Room Conversation – February 27, 1977, Māyāpur

Print books. Whatever money I have got in bank, let me spend

Prabhupada: ...their intelligence.

[break] Utilize it very nicely. Krsna will be very, very pleased. This is our real business. Every..., every work is nice. Still, one should work... That is to be designated by the spiritual... "This man..." Knows how to engage this man.

Harikesa: I was going to bring with me the new Hungarian book, but the person who was bringing it from the printer, the car broke down before the airplane could... The car broke down. It was printed.

Prabhupada: Could not reach.

Harikesa: It could not reach me at the airplane. So, I think, when Bhagavan comes he will bring the book.

Prabhupada: You have advised.

Harikesa: I tried. I tried. I don't know. Otherwise it will come by mail. We printed ten thousand Hungarian books.

Prabhupada: What is that book?

Harikesa: It's Perfection of Yoga and Beyond Birth and Death in the same cover, because...

Prabhupada: Oh. Like the German edition.

Harikesa: Hungarian.

Prabhupada: No, Germany, they have put three books in a packet. Like that?

Harikesa: Oh, that. No, no. It's in one little book.

Hari-sauri: It's one book, but it has both books together.

Prabhupada: Oh, I see. That's nice.

Harikesa: Because I thought this Easy Journey was a little hard for Hungarians. They're not so intelligentlike. [laughs]

Prabhupada: What about that Russian?

Harikesa: Ah. The Russian book was Easy Journey and the talk with Professor Kotovsky. And the Isopanisad is now being translated.

Prabhupada: In Russian?

Harikesa: Yes. Dvarakesa, he's now a Swedish citizen. Dvarakesa. I sent him to Poland. You know Dvarakesa? He was that boy who was going to go to Hungary? He's a Hungarian. He was going to go back to Hungary and become a Hungarian...

Prabhupada: Yes, yes.

Harikesa: So he's become a Swedish citizen. Now he can come and go as he likes everywhere. So now he's in Poland, and in Poland there are many Russians, and it is very easy to get a book translated by them. Otherwise, with Dvarakesa it takes so long.

Hari-sauri: There's a man in New Vrindavan who speaks fluent Russian. He graduated in Russian.

Harikesa: Really?

Hari-sauri: Yes. You should… can contact.

Harikesa: I did not know this.

Prabhupada: What is his name? He is initiated?

Hari-sauri: Yes. He's initiated devotee. He's been around for a few years.

Prabhupada: Oh, he should be... Ask him to come then.

Harikesa: To come to?

Prabhupada: Here, to talk with you. Yes. Send him a telegram.

Harikesa: Ah. Yes.

Prabhupada: Yes. They'll meet and they'll talk.

Harikesa: And the Polish book, we were working like crazy but couldn't finish it in time.

Prabhupada: No, should not be done... Slow...

Harikesa: So it will be ready in one week. That one is Easy Journey.

Prabhupada: Slowly but surely. And the small book, first of all print.

Harikesa: And Yugoslavian Isopanisad, that will be ready within, I think, one month, one and a half months.

Prabhupada: If there is scarcity of money, you ask me. I shall pay you. You can pay me later.

Harikesa: Actually there's no scarcity.

Prabhupada: That's nice.

Harikesa: German BBT, I think, is...

Prabhupada: For printing there should not be any delay for money. Whatever money you require, I shall arrange.

Harikesa: I'm trying to follow your principle of not keeping a bank account by just always printing more books.

Prabhupada: [laughs] Yes, yes. It is very nice. I simply asking them that "Print books. Whatever money I have got in bank, let me spend." I am asking always. Always. So anyway, money is... Bhagavan is giving. Now I have asked them to invest at least five lakhs of rupees for printing these Hindi and Bengali books.

Harikesa: I just suggested also that Gopala Krsna could...

Prabhupada: Instead of keeping in the bank, keep books stock. It will save. That principles let us follow. Simply keep the book that it may not be spoiled, it may not be stolen. Otherwise it is our..., as good as government currency notes. Take that. As soon as there is money, convert it into books.

Harikesa: I was thinking also that Gopala Krsna could buy the milk powder from Bali-mardana by printing books for him. He could print the books in India for Australia...

