Conversation with Guru Dasa – November 12, 1971, Delhi

Underneath the tree during winter it is warm and during summer it is cold

Prabhupada: The height has been confusing.

Guru Dasa: Hm.

Prabhupada: ..but I asked whether there is ventilator he said, "no." The [indistinct] did not know... hoping [break] cheap relief, now they've got a chance [break] [indistinct] It requires some strength in the world [indistinct] again [indistinct] in this way print and selling books and stocking books you will get rich and it will be propagation of the mission and the sahkirtana movement

[indistinct] but whether we are prepared and [indistinct] philosophy print books and [indistinct] and make that awarding salaries [indistinct] burden [indistinct] books [indistinct] talking, simply talk of philosophy [indistinct] and the Deity room upstairs. They are not interested in the Deities, they are interested in philosophy [indistinct] make this propaganda clear [indistinct] [break] [break] we don't require much [indistinct] downstairs make a lecture room office and for men. [indistinct] Women [indistinct]

Guru Dasa: Yes.

Prabhupada: [indistinct] they take care of the Deities and then the downstairs the meeting room. [indistinct] [break] [indistinct] not for money or credit it to me, no [indistinct] and you sell them and get the whole money and make cheap edition, make cheap edition. [indistinct] [break]

Guru Dasa: Yes in rich man's house they have library with books every place, and chairs.

Prabhupada: And lamps. And go there and sit down on the floor [indistinct]

Guru Dasa: [laughs] even the devotees were having difficulty, I mean Birla…

Prabhupada: [indistinct] this is the verse [indistinct] preach [indistinct] because this is also [indistinct] [break]

Guru Dasa: This is what we need. That's a very good idea. All over India.

Prabhupada: Bombay we will have more Diety worship. Everywhere... here also Diety worship must go on.

Guru Dasa: The idea of book selling and distributing that I am speaking off. Not the polit... Not for this quarter but the idea of printing cheap editions and distributing on a wide scale is a very good way to preach.

Prabhupada: Schools and colleges it is recommended that this should be read by the college students.

Guru Dasa: And we will get devotees, many devotees.

Prabhupada: As soon as they read our books they will come.

Guru Dasa: Especially high school.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Guru Dasa: Especially in high school.

Prabhupada: High school, college and government officers. Somehow or another induce them to read our books. We open some [indistinct] [break]. Any sane man will read our books you will find. Because this writing was not [indistinct] even [indistinct] the rascal [indistinct] simply making business and cheating. [indistinct] all our pride actually [indistinct] if somebody can say authoritatively about God that would be, nobody else.

Guru Dasa: Hm.

Prabhupada: Nobody.... Nobody has clear idea.... Actually [indistinct] unnecessary joined.

Guru Dasa: All the books are... Is completely abstractions, the books you can see that about spiritual life from other people they are completely abstract. There is nothing clear.

Prabhupada: No.

Guru Dasa: Nothing clear.

Prabhupada: No. Because they have no clear idea. Vague idea.

Guru Dasa: And people will... Foolish men will accept it, "oh he knows so much." Because I don't understand but why not let them understand something. You've seen some of the type of books that?

Prabhupada: I don't ask, but to see I don't ask them.

Guru Dasa: Completely abstract.

Prabhupada: They will speak of highly post. "Formerly I was not so advanced." Still I've never liked to read this Ramakrishna kind of book or Ravindra Tagore [indistinct] and Gandhi's literature. I don't [indistinct] that was my [indistinct] special protection [indistinct].

Guru Dasa: One night in Bombay. When any of our students are attracted to look at another book. I tell them the story that one night in Bombay someone gave you a set of his books and you used them as plates for sweets. And handed them back to the devotees.

Prabhupada: [indistinct] there is only a few books Bhagavatam [indistinct]

Devotee: [indistinct] [break]

Guru Dasa: Hm.... [break]

Prabhupada: I was thinking of leading a sahkirtana party provided I get some. At least half a dozen educated [indistinct] [break]

Guru Dasa: Village to village.

Prabhupada: Or you can make [indistinct]. [break] Intelligent class of people but the Indians they do not come to take it. They come [indistinct] mostly. Make some profit.

Guru Dasa: Hm.

Prabhupada: So did you talk with Ramananda?

Guru Dasa: I sent a telegram and I followed up with a letter, explaining. [break]

Prabhupada: One birth... What [indistinct]

Guru Dasa: Minibus.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Guru Dasa: Minibus.

Prabhupada: Minibus. Don't stop [?] Then he can [indistinct] travel all over India. With our own camp. India is not so cold.

Brahmananda: No. We can have tent.

Prabhupada: Tents yes.

Brahmananda: Prepare our own prasadam, distribute.

Prabhupada: [indistinct] also and in the evening kirtana.

Guru Dasa: Kirtana.

Prabhupada: ...and you will have no expenditure you will go to village and village as you like..

Guru Dasa: Yes.

Prabhupada: If you prepare well.

Guru Dasa: Definitely.

Prabhupada: Some supplies, milk, rice, wheat, vegetables, ghee. Cook nicely eat and invite [indistinct] many citizens if they like they will come and [indistinct] and kirtana. Marvelous.... And they have already heard about us and when they hear that we are coming [indistinct]

Guru Dasa: They said they will go from village to village ahead of us.

