770626 - Conversation B - Vrndavana
Bhagatji: First the gurukula children are there. We have to see to the comforts of the gurukula children.
Prabhupāda: Their comforts first. They have done very nice. (Hindi conversation) ...university, but producing hippies. (Hindi) Library in your... It is all nonsense. Who is going to read the books, big, big library? It is simply waste of time. Train them how to become self-controlled, how to become God conscious, how to become humble, obedient. This is required. And so-called education and last result is to become a hippie, what is the use? Simply waste of time. Education is meant for the first-class men. A kṛṣana does not require education. He should see how to plow, and he'll learn. This mistri does not require any... He should work with other mistri, and he'll learn. Architecture, this, that, so many... Why? Why waste your time? This nice building has been constructed by these laborers. They have got training by seeing, by practice. They did not require university education. Of course, guide is there. Of course... So these big, big universities, allowing everyone to come and join school, college—simply wasting time and unemployment. Unemployment. This is not required. Only brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, those who are being trained up as brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya, they should be given book education. Otherwise practical. You see how the things are being done. Bas. A weaver, he sees "Kat, kat, kat." He's got it. Does it require M.A., Ph.D.? Simply waste of time. And that is going on. I don't want that, for "Kat, kat, kat," M.A., Ph D. (Bengali) "To kill a mosquito, bring a gun." (laughter) Nonsense education. I don't like that education. All right.
Bhagatji: (Hindi)
Guṇārṇava: We'll show you the classrooms, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: No, no, he's young man. Anyway, by Kṛṣṇa's grace everything has been done very nice, by endeavor of Bhagatji. [break]
Indian man (1): (Hindi)
Prabhupāda: (Hindi) [break]
Guṇārṇava: I'll take the cows over to Puryanna's. He's out at the gośala. We'll need a lot of milk now.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Milk must be there.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So the persons in charge, they have one room for residence and then a room for office?
Prabhupāda: That... Very complete. (background talking, devotees) [break]
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Five hundred? Is that your program, Prabhupāda, five hundred boys?
Prabhupāda: At least.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: At least five hundred.
Guṇārṇava: The top portion also will be kept for gurukula purposes. We were thinking the brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs should move from the guesthouse and live on the top.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.
Guṇārṇava: So they can mix with the gurukula ?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Why not?
Yaśodānandana: What about householders and ladies?
Prabhupāda: No, no. Not at all.
Dr. Sharma: Here is a complete park. Say boys may play or suppose some function. Here complete and all, outside this...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Where will the garden be?
Dr. Sharma: This side. The center will be a lawn. And then we'll have a garden this side. There must be very full of...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You don't want gardens?
Dr. Sharma: We don't want gardens because mosquitos and so many things will....
Prabhupāda: (Hindi)
Dr. Sharma: Flowers we'll have but not...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Dr. Sharma, let Prabhupāda give his idea. What was your idea, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Yes, here garden must be here. We want flowers.
Dr. Sharma: Small, say.
Prabhupāda: Flower.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He wants gardens.
Prabhupāda: Not big tree.
Dr. Sharma: Just for flower bed. In the middle we'll keep the fountain, and all around the fountain...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Fountain in the middle, Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Garden must be there. And all around, pathway. Very good.
Indian man (2): But Swamiji, the fountain or the garden should be in the center or in one corner?
Prabhupāda: No, center.
Indian man (2): The center of this...
Prabhupāda: That will be very nice.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Big fountain in the center, just like in your garden there's a big fountain.
Prabhupāda: That will be soothing also. All right.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Let's go. [break]
Dr. Sharma: One āśrama teacher can supervise all.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The advantage of a big room is that one teacher can watch over many children at one time.
Prabhupāda: Very good.
Guṇārṇava: And also, the other side of the room, right along the whole wing, we have a veranda with doors on the other side so you can just keep going in and out, in and out.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But do the verandas connect? Does it go all the way there.
Guṇārṇava: Yes. It's all one.
Prabhupāda: So bank building is down?
Guṇārṇava: Bank building is downstairs.
Prabhupāda: So we can go down.
Guṇārṇava: We'll go downstairs to the bank.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What are the upstairs rooms like, like these rooms?
Guṇārṇava: Yeah, same size as this.
Devotee (3): Smaller sizes.
Guṇārṇava: Varied sizes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, do you want to see one or two rooms upstairs? They're different than this.
Prabhupāda: No... Different?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're smaller sized.
Prabhupāda: That's all right.
Guṇārṇava: Not so small. [break] Other side is east.
Prabhupāda: This is southern.
Dr. Sharma: This? This is south. This is south, this is north, this is east, this is west.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Which is east?
Prabhupāda: All right. In winter it will be very good.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It'll be warm in the winter.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They'll get warmth from it.
Prabhupāda: Morning sunlight.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Tremendous building.
Prabhupāda: Hm. I think there is no other building in Vṛndāvana.
Guṇārṇava: It's the biggest building in Vṛndāvana.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You've done it again, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Yes, I gave the ideas to Saurabha: "Make a design."
Guṇārṇava: It's very protected, too, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Hm.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: People will compare this to a fort.
Prabhupāda: Yes. All right.
Guṇārṇava: Go down to the bank. Go downstairs to the bank.
Prabhupāda: You have asked the bank manager?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Akṣayānanda Mahārāja, have you asked the bank manager to come here?
