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Criticism (Conversations)

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: More or less. More or less.

Hayagrīva: Not only in that scene. My point is that I don't want to make this an Indian play.

Prabhupāda: That you may do. That you may do. I have no objection. But people may not misunderstand that here a scene is depicted simply criticizing the western way. That is my point. Yes.

Hayagrīva: Yes. Now that other person, that other Lord Caitanya... Roy? Who wrote the other Lord Caitanya? That other play?

Prabhupāda: No, nobody...

Hayagrīva: I showed you that other play.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that Dilip Kumar.

Hayagrīva: Yes. That's what I had in mind. I thought it was strictly an Indian type of play.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that was Indian type. Yes, that was Indian type. Or if you like... I have no objection. If you present the characters in European style. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu...

Hayagrīva: No, no. They wouldn't be presented in a western style, but there wouldn't be neither an eastern nor a western flavor.

Prabhupāda: That will be very nice. That will be very nice.

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

Hayagrīva: Muhammadan.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Muhammadan. Chand Kazi was a... Maulana Chand Kazi. His name is Maulana Chand Kazi. He was a great scholar in the Koran scripture. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu first of all asked the Chand Kazi, "My dear uncle, what is your religion that you are eating your mother and father?" (laughs) So he could understand that He was attacking the cow killing process. So he said, "Well, You are just trying to criticize our cow killing, but in Your Vedic literature also I have seen that cow killing is allowed in sacrifice." Then Lord Caitanya said, "Yes. That is not killing. That is rejuvenating. That is not killing." The sacrifice of cow recommended in the Vedic śāstra means that the brāhmaṇas prove how powerful was Vedic mantra that it could give a new life to the old cows and bulls. So then Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, that "Such kind of learned brāhmaṇas and Vedic yajña is not possible in this age. Therefore cow killing..." Not cow killing. "Sacrifice by offering cow, sacrifice by offering horse, and..." Aśvamedhaṁ gavālambhaṁ (CC Adi 17.164). And sannyāsaṁ pala paitṛkam. Sannyāsa means to become in the renounced order of life. And these five things. One thing is sacrifice by offering cow. Second, sacrifice by offering horse. Third, to accept renounced order of life. And fourth, offering ablutions... Or what is called? Offering some, something to the forefathers? What is called?

Hayagrīva: Oblations.

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

Prabhupāda: Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī was at Benares. He was a Māyāvādī sannyāsī, Śaṅkara sampradāya. So he used to... This scene should be given that at Benares He was also walking all over the streets and roads, "Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa" and thousands and thousands men were following Him. This news arrived to Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī who was the chief sannyāsī there and some of the devotees told, "Oh, a very nice sannyāsī has come to Benares. He's chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." So Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī deprecated, "Oh! This is a nonsense! Why a sannyāsī should chant and dance? He should concentrate his mind in studying Vedānta. He is a fool." In this way Caitanya Mahāprabhu was criticized. So one Maharastrian brāhmaṇa, he was devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He said that "This incident gave us much pain, sir. If You kindly meet this sannyāsī and talk with him about Vedānta-sūtra, that would be a nice thing." In the meantime one brāhmaṇa came and invited Lord Caitanya that "I have invited all the sannyāsīns of Benares, but I know You do not meet these Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, but still I have come to invite You. You kindly accept my invitation." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw this opportunity of meeting Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī. He accepted his invitation, and there was a meeting, and there was discussion of Vedānta-sūtra with Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, and He converted him to be a Vaisnava. That is another incident.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Lord Caitanya Play Told to Tamala Krsna -- August 4, 1969, Los Angeles:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He would sometimes eat clay?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That was when He was about three years old. So generally, for morning the children given nice sandeṣa, sweetmeat, and this puffed rice in a cane pot and He would eat. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu was eating clay. So His mother said, "Oh, why You are eating clay?" Then He said, "What is the difference between clay and this foodstuff? After all, everything is clay. It is produced from clay." This is criticizing the Māyāvādī philosophy that everything is one. So His mother said, "My dear boy, it is very nice, everything is clay. But when you have to use for practical purpose... For example, if you want to keep water, so you have to keep water on the clay pot, not on the clay. So this specific form of the clay is required." Then He said, "Mother, you have taught Me very nice philosophy. I shall not eat any more clay." Sometimes He would sit in some nasty place where pots, clay pots... In India still, the system is, for cooking purpose, for the Deity, every day a new clay pot should be used. In Jagannath temple still it is. No used pot can be accepted. So after using, the rejected pots are stacked in some place. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sitting on the rejected pots. So His mother said, "My dear boy, You are sitting in this nasty place. Why?" He said, "Well, how you can say this is nasty place? These pots are very pure." Hm? (break)

Lord Caitanya Play Told to Tamala Krsna -- August 4, 1969, Los Angeles:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I mean the Kazi, he can be in the kīrtana?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Out of jubilation, yes. That's all right.

Govinda dāsī: Did he stop this cow killing thereafter? After talking with Caitanya Mahāprabhu?

Prabhupāda: No. Because that is their religious ceremony. Caitanya simply criticized their process, but he replied that "In Your Vedic there is cow sacrifice." Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, "That sacrifice is not killing. That's giving new life." So that much.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Madhudvisa, he will play the Kazi.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Madhudvisa...

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Lord Caitanya Play Told to Tamala Krsna -- August 4, 1969, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Another incident during Purī... Rāmānanda Rāya, he was a great devotee. So his younger brother, he was engaged in government service, Mahārāja Pratāparudra's service. But he was a karmi and a rich man. So he misappropriated some money for sense gratification from the treasury. So this was... And he had some, what is called, competition, or rivalry, between the king's son and himself. The king's son did not like him, so he was trying to put him in some difficulty. This man... His name is... He's Rāmānanda Rāya's brother. His name is there. I can find out. So he found out some fault with him and informed his father that "Your such and such person has doing like this. He has misappropriated the money. I paid him so much money for purchasing horse, and he has purchased horse less price. He was charged so much." "Oh," the king said, "Oh, how is that? He cannot do that. Realize that money." So he got some clue. So he said that "You must pay. This is not the right price. The state cannot accept at high price this kind of horses." So he said, "All right. I shall sell somewhere and repay the price." Then there was some argument. He said, "Why you have charged so much for this horse? This is not a very good horse." He said, "Yes, it is good horse. My horse does not look like this." That man, that king's son was looking like this. So he criticized him, so he became more angry. Because you know, everyone, that a horse who looks down like this, that is bad(?) horse. Or looking like this, he's not first-class horse. Do you know that? (laughter) Horse, like this, kat, kat, kat, kat, that is first-class horse. And if horse goes like this, that is not good horse. So he criticized him, and he became angry, and he complained to his father that he's not paying. Rather, he's criticizing me. And he said, "All right.

Room Conversation With John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison -- September 11, 1969, London, At Tittenhurst:

Yoko Ono: I mean the fact that we are doing songwriting and all that. It's a waste of time, isn't it? Without Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: No, not waste of time. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was chanting simply. Even He was criticized by great sannyāsīs that "You have taken sannyāsa. You do not read Vedānta. You are simply chanting and dancing." He was criticized. But the thing is, when Caitanya Mahāprabhu met such stalwart scholars, He was not lagging behind. Similarly, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is sufficient. There is no doubt about it. But if somebody wants to understand this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra through philosophy, through study, through Vedānta, we are not lacking. We have got books. It is not that Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is insufficient, therefore we are recommending books. No. Not like that. Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is sufficient. But... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was chanting, but when there was a Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, when there was a Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, oh, He was ready to argue with him with Vedānta. So we should not be dumb. If somebody comes to argue with Vedānta philosophy, then we must be prepared. When we are preaching, there will be so many people, different types of people will come. Otherwise Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is sufficient. Sufficient. It does not require any education, any reading, anything. Simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and you get the highest perfection. That's a fact.

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

Prabhupāda: Let them marry and live here.

Satsvarūpa: The other question was, is the subject matter, as they're being done, is there any criticism or should it be changed? The paintings that have been finished thus far, should they be changed in some way?

Prabhupāda: Then... These paintings are first-class, these paintings.

Brahmānanda: Is that one first-class there, Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: No.

Satsvarūpa: What's the trouble?

Prabhupāda: The trouble is that Kṛṣṇa's body is... Why it is made so big? Why the others, inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, smaller?

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- November 4, 1970, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: This class of question is answered..., no, criticized... (Hindi) There was a big market, because in the village there is haṭṭa every weekly. So in the village one old woman, she saw, "Oh, how I shall provide all these men at night? Where they will sleep? So many guests has come. What can I do?" She began to cry. So her son said, "Mother, you don't bother. They will go away." "No, no. How can I provide?" So in the evening he brought the mother: "Now see." So when she saw that, nobody is there. Theoretically, she began to cry, "Where shall I provide all, so many guests?" And this class of question is like that. Simply on theoretical they are asking.

Room Conversation -- November 4, 1970, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Such a nonsense. So we have to help these rascal politicians. You write that, that "Do you mean to say that Kṛṣṇa consciousness means business is to serve the rascal politicians? We are going every country and when we find time we shall go to Pakistan."

Guest (1): Not for vacating the aggression, but for...

Prabhupāda: "Not for helping the politicians who are very much eager to join Pakistan. Our joining is different. Even in India we have got so many enemies like you who are criticizing Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So there are rascals everywhere, either in Pakistan or India. So we are not satisfy the rascals. We are meant for intelligent persons." Write that, like that.

