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Appreciate (Conv. 1967 - 1975)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1967 Conversations and Morning Walks

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: In order to appreciate Kṛṣṇa in the form of gopī. Just like I have got dealings with you. So you have got your individuality, I have got my individuality, but if I want to study how you are so much obedient and loving to me, then I have to go to your position. It is very natural psychology. Yes. You have to paint in that way.

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Particular incident is significant, that Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a brāhmaṇa and He was a sannyāsī. According to social custom He should not touch even a Muhammadan, but this Haridāsa Ṭhākura was a Muhammadan, and at his death He took the body Himself and danced, and He put him in the graveyard and distributed prasādam. And Haridāsa Ṭhākura for two, three days he was feeling not well. Because he was Muhammadan he did not enter the temple of Jagannātha temple. Because the Hindus were very strict. He was devotee, he never mind. Why he should create some row? So Caitanya Mahāprabhu appreciated his behavior that he did not want to create any... Because he has become devotee. Forcibly he was not going to the temple. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself was daily coming and seeing him. While going to take bath in the sea, He'll first of all see Haridāsa. "Haridāsa? What you are doing?" Haridāsa will offer his respect and He will sit and talk for some time.

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview with LA Times Reporter About Moon Trip -- December 26, 1968, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: The spiritual master does not say such nonsense things. Man can achieve in a suitable body. Why don't you say that? But that suitable body is not...

Reporter: Yeah, well that's... When I talk to you, I find that the way you say it, if after the events are achieved, there could be explanations for it and there would be no crisis in faith.

Hayagrīva: He never came out and said that it's absolutely impossible.

Reporter: Right. Okay. Well thank you very much. I appreciate your tolerance of all my questions and everything.

Prabhupāda: You take this orange.

Hayagrīva: Do you want to take this, read these booklets? This one's just a running history of the Society and this is the magazine. So if you'd like, you can take it.

Reporter: Okay. Fine.

Prabhupāda: Our Kṛṣṇa... You should kindly note it that our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has nothing to do with this moon planet. But we are not aiming to go to the moon planet.

Press Interview -- December 30, 1968, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: So practically you follow that I have no difference.

Journalist: Yes, I understand. I appreciate.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You believe in God, I believe in God. I simply say "You try to love God."

Journalist: Well, I... I'm still... It's not that I'm confused. I understand what you're saying...

Prabhupāda: You are confused still?

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 27, 1969, Boston:

Haṁsadūta: He lives with us now. You know we have another house, the whole house, and almost everyone now is a devotee there. And they're eating prasādam.

Prabhupāda: Gopāla Kṛṣṇa is very nice boy. You give him good protection, and he will turn very good help. Sevonmukhe... This Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be, I mean to say, appreciated only by service. There is no other, no other way. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). You cannot catch Kṛṣṇa by any way, by your riches, by your beauty, by your..., because He excels everything. How you can make Him under your control? You can simply make Him under your control by service, like the gopīs did. Yes. What is this? Prasāda? Oh, I think I cannot take any. All right, I shall take some.

Satsvarūpa: The devotees have prasādam over at the temple that's ready.

Prabhupāda: Oh, they can take. They can go. (Break)... initiated, they are chanting mantras three times, oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ savitur vareṇyam? Yes. (devotees chanting japa)

Conversation Before Lecture -- April 29, 1969, Brandeis University, Boston:

Miss Rose: But I mean so that people can read it. So they'll understand it's not hippies.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You go to responsible men and see, that "This is a nice movement. Why don't you patronize it to save your country's from the hippies' falling down, confusion?" We are saving. Practically this society is giving the best service to your country. They should appreciate, but they should not misunderstand us. How we can be hippies? We completely... That is also said. How foolish man he is, that, er... In that article, Satsvarūpa, in that article, it is clearly stated that we are refusing all these things. How they conclude that we are hippies?

Room Conversation -- May 10, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Prabhupāda: Dvāri means doorman. So by serving Kṛṣṇa, nobody is loser; he is gainer. He is gainer permanently, eternally. We do not know what is the value of that gain now. Because we are materially covered, we think service means just like service in this world. This service is māyā. Nobody will be satisfied, nobody. You cannot satisfy, neither you will be satisfied. The best example is in your country, that your president, Mr. Kennedy, he gave you the best service, and the result was that you killed him. You or some of your member killed him. That means his service was not appreciated, although he gave his best service.

Room Conversation -- May 10, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Prabhupāda: If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and dance, nobody will be dissatisfied. At least they will say, "Ah..." Just like in the paper, "The boys are very nice." You see? You have seen. Instead of not very sympathetic, they have remarked this, "Oh, these boys are very nice." At least, people will appreciate, "Oh, these boys are... These Kṛṣṇa conscious men are very nice. They do not smoke. They do not drink. They have no illicit sex life. They do not kill for satisfy the tongue. They are satisfied with natural food. And their behavior is very good." Who will deny it? And the other asset they cannot estimate, that how much he is in contact with Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme. That, they have no estimating power, but at least they will appreciate these external features. One clergyman, when I was going to Hawaii, he was talking with me. He said, "Swamiji, I have seen your disciples have a very nice face, glowing face." And "Yes, certainly. They must be. They are making spiritual progress." So it is not difficult. It is very easy.

Room Conversation -- May 10, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Kīrtanānanda: What was Arjuna's relationship to Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Friendship. That is also... There are five kinds of relationship. Just like "God is great." That is simply feeling the greatness of God. Then, when he feels exactly how God is great, then naturally there will be an inclination to serve God. That is called servitude. First neutrality estimation... That is called śānta-rasa, neutral, no activity but simply appreciating, "God is great," simply appreciation. And then servitude. When the appreciation is complete, "Oh, why not serve God? He is so great. He is giving us so many things. Let me return something. Let me do some service of Him." Servitude.

Room Conversation -- May 10, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Kīrtanānanda: All of the conditioned souls are in an indirect relationship.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Kīrtanānanda: Everyone is in a relationship.

Prabhupāda: Yes. There must be some relation. Without relationship one cannot exist because he is part and parcel. Just like persons in the prison house. They are not out of government. There is relationship with the government, but that is indirect. The criminals, they do not appreciate the service of the government. Government is bothered about his existence. Some extra... Instead of receiving some service from him to the state, the state has got to spend unnecessarily for him. That is a botheration. So those who are in indirect relationship with Kṛṣṇa, they are botheration. They are simply giving trouble to Kṛṣṇa, but there is relationship.

Room Conversation -- May 10, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Prabhupāda: Do you follow this Buddha?

Guest (3): Uh, no.

Prabhupāda: You simply talk of him? You practice Buddha if you appreciate him. You give up everything like Buddha and meditate. But that you will not do. Then what is the talking of, useless talking about this? Do something. Either you believe Buddha or Jesus Christ or Kṛṣṇa. Do something. Don't talk simply. Lord Buddha is very nice. He gave up his kingdom in youthful life. He was prince. He thought, "It is all nonsense. Let me meditate." Do like that. That is the disease. We won't do anything. We talk much of this, that, this, that. Do anything, but do it perfectly. "Jack of all trade, master of none." That is not good. Be master of something. It doesn't differ. Either you follow Lord Jesus Christ or Lord Buddha or Kṛṣṇa, it doesn't matter much. But do it perfectly. That is our request.

Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 11, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Prabhupāda: Devotion of, Nectar of Devotion. That is very authorized book. Quotation from various Vedic literature about Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and the different stages of relationship with Kṛṣṇa, śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, admiration. God is Great. This is also one stage, appreciating the greatness of God. Then further development, dāsya-rasa, willing to serve. Oh! God is so great, and I must serve service because everyone of us are serving somebody. So why not serve the Supreme? Nobody is free from service because we are constitutionally the servant. Either we become the servant of the Great or māyā. Just like in any condition of our lives, we have to abide by the laws of the state. If he says that we don't abide then come to prisonhouse. You will be forced. Similarly, māyā and Kṛṣṇa. If we don't abide by Kṛṣṇa, then come to māyā. He cannot be free. That is not our position. Freedom is frustration.

Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 12, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Prabhupāda: Who can deny that religion is the laws of God? Simple explanation. If you ask what is meant by religion, religion is laws of God. That's all. And if you want to know what is God, that is also replied. "The original source of everything." So one should try to understand in this way. But if one wants to remain in his compact ideas and does not want to go further, then it is very difficult. He should be open-minded and appreciating. Then everything is all right. We say, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, it is not that you are necessarily to chant Kṛṣṇa, but if you have no suitable name, then chant Kṛṣṇa. Why do you make differentiate. Every name is the same.

Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 13, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Allen Ginsberg: Oh, she was a contemporary of Caitanya?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Allen Ginsberg: Did they meet?

Prabhupāda: No. She appreciated that Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa, and she has written one poetry, song, that "Now You have left aside Your flute, and You have taken the sannyāsī rod." In that way she has written nice poetry. "And where is Your hair and peacock feather? Now You are bald-headed." In this way. So Mīrā appreciated. Her life is also very excellent. Her father gave her a small Kṛṣṇa doll to play, and she developed love for Kṛṣṇa as husband. So when she was married... She was princess, daughter of king, and she was married with another prince.

Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 14, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Allen Ginsberg: Commencement. The graduation.

Prabhupāda: In some lecture he said that "I want to meet some religious heads." And so one of my girl students in San Francisco, she is very educated. She wrote one letter to Nixon. And I have got the copy, that "Swamiji is spreading this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is being appreciated by the younger section. So Swamiji will be glad to see you if you make some appointment." But he never replied.

Discussion with BTG Staff -- December 24, 1969, Boston:

Kīrtanānanda: Yes. Some of us have difficulty understanding Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So if I get time... My time is very limited. So even there is difficulty, let them read over and over and again. Then they will understand. Why should we change it? Let it be presented as Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī has given, and... Then don't give more than one or two pages at a time. Their brain will be puzzled. (laughter) Yes. When Guru Mahārāja was speaking, at least my brain was puzzled. (laughter) Even he would speak in Bengali, it was very difficult to understand. He was speaking from a very, very high platform. But I wanted to hear him. That's all. Even I did not understand it. That he appreciated, (laughs) that "This boy does not go away. He hears." Actually that was my position. In the beginning I could not understand what he was speaking, but I wanted to hear him. That's all. I was very much anxious to hear him. That he marked. And he was kindly pleased on me, that "He wants to hear. He does not go away." That was my policy, that "let me hear. Even I do not understand, let me hear." That's all. Yes. Actually I did not understand in the beginning what he was speaking. So Bhaktisiddhānta's writing is not very easy to understand.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with Prof. Kotovsky -- June 22, 1971, Moscow:

Prabhupāda: No, I am not interested. I came to see you especially...

Prof. Kotovsky: Some people from Christian Orthodox Church may be interested to have some discussion.

Prabhupāda: So if there is some discussion, I am prepared. It is, after all, for the whole human society, and it is being practically appreciated. So if there is possibility, I am, for two days I can meet some gentlemen. I can meet.

Darsana -- June 28, 1971, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Preaching work is for the guru. So Kṛṣṇa... Caitanya Mahāprabhu says it doesn't matter whether he is a gṛhastha or vānaprastha or a brāhmaṇa or śūdra. It doesn't matter. If he knows what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness and preaches, then he is guru. That's all. So we have to become like that. It doesn't matter what we are, but whether I am preaching nicely. That is required. But still there is some regulative principles like sannyāsī and brahmacārī will be like this, gṛhastha will be like this. That is the external. But the main business is preaching. So you have got good opportunity, you have got good name, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is being appreciated. So live very cautiously and preach very cautiously and seriously, then in this one life you will become successful, go back to home, back to Godhead. One life. You haven't got to wait for another life. If this life we work sincerely, then our business is finished.

Room Conversation -- London, August 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: ...if he was willing, he would have done long ago, but he is not very serious.

Śyāmasundara: Well, I've never asked him for it, to do that.

Prabhupāda: So what is this asking? When he visited our Los Angeles temple, he appreciated and he said, "Why not a temple like this in London?"

Śyāmasundara: Well he's..., I..., He's been waiting for me to come here and talk to him here about it. I haven't...

Prabhupāda: But it is difficult to meet him.

Room Conversation with Dr. Weir of the Mensa Society -- September 5, 1971, London:

Śyāmasundara: Today we went to a service, a Christian service, the first one I've been to in years, and in the back of the church we walked in there were eleven old ladies sitting in the pews. And outside I could hear the roar of traffic and people. I began to think how much the Christian church has lost track or lost pull(?) of this ability to be able to guide people, the practical application of moral and spiritual principles, so much so that no one was interested to come in...

Prabhupāda: One priest in Boston, he issued leaflet regretting that these boys, he saw our students. He appreciated that these boys are so much after God and they're our boys. We could not give them. Actually the same boy was, one year or two years ago, he was not going to church, was not interested in God consciousness, but now this same boy is mad after God. And he's twenty-four hours in God consciousness. They're chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra twenty-four hours. How they have become so...

Room Conversation with Dr. Karan Singh, -- November 25, 1971, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Nadia. I do not know whether it is (indistinct). So we are being indirectly disturbed.

Dr. Singh: That must be because there's more trouble there and (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: But why must they... The government should know what I am doing. Whole world is appreciating, except my government. They are so unfortunate.

Dr. Singh: It is always the home is the last one always, you know what happens with prophets. They are always respected more abroad.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 15, 1972, Madras:

Madhudviṣa: No. (pause) He doesn't give the receipt number. He says... (break)

Prabhupāda: ...all the educated men. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ (BG 3.21). If the, who is called, elite society appreciate, then ordinary people will also appreciate. Before my Guru Maharaja, I mean, Bhaktisiddhānta's..., Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Lord Caitanya's cult was considered by the higher class as it is the business of the low-class men. Even Vivekananda remarked that "It is the religion of sex," because they saw that the sahajiyās, they discussed this rāsa-līlā and have illicit connection with woman. So therefore they took it as the religion of sex. Vivekananda. But now...

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Bob: There is, some prasādam is offered, and then we go and eat, and different prasāda's are served. And some I like, and some I find the taste not at all to my liking and do not eat.

Prabhupāda: You should not do that. The perfection is whatever is offered to Kṛṣṇa, you should accept everything. You cannot make, "I like this. I do not like this." That is perfection. So long you make such discrimination that means you have not appreciated what is prasāda. (pause)

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Bob: I still have..., do not understand so much about what you're telling me about the prasādam. But if you like I'll think about it and ask, ask you again tomorrow. About prasādam.

Prabhupāda: Prasādam is always prasādam. So because we are not elevated sufficiently, therefore we do not like some prasādam.

Bob: I found, specifically what I mean, is some was too spicy and hurt my stomach.

Prabhupāda: Well, that is also due to ... not appreciate. But Kṛṣṇa should be... The cook should have consideration that Kṛṣṇa must be offered first-class foodstuff. So if he offers something last class, that is not his duty. But Kṛṣṇa can accept anything if it is offered by a devotee, and a devotee also can accept any prasādam, even if it is spicy. (break) Hiraṇyakaśipu gave his son poison and he drank it nectarine. So for the devotee even it is spicy to other taste, it is very palatable to the devotee. What is the question of spicy? He was offered poison, real poison. (break) ...she also offered Kṛṣṇa poison, but Kṛṣṇa's so nice that "She took Me as My mother." So He took the poison and delivered her. Kṛṣṇa does not take the bad side. Any good man, he does not take the bad side; he takes only the good side. (break) He wanted to make business with my Guru Mahārāja. But he did not take the bad side. He took the good side that "He has come forward to give me some service. So whatever he wanted he gave him."

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Out of ignorance one commits lawbreaking. So ignorance is not bliss, but it is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss. That is the difficulty, our. The whole world is enjoying ignorance, and when we say about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they do not very much appreciate. If I say, "Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor, you are not proprietor," he'll not be very much satisfied. (laughs) Just see, ignorance is bliss. So it is my foolishness to say the real truth. Therefore this is, it is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss. So we are taking the risk to offend people because they'll think we are fools.

Conversation with Author -- April 1, 1972, Sydney:

Prabhupāda: I do not follow.

Upendra: By putting a label, poison, a label, nectar on a bottle of poison. (laughter) They will take. They will think he is giving them what they are interested in, even though it may be superficial. But once there, then he can present the philosophy as well. I think that's what he's saying.

Author: Yes, well, I'm not trying to... Because I am not an adherent of... I'm not a Hare Kṛṣṇa movement member. That is obvious. And because I am not a member of the movement, I am therefore not trying to do precisely what you gentlemen are saying, but I'll not try to package an unwholesome product like poison...(laughter) Yes, I appreciate that. But what I am trying to do is to describe what is. Now this requires an exercise of the imagination. If you imagine somebody who is outside, as each of you people were at one stage, you came to understand what this movement was by a gradual process. Now I, in a book of about a hundred pages, am going to trace that process, not in the way you did it, but in a slightly different way. But the things that strikes one immediately are these external, superficial characteristics. And then one he comes to appreciate rather more important things. And it's just a question of stating these in that way. Now in order to understand the highest possible things, it surely is necessary to state the superficial things as well, the less important things. It seems to me to be clearly...

Upendra: What Prabhupāda is speaking tonight is very important and it might appear that he is not understanding you but he is actually speaking to you, like you said, necessary (indistinct) so that if you can assimilate everything Prabhupāda is saying tonight, you'll be able to write the book much more clearly. You might think that he is not understanding you, but he is speaking the most important part.

Author: I am not (indistinct) his understanding. I think he is worried about my understanding, which is why he is... Right. Well, I appreciate this, but I am trying to convince him that I am going to try to say accurately what your philosophy is. And in this I'll have to rely on your help, because I can't do it otherwise.

Prabhupāda: I have already explained our philosophy.

Room Conversation with Maharishi Impersonalists -- April 7, 1972, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Because it is the thing required. Therefore it is recommended in the śāstra. Because it is recommended that... What is recommended in the śāstra, spoken in the śāstra, that is perfect. There is no mistake. Therefore it is being accepted. Anywhere we are going, beginning from old man to child, everyone chants Hare Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is recommended. Our intelligence should be applied there, that what is recommended in the Vedas, that is perfect. There are so many instances. Just like cow dung. You know cow dung? Stool of the cow? So according to Vedic principle, if you touch stool of an animal you become impure. Even my stool, I pass in the WC, and immediately I wash and become purified. Oh, this is my stool, personal, and what to speak of other stool? So stool is impure. But the Vedas say that the stool of cow is pure. So if you argue that "Cow is an animal. So animal stool is impure. How the cow stool can become pure?" that is puzzling, but because it is said by the..., ordered by the Vedas, it is fact. You analyze cow stool; you find all antiseptic matter. So therefore we accept the Vedic injunction as truth. We haven't got to make research. We save time. So according to Vedic civilization, whatever is stated in the Vedas, we take it-fact. That's all. Śruti. Śruti-pramāṇam. Śruti means Vedas. Pramāṇam means evidence. According to Indian system... There are two persons talking, arguing, but the person who can give Vedic evidence, he is victorious. That's all. That is the system. Just like in law court two lawyers are fighting, but the lawyer who is giving evidences from the lawbook, he is accepted by the judge. And therefore, generally you will find, whenever we speak something, we give evidence from the śāstra in Sanskrit, in all our books. That is the way of proving that whatever I am speaking, it is fact. In the Bhāgavata it is already stated, lavaṇyaṁ keśa-dharaṇam. Keśa means hair. To keep long, long hair will be the practice of people because they will think by keeping long hair they look very beautiful. That is stated in Bhāgavata. Five thousand years this prediction is there: "In this Kali-yuga people will keep long hair, and..., because that will be appreciated, that a man keeping long hair is very beautiful." So that is happening. Just see. Five thousand years ago, that was written, and that is happening. There are so many things. That is called śāstra. It is truth for all the days—past, present, future. Dāmpatye ratim eva hi. These things are stated.

Room Conversation with Maharishi Impersonalists -- April 7, 1972, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: This is the process. By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra they will be God-realized. Just like these boys. Four years ago they did not know what is meant by Kṛṣṇa. So now they are so perfect. Of course, we cannot be perfect anyway, but they are far, far better than any Kṛṣṇa-bhakta in the world. Even Indians, they say, "Oh, they are better than us." And what is the process? Simply they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is practical. By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra they are becoming God-realized. Even last night we had meeting with the Christian fathers. They very much appreciated. And in Boston one Christian priest issued literature, that "These boys, they are our boys. They are so mad after God, but we could not do." So this is... Why they have become so? Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. So anyone chants will get this status. This is practical. Not only... In anywhere. We have got many Chinese, many Japanese, Africans, and Canadians and Europeans, and Australia also, we have got many Australian boys. So wherever we are chanting, it is being effective. The real purpose is to realize God. So that is being done. So we have to accept the method recommended for a particular age and time. Then we become successful. (break) ...likes you? Vipada(?). No.

Room Conversation -- April 18, 1972, Hong Kong:

Prabhupāda: You cannot expect many disciples, but still, there are two thousand. Because I have got so many conditions and the fact is so difficult to understand, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, they have forgotten God, and I am trying to make them Kṛṣṇa conscious. It is a very difficult job. I have to shed my blood three tons before I make one convinced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is my experience. I have to talk with him, especially these Europeans and Americans. They do not accept anything so blindly. They try to... I am always being questioned, even in my tooth(?) Question, question, question. That's nice. Inquisitive, they want to know. So I give them answers. I have got four secretaries always with me. They are giving answers. So to become Kṛṣṇa... Especially in Europe and America, when I make this condition that you cannot have illicit sex, you cannot have intoxication, you cannot meat eat, er, you cannot eat meat, you cannot have gambling... This is their daily affair. This is their life. Even Lord Zetland refused, "Oh, we cannot give up these things." So I am controlling them in this way. Still, they are coming. So it is very difficult job. Still, there are many thousands, and they are so sincere that if I ask them that... This boy is going to Red China. I am sending him. You see? So I have asked them, "You go there. You go there." They go even at the risk of life. Yes. It is the duty of the Indians to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, but they are preaching very nicely. I am training these foreigners. They are doing this duty. It is the duty of the Indians. It is their culture. But they are satisfied only... If one young man gets a nice wife and a little bit of money, oh, he says, "My life is successful." Therefore I went away. I approached many gentlemen. "Please, you have got four sons. Give me one son. I shall make him a real brāhmaṇa." "Swamiji, (Hindi)." He does not know the value. Therefore I left India, hopeless. And Kṛṣṇa has given me chance, very good chance. Now they are appreciating. When I go to India they become surprised, "Swamiji, how you have done this thing?" This is the reason.

Room Conversations -- April 22, 1972, Japan:

Prabhupāda: Temple must have. Even ordinary gṛhastha. That is Vedic civilization, not that we cook for ourself, for my husband, for my wife and children, eat it sumptuously and go to bed. No. Even gṛhastha, he should be always prepared to receive guest. Yes. And even a guest comes, your enemy, you should receive him in such a nice way that he will forget that you are all enemies. Gṛhe śatrum api prāptaṁ viśvastam akutobhayam. This is Vedic civilization, not that "Beware of dog. Please don't enter here. You are forbidden to come here. And if you come, I shall shoot you." Sometimes they do that. This is not human civilization. It is cats' and dogs' civilization. So actually we are teaching what is human civilization. But we must be also like human being, not cats and dogs. Otherwise how can you teach? If I am like cats and dogs, I cannot criticize others as cats and dogs. I must be first of all human being. Then I shall teach others how to become human being. I must become first of all devotee. Then I shall request others to become devotee. Āpani ācari jīve śikhāilā bhakti. First behave yourself perfectly; then teach others to become perfect. That is preacher. Now we are selling The Process of Creation but if I do not know what is the process of creation, we do not read, if you go to sell some book, then if he says, "What is the process of creation? You explain," and if you say, "All right, let me consult my book..." Kuto gata vedyaḥ para-hasta-gataṁ dhānam. Para-hasta-gataṁ dhānam means, "I have got enough wealth." "Where it is?" "It is in other hands. It is not in my possession, in others' possession." This kind of possessing wealth has no value. Similarly, when somebody asks you some question, if you say, "Let me consult my book," that knowledge has no value. "Let me consult my book." So all these books are there. You see one śloka studying, knowing. It takes one hour. So there are millions of ślokas. How much you have to study. So these things are to be noted. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means perfection, all round perfection. Then people will much appreciate. There is no doubt about it. And we can go anywhere, everywhere, because we are pure. We are giving the right thing. So is there any artist here who can draw? You can?

Conversation with the GBC -- May 25, 1972, Los Angeles:
Prabhupāda: They are neither yogīs, nor very learned scholar, Vedāntist, nor very good businessmen, economist, simple boys and girls. But their devotion is exalted. Because they did not know anything beyond Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is their love(?). Never mind to know that Kṛṣṇa is God or not, it doesn't matter. Then they don't, they didn't care for God also. Gopīs, when they say Nārāyaṇa, "Oh, He's Nārāyaṇa." (laughter) (indistinct) Nārāyaṇa, they have nothing to do with Him. They are searching after Kṛṣṇa and when Kṛṣṇa presented Himself as Nārāyaṇa, four-handed, they neglected. And before Rādhārāṇī, He could not remain as Nārāyaṇa. Automatically He handed (indistinct). (laughter) Hands are folded. So our idea is Vṛndāvana. So our love for Kṛṣṇa should be so strong that we don't care for anything. But for preaching if somebody challenges, yes, we are prepared to talk. That is authority. That is uttama-adhikārī. His love is Kṛṣṇa, enormous, but not sentiment. If anyone wants to talk with him, "Yes, come on," That is uttama-adhikārī, mahā-bhāgavata. So this is the position. Now something is in your hand—Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That was my plan that I shall carry this baggage and give it to the Americans and they will distribute. That was my plan, therefore I came to America. So now you are so many boys, young boys, you have understood. So do it and give me relief. I remain in the background. Let me finish my Bhāgavata Purāṇa and those who are assisting in the writing, I'll be there (indistinct). That this institution, ISKCON will give to the world so many valuable jewels. There is no comparison. That you will have to see, (indistinct). Already they are appreciating on account of (indistinct).
Room Conversation -- July 5, 1972, London:

Sumati Morarjee: No, that is different, but these things...

