Room Conversation – December 31, 1976, Bombay

This book distribution is the most important task in our Society

Prabhupada: [laughs] So similarly, if one is giving very important service, then even there is some faulty thing, excuse. Service is so important. So in the Western countries the woman can give very good service. Api cet sudaracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak sadhur eva sa mantavyaḥ [Bg 9.30]. This book distribution is the most important task in our Society. Therefore I am giving so much stress and I am working so hard on this. Because this is my life and soul according to the order of my Guru Maharaja. And by his grace it is to some extent successful. And I took it seriously.

I take it seriously still now. That is my life and soul. I never tried in India to construct big temples, or even in your country we didn't. I never tried. But I was selling personally books. That is the history. Sometimes they are criticizing, "What kind of sannyasi? He is doing book business." [laughs] The other day that..., what is his name? Bachu Bhai came. Bachu Bhai Dresswalla.

Gopala Krsna: Yes. Yes.

Prabhupada: You know him?

Giriraja: I know one Madanlal Dresswalla.

Prabhupada: I think this is... There are two, three Dresswalla in Bhubaneswar.

Giriraja: Yes, he's also in Bhubaneswar.

Prabhupada: Maybe their father. In the beginning I had no place, so I was staying with..., what is that? Prem Niketan?

Giriraja: Prem Kutir.

Prabhupada: Prem Kutir. So they received me very nicely. So I was going to sell my books. So some of them were criticizing, "What kind of sannyasi? He's making business bookselling." Not the authorities, but some of them.

Gopala Krsna: Junior people.

Prabhupada: Hmm. I was writing book also there.

Giriraja: I saw the rooms.

Prabhupada: You have seen? [Srila Prabhupada chuckles] Who showed you?

Giriraja: Harekrishnadas Agarwal.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. He was very friendly. Actually, he is the organizer, main person. He showed that "Here, Swamiji, you are cooking." [laughs] Yes. I was guest for fifteen days, that Dalmia. Not this Jaidayal, his big brother, Ramkrishna. He asked me that his family... He wanted to construct a little cottage in his house: "You can live here. I'll give you a nice cottage." I thought, "No, it is not good to be patronized by a visayi." This is not good. Fully dependent on a materialistic... And he's first-class materialist.

Giriraja: Yes. He's very notorious.

Gopala Krsna: Who? Jaidayala?

Prabhupada: [laughs] Actually, I thought he's good man, but after woman.

Gopala Krsna: One of them has lot of wives.

Prabhupada: That is Ramkrishna, he's a big brother.

Gopala Krsna: He's about to die now, Tejiyas told me. He's old now.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. He's of my age. Not less. But he's after three, four wives. His business is to go from one wife's house to another wife's house, and each wife's house, expenditure ten thousand rupees per month. [chuckles] He's a very funny businessman. He has made his wife director, and they take money. So to avoid income tax... So, huge expenditure. Each, one house. Income tax cannot say, "Why you are maintaining?" [indistinct] That is not their business. It is company's name. Just like Bhogilal, he's maintaining big, big establishment.

So I became his guest for fifteen days. He wanted to stay. I stayed for fifteen days. I first..., my requisition was that "You must give me exclusive typewriter for writing my books." So he gave me. And if I would have asked for typewriter, he would have given. But I was working with my broken typewriter. I went to our Tirtha Maharaja in Mayapur, that "You give me a room [Srila Prabhupada taps on table] and a typewriter, [tap] and print my books. [tap] Give me some sannyasa [tap]. I join you."

Gopala Krsna: He said no?

Prabhupada: He did not say no, but the printing of books, that was difficult task for him. He had no money. He's hardly collecting for maintaining. And India, printing of books is a big job. There is no guarantee of sale.

Gopala Krsna: He must be feeling sorry for it now. Of course, he's dead. But later on he must be feeling sorry that if he would have given you..., agreed to your request...

Prabhupada: Yes. These things I would have done from Caitanya Matha.

Gopala Krsna: I never knew... We never knew that you went to Tirtha Maharaja.

Prabhupada: [chuckles] No... Rather, it is Guru Maharaja's institution. I first of all gave him...

Gopala Krsna: A chance.

Prabhupada: He's head man. "All right. I shall join you."

Gopala Krsna: When was this? Which year?

Prabhupada: In 1953. Before going to America. Two years before.

