710630 - Conversation - Los Angeles

Conversations by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

710630R1-LOS_ANGELES - June 30, 1971 - 23:20 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Oh, so what other news?

Govinda dāsī: I have just brought you some Mango.

Prabhupāda: Ohhh, Hawaii Mango?

Govinda dāsī: Yes. This is nice kind.

Prabhupāda: Oh? Fruits and flowers. And this morning, Śyāmā devī sent something. (laughs) So our . . . that Sai is keeping all right?

Govinda dāsī: He is doing very nice.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) . . . coming later . . . (indistinct) . . . any sincere soul trying to serve Kṛṣṇa, he'll profit. There is no doubt. Simply sincerity wanted. Satya śamo dama titikṣa ārjavam (BG 18.42). Ārjavam means without any duplicity. Then his advancement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, assured. Kṛṣṇa is very intelligent, He is sitting within. You cannot cheat Him. (laughs)

That is not possible. You cannot surpass Him in any way. That is ignorance. And He is the supreme; He surpasses anyone's intelligence. If we want to play a trick with Kṛṣṇa, He understands everything. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26): "I know everything." Māṁ tu veda na kaścana: "I know everyone, but nobody knows Me." That is the statement. So anyone who wants to serve Kṛṣṇa sincerely, his place is secure . . . (indistinct)

So here have you got some tulasī?

Govinda dāsī: I have a whole sackful.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Govinda dāsī: I have a whole bag full. I brought them.

Prabhupāda: Eh. But can . . . can they be planted here?

Govinda dāsī: I didn't bring the plant, I brought the bag. They don't have any plants? They died? They disappeared?

Prabhupāda: During winter . . . winter season

Govinda dāsī: They have . . . I have gotten letters from very cold climates, from Seattle. One boy says he has a three-foot-high one.

Prabhupāda: Hum.

Govinda dāsī: And the . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: And they are following their instructions?

Govinda dāsī: I think so. I got a letter saying they water too much.

Prabhupāda: So you . . . (indistinct) . . . there are so many boys and girls, some of them must take care. You teach them. You have done a tremendous service to the Society by introducing tulasī plants. It will be creditable in history—very good service.

Govinda dāsī: She just grew.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Govinda dāsī: She just grew. (laughs) I didn't introduce her; she just grew.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Govinda dāsī: This big. One boy just came from India.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Govinda dāsī: Just some boy, hippie. He said that in all of India he hadn't seen such huge tulasī plants. I was surprised, because I thought they were . . .

Prabhupāda: There is, in Vṛndāvana.

Govinda dāsī: In Vṛndāvana.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Govinda dāsī: This big around, and . . . (indistinct) . . . is in the sun. But in the sun, there is . . . (indistinct) . . . in the shady areas.

Prabhupāda: It is a tropical plant.

Govinda dāsī: But they have lights, artificial lights . . .

Prabhupāda: . . . artificial lights . . .

Govinda dāsī: . . . in place of the sun.

Prabhupāda: I have seen in London, John Lennon's house, Titten . . . Tittenhurst? Tittenhurst. Tittenhurst Garden. What is "Titten"? Some name?

Gaurasundara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: And "hurst"?

Gaurasundara: Mmm.

Prabhupāda: Tittenhurst Garden. So he has got artificial form, electricity, for growing some plants.

Govinda dāsī: It can be done.

Prabhupāda: He has got a gardener, expert gardener, one man. He was feeding the ashes.

Gaurasundara: (indistinct) . . . plants.

Prabhupāda: That gardener. All are master gardener. So some way or other tulasī plants must be in every center. Now it is tested. Seattle it is growing.

Govinda dāsī: It is much colder in Seattle than in Los Angeles.

Prabhupāda: Still it is growing. Why not?

Govinda dāsī: Really!

Prabhupāda: Oh. You sent it? No.

Govinda dāsī: I sent the seeds and the instructions.

Prabhupāda: Ah, they have no seeds?

Govinda dāsī: Ah, we have lots of seeds. We have to cut the flowers off every day, or else there will be seeds. We have so many tulasī plants we don't know where to put them.

Prabhupāda: I will find that.

Govinda dāsī: They are this close together.

Prabhupāda: Ah. That's fine.

Govinda dāsī: Gaurasundara won't let me dig up the front yard, though. I want to dig up the whole front yard (laughs) and make it all tulasī.

Gaurasundara: We have on the hill, we planted tulasī.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Govinda dāsī: Yeah.

Gaurasundara: There's on another property.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Gaurasundara: We're planting them on the hill.

Prabhupāda: Just there?

Gaurasundara: Yes.

