771010 - Conversation A - Vrndavana

Conversations by Date, 1977

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

771010R1-VRNDAVAN - October 10, 1977 - 92:11 Minutes

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: So? Six?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Seven. Sometimes six. I think I better start coming at six again. Śrīla Prabhupāda? Bhavānanda Mahārāja and Śatadhanya Mahārāja have come.

Prabhupāda: What news?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What news? Bhavānanda Mahārāja, what news?

Bhavānanda: Everything is nice at Māyāpur, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Give me little detail.

Bhavānanda: The Show Cause, our Show Cause, has been submitted, and the hearing was set on the seventh, last Friday, but the ADM cancelled it until next month on the 18th. And all of us who were involved in this shooting case, we also appeared in court on Friday, and the judge, magistrate, released us for traveling in India and preaching. Before that we had been restricted to Nadia district. We hadn't been allowed to leave Nadia. The magistrate said that we are free to travel within India for preaching work, which was good. And the next date has been set for the 29th of December, and on that date we'll most likely be discharged from the case.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hmm. Discharged. The case will be dropped.

Bhavānanda: Yeah the case against us will be dropped, and case will be brought against the Muhammadans for attacking the temple.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In other words, it seems that it's reversed.

Bhavānanda: It's reversing.

Prabhupāda: Rākhe kṛṣṇa māre ke. (devotees chuckle)

Bhavānanda: As soon as we were released, Śrīla Prabhupāda, I immediately came here. I'm free to stay here with you. When we heard that your health had gotten worse and worse, I realized that I'm totally dependent upon you for my very life and soul, Śrīla Prabhupāda. If you should leave, I don't . . . (break) . . . then with a group of men, and in one week he distributed over five thousand books.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Which book was selling the most? He was in Bihar. Bengalis are most there.

Bhavānanda: And Ānanda-svarūpa is in Malda, and he in the last week distributed over four thousand books.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What is the report from Haridaspura?

Bhavānanda: They had their disappearance day of Ṭhākura Haridāsa. They distributed prasādam, and five thousand people came. We sent a party of men down.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Five thousand.

Bhavānanda: Now the flood waters have recessed. We're preparing for the planting, plowing. Everything has been flooded. Just now it's dry enough to plow for planting wheat. We planted 170 coconut trees. (pause)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Your pulse is nice and strong, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: What is the attitude of our Godbrothers?

Bhavānanda: Favorable and helpful.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Which ones?

Bhavānanda: Mādhava Mahārāja, Kosan Maṭha, Madhusūdana Mahārāja.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Mādhava Mahārāja was there?

Bhavānanda: He was there two weeks back.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Anybody met him?

Bhavānanda: Jayapatākā Mahārāja went over, but he wasn't . . . he was out that time. That Hṛṣīkeśa Mahārāja in Caitanya Maṭha also there. All favorable and helpful. That big nagara-saṅkīrtana on Jhulana, Pūrṇimā, that was very successful. It healed a lot of misunderstandings between the temples.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hmm everyone could see also that there was so much support.

Bhavānanda: Oh, yes. (indistinct background discussion)

Prabhupāda: Floodwater entered our new house? No.

Bhavānanda: No. The lawn, the park in front of the temple, there was water. There were fish there, swimming.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Where? In that big maidan?

Bhavānanda: No. That was filled with fish. The water was not from the river as much as it was . . . it was from rainwater.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is this more water than that seven or eight . . .

Bhavānanda: No. Then it came over the road.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, right. It didn't come over the road.

Bhavānanda: It didn't enter into the temple. It entered up to the temple stairs.

Prabhupāda: Which water?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Which water? The rainwater, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Bhavānanda: There was no . . . because the river was high, so it rained so much . . . in June it rained for nineteen days without stopping. It had nowhere to drain, and every time it rained after that it kept building up, building up. The Gaṅgā was just fifteen inches below Bhaktisiddhānta Road, fifteen inches from the top.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How many boys are in the gurukula now?

Bhavānanda: Now there're eighty-six boys in the gurukula.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Eighty-six. How many residents are there at Māyāpur now?

Bhavānanda: We've thinned out.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How many?

Bhavānanda: There's 160 including gurukula. After the incident we lost some devotees.

Prabhupāda: How many?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How many did you lose?

Bhavānanda: About twenty, twenty-five.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Twenty-five.

Bhavānanda: The older gurukula boys now go out preaching with the vans, and they are becoming our biggest book distributors.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The young . . . the boys.

Bhavānanda: The older boys, fourteen and fifteen, they're distributing 125, 130, 150 books a day.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What is the news from Calcutta?

Śatadhanya: In Calcutta also we have men, three men. They go out on the street, and they may go to Park Street, and they set up a little stand, and they're distributing Bhagavat Darshan, Bhagavāner Kathās and the people are . . . without even having to approach the people, the people come and they buy it from the stand. So it's also very successful.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The books are in demand.

Śatadhanya: Yeah. They do about one hundred, 150 a day. Dalhousie, Park Street.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How many tables are set up each day?