Giriraja: '63.

Prabhupada: '63, yes.

Gopala Krsna: '63 you were already sannyasa.

Prabhupada: No. '63 I was in Vrndavana. Before that.

Gopala Krsna: Before sannyasa.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes.

Hari-sauri: Before coming to Vrndavana.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. At that time I was not sannyasa. That means it was before '58. Somewhere in '57 or... So I tried my Godbrothers, that "If they give me facilities for this, then I shall join. Otherwise, I will work independently." So nobody was able to provide me with this.

Gopala Krsna: Nobody?

Prabhupada: Well, they had no money. It requires money, printing of books.

Hari-sauri: How did you manage to get your first Bhagavatams printed?

Gopala Krsna: From donations.

Prabhupada: Donation. This Dalmia, Jaidayal, he gave me about four thousand.

Gopala Krsna: Haricharana Sharma always tells me, "I helped your Guruji print the first books."

Prabhupada: That was through Hanuman.

Gopala Krsna: Hanuman Prasad. Everybody is now taking credit for helping. Now that you are so big everybody says, "I did this. I did that. I did that."

Prabhupada: No, actually, these Dalmia started with four thousand rupees.

Gopala Krsna: They're nice people.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes.

Giriraja: I met two of them. They were...

Prabhupada: He gave me twice funds. Four thousand once, five thousand. Five thousand he gave me when I went to America for the second time.

Gopala Krsna: Oh gave. They gave fifteen thousand about three months ago for gurukula in Vrndavana.

Prabhupada: Oh. No, they are sympathetic.

Gopala Krsna: They have promised that after they complete their building, their temple in Janmabhumi, they will give us money regularly. Now they are diverting all their funds to complete that building in Janmabhumi.

Prabhupada: No, if we want management of that Janmabhumi they can give it.

Gopala Krsna: That Janmabhumi?

Prabhupada: I can take it.

Gopala Krsna: No, we can't.

Prabhupada: Diversion.

Gopala Krsna: So Prabhupada, I was just finalizing today this year's festival when the devotees come. I think instead of having a festival, a panḍal in Delhi like we had last year.... We had one in Ludhiana and Mathura. In Ludhiana Caitya-guru promises that he can raise money for the whole thing. Our devotees won't have to spend a penny. In Delhi if we do a panḍal it will require an investment of at least twenty thousand rupees. If we do our festival in Ludhiana, book distribution I calculated will be as good...

Prabhupada: That's all right.

Gopala Krsna: ...and no money will be invested. And we have a festival in Mathura in Janmabhumi. So every evening by buses devotees will go from Vrndavana to Mathura. You wanted to have a big program there, you remember? When I was in Vrndavana. So we can invite different leaders also.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Hari-sauri: Does that mean Prabhupada will have to travel?

Gopala Krsna: Delhi to Mathura. It's only ten minutes flight. Fifteen minutes. Vrndavana to Mathura it's only fifteen minutes.

Hari-sauri: Last time it was an hour when we went. Almost three-quarters of an hour when we traveled from Vrndavana to go to that program.

Gopala Krsna: Vrndavana to Mathura is not more than fifteen minutes.

Giriraja: Vrndavana to Mathura.

Prabhupada: Fifteen to twenty minutes.

Gopala Krsna: Yes. It's not more than that.

Hari-sauri: We were at least... We were...

Prabhupada: That we went round-about way.

Gopala Krsna: Yes. Usually it takes by motorcycle fifteen minutes. In a car I think we could do it in fifteen minutes. So I calculated our Hindi distribution of books would be very strong, because Mathura we can generate big crowds.

Prabhupada: You said that today we'll get another book?

Gopala Krsna: Yes. Probably come by tomorrow. [laughs]

Prabhupada: What is that book?

Gopala Krsna: Easy Journey to Other Planets. They finished printing it yesterday, and they're binding it together. One or two days, it always happens. When I give a date, I mean, sometimes it gets delayed. So I figured the distribution of Hindi books will be very good, Ludhiana and Mathura, and also not much investment will be required. It's very common, devotees go every year, and they are tired of it. So this year we should concentrate on book distribution. If we have a panḍal in Mathura every evening starting at six o'clock.... If we can reach Mathura at five for book distribution, it will be nice. Actually, I was also thinking of having a three-day panḍal in Agra. Because...

