760829 - Morning Walk - Delhi

Morning Walks by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

760829MW-DELHI - August 29, 1976 - 16:24 Minutes

(Conversation About Bombay)

Girirāja: And then in the temple itself they're starting to fix the carved marble on these columns, and it's just getting very exciting. Then on the gate they're starting to put the domes. And yesterday Saurabha and I went to see some samples of furniture, very attractive furniture. So we're going to make a model room.

Prabhupāda: Model room? What is that model room?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: A model, sample.

Girirāja: We're going to fix one of the rooms on the first floor with all the furnishings, and everything just as it will be when the building is complete. But there is still other work going on. So it couldn't be used for living, but it will look just like a finished room. And Acyutānanda Swami is doing very nicely. Yes. He attends, you know, maṅgala-ārati every morning, he gives class in the temple in the morning and in the evening. And we're having a lot of programs at Rotary clubs, Lion's clubs, colleges and universities.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Girirāja: Mandiras. And distributing literature. Well, the final lift in the building will still take until December, and then so far as another lift for your present quarters . . .

Prabhupāda: No, no. Why?

Girirāja: No. Okay.

Prabhupāda: There is no need of present quarter lift. No.

Girirāja: Okay. Anyway, the new lift is going according to their schedule, which is much faster than their original schedule.

Prabhupāda: So on the whole it is coming nice.

Girirāja: Oh, yes. There's a lot of enthusiasm for Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Bombay. Just due to this Janmāṣṭamī we made about fifteen or twenty life patron members. They just keep coming. "I visited your festival," then they come back and arrange other programs for us and become patron members. And newspaper people also are starting to . . .

Prabhupāda: Giving some coverage.

Girirāja: Good. The Free Press wants to make a two-page feature with pictures all about our activities.

Prabhupāda: What about taking action against Blitz?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, he wrote to me, but I didn't have time to discuss with you. Girirāja discussed with everyone, and they feel that it's not worth it.

Prabhupāda: All right.

Girirāja: The thing is that it's not very certain that we'll win, and if we file . . .

Prabhupāda: No. It is not a question of winning. It is a question of discussing in the court.

Girirāja: Yes, but that's also . . .

Prabhupāda: And the paper does not give any publicity.

Girirāja: Well, see, their paper . . . you see, this man, the editor, he thrives on controversy and notoriety. So he likes cases. And then when the case comes up, he gives the report of the case in his newspaper. So most people felt that he would be very happy if we filed suit, because that will increase his . . .

Prabhupāda: It will be in his favor.

Girirāja: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I met one, but I knew the assistant editor of Times of India, and I spoke to him about it. He said if we wrote a strong reply, we could perhaps get him to print our reply on third page. We could perhaps get him . . . he's done that in the past. But it's a risky gamble.

Girirāja: There was a new article this week.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: In Blitz?

Girirāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: About us?

Girirāja: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Another one?

Girirāja: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: You have it?

Girirāja: No. I thought you might have it.

Prabhupāda: What is read?

Girirāja: They were very agitated that so many big ministers and people came to our function in Hyderabad.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's nice.

Girirāja: Actually, it's like a backhanded compliment. Whatever they wrote was very favorable.

Prabhupāda: That is counteraction.

Girirāja: Yes. Actually, it was good publicity. The headline was that the Andhra government is falling for our tricks. But then all the subject was very good.

Prabhupāda: We got very good coverage in Hyderabad by all the papers.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Have you seen it?

Girirāja: Yes, you sent me some clippings. They're very good. In bold type . . .

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: "The CM praises ISKCON."

Girirāja: In the Blitz in the bold type they quote the Endowments Minister that we owe a great debt of gratitude to Śrīla Prabhupāda for reminding us of the great treasure that we have in our own culture.

Prabhupāda: Then they've already owned the case.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, they don't know that you addressed the whole cabinet in that Endowment Minister's house. That Blitz doesn't know.

Girirāja: They mentioned that the Commissioner of Town Planning designed the temple. They mentioned that the Chief Minister came. They mentioned that we have a farm to help the poor people.

Prabhupāda: Oh, everything is there.

Girirāja: All of our credits are there.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Although they are Communist, they just want to . . .

Prabhupāda: Harer nāma (CC Adi 17.21).

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: One thing is now that we can expect something almost every few weeks in Blitz. Once it starts on something, it just goes on. I think we should at least write a letter to them just saying . . .

Girirāja: I was . . . at first, I thought there is no use to meet the editor, because he's a demon.