Guest (1): (Hindi) (end)

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1970, Indore:

Prabhupāda: That is the primary principle. Nāstika means one who does not believe in the Vedas. He is called nāstika. Not that he does not believe in God. One may believe in God, but one who does not believe in the Vedic literature, he is called nāstika. Veda na manīyā bauddha haila nāstika. Lord Buddha, although he is accepted as incarnation of God, but because he defied the Vedic principles it is said, nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātaṁ. Lord Buddha criticized the, I mean to say, sacrificial ceremonies because in the sacrificial ceremonies sometimes there is recommendation of killing an animal. But he was preaching nonviolence. So he criticized even the sacrifice in yajña. He criticized. Nindasi... But a Vaiṣṇava is praying, "My dear Lord, you are defying the Vedic principles." He knows why the Lord is now defying the Vedic principles; therefore he is devotee. In spite of Lord Buddha's defying the Vedic principles, a devotee is offering him obeisances. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. He knows the Lord, how He is playing, how He is bewildering the atheistic class of men. The atheistic class of men did not believe in God. Lord Buddha says, "Yes, you don't require to believe in God. There is no God. But you feel yourself that when you are attacked with violence you feel pain. Why should you offer to others?" Because his mission was to stop animal killing. Sadaya-hṛdaya-darṣita-paśu-ghātam. The Supreme Lord became too much compassionate when he saw that people are unnecessarily killing animals, as it is going on still. Instead of... At least those who are claiming Buddhist, they are killing animals. Bruce, is it not? Yes. But in the Buddhist religion there is no sanction for killing animals. Yes?

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- August 15, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: Town to town. What do you think this idea Huh? Continue engagement. And as many men may join us, we can accommodate them. Every country. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). I got this idea, one king, (indistinct), the grandson of Prthuraya, this Mahārāja Prithu, he performed so many yajñas that on the surface of the earth, there were only kuśa grass scattered. Yajña, they require kuśa grass. Kuśa grass. So all over the world it was simply scattered, after yajñas, I have given my comment in this. Similarly, we shall perform this saṅkīrtana yajña all over the world, town to town, town to town. Now we have got GBC all over the world. Let them organize. What they'll do? Organize yajña after yajña, yajña after yajña. So that as at the present moment even if we go somewhere, are known to: "Hare Kṛṣṇa!" They say. The whole world will say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." Either jokingly or serious, it doesn't matter. Let them joke, criticize them, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," still they will have the effect. Still they will have it. In the Nṛsiṁha Purāṇa there is an instance that a Mussulman was attacked by, what is called? Boar having...

Room Conversation -- August 15, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: A wild boar. So when the boar attacked him the Musselmans, when they do not like they say, "Haram. Haram." Condemn means haram. So when the boar attacked him he said haram. "Haram!" But it acted, ha rāma, and he got salvation. Do you follow what I say? A Mussulman said, 'ha ram. Ha ram He condemned. It is abominable. That is the meaning of Urdu, haram. But at the time of death, when the boar attacked him, he said, "Haram." So it acted ha rāma. Ha, he rāma. It acted, chanting the name of Rāma, Hare Rāma. He meant something else, but it acted as beneficial as chanting He rāma. So therefore this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, either you chant seriously, or those who are criticizing us, jokingly, the effect will be same. So anyway let them chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Do you follow? Even they do not take it seriously, if they imitate, joke, still they'll be benefited .

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: "Watchtower." It has criticized, one priest has allowed the marriage between man to man, homosex. So these things are going on. They take it purely for prostitution. That's all. So therefore people are thinking, "What is the use of keeping a regular prostitution at a cost of heavy expenditure? Better not to have this."

Śyāmasundara: You use that example of the cow and the market?

Prabhupāda: Yes, when the milk is available in the market, what is the use of keeping a cow? (laughter) It is a very abominable condition. In the western countries I have seen. Here also, in India, gradually it is coming to be so. (Speaks to someone in Bengali) (break) ...movement is especially meant for making human life, reaching the real goal.

Room Conversation with John Griesser (later initiated as Yadubara Dasa) -- March 10, 1972, Vrndavana:

Devotee: Whether the British should have been forcibly removed from India.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is ordinary duty. If you encroach upon my freedom, I have the right to kill you. That is recommended. That is clearly stated in the śāstras. If anyone sets fire in another's house, if anyone kidnaps his wife, if anyone takes his money—so many list—he is to be killed. There is no question. He can be killed immediately. That action-reaction is going on in the material world, that is a different thing. That is karma-bandha. But in devotion, there is no karma-bandha. As Kṛṣṇa is free from all reaction, similarly Kṛṣṇa's devotee who wants to satisfy Kṛṣṇa only, he is also free from all reaction. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāva-manyeta karhicit (SB 11.17.27). "The ācārya is as good as I am," Kṛṣṇa says. Nāva-manyeta karhicit, "Never neglect him." Na martya-buddhyāsūyeta, "Never be envious of the ācārya, thinking him as anything of this material world." Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān (SB 11.17.27). Therefore, ācārya's position is as good as Kṛṣṇa. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair **. Ācārya is always cautious that he may not be subject to criticism. But who criticizes ācārya, he becomes immediately offender. Because he is playing the part of ācārya, he plays as far as possible. But sometimes for preaching work, he might have to do something which is not consistent. But if he is criticized, then that man who criticizes, he becomes... Of course, he must be ācārya, not a bogus.

Room Conversation Vaisnava Calendar Description -- March 11, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Generally, the grandfather and the grandson, they treat themselves joking, so I can joke your father and uncle, you do not be sorry." Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī did not reply anything, he was very submissive. So in that connection He said that "Your father and uncle is a worms of the stool. They are very much fond of material enjoyment, and Kṛṣṇa has saved you from that hole of stool." So in this way he criticized his father and uncle. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī did not reply. Then he entrusted him to His secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara, for his teaching, and in this way Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was known as Svarūpa's Raghunātha. So, his father became very sorry that the boy has left home, and he has gone to Caitanya, they are mendicants, very hard life, how this boy will live? So immediately he sent some servants and 400 rupees. Four hundred rupees in those days was a hundred times valuable than at the present moment. So he was sending 400 rupees regularly per month and Ragunatha Dāsa Gosvāmī was accepting them, but he was spending the money by prasāda distribution to the saintly persons of Jagannātha Purī, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was also invited, and He also used to go. But after some time, he stopped that invitation. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired, "So why Raghunātha does not nowadays invite us? what is the matter? So Svarūpa Dāmodara informed Him, that "He is no more accepting the rupees sent by his father".

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

Prabhupāda: Explain... Any group of men, they have got a particular type of dress, the military dress, the police dress. So people can understand that "Here is a police." Similarly, by this dress they will chant, "Hare Kṛṣṇa!" immediately. That is our experience. As soon as they will see these people, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," and if they will criticize our, anything, we want that people see us and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That we want. Simply by seeing us they will remember Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is great advancement. Indirectly that is our propaganda, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

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.

Room Conversation -- April 2, 1972, Sydney:

Devotee (1): So he hasn't got to pay next time.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Next time he may be getting chance. Because he was at heart afraid of God. Because sometimes he was, "Swamiji, you pray for me to God." He told me that. At heart he was. But because he is impersonalist and mundane scholar, he was writing all nonsense.

Śyāmasundara: There's a whole class of scholars now called literary critics who simply take one book, or not even a scripture but any mundane book, and they spend their whole lives making comments what this must mean, what that must mean, "This is my opinion," "this is my thesis."

Prabhupāda: Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), chewing the chewed.

Śyāmasundara: That really is chewing the chewed.

Prabhupāda: That is chewing the chewed.

Room Conversation -- April 2, 1972, Sydney:

Prabhupāda: That is called scholar. "Oh, he is a big scholar."

Devotee (2): Is that the māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ?

Prabhupāda: Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.15), yes. All nonsense. You take it granted that anyone who has no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is a nonsense, whatever he may be. That is I take it, and I challenged him like that. I criticized Dr. Radhakrishnan in my Back to Godhead, "scholar deluded." I was criticizing him like anything.

Devotee (2): That was the first Bhagavad-gītā I read was this one by Radhakrishnan.

Prabhupāda: I have criticized him like anything, yes.

Devotee (2): Then Paramānanda and Satyabhāmā, they brought me this your Bhagavad-gītā.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Devotee (2): When I first..., in New York.

Prabhupāda: Now this Macmillan's report is that ours selling more. Therefore, they have advanced to take up this enlarged edition. Otherwise, they are business. In the beginning they refused. They said, "No, no, we cannot publish so big volume. We can... If you minimize..." Therefore, we minimized it to four hundred pages.

