740625 - Arrival - Melbourne

Conversations by Date, 1974

740625AR-Melbourne - June 25, 1974

(Video - 01:55)

Reporter: (break) . . . special servant of God.

Prabhupāda: I'm always servant of God, it is for you to recognize, that's all. I'm always servant of God, but it is for you to recognize.

Reporter: Have you any idea how much money the sect makes every year?

Prabhupāda: We can spend all the money of the world.

Devotees:(laughter) Haribol!

Prabhupāda: Unfortunately, you do not give us the money.

Devotees: (laughter) Haribol!

Reporter: What . . . how do you spend, your Grace?.

Prabhupāda: We are spending at least, at the present moment, eight hundred thousand dollars per month.

Reporter: On what, Your Grace?

Prabhupāda: On this propaganda, all over the world. And we are selling our books, not less than forty thousand dollars per month.

Reporter: Do you like to work?

Prabhupāda: Yes. What's that?

Madhudviṣa: She wants to know if we like to work.

Prabhupāda: We are working, more than you—twenty-four hours in the old age I am traveling all over the world.

Devotee: Haribol!

Reporter: But don’t you get a lot of your money from begging?

Prabhupāda: No, no. First of all you see. Working—you cannot work more than us, because I am an old man, seventy-nine years old, and I am traveling always, all over the world, twice, thrice in a year. You cannot work so much, at least.

Devotees: Haribol! Prabhupāda.

Madhudviṣa: Just one more question please. Yes.

Reporter (4): Your Grace, your religion is a very ascetic one. Will you be living ascetically in Melbourne? We’re told you’ll be taken away in a Rolls Royce.

Prabhupāda: Our religion does not say asceticism. Our religion teaches to love God. You can love God in this dress. There is no harm.

Reporter (4): But it is a self-denying religion, isn’t it?”

Prabhupāda: It is not self-denying. We are using everything, why self-denying? We simply use whatever absolutely necessary, that’s all.

Reporter: But how do you justify trappings like a Rolls Royce and a very expensive house to live in?

Prabhupāda: No, we don't want Rolls Royce, we can walk. But if you offer Rolls Royce, I have no objection.

Reporter: Wouldn’t it be better that you were traveling in a lot smaller car, less pretentious?

Prabhupāda: Why, why? If you give me a Rolls Royce to travel, why shall I refuse it? It is my favor upon you, I accept this.

Reporter: Your Grace, would you tell us briefly how you founded the Hare Krishna in America.

Prabhupāda: Well, at least whole world is now chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Wherever you go they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)