Prabhupāda: No, no, there is no . . .

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: The Delhi man who wrote the story, this editor told me he's an outright Communist.

Prabhupāda: Sit down.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually an outright Communist.

Girirāja: The other point that people felt that nobody will take it seriously because everyone knows that it's just junk.

Prabhupāda: Third-class paper. (child speaking in background)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: It has a wide circulation in India. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . leave this boy in the park and we shall go. (Prabhupāda is teasing a little child) Let them come, walking. You come walking? Live here? No? Cannot walk? He can walk. Leave him here.

Child: That's the park! Here we are!

Prabhupāda: They will come back by walking.

Child: There we are. Ācchā.

Child (2): We're going to come back by the walk.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: How many Hindi words do you know?

Child: I know ācchā . . .

Prabhupāda: "Yes," "No," "Very good." (laughter)

Child: Prabhupāda, you know . . . (break)

(on walk)

Prabhupāda: Sudāmā and Puruṣottama, another boy, he was also . . . there was competition in collecting flower. I think Sudāmā stood first. And he was coming. We have to go this way?

Indian man: Any way. We can go this way, or we can go this way.

Hari-śauri: We want to avoid any hills and things if we can.

Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct)

Devotee: Which one?

Indian man: Usko jo chahiye tha milhi gaya. (Whatever he wanted he got after all.) (break)

Prabhupāda: Hmm? Why not? (teasing) He'll come walking. We are going in the car. There is no place. They can walk. They are young children. (children playing and laughing, "Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!") (break) . . . at least twice, thrice in a year total.

Hari-śauri: Hut! Hut!

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda just returned from his fifteenth world tour.

Indian man: Babuji namaste. (Greetings to you sir.)

Child: Hut!

Indian man: . . . (indistinct Hindi) (break)

Prabhupāda: We have got now . . .

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: A new house, Feroz Gandhi Road.

Indian man: Feroz Gandhi Marg.

Prabhupāda: . . . Curzon road.

Indian man: . . . (indistinct Hindi)

Prabhupāda: Accha accha, (Okay okay,) before that.

Indian man: Lajpat Nagar number three (break)

Prabhupāda: Have no place in the car. This way?

Indian man: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: All right.

Indian man: These children, they are coming from which place?

Hari-śauri: France and . . .

Prabhupāda: The smaller one from France and the bigger one from America. International.

Indian man: And their parents also there.

Prabhupāda: They are also here. We are a Society, so the gṛhasthas are there, brahmacārīs, sannyāsīs, vānaprastha. All status of life. Missionaries, they have got only sannyāsīs. We have got all.

Indian man: The other missionaries?

Prabhupāda: Just like Ramakrishna Mission. They have got only sannyāsīs, no gṛhasthas. But we have got gṛhasthas also.

Children: Go this way, Śrīla Prabhupāda!

Prabhupāda: You go this way, I shall go this way.

Children: Go this way!

Prabhupāda: No, you go this way.

Children: No, you go this way.

Prabhupāda: No, you go. We shall go this way. There is no place in the car. You go this way.

Indian man: We have got a very good canteen over here. Do you care for a cup of milk or tea or something?

Prabhupāda: Unfortunately (laughs) I am not eating very much.

Indian man: Rice, anything you would care for.

Children: Go this way. This way.

Prabhupāda: I cannot digest. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) Because you have to walk. (laughs) (break) . . . can stay here. Jaya.

Child: Here comes a dog.

Hari-śauri: Hut!

Children: (laughing) Hut! Hut! Hut!

Hari-śauri: Don't annoy it. Otherwise it might not be so friendly.

Prabhupāda: (to children) Oh, you have to walk. Why you are getting?

Hari-śauri: There's no room. Prabhupāda said you have to walk. You have to stay in the park.

Children: No!

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: It's a straight road.

Hari-śauri: Let's lock the door. (break)

(in the car)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: (referring to Kṛṣṇa dāsa) His father's the head pūjārī.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Very good pūjārī.

Kṛṣṇa dāsa (child): You know the dress that was yesterday? Deity's dress? The same as your birthday dress.

Girirāja: The dress that was put yesterday was the same as the birthday dress?

Kṛṣṇa dāsa: Of Prabhupāda.

Hari-śauri: Oh, the Vyāsa-pūjā dress.

Girirāja: Oh, the Vyāsa-pūjā dress.

Prabhupāda: What is that? You know?

Girirāja: What is Vyāsa-pūjā? Hmm? (break) (end)