Room Conversation -- May 4, 1972, Mexico:

Prabhupāda: That is the difference. Just like I am pushing on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, I am doing so many things which sometimes my Godbrothers out of envy criticize. But I know what is the circumstances how to do it. They do not know it. I know my business. So that is their fault. Their own buddhi business, then simply criticize "How he is acting." Find out some fault. Just like Lord Buddha was criticized by the Vedic brāhmaṇas, "Oh, you are stopping animal sacrifice? It is already in the Vedas. Because it is sacrifice, the animal is also sacrificed, so how you can stop animal sacrifice?" But Lord Buddha, nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātam. Śruti-jātam. In the Vedas there is recommendation for animal sacrifice, but he began to deride. So his business was to deride the Vedic principles, that "I do not care for these Vedas." Therefore Buddha's religion was not accepted in India. He criticized. He criticized the Vedic principles. In the Vedic principles there is recommendation for animal sacrifice, and he criticized, "This is not good. Don't do this." Therefore it is criticism. Vedic injunction should be accepted as it is. You cannot criticize. Then there is no Vedic authority. So therefore he defied Vedic authorities. As such, he was not accepted, strictly followers of the Vedas. But he has got a different purpose. The ordinary man cannot understand. But one who is devotee, he knows that why he has done this. Therefore they offer their obeisances, keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. A devotee does not accept the philosophy of Buddha but accepts him as incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa and offers obeisances. This is our position. We offer obeisances to Lord Buddha as incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. This is our study of knowledge.

Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London:

Prabhupāda: (laughter) If the American guru has no car, he's walking on the street, that is disgrace for you. Is it not? (laughs) And they criticize, "Oh, what kind of guru you are, you are walking on the street? You are American guru?"

Devotee: I was thinking if each devotee in the United States went out...

Prabhupāda: You write on the car, "The Spiritual Master of USA." (laughter) And people will see, "Oh, here is the spiritual..." (laughs)

Devotee: Should we do that? "Spiritual Master of USA"?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Why not? (laughter)

Interview with the New York Times -- September 2, 1972, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: We are not preaching our own words; we are preaching God's words. Now it is up to you to make your choice. God says to give up all engagements and just surrender unto Him. God says:

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam
ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ
(BG 18.65)

"Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." I am a member of the political party and am always thinking of Mr. Such and such, my leader. I become a staunch follower of that leader, worship him and offer obeisances to him. So many people are sacrificing their lives simply by following a political leader, and for party superiority they are doing so many things, always thinking of party's activities, always offering obeisances and worshiping the party's principles. If all these things are transferred to God, they become good. God says, "Think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer obeisances unto Me." If we transfer these activities to God, we can become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is what we are teaching. We advise that what you are doing for some nonsense, do it for God. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not difficult. But if I want to love a dog and become a dog in my next life, instead of loving God and becoming like God in the next life, that is my choice. The prison and university are open to everyone, and by making our choice, we can make our future destiny. These boys and girls are worshiping God, and people criticize them, but when a man worships a dog, he is not criticized. In this way society has progressed. When one worships God, he is criticized, and when he worships dog, he is considered a gentleman. So it is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversations with Sannyasis -- March 15, 1974, Vrndavana:

Acyutānanda: I'm cleaning my room, I'm cleaning outside also. Don't, you haven't seen it.

Śyāmasundara: I'm not criticizing, I'm just...

Prabhupāda: Anyway, whatever is done is done, you should be followed like that, that āpani ācari prabhu jīvere śikhāya. This should be the principle. One should teach others by behaving himself correctly. Then it will be... Everyone should remain cleansed, everyone should rise early in the morning, begin to work, comes to, everyone routine work. So then you can ask them, "Why you are not trying? Why you are not..." Then he will accept. (indistinct) This principle should be followed, āpani ācari prabhu jīvere śikhāya. Is it not?

Room Conversations with Sannyasis -- March 15, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: He said: "Gaura haribol! is not bona fide?" He said, bona fide?

Devotee: Oh, not that, he was saying jaya gurudeva, jaya prabhupāda, that is not good.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Devotee: I said, was saying, that is not good, jaya gurudeva, because it does not say who, it just says gurudeva. It could be any gurudeva. So he was criticizing that.

Prabhupāda: Who was criticizing?

Pañcadraviḍa: Bhavānanda. Because of the letter you wrote to him saying that we are personalist to the letter.

Room Conversation -- March 17, 1973, Mayapur:

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: (indistinct) Mahārāja and (indistinct) Mahārāja.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. So, my father was Vaiṣṇava, but when I invited these Gauḍīya Maṭha sādhus, my father thought that I have invited some sādhus of the Ramakrishna Mission. So he was not very interested. When Tīrtha Mahārāja is speaking, I call my... My father was that time invalid, I called him that "Please come down, there is a meeting of the Gauḍīya Maṭha sādhus." So, he could not resist my request, he came down, but he did not think that some devotees have come. They thought, these Ramakrishna Mission rascals have come. (laughter) So he was not very happy, but I told, he was sitting. He, so the meeting he just criticized. Then when he heard the speech of our old Tīrtha Mahārāja, our old Godbrother, he understood, "Oh, they are Vaiṣṇavas." Then immediately after the meeting, he came down on his feet. "I misunderstood you sir, that you are the Ramakrishna Mission sādhu. I am so glad to meet you. So that is the beginning of my intimate relationship with Gauḍīya Maṭha. And they are coming, and whenever somebody would come, I would invite them to lecture in my house. In that way Śrīdhara Mahārāja, at that time Rāmendra Sundara Bhaṭṭācārya, he was also invited at my house, and before (indistinct)... No, I think I invited Bhāratī Mahārāja, and you were with Bhāratī Mahārāja.

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

Prabhupāda: Creator is one. It is always superior. Whatever is created, that is created by Him. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). "I am the creator of everything." So bad or good, everything. Bad and good, that is your creation. Kṛṣṇa's creation everything good. God is good. What you think bad, for God is good. Therefore we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. He's doing something. In our consciousness it is bad, but we do not know that for him there is no such thing as good and bad. That we do not know. Kṛṣṇa is marrying 16,000 wives, somebody's criticizing, "Oh, He's so much fond of women." But we do not see the other side. He has got the power to expand Himself into 16,000 forms.

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

Prabhupāda: What is that more? It is a simple fact. Just like yesterday, day before yesterday, day before that we saw that stool. We therefore criticize. You are seeing for the last three days the stool, it is not cleansed. But day before yesterday's body, yesterday's body is not this body. And my body has changed, but I remember. Therefore I'm eternal. This is the proof. Eternity means I'm so... my body's changing, but I'm not changing. Just like, I'm old man. I sometimes think, "Oh, I was jumping like this and now I cannot jump." So my body has changed. But I want to jump. But I cannot do it. So that jumping propensity is my eternal propensity. But due to this body, I cannot do it. This is (indistinct).

Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course -- May 15, 1973, Los Angeles:

Paramahaṁsa: Yeah. And the devil turned to Richard Nixon and said, "It's hell keeping up with Christians."

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes, people will criticize like that. People are becoming advanced. How long you can cheat them with so-called science, so-called religion? Now you take up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement seriously. He will give real thing. Try to understand. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). If you simply understand Kṛṣṇa, everything will be known to you. This is the process. If you simply understand Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā—you know everything. You know everything. And that is the Vedic injunction, Yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati: "By knowing Kṛṣṇa only, you know everything." That science you try to understand and preach; people will be happy. Now, our question was that we say that the man... I say man. Other living entities, they are also living entities. So in Christian religion also, they say, "The man is made after God." Is it not?

Paramahaṁsa: "In the image of God."

Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course -- May 17, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Just see why they are wasting time in that way? Money.

Kṛṣṇa-Kāntī: They were criticized in the paper.

Prabhupāda: Fool. Simply childish. Bālaka. What are they gaining? For the last, how many years they are trying? For going to the moon planet?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Russia started in 1957. First sputnik where Gagarin was there...

Prabhupāda: Twenty-five years. So they could not get anything, not a single farthing even. Still, they are doing. Just see, obstinacy. Punaḥ punaś carvita. This is called chewing the chewed. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). They will never be successful. So I am a layman. When I wrote that Easy Journey? In 1950, 67. How many years?

Karandhara: Six years.

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

Prabhupāda: "I have changed."

David Lawrence: Oh yes. "I've changed."

Śyāmasundara: "Somehow I'm..."

David Lawrence: "Somehow I've changed."

Śyāmasundara: Yes. "My friends all criticize me for the change, but I don't care."

Prabhupāda: But he's not loser. He's gainer. (laughter) He's gainer. That he can understand. And he's determined. He says, "Even if I am loser, I don't mind."

David Lawrence: If commercial success went, he wouldn't worry.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

David Lawrence: Well, I mean these sort of riches is just unfathomable, aren't they?

Prabhupāda: Hm. (Break) (end)

Room Conversation with Malcolm -- July 18, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: And we have directly called him fool, rascal.

Śyāmasundara: Other people are also criticizing. They find other things in his argument that are not... They say he has to realize Bhagavad-gītā before he can criticize anything.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He does not realize. He does not know anything. You can read this letter. It is very interesting.

Śyāmasundara: To Zaner this one? Or to...

Prabhupāda: General, general. Reply.

Room Conversation with Lord Brockway -- July 23, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: This should be attempted. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā mano-rathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ (SB 5.18.12). And without God consciousness, there cannot be any good qualities. Just like President Nixon. He's exalted. He is occupying such exalted position, but public is criticizing like anything. Hm? And he's still not leaving that post. Unless he's forced. So harāv abhaktasya... Is that a very good quality? He's publicly elected president. If public (is) accusing him in so many ways, he should have (said), "All right, if you don't like, I resign." But no. So where is the good quality? There is no good quality. Because he has no sense of God consciousness. So without sense of God consciousness, nobody can possess any good quality. That is impossible. And a small man, like our students, because he's God conscious, you'll find so many good qualities in them in comparison to others. So these are the version of the Vedas. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā. One who has become a devotee of the Supreme Lord, all the good qualities will be manifest in him. So we want good quality men. So the one process—to make him God conscious. He'll become the best person in the society. And if the society is composed of the nice person, then where is the war, where is the strife, where is the competition, where is the...? Nothing. Everything will be solved. So all the problems will be solved simply making the people God conscious. If not all, a section will do that. Sinless, God conscious persons, their examples will be followed, and society will change.

