Room Conversation with Hanuman Prasad Poddar [Hindi and English] – February 3, 1971, Gorakhpur

Prabhupada: Ratha-yatra.

Hanuman: [Transl. The foreigners are also joining.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. They themselves arrange everything there.]

Hanuman: [Transl. As a grhastha what could I do? It is the duty of the acarya to chant the holy name of the Supreme Lord and to render devotional service unto Him.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Look here, he is a grhastha. He is a sannyasi. I brought two samples. Everyone is working together. Grhasthas we have.]

Hanuman: [Transl. Sure. Certainly.]

Prabhupada: "One has to learn the science of Krsna, then he becomes spiritual master. It does not matter whether a sannyasi or a grhastha." [Transl. Just like you are a grhastha, you are] 1000 times better than so many sannyasis [laughs]. [Transl. Many of Mahaprabhu's great disciples were grhasthas.] Nityananda prabhu-grhastha, Advaita prabhu-grhastha, [Transl. He Himself was a grhastha. Grhastha doesn't mean one is fallen. Mahaprabhu said this.]

Hanuman: [Transl. Definitely. You are right.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. From my experience in preaching in the west it confirms that this Mahaprabhu's movement is very potent. If it is done here systematically, all unauthorised propagandas will be stopped.]

Hanuman: [Transl. Here people have different taste, different opinions…]

Prabhupada: [Transl. That is the problem. Here Yata mata tata patha: as many opinions as many ways.]

Hanuman: [Transl. You are a devotee. If you worship Hari with devotion Indian people will understand what is going on.]

Prabhupada: Budha bhava-samanvitah [Bg 10.8]

Hanuman: [Transl. But after all when other people will see they will see with their own eyes.]

Hanuman: [Transl. As you see so shall be the object of vision. The act of seeing creates the object of vision. How long will you be staying here?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. In India?]

Hanuman: [Transl. No, in Gorakhpur?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Gorakhpur? Like that we have got four, five days program. Then whatever God desires.]

Hanuman: [Transl. I was expecting you to stay here. I told my people to take care of you and your devotees.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. If we require to stay longer here then your place is there. How many persons can be accommodated here in your place?]

Hanuman: [Transl. How many of you would like to stay?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. [laughs] We are about, say, thirty-two people.]

Hanuman: [Transl. You can stay here. This is your house. If devotees come to your house that means it is Krsna's mercy.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Oh! That means it is our house! [laughs] Like government superviser. Just as government servants can stay in government rest house. We are servant of Krsna we have got claim.] [laughs]

Hanuman: [Transl. Everything belongs to Him only.]

Prabhupada: isavasyam idam sarvam [Iso mantra 1] [Transl. How many grandsons do you have? One?]

Hanuman: [Transl. Two. Here is one and that is another one.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. And is this one the son of your grandson?]

Hanuman: [Transl. No, he is not my grandson's son, but one of the family member's son. This is vamsi-siksa. Sri Krsna is teaching Radha how to play flute.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Who painted this picture?]

Hanuman: [Transl. One of the girls painted it. One of our family girl. [calls her] Oh, Nisha, you painted this, no? Paresh's wife. She is coming. Paresh's wife painted it.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Oh! She is qualified!]

Hanuman: [Transl. She painted.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Is she your grand daughter?]

Hanuman: [Transl. She came with her mother-in-law. Paresh's mother. She came here on 4th. Pavitra also lives here.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. She came with her. Kailash has two mothers.]

Hanuman: [Transl. Yes. Two mothers. The younger mother is here.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. She is very nice woman. She took care of us very nicely. Live long. The longer people like you live others will be benefitted.]

Hanuman: [Transl. As He wishes.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. They inquired about Pariksit Maharaja…He lived only for the benefit of people. Then why did he give up his body untimely? This was the question. Why should those, who, by their presence can benefit people of the world, voluntarily give up their bodies? A question was raised like this.] Lokanam hita-karinau [Transl. Gosvamis. It is stated about the Gosvamis.]

lokanam hita-karinau [Transl. The lives of the sadhus and vaisnavas are meant for para-upakara: doing welfare for others.] patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah [Sri vaisnava pranati.]

Hanuman: [Transl. In order to benefit the people Caitanya Mahaprabhu brought this and His devotees are spreading. His devotees are great. What can we do? He is making everything happen. Nobody is greater than Him and equal to Him.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. That's true. One thing is that Bhagavan is saying,]

Those who are papa-yoni, if they take shelter of Me they too will attain the supreme destination.]

Hanuman: [Transl. Yes, shelter of God.]

[Transl. Shouldn't the sinful species of this world be delivered? Is it necessary or not?]

Hanuman: [Transl. Yes, necessary, must.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. That is why Mahaprabhu had ordered,]

Hanuman: [Transl. We are simply sitting idle and watching. That's all.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Therefore our this process, Mahaprabhu's process to deliver the sinful fallen souls it is the duty of the Indian.] It is the duty of every Indian.

Hanuman: [Transl. The devotees have no personal work to do.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Render service to Bhagavan.]

Hanuman: [Transl. This is their service to Bhagavan.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. This is their service to Bhagavan. Bhagavan says,]

[Transl. And we are saying give up everything and become devotees of Krsna.]

Hanuman: [Transl. That Bhagavan is asking, no.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. What Bhagavan is saying we are repeating. Therefore we are representative of Bhagavan.] [laughs]

Hanuman: [Transl. Certainly.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. We are canvassing. What do you say Gosai?] We are canvassing.

