Room Conversation – October 13, 1977, Vṛndāvana

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Srila Prabhupada, Pisima has come. She is asking would you like to eat anything now?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. What I will eat?]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Pisima, Srila Prabhupada is asking what will he eat?]

Pisima: [Transl. Will you eat some puffed rice mixed with milk cream? It will be tasty with little sugar.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Yes.]

Pisima: [Transl. Then? Then you say what would you like to eat?]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. That's good. That same thing puffed rice with milk cream]

Pisima: [Transl. Yes, I was saying it will be tasteful with sugar. Is there milk already boiled?]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Let me go and see.]

Pisima: [Transl. Let me get puffed rice. Will he eat now? You bring and I will mix it and give. See if the milk is already boiled.]

[kirtana] [break]

Puri Maharaja: Dandavat Pranam.

Tamala Krsna: Puri Maharaja.

Prabhupada: [Transl. Ah. Who else?]

Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja: [Transl. And Asrama Maharaja, our Visakhapattanam Matha's Purusottama Brahmacari whose sannyasa name is Tirtha Maharaja. And Ananda Prabhu has also come.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Where is he?]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Ananda Prabhu, come here.]

Ananda Prabhu: Dandavat Maharaja.

Prabhupada: [Transl. There was some offense committed at your feet...]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. No, no you have always been an instructor.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Please forgive all offense.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. You will always instruct and correct us. You preached all over the world like an undisputed emperor. You spread the Hare Krsna Mahamantra everywhere. What could be more important than this? This is all by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and Mahaprabhu.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Whatever offenses I committed against each and every of you, kindly forgive all my offenses. Because of such Vaisnava aparadha...due to opulence, I became a little proud.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. No proud at all.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. You are all my godbrothers. In order to preach, often one has to speak many unpleasant words which is unavoidable. In the course of that sometimes unfavorable words are used.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. In the preaching of Hare Krsna Mahamantra apparent opulence follows automatically. That is all Krsna's property. You are a devotee. You propagated the teachings of Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada by their desire. This is the most important thing. Where is the question of your offense? This is all auspicious. There is no question of any offense.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. According to my horoscope there is no duration of life left. All finished. But I don't know why the Supreme Lord has kept me alive?]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. Maharaja, you are alive simply by the mercy of Guru and Gaurahga. The wheel of samsara has gone, now the wheel of bhakti is on. The wheel of bhakti is all auspicious. seva-sukha-duḥkha, parama sampada nasaye avidya-duḥkha. [Saranagati, Song-16] When service is rendered, ignorance becomes destroyed and when one feels distressed it also removes a devotee's ignorance. You brought about auspiciousness to so many people. You have purified many fallen souls. By the will of Srila Prabhupada and Mahaprabhu you have done it. what could be more cherished object than this?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. In the Sastra distress has been defined as austerity.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. Yes, yes.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Distress acts like austerity by which one becomes purified. Now all of you kindly forgive me. I am helpless. Puri Maharaja? Will you forgive me? [godbrothers laugh] So all of you take prasada before leaving.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. We have also brought some prasada here. There was a festival at Madhava Maharaja's place and we have brought some Mahaprasada from there.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Madhava Maharaja is not in town?]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Madhava Maharaja is not here. He is in Chandigarh now.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. He sent me a telegram.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. His health is also not very good.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Everyone's health is gradually going down.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Those who are senior and still alive, they are around 80 years old. Some of them may be more than eighty years of age. All of them are in the same health condition. Your health has now become weaker than what I saw in Mayapur.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. He has crossed 81 years of age.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Maharaja, Are you able to eat something?]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. He has taken little rice today. Otherwise from last two months he didn't eat anything except some milk.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Sit down Ananda Prabhu.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Ananda Prabhu, sit down.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. Yes, I sit down.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Who is in the back?]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. Sacinandana is in the back.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Where do you stay?]