Prabhupāda: Yes, so, but Vṛndāvana and Navadvīpa I want to make some provision. So I'm negotiating for that. This is one business. So Bombay.... (Hindi exchanges) Huh?

Sumati Morarjee: Of course, you won't get so much rent for London properties. They're also very much appreciated.

Prabhupāda: London property is very costly.

Sumati Morarjee: Oh very costly, but they're day by day, appreciating.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Devotee: Doubled, in one year it's doubled.

Sumati Morarjee: No, no. 40 percent has gone up in a year's time, on one property.

Prabhupāda: Because the Indians are coming.

Interview -- July 5, 1972, New York:

Prabhupāda: This is the cure: I am making good character. Don't you see their face? Some of them were hippies, frustrated, wretched condition. Now they are known as bright faces, serious character. They don't have any illicit sex. They don't eat meat. They don't have any intoxication. They don't engage in gambling. These are the four pillars of sinful life. If you allow people to indulge in sinful life, how you can expect good citizen? That is not possible. Their character must reform. So we have taken from the root. We are making men of character, knowledge, sincerity, God conscious. Don't you appreciate it?

Guest (2): Will they be able to function in a society as working individuals?

Prabhupāda: Yes. There is nothing prohibited. Simply you have to change your consciousness, that's all. We are also eating, we are also sleeping. Many of our students are householders; they have sex. So there is..., nothing is prohibited, but regulated for higher achievement. That is our program.

Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Must be selling and taking advantage of this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement.

Devotee (2): That's a nice record.

Devotee: Is that Govinda?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Devotee (2): That's a very nice record. Everyone is appreciating.

Prabhupāda: But I heard that rascal always played my record and hear Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotee (1): At least he's benefiting somehow. I saw him in Bombay also one day in the market of Madhubal, Madhubhag(?) temple? He was buying beads for his store in New York.

Prabhupāda: He's selling beads, records, on our account. (laughter)

Devotee (1): He was being cheated himself, in Bombay. He was being cheated like anything. He was paying one rupee for one strand of beads, those poor quality beads. (pause)

Prabhupāda: Now you can arrange for the car?

Devotee: Yes. Ātreya Ṛṣi is going to be working on it, too, to raise funds.

Prabhupāda: So, at least two first-class car must go to India.

Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London:

Devotee: I have written to her some letters, but silence.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes. They are not very happy that you are in this movement, not in the family, naturally. They think, "Our lost child." (laughter) They cannot appreciate that "My child is lost for better purposes." That is the case.

Revatīnandana: Actually, I wanted to ask you about something like that. When I took sannyāsa in Calcutta, some time afterwards, I used to correspond with my parents. So I sent them a letter explaining what was sannyāsa, and that I had taken sannyāsa, and that I didn't want to hear so much more about nieces, nephews, things like that that I have in that family. I said "If you want to talk, now we have to talk about Kṛṣṇa consciousness." So I didn't hear anything from them for about six months. But just the other day I received a letter...

Prabhupāda: Then don't. Now you have taken sannyāsa, you don't.

Room Conversation with Kenneth Keating, U.S. Ambassador to India -- October 14, 1972, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: ...we have no patronization, so whatever I have done, single-handed, and these boys help me a little. I did not get any help, either from my government or your government. But it is such a great science, such a great philosophy.

Śyāmasundara: They're starting to appreciate it. Many of the universities we have a course, in America.

Prabhupāda: That is (indistinct).

Ambassador: You do have a course.

Śyāmasundara: Yes, Berkeley, Southern California.

Prabhupāda: We have got books. I have brought along books for you.

Ambassador: Oh! Oh!

Prabhupāda: Big, big books. Dozens of books like that. Here is another book.

Room Conversation with Kenneth Keating, U.S. Ambassador to India -- October 14, 1972, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Person. You don't love the air. You love your husband. He is a person. And he loves you, you are a person. Therefore God must be person. This conclusion. Because I am person, I am a sample of God, so God must be person. What do you think? Without God being person, how we can reciprocate love?

Ambassador: Uh, Your Divine Grace, I'm sorry, but I have an Ambassador waiting, and I have to move from the sublime to the mundane. I'd like to continue this, but he has this appointment and I have to... But I appreciate very much your coming in and...

Prabhupāda: Now, I am also coming to the mundane point of view. The next time I want, when I go and come back to USA, I wish to see the President, if you can help me?

Ambassador: Well I, I can write a letter, but uh, I've had, let me, don't let me discourage you, but let me tell you that I've had at least a dozen religious leaders from India request the same thing, and none of them have gotten to see the President.

Prabhupāda: But one thing is...

Ambassador: But I'll be glad to try to help.

Prabhupāda: So, the things are, such an important philosophy, important movement is going unnoticed. You are busy to help the whole world so that peace will come, people may be happy, but instead of being happy, your country are becoming hippie.

Room Conversation with Kenneth Keating, U.S. Ambassador to India -- October 14, 1972, New Delhi:

Mrs. Keating: Forty thousand. That's wonderful.

Ambassador: That's great.

Mrs. Keating: Really, and it's a fine company.

Prabhupāda: Yes, fine.

Mrs. Keating: It's very good.

Śyāmasundara: Ambassador Keating was the attorney for Macmillan.

Prabhupāda: Oh!

Ambassador: Yes.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Ambassador: So I... Very nice to see you.

Prabhupāda: Thank you.

Ambassador: And I appreciate your calling.

Śyāmasundara: Thank you very much. (end)

Room Conversation -- October 25, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: No.

Gurudāsa: He was not serious?

Prabhupāda: No, he admitted. He admitted that "You know better than us."

Gurudāsa: So then why he didn't scientifically try to find out more?

Prabhupāda: Our process of presentation is different. Their process is different. But they can appreciate that we know better than them. The same example: just like we accept cow dung is pure. Why pure? Because Vedas says. The scientific way is not like that. Is not that?

Indian man: Yes.

Prabhupāda: They must prove by analysis, by chemical analysis. There is difference between the modern scientist and our process of understanding.

Gurudāsa: Dr. Kapoor has written an article about that, this question. The one that will be published.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Gurudāsa: The one that we will publish.

Prabhupāda: You have sent?

Gurudāsa: Yes.

Room Conversation -- October 25, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is real (indistinct).

Pañca-draviḍa: I was being trained up in this. For one-and-a-half years I was going to MIT in Boston and planning to go into this chemical, chemistry or chemical engineering or metallurgy, something like that. But I could see that actually the people around me, my student body, all the people in the school, they were so maladjusted and miserable that I decided "If this is the result of their scientific training that they are so miserable, I'm going to leave here immediately," and I did so. I got out as quickly as I could. (break) ...see that their training is just simply bringing them misery in life and, therefore, there is no purpose in acquiring such knowledge. And Prabhupāda describes it as being like the jewel on the hood of a snake, more dangerous.

Prabhupāda: Once I was invited to speak in that institution, MIT. So I questioned, "Where is your department of technology to understand the difference between dead body and living body?" So I spoke on this. So the students appreciated. After my lecture, they gathered around me. How do you explain? What is that technology, why the man is dead? Science is simply based on this bodily concept. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13).

Indian man: But about body also they don't know anything.

Prabhupāda: That also they have no perfect knowledge.

Indian man: About matter they say... (indistinct) has written a book in which... (end)

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 25, 1973, Jakarta:

Prabhupāda: Ah. So you can understand English then. So (Sanskrit). Duṣkṛtinaḥ means... kṛtiḥ means meritorious, very meritorious. But duṣkṛtiḥ. Whatever merit he has got... Nowadays at the present moment the civilization is so mad that everyone as human being... Any human being he has got some merit because he is not cat and dog. He's a man. As a man he has got brain, better than the cats and dogs. That's a fact. And actually they're doing so many things. Just like this picture. It is a very meritorious workmanship. So everyone can do some meritorious workmanship. But when that workmanship is diverted to, for the use of sinful activities... Just like one man is very meritorious, he's planning to form a party how to plunder. This requires merit. Without merit you cannot form a party. But the merit is being used for plundering, for harassing, for so many other sinful activities. So that is called duṣkṛtinaḥ. Merit is there but the merit is being misused for sinful activities. Therefore duṣkṛtiḥ. Just like modern scientist. It is meritorious that they have discovered the atomic bomb. The merit is used for killing. If you just use your merit so that man may live; that they're dying. Everyone is dying. So you have discovered a bomb which will accelerate death. Death, everyone is going to die. So if you manufacture something which will actually help my death, is that very meritorious? If you discover something that will stop my death, that is meritorious. But everyone is dying and you have discovered some machine so that you can die quickly. What is the merit? But people are appreciating, "Oh, this is meritorious." This is called duṣkṛtiḥ. Duṣkṛtiḥ, mean one has got merit, it is being spoiled for doing something wrong. This is called duṣkṛtiḥ. So such people, duṣkṛtinaḥ, who, one who is using the merit for sinful activities, he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. He cannot surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15) and rascal. Rascal means denying the existence of God. He's a rascal.

Room Conversation -- February 26, 1973, Jakarta:
Prabhupāda: There is example in Sanskrit grammar, gaṅgāyāṁ ghoṣa bali(?). The neighborhood of ghoṣa family is on the Ganges. Now, on the Ganges-Ganges is water—how there can be a village? Now, here interpretation required. When the matter is (break) ...on the water but on the bank of the Ganges. So when the meaning is not clear, then you can interpret. But when the meaning is clear... Just like Bhagavad-gītā: dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ (BG 1.1). Now Kurukṣetra is still there, in..., about 90 miles away from Delhi. Perhaps you have been there. The station is there, Kurukṣetra. Now how one can interpret that kurukṣetra means this body? This is going on. In spite of clear understanding, they interpret in their own way so that they have got their own philosophy, they want to support. This is going on. So if you kindly avoid this misleading interpretation, and if you take Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then you get the science of God, science of religion, which is applicable either to Indonesian or Indian or African or American, everyone. The science is appreciated everywhere. Two plus two equal to four, this mathematical science is applicable everywhere. It doesn't matter whether one is a Christian or Hindu or Muslim. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā is the science of religion, science of God. So if you take this book seriously, and try to spread this knowledge among your countrymen, I think you'll be very much benefited. And it can be... We are preaching that. We are the, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is meant for one God, one scripture, one mantra, like that, for all people of the world. And we are happy that people are accepting it in that way, very nicely. And it is very easy. It is very easy. So Mr. Director he has read Bhagavad-gītā?
Room Conversation -- February 26, 1973, Jakarta:
Prabhupāda: Unless we understand this, there cannot be any peace. That is the Vedic version. Anyone who understands this, he gets peace. Otherwise there's no possibility of peace. If I think that I am the proprietor, if I think that I am the enjoyer, or, in other words, I am God, then you'll never get peace. That is not possible. That is a false. If one of the children thinks that I am the independent, then naturally father will say, "All right, if you're independent, do your own business." This is an example. So if you want peace then, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, you have to learn these three things. It is not very difficult. To accept God as the Supreme Enjoyer, and God as the sole proprietor of everything, and He's the best friend of everyone. Then you have peace. Anyone can appreciate this. Anyone can adopt this principle and he'll be in peace. And so long one will falsely think that "I am God. I am enjoyer, I am this, I am that." Then he'll suffer. False notion will never make him happy. He must come to the true, factual idea. Now you can examine that Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the Supreme Enjoyer." Now let us understand this one fact, how Kṛṣṇa's the enjoyer. Now suppose here is some banana fruits. Who has created this banana fruit? You are not manufacturer, I am not manufacturer. Somebody has created. We accept God has created and that's a fact. Then who should be the enjoyer? I shall be enjoyer or God shall be enjoyer? Anything you create, you become the enjoyer. Anything I create, I become the enjoyer. So if God has created this banana fruit, then who should be enjoyer? God or I?
Room Conversation -- March 17, 1973, Mayapur:

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He was my intimate friend. So in their house, old Tīrtha Mahārāja went to beg some alms—they are very rich man. So, he informed me that "One nice sannyāsī came to our house," and he was invited, "in Ultadanga there is Gauḍīya Maṭha, so he has invited me. I wish to go there. Why don't you come? Let us go together." He was my very intimate friend. So at that time I was a little pessimistic (?), "I know all these sādhus there, I am not going." So he forced me, "Oh, why not come? Let us go." "All right, let us go." So I went to see His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura in 1922 in that Ultadanga building, and that time Prabhupāda was sitting on the roof. There was small house (indistinct) room, and we were welcome, because they thought Naren Mullik was very rich man and he has contributed some money. So, we went to see Prabhupāda, offered our obeisances. So immediately he said that "You are all educated young men, why don't you preach Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's message throughout the whole world?" So I replied him, "Sir, we are dependent nation, who will hear our message? We can talk all these things after we get independence," because I was politically-minded at that time. So he refuted my argument. Certainly I was defeated, and I took his words very seriously, I appreciated. Then we were offered some prasādam, we came down, and my friend Naren Mullik asked me, "How did you like this sādhu?" "Yes, here is a sādhu in whose hands Caitanya Mahāprabhu's message is there, and it will be done. I think this is very nice." That was my appreciation. Then 1923, I resigned my post as manager in Bose's laboratory, and I accepted the agency of whole U.P., beginning from Mughalsarai (?) up to Delhi, and I made my head office in Allahabad. So I was always thinking, "Oh yes, I met a very nice sādhu." From the very beginning, that was my impression, that "I have met a real sādhu." So, actually the words, lava mātra sādhu saṅge sarva siddhi haya (CC Madhya 22.54), was actually... I perceived a kind (?) for a moment, and he impressed so much, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, that it was, it continued. Then in 1928, when there was Kumbha-melā... Mahārāja, when you joined Gauḍīya Maṭha?

Room Conversation -- March 17, 1973, Mayapur:

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Big sum.

Prabhupāda: Big sum, yes. So Gosvāmī Mahārāja very much appreciated, and he began to speak highly about me that "Abhay Babu is so expert, he has got so many friends, he has collected so many... So why does he... He should be the Maṭha in-charge." In this way. "Why should he not live with us? Why he's living separately?" In this way. So Prabhupāda, Mahārāja, Śrīdhara may remember it (laughing), he said, "It is better to live separately from you people, and he will do the necessity in due course of time." So I could not understand what Śrīla Prabhupāda meant by that. So his inclination, blessings, were always upon me although (indistinct), but he was so kind.

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1973, Los Angeles:

Brahmānanda: We are simply your puppets, Śrīla Prabhupāda. You're giving us the books.

Prabhupāda: No. We are all set of puppets of Kṛṣṇa. I am also puppet. Puppet. This is disciplic succession. We, we have to become puppet. That's all. As I am puppet of my Guru Mahārāja, if you become my puppet, then that is success. Our success is there when we become puppet of the predecessor. Tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta sane vāsa. To live in the society of devotees and to become puppet of the predecessor ācārya. This is success. So we are trying to do that. Kṛṣṇa consciousness society and serve the predecessor. That's all. Harer nāma harer nāma... (CC Adi 17.21). (pause) People will come. People will appreciate our propaganda. It will take some time.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They are appreciating more now than a couple of years ago.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Morning Walk -- April 20, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: But... Thing is that they are studying the laws very nicely. That's good. But they should appreciate that who has made this law? That is their defect. They are studying how the laws of nature is working. That's nice. But they should appreciate at the same time: Who made such subtle laws that they are working so nicely? That is our philosophy. We do not only study the laws and appreciate it, but we study the law-maker also. That is the difference between ourself and the so-called scientists. They are left, poor fund of knowledge. They cannot appreciate that there is a law-maker of these subtle laws. That is their defect. That is called poor fund of knowledge. And as soon as we accept law-maker, we have to accept that He's a person, He has got brain. Therefore He can make laws. Just like the great ocean is working, but there is a law. It cannot come here. Although there is potency. At any second it can cover the whole city But there is a law. Just like state laws. Up to this. No more admission. You have to stop. Similarly, there is law of God. Where there is order: You mighty ocean, you cannot come beyond this. This is law. There is sun. "You must rise at half-past, at five o'clock in the morning." "Yes, sir." This is law. "You must rise on the Eastern side." "Yes, Sir." Not whimsically. Sometimes this side, sometimes that side, sometimes that side. Cannot do whimsically. That is law of nature. And behind the law of nature, there is the order-giver, law-maker. This is perfect knowledge. mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). "Under My superintendence, the laws of nature is working." This is intelligence. We are teaching people this intelligence. That's all.

Morning Walk -- May 1, 1973, Los Angeles:
Prabhupāda: You are seeing that things are going on under direction. Yasyājñayā. Therefore you have to... śāstra yonitvāt. The Vedānta says, "You have to understand God through śāstra;" by the scriptures you have to understand. śāstra yonitvāt. Everything is there. The śāstra gives you direction. Therefore human being is meant to study the śāstras. The śāstras, Vedic literature, is meant for the human being, not for the cats and dogs. If you don't consult the śāstras, then you remain a cats and dogs. That's all. Why you are taking so much trouble, writing śāstra, explaining to you? So that you may come to the real platform from the platform of cats and dogs. That is our mission. That is the duty of the spiritual master. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. The spiritual master is the most beneficent friend, he is giving you direction from the śāstra. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau: "He is the real welfare worker for the human society." Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāravinda-bhajanānandena mattālikau vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. You see śāstra is giving direction. So many lawyers are going to the school colleges to learn the government laws. Why they are taking so much trouble? Just to give people the direction that "You work under this direction, you will not be in difficulty." Similarly the spiritual master is the lawyer. He knows things as they are. He gives direction to the disciple so that he'll be happy. He will not be in trouble. This is guru-śiṣya-sampatti. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. By the mercy of guru everything is... Bhagavat-prasādaḥ, immediately, mercy of God. Oh, it is coming. No. Now, one should study the sprinkler. We'll give credit, "Oh, who has manufactured this sprinkler?" But there is no glorification for the original sprinkler, who takes all the water in the sky and sprinkles all over. There is no appreciation, rascal. You appreciate this thing.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: The engineers, they'll say, "Oh, we have made this." Prabhupāda: Yes, but another engineer, such a big engineer, he has no appreciation. Just see. Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (Prabhupāda gets in car) Prabhupāda: We simply ask that you appreciate the original engineer. That is our... (end)

Morning Walk -- May 14, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: You still can accept anything material? No. So how it becomes? It was material in the tree and it becomes spiritual? No. It is spiritual. So long I was thinking it is meant for my enjoyment that is material. As soon as I take it for Kṛṣṇa's enjoyment, it is spiritual.

Paramahaṁsa: So, actually this entire world is spiritual.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That we want, that engage everything in Kṛṣṇa's service. This will be spiritual world.

Paramahaṁsa: So we can also appreciate Kṛṣṇa's creation in that light? For example, this is very beautiful because it is Kṛṣṇa's.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We realize that. We don't say... Just like Māyāvādī philosophy says mithyā. Jagan mithyā. "This world is false." We don't say that. We don't say "jagan mithyā."

Devotee: This material nature is just one energy of Kṛṣṇa acting in a certain way?

Prabhupāda: Why shall I say...? Kṛṣṇa has created so many nice things for His enjoyment, why shall I say, "mithyā." Suppose if you create nice house, very good apartment and you call me, "Just see." And if I say, "It is all mithyā."

Morning Walk -- May 14, 1973, Los Angeles:

Kṛṣṇa-kāntī: If someone looks at the Deity of Kṛṣṇa and thinks it's only stone or wood, for him it's still material?

Prabhupāda: That is his ignorance. How it can be material? The stone is also Kṛṣṇa's energy. Just like electricity energy is there everywhere. The electrician knows how to utilize it, how to take electricity. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is everywhere, even in the stone. The devotees know how to utilize stone to appreciate Kṛṣṇa. The devotees know. The rascal, they do not know. Because the devotee has no other view than Kṛṣṇa. Why stone should be without Kṛṣṇa? Here is Kṛṣṇa. That is real oneness. And the Māyāvādī philosopher they say oneness, but divide. This is stone, this is not Kṛṣṇa. Why second? Why you bring another thing?

Devotee: Good and bad, evil and...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Conversation with Sridhara Maharaja -- June 27, 1973, Navadvipa:

Prabhupāda: So our present Tīrtha Mahārāja, Bhakti-Vilāsa-Tīrtha Mahārāja, he's representing Prabhupāda. At least, he tries to pose himself. So Bon Mahārāja's activities, in comparison to that, my activities certainly better. And Bon Mahārāja was given so much reception. But he did not give me any reception. How he can claim to be Prabhupāda's representative?

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Bon Mahārāja was given reception because Prabhupāda...

Prabhupāda: No, Prabhupāda appreciated anyway.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Anyway.

Prabhupāda: But here there is no appreciation.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: He's representing, he's representing the mission, he thinks. He thinks so, but he's so poor in his preaching capacity that he cannot accommodate any other in his camp than him and Vinohe(?). I heard a story of Maharashtra. In old days, there was a good king who encouraged the paṇḍitas very much. And he had got in his assembly a scholar, one Balarāma. He always looked after this, that. No paṇḍita can have any entrance to that Mahārāja. And he professed himself to be, he is the biggest paṇḍita in the land. So once Kālidāsa... At the time of Kālidāsa. Kālidāsa, when he heard, then he found a plan. And went to that paṇḍita, that "I a poor brāhmaṇa. I want some, some sort of money from the king. You are all in..."

Prabhupāda: Recommend.

Conversation with Sridhara Maharaja -- June 27, 1973, Navadvipa:

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: He knows this canar-dharma. (?)

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Canar-dharma is everything to him, just as Haritaki to that fabulous Kavirāja. (Bengali)

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: And he has got one thing, I...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Tusarkanti (?) very much appreciates.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Whom?

Prabhupāda: No, this canar-dharma. Because that Gaura Mahārāja, you know.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Yes, I know.

Prabhupāda: He told me that he was given...

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: He wanted election of Vāsudeva Prabhu, Gaura Mahārāja and that Bhagavānānanda, but Paraśurāma. But anyhow, he escaped and he came to Tīrtha Mahārāja, his former relative, old Tīrtha Mahārāja, former relative. Then Tīrtha Mahārāja told him that "What about my guru?" "Well, if your guru on one side, another bullock in another side. And if you can plow and produce some crops, and that can be offered to Mahāprabhu, then your guru may have a path of relish." (laughs) See what Tīrtha Mahārāja says, "This is blasphemy." "No, it is true, but this is very cruel. But this is truth."

Room Conversation with David Wynne, Sculptor -- July 9, 1973, London:

Śyāmasundara: They glorified the whole parade on television. They didn't make fun of it or like that.

Prabhupāda: Nobody should make fun.

Śyāmasundara: It wasn't just an objective report, but they said it was good, it was nice, and had good appeal.

Prabhupāda: Yeah, everyone appreciated.

Mukunda: The last thing they said on the program was, "Perhaps this will give us something to think about for a long time."

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, certainly.

David Wynne: It must.

Śyāmasundara: No one could deny. They had never seen such a colorful parade, so full of festivity. (Someone walks up to Prabhupāda.)

Prabhupāda: Oh, I could have gone there. All right. (Sound of washing hands in bowl.) Yes. So I am very glad that you have come and you have taken prasādam. Very nice.

David Wynne: Thank you, sir.

Prabhupāda: And we had very good talks also. I'm very glad.

Room Conversation with David Wynne, Sculptor -- July 9, 1973, London:

Śyāmasundara: So we see in the creation of God, it also traces back to the Creator.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Creation means the Creator. Just like when I see the picture of so many sculptor. So who has done it? I come to David. To appreciate the creation means you have to come to the point, appreciating the Creator. Otherwise, it is not finished. Or your knowledge is imperfect still. So these scientists, they are simply trying to study the creation. They have no knowledge about the Creator. That is the defect. Neither do they try, neither they can understand. They are so foolish and poor fund of knowledge. They should try to understand the Creator also. Then the knowledge is perfect. Just like the scientists, they are theorizing that life began from matter, chemicals. But wherefrom the chemicals came? That is insufficient knowledge. They say, "Chemicals existed." Now, we have no such experience... Just like we ate some purīs. Purīs had to be created. Not that existed. It is existing, but when I require, I have to create it. The crude example. The chemicals, wherefrom the chemicals came? That is answered in the Bhagavad-gītā. In this way you have to study. Simply to study the creation, that is imperfect knowledge. When you come to the Creator, then it is perfect. Just like if you see simply his sculptures, so many things, that is not perfect knowledge. Why this book is "David Wynne"? Now, you go to the creator. And ...the all appreciation is there, credit is given there. That is perfect. Otherwise, you see, so many stones are there, figures are there. But when you study that "This is the creation of such and such artist, sculptor, and he's such and such," then that is perfect. Study him.

Room Conversation with David Wynne, Sculptor -- July 9, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: You have to penetrate. You have to understand who has created this universe.

David Wynne: Yes. Yes. But if a great artist was no longer alive, people would still appreciate...

Prabhupāda: No, but the God is not like that, no longer alive.

David Wynne: No, but that's what I mean. The analogy falls down there, doesn't it.

Prabhupāda: God is not like that.

Śyāmasundara: But you're saying that it's better to first penetrate and understand God.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: Then understand the universe.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is perfect knowledge.

Room Conversation With David Lawrence -- July 12, 1973, London:

David Lawrence: Really...

Prabhupāda: So his record has become very successful.

Śyāmasundara: Number one everywhere. In America.

