760903R1.VRN

Prabhupada: So, everything is going nice?

Aksayananda: Yes, by your grace only.

Gopala Krsna: We have a very beautiful garden for you.

Prabhupada: Hm. Garden? Oh.

Aksayananda: Guesthouse has improved very much. Now we have about twenty paying guests. And during Sravana and Janmastami it was completely full. Very, very encouraging.

Gopala Krsna: Actually, many of our Life Members were turned down. We met some in Delhi. They said they couldn't get in. The whole thing was full.

Aksayananda: They were fighting to come.

Prabhupada: So, they are allowed three days free?

Aksayananda: Only. Also book distribution has improved very much.

Prabhupada: Locally?

Aksayananda: Here in the temple specifically. Haihaya has been concentrating. He's very good.

Prabhupada: Hindi?

Aksayananda: Yes, Hindi magazines and what we can get.

Gopala Krsna: Visala alone does about two, three hundred every day.

Aksayananda: Visala is...

Prabhupada: Where is our Visvambhara? Visvambhara is helping nicely?

Aksayananda: Oh, yes. Hundred percent. [break] French.

Gopala Krsna: That's the new French Bhagavatam on the back.

Prabhupada: Oh. I think I have seen it.

Hari-sauri: Yes, that's the one we got in Paris, Bhagavan.

Gopala Krsna: It looks very nice.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Bank is going nice?

Gopala Krsna: The bank.

Aksayananda: The bank is all right.

Prabhupada: [Transl. Is everything all right?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Yes.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Is your health okay?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Yes.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Are your neighbours keeping well?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Yes. Yes.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. I left everything on your reliance. These people are cheated by everyone. Hope now they are not cheated as much. Or are people still cheat them?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Sometimes they cheat.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. That's their habit.]

Bhagatji: [Transl. They don't cheat in my knowledge. I try my best.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Anyway, whatever the Lord gives.] So, the gurukula building, how far it is?

Bhagatji: [Transl. Construction on gurukula building is going on in full force. It will be completed by 1977.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. The first floor is done?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. It will take a month to finish all the work.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Work is slow?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. By April it will be finished. During summer work goes slow. Construction was stopped for some time because of rainy season.]

Prabhupada: You have got them, the keys?

[devotees look through keys]

Gopala Krsna: When devotees come for Gaura-Purnima... [Transl. can they use the ground floor and first floor?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Who knows when will be your festival.]

Gopala Krsna: [Transl. The festival starts from Rama-navami.]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Rama-navami is in…]

Gopala Krsna: [Transl. Just before Rama-navami they will come here.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. When they will come they will go back via here.]

Gopala Krsna: Mayapur, Delhi, Vrndavana, Bombay. From Bombay back to Europe.

Bhagatji: [Transl. Prabhupada, my suggestion is that they be here for Nityananda Jayanti, in Mayapur for Gaura-Purnima, and in Bombay for Rama-navami. Then from Bombay they leave.]

Gopala Krsna: [Transl. Nityananda Jayanti is when?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. It is in the month of Magha.]

Prabhupada: So let them come first of all here from Delhi.

Bhagatji: Delhi. They come first here. [Transl. Then go to Mayapur.]

Gopala Krsna: Thing is, the whole thing has to be completed in three weeks, because the American GBCs don't like... They think it is a very big loss financially. [Transl. If the devotees stay here more than three weeks then financially it is a big loss, because all the devotees…] Book distribution stops completely, [Transl. when they come here.]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Do all the devotees come here?]

Gopala Krsna: [Transl. When the leaders of book distribution come then the others stop.]

Bhagatji: [Transl. The whether at that time is very pleasant. It is warm during the daytime and cool at night in February-March. What does Prabhupada think?]

Gopala Krsna: Prabhupada...

Prabhupada: Call is Hari-sauri?

Gopala Krsna: Hari-sauri? Prabhupada wants you.

Prabhupada: Is that correct? Is that correct key? What is that?

Hari-sauri: This one's for some of the locks on the doors.

Prabhupada: Which door?

Hari-sauri: Ah, front door. I think it was one on the bedroom originally. They may have taken them off again.

Prabhupada: Find out the lock.

Bhagatji: [Transl. We have applied for the acquisition of the land locked by the side of the gurukula. As soon as they got the notice they became afraid. They approached me. This was about fifteen days before you came here. It was on your vyasa-puja day. Then he said, whatever you decide I will agree. I told him that if you don't us the land then somehow or other we will take it either by begging, or by fighting, or by litigation. I must take possession of the land. You are my brother. We won't spoil our personal relationship. But whether you agree or not I have to have that piece of land.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Two baniyas. He is pakka-baniya: first class mercantile, and here is another, more pakka.] [laughter]

Bhagatji: [Transl. One day he abused me and went away. Harikesa Maharaja was there. I said, okay.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. You are very tolerant. This is your] special quality, very tolerant.

Gopala Krsna: He's very cool.

Bhagatji: [Transl. I told him, Look, I have full faith in Prabhupada and ISKCON. I tell you from the core of my heart that whether I am a member or not, I will never compromise with ISKCON even one paisa. Then he said that whatever you will decide I will agree. I will give you the land. As soon as Prabhupada comes here you write me a letter and whatever you decide I will do. Registration will be done in one day.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Do it then. What have you decided about it?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Me? I thought…I asked everybody. I asked Bishanchand Seth. I talked to one reliable contractor. He is a very good man. He also suggested that it is very good idea.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. We had contractor before, no?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. No. we had great difficulty in removing him. You ask Maharaja. So much problem for gathering and transfering building materials.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Can you not bring somebody from Bombay?]