Govinda dāsī: To get them growing wild. To get them started growing wild.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Govinda dāsī: So they will start taking over, you know. Because they spread their seed profusely, everywhere.

Gaurasundara: They're overcrowding us.

Govinda dāsī: You see, whenever the seeds ripened they all fell, and I didn't know that, and I came out one day and there were about 300 baby tulasī.

Prabhupāda: (laughs)

Govinda dāsī: (laughs) And they were, you know, this close together. So I transplanted some of them, and I don't have places to transplant them all.

Prabhupāda: So now you have to find out place. And then, you have got another place?

Govinda dāsī: Well, there's a hill which is behind the temple, which is not used by anyone.

Prabhupāda: So you can, you can . . .

Govinda dāsī: So we are trying to make it take over.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Govinda dāsī: Planting them wild. But we water them every day.

Prabhupāda: You can send tulasī leaves dried to every center. That will be made for offering.

Govinda dāsī: Dried?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Govinda dāsī: Sun-dried?

Prabhupāda: Yes, why not? Transcendental subject.

Govinda dāsī: (sighs)

Prabhupāda: There is no question of dry or green.

Govinda dāsī: I have brought a big bag of fresh ones for you . . .

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Govinda dāsī: . . . this time. I could have brought a plant, but I didn't know that they didn't have any.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Is this sārī got from India?

Govinda dāsī: No, it was given to me by someone.

Prabhupāda: Here? No.

Govinda dāsī: In Hawaii.

Prabhupāda: In Hawaii. From Indian?

Govinda dāsī: No, I think it was one of the Haiku . . . Sai's group.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Govinda dāsī: It is American cloth . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Govinda dāsī: It is very late. I couldn't get an earlier plane.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Govinda dāsī: I couldn't get an earlier plane.

Prabhupāda: So that's all right.

Govinda dāsī: I don't want to keep you from taking rest.

Prabhupāda: So your father is funding his daughter? He's being utilized. Your father is gathering some bhakti seeds.

Govinda dāsī: (laughs)

Prabhupāda: You're doing service to your father. Hmm.

Gaurasundara: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Gaurasundara: (about Prabhupāda's servants) They want to know if there's anything else.

Prabhupāda: That's all.

Gaurasundara: (pays obeisances)

Prabhupāda: So where is . . . (indistinct) . . .?

Govinda dāsī: I don't know, I've just got here.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Gaurasundara: She just arrived now.

Govinda dāsī: I haven't talked to anyone except Safa. Siddha-svarūpa is doing nicely.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Govinda dāsī: Siddha-svarūpa is doing nicely.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Gaurasundara: Everyone is doing nicely.

Prabhupāda: Now then let it grow everywhere. One, that Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa.

Gaurasundara: Hmm.

Prabhupāda: Both husband and wife very nice, very intelligent. Intelligent, very nice wife. The wife is engaged in Deity worship. Oh, Kṛṣṇa . . . unless one is pure in heart, he cannot come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

yeṣāṁ anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ

janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām

te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā

bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ

(BG 7.28)

This is the version of Bhagavad-gītā. One who is completely free from the contamination of material sins, yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ. Pāpaṁ means sin; anta-gataṁ, finished, all gone. Te, such persons, dvandva-moha-nirmuktā. Dvandva. Dvandva means duality. Nirmuktā.

Dvandva-moha-nirmuktā knows that everything is display of Kṛṣṇa's energy. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's energy, Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel, Kṛṣṇa's expansion, Kṛṣṇa's plenary portions, incarnation—everything Kṛṣṇa—one can understand when one is freed from all material sins. Te dvandva-moha. This is moha. Moha means to misunderstand that there is anything without Kṛṣṇa. That is moha, illusion.

And when one knows that anything I see, this is Kṛṣṇa's, display of Kṛṣṇa's energy . . . just like sunlight: anything in the material world, it is sunlight, due to sunlight. That is scientific. This flower is growing—how it is a different color? This green flower, only . . . (indistinct) . . . and red flower, it is all due to sunlight, reaction of different position of sunlight making this color in the world.

Anyone can understand it is scientific: heat and light from the sun is the cause of material cosmic rays. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa has two energies: spiritual energy and material energy. And manifestation of His two energies . . . two energies is the whole creation.

So one who understands this is scientific. Dvandva-moha-nirmuktā: there is no more duality. This is oneness, everything. But at the same time this flower is Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa is not there. The material world is Kṛṣṇa's, but Kṛṣṇa is not there. Kṛṣṇa is in the spiritual world.

te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā

bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ

(BG 7.28)

So, go on. Somehow or other you have got some touch with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Develop it by service, that's all, and life is success—all problems solved. So try to assimilate and distribute. With these two, give better service. And assimilate without problem; act nice. Without assimilation one cannot distribute. So even if one does not know how to distribute, he can assimilate personally.