Prabhupāda: Now, even they are appreciating.

David Lawrence: Very successful even with one boy, you see. That's success, isn't it?

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Śyāmasundara: He likes to hear it.

Prabhupāda: "I am in material world."

Śyāmasundara: We get letters from all over the world addressed to George Harrison care of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Temple London. (laughter) From Poland, from behind the Iron Curtain even. Russia, China, every place, they send.

Prabhupāda: And he has mentioned my Bhagavad-gītā in my name also.

Room Conversation -- July 19, 1973, London:

Pradyumna: Couldn't get his last, Ruby something.

Prabhupāda: Ruby, that...

Pradyumna: He is a very nice gentleman. He appreciated Bhagavad-gītā. He said right away, very...

Prabhupāda: Yes...

Pradyumna: My wife's typing up all your lectures. She has finished L.A. lectures. Now she is typing Māyāpur lectures, this lecture, that lecture. She has permanent machine and typewriter and apartment. So she types all during the day and she minds the child. And then it is in the same apartment.

Prabhupāda: Attending class also?

Pradyumna: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Room Conversation with Dr. Arnold Toynbee, Famous Historian, at his home or office -- July 22, 1973, London:

Dr. Arnold Toynbee: Yes, yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So they were feeling the... Actually, in India... In our childhood, we know. Every Indian felt very secure. They never expected that Britishers will go. They were so sympathetic. And now they... This is the pulse felt by that statistics officer. They are not very much satisfied with the present system of government. British administration was very much appreciated by the Indians. Even Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura appreciated. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he has written in something, somewhere, that "The Britishers also very nice because they don't interfere with the religious affairs." So as soon as they changed their views and tried to divide the Hindus and Muslims, the British Empire lost. According to Queen's declaration, the Britishers pledged that "They will not interfere with your religious affairs." Later on, for political purposes, when they interfered with this Hindu-Muslim question, then the British Empire lost.

Room Conversation with Anna Conan Doyle, daughter-in-law of famous author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- August 10, 1973, Paris:

Bhagavān: But to do that from the position the world is in today, it seems like it's so, it'd be almost, very difficult to come to that platform again, unless we...

Prabhupāda: It may be difficult, but the philosophy is there. Solution is there.

Bhagavān: That requires getting some kind of political position perhaps? At least, if not us, someone else adopting the principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, appreciating them, or...

Prabhupāda: Now thing is that political consciousness... Just like Hitler planned, Napoleon planned. They also thought that: "If I can unite all these European states under my plan, under my 'ism,' they will be happy." That is the plan. He also thinks like that. But whether he is perfect? This Lenin, this Hitler, this Napoleon, whether they are perfect? So unless they are perfect, any such utopian planning will not help.

Bhagavān: But for our plan to be put into action on big scale, big people must accept, who, who are presently, who presently have power to control the state.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Discussion about Guru Maharaji -- August 13, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: So God could not... Kṛṣṇa says: ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo... (BG 18.66). That God can, without dying Himself, He can immediately and, I mean to say, vanquish all sinful action. Why He should be killed for that purpose? Just like the Pūtanā gave Kṛṣṇa poison. But Pūtanā was killed. And Kṛṣṇa was never ki... Kṛṣṇa cannot be killed by poison. Even Kṛṣṇa's devotees are not killed by poison. Prahlāda Mahārāja. If we discuss in detail, we create animosities. Therefore we do not discuss because Christian religion is followed by large number. We do not wish to make... We say yes. He says: "Son of God." We accept it. That's all. To accept a person God, that requires great evidences from śāstra. Especially. And when he's present, He will prove the statement of the śāstra. Then we accept Caitanya Mahāprabhu, God. There are evidences... (break) You see. We don't allow anybody to pass on as God because we are presenting real God. We must make process. The real process is to kill him. But that much power we haven't got. We cannot do that. Otherwise, we would have done so. Nobody should be allowed to claim as God. And severe punishment for him. Kṛṣṇa has shown this example. (break) We explain two, three lines from Bhāgavatam. How much people appreciated. So we have to preach like that, the substance. Not the sentiment. But if we cannot, the saṅkīrtana is sufficient. (break) ...anumāna-pramāṇa. Anumāna, hypothesy, and pramāṇa, śāstra-pramāṇa. Śruti-pramāṇa. evidences from the Vedas. Evidences from authorized persons. And anumāna also. That is not good evidence. But even if you take anumāna, that if I make... This table is created by somebody. It is all right.

Room Conversation with Sanskrit Professor -- August 13, 1973, Paris:

Yogeśvara: It said, "A rival to Nelson's Column." They showed a picture of the Ratha next to the column of Nelson.

Professor: Oh, really?

Yogeśvara: Yeah. Our car was bigger than...

Prabhupāda: And they published it, "Rival of Nelson. The great rival of Nelson." They appreciated. Yes.

Professor: Sure, I know...

Prabhupāda: Everyone, everyone appreciated. After Ratha-yātrā, wherever our men went, they were received very well.

Professor: And what was the attitude of the Indian colony in London?

Prabhupāda: I do not know what is Indian colony.

Professor: There are many.

Prabhupāda: Yes, there are many. These are some of the pictures in Melbourne.

Room Conversation with Sanskrit Professor -- August 13, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: Were there color pictures, small?

Haṁsadūta: Yeah, there's a small...

Śrutakīrti: This one here.

Prabhupāda: No, the small...

Śrutakīrti: No, oh, the small pictures...

Professor: Oh, you got three different carts.

Haṁsadūta: Yeah, three carts.

Prabhupāda: Here is the gigantic ratha behind the crowd. The police cooperate.

Professor: Oh, yes?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone likes. Yes. Even Christian priests they also like. No, any sane man will like because... Somebody sends me money: "Sir, you are doing so nice work, spreading God consciousness. Here is my little contribution."

Professor: I see.

Prabhupāda: Yes. From your, these Western countries. Just week before, I got hundred dollars from one gentleman. Simply appreciated that I am spreading God consciousness. So actually we have no program of proselytizing or making Hindu from Christian, Christian... We have no such program. We simply want to see that everyone is God conscious. Never mind through which venue, he becomes a God conscious. It doesn't matter.

Morning Walk -- August 30, 1973, London:

David Lawrence: So once again you'd say that this was a...

Prabhupāda: Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā, it is clearly said bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Simply through devotional service one can understand Me. Others will misunderstand. (break)

David Lawrence: Yes, one doesn't become concerned with these what really are the superficials of an inner state. You accept and appreciate the validity of bhakti.

Prabhupāda: What is this?

Śyāmasundara: It's a sentry post for watchguards.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

David Lawrence: Once again, many thanks for your tremendous cooperation and as I say I hope it won't put you to too much work. Obviously some of these things have already been met. To a certain extent we've done some of the work already, haven't we?

Prabhupāda: Some of our students may read. If it is presented, if it is misrepresented then it is useless to publish.

Room Conversation with Officer Harry Edwards, the Village Policeman -- August 30, 1973, Bhaktivedanta Manor, London:

Harry: But that's the only thing... But if there's anything else that you, if you got...? I think, as I say, given time, a bit of experience. But I do feel that a lot of little things which you do in the temple, and I appreciate this, but I think that they, to try 'em outside until people accept.

Revatīnandana: Yes.

Harry: But, at the same time, I don't believe that you're going to change all your principles, are you, just to suit people outside?

Revatīnandana: When we go outside, we can act accordingly. There's no...

Harry: No, you do, don't you? There's only these little things, you know. To me, I mean, you come past me, my house, and if I'm out there, it makes no difference to me at all. And I don't suppose it makes any difference to a certain other people, but there's just that little bit of nuclear that, you know, will sort of catch on to it, as a, as a means to their own ends or to justify their rumors, I suppose. This is what I think. Well, anyway, we can sort out that as we go along.

Śyāmasundara: Yeah. Time heals all wounds.

Harry: Ah yes, time... yeah. I dare say, I mean, possibly about next year, there may be something, someone else may have bought another house. So, so there'd be rumors about that.

Prabhupāda: In America, we are recognized by the police: We are well-behaved, peaceful persons.

Harry: Yes.

Room Conversation with Officer Harry Edwards, the Village Policeman -- August 30, 1973, Bhaktivedanta Manor, London:

Śyāmasundara: Yes.

Revatīnandana: Actually, we would appreciate if you would tell us these things, that the village people are thinking this, thinking that. If they're feeling unhappy about something, if it's something that we can change, let us know.

Harry: Well, this is it. Look... But you can't do this... Rome wasn't built in a day.

Prabhupāda: No, you cannot satisfy...

Harry: You cannot satisfy everyone.

Revatīnandana: No, but about our external behavior...

Prabhupāda: That's not. We cannot change our policy.

Harry: No.

Revatīnandana: No. About our external behavior, things that they are finding bothersome... Like we are chanting loudly on the street or in the doctor's office.

Prabhupāda: Well, that is...

Revatīnandana: These kind of things, we want to know. See.

Room Conversation with British Man -- August 31, 1973, London:

Guest (1): Unquestioning.

Haṁsadūta: Yes, without, not without questioning, if there is some, but not with speculation or challenging.

Guest (1): I didn't mean to speculate, I'm sure you appreciate that. I just am wondering whether the smallness of my perception in seeing Him coming for almost a national purpose whereas in fact He's coming for an international...,

Haṁsadūta: A spiritual purpose, beyond even international, spiritual. Because on the spiritual platform the nation is one, God's nation.

Guest (1): Well for instance today, this evening, I have found that what I have always heard of as Kṛṣṇa is your term for God isn't it?

Haṁsadūta: Yes. God has many names but the chief name, best name, is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa means the all-attractive. He attracts everyone.

Guest (1): Yes. Now in speaking some while ago to some Muslims, they were saying that there is only one God and Allah is His name. Now...?

Haṁsadūta: Yes, that's a fact. God is one. But because He's the supreme, His names are many.

Guest (1): Many, right, lovely.

Haṁsadūta: Just like you have two or three names. You children call you "Daddy," your wife is calling you by some name, the boss calls you by another name, the neighbors by another name. So we are ordinary, we have already three, four names. God has millions of names. But He is one.

Guest (1): That's a very helpful expression, thank you very much.

Haṁsadūta: And similarly religion is one. Because God is one, His religion, because religion means law of God. Whatever He speaks, it must be the same everywhere. Either in the Bible, Koran or the Bhagavad-gītā. Unfortunately we are making so many differentiations or distinctions or contradictions. But actually on principle, there is only one religion. If we actually understand religion, the word of God, law of God, there can't be two religions. Just like mathematics is one.

Guest (1): I do feel that. It's because I do feel that so very strongly, I cannot feel impelled to give allegiance to any sect at all. It's repugnant to me.

Haṁsadūta: Sectarianism is the great enemy of...

Guest (1): It is, it's a dreadful thing.

Prabhupāda: From practical life, just like world's principal religion, Christianism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Mohammedanism also, the principle of not killing is there, every religion. Buddhism, they're completely for not killing. No circumstances, at any circumstances killing is not allowed. Similarly, in Vedic religion, killing is not allowed, but at circumstances, it is allowed. Similarly Christianity, they also say, "Thou shall not kill." Mohammedans also, they allow killing, but circumstantially. So the principle of killing is forbidden every religion, every religion. So the principle of religion is one. Take for example, in every religion there is acceptance of God and religion means to abide by the order of God. So how there can be two religions? There cannot be two religions. "I believe like that, we believe like that." These are man-made. But actual religion is that God is one and religion means the orders, the law given by God. That's all. Simple definition. Just like state is one, government is one, and to become good citizen means to abide by the laws of the government. That's all. Those, one who is abiding by the laws of God, he is perfect religionist. It doesn't matter whether he's a Hindu, he's a Muslim or a Christian. Whether he has got proper sense what is meant by God and what is the order of God. Then he is religionist, perfect religionist.

Room Conversation with Sanskrit Professor, Dr. Suneson -- September 5, 1973, Stockholm:

Professor: No, but that's...

Prabhupāda: Now, I, when we were talking, I asked him one question, that "Professor Kotofsky, you are communist, I am Kṛṣṇite. So where is the difference of philosophy? Because you have to accept one authority, leader. So you have accepted Lenin as leader; we have accepted Kṛṣṇa as leader. So where is the difference on the principle?" So he could not answer. But he very much appreciated this, that "Where is the difference between these two principles." But now we have to consider whether the leadership of Lenin is good, or the leadership of Kṛṣṇa is good. That is another thing. But you have to accept one leader. You cannot do without leader. That is not possible.

Professor: Well, well, to some extent it's possible.

Prabhupāda: No, every extent. Anyone, anyone calling... So many philosophy or ism, he has got leader. That you cannot avoid. The Buddhists, they are following Lord Buddha. Christians, they are following Lord Jesus Christ. Mohammedans, they are following Mohammed. Similarly the communists, they are following Lenin, or Max. What is?

Devotees: Marx.

Interviews with Macmillan and various English Reporters -- September 12, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: That he can explain. He's Western people.

Reporter (2): But I mean, how about in your view?

Haṁsadūta: He wants to hear it from you.

Prabhupāda: They are getting some substance. You see. Just like here is a sweetmeat. If you have never tasted a sweetmeat before and if you are supplied a nice sweetmeat, naturally you appreciate and take it.

Reporter (2): But why, why 1966? I mean what was there, what was there, special about the Sixties?

Prabhupāda: And before that, this thing was not administered.

Reporter (2): I mean the mood of the time might have been right then. I mean was there something about that age that made it especially attractive to the young people?

Prabhupāda: Young people, even Young boys, they also take. So generally teenagers, they to...Teenagers, they take it very nicely.

Room Conversation with Banker -- September 21, 1973, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So that very time so I first of all asked the students, "Where is your technological department to find out the thing when a man is dead, and you replace it?" These were my subject matter. I talked. A man is working. (Aside:) come on. A man is working. All of a sudden he stops to work. So a motor car is working. All of a sudden it stops. So there are technologists who can repair the car and it will again start. That is technology. Now the man is working, stopped. So where is that technology to make it move again. That was... I spoke on this. So they very much appreciated. After my lecture they gathered round me. You remember that? No.

Gargamuni: I wasn't there.

Prabhupāda: So actually, in this, at the present moment, they have invented so many technology, but this technology is missing. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Nobody wants to die. And where is that technology, to stop death? What so you think? You are financing many technological institutions, businesses. Why don't you finance an institution which is giving instruction how to stop death?

Banker: But as I understood it, you were encouraging death as a form of liberation. Isn't that my understanding? That that was the ideal?

Prabhupāda: No, no. Therefore you are not financing. Because you misunderstand. Actually, we are giving the technological knowledge by which one stops death. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Room Conversation -- November 2, 1973, New Delhi:

Śyāmasundara: We're thinking if we can get either one of those two, then everyone else will come very easily. They'll give money, everything.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. It is very nice. Indira Gandhi knows our movement. Is it not? Yes, she knows.

Śyāmasundara: Yes. I approached her that you are the great, the greatest emissary of Kṛṣṇa, of Indian culture outside of India. So...

Prabhupāda: That is a fact. But these rascals do not appreciate it. Others are appreciating.

Śyāmasundara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: The foreign countries, they're appreciating, "Here is real Indian culture." They should also appreciate by the result.

Śyāmasundara: Yes, that's the point.

Prabhupāda: By the result, not theoretical.

Śyāmasundara: No. So we were showing pictures and books.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Every sane man should appreciate. When European and American young men, who are after material sense gratification, they're taking sannyāsa, it is not joke. They should appreciate it. In an age where material sense enjoyment is very prominent, and they give up everything for Kṛṣṇa, and they're going far away from their comfortable position... Just like Brahmānanda has gone to Africa. So what for? Unless they appreciate Kṛṣṇa consciousness, how they take up this job? This is practical. There is no question of theoretical.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1973, New Delhi:

Śyāmasundara: Maybe that is my case also.

Prabhupāda: That is special favor. In the beginning I was thinking, "Now my godbrothers, they have taken sannyāsa. They are begging from door to door. Why shall I beg? Let me earn money and start Kṛṣṇa consciousness." But that never happened. So I had to... I was obliged to take the dress of my godbrothers and preach, instead of earning money. Yes. Some astrologer told me that I should have been a man like a Birla. And I got all those chances in the chemical line, to become... Now I am bigger than Birla. That's all right. But even in business field, there were signs that in money things... I got so many good chances. But everything... Dr. Kartika Candra Bose he appreciated my activities, "Very intelligent boy." He certified to my father-in-law. This is the way of becoming rich man.

Morning Walk -- December 4, 1973, Los Angeles:

Karandhara: No, but they... That example falls within the range of their experience, because they can also be a father.

Prabhupāda: No, not to your experience. But a superior experience, say mother.

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Not your experience. You cannot say by experience who is your father. Your mother can say.

Karandhara: No, but the example that I have a father can be appreciated because I can also be a father.

Prabhupāda: But therefore if that appreciation is there, that avināśi tu tad viddhi yena..., the consciousness is spreading from the soul, so you have to appreciate there must be something from which consciousness comes. That you cannot deny.

Karandhara: They say it is biochemical development.

Prabhupāda: No, but then you replace consciousness by a biochemical combination. That you cannot do.

Devotee (2): When the baby is born dead.

Karandhara: But just because they say, "Because we can't do it yet..."

Prabhupāda: No, no, no. You cannot do, therefore you are rascal. You're talking all nonsense. You cannot do it, how you speak?

Karandhara: Up till two hundred years ago they weren't able to fly...

Prabhupāda: Want two hundred..., no, we want immediately, we don't want blank check. (devotees laugh) Rascal blank check.

Morning Walk -- December 8, 1973, Los Angeles:

Hṛdayānanda: It's wonderful to hear you talk about Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is wonderful, either I talk or you talk. (laughs) He's wonderful. A sweetmeat is sweet. Either you give or I give, it is sweet. (break) ...your scientist will try to understand that "Kṛṣṇa has given us the metal, Kṛṣṇa has given us the intelligence, now we have prepared nice airship, and Kṛṣṇa has given us the sky to fly." Appreciate like that. Then your Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Actually that is the fact. If there was no sky, where would you fly your scientific advancement? And if there was no metal, how could you manufacture? If you had no intelligence, how could you do it? So everything is given by Kṛṣṇa, and you are denying Kṛṣṇa. How fool you are, just see? This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Simply accept that "Everything is given by Kṛṣṇa. We are utilizing it." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Bali Mardana: Only when Kṛṣṇa takes it away, then they turn to him.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bali Mardana: "Save us."

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa wants that much, that you accept that "All facilities are given by Me," that much.

Morning Walk -- December 8, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prajāpati: Will this be possible, to reform these leaders, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Well, just like I came here alone to reform, to make God conscious, but gradually it is increasing. Although I had very little hope, but still now hopeful. So let us try for it. It is not that cent percent people, but if one, two men can understand, leading men, then the whole society will be benefited. It is not that mass people will be reformed. Just like we have received one letter from one Mr. Ford, Ford family, how much he is appreciating our movement. He has paid also. So it is our duty to do. But if one, two men comes out, comes forward, then it will be successful.

Yaśomatīnandana: That Ford boy is about to become a devotee, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Yes, he'll become devotee, just like George is becoming devotee. So if somebody comes in our touch and if he is sincere, he'll become devotee. Now this, I shall go this way?

Śrutakīrti: Yes.

Prajāpati: So therefore, because we're not actually trying to gain the office, there need be no compromise in our preaching. Our preaching can be strictly on the platform...

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Morning Walk -- December 11, 1973, Los Angeles:

Hṛdayānanda: They became disgusted with the...

Prabhupāda: Yes. It's simply, we can say, what is called? Stereotype, the church. Just like you said they want more pay. Payment... They have no knowledge, so what is the use of taking advice from such rascals? What is the use? But here it is not like that. We know the science of God. We know who is God. It is not a vague thing. Now you try to understand. Let there be educational institution. America has got so many universities. Let there be a department. There is already a religious department. So let the students learn the science of God. We have got so many books. Why they will not? They are actually appreciating. So this should be introduced in the university, in colleges, in schools. Why they should neglect such a, such an important scientific knowledge?

Devotee (1): When we try to introduce it sometimes, they very often say that it is sectarian.

Prabhupāda: Not sectarian. You do not know. Why do you say sectarian? How it is sectarian?

Devotee (1): They say that it represents...

Prabhupāda: We are preaching God consciousness. So is it not for everyone? God consciousness is sectarian? Is it meant for certain sect? Or it is meant for human beings?

Morning Walk -- December 11, 1973, Los Angeles:

Yaśomatīnandana: Mūkhaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim.

Prabhupāda: That one of my important Godbrothers says. He's sincere. All others, they are rascals. He says that "In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma. (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) So we were thinking that this is imagination, that Caitanya Mahāprabhu's cult would be spread all over the world, everyone will chant. So you have done it." So he's appreciating in that way. "But we are simply thinking that it is not possible, it is simply imagination. But that you have made it possible." So that is his appreciation.

Hṛdayānanda: Because you are so faithful. So (indistinct), more firmer. (break)

Devotee (3): That's what he says.

Prabhupāda: He says?

Devotee (3): He says that, yes.

Prabhupāda: What they said?

Devotee (3): Ah... They believe him.

Prabhupāda: Ah?

Morning Walk -- December 15, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: He has written? Oh.

Rūpānuga: It is in a book talking about different spiritual movements in this country.

Prabhupāda: So he has appreciated this?

Rūpānuga: He has made that remark. He has noted that difference.

Prabhupāda: (laughing) Therefore I am unique. Yes. Then I can, become unique. Yes. I am not amongst the rascals.

Rūpānuga: I tell the students... They ask me how they can distinguish between gurus. I tell them the real guru claims to be servant, and not God. I said only one guru says he is servant. That is Śrīla Prabhupāda. And they can understand that.

Candanācārya: Sincere people will appreciate that.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Prajāpati: In the early days of this movement, Śrīla Prabhupāda, in New York, devotees said they did not know how to treat Your Divine Grace. They did not know your exalted position. I think we are still very much offensive.

Prabhupāda: No, I am servant. I have no exalted position. Servant. Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat down in a place where people were washing their feet. Yes. (break) ...a representative of Kṛṣṇa. I came to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and Kṛṣṇa has sent so many representatives to help me. I consider like that. Without your help I could not do. So I wanted Kṛṣṇa's help, so Kṛṣṇa has sent you. Therefore you are representative of Kṛṣṇa. That is my conception.

Morning Walk -- December 15, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prajāpati: Actually, coming to this country, this is hell.

Prabhupāda: No, I am not in hell. I am with the devotees, so how can I say I am in hell? (break) Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vās: "My duty is to serve my guru and live with the devotees." That is Kṛṣṇa's grace. "My mission is to serve my guru, but live with the devotees."

tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vās
janame janame hoy ei abhilāṣ

"This is my desire life after life." A guru or bhakta does not aspire that he is going to Vaikuṇṭha, Kṛṣṇa. "Never mind." But their only desire, his only desire, is that to serve the predecessor ācārya and live with devotee. That's all. This is the only ambition. (break) ...says, tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ. Where, the place where the devotees are glorifying the Lord, Kṛṣṇa is there. So if Kṛṣṇa is there with the devotees, then wherever devotees are there, that is Vaikuṇṭha. That is Vaikuṇṭha. Just like our temple. It is Vaikuṇṭha. Because the devotees are chanting the glories of the Lord, so that is Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha is not limited. Vaikuṇṭha, as Kṛṣṇa can expand Himself, similarly, Vaikuṇṭha can also be expand, Vṛndāvana can expand. So wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, that is Vai... And where is not Kṛṣṇa? And that is to be appreciated. Then if anyone appreciates Kṛṣṇa everywhere, then he is living in the Vaikuṇṭha. He is not living in hell or Los Angeles.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 5, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: That Chaganlal this, I pay him extra eighty-five thousand. That is also black. No more white. So the black money was paid in this way, that the money was counted and it was put in a handbag, and it was locked by him. So the key was with him, and the bag was with me. As soon as court accepted the agreement, then I handed over, "Take this bag." Then again this Ratna Parik, he first of all proposed twenty thousand to sell that house. Then when I went there, he knew that he's settling at any cost, he said, "Now that twenty thousand was cost formerly. Now things have gone very high, I cannot sell." So he knows that we are eager to purchase. Then I said, "Then what do you want to do?" "Now I want thirty thousand." "All right, yes. Take it." I did not argue. In this way I settled up. And our Girirāja's father appreciated that "It is better a bad settlement than to prolong the case." So I took this policy. It is bad settlement, from twenty thousand to thirty thousand. But settled out. "I give you 85,000 black." But one thing I gain—that by cancelling the agreement, their proposal was that increase the price, twenty lakhs from fourteen lakhs. That was the arrangement between the attorneys. They cancelled the agreement and take twenty lakhs from him, and the balance should be divided by..., amongst us. That was the agreement. So that addition of twenty lakhs I satisfied Mrs. Nair by fourteen lakhs fifty thousand.

Morning Walk -- January 15, 1974, Hawaii:

Prabhupāda: They are rascals. Therefore I always say, "Kick them on their face with your shoes, so-called scientists." "Accident." There is no question of accident. Mūḍha. Therefore they have been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mūḍhāḥ, rascals, narādhama. Narādhama, the lowest of the mankind. Because they got this opportunity to appreciate the work of Kṛṣṇa, but they avoid it, they are narādhama. No, they are so big, big graduate, scientists, and..." māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.15). Their real knowledge is taken away, simply childish proposing something, so-called scientists. Real knowledge is to see everywhere Kṛṣṇa, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The supervision of Kṛṣṇa. That is real knowledge. Not only to appreciate, but to explain it also. Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī will appreciate, but cannot explain how it is being done. Madhyama-adhikārī will explain. That is preacher. And uttama-adhikārī, he thinks that everyone knows, everyone knows. He does not see that somebody knows, somebody does not know. He sees everyone knows. That is uttama-adhikārī. He does not make any distinction.

