George Harrison & Srila Prabhupada
Bhaktivedanta Manor, August 22, 1973
Prabhupäda: Now, take first of all prasädam.
Revaténandana: This is sour cream. I hear you like with your samosä some sour cream.
Çyämasundara: Revaténandana fixed you a feast.
Prabhupäda: You take, you take.
Çyämasundara: They are bringing for us.
Revaténandana: They’re bringing more.
Prabhupäda: Hmm. Nice.
Revaténandana: Is it all right? Really? You just taught me yesterday how to perfect these and I tried to do it.
George: Samosä? (taking prasädam) When the next person comes...
Prabhupäda: We have prepared a cookbook. Hare Kåñëa. Have you seen it?
George: I just got one. Is that the same thing? It’s like a photostat.
Çyämasundara: Oh no, this is a... There’s two cookbooks.
Revaténandana: I just wrote one also. (laughter) He’s got one of those.
Çyämasundara: Printed up in New York.
Prabhupäda: Kåñëa is enjoying with His friends.
George: So it’s full instructions on how I can...
Çyämasundara: Yes.
George: Great. Fantastic.
Çyämasundara: And it tells you where to buy it, the whole works. Pictures. How to offer it. Everything is there.
(taking prasädam)
Prabhupäda: Take one more samosä. Eh? You have got?
George: Yes, there’s so much here. Next year you’ll be able to have food from, grown in the garden. You won’t even have to go to...
Prabhupäda: Where?
Revaténandana: From our garden here, he says we’ll be able to grow.
Çyämasundara: Next year we will have.
Prabhupäda: You have spoken about these doll stalls?
Çyämasundara: Also we’re going to make up displays like this of, you know, of dolls, china dolls of Kåñëa and His friends and all their pastimes. Put them in display cases around the grounds so people, when they walk about they won’t just see trees. They’ll see Kåñëa doing something.
Prabhupäda: Vegetable is very nice. Vegetable.
Revaténandana: You made it like this in Los Angeles once about four years ago and I remembered a little bit how to make it.
George: Another way of doing that, it’s fantastic. Maybe a better way of doing it is... The idea in Europe in the Catholic countries. If you go in Spain and Portugal. You drive along and they have like a little wooden frame like this and then with tiles, and all it is, is tiles but the tiles show like saints and different things. Did you see those tiles I had made with Kåñëa, with the mantra?
Çyämasundara: Yes.
George: So, things like that. And here you get very simple, you know, and just have them glazed and put the tiles together.
Çyämasundara: George suggested also that we print up these pictures like this, in the postcards.
George: And birthday cards, Christmas cards, all sort of cards.
Prabhupäda: Very good idea.
Çyämasundara: Because people are tired of seeing these old postcards.
George: Now there’s lots of new postcards but this... You know, it’s much better now but there’s still no Kåñëa postcards.
Prabhupäda: What is that?
Mälaté: Päpadam?
Prabhupäda: Eh?
Mälaté: Popper?
Prabhupäda: Oh, popper, that’s nice.
Mälaté: Unfortunately we have no coal so they are cooked in the ghee.
Prabhupäda: Eh?
Mälaté: We put it in ghee because there was no coal.
George: This is great. Kichri? Kichri?
Prabhupäda: What is that Kichri? No, not Kichri. This is very good.
George: It’s like potatoes and dahl?
Prabhupäda: No, cauliflower.
Revaténandana: Potatoes and cauliflower.
Prabhupäda: Cauliflower, yes.
George: Cauliflower. It’s very nice.
Prabhupäda: Yes, it’s very nice. He is good cook.
Revaténandana: That’s because I like to eat too much. I am so attached to eating prasädam.
Prabhupäda: Kåñëa consciousness so nice. Eat nicely, sing nicely, dance nicely, and go to Kåñëa. I was thinking before starting this movement that people they are starting so many dry movement. And my movement is so nice - chanting, dancing and eating. Why it will not be accepted?
Çyämasundara: It seems that nowadays, especially young people, they are looking in music to listen, to find some instruction in the music they hear on the radio. They get some instruction from the music.
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Revaténandana: Usually from the music they get the instructions to go to hell.
George: Well, I think that’s only the thing, you know, nada, nada brähma, the sound. Just the idea of a thing. Musically, there’s just the sound in the music. It’s transcendental. It bypasses your intellect and you can feel, even if you don’t understand.
Çyämasundara: That's good.
Prabhupäda: Hmmm?
