Room Conversation – November 3, 1977, Vṛndāvana

Any book

Brahmananda: Well, they were very stubborn. They simply insisted that there were two paths, and they were quoting Bhagavad-gita. I said, "Well, that may be so, but of the two paths, your path is the most difficult, and you've called this conference to spread Bhagavad-gita, so why are you spreading the most difficult path of Bhagavad-gita? Why not spread the most easiest?"

Tamala Krsna: What did they reply to that?

Brahmananda: At that point Mr. Bajaj interrupted and said that we shouldn't discuss Bhagavad-gita but just how to promote Bhagavad-gita and how to cooperate.

Tamala Krsna: While they are busy discussing, we are busy doing it. We have not had any trouble distributing the Bhagavad-gitas. Even though we have not attended their meetings, the distribution is going on very well.

Svarupa Damodara: Practical application is more important than theoretical knowledge.

Bhakti-caru: That also they don't have.

Brahmananda: Mr. Narayan recognized that about our Society, that we are applying Bhagavad-gita. He said, "I see from very early morning hours you are applying Bhagavad-gita," because he attended the maṅgala-arati.

Tamala Krsna: He was very impressed. He is naturally a devotee, Gujarati. He's naturally a Krsna devotee. He can appreciate the importance of arati and Deities.

Brahmananda: That man from that asrama...

Bhavananda: Aurobindo.

Brahmananda: Auroville. He was poisonous, very poisonous. Mr. Bajaj wanted to conduct the proceedings in English just so that I would be able to understand, because I was sitting as your representative, but that man refused.

Tamala Krsna: What did he say?

Brahmananda: Well, he just spoke in Hindi, and he said something in Hindi to Mr. Bajaj that "I want to speak in Hindi," and he continued speaking in Hindi.

Tamala Krsna: All artificial platform, surface. "Hindu, Indian, Hindi."

Brahmananda: He was very envious, that Auroville, of what is going on.

Jayadvaita: They're nothing.

Tamala Krsna: They are nothing. No one ever heard of them outside of India.

Prabhupada: Aurobindo never preached in Hindi.

Tamala Krsna: [laughs] He was speaking in English?

Prabhupada: Um-hmm.

Tamala Krsna: You should have said that. "Why don't you follow your master? He spoke in English."

Brahmananda: I didn't know it then.

Tamala Krsna: That would have been a good point. You could say, "We are following our spiritual master. He speaks in English. Why don't you do the same?"

Prabhupada: He wrote all books in English.

Tamala Krsna: And who can understand those books?

Brahmananda: You remember I brought to you, Srila Prabhupada, that book I was studying in college when I first came to you. I brought one of Aurobindo's books, Message of Gita. And you asked me to open the book and then read one page. So I read the entire page out loud to you. Then you asked me to close the book. Then you said, "Now repeat what you have just read." And I couldn't.

Tamala Krsna: You once described Aurobindo's writing, Srila Prabhupada, giving the example of your childhood friend from school. He had to take the examination. So because he... Instead of writing normally, he made up so many big words, and the professors thought, "Oh, he's very intelligent."

Prabhupada: [speaks some made-up words]

Tamala Krsna: Did you hear that, what Prabhupada just said, Jayadvaita?

Jayadvaita: No.

Tamala Krsna: You didn't follow the Sanskrit?

Jayadvaita: I couldn't hear.

Brahmananda: It's very important. If you can't understand it, it means it's important.

Jayadvaita: Oh. [laughter]

Tamala Krsna: They make up a language. Aurobindo has done like that. His writings are simply so many long words that no one can understand. Therefore they think, "Oh, he's very intelligent. Important philosophy." Your books are so simple and nice, Srila Prabhupada, that even little children take pleasure in hearing Krsna book and find no difficulty in understanding. And the biggest scholars, they are also praising. These are your books. I found that Shriman Narayan was not so envious.

Prabhupada: No.

Tamala Krsna: But the others were, too much. He's not envious. He actually appreciated. He's very eager to come to Mayapur, Srila Prabhupada.

Brahmananda: During our festival.

Tamala Krsna: Yes. He wants to... Especially he said, "I want to come when all of the devotees are there."

Brahmananda: He wanted us to write him.

Tamala Krsna: He's actually appreciating, just like that Mr. Ganatra. He also appreciates very much. Mr. Bajaj is thinking to make a tour around the world of all of our centers. Actually, what they have been trying to do for thirty, forty, fifty years, Srila Prabhupada, you have done here in India in the last six or seven years. They don't have one such temple as Krsna-Balarama Mandir, and you have created hundred.

Jayadvaita: Prahlada Maharaja was telling his father, "You can have conferences all you like, but still you can't understand Krsna."

Tamala Krsna: Would you like to hear Tenth Canto, Volume Two, Srila Prabhupada, a little bit? Or more of Kapiladeva? Kapiladeva would be nice. [indistinct aside] Ten, two?

Prabhupada: Any book.

Tamala Krsna: Any book. You know, Srila Prabhupada, I was thinking, I'm going to write Ramesvara that we should have in Los Angeles a Bhaktivedanta Swami Library with all of your books-many volumes of each book in all the languages. Each different bookshelf will be different languages. Some part of the library will be Spanish publications, German, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, different languages of Europe, Indian languages. And then we'll also have a part of the library for archives. At least one or two copies of every single edition of all of the books. All the previous Back to Godheads, as many as we have even from your original ones published in India. In this way make a Bhaktivedanta Swami Library. People can come and read your books. No matter who they are, what language they speak, there should be at least one library like this. Reading rooms we can have all over the world, and we should have some library also like this.

Brahmananda: They have that for all... Like great presidents of America, they all have a library, memorial library, where all their letters, all their papers, everything is kept. Truman has it, Kennedy has it, Johnson had it.

Jayadvaita: That microfilm is there also, Yadubara has. [break]

Tamala Krsna: You said that we should always keep you surrounded. We should never leave you alone and always keep you surrounded. So Atreya Rsi told everyone that, so all the temples, they're going to be sending some devotees to be with you each month. So I think fifty, sixty devotees every month will be with you. So I was wondering if, when they come, sometimes they're here, if they chant softly, is it all right if they are in the room? I mean, if they chant softly, then even when you feel like resting you'll be able to rest. Because they have come... They'll be coming from five, ten thousand miles to see you. So that'll be very pleasing if they can be with you a few hours each day and they'll chant quietly. Would that be all right? So I'll have Dr. Kapoor come in. [break] [end]