Morning Walk -- January 15, 1974, Hawaii:

Sudāmā: They don't reproduce, though.

Prabhupāda: Simply they're rascals and who are bewildered by rascals, they are also rascals. Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ (SB 2.3.19). He's an animal, and their work is appreciated by another animal. The so-called scientists' advancement of knowledge is appreciated by another rascal, not any intelligent man. We can appreciate, but when they're godless, we kick him out. Just see. This is the... Now, this is a solid thing. How it grows and how the water comes? Now it will not grow. Because (it is) detached. But if it remains attached, it will grow. So wherefrom the water is coming?

Bali Mardana: From the ground.

Prabhupāda: And you'll find that it is well protected cell, and you find two pieces of cāpāṭi and one glass of water, ready. No need of cooking. Yes. You simply take. Take the water and take the pulp and eat pulp and the glass of water. That's all. Your meal is finished; luncheon is finished. You don't require.

Morning Walk -- February 17, 1974, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: Mādhurya-bhakta is the best. Like gopīs. But that is very difficult to be.

Prabhupāda: No, best, it is just one's conception, you see? Otherwise, all are best. All are best. But śānta-bhaktas do not take Kṛṣṇa very intimately.

Dr. Patel: (laughs) You are... You take me below the belt.

Prabhupāda: Yes, śānta-bhakta means the bhakta who appreciates the greatness of the Supreme, but does not take Kṛṣṇa as very intimate. That is śānta-bhakta.

Dr. Patel: How can, ah, can you imagine God without taking Him very intimately? These are two, I mean...

Prabhupāda: No, no. Just like... Intimately... Just like I can give this example, that you have got a great regard for me, but not as intimately as my other disciples.

Dr. Patel: Ah, that is possible. Because I am, I have not put on the order clothes.

Prabhupāda: This example is, I think, proper.

Dr. Patel: (laughs)

Morning Walk -- February 17, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Then when it is sprouted, then active service. That is dāsya-rasa.

Dr. Patel: This is, in the very, I mean, very, the early preaching of all our Vaiṣṇava families...

Prabhupāda: Yes,

Dr. Patel: ...that all sannyāsīs and sādhus must be treated very well...

Prabhupāda: The sannyāsīs and sādhus, they are on the śānta-rasa, as you are. Yes, śānta-rasa, appreciating the greatness of the Supreme Absolute Truth. That is śānta-rasa. Brahman, Paramātmā. The Brahman feature of the Lord, all-pervading... Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. That appreciation, that is śānta-rasa. Paramātmā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). This is also śānta-rasa.

Dr. Patel: Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61).

Prabhupāda: Ha. So this realization of the Absolute Truth is called śānta-rasa. And when it is further developed, then dāsya-rasa.

Dr. Patel: No, these boys must develop friendship with me, that's all.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- March 4, 1974, Mayapura:

Jayapatākā: Because you are dedicated, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Yes, everyone should be dedicated, I or you. Does not... That is the success of life. Dedicate your life for Kṛṣṇa. That is the perfection. Even there are some faults, even dedicated life is noble life. Maybe, due to our past habits, we may commit some faulty action, but that dedicated life is sublime. Api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30).

Jayapatākā: This, from this... This is the land that we want to get. It starts from here. And that's our land there. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...immediately appreciates Kṛṣṇa's intelligence. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svā-bhāvikī... (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). It is being done as if automatically, but no, there is brain. That brain, these rascals, they cannot find out. Machine, nature only. What is this nature? Nonsense. So which way we shall go? This way? Up to the river?

Jayapatākā: Yes.

Morning Walk -- March 12, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Therefore they are against religion. But actually, if we show that we are producing, we are managing, we are educating, then we can counteract the communist tendency. But they are seeing that, that escaping. They say, "They escape responsibility of worldly life and they're indulging in some religious..." That is the tendency. All... Everywhere the government is complaining like that. Therefore they do not want to increase the number of temples, increase the number of devotees. They do not want. Because they say, "These are a class of idle men. They cannot do anything, and they take to this religious life." That is the tendency. They are feeling like that. But if you show that you are actually doing something ideal, then they will appreciate. Make a small unit of community and show ideal life, not idle life. Ideal life. Then this mis... That... Now in Bombay, they have refused. Because they are under the impression that "They, these Europeans have come here under some sentiment, and what is the use?" They have taken some plea and rejected our... (break) ...is there. As we are making counterpropaganda against māyā, the māyā is also very strong. She will also make propaganda against you, very strong. So unless you become very sincere devotee, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14), then it will not be possible to conquer over māyā. You'll be succumbed. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) ...taranti te, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. In India the, the brāhmaṇa class, they say, "Oh, I am born in brāhmaṇa family. Why shall I do this work?" You see. Therefore the whole society has gone to hell.

Morning Walk 'Varnasrama College' -- March 14, 1974, Vrndavana:

Hṛdayānanda: Yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: And he is writing so many things. So they are rascals. (break) ...human being. You see. What is this philosophy? Sex life? Even dog knows how to have sex life. And he's writing philosophy. So this kind of philosophy can be appreciated by the rascals and... (break) We do not appreciate that. They are not philosopher. Philosopher means who is searching out the Absolute Truth. That is philosophy.

Hṛdayānanda: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: That is philosophy. Darśana. Darśana means search out what is the ultimate. Jñānī ca bharatarṣabha (BG 7.16). Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna, ārto 'rthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha, arto 'rthārthī jijñāsur jñānī ca bharatarṣabha. These are philosophers. Even the ārtaḥ, even a distressed person, he is praying to the Supreme Authority, "My God, I am very much hungry. Kindly give me my daily bread." He's also philosopher, because he's searching out the Absolute Truth. He's philosopher. Not this Freud rascal, elaborating how to have sex life. So this kind of philosopher, they... What is called? In Bengali: vane haye śṛgāla rājā.(?) "In the jungle a jackal becomes a king." So because western people, they have no... They're all less than śūdras. So a Freud has become a philosopher. Vane haye śṛgāla rājā. "In the jungle, the jackal has become a king." That's all. What is knowledge there? It is that... The whole western world is going on for industry, for making money, eat, drink, be merry, wine and women. That's... They're all less than śūdras and caṇḍālas. This is the first time attempt is being made to make them human beings. Don't mind. I am using very strong words. That is the fact.

Morning Walk -- March 15, 1974, Vrndavana:

Indian: Yeah, good.

Prabhupāda: But no hammer. Only this... What is called?

Devotees: Sickle.

Prabhupāda: No hammer. That will be our emblem. Only sickle. Not hammer. The hammer has hammered the whole human civilization. So just make a counter-emblem. The communists will appreciate.

Devotee: Sickle and tilaka.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee: A sickle, and then a tilaka.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is good idea. Guptajī? Come here. (Hindi)

Gupta: (Hindi for few sentences)

Prabhupāda: Rascal civilization, rascal government. And people are transferred into rascals. (Hindi) Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Without anna, how they can live? There is no arrangement for anna. They're simply passing resolution, legislative laws. And no anna. Just see what kind of wretched government it is. Everywhere. There is no anna. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. The first duty of government is to see that everyone is happy, without any anxiety. These preliminary necessities of life, āhāra-nidra-bhaya-maithunam, there must be sufficient arrangement for these preliminary necessities of life. One must eat sumptuously. Not over-eating, indulgence.

Room Conversation -- March 16, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Spiritual master... Kṛṣṇa is also spiritual master.

Harikeśa: Oh.

Prabhupāda: But Kṛṣṇa sends spiritual master, His representative, as you can appreciate, externally, directly. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa is already spiritual master. He could give you instruction from the very beginning. But why He is sending His representative? What is the use?

Harikeśa: We're not able to...

Prabhupāda: Ah, because unless we are completely purified, Kṛṣṇa will, does not talk directly. Therefore you have to understand Kṛṣṇa through the spiritual master.

Harikeśa: So when we are having doubts, the only possible way, no matter what the indications are, are simply follow your instructions in all circumstances.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- March 24, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Perfection means you are living entity, you are living entity you are rotting in this material world, get free from this material world, go back to home. That is saṁsiddhi. We are suffering so much on account of being in the material world. Tri-tāpa-yatana (?), threefold miseries. And everyone is trying to get out of the miseries, but that is not possible in the material world. Therefore you get your spiritual form, and go back to Kṛṣṇa and dance with him. That is saṁsiddhi. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is saṁsiddhi. "After giving up this body, no more accepting any more material body." Then, he's zero? No. Mām eti. "He comes to Me, to dance with Me, to play with Me." That is saṁsiddhi. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. When Śukadeva Gosvāmī was describing the cowherds boy playing with Kṛṣṇa, he described, itthaṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā...

itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā
dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena
māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa
sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ
(SB 10.12.11)

These boys, these cowherds boys, they have accumulated, kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ, heaps of pious activities, therefore they are now allowed to play with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. Not ordinary thing. So the impersonalists, they cannot understand, "What is this, playing with Kṛṣṇa, cowherds boy?" But here it is said, kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. This is not ordinary thing. Itthaṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā. Satām. Those who are trying to appreciate brahma-sukha, for them, here is the Supreme Truth, Kṛṣṇa. And dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena. And those who have accepted to become the servant of the Lord, for them here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Morning Walk -- April 2, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Very simple thing. You always think of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā, you become His devotee, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yājī, worship Kṛṣṇa, and namaskuru. Where is the cost? No expenditure. If you think of Kṛṣṇa, if you worship Kṛṣṇa, if you offer obeisances to Him... Therefore this Deity is there. For these purposes. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Simply by doing these four things, he is becoming liberated so much that he is going back to Godhead. That's all. (break) ...movement is very scientific movement, based on the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā. Most scientific. (break) We may be proud. Because this is scientific, therefore it is so quickly progressing. (break) ...take. This is mām cult. (break) ...so I was, that "I want to start this movement," I was talking. So he very much appreciated and he promised in writing that "As soon as I retire I shall join with you." He wrote me.

Morning Walk -- April 6, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break)

Yaśomatīnandana: 28th day of Brahmā. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...Yes. 28th or 27th. 27th Dvāpara-yuga. (break) Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). This is kṣatriya's business: to establish religious principles and to kill the demons. This is kṣatriya's business. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He appeared as a brāhmaṇa. So He did not kill anybody. Although He was just about to kill Jagāi and Mādhāi, but Nityānanda Prabhu restrained that "In this incarnation You have promised not to kill." (break) You know I wrote him that letter.

Bhāgavata: Gandhi.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That "You now preach Bhagavad-gītā," but he would not do that. Go on. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Girirāja: "...Kṛṣṇa will be appealing to the liberated souls and to persons who are trying to be liberated, as well as to the gross conditioned materialists. According to the statement of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who heard about Kṛṣṇa from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, kṛṣṇa-kathā is equally applicable to every human being in whatever condition of life he is in. Everyone will appreciate it to the highest magnitude..." (end)

Morning Walk -- April 11, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Fire is the origin. That is form. That is not formless. Heat may be formless. Light may be formless, but fire is not formless. Thik hai? If you have got intelligence, then from the form-less, you can approach the form. Just like the sunshine, shining is formless. If you have got form, go to the sun planet. And if you go to the sun planet, you will see the sun-god. But they cannot go. They cannot appreciate that there is a person who is known as sun-god. But it is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham... The name is also given, what is the name of that person. (break)

Indian Man (1): ...recently what we read from the papers. There is so many... So far, nobody tells us that there is a moon-god over there. Although they have gone to particular one place only or two, three places only, not the whole moon, but still, nobody comes from. They say nobody is there and...

Prabhupāda: But these bodies are imperfect. They are not perfect. The moon may not be exposed to them, these rascals. Because a king is not exposed to the ordinary man... Unless one is fit to see him, king is not exposed. That does not mean there is no king. If some rascal says, "There is no president, there is no king," that is his rascaldom, not that there is no king, no president. He cannot see. He has not that qualification. Is that correct?

Indian Man (1): Yes.

Morning Walk -- April 11, 1974, Bombay:

Indian Man (1): Have you read Rādhākrishnan on Bhagavad-gītā?

Prabhupāda: He is first-class impersonalist. He is a first-class blind man. First-class blind man.

Indian Man (1): But still, he appreciates Kṛṣṇa. He has never told any...

Prabhupāda: How can you...

Indian Man (1): Well, I read it, I studied it.

Prabhupāda: No, no. After all, he's a brāhmaṇa, Hindu brāhmaṇa. How he can defy Kṛṣṇa? That is not possible.

Indian Man (1): On the contrary, he is also a bhakta of Kṛṣṇa, but he says that after bhakti, devotion...

Indian Man (5): Who?

Indian Man (1): Dr. Radhakrishnan.

Indian Man (5): President of India. (break)

Indian Man (4): Our book is there in London, not Vivekananda.

Prabhupāda: Yes. His books are rejected.

Morning Walk -- April 12, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That is avidhi-pūrvakam. That is said, avidhi-pūrvakam, "Not in order."

ye 'py anya-devatā-bhaktā
yajanti śraddhānvitāḥ
te 'pi mām eva kaunteya
yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam

That is not vidhi. Vidhi is here. Śravaṇam kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. The first word is Viṣṇu, of Viṣṇu, not of any other. So these are the demonstration of bhakti. Śravaṇam kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ (SB 7.5.23). This is arcanā. Just like we perform in the morning, in the evening, at noon, arcā-vigraha. Viṣṇu, arcayam, Viṣṇu. It is not idol worship. Arcayaṁ viṣṇu-śilā-dhiḥ. If one thinks the arcā-mūrti, the worshipable Deity in the temple, as stone or as wood, arcayaṁ viṣṇu-śilā-dhiḥ guruṣu nara-matiḥ... To accept guru, in the paramparā system... All the gurus in the paramparā system... Evaṁ paramparā prāptam (BG 4.2). Nara-matiḥ, consider him as ordinary human being... In this way there is a list. Vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ. A Vaiṣṇava, a devotee: "He is brāhmaṇa Vaiṣṇava. He is American Vaiṣṇava. He is śūdra Vaiṣṇava." No. When one is Vaiṣṇava, there should be no distinction by the caste. Vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ. In this way there is a list that should be avoided. So these things required. If actually... The same thing, that if a girl is married to the husband, she must be always engaged in the service of the husband. That will be appreciated. If she says, "Sir, now we are married. You go home and I remain at home," there will be no prayojana-siddhi.

Morning Walk -- April 23, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Well, people are now shameless, you see? They are being kicked in so many ways. We are giving the prescription, "Here is the remedy," but they are not taking to it. But they will take it. Some of them will take it, provided you remain also ideal. If you become also degraded, then who will take it? Ideal character, ideal behavior, ideal preaching. People will appreciate. (break) ...pure character or position, people will take, in any condition. There may be revolution or no revolution. They will take it. (break) ...that our movement is actually good. They will take in any condition. That standard we must maintain. Somebody... Yes, Balavanta, when he was speaking against smoking, one candidate—he was important man—he was smoking. Immediately he wanted to hide. (laughter) So immediate effect was there. He understood that "Yes, this is bad habit." So people will take it, any condition, provided you are ideal. Āpani ācari prabhu jīveri śikṣāya. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. He teaches others by behaving Himself. "Example is better than precept." If you cannot rise early in the morning, then how can you ask others to rise early in the morning? What is the effect? There is no effect. We have got business early in the morning, to attend maṅgala ārati. And if you sleep yourself and teach others, so who will take it? (break) ...we have introduced. Very, very simple thing. But still, if he cannot... (break) ...(indistinct) Mahārāja. He is, he admitted him, smārta paṇḍita, but he cannot rise early in the morning. Never. And he is imitating the smārta paṇḍitas. You know that? Smārta, and one pot, and this and that and āsana (laughing). And "I had some..., consult with some smārta paṇḍita," and the real business, to rise early in the morning, he will never do. He will never do. Brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means he must rise early in the morning. What kind of brāhmaṇa? Oh, he is coming. (laughs) Early in the morning at half past seven. If he walks early in the morning, all his disease will be cured. That he will not do. After all, everyone can do after performing maṅgala ārati, take a morning walk.

Morning Walk -- April 24, 1974, Hyderabad:

Mahāṁśa: They just speak very big words so that the language looks very nice, but people don't understand a word what they are saying.

Prabhupāda: (Prabhupāda talks meaningless words, imitating the rascals; devotees laugh) They go on speaking like this. And people, "Oh, how amazing!" Simply give some grammatical form and talk all nonsense, people will appreciate. Jugglery. This is called jugglery. The Māyāvādī paṇḍitas also do that. All the Māyāvādīs are against me, because I am talking about Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and they screw their own meaning by jugglery of words. So they are all enemies. The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, smārta-paṇḍitas, all of them. (break) ...has constructed a śiva-liṅga temple.

Mahāṁśa: Śiva-liṅga.

Prabhupāda: Śiva-liṅga. You have seen Śiva-liṅga?

Mahāṁśa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: A temple of... There are so many hundreds and thousands of Śiva temples, but nobody has exhibited śiva-liṅga, big śiva-liṅga on the head of the temple.

Morning Walk -- May 9, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Just see. Immediately life. Oh, just try to understand how much great responsibility you have got.

Bhāgavata: They all appreciated that we made this kīrtana.

Prabhupāda: Even the Russians appreciated. (aside:) Don't push it in my mouth.

Satsvarūpa (?): Oh, I'm sorry.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. (break) "...bright-faced." (break) They are surprised to see the American boys. "Are you Americans?" Do they not question? Yes. Completely changed. They cannot recognize. Is it not?

Devotee: Yes. (Śrīla Prabhupāda laughs)

Bhāgavata: They are only used to seeing the hippies.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bhāgavata: With beard and the hair, dirty.

Girirāja: My parents telephoned last week, and at first they couldn't recognize my voice. They couldn't believe that it was me.

Prabhupāda: Then?

Girirāja: Kṛṣṇa consciousness has changed the...

Prabhupāda: So your father said that "I could not..."

Girirāja: Yes.

Room Conversation -- May 20, 1974, Vrndavana:

Indian man (2): I told him about the drafts, you see, that you made the other day. I said, "Prabhupāda has only agreed. It was so magnanimous of him, so magnanimous."

Prabhupāda: Yes, I told you Friday, you write, I shall sign it. And why they are agitating and stopped such a function? And that is very regrettable. Gosvāmī means vāco vegaṁ krodha-vegaṁ viṣaheta. If there is some krodha, you should tolerate. Now here is a Vaiṣṇava, he has done so much for Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and the reception was there, and he stopped. How he is gosvāmī? He expressed his krodha in that very moment, just to take retaliation. It is not gosvāmī. What do you think? Krodha-vegam. It is a krodha, but he could not tolerate that krodha-vegam. He retaliated at the right moment and to a person, fit person who was to be honored. Just see. And he claims to be gosvāmī. The first business is vāco vegaṁ krodha-vegam. The Vaikuṇṭha mentality is that if one is serving—I have read it in Bhāgavata—Kṛṣṇa better than somebody else, he would simply appreciate that "Kṛṣṇa has so much favored him. Oh, how fortunate he is. When I shall be able?" That is Vaikuṇṭha mentality. And the material mentality is, "Oh, he has advanced so much. How to come down him?" That is material. This is the difference between Vaikuṇṭha mentality. So his business is how to come down. So he is not a gosvāmī. At least I will not accept. What do you think? Am I right or wrong?

Room Conversation -- May 20, 1974, Vrndavana:

Indian man (2): What shall I say? (chuckles)

Prabhupāda: This is the definition of gosvāmī. Vāco vegam krodha-vegam udaro-vegam pastha-vegam etān manasaḥ vegam, etān vegān viṣaheta dhīraḥ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt. So he has not proved to be very dhīra. Dhīrādhīra-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau. So that is my regret, that these people cannot appreciate the service of a Vaiṣṇava. They are simply personally interested. Personally interested is materialistic way of life. Everybody is personally interested.

Indian man (2): I think after he returns he will do something.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Indian man (2): He might do something after he returns.

Prabhupāda: All right, we shall see to it. (end)

Room Conversation with Richard Webster, chairman, Societa Filosofica Italiana -- May 24, 1974, Rome:

Richard Webster: Is it that it depends on the restaurant or is that necessarily bad?

Prabhupāda: Yes, our principle is that we can eat only what is offered to God. So we cannot eat things in the restaurant because it is not offered to God. We may prepare nice things for Kṛṣṇa and offer to Him. Then we take. This is our principle. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Yajña. Yajña means worshiping the Lord. So worship the Lord, it is not difficult. Everyone is cooking for eating, every home. So cook certain things which is acceptable to Kṛṣṇa. Then offer to Him and take the prasāda. There is no difficulty. But you become purified. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Because willfully or not willingly, we are committing so many sins.

Richard Webster: Yes, I appreciate that very much. I only say is it not possible for things to be dedicated to God without actually being placed on the altar in that way? I mean what people may be doing that in different ways maybe...

Prabhupāda: No, thing is, if you want to offer to God, then—God is all-pure—the things you offer, that must be pure. And you must follow the instruction of God. Suppose if you want to give me something eatable, as a matter of etiquette, you ask me, "What can I offer you?" And if I say that "You offer me this thing, and that is very nice," you cannot offer me according to your whims. That may not be acceptable by Him.

Room Conversation with Catholic Cardinal and Secretary to the Pope -- May 24, 1974, Rome:

Monsignor Verrozano: Yes. I have something in the Bhagavad-gītā. If I am not wrong, in the Chapter Eighteen of Bhagavad-gītā, verse sixty-four, there is the affirmation that God loves man, "You are beloved for Me." And in some cases, we consider this affirmation as the very core of Indian religiosity, and we appreciate very much this affirmation of love of God for man.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Monsignor Verrozano: What do you think about this...

Prabhupāda: No. Man is supposed to be elevated position, how to love God. Animals cannot make (break) ...any distinction between a human being and animal. That is really the symptom of God, that sarva-yoniṣu... Just like if I am obedient son of my father, how can I neglect one son who is very stupid? Rather, if I say to my father, "Father, this son is stupid. He does not bring any service. So please allow me to cut his head," the father will never agree. The father, either a stupid son or very intelligent son, he is kind to everyone, because they are sons. So similarly, if a man is real lover of God, he cannot cut throat of the animals. I think, therefore, Jesus Christ said, "Thou shalt not kill." That is not... If actually one is lover of God, how he can give trouble, pains, to others? That is not possible.

Morning Walk -- May 28, 1974, Rome:

ogeśvara: Śrīla Prabhupāda, the way you've been describing our solutions to the problems of the world, they seem to be on two levels. One is the extended solution, that is to say, the ultimate solution of Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Prabhupāda: No, there is no question of extended. You keep yourself in a limited solution. And then, when it is appreciated it will be automatically extended. You don't touch the extended. You become ideal civilized man. Others will follow.

Yogeśvara: Well, for example, ultimately, we want to live locally. These cities are not necessary.

Prabhupāda: No, you make the best use of a bad bargain. We shall depend more... Just like in New Vrindaban. They are coming to the city for preaching. So not absolutely we can abstain immediately because we have been dependent so long, many, many lives. You cannot. But the ideal should be introduced gradually. And make it perfect more and more and more and more. But there is possibility. Possibility if you live locally and make your arrangement, you get your foods... The real necessity is, bodily necessity is, eating, sleeping, mating and defending. This is necessity. So if you can eat locally, you can sleep locally, you can have your sex life also locally and you can defend locally, then what is the wrong? These are the necessities. We are not stopping this. We are not stopping, "No more sex life." That is nonsense, another nonsense. You must have. Marry. That's all. So you can marry locally and live. Where is the difficulty? Defend. If somebody comes to attack, there must be men to defend. And eating and sleeping. Where is your difficulty? Manage locally, as far as possible. After all, these are the necessities of body. So it can be solved locally. Is it impossible? To solve the bodily necessities? What do you think? Is it impossible?

Room Conversation with Monsieur Roost, Hatha-yogi -- May 31, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: So bhakti school does not very much appreciate the speculative method. They surrender and they try to get knowledge directly from the Supreme Lord, as Bhagavad-gītā is being spoken by the Supreme Lord, or statements of the pure highly elevated devotees, just like Brahmā is speaking. This way. Hearing. The main purpose is hearing, hearing from the right source. That is... Especially in the western world, instead of hearing from the right source, they want to speculate about the Absolute. We have got about twenty books like this, but they are not speculation. They are simply by hearing. I am writing what I have heard, not that I am speculating. Mostly, the philosophers, they write as they speculate. They write their own opinion. But our process is not that. We don't speculate. We present the statements of God and His devotees. There is the whole book. Anywhere you won't find, "I think," "In my opinion," "Perhaps it should be like this way." No. We don't do that. As soon as there is "perhaps" or "maybe," that is not perfect knowledge. That is speculation. Just like in the Padma-Purāṇa, there is statement of different species of life, jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi, statement that "There are 900,000 species of life in the water." It is not written like this, "Perhaps," "it may be." No. Neither says one million or 800,000. No. 900,000 specifically. So how do they get this knowledge, exactly seeing? Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati (?). Now, in another place, the magnitude of the soul is explained. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya (CC Madhya 19.140). In the Upaniṣad also it is stated that 10,000th part of the top of the hair point, is the magnitude of the soul. Our knowledge is accepted in that way, Vedic knowledge. Whatever is stated in the Vedas, that is taken as Absolute Truth and we accept it. And that is fact. If you go to the same point by experimental truth, you will come to the same conclusion. So we think that by experimental knowledge, why should we waste our time? Better take the truth which is already stated in the Vedic literature and build up your farther premises on that basic principle.