Śatadhanya: Usually about one or two in different places. As far as Life Members, it used to be we had to go fight and make Life Members. Now they come to the temple and they pay their baise o baise rupee and they say: "I want to be a member."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bengali people also?

Śatadhanya: Bengalis also. Mostly still Marwadi.

Prabhupāda: Bengalis have no money. (laughter)

Bhavānanda: Now that the flood waters have receded, in about three, four weeks it will be time to send the boat out again. Nice program. Tapomaya Prabhu will take charge of that boat. The boat is very popular. Up and down the Gaṅgā from Calcutta to Māyāpur everyone knows the Hare Kṛṣṇa Naukā.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hare Kṛṣṇa Naukā. That's what they call it. What does that mean?

Bhavānanda: Naukā is boat.

Indian devotee: (indistinct) . . . one boat is passing through the river like that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How is the translation work going? How is the publication going?

Bhavānanda: That is Bhakti-caru Swami's work.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're doing nicely?

Bhavānanda: Yes. Subhaga is here.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Subhaga is here, Śrīla Prabhupāda. He came to see you. This seems like . . . when Lord Caitanya was in Jagannātha Purī, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the residents of Māyāpur used to come to visit Him. Now all the residents of Māyāpur are coming to visit you here in Vṛndāvana, your headquarters here.

Prabhupāda: Gitar Gan koto print hocche? (How many copies of Gītār Gān are being printed?)

Bhakti-caru: Srila Prabhupada, Gitar Gan amra onek chapiechilam. Ek lokkho copy. Ekhono ache. Amra seta chapiechiam pray choy mash age. Gaurapurnima somoy chapiechilam. Ekhono pray trish hajar copyr moto ache. Setau mone hoy koek masher modhe sesh hoye jabe. Tarpor abar chapate hobe. Gitar Gan khub popular, ekhon dinke din khub popular hocche, Bangladeshe. (Srila Prabhupada, we have printed Gītār Gan a lot. One lakh copies. We still have that. We printed those about six months ago. During Gaura Purnima we printed them. We still have around thirty thousand copies in stock. That too will be finished in a couple of months. Then we have to print again. Gītār Gan is very popular, nowadays it is becoming more and more popular.)

Subhaga: Bisesh kore Bangladesh theke amra prochur chithi pai. Okhane amra bebostha korechi, Gobindo Banik bole ekta bhodrolok thake, ora likhe. Ekhan theke to osubidha. Ora okhan theke taka pathate parena. Chithi likhe bole dicchi okhane jogajog korte. Takata die dile amra ekhan theke pathie dibo. Amader Iskcon er nam-tam na likhe, jate sorkar kono osubidhar sristi na korte pare. Prochur chithi pai amra. Bangladesh onek district theke chattagram theke, north theke south theke, srihatta sobjayga theke. Emonki musalman-rau chithi likhe amader magazine tar jonno. Ekhane jara mayapure asche oneke tarau ese bole okhankar kotha. Prabhavisnu jokhon gechilo onekei bolechilo je jayga porjonto dhorchilo na, eto lok esechilo. Jayga dite parchilona kirtan shonar jonno. Somosto joto boi-toi pathano hoechilo sesh hoye geche. Motamoti khub boro prachar hobe Banglay. Okahne to kichu nei, paper-tepar bolte. Bisesh kore hindura. Sutorang Bangladeshe amader Gitar gan-i hok, Bhagavad Darshan-i hok amra khub bhalo prachar korte pari. (Especially from Bangladesh we are receiving so many letters. We have arranged a gentleman named Govinda Banik over there. The people write to us. It is troublesome to send money from there. They cannot send from there. When they write to us, we reply to contact that person there and give the money to him and we send the copies from here. We do not write the name ISKCON so that the local government cannot create disturbance. We receive numbers of letters from various districts of Bangladesh, from Chattagram, from the North, South, from Sylhet from everywhere. Even the Muslims also write to us for the magazine. Those who are coming to Māyāpur from there, they also talk about the situation over there. Many people were saying that when Prabhavisnu went, the place was fully packed, no space was there. They could not give place to the people to listen to the kirtans. All the books which were sent are exhausted. It seems that there will be good and large preaching in Bengal. There is nothing much, like enough papers. Especially for the Hindus. Therefore we can preach a good number of books there, be it Gitar Gan or Back to Godhead.)

Prabhupāda: Musalmander arrest koreche? (Did they arrest the Muslims?)

Subhaga: Musalmander ekhono arrest koreni amra jotodur jani. (They did not arrest the Muslims, as far as we know.)

Subhaga: Muhammadan arrested? No.

Bhavānanda: They're going to be arrested.

Subhaga: They're going to be arrested, Prabhupāda.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? How would you like to drink something?

Prabhupāda: I have no thirst.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Maybe after you brush your teeth, that will give a little appetite, thirst. You know, after cleansing the mouth and it gets fresh, then you'll be a little thirsty. At least then you'll be sitting up.

Prabhupāda: The report is on the whole very good.

Bhavānanda: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: So for myself, I may live or not live. It doesn't matter.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, Śrīla Prabhupāda, it may not matter to yourself, but it matters too much for us and for the world. We don't want . . . we can't . . . you can't leave us now.

