They are spending so much money for entertainment in material life.
At about 8:30 p.m. Prabhupada was talking with Bhagavan in his room, once again discussing the important role of food and its preparation in self-sufficient living. He described how to make puffed rice by heating sand in one container and then dumping it on top of the grains in another pot. "It will puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff, they'll be finished." By straining it all through a mesh you end up with the puffed-up grains, which he said was "very good food."
When I told him the devotees make popcorn he said that was "not very digestive;" puffed rice however, is very light. "In the morning you can give them this puffed grains, then fruits and milk?very good breakfast. I mean to say, all self-dependent. Yes, we should save time, as much for this purpose, for chanting, discussing grantha. Not for any personal so-called comforts. We can sit down anywhere on the grass here, and whatever available we make our food. This is the idea. Life will be sublime. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam, that is real business."
"They are spending so much money for entertainment in material life," Bhagavan observed, "but no one is becoming enlivened. But this kind of discussion is so fresh. For a show they pay five dollars to go to one movie for one hour, two hours."
"That is another artificial agitation of the mind. There is no practical benefit." Pointing to a vase he said, "Just see how many varieties of flowers, colorful. Can they make such colorful?
"'Yes, we're trying to overcome nature. Wait millions of years.'
"'And what about now?'
"'Now, you sleep!'
"These rascals are misleading other rascals. And they are, 'Oh, a scientist!' Very misleading civilization. We shall appreciate in every flower the craftmanship of Krishna, how He has done nicely. Unnecessarily puffed up by so-called advancement of knowledge; misleading themselves and misleading others."
Fingering a flower on his garland he said, "Just see how beautifully it is colored. This aesthetic sense; Krishna knows how it will become beautiful, svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca, construction of the flower. And there is no intelligence."
"Chance," I said.
Prabhupada sat back shaking his head and laughing. "So beat them with shoes. And when they protest, 'Oh, it is chance. Don't mind, it is by chance I am beating.'"
Prabhupada said he thought New Mayapur was nicer than New Vrindaban because it is on a plain rather than on rocks and hills. He asked if any new devotees were joining.
Bhagavan said five new members came last month bringing the total to about one hundred and ninety. Prabhupada was glad to hear that just yesterday a couple with two children joined. The man is a plumber and carpenter, skills which Prabhupada saw great use for.
Bhagavan added that this was the hottest summer in a hundred years and many farms in the area were drought affected. However, we still had water for our crops from our own underground supply and we harvested five tons of barely. He asked if Prabhupada had had some of the flour.
Prabhupada looked over to me and said he hadn't.
I explained that it was too coarse for making capatis.
He had another use. "You could do one thing. You just smash that and boil with milk. Don't put sugar. Then I shall put sugar according to my taste."
"You want that this evening?" I asked.
Prabhupada said no, but for the morning.
Bhagavan told Prabhupada several stories about devotees who joined after programs were held in their homes. They had subsequently given thousands of dollars to our Movement. He said that in Marseilles in the south, a book distribution party based there has been instrumental in convincing entire families to join and surrender everything for use in Krishna's service.
Bhagavan also said that of all the different groups in France, we have the best reputation. There is hardly any bad press about us. "Several months ago we had a parents' meeting. Because on account of this man, Moon, there was much agitation about groups taking young children away. So we had a very nice meeting, with prasadam and slides. And one of the parents was saying that 'We want to be angry at you, but the problem is that you are all so nice that we cannot be angry.'"
Even our printer has become exceedingly favorable. "I wanted to get Krishna book published while you are here," Bhagavan said, "So I really pushed our printer to work very hard. I told him, 'But the thing is, I have no money to pay you right now.' Because we had just printed Srimad-Bhagavatam. He said, 'You try to give me five percent down and I'll give you eight months credit.'"
Prabhupada raised his eyebrows. "Accha."
"So I didn't have the money because we were fixing up. So a girl joined, and she gave eight thousand dollars."
"And what is the whole bill?"
"The whole bill was about forty-five thousand dollars, so that was sufficient for the down payment."
Sharp as ever, Prabhupada made a calculation. "It is about more than ten percent. He wants five percent."
"But I gave him," Bhagavan smiled.
Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 3 by Hari Sauri Dasa
Recently Added
Trending Today