Sacinandana: [Transl. I stay here Maharaja.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Bhakti...]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Yes, Srila Prabhupada.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Arrange for them...]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Yes, I am going to arrange for them.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Let them do little kirtana then give them prasada. Find out how many of them are here.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. How many of you have come?]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. About twelve persons.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. First let us do kirtana. Maharaja asked us to do kirtana.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. You can do here.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. For prasada, some puris, halwa and some subji that's all.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. No need of all that Maharaja. It's okay.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Please do not say no.]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. Since he is requesting, you all kindly take.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Even if you eat one puri each it will be nice.]

kirtana led by Puri Maharaja: bhaja sri krsna caitanya prabhu nityananda sri advaita...

Prabhupada: [Transl. Babaji Maharaja didn't come?]

Puri Maharaja & Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. No. He came in the morning.]

Puri Maharaja: ...sri advaita gadadhara srivasadi gaura bhakta vrnda

The cottage in the grove on the bank of Radha Kunḍa, the great Govardhana Hill, the banks of the Yamuna river...

...the Kusuma Sarovara lake, the Manasa Gahga stream, the daughter of Mt. Kalinda (the Yamuna river) with her many waves...

...the Vamsi Vat banyan tree, the town of Gokula, the holy place Dhira Samira, the trees and creepers and reeds of Vrndavana...

...the different varieties of birds and deer, the cooling breeze from the Malaya mountains, the peacocks, the bumblebees, the pastimes of the low-pitched murali flute...

...the high-pitched venu flute, the buffalo horn bugle, the footprints of the Lord and His consort in the dust of Vraja, the wreaths of blackish rain clouds, springtime, the moon, the conchshell, and the karatalas

...all these I know to be very favorable for the blissful pastimes of the Divine Couple, Radha and Krsna. I recognize them as transcendental stimulants (uddipaka) for intensifying the Lord's charming pastimes.

I refuse to go anywhere if these stimulants of devotional service are not there, for to abandon them is to abandon life itself.

Bhaktivinoda says, "Please hear me, O Kana! All the things that stimulate remembrance of You are the very source of my life!"

Song by Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami:

[Sings Hare Krsna Mahamantra 9 times]

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Maharaja? Why are you again and again…]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. Maharaja, what forgive? dharma artha kama gataya samaya pratiksa [Krsna-karnamrta, verse 107] The way you have preached, you have fulfilled the desire of Srila Prabhupada. You have fulfilled the desire of Mahaprabhu. Whatever opulence comes you accept for the service of the Lord, without any attachment. You have purified everyone.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. I became proud.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. How did you become proud, Maharaja? It was Mahaprabhu's desire to preach everywhere. Bhakti Vinoda Thakura has said-white complexioned persons and dark complexioned persons will together sing "ha nitai, ha gaurahga" and embrace each other. They will float in the waves of ecstasy and roll on the ground. This is the desire of Mahaprabhu and you fulfilled His prediction. So where is the question of false pride? This is real pride. This is the greatest thing you have done. In Sri Caitanya-siksamrta, page eleven, this is written. Srila Prabhupada started it thinly and you have completed it in a massive way. This is Historic. This is the perfect History.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. What Maharaja has done, that is, na bhūta na bhavisyati, neither happened in the past nor will happen in the future. Nobody has preached like that in such a short time.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. Even in every town and village of Orissa, in every house, even in the hilly areas I have heard about your preaching of Hare Krsna Mahamantra. Everyone says, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Saheb Matha or The Matha of the Foreigner & Saheb vaisnava or foreign vaisnava. We give example, you are Indians, born in brahmana family, educated, you are accepting the temporary objects of sense gratification which foreigners have rejected as stool and urine. You could not give up taking tea and smoking biḍi even now. What kind of Indians are you? You all are spies? You all are secret sinners. Come with us and we will show you what they are.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Let anyone say whatever he wants.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. They are good people and I am greatly sinful.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. You are Maha Patita Pavana. You have delivered the fallen souls. Therefore you are Maha Patita Pavana.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Actually they are all very good.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. You are right. Everyone says so. From a fool to a learned person, everyone says like that. You purified them. Srila Prabhupada said, we are real Harijana. Who is harijana? Ordinary harijanas cleanse stool, urine etc. But we cleanse the contamination of fruitive activity and mental speculation. Therefore who is better harijana than me in the world? Only me. You are also the only Harijana. You also cleansed all material contamination and purified everyone. As fire purifies contaminated gold, you are also like fire; you have purified the contaminated heart. This is the greatest exhibition of compassion. They have tilaka on the forehead, tulasi bead in the neck, chanting the holy name of Hari and they don't eat anything other than prasada. This fact is known to everyone in every place. But they don't want to reveal it. What could be more important than this? Where is your offense? Whatever opulence is coming, that is coming without your wish. Rushing towards you.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Yes. That's coming.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. So? These are the statements of Mahaprabhu, of the scriptures, of the devotees and of Krsna. Not everyone can do it. It is not easy to find jewel from the depth of water. One who knows, knows the value of it.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Hindi books have been printed in large quantity. Hindi…]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Is Bhagavatam completed? Or something is left?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Something is left.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. To write or to print?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Something is left to write. Eleventh canto and twelfth canto. A Matha is being built in Bhuvaneswar.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. It came in the newspaper that you are building a Matha in Bhuvaneswar.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. What?]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. All the newspapers in Orissa published this news. Maharaja is constructing a Matha with two and half crores of rupees.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. You can go and help.]