Çyämasundara: We were just talking about sound vibration. How it bypasses the intellect and is actually appreciated by the spirit.
Prabhupäda: So Mukunda, why you are sitting without eating? You come here.
Mukunda: No, I have already eaten.
Prabhupäda: Oh. You can come.
Çyämasundara: Once you said that the origin of everything is sound vibration.
Prabhupäda: Yes, yes.
Çyämasundara: How is that...
Prabhupäda: Sky. Sky is first creation. So the symptom of sky is sound. Just like (hits something) this is beating the sky and the sound is produced.
Çyämasundara: Oh, because the sound travels through sky?
Prabhupäda: Yes. Sound is... There is sky. The proof is the sound.
Çyämasundara: But the sound was before the sky?
Prabhupäda: No. After the sky.
Çyämasundara: After the sky.
Prabhupäda: And from sound air is produced. And from air, electricity, fire. And from fire, water. And from water, earth. This is the creation of five elements. In physics they teach sound and light. Is it not?
Revaténandana: Also gravitation, they teach about that.
Prabhupäda: Mälaté, if you give more çåìgära to George.
Mälaté: Revaténandana Mahäräja has prepared it.
Çyämasundara: No, bring more.
Mälaté: Oh, bring more.
George: Really, I’ve got such a lot. Thank you.
Prabhupäda: You are young man. You can eat.
George: This is great, this dish.
Revaténandana: Can you take a little more of it?
George: Ah, no, let me... I’d rather finish it all first. But what do you call that?
Revaténandana: You might not see it. Taste that purple preparation and see if you like that. The cherry chutney.
Prabhupäda: Yes, you will get appetite. Chutney is meant...
George: Actually I was saving that for later. I eat all the savory things and then finish off with the sweet.
Çyämasundara: It increases the appetite. This is not sweet. It’s a chutney.
Revaténandana: It’s a pretty sweet chutney. It’s not too hot chutney.
George: It tastes like good plum jam. But is this just your own creation? This...
Revaténandana: No, Prabhupäda himself cooked that once in Los Angeles and I learned at that time. That was four years ago.
George: Does it have a name? What would you call this one?
Prabhupäda: Which one?
George: Potatoes and cauliflower.
Revaténandana: It’s in the cookbook that I wrote.
Prabhupäda: This is called, in Bengal it is called Kaliya.
George: Kaliya.
Revaténandana: Just like the same name as the serpent?
Prabhupäda: No, it is Mohammedan name. Actually this preparation Mohammedans make with meat. What is that? No, not meat. It has come out very nice, tasteful.
George: Did you give David Wynn some prasädam?
Çyämasundara: Yes.
George: Did he like it?
Çyämasundara: Oh yes.
George: That’s... I mean in the end that’s what will catch everybody. Even if that’s all that gets them is the food. It’s going to get them.
Çyämasundara: In Portobello Road we have a stall, you know one of those street stalls...
Prabhupäda: Bring one day your wife also.
Çyämasundara: We distribute prasädam all day long, free.
Prabhupäda: One day bring your wife. She is very nice girl.
George: Okay, next time I come.
Prabhupäda: Yes.
George: Also, Donovan wants to come.
Çyämasundara: Oh, that’s nice.
Prabhupäda: Who is it?
George: But I wanted to come once first on my own.
Çyämasundara: A friend of George’s.
Revaténandana: He’s another singer from... Quite popular.
Çyämasundara: He’s reading Bhagavad-gétä, isn’t he?
George: I gave it to him for Christmas.
Çyämasundara: Oh yeah? He was asking questions about impersonalism and personalism.
Prabhupäda: Who was that?
Çyämasundara: This friend of George’s.
Prabhupäda: Oh.
George: He’s a good person.
Prabhupada: Impersonalism and personalism, it is very simple thing. Just like the sun and the sunshine, that’s all. Sunshine is impersonal and the sun is personal. Similarly, impersonal is Kåñëa’s energy, manifestation of Kåñëa’s energy. Origin of impersonal expansion is Kåñëa. Yasya prabhä prabhavato jagad-aëòa-koöi, in the Brahma-saàhitä.
yasya prabhä prabhavato jagad-aëòa-koöi-
koöiñv açeña-vasudhädi-vibhüti-bhinnam
tad brahma niñkalam anantam açeña-bhütaà
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi
[Bs. 5.40]
It is statement. So why you are sitting? Go on.
Revaténandana: Because you are talking.
Prabhupäda: Everything is first class made.
Çyämasundara: Hm. The best feast we’ve had.
