CONVERSATION – JULY 11, 1976, NEW YORK
Indian man (2): Remember when we were building our altar? Remember last year when I talked to you? We were building altar, and actually I went to every Indian, and myself and the president of that temple, we begged everything we can do possible… And we wanted to collect almost ten thousand dollars, we couldn't even collect five thousand dollars, and most of them were making between fifteen and thirty thousand dollars. Some of them in fact gave us pennies.
Prabhupada: Just see.
Indian man (2): And they took from us one Bhagavad-gita. We gave them Bhagavad-gita and they gave us some pennies.
Bali-mardana: Not a very good trade. (laughter)
Prabhupada: This is not good report.
Bali-mardana: Praghosa, he gets at least ten dollars in laksmi.
Indian man (2): It's difficult to collect money from the Indians. That is my experience, and I…
Bali-mardana: Because they are thinking of rupees. (laughter)
Prabhupada: That means they do not like Krishna.
Indian man (2): I don't know. Somehow or other, I myself am totally confused about Indian community in this country. I have no comments to make, but I found out that they are the least charitable community among all communities. I lived in Canada almost ten years, and I found out other communities are very charitable. Even if you go to other community, at least they will give something, but Indians…
Prabhupada: (Hindi) Every Indian should come to the temple and become a devotee.
Indian man (1): I think more and more people are really coming to the temple and becoming part of it, as I think most of the devotees around here know, in the last few years. Everybody I know of…
Prabhupada: "More and more coming" means not all are coming. (laughter)
Indian man (1): All of them would be the desirable thing.
Prabhupada: What is the objection?
Indian man (1): There are so many other temples. Hindu temple, Sindhu(?) temple… There's organization of community of Indians, they are trying to develop their own.
Prabhupada: There is Radha-Krishna Deity?
Indian lady: Yes.
Indian man (1): There is Gita temple, there's a Sindhi temple.
Prabhupada: Without Krishna? Gita without Krishna?
Indian man (1): It is a temple, everybody facing their back towards Krishna and chanting about what was happening in the town.
Bali-mardana: They have Krishna murti, but when he went there everyone had their back to the murti.
Indian man (1): And they were chanting, not chanting, talking about what was going on in the town.
Bali-mardana: Social, for social reasons.
Prabhupada: That means they do not know Krishna.
Indian man (1): But here you can only talk about Krishna, so they don't want to come.
Indian man (2): If you want to talk to them about Krishna you'll lose a friend.
Indian man (1): Right away.
Indian man (2): Right away. So either make friends with Krishna, or make friends with that guy.
Prabhupada: That is not very good. That means they have fallen from their culture. They have lost their culture.
Indian man (1): Some of them in fact enjoy eating hot dogs and hamburgers. They said, "Oh, I have been eating vegetables for ages. Now I have come here to eat hot dogs and hamburgers." That is their comment. They have done totally,
Prabhupada: What is this hot dog?
Hari-sauri: It's meat, sausage.
Guest: Together with other poisons.
Radhavallabha: Made from cows. [break]
Prabhupada: Some prasadam? Oh, they have taken prasadam.
Indian man (2): Want something to eat?
Hari-sauri: Feast prasadam.
Bali-mardana: Someone is making them some little prasada?
Hari-sauri: There is some prasadam to distribute.
Prabhupada: (Hindi) And they talk of Bhagavad-gita and keeping Krishna background? Somebody says?
Bali-mardana: Yes. Mostly they don't even talk of Bhagavad-gita, they talk about social things, but Krishna they keep to the back. They have named the place Gita Mandira. Gita Temple. But they do not discuss Gita, just for show.
Prabhupada: That is the disease. Even Mahatma Gandhi, he was talking of Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, but throughout his whole life he never established a temple of Krishna, although his photograph you'll find with Bhagavad-gita. This is the calamity.
Indian man (1): In the last days Mahatma Gandhi kept saying rama rama, rama-nama is the only way chanting… One of his article he says there is no other cure but to chant the name of the Lord.
Prabhupada: Mahatma Gandhi would have preached Bhagavad-gita, the world would have taken very seriously, because he was respectable.
Bali-mardana: You wrote him to preach Bhagavad-gita.
Prabhupada: Yes. (Hindi) The four things Krishna wants, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. He charges four things: to think of Krishna, to become His devotee, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yaji… Find out this verse. Here is Bhagavad-gita.
