Devotees Cherish Living in Vrindavan, Avoiding Concocted Practices in KC

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Prabhupāda: [Transl. …assembly hall?] Indian man: [Transl. Yes, assembly hall when they come here for Melā.]

Prabhupāda: [Transl. And upstairs?] Indian man: [Transl. Upstairs is a place to live. He lived here on rent. One that Mahārāja was there, he used to live.]

Prabhupāda: [Transl. Which Mahārāja?] Indian man: [Aside: [Transl. What was his name? Who now built his own āśrama just in front? The one who built his own āśrama?] Indian man (2): [Transl. Jagadguru… He belongs to Śrī Sampradāya, Mahārāja. He used to live here on rent. Now it's vacant. There is water problem here. Otherwise it would have been taken on rent.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. How much is rent?] Indian man: [Transl. Thirty rupees, Mahārāja, per month.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. Ahh. Problem of water?] Indian man: [Transl. Yes, Mahārāja.] Indian man (2): [Transl. One has to fetch water from a distance. There are lots of wells around. Water has to be fetched from a little distance. Well is just outside of the door.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. Can we take it?] Indian man: [Transl. Sure, you can take it.] Indian man (2): [Transl. Sure. Why not?] Prabhupāda: [Transl. Then arrange it for us.] Indian man: [Transl. Yes. It will be done.] Prabhupāda: [break] ...dozen carts. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: It looks like it came from here. [break] Prabhupāda: ...cannot say Hare Kṛṣṇa. There is such competition. Indian man: [Aside: [Transl. Mahārājajī is asking us to give that room upstairs to him on rent. And this garden he will fix it. I will talk to him about this. The garden will look nice. Why don't you talk to Bābulāljī.] Indian man (2): [Transl. So how the rent will be….] Indian man: [Transl. Just book that room on rent. The one at the back side where Raghunāthācārya was living.] Indian man (2): [Transl. Oh, Raghunāthācārya. I see. [to Prabhupāda: [Transl. Why do you want to take it?] Prabhupāda: [Transl. We have got so many people. There is not enough space there. For example, many times our devotees reside in Fogle āśrama and other places. That's why.] I like this garden very nice. Indian man: [Transl. We will keep our people in the other house and your people….] Indian man (2): [Transl. No, I personally may live also.] Indian man: [Transl. I see. Today I will talk to Manager saheb.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. Yes, do it.] It is maintained very nicely. We can get flowers. [Transl. These flowers can be offered to our Kṛṣṇa Balarāma and your Raṅganāthajī as well.] Indian man: [Transl. Very good idea. [aside: He is saying that the garden is beautiful and lots of flowers in it.] Prabhupāda: Water is supply there? [Transl. Is there a well? Is there a well here?] Indian man: [Transl. Well is there. A motor is fitted to pump out water. Two wells are there. Farming is done here also. There are two gardens. One is wet garden for farming and the other is dry garden for flower. Two gardens. One is here and the other is adjacent to it.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. Oh, next to this.] Indian man: [Transl. There is one well here and another one is just in that corner.] The river is very near. Just after that garden, Yamunā. Prabhupāda: [Transl. I believe the water here is sweet.] Indian man: [Transl. Yes. Sweet water, very good.] Indian man (2): [Transl. Sweet, but not so good. It used be good before, but now it has become somewhat salty.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. I see. We have 400 people.] Indian man: [Transl. 400 people?] Prabhupāda: Yes. Indian man: [Transl. Really?] Prabhupāda: [laughs] [Transl. Therefore accommodation facility is not adequate.] Indian man: [Transl. So arrangement must be made.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. We are acquiring more land to build houses. But just now it is not possible.] These people, they like Vṛndāvana. Indian man: [Aside: [Transl. These people like Vṛndāvana very much.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. Like very much. That's why we want that…] Indian man: [Transl. Vṛndāvana is such a dhāma that nobody can dislike it. [laughs] It is like that only.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. Yes. Ramya kaścid upāsanā. [Caitanya-Mañjusā] Vṛndāvana dhāma.] Indian man: [Transl. You are leaving on 11th for America?] Prabhupāda: [Transl. Yes.] Indian man: [Transl. So it will be very difficult to confirm in four days.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. No. If you decide it then our men are here and they will do the needful.] Indian man: [Transl. What is your telephone number?] Prabhupāda: What is our telephone number? Akṣayānanda: 178. Indian man: 179. Devotees: 8. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Vṛndāvana 178. Indian man: 178. [Transl. Actually the Manager has to consult with the trustees. There is a trustee.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. I am familiar with the trustees. That Mr. S. K. Somani.] Indian man: [Transl. Well, that Gadādhara Somani has already passed away. He is no more.