770524 - Conversation D - Vrndavana

Conversations by Date, 1977

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

770524R4-VRNDAVAN - May 24, 1977 - 12:23 Minutes

(Short Discussions)

(soft kīrtana in room continuously)

Prabhupāda: This spread, they . . . first of all they wanted to give us a cheap rate, eh? And now they are doing: "We shall be taking your leader." That is not cheap rate. (pause) (break)

Jayapatākā: . . . then there will be no permission.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is he still in town?

Jayapatākā: Yeah, she said . . . the administrator . . . For one . . . after the elections they should be safe. But Mr. Choudhury said that so far as for the temple, that little pieces in the center, he said that can easily be arranged. But for the big temple . . .

Prabhupāda: The center?

Bhavānanda: We might do that in pieces.

Jayapatākā: Yeah, there was some sanction given. That government kash land, that land is supposed to be given to us. It has been recommended to be given to us. That order has come to the local land officer.

Prabhupāda: Where it is?

Jayapatākā: It's scattered all around. In that area that we wanted, nine hundred bighās, say about a hundred or about sixty bighās scattered, three bighā, two bighā. It is government kash land, so they recommended giving that to us. But because of the elections, that's not making progress.

Bhavānanda: We're getting lots of lemons.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. What you are doing with them?

Bhavānanda: Nimbu pāni, and all the devotees get piece of lemon with their main meal. We have now . . . everyone has gathered. All of the preaching parties have come back, and we've . . . they're all dispersing again on Friday. So when everyone is there, we have close to 275 residents.

Prabhupāda: Everyone is satisfied.

Bhavānanda: Everyone is satisfied.

Prabhupāda: Anyone.

Jayapatākā: The gurukula put on a drama just the day before we left. What was the play?

Bhavānanda: Valmiki Dasu Ratnagara.

Jayapatākā: Dasa Ratna, Dasa Ratnakara, and Nārada Muni, how he became Vālmīki, that . . . two or three gurukula students and two or three teachers, in Bengali.

Bhavānanda: English, Western devotees speaking Bengali. (Prabhupāda chuckles) Very successful.

Jayapatākā: That who will take his pāpāṁśa? Neither his wife nor his son nor his old father, no one would take the share of his sin.

Bhavānanda: Only his money.

Jayapatākā: So he took shelter of Nārada Muni and became Vālmīki Muni.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Good news, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: A translation has come from the . . .

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Very good.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He wrote a little note. Do you want to hear it?

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Dear Mr. Secretary, First of all I take the privileged opportunity of tendering with folded hands my most respectful praṇāma to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swāmījī Mahārāja, who was so kind to me during his stay here. Next I sincerely apologize for not being able to complete the task entrusted to me earlier, the reason being that I was taken ill for two days. Thirdly, I confess that living out of touch with Hindi legal words, I could not properly reflect . . . correct and appropriate Hindi equivalent words at some places, and therefore I have tried to explain the purport. The translation rendered and tendered . . ." Very nice way of speaking it.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. This is lawyer, judge.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ". . . rendered and tendered herewith may not be treated as an authoritative, verbatim translation. (Prabhupāda chuckles) There is much scope for improvement. For the present it may be used and circulated in a narrow circle."

Prabhupāda: We don't want much improvement. Your translation is . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Then he says . . .

Prabhupāda: So arrange for . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Printing it.

Prabhupāda: . . . pamphlets for huge distribution.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This will be made into a separate little pamphlet all about the court case.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Any photographs, perhaps, of the persons involved? Any need of that? I think we can leave it up to Gopāla. He's in charge of printing.

Prabhupāda: No, not . . . we have said.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We should give a little background introduction of the court case and then this translation of the final verdict of the judge.

Prabhupāda: And "Translated by such and such judge." It will carry some weight.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: What is his name?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sardar Singh. Judge Sardar Singh.

Prabhupāda: What is the spelling?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: S-a-r-d-a-r.

Prabhupāda: Sardar.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Singh, S-i-n-g-h. He says, "I will come to Śrī Vṛndāvana by the 20th of June, and then I will be able to correct the mistakes and use proper words after seeing the dictionary. Lastly it is prayed that my name not be associated with the translation." Do we have to abide by his desire?

Prabhupāda: If there is some official objection . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, he says in it that "so that the people may not make adverse comments," because it's not, you know, it's not verbatim. He's done it quite lengthly, though.

Prabhupāda: You can write, "Translated by a qualified judge."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's a wonderful court decision. He sent the original back also.

Prabhupāda: So do the needful.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So did you say you didn't want Gopāla to translate it, Śrīla Prabhupāda . . . to publish it?

Prabhupāda: Hmm? Why you misunderstand?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I couldn't hear. That's why I'm asking.

Prabhupāda: You asked me whether photograph should be given. I said, "That cannot be decided by Gopāla."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I see.

Prabhupāda: I don't think photograph is required.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. Simply a little introduction about what the . . .

Prabhupāda: Introduction is there. Nothing. As it is.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Just as it is. Okay. Little . . . it'll be a pamphlet for mass distribution. (pause) He did a lot of work, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Twenty-eight pages long, translation.

Prabhupāda: You can ask Dr. Prem Yogi to give a suitable heading.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. I'll let him go through it, and then he'll give a heading.

Prabhupāda: That's all. (break) . . . (indistinct Hindi) (end)