710701 - Conversation on SB 2.7.42 - Los Angeles

Conversations by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

710701R2-LOS ANGELES - July 01, 1971 - 16:40 Minutes

Prabhupāda: White sheet means everything prominent. (break)

. . . yeṣām—unto those only; sa—the Lord; eṣa—the; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; dayayet—does bestow His mercy; anantaḥ—the unlimited.

"Anyone who is specifically favored by the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, due to unalloyed surrender unto the service of the Lord, can overcome the insurmountable ocean of illusion and can understand the Lord also. But those who are attached to the body, which is meant to be eaten up by the end by dogs and jackals, cannot do."

Naiṣāṁ mamāham iti dhīḥśva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye, śva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye (SB 2.7.42). Dead body, the dead body is thrown away to be eaten by the dogs and the jackals. So anyone who is identifying with this body, he cannot understand what is God. That is not possible.

yeṣāṁ sa eṣa bhagavān dayayed anantaḥ

sarvātmanāśrita-pado yadi nirvyalīkam

(SB 2.7.42)

Yadi nirvyalīkam: without pretension, one who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, sa eṣa bhagavān dayayed anantaḥ, unto him the Lord bestows His causeless mercy. And such persons, they, dustarām atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ, they can cross over the ocean of nescience. But it is not possible for the person who has accepted his body as self—mamāham iti dhīḥśva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye.

"The unalloyed devotees of the Lord know the glories of the Lord in the sense that they can understand how great the Lord is and how great is His expansion of diverse energy. Those who are attached to the perishable body can hardly enter into the realm of science of Godhead. The whole materialistic world based on the conception of the material body as the self is ignorant of the science of God."

"The materialist is always busy working for the welfare of the material body, not only of his own but also that of his children, kinsmen, countrymen, community men, etc. There are many branches of philanthropy and altruistic activities from the political, national and international angle of vision, but none of the fieldwork can go beyond the jurisdiction of the misconception of identifying the material body with the spirit soul. Unless, therefore, one is saved from the wrong conception of the body and the soul, there is no knowledge of Godhead, and unless there is knowledge of God, all advancement of material civilization, however dazzling, should be considered to be a failure."

So scholarly people, when they read the original verses, this word meaning and purport, they will appreciate. (pause)

So in Hawaii you stock all our books? Small and big?

Gaurasundara: Yes, as many as we can get. We don't get so many of these.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Gaurasundara: We don't receive very many of these Bhāgavatas. There's a shortage. (pause)

Prabhupāda: In our this main temple, how many rooms are there, in Hawaii?

Gaurasundara: Oh, in Hawaii? Upper level there is four.

Prabhupāda: What?

Gaurasundara: In the top level there are four rooms and two baths, then on the main level there is a Deity room, temple room, the kitchen, one bath and a sculptor's room, where the Deities are made.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Gaurasundara: Then on the down level there is the prasādam room and two storerooms.

Prabhupāda: That is sufficient? And how many are living there?

Gaurasundara: About twenty, twenty-five. But we sleep . . . sleep outside.

Prabhupāda: Why?

Gaurasundara: Because it is very pleasant. The boys, not the girls.

Govinda dāsī: All the boys sleep outside all over the lawn. All over.

Gaurasundara: We have, up on the hill, we have a little house.

Prabhupāda: That place is occupied by you?

Gaurasundara: Yes, on the hill.

Prabhupāda: That is pleasant?

Gaurasundara: Yes. There is more rest outside. You wake up in the morning strong and fresh; inside, we don't feel so nice.

Govinda dāsī: Mainly the girls sleep inside. The brahmacārīs . . . Brahmacārīs just sleep all over the front yard, and they have this little hut built, little, what did you call it, bhajan . . .?

Gaurasundara: Kuṭir.

Govinda dāsī: Little things all over the hill. And they sleep up there.

Gaurasundara: And we have bees.

Govinda dāsī: Oh, Bees. Fresh honey.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Gaurasundara: We gathered eight, eight gallons of honey. Just one gallon is twelve pounds of honey . . . (indistinct) . . . we had eight such jars, but then you have to wait for six months to get it.

Govinda dāsī: If you like, we will send you some.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Govinda dāsī: We will send you some fresh honey. Or if you come there?