Morning Walk -- June 2, 1974, Geneva:

Bhagavān: (about passerby) He's got one arm, and he's running to keep healthy.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (laughs) In the morning they begin fishing, this walking, and golfing, no engagement. These poor fellows, they have been not informed that there is better engagement. They do not know. This is their civilization. And here, Kṛṣṇa conscious young men, they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. They appreciate the Kṛṣṇa conscious boys. "Bright faces," they say. The priests and the common gentlemen, they say, and they inquire, "Are you American?" They see it. Come and see in our Los Angeles temple, in every temple, how these younger boys and girls are sitting so peacefully, look so nice. Is it not? A year ago, all hellish. Hellish. The same boys, the same girls. That's a fact. Just the counterpart of our society is the hippies-frustrated, all disappointed, mad. They should come forward now to cooperate with this movement. The other day one somebody came to solve the problems of the hippies.

Morning Walk -- June 2, 1974, Geneva:

Guru-gaurāṅga: He thinks it works but not all the time. He thinks it works for some people, but not for all people.

Prabhupāda: And all people... Any good thing, it is meant for some people, not for all people. But if there is an ideal class of men, the others will follow. Jewel. Jewel is always costly. Still everyone aspires, "If I get a jewel." That is wanted. Not that everybody can possess jewel, but still, everybody will appreciate jewel.

Yogeśvara: There are a lot of people who don't accept it because they think, "Maybe it is another imitation jewel. Maybe I'll get cheated again."

Prabhupāda: So why don't you become once more cheated? You have been cheated so many times. Why not try this also? If that is his argument, that means you have been cheated so many times. So why not once more, and see whether it is cheating or reality? That sense will not come. "Oh, I have been cheated so many times. Therefore I shall not take." So why not become once more cheated and see the value? The example, as I say, sometimes. (Bengali) ...that he lost his utensils several times. The thief stole it. Therefore he promised, "Now I shall take my food on the ground. I shall not purchase any more utensils." What is...? This is bathing place or...?

Yogeśvara: This is where they go water skiing.

Prabhupāda: Water skiing?

Yogeśvara: Yes. They stand on two pieces of wood and they hold on to a rope, and a fast boat pulls them along the water, like that.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Like, what you have? Surfer? Surfer?

Karandhara: Surfing. Yeah, similar.

Room Conversation -- June 5, 1974, Geneva:

Guru-gaurāṅga: (French) This gentleman says we had difficulties with the police in the beginning. And I said, "Yes, but then I went, and I gave him all your books, and he read them, and then there were no more difficulties."

Prabhupāda: Yes, on account of our books we are being appreciated everywhere. In the beginning they might have thought that "Some of the hippies," like that.

Swiss Man (1): Have you been in connection with Aurobindo?

Yogeśvara: Have we been in contact with Aurobindo, Śrī Aurobindo?

Prabhupāda: Why? Why I shall be in contact, Aurobindo?

Swiss Man (1): Because he's... We know in (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: He does not know better than Kṛṣṇa. So one association is sufficient. There is no need of going this Aurobindo, Saurobindo. We never... Why should we waste our time? We have got sufficient education in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. First of all let us finish these hundred books of four hundred pages. Then we shall see what Aurobindo writes. We don't think anyone can speak better than Kṛṣṇa. That is admitted.

Morning Walk -- June 6, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: That means godless. Eh?

Guru-gaurāṅga: Yes.

Prabhupāda: When I first came to America, Butler, in Pennsylvania, that is small county, but at least one dozen churches I found. I very much appreciated, that the people are not... And they're going regularly, churches. I was invited in many churches. I was...

Yogeśvara: To lecture?

Prabhupāda: Yes. The, the girl, that, my friend's son's wife... He's Indian. He has married an English girl. So I was guest at his house. So that girl, Sally... Selly or Sally?

Yogeśvara: Sally.

Prabhupāda: She was arranging so many meetings. She was very intelligent girl. So churches, many churches, she... Some of the churches purchased my books.

Yogeśvara: Recently, one of our saṅkīrtana parties went to Butler, Pennsylvania, and one of the devotees met a priest on the street. He said: "Oh, yes, I remember your spiritual master. He was here."

Prabhupāda: So I was giving lectures. They have churches. That means God conscious persons there. I never criticized church, mosque, never. Because whatever it may be, at least there is God consciousness. So they're good. In details... But when they disobey... I criticize only these rascals, disobey the commandments. Otherwise, we have no... We don't criticize.

Morning Walk -- June 9, 1974, Paris:

Bhagavān: When you had your talk several years ago with the professor in Russia, he made the point, when you were discussing about the regulative principles, that if you follow these principles, then your life becomes very simple, and if you don't follow these principles, life becomes very complicated. He appreciated that one point.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Any sane man will appreciate. Our... Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Without anartha-nivṛtti... Anartha-nivṛtti means stopping all unwanted things. Anartha. Anartha means which does not give us any profit and unnecessarily we are accustomed. Suppose we do not take any intoxicant. So what is our inconvenience? But people are spending millions and millions of dollars only for smoking. Therefore it is useless, anartha. But they cannot give it up. And condition is that without anartha-nivṛtti, there cannot be attachment for God.

Morning Walk -- June 9, 1974, Paris:

Bhagavān: So we can walk to the car through here. Will there come a time when people will become disgusted with the scientists and reject them?

Prabhupāda: No. They'll more and more forget Kṛṣṇa. This is Kali-yuga. On account of these blind leaders. Don't you see that this rascal Darwin's theory, that is very much appreciated? Any movement which tries to get out God, very much appreciated, that is very much appreciated. That is scientific. "You forget God," that is scientific. And as soon as you speak of God, "You are primitive, old type." That's all. "You are conservative." That, another rascal, Allen Ginsberg, he was speaking, "Swamiji, you are very conservative." Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa... (pause) (break)

Bhagavān: ...discuss that the fact that when people die in different modes of nature, how they come back, and you say that (if) people die in the mode of passion, they come back in human life, if they die in the mode of ignorance, they come back in demonic species of life. So the people today seem to be... Is it that they'll all come back as animals in their next life?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- June 11, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: Basin, basin. So one basin full rice he will keep in the middle of the shop. And there are rats. So the rats will take the rice, and not cut even a single cloth. It is practical. Yes. They are also animals. Give them food. They'll not create any disturbance. Give them food. Yes. Because cloth are very costly. And there are rats. If one cloth is cut by the rat, then it is great loss. So to save from this loss, he'll put in a basin... Rice was nothing. Rice... In our childhood, we have seen, two ānās per seer. That is with profit. You see. So one basin full rice, it doesn't cost even one ānā. So by giving one ānā worth food, he saves so many, hundreds of rupees cloth. Otherwise, if they're hungry, they'll cut it. Everyone has got obligation. Even the tiger. Even the tiger... One saintly person was in the jungle. His disciples said the tigers will never come and disturb in the āśrama because the āśrama head, they'll keep some milk little far away from the āśrama, and the tigers will come and drink and go away. He'll call, "You tiger, come and take your milk here!" Just like we call the dogs. They'll come and take the milk and go away. And they'll never attack any inmates of the āśrama. He'll say, āmāra ajni hana isko bolo naya (?): "They are my men; don't harm them." Yes. Tigers can be trained up. Just like dog. They are a dog species. More ferocious, that's all. More ferocious dog. That's all. So you can train them. I have seen in the World Fair. One man has trained... I think most of you have seen. One tiger and one lion. And he was playing with that tiger, lion, just like one plays with dog. They can be trained up. They can understand also that "This man loves me. He gives me food. He's my friend." They also appreciate. Just like this picture, you have seen, Haridāsa Ṭhākura? The big snake is going. The snake also knows that "He's saintly person. He may not be disturbed. Let me go away." And from reason also, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe... (BG 18.61). Kṛṣṇa is everyone's heart. He's dictating.

Room Conversation with Monsieur Mesman, Chief of Law House of Paris -- June 11, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: At the present moment, the people in general, they are engaged in service, in factories, in big, big office, big, big establishment. So they're all śūdras, fourth-class men. And the fourth-class men select their representative. So they must be also fourth-class. Democracy means selected, I mean to..., voted, elected. So because they are being elected by the fourth-class men, the leaders are also fourth-class men. The fourth-class men cannot appreciate the first-class men. And there is lacking of second-class men. So the result is that at the present moment, the whole world is being managed by the fourth-class men. Therefore, there are so many anomalies.

Pṛthu-putra: He says this concept is against the...

Yogeśvara: "Traditional western capitalism..."

Pṛthu-putra: The traditional western capitalists.

Yogeśvara: It is against capitalism, this idea?

Prabhupāda: No. It is the movement to qualify men to their respective positions. It is an educational system to divide first-class, second-class, third-class, fourth-class. They all required, but at the present moment, the fourth-class man is occupying the first-class man's place. We want to divide the society into real first-class, second-class, third-class... They're all required, but they have got their respective positions, not topsy-turvied. As the, as to keep the body fit, we require the head, the hands, the belly and the legs. If we simply keep legs, it is useless.

Morning Walk -- June 12, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: It will bind them.

Bhagavān: It simply creates newer problems.

Prabhupāda: That's all.

Paramahaṁsa: Some people glorify suffering in the material world because they say this increases their sense of appreciating the momentary happiness they have.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is good. (laughter) That is good, yes. "Blessings of adversity." That is blessing.

Yogeśvara: Blessings of...?

Prabhupāda: Adversity. Yes. Therefore, according to Vedic system, big, big king, they give up their kingdom and becomes a sannyāsī, mendicant, voluntary acceptance of adversity. This is good. To live very comfortably and forget God is not good business.

Devotee: How can a devotee be free from being attracted to this worldliness?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee: How can a devotee be free...?

Prabhupāda: When he's attracted by Kṛṣṇa, he'll forget. Just like we are more or less not attracted by these material features because we have little attraction for Kṛṣṇa. That's all. So increase your attraction for Kṛṣṇa; you'll forget all nonsense. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). The bhakti means more realization of God and forgetting this, all this nonsense. That is bhakti. That is the test of bhakti: how much you have become disinterested with this material advancement. That is bhakti, advancement of bhakti. And the... Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says, niṣkiñcanasya. At last, when you'll feel that "Now I am dispossessed of all this material nonsense," then you make progress. And so long you'll feel "I have got this, I have got that, I am in possession of this, I...," that means your material disease is continuing. When you'll feel that "I do not have anything material," that is the beginning of Bhāgavata-dharma.

Room Conversation with M. Lallier, noted French Poet -- June 12, 1974, Paris:

Pṛthu Putra: Or the books.

Prabhupāda: No, if you eat the prasādam, you'll be purified.

Yogeśvara: Our spiritual master was explaining in Geneva to a reporter that there are different levels of understanding. It's not that we always have to have a philosophical understanding of things in order to appreciate them. Sometimes we can just appreciate that this prasādam tastes so very good. That's also correct.

M. Lallier: Yes, but in occidental countries, we have a tendency to try to understand things by a mental way.

Karandhara: Well, that can also be done. You can hear, listen to the philosophy, and then..., but in order to really examine it thoroughly, you have to experiment with a hypothesis. We say if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and eat prasādam, you become pure. So that may be a hypothesis so long as you don't try it, but as you try it, you come to realize that it's an actual fact. Just like if the doctor advises you to take a certain medicine for a cure of an illness, you may not have the understanding to know how that cure is going to work, but if the doctor is actually qualified, and you follow his orders, then you'll become cured, even if you didn't understand it in the beginning.

Bhagavān: The problem is if you don't try.

Karandhara: Or make sure you have a qualified remedy, a qualified medicine. Or doctor. One way you can see doctors... One way doctors are checked out is if they have successful, if they have had success in the past. You go to a friend and ask him, "Can you recommend a doctor who's cured you?" And he'll recommend, "Yes, you go to here. He's cured me." So if you're trying to find a spiritual master, one evidence of his potency is his disciples, how pure are his disciples. If you see that his disciples are becoming pure, then you can understand that here is a spiritual master who is giving something real. But sometimes the knowledge will come after the appreciation. Sometimes the appreciation will come after the knowledge. It can work either way.

Bhagavān: So I think we can go. It's time for Prabhupāda's massage. (devotees offer obeisances and leave.)

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Room Conversation with Roger Maria leading writer of communist literature -- June 12, 1974, Paris:

Yogeśvara: So I think, if I understood.

Prabhupāda: I agree. I agree. He's right. He's right. He's right.

Pṛthu Putra: He wasn't appreciating exactly.

Bhagavān: Did he appreciate? First of all...

Pṛthu Putra: He doesn't appreciate what we are doing exactly. He says, he says, with his Indian, with his Indian, what he's doing with his Indian, what is the name of it...?

Bhagavān: Francend. (Name of paper?)

Jyotirmayī: Franscend.

Pṛthu Putra: Franscend. He says there is many swami and writer come from India and teach to the people, to the western people, what is Kṛṣṇa, what is Indian philosophy, what is God, but they always teach the people who need to be safe, to be, who need something to be safe, and they take it like just a drug or some kind of a dream just to get something to get safe from the material world. But that doesn't mean their action is concrete. That is his point.

Prabhupāda: But we are not doing that. We are, in the material world, we are teaching Kṛṣṇa philosophy, practicing. All these young men, they are actually twenty-four hours engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are different from them.

Room Conversation with Roger Maria leading writer of communist literature -- June 12, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: One who deviates is not a sage. He's a thief.

Pṛthu Putra: Yeah, it's what he says. I'm just translating his words.

Prabhupāda: No, if he deviates from the words of God, then he is not a sage. (French)

Yogeśvara: He says, well, the thing that he appreciates in Hinduism is its openness and its tolerance to so many different paths and so many different interpretations.

Prabhupāda: That is another thing. But to abide by the orders of God, that is another thing. (French)

Yogeśvara: He says then we've made the full turn again. We've come back to the beginning. (French) He said so we've actually come back to the beginning of our discussion again which is that real religion has to be judged by the actions of men.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that you can judge. Here is the action of the men. Now the young men and boys and girls are taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And who is taking to Ramakrishna?

Morning Walk -- June 13, 1974, Paris:

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Things which we place value on that have no relation to Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: The māyā is explained very nicely in the Bhāgavata, yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ. Just like sun is reflected in the water, and the light is reflected again on the wall. This is the exact explanation of māyā. Reality, this material world, the man who manufactured all these things, nobody knows where he has gone, but these things are taken as reality. This will be also finished. It will remain as relics, as Rome, relics, but when it was..., the houses were prepared with great enthusiasm as reality. And now it is as relics. So the energy expended for manufacturing those house, that is also māyā, and now they are being visited as relics. That is also māyā. So all these things are māyāra vaibhava, expansion of māyā. So if somebody says that you don't appreciate these things? No, we appreciate, very much appreciate intelligence. But if you, for this appreciation, if you forget, then it is māyā. Forget Kṛṣṇa.

Morning Walk -- June 13, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: They're... And, on account of his being so, taking the risk, he is immediately very dear to Kṛṣṇa. That is declared in the Bhagavad-gītā, na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ (BG 18.69). "Anyone who is trying to broadcast My message, My glory, he immediately, there is no more dearer than him anyone." So one should take this risk.

Paramahaṁsa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, yesterday you said that Kṛṣṇa appreciates the devotee when he accepts voluntary adversity.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Paramahaṁsa: Yesterday, you said that Kṛṣṇa appreciates when a devotee accepts voluntary adversity.

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Like the kings who gave up everything to live an ascetic life.

Paramahaṁsa: But how do we know what, how do we know when we should accept this adversity? Sometimes people artificially...

Prabhupāda: No, no. Adversity, not always to accept. But you have to follow the regulative principle enjoined in the śāstras. That is, in one sense... Suppose you are accustomed to certain type of, standard of living, but for Kṛṣṇa's sake, you have to give it up. That kind of adversity. That is not actually adversity, but he thinks that "I have taken this voluntary..." What is this, electric? So not a single useful tree. These trees are no fruits, no flowers.

Morning Walk -- June 13, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: American tourists pay.

Paramahaṁsa: Yes, many hundreds and thousands of American tourists come there every year just to see this opulence.

Yogeśvara: The Americans appreciate opulence. That's why we joined your movement.

Prabhupāda: (Chuckles) Yes. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna. So because in your previous life, you had been pious, you have got your life in America, and now utilize it. Certainly, I, several times I have told that your previous life, you were pious. There is no doubt about it. And now utilize that opportunity. You have got opulence. You have got money. You have got intelligence. Utilize it for Kṛṣṇa. Then it is successful. And Kṛṣṇa has also come. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has come to your country. So utilize it properly.

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: I think we must be extraordinarily fortunate that Lord Kṛṣṇa, He appears once in a day of Brahmā, and He appeared just five thousand years ago. And then Lord Caitanya just appeared five hundred years ago, and we have an opportunity to associate with Them.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Always remember this grace of Lord and utilize it. (long pause) So these houses were constructed before Napoleon, or after Napoleon?

Yogeśvara: Before.

Room Conversation with Russian Orthodox Church Representative -- June 13, 1974, Paris:

Yogeśvara: He says he's willing to admit this philosophy even though he doesn't belong to it himself. He sees this as being...

Paramahaṁsa: He appreciates the fact that it has a coherent aspect, that it holds together logically. And this is what he appreciates.

Yogeśvara: He respects the Vaiṣṇava philosophy because it is substantial. It doesn't contradict itself.

Karandhara: So then the... If the Vaiṣṇava philosophy has a systematic logic, then integrity would dictate that we have to surrender or accept that logic. If a logic is true, we can't stand apart from it and simply observe it. We have to accept it ourselves.

Church Representative: (French)

Bhagavān: You are right on the brink of Absolute Truth. Don't run away. (laughs)

Yogeśvara: He says that even though he has a great interest in this discussion, because he has prior commitments, he's unable to stay.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. That's all...

Morning Walk -- June 14, 1974, Paris:

Yogeśvara: They'll say: "Well, even the Gītā describes so many..."

Prabhupāda: They have been cheated by some cheaters that this practice, gymnastic practice, is yoga. That's all. They do not know what is yoga. Yoga-indriya-saṁyama. Even... All yoga systems, Patañjali's system. So indriya... Where is indriya-saṁyama? They are gratifying their senses to the fullest extent. And what is their yoga? That is described... You do not read the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. Why don't you explain them that, that "You are yogi... You not yogi. You only making some farce. Where is your yogi? Are you going to a solitary place? Are you practicing alone, sitting on your seat like as they are described, and looking on the point of the nose? Are you doing that? You are not yogi. You are simply a caricature. You are not yogi." Don't accept them as yogis. If one is yogi... That, that, that gentleman, that yogi came there. He appreciated very much.

Room Conversation with Professor Oliver La Combe Director of the Sorbonne University -- June 14, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: So immediately she brought from Dvārakā-dhāma palace direct to the palace of Uṣā. What is called, the asura, what is his name?

Yogeśvara: Bhaumāsura.

Prabhupāda: Bhaumāsura, Bāṇāsura, Bāṇāsura. The picture, where is that picture, find out. Bāṇāsura. Bāṇāsura was appreciating, "Oh, very nice couple." But he had to challenge, "Why you have entered my palace and talking with my unmarried girl?"

Bhagavān: Yes. This is the Kṛṣṇa Book that Śrīla Prabhupāda has written. It is a summary of the Tenth Canto. And all these paintings, these are done by our artists in New York.

Professor La Combe: I'm afraid I should go now.

Jyotirmayī: Yes. Monsieur La Combe has a course.

Professor La Combe: Not a course, but a meeting. And as the traffic is rather thick now, it is better not to take a chance. I should not be late.

Prabhupāda: All right. Thank you very much.

Room Conversation with Professor Oliver La Combe Director of the Sorbonne University -- June 14, 1974, Paris:

Devotee: Therefore we must cheat.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Suppose I am thief and somebody accuses you that "He is a thief." So I don't take it seriously because I know, "I am also thief." Means these appeal, that does not appeal because "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." If everyone is thief, if you point out somebody that "He is thief, he cannot be trusted," then he knows that "I am also thief. It is not a big problem. I am also thief." Unless the whole public is sinless, he cannot appreciate a sinless leader. Care care mastado bhāi (?). This is natural. If I am thief, so what is the use of accusing you by other, "He is also thief." You'll take that "We all are thieves, all cousin brothers; so why this man should be only accused?"

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Is it not a vicious circle, though. Without a pure leader, they cannot be pure themselves.

Prabhupāda: But they cannot understand. The vicious circle, they will not be able to understand. Because he is also vicious.

Room Conversation with Professor Oliver La Combe Director of the Sorbonne University -- June 14, 1974, Paris:

Devotee: And also when Karṇa... Arjuna killed Karṇa when he was off his chariot.

Prabhupāda: The difficulty is, "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." Better you keep yourself ideal character that people can see that "Here is an ideal group of men." Otherwise, in politics... They are feeling the necessity of an honest leader, but they are themself dishonest, they people. So when you point out that "This leader is dishonest," they do not very much appreciate. There is a story in this connection I will tell you, that one man was drunkard. So his friend said, "You are drinking. You will go to hell." "Oh, my father also drinks." "Oh, he will also go to hell." "My mother also drinks." "Oh, she will also go to hell." In this way, all the family members, they scrutinizingly studying, that all of them were drunkards. You see? Then the man who was accused of drinking, he said, "If everyone is going to hell, then hell is heaven. (laughter) Because my father is going there, mother is going there, my brother is going there, I shall go there. It is heaven. Where is hell?"

Room Conversation with Professor Oliver La Combe Director of the Sorbonne University -- June 14, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: Just like Parīkṣit Mahārāja gave Kali four places. He could not find out. First of all he gave him four places, that "These four places you can go." But he could not find out such place. So he was embarrassed. So now there is no question of finding out. Everywhere you go, the same four principles. Formerly, it was very difficult to find out a place where these things are going on. Now everywhere you go, these four things are main principles of life. So therefore they cannot very much appreciate these prohibitory principles, that "What is wrong there?"

Devotee: It is just the opposite now. Now there is no place where Mahārāja Parīkṣit can go to find out a spiritual atmosphere.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Some of our men, at least one, left our association. He thought that "This is denying the primary necessities of life." Rāyarāma, Rāyarāma. He left for this reason, that we do not allow the bare necessities of life. Illicit sex, intoxication... He was first-class criminal on this account, but he could not give it up. Therefore he left.

Room Conversation with devotees about Twelfth Canto Kali-yuga, and Conversation with Guest -- June 15, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. But you do not know whether light is God.

American Man: What is God? Explain to me what is God.

Prabhupāda: (aside:) Talk with him. He'll simply waste my time.

American Man: If you can explain to me what is God, I would appreciate it.

Prabhupāda: Just go and take him. You go and he'll explain to you, please.

American Man: He cannot explain to me.

Prabhupāda: Then you go away. Please. What can I do?

American Man: It's as you wish.

Prabhupāda: I cannot waste.

American Man: If you cannot explain to me what is God... I speak of light, so...

Prabhupāda: But you know everything. What can I explain? You know everything.

Morning Walk -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Prabhupāda: If by following these five principles one can be saved from all problems of life... Still, people will not take it. Just see, strong māyā. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). (break) What was the later on talk?

Haṁsadūta: With her? She just left. But the other old lady, who was appreciating your movement, she was singing and dancing all night. She was incredible. Singing and dancing and playing karatālas.

Prabhupāda: At present Christian religion is made easy. Christian religion made easy. What is that? Now, first of all Christ has taken out contract that "You go on committing all sinful life. I am guaranteeing you will be saved." Is it not?

Haṁsadūta: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Or...? What is that?

Satsvarūpa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So poor Christ has taken all concern. He will be crucified, and they will enjoy life. This is very easy religion. "I have nothing to do, and besides that, if Christ says something to do, that also we can neglect because he has taken guarantee. So although Christ says, 'Thou shalt not kill,' I can neglect that." And then, if still he is captured, he will say, "Bible is very old."

Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Professor Durckheim: Your message, I think, will be very much appreciated by the youth of today in the western part of the world who says to the adults, "You have educated us to go to maintain our position in the world, to do something useful for the community and to behave nicely. But you never, but you never asked us who we are and who we should become (indistinct)." This is the problem.

Prabhupāda: That is the beginning of our talk, that you are spirit soul.

Professor Durckheim: I beg your pardon.

Prabhupāda: You are spirit soul, not this body. That is the beginning of our talk. (German)

Vedavyāsa: He said that your answer that we are not this body, that we are spirit soul, it is not our real answer to our actual problem.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Vedavyāsa: He said that if you said that we are fleeing, fleeing from the actual problems which we have now...

Prabhupāda: Actual program, the actual program is there. (German) (break)

Vedavyāsa: He's speaking of the gradual process of self-realization. First of all...

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Vedavyāsa: We are speaking of the gradual process of self-realization, first adopting these brahminical qualities and going further and further. So he asks if he's missing, if it's not possible to become illuminated at once by God's grace, to become converted without undergoing these...

Prabhupāda: Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That will do. Yes, you haven't got to undergo this or that. Simply chant and it will..., you'll become perfect. So easiest. But still they will not accept. That is the difficulty. When you give the easiest way they won't accept. Easiest way is we are recommending the chant the holy name of God. Do it. (German) Not that you chant the name of Kṛṣṇa. You have got your name of God, you chant that. Begin that. (German) (break) Then how can I help you? There is (indistinct). You do not know. So our recommendation is, not my recommendation, from the Vedic literature, authoritative recommendation and the Bhagavad-gītā, satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). Everything is there. You begin. Therefore I said in this age so many things is impossible to be done. But you begin chanting the holy name of God. Where is the difficulty?

Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Prof. Pater Porsch: "The man who seeks knowledge."

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, catur-vidhā. And similarly, there are four kinds of rascals. Catur-vidhā. No. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Everything is there.