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

Prabhupāda: And "We are American. You can ask about this movement."

Śyāmasundara: Yes, I said that also. I said, "Because most of your disciples are American, and you are an American practically..."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Ah. "So you can test us. You can test us."

Śyāmasundara: Also politically speaking, now it is time Mrs., Mrs. Gandhi is being criticized now by Hindus because she took sides with these Arabs during this war.

Prabhupāda: Hm. She is very highly criticized.

Śyāmasundara: So she needs to get some political benefit from associating with Hindus during some functions just now.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That will counteract.

Śyāmasundara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

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

Prabhupāda: He's criticizing: "Mālatī, this old man is smoking." He's getting the saṁskāra from the childhood, as we got it from good father. Yes. So here is a chance. And that will not... It is not childish, Sarasvatī's chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. In London, she would finish sixteen rounds?

Śyāmasundara: Six.

Prabhupāda: Six. She was... Just see. She has got determination.

Śyāmasundara: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: And all the children. So that will not go in vain.

Morning Walk -- December 6, 1973, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They have departments.

Prabhupāda: They why they are complaining?

Hṛdayānanda: The intelligent students all criticize it. Many, many people criticize it.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I saw a big pamphlet.

Bali Mardana: They've made...

Prabhupāda: What is that meditation?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, they meditate for fifteen, twenty minutes... (indistinct) ...I think. You have to pay some money for that.

Hṛdayānanda: They say, they say it will increase your sense gratification, make more money.

Bali Mardana: But they don't, they do not claim any spiritual benefit. It is only material benefit that they claim.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 11, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: What do you have to say about this? Do you understand, desireless and desireful?

Satsvarūpa: People some... Pseudo transcendentalists, they sometimes criticize us like that. They say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees, you're just too active." They're think that we're fruitive, always running around, always trying to sell books, always very active. That's because they don't understand that desirelessness. They talk like that, and then they'll smoke a cigarette the next moment as they criticize us. They say, "You should not have to do anything if you're transcendental. Why do you have to work so hard?" And then they'll show that they have some very gross desire. (pause) (break)

Prabhupāda: ...therefore they see that this, their conception of Kṛṣṇa, there is mother, there is father, there is friend—"So what is this? Here also we see the mother, father, friend. So how they become free?" They cannot understand. Their brain is so poor they cannot understand. Therefore they: "It is also māyā. To think of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme, having father, mother, friends, playing pastimes, this is also māyā." Therefore they are called Māyāvādīs. They cannot conceive that in the spiritual world exactly the same things there are, but the position is different. That is absolute, without any designation.

Morning Walk -- January 11, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: So if you cannot make... Death cannot be avoided unless one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious. So if you cannot make your children Kṛṣṇa conscious and stop their death, birth and death process, then don't become a father. This is the injunction. And if you can actually do that, then become father of hundreds children. This is the condition. If you cannot make your children... If you can make, that is love of Kṛṣṇa. Because unless you love Kṛṣṇa, why you should be interested to make others Kṛṣṇa conscious? Let them go to hell. Why you should be so much working hard to make them Kṛṣṇa conscious? Unless you love Kṛṣṇa? This is the sign of love." I love Kṛṣṇa, but I do nothing for Kṛṣṇa." That is nonsense. That is nonsense. Therefore I said that our Guru Mahārāja's brother, he criticizes Guru Mahārāja. But what he has done for Kṛṣṇa? And what my Guru Mahārāja has done? Unless my Guru Mahārāja had produced me, how this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is going all over the world? And what he has done? Simply criticizing is no use. We want to see practical. Do you understand or not?

Morning Walk -- January 11, 1974, Los Angeles:

Candanācārya: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You were also given the equal chance. Prabhupāda, my Guru Mahārāja, sat down at Māyāpur. But you were given the place of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's birth place. What, what you have done? It is still jungle. And what is Māyāpur there? All Americans are building a palatial building. So simply by criticizing, one does not become a very confidential devotee. Where is the action? What he has done? That is required. Phalena paricīyate. (break) ...everything. Unless Kṛṣṇa gives opportunity, nobody can serve Kṛṣṇa also. But he gives opportunity to the proper person. That is everywhere. If you want to become manager of a firm, the proprietor of the firm will see whether you are able to do that. Then he will give the chance. "Yes." This is reciprocal. Just like this śloka we were studying today. Kṛṣṇa becomes sārathi. Does Kṛṣṇa go to become sārathi of a rascal and fool? He becomes sārathi of Arjuna.

Morning Walk -- March 9, 1974, Mayapura:

Brahmānanda: The preaching necessitates that.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because if there is no other alternative, what can I do? In the beginning I had no disciples. So I was cooking myself. So one gentleman, he... Later on, he became my disciple. He gave me some place. I was cooking. And in the refrigerator, I saw there was meat. (laughs) So I asked: "What is this?" He said, "It is for cats. I don't take meat." "All right. (laughter) I'll do (?)." So of course, I stayed there for three, four days. And if I cry, "Oh, I have violated my rules and regulations..." Rules and regulations can be violated when there is urgent necessity of service, not whimsically or for one's sense gratification. And that is, of course, in our present..., with the permission of the spiritual master, not one should think, "Oh, I have become so much great devotee, I can violate all the rules and regulations." No, you cannot. If there is need of violating rules and regulations, you must take permission. Now we have no temple. Under the circumstances, we are doing that. So you construct the temple as soon as possible so that people may not criticize you. (break) ...for all gṛhastha devotees, you should begin preaching amongst the gṛhasthas. It is not forbidden for the gṛhasthas to preach. Because preaching is required everywhere. Arjuna was gṛhastha. So yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya (CC Madhya 8.128). One must know the science of Kṛṣṇa. Then you can become preacher.

Morning Walk -- March 9, 1974, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Adulterated?

Guest (2): Yeah, they say so many things have been added to it. Sometimes some rascals come to criticize to that extent.

Prabhupāda: What is that addition?

Guest (2): Well, when you come to, when you come to ask a specific answer, they say, "If you bring Bhagavad-gītā, we'll show it to you."

Prabhupāda: So bring Bhagavad-gītā. What is the addition?

Guest (2): This was, this was pointed out by quite a few in the train.

Morning Walk -- March 12, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: A child does not want to go to school, but it is the duty of the parent to send him to the school by some way or other. So that is government's duty, that a man should be employed according to his capacity. There should be no unemployment. That is very dangerous position of the society. Now this unemployment question is very strong all over the world. They'll plan that "This government is not good. That system is not good. He's not good." And he'll do nothing. He'll personally do nothing. Just like the hippies, they criticize everyone, but he'll not do anything. It is all... These descriptions are there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We are going too far? Employed... (break) ...from the government to utilize this land. You see? So much. Everywhere you'll find. Everywhere you'll find. Who was with me in London?

Devotee: Yeah. Last time, last summer?

Prabhupāda: Letchmore Heath.

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

Prabhupāda: That, as it is suitable. It is not that because the kṣatriyas were killing by bows and arrows formerly, you have to continue that. That is another foolishness. If you have got... If you can kill easily by guns, take that gun. Just like formerly, parivrāja, Caitanya Mahāprabhu walked on the street. There was no aeroplane or... Or he did not use it. Does it mean that I shall have to follow that? I must take the jet engine. If it is available. If somebody criticizes, "Oh, Caitanya Mahāprabhu walked on leg and you are travelling in the jet plane?" Shall I have to take that ideal? These are rascaldom. When you have to work, you have to work with the greatest facility. That's all. Now I have got the facility of the talking in microphone, and... So why should I not take it? It will be recorded. It will be heard by so many others. I am speaking to four, five men. It can be heard by a big crowd of four hundred men.

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

Viṣṇujana: ...that we live there and...

Prabhupāda: No. But we are taking it, "Now we have got very nice house, room. Let us sleep and eat."

Viṣṇujana: Then there'll be wide criticism.

Prabhupāda: That is... This is not good.

Hṛdayānanda: Prabhupāda...

Prabhupāda: You should remain always sannyāsī within. Outwardly, for others' convenience, you may do something. Similarly, we are accepting this varṇāśrama. We are not varṇāśrama; we are above varṇāśrama. But to give others facility to come to the stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this program must be done.

Room Conversation -- March 16, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: There are many things like that. So you should try to understand it fully. Why should you understand it haphazardly? You must try to understand fully. (break)

Harikeśa: ...position to criticize his Godbrothers, no matter what?

Prabhupāda: You can criticize, if you are right. You cannot criticize wrongly. (break)

Devotee: ...instructions rather than our sense gratification? (break)

Prabhupāda: It is not right that he says that. Sense gratification is wrong. You cannot gratify your senses. You have to enjoy your senses in the service of the Lord. That is perfection. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). That is our only business.

