University (Whenever there is opportunity)

[kailasa]

...People lose faith in God that way. Çré Éçopaniñad also has the same format once again. The Sanskrit transliteration, word for word. This is a very nice entrance book into Vedic understanding. This is the most important of the Upaniñads. Many other books we have like that, paperbacks and hardbound. This is being used in many universities in America.

Prabhupäda: Temple University, it is study book.

 

Prof. Olivier: And especially the young people, they are therefore living in a complete vacuum. For various reasons they do not want to accept... I come back to the word religion again because this is what they have about, or see around them. They cannot identify themselves with the Christian religion. They cannot identify themselves with the Islamic religion. They are largely ignorant.

Prabhupäda: So they should be shown the right path.

Prof. Olivier: They should be, yes.

Prabhupäda: This is the right path, original, authentic.

 

Prabhupäda: Yes, that is the defect always, especially in this age. There is no spiritual education. Hm? Do you think, Dr. Wolfe, there is spiritual education? Is there any in the school, colleges, universities?

 

Prof. Olivier: Temple University?

Puñöa Kåñëa: Yes. In Philadelphia.

Prof. Olivier: Yes, I have been there. There is Islamic professor there, Professor of Islamics, Farooki. He was also here at the university lecturing in Islam....

Prabhupäda: These are the books. That is a fact. So you saw the Sanskrit professor there?

Devotee: Yes, Prabhupäda.

Prabhupäda: What is his name?

Devotee: He’s not a professor. He’s a lecturer.

Prof. Olivier: Mr. Mishra?

Devotee: Yes.

Prof. Olivier: Mishra.

Devotee: Mishra. He’s a lecturer. He has this special class.

Prof. Olivier: Yes. That’s right. He does Sanskrit for us. He’s from Mauritius.

 

Devotee: And he was interested in getting a whole standing order of books, and I said I could supply the books, but it will be a while before we got every single one from America, including the Bengali books, etc. We have to order them special because South Africa doesn’t have a good communication with America as far as transporting large quantities...

Prabhupäda: No, we shall supply from here. You haven’t got to bother.

Puñöa Kåñëa: Therefore in America many of our students, they are teaching courses at the university. I for one, I have a B.Sc. in chemistry. I’m actually a graduate in chemistry. I had a four-year scholarship to medical school, and some of the other devotees are also graduates, and they are actually teaching in the universities.

Prabhupäda: If you want some of our student to teach, he can do that.

Prof. Olivier: I think one must make a start somewhere, either by getting specialist lectures or lecturers at least to start.

Puñöa Kåñëa: Yes. Some of the girls are very, very proficient and they’re doing this now. We hope that within a year or so’s time we’ll have a polished copy to print. We’re working in that direction.

Prof. Olivier: I see.

Prabhupäda: If this line of activity is taken seriously, sometimes I may come and teach them. Yes.

 

Puñöa Kåñëa: It is a very nice opportunity because you have all Indian students and they are eager, eager to know. They want to know. And they want to...

Prabhupäda: And they should be helped to...

Prof. Olivier: They should be helped, yes. They should be helped.

Prabhupäda: Yes. That is the purpose of education.

 

Svarüpa Dämodara: And another aspect of the Institute at the beginning phase is that Your Divine Grace also instructed a few days ago that we also get some, try to give some lectures to colleges. We can present as members from the Bhaktivedanta Institute, the higher learning section of ISKCON. That can also be part of the... So we can go to colleges and universities. We don’t have to go every month or so, but maybe once a month or twice a month.

Prabhupäda: Whenever there is opportunity.