Room Conversation – January 8, 1977, Bombay

Caitanya Mahaprabhu will not hear me, and He'll touch forcibly

Indian man (1): As you have said, it comes and goes, somehow attached to the body.

Prabhupada: Today or tomorrow. Best thing is so long we have got this opportunity of human form of life, let us cultivate Krsna consciousness. That is...

Indian man (1): I came other day also, and you were advised by the doctors not to see you.

Prabhupada: No-doctor says like that. I see everyone.

Indian man (1): So Gopala Krsna told me... That was the first day with the doctor. You had... Your Worship had accepted that doctor's decision. So it was first day when I came. So Gopala Krsna told me this is the problem as it is, and I'm not disappointed at all. I am one with Prabhupada, so there is no difficulty. So I took a chance today.

Prabhupada: So I did not like that idea.

Indian man (1): No, but sometimes, Prabhupada, just to keep... You may not require your body for yourself, but we require your body also for ourselves. So we always..., all the devotees always pray to our Lord to give you a long physical body and healthy, so that the cause which you have taken up in your hand should be completely fulfilled. And this is the way I feel.

Prabhupada: Yes, I also desire at least let me finish...

Indian man (1): I have gone to the Fourth Canto..., Fifth Canto.

Prabhupada: We have finished now Eighth Canto, and Ninth Canto is also at the press. Tenth Canto is already printed, this KRSNA as the summary of Tenth. Now I have to publish in detail.

Indian man (1): We have been praying, Prabhupada, to Lord Krsna, that "We want him for a long time. Till this movement is fully bloomed and blossomed." So for our sake your body has to last.

Prabhupada: After all, it is Krsna's body.

Indian man (1): Yes. But what I said we pray for not for your sake but for our sake.

Prabhupada: The body is dedicated to Krsna.

Indian man (1): Yes. And through you we get inspirations. If we go to wrong path, we remember you, we are checked.

Prabhupada: The similar question was Sanatana Gosvami. Sanatana Gosvami, after leaving his..., resigning his post, he was living as a mendicant, and there was no bodily comfort. Naturally there was so many eczema, and it is wet eczema. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as soon as will meet him, immediately embrace him. So he would say, "Don't touch me! This is not for Your..., touch me. This is the disease..." So Caitanya Mahaprabhu... "I'm touching just to purify Myself." Then he consulted some friends, that "Caitanya Mahaprabhu will not hear me, and He'll touch forcibly. Better I give up this body." He desired to commit suicide. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that "Do you think it is your body? You have already dedicated to Me for My service. How you are thinking in that way? It is not your body." Then his body became released from all this eczema. He was thinking like that, that "Caitanya Mahaprabhu forcibly embraces me, and my body is so unclean. Better I shall give up." So He said, "It is no longer your body. You have dedicated the body to Me. You have no right to think like that."

Indian man (1): We are, Srila Prabhupada, small children. You take us with your fingers to the path.

Prabhupada: The path is open.

Indian man (1): Yes. But sometimes we falter in the path.

Prabhupada: Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam..., aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami [Bg 18.66]. It is open for you. It is open secret.

Indian man (1): No, we make mistakes.

Prabhupada: That is another thing. But path... Mahat sevam dvaram ahur vimuktes [SB 5.5.2]. Everything is there. That is the difficulty. Although everything is there, we find it...

Indian man (1): But I'm sure that with your protection, Prabhupada, I'll reach the goal which I have contemplated.

Prabhupada: Krsna is giving protection: aham tvam sarvapapebhyo moksayisyami. But still we are not agreeable. Krsna says that "I shall give you protection from all reaction of sinful life." But we are not taking that protection. You simply surrender. It only process is.

Indian man (1): I am taking your shelter, Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: No, I am not talking of me. I mean to say generally everything is declared. We have to take advantage of this. Then it is everything.

Indian man (1): I mean to say, Srila Prabhupada, Lord Krsna also has said that "My pure devotees are more powerful than Me."

Prabhupada: You have all my blessings. You have done so much for Krsna.

Indian man (1): So, Prabhupada, I can come here till you are here. I thought that I should not, because medically you are not advised to. You talk less, but at least we will have your darsana.

Prabhupada: No, no. Five to seven you can come.

Indian man (1): That is sufficient for us, without much... We will take your leave so that you can have rest.

Prabhupada: Thank you very much.

Indian man (1): Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Prasada?

[break] Jaya. How are your sons?

Indian man (2): One was sick for six months.

Prabhupada: Why?

Indian man (2): He was getting a temperature. He was weak. He was operated on the tonsils.

Prabhupada: What is the age?

Indian man (2): He is twelve years.