Prabhupäda: So what more you want? Why don’t you take... Give him that Kaliya, Kaliya.
George: If I finish all of this, then maybe.
Revaténandana: A wet vegetable.
George: Otherwise I’ll never get around to the...
Çyämasundara: We can pack some up for Terry.
George: Kumar wants to come as well.
Çyämasundara: Who?
George: Kumar.
Çyämasundara: He’s Ravi’s brother, is he?
George: Hm. He went to the one in Watseka and he just loved it. As soon as he went and sat in the temple and saw the Deities.
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Çyämasundara: It’s very nice. It’s the only real place outside of... These temples of Kåñëa.
Prabhupäda: Oh, who has made this raita? Is it raita?
Revaténandana: Oh, Mälaté, Mälaté.
Prabhupäda: It is very nice. You have tasted that? Yes.
George: With the cucumber?
Prabhupäda: Yes, yes.
George: Yogurt?
Prabhupäda: Hm.
Çyämasundara: I think she learned that from your wife though, didn't she?
Prabhupäda: No, it is Indian preparation.
George: Yeah, but we learned it from someone and then told Mälaté.
Çyämasundara: George's wife instructed Mälaté how to make it.
Prabhupäda: She can also cook?
George: Oh yes.
Prabhupäda: Oh. Very nice.
Mälaté: You’ll take more?
Prabhupäda: Yes, yes. Why not? Give him.
George: Little.
Revaténandana: Do you want to take a little more, Prabhupäda?
Prabhupäda: No, no, I have got.
Mälaté: Take a little cauliflower.
Prabhupäda: Give him little juice.
Çyämasundara: In fact, after David... Prabhupäda told us how to wash our hands after prasädam, last time David was here. He instructed us all to go wash our hands and our plates afterwards. David was back here washing his plate. He said, “Do I have to go now or can I stay a little while longer?” It was about ten o’clock. I said, “Stay a little while longer.” “Oh boy.” He loved it. He stayed for hours. At midnight he finally left. He's going to do a portrait of Prabhupäda, a sculpture.
Prabhupäda: Hm?
Çyämasundara: I was telling George about David...
George: Well that will be fantastic because the time he will require to do the head...
Prabhupäda: Oh, that David is very good boy.
George: Yes. But the time he’ll require to do that, by the end of it he will have learned so much that he will be right there.
Çyämasundara: He just did the Queen and...does Prabhupäda... He said you had a remarkable head.
Prabhupäda: Hm?
Çyämasundara: David, the sculptor.
Prabhupäda: He said like that? (laughter)
Çyämasundara: Yes, he said your head was very remarkable. He was studying your head while he was talking.
Prabhupäda: My maternal uncle, my mother’s cousin’s brother, [indistinct] he was a very rich man. So when I used to go, he used to say to my father, “Oh, this boy will be very...” (Laughs) Simply by...
Çyämasundara: By the shape of your head?
Prabhupäda: Yes. He was saying to my father, “Oh, your, this boy will be very big man.”
Revaténandana: They have science in the West they call craniology. It’s the science of measuring psychology by the shape of the skull. Craniology. They think it’s … .
Prabhupäda: Psychology?
Revaténandana: Craniology.
Prabhupäda: Oh. The chutney is very nice.
Revaténandana: I found some very nice cherries in the store. Nice, black cherries. Very nice cherries. It makes nice chutney.
Prabhupäda: So, you take something? You take? No? You take at least oneçåìgära. Take it. Yes.
Revaténandana: He’s having some stomach trouble from India.
Prabhupäda: With vegetable? You can take it.
Revaténandana: [indistinct] not too spicy. It will go down easily. If Prabhupäda says, you should take.
Prabhupäda: In Våndävana, there are pandas, they eat too much. So one panda, old man, after eating, he was practically dying. (Laughs) So he still was instructing his son, “My dear son, don’t be sorry. I am not dying out of starvation. I am dying by eating.” (Laughs) To die of starvation is inglorious. Better eat and die. (laughter)
George: As long as you’re not thinking about indigestion as you go.
Revaténandana: Prasädam never gives anybody indigestion. Have you ever seen? If it’s nice prasädam, perfect.
Çyämasundara: That's for drinking water. That one's for washing.
Prabhupäda: Oh, there is khér also, sweet rice.
Revaténandana: Is it all right, the khér?
Prabhupäda: Oh yes. Everything is all right. Very nice.
Revaténandana: Jaya.