Prabhupada: I have suggested already, already suggested that "Take milk powder and ghee from Australia, and every center distribute prasadam like anything." And in India at least, if you give them nice puri and chana preparation and sweet preparation from milk, oh, they'll be so glad, both poor man and rich man. Yesterday I was eating kacauris. What is this kacauri? Made of ghee. Samosa, made of ghee; rasagulla, made of... Cow is so important. She can deliver so many nice preparations, sweet and salty. The whole world does not know how to eat. Like raksasas they are killing the poor animals. So we have to teach. This is an introduction of new type of civilization for making life successful.

Harikesa: This news in India that they are outlawing cow-killing-some news has been coming that they're outlawing cow-killing in India-is very encouraging to all the devotees.

Prabhupada: Yes. They are doing it on account of this movement. Government has appreciation our movement, from private sources. Now this, our American, what is called? Opposing.

Hari-sauri: Deprogrammers.

Prabhupada: Deprogramming. The Indian government are taking seriously, yes. That is private arrangement, that "Why they are opposing this movement? We allow Christian to come here. Why not Krsna?" The Consulate General, Ambassador, has taken.

Harikesa: It is very important.

Prabhupada: They are taking it from national point of view. That is... Anyway, there is some defense from government side, their representative attending every court case. Yes?

Hari-sauri: Yes. Every hearing.

Prabhupada: Adi-kesava told me.

Harikesa: In Germany the court case is fixed in November now. They have made a date.

Prabhupada: In the meantime you overflood with books.

Harikesa: [laughs] Yes. An amazing thing is happening now. Used to be...

Prabhupada: They are delaying.

Harikesa: No. I mean when we distribute books, it used to be that people would say, "Oh, this is Hare Krsna. I want nothing to do with it." Now they say, "Hare Krsna. Hmm. Let me see what is in this book."

Prabhupada: Ah. Now they are... They'll, "Hmm." That's all right. [laughter] No, if there is substance they will take it. They're intelligent persons. Yes. Simply by propaganda you cannot make them fool. I know German nation. They're intelligent.

Harikesa: And in Austria the amazing thing is...

Prabhupada: And by propaganda you can make anyone fool. Dasa-cakre bhagavan bhuta. [Bengali proverb: The opinion of the majority may turn a good man into a devil.] You know this story?

Harikesa: No.

Prabhupada: One man, so he had many friends. So they made a plea that we shall...

Harikesa: Oh, say he's a ghost.

Prabhupada: "Here is a ghost." [laughter] So he began to think, "Maybe I have become ghost. Everyone said that I am ghost, I am ghost." So dasa cakre bhagavan. He not ghost, but by the propaganda, he began to think, "Maybe I have become ghost."

Harikesa: Yes.

Prabhupada: So by propaganda, it is happened. Although he is not ghost, he began to think that "Maybe I have become ghost."

Harikesa: In Austria something very, very nice has happened. We were never able before to sell books, because whenever Germans went there the Austrian government caught them and charged us thousands of dollars' fine and threw us out of the country. But now I've sent one devotee who was blooped for one year. His name is Cakravarti. He used to be the most important person in Germany.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Harikesa: And so by your mercy I managed to drag him back by his hair one day, and I sent him and his wife to Austria, and now they are doing something amazing. They never spend even one penny. Everywhere they go, they beg as monks that someone should please give them a place to stay and something to eat, and they're begging gasoline and they're selling so many books, it's inconceivable. The bookstores...

Prabhupada: German language. German language.

Harikesa: In German language, yes. To bookstores. Bookstores are buying like anything, and people are buying the books on the bookstores. Because we can't sell in the streets, so they're buying in the bookstores. And he's also training up Austrians to sell books, and gradually it's expanding. One day last week-he called me just before I left-he sold 1,200 marks' worth of books in six hours. It's simply fantastic.

Prabhupada: It is all Krsna's grace. Let us try our best sincerely, and Krsna will give us. Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam [Bg 10.10]. Otherwise how it is happening? In foreign countries, a system of philosophy which is foreign to them, how they are purchasing? In India, if they purchase one Bhagavatam, it has got meaning. But in Germany, purchasing Bhagavatam, it is only Krsna's grace. How it is possible? And India, nobody is interested to purchase Bible. So if they purchase Bhagavatam, that is not surprising. But in Europe and America in Christian..., er, Christmas festivities they are purchasing. So it is all Krsna's arrangement. We sold more books in Christmas festivals.

Hari-sauri: Oh, yes. Christmas is always big.

Prabhupada: What business they have got-Christmas festival and purchasing Bhagavata? What is that?

Brahmananda: This is wording for the Certificate of Awards. The Certificate of Awards.

Prabhupada: Ha ha. Ha ha.

