Short Discussions – May 25, 1977, Vṛndāvana

We must have mangoes

Bhavananda: ...never leave the boundaries of our land and never go down the road to his place, but I...

Prabhupada: No, they admit. He is Madhava Maharaja's man.

Bhavananda: Fifteen, twenty men maybe, at the most. And when you go by there, it's like ghost town. [Prabhupada chuckles] Now no action. You don't see anyone. You don't hear any sound. Therefore all the people, they walk right by and come right in our gate, where the tak-taki is going, the boys are...

Prabhupada: Here also, Madhava Maharaja temple, nobody goes.

Tamala Krsna: Is this his temple here, in Vrndavana?

Prabhupada: Yes. It is always closed. They are cooking.

Bhavananda: And the photo exhibit is very popular. Everyone goes.

Prabhupada: To see.

Bhavananda: Yes.

Prabhupada: There is... Within, there is fan?

Bhavananda: No fans, but it's cool. It's very cool.

Prabhupada: It is down.

Bhavananda: Yes. And shaded.

Tamala Krsna: That was a good idea, not to fill in that basement area. It was a good idea to utilize that bottom plinth. [pause] Atreya Rsi has come. He'll come in the afternoon for the kirtana and Bhagavatam.

Bhavananda: People are always saying, "Work is worship." Actually they're almost right. Work for Krsna is worship. I know that's why they're attracted to Mayapur temple. Because there's so much work going on, people are attracted: "Why these people are so happy while they're working?" Especially the gurukula boys, sweeping the road hard as anything, chanting Hare Krsna while they're sweeping.

Prabhupada: What about my house?

Bhavananda: That money has just been received, and the plans have arrived from Delhi, but we are wanting an architect in Calcutta, competent architect to... Because we don't want to have anything go wrong in the middle. Ram Nrisinghatar[?] was saying that Mistri is interested in doing Prabhupada's house. The house and gorgeous garden we have, with fountains and terraces and walkways, all around the pukur and behind the house, on either side, all enclosed and private.

Prabhupada: Not yet begun?

Jayapataka: They say there's no... Because we've just received the plan now from Saurabh, five days ago. So the architect said there's no difficulty. It's not a big building. We can begin right through the rainy season. We can work through the rainy season. There's no difficulty for that. If it was a big building, then in the rainy season we could not build.

Tamala Krsna: How long it will take?

Bhavananda: Six months.

Tamala Krsna: By October, November.

Jayapataka: [aside, indistinct discussion with Bhavananda about building]

Tamala Krsna: Prabhupada, I think you are tied to this planet by the love of your devotees.

Prabhupada: Hmm.

Jayapataka: He loves his devotees even more than his devotees love him.

Prabhupada: All right. Then you shall begin. Jaya.

[break] Daily or alternately, [makes bleating sound:] "Myaaaḥ, myaaḥ." And there is religious process that the head should be eastern side and the throat should be cut up. And when the animal dies, bifurcate, cleanse it and the skin and everything... And they have got chapati. Government subsidizes. So they cook at home the meat, and in market they purchase a chapati according to the family-one big chapati, two chapati. That's all. Our men who has eaten that chapati, they say it is very nice, very soft and digesting. Huge deserted country, but some stock, some spots, water. There are trees. They raise the cattle there. Eighty percent of the land, all desert. Or ninety percent. No, eighty. Say seventy-five. And because they have got now money, they are having big, big buildings, foreign cars, roads in the air, developing. And they're importing at any cost. From Bombay the best mango they are importing at any cost.

Tamala Krsna: Five hundred rupees per dozen.

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Tamala Krsna: They are paying five hundred rupees, a dozen mangoes.

Prabhupada: They don't mind. "We must have mangoes." Money is very insignificant thing. Gold is the... And as soon as there is enough money, there is debauch, debauchery. Still there are Oriental moral principles. Girls who have become modernized... Otherwise they do not mix with any man. Their husband, that's all. And covered body. They are very beautiful. And those who have become modernized, they are just like European girls. There is no difficulty to become modernized. They have got money. And they tour from one country to another extensively. Formerly for Muhammadans, drinking was the greatest sin. Now it has become... Drinking is strictly prohibited amongst the Muhammadans, according to their religious system. And sex? Before Muhammadan religion was introduced, they used to have sex even with mother. And women could be purchased as slaves. Marketplace, women were standing for being sold. They would like to be sold. Just like animals. The animals, if somebody purchases it to keep the animal fed, it is a great fortune for the animals. Just like the dogs. When they have got a good master, they are fortunate. So it is the fact. If there is civilization, that is this Aryan civilization in India, Vedic civilization. Otherwise, throughout the whole world... These people were within Aryan civilization. Aryan, Iranian, their names are given. Up to Iran, their field[?]. Europeans also, Indo-European. Gradually they declined. Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is to make them civilized. Pascimera loka saba mūḍha anacara . They are all fools and misbehaved. Teach them this Krsna consciousness. They'll be happy. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu. That is our next step, how to make one civilization, Krsna conscious. [break] It is very palatable. Not this ordinary medicine-some of them very bitter, some pungent. It is always palatable. So kindly administer this medicine. It doesn't matter whether I survive or die. It doesn't matter. Both ways it is beneficial. [pause] Who else?

