Morning Walk Conversation Prabhupada: (in car:) …dark? Jayatirtha: It seems to be… Prabhupada: Cloudy. Brahmananda: Very cloudy today. Jayatirtha: Yeah, it’s cloudy. [break] …June in the history of Los Angeles. Prabhupada: Accha? Jayatirtha: Yes. It was warmer in January, the paper says, than now. During the day. [break] Prabhupada: …this warm. But it is cold. [break] Brahmananda: In London, when I came there, the weather was very sunny and bright. It was very pleasant. Jayatirtha: Here the sun goes down at eleven o’clock and it gets up at four o’clock. [break] Prabhupada: Three hours. I was there. Up to eleven o’clock at night there is sun, and then perhaps twelve or half past twelve, there is night. That is also not full dark. And at three o’clock, again sun. So many hours? Eleven to three. [break] …above Sweden there is no night tonight. Brahmananda: Yes. [break] Prabhupada: There is no day? Brahmananda: Yes. [break] …sociological problems there. Because when it’s all night, people become very depressed and there’s a high suicide rate. So they have been trying to have these artificially lights to light up the cities and make it appear as if it was daytime. Jayatirtha: Why not just make one big sun, big scientists? Prabhupada: (laughs) Still they do not accept God. [break] …ajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakro. Everything is. [break] …cribing the whole universal situation, Sukadeva Gosvami concluded, “as God has made it.” He never mentioned any other demigod. “As God has made it.” Yatha bhagavan kriyetam [break] …not to accept the authority of Krsna, misfortune. Naradhama. [break] (walking:) …kara bhai, ara saba mithya, palaya patha nara yo mache piche(?): “Everyone should take to Krsna consciousness. Remember, behind you there is the Yamaraja, death.” [break] …to avoid this horrible conception that there is death, and they avoid this, that “There is death, but there is no life again.” That’s all. [break] …this dog race and what is the rat race? There is a word, rat race? Jayatirtha: Yes, Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada: What is it? Jayatirtha: That describes the modern culture. Everyone runs around like rats in a maze, looking for food. It’s a psychological test. They put rats in a maze and at one end of the maze they put some food. So the rats run all through the maze trying to find the food. [break] Prabhupada: …this side, Hawaii? Devotee: Yes, yes. [break] Devotee: …I think they’re everywhere. [break] Prabhupada: …coming from Hawaii, this boy? Devotee: Yes. [break] Prabhupada: …he has come, no? Jayatirtha: Yes. Prabhupada: Oh. And Jagannatha? Nitai: Jagannatha is here. Prabhupada: Oh, that’s nice. [break] What is the news of Vrndavana? Nitai: Vrndavana is very nice. Twenty-four hour kirtana is going on there regularly, and Aksayananda Maharaja is out collecting. He went to Kanpur with a party of men to make life members. Prabhupada: Visitors are coming? Nitai: Visitors are beginning to come. Even though there is no advertisement, they are beginning to come, and their general attitude is that they’re very pleased with the building. They like it very much. Prabhupada: How many visitors come? Nitai: Well, daily three families will be there. Devotee: Every evening aratika there are almost one hundred visitors at evening aratika. Nitai: To see the temple, whole buses come. Over a hundred rupees a day are collected just by… Prabhupada: Visitors? Nitai: Visitors or are giving for prasadam, contributions to the Deities. [break] Prabhupada: …is neat and clean? Nitai: Yes. It’s very nice, very nicely kept. Prabhupada: …Pradyumna? [break] Nitai: I have heard many people in Vrndavana say that our temple is the best in Vrndavana. Prabhupada: Yes, that’s a fact. Nitai: There’s no more beautiful temple. Devotee: Especially the Deities. They are most impressed by the beautiful Deities. Prabhupada: They are dressing nicely? Nitai: Yes, very nicely. [break] Prabhupada: We