Akṣayānanda: Yeah, he's coming.
Prabhupāda: When?
Akṣayānanda: He's notifying us. What time he said?
Indian man (4): I don't know. I am going now.
Akṣayānanda: You're going now. At ten o'clock. [break]
Prabhupāda: "And that is mine." Because you have got enough space, "I shall keep one leg in another place, one leg in another place," and then whole thing will be planning. Don't do this. Don't misuse even one thing.
Akṣayānanda: Just take what is necessary.
Prabhupāda: Hm. Properly utilize. (Hindi) Everything should be properly utilized. That is management, to not mix even.
Guṇārṇava: You were saying you wanted five hundred students, so we should keep as much space as possible for the students...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guṇārṇava: ...on these floors. If we have administrative offices mixing...
Prabhupāda: No, no, we have to invite them. Otherwise what is the use, for four students, such a building? And simply managers? That is not good. There must be students, not that four students and three dozen managers.
Guṇārṇava: No.
Prabhupāda: It has no... That is waste. Then the whole thing is waste. There must be five hundred students and ten managers. That's all. Then it is good. Is that all right? Mr. Sharma?
Dr. Sharma: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Teachers should be so expert that they can deal with many students.
Prabhupāda: Now your business is bring students. That is first duty. Let people convinced. Before going to the foreign countries, I had a very bad experience. I asked so many men to give students, Vedic students. "Swamiji, (Hindi) We have to earn money." Nobody wants that the children should be honest, brāhmaṇa, brahmacārī. Nobody wants. He wants all thieves, rogues, cunning cheater. "So the money bring." That is the difficulty. So you have to face this difficulty. But try to. (Hindi) Loafer class, śūdra, they want. (Hindi) Still, keep an ideal institution. That experience I had. When, before going foreign countries, I tried, all friends: "Swamiji, (Hindi)"
Dr. Sharma: Indians also?
Prabhupāda: Indians? Foreigners, they were hippies; they come.
Akṣayānanda: Before he went to America.
Prabhupāda: Therefore, being disappointed here, I went to America.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That means we have to canvass vigorously to get students.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Akṣayānanda: We have to preach.
Prabhupāda: That is the problem. Keep place ready, but you have to bring students.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're not going to come of their own. We have to go out and get them.
Prabhupāda: They will come later on, when they will see: "Yes..."
Yaśodānandana: First we have to get the ISKCON students first.
Prabhupāda: ISKCON or FISKCON, bring students. (laughter)
Dr. Sharma: Prabhupāda, these students can come, any number you like.
Prabhupāda: So that I want. I want the number. It doesn't matter ISKCON or FISKCON.
Dr. Sharma: No, I mean to say, free, no charge.
Prabhupāda: That means they'll not come from such a good family.
Dr. Sharma: Good family. That is the idea.
Guṇārṇava: They'll be low class.
Prabhupāda: So that you cannot do.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Those people don't need that education so much.
Prabhupāda: They should be trained up in the field, to the weaving practice or something like that. They don't require education.
Akṣayānanda: Intelligent class.
Prabhupāda: Intelligent class. We cannot make them interested. Some of them may come out, but not all. It is not possible.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometimes wealthy people are afraid that if their sons come to this gurukula, they'll become sādhus.
Prabhupāda: So that I am seeing, how to... That was the problem. They said, "What will be the benefit, satyavādī ?" Satya śamo damo titikṣa, jñāna... (Hindi) So culture is lost. That is the difficulty.
Indian man (4): The other day two parents have come, and they have said, "We will give our two boys and let them be first class, for the school here."
Prabhupāda: (Hindi) That is... (Hindi) This is the defect of modern civilization. And Kṛṣṇa wants to impress in the beginning, na jāyate na mriyate vā. (Hindi) Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre BG 2.20 . (Hindi) This darkness is going on. People are kept in darkness in the name of so-called university education. This is... (Hindi) It will be successful. It may take time. That's all.
Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: (Hindi) ...this manager, that manager. But who to manage? Bring that first. (Hindi) In Bengali there is a superstition that "Don't keep your head towards the northern side." So the man said, "I have no head. Where is the question of keeping northern side or southern side?" So you are contemplating all management. First of all bring whom to manage. Simply office manager, this, that and... Bambhārambhe laghu-kriyā. (Hindi) All right.
Guṇārṇava: Take Prabhupāda to the bank.
Prabhupāda: Utilize it very properly. So where is the bank manager?
Akṣayānanda: They're calling for him, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: So calling from yesterday, but still... Calling? Then let me talk.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This is also very nice for the bank. I mean, they get a whole front courtyard.
Prabhupāda: That is very nice, wonderful. They are... In this side, they can make counter.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Plenty of space for a bank.
Prabhupāda: I'll talk with...
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually even Punjab National Bank downtown doesn't have this big an office.
Prabhupāda: No.
Guṇārṇava: It's bigger than the downtown office of Punjab National Bank.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: All the banks.
Guṇārṇava: It's big.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. Let him come. I shall talk.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Jaya. Do you want us... Is there anything else to see...?
Prabhupāda: No.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's all.
Prabhupāda: And very nice.
Guṇārṇava: Jaya. Glories to Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Now, the first thing is, bring student. Then it will be successful, very good.
Guṇārṇava: Jaya Prabhupāda. ( kīrtana ) (end)