Presenting Facts, Not Mythology

0:00Yadurāṇī: ...they just didn't know how to do it effectively.

Appearance of Lord Shiva

0:06And, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Muralīdhara just asked you that when Lord Brahmā, when he became angry at the four Kumāras he created Lord Śiva from between his eyebrows.

0:15So he is always situated on his lotus, but at that time should we paint him on his planet?

Lotus structure of planets

0:26Prabhupāda: His planet is just like lotus flower.

0:29Yadurāṇī: Oh.

0:29Prabhupāda: Just like Kṛṣṇa planet is also like lotus.

0:29Yadurāṇī: Jaya. So, so it has...

0:30Prabhupāda: Just like here in this material world the Brahmā's planet is the ultimate. That is also like mat..., lotus flower. And in the spiritual world the ultimate planet is Kṛṣṇaloka. That is also [indistinct] land.

Palaces and gardens in Brahmaloka

0:49Yadurāṇī: So we would have palaces and garden scenes, and Lord Brahmā perhaps on his throne?

0:54Prabhupāda: Yes. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu BS 5.29There are palaces, trees, everything. They are not voids. The voidist cannot understand what is there.

Formal portraits of spiritual masters

1:22Devotee (1): And Śrīla Prabhupāda, can we paint more informal portraits...

1:27Prabhupāda: Hmm?

1:27Devotee (1): ...of yourself and the other ācāryas to send to the temples? Or should we...

1:42Yadurāṇī: Informal.

1:42Prabhupāda: Huh?

1:42Yadurāṇī: Informal. That is, Puṣkara painted a picture of you sitting in a very formal position.

1:42Prabhupāda: Ah.

1:42Yadurāṇī: Should we stick to formal positions, or is it all right to do informal pose, of just your head and your chest?

1:43Prabhupāda: No, no. Formal.

1:44Yadurāṇī: Formal always?

1:45Prabhupāda: Full. Not like bust. No. Just like Guru Mahārāja. We won't put all that top, bust form.

2:06Yadurāṇī: Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Painting sizes for holy places

2:09You asked for big, big paintings to be sent to Māyāpur and Vṛndāvana. When you say "big, big," do you mean like five feet and..., or six feet? That big?

2:19Prabhupāda: Yes. Five, six feet.

2:19Yadurāṇī: And Śrīla Prabhupāda, Śyāmasundara...

Initiation ceremony preparations

2:31[break]

2:31Devotee (1): About fifty people will be initiated.

2:34Prabhupāda: Fifty?

2:34Devotee (1): Both gāyatrī and...

2:35Devotee (2): Both, gāyatrī and... Both.

2:37Devotee (3): Śrīla Prabhupāda? We want to view the movies in this room.

2:43Prabhupāda: Go ahead. How many beads?

2:48Devotee (4): Twenty-seven. [indistinct]

Presenting philosophy as factual reality

2:58Devotee (5): Śrīla Prabhupāda? You said you want to present more philosophy in Back to Godhead magazine. Does that mean that we should make it more and more sophisticated?

3:07Or does that mean that we should try to present the philosophy in the easiest way?

3:12Prabhupāda: You should insert articles. It is reality. It is not speculation. Nothing our activity is speculation or imaginary. Everything is fact. We should present in that way. Either picture or philosophy, anything. They are all facts.

3:38People may not take it as something imagination. That argument will be there.

Historical truth versus mythology

3:49Just like here there is a picture, Dakṣa is with a goat's head. But they may not take it as imagination. That is possible. It is fact.

4:08Devotee (5): So the..., our business is to present it in such a way that people will... understand it.

4:15Prabhupāda: Yes, people will understand it is reality, not sentiment or fictitious. Because they have been instructed by rascals that all these Vedic literatures, they are allegories. Or..., what is it called?

4:36Devotees: Mythology.

4:37Prabhupāda: Mythology. So we are presenting facts, not mythology. That should be the spirit of all our artist and philosophy, writing. [devotees pay obeisances and leave] [end]