Room Conversation – November 7, 1977, Vṛndāvana

Baradraj, you can sing

Prabhupada: [Transl. No appetite.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. Little, little Maharaja. Keep little patience. The medicine that I gave today will bring appetite. If you take little by little, you will not feel weakness. This is very important.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. I will take.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. Little more,]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. More?]

Kaviraja: [Transl. Yes. Little more.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Why don't you feel my pulse...?]

Kaviraja: Hun.

Prabhupada: [Transl. ...How long it will beat?]

Kaviraja: [Transl. How long? That has to go on for many years. [pause] There is no fall in the pulse rate. With little bit of taste if you start taking little rice...]

Prabhupada: Hun.

Kaviraja: [Transl. If you feel like taking rice, you take rice, or if you like Daliya made of cracked wheat. With warm water cleanse the eyes.]

[background conversation about bathing Prabhupada]

Tamala Krsna: We do it about two times a day with a towel.

Kaviraja: [Transl. If you like to use Rose water.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Mixing it with water?]

Kaviraja: [Transl. You can put little Rose water in the eyes.]

Tamala Krsna: Rose water? Water?

[indistinct comments by Upendra]

Kaviraja: [Transl. Now you have no desire to go on parikrama? Svamiji?]

Prabhupada: Hun?

Kaviraja: [Transl. You are a very brave person.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. I have a desire to go.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. You have a desire, but physical condition does not enable you. This is the fact. Actually if the medicines for energy are taken 2 times a day then in three days time you will go on parikrama.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Let us see.]

Tamala Krsna: You have to give Prabhupada some strength to go on the parikrama.

Svarūpa Damodara: He said in three days.

Tamala Krsna: Three days. That's good.

Kaviraja: [Transl. Water comes out from his eyes.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Yes.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. Do like this, do you put anything in the eyes?]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Rose water]

Kaviraja: [Transl. Rose water is good. Rose water and now I will go and bring some Triphala. You mix it with water and wash his eyes for one or two days. Your work must be going on even in this condition. Isn't it?]

Prabhupada: Hun.

Kaviraja: [Transl. From inside it goes on all the time.]

Prabhupada: Hun.

Kaviraja: [Transl. Now you get well soon. And we will take you to Mayapura. You kindly give us some hope. We are trying, we are only nimitta matram or an instrument. [To Bhakti-caru: For his meal today you give him some rice, if he likes rice.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. No, Actually today we have prepared some chapati and dal. Dal is watery and chapatis are thin.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. Yes. That is good. Give him]

Tamala Krsna: But whether Prabhupada will eat some?

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Will he eat like that?]

Kaviraja: [Transl. Yes, why won't he eat?]

Tamala Krsna: Prabhupada, you will try to eat the Gujarati roti and dal?

Prabhupada: [Transl. Hmm. I have a desire.] [everyone smiles]

Kaviraja: [Transl. You have a desire then you must eat. It will be digested. If you have desire then the food will surely be digested.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Today he doesn't seem to have any difficulty.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. Yes, no difficulty. This pain, in his left side that I checked before was due to constipation. But now there is no stool blocked in the stomach.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Yes, you were saying that.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. The stool gets stuck. It gets blocked in the colon. In the colon it remains hidden.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. I see.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. On that day it was blocked. But after three four motions the stomach was cleared. Now he will slowly start digesting his foods. We will give him little, little food every day and that way he will slowly develop appetite for food. Today what we will do is, get some Punarnava and we will make some salt. You know the rock salt that is used on fasting days.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Yes.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. We will use that salt for hm. It will increase his appetite. You give him food but he has no appetite for the food. You understand? Salt is such a thing that, if taken regularly, it will gradually increase one's appetite and taste for food.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Even after giving salt he has no appetite.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. No. He will have. He will diffinitely have appetite from inside, he will relish the food better and his tongue will have better taste of food. Though he does not care for all this, he takes as he likes, the liquid that we are giving, that should be continued. The ark he is taking creates fire in his stomach. Two times with medicine and one time normally. For tomorrow morning I have prepared and brought for him a kind of chutney called Kusavali.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Okay.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. When the brahmanas sit down and perform their morning pūja and prayers, they sit on Kusa grass mat. That is the best medicine for kidney. Punarnava, trna pancamūla, that Kusa and Sardav mixed together and prepared as a chutney. That I will start from tomorrow. I have also changed the medicines. Keep both the prescriptions safely. The previous one which I gave and this one I am giving today. I have mentioned the names of the medicines for today. You have seen, no?]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Yes. I have already given him one dose.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. No. Today I have prescribed different medicine. Did you give from that?]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Yes.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. Check all the medicines.]

