770227rc.may
Room Conversation
February 27, 1977, Mayapura Prabhupada: (reads Sanskrit) ...Aniya mahat-pado smariya gurave namah.(?) In a short time he has learned very nicely.
namaste prabhupadaya
srestha vedyam dadasi te tasya padasraya-kosam namaste gurave namah(?) om srimad-bhagavatam gita caitanya-caritamrta ca sundara-bhagavatam cami bhaktiko manyave bhavan(?) I am surprised that he has learned so quickly. Very nice.
Prabhupada: Yes. He should be given letter.(?)
Radha-vallabha: Anyway, he made one arrangement with another devotee to marry this devotee's daughter.
Prabhupada: Hm?
Prabhupada: This boy?
Radha-vallabha: Yes. The boy that wrote that. And he made arrangement with another devotee to marry her daughter at a later date. She's only twelve. So I've told him not to do anything until I spoke to you, because I don't think this has ever been done in our movement yet.
Prabhupada: Hm?
Radha-vallabha: I don't think anyone has ever done this before in our movement, the Vedic system. So I had a few questions about it. First of all I told them that they shouldn't associate until the actual time that they get married. That's true, isn't it?
Prabhupada: No, no, marriage, they do not speak. That is the disease in your country, that... There is no objection nineteen-years-old boy and twelve-years girl, it is very good combination, but the culture is so bad that after few days they will separate.
Prabhupada: If they stick to have one husband and one wife, it is very good. Or even the man can marry more than one wife. That is allowed in the Vedic system. The difficulty is nobody remains as wife, nobody remains husband. It is very dangerous. That is against Vedic. Otherwise man can have more than one wife, but woman cannot marry more than one husband. But the systemthe boys and girls intermingle so freely, and in your country there is no restrictionnaturally it becomes adulterated. That is the danger.
Prabhupada: Knowing or no knowing, they'll not do with him. So what is the use of consulting me? They'll break. They'll promise and they'll break. How you can make them standardized? They will break.
Prabhupada: They'll never become. That is my experience. So what is the use of consulting me? They'll never become. Almost impossible. They'll not keep standardized.
Prabhupada: What is the use of consulting? They'll promise and they'll break.
Radha-vallabha: Yes, you were telling me in Hawaii about that, that that is the difficulty. They have no responsibility. All right, I'll tell him that.
Prabhupada: Hm?
Prabhupada: Otherwise there is no objection. I married; my wife was eleven years old.
Prabhupada: Eh?
Prabhupada: Everyone in India responsible. That is Indian culture still.
Radha-vallabha: Should... When they agree at this young age, they should wait till they get older, right?
Prabhupada: Yes. Generally a girl attains puberty at fourteen years, thirteen years. In India because it is tropical climate... I think in Western countries they attain puberty not before fifteen, sixteen years. So although a girl is married before puberty, she is not allowed to go to the husband until she has attained puberty. Formerly, in our days also, after attaining puberty there is another second marriage. Then the husband and wife live together.
Prabhupada: No. That is... Minimum age means generally the husband must be older than the wife, at least five years' difference.
Radha-vallabha: What is the most amount of years they can be different? What is the maximum amount of years there can be difference?
Prabhupada: Man has no maximum. Even an eighty-years-old man can marry a sixteen-years-old girl. (laughter)
Radha-vallabha: Because this one devotee has a daughter twelve and he wanted to marry her to a man twenty-six, but he thought that was too much difference.
Prabhupada: Yes. That is too much difference. But eight years, ten years usual.
Prabhupada: That is healthy.
Prabhupada: And in no case... The girl must not be older than the boy. That's not good at all.
Radha-vallabha: At the time of the agreement, when they are not yet old enough, they do not associate at all. So not until the actual marriage do they associate or wear white or anything like that.
Prabhupada: No, even they can be married, but no association.