Prof. Pater Porsch: But, perhaps, that could be also a question, that Graf Durckheim has in mind, I think, perhaps, when he asked the question about belief, etc. Perhaps he also thinks that we are living in a period of, where, because of the technological construction of society, rational knowledge is appreciated and, for example, ten years ago non-rational knowledge in Germany, actually, or in Europe was highly suspected. We had lived through a period of positivism, and people in our universities even wanted to abolish the word consciousness. They even wanted to abolish the word psychology on the basis, on the presumption that there is no such thing as a (German).

Professor Durckheim: But this time is over.

Prof. Pater Porsch: Yes.

Professor Durckheim: The modern times are not modern anymore.

Prof. Pater Porsch: I agree with you but just think how the world was only a few years ago.

Professor Durckheim: Yes. And especially if you talk about the rational (German), the really German tradition is the irrational. So now this is coming back now, rediscovering their own past slowly.

Prabhupāda: So long they do not come to the standard platform, they will accept this sometimes and that sometimes. This will go on, changing.

Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Professor Durckheim: ...I realize that the closer members engaged, really, in this work of distributing books and chanting, wearing the white robes and shaving the heads, they are the closer participants I suppose. And then have you also members of your movement which are simply in their work, in the community, in the world? Or is...

Prabhupāda: No, we invite everyone.

Professor Durckheim: You invite. But as far as members are concerned, to become a member of your movement...

Haṁsadūta: Yes, we have people in all walks of life. For example, we have the (German). He is a life member. And all people...

Professor Durckheim: He's simply a member?

Haṁsadūta: Yes. He is a member, he supports the movement, he follows the principles himself, he appreciates the philosophy, but he has his responsibility in the society. He acts as a member of the society and he is a member. But his lifestyle is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (end)

Morning Walk -- June 20, 1974, Germany:

Haṁsadūta: Trinken.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...students, they are advancing for the unflinching faith on guru and Kṛṣṇa. This is the secret. (break) ...these devotees, how nice they are. They do not appreciate?

Haṁsadūta: I think most of them cannot understand it, but they sympathize, I think, because the principles are (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: That is appreciation.

Haṁsadūta: Yes, for the principles. At least in Germany we find that although people don't understand it, they appreciate that we are following the four principles.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...understood that this group is another edition of hippies. Gradually they are learning that they are not hippies. They are serious. (break) ...paper it was published that "Swami Bhaktivedanta has come in the right time." And what is that?

Morning Walk -- June 20, 1974, Germany:

Satsvarūpa: Yes, in a number of articles, the writer notes that Prabhupāda came at a perfect time in history, and went to the right place, the lower East Side of New York, and then again in Haight Ashbury, just when the hippie movement was big but they were looking for spiritual life. That is a historical expert move that you made.

Prabhupāda: No, that is very good remark, appreciated. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is known as patita-pāvana, the deliverer of the most fallen. Patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra: "My Lord, Your incarnation is for the reason to deliver all the fallen souls." So He gave one example by delivering Jagāi and Mādhāi, but by His grace, now thousands of Jagāi-Mādhāis are being delivered. He gave the example that here is the typical patita, fallen. So this movement will deliver this kind of people. That is His prediction. Or it... factually by this movement, so many Jagāi-Mādhāis are being delivered. Jagāi... What was their fault? The fault was they were number one woman hunter and all other good qualifications: (laughing) drunkard, meat-eaters and thieves, rogues. That is their qualification. And immediately Caitanya Mahāprabhu turned them to become Vaiṣṇava. "Simply promise that... You say that you shall not commit anymore these sinful activities." "Yes, Sir, I will not." So that process we are going on. (end)

Room Conversation with Reverend Gordon Powell, Head of Scots Church -- June 28, 1974, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is not limited within the Christian community. Everyone.

Reverend Powell: Well, it's a great privilege to talk with you, Your Grace. And, uh, you must be tired, you've got a big day tomorrow. I'm mustn't keep you. If I may.

Prabhupāda: Just here, please wait. Little, take little. Bring that sweetball. Sit down please, one minute. You have been today there today in meeting?

Guest: Yes. I appreciated it very much. It was very nice...

Prabhupāda: You were all present?

Guest: Yes.

Reverend Powell: You'll be pulling the chariot tomorrow, will you?

Devotee: Yes.

Reverend Powell: You've got a job on that. In the afternoon, isn't it? Tomorrow. I'll see something of it.

Prabhupāda: These flowers are very nice. They are called?

Devotee: Daffodil?

Prabhupāda: Daffodils. Oh.

Room Conversation -- June 28, 1974, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Formerly we were paying two rupees. Two rupees, and if it is this name, at most, three rupees. Now the things have increased twice. Forty years ago that black Bhāgavata was bound only for two rupees. This is very nice one. In the U.S.A the binding cost is very, very... Just like Macmillan Company. Bhagavad-gītā, hardbound, they charge ten dollars, ninety-five. And softbound, softbound, they charge four dollars. Six dollar difference on account of binding. So they have charged one dollar, seventy-five cents, and in America they charge six dollars. So all the fathers clapped for long.

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: They appreciated.

Devotee: Yes. Afterwards, Nick was speaking to one father from a different monastery, and he said he very much appreciated how much respect you had for other persons, that he could tell that you were really feeling respect for Lord Jesus.

Prabhupāda: Yes, why not?

Devotee: He appreciated that very much.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We must have respect. Respectable person must be respected. Otherwise, what it is? That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... Amāninā mānadena. Don't expect any respect for yourself, but you offer respect to everyone. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... Amāninā mānadena. For... In one's, oneself, what respect I have got? I am only most insignificant. Why people should respect me? This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I am not worthy anything. That is for personal. But others, even he is an ant, he's respectful, must be respectful, must be offering respect even to an ant.

Room Conversation -- June 28, 1974, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Yes. Formality, you should be respectful. Suppose your enemy—that is etiquette-comes in your room. But when he has come to your room, you should offer him respect: "Come on, come on. Sit down." That is etiquette. You know that "He's my enemy." That... The etiquette according to Vedic civilization: gṛhe śatrum api prāptaṁ viśvastam akuto-bhayam. Even your enemy comes at your home, you should treat with him in such a nice way that he'll forget that you are his enemy. Gṛhe śatrum... That was... Just like Jarāsandha and Bhīma. They, they wanted that "We want to fight with you..." (Break) Unless one of the kings died... (Break) ...a strong flavor, and it is continually, continues. So long it is alive, the flavor is there. So where is that art, where is that science? When you have... Where is that scientist amongst the human society? They are very much proud of their scientific advancement. Everything see, the flowers and leaves, so artistically, beautifully manufactured that simply by seeing them you'll feel pleased. How the man can manufacture it? And still, they are denying the existence of God and taking all the credit. How foolish they are. Mūḍha. (laughter) Yes. Yes, they have been described as mūḍha. Now, we are appreciating immediately Kṛṣṇa's craftsmanship, artistic sense, and we are glorifying. So that should be done by everyone. But the mūḍhas, they will not do that. They'll explain away. They'll never admit God's hand, intelligence, brain is there. They'll never admit. Neither they will explain how it is. They know it, how it is done. It has been done, or it is being done by somebody.

Reporters Interview -- June 29, 1974, Melbourne:

Guest (2): But if a painter was to paint a picture of me or of Allen or of anybody, first they'd take the subject, and the subject would be a living person, and then they would paint the picture and the picture would be in...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Subject is there, that "Kṛṣṇa's color is bluish, Kṛṣṇa has got in His hand a flute, Kṛṣṇa has got a peacock feather on His head, Kṛṣṇa stands, little curving." Tri-bhaṅga-lalitam. Tri-bhaṅga means in three ways He is curved. You see. Tri-bhaṅga. Three, three times He is curved. Śyāmaṁ tri-bhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśam (Bs. 5.31). These are the description of the Vedas. Just like my students, they have painted so many pictures, so I have given simply the hints that "This picture should be like this." So they take note and make the picture, and people very much appreciate our picture. So you can paint pictures by taking hints from the authority. That is going on. So if you are intelligent, you can make almost like that.

Morning Walk at Marine del Rey -- July 13, 1974, Los Angeles:

Jayatīrtha: Unless there's a conspiracy, there should be no objection.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. That will disclose their conspiracy. "We abide by your order that without your order our ratha will not move, go to the Trafalgar... That's all right. You have allowed palanquin. That's accepted." Do like that, tactfully. First of all, take the sanction. In America, in... They have appreciated. That Reverend Powell. No, there is no objection anywhere. Why this rascal, falling-down nation, British, they're objecting? Apāt-kāle viparīta-buddhi. They are falling down, they will commit offense and discrepancies more and more so that they will be nowhere. I think after this Queen, this monarchy there, the so-called monarchy will be also finished. Because her son, her husband, both of them are hippies. The Queen's husband and Queen's son, the Prince of Wales, both of them are hippies. So this monarchy will be also finished. (pause) What that Mahādeva is doing there in Africa?

Brahmānanda: He's not doing very well.

Morning Walk at Marine del Rey -- July 13, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Satsvarūpa: Yes, I...

Prabhupāda: So you can hear that lecture, how it was. They appreciated so much. We have no disrespect for Christianity. (pause) At least, expose our so-called Indian ambassador and others... Approach them, that "Help us. What is this? What for you are here?" Even they do not allow by agitation, make the movement very important. Make profit this side or that side. That is businessman. The businessman makes profit when the price is going down and when the price is going up. They make their profit. That is businessman. Just like our Tripurāri, he goes on selling his book in any condition. He finds out some means how to sell in this condition. This is intelligence, how to deal in different circumstances and make profit. That is brain. And if you make condition, "If these conditions are there, then I can make business," that is foolishness.

Brahmānanda: You told me that when I came from Pakistan to India. I was complaining how difficult it was, but you said that a businessman makes profit in any circumstances.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is business. They are... Police has no eyes to see that the Bala-Krishna (Guru Maharaji) is regularly cheating. Any man can understand.

Jayatīrtha: Yes.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 4, 1975, Hawaii:

Prabhupāda: That's a good sign.

Siddha-svarūpānanda: Yes. Many people, hundreds of people, are worshiping tulasī. Even people we don't know, they, somehow or other, they have gotten tulasī, and they are worshiping.

Prabhupāda: Very good. They will become devotee. Without any fail, they will become devotees. If they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and worship tulasī leaf, they'll be liberated without any fail, and they will become devotee. (break) ...gradually appreciate. (break)

Kīrtanānanda: But the little boy, the three year old boy, he appreciates very much. He loves your books.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Yaśodānandana: Śrīla Prabhupāda, yesterday on saṅkīrtana I was distributing a book to someone, and when he saw your picture he said, "Ah, yes, in 1966 I chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa."

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Yaśodānandana: And he took a book because he saw your picture.

Prabhupāda: Yes. 1966, I was chanting in San Francisco.

Yaśodānandana: He said he chanted with you and your disciples on Second Avenue.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk Through the BBT Warehouse -- February 10, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Where is that Prajāpati? He's not here? That play yesterday... Last evening I saw. It was very nice.

Gurudāsa: Yes. They also did Pralambāsura for the guests.

Prabhupāda: No... Now we have got Caitanya-caritāmṛta and Bhāgavatam. If such demonstration are done very nicely, it will be very much appreciated even by the public. We can collect some money.

Jayatīrtha: Yes. We plan to make a tour this summer all the way up the West Coast, and in the amphitheaters...

Prabhupāda: And in India also. Simply you have to change the language, dictate.

Jayatīrtha: Of the narration.

Gurudāsa: Yes. They're planning to do that.

Prabhupāda: In our festival let them come and show. What is this? That man? What is his name who showed Gaurāṅga līlā?

Gurudāsa: Yes, Harigovind.

Prabhupāda: It will be hundred times better than that.

Morning Walk Through the BBT Warehouse -- February 10, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Even they play with tape. Tape... Tapes... The tape is going on, and then are playing.

Gurudāsa: Yes, they also do that sometimes. They have tapes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So organize this, and all over the world this will be appreciated. And now we have got so many books. From the book you get subject matter and make a playwright in all languages. It will be very nice.

Gurudāsa: They have a repertoire of eight main ones that they can do, and now they're starting to do others also, from Caitanya-caritāmṛta, etc.

Prabhupāda: Yes. I think he is good director, Prajāpati.

Jayatīrtha: Yes. His wife is very expert also.

Prabhupāda: Oh. And also you can call... What is he? Jagad-dhita...? That Australian girl?

Gurudāsa: Oh, yes, Jagatāriṇī.

Prabhupāda: Jagatāriṇī.

Room Conversation with Metaphysics Society -- February 21, 1975, Caracas:

Prabhupāda: Origin of pain means as soon as you come to the material world, is the origin of pain. Just like the... It can be appreciated very nicely. Just like water. Water is sometimes painful, and sometimes pleasing. Is it not? Do you agree or not? No, I just try to... Water is the same thing, but sometimes it is painful and sometimes it is pleasing, is it not? So how the same thing becomes pleasing and painful? This is circumstantial. The same thing is pleasing and the same thing is painful under different circumstances. Similarly, fire. Fire is sometimes pleasing and sometimes painful. The fire is the same, but circumstantially, it becomes painful and pleasing. Just like in winter season the fire is pleasing. And in summer season the same fire is painful. Now, these feelings of pains and pleasure is due to this material body. Therefore the material body is the cause of pains and pleasure. So if you do not get this material body—you remain in your spiritual body—then there is no more pains and pleasure. So that means the origin of pains and pleasure is to our attachment to this material body. If we can somehow or other get out of this material body, then there is no more pains and pleasure or it is simply pleasure. Therefore in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, ānandamāyaḥ abhyāsāt. "By nature the spirit soul is joyful." In the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati: (BG 18.54) "As soon as you become spiritually self-realized, then there is no more pains and pleasure." So pleasure means absence of pain. So in your spiritual identity there is no pain, therefore it is simply pleasure. Therefore our endeavor should be how to get our again original spiritual body. Spiritual body is there already. It is covered by the material body, but some way or other, if we stop the covering of the material body, then we are simply in pleasure. Therefore our only attempt in this human body should be how to revive our spiritual body. And that process is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That... Open that verse, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9).

Room Conversation with Tripurari -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa. They will read as story book. The Kṛṣṇa trilogy is selling very nice?

Tripurāri: Yes. Nectar of Devotion also.

Prabhupāda: Nectar of Devotion is very nice.

Devotee (1): And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatams. They are very attracted to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Tripurāri: Many of the karmīs appreciate the Fourth Canto, part four, the story of King Purañjana. They understand that.

Devotee (2): There's many psychologists at the airport. I would attract them by giving them that particular volume and saying how this deals with the psychology of the conditioned self. And they were attracted in that way.

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is very nice, Purañjana. His city, his gates, various manifestation.

Room Conversation with Tripurari -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Prabhupāda: ...that (sic:) Kenneth Keat? Bring that letter. He wrote to Gurudāsa?

Śrutakīrti: Yes.

Prabhupāda: (sic:) Kenneth Keat was ambassador in India. So Gurudāsa met him. Now he is ambassador in Israel. So he has written that "You are all doing very nice work." People appreciate, any intelligent man.

Devotee (1): For one period of two or three days we were going to the airport and simply... This was during the whole controversy about the cheating and the honesty and..., that controversy. So we just went and we just started preaching. And we actually didn't find that much of a diminution in the sales of the literatures. In fact one time a couple of us went out in dhotīs even to the airport, without wigs or anything, for a weekend. And we still did nicely. It was a little more difficult. They weren't so... Some of them weren't as warm. But we find that the businessmen, they can be convinced by just preaching.

Prabhupāda: Read it.

Śrutakīrti: "Dear Gurudāsa, Thank you for your letter of January 2nd and for your continued prayers for me in my work. As you perhaps do not know, I am now ambassador to Israel. I have been in the United States for a couple of weeks but have not been able to arrange for any free time in which I could meet with you and have not been on the West Coast or at any point except Washington and New York. I hope it may be possible at some future time for us to get together, since, as you know, I have great respect for you and your associates who serve the Lord according to your faith and perform many good deeds in these hectic days. Warm personal regards. Sincerely, Kenneth Keating."

Prabhupāda: So any sane man will appreciate our activities. We are doing simply to turn people's attention towards God, that's all. That will make him happy.

Interview -- March 5, 1975, New York:

Prabhupāda: God is a person like you and me. The difference is that we are also persons. We are many, and God is one, leader. Now, what is the difference between this one and we many? He maintains all these many, and we are maintained by Him, but He is also a person like you and me. Do you follow?

Reporter: Yes, I do, but Swamiji, my question to you was a bit more pointed than that. I appreciate the answer you just gave me, but at what age did you realize the highest truth? At what physical age...?

Prabhupāda: There is no question of age. Realization of God should be educated from the very beginning of life.

Reporter: Oh, I understand that, Swamiji. My question to you was at what age did you yourself in this physical incarnation realize the highest truth?

Prabhupāda: Of course, we were born in a very nice family. My father educated me in this way. So practically from the very beginning of our life we were educated in this way.

Reporter: Oh, no, I understand that. I mean at what time did you have your own personal realization, Swamiji? At what age?

Prabhupāda: Well, that I can say from the age, say, four or five years.

Reporter: At the age of four or five years?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That's a fact.

Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: Ether is perceived by sound, air is perceived by touch. Then... Ether, air... Then fire you can see by vision. And then next, water, you can taste, and the earth you can smell. These five senses are there to appreciate these five kinds of elements. All right. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break)

Devotee: These are some of my friends here, Prabhupāda. This is Kani Faizal(?). He is a director, theater director, and artist. He wants to do a play now from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the story of Prahlāda Mahārāja.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Very good.

Devotee: This is Carlos. This is Ali. I don't know your name.

Maslud: Maslud.

Prabhupāda: So all cultural people. All cultural people.

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Nice. Where is Atreya?

Devotee: He's coming.

Prabhupāda: Yes. India... Formerly your country was part of India, and you belong to the same culture. So far I understand, Iran means Āryan? So Āryan culture was practically all over the world. Āryan culture is based on God consciousness. So amongst the Āryans there is some conception of religion, either Christian religion or Mohammedan religion, Buddhist religion, Vedic religion, based on conception of God. So according to time, country, the ways of understanding may be little different, but the aim is God consciousness. That is Āryan civilization. So God is one; God cannot be two. So the features of God or angle of vision of God may be different. So they have been summarized in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. (Aside:) You can come forward. One feature of God is impersonal. Just like the sunshine. Sunshine is spreading all over the universe. It is impersonal. But the quality of the sunshine is heat and light. The heat and light means energy. So as in the material calculation, the heat and light is the cause of all creation. Just like at the present moment there is not sufficient heat; therefore the trees have no leaves. And as soon as there will be little more heat they will be all green. So you can take it that the creation of the foliage is due to the heat. Similarly light. So heat and light is the cause of all this material creation. And heat and light is coming from the sunshine, er, sun. Therefore heat becomes the origin of creation even in this material world. Similarly, there is another light. That is the original light. This is reflection. That is called brahma-jyotir, spiritual light. So in this way one conception of God is like that. Another conception of God is: God is situated everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. Because God is situated within the universe, within the atom, therefore they are existing. Just like the ātmā, or spirit soul, is situated in you, in me, in everyone. This is called Paramātmā feature. And at the ultimate end there is the person, God as person, the Supreme Person, the Supreme Being, a person like you and me—we are person—but He is almighty, all-powerful. This is the conception of Absolute Truth: God, Paramātmā, and Brahmājyoti. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). This is the Sanskrit word. He is realized as Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Bhagavān is person; Paramātmā is all-pervading, means localized, situated; and Brahman means all-pervading. All together-God. This is the idea. What is your idea of God?

Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: So society recognizes the sense gratification, whether it is bhidheya or abhidheya?

Indian man: What is bhideya or abhidheya?

Prabhupāda: Bhagavad-gītā says, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya grāhyam (BG 6.21). Bliss which is supreme, that is to be appreciated by atīndriya. Atīndriya means beyond the senses. So those who are indulging in senses, the Tantra indulges in senses. Is that spiritual? That is not spiritual. That is material.

Indian man: You have to use the material, all the potential...

Prabhupāda: No. Atīndriya. You haven't got to use this material (break) ...enjoy the spiritual senses, one has to not only stop, but undergo tapasya, tapo divyam. Just like a man is diseased, he wants to eat, but due to the disease he cannot eat. So first of all, you have to cure the disease, then your eating will be a pleasure. And if you want to eat in the diseased condition, then the taste will not be proper; you cannot eat. A man suffering from jaundice, if you give him sugar candy, he will taste it bitter. The same man, when he is cured, he will taste the sugar candy as very sweet. Tapo divyaṁ yena putrakā śuddhyed sattvam (SB 5.5.1). You have to purify your existence by tapasya. And tapasya means stops material sense gratification. (Hindi) (Someone enters room) Ah, thank you. So you have translated in Parsi?

Dr. Movebhed: Yes.

Morning Walk -- March 15, 1975, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: Yeah.

Devotee 2: It's perceivable by the senses as sound.

Guest: As sound.

Prabhupāda: Ether is perceived by sound. Air is perceived by touch. Then? Ether, air....

Devotee: Fire and water.

Prabhupāda: Then fire...

Devotee: You can see.

Prabhupāda: You can see by vision. Then next?

Devotee: Water.

Prabhupāda: Water, you can taste and the earth you can smell. Five senses to appreciate these five (indistinct) Alright.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)

Interview with a German Girl and Assorted Devotees -- March 30, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Is it not foolish? You appreciate that you are under the control of material nature, and still, you are thinking independent. What is this nonsense?

Girl: Yes.

Haṁsadūta: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Hm? I am in the prison house, and the prison superintendent is controlling me fully, and if I say, "I don't care for anyone," what is this nonsense? Even in ordinary life, if somebody says, "I don't care for government laws. I shall do whatever I like," is it very good sense? Similarly, you are fully under the control of material nature, and you are declaring independence. You should, rather, consider that "Why I have been put under the control of material nature? I don't want it. I don't want to be diseased. But why disease is forced upon me? I don't want to become old man. Why it is forced upon me? I don't want to die. Why death is forced upon me?" These should be the proper questions. But instead of questioning this, he's thinking, "I am independent." How much foolish he is.

Conversation with Devotees on Theology -- April 1, 1975, Mayapur:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Rūpānuga... Rūpānuga is already getting one book together, so you can write a chapter in it. There's a book, and he's going to comment... It's a scientific book on different aspects and he's commenting on, I think, social, various social applications. So you can comment on the theosophical points. I mean it can be included in this book. Actually if you have the qualifications, I'm sure he would want a chapter from you. Prabhupāda, you know that book Rūpānuga's putting together?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That'd be appreciated cause it's going to reach many intelligent people.

Acyutānanda: More than the theologians people listen to psychiatrists.

Prajāpati: Yes, the theologians listen to the psychiatrists.

Acyutānanda: They have another mish-mosh to delude the people into paying the money. They're simply tricksters. Tricksters.

Prajāpati: Many of the theologians today are influenced by a book called I'm OK, You're OK, which...

Acyutānanda: We're O.K.

Śrutakīrti: (To Prabhupāda) You want to keep this here?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Morning Walk -- April 6, 1975, Mayapur:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Buffalo.

Prabhupāda: Yes, buffalos. Cow is very important animal. Therefore it is recommended to protect it. From social benefit point of view, it is essential that cow should be protected so that you can get lots of milk preparations and keep your health very nice. So many nice preparations can be made from milk. In New Vrindaban, the other farmers, they come. They are surprised to see: "Oh, so many nice preparations!" They are appreciating. They do not know. It is the industrialist who has introduced this meat-eating. Because they are attracting men from village to work in the factory, so they have made it a policy that "We shall eat cow's flesh. That's all. We don't require..." In Russia, practically, they eat only cow's flesh. They do not know anything else to eat.

Jagadīśa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, in your books you've stated that the position of the cow is as important as the position of the brāhmaṇa.

Prabhupāda: Hm ? Yes. Go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. We offer respect to Kṛṣṇa as the well-wisher of the cows and the brāhmaṇas. Brahminical culture and preparation from milk makes a man perfect for spiritual understanding. Therefore they are two very important items, go-brāhmaṇa hitāya ca. In the society, if there is no brahminical culture and no cow protection, that is animal society. That is not human society. We are trying to bring the animal society to human society to fulfill the mission of human life. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So without woman there is no dancing? (laughter)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: His whole troupe is women. The New York devotees, the Vaikuṇṭha Players, they have drama group.

Prabhupāda: So, drama is good. Woman dancing will not be very much appreciated here. (break) ...scarcity of grains and government will exact taxes for poor-feeding, and it will be used for their own purpose. These are the Kali symptoms. (break) ...stay in future.

Guest (1) (Indian man): Are they doubting for themselves or for us?

Prabhupāda: For us.

Guest (1): They should doubt for themselves.

Prabhupāda: No, apart from that, now, from logical point of view...

Guest (1): Our movement, this movement, is Kṛṣṇa's own movement.

Prabhupāda: No, no, that they may not... I mean to say, from mundane argument, we are selling these twenty lakhs of worth books monthly, so it is being spread all over the world. And those who are purchasing books, they are intelligent men. Then when they will read, how this movement will stop?

Guest (1): It will never stop.

Prabhupāda: It will not stop. The books distribution is so important, that it will continue to stay.

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So he is also a big man. Now he is retired from politics?

Guest (1): No. He is very much... He is more in politics than myself. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: So, on that point I have taken his ideas very nice, his thinking. He is a good thinker. And so I have taken his ideas, and I want to reply him. So any good thinker, leaders, they should do something so the India's glories... Now, these people, they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is India's glory because we haven't got to give them anything. We are hundred years back always. When they manufacture jet plane, we manufacture sewing machine. Or cycle.