Morning Walk -- March 18, 1974, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Spiritual culture. Right. So for that purpose it makes no difference the center of the city or elsewhere.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...dependent any condition. We are independent. And you are criticizing. Permit has not been obtained. And if you think that there is no possibility of temple being sanctioned, then we start hotel. (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: All right, that is already there. But if the sanction is not there, what we will do? Keep the land vacant? (break) That I am trying to get sanction, "Is it all right." If you don't, then hotel.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Otherwise build a hotel in the front and a temple in the rear.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- March 27, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: We consider according to our position in this material world, "This is good, this is bad." This is simply a mental concoction. Everything is bad. Only Kṛṣṇa is good. You are criticizing Russians. Why do you...? What is the, what is your state of...?

Dr. Patel: Russians are good people. They were a very good people... That is why... (break)

Prabhupāda: ...rascal... For some time, another rascal will come, another rascal...

Dr. Patel: Russians, technically, they are Russians. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...advertise, but do you know?

Dr. Patel: I know it.

Prabhupāda: I know it very well.

Morning Walk -- March 29, 1974, Bombay:

Indian man (3): So this fellow also will be rejected.

Prabhupāda: That... Yes, immediately. Because he does not accept the authority of Vedas. That is real knowledge. Nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātam Yes, yajña, I mean to say, criticize the yajña-vidhi. Yajña-vidhi you cannot criticize. Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). Karma-bandhana. So yajña must go on, and the vidhi must be followed. That is real acceptance of Vedic knowledge. If you manufacture your own concoction, "This is good, this is bad," that will not help you.

Indian man (3): Vetas pi pavitranam svadhinam ca tasam api, vedanam ca na kartavyam nindha saddhya...(?)

Prabhupāda: But why he's making nindā? You don't eat, even it is... Now in the first you said, you don't..., you cannot kill animal, even if it is...

Indian man (3): I, I follow even though you said that you kill it for the sake of yajña, I am not going to kill it, that's all. That is my personal...

Prabhupāda: No, no. That you can do. But you cannot decry the Vedic laws.

Morning Walk -- March 30, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: ...may be callous. Just like some, somebody was asking me... That rascal Bharati's article. Who? That one Australian sannyāsī. So this rascal may speak something, but we cannot stop our movement. You see? Our movement is increasing, all over the world in, in spite of all criticism. We don't care for that. Because we know that we are following the footsteps of predecessor ācārya, that's all right. We don't mind. And actually, it is happening. Otherwise, within six, seven years, so much progress could not be possible. (break) What is the word, exact?

Chandobhai and Dr. Patel: Ārambha! Ārambha. Ārambha.

Prabhupāda: Ārambha.

Morning Walk -- April 2, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Ah. "And those who have no faith in bhakti-yoga, they do not get me. They simply labor." That's all. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). They are wasting time. That's all. As soon as we say, the time wasters, they become angry, "Oh, why you are saying? Don't criticize others." But if we say... (Hindi:) Satya bole ta mare latha (laughter) suta jagalda.(?) If you bluff, "Oh, you are doing very nice, you are doing very nice," oh, he will be very pleased. And if I say that "You rascal, you are doing all, simply wasting your time," he will not be... Mūrkhāyopadeṣo hi prakopāya.

Morning Walk -- April 2, 1974, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: You were all the time in Allahabad. You must be knowing them from very close part.

Prabhupāda: No, he was my customer. I used to go to his home. And he was coming to my shop. Yes. He was my customer. When 1928 congress was there, I sent him one letter that "I want to become a delegate and go there." So immediately, "Yes, you come." So I went to Calcutta and I told his secretary that "Panditji has told me like this." "Yes, take this ticket." Yes. I became... So I was criticizing my friend because the delegate fee is one rupee and the reception committee fee at that time was twenty-five rupees. And still, they were in the last seat. And because at that time Motilal Nehru became president, the president, the province in which the president becomes, that provincial member occupies the first seat. So we occupied the first seat from Allahabad. So I...

Dr. Patel: Front seats.

Prabhupāda: Front seat, yes. So I was criticizing my friends in Calcutta that you have paid twenty-five rupees, you have got last seat. I have paid one rupee, I have first seat. We were very thickly... Not very thickly, but as customer... Do you know? I shall tell one incident. One day Jawaharlal Nehru came and he asked me, "Give me prophylactic hair brush." So I told, "Panditji, we are selling prophylactic tube brush and we do not know that there is prophylactic hair brush." "No, you do not know. You get it for me. I want it." So I got it from Bombay, here, and supplied him.

Morning Walk -- April 3, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma (BG 10.12). Dhāma. Dhāma means resting place. Mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni (BG 9.4). Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma, and pavitram. Pavitram means you are not contaminated by these material modes. Pavitraṁ paramam, Supreme. Now the question is that if Kṛṣṇa is paraṁ pavitra... Now sometimes they criticize that "Kṛṣṇa danced with the other girls. So how He can be contaminated?"

Dr. Patel: Not contaminated.

Prabhupāda: Not contaminated. Apāpa-vidham. As it is said, apāpa vidham aśnaviram. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Aśnaviram means not material body. (aside:) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Aśnaviram apāpa-vidham.

Morning Walk -- April 5, 1974, Bombay:

Indian man (2): (shouting unintelligibly)

Prabhupāda: No, no. (break) ...as the ācārya. And we have to accept.

Dr. Patel: What I mean to say that realized people don't criticize because final proof nobody knows. (break)

Prabhupāda: Sarvārhanam acyutejyā. Simply by worshiping Kṛṣṇa, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), you can worship everyone. There is no need of separately worshiping the five devatās. There is no need.

Girirāja: (reads synonyms for Bg. 11.13) "Translation: At that time Arjuna could see in the universal form of the Lord the unlimited expansions of the universe situated in one place although divided into many, many thousands."

Prabhupāda: Yes. So, although... Now, what is important? The many, many thousands universes divided into varieties of opulences, that is important or Kṛṣṇa important?

Dr. Patel: Kṛṣṇa is important.

Morning Walk -- April 17, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: We are criticizing strongly in our paper. (break) ...command a position. If you manufacture government like that, it will never be capable.

Girirāja: "But it's said in all authentic, revealed scriptures, wherein it is declared that the purpose of civilized human life is to live together in peace and harmony so that everyone can advance progressively in spiritual life." (break)

Prabhupāda: ...purpose of life. But they do not know what is the purpose of life. They have taken the idea of cats and dogs, simply sense gratification. Now, where, how there will be good government. (break) ...all leniency to the Mohammedans to get vote. That's a fact. (break) Mahābhārata, anywhere, or Rāmāyaṇa, you'll never find a woman is elected on the topmost post.

Morning Walk -- April 17, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Why king should be under any criticism? (breaks) There is a jalebi seller. He is the medium of bribing police. He has got ten lakhs of rupees, ordinary jalebi seller.

Girirāja: "Yet even in places where the police get good scores for solving crime and apprehending law-breakers, the crime rate remains high."

Prabhupāda: When we were children, there was a respectable gentleman, Mullick's family. He was agent of taking bribe on behalf of... (break) ...Los Angeles. The same thing I am talking.

Press Conference -- April 18, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: So everything, solution is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, and we are trying to spread this knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā all over the world, and people are accepting. Now we have started in America a political party, "In God We Trust." So they are doing very successfully. People are accepting. They are criticizing the so-called leaders. After Nixon, people are disgusted with the so-called leaders. So we are teaching them what kind of leaders should be selected. The king, the public leader, the brāhmaṇa, and... At least these three men, they should be free from the four kinds of sinful activities. If they are personally sinful, how they can lead other people? That is not possible. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). If a man is himself blind man, how he can lead other blind men? That is not... It is dangerous for both of them. So the leaders, the politicians, the king, the brāhmaṇa, they should be very much pure, without any sinful tinge of life.

Morning Walk -- April 20, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: I can understand that he is not very favorable. But still, you said that we hate Hindi. You have said like that. Don't say like that because there may be one... Because preaching means we have to preach amongst the rascals but you do not become rascal. He may be... (break) "...Who will read Hindi? You do not... Who will read Hindi? You can read Hindi, that's all. But who will read outside Hindi? Therefore, Guru Mahārāja..." This should have been the reply. "If there is good customers for Hindi reading, then we can write Hindi books. But nobody will read Hindi." That should have been the reply. Therefore we write in English. "Why Jawaharlal Nehru read his books in English? Why Dr. Radhakrishnan writes his books in English? He has not written a single book in Hindi. Why? Why he was president? Why he was prime minister? Why did you not criticize him?" That should have been replied, that "As soon as a book is written in English, it is for world reading. And if it is written in Hindi, who is going to read except a few people like you? Why still Indians, they are sending their children for education through English?" You know that? There are so many English medium school. Is it not? Yes. Why? Why they are anxious? So much agitation was made for studying Hindi, but then why India still, even in families they are talking in English? In Bombay they talk in English amongst family members. And any gentleman meets another gentleman—he talks in English. Why it has not been stopped? So actually Hindi has no effect and if we take international rule, what is the use of Hindi? Nobody will like to... And even here, even here in India, who is reading Hindi? Nobody is reading Hindi. It is compulsory in every province, Hindi? Not compulsory.

Morning Walk -- April 22, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: "You say. That you have charged, but on what account you say like that? What I have done?"

Nitai: Because you go to church only for one hour all week. The rest of the time is not spent in serving God.