Prabhupāda: I don't want, but if there is force . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But you said that Kṛṣṇa . . . and Kṛṣṇa will let you choose now, that you can live or go. Kṛṣṇa's given you that choice.

Prabhupāda: I am living still.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There's so much to be done, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Your activities are not completed yet. We have to install the Deities in Bombay, you have to live in your palace in New Vrindaban, you have to show varṇāśrama, you have to complete the Bhāgavatam, you have to live in a new house in Māyāpur, and we have to at least make a good start to begin the big temple in Māyāpur. Everything is still incomplete, what to speak of the fact that we are all very much neophyte still. We need you more than anything else. This movement has to last ten thousand years. We're not ready yet. We're still very much conditioned and contaminated. If you stay with us for another ten years at least, then there's chance that we can become purified more. And it's within your . . . it's within you to be able to do that. Kṛṣṇa will allow you to do that.

Prabhupāda: People are coming like before?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I'll have to start looking again, Śrīla Prabhupāda. My eyes have not been able to see everything very clearly in the last few days.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Due to your being in this condition, I am not seeing very . . . I've not been very alert to looking at those things because I was worried about you. Today I'll try to see.

Prabhupāda: No, in Māyāpur.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh. In Māyāpur people are coming?

Bhavānanda: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Now the flood waters have recessed and the crowds are coming again. And winter season is coming up. Everything is back to normal.

Subhaga: And busloads of people are coming . . .

Bhavānanda: Busloads. Especially from Balrampur.

Subhaga: Almost every week one or two busload of people coming, and they want us we should do program there. Two days ago one professor came and talking to Bhakti-caru Mahārāja and Bhavānanda Swami regarding that. And also from Calcutta and other places.

Bhavānanda: Busloads of people, all respectable.

Subhaga: All classes of people.

Bhavānanda: Everyone at Māyāpur is expecting you to come for the winter season. The sweet sunshine in Māyāpur in the winter is . . .

Subhaga: It's beautiful.

Bhavānanda: . . . the nicest, and the prasādam is the nicest. Everything is . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, Śrīla Prabhupāda, if it gets very cold here it might be a good idea to go there.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bhavānanda: That sweet sun.

Subhaga: Yes, so nice, Prabhupāda.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Then January 1st, we can go to Bombay for opening temple. Then, if the temple is open, there should be not much work left, hopefully.

Bhavānanda: The women at Māyāpur are busy making nimbu ācār.

Subhaga: Amader pray du-tincho lebur aachar banate dieche. Ek bhadra-mohila esechen nursing er, amader bhaktader health dekhashona kore, nurse. Onake Bhavananda Maharaja pray du-tinsho lebur aachar korte dieche. (We are getting around 200 to 300 lemon pickles. One respectable lady came to take care of the devotees' health, she is a nurse. Bhavananda Mahārāja gave her two to three hundred lemons to make pickles.)

Bhavānanda: One older Bengali lady, Mrs. Shaha, widow, very respectable lady, has come to stay. Very respectable, nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What does she do?

Bhavānanda: She was a nurse, so she's taken charge of the dispensary, seeing to everyone's . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Kṛṣṇa gave you the best . . .

Bhavānanda: Very high-class Bengali woman.

Bhakti-caru: And one doctor from Krishnanagar, he's going to visit us every Thursday.

Subhaga: Every week. Once a week, Prabhupāda.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What kind of doctor? Allopathic?

Bhavānanda: Allopathic.

Śatadhanya: For general check-up.

Bhavānanda: The flowers will be blooming, wintertime flowers, so many nice flowers, so many nice sabjīs. But without Your Divine Grace's presence, Śrīla Prabhupāda, it's not complete.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Everything we've done there is for you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Actually, everything we've done in this movement is for you. We're so . . . we don't know Kṛṣṇa at all, Śrīla Prabhupāda. We only know you.

Prabhupāda: But I know you. (devotees chuckle)

Subhaga: If you, Prabhupāda, stay, you can give us so much encouragement, simply your very presence.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I remember when we were in Māyāpur last, Śrīla Prabhupāda, before going to the Bombay paṇḍāl. Every morning we would take you upstairs, and you would sit in the sun, and Bhavānanda Mahārāja would massage you for two hours. Remember? You said you were getting your strength from that sun and the massage.

Subhaga: Mayapurer chade bhalo lagbe, hawa ache. . . (There is very nice air on the roof of Māyāpur buildings.)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And it's also very nice to take you around. Even as you say it's wonderful how we do it, but we like to take you in any condition, traveling.

Subhaga: Gaudiya Mather onyanyo maharaja ra bisesh kore Sridhar Maharaja apnar kotha khub bole. Bole uni jodi thake tahole prachar ta aro bhalo hobe. Ami jokhono majhe majhe jai. (Many Mahārājas from Gaudiya maths, especially Sridhar Mahārāja talks about you. He said if you are there preaching will go on more nicely, he says when I go there sometimes.)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the motive behind which we do everything is to please you. You must be present to accept whatever service . . . we are not very good servants, but whatever little we do, we do for you. Without you being present, we would lose our very reason for working hard and serving.

