721015 - Morning Walk - Vrndavana

Morning Walks by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

721015MW-VRNDAVAN - October 15, 1972 - 33:27 Minutes

Śyāmasundara: Did Vāsudeva carry Kṛṣṇa across the Yamunā?

Indian man: Yes. Yes.

Śyāmasundara: But their home was somewhere, other place.

Indian man: Huh?

Śyāmasundara: Their . . . the other Gokula was somewhere else.

Indian man: The Kṛṣṇa was carried through old Gokula.

Śyāmasundara: Ah.

Indian man: Old Gokula.

Śyāmasundara: Not at this place.

Indian man: Not at this place. But for those whom . . . for those people who are in, this is the real Gokula . . . (indistinct) . . . but I think the old Gokula is that. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . it is available?

Devotee (1): Some boxes.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Indian man (2): Boxes, oh, you leave it there.

Devotee: Huh? (break)

Prabhupāda: Gokula. Haribol. That does not cooperate with the modern . . .

Indian man: No. It must have changed completely.

(break) (kīrtana)

Śyāmasundara: . . . tell us a little bit about the temple as we move?

Prabhupāda: Yes. This temple was constructed by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, one of the first disciples of Lord Caitanya, and this is Narottama samādhi. Here is Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī entombed, and here is Rūpa Gosvāmī entombed. Later on, several other devotees, they are not entombed like them. Flowers from their body, they were placed. It is called puṣpa-samādhi. But here, the original bodies.

Devotee (1): Ah. This is Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja's body?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (1): Original bodies.

Prabhupāda: And that side, the original body of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. (break)

Śyāmasundara: . . . a well?

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is the original well.

Lady: (Bengali: Well, when did you come?

Prabhupāda: How are you ?

Lady: When have you come?)

Devotee (1): Did the Gosvāmīs drink from this well, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is . . . this well water is used for cooking, for . . . (break)

Devotee (1): And Jīva Gosvāmī and Rūpa, they drank from this well?

Prabhupāda: (Bengali: Hope you are doing well.

Lady: All by your mercy.)

Prabhupāda: This is the place for dining. The Gosvāmīs, they used to dine here, this room.

Devotee (1): Is this building four or five hundred years old? This very room?

Prabhupāda: Huh? Oh, yes.

Devotee (1): This is the original building?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Not less than four hundred and fifty years.

Śyāmasundara: And they used to meet here daily?

Prabhupāda: Yes. They, all the Gosvāmīs, used to sit down here. And Rūpa Gosvāmī's bhajana, he was dancing here, and after his passing away, he was entombed there. But that tomb is Lokanātha Gosvāmī. He is also one of the important Gosvāmīs.

Devotee (1): (indistinct) . . . Gosvāmī.

Śyāmasundara: Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi: Please sit, please sit. You know everything . . .) (break) House tax.

Devotee (1): House tax? There were not for any buildings on house tax?

Indian Lady: (Hindi: House tax . . . I have given most of these to them. They have it

Prabhupāda: I never got any.

Indian man: I have receipts of water.

Prabhupāda : That's all right.

Indian Lady: I had written a letter to Maharaji . . . no reply ever came.

Prabhupāda: If you need now, we shall give . . .

Indian lady: No, no. I shall take them later.

Indian man: Maharaji, Please grant me leave.

Prabhupāda: Ok, you may go. You understood the matter?

Indian Lady: You shall go to Delhi from here?) (breaks)

Śyāmasundara: Could you tell us any stories about Rūpa Gosvāmī while we are sitting here, or any . . .

Prabhupāda: (Bengali: To gosāi of temple. Prabhupāda: Gosaiji.

Gosāi: Yes please.

Prabhupāda: Regarding Rupa Goswami, do you know anything? When he came, what was the matter . . . ?

Gosāi: No I don't.

Prabhupāda: You don't know.) Rūpa Gosvāmī was a minister. So after retirement he, under the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he came to Vṛndāvana.

Indian man: (Bengali: About which Goswami you are talking about?

Prabhupāda: Rupa Goswami.

Indian man: Rupa Goswami?

Prabhupāda: Yes

Indian man: There is no scope of saying anything . . . on what he was . . .)

Prabhupāda: Rūpa Gosvāmī. So formerly they were living under trees. That I have already described in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Later on, when Jīva Gosvāmī constructed this temple, his nephew and disciple, at that time Rūpa Gosvāmī also, he lived with his disciple. Actually, this temple belongs to Jīva Gosvāmī, and Rūpa Gosvāmī's temple is at . . .

Śyāmasundara: We saw it.

Prabhupāda: . . . Govindajī.