Guest (1): But we have great paramparā of varṇāśrama-dharma.

Prabhupāda: So we can give them these things. We can give them these things, that spiritual emancipation, and they are appreciating. So if we make ourself in India a nice program-already they are eager to take—then they will take more and more. And that will glorify India's prestige. So everything is ready there? Oh, here. You have got that letter. You can... (end)

Conversation with Governor -- April 20, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: They may be very strong, our tiger and elephant, but they have no capacity to accept any education. Then?

Brahmānanda: "But in human society, even though one may be a low-grade member of the society, he can be trained up to be purified as a first-class brāhmaṇa. It only requires training. Therefore, manava-dharma means to impregnate a human being with spiritual knowledge. A human being must be educated spiritually. That means he must know that he is not this body. Kṛṣṇa teaches this idea in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā,

dehino 'smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati
(BG 2.13)

This is the beginning of spiritual education, that every one of us is not this body. Unfortunately the whole world is in darkness, and therefore every human is identifying with this body and thinking wrongly, 'I am Indian,' 'I am American,' 'I am brāhmaṇa,' 'I am this,' 'I am that.' To drive away this misconception of life is actually manava-dharma. We must know that we are not this body but spirit soul, and as such, we are part and parcel of God and therefore qualitatively one with God, exactly like a small particle of gold is also gold as is the gold from the big gold mine. But quantitatively the particle of gold is not equal to the gold in the mine. This is very elaborately described in the Bhagavad-gītā, and if we accept these principles of Bhagavad-gītā as manava-dharma, then the whole world will appreciate. And this is being done by our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Point Five: Elements in our tradition relating to dharma and saṁsṛti which are useful and wholesome but which are being discarded in practice, and those which may be considered to be unsuitable in the present times. Number Five: Regarding elements in our tradition relating to dharma and saṁsṛti..."

Prabhupāda: This kind of understanding at the present time, at the present time... (Hindi) So we give reference, that "Present time, everyone is fallen." But truth is always the same, not at present time. So the real truth is that ideal man of character there must be. Because at the present moment there is no character, there is no moral education, therefore we have to adapt according to them, no. The pukka moralist, he must be moralist. It doesn't matter that "People at the present time, they do all immoral activities; therefore we have to adjust." No. Strictly one should be moralist. There is no question of present time or past time. That should be real point of view.

Morning Walk -- May 9, 1975, Perth:

Amogha: Śrīla Prabhupāda? When people in the street hear Kṛṣṇa's name, the chanting, or they get some literature, does that mean they will not take birth as an animal?

Prabhupāda: No. They'll get birth in a good family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe (BG 6.41). If they simply appreciate "It is very nice," then in the next life, human life is guaranteed. In a very nice family. Simply if he appreciates, "Yes, it is very nice"—that's all. Then he'll get another chance.

Amogha: Many people think the pictures are very nice.

Prabhupāda: Anything they say nice, that means it is guaranteed, next life. Or even in this life it will definitely help. As soon as he reads some pages, then it is guaranteed. Those who are enquiring, that means they are liking. Their life is guaranteed.

Amogha: One man who joined us about Rathayātrā time last year was a solicitor. He used to buy our books but he never read them. But he would keep them on his bookshelf. And he used to always think, "Those are such beautiful books." He used to think like that.

Prabhupāda: This is appreciation.

Morning Walk -- May 12, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: The sun is moving near about that. This is one universe, and there are thousands and millions of universe. Jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). That is God's creation. And they are becoming God, "I am God." Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya (Bs. 5.48). If we simply think of the creation of God, we can appreciate how great He is.

Paramahaṁsa: That's why it's described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam?

Prabhupāda: They say, "God is great," but they do not know how great He is. That is explained in the Vedic literature. Of course, those who are saying "God is great," they are pious. And those who are saying that "I am God," how foolish they are. Therefore I say that anyone who says, "I am God," immediately kick with your shoes on his face. Such a cheater.

Amogha: There is... One of the disciples of Guru Maharaj-ji, Bala Yogesvara, is in Perth. They have their center here. And he is giving lectures daily, and many people are attending.

Prabhupāda: That he is God.

Morning Walk -- May 12, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: The more you fight with these rascals, the more you advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You are a fighting soldier. Kṛṣṇa very much appreciates. (long pause) So you take Bhagavad-gītā by your own interpretation, and I take Bhagavad-gītā as it is. So who is right? Who will decide this? You interpret in your own way. I don't interpret. I take it as it is. Now we are two parties. So who is correct?

Amogha: They say because so many others...

Prabhupāda: No, no, there are two parties. That's all. Others means one who interprets, that is one party. And there is one party who does not interpret. So who is correct?

Amogha: They say, "We are right because we are more." They say, "We are many..."

Prabhupāda: Many asses means there is an opinion? Many asses give some opinion. Is that opinion?

Śrutakīrti: They say so.

Amogha: They say we are Ph.D., and there are so many swamis and things like this.

Prabhupāda: Oh, majority.

Morning Walk -- May 12, 1975, Perth:

Gaṇeśa: The result will show.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That democracy is the ruination of civilization.

Amogha: But actually many of them appreciate the actual translation because it's so much more clear. It's just that before, they didn't read it. Many of them, now they are reading it, they appreciate it very much

Prabhupāda: So we want to remain in the minority. We don't want to be ruled by the majority.

Paramahaṁsa: Actually, anybody who is serious about spiritual life can accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and the others take all the other spiritualists'...

Amogha: Actually, these professors aren't interested in spiritual life. They're just thinking. They just think and talk, but they're not interested in spiritual life either way. They don't follow the other commentary...

Prabhupāda: They do not know what is spiritual life.

Paramahaṁsa: They consider spiritual life as simply a department of philosophy.

Prabhupāda: Yes, psychology.

Room Coversation with Psychiatrist and Indian Boy -- May 12, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: So, everyone is attracted with the woman's body. In your country I have seen the advertisement: "bottomless," "topless..." That is the material attraction. Everyone is in this material world on account of attachment. And similarly, for woman, the man's body is beautiful. So in this way both of them are attached to one another. That is the basic principle of material life. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham (SB 7.9.45). They become attached. On account of sex life, they become more attached, and therefore both of them remain almost perpetually in this material world, and to satisfy different desires they transmigrate from one body to another. And on account of accepting this material body, there is always miserable condition. Therefore everyone requires the psychiatric treatment so that the mind may be transferred from matter to spirit soul. Then he will be cured. The disease is of the mind. Harāv abhaktasy kuto mahād-guṇa mano-rathena. Everyone is riding on the chariot of mind. And the mind is taking him here and there, here... And the yoga practice is also treatment. This is also yoga, bhakti-yoga, and this ordinary haṭha-yoga, that is also treatment of the mind. Treatment of mind means controlling the senses. Yoga indriya-samyamaḥ. Mind is the leader of the senses. So if the treatment of the mind is done properly, then the senses work properly. The example is the madman. Because the madman's mind is not controlled, he is acting in a way—people say, "Here is a madman." So everyone is more or less a madman in this material world, or, in other words, you can say anyone who is in the material world, he is a madman. He requires treatment. Just like anyone who is in the prison house, it is to be accepted that he is a criminal. Without any study, without any exception we can accept all the prisoners as criminals. (break) ...gradually appreciate.

Room Conversation with Alcohol and Drug Hospital People -- May 16, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: It is mutual. It is mutual.

Guest (2): It's a mutual kind of support. But worshiping in a sense of religion or in a sense of a higher person, it's a different matter.

Prabhupāda: Worshiping means appreciating high qualities. Worshiping is not blind. If I know that you have some high qualities, I worship you.

Guest (2): Do you worship to a person or what? To his doctrines or...?

Prabhupāda: Worship means person. Worship does not mean imperson. Unless there is a person-to-person relationship, there is no question of worship.

Guest (2): Is... This picture of Śrī Viṣṇu, it's the person who you worship or...?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (2): He is the creator.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation with Dr. Copeland, Professor of Modern Indian History -- May 20, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: I will be successful when everyone will chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Dr. Copeland: But in Western countries, where people have to adopt to the different style of dress and a different life-style altogether, it means that you're asking for a very large commitment from people, and yet they do it. Are you saying that it's the strength of what you're preaching, or are they unhappy with what they've found otherwise?

Prabhupāda: No, they look very nice with this dress. Don't you appreciate?

Dr. Copeland: Uh, that wasn't in my question, That's... (laughs). Yes, I think it's very nice, I couldn't do it. I wouldn't shave my hair, and I wouldn't dress like that.

Prabhupāda: You cannot sacrifice so much. They have sacrificed.

Dr. Copeland: Aḥ, I sacrifice up here.

Prabhupāda: They have got a spirit of sacrifice.

Dr. Copeland: But you ask a great deal of people. So why do you think they're willing to give?

Prabhupāda: No, I ask only four things: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. That's all. But these four things are very, very, difficult for the Western people. That I know. Just see. God consciousness cannot be achieved by any third-class man. One must be the topmost first-class man. Then he can become God conscious.

Room Conversation with Dr. Copeland, Professor of Modern Indian History -- May 20, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Give him some prasāda.

Madhudviṣa: One of the... Just from understanding, speaking to Amogha, is one of the doctor's dilemmas is that he is reading your Bhagavad-gītā, but his colleagues do not appreciate your Bhagavad-gītā so much. He, sometimes he is confronted with the people who are tending more towards the impersonal school of thought, I think, and they have criticisms of your Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. So he...

Dr. Copeland: That's why I was asking. To see how you would reply to that.

Prabhupāda: First of all, you think that Kṛṣṇa is speaking as person. What right you have got to say that He is imperson?

Dr. Copeland: I don't say.

Prabhupāda: No, anyone, anyone. What Kṛṣṇa is saying, He is saying as a person. Aham. You know the Sanskrit word? Aham, "I," first person. So why these foolish interpreters, they interpret "imperson"? What right they have got? They have no right. Suppose you are teaching something from your own point of view. What right I have got to say that "This is not Mr. Such and such opinion. What I say, that is opinion"? Is that very good judgment? You are saying something from your point of view, and I poke my nose that "This should be spoken like this." Is this honesty?

Dr. Copeland: It's a difference of opinion.

Room Conversation with Director of Research of the Dept. of Social Welfare -- May 21, 1975, Melbourne:

Director: But it would be very difficult for the people who start out with us. Would be possible with the kids that start out with us.

Prabhupāda: No, they will live, just like they are living. They are coming from the same group. But they are now saintly. It is a question of training them. I have no facility. Whatever I have done, by personal endeavor and their cooperation. Neither your government, I mean the Western government, they helped me, neither my government helped me, although we are struggling to make class of men ideal. They appreciate, but they do not give us... Now, just like we have purchased this house by our endeavor, with great difficulty, because we have no income. We write our books, then we sell, we get some income. So somehow or other we expand. But no government is helping us. They are increasing brothels, drinking. At least in India there was no drinking propaganda. Now the government is making that. They are opening wine shop. India, even in the British period, drinking was very, very restricted. Very, very restricted. First of all socially if anyone drinks, he is rejected as gentleman.

Room Conversation with Two Lawyers and Guest -- May 22, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: I also like. (laughter) Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi **. This is essential, to be anxious to be associated with the spiritual master. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). That is the statement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. By the mercy of Kṛṣṇa one comes in touch with the bona fide spiritual master, and by the mercy of spiritual master, one gets Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 18.61). Kṛṣṇa can understand what we want. So when we sincerely want Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa sends His representative, guru. Guru is outside representative of Kṛṣṇa. So to the sincere student, Kṛṣṇa teaches from inside and outside. That is the way, so that he becomes quickly fit for going back to home, back to Godhead. So this behavior, to be attached to spiritual master, is a good qualification. Yasya prasādāt, by his mercy, Kṛṣṇa becomes merciful. By Kṛṣṇa's mercy, one gets spiritual master, and by the spiritual master's mercy, one gets the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.

So your this behavior, attachment, is very much appreciated both by Kṛṣṇa and devotees. So continue this attitude and follow the instruction. Then it is guaranteed, go back to home, back to Godhead. It is not difficult. For a sincere person to go back to home, back to Godhead is not at all difficult. Especially Kṛṣṇa in this age has personally appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very, very kind to the fallen souls. Pāpī-tāpī jata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo. His business was with all the pāpī and tāpī. Pāpī means sinful, and tāpī means suffering. Pāpī-tāpī jata chilo... (to child:) Sit down.

Conversation in car -- May 23, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: So we have to take little patience. That is preaching work. Don't be impatient. Let us do our duty on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. Even the result is not very appreciable, still we have to do it. This is preaching. Just like Nityānanda Prabhu. He was hurt by Jagāi-Mādhāi. Still, He determined, "No, these two boys must be delivered." This is the example. "Never mind, they have injured Me; still, I shall deliver them." And He did it. They became Vaiṣṇava. So our preaching determination should be like that, not that we are failure in some cases, and therefore give it up. No. This is our business. We must go on doing this. Failure or success, it doesn't matter. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said to preach. He never said, "If you are failure, don't preach." Never said that. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa: (CC Madhya 7.128) "Whomever you meet, you just give him the instruction of Kṛṣṇa." He never says that "If somebody does not hear you, don't do it." No. Kṛṣṇa said that "Don't talk with the fools and rascals and those who are not undergone some penances."

Radio Interview -- May 25, 1975, Fiji:

Prabhupāda: Because Indian people, being subjugated for at least one thousand years, they have lost their original culture. And, being poverty-stricken, they are simply after money, by hook and crook. So in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ tayā apahṛta-cetasām (BG 2.44). Persons who have lost their consciousness on account of being too much attached to material enjoyment, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So I thought that America, they have enjoyed enough of this material happiness, money and women, and they are now becoming disappointed. So they are at least on the platform of renunciation. They don't want any more like their fathers and grandfathers. Of course, they are not guided. Therefore I preferred to go there to guide them. So almost fifty percent of my devotees are, they are collected from these disappointed persons, young men. They are going astray. So they appreciate that I have saved them. Therefore they are after me, this younger generation, and they are helping me in broadcasting this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Morning Walk -- May 28, 1975, Honolulu:

Devotee (4): They cannot even appreciate something like that.

Prabhupāda: No, no. They say, "Don't talk of God." That is their philosophy. (Gets into car) Post-dated check, they want all credit, and one who is paying cash, he has no credit.

Gurukṛpa: "Well, we can't see Him, so we can't believe it. We can't see who has done it."

Prabhupāda: No, you cannot see that the tree, wherefrom this tree has come. From the seed: you cannot see it? You are so blind? Why don't you see? Wherefrom this big tree has come? And such millions of big trees are on the floor. You cannot see it? Then you are blind.

Paramahaṁsa: It comes from that little seed.

Prabhupāda: Yes, everyone knows that.

Paramahaṁsa: But the seed came from another tree.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. But who has made this arrangement, packed up, millions of trees?

Paramahaṁsa: That's just part of nature.

Prabhupāda: Then nature is your father.

Paramahaṁsa: No.

Prabhupāda: You are less than the nature, that you have to accept. Nature has already done. So either you say "nature" or "God," doesn't matter. But you are not bigger. You cannot take the credit.

Morning Walk -- June 21, 1975, Los Angeles:

Bahulāśva: He's always speaking about this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. (Prabhupāda chuckles) He gave one lecture just about two weeks ago. It was very very nice. I attended, and I was also speaking something.

Prabhupāda: No, he is serious about studying this movement.

Bahulāśva: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That is nice. Anyone who is serious, he will appreciate. (break)

Bahulāśva: ...that any intelligent person who hears this philosophy and reads your books, he'll have to accept.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bahulāśva: No one can even challenge. (break)

Prabhupāda: They are giving standing orders. They understand this is worthly. (break) ...is up? No.

Jayatīrtha: A little bit early still.

Prabhupāda: Then we can go this way. (break) ...many rooms are there in the new house?

Bahulāśva: Oh, there are many rooms. Two very, very large rooms, at least as big as the temple room in San Francisco, er, in Los Angeles, excuse me. Two rooms that big. Then there's about four rooms for living quarters, a big kitchen, and then several offices, and then a nice quarters for Your Divine Grace with a bath, with a shower right there.

Prabhupāda: What it was before?

Bahulāśva: It was a Mormon church.

Prabhupāda: Ohh.

Garden Conversation with Dr. Gerson and devotees -- June 22, 1975, Los Angeles:

Brahmānanda: In India the effect of that film is just the opposite that everyone is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Now appreciate. Yes.

Brahmānanda: It was very popular, the chanting.

Prabhupāda: That "Hare Krishna" film at least helped us in the matter of propagating the Hare Kṛṣṇa word.

Dr. Gerson: I would like to.

Jayatīrtha: Dr. Gerson would like to publish a book that would be accepted by the scholarly circles so that they would see that our school and our varṇāśrama system is very good for mankind.

Dharmādhyakṣa: Because one of the main arguments against the movement is that we are crazy. So Dr. Gerson, it is his specialty in determining who is sane and who is crazy, and according to his observation, the devotees here are more sane than...

Prabhupāda: So kindly write one book, at least small book, supporting this movement. That will be great service. Actually this should be supported by all sane men, it is so nice. And practically, you see, Dr. Judah has admitted that "You have converted drug-addicted hippies into servant of Kṛṣṇa and servant of humanity." That he has written, that who likes us.

Garden Conversation with Dr. Gerson and devotees -- June 22, 1975, Los Angeles:

Bahulāśva: If you like, Dr. Judah said he will help teaching in this?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Bahulāśva: You like, Dr. Judah said he will help?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. If he appreciates our movement, then he can become.

Dharmādhyakṣa: So what we need, Prabhupāda, is whoever has an advanced degree to come to the college and to teach.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, yes, yes.

Dharmādhyakṣa: Like even Dāmodara here, prabhu. He has a master's degree.

Prabhupāda: He has already proposed that he wants to give up his service and fully work for Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Jayatīrtha: Svarūpa Dāmodara?

Prabhupāda: Yes. This... Just now we have received that letter. He doesn't like. He is now realizing, "What I am searching after, false thing?"

Devotees: Jaya!

Morning Walk -- June 22, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much.

Mexican Woman: Good morning.

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Prabhupāda: Good morning.

Revatīnandana: The Mexican people are always a little appreciative. They naturally believe in God.

Prabhupāda: Give them invitations. Today is Sunday.

Bahulāśva: Yes, Cit-sukhānanda is speaking with them.

Prabhupāda: No, you have no card? Love feast card? Give them, that "come."

Jagannātha-suta: Jayatīrtha has one. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...is our enemy, it means Hare Kṛṣṇa is acting upon him. Yes.

Bahulāśva: Like Kaṁsa.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (chuckles) Kāmāt bhayāt krodhāt. Either for lust desires or out of fear, out of anger, some way or other, if one is attached to Kṛṣṇa, his life will be nice. So enemy means krodhāt, being angry upon us. "These Hare Kṛṣṇa people does like that." So he is angry. But that will also be effective. Krodhāt.

Morning Walk -- June 22, 1975, Los Angeles:

Dharmādhyakṣa: ...the colleges and high schools now that the teachers appreciate the philosophy much more than the students. They have more brain substance, and it's even a possibility many of them will actually become devotees if they have more association because devotees are practically the only intelligent people that they ever get to talk to. Even the other members of the faculty, they are not so intelligent to talk to them. But we went to see one philosopher. He's written seventeen books and he's a distinguished professor of philosophy. We talked to him for three hours, a very famous... His books are used all over the country. He said, "My philosophy is closest to this Hare Kṛṣṇa philosophy, after you've explained it to me." He will be coming back. He's going on tour. He's retiring. We're also going to try to get him to come to Berkeley.

Revatīnandana: Is that the one at Pomona College?

Dharmādhyakṣa: No, this is another one at U.S.C., University of Southern California.

Prabhupāda: So some professors wanted to see me?

Jayatīrtha: Yes. In fact, one is coming over this afternoon.

Brahmānanda: Today two are coming.

Dharmādhyakṣa: Actually at the University of Southern California around three or four members of the religion department want to come, including the chairman.

Prabhupāda: So let them come. (break)

Bahulāśva: ...yesterday that Indian gentleman, Dr. Singh? He had become very doubtful when you told him they didn't go to the moon. He was saying, "Do you think they really didn't go?" (laughter) He never thought of that before, that they might have just made a show.

Prabhupāda: No. If we believe in our Bhāgavata, they have not gone. It is above the sun planet, 1,600,000 miles above. How they can go?

Room Conversation with the Mayor of Evanston -- July 4, 1975, Chicago:

Prabhupāda: So they were habituated to all... Because that is a system in the European, American life. But now they are free. That is Professor Judah's remark in his letter. Have you got that? Yes. He has written one book, Hare Kṛṣṇa and Counterculture, about our movement. He has read all our books. Here are, you have shown all these books? So he appreciates, many gentlemen appreciate, even the priestly class, they also appreciate. So this is a movement which is trying to create at least a section to become first-class. The first-class man does not mean that he is nicely dressed or very rich or very opulent. Generally, of course, a first-class man means good parentage, good education, good looking and nicely rich. That is the standard. But... That may be first-class position, but first-class man is different. First-class man means he is self-controlled, in the mind he is undisturbed, he is truthful, he is very clean, inside and outside, he is very simple, tolerant, full of knowledge, practical application of knowledge, and believe in God. This is first-class man. There is no mention that he is rich, he is beautiful, bodily, or he is educated. Educated, this is a result of education. Real education means that he is self controlled. Controlling the mind, controlling the senses, truthful. He will speak truth in any circumstances. Even to his enemy he will speak the truth. And clean, and very simple, tolerant. And any knowledge, he has got some, I mean to say, strength over it. Ultimate knowledge, Brahmān, he believes in that and he has... Brahma janātītī brāhmaṇaḥ, This is first-class man. So it is not expected that everyone will become first-class. but there must be a section in the society, ideal first-class. And they will be advisor to the rest. These brāhmaṇas, they will not take part in politics, but those who are politicians, administrators, they should take advice from these first-class men, how to rule, how to control, what is the ideal. So the ruling class, they are called kṣatriyas.

Room Conversation with the Mayor of Evanston -- July 4, 1975, Chicago:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change."

Prabhupāda: So this education is required. America is resourceful and they are intelligent. And the movement is already there, Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, people are appreciating gradually. So if we get little cooperation from the authorities, we can push on this movement more solidly. So you are the chief of this city. If you give us some facility, then we can be useful to counteract this position.

Mayor: Well, we'd like to cooperate and we certainly need a different approach I think because we're not being successful now in trying to...

Prabhupāda: No, this way will never be successful. It will degrade more and more. So our process is very simple. That is the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's contribution, that we chant... Where is that letter? Professor Judah's? Just read that.

Room Conversation with the Mayor of Evanston -- July 4, 1975, Chicago:

Mayor: All right.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our request. Bring prasāda. If you have got any further enquiry, I can try to...

Mayor: No, I really don't think I do, and I think I'd like to learn more about your movement too. But I have enjoyed having to talk and listen to you and I appreciate it.

Prabhupāda: No, put it here. He'll take. Take this prasāda. They are all fruits, innocent. In your country you have got so many nice fruits.

Mayor: Yes, we do.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And grains and milk. So much nice things. You can avoid meat-eating very easily, as they have given up.

Mayor: It looks very good, but I (indistinct) with a knife. (laughter)

Viṣṇujana: Someone is bringing a fork. Prabhupāda, perhaps we could provide him with some of our literature and that will inform him more about our movement.

Prabhupāda: Yes, give him.

Room Conversation with Mr. & Mrs. Wax, Writer and Editing Manager of Playboy Magazine -- July 5, 1975, Chicago:

Jayatīrtha: They were accusing us of kidnapping their daughter. When I spoke with them I said, "Before your daughter came to our movement she was taking drugs and having sex life even though she was at the early age and so many nonsense things. But now she's not doing those things." They said, "I'd rather she be doing those things than joining your movement." So some people they can't appreciate.

Mrs. Wax: I understand Mr. Patrick kidnapped Lakṣmī-nārāyaṇa. Is he all right?

Jayatīrtha: Lakṣmī-nārāyaṇa, yes he escaped.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Jayatīrtha: There's this one fellow, Mr. Ted Patrick. He goes and he kidnaps the devotees. The parents pay him $1,000 up to $25,000...

Prabhupāda: Ācchā.

Jayatīrtha: ...depending on how wealthy they are. He kidnaps them and tries to brainwash them that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not good.

Devotee: He calls it deprogramming. He says... He tries to deprogram the devotees that we have simply been hypnotized by chanting. So he has to snap us out of it by deprogramming. And he uses very severe techniques, very harsh.

Prabhupāda: And the parents are inducing him.

Jayatīrtha: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Press Conference -- July 16, 1975, San Francisco:

Bhaktadāsa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, what is the significance of the chant which everyone who has been around the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement has heard? What is the significance of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Chanting means the holy name of the Lord. The Lord is absolute. His name is not different from Him. So if you chant properly or improperly even, then immediately you be in touch with God. And as you become in touch with God, you become purified. So as you become purified, you know, actually you can see perfectly what is the aim of your life, how the human form of life should be utilized. These thing will be revealed. This is the process of chanting. Try to understand. Chanting the holy name of the Lord means the name of the Lord and the Lord, God, is not different. Just like the sun and the sunshine is not different. Wherever there is sun, or wherever... Sun may be 93,000,000 miles away from us, but by the sunshine we can appreciate sun. Similarly, God may be long, long away from us, but if we chant His holy name, immediately we become in contact with Him. This is the purpose of chanting the holy name of the Lord.

Morning Walk -- July 17, 1975, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Then why these rascals create problem? And become a big scientist and draw a good salary, fatty salary, that's all. (break) He has invented hydrogen bomb, but does it mean the war is taking place every day? Say, after twenty years, fifty years, war will, then his service will be appreciated, by the time he will die.