Ananda Prabhu: [laughs] [Transl. What can I help? I am a fool. I have no experience.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Gaur-govinda is there.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. He is very enthusiastic and a competent person. He is working hard.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. The land which was donated by Kanonga...]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Nityananda Kanonga donated it.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. ...is a very nice land. When I performed the foundation ceremony, many distinguished persons of Orissa had come. Nityananda Kanonga and many others came.

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Nityananda Kanonga is a well known person in Orissa. He must have been present there. Also the Governor of Orissa was there.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. All polished persons.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. They are all spiritually inclined.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Also in other places of Orissa people are contributing.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. There were many Kings in Orissa and they used to extend financial help. But now they themselves are in poor condition, so they are unable to extend any help nowadays. Only the rich persons are able to help financially.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Anyway I did whatever I could to my best ability.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. More than enough.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. So much you have done in ten, twelve years. Nobody has done before nor anybody can do in future. Let anybody say whatever he wants. But we must admit and appreciate your work.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. How long my heart beat will go on?]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. Maharaja, you are alive simply by the will of Krsna. Whatever is your physical condition you are living by the mercy of the Lord. He is watching everything.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. The benefit people are deriving by your presence in this world, that will continue to go on. This fact was revealed by Mahaprabhu to Haridasa Thakura.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. You are a Kaviraja. So check my pulse.]

[everyone laughs]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Now there is no connection with pulse or physical science, now by the will of the Lord, your spiritual body, as long as the Lord keeps you in this world, it will be beneficial for everyone. If the Supreme Lord takes you away it will be a great loss for the world. Mahaprabhu said to Haridasa Thakura, you are a jewel. So if you depart from this world then this planet will be bereft of a jewel like personality. Similarly you have also brought about a great deal of auspiciousness to the world. If you leave then the world will be at a great loss. If Krsna wants to keep you some more time in this world then it is good.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. My pulse beat has stopped.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. No, Pulse is beating and not stopped yet. Still beating.]

[everyone laughs]

Prabhupada: [Transl. No, it is steady.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. See, before leaving his body Tirtha Maharaja remained unconscious for 15 days. 15 days no sense. But you are fully conscious. This is the spiritual symptom clearly visible. Fully cognizant. There is no illusion or ignorance at all. No sleepiness, no illusion. Our Vaikhanasa Maharaja was in bewildered condition for two years. But Maharaja, you are same as you were before. The bodily changes etc which are destined to happen are happening. The body is doing it's own work. But you are fully conscious.]

