Room Conversation about New Vrindavan – May 18, 1976, Honolulu

760518R1-Honolulu [06:44 Minutes]

If they cannot produce food, then let them do business

Govinda dasi: …oh, as soon as Jayananda come back.

Prabhupada: Why have you [indistinct]?

[long pause]

Govinda dasi: May I put a little flowers around the, erm, you know, the little topknot? I don't know what it's called. The bunch of hairs on the Deities?

Prabhupada: Put flowers there?

Govinda dasi: Yes, put a little flowers there.

[long pause]

Pusta Krsna: What time is Gaurasundara coming?

Govinda dasi: Ah?

Pusta Krsna: What time is Gaurasundara coming?

Govinda dasi: He said tomorrow afternoon, maybe. [indistinct]

Pusta Krsna: No. But are you going to call him?

Govinda dasi: Yes, I will call him.

Pusta Krsna: He could bring me that other typewriter. You need to remind him, or he'll forget.

Prabhupada: I have already… He has admitted. "Whether my presence in New Vrindavan is more needed now that we are being requested by Your Divine Grace to make an attempt for self-sufficient." The hint is already given.

Pusta Krsna: Yes. So he's doubtful.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Pusta Krsna: He's doubtful that they can do it. I think the next sentence?

Prabhupada: "We trust in your higher wisdom that self-sufficient can be realized somehow or other, and we will try for it." Yes, self-sufficient, try to develop.

Pusta Krsna: He doesn't sound like he is very hopeful.

Prabhupada: Hopeful, then how he can do it?

Pusta Krsna: Someone else should manage, who has enthusiasm.

Prabhupada: It's not possible to pay him for [indistinct].They… If they think that they can do some business, let them do it. What can be done? If they cannot produce food, then let them do business.

Pusta Krsna: Make soap? [laughingly] Make Hare Krsna soap?

Prabhupada: Anything can be done. For doing business, there are so many things.

Pusta Krsna: There is something that can be arranged on that farm.

Prabhupada: Huh?

Pusta Krsna: There must be some craft or various…

Prabhupada: But the whole New Vrindavan idea was that milk and production, something from that, that's all. And that is possible. But they don't work.

Pusta Krsna: No.

Prabhupada: That is the...

Pusta Krsna: That's the trouble.

Prabhupada: That's the trouble. So you can see it that is why. They think, "Now we have become devotee of Krsna, why we shall work?"

Pusta Krsna: And most of the men who live there, they only stay a short time, and they go away. Then someone else comes, and go away. So there is no one to maintain it.

Prabhupada: They come and eat and go.

Pusta Krsna: Yes. Vacation. Vacation in the country.

Govinda dasi: We have one married couple here that came from New Vrindavan, but they're not living in the temple; they're living on the big island. But whenever the devotees went to the big island, they wouldn't even feed them, the devotees on the preaching mission.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Govinda dasi: There was, there was one family of devotees that came from New Vrindavan. They were sort of semi-hippy, semi-devotee. And…, and so they got, and they moved to Hawaii-not to this island but to another island in the country. And we sent one party of devotees there for starting a temple, for doing preaching work. And they were just getting started, so they asked, "Can we stay at your house just temporarily?" And they said, "Oh, all right. You can stay there for a few days." But they wouldn't even feed them. They would go into the other room and eat; they would…

Prabhupada: Hm?

Govinda dasi: They wouldn't even feed the devotees. It was not very nice. And then the children were performing aratik, and they were saying, "Oh, how cute. How sweet," and everything. But when it came to practical…, practically helping to start our temple there, there was no help at all. It was… It wasn't very helpful.

Prabhupada: [aside:] Give me some file. [end]