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Prabhupada: [Transl. I will in Engli…No, it's little difficult for them.] This Radha-Govinda Deity is very old Deity of the Mullik family. I think not less than two hundred years ago this Deity was established by the mother of Kashinath Mullik. I think you might have heard, another Kashi..., original Kashinath Mullik. I think his father's name was Gaura Mohan Mullik. Am I right?

Indian man: Citra Dasi.

Prabhupada: Citra Dasi. No. No, Kashinath Mullik's father? So gradually this whole quarters belonged to this Mullik family. Still in front of this temple there is Bagan [garden] building. That is also the property of Radha-Govinda. And as I have shown in coming, our house was just behind the present Govinda Bhavan. And we had the opportunity of seeing this Radha-Govinda from very childhood. When I was three or four years old I used to visit this Radha-Govinda daily.

Pusta Krsna: Jaya Radha-Govinda! Jaya Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: And that is the inspiration of my devotional life. Then I asked my father that "Give me Radha-Govinda Deity; I shall worship." So my father was also Vaisnava. He gave me small Radha-Govinda Deity. I was worshiping in my house. Whatever I was eating, I was offering, and I was following the ceremonies of this Radha-Govinda with my small Deity. That Deity is still existing. I have given to my sister. So then I introduced Ratha-yatra. So I... My Ratha-yatra was being performed very gloriously. My father used to spend money. In those days ten rupees, twenty rupees was sufficient. I hired one kirtana party, and a small friends, they..., I think the brother of the present generation, and there was another De family here, so we performed this Ratha-yatra ceremony. According to our children's imagination, it was very gorgeous. So I think our present Manmohan... His name is? Gabhur Bhavana? [Transl. Babu's father…ah, grandfather?]

Indian lady: [Transl. Grandfather is no more. Gopishvara Mullik.]

Prabhupada: Gopishvara Mullik. That Gopishvara Mullik was my father's friend. So he was criticizing my father that "You are performing Ratha-yatra ceremony and you are not inviting us." [laughter] So my father said, "That is children's play. What shall I invite you? You are very big man." So, "Oh, so you are avoiding. In the name of children you are avoiding us." On the whole, this Ratha-yatra festival was very gorgeously... Then imitating me, the other, my brother like, Kenglu, he also introduced Ratha-yatra. And... Kenglu.

Indian man: [Transl. Chandrasekher, Naval Kishora…]

Prabhupada: Yes. So all of them introduced Ratha-yatra, and the destination was this Thakurbadi, [temple] from there. So practically what I am doing now, the same thing, Radha-Krsna worship and introduction of Ratha-yatra. I am not doing anything else. You know very well. We are now performing Ratha-yatra ceremony practically in all big cities of the world: in San Francisco, in...

Hari-sauri: Philadelphia.

Prabhupada: Philadelphia, London...

Hari-sauri: Melbourne.

Prabhupada: Melbourne, Australia...

Pusta Krsna: Paris.

Prabhupada: Paris. So the same thing, the same Radha-Krsna worship temples and same Ratha-yatra, in a bigger scale. But the same thing was begun as play from this quarter, this Thakurbari.

Indian man: Year 1917. [Transl. In '70, you inaugurated here. 1970.]

Prabhupada: Ah? No, no, no. I began my... I think from 1904 or '5, from my very childhood.

Indian man: Oh, childhood.

Prabhupada: Yes. At that time perhaps you were not born. [laughter] What is your age now? What is the birth of date?

Indian man: Fifty-five.

Prabhupada: Fifty-five. That means in 1920 you were born?

Indian man: Yes.

Prabhupada: So anyway, this Thakurbari, Radha-Govindaji, is my life. That is the beginning of my this spiritual life. And after so many years, still Radha-Govindaji has dragged me. So it is His kindness. So the beginning was the same thing-worship of Radha-Krsna Deity and introduction of Ratha-yatra. That is I am doing in a bigger scale and a wider scale all over the world. So it is nothing new. So in the one sense, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrasto sanjayate [Bg 6.41].

