Room Conversation on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.7.42 – July 1, 1971, Los Angeles

710701R2-Los Angeles [16:45 Minutes]

The materialist is always busy working for the welfare of the material body

Prabhupada: White sheet means everything prominent.

[break] [reading:] …yesam-unto those only; sa-the Lord; esa-the; bhagavan-the Personality of Godhead; dayayet-does bestow His mercy; anantaḥ-the unlimited.

"Anyone who is specifically favored by the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, due to unalloyed surrender unto the service of the Lord, can overcome the insurmountable ocean of illusion and can understand the Lord also. But those who are attached to the body, which is meant to be eaten up by the end by dogs and jackals, cannot do."

Naisam mamaham iti dhiḥsva-srgala-bhaksye, sva-srgala-bhaksye [SB 2.7.42]. Dead body, the dead body is thrown away to be eaten by the dogs and the jackals. So anyone who is identifying with this body, he cannot understand what is God. That is not possible.

Yadi nirvyalikam: without pretension, one who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, sa esa bhagavan dayayed anantaḥ, unto him the Lord bestows His causeless mercy. And such persons, they, dustaram atitaranti ca deva-mayam, they can cross over the ocean of nescience. But it is not possible for the person who has accepted his body as self-mamaham iti dhiḥsva-srgala-bhaksye.

[reading from purport:] "The unalloyed devotees of the Lord know the glories of the Lord in the sense that they can understand how great the Lord is and how great is His expansion of diverse energy. Those who are attached to the perishable body can hardly enter into the realm of science of Godhead. The whole materialistic world based on the conception of the material body as the self is ignorant of the science of God.

"The materialist is always busy working for the welfare of the material body, not only of his own but also that of his children, kinsmen, countrymen, community men, etc. There are many branches of philanthropy and altruistic activities from the political, national and international angle of vision, but none of the fieldwork can go beyond the jurisdiction of the misconception of identifying the material body with the spirit soul. Unless, therefore, one is saved from the wrong conception of the body and the soul, there is no knowledge of Godhead, and unless there is knowledge of God, all advancement of material civilization, however dazzling, should be considered to be a failure."

So scholarly people, when they read the original verses, this word meaning and purport, they will appreciate.

[long pause]

So in Hawaii you stock all our books? Small and big?

Gaurasundara: Yes, as many as we can get. We don't get so many of these.

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Gaurasundara: We don't receive very many of these Bhagavatas. There's a shortage.

[pause]

Prabhupada: In our this main temple, how many rooms are there, in Hawaii?

Gaurasundara: Oh, in Hawaii? Upper level there is four.

Prabhupada: What?

Gaurasundara: In the top level there are four rooms and two baths, then on the main level there is a Deity room, temple room, the kitchen, one bath and a sculptor's room, where the Deities are made.

Prabhupada: Ah.

Gaurasundara: Then on the down level there is the prasadam room and two storerooms.

Prabhupada: That is sufficient? And how many are living there?

Gaurasundara: About twenty, twenty-five. But we sleep…, sleep outside.

Prabhupada: Why?

Gaurasundara: Because it is very pleasant. The boys, not the girls.

Govinda dasi: All the boys sleep outside all over the lawn. All over.

Gaurasundara: We have, up on the hill, we have a little house.

Prabhupada: That place is occupied by you?

Gaurasundara: Yes, on the hill.

Prabhupada: That is pleasant?

Gaurasundara: Yes. There is more rest outside. You wake up in the morning strong and fresh; inside, we don't feel so nice.

Govinda dasi: Mainly the girls sleep inside. The brahmacaris... Brahmacaris just sleep all over the front yard, and they have this little hut built, little, what did you call it, bhajan…?

Gaurasundara: Kutir.

Govinda dasi: Little things all over the hill. And they sleep up there.

Gaurasundara: And we have bees.

Govinda dasi: Oh, Bees. Fresh honey.

Prabhupada: Oh.

Gaurasundara: We gathered eight, eight gallons of honey. Just one gallon is twelve pounds of honey. [indistinct]. We had eight such jars, but then you have to wait for six months to get it.

Govinda dasi: If you like, we will send you some.