Prabhupāda: That may be. But that does not mean that I do not love God.

Satsvarūpa: Well we don't criticize your love of God, but it can be increased. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā always think of Him in whatever you do, during your work, during the week. We can teach you how to... You like to go to church? That shows you have some affection for God. We can teach you how, wherever you are, to think of Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: This is not proper answer.

Pañcadraviḍa: Then if you have love of God, then we are also spreading this consciousness of love of God all over the whole world to people who have not developed that love, then you should willingly engage yourself in supporting this work.

Prabhupāda: "But we are also preaching." Mohammedans will say, "We preaching. We take also sword sometimes. If he does not believe in God, we cut his throat." The Christian missionaries, they will also say that "We are also going on all over the world. We have made so many big church."

Morning Walk -- April 22, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: The thing is that we must eat something. And vegetables also have got life. The nature's way is that one living entity is eating another living entity. It may be animal or it may be vegetable. The question is the obedience to the order of God. So when Jesus Christ says that "Thou shalt not kill," it means bigger animals. Killing is applied, from dictionary, if I kill a man, if I kill an animal, then this word is used. So he meant like that. And that is very reasonable. Because I am eating another living entity, that does not I can eat another man. So therefore Kṛṣṇa has specifically mentioned, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). After all, we have to eat. And if you take that all killing is the same, even by ordinary law, if I kill one tree, and if I kill one man, does it mean it is of the same degree? Even taking killing of plant, so there are comparative. But it is also necessity that we must eat something. So therefore here, perfect thing in the Bhagavad-gītā, that He says that "You offer Me." "Offer Me" means "After My eating, you shall eat." Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Even by killing vegetable, you are also as sinful as killing animal, but because we offer to Kṛṣṇa, therefore we are not sinful. Kṛṣṇa wants it. Just like Kṛṣṇa wanted Arjuna to fight and kill the other party. Therefore Arjuna is not infected with the sin. So here Kṛṣṇa is asking, "Give me this foodstuff," and Kṛṣṇa knows that I will eat the remnants of the foodstuff. So I am not responsible. We have no very much study of the Muslim, but instead of criticizing others, better we shall preach our own cult.

Morning Walk -- April 24, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Then they will be very much pleased. And as soon as you criticize, that "You are doing this wrong, you will suffer." "Oh, yes, this Swamiji is not (indistinct)." That is going on everywhere. In the name of religion you do all nonsense rascaldom, and the leader approves, "Yes, you can do." Vivekananda did it. "Yes, there is no difference between eating meat and not eating eat in terms of religion system." He preached this, and all the sannyāsīs of the Ramakrishna Mission they eat meat, they drink, they have woman secretary, everything. This Chinmayananda is also like that. I know his whole mischief. Unless one is purely Kṛṣṇa conscious, one cannot give up all these bad habits. This is the test. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra caiṣa (SB 11.2.42). One... Unless one is substantially advanced in kṛṣṇa-bhakti, they cannot give up this material attachment—illicit sex, meat eating—they cannot. It is impossible. So even in the name of swami or big, big yogis... They are doing all these things. Especially those who go in foreign countries... In USA illicit sex is very cheap. Everything is very cheap. Yes. Intoxication very cheap, meat-eating very cheap, gambling, very cheap, so when they get this cheap amenities, they forget their so-called spiritual life.

Morning Walk Excerpts -- May 1, 1974, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: Viḍ-varāha: "dirty eating hog."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Vit. Vit means stool. Śva-viḍ-varāha-uṣṭra. Uṣṭra means camel, and khara means ass. So these gṛhamedhīs they have been described as the śva, viḍ-varāha, uṣṭra, khara. Bhāgavata is very strong (laughs) in criticizing. Therefore in the beginning it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo atra: (SB 1.1.2) "All types of cheating religion is rejected." Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo atra. Kaitava means cheating. Śrīdhara Swāmī, he has... Paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ: "This Bhāgavata is meant for paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ, those who are above this material existence, paramahaṁsas." Bhāgavata is not meant for ordinary men.

Morning Walk Excerpts -- May 2, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Ah. So this is our one of the items, to vanquish all these rascals, so-called swamis. They say that "Why you criticize others also?" Because we have to vanquish them. Now these people cannot rise. When there is sunrise, there is no use of these glowworms. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Therefore they must be finished, all over the world. So-called religionists, so-called philosophers, so-called avatāras, swamis, yogis—finished. Our program should be like that. (break) ...all these rascals, anymore to flourish. That is one of our program.

Morning Walk -- May 29, 1974, Rome:

Satsvarūpa: Prabhupāda, there was a French philosopher, Voltaire. He said you should not simply criticize negatively, because this is the best of all the possible worlds there is. This is all we have. So they would criticize that our hope in the spiritual world is utopian. Better turn to cultivate the material world as best you can.

Prabhupāda: No, material world we can see that it is useless. Everyone sees. That I am giving, this example. Before, the Romans, they constructed this big, big building. Now what is the value of that? It has no value. Simply it is kept as sentiment, relics. That's all. So this will be also the same thing. So where is the utility? Spiritual, apart from spiritual, what is the value of your material activity? It is practical. Everyone can see. If one comes to Rome, they can see that these big, big buildings, they were very nice building at that time, very wonderful building, but what is the value of it now? Anyone can see. Any sane man can see. So why should we waste our energy in that way? If there is any valuable work, let us see. That is intelligence. To make another heaps of relics, is that very good sense? Nobody will go there even to urine or pass stool.

Morning Walk -- May 29, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. But you cannot do that. Why there are so many hungry people all over the world? What you have done? There are thousands and thousands. Even in big, big cities like New York, why there are so many people lying on the street? Why the hippies are lying on the street, on the park? So what is the value of your, this proposal? You cannot stop it.

Devotee: Yeah, but they criticize us that we don't want to feed...

Prabhupāda: No, why the hippies are lying on the street or in the park? Why? You give them relief. The whole Amsterdam city is full of hippies lying on the street and park. What you are doing for them? They are not poor men. They have got enough to eat. Their parents, father, grandfather, they can give. Why they are lying? What you can do? Go and pick them up. Make them nicely living. Why don't you do that? Talking nonsense. What is their answer? Why they have become hippies? They are not... The Indians may be poverty-stricken, but they are not poverty-stricken. In England the whole British empire is there. The whole American government is there. And still, western countries, they have got resources. They have means. They are not poor. Why your sons and grandsons are lying on the street? What is their answer? They are making plan that everyone would live materially very comfortably, but why these people, in spite of possessing material facilities... (break) Yes, this is the real problem.

Morning Walk -- June 6, 1974, Geneva:

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.

Yogeśvara: We're not sectarian.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Yogeśvara: We're not sectarian.

Prabhupāda: Why? God is one. Why we shall be sectarian? According to his circumstances, he is doing. And that prayer is also bhakti, offering prayer. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanaṁ vandanam (SB 7.5.23). This vandana is prayer. So that is bhakti, one of the items of bhakti.

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

Jyotirmayī: ...in France amongst the communist students, the communist Indian students. And I said he is also a literary critic. That means that he is writing a lot of articles in the newspaper and explaining many things in the literary circles in France. He also knows very much about Gandhi philosophy. He has been writing a lot about Gandhi's philosophy. So when he knew that you were with Gandhi, he came very interested.

Prabhupāda: Hm. So we are also communist. As you take the state as the center, we take Kṛṣṇa as the center. Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Where is Karandhara?

Devotee: He's coming.

Prabhupāda: The Bhagavad-gītā says, Kṛṣṇa, that "I am the enjoyer. I am the proprietor. I am the friend."

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

Prabhupāda: Why? He should stay with us. Let us conclude. Why you are flying away? We have started one discussion. Let it be finished. Why you are going away? (French) That means he is escaping.

Yogeśvara: He says because he works in the evenings. He's a theater critic.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Some way or other, he's escaping. (French) A man...

Yogeśvara: With pleasure, he would like to come back to finish the discussion.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (French)

Jyotirmayī: And with friendship.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Oh, yes. That's it. Don't escape. (French) When we have begun the discussion, let us finish. Don't escape. Thank you. Haribol. Jaya. Thank you. (R.M. leaves)

Morning Walk -- June 13, 1974, Paris:

Yogeśvara: If the devotee is fearless, how is it Prahlāda was expressing his fearfulness of the material nature?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Even you are fearless, you should not be fool. Because, if you know that "There is danger, I must be very careful," that is intelligence. That is not fearfulness. Besides that, a devotee like Prahlāda, he's fearless, but he's fearful for others. That is stated. Just like the mother. She knows that she'll not catch fire, she'll not fall down in the water, but she is always anxious to see her child that the child may not fall into the water, may not catch fire. She's working in her own way, but always fearful of the child. Similarly, a Vaiṣṇava, he's not fearless for himself, but because he's sympathetic, because he knows that all these rascals, they are wrongly wasting their time, therefore he's anxious, fearful. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. They are unhappy by seeing others unhappy. For themselves, there is no unhappiness. That is their grace. And Vaiṣṇava is fearless, even if he's sent to hell, he's not unhappy. Because wherever he goes, he'll chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. So actually he has no fear, fearfulness. He is only unhappy... Just like we are talking. Others may think that we are criticizing, but we are actually talking.

Morning Walk -- July 9, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Atom bomb. Result is atom bomb.