Radha-vallabha: No association. So the boy can be... If the girl has attained puberty say at thirteen, fourteen, even if the boy is only twenty, twenty-one it is all right. All right. I wanted to make sure. I wasn't allowing them to see each other. I wanted to make sure they weren't doing anything un-bona fide. So I'll tell him that. I have the... Jagannatha dasa has done synonyms for Brahma-samhita. For the Brahma-samhita printing, Jagannatha dasa has done some synonyms. Would you like to use the book also? I have the book here.
Prabhupada: No... Yes. (Prabhupada apparently looks them over) [break]
Prabhupada: Hm.
Radha-vallabha: Good. When we print this book, should we distribute it freely? Should we distribute this book to the masses?
Prabhupada: No harm. So what is the arrangement?
Radha-vallabha: I was thinking that it would be nice to do it the way we do Bhagavatam, with the devanagari, transliteration, synonyms, translation, and purport, say size of Isopanisad.
Prabhupada: Why not this boy help? He knows Sanskrit.
Tamala Krsna: I have the... Mr... I forget his name. From Central Bank. The gentleman who saw you. So I filled out these cards, and he's willing to open this account now. This account... Until they open a proper branch here, this account is actually being held at Camak Street. It's called account but it will be held in Camak Street, and when they open the branch then it will be shipped here as account number one.
Prabhupada: But we want payment here?
Tamala Krsna: Now, they want to know from us whether we want them to remain here after the festival.
Prabhupada: We have no objection.
Tamala Krsna: We have no objection. Okay. So as far as the... We want them, I think. If they don't remain here, then what is the use of opening account?
Prabhupada: Yes. yes. Camak Street, I have got already account.
Tamala Krsna: Yes. Now so far as the elmira goes, I discussed with them. So their understanding was that once they open their actual branch, they're going to be purchasing all their furniture in Calcutta and bringing it here. So they're just temporarily using it.
Prabhupada: That's all right.
Prabhupada: No.
Tamala Krsna: Okay. Let me first ask them, before you sign this, whether they'll keep it open, because if they're going to close it now, there's no use in signing it.
Prabhupada: No. Because in Calcutta I have got already.
Prabhupada: I have no objection.
Prabhupada: So that Jagannatha, he has come? No.
Prabhupada: Let them... Let them do together.
Radha-vallabha: Yes. That's the system actually. There are some other... There actually is a big department. There are about eight or nine boys. They're all getting very good. Now Jagannatha had some questions on corrections in the book. In verse twenty-eight it says, "Then he worshiped Sri Krsna, the essence of all Vedas, with this hymn."
Prabhupada: What is that?
Radha-vallabha: So it says, "Then he worshiped Sri Krsna, the essence of all Vedas, with this hymn."
Prabhupada: Where it is?
Radha-vallabha: It's verse twenty-eight, "Then he worshiped Sri Krsna." So Jagannatha said it should be, "Then he worshiped..."
Prabhupada: No, no. Jagannatha cannot correct. That bad habit he must give up.
Prabhupada: Oh, yes. You should not be more educated.
Prabhupada: Nothing of the... This of should be strictly forbidden.
Prabhupada: They can divide the synonyms. That's all.
Prabhupada: That is his tendency, to correct. That's very bad. He should not do that.
Prabhupada: The system is: whatever authority has done, even there is mistake, it should be accepted.
Prabhupada: Asa-praya(?) That is ha... He should not become more learned than the authority. That is very bad habit.
Radha-vallabha: He was always wondering how he should think. So I'll tell him that. He thinks, "If I think I see a mistake, what should I think?" I'll tell him what you just said.
Prabhupada: He cannot see mistake. He is mistake. (laughter) He should... That is being done by this rascal. I don't want. And the Hayagriva has..., the Easy Journey, he has changed so many things. That... He is now bad character. You should not maintain him.
Prabhupada: No. He has no responsibility even on his family.
Prabhupada: What she said?