Śyāmasundara: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: And Sanātana Gosvāmī's temple is at Madana-Mohana. But when Jīva Gosvāmī was here, naturally—they were elder uncle—so lived together, and because they, all of them lived here, so other Gosvāmīs, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, all of them used to meet here. And Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī used to live . . . (indistinct) . . . and all other Gosvāmīs used to be here. And this is explained, Rūpa Gosvāmī's bhajana, they chant.

Indian man: (Bengali: Oh Maharaja, this is not correct.

Prabhupāda: What?

Indian man: This is the samadhi of Acarya prabhu.

Prabhupāda: Who is acarya?

Indian man: On that I can't tell anything . . . (indistinct) . . .) (break)

Śyāmasundara: Are those rooms you live in, were they formerly inhabited by the Gosvāmīs, Jīva or Rūpa Gosvāmī, those rooms you have now?

Prabhupāda: These rooms?

Śyāmasundara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: No.

Śyāmasundara: These came after that time.

Prabhupāda: This is . . . rooms were existing, but they used to sit down here.

Śyāmasundara: Was Vṛndāvana mostly . . .?

Prabhupāda: (Bengali: In this place, all the six Gosvāmīs used to sit down and read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Indian man: Here, at this place . . . (indistinct) . . . one branch was there above this and another branch towards me, . . . (indistinct) . . . the seat of Goswamis, Goswamis used to sit here . . . (indistinct) . . .)

Śyāmasundara: And, and did . . .

Indian man: (Bengali: Forgot to mention another thing . . . he got stunned . . . for cutting one of this branch . . . (indistinct) . . . immediately died vomiting blood.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Indian man: He ordered to cut off a branch of the tamarind tree. Immediately he died vomiting blood.)

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Śyāmasundara: At that time Vṛndāvana was existing as a village, or mostly open area?

Prabhupāda: Formerly, before Lord Caitanya's coming here, this was open field. Nothing was here.

Śyāmasundara: So everything has been built up.

Prabhupāda: Since the Gosvāmīs. (Bengali: Be careful. Please watch your head.) So after the Gosvāmīs came here, practically, all this Vṛndāvana city has developed. Before that, it was open field . . . (indistinct Bengali) . . . You developed this photo here in India also?

Devotee (1): Ah, some of it.

Indian man: At least mine and Swāmījīs.

Prabhupāda: You send some copies here.

Devotee (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali: Will you take one photo of mine, only I will be there in the photo.) You can take one photograph alone. Have you got . . . (indistinct)

Śyāmasundara: This man here. This man.

Devotee: Where?

Śyāmasundara: Right here. Is he one of your old friends?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: He lives in the . . .

Prabhupāda: In this temple.

Śyāmasundara: He lives in this temple. This, where the . . . (break)

Prabhupāda: He has left his key? (break)

Indian Lady: Shall you go to delhi now?

Śyāmasundara: Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu was written here, Prabhupāda, in this place?

Indian man: (Bengali: Will you be staying here?)

Prabhupāda: We have to go Imlitala.

Śyāmasundara: Imlitala? The car is not here?

Indian man: No, he's just coming the . . .

Gargamuni: It's just a very brief walk.

Śyāmasundara: We can walk.

Gargamuni: It's very brief walk.

Śyāmasundara: Is that, is that mahā-rāsa place on the way?

Gargamuni: It's, yes, it's more or less. Sevakunj.

Śyāmasundara: Is it, is it, er, should we . . . (break) When we go to Bombay, I think.

Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct)

Devotee (2): The place where mahā-rāsa took place?

Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct)

Devotee (2): So it is of no significance to us, then?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Śyāmasundara: This . . . words and films.

Indian man: (Hindi: You have in London?)

Prabhupāda: (Hindi: It is in New York . . .) New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Buffalo, Montreal. Sixty-six all over the world.

Indian man: (Hindi: Swamiji, do you have some literature about them?

Indian man: Will it be after this . . . will we come with shoes?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Indian man: So you will go to Imlitala then straight.

Prabhupāda: Wrappers please. . .

Indian man: Will you tell something to Subal Da before leaving . . . please take out the things . . . suffering greatly here. (indistinct conversations) . . .)

Prabhupāda: Oh. On the carpets. Give immediately, on the carpets.

Devotee: Carpets.

Prabhupāda: Give immediately. And you come to the Imlitala.

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali: Taking it out right now.)

Indian man: (Hindi) (referring to Sarasvatī) Don't eat that. She is licking that . . .

Śyāmasundara: What, coins?

Indian man: No. Licking the some sort of . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: (greeting Indian man) Oh, how you have come here?

Indian man (3): . . . (indistinct)

Śyāmasundara: This is a new edition?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: (dogs barking) Oh, all the dogs are coming. Is the driver here? There's the driver. Should we walk, or . . .

Prabhupāda: (Hindi: With gatekeeper, we want to take darsan at Imlitala . . .) (break) . . . and how it is concerned, we can get many. The thing is, who will live here? Who will manage?

