770212 - Conversation - Mayapur

Conversations by Date, 1977

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

770212R1-MAYAPUR - February 12, 1977 - 14:54 Minutes

Prabhupāda: For the time being, suspended?

Jayapatākā: I don't like to make opinion till I go and see.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. What was their proposal?

Jayapatākā: Well, they came and . . . (break)

Prabhupāda: Our mission is to preach Gaurāṅga philosophy. Therefore we are taking. So why the Municipal cannot give land for this public purpose?

Jayapatākā: That's what I mean, is that I think that if we saw actually what law that is, and then we discuss it in a proper way, it might be possible.

Prabhupāda: It is lying vacant. So . . .

Jayapatākā: There are so many places which are like that, where there is mandira being built and and sevā-pūjā is going on, and there is one sevāita one organization has got the sevā responsibility, and that's under their charge. I think that that legality can be worked around, whatever it may be. Because our purpose is public.

Prabhupāda: The Municipal means public.

Jayapatākā: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So for public benefit why they shall not give?

Jayapatākā: Even that place at Calcutta, they never said it was illegal to give to us. They only said they didn't want to give. That Calcutta pukura, they never said it was illegal to give. So in this place, they were they said they want to give. So their why they should . . .?

Prabhupāda: Where is illegality? For public, it is a historical place.

Jayapatākā: They might have come to see whether we would do . . . you have a light?

Prabhupāda: The light is outside. There is no lantern? (pause while someone goes to find lantern) No. One will do.

Jayapatākā: We never met this Municipal executive. He might have just suggested that "Let's see if they'll do it without giving them."

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Jayapatākā: This Municipal executive we didn't meet. He's just appointed by the government. He might have just suggested something like "Let's see if they'll do the work without us being very firmly obligated," just testing us. Exactly what . . . but we can't do anything like that. But may be that Gargamuni didn't understand their English very well, or they didn't . . .

Prabhupāda: So tomorrow you'll go to see whom?

Jayapatākā: I was thinking to go Monday, because tomorrow is Sunday.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Jayapatākā: So many times they've come. I don't see that suddenly their story should change so drastically.

Prabhupāda: They came before also?

Jayapatākā: Oh, yes. They came even to Māyāpur. They have shown such enthusiasm, and now at the last minute, they'll change their story so much.

Prabhupāda: So. Yes.

Jayapatākā: It doesn't seem . . . it might be some misunderstanding or something.

Prabhupāda: And why they don't reply it? We have . . .

Jayapatākā: Yes, they have . . . they should give us, anyway, written reply. Why they are verbally saying? Whatever they say, they should say in writing. We have written. (break)

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. (break) . . . milk, you get gobar.

Jayapatākā: One boy has come from Miami who has been trained to work with the cows, a gṛhastha, and he is considering seriously to stay and develop this . . .

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Jayapatākā: . . . so we can have enough milk for all the devotees.

Prabhupāda: Name?

Jayapatākā: His name was . . .

Satsvarūpa: Janārdana? No.

Jayapatākā: Yes, I think so. Janārdana.

Prabhupāda: What is the name?

Jayapatākā: Janārdana.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Jayapatākā: And that gentleman you were just talking with this morning, he's the head of the department of veterinary . . . of Tropical College of Medicine on Chittaranjan.

Prabhupāda: What is his name?

Jayapatākā: Mr. Rao.

Prabhupāda: Raot?

Jayapatākā: Raot maybe, yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He's good man. He offered me obeisances flat. Hmm. So he's a good man.

Jayapatākā: Last time he came he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa much.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So treat him nicely.

Jayapatākā: Yes. I offered that he should come at least once or twice a month. He can see the cows, and he can take prasāda, and we'll give him . . .

Prabhupāda: With family come. And he'll have good association of the devotees.

Jayapatākā: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam (BG 18.44). The other day you were asking me about the wages, labour.

Jayapatākā: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So our point is the devotees shall work. So there is no program to pay wages.

Jayapatākā: Yes. Gradually, more and more, we're getting more devotees who can work in the agriculture. But to date, most of the people that join are either the handloomers or . . . we're getting mostly handloomers and, to some extent, some more learned, the more educated boys.

Prabhupāda: Not labour class.

Jayapatākā: Not labour class. But we need them also for translation and other things. So to make up the gap, then we had to hire. But that's lessened. Now we're getting also some labour class are joining.

Prabhupāda: So hire, that also he can become devotee. He can spare fifty percent of his income. Then he becomes a devotee. Hiring men and working, I don't think that will be very profitable. Then we can purchase from the market.

Jayapatākā: Even a lot of men are used for making the garden. In the beginning, converting the land to garden land for flowers requires a lot of labour. Because flowers require very . . .

Prabhupāda: Fertile.

Jayapatākā: . . . fertile and particularly fine soil that has to be dug and chopped and cleaned out.

Prabhupāda: Ordinary soil, flower does not grow?

Jayapatākā: No, it . . . not so well. In our city project we are thinking that those labourers who would be devotees, mostly the labourer class, they won't like to live separate from their families. So we were thinking that they could be paid something, and then they would give half of that, as you suggested, back. In this way they would be devotees. And they would eat prasāda with everyone and attend all the programs, but they'd buy their own cloth and things with the other half. But they would have to have separate quarters somewhere.

Prabhupāda: Where? Within our campus or outside?

Jayapatākā: That would be a separate area. Of course, in that vast city project there was enough room for different quarters where one place brahmacārīs could stay, other place, families. Just like now it's actually getting overcrowded for the handlooms. We should have a separate . . . one big handloom place. That would be more efficient.

Prabhupāda: Where you have?

Jayapatākā: Where . . . just the place would have to be . . . their place is a bit irregular. Seeing the ultimate plan, we have to find out one place. It would be in this area somewhere. Now they're keeping records of how much is spent on agriculture and how much is received. So what is the profit or loss, that can be ascertained. And actually that's not such a threat, because I know that many of the things he's doing by contract. If at some time we need outside labourer for, say, harvest time, we need to harvest—so we pay them ten rupees or twenty rupees to harvest one bighā. So there is no question of labourer. That is the contract.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Jayapatākā: In so many ways we can . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Jayapatākā: . . . we can like go around that.

Prabhupāda: That's all.

Jayapatākā: Envious people just trying to upset. The Western devotees that come, they are amazed that all of the devotees that are here, all the families are living separate from their wives. No temple has achieved that yet.

Prabhupāda: Everything can be done by practice.

Jayapatākā: The hari-nāma is purifying them because they are chanting so many hours. Now, when we give class, they also ask questions.

Prabhupāda: Life is coming.

Jayapatākā: Yes. Taking time. (laughs)

Prabhupāda: That is the fact.

Jayapatākā: You can put the life in the dead man, Śrīla Prabhupāda. We were all practically dead, but you are putting life in us.

Prabhupāda: I don't think in any other place there are so many activities.

Jayapatākā: No.

Prabhupāda: They come during that festival only.

Satsvarūpa: Every night many people come. (end)