Prabhupāda: Onyanyo Mather khobor ki? (What is the news about other Mathas?) (break)

Subhaga: Hmm, Prabhupada, onyano mather? (Hmm Prabhupāda, other Mathas?)

Prabhupada: Khobor ki? (What is the news?)

Subhaga: Khobor. Ora ja sadharonoto kore. Majhe du ekta party pathay, pracharer jonno. Kintu beshi kichu to korte parena. Apnar moto, apni jebbhave koren sebhave to parena. Sutorang goto je Jhulanyatra ta hoyechilo sobai eksonge jog diechilo, seta khub bhalo hoechilo, sutorang apni jodi thaken to jinishta khub bhalo hobe . . . jinishta khub bhalo hobe ete kono sondeho nei.Sudhu apni thaken. Damodara Maharajo gechilen. Onyanyo jotogulo math ache sob jog diechilo, dekhte eto sundar dekhacchilo, gotobar jokhon mayapur festival hoechilo apni pathalen amake ba Damodar maharajake, uni bolchilen its bit too late sobai eksonge mile ekta sankirtan party ber kora. Kintu e bochor eta eto sundar hoeche je bolbar moto na. Na dekhle bola jabena. Apnar khub ananda hoto apni jodi thakten . . . (indistinct) . . . sob Maharaja ra eksanga. Apnar to khub icche je sob mathgulo sobai dekhuk eksange mile sankirtan korche sob bideshi bhaktader sathe, sara prithibi theke eseche. Apni Mayapure jodi asen khub bhalo lageb. Abar hoyto ber kora jabe eksonge. (Whatever they usually do. Sometimes they send some parties to preach. But they cannot do much, like you. They cannot do like you do. Therefore they all joined together in the last Jhulan Yatra. That was very wonderful. So if you stay it will be very good . . . no doubt that it will be very good. Simply you stay with us. Damodar Mahārāja was also there. All other Mathas joined, it looked so nice. Last time during Mayapur festival you sent me or . . . Damodara Mahārāja, he was saying it is bit too late to arrange a sankirtana party with all. But this year it was so beautiful that it cannot be expressed with words. One cannot narrate without seeing. You would have been so happy if you were there . . . (indistinct) . . . all the Mahārājas together. You have this great desire to see that all the people will witness that all Mathas are doing sankirtana together with their foreigner devotees, from all over the world. If you come to Māyāpur you will be so happy. Probably we can again arrange one more like that.)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Now you can go to your respective . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Do you want to take rest now for a while? Little rest. You want kīrtana or anything?

Prabhupāda: Not now.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Not now. Okay. (break)

Prabhupāda: Is it cloudy?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, Śrīla Prabhupāda, it's not. It's clear weather. Sun is shining. It's hard to tell, of course, through these curtains and through the windows.

Prabhupāda: Who is there?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's Upendra Prabhu. He's cleaning up your room for you. He's cleaning the floor nicely. He put fresh flowers. Somehow you have to be able to eat something, Śrīla Prabhupāda. That's the . . . at least in my mind it's perplexing question which I don't know the answer to. In all of these events I have to face the reality I'm simply a completely bewildered fool. I can underst . . . I mean, I know you have to . . . if you're to get better, you have to be able to eat something. I don't know what to suggest, though.

Prabhupāda: You bring some milk. That's . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You want to drink some milk? (to Upendra) You make just now. You want any water mixed with it? Half-half? (to Upendra) Milk, half-half with water. Upendra is thinking that milk will cause the coughing.

Upendra: Śrīla Prabhupāda, I think that just as you gradually decreased your eating and drinking and became very weak, so you should increase gradually, very carefully. Yesterday you drank barley water and grape juice, and you didn't come down with a cough. So if you increase just a little barley water and mung water, then after a few days thin milk, maybe some Complan, and then gradually increase the resistance . . .

Prabhupāda: So instead of water, barley water.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Take barley water now?

Prabhupāda: In milk. Milk will give some strength.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Milk will give some strength, Prabhupāda says. He's going to make now, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Milk or . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Complan?

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We have . . . Jayatīrtha brought us new boxes of Complan from England. We have fresh supply now. You want Complan instead of milk?

Prabhupāda: What do you think?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, whatever you take, we don't want you to cough. That's a fact. That's too disturbing. So . . . (break) Why not take barley water instead of milk? I mean, is milk better than barley water?

Prabhupāda: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So yesterday you took barley water and you didn't get mucus. So why not stick with that for a little while and get some more strength? See, if you get mucus now, because you don't have much strength, it will be difficult for you to cough. First of all, better to get more strength. Then we can take up drinking some things like milk, which might cause a little mucus, but then you'd have the strength to cough. Now we should not take any risk. Is that a fact? At least that's how I'm thinking. May be better you drink some barley water. Do you mind drinking it?

Prabhupāda: With little milk mixed up.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Little Complan or milk?

Prabhupāda: Milk.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All right. Okay, Prabhupāda. Upendra is making just now.

Prabhupāda: There is sufficient weakness.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There is what?