Prabhupada: Only? That's all.

Indian man (2): Yes. They failed him in the examination also.

Prabhupada: What does he say?

Indian man (2): What do you say? He has met me for the last three years. He is now in my car. I brought him from Bombay.

Prabhupada: So you are living there or what?

Indian man (2): They were staying here. They could not get subsequent accommodations. We have shifted to some hotel.

Prabhupada: Hotel?

Indian man (2): Here, near Juhu.

Prabhupada: There is no sufficient place here?

Woman devotee: He was here, but there were many, many life members.

Indian man (2): Many life members were here, and so there was not accommodation. So they were told, or they voluntarily shifted to the hotel. Because many life members came from abroad here on Christmas and all that. So therefore the accommodation was not there, so from there they have shifted in Juhu. Some hotel. They come here every day.

Prabhupada: No... You woman, you can live together.

Indian man (2): They're living together. Both ladies are living together. She wants to buy some land at Vrndavana.

Prabhupada: [to devotee] When you have come?

Bhavabhūti: Just today, Srila Prabhupada. Just today from Madras. I closed the bank account there. Also I was in Madras, there's one movie playing there by the government. The name of the movie is called From the Indus Valley to Indira Gandhi. It's a government movie put out, and in the movie there's a picture of the Hare Krsna devotees chanting and also a display of your books.

Prabhupada: Accha?

Bhavabhūti: And it's giving... This is a movie put out by the government of India, and it included us in it, and it's very favorable for us. It actually includes a picture of devotees chanting, and it shows the books, saying how this sanatana-dharma is being spread to other countries.

Prabhupada: This is very nice.

Bhavabhūti: So I think it is very favorable that the government is now accepting us.

Indian man (2): Things are going very good for our movement here. Other day I was with one Air India officer, and I told him, "Why don't you attract more tourists and show our pictures of Hare Krsna and what our activities in India?" to attract more tourists by giving our activities in India. They said, "We will discuss." They will be discussing with me in the preliminary stages, and of course I will take Giriraja and Gopala Krsna. And one school has agreed, Prabhupada, which is a very famous school in Bombay, center of the city where all the affluent people are staying-that school is very big school, good school, which are all [indistinct]-they have agreed that once in a week we can give you forty-five minutes to your... Anyone to give a ...

Prabhupada: Sahkirtana.

Indian man (2): Sahkirtana. So this I will be discussing with Gopala Krsna. And there are about 1500 students in that school from K.G. to Nursery.

Prabhupada: Kirtana can be performed. So the movie, how long it is?

Bhavabhūti: It's a one and a half hour movie, and we're in about eight minutes of it.

Prabhupada: That's nice. Eight minutes. Showing our books. That I want. Let them read our books, then they'll understand what we are.

Bhavabhūti: So Prabhupada, I just visited also our boat program on the Ganga. Sravanananda has the boat. They distributed 15,000 Back to Godheads in one month in Bengali. Fifteen thousand. So I have challenged Sravanananda. I told him we're going to distribute more Hindi books on this side of the country.

Prabhupada: No, there the Hindi is not so popular.

Bhavabhūti: But here in this side we're going to start to distribute this Hindi Back to Godhead very profusely, just like in America.

Prabhupada: And what about Gitar Gan?

Bhavabhūti: Yes. Also that's included. Fifteen thousand BTGs and Gitar Gans included. The boys are so enthusiastic now, just like...

Prabhupada: In the boat?

Bhavabhūti: Yes. On the boat. But even when we came into Calcutta-it was a two-hour train ride-the boys were not simply sitting. They were going from car to car selling books. One boy, he sold fifty BTGs just coming from outside of Calcutta to Calcutta. Just two-hour train ride. He was going from car to car, "Hare Krsna," and he would give them Bengali Back to Godhead. And they are taking very nicely now. All along the Ganga...

Prabhupada: They know how to take. [laughs] It is for them that the movement is being pushed on.

Indian man (2): Sincerity in the [indistinct]. Two things are there.

Prabhupada: Everything they are doing. That is... Because these American boys and girls they are cooperating, this movement is advancing. Otherwise I don't get any cooperation.

Indian man (2): I wish to retire soon from this my professional business as early as I can, and settle here.

Prabhupada: Hare Krsna.

Indian man (2): With Your Grace's..., it can materialize. All glories to Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: Give prasadam.

Indian man (2): I got prasadam. Hare Krsna.

Prabhupada: Thank you very much for your coming. Jaya. [Transl. Don't worry. Everything will be all right.]

Indian man (1): [Transl. Yes. I have no worry Prabhupada.] You are our father.

Prabhupada: Hare Krsna.

[pause] [break] [end]