Room Conversation – September 9, 1972, Pittsburgh

720909R1-PITTSBURGH [08:53 Minutes]

We require many men

Yasomatinandana: We got garlanded every block, so many garlands were there it was hard to redistribute again.

Devotee: If you need help. [laughter]

Svarupa Damodara: How many people live in Surat, approximately?

Yasomatinandana: Seven, seven I mean [break] ...five... but it is getting bigger and its bigger than Baroda. It's larger than Baroda in population.

Prabhupada: ...so it is bigger than in population? Than Baroda.

Yasomatinandana: Yes.

Prabhupada: And I like that river.

Yasomatinandana: Yes.

Prabhupada: What is that river?

Yasomatinandana: Tapi.

Prabhupada: Tapi

Yasomatinandana: Tapi. Tapi.

Prabhupada: Very nice river.

Yasomatinandana: Its very nice river.

Prabhupada: By the riverside there are so many lands.

Yasomatinandana: Uhu, yea, but the thing is that Prabhupada that this river is sometimes very dangerous.

Prabhupada: Ah, over flooding?

Yasomatinandana: Now I think, I don't think it will over flood because they have got so many projects, dams and things like that but it used to over-flood very often. Every five or six years [indistinct]. But that over flooding would affect the whole city, so it doesn't matt.. Head out the other bank of the city... that the waters would rush into the whole city and..

Svarupa Damodara: How many miles away from Bombay?

Yasomatinandana: 150.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Svarupa Damodara: 150 miles?

Yasomatinandana: 150 miles.

Svarupa Damodara: It's far.

Yasomatinandana: Surat is developing also, in other ways also like aerodromic[?] industries.

Prabhupada: It is a rich city.

Yasomatinandana: Yes… Actually.

Prabhupada: We went to Bardoli. [Dec. 1970]

Yasomatinandana: Bardoli?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Yasomatinandana: Oh, my, actually my native place belongs to Chaltan. It is only 5 miles from Bardoli.

Prabhupada: Bardoli is also very nice place.

Yasomatinandana: Yes... I have always felt that the people of Surat district have [indistinct] than most of the people, you know I have seen.. They have been very friendly and simple mostly.

Prabhupada: I think that in Gujarat there are two or three cities, Baroda, Surat, Ahmadabad. Is that?

Yasomatinandana: Yes these are the three major cities… Rajkot, Dvaraka, Porbandar, Jamnagar... But they are not very big cities... in Saurastra.

Svarupa Damodara: There are a lot of Gujaratis here in this country.

Prabhupada: Oh yea, all over over.

Yasomatinandana: Now all over [indistinct].

Prabhupada: Gujaratis and Sindhis first, first Sindhis.

Yasomatinandana: Yes.

Prabhupada: Then Gujaratis, then Punjabis and then all others. Bengalis [indistinct]... Sindhis they can go any part of the world.

Yasomatinandana: Yes, they have become more adventurous now.

[laughter]

Prabhupada: Not all... but all are allowed. There are.

Yasomatinandana: [indistinct]

Prabhupada: Therefore they are very rich communities.

Yasomatinandana: Yea.

Prabhupada: Next to Sindhi, I think Gujarati.

Yasomatinandana: Yes.

Prabhupada: Next Punjabi.

Yasomatinandana: [indistinct]

Prabhupada: Sindhis and Gujaratis they go mostly for business.

Yasomatinandana: Yes.

Prabhupada: Punjabis they go. Part, part... partly for business partly for working.

Yasomatinandana: Yes. Have you ever been to London ghettos? London Indian ghettos? Near London. They say they are living very bad, in London, near London.

Prabhupada: Yes, London there are many Indians, although they are in London they live like Indians. [laughter]

Svarupa Damodara: Yes, very similar. In Russell Square there is one hostel called, "Indian Students Hostel".

Prabhupada: You have been in London?

Svarupa Damodara: Yes. And there, [laughter] Oh, we stayed about, about a couple of nights called, "Indian Students Hostel". That is for transit passengers who just stopped by in London for a couple of days, and then. So we stayed there for. And we were served the... all the our Indian reception.

Prabhupada: Oh.

Svarupa Damodara: It was very nice.

Yasomatinandana: But.

Prabhupada: There are many Indian hostels, many.

Yasomatinandana: It is so surprising, that I met a girl in… Who was married to an Indian boy. She stayed there for 17 years, and she did not know a word of English. She was.

Prabhupada: Yes there are many.

Yasomatinandana: So.

Prabhupada: I know one Maharashtrian lady she is running one hotel for the last 22 years, no 22 years was in 1968, must be 25 years. She invited me I went to her house, she is running one Maharashtrian hotel. She does not know English, she does not know. "a little, little.".. "Yes yes no, very good." That's all. [laughter].

Devotee (2): Srila Prabhupada, excuse me what would you like for lunch?

Prabhupada: Dal and capatis, would be nice.

Devotee: You will be going back to India soon?

Yasomatinandana: Uh? [laughter] if Prabhupada wants me to go. I want to work for a while so that I can have enough money, to start.

Prabhupada: Yes, yes get some money.

Devotee: If he needs a sannyasi, I will go.

Prabhupada: No.

[laughter]

Yasomatinandana: [indistinct]

Devotee: To Surat?

Prabhupada: We require many men.

Yasomatinandana: Yes.

Prabhupada: Hundreds and thousands to make this propaganda all over the world.

Svarupa Damodara: Yes.

Prabhupada: Unlimited number we want. It is so important movement. Any number of men we cannot imagine.

Svarupa Damodara: We should take over the world…

Prabhupada: Yes.

Svarupa Damodara: Krsna consciousness.

Yasomatinandana: Jaya.

Prabhupada: Manipur.. center…[Hindi].

Svarupa Damodara: [Hindi] nagalok. There was a mistake in our dealing with the our leaders. They did not even allowed to come to the house, such a mistake. So they became all Christians.

Prabhupada: No, they may not be allowed to enter the house but why they should not be elevated?

Svarupa Damodara: Yes. This was a mistake done by the... Our leaders.

Yasomatinandana: Srila Prabhupada, I heard that in south India the Christian missionaries, even the brahmanas are converted into Christians and how, you know, that the Christian priest would go into the house of a brahmana and put a block of bread into his well and then the brahmana would be debarred from his caste because the brahmanas were, you know.

Prabhupada: [indistinct] also.

Yasomatinandana: So that is why he was forced to accept Christianity because he would not have any position in his camp. [end]