771112 - Conversation B - Vrndavana

Conversations by Date, 1977

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

771112R2-VRNDAVAN - November 12, 1977 - 23:10 Minutes

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: . . . the bullock cart to Vṛndāvana. You were thinking to travel again, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Not now.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Some pain? Oh, here he is. Here's Lokanātha, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Lokanātha?

Lokanātha: Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: You are coming back?

Lokanātha: Yes, we came back from saṅkīrtana.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Lokanātha: We had kīrtana in the town, Vṛndāvana, Loi Bazaar and Bāṅke-bihārī temple, that route. We had a bullock cart filled in with gurukula school children, and there was a big group of devotees chanting and dancing in front of the cart.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Lokanātha: And there was also van, making announcement, inviting people for our afternoon program of ārati, kīrtana and prasādam distribution.

Prabhupāda: So go.

Lokanātha: No, we already did. I announced, and we also had kīrtana. It was very ecstatic. Thirty, forty devotees came, and it was very, very nice. Wherever we stopped, people gathered around us in a big number, enjoyed kīrtana and heard announcements about the program. So I just came back.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. And prasādam?

Lokanātha: Prasādam will be served out to the guests after this ārati. Twelve o'clock is ārati. And then we'll be serving out prasādam to the guests first. When everyone is served, we'll eat the remnants.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Eat the remnants? The devotees aren't going to take the feast also?

Lokanātha: Yes, remnants of the Lord.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, the remnants of the Deities.

Lokanātha: Yes. (pause)

Prabhupāda: What is the time now?

Lokanātha: Now, 11:35.

Prabhupāda: You have got all in your charge.

Lokanātha: Yes, I have.

Prabhupāda: Tamāla?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Consult with him.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hmm. Make up a tour? All right. Very good.

Prabhupāda: Since a long time I have got a desire.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hmm. Prabhupāda's had this ambition for a long time.

Lokanātha: Travelling the holy places. So you'll be doing in . . .?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That we can discuss.

Jayādvaita: Lord Balarāma, He did that. He went to all the holy places. So in the same way, you can get a little strength from Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma here in Vṛndāvana, then you can . . . (indistinct) . . . Lord Balarāma was going to all the different places.

Prabhupāda: I give you idea. Where is Lokanātha?

Lokanātha: Yes, I'm here, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: What is called? Front party.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What kind of party?

Prabhupāda: Front party.

Lokanātha: Front party, advance party, yes.

Prabhupāda: They'll give us description of the land, and before our going, they'll make a camp. Small, big, that doesn't matter. And in the morning, the former camp broken, and go to the next camp with kīrtana. In the meantime the other camp is ready to receive you. Then the next camp, after taking prasādam, they'll go to the next camp.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Do you follow this, Lokanātha? Do you have a question to ask?

Lokanātha: So there is a smaller group going in advance, and bigger group with you stays back.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Lokanātha: Yes, and they go, fix the place, and inform your party where they are and what kind of arrangement they have made. And when you are satisfied, you leave that place to join the first group, small group, advance party. Right?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And after Prabhupāda joins that group, then the advance party goes again.

Lokanātha: To the next place, to make further arrangements at the next place.

Prabhupāda: In this way.

Lokanātha: Yes. This kind of program we have done before also. Whenever we had big group traveling, we always send two devotees out, or sometimes four devotees.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We also did that with our Rādhā-Dāmodara program. That is the way of traveling—advance booking.

Lokanātha: Yes, so the main party does not lose time in finding or looking for the place.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're not inconvenienced in any way.

Lokanātha: Right. So that advance party could wait at the gate of the . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Wherever. But that's the idea.

Prabhupāda: And when you go in procession, have kīrtana.

Lokanātha: Yes. That would be nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Originally, Śrīla Prabhupāda, when we talked of this idea, we were considering going with a few vehicles so that we could go to many holy places all over India. I still think that that's the best idea, and Lokanātha also agreed with me when we talked about this. Because bullock carts . . . of course, we're not in a big rush, but if we would like to go to a few pla . . . all over India, we can go very comfortably with a few vehicles. Prabhupāda can have the back seat of a vehicle, travel very comfortably.

Lokanātha: I could see this Volkswagen we have. They don't have any seats. It's all flat. They already have mattresses, and it's kind of a big room.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Like that. That's more convenient for traveling all over India, Śrīla Prabhupāda. I mean we should be practical also. Otherwise we'll spend from one tīrtha to another, just like from here . . . supposing we wanted to go just like Ayodhyā. Oh, three weeks.