[indistinct background comments by devotees on when Prabhupada last ate and what to give him]

Kaviraja: [Transl. So now Svamiji, your condition is, Sri Krsna tells Uddhava in the 11th Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, samrddha-kamo hino va / narayana-paro muniḥ / notsarpeta na susyeta / saridbhir iva sagaraḥ]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Hmm. Tell the meaning.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. This means one who becomes a devotee of Lord Visnu-Lord Krsna, he is samrddha-kamo hino va, whether he is fully surrendered or not fully surrendered, such a person notsarpeta na susyeta does not increase when he eats and does not decrease when he does not eat. If one argues how is it possible?

[Transl. The rivers flow into the ocean, but the ocean does not swell up, and if no rivers or water enter into the ocean it does not decrease even an inch, that kind of situation you have made for yourself now. For a few months now, this programme is going on. Last 3/4/5 months, sometimes you are eating and sometimes you are not eating. This body which is made of five gross elements, to maintain it one has to eat something or other.]

[Transl. Last four months the situation has been like this, still the heart is working, the colon is working. There is no disturbance. Today I happened to remember this verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam and thought that Svamiji's condition is also like that. If he eats, it's alright, and if he doesn't eat, it's also alright. But you should take something little by little. I am speaking according to our Vedic literatures and not from spiritual consideration. [pause] Now you don't have cough no? Do you cough?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. No, only occasionally]

Kaviraja: [Transl. The other day when you had motion, was there any sound in the stomach? Was there?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Not like that.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. When you passed stool, did you feel uneasiness or did you feel weakness?]

Prabhupada: Hum

Kaviraja: [Transl. Felt weakness?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. No, Little bit.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. What?]

Kaviraja: [Transl. He felt little uneasy while passing stool. It happens like that.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Now…]

Kaviraja: [Transl. What?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Perhaps I passed only yesterday stool.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. Stool? One time?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Yes.]

Kaviraja: [Transl. To pass one time is alright. Although not much solid food is going inside, only liquid is going in the stomach. Still there is formation and passing of stool like a normal healthy person. This proves that your intestines are working.]

[pause] [break]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Srila Prabhupada? I have brought some pomegranate juice. Will you take?]

Tamala Krsna: ...Gujarati rotis?

Prabhupada: Hmm.

Guest: [Transl. If you want to eat something, we can prepare for you.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. What are the items can you make?]

Guest: [Transl. My wife is there. She knows how to cook all kinds of foodstuffs. Gujarati food, Mung dal, Arhar dal, Rice, Khichri. Anything you want to eat. She cooks everything. Nice puris she makes. We can make soft foodstuffs for you. Whatever is suitable for you, Sweet-rice...]

Prabhupada: Hmm.

Guest: [Transl. ...pickle, chutney or any fried food.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Cook something little.]

Guest: [Transl. Okay. We will cook something for you. When you feel hungry, let us know, we will come and cook for you. Then you want to…]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Pua, Pakodi?]

Guest: [Transl. You want to eat?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Do you know?]

Guest: [Transl. Yes]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Hmm. Malpua I can take.]

Tamala Krsna: Malpura.

Guest: [Transl. Malpua she knows how to make. She will prepare very nice soft Malpua for you.]

Tamala Krsna: You want to try some malpuras later on tonight?

Guest: [Transl. For tonight?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. I will tell you.]

Guest: [Transl. Okay. When you tell we will make. If you want hot and spicy food, we will make for you. Today we cooked simple food, because we didn't know whether you will take simple food or spicy food.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. No, no. This is alright.]

Guest: [Transl. This is okay? So we will cook like this.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Pua and Chivda are very famous in Gujarat.]

Guest: [Transl. Yes. We also prepare Chivda and Malpua. Do you eat Srikhand?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. What is Srikhand?]

Guest: [Transl. Srikhand is made from yogurt and mixed with cardamom powder…]

Tamala Krsna: Srikand. That's very good for you, Srila Prabhupada, Srikand.

Prabhupada: [Transl. Oh, Srikhand.]

Guest: [Transl. We call it Srikhand.]

Tamala Krsna: That's a good preparation for you, Srila Prabhupada, very nutritious.

Prabhupada: [Transl. As you know make it]

Devotee: [Transl. Okay. I will make it. You should take little, little food every day. By eating your health will improve quickly. Any time you feel like, whether day or night, I will cook for you.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. You all are ready to serve me.]

Guest: [Transl. What?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. You all are doing so much service.]

Guest: [Transl. No. Our service is not good enough. We are not even equal to your feet dust. Please forgive us.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. So, where is Baradraj?]

Tamala Krsna: Baradraj is here, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: So you can sing.

Tamala Krsna: Jaya Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: Softly.

Baradraj: Softly. [break] [end]