Brahmananda: So it would be printed as following: "International Society for Krsna Consciousness. Founder-acarya His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. To certify that ... has attained the highest outstanding excellence in executing devotional service in the field of ... during the year 491 Caitanya Era [1976-77], this Certificate is hereby personally awarded from the hand of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acarya of the Society, and in witness thereof, the founder-acarya gives his seal and signature at Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, West Bengal, India, on this auspicious 491st birthday anniversary of the appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, March 5th, 1977. Signed A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, GBC and Temple President."

Prabhupada: So I think the wording is little more. It can be reduced.

Brahmananda: Reduced.

Prabhupada: Hmm. That you can... Otherwise it is all right. Try to reduce the wording little more. Then it will be all right.

Harikesa: Rohini-suta Prabhu, who's probably going to win this, he never wants to come to this festival because he never wants to stop distributing your books, not for one day.

Prabhupada: Oh. Then his certificate should be sent at least.

Brahmananda: You said you wanted to give certain titles for different categories? So should we give you a list of...

Prabhupada: No, you keep this place. We shall write in hand.

Hari-sauri: No title. Just the certificate.

Prabhupada: Better you can print in script.

Brahmananda: Yes. We have... Muralidhara is here.

Prabhupada: And good, good paper. Then in script we shall write the title.

Brahmananda: So "This is to..." The title will be... He has here, "devotional service in the field of..." Let's say the field is pujari worship.

Prabhupada: So keep that blank.

Brahmananda: So that would be the title, Pujari Worship?

Prabhupada: No, title...

Brahmananda: That would be something else.

Prabhupada: Something else.

Brahmananda: So the title could maybe come on the top, like...

Prabhupada: You can... Where is our pandita? Call him. [chuckling] What is the meaning of kovida?

Pradyumna: "Very expert." Seva-kovida or... Expert.

Prabhupada: That "kovida" we shall give. "Puja-kovida," "Pracara-kovida," like that.

Brahmananda: K-a-u?

Pradyumna: K-o-v-i-d-a. Kovida.

Prabhupada: "Puja-kovida," "Pracara-kovida," like that. We shall... "Kovida" word.

Hari-sauri: What heading does book distribution come under?

Prabhupada: That is pracaraka. Book distributor-pracaraka, preacher.

Brahmananda: Temple management?

Prabhupada: That is sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srṅgara-tan-man...**. "Mandira-marjana-kovida." That is recommended. Sri-vigrahara... Puja. Aradhana-kovida, this title. "Aradhana-kovida," "marjana-kovida," "pracaraka...," "pracara-kovida," like that-three, four. Not many.

Brahmananda: So that can go on the top of the certificate?

Prabhupada: And one who is learned scholar, then "sastri," "bhakti-sastri."

Harikesa: In other words, you want "aradhan-kovida" instead of "puja-kovida."

Pradyumna: Aradhana. A-r-a-d-h-a-n-a.

Prabhupada: Hmm. This is like Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, like that. Aradhana-kovida. A.K. [laughter] Instead of B.A., A.K. Make nice paper, nice script, and the titles should be written in handwriting so that he can frame it and keep it.

Hari-sauri: Should there be some kind of a seal?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Harikesa: We have an ISKCON seal.

Prabhupada: ISKCON seal, or seal like that.

Hari-sauri: Yeah, that's what I meant, like...

Brahmananda: You get these foil...

Prabhupada: Gradually we shall increase so that... It should be attractive. He'll like to keep it. People should be encouraged. Utsaha. Utsaha. Utsaha is an item in bhakti, first the utsaha. Just like this boy. He did not come here, so he's [indistinct] utsaha, enthusiasm. So he should be encouraged. And the whole basis of the devotional service is utsaha. Just like unless there was utsaha, how a man of seventy years old, without any hope, could go to such distant place from Vrndavana to New York? The only platform was utsaha. So utsaha is so important thing. Means they should be encouraged, spiritual life. Utsahan dhairyat niscayad tat-tat-karma-pravartanat . All right. Thank you.

Devotees: Jaya Srila Prabhupada. [offer obeisances]

[break]

Harikesa: ...million copies in print.

Prabhupada: Looks little thicker than the other.

Harikesa: Yes, it's two books in one.

Prabhupada: Oh. Any letter?

Harikesa: Yes. This is from Dvarakesa, the boy who does this work.

Prabhupada: [Transl. Come, come. Sit down. Books are being published in Hungarian language.]

Indian man: [Transl. Hungarian language?] [end]