Prabhupada: Agra is very good.

Gopala Krsna: Yes. Agra is even bigger than Mathura, and our book distribution would be good. But I wanted... I'm going to write and see what the possibilities are.

Prabhupada: Nearby cities we can...

Gopala Krsna: Yes, that is what I'm thinking of. Near Vrndavana.

Prabhupada: Away from Vrndavana.

Gopala Krsna: Yes.

Giriraja: There's that one man, he was very enthusiastic there, Mr. Bansalji.

Prabhupada: Bansalji.

Gopala Krsna: From Agra?

Giriraja: Yes.

Prabhupada: Tire merchant?

Giriraja: I don't remember. But Hamsadūta and I went way in the beginning, and later on he came during the Delhi panḍal. He met you, and he wanted us to open a center there.

Prabhupada: Yes. Agra is a very good place. Very nice place. There are devotees. [indistinct] goes there.

Gopala Krsna: We can attract a lot of tourists, because Agra always has a lot of tourists. I'm thinking of having a panḍal there, and Ludhiana.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes.

Gopala Krsna: Delhi we had one last year.

Prabhupada: Preaching must go on vigorously.

Gopala Krsna: Especially book distribution is getting very strong with Indians.

Prabhupada: Yes. Preaching means book distribution. Now utilize here this flag ceremony.

Giriraja: Yes.

Gopala Krsna: Flag ceremony? Oh, that Gujarati? They can have a... When is that?

Giriraja: On the tenth. Procession is on the tenth.

Prabhupada: Do in such a way that that Shyam will feel something.

Gopala Krsna: Only thing is most of our devotees may be in Allahabad. January 10th? All the devotees will be in Allahabad for that Kumbha-mela, and I don't think we have enough to...

Prabhupada: No, no. They can go after tenth.

Gopala Krsna: After tenth. Okay.

Prabhupada: By fourteenth or by thirteenth.

Gopala Krsna: Devotees can... Oh, that's a good idea.

Prabhupada: It takes only one night from here to Allahabad.

Gopala Krsna: Twenty-six hours. We're thinking of renting a small bus for devotees, because coming back would be a problem.

Prabhupada: I think Allahabad takes twenty-four hours.

Gopala Krsna: Twenty-six hours.

Prabhupada: Twenty-six hours by train?

Gopala Krsna: Yes.

Prabhupada: And Calcutta?

Gopala Krsna: Calcutta it is thirty-six hours.

Prabhupada: Another ten hours.

Gopala Krsna: About thirty-six hours.

Prabhupada: [japa] Preach as much as possible, by sahkirtana, big sahkirtana. Big sahkirtana is book distribution, and small sahkirtana is with mrdahga. Big sahkirtana is going on all over the world; small sahkirtana locally. Overflood the demons' godless civilization. Our declaration of war against this godless civilization.

Giriraja: I met a very, very nice boy yesterday. His father is a Life Member, but he's studying in Boston at MIT.

Prabhupada: Oh, technology.

Giriraja: Very superexcellent student. But he was so submissive and inquisitive that he could really... And because he lives there...

Prabhupada: He qualified? No.

Giriraja: He's finishing his Ph.D.

Prabhupada: Oh. So he's very qualified.

Giriraja: Yes. And his father said that he is always the first rank in the class. Very outstanding student. And I mean the best thing is his attitude towards Krsna consciousness. He asked for a copy of the Bhagavad-gita, and...

Prabhupada: Where he is now?

Giriraja: He's in Bombay, so I invited him to meet you. Actually, he was so interested that the father became scared at the end. He said... You know, at first he was encouraging me to influence the boy, but then at the end he said, "Don't make him a sadhu."

Prabhupada: [laughs] Now he has opened his mind.

Gopala Krsna: What's his name?

Giriraja: Shah.

Prabhupada: Gujarati.

Gopala Krsna: Gujarati.

Giriraja: His father is associated with Bhogilal. He's a sharebroker, but he's also a director in some of Bhogilal's company.

Prabhupada: That Jain?

Giriraja: Yes.

Prabhupada: Shahs are mostly Jain. Jains are useless. [laughs]

Gopala Krsna: Jains are.

Giriraja: Oh, yes. The father is useless. Every few sentences the father would start to break in with some speculation, and the son would say, "Please be quiet. I want to hear." [end]

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