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. Who is there now?] Indian man: [Transl. His brother is there. His name is Vaṁśidharajī. He had a cousin brother named Vāstavajī. So, both of them have left this world.] Prabhupāda: So they are not trustee. Indian man: [Transl. Gadādharajī has already gone.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. I had very good acquaintance with him.] Indian man: [Transl. Gadādharajī was a very nice man. He practically helped build the Raṅgajī mandir.] Prabhupāda: ...are agreeeable. Whatever you think, as you like, we can agree. [break] Indian man: [Transl. I will talk to them on phone. Prabhupāda: [Transl. Give some monthly donation.] Indian man: [Transl. Yes. Monthly donation. Also some income from the buildings-room rents.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. Nowadays there is hardly any income from the room rent.] [laughs] Indian man: [Transl. Besides, these are old buildings.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. The mandir is very beautiful.] Indian man: [Transl. Very beautiful. Sometimes you kindly come here on the Navamī: the nineth, day. We will have fire sacrifice etc at noon time. You please come at noon on Navamī day.] Prabhupāda: [Transl. Navamī is tomorrow.] Indian man: [Transl. Navamī is day after tomorrow. If possible…There will be recitation of goddess Caṇḍī, and other prayers too. You please come at that time during noon we will be glad.] [break] Tripurāri: [laughter] I can remember from Caitanya-caritāmṛta, one devotee of Lord Rāmacandra was always chanting the name of Rāma, but Lord Caitanya convinced him to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Prabhupāda: [laughs] There is competition like that. One will say "Hare Rāma." Another will say "No, Hare Kṛṣṇa." Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: He was very obstinate. Hari-śauri: Or that man in Delhi. Prabhupāda: Huh? Hari-śauri: That man in Delhi thought we had something against Lord Rāmacandra. Prabhupāda: [laughs] There are many versions like that. Somebody will say, "Your Rāmacandra may be very important person, but when Rādhārāṇī goes to Kṛṣṇa, Lord Rāmacandra becomes His [Her] guard with arrows." [laughter] When Rādhārāṇī goes to Kṛṣṇa, and Rāmacandra has to serve Rādhārāṇī with arrows and bows. [pause] Prabhupāda: This is Garuḍa. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Prabhupāda: Hmm. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: What is that six-pointed star significance? Prabhupāda: Cakra. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Oh. Hari-śauri: What is the symbol on the right-hand side, Śrīla Prabhupāda? Prabhupāda: I think śaṅkha. Hari-śauri: Is that the conch, is it? [break] Akṣayānanda: ...thread from the Deity, the old sacred thread, and they tie it on their wrist. They tie it here. Prabhupāda: Who? Akṣayānanda: Some of the devotees have started to do that now. Prabhupāda: Why? Akṣayānanda: I don't know. It's just like wearing beads. The sacred thread from the Deity, after replacing, they take the old one and they wear it here. Prabhupāda: Who has told them? Akṣayānanda: I don't know. Prabhupāda: Then why you...? Akṣayānanda: Well, I told one boy to stop it, and because I couldn't quote any authority, he keeps wearing... Prabhupāda: No, no, there is no author... Where is his authority? Akṣayānanda: Yes. Prabhupāda: This nonsense should be stopped. Akṣayānanda: Yes, I thought it was wrong. That's why I mentioned it. I wanted to make sure. Prabhupāda: Stop this. Akṣayānanda: Okay. Sure. Hari-śauri: I think their idea is that because it's prasādam, it's from the Deity, that they're able to wear it like that. Prabhupāda: That is another concoction. The sacred thread is not used like that, in the hand. Akṣayānanda: I thought it was wrong. It seems like some kind of fashion or something, concocted fashion. Prabhupāda: Rādhā-kuṇḍa clay is not bad. Hari-śauri: So it's all right to wear them? Prabhupāda: Not very constantly. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Sometimes I think, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that you're worried that one thing will lead to the next. Actually, all we have to do is follow your example. Akṣayānanda: Yes, we don't have to add anything. What can we add? Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: What is the use of it? Akṣayānanda: What can we add? Prabhupāda: There is a proverb in Bengali that the crows, they eat stool. But when the crow is very young, he eats more stool. [break] ...tendency always, how to become hippie as soon as there is little opportunity. Akṣayānanda: Yes, it's something we have to guard against very carefully. Prabhupāda: Don't allow them. Don't allow all these. Akṣayānanda: Even in India people say like that: "Oh, you are hippies?" Prabhupāda: As soon as you become hippie, immediately your all prestige will go. Akṣayānanda: Finished, yes. Prabhupāda: Very carefully. Hari-śauri: The thing is, a lot of the devotees, they're not very much conscious that they're being watched by the..., very carefully by the public. [break] Prabhupāda: [bird is singing nearby] Bird of paradise? No. Hari-śauri: No, the bird of paradise is different. Prabhupāda: Different. [end]

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