Prabhupāda: Weakness.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: I want to sleep.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Should I massage you a little to help you sleep? Okay. Where should I give you massage especially? Where should I massage you especially? Which part?

Prabhupāda: Any part. (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: . . . but I think it's very important that you take something to drink. By drinking something it'll give you a little reason to sleep better. Program this morning should be that you drink something now, then take rest, and then, after resting, then we'll bathe you. (break)

Hari-śauri: This morning I was speaking to Girirāja, and he told me that this woman Śaktimātā was here and . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: She came from Vancouver, Śrīla Prabhupāda, to be . . . because she heard how ill you were, so she came here to see if she could help in any way.

Hari-śauri: So she said that she knew how to make some juices from . . . like carrot juice but with some ginger and a little hing and other things mixed in which would give you very much strength, but at the same time not cause mucus or anything.

Prabhupāda: Let her make.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Let her make?

Hari-śauri: We can try and see what she can make anyway, and then, if you like it, then it may have some good effect.

Prabhupāda: Some vegetable preparation.

Hari-śauri: Yes. I know from personal experience that vegetable juice has very potent effect on the body. We had one boy who was almost crippled, but by following a very strict diet of vegetable juices he completely cleansed his body of disease, and he became very fit and strong. He was not eating anything solid.

Prabhupāda: So where she is?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: She is here. I mean she can start cooking right away. We'll have to get her the ingredients.

Prabhupāda: Let her come here.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: See you? Hmm. All right.

Hari-śauri: She's probably in the class.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I'll get her. (break)

Prabhupāda: Apke haal theek hai? (How are you?)

Śaktimātā: Mein to tadapti thi bahut dino se. (For many days I was suffering.)

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Śaktimātā: Apke bhagya par. (Because of your condition.)

Prabhupāda: Abhi khali haddi reh gayi hai. (Now, only the bones are remaining.)

Śaktimātā: Nahi hadi, hadi sab taiyaar ho jayegi. Meine Mata Radha Rani se bahut prarthana ki hai. Maa kaise bhi apko. Apko daya nahi aati apke bhakt . . . (indistinct) . . . mera jeevan le lo, lekin Prabhupada ji ko bacha lo. Humara jeevan kisi kaam ka nahin hai. (Don't say bones, all the bones will be healed. I've prayed a lot to Radha Rani. Mother, whichever way possible. Don't you feel compassion for your devotee? . . . (indistinct) . . . take my life, but save Prabhupāda. My life is of no use.)

Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct)

Śaktimātā: Prabhupadji app manenge nahin ki. Thodi sewa karne ka mauka . . . (indistinct) . . . Radha Rani ki araadhana se jaisa woh kahengi waisa mein apko unka pakwaan banakar ke dungi . . . (indistinct) . . . mein karne wali kuch nahin hu, meri koi akal nahin hai. Mujhme kuch shakti nahi hai aur mera naam Sakti hai. Shakti kaha use kar rahi hu? Agar aap meri maa, Prabhupada ko nahi bacha sakti, to iss sakti ko kaha use karu? Prabhuji, Prabhupadji mein apki hu, aap mujhe apni sewa dijye. (Respected Prabhupāda you won't agree. Give me an opportunity to serve you a little . . . (indistinct) . . . on praying to Rādhārāṇī and as she directs, I will prepare the dishes and serve you . . . (indistinct) . . . I'm not the doer, I have no intelligence. I have no power and yet my name is power. Where am I using the power? If my mother, you can't save Prabhupada, then where do I use this power? Prabhuji, Prabhupāda I'm yours, please engage me in your service.)

Prabhupāda: So let her do something.

Prabhupāda: Ab karo jaise tumhari . . . (Now do as you . . .)

Śaktimātā: Bhagya . . . bhagawan ki aur apki daya. Humko humarei Prabhupadji chahiye. Humko kuch nahi chahiye. Jagat mein koi cheej humarei kaam ki nahi hai. Hum nahin jee sakte apke bina. (Blessed . . . God and your mercy. We want our Prabhupāda. We don't want anything else. Nothing in this world is of any use to us. We cannot live without you.)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So we'll give her the ingredients she requires.

Śaktimātā: I will try same to small baby. You see, it doesn't matter. I will try to give Prabhupāda something, something. Anything Prabhupāda says: "Yes, this is I like," and that is suitable for the body, that we'll do.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. The main problem is that mucus, because if he gets this cough, then he's so weak he cannot cough properly.

Śaktimātā: That is I understand. I will use that ginger powder, little, and honey. That is very helpful. Also sometimes I will use that keśura. That thing very useful. Also you can get kophur. You can use your throat always here and near the ear . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He doesn't have a cough now. It's not that he gets . . . he doesn't have a cold or flu. It's not like that kind of cough. It comes from the kind of food he eats. It causes the mucus. So when you cook, you have to cook in such a way that it doesn't form mucus. It's not that he has cold.