Lokanātha: More.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: More than three weeks, just to go . . .

Lokanātha: It will take two and a half months.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Two and a half months, Śrīla Prabhupāda, just to go from one tīrtha-sthāna to the next. We don't have that kind of time. Better that we go in very good caravan of vehicles, comfortable. You will have your own vehicle, the advance party will have one vehicle, and one or two others . . . your party will have two or three vehicles, and the advance party can have one vehicle. We have enough cars. Your Divine Grace has a car in Māyāpur; we have a car here in Vṛndāvana; we have one of your cars in Bombay. There's so many vehicles and vans. So we have our choice. We can get very nice vehicles.

Jayādvaita: That will make a very nice impression also.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Otherwise . . . Svarūpa Dāmodara was mentioning to me, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that if we were to take you in a bullock cart . . . what did you say, Svarūpa Dāmodara? People would accuse us of being very negligent of you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and it would look very bad upon our Society, you know. They would accuse us, how we have taken our spiritual master . . .

Lokanātha: They wouldn't understand these transcendental activities of the Vaiṣṇavas.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You've always preached that we should do things in a modern way, just appropriately.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: And use for Kṛṣṇa whatever available.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think if we fix up vehicles very nicely, that will be nice. Will that be all right, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is that all right?

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Lokanātha: And most of the holy places are connected with good roads. During our preaching we also visit holy places. I mean, they're on the way; we pass through them. And if we travel not very fast, with good drivers, it won't be much incon . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhakti-caitanya Swami is the fit driver for your vehicles, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is that all right? I know he would want to come.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is that all right, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Jayādvaita: . . . (indistinct)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's expert, Bhakti-caitanya Swami. He knows how to arrange everything also very well.

Jayādvaita: These vehicles can supply electricity, so that when you stop . . .

Prabhupāda: Purchase at least four vehicles.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Four what, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: At least four vehicles.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Purchase at least four vehicles. Right. I think some scientist should also come with us, Śrīla Prabhupāda (laughter), in case we meet anyone very intelligent, we need a scientific mind to defeat them. So Svarūpa Dāmodara can come with us?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Girirāja: And someone to make members (laughter), in case we meet any rich people.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Girirāja is requesting to come, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Is it all right?

Prabhupāda: By managing you can come, everyone.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Right. If you manage properly, then you can all come.

Lokanātha: So do I come with you, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: You will be the leader.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You're the leader of the party.

Lokanātha: So I have a vehicle. They also could travel with us, and in the same town they will do nagara-saṅkīrtana all day long and distribute books?

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Lokanātha: I think that it will make our program complete. We have membership team, we have scientist visiting the scientists, and our boys will go door to door, house to house, and spread your message.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: With book distribution and saṅkīrtana.

Bhavānanda: I think that the Māyāpur book distribution team now has some heavy competition.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: hmm.

Lokanātha: With Prabhupāda's traveling saṅkīrtana and book distribution. Also, our party is well equipped to do evening programs. So there will be lot of senior devotees, and advance party could arrange programs and do different big temples or different public meetings.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You want that, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you should not overexert yourself.

Prabhupāda: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We can do the speaking and the kīrtanas. Prabhupāda should be allowed to simply do tīrtha-yātrā.

Lokanātha: You'll be acting through us, by your mercy.

(pause)

Jayādvaita: Śrīla Prabhupāda never does anything small.

Lokanātha: Prabhupāda is big. He thinks of big and he does big.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But first get a little more strength, Śrīla Prabhupāda. That we really request you to do so that the program . . . let us do it so that it becomes successful, not that after two days we have to turn back. When going we should not turn back.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So let us become prepared properly. (pause)

Prabhupāda: (as they move Prabhupāda) You'll bruise.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "You'll bruise," Prabhupāda said.

Prabhupāda: It is already bruised enough.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It is already rough and bruised. (aside) What is that?

Bhavānanda: Śrīla Prabhupāda? We'll just lift your shoulders a slight bit so that we can pull the sheet out? Then it won't bruise.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Bhavānanda: If I just lift you . . .

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Bhavānanda: Is that all right, Śrīla Prabhupāda? (pause) (break)

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Or shall we discuss more? We can start discussing.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. We'll have kīrtana here for you. Okay. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). (break) (end)