Guest Devotee: [Transl. The condition is very favorable. It is the great mercy of the Lord.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. The duration of life is over, Krsna is still keeping me alive.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Maharaja, We hear the topics of sage Markanḍeya that he lived for seven kalpas. By the desire of the Supreme Lord the duration of life increases. Our Sridhara Maharaja used to say, I will live for forty years according to my horoscope. But he is more than eighty years old. These things happen by the will of the Lord. This has nothing to do with age or horoscope.]

[break]

Prabhupada: Narayana Maharaja?

Puri Maharaja: Narayana Maharaja? [Transl. Of Kesavaji Gauḍiya Matha? He also came.]

Tamala Krsna: He's in Mathura.

Puri Maharaja: Yes. He came today.

Tamala Krsna: He came yesterday as well.

Puri Maharaja: Well, he came here today, during feasting. Just now he left. He told me also, you should go there, yesterday, day before yesterday.

Prabhupada: [Transl. Who is in this side?]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. That side? Two brahmacari devotees have come from Andhra Pradesh. They live in the Matha.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. Here is Kumari Devi, the daughter of the king of Jaipur, who donated the Madras Matha.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. And this one is the daughter of Vikram Dev Verman, who is the King of Jaipur and who donated Madras Matha. She has come for your darsana.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. Come this side.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. And the Queen?]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. She is the daughter of Vikram Dev Verman who donated Madras Matha in Gahjam. You have seen her in Visakhapattnam. She is offering obeisances to you with folded hands.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. I am very glad that you have come.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Maharaja says, he is very happy that you have come.]

Guest devotee: [Transl. It's my good fortune. Now that I got your darsana, my visit to the holy place is successful.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Please sit down.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Sit down. Sit on the floor.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. I think she is your disciple.]

Ananda Prabhu: [Transl. Yes, his disciple.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. How many devotees are there in your Matha now?]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. 4/5 devotees are there in Visakhapattanam and 4/5 devotees have come with me. And in Rajamahendry Matha 4/5 devotees live.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Which Matha did I visit?]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. You visited both Visakhapattnam Matha and Rajamahendry Matha. You came for the Rajamahendry temple opening. Then you also came to our Visakhapattnam Matha. At that time Tamala Krsna Gosvami and about twenty others came. Then that,who is that? He is in charge of Colombo. Where...?]

Tamala Krsna: Brahmananda Maharaja?

Puri Maharaja: Not Brahmananda Maharaja.

Hari-sauri: Hrdayananda. South America?

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. I am forgetting his name. That Haimavati's husband?]

Tamala Krsna: Hamsadūta. Here he is.

Puri Maharaja: Hamsadūta. [laughs]

Tamala Krsna: He took sannyasa.

Puri Maharaja: Ha. I have seen him, but I could not able to... Hamsadūta. He sings well. Last parikrama I saw him.

Prabhupada: [Transl. He preached very nicely in Ceylon.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Good preaching.]

Tamala Krsna: He captured a very big scientist.

Puri Maharaja: Scientist.

Tamala Krsna: One Dr. Kovoor.

Puri Maharaja: Sinhali.

Tamala Krsna: Yes, in Ceylon. And this Dr. Kovoor was saying that life comes from chemicals. So Hamsadūta Maharaja challenged him that "If life comes from chemicals, then I will give you ten lakhs' rupees if you come to this hall and you make chemicals into life."

Puri Maharaja: Life. [laughs]

Tamala Krsna: So he challenged him to a big thing, and in the newspapers every day for two or three months there was discussion between Hamsadūta Maharaja on behalf of the belief that life comes from life, not from chemicals-life comes from Krsna. So he defeated this man, big scientist.

Puri Maharaja: Accha. Ah, good.

Tamala Krsna: And the man did not come.

Prabhupada: You can read one newspaper article.

Tamala Krsna: One of the articles?