Brahmānanda: They have not used the hydrogen bomb yet.

Prabhupāda: Even there is use, so where the use? We require daily things. (break) ...this fruit?

Dharmadhyksa: These are cones. This is a pine tree, and these are cones. What are cones used for?

Jayatīrtha: Seeds are in the pinecones. (break) ...cone the trees come.

Prabhupāda: Let them produce one seed like that. Sow it and a big tree will come out. Where is that scientist? Millions of living beings are coming out. You are trying to kill them, and they are trying to manufacture living being in the laboratory. And take credit. Where is the credit to you? Already millions and trillions are daily coming. Befooling men. They are fools and befooling men, that's all. This is their business.

Morning Walk -- July 17, 1975, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: That is here, in this material world. In the spiritual world Kṛṣṇa does not leave.

Jayatīrtha: Oh.

Prabhupāda: And even in the material world, Kṛṣṇa superficially has gone to Mathurā, but He has captured the heart of the gopīs. So He is not leaving. Gopīs are enjoying Kṛṣṇa by separation. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's feeling, how He is appreciating Kṛṣṇa by separation.

Bahulāśva: Out here on the campus, Śrīla Prabhupāda, different people come with little carts and they sell food things.

Prabhupāda: Food?

Bahulāśva: Food. They get a permit. We were thinking to have a little car and sell Bengali sweets.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Bengali sweet selling is not our business. We should not waste in that way. Our business is how to make him Kṛṣṇa conscious. If we find such opportunity by selling Bengali sweets, then we can sell. Otherwise it is useless. You should always remember this. We are not for selling Bengali sweets or any such thing unless it is connected with preaching our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You should remember it.

Morning Walk -- July 25, 1975, Los Angeles:

Satsvarūpa: They say their barking is an improvement on the original dog.

Prabhupāda: To another dog appreciates like that. (laughter)

Rāmeśvara: (break) ...philosophy is that originally God's creation is not perfect. It is... Nature is very wild, and man can make it perfect.

Prabhupāda: You have not come to that perfection, so you are not important. (break) ...Muslim country there is a word, khodaka upar kimvar dhari. (?) Khoda (?) means God. These rascals want to go above God. (break)

Jayādvaita: ...tees have remarked that since you have come to Los Angeles, the Deity has increased in beauty many times, Kṛṣṇa. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...my anxiety, that in my absence you may neglect Deity worship. Then the whole thing will be spoiled. That is my anxiety. (break)

Rādhā-vallabha: ...are very worried. They say the earth has a certain tilt, and every few million years the tilt is changing little, little, and by this changing eventually the ice on the North and South Poles will melt, they say. So they are very afraid because then their estimate is that the entire earth will be covered with water.

Prabhupāda: Why he is..? Why he is afraid?

Rādhā-vallabha: Well, they are afraid for future humanity. They will all be killed.

Prabhupāda: He is not careful about himself. He is thinking... He cannot take care of himself, he is thinking of others.

Morning Walk -- August 27, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Just see. He advertises. Mahesh Yogi.

Indian man: Mahesh Yogi, yes. Followers, they are taking everything.

Prabhupāda: He says, "There is no restriction, or no philosophy, no faith." (Hindi conversation) Recently one book was published by Professor Judah. He has studied this movement for five years. He came to India. So he has written one book, Hare Kṛṣṇa and Counterculture, but scholarly. (Hindi) He appreciated. (Hindi) ...and the fifty books I have, four hundred pages each. And we

are selling twenty lakhs' worth monthly. (Hindi) (break) ...it is up to that?

Akṣayānanda: Nobody knows your limit, Prabhupāda. Nobody knows your limit.

Prabhupāda: No, generally. Who remembers?

Harikeśa: It was way back there.

Brahmānanda: It was back there by that... (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Huh? No, no. I remember.

Morning Walk -- August 27, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Richer than us? (laughter) Do you think?

French devotee (1): No.

Prabhupāda: How many branches he has got of his business?

Akṣayānanda: So I usually tell them, "It is not for us that we want help, but so that we can help others." They like that. They can appreciate humanitarian viewpoint, material benefit. That's all.

Prabhupāda: So we are giving the best humanitarian service—to stop his repetition of birth and death.

Brahmānanda: The final solution.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Brahmānanda: This is the final solution.

Akṣayānanda: In India, now in the cities, wherever we go, there are so many big cinema houses being built. So if the young people are not yet tired of that, then how will we convince them of Kṛṣṇa consciousness? They all go by the thousands to the cinema house.

Prabhupāda: You approach the cinema proprietor and make him a member. We have got contribution from a very big cinema man.

Morning Walk -- August 27, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: You approach the cinema proprietor and make him a member. We have got contribution from a very big cinema man.

Brahmānanda: Raj Kapoor has become a patron member.

Prabhupāda: You can show his letter, how he appreciates. So similarly, you can collect some money. So this money is coming from the cinema visitors, so indirectly they will be benefited. Yes.

Akṣayānanda: Money is there, and they give. Still they'll go on showing the nonsense, and all the young people are going and being corrupted.

Prabhupāda: That is going on everywhere, not only in the cinema, karmīs. So our duty is to take some service; then they will be benefited by that. Kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam. Kṛṣṇa says, "Whatever you do doesn't matter. The result, give Me." (break)

French devotee (2): They go to cinema because they have no adventures in their life. So they go to cinema. If they become Kṛṣṇa conscious, so they don't need to go to cinema.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa conscious is not so cheap. Have you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Don't take Kṛṣṇa consciousness so cheap that they will go to cinema and become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Morning Walk -- August 29, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So if... You can make it cheaper. Instead of three rupees, you can make it two rupees.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Like we can have four or five of your lectures for one small book for one rupees, fifty paisa, or one rupee and... If somebody can't afford two rupees... At the present moment we are selling your Back to Godhead for two rupees. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...educated, he appreciate it.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He wants to become your disciple.

Akṣayānanda: What if the Hindi Back to Godhead was in newspaper form? Would that be lowering the standard?

Brahmānanda: Then they'd throw it away.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: You can't have a color picture then.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Akṣayānanda: If it was in newspaper form, that would be lowering the standard too much, the Hindi Back to Godhead. Then they will throw it away?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Like we have those...

Prabhupāda: No. We must have quality. Our Godbrothers, they publish tenth-quality papers. Nobody... Nobody cares.

Morning Walk -- September 9, 1975, Vrndavana:

Indian man (1): Dvabhyanaṁ pathanaṁ pathī.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Dvabhyaṁ patanam. (Hindi) ...instruction... (Hindi) Either you speak in Bengali or in Sanskrit. (break) Then that is an asset. One day they will come to help us. It is called ajñāta-sukṛtī, devotional advancement without knowledge. Even... (break) ...have appreciated. In Hyderabad, these Māyāvādī sannyāsīs were challenged by the people, that "Bhaktivedanta Swami has gone to foreign countries, and he established so many Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple. What did you do? If you say that you disagree with Bhaktivedanta Swami—you worship demigods—so how many demigods' temple you have established?" They challenge like that. "If you say that you are worshiper of Lord Śiva, why don't you go and establish a Śiva temple? You are sitting idly here."

Press Conference -- October 2, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: Perfect. He is a big professor, and his books are being sold in higher circles. Professor Judah. And he has studied this movement for five years. And... You have got that book?

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Show him. So they are appreciating. Appreciation has begun. Formerly they thought it is another edition of hippie movement, but now they are realizing it is not. A cultural. He has given the name of the book, Hare Kṛṣṇa and Counterculture. He is selling at the cost of twelve dollars; still, all high class, educated class, are purchasing.

Guest (3) (Indian man): Have you any program for the common people?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Common people have joined. Everyone. We are opening centers so that any common man from any caste, any creed, any nation, they can come and join.

Morning Walk -- October 4, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Cyavana: When you were speaking with those two boys last night, that was the Minister of Youth who was sitting with the High Commissioner. He was appreciating that they were coming to challenge, that they were understanding. They cannot understand their own so-called culture. They have not been able to get the young people here to adopt it. Instead they are trying to imitate the West.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Blind leading the blind.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes. Did you understand the words, "The blind leading the blind"? Do you agree? (break) ...culture, the basic principle is mistaken, bodily concept of life. How it can be perfect? (break) ... world's present so-called culture based on misconception. Therefore it cannot be perfect. Whatever they are doing, it is failure.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Can't satisfy anyone. Now people are under the conception that culture means that you can satisfy anything you like, any desire. Therefore there is birth control and so many things. So they are thinking that "If we can satisfy all of our desires, it is very nice culture."

Prabhupāda: But where is satisfaction?

Brahmānanda: They think that unhappiness comes from repression of one's desires.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They think that actually that we're suffering from so many desires, that we must be very poor creatures because we become devotees.

Prabhupāda: So why so many desires? Because one desire is not complete, therefore you desire next. Therefore the process of desiring is defective, and our process is to purify the desires, not to remain in the imperfect platform of desiring, but whatever desire you have got, just purify it. Then it will be satisfied. So desire produced by bodily concept of life will never be satisfied. Therefore some of them are trying to become desireless, the impersonalists. Nirvāṇa.

Morning Walk -- October 5, 1975, Mauritius:

Devotee (6): They all think we are propagating Hindusim because we're wearing dhotī...

Prabhupāda: They are thinking. They are rascals. They are thinking like that. Therefore I say they are imperfect. They are imperfectly thinking. So... So there were many Muslims, and the Christian, that Scotland man, he appreciated.

Cyavana: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So we do not say anything about any particular section. We are speaking about God. God does not belong to any section. When Kṛṣṇa said that there should be four divisions, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13), He does not say that these divisions should be in the Hindu society or in India. He never says so. So why they take it as Hindu? Kṛṣṇa does not say that it is meant for the Hindus, for India. If God says that "I have created the sun," does it mean sun is created for India, not for this island? So these are foolishness. Whatever is spoken by God, that is meant for everyone, all over the universe. That is real understanding.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: It's in the American Constitution that all men are created equally.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is real idea!

Room Conversation with Bill Faill (reporter) -- October 8, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: That's all. That's all. It is going on like that. They have no standard method. We are presenting the standard method. This is Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. As it is, without any malinterpretation, we are presenting as it is. This is standard.

Faill: Yes. If you begin dressing things up, they change. And the size of the movement now? Is it a growing movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, it is very much growing. You will be surprised that we are selling these books... We have got about fifty books like this, and every library, college, professor, universities, they are very much appreciative of this, because there was no such literature existent. This is the new contribution to the world.

Faill: Now, this American, Alpert, he came to a state of God consciousness, but he was very, very heavy on drugs. This can't be right, taking a drug.

Prabhupāda: Alfred? Just speak.

Harikeśa: He was one of the associates of Timothy Leary.

Prabhupāda: Alfred Ford?

Harikeśa: No, no, no.

Prabhupāda: Then?

Harikeśa: What is his first name?

Faill: Alpert was his second name, and then he took on, you know, an Indian name.

Prabhupāda: Oh, then he is speaking of Alfred Ford.

Room Conversation with Professor Olivier -- October 10, 1975, Durban:

Prof. Olivier: Uh huh. You mean from the beginning right through the...

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. You can make them pass the entrance examination, the graduate examination, the postgraduate examination by studying these books. Yes.

Prof. Olivier: Well, this is apparently what one needs. This is perhaps what one needs, you know.

Prabhupāda: And our books are being appreciated, Europe, America, by big, big professors, universities. They are giving us standing order, even in Oxford University. What is that, Oxford University?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I was just in London a while back.

Prabhupāda: No, that letter is there?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I don't know if I have the one from Oxford. This is from Harvard. We just received this telegram from Los Angeles, Prabhupāda. "Amazing success from your library party—one hundred and fifty-two standing orders sold in just seventeen days of September in New England. Thirteen standing orders at Harvard. These books are very much being appreciated in America."

Prof. Olivier: These are for the sets.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes, a standing order of books even which haven't been published yet. Prabhupāda is translating on his dictaphone each night, throughout the hours of the night. And now about fifty books so far, many more to come.

Prabhupāda: The total number of books will be about eighty. Out of that, we have published about fifty. So the balance they are giving standing order, "As soon as published, you give..."

Room Conversation with Professor Olivier -- October 10, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: The total number of books will be about eighty. Out of that, we have published about fifty. So the balance they are giving standing order, "As soon as published, you give..."

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: In the United States... These are many letters we have, just some of them, from different professors who are actually using Prabhupāda's books, professors from respectable universities such as Harvard, Yale, Duke. Professor Dimmock, who is the leading scholar of southeastern languages at the University of Chicago, he very much appreciates Prabhupāda's books.

Prabhupāda: He has written one foreword.

Room Conversation with Professor Olivier -- October 10, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: No, you can give an experiment. We don’t charge anything. You see how he teaches. Then if you like, you can appoint.

Prof. Olivier: He would have to be acceptable to the Hindu community because it would be for them only, not for the Christians or for the Muslims.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Well, the Hindu community accepts our movement. Every program we have, we have at least...we’ve seen at City Hall we had full house, last night (?) full house, and they very much appreciate our movement in particular. They come to us with many questions. So any representative of our movement is pure in his activities and his understanding of the philosophy is comprehensive, so they have no objection. But they see practically that the big men in the Hindu community here, in Johannesburg and Durban...

Prabhupāda: You can ask the Hindu community.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They will testify to our character. They accept. They accept.

Prof. Olivier: You see, the...South Africa has had to import its priests, its Hindu priests.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Even the young girls who join our movement, they cover their heads. And the Hindu ladies are so impressed that they practice such chastity, even to the extent always covering their head as a sign of chastity. They very much appreciate.

Prof. Olivier: Perhaps I can give you one or a couple of application forms that you could post to one or two people if they’re interested to apply. But this would be...

Prabhupāda: The Hindu community, I think they will accept us. I don’t think they will deny.

Car ride from Durban to Johannesburg -- October 13, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: Sahajananda has written very frankly that "All the swamis and yogis are deriding Kṛṣṇa. You are the only person pushing on Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, single-handedly."

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes, that's a fact.

Prabhupāda: He has very much appreciated this effort. Everyone will do that. I am the single man, speaking of God. Nobody speaks. All big, big leaders, politicians, philoso..., who is speaking of God? We are stressing only, God consciousness. As soon as you speak of God, "Oh, it is old-fashioned to bring in God. These are primitive. Now we speak of science. There is no God. That is very nice." As soon as you speak of God, "Oh, you are useless. You have no advanced knowledge."

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They are challenging, then, the authority.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They are challenging the authority.

Prabhupāda: There is no authority. And Vivekananda said, "You manufacture your own God, whomever you like. Even you can worship stool as God." They say like that.

Car ride from Durban to Johannesburg -- October 13, 1975, Durban:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: But now the Indian government—if this is true—they are giving visas to the devotees, and that means they are favorable towards the movement more and more.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It may be due to my interview with Indira Gandhi. I appealed to her that "No Indians are joining, and these Europeans, Americans, they are helping me. And if they are asked to go away, then how shall I maintain the establishment? Indians are not coming." So they might have studied that "They are not politician, and this movement... Everyone will appreciate God consciousness. They are doing something," this consideration. Otherwise it is surprising. They have given three years.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. It is very surprising.

Prabhupāda: It is very, very surprising. (break)

Harikeśa: There may be some more information to come about that.

Prabhupāda: What is that other?

Harikeśa: I don't know, but...

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Harikeśa: Navayogendra is not the official source.

Prabhupāda: Navayogendra, yes, why Navayogendra has said?

Harikeśa: I think he wants to remind you of...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because it is coming from Navayogendra it is not to be relied so much. (laughs)

Room Conversation with Reporter of The Star -- October 16, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: Capacity of the container. This is described in the Bhāgavata and the Caitanya-caritāmṛta also. Kṛṣṇa śakti vina nahe kṛṣṇa nāme pracāra: "Without Kṛṣṇa's special power of attorney, nobody can preach His name." Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So these rascals, Godbrothers, they are envious that... What he has written? Bon Mahārāja. Just see what kind of men they are. They are not even ordinary human being. They are envious of me, and what to speak of make a judgment by estimation? They're envious. Enviousness is immediately disqualification of Vaiṣṇava, immediate. He is not a human being. Paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ (SB 1.1.2). This Bhāgavatam is meant for the person who is completely not envious. That is the beginning. Why a Vaiṣṇava should be envious for anyone? Everyone is working according to his karma. He is trying to rectify him, that "Be out of these clutches of karma. You come to bhakti." Why he should be envious? Vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca. A Vaiṣṇava should be like ocean of mercy to reclaim the fallen souls. That is Vaiṣṇava's qualification. So Vaiṣṇava should be envious? Just see. So these persons, they are not even human being, what to speak of Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava cannot be envious. Vaiṣṇava should be: "Oh, my Lord's name is being broadcast. He is getting, giving so much service to make Kṛṣṇa known." That man has appreciated, that "All these spiritual leaders, they are deriding. You are the only man... You are... It enthuses us, give us more encouragement, that you are keeping intact, love of Kṛṣṇa." This is an appreciation. Why he should be envious? He should be, rather, very much enthused that "This single man is keeping Kṛṣṇa all over the world." And everyone is deriding. Even Gandhi is killing Kṛṣṇa. Dr. Radhakrishnan is killing. Their only business is to kill Kṛṣṇa.

Morning Walk -- October 19, 1975, Johannesburg:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Not sleep. Not sleep.

Prabhupāda: No. This is the term used, "lazy," but real term is dhīra. The Sanskrit word is dhīra. And everything... Just like high-court judge, he is dhīra. He is... Before giving judgment, he thinks three days, silently. That is your... That is not laziness. His brain is working how to give nice judgment. That is required. But because we do not understand what is dhīra, we think that "This man is sitting idly and drawing four thousand rupees." Because we know, "Unless one is active like dog, running there, running there, he is not a busy man." And he cannot appreciate the work of the author, the work of the high-court judge. They think they are lazy. Therefore he's using the lazy, but lazy and intelligent. Otherwise he is not lazy; he is dhīra. The word is dhīra. Dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Unless one is dhīra, one cannot understand that there is soul within the body. (break) Kṛṣṇa uses this word, dhīras tatra na muhyati. One has to become dhīra, sober, silent. Then he can understand. Not these busy dogs.

Morning Walk -- November 2, 1975, Nairobi:

Prabhupāda: They... Whatever they say, you forget that. You do your own duty. You follow the rules and regulation and do the needful. Why you...?

Indian man (4): But we have to make them understand very clearly.

Prabhupāda: But they will never understand. You don't waste your time. Go on with your duty. When they will see that you are actually acting as brāhmaṇa, they will appreciate.

Indian woman: Time will come. They will notice.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they will appreciate. But if you don't follow strictly, then it is useless to criticize them also. You are also victim; they are also victim.

Devotee (8): When chanting our sixteen rounds, we are not sure if these rounds are sincere...

Prabhupāda: You should be sure.

Devotee (8): How can we be sure?

Prabhupāda: There is beads.

Morning Walk -- November 11, 1975, Bombay:

Devotee (3): Then how is it that some people do finally come to accept Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Yes. They come in the paramparā system, through guru. Tad-vijñānārtham sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Therefore you have to go to guru to understand. You cannot understand personally. That is not possible. Therefore our system is to see through the guru and śāstra, not by these naked eyes. That is misleading.

Devotee (3): Then the key would be to recognize and appreciate the importance of the guru.

Prabhupāda: Parampara. Guru is also not authority by himself. He is authority by his guru, paramparā. If he is coming in the paramparā system, then he is guru. Otherwise he's not guru. Just like what we are doing? We are simply repeating the Kṛṣṇa's word. That's all. Therefore guru. And as soon as I make addition or alteration, I am goru

Harikeśa: Goru means?

Prabhupāda: Goru means cow, animal. Go-kharaḥ. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). The go-kharaḥ, these animals have been, I mean, exemplified because these two animals work for others very heavily. The bull also loads heavily, and the ass also loads very heavily for others, not for his own benefit. The bull is working day and night and being whipped... (end)

Morning Walk -- November 13, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Therefore I feel obliged to them. Nobody helped me. These boys helped me.

Dr. Patel: It was your President Roosevelt, by whose action, I mean, Mr. Churchill began to lose his grip on India.

Prabhupāda: And this American government even, they never put any hindrance in my movement. They have, rather, appreciated. And many American old gentlemen came to congratulate me.

Dr. Patel: Because you are helping them, salvaging the boys from the...

Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be, but they have helped me.

Dr. Patel: They are not smoking that.

Indian man (3): Śrīla Prabhupāda, in 1962 in Geneva(?) only they helped, America.

Dr. Patel: Because that is a democracy. India...

Prabhupāda: And another thing, from material point of view... I am touring all over the world so many times. Materially nobody is as opulent as America, nobody. (sic:) Not even America.

Morning Walk -- November 19, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Anyway, do they accept the authority of Bhagavad-gītā or not?

Yaśomatī-nandana: They say it's a very nice book of knowledge. They don't want to pursue spiritual life.

Prabhupāda: Then why they become authority?

Yaśomatī-nandana: Yes, that is their rascaldom.

Prabhupāda: If they do not accept authority, why they become authority? Who will accept them? If everything is depending on mental speculation, then why they should be accepted as authority?

Yaśomatī-nandana: That they cannot answer. Only insincere people, foolish people, they are misled by them. Otherwise I don't think anybody even knows their philosophy. Everyone knows your philosophy because they see your disciples, and no one goes to read their books. Mostly I see in their books, "First edition, copies, two thousand," "three thousand," something like that. And you never see a second edition.

Prabhupāda: (break) Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu for the last twelve years he was lying idle, and this time he went, and people appreciated so much he was giving delete.(?) He is advertising like that. (end)

Morning Walk -- November 21, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Why did you not, "Do you know English?" (laughter)

Mahāṁsa: So first of all Acyutānanda... I wasn't there, but Acyutānanda and Yaśodānanda said, "No, we don't know much San... A little bit. We don't..." So he quoted, "Sarva dharmān... Do you know that verse?" So they said, "Yes." So he said, "Explain what is the meaning of that verse." He started the whole conversation. We didn't want to get into any philosophical argument. So they started explaining what is the meaning, one must surrender to Kṛṣṇa. And then it went on, who is Kṛṣṇa. And then finally Acyutānanda and Yaśodānanda were quoting so many ślokas that they were completely baffled, and the whole crowd that was there, they were appreciating, and we were defeating them. By every śloka we were defeating them, and they were completely baffled. Ultimately he said—he could not fight back—so he said, "Swamiji, you are right," and he wanted to close the whole conversation because the people were gaining our side. They were being convinced by our ślokas.

Prabhupāda: This is Kṛṣṇa's mercy.

Mahāṁsa: They were completely shocked that they knew so many Sanskrit ślokas from so many different scriptures.

Prabhupāda: The Western learned circle, they are admitting that the greatest contribution of Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is these authentic translation of Vedic literature. (aside:) Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Morning Walk -- December 14, 1975, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: But you are also in not very good shape.

Harikeśa: But I can put on a coat. They're standing out in the cold.

Prabhupāda: (laughing) In your country nobody likes white, they have begun to tan. So you are not (in) good shape in consideration of ladies. (chuckling) How you can say that it is not in good shape? It has got another lady to appreciate. You may not appreciate. One man, lady, may not appreciate your beauty but that does not mean you are not beautiful.

Caitya-guru: It says ulu.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Caitya-guru: Name of that tree.

Devotee: Ulu.

Harikeśa: Sometimes the trees just die because there's not sufficient . . .

Prabhupāda: No, no. That is not the standard that you do not like somebody, therefore he is not liked by others. That is not very good argument. That is applicable everywhere. The point is that it is a living entity, it so stout and strong, who is giving him food? That is the point.

Morning Walk -- December 17, 1975, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: Most people (indistinct) (break)

Prabhupāda: Yesterday... Last night, I explained at the Birla house that you have to change only your care of. Now we are care of under material energy, and you have to transfer your under care of spiritual energy. They appreciated.

Dr. Patel: They are under the care of great māyā, mah-māyā.

Prabhupāda: Everyone...

Dr. Patel: ...is sitting in the building, of all the Birlas.

Prabhupāda: Not Birlas, everyone. (laughing)

Dr. Patel: (also laughing) I don't know, sir. But I... I am a rebellion against them. In 1958, sir, I told you, the Congress, when I was a member of Congress, that I can't be the member of such an institution which just simply lies, telling white lies.

Prabhupāda: No, no. You may say about congressman, and this one, Communist man; everyone is under...

Dr. Patel: Is a rascal.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our verdict. Mūḍha. We understand from Bhagavad-gītā...

Dr. Patel: Why mūḍha, sir. Mudhatamaḥ!

Prabhupāda: Yes, vimūḍha. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says not only mūḍha but vimūḍha; viśeṣa-mūḍha especifical. Prahlādah Mahārāja says the same thing: tato vimūkha-cetasā. Vimūkha cetasā means one who does not accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme. Tato vimukha-cetasa soce, and simply thinking of desires. Who are this? Those who are nondevotees, one who does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Tato vimukha-cetasa. So why you are searching? Māy-sukhāya: simply for so-called sense gratification for a few days, bhāram udvahato vimūḍhān, making big, big plans. I am thinking of these rascals. What for they are making big, big plans? They will stay here for a few days, and forgetting Kṛṣṇa consciousness they are busy in making plans. This is Prahlāda Mahārāja. And Kṛṣṇa says they are mūḍha, vimūḍha. As soon as you find one, not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he's immediately mūḍha, vimūḍha. Na mā duṣkṛtino mūḍh prapdyante narādhamāḥ.

Page Title:Appreciate (Conv. 1967 - 1975)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:25 of May, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=202, Let=0
No. of Quotes:202