Śyāmasundara: Hmm. I've been thinking a lot about it.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Śyāmasundara: I'm thinking that if we developed a very large center here, like a headquarters, it would have worldwide impact.

Prabhupāda: Uh.

Śyāmasundara: Because, just like a throwing a rock in the pond, first of all the devotees of India would all be coming . . .

Prabhupāda: Uh.

Śyāmasundara: . . . and it would revitalize the spiritual life of India from this point, and then the whole world would come to Vṛndāvana.

Prabhupāda: So, now next thing, what to do?

Śyāmasundara: I was thinking perhaps I would like to devote a lot of time to raising funds for such a project—in the United States, England. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct)

Śyāmasundara: Manage.

Prabhupāda: Manage? There is no scarcity of funds.

Śyāmasundara: Yes. If we built the most magnificent temple and center here, which would be full of spiritual life, day and night hundreds of devotees would be there having kīrtana, and all the devotees of Vṛndāvana would come. They're simply astounded by our kīrtana when they come to our house.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi: You came in morning? We had a program. Were you there or not?

Indian man: No, I wasn't there.)

Śyāmasundara: What's this? This is another temple? Imlitala?

Devotee (2): Imlitala.

Śyāmasundara: Oh, this is not the entrance?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Indian man: (Hindi: Please come.)

Indian man (2): (Hindi: Very swiftly . . .)

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Śyāmasundara: Jaya.

Indian man: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jayo Mahārāja.

Prabhupada: (Bengali: You please bless us.

Indian man: Your preaching mission is the best amongst all.)

Śyāmasundara: That is your Guru Mahārāja, Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Śyāmasundara: That is a mūrti of Guru Mahārāja?

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Śyāmasundara: Aaah.

Prabhupāda: Not like . . . (indistinct) . . . (Hindi)

Śyāmasundara: (to daughter) Sarasvatī, who is that?

Prabhupāda: (Bengali: Kindly tell us something about Imlitala. Will record it.

Indian man: Will speak in Hindi.

Prabhupāda: In Hindi, can't it be in English. Whatever, please tell something.)

Śyāmasundara: What is the history of this temple, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: (to Indian man) You say.

Indian man: You would like to say in English?

Śyāmasundara: Ah, yes.

Indian man: Not in Hindi.

Śyāmasundara: If you can speak English, please.

Indian man: This is an old place, Vṛndāvana. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu came here and sat under this tree nearly five hundred years back. He sat under this tree and meditated: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, until midday.

Several days He chanted His name and came here and sat. This tree is the old tree of Dvāpara-yuga. Under this tree, Rādhikā and Kṛṣṇa both met once. This is written in Param-Gita. For this reason Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu came here. With this reason He came here and sat under this tree and recited the name Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

When He sat here once, one Vaiṣṇava, name Kṛṣṇadāsa, name Kṛṣṇadāsa, he saw, at night, he dreamt of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and became mad to see Him, and he crossed the Yamunā River, Keśīghāṭa, and gradually came here and saw the glorious silhouette of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and he made his obeisance to His feet.

And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu touch him, and he became mad with kṛṣṇa-prema, and then Mahāprabhu, from this place, Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu came, went to Rādhā-kuṇḍa, but displayed the name of this before that time.

Prabhupāda: He went to Rādhā-kuṇḍa?

Indian man: Rādhā-kuṇḍa. He went there and asked the old gentlemen of that place that "Where is Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa?" But none of them . . . (indistinct) . . . Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, discovery of Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

Śyāmasundara: From this place He went there.

Indian man: Yes, He went there, Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Śyāma-kuṇḍa place. Ariṣṭa-grāma.Ariṣṭāsura was killed there by Kṛṣṇa. So He went there and asked the old people in there, but nobody can say that where is Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa. After that, Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself said to the field that, "This is Rādhā-kuṇḍa and this is Śyāma-kuṇḍa," and that this place was low place; there's some water there. He lifted the waters to His head and said that "These two places are Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa." In this way, Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa were discovered there.

After that He went to Sola, Solakṣetra, and because, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu came here, so after His visit here He went to . . . Bengal . . . and Rūpa and Sanātana first came here. And after, following them, all the Vaiṣṇavas came to Vṛndāvana, and gradually Vṛndāvana was discovered and places and important places which . . . holy places of this Vṛndāvana and Vraja-maṇḍala was discovered by the followers of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu . . . Rūpa and Sanātana . . . they both discovered all the places, several holy places of Vṛndāvana. In this way, this place was discovered.

Nobody knew this place. Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself came here, sat under this tree, because under this tree, Kṛṣṇa and Rādhikā met. (Hindi) (break) Once, at the time of rāsa, how They met here once at the time of rāsa, Śrīmate Rādhā, Rādhikā felt that "I am not be able . . ."

Prabhupāda: "Able to walk." He carried . . .

