"Surrender Now"

Mayapura, February 26, 1976



Prabhupada: ...ago Bengali culture was very much adored all over India. Even one big politician, Gandhi's guru, Goke, Gokule, he remarked, "What Bengal thinks today, other provinces will think tomorrow." He said like that. And actually all big, big movements started from Bengal. The national movement also was started from Bengal. Whatever we may criticize Vivekananda, when... He's a Bengali. He went first for preaching Indian religion. Rabindranath Tagore, he's a Bengali. All big, big...

Jayapataka: Aurobindo.

Prabhupada: Aurobindo is a Bengali.

Devotee (2): Paramahamsa Yogananda is also a Bengali.

Prabhupada: Yes. You know him?

Devotee (2): I don't know him... (laughter)

Prabhupada: No, no...

Devotee (2): I've heard of him.

Prabhupada: Bengali culture was very much adored. Surendranath Bannerjee started the political movement, and he was so well known. Even in Parliament, the Englishmen, English M.P.'s, he... They were speaking of Surendranath. They used to say "Surrendered not." "Here is a person who is not 'Surrender not.' He'll never surrender. 'Surrender not.' " Actually, the British Empire was startled by the agitation of Surendranath Bannerjee. The Congress was started by Surendranath Bannerjee, this one Congress. Two Bengali and one Englishman started this Congress sometimes in 1887, 1867, like that. So in our childhood we used to see that Surendranath Bannerjee was being elected president of Congress almost every year. And Gandhi came into prominence when Surendranath Bannerjee surrendered. Formerly he was not surrendering. But the government gave him the first ministership, that "You become minister." So he became a government man. Then Gandhi came in prominence. Surendranath Bannerjee was the first minister in India. [break] ...in our childhood, if he would speak, thousands, thousands men will gather in Calcutta. [break] ...Surendranath Bannerjee Road.

Jayapataka: Yes, very prominent road.

Prabhupada: Yes. Where my nephews have shop, Surendranath Bannerjee Road.

Jayapataka: They did not knight him... [break]

Prabhupada: His father was also very big man, Dr. Durgacaran Bannerjee. My sister hus..., Durgacaran Bannerjee, that is Surendranath Bannerjee father. He was a medical man.

Jayapataka: It's a smaller road.

Prabhupada: Eh? Doctor's land, Dr. Durgacaran Bannerjee Road, they belonged to very respectable family of that quarter, Bannerjee family. And Surendranath Bannerjee was the first I.C.S. I.C.S. He passed I.C.S. examination, Indian Civil Service, but he did not accept it. Aurobindo Ghosh was made by Surendranath Bannerjee. He was born in London. Aurobindo Ghosh's father, Manmohan Ghosh, he was a medical man in London. He was born... He's English birth. Well, later on, he became English-hater.

Jayapataka: French-lover.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Jayapataka: Lover of the French.

Prabhupada: He?

Jayapataka: Aurobindo?

Prabhupada: No, who says?

Jayapataka: He always had some French people with him?

Prabhupada: No, no. That... One French girl entrapped him. That woman spoiled him. He was actually practicing yoga very nice. After his release from political entanglement, actually he became a yogi, but this Frenchwoman, who became later on "Mother," she spoiled her ca..., his career. He became a bhogi then. (laughter) Instead of yogi... Otherwise, he was becoming yogi. You'll find from his photo. In the beginning, he was very lean and thin, and later on, when he died, he was very fatty. Means bhogi. [break] ...yogi bhogi, rogi. There are three.

Devotee (3): Rogi.

Prabhupada: Rogi means diseased, and bhogi means flourishing, and yogi means transcendentalist.

Hrdayananda: Rogi.

Hari-sauri: What is...? A yogi passes stool once a day, a bhogi twice and a rogi more.

Prabhupada: Who told you. Eh?

Hari-sauri: That's what we were told when we first joined the temple to stop us over-eating.

Jayapataka: Some devotees were holding their stool for the next day to be a yogi, (laughter) the second time coming. And getting stomachache.

Prabhupada: Is it a fact?

Jayapataka: Yes.

Prabhupada: Accha?

Jayapataka: I heard... They thought that was the criterion.

Prabhupada: This is called maksi manda kanani. (?) A clerk was making a fair book from the rough book. So he went to the toilet room and he was... Like this. So all of a sudden his boss came: "What you are doing here?" "Sir, I am trying to capture one fly." "And why?" "No, I am making the fair copy of the book, but in the original book, there is a fly smashed. (laughter) So I have to paste one fly." There are such fools. Maksi manda kanani. "There is a fly, paste. So in the fair copy, there must be a fly, paste." [break] Yes. Unless there is pujari, what is the meaning of temple?

Jayapataka: Separate?

Prabhupada: Yes. That is actual temple.

Jayapataka: Well, they'll be so many brahmanas being made.

Prabhupada: Hare Krsna.

Jayapataka: Everything... Even he includes Buddha and Kalki.

Hari-sauri: All the incarnations as well.

Jayapataka: I... In the last...

Prabhupada: Dasavatara.

Jayapataka: Fifty-three avataras.

Prabhupada: Fifty-three?

Jayapataka: Yes, I don't..., he..., fifty-three, know why.

Prabhupada: How many avataras are there mentioned in the Bhagavata?

Hari-sauri: About twenty-six or something like that.

Jayapataka: Twenty-five, twenty-six.

Hari-sauri: Twenty-five or twenty-six. And then all the Visnu expansions.

Jayapataka: They needed twenty-four Visnu expansions and then the incarnations in the Bhagavatam.

Prabhupada: Twenty-six? That is Vaikuntha. Anyway... [break] Yes, planetarium...

Devotee (4): Temple and planetarium.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Devotee (4): "World's largest planetarium and Temple of Understanding."

Prabhupada: No "Understanding" simply Vedic "Temple of Vedic Planetarium," That's all. We shall show the Vedic conception of planetary system within this material world and above the material world. [break] We are going to exhibit the Vedic culture throughout the whole world, and they'll come here.

Jayapataka: The whole world will be coming here to...

Prabhupada: Yes.

Jayapataka: ...visit.

Prabhupada: Just like they come to see the Taj Mahal...

Hrdayananda: Yes.

Prabhupada: ...the architectural culture, they'll come to see the civilization culture, the philosophical culture, the religious culture by practical demonstration with dolls and other things.

Jayapataka: And we'll be advertising that all over the world.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Hrdayananda: It is a perfect plan.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Jayapataka: There can be a model of that temple in every temple all over the world.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Jayapataka: So then people can... Then advertising, "Come here."

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Actually it will be an unique thing in the world. There is no such thing all over the world. That we shall do. And not only simply showing museum, but educating people to that idea.

Hrdayananda: Preaching.

Prabhupada: Right. With factual knowledge, books, not fictitious. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- February 27, 1976, Mayapura