Gopala Krsna: [Transl. Prabhupada, they took him out from Bombay.]

Bhagatji: [Transl. I said, you should charge us less than the previous rate as the government has already reduced 10 rupees from the previous rate. We have already spent so much. And when you build you have to leave sixty feet of land from the main road according to the master plan. This if you build an asrama, and if you build a residence then you have to leave more space in the front. Besides that, you have to leave out some space from the other road too. Then how much land will remain left? What will you do with that much land then? So as a brother I advice you that if you give us that land then we will make a small play ground for our boys to play, a water tank and so on. And if you give it to us for free then we will put a name plate in your honor. He said, I have no hesitation in giving. Then I said, then you give. But you give us in a lesser price than before. When he bought it, it was 20 rupees per sq. yard. I had someone to measure the whole land and it is 1325 sq. yards. So roughly it costs about 26,500 rupees.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. How?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. According to 20 rupees sq. yard.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Why 20 rupees? Then what is the need of acquision?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Kindly listen to my appeal. I was very much worried because I owed my brother 1,50,000 rupees. He said, I give you money and you donate it to ISKCON. Now I cannot give you any more. Then I thought, Prabhupada, I must take this land even with my own money. It is his will and your inspiration. I thought I might have to leave Vrndavana for this. I have already given you 100,000 rupees. Out of which, 90,000 rupees for this land and 20,000 rupees for me. And Prabhupada, we received a draft of 18,300 rupees from Ghanasyama Dasa when I talked to him. A draft of 18,300 rupees.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. From where?]

Gopala Krsna: [Transl. From your brother?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. My brother sent me. The actual cost is 28,000 rupees and Mahaprabhu sent us exactly that much money.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Your brother sent it.]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Yes. So you will get the land for 28,000 rupees. Good piece of land. Be happy.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Jaya Gaura-Nitai! Jaya Visvambhara! All right.]

Bhagatji: [Transl. So 18,000 rupees is with me and 10,000 rupees I will take from there. If we try through other means, we might get but it will take at least two years.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. So how much does it cost us?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. That same 20 rupees per sq. yard.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. 20 rupees? Then where is the concession.]

Bhagatji: [Transl. We are getting the land that is enough. Besides, that 6 feet extra land located in the front that we will include in our land free of cost.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. As you think good.]

Gopala Krsna: That will be very nice. [Transl. That will be very nice land for us.]

Prabhupada: Tit for tat. [Transl. He is also baniya. Lord Krsna is also baniya.]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Yasoda Maiya comes from that family.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Nanda Maharaja was a vaisya. In Vrndavana, the Supreme Lord is a baniya. Other places He is a ksatriya. All are Supreme Lords. So what is the plan?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Yes, Saurabh has come today.]

Gopala Krsna: [Transl. He has come.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Has come.]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Just came. And you are also present here. So we will prepare the final plan in front of you. I will send him a letter in Muzaffarnagar. He will also come.]

Prabhupada: [to Palika:] You have come before? Or with us?

Gopala Krsna: With you.

Palika: In a bus. I have some fruits ready for you, if you'd like to take.

Prabhupada: Yes. You have subji vada? No. What you have prepared?

Palika: Fruits and some [indistinct]

Bhagatji: [Transl. I have calculated already just what we need. Later we will see when the boys will start studying if we need more.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. No. No. Atyaharah prayasas ca. You collect just as much as you require. Not more.]

Bhagatji: [Transl. I was also telling Hamsaduta Svami that I don't want to take money from Prabhupada. I was thinking what to do and what not to do because I wanted to buy this land. Three days ago I was talking about it. We have to acquire that land but should I do? I was worried. My brother is not giving me money. Do I have to leave Vrndavana? Within three days he finalised the deal.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Brother. He is your brother after all. He has a heart too. Is he the elder brother?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. Yes, elder brother. I sent him a letter a few months ago.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. He has affection for younger brother. "All right. Take it." He acted as a true elder brother. If a younger brother is adamant for something the elder brother should fulfill it.]

Bhagatji: [Transl. At the end of his reply letter he wrote "Keep patience. I am not dishonest."]

Prabhupada: [Transl. How can be dishonest your family.] Your family is very nice.

Bhagatji: [Transl. He writes, I will show you the letter,] "Keep patience. I am not dishonest."

Prabhupada: [Transl. Why dishonest?]

Bhagatji: [Transl. I had sent him letter by the inspiration of Mahaprabhu.]

Devotee: Your breakfast has come. Breakfast is here.

Prabhupada: I'll take. This plan is rough. Jaya.

Devotees: Jaya, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: [Transl. May Krsna-Balarama keep all of you happy. What else do we want? Everything is His mercy. Balarama. Nayamatma pravacanena labhya. [Katha Upanisad] Bala-hinena labhya [Mundaka Upanisad 3.2.4]. Without Balarama's mercy self realization is not achived. Nayamatma pravacanena labhya. Nayamatma bala-hinena. And Vivekananda interpreted it that one who has no bodily strength he can never attain self realization. One should be strong and stout. Eat plenty of meat and become fat then you will attain self realization. This is his idea.]

Gopala Krsna: By your mercy, Balaramaji is giving.

Prabhupada: Nitaiyera karuna habe braje radha-krsna pabe: These rascals, they do not know. Nitai, balarama haila nitai: Lord Balarama has advented as Nityananda Prabhu. So without the mercy of Balarama, nobody can appreciate Vrndavana life. Jaya.

[end]