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Govinda dasi: We will send you some fresh honey. Or if you come there?

Gaurasundara: It is very nice honey.

Govinda dasi: It is delicious honey.

Prabhupada: It is very pure honey.

Govinda dasi: Hmm.

Prabhupada: Honey can be kept anything, any long time if you keep it in a nice place.

Govinda dasi: The ants.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Govinda dasi: From the ants.

Prabhupada: Ants?

Govinda dasi: The ants. A jar, so that the ants can't get into it.

Gaurasundara: If the ants find the honey they crawl all over it, trying to get in.

Govinda dasi: They will drown themselves in honey, just drink it. They kill themselves.

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Govinda dasi: The ants, they'll kill themselves just to drink the honey. Just for the taste of honey they…, they drown, and they die.

Prabhupada: This is material world. For sense gratification, one is dying, not only in one life-life after life.

Govinda dasi: One jeweler friend in our… Did I write and tell you that we had many donations of many kinds of jewelry for Lord Gaura-Nitai?

Prabhupada: No.

Govinda dasi: And, well, like I wrote that we had coral and jade, and we got some...

Prabhupada: Real jewels?

Govinda dasi: Real. Real coral, real jade, real opals. We got a whole bunch of opals, and the most wonderful thing, we are going to get gold crowns for them.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Govinda dasi: Real gold, real gold crowns we are going to have, custom made.

Prabhupada: Eh? But be careful. Someone may come. It is dangerous also.

Govinda dasi: Ah, they will be so beautiful.

Prabhupada: That is all right, but you must keep…, you must have some safe, lock and key at night, open at [indistinct]. Because there are thieves. As soon as they know there is real gold, they will take.

Govinda dasi: It won't be solid; it will be plated.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Govinda dasi: It will be plated, gold-plated.

Prabhupada: Make crown like this.

Govinda dasi: Gold. That is gold leaf.

Prabhupada: Los Angeles.

Gaurasundara: No, that is downstairs in the temple.

Govinda dasi: [indistinct] silver.

Gaurasundara: Silver.

Govinda dasi: Silver, real silver. That's what we...

Gaurasundara: That's solid silver? Or silver...

Govinda dasi: Silver plate.

Prabhupada: Karandhara knows.

Govinda dasi: It is silver-plated brass, I think. That is what the crowns are going to be, silver-plated brass. And [indistinct] And His necklaces, Lord Gaura-Nitai's necklaces, they will be sol... They will be gold-plated, gold. And we have two nice diamonds. Do They wear nose pin? Nose pin? Yeah? I can put a nice diamond.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes.

Govinda dasi: I can put a nice diamond.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes.

Govinda dasi: Should it be a ring or should it be a pin?

Prabhupada: No, pin.

Govinda dasi: Just a diamond pin. We have two jewelers who are working. They will make things for us like that, settings. One of them has already made solid gold flute for Krsna. It is this long. For our Radha-Krsna Deities. They are not installed, but a solid gold $35 gold bar with little holes drilled in it for the flute. And then it has a little decoration at the end, and we're going to hang a little teardrop jewel. So Krsna is sending all sorts of...

Prabhupada: You have got two simhasanas?

Gaurasundara: Not yet.

Govinda dasi: No. We have one very nice marble.

Prabhupada: Marble.

Govinda dasi: Like the ones here.

Prabhupada: Who is taking care now, Deity worship?

Gaurasundara: Balabhadra and Turyadas.

Prabhupada: Balabhadra is a very nice boy.

Gaurasundara: Yes.

Prabhupada: Who picked them?

Govinda dasi: You picked them. We have one other boy, Lou.

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Govinda dasi: And the one who is helping with the sculpture, the Gaura-Nitai sculpture. He has helped so much. Krsna is sending. So amazing, so miraculous.

Prabhupada: Balabhadra is married?

Gaurasundara: No.

Prabhupada: He is brahmacari?

Gaurasundara: Yes. He's thinking of getting married, but he was approved anyway.

Prabhupada: I have no objection, but if he has passed so long without marriage, then...

Gaurasundara: Yes.

Prabhupada: So, let me see.

Gaurasundara: [indistinct] [offers obeisances] [break]