750626 - Conversation B - Los Angeles

Conversations by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

750626R2-LOS ANGELES - June 26, 1975 - 12:18 Minutes

(about BBT accounts)

Prabhupāda: I think it is locked. (break) . . . but if you keep account, that means your . . . (indistinct)

Rāmeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Then you will have to sign, that you will receive payment by checks . . . (indistinct)

Rāmeśvara: I will have to sign that I . . .?

Prabhupāda: This payment Book Trust has paid . . .

Rāmeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: . . . to me . . .

Rāmeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: . . . but that is my money, not your money.

Rāmeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: I am paying you.

Rāmeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: It has been simply sent through you.

Rāmeśvara: Transfer.

Prabhupāda: Transfer. But actually Book Trust is not paying to me.

Rāmeśvara: No, no.

Prabhupāda: So under the circum . . . what is the account?

Rāmeśvara: What is . . .?

Prabhupāda: That you are debiting that, "Paid to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami."

Rāmeśvara: I have written it as a transfer, because Your Divine Grace told me you were going to give me these, uh, certified checks.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Rāmeśvara: I can do it another way. If you do not want to deposit the checks with us, I will write it as a donation to some project in India. Whatever the money will be used for, I can simply make it a donation.

Prabhupāda: Donation, that's all right. But you are not donating, you are taking payment.

Rāmeśvara: Only if you want. (laughs)

Prabhupāda: No. You give me a statement, if not many months, at least in this month, what is the receipt and how it is spent and what is the balance.

Rāmeśvara: For this account in India?

Prabhupāda: No, no. Every month you will give me a statement . . .

Rāmeśvara: Of BBT?

Prabhupāda: Yes. "So much received, so much spent."

Rāmeśvara: Oh, yes. I can do that.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Rāmeśvara: Every month.

Prabhupāda: Every month.

Rāmeśvara: No problem.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Rāmeśvara: I am doing that already, and sending a full report to Bhagavān and Haṁsadutta each month.

Prabhupāda: So you can give me one copy.

Rāmeśvara: Yes. I never did before because I didn’t want to . . .

Prabhupāda: All right.

Rāmeśvara: . . . disturb you with the details.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. No. Details important. (aside) Give me this. Now I will be able to also keep a record, so you can, for transfer, receive the check.

Rāmeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Is that all right?

Rāmeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: I am giving in favor of BBT . . .

Rāmeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: . . . and you will . . .

Rāmeśvara: We are acting like your bank.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Rāmeśvara: We are at . . . BBT, is acting like your bank.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's right. That will be all right. My pen lost, here.

Rāmeśvara: Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Rāmeśvara: I have one question about Gurukṛpa Swami's lakṣmī that he collects.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Rāmeśvara: Each month he is paying to Dai Nippon his entire collection. (break) . . . in English.

Prabhupāda: English, all kinds of books. As soon as you go, I will, I will make a separate go-down, and I shall engage a paid canvasser to go to school, college, library. Our men are not doing anything.

Rāmeśvara: No.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. As here our men are working, there is no sufficient men, or they are not working. Otherwise there is tremendous market.

Rāmeśvara: Hmm.

Prabhupāda: I did it, personally. When I was alone, I was selling this Bhāgavata. All the school, college, I was very . . . with great delight they were taking, at that time . . . (indistinct) . . . I have got standing order of the American Ambassador, eighteen copies of each book as soon as it is published, the same standing order. But these people are not doing, no doubt. Indian management is very . . .

Rāmeśvara: So for the time being it . . . the money will not be used for the construction in Māyāpur. It will be used to print books.

Prabhupāda: Māyāpur, they have already taken one-half lakh from me.

Rāmeśvara: Now Gopal Kṛṣṇa in India requested that BBT give him a loan of $160,000.

Prabhupāda: When?

Rāmeśvara: In India, just this, during the Māyāpur festival, he requested a loan from US BBT for $160,000, which would be used to construct the second residence building.

Prabhupāda: So how he will pay back?

Rāmeśvara: His plan was that the American temples would purchase rooms, and over a period of four or five years they would pay that money back. So is that still approved by you, by Your Divine Grace?

Prabhupāda: Yes. I have no objection.

Rāmeśvara: The only thing is that we will have to delay the loan, because for the next three months all our money will be used to print these seventeen books.

Prabhupāda: First of all books, then loan. Our . . . we cannot hold up printing. That is not possible. This you must always keep in view. We are not going to . . . the surplus money we are going to build, not that at the cost of stopping printing. You must always keep it. When you require money for printing, there is no question of loan or temple-building. This should be our . . . (break) (japa)

So Kṛṣṇa has given you very nice engagement, and you have done well, very well. (japa) (break) (end)