Radha-vallabha: Well, she was asking me whether he would want to live with her. I told her that I didn't think so.
Prabhupada: Why? Why did you advise?
Prabhupada: Responsible or not responsible, they should live together.
Prabhupada: But actually he's bad. He has gone out.
Prabhupada: Hm?
Radha-vallabha: He is still working on the philosophy book. So when he finishes that, that will be the last.
Prabhupada: Why finish it? Whatever is done is done. No more. I understand that he is intoxicated.
Prabhupada: We cannot pay for his intoxication.
Radha-vallabha: I was thinking of stopping anyway. Now that you have said it, it makes it very simple. I can find a way that it will be done nicely. Practically there's nothing for him to do, very important, anyway.
Prabhupada: Hm. What is that?
Woman devotee (1): Medicine, Srila Prabhupada.
Radha-vallabha: So, also in the songbook... We will have to reprint that soon. The way it is now, I remember you also once told me that Acyutananda makes mistakes in the Bengali. And the Sanskrit department, Jagannatha and the others, say that there are a lot of mistakes that they would like to correct. Is that all right? Do you want synonyms? Do you want synonyms in the songbook? No? Okay. We are also doing a very nice cookbook. Yamuna is doing it. I passed on the instruction that you left in Madhya-lila that the recipes at Advaitacarya's house should be included. She's gotten practically all of those. She's going to put the cookbook together in such a way that it will be an example for Deity worship for all the temples, and we hope to have that finished this year sometime. That's all right?
Prabhupada: Last time Acyutananda was given some money. Still the same arrangement is there?
Prabhupada: No.
Radha-vallabha: I don't like this philosophy, that if someone does some service they should get money for it. That's business.
Prabhupada: I think he was paid some money.
Prabhupada: Yes. This system is not good.
Tamala Krsna: So they have permission from the Reserve Bank to keep this extension open up to one month. I asked him, "How long will it take until you get the actual branch?" They said, "Somewhere between one and two months." So if we open an account, it's guaranteed that you will be able to draw money here up to one month's time. By then, either they'll open the branch, and if they don't, then whatever funds you have here will be transferred to your Calcutta account. And as soon as the branch is open, they will immediately transfer back here as account number one.
Prabhupada: That's nice. All right.
Prabhupada: So I shall do it. I'm talking with him.
Radha-vallabha: This system of the money, I stopped that in Los Angeles. It was becoming prevalent that whenever they wanted to do some extra service, they would want money. So I told them if they want money they can't do it in service to you. It has to be something else. Otherwise the whole thing is spoiled.
Prabhupada: No money.
Radha-vallabha: All right. I'll enforce that strictly. The only money is for rent and some small maintenance, eating. That's all.
Prabhupada: And if we have got our own place, no rent even.
Prabhupada: And to... If there is no our place, then we'll pay rent.
Prabhupada: Otherwise you must accommodate him in our place.
Radha-vallabha: Most of the rent I pay is to the ISKCON property account, and that all comes back to Mayapura, etc., so there's no problem there. Also another thing is children's books. I was looking at the gurukula books. You don't want to get into that. Oh.
Prabhupada: They are not wanted. We have got one color book?
Prabhupada: That is sufficient. No more.
Prabhupada: Hm? Why... That one book is sufficient. Why more books about this?
Prabhupada: Why ten books? Not a single student knows well English, neither Sanskrit, and ten books.
Prabhupada: Why I do not know. You just discuss this. They do not learn anything, and we are printing books.
Prabhupada: "Themself" means?
Radha-vallabha: They have a little... In Dallas they a little photostat, and Nandarani would write and they would print it.
Prabhupada: So it is waste of time, waste of money and waste of time.
Prabhupada: This policy is not good. Why?
Prabhupada: No, no. We should not invest our BBT money in that way.
Prabhupada: Strictly. It is not required, unnecessarily investing money. It should be noted.
Prabhupada: Before investing money in anything, you should ask me.