Śaktimātā: I understand. You hear me one thing. I am nothing, Prabhu. I am servant of Prabhupāda. I am servant of the all devotees. Rādhārāṇī, as She suggest me, I will cook. I am nothing. She order me. So She gave that prasādam to Prabhupāda. I am nothing, Prabhu. Don't think, "Shakti will something." I am nothing, Prabhu. Rādhārāṇī, She give Prabhupāda as She like. I don't know. I haven't in my mind anything now also. If She say . . . I will first go to pray Rādhārāṇī, "Rādhārāṇī, You save Your servant. He is so great bhakta." I am beggar of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So He will hear me. (break)

Prabhupāda: Give her to prepare. I cannot take very thick. Only thin prepara . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Everything has to be made very thin.

Śaktimātā: Only liquid, water. I will start one drop, one spoon, then start increase and increase. How much depend to you as you like, you accept, the body accept. That is my duty to do. As you like. I am your servant.

Prabhupāda: Do it.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So Śrīla Prabhupāda, Upendra brought something for you to drink, some barley water. (break) I also cannot serve. I have no idea. I want you to know that I don't know. I don't know what to say medically what to do. Upendra says giving little at a time is better.

Prabhupāda: So you wanted to change . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Change the bedding?

Prabhupāda: You wanted to do something?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, we were talking about . . . not now. I think in a little while later giving you full just sponge bath and then changing the sheets. You want to do it now? We can do it now.

Prabhupāda: No. You can do later.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think if we do it . . . do it now 'cause he already bathed. Upendra thinks this is a convenient time, Śrīla Prabhupāda, 'cause you're sitting up already. He'll give you a light sponge bath. Is that all right? Okay. (break)

Dr. Kapoor: Khub durbal lagche? (Feeling very weak?)

Prabhupāda: Sudhu har-i roye gelo. (Only bones are remaining.)

Dr. Kapoor: He came? Hakeemjī came? Did Hakeemjī come? Did the doctor come? Hakeemji?

Devotee: No.

Prabhupāda: When he came? He did not come.

Dr. Kapoor: You want him?

Prabhupāda: No, what do you think of him?

Dr. Kapoor: He's not very efficient. You should call some good doctor from Agra, from Mathurā. Doctor Vyas of Mathurā is good. He's a devotee also, Dr. Vyas. The son of late Dr. Vyas, Dr. G. N. Vyas. If you say, I can write to him. Hmm? I can write to him. Isn't there any doctor amongst the disciples of Prabhupāda who can stay here for some time?

Girirāja: Well, there are doctors, but actually it's very difficult to find a doctor that the treatment is effective. So it's very difficult.

Dr. Kapoor: What I mean to say is that ask him to treat Prabhupāda or not, but there should be some qualified doctor who stays here permanently for the purpose of checking him out from time to time, you see, because you are all laymen. If there is any complication, you don't understand it. So if there is doctor by his side always, he can check up and say: "This is so and so." You can call any other doctor afterwards you see and treat him. So in the present condition of Prabhupāda it is necessary that you always have some good medical advice available here. So it would be nice if you had one of the disciples of Prabhupāda . . . there was one Dr. Batnagar, I think, who retired as civil surgeon of Mathurā, who was here for some time I saw. If he can be help, you can call him, I think.

Girirāja: Dr. Batnagar?

Dr. Kapoor: I don't remember his name, but perhaps Dr. Batnagar. He's perhaps a disciple of Prabhupāda. He at least stayed here for quite some time, and he told me that once he proposed that he would stay here permanently and treat the devotees.

Prabhupāda: Sometimes they recommend hospitalization, and I don't like that.

Dr. Kapoor: No, that wouldn't be good for you. Because here you have all the facilities, and your mind at least is at peace. But in the hospital you will not find that peace. If you want a vaidya, an old vaidya, experienced one, I can bring Raj Vaidya Pandit Lakshmi-Narayan.

Prabhupāda: Where he is?

Dr. Kapoor: He's here in Vṛndāvana. He was principal of Āyurvedic College in Jaipur. He's a very old man now, very senior man, retired. He's a good friend of mine. I think he would come.

Prabhupāda: Where he is?

Dr. Kapoor: He lives in . . . near Rādhā-Vallabha's temple.

Prabhupāda: He's practicing? No.

Dr. Kapoor: He's not practicing. He's doing bhajana. He's doing bhajana, but he's a very old, experienced hand, old, experienced person.

Prabhupāda: Why not try? I have called that G . . . you know G. Ghosh?

Dr. Kapoor: Who?

Prabhupāda: Of Allahabad, G. Ghosh.

Dr. Kapoor: G. Ghosh? Is he a doctor? G. Ghosh. There was one Ghosh . . . he must be very old, isn't he?

Prabhupāda: He is my age.

Dr. Kapoor: Your age. I know G. Ghosh. But would he come? Long distance and old man.

Prabhupāda: But he is my old friend.

Dr. Kapoor: Friend. If he comes, well and good.

Prabhupāda: He recommended when I was in Bombay, he would come to Bombay. And . . . that hospital?

Girirāja: Jaslok.

Prabhupāda: Hmm . . . in Jaslok hospital J. P. Narayan was admitted? Again he was sent to foreign country. This is the difficulty. They want up-to-date scientific treatment, which means taking blood, injection, operation, like that.

