Room Conversation
Arrival of Jayatirtha and Harikesa
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
October 8, 1977, Vrndavana

Prabhupada: What is the news of South Africa?

Jayatirtha: There were fifteen thousand at our Janmastami festival, and we opened our new temple. And all of the community leaders there are very anxious to see our Society increase. Seven Indian devotees have been made.

Prabhupada: Hm.

Jayatirtha: And the community leaders there are giving us plots of land in different Indian areas and money for building temples. It’s a very, very good report from South Africa.

Prabhupada: That’s maintain all. So… [break]

Tamala Krsna: How are you feeling this morning, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Not bad.

Tamala Krsna: Not bad. It may be that your pulse is like that because you’re resting. After a long sleep the pulse can be weak and slow. [break]

Prabhupada: But I think I cannot sit down.

Tamala Krsna: Yes. I think we can wash you while you’re laying down.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Tamala Krsna: Would that be all right? If we sit you up and put pillows behind you, will you be able?

Prabhupada: Try it.

Tamala Krsna: Okay.

Upendra: First we’ll wash as much while he’s laying down.

Tamala Krsna: Upendra says first we’ll wash as much of you as we can while you’re laying down. Then after, we’ll try to sit you up. Okay? Jaya. We’ll stop the chanting for a little while?

Prabhupada: No.

Tamala Krsna: Go on with the chanting. (kirtana continues) [break] You don’t want to drink anything today?

Prabhupada: Let me drink hari-nama amiya-vilasa.

Hari-sauri: Jaya Srila Prabhupada. That’s the sweetest nectar. [break]

Prabhupada: …vilasa.

Tamala Krsna: So we’ll begin to bathe you, Srila Prabhupada. [break]

Prabhupada: Nivrtta-tarsair upagiyamanad bhavausadhat… [SB 10.1.4] This is bhavausadhi, hari-kirtana.

Jayadvaita: Bhavausadhac chrotra-mano-’bhiramat.

Prabhupada: Ah. And caranamrta, patha(?)—diet. Diet and medicine. Let me depend on these.

Tamala Krsna: Very pure. Pure diet, Srila Prabhupada. Transcendental. You’re not feeling any discomfort?

Prabhupada: Same discomfort or same comfort. No change.

Tamala Krsna: So you’re bathed a little bit now.

Prabhupada: Hm? You bathed the head? No.

Tamala Krsna: No. Your face was bathed and your eyes. Tilaka is put on fresh. You still feel that hair?

Prabhupada: Huh?

Tamala Krsna: You still feel that hair? (laughter)

Prabhupada: This time what they supply?

Tamala Krsna: What they supplied? You mean prasadam? There was some… Of course, today is the day after Ekadasi, so they had some cereal made with gur and some guava fruit salad with guavas and bananas. That was all this morning. Lunch is usually substantial, very good. It’s the best prasadam that we have had in many years in India here. This boy, Ayodhya-pati, he’s doing very nicely. He cooks usually… Do you want to know what he cooks for lunch? He cooks a alu sabji with dahi sauce, and he makes bindi, very nicely spiced, and dal, rutis, rice, apple chutney, and dahi, raita. Every day.

Prabhupada: Who assists him?

Tamala Krsna: About three other devotees. There’s no hired people. They’re all fired and gone. Only devotees are cooking, and very tasteful, and everybody, about a hundred and twenty devotees sit together and take prasadam. And the guests from the guesthouse, they also take there. Everyone takes together. No restaurant.

Prabhupada: Guesthouse, they come.

Tamala Krsna: Yes. Guesthouse people come and eat also in the prasada hall.

Prabhupada: Yes, that I wanted.

Tamala Krsna: You wanted that. They give a chit. They pay at the guesthouse. They pay at the guesthouse, and then they take prasadam in the hall with the devotees, same as everybody. I think they pay three rupees, and they get as much as they want to eat. We are an asrama. We’re not trying to run a big business here. Isn’t that right, Srila Prabhupada? I haven’t heard anybody complain. And all the devotees take together. Very nice atmosphere.

Prabhupada: Best system. So Jayatirtha, you liked?

Jayatirtha: The prasadam?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Jayatirtha: Yes, I liked it actually. Yes.

Prabhupada: Everyone liked?

Devotee: I liked it.

Tamala Krsna: Everybody likes the lunch?

Devotees: Yes, oh, yes.

Prabhupada: That’s nice.

Tamala Krsna: You are the perfect father, Srila Prabhupada. You provide everything for us—place to live, food to eat, everything. And you’ve trained us up with spiritual knowledge.

Prabhupada: Hm. Chant. All together. (Tamala starts, all chant together) [break]

Hari-sauri: Tamala Krsna is here, Srila Prabhupada.

Tamala Krsna: Jaya Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: What meeting going on?

Tamala Krsna: Oh, very interesting meeting. Paramananda, Vamanadeva, Tripurari Maharaja, Adi-kesava Maharaja and myself discussing our Gita-nagari community and talking about varnasrama. Very, very… We were trying to reflect on all of the teachings in your books and what we had read about Krsna’s life and Nanda Maharaja’s community.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Tamala Krsna: How the vaisya community lives, how the different varnas and asramas function together, and what their responsibilities are to each other. We’re trying to set up our Gita- nagari community based upon the teachings which you’ve given in your books. It is very enlivening and stimulating meeting. Dhrstadyumna Maharaja will be coming tomorrow with his brother. And he has designed the very ideal plan for all of the varnas and asramas to live together.

Prabhupada: Hm. Do it.

Tamala Krsna: Jaya.

Prabhupada: So go on.

Tamala Krsna: Jaya Srila Prabhupada. We’re going on on your teachings, Srila Prabhupada. You’re always in the center of our life.

Prabhupada: No, let us make some community.(?)

Tamala Krsna: Show the world how to live ideally, go back to Godhead. Raise your own food, make your own clothes, make your own buildings, and chant Hare Krsna. Worship Radha-Krsna. They are working so hard, they don’t have nice home, they don’t have nice clothing, they don’t have nice food, and they have no love for Krsna. We have to show how to do everything very nicely. And you’ve given… We just have to understand what you’ve given us, Prabhupada, your teachings.

Prabhupada: Thank you.

Tamala Krsna: We have nothing new to find out. We have no research to make. You’ve given us everything. We only have to carry out exactly how you’ve trained us up and taught us.

Prabhupada: Do it nicely. Hm. So you can go with your business.

Tamala Krsna: All right. We’ll continue chanting here. (kirtana) Jaya Srila Prabhupada. If you want me I’m right near by, Srila Prabhupada, just in another room. [break] Jaya Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: (speaking with great difficulty) It is… If I want to survive, of course I’ll have to take something. It is not possible to survive without taking any food. But my survival means so many, one after another, as you say… It requires… Therefore I have decided to die peacefully in…

Tamala Krsna: Shall we chant kirtana? (Hamsaduta leads kirtana) [break] Those postal receipts. When they become due, then I’ll give them to each of the individual members? Okay. Don’t worry. I’ll see that each of them is satisfied. They won’t feel sorry in any way. You’ve provided for everyone, Srila Prabhupada. [break] They want you to survive.

Prabhupada: If I want to die, this is the way of peaceful death.

Tamala Krsna: Yes.

Prabhupada: Hm. Go on chanting. (kirtana) (end)