have decided to finish these seventeen books pending, within two months. So make your program, how to do it. It must be done. Radha-vallabha: You’re including the Fifth Canto. Is that right, Srila Prabhupada? Prabhupada: Hm? Radha-vallabha: You’re including the Fifth Canto when you say seventeen books. Ramesvara: Yes. Fifth Canto also by the end of August, for Vyasa-puja day. Prabhupada: That’s nice. Radha-vallabha: [break] …amrta, that is thirteen more books. Caitanya-caritamrta is sixteen volumes altogether. So we have already finished four. So that’s twelve plus maybe four to five Srimad-Bhagavatam. [break] Now that Nitai and Jagannatha are here, it may be possible. Prabhupada: Yes. [break] …may be, must be. (laughter) Nitai: The only difficulty we face in editing is that sometimes there are problems that come up which we can’t figure out ourselves. Prabhupada: So I shall remain here. Nitai: If you remain here, then we can finish very easily. Prabhupada: Oh, yes. [break] There was some defect in the roof. They are repairing? Nitai: The roof there? Yes, the roof has been fixed. Prabhupada: [break] …arati time about hundred devotee, outsiders come? Nitai: At least. Prabhupada: Oh, at least. Nitai: It’s crowded every night. [break] Prabhupada: …perform aratika nicely? Nitai: Yes, it’s done very nicely. Prabhupada: How much, how long they do it? Nitai: They do for about twenty-five minutes. Prabhupada: Only? Nitai: Yes. Then afterwards Tulasi worship and… Brahmananda: People stay? Nitai: Yes. End of the class. The whole evening is taken up by arati, class… Brahmananda: Who gives the class in the evening? Nitai: The devotees trade off. Brahmananda: In English? Nitai: Yes. And beginning at six o’clock in the evening they have Hindi class. Prabhupada: Ah. Who gives Hindi? Nitai: The Indian devotees there. Sac-cid-ananda gives, and that one, Jatismara. And one… Prabhupada: What Pranava does? Nitai: Sambhunatha Pandita also gives. Prabhupada: No, Pranava? Nitai: Pranava doesn’t usually give, no. Prabhupada: He stays there? Nitai: Yes. Prabhupada: So is there any news of the land? Nitai: No word. Gopala Krsna has not been there in Vrndavana. He has been in Bombay. Prabhupada: No, it was entrusted to Pranava. Nitai: Oh, Pranava has not said anything, sent any word with me. Visvambhara is very enthusiastic for starting the Gurukula there. He has said that he can give more than a lakh in order to build a building. Previously he promised a lakh but he said that there is more money he can continually give for supporting the Gurukula there. Prabhupada: So I have sent news to Pranava to complete the negotiation, and he has done nothing? Nitai: I don’t know whether he has done or not. Prabhupada: [break] …doctor? Nitai: The doctor is staying there. He is… [break] …for a few days and stays, and then he goes for a few days. Then he comes. [break] Prabhupada: …Pradyumna is doing? Nitai: Pradyumna has gone to Mayapur to help train the Sastris. Prabhupada: Hm? Nitai: To teach the Sastris English, he has gone to Mayapur. They have all gone to Mayapur because they were facing criticism from the residents of Vrndavana. Many of their old schoolmates were criticizing that they are coming and joining us. These are… [break] …are very desirous of taking initiation from you. Prabhupada: Who? Nitai: Ananta Ram Sastri and one other, I forget his name. He is very, very good in Sanskrit. He reads it fluently, speaks it fluently. Prabhupada: He speaks Sanskrit also? Nitai: Yes. Speaks it. He lectures in Sanskrit. Prabhupada: Oh, that’s good. Nitai: While he was in Vrndavana, we were taking daily a class with him in Bhagavad-gita. We would read Visvanatha Cakravarti’s commentary. Prabhupada: Where is our car? [break] Brahmananda: …they would help us acquire land for a Gurukula. [break] Prabhupada: …sent Pranava, how is that there is no news about the land? (end)
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
June 24, 1975, Los Angeles