Prabhupada: The donation may be given. That...
Prabhupada: It should be invested very conscientiously.
Tamala Krsna: The thing is, though, that when we get these donations, it's because we suggest that they be invested in a particular way. The people often state that. It's not that they're so dedicated to the particular way we invest the money. I've seen that very often. It's due to our suggestion.
Radha-vallabha: In some cases, but in other cases it's not possible to get money unless you... Like with the Laguna Beach people. Unless they know exactly what it's going for, they won't give something. And this is the type of thing that can inspire them to give a little money, especially the ones that don't give anything. Anyway, even if a donation comes, I won't do anything with it until I speak to you.
Prabhupada: No, donation may come for causes good, many, but investment must be conscientious.
Prabhupada: Not that because you are getting donation very easily and you spend it, squander it, like that, anything. No. That should not be.
Prabhupada: So Jagannatha-suta should be strictly advised not to become very learned to correct authorities. No.
Prabhupada: Oh. That's it. He should not be very learned.
Radha-vallabha: I think that instruction you gave will help him very much about even if he thinks there is some mistake, just forget about it.
Prabhupada: He is mistake. He should not think his authority mistake.
Prabhupada: So why he should be given this business? He's such irresponsible man. He should not be given any responsible work. Our first business should see how he is advanced in devotion. We don't want so-called scholars.
Prabhupada: Leave, I don't mind. Just like he became a big scholar.
Prabhupada: Nitai, he's a rascal.
Prabhupada: I know that.
Radha-vallabha: I think he understands what the problem was. I think he understands what his problem was, and that's why he won't do anything without asking you.
Prabhupada: Don't allow him to do anything.
Radha-vallabha: Well, now that this system of no corrections anywhere, that makes it very simple. Then he can't do anything. I don't think he wants to, either. It makes it more simple for him. It makes him very uncomfortable.
Prabhupada: No corrections. He can write that synonym, that's all, according to the translation. Who is writing the synonym?
Prabhupada: That's all right. According to the translation. Not that he becomes a greater scholar than my Guru Maharaja.
Prabhupada: Alpa-vidya bhayankare.(?) This is the Western countries' deficiency. They learn little, and they consider that he has become very learned scholar. This is the defect.
Prabhupada: Where he is now?
Radha-vallabha: I don't know. I heard that he was heading for America, then wanted to go back to India, some nonsense. I could find out if you want me to. (laughs)
Prabhupada: "...to find out better guru."
Prabhupada: Where is his wife?
Prabhupada: Oh.
Radha-vallabha: I heard there was some correspondence between them after he left you. Birds of a feather.
Prabhupada: So they are husband and wife still or not?
Prabhupada: Hm. But she was pregnant?
Radha-vallabha: I don't know. She was living with her parents in Colorado, I think. He is from there also.
Prabhupada: He was polluted by the..., that Purusottama.
Prabhupada: No, no, not that Purusottama. Another, my... He says my Godbrother.
Prabhupada: Yes. He has very intimately mixed. I think that he arranged for delivering books, this Nitai.
Radha-vallabha: He used to send me corrections all the time, this Purusottama. I would throw them in the garbage.
Prabhupada: Still he sends corrections?
Prabhupada: So, you can take this. He can... On the basis of the translation, he can make the synonyms. And this boy is good. He should be engaged. He should guide. He knows Sanskrit letter. And I very much appreciate his writing. Tell him. He has done very nice.
Prabhupada: He should be encouraged.
Prabhupada: He is good boy.
Radha-vallabha: I have other things to ask you on other books. Would you rather I ask you a different time?
Prabhupada: Not now.
Prabhupada: That's nice. I'll see.
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/conversations/1977/feb/mayapura/february/27/1977-1 Previous: Room Conversation -- February 27, 1977, Mayapura Next: Conversation with Italian Woman with Translator -- February 28, 1977, Mayapura
|