Gosai: [Transl. What are you canvassing?]

Prabhupada: [Transl. That Bhagavan is Krsna,] krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28] sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66], man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg 18.65] [Transl. According to Dr. Radhakrsnan the meaning of this sloka is that it is not to the person Krsna but He who is inside Krsna is to be meditated upon. Bhagavan is saying man-mana bhava mad-bhakto, and Radhakrsnan is saying it upside down. Is there any difference between Krsna and Krsna's inside. Krsna's body and Krsna's soul are different? He is absolute.]

Hanuman: [Transl. Those who accept God mixed with maya, they say such things.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. How can God be mixed with maya?]

Hanuman: [Transl. They say that since God is imaginary after all. Then what is the relationship of the imaginary God with the real God? He lives within. He is situated inside.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. We don't accept that conclusion. That is not Mahaprabhu's conclusion.]

Hanuman: [Transl. That is Gita. Only bhagavan knows what He said in Gita. We don't know. As far as we understand Gita says that by practicing sadhana one has to attain the Brahman stage.] ...brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg 14.26] [Transl. Then the next stage is brahma-bhutah.]

Prabhupada: Ah.

Hanuman: [Transl. You will attain devotional service unto Me.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. That stage will come after attaining the brahma-bhuta platform.]

Hanuman: [Transl. Yes. After. Not immediately. Then one will enter into lila.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. But there is one point here.]

Hanuman: [Transl. He will enter into lila.] Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg 18.55] [Transl. It means that until you realize the almighty Brahman you don't know the complete Brahman.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Your knowledge is not complete.]

Hanuman: [Transl. Not complete.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. That's why,]

Hanuman: mam prapadyate.

Prabhupada: sa mahatma su-durlabhah [Transl. Only when one surrenders to Bhagavan he is really knowledgeable.]

Hanuman: mam vetti, mam vetti.. manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye yatatam api siddhanam [Bg 7.3] siddhanam siddhanam.

Prabhupada: Ah.

Hanuman: kascin mam vetti tattvatah, siddhanam jnaninam.

Prabhupada: No, Siddhanam muktanam.

Hanuman: [Transl. Yes. Among those who have become liberated by attaining knowledge one may know Me.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. That is also stated by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Koti-jnani-madhye eka mukta srestha.] [Cc Madhya 19.148]

Hanuman: [Transl. That person is defined here, bhaktya mam abhijanati. Abhijanati. There is a sloka in Adi Purana, Gopika saundarya.

[Transl. None else know Him in truth. The beauty of the gopis…]

Prabhupada: [Transl. That's right. The process of the gopikas' bhajana is according to Mahaprabhu, the highest type of worship. Ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita [Caitanya-manjusa].

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the son of Nanda Maharaja, is to be worshiped along with His transcendental abode, Vrndavana. The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopis of Vrndavana. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the spotless authority on everything, and pure love of God is the ultimate goal of life for all men. These statements, for which we have the highest regard, are the opinion of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

[Transl. There is no higher worship than that.]

Hanuman: [Transl. In Narada-bhakti-sutra, Narada has said, yatha vraja-gopikanam [Sutra 21]

The cowherd women of Vraja are an example of pure bhakti.

[Transl. This is written in the sutra.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. So These things they are accepting now. If we, from our side here, present it to them in an organised way then India will be immensely benefitted. So, all of you kindly help in this endeavour. We have nothing else to offer them. If we want to offer material science that is not possible. They are so advanced that we are 100 years back. That will not yield anything. We need to give our own treasury.]

Hanuman: [Transl. That's what they want also.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. They want.]

Hanuman: [Transl. They want.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Wanting. They accepted that India has a very high standard culture. And they were eager for it. Not only for them but it can be established in India that krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28] [Transl. You take from here whatever books you want. At least keep these two.]

Hanuman: [Transl. I already have some. I am writing a book in English.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. What book are you writing?]

Hanuman: [Transl. "Krsna bhavanamrtera paricaya." The introduction of Krsna Consciousness.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Oh. That is about us.]

Hanuman: [Transl. The same subject.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Hare Krsna. Nectar of Devotion. You will find photograph in all of our books.]

Hanuman: [Transl. Yes, I can see.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Like this. Many books we have. And we sell many records. Didn't they send you some?] [aside:]You have brought some record here?

Yasodanandana: It's in my other case, two records I have got.

Prabhupada: Oh.

Yasodanandana: Two copies of Govinda. And some books.

Prabhupada: Reading them and keep them in the library.

Hanuman: [Transl. Very good.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. And Krsna book, you will be happy by seeing the pictures of our Krsna book. We are selling simply by showing the pictures.] In Ratha-yatra Festival in one hour we sold about 24 copies. Although it is very highly priced, eight dollars. [Transl. But in America it's nothing! it is cheaper. In our country eight dollar is so much. So for today I take your leave. You also take rest.]

Yasodanandana: [indistinct]

Prabhupada: Oh he has got. If you got volume two? [Transl. As soon as we get we will send it.]

Yasodanandana: I gave him one already.

Prabhupada: [Transl. That's volume one. Volume two.]

Hanuman: [Transl. Yes, send me.]

Prabhupada: … caparam labham manyate nadhikam tatah [Bg 6.22] Yasmin vijnate sarvam evam vijnatam bhavati [Mundaka Upanisad 1.3. [Transl. By knowing Krsna there will be nothing left to know. Everything is accomplished. Complete knowledge. Okay then.] [end]