So although I was not belonging to this family... Or perhaps originally we belonged to this family, because they are also De, we are De, but practically I was born in this family, and sucinam srimatam. And my father was a very pure Vaisnava. So these opportunities we got; now it is developed in a wider scale. It is all Krsna's arrangement, maybe from my previous life. But you are cooperating, you American and European, so we are spreading the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, this mission, Radha-Krsna mission it is practically. Sri krsna caitanya, radha-krsna nahe anya [Sri Guru-parampara, text 6]. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is combination of Radha-Krsna.

Radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini-saktir asmad . Krsna and Radharani, the same Absolute Truth. Radharani is the pleasure potency of Krsna, and when Krsna wants to enjoy, He expands His pleasure potency in the form of Radharani. And when He wants to spread the loving affairs of Radha and Krsna, He takes the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and very kindly He gives the love of Krsna. Therefore Rupa Gosvami has offered Him obeisances, namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te [Cc Madhya 19.53].

To understand Krsna, it takes long, long duration of life. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg 7.19]. And to understand the love of Krsna and Radharani, it is not so easy thing. But by the grace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu we are understanding krsna-prema-pradaya te. So it is now spreading all over the world. So this is... About this movement it may be this Radha-Krsna, Radha-Govinda Deity is the..., what is called?

Pusta Krsna: Inspiration?

Prabhupada: Inspiration. So you are all fortunate that you have come here. So let us offer our obeisances.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupada!

Prabhupada: [Transl. So, may we take your leave now? [aside: Keep in my car.]

[break] [in car]

Hari-sauri: Those Deities are very nicely looked after, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Hari-sauri: The Deities.

Prabhupada: Oh.

Hari-sauri: They are very nicely cared for.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. This is my inspiration, this Deity.

Abhirama: Should we have some program with these Mulliks sometimes? Visit?

Prabhupada: No, no. Our house was here. I am coming almost daily, on every moment. I was playing here. They were all my playmates. The whole this, from that street to this street, that was our house, home. Here is the pharmacy, that Kailash Pharmacy. That was very old. Our limit was coming up to this road and up to that Chitpur Road.

Abhirama: Your father would not let you go any farther than this?

Prabhupada: In those days who cared for the father? We were coming and... It was not so congested. There was a riot, Hindu-Muslim riot. This quarter is Muslim quarter. Oh, in 1911 that was a dangerous day. Perhaps I would have been killed. Riot. Very big riot. This was my school here, this building. This was my school. And college was Scottish Churches. In this ground we used to play football. Yes.

Pusta Krsna: [laughs] Hare Krsna. You used to take Jagannatha right through the streets?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Pusta Krsna: How far would you carry Jagannatha?

Prabhupada: From our house to this Thakurbari, Radha-Govinda's, coming and going with procession of children and khol, karatala and everything. Prasadam distribution, everything was there. My father used to encourage. And in those days if my father would spend twenty-five rupees, it was a great festival. Why not? In those days, fifty, sixty years ago, the money value was at least twenty times. So if my father was spending at that time twenty rupees, now it is at least four hundred rupees. So for a children's play four hundred rupees is not a small amount.

Abhirama: At least fifty dollars in American.

Prabhupada: Yes. So my father used to pay.

Pusta Krsna: You hired a saṅkirtana party?

Prabhupada: Yes. Only two rupees. That's all.

Pusta Krsna: Our young children are very fortunate also.

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Pusta Krsna: Our young children.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Yes. Very fortunate. That a small child, he'll take little grain of prasadam. He will not touch the big halava. As soon as I'll give him a little grain, he'll take. Very nice. [break]

Abhirama: [much traffic noise] ...travel on a coach like this, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Hmm? Yes, in our childhood. Not so bad. At that time it was not so bad. In 1925 I purchased one Buick car. In our childhood days there was no electricity, and there was no motorcar. No. The tram car was drawn by horses in Calcutta. [break] ...quarter where our temple is situated. This is the best... [break] [end]