Hṛdayānanda: You're the only one, Prabhupāda, who dares to criticize hospitals and schools. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Yes, so many people came to request me... Even Dr. Ghosh. Eh? You know.

Satsvarūpa: He wanted you to open a medical dispensary.

Prabhupāda: "No, no, we are not going to waste our time in that way." I frankly told him. We have no extra time to waste like that. What he thinks very big project, we say it is waste of time. (laughter)

Jayatīrtha: Yes.

Hṛdayānanda: Jaya. It is a completely revolutionary idea.

Prabhupāda: Yes. I cannot allow anyone he's waste his valuable time of human life.

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

Prabhupāda: So what will wealth do? If it does not appeal to the people, what wealth will do? In Chicago also, the Christians came with some wooden signboard. You have seen?

Bali Mardana: No, I didn't see.

Prabhupāda: "It is through Christ. It is through..." They were showing me. So that has been criticized by the newspapermen, that "Nobody cares for you." (laughter) Yes.

Bali Mardana: In New York also, we have to do negotiations very secretly because if they find out, they would not want to sell to us. They would be afraid.

Prabhupāda: Oh, New York, there was Ratha-yatra?

Bali Mardana: No, no. For purchasing the church.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Room Conversations -- September 11, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: They could not. The problems are there.

Brahmānanda: Sometimes we are criticized. They say, "Oh, you say you can solve all problems. That is utopian, that is..."

Prabhupāda: Not utopian. You do not know. Because just like when you are diseased, there is problem. So to solve that problem, where do you go? Hm?

Brahmānanda: To the doctor.

Prabhupāda: To the qualified physician, not to the storekeeper. Similarly, first thing is, when you want to solve the problem, you must go to the right person. First of all you have to select. So we understand that Kṛṣṇa is the right person. So therefore, it is guaranteed. He knows everything. Others, they do not know. May know to some extent, not perfect. The first thing is that we have to select from whom. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). In Vedas it is stated in order to solve the problem or to understand the situation, you should go to the guru. So who can be better than Kṛṣṇa as guru? He taught, He gave lessons to Brahmā, the original living creature in this universe. Tene brahma hṛdā. He gave lessons to Brahmā how to create.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: Then you can do it. It makes you well known in the city. And you get the opportunity of criticizing the demons. (laughter) That is...

Satsvarūpa: This boy is Bhakta Doug, and he was a personal secretary of Maharishi for two years.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Satsvarūpa: He traveled all over with him. And one day... He was a very good student, and one day Maharishi said, "If you really want to know the highest truth, it's Kṛṣṇa consciousness." And then he left and he came and joined our tem... (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Maharishi said like that?

Doug: Yes, he did say that. It took me awhile to make the transition, but with Kṛṣṇa's mercy, I saw the way through to become Kṛṣṇa...

Devotee (5): Maharishi must have read one of your books, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: He has read my books?

Devotee (5): He must have, if he said that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the highest truth.

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

Trivikrama: Their point is... Well, one of their points is that if Christ was actually the son of God, why didn't he talk about Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Trivikrama: If Christ was the son of God, the good son, how is that he didn't, he never mentioned Kṛṣṇa by name? Sometimes they criticize us like that: "Why is there no mention of Kṛṣṇa in the Christian Bible?"

Prabhupāda: He might not have mentioned, but why there are twelve names in the Bible?

Pañcadraviḍa: That's Old Testament. That's not Christ...

Prabhupāda: The name is there.

Acyutānanda: And Christ, Prabhupāda has...

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The point is that just like when you're...

Prabhupāda: No, first of all, one should be answered.

Evening Discussion -- May 6, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: You'll find in some, among some devotees, they will criticize, "Why you are worshiping Rāmacandra? He could not save even His wife." (laughter) And some will, "Ah, you are worshiping Kṛṣṇa. He was so fond of women." Like that. In Vṛndāvana you'll find they are different. Somebody will say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," another will say, "Sītā Rāma." There will be competition. There is not difference. Both of them know that either I worship Rāma or Kṛṣṇa, They are the same.

Morning Walk -- May 19, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Municipal sweeper also. (break) Similarly we can go to the place where there is simply pleasing atmosphere. Simply we have to become purified. That is required. But they don't want to be purified, they want to become more entangled in sinful life, illicit sex, meat-eating. That they do not know that "I am entangling myself. Instead of being purified, I am becoming more and more entangled." This is ignorance. (break) ...criticize us, shaven-headed. They don't criticize long hairs, but shaven-headed. Just see. If you don't criticize the long hairs, why should criticize the shaven-headed? But they criticize us. So regularly they are going out?

Madhudviṣa: Saṅkīrtana?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Madhudviṣa: Oh, yes.

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?

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

Prabhupāda: So immediately to solve all the problems like this is to start an institution to train four classes of men. Begin it. There is no training, how you can expect if you allow a child to smoke from the very beginning and to commit all kinds of sinful activities, how you can expect a nice gentleman when he is grown up? It is not possible. It is possible by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. But somebody may not be induced to come and join. But if you train him from the very beginning, then it is possible. Just like we have got our training school, Gurukula, in Dallas, Texas. So from the very beginning, three years, four years, five years old, children they are being trained up. It is not that cent percent men will be trained up spiritually. But even a small percentage ideal men there are in the society, at least people will think, "Oh, here is ideal." But there is no such facility. We are training, sometimes people laugh, "What is this nonsense?" They criticize.

Room Conversation with Yogi Bhajan -- June 7, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: Amritsar.

Yogi Bhajan: Five years ago we had a one-paper print. We used to give it away for five cents. That developed into a paper. This is how everything develops. And my basic idea is people must share. And why not come there, participate, share, say what you have to say? It is one of the funny coincidence that we both live in Culver City. We live very adjoining to each other. And I go to your temple, see how it is made and how they are doing and what kind of marble they are using. And I have a lot of things to criticize but... You know. They are messing it up, but they are spending a lot of money. (laughter) So I don't mind what they are doing, but it is really a waste, lot of it is waste. I go and watch and it hurts me. But I just go around see, after all. You must have very wise architects.

Prabhupāda: They are very expert in wasting. (laughter)

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

Prabhupāda: The Vedic civilization, therefore, teaches the student, brahmacārī, how to remain without sex life. Those who are unable to continue that, they are allowed, "All right, be married life." And that is also for twenty-five years. A student remains brahmacārī up to twenty-five years, and if we wants to take this sex license-household life means sex life—so he can get the license for twenty-five years more. So at the age of fifty years, fiftieth year, he gives up voluntarily. He keeps his wife with him just to assist him to advance in spiritual life, and they go from one holy place to another. And then when they are practiced, then the woman is sent to his elderly sons to take care and the man takes sannyāsa. This is Vedic civilization, varṇāśrama, four varṇas and four āśramas: the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra... And the sannyāsa is especially meant for the brāhmaṇas, not the kṣatriyas or the vaiśyas because they are not very much advanced. But the brāhmaṇa is advanced from the very beginning. Therefore sannyāsa is for the brāhmaṇa. The system that without being a brāhmaṇa nobody can take sannyāsa. So I am criticized by others in India that I am giving sannyāsa to them. Of course, according to the principle, they are not fit for sannyāsa, but because Caitanya Mahāprabhu also took sannyāsa at the age of twenty-four years... Śaṅkarācārya took sannyāsa at the age of eight years. He lived only for thirty-two years, Caitanya Mahāprabhu lived for forty-eight years. So for ordinary man, sannyāsa is difficult. But for preaching work, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's footprints we are trying to follow.

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

Dr. Gerson: I think here in America that people probably criticize because they're ignorant, and I hope to...

Prabhupāda: That "American" that I have discussed. Those who are in the bodily concept of life, they are not even human being. They are animals. Yasyātmā-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). One who takes this body, "I am, I am American, I am German, I am Englishman, I am Indian," they are animals. They are not even human being. When you deny, that "I am not American, I am not Indian, not Englishman. I am not this body," then he is in the spiritual body. That's all. And so long he will identify that "I am this body, and because my body is American, therefore I am American," that is animal life. That is not even human life. So that is going on all over the world, identifying the body as self. "I am American, I am German, I am Englishman, I am Indian." The whole United Nation is based on this conception. So where is the unity? If you are thinking as "American" or "Indian" or "Pakistani" or "German," so where is the question of unity? But they have manufactured a false method, United Nations, by lecturing. Just like if you bring a dozen of dogs and ask them, "Live peacefully," will they live peacefully? They will bark, "Ow! Ow! Ow!" So this is going on.

Morning Walk -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Prostitute's house.

Brahmānanda: Prostitutes, yes. And in Germany the newspapers gave this very big publicity, that "Just see how France is..." They took the opportunity of criticizing that "Here is the French church." Another big official, he was found naked.

Prabhupāda: And we say, "No prostitution." (break) ...the problems will come, one after another. This is a bad civilization. It is already a dangerous place, material world, and this bad civilization is creating more dangerous problems.

Room Conversation with Dr. John Mize -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles:

Dr. John Mize: But Kṛṣṇa has no tendency to fall, whereas we do.

Prabhupāda: No. Because Kṛṣṇa is God. Therefore He is all good. Even He falls down, to our estimation, it is not fall down. (break) ...cannot judge God. If we are devotee, in all circumstances we shall glorify God, "You are all-good." That is devotee. You cannot criticize God, "Oh, You are doing such thing," no.

