Room Conversation – July 8, 1974, Los Angeles

740708R1-Los Angeles [07:52 Minutes]

So what about Book Trust?

Prabhupada: …Gopala.

Gurukrpa: Gopala? He left.

Prabhupada: Why?

Gurukrpa: He was in maya for a long time. He stole $6000 also.

Devotee (2): No, he had twenty times that.

Gurukrpa: He must have gotten more. That's all I know. He took from the bank.

Devotee (2): He could have got the whole thing, right?

Gurukrpa: He could have, but he couldn't, because it was in yen; he couldn't trade it in. But I had American money hidden for… Because we are foreigners, we must keep some American money, and he knew where it was, and he took $4000 of that. Plus I don't know how much more he took-at least $6000 though-and he left his tridanḍi.

He was supposed to go to Korea and file for missionary visas, and I looked in his drawer in his files, and he had not gone. But he had been away, and he came back and said that he went. So I took over all the money and everything, took over all the accounts, but I did not trust him because he was not chanting properly, and he was not Krsna conscious. And then he snuck away.

Prabhupada: This is the difficulty, out of sight.

Devotee (2): Hm.

Gurukrpa: I think it had been planned, though, for some time. It was very planned.

Prabhupada: Where he is now?

Gurukrpa: I don't know. He is a criminal. He has taken so much money. He has not left any message.

Devotee (2): He sent back the bank book, right?

Gurukrpa: Yes.

Devotee (2): He took the bank book with all…, that had all money in it, with all this money.

Gurukrpa: He went to the bank to pay the rent, and he withdrew… He paid the rent and withdrew some for himself, and he left.

Prabhupada: Only his signature?

Gurukrpa: Only. Because he is the only one who has proper visa; he has business visa. That was the problem.

Prabhupada: So what news about Bhanu?

Gurukrpa: He is doing nice.

Prabhupada: Very nice.

Gurukrpa: But he is very reluctant to become the president. He does not like the business.

Prabhupada: No, that is good. He thinks himself, and feels why should he take this money?

Gurukrpa: He is very intelligent, though.

Prabhupada: Very intelligent, good devotee. But he is doing any translation work?

Gurukrpa: No.

Devotee (2): He is not able to translate.

Prabhupada: Oh.

Devotee (2): Because he has only learned Japanese since he went to Japan. He did not know it previously.

Prabhupada: Oh.

Gurukrpa: He has translated the whole Bhagavad-gita, but it just sits there. They say it is not well enough translated, the Japanese people.

Devotee (2): It will not be accepted.

Prabhupada: But he was translating?

Devotee (2): He has been working on Sri Īsopanisad, but not very quickly.

Devotee (3): Srila Prabhupada, I just met one boy here, a boy from Fukushima, Japan.

Devotee (2): Who?

Devotee (3): He speaks very little English, and he has shaven head and sikha. And I just preached with him, and he is going to go back to Tokyo, and his visa is expiring in a week or two, and he says he wants to go back and help to spread Krsna consciousness.

Prabhupada: He has formally in that temple?

Devotee (3): No. He is very intelligent boy. He speaks Spanish-a little bit of Spanish-Chinese, English-a little bit of English-and he is fluent, of course, because he is born in Japan.

Devotee (4): That's what…, that's what we need.

Devotee (3): He came in contact with our movement in Los Angeles, and he just asked me the question, when he was a young boy in Fukushima he used to go to the Buddhist temples, and they play the drums. And he wanted to know why now, after so many years, he saw our sahkirtana party in Los Angeles, and he was very much attracted, so much so that he went with them to the temple and shaved his head. So I told him it was natural for him; that is why it is our position to be Krsna conscious. So he has a desire to return back to Japan and help with translating and study, and he has a good mind. His name is Fuji.

Prabhupada: Oh.

Devotee (3): Young. He is very nice.

Prabhupada: So what about Book Trust? I want to see that according to the Trust, desire, there is fifty percent for building construction, temples, and fifty percent for reprinting, or printing. That is being observed or not?

Devotee (2): Well, we are giving as much as we can for the loans and with construction. We are just...

Prabhupada: Some business was started the jewelery business from the Book Trust fund?

Devotee (2): No, not that I know of.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Devotee (2): Not from my side. [laughs] The jewelry business?

Prabhupada: And that business will not close. And in this way it will invest in some business risk.

Devotee (2): Oh, that was with Karandhara and Jayatirtha. I did not even know about that.

Prabhupada: So just, so talk with them this business should be stopped.

Devotee (2): Yes, there is a loan that… Spiritual Sky has a large debt to the Book Trust, that they owe…

Prabhupada: How much?

Devotee (2): Well, they told me it is somewhere 100,000, 150,000.

Prabhupada: Eh? What is this? Without consulting, Karandhara has taken that money? Oh.

Devotee (2): Yes. Apparently it was something that was done a long time ago. [break]

Prabhupada: Because I saw in Ramakrishna Mission was same. Therefore I gave this solution. Now by God's grace it has grown in nice business. Remember to do that. But this Trust money should not...

Devotee (2): They cannot… They can work everything out themselves. [break]

Prabhupada: So Karandhara is now in India. You have some correspondence?

Devotee (2): Yes, he has… [break]

Prabhupada: He was Indian prince.

Devotee (2): That's why they recognize India, because they know that Lord Buddha is from India.

Prabhupada: Yes. And this Buddhist stūpa. India is also a holy place for their...

Devotee (2): Buddhists.

Prabhupada: …Buddhists. They go to see. Just like we have got our Jagannatha Puri, they have got similar places in India. In Madhya Pradesh, in Bihar. They visit all these places.

[aside:] So, give him something to eat.

Devotee: Yes. [end]