Prabhupada: Yes. [Transl. Heavy arguments and counter arguments. I told him to challenge that] "Prepare one mosquito." [Puri Maharaja laughs] [Transl. There will be some discussions about this subject matter here tomorrow. Big, big Chemists are coming.]

Tamala Krsna: Shall I read, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Yes. [break]

Tamala Krsna: "...the appropriate chemical into himself to check death..." Let him make himself deathless. "And restore his old and worn-out body with youthful luster and beauty. He may find this task too difficult, so perhaps he could just produce a simple form of life like a mosquito or a bedbug. Better still, let him recombine the chemicals of the praying mantis he decapitated, as described in his article, and bring it back to life. Or, is the science of Dr. Kovoor only a one-way road of destruction of life? But it may be that science is not yet ready to produce a finished product of life, so he could make a plastic egg and inject into it the yellow and white chemical substances, incubate such an artificial egg and thereby produce one chicken, which could then go on laying eggs and producing more and more chickens. Even this task may be a little too difficult for Dr. Kovoor, so perhaps he could simply produce a drop of milk or a grain of rice or an ounce of gold by chemical combination. Then we could begin to take him seriously. However, everyone knows that these are impossible tasks for even the most powerful so-called scientist. Dr. Kovoor will undoubtedly give the reader in his next exposition a long-winded barrage of words to cover up his bluff. The sum and substance of it will be, 'We will do it in the future. We are trying.' In any language, this is just a bluff."

Puri Maharaja: Bluff.

Tamala Krsna: Hamsadūta Swami was preaching.

Puri Maharaja: Yes. He's a Sinhalese... I don't think he's a Sinhalese.

Hamsadūta: No. He's a Tamil.

Puri Maharaja: His name...

Hamsadūta: He's a Tamil from South India.

Puri Maharaja: Christian.

Hamsadūta: His father was a minister.

Puri Maharaja: Yes. Proper dose you have given. Krsna must bless him.

Tamala Krsna: Then he gave him big challenge: "Rupees five lakhs' challenge to Dr. Kovoor."

Puri Maharaja: [laughs] Dr. Kovoor.

Tamala Krsna: And then later on he gave ten lakhs.

Puri Maharaja: He cannot be called as "doctor." How could he be a doctor?

Hamsadūta: Quack. Quack doctor.

Prabhupada: There is a story. A bridegroom was selected. So, the other party, bride's party, they inquired how the bridegroom was quite qualified. So they said, "He's a doctor." Then they inquired, "What kind of doctor? Doctor of philosophy, doctor of medicine or...?"

Puri Maharaja: Doctor of which way?

Prabhupada: So he said, "No, no, no. He's not all these nonsense. He's a big doctor." "What is that?" "Conductor." [laughter]

Puri Maharaja: He's a big superior doctor, con-doctor. [laughs]

Prabhupada: ...con-doctor. [pause] Bhakti-caru?

Brahmananda: Bhakti-caru is where? Kitchen? Call him. Can you call him?

Tamala Krsna: Just calling him. He's in the kitchen, Srila Prabhupada.

[pause] Here he is, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: [Transl. How long more?]

Bhakti-caru: [Transl. About 10 minutes Srila Prabhupada.] [break]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. No, let it be Maharaja. Just give us some fruits. That's enough. We had plenty of prasada.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Sit down and take at least one puri each. You will have little difficulty. But we will be very happy. There are so many types of doctors in the world. In America one can purchase a title.]

Puri Maharaja: [laughs] [Transl. By paying money.]

