of the merchandise.

Prabhupāda: Why is it useless? The yen decreasing value?

Devotee (1): Because of shortage of fuel.

Prabhupāda: Oh. (japa)

Devotee (2): (indistinct) . . . street.

Devotee (1): Hmm?

Devotee (2): This thing is . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: What they will do with this snow?

Devotee (1): They will wait for it to melt.

Prabhupāda: Oh. If the temperature is not high . . .

Devotee (1): Then it remains.

Prabhupāda: It will not . . . (laughs) Left or straight.

Devotee (1): We can go out this way. They are saying that . . .

Devotee (2): This is ice with dirt over it.

Devotee (3): It's got sand on it.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee (1): They are saying Japan will become covered with ice after some time.

Prabhupāda: Whole land?

Devotee (1): Yes. Japan is suffering a very severe dry spell.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee (1): It had a very great dry spell in Japan for about two and a half months. No water, no rain.

Prabhupāda: Let them take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness; everything will be all right . . . (indistinct) . . . is a Buddhist temple, or house?

Devotee (1): No, this is just someone's house. They use those for decorations. (aside) . . . (indistinct) . . . Mr. Ogata today?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (3): I . . . I cannot read.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) . . . feeling cold. Just go. Which way?

Devotee (1): We can go from up here.

Devotee (3): Well, I can go back.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee (1): We are getting closer.

Devotee (2): I think this street here would be . . .

Devotee (1): The road is thicker now.

Devotee (2): That's Sañjaya.

Sañjaya: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Thank you. Yes. He is our devotee?

Devotee (1): Yes. His name is Sañjaya.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Devotee (1): He is having a little difficulty.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Devotee (1): He had been staying in Hong Kong for some time . . .

Prabhupāda: Hah.

Devotee (1): . . . and I think he had too much association with Sudāmā Vipra . . .

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Devotee (1): . . . and he has got some funny philosophies about how one should act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Prabhupāda: What is that philosophy? Manufacturing something?

Devotee (1): Yes. Just so one can become Kṛṣṇa conscious and not live within the temple and follow all of the principles of devotional life.

Prabhupāda: Where they got this philosophy?

Devotee (1): I don't know.

Satsvarūpa: It is the old hippie philosophy: just come back, live in the street.

Devotee (1): He would rather sleep in the train station than to shave his head.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee (1): He would rather sleep in the train station than to come and live in the temple.

Prabhupāda: Oh. He does so?

Devotee (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: No, that philosophy I was enunciating, that kasmād bhajanti. But whether . . . why he takes shelter of the train station?

Devotee (1): Because he has no money.

Prabhupāda: Then, why not with the devotees?

Devotee (1): Because he doesn't want to . . .

Prabhupāda: What the improvement is there, by living in this train station?

Satsvarūpa: Maybe he thinks he is free.

Prabhupāda: The temple is also free.

Devotee (1): He doesn't want to adhere to the restrictions of the temple . . .

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Devotee (1): . . . rising early for maṅgala-arotika.

Prabhupāda: Restriction . . . even he lives in the train station, he will have to obey the restriction.

Devotee (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: That means he is in madness.

Devotee (1): By sleeping in the train station he doesn't think that it is forced upon him to get up early.

Prabhupāda: Huh.

Devotee (1): By sleeping in the train station he doesn't think that these restrictions are forced upon him. Whereas if he stayed in the temple . . .

Prabhupāda: Only for that facility?

Devotee (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: Madman's philosophy.

Devotee (1): But he . . . the thing is, he thinks that his activities, you will condone them.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Devotee (1): He thinks that you will sympathize with his feelings and allow him to do this.

Devotee (2): There is our home, temple.

Prabhupāda: No, we cannot allow this nonsense philosophy.

Devotee (1): Would you like to go to the temple now, or up to your room?

Prabhupāda: Huh. Yes.

Devotee (4): (indistinct) . . . Deities are being bathed.

Prabhupāda: Not yet.

Devotee (4): Forty-five minutes. (end)