All obeisances all glories to Srila Prabhupad __/\o_
P.S: Please reach us at https://www.facebook.com/spirituallocation
Indian man (2): Remember when we were building our altar? Remember last year when I talked to you? We were building altar, and actually I went to every Indian, and myself and the president of that temple, we begged everything we can do possible… And we wanted to collect almost ten thousand dollars, we couldn't even collect five thousand dollars, and most of them were making between fifteen and thirty thousand dollars. Some of them in fact gave us pennies.
Prabhupada: Just see.
Indian man (2): And they took from us one Bhagavad-gita. We gave them Bhagavad-gita and they gave us some pennies.
Bali-mardana: Not a very good trade. (laughter)
Prabhupada: This is not good report.
Bali-mardana: Praghosa, he gets at least ten dollars in laksmi.
Indian man (2): It's difficult to collect money from the Indians. That is my experience, and I…
Bali-mardana: Because they are thinking of rupees. (laughter)
Prabhupada: That means they do not like Krishna.
Indian man (2): I don't know. Somehow or other, I myself am totally confused about Indian community in this country. I have no comments to make, but I found out that they are the least charitable community among all communities. I lived in Canada almost ten years, and I found out other communities are very charitable. Even if you go to other community, at least they will give something, but Indians…
Prabhupada: (Hindi) Every Indian should come to the temple and become a devotee.
Indian man (1): I think more and more people are really coming to the temple and becoming part of it, as I think most of the devotees around here know, in the last few years. Everybody I know of…
Prabhupada: "More and more coming" means not all are coming. (laughter)
Indian man (1): All of them would be the desirable thing.
Prabhupada: What is the objection?
Indian man (1): There are so many other temples. Hindu temple, Sindhu(?) temple… There's organization of community of Indians, they are trying to develop their own.
Prabhupada: There is Radha-Krishna Deity?
Indian lady: Yes.
Indian man (1): There is Gita temple, there's a Sindhi temple.
Prabhupada: Without Krishna? Gita without Krishna?
Indian man (1): It is a temple, everybody facing their back towards Krishna and chanting about what was happening in the town.
Bali-mardana: They have Krishna murti, but when he went there everyone had their back to the murti.
Indian man (1): And they were chanting, not chanting, talking about what was going on in the town.
Bali-mardana: Social, for social reasons.
Prabhupada: That means they do not know Krishna.
Indian man (1): But here you can only talk about Krishna, so they don't want to come.
Indian man (2): If you want to talk to them about Krishna you'll lose a friend.
Indian man (1): Right away.
Indian man (2): Right away. So either make friends with Krishna, or make friends with that guy.
Prabhupada: That is not very good. That means they have fallen from their culture. They have lost their culture.
Indian man (1): Some of them in fact enjoy eating hot dogs and hamburgers. They said, "Oh, I have been eating vegetables for ages. Now I have come here to eat hot dogs and hamburgers." That is their comment. They have done totally,
Prabhupada: What is this hot dog?
Hari-sauri: It's meat, sausage.
Guest: Together with other poisons.
Radhavallabha: Made from cows. [break]
Prabhupada: Some prasadam? Oh, they have taken prasadam.
Indian man (2): Want something to eat?
Hari-sauri: Feast prasadam.
Bali-mardana: Someone is making them some little prasada?
Hari-sauri: There is some prasadam to distribute.
Prabhupada: (Hindi) And they talk of Bhagavad-gita and keeping Krishna background? Somebody says?
Bali-mardana: Yes. Mostly they don't even talk of Bhagavad-gita, they talk about social things, but Krishna they keep to the back. They have named the place Gita Mandira. Gita Temple. But they do not discuss Gita, just for show.
Prabhupada: That is the disease. Even Mahatma Gandhi, he was talking of Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, but throughout his whole life he never established a temple of Krishna, although his photograph you'll find with Bhagavad-gita. This is the calamity.
Indian man (1): In the last days Mahatma Gandhi kept saying rama rama, rama-nama is the only way chanting… One of his article he says there is no other cure but to chant the name of the Lord.
Prabhupada: Mahatma Gandhi would have preached Bhagavad-gita, the world would have taken very seriously, because he was respectable.
Bali-mardana: You wrote him to preach Bhagavad-gita.
Prabhupada: Yes. (Hindi) The four things Krishna wants, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. He charges four things: to think of Krishna, to become His devotee, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yaji… Find out this verse. Here is Bhagavad-gita.
All obeisances all glories to Srila Prabhupad __/\o_
P.S: Please reach us at https://www.facebook.com/spirituallocation
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