[break] [Transl. His age is around 80 years now?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Hmm. He is younger than me. He also had one…]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. He also wrote. He wrote about what the American Government is doing. He also wrote something about entering Lord Jagannatha's temple.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Actually this is very surprising that the wheel of Jagannatha's cart broke down.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Yes, Very surprising. Five wheels of Baladeva's cart broke down and not of Jagannatha. That day the Pahanḍi Vijaya ceremony could not be held till the evening. On the previous day they collected five rupees each from all the pilgrims. To collect money the Pahanḍi vijaya ceremony was delayed. Only if the pilgrims pay five rupees can they have darsana of Jagannatha. If pilgrims have free darsana of Jagannatha then they would not be able to collect any money. That's why they postponed the ceremony till the evening. It was held in the evening. The wheels of Baladeva's ratha broke down and the carts were halted for three days. This is due to grave offense. Also this year Jagannatha had Nava Kalevara.]

Guest Devotee: [Transl. The wheels broke down on the second day.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Oh, wheel broke on the second day? Did the cart not reach?]

Guest Devotee: [Transl. No, The first day the ratha did not move at all. When the ratha started to move on the second day it went forward about 50 yards and stopped near a shop against a light post. The electric supply board people came and uprooted the light post and the ratha began to move, seven of it's wheels broke down.

[break] The procedure is no machine parts can be added. The same old wheels should be repaired and used. So they repaired all the wheels and on the third day at about eleven o'clock the carts moved on.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. This never happened before.]

Puri Maharaja & Guest Devotee: [Transl. Never happened before. First time.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. It is very inauspicious for the country. This is the plan of the Government just to make money. Anyway it is Jagannatha's wish.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. They are not allowing the devotees of Jagannatha to enter into the temple.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. They are not allowing to enter in the temple. This is very injustice. The topic of allowing the non Hindu-devotees to enter into the temple was brought up for discussion in the Mukti Manḍapa. One party is saying 'yes', and another party is saying 'no our predecessors did not do so'. The discussion was undecided. Now the administration has changed. Who knows what will happen? Now they should try for it.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. In Calcutta it is done very pompously. In the newspaper they wrote "Puri's Ratha-yatra is now in Calcutta". Someone was saying. Do you know Maharaja? It has come in the newspaper, "Puri's Ratha-yatra is now in Calcutta".]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Happening?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Yes.]

Tamala Krsna: Srila Prabhupada? Maybe Puri Maharaja would like to see the pictures from the Los Angeles Ratha-yatra. Remember those pictures I showed you in London?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Tamala Krsna: I have a photo album. This is the Ratha-yatra we celebrated in Los Angeles, California. This is Jagannatha. We call it New Dvaraka. Los Angeles we call New Dvaraka. And this is the Jagannatha mūrtis, Gaura-Nitai, Radha-Krsna. This is in the temple. And Rukmini-Dvarakadhisa. So this is..., they are constructing the rathas, very big. This was a panḍal we are constructing. Many of the little children, they helped to make the garlands, mala. And the artists, they did the paintings.

Puri Maharaja: Paintings. These are artists. Artists. Artists.

Tamala Krsna: Then they made so many signs, preparations. This was the vyasasana in the ratha, and Jagannatha Swami was carried.

Puri Maharaja: Yes. Carried, yes, being carried.

Tamala Krsna: Yes, here you can start to see.

Jayatirtha: Each cart is fifty feet high.

Tamala Krsna: Fifty foot high.

Puri Maharaja: Accha? Jagannatha's ratha is only forty-five feet.

Tamala Krsna: But here it's fifty feet.

Puri Maharaja: In Puri the Jagannatha ratha is forty-five.

Tamala Krsna: But this is Los Angeles. Everything is big there. You see Jagannatha. You see Him?

Puri Maharaja: Yes. Jagannatha, yes. Dark eyes. [laughs]

Tamala Krsna: Very good eyes. And such a crowd. Two lakhs' people attended. So many people came.

Puri Maharaja: Jagannatha's Ratha-yatra. [Transl. Jagannatha Ratha is being pulled in Los Angeles. So many people have come. Jagannatha Ratha Yatra in Los Angeles, America.]

Tamala Krsna: Lord Jagannatha is all-attractive. You cannot keep Him here. He's going out the door. This is... One of the sannyasis was giving a big lecture. We had some elephants. The children were riding on them. See, "Free Love Feast." "Prasadam distributed." You can see these people are...