Çyämasundara: I saw Peter. Also Peter is coming on Friday. He’ll make another...
Mukunda: Maybe tomorrow.
Prabhupäda: All right.
Çyämasundara: George’s house is not far away from here, across country.
Prabhupäda: Oh. How many miles?
George: Well, it is actually. It will take longer to get from here home than it would from the West End.
Çyämasundara: Oh, yes.
George: Because you have to cut across.
Çyämasundara: Oh. At first I was thinking you were...
George: It’s probably only forty miles.
Prabhupäda: Forty miles means...
Revaténandana: You live south of London?
George: No, West. Just past the airport. We go along the airport.
Çyämasundara: It only takes an hour though.
Revaténandana: It doesn’t take so long. If you come through Watford you bypass London altogether. There’s a way to come off the...
George: Well I was thinking, the way I used to go when I passed this way off the M-1 was to go through Harrow some way and then go through Harrow towards Slav.
Mukunda: Yes, that’s the quickest route. You get there in 45 minutes. That’s how we came.
George: Is it okay if I drink it...?
Revaténandana: Also you have some water there.
George: Maybe it’s just the yellow I’m attracted to. Because I love dahl and this one is really nice.
Revaténandana: That soup is very nice, from your vegetables. It’s very easy to make also.
Prabhupäda: I remember long ago one Englishman went to our Mäyäpur. So he liked this sweet rice. “Give me more. Give me more.”
Çyämasundara: Sweet rice.
Prabhupäda: hm.
Mukunda: The Englishmen are said to have the worst teeth because they have such a taste for sweets. Their teeth are more deteriorated than anyone. They love sweets.
George: Well, I think you Americans just about take up the...
Revaténandana: I have the worst teeth. I like sweets.
Prabhupäda: Everything is very nice.
Çyämasundara: That’s good though. Prabhupäda said that those in the modes of goodness eat sweets a lot.
Prabhupäda: Yes. That is taste of brähmaëa.
Çyämasundara: Brähmaëas.
Prabhupäda: And kñatriya eats pungent and çüdra eats stale. Çüdras, stale.
Çyämasundara: Lower class men, workers.
Prabhupäda: Fourth class men.
George: So brähmaëas eat sweets?
Prabhupäda: Yes.
George: What was the second one?
Prabhupäda: Second, pungent.
Revaténandana: Kñatriyas, that’s the warriors. Administrators.
Çyämasundara: Pungent, spicy.
Prabhupäda: Now I shall wash. No, I shall wash. No, I'll wash now. Finish. Oh, that’s nice.
George: How old is he now? 80?
Revaténandana: He’ll be 78 in a month, yes. He’ll be 78 in one month.
George: 78. He's fantastic.
(Inaudible talking between Çyämasundara and George)
Çyämasundara: He rises early, around two o'clock. About two and translates till when? Five?
(Inaudible)
Çyämasundara: Dennis ate more mangoes than two of us together.
George: ...said something about on the street by the small temple there.
Çyämasundara: You know those stalls where they sell everything down the street? We have a stall too. We... It’s a free prasädam stall. We just give outprasädam all day. Everybody that goes shopping...
George: Samosäs and...
Çyämasundara: Yes, all kinds of things. And it’s free. A free stall.
Revaténandana: Prasädam is always... People don’t always like us for our philosophy, but they love our food. Everybody likes our food. I’ve experienced that.
Çyämasundara: There's a lot of hippies down in that area have joined us just from the prasädam.
Revaténandana: We did programs all up and down England last year, schools and things like that. And everywhere we go people say, “Got any of that Hare Kåñëa food?”
George: What happened to the guy, the devotee who was in Bury Place? He was like, he looked like a big lorry driver guy, red hair and tattoos....
Çyämasundara: You know what he’s doing now? He’s the, what do you call it, maitre d'... He’s the ... at that big club in Soho.
George: He’s not a devotee anymore?
Çyämasundara: Yeah. But he was working as a maitre d’ in a big hotel.
Prabhupäda: Jaya. Hare Kåñëa.
Çyämasundara: As a... Now he switched his job to that big discotheque in Soho. What is it called...
George: Still there in his dhoté?
Çyämasundara: No, he goes in a suit at night. He works only at night. He goes in a suit. That’s his job. He’s a devotee. When famous people come in the discotheque he sits down them. He has a Géta or something and talks to them about Kåñëa. But he’s the manager of the whole thing. It’s a good job for him because he can preach. He can preach while he's there working.
Devotee: You want to wash in the bathroom?
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