Indian man: "I'm not really . . . (indistinct) . . ." So He left rāsa and went out. Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw that there is no Rādhikā, every . . . all the gopīs were still, Rādhikā not there, so He left all them and went out and began to search Her. But through roaming about Vṛndāvana He did not caught Her, and after became very regretted. He sat under this tree, and Rādhikā afterwards came here and met Him. In this way, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa go, met here.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali: This gentleman is kindly taking us to various places. Jai Jai.

Indian man: That you have come here, for that thank you very much.

Prabhupāda: We come regularly.

Indian man: You should. In spite of that you have so much affection for us, for that lots of thanks to you.

Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct)

Indian man: What's your program for today?

Prabhupāda: Will go today.

Indian Man: Going today, where?

Prabhupāda: Tomorrow afternoon we will go to Mathura, will return at night from there.

Indian man: You have got some program at Mathura.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That samadhi . . . no not samadhi. Kṛṣṇa's . . .

Indian man: Kṛṣṇa's birth place.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Someone chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa . . .) Guru-Gaurāṅga, then Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Where is my stick?

Devotee (2): Stick? Just here.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali: Came after many days.

Indian man: Will you able to take photo.) Ācchā. If you want to take photo, you can take.

Indian man: If you wish, you can take photos.

Prabhupāda: Is it ready? Film is ready? Where is he? He has gone?

Śyāmasundara: You can take photos of the Deities if you like.

Devotee (1): He has gone to the other side.

Prabhupāda: All right.

Śyāmasundara: The, the movie camera.

Devotee (1): It's really dark.

Śyāmasundara: Oh, it's dark.

Indian man: (Bengali: Planning to go tomorrow morning?

Prabhupāda: Yes.)

Śyāmasundara: This is Yamunā River, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yamunā. This is branch of.

Śyāmasundara: Branch of Yamunā.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Indian man: You come this place. Come this way.

Devotee: Where is the main Yamunā?

Prabhupāda: Main Yamunā is . . . (indistinct)

Śyāmasundara: It's very strong there . . .

Indian man: (indistinct) . . . Living only one . . . (indistinct)

Śyāmasundara: Thousands of years old.

Indian man: This is . . . footprint of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Śyāmasundara: Oh.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali: Well the drainage system no more there.

Indian man: No.

Prabhupāda: So the smell is gone.

Indian man: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Oh.)

Śyāmasundara: This is a ghāṭa?

Prabhupāda: This was formerly a ghāṭa. (indistinct Bengali)

Śyāmasundara: Oh. There's Yamunā out there, is it not?

Indian man: (Bengali: Stairs of the ghāṭa . . . yes, just nearby . . . here is water . . . water was there before . . . even before Kṛṣṇa's time water was available here . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: There was a field here . . .

Indian man: All those destroyed . . . at times here, at times there, like this displaced . . .

Prabhupāda: Like Mayapur.) Here is the footprint of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Śyāmasundara: Ācchā.

Indian man: He stepped here. Big!

Śyāmasundara: It's very large. Large.

Prabhupāda: (to passer-by) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya.

Devotee: Jaya.

Śyāmasundara: Lord Caitanya was very tall, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Child: Haribol!

Prabhupāda: Haribol! (Bengali: This statue looks really good.)

Śyāmasundara: Who is that, Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Gosvāmī. He is one of my eldest Godbrothers.

Śyāmasundara: Oh.

Prabhupāda: He also went to London. Yes. I sometimes speak that he talked with Lord Zetland.

Śyāmasundara: Ahah. But he left no followers there?

(aside) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thank you very much.

(break) Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Śyāmasundara: When Kṛṣṇa used to come here, was His home in Gokula at that time, or Mathurā?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: And He used to come here for herding cows.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (2): But He did not live here.

Śyāmasundara: Was there any palace here?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Śyāmasundara: Was there any palace here of His parents?

Prabhupāda: They say there is a ghaat (Hindi: Prasada. Thank you. Prasadam from temple, please take.) Huh? (break)

Śyāmasundara: Everyone wants some prasāda. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . some small feast.

Indian man: (Hindi: someday please do madhukari at some brijwasi home.)

Śyāmasundara: Sarasvatī.

Indian man: (Hindi: We have . . . roti . . . for hunger.)

Prabhupāda: (Bengali: How are you?

Indian man: I stay . . . in this building.

Prabhupāda: Oh . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Do you need to go to office?

Indian man: No, no. They have brought me back three times, I fled thrice. Every time they bring me back and say just stay here and have prasada later we shall see.)

Śyāmasundara: I should stay here with Subala Mahārāja?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Śyāmasundara: I should stay here with Subala Mahārāja?

Prabhupāda: As you like it.

Śyāmasundara: What is that?

Prabhupāda: We shall talk.

Śyāmasundara: Alright. (break) (end)