Puri Maharaja: Free Love Feast.

Jayatirtha: They served full prasadam to fifty thousand people.

Tamala Krsna: Fifty thousand people took full prasadam free of charge. You can see all the people. [break]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Is Ratha cart being build again?]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Jagannath Ratha? It is built every year.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. What about the broken one?]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. The broken one was repaired and used again. Afterwards they will take out all the carts. They will make new carts again. The building of Ratha carts starts on Aksaya-trtiya day in the month of Vaisakha. And these are built in two full months and completed just before the Ratha-yatra day. Every year new wood is collected and from that wood new carts are prepared.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. And in Bhuvaneswar Ratha is built throughout the year.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. In Bhuvaneswar? Ratha in Bhuvaneswar, I don't know exactly. Whole year?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Who bears all the expense? Ah? Government gives.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Government. They also have land and money.]

[pause]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Where will they sit?]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. We are already sitting.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. No, to take prasada.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. We will take prasada and leave.]

Puri Maharaja: Prasadam.

Tamala Krsna: I just sent Hari-sauri to...

Puri Maharaja: Yes, yes. They are preparing.

Hari-sauri: The prasadam will be ready in about five minutes, Srila Prabhupada. They're just cooking the puris now. The halava is done, and the sabji is almost ready.

[break]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Because they don't allow these devotees, I also didn't go.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. That's right.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. I saw in Saksi-gopala they are selling prasada and also selling fish in the market. I felt very sad after seeing that.]

Puri Maharaja: Laughs. [Transl. Very strange.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. And the service in Saksi-gopala...]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. No rice bhoga is offered. Rice is not offered there in Saksi-gopala. Only sweets are offered.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Then what do they sell in clay pots?]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. In clay pots? They don't sell rice. They sell other items. They sell in clay pots in Puri and in Bhuvaneswar. There is no usage of clay pots in Saksi-gopala.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. I saw big clay pitchers.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Those they sell in Bhuvaneswar.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. No.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Here also they sell?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. In Saksi-gopala.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. I have not seen. I don't know. But I know they don't sell rice prasada. May be now they are bringing from somewhere and selling as prasada.]

Prabhupada: [to guest devotee:] [Transl. You might know it.]

Guest devotee: [Transl. I have not seen offering rice bhoga at Saksi-gopala or selling rice prasada.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. I have not seen rice bhoga at Saksi-gopala. They offer sweets and they sell them. I think they allow these devotees to enter into Saksi-gopala temple. They allow in Saksi-gopala no?]

Guest devotee: [Transl. Yes.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. While in Puri I took them to Saksi-gopala. They didn't say anything. I took them to Simhachalam and they didn't say anything. In Bhuvaneswara they were objecting saying this temple is under the control of Jagannatha Temple. So you cannot go in.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Inside the temple it is very dirty.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Bhuvaneswara?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. No. Saksi-gopala]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Usually they keep it clean. May be sometimes it was dirty. Also if lot of pilgrims come then naturally it becomes dirty.]

Tamala Krsna: The prasadam is here, Srila Prabhupada.

Puri Maharaja: [laughs] There is so much prasadam.

Tamala Krsna: No, not so much.

Prabhupada: What you have given?

Puri Maharaja: Puri, halava and gulabjamun. You have prepared very costly feast.

Tamala Krsna: Because you are our most valuable guests.

[break]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Bless us. We take your leave. We will go to Mathura tonight at 8 o'clock. I have some guest with me. We have to depart tomorrow morning from Mathura.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. All of you take prasada nicely.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. All of us already took prasada.]

Guest Devotee: [Transl. All of us had plenty of prasada.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Forgive my offense.]

Puri Maharaja: [Transl. Please don't say that again Maharaja.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Ksamyatam [let it be forgiven]] Hare Krsna.

Puri Maharaja: Hare Krsna.

[guests take leave] [kirtana] [break] [end]