Dr. Kapoor: Yes, yes. No. You can't stand all that. (break) I think Raj Vaidya Pandit Lakshmi-Narayan. Let him examine. Unko nabj ki pehchaan achi hai. (He has knowledge of the pulse.) The doctor wouldn't be able to say anything unless he checks of your blood and everything, you see, which is a very troublesome task. But an old vaidya, he can feel the pulse and say what exactly is wrong.

Prabhupāda: He can be brought now?

Dr. Kapoor: I can try.

Prabhupāda: So give him . . .

Girirāja: I'll arrange a car.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) . . . strength even for sitting.

Dr. Kapoor: Oh. You should keep lying. Don't sit for long. (break)

Prabhupāda: Today is also critical day?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. Today is supposed to be not critical. Tomorrow is said to be critical day.

Prabhupāda: Kapoorjī is bringing one retired vaidya. Uska keya nam hai? (What is his name?)

Dr. Kapoor: Pandit Lakshmi-Narayan. He was principal of Āyurvedic College in Jaipur. He's retired man, now doing bhajana here. He's a very old and experienced person. So he will just see the pulse . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Kapoor: . . . and say what exactly is wrong.

Prabhupāda: So give him car.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So we'll give you Prabhupāda's car or we can give . . . either way. It may be better . . . Bhakti-caitanya Swami has his vehicle here, I think.

Prabhupāda: Any car.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All right. I'll arrange a car for you.

Dr. Kapoor: So I'll go just now and try.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So I'll arrange, Śrīla Prabhupāda? Okay.

Upendra: And we . . . we'll wait for the bath?

Prabhupāda: If the vaidya-rāja is coming, we should wait.

Upendra: Yes, Prabhupāda.

Jayādvaita: Śrīla Prabhupāda has been taking this chanting as medicine, Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Dr. Kapoor: That's good.

Jayādvaita: His Divine Grace said this is the best medicine.

Dr. Kapoor: That certainly is the best medicine. You're having chanting often? I see. That is well. Not very loudly.

Prabhupāda: Apnara sob aparadh marjona korben. (You all please forgive all my offenses.)

Dr. Kapoor: Ki bollen Prabhupada? (What did you say Prabhupāda?)

Prabhupada: Bolchi prachar korte gele onek somoy torko-bitorko nanan rokom hoy. (I am saying while preaching sometimes we may need to argue and counter argue.)

Dr. Kapoor: Ha hoy, ta to hoy. (Yes, yes, that happens.)

Prabhupada: Apnara sob amar aparadh marjona korben. (You all please forgive my offenses.)

Dr. Kapoor: Na na ki bolchen? Apnar dwara. Eisob kotha apni bolben na. Apni ki aparadh korechen, apni to Krishna sebai korechen. (No no, what are you saying? You did . . . please do not say all this. What offense you did? You only served Kṛṣṇa.)

Prabhupada: Apni to amar choto bhaier moto. Jokhon apni student tokhon theke apnar sange porichoy. Janen to? (You are like my younger brother. We have known each other from when you were a student. Isn't it?)

Dr. Kapoor: Ha, ha. (Yes, yes.)

Prabhupada: Koto boyosh holo apnar? (How old are you now?)

Dr. Kapoor: Amar sixty eight. (I am sixty eight.)

Prabhupada: Pray dosh bochor choto. (You are almost ten years younger.)

Dr. Kapoor: Apni to amake koto tonic nijer toiri kora diechen, sesob kheye ami sustho achi. (You have given me so many tonics prepared by your own hand. I am keeping fit by that only.) (laughs)

Prabhupada: Age apni patla chilen. (Before you were thin.)

Dr. Kapoor: Ha. (Yes.)

Prabhupada: Apnar babau patla chilen. (You father was also thin.)

Dr. Kapoor: Ha babau patla chilen. (Yes my father was also thin.)

Prabhupada: Uni kotodin goto hoeychen? (How long since he has passed away?)

Dr. Kapoor: Unar holo bish bochor. (It's been twenty years since he passed away.)

Prabhupada: Maa-o gechen. (Your mother has also passed away?)

Dr. Kapoor: Maa-u gechen. (My mother has also passed away.)

Prabhupada: Ekhon iccha chilo Prabhupader varnashrama dharma , ederke ektu se bishoye idea dea. (Now my desire was to train them into Varnasrama dharma, that was Prabhupāda's desire.)

Prabhupāda: Er moddhe London nie gechilo. (They took me to London meanwhile.)

Dr. Kapoor: Ha ami jani. Apnar minor operation hoechilo. Er poreto ektu bhalo chilen apni? (Yes I know. You had undergone a minor operation. After that you were little better.)

Prabhupada: Bhagavaner icchay. (The Lord's wish.)

Dr. Kapoor: Hoyto apni sustho hoye jaben. Ekhon good weather is approaching. Ektu sheet ele. (Probably you will recover. Now good weather is approaching. Winter is coming.)

Prabhupada: Jehetu apni bolchen, experienced lok. (Since you are saying, an experienced person.)

Dr. Kapoor: This man is very experienced.

Devotee: He's arranging, yes.

Girirāja: Dr. Kapoor? The car is ready.