Tamala Krsna: Who else? Balavanta, Adi-kesa Maharaja. They've come. They'll be on the next shift after this. And others are coming tomorrow, the day after also.

Prabhupada: So what is your report?

Svarūpa Damodara: We have finished three booklets. They'll be ready in about two months. So we're getting ready to start the program. It is going very nicely.

Prabhupada: It is being printed in Los Angeles?

Svarūpa Damodara: Yes, one is printed in Los Angeles. And two will be ready in about a month. So I want to produce four. The other day we went to MIT to see some scientists, and I was very encouraged by the community, Indian community.

Prabhupada: They like?

Svarūpa Damodara: Oh, yes. They are very hopeful that this is the only thing that we can give to the world. Personally I talked with the man who synthesized this gene molecule, the DNA part. We were invited to MIT for honors there, and they showed us the whole lab. And the fifth floor, the whole floor, belonged to this research. So I was taken in all the secret rooms, saw what they are doing, and I was just acting as a scientist, so they told me all the secrets that they were doing. So I was very satisfied that they...

Prabhupada: They received well.

Svarūpa Damodara: Yes. They received well, and... It was actually the Indian who arranged this group, from the Federal Government, United States.

Prabhupada: You gave him good reception?

Svarūpa Damodara: Yes, good reception.

Prabhupada: Hmm. So what is your news?

Harikesa: Everything's going on, Prabhupada. The Russian book is now a textbook.

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Harikesa: The Russian booklet, the Russian Easy Journey, is now being used as a textbook in the Catholic university in Dublin by one professor. They liked the Russian so much, and they liked the subject matter so much, they're using it in the school. [Prabhupada chuckles]

Prabhupada: And your Krsna is... Present now scientifically. They'll not receive?

Svarūpa Damodara: Yes, well, this is... This should be ready, and this will be ready this month, this third one, so...

Prabhupada: So...

Svarūpa Damodara: [showing books] This one is to prove from mathematics that life cannot come from matter. This one is The Laws of Consciousness and the Laws of Nature, to prove by quantum mechanics that there must be Supersoul, Paramatma. There must be Krsna to direct all the source of knowledge. And there is no way that life can come from matter. This was the basic difference between spirit and matter. From Bhagavad-gita we use ksetra-ksetrajnayor jnanam, from Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 13.3, "To understand the distinction between matter, physical body, and life, the spirit, or the knower of the field, is called knowledge." And we expounded this. We give the nice examples. We make their chemical theory of life as the "molecular fairy tale." So that makes quite nicely adjusted to their theory.

Prabhupada: Atreya Rsi can go for some time, Bangladesh. They... He went there. Both Hindus and Muslims, they have regard to our Society. Explain.

Jayapataka: I went to Bangladesh, and even the Muhammadans, hearing the philosophy we were preaching, they thought it was so appropriate for the time that they've sponsored a program. First they approached some of the Hindus to sponsor a program, the Muhammadans, saying that it is much more in line with their own preaching and what they felt was more needed for the world. And generally over there the young people, both Hindu and even some Muhammadan, they are very receptive to our philosophy as presented by Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada said that sometime you can visit there.

Atreya Rsi: Jaya. In Tehran the royalty, the court, is very interested in your teachings and philosophy. There is a prince and princess, very high and very rich, and they are regularly hearing, and they are now recently visiting our Bombay temple. They have come to Bombay, and they are really seeking for a teacher. And there is many intelligent people who are very interested. We are actively preaching and giving them Srila Prabhupada's books.

Prabhupada: It is plain fact. God is one. Why God should be Muhammadan, Christian, Hindu? That is not God. God is God. Gold is gold. This example I give always. Because a piece of gold is coming from some Muhammadan gentleman, does it mean it is Muhammadan gold? It is gold. It may come from any source, but one must know that it is gold, not imitation. That is wanted. If it is imitation, then it is Muhammadan gold, Hindu gold. And if it is real gold, it is neither Muhammadan nor Hindu. [end]