Gaurasundara: It is very nice honey.

Govinda dāsī: It is delicious honey.

Prabhupāda: It is very pure honey.

Govinda dāsī: Hmm.

Prabhupāda: Honey can be kept anything, any long time if you keep it in a nice place.

Govinda dāsī: The ants.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Govinda dāsī: From the ants.

Prabhupāda: Ants?

Govinda dāsī: The ants. A jar, so that the ants can't get into it.

Gaurasundara: If the ants find the honey they crawl all over it, trying to get in.

Govinda dāsī: They will drown themselves in honey, just drink it. They kill themselves.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Govinda dāsī: The ants, they'll kill themselves just to drink the honey. Just for the taste of honey they . . . they drown, and they die.

Prabhupāda: This is material world. For sense gratification, one is dying, not only in one life—life after life.

Govinda dāsī: One jeweler friend in our . . . did I write and tell you that we had many donations of many kinds of jewelry for Lord Gaura-Nitāi?

Prabhupāda: No.

Govinda dāsī: And, well, like I wrote that we had coral and jade, and we got some . . .

Prabhupāda: Real jewels?

Govinda dāsī: Real. Real coral, real jade, real opals. We got a whole bunch of opals, and the most wonderful thing, we are going to get gold crowns for them.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Govinda dāsī: Real gold, real gold crowns we are going to have, custom made.

Prabhupāda: Eh? But be careful. Someone may come. It is dangerous also.

Govinda dāsī: Ah, they will be so beautiful.

Prabhupāda: That is all right, but you must keep . . . you must have some safe, lock and key at night, open at . . . (indistinct) . . . because there are thieves. As soon as they know there is real gold, they will take.

Govinda dāsī: It won't be solid, it will be plated.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Govinda dāsī: It will be plated, gold-plated.

Prabhupāda: Make crown like this.

Govinda dāsī: Gold. That is gold leaf.

Prabhupāda: Los Angeles.

Gaurasundara: No, that is downstairs in the temple.

Govinda dāsī: (indistinct) . . . silver.

Gaurasundara: Silver.

Govinda dāsī: Silver, real silver. That's what we . . .

Gaurasundara: That's solid silver? Or silver . . .

Govinda dāsī: Silver plate.

Prabhupāda: Karandhara knows.

Govinda dāsī: It is silver-plated brass, I think. That is what the crowns are going to be, silver-plated brass. And . . . (indistinct) . . . and His necklaces, Lord Gaura-Nitāi's necklaces, they will be sol . . . they will be gold-plated, gold. And we have two nice diamonds. Do They wear nose pin? Nose pin? Yeah? I can put a nice diamond.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Govinda dāsī: I can put a nice diamond.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Govinda dāsī: Should it be a ring or should it be a pin?

Prabhupāda: No, pin.

Govinda dāsī: Just a diamond pin. We have two jewellers who are working. They will make things for us like that, settings. One of them has already made solid gold flute for Kṛṣṇa. It is this long. For our Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities. They are not installed, but a solid gold $35 gold bar with little holes drilled in it for the flute. And then it has a little decoration at the end, and we're going to hang a little teardrop jewel. So Kṛṣṇa is sending all sorts of . . .

Prabhupāda: You have got two siṁhāsanas?

Gaurasundara: Not yet.

Govinda dāsī: No. We have one very nice marble.

Prabhupāda: Marble.

Govinda dāsī: Like the ones here.

Prabhupāda: Who is taking care now, Deity worship?

Gaurasundara: Balabhadra and Turyadas.

Prabhupāda: Balabhadra is a very nice boy.

Gaurasundara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Who picked them?

Govinda dāsī: You picked them. We have one other boy, Lou.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Govinda dāsī: And the one who is helping with the sculpture, the Gaura-Nitāi sculpture. He has helped so much. Kṛṣṇa is sending. So amazing, so miraculous.

Prabhupāda: Balabhadra is married?

Gaurasundara: No.

Prabhupāda: He is brahmacārī?

Gaurasundara: Yes. He's thinking of getting married, but he was approved anyway.

Prabhupāda: I have no objection, but if he has passed so long without marriage, then . . .

Gaurasundara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So, let me see.

Gaurasundara: (indistinct) . . . (offers obeisances) (pause) (break) (end)