Dr. Kapoor: All right. Ācchā, Prabhupāda, let me try, eh?

Prabhupāda: Somebody may go with you.

Girirāja: Yes. Śrīdhara Swami is going with him. You want kīrtana?

Prabhupāda: Kīrtana there is no restriction. (break) (kīrtana)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. Rāmeśvara Mahārāja is here. Do you want to turn over a little?

Upendra: Can you take his hips and pull Prabhupāda up a little bit? (break)

Prabhupāda: So in the Iran, what do they supply?

Bali-mardana: In Iran what do they supply?

Rāmeśvara: What do they supply?

Bali-mardana: In the restaurant?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What foodstuffs, you mean, Śrīla Prabhupāda? I think what do they serve . . . you mean what are they serving the people to eat? Śrīla Prabhupāda . . .

Rāmeśvara: There are fruits and juices, very nice fruits and juices in Iran. And they also have nice vegetables and wheat. Wheat is their main grain.

Prabhupāda: Wheat. Hmm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda, wheat.

Prabhupāda: So wheat . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How do they make the wheat? Into cāpāṭis?

Bali-mardana: They have a special type of bread.

Rāmeśvara: They makes breads.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This is not being understood. Prabhupāda, do you mean what we are serving the royal family?

Prabhupāda: No, no. They have got restaurant.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The restaurant. What do they serve in the restaurant.

Rāmeśvara: Oh. In the restaurant there is cāpāṭis, nice ḍāl, two sabjīs. Rice is a very favorite food of Persians, so rice is there, and some sweet, usually some pudding, some sweet rice, and some fruit juice and fruit. These things all come as part of the meal.

Prabhupāda: They like it.

Rāmeśvara: Oh, yes. It is so crowded, there's no more room. In fact, they are looking for a bigger place.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Hmm. So everything is prepared by Nandarāṇī?

Bali-mardana: Nandarāṇī is preparing?

Rāmeśvara: Nandarāṇī and some other brahmins, some men who are there at the temple. She is especially a good cook. And in the evenings they play Hare Kṛṣṇa kīrtana tapes, mostly Your Divine Grace. People very much like the atmosphere because of the music. In Islam there is a tradition of chanting God's names and other mantras or prayers, so they appreciate the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa very much. When you enter the restaurant there is a big book table, so the first thing that one sees are japa beads and your books, and people buy the books from the table.

Prabhupāda: English.

Rāmeśvara: For now they are selling Bhagavad-gītā, Back to Godhead, and Satsvarūpa Mahārāja's book. That is also being sold. They are just now printing the first Persian Back to Godhead, and in three months' time the Bhagavad-gītā in Persian will be . . . translation will be completed.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Who is doing the translation?

Rāmeśvara: One local man that joined us, very intelligent man.

Prabhupāda: So they are looking after a bigger place?

Brahmānanda: They're looking after a bigger place?

Rāmeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Very warm nowadays?

Rāmeśvara: During the day it is just like here—80, 85 degrees. In the early morning and in the evening sometimes a little chilly.

Prabhupāda: At night snowfall?

Rāmeśvara: No.

Jayatīrtha: Snow there starts around December. It starts to get snow in Tehran.

Rāmeśvara: This is the best time in Tehran, the fall, autumn season. Parivrājakācārya Mahārāja told me that the Indian ambassador to Iran spoke with him and told him, "You are the real ambassador of India."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Why?

Rāmeśvara: Because he is becoming friendly with the royal family. Actually he goes every day to the palace. They send a chauffeured Mercedes to pick him up every day. He spends four or five hours every day talking to the royal family.

Prabhupāda: It is great opportunity.

Jayatīrtha: The wealthiest family in the world, much more wealthy than Rockefeller.

Prabhupāda: He goes alone or with somebody else?

Rāmeśvara: For now he's going alone. They are very interested in haṭha-yoga also, and he knows something of it, so he teaches them. The prince and the princess have already become vegetarian.

Prabhupāda: And they are not making any chānā preparation?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Are they cooking anything with chānā in it? No chānā preparations?

Devotees: What's chānā?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Chick peas.

Prabhupāda: Not chick peas . . .

Jayatīrtha: Cheese.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, chānā. (laughs) Yes, cheese, right, cheese.

Jayatīrtha: Any vegetable?

Rāmeśvara: Sometimes they make one sabjī with eggplant, tomatoes and fried cheese, very nice wet sabjī. Actually that's one of the sabjīs every day in the restaurant.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Dr. Kapoor is waiting?

Śrīdhara: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Has the other doctor come yet?

Śrīdhara: No. He hasn't come. Dr. Kapoor suggested he should go now because he has some work, and that doctor will be coming. He went to Rādhā-Ramaṇa temple.

Prabhupāda: Give him some prasādam, Dr. Kapoor.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhakti-caru? Can you give Dr. Kapoor some prasādam before he goes?

Bhakti-caru: Yes, sure. (whispering in background)

Prabhupāda: Hmm? What is that?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well we were just talking, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It wasn't very important.

Upendra: So the other doctor has come.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bring the chairs here. Don't move that. This one. (end)