Prabhupada: Only thing is four men should go ahead, one village to bring on[?] [indistinct]... another some men another village he must hand out special leaflets. Or second batch of tents arranged [?] [indistinct].

Guru Dasa: Hm.

Prabhupada: And this man goes next. They go next.

Guru Dasa: Hm.

Prabhupada: In this way you make nice preparation. Every day new village or a new students. And when [indistinct] take their men travel to the center and go on with sahkirtana... We have got Hindi books Gita Press we don't require to publish. Gita Press is called Bhagavata dharma but they are sometimes talking nonsense. Still in the village whenever there is question of Bhagavata class, oh hundreds and thousands people.

Guru Dasa: Hm.

Prabhupada: Hundreds and thousands of them. [break] there are many temples [break] in the western countries [indistinct]

Guru Dasa: Yes the traveling parties.

Prabhupada: We have to fight with these demons, we have [indistinct]

Brahmananda: We had that program in Africa.

Prabhupada: Hm.

Brahmananda: We would go from town to town to town. They would arrange in advance for us and we would just. We didn't even know where we were going, we'd just go. And then we would find out who was in the next town and the next town.

Prabhupada: Already prepared.

Brahmananda: Yes and we didn't have to worry about any. Because they would give us all accommodations.

Prabhupada: The Africans?

Brahmananda: No no the Indians, they would give us accommodation's booked. We would arrange programs for both Africans and Indians. For the Indians we would arrange either in some big man's house or in some temple and for the Africans

[break] halls, they have these halls... Social halls where they meet. And we did every village and we never had a… Spend anything. Our food was… Everyone... Everything was taken care of. And we collected tons of money distributed tons of books.

Prabhupada: Then go on with that. That we need.

Guru Dasa: Did somebody went ahead or not? [?]

Brahmananda: No they would telephone ahead and they would arrange. They would always know the people in the next town who to contact.

Prabhupada: I see. They like it... [break] Half Indians half [indistinct] but there is no good preacher even.... [break]

Brahmananda: Yes, it is very cold.

Prabhupada: Ah.

Guru Dasa: Krsna's arrangement.

Prabhupada: [indistinct] because it is made of earth better arrangement [break] well, new well water. [indistinct]

Guru Dasa: Hm.

Prabhupada: [indistinct] forest.

Brahmananda: In Mayapur that's where I discovered that in the morning the well water is warm and in the daytime the well water is cold, it is so nice. Not that when you take a bath in the morning the water it is very warm.

Prabhupada: Like underneath the tree during winter it is warm and during summer it is cold. I have seen practically in London in Regent's Park there is a small lake. Everything in it.... What's it called? It becomes... Ice, the water, what's it called?

Brahmananda: Frozen.

Prabhupada: Frozen, yes. The water is frozen but in parts when there is a tree above the water that wasn't frozen. I marked it, that means it gives warmth.

Guru Dasa: Hm.

Prabhupada: Except that part everything is frozen but the... Underneath the tree it is not.

Guru Dasa: Yes.

Brahmananda: Hm.

Prabhupada: This I have marked whilst walking. Other parts the seagills, seagills?

Guru Dasa: Seagulls.

Prabhupada: They are walking.

Brahmananda: But not in that part?

Prabhupada: That part... It's solid for swimming.

Guru Dasa: Yes. Yes, the children they used to also walk and where it gets near the tree they could not walk, the ice would become thin so you don't walk.

Prabhupada: That means it is warm. During in winter season underneath the tree you can get warm. Therefore under... To live underneath the tree is safe both seasons.

Guru Dasa: Hm.

Prabhupada: And rainy season also, the storm, the rain will not keep. Even the leaves will tolerate and give you shelter. In a great storm if you remain underneath the tree you don't feel anything. The tree will do like this [laughs] you remain safe and then if the tree falls down. Generally it does not but sometimes an old tree will displace.

So any amount of wind or storm may go on if you are under the tree you don't feel anything. And if a small canopy underneath the tree will protect you from rain and there rain with full strength cannot, everything falls on the leaves tuk, tak, tuk, tak. On a small canopy.... Nature's way of giving protection not only to the birds, towards the human beings. In Africa when I saw they prepare regular cottage up upon the hill.

Brahmananda: Yes.... Well when we were in Florida, Gargamuni Svami, Visnujana Svami and myself we were sometimes staying in a house in a tree.

Prabhupada: Was it comfortable?

Brahmananda: Well it was a little small [laughs]. But it was nice.

Prabhupada: At night?

Brahmananda: We would sleep there.

Prabhupada: No animals.

Brahmananda: No no one would come.

Prabhupada: Even that animals, tigers cannot get up.

Guru Dasa: Hm.

Prabhupada: Snakes may get up.

Brahmananda: Yes.

Prabhupada: Snake or, or other wild animals.

Guru Dasa: If leave a kerosene lamp and they won't come.

Prabhupada: Yes, there is light they wont.

Guru Dasa: Very comfortable living in a tree. Simply you make a platform, tie it on, you don't even have to nail, on the branches.

Prabhupada: Yes, very nice.... And passing urine and stool that is also not difficult.

Brahmananda: [laughs] [break] [end]