So we have got a nice center in Paris also. And Moscow I have been. Many young boys are entering our service, and the government is so demoniac. Always spying, police. Anyone respectable they will ask, "What is your document, you are here? Where is your document?" If you cannot produce any satisfactory document, immediately there will be jail. They are so rascal.

And you cannot live in your own way. You cannot get even foodstuff to your choice. You have to accept whatever the government supplies. This is the position. And simply Lenin, Lenin, Lenin. Lenin is their Kṛṣṇa. Not that they want Lenin, but they are being forced. Śyāmasundara was telling that Lenin's face is just like Satan, as described in Kṛṣṇa book. (chuckles) He is a Satan, granted. I don't think he has given any contribution to his country, simply goondaism. Hmm? What is called, goondaism? Called guṇḍā.

Govinda dāsī: Aggrand . . . aggrandizement.

Prabhupāda: Aggrandizement, of course. Outlaws—is that the proper name? Outlaws?

Gaurasundara: Ruffians?

Prabhupāda: Ruffian, yes. Guṇḍā—ruffian. Yes. So he was a ruffian. What good thing can he do? He killed the whole family, royal family. One of the daughters of the king, she was supposed to be the most beautiful of the world, and she begged and excused for her life, and she was killed. That is the history of Lenin. So merciless. And in this way they established the Communist government.

I don't think that they have got any contribution to the world. What contribution they have? Huh? Any good contribution except ruffianism? What contribution, good contribution? No philosophy, no wise . . . (indistinct) . . . that is not a very good contribution, not at all. Their contribution is ruffianism, that's all. By ruffianism they have overthrown the royalty, monarchy.

That's all. But so far their contribution . . . all buildings, big buildings, they were old buildings; they were constructed by the royal order. They have not produced. They have constructed some few skyscrapers recently, we saw . . . (indistinct)

That is also in long term. They have become liberal . . . not liberal; they have not so much strict. We are now allowed to be in Moscow. Formerly we were not allowed. But the country, the city is very nice. Better than the Western European cities. But Paris has got still more magnificent buildings. There is a place, Concorde, wonderful buildings all round. You have traveled, Paris?

Govinda dāsī: Maybe . . . (indistinct) . . . Paris. I don't remember.

Prabhupāda: You have been only in England?

Govinda dāsī: No, I have traveled, in Paris, all the countries of Europe except Spain.

Prabhupāda: Moscow?

Govinda dāsī: No, just Europe, Western Europe.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Govinda dāsī: Just Western Europe.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Govinda dāsī: And Turkey and Greece and Czechoslovakia. Then it was open.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Istanbul. You have been in Istanbul? That is in Turkey. They say that Istanbul is nice city.

Govinda dāsī: It is full of mosques.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Govinda dāsī: It is full of mosques.

Prabhupāda: Mosques?

Govinda dāsī: Mosques.

Prabhupāda: Oh!

Govinda dāsī: Mosques, the Muslim mosques.

Prabhupāda: Yes, I see. There in Moscow also, the churches are mosque-like. That means Muslim culture is there formerly.

Govinda dāsī: It is very late, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Govinda dāsī: It is very late.

Prabhupāda: So, what you are taking at night?

Devotee: What is that? Prasādam?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Govinda dāsī: You see, for me, it is not even eight o'clock yet.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Govinda dāsī: For me it is only 7.45.

Prabhupāda: Oh! It is not eating time?

Govinda dāsī: It is 7.45 in the evening. (laughs)

Prabhupāda: You have to wait three hours more. All right, so give her prasādam.

(devotees offer obeisances) (japa)

So what shall I give Govinda dasi? I shall give you something. Take this.

Govinda dāsī: Thank you.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) It is poison.

Govinda dāsī: (laughs) What is it?

Prabhupāda: Poison.

Govinda dāsī: No, I don't believe that. Is this tulasī, the temples'?

Gaurasundara: It is . . .

Prabhupāda: Cardamom.

Govinda dāsī: Cardamom seeds.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Govinda dāsī: You eat them whole?

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Govinda dāsī: You eat them whole?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Why not? Take off the skin and taste. The seed is very nice. That is all right. Now enjoy. Break or chew the seeds, it is very nice. It is digestive.

Govinda dāsī: I use it for cooking.

Prabhupāda: Flavor your mouth. If one has got bad flavor, this is counteract. Hmm. (break) (end)