Dr. John Mize: I'm still puzzled about the relationship of the soul to God. If the soul is eternal, as God is, and yet some souls have the tendency to fall and others don't have that tendency...

Prabhupāda: No, no, eternal does not mean not fall. Suppose you are now professor. So you can fall down from your position. But that does not mean you are not eternal. If you are fall down from your position, you do not lose your eternity. You simply fall down. You can become a professor; you can become an ordinary man. But you are eternal in all circumstance. Eternal... Fall down does not mean that he loses his eternal. That is stated that na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Find out. Ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. The living entity is never born or it never dies. This is eternity. You change your body, but you eternal.

Garden Conversation with Professors -- June 24, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: When you can give life. There is sometimes cow sacrifice yajña. The cow sacrifice yajña means an old cow, he is sacrificed in the fire, and by Vedic hymns he is given again new life. To test the potency of the Vedic mantra, an old cow is sacrificed and by mantra he is given again new life. Not for killing and eating. That was discussed between Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Chand Kazi, Mohammedan magistrate. Those who have read Caitanya-caritāmṛta will find. So the Kazi was challenged by Caitanya Mahāprabhu that "You are killing cow and bulls. What is your religion? You are killing your father and mother." Then, he also was learned man, he said it that "In your Vedas the cow sacrifice yajña is there." Then He explained, "This sacrifice is not for eating. It is giving a new life. To test the Vedic mantra." That is discussed in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. That is a different case. For meat-eating a cow should not be killed. This is not very good civilization. If you are..., you must eat meat, then you can kill other animals. They, those who are the kṣatriyas, they were sometimes going to the forest, killing the deer. They are allowed. Because they have to learn how to kill. So by killing animals, they used to practice. Just like doctors, medical practitioners, they first of all ply their knife on the dead body and find out where are the nerves, where are the..., not a living man. When they are fully practiced, then they are allowed to practice surgical operation. Similarly, kṣatriyas are meant for sometimes killing. Just like Arjuna, he's a kṣatriya. So Kṛṣṇa is criticizing him that "You are a kṣatriya.

Garden Conversation with Professors -- June 24, 1975, Los Angeles:

Dr. Crossley: If anyone can dress as he likes, then why do you all dress alike?

Prabhupāda: Yes, we already are. Just find out anyone who is equally dressed with you. Find out anyone. You are differently dressed from me, from them. And if you criticize my dress, I criticize your dress. That's all. Then you go on criticizing dress. Where is the talk between gentlemen? That is our disease, that we are concerned with the dress, this body, not the person who has the dress. That is our disease.

Morning Walk -- June 24, 1975, Los Angeles:

Nitāi: Pradyumna has gone to Māyāpur to help train the Sastris.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Nitāi: To teach the Sastris English, he has gone to Māyāpur. They have all gone to Māyāpur because they were facing criticism from the residents of Vṛndāvana. Many of their old schoolmates were criticizing that they are coming and joining us. These are... (break) ...are very desirous of taking initiation from you.

Prabhupāda: Who?

Nitāi: Ananta Ram Sastri and one other, I forget his name. He is very, very good in Sanskrit. He reads it fluently, speaks it fluently.

Prabhupāda: He speaks Sanskrit also?

Nitāi: Yes. Speaks it. He lectures in Sanskrit.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's good.

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

Dr. Judah: I don't know. One of the problems has been probably the criticism of the American people that so much money was being spent on going to the moon when there were so many other needs for the money to be used.

Brahmānanda: With such little result coming from it.

Dr. Judah: Yes. The amount, the expense, whether the expense could actually be justified to continue on in the way that they had. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...to Venus? They say they are going to Venus?

Brahmānanda: The Russians have sent a spaceship to Venus.

Room Conversation -- June 26, 1975, Los Angeles:

Revatīnandana: The point here is not to criticize (him).

Devotee (1): No. We did not come for that at all.

Revatīnandana: That wasn't the reason. The point is that anyone, (name witheld) or anybody else, he may be a sannyāsī, but if he's doing all kinds of nonsense, how can we say that he has absolute authority? Because he was in charge of the place, etc., and he is also in an authoritative position, yet he breaks the principles.

Devotee (2): His personal servant, when he came... His name is (name witheld). (He) instigated a homosexual affair with him. This boy came to surrender to Kṛṣṇa and surrendered to (him). But (he) told him to do that.

Upendra: But Prabhupāda...

Devotee (2): Wait. I am not speaking with you. He said he did that and he did it in the name of his authority as a sannyāsa. So if you say, Prabhupāda, that everything that they say is absolutely true, then they will have absolute power and can do anything that they want, and anything that they say and any opinion they express is taken to be the same as yours, then it becomes implied that you agree with and condone such things, because they do them with absolute license. And we don't believe that to be true. So we think it is some kind of mistake.

Prabhupāda: They say like that?

Morning Walk -- June 30, 1975, Denver:

Brahmānanda: And Swami Bon said that "You don't know so much."

Satsvarūpa: Yeah, he criticized our Uttamaśloka. And then he said, "Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, they don't engage in argumentation and debate." So Uttamaśloka said, "Yes, Lord Caitanya argued with Prakāśānanda."

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, very good.

Satsvarūpa: But Swami Bon said, "No, He didn't convert him by argument, He converted him by the effulgence."

Prabhupāda: (To Bon:) "But there was argument, rascal." (laughter)

Satsvarūpa: And as a result of that...

Prabhupāda: He is a rascal, rascal.

Morning Walk -- July 1, 1975, Denver:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Gandhi. I mean, she always turns towards the Muslims more.

Prabhupāda: No, no, she has guru. And she is going occasionally to Anandamayi.

Brahmānanda: Yeah, that guru has spoken highly of our movement. In Germany there was an interview of him in one German magazine, and he was asked about all different types of groups. And most of the groups he criticized, but our group he gave his recommendation, the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement.

Prabhupāda: What did he say?

Brahmānanda: I don't remember exactly, but he stressed the importance of the chanting of the mahā-mantra. He said "It is an important means for God realization, and by doing this, one can achieve love of God, and they are spreading this all over the world."

Prabhupāda: So what do you think? Shall I write? Hm? I have made a draft of letter this night. So you come and see. Let us take a chance. We want actually good for everyone. And this is the only medicine, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. For any problem. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. People are suffering. If her guru has opined like that, then she may take some attention. Then it appears that guru is to some extent nice.

Morning Walk -- July 12, 1975, Philadelphia:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Their knowledge is speculative.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Anyone who is speculative on the strength of his own knowledge is imperfect. Because we are imperfect, speculation is imperfect.

Ravīndra-svarūpa: The same criticism that you made of induction was also made by John Stuart Mill and Bertrand Russell, but they became skeptics. They said, "Therefore there's no knowledge at all."

Prabhupāda: That is another nonsense. That is also speculation. (laughter) "Because I have failed, therefore there is no knowledge." This is also imperfect because how I can conclude like that? I am imperfect. I cannot decide this way or that way. So that is also. Vedic knowledge says that a conditioned soul has got four defects: illusion, mistake, imperfectness and cheating. Any conditioned soul. Even Brahma, he is receiving knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. Tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). Ādi-kavi means Brahma. He is the most perfect person within this universe, Lord Brahma. So he is also receiving knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. Any conditioned soul, beginning from Brahmā down to the ant, they are defective in four ways: illusion, mistake, imperfectness and cheating. They know that "I am imperfect." Just this Darwin. He knew that he is imperfect, and he cheated so many persons—by false theory, which he cannot explain. He simply gives, "Perhaps millions of years' gap...," this, that. That is not knowledge. So the imperfect person is prone to become a cheater. So we should not take knowledge from the cheaters.

Room Conversation with writer, Sandy Nixon -- July 13, 1975, Philadelphia:

Sandy Nixon: No, no, not just criticism but if you get a lot of people that are working against you all the time... Here you're surrounded by people that are positive and that are reinforcing. But when you get yourself in the outside world in a position where there are people that are draining you and taking your energy, how do you replenish that energy?

Ravīndra-svarūpa: How do we stay fixed when there are so many people against us?

Prabhupāda: So nobody is against you? Do you think nobody is against you? I am asking you.

Sandy Nixon: Do I think nobody is against me? Oh, sure, there's people for me, against me, that don't care about me.

Prabhupāda: So there are against and for. Why do you bother about the against? As there are some people against us, there are many people for us. So that is the position in every field of activity. So if somebody is against us, why should we bother about it. We are selling books daily, a huge amount. So there is no question of against us. Anyone who is even against us, he is persuaded to purchase one book. So how he is against us? He is purchasing our book. What is the daily amount of sales, our books?

Room Conversation with Devotees -- August 1, 1975, New Orleans:

Prabhupāda: Just see. (laughs) It may cost two cent. And you have got your sugar also. In this way organize. Avoid machine. Keep everyone employed as brāhmaṇa, as kṣatriya, as vaiśya. Nobody should sit down. Brāhmaṇas, they are writers, editors, lecturers, instructors, worshiping Deity, ideal character. They have no anxiety for food, for clothing. Others should supply them. They haven't got to work. Sannyāsī is always preaching, going outside. In this way keep everyone fully engaged. Then it will be ideal. Otherwise people will criticize that we are simply eating and sleeping, escaping, so many, so many. And actually that is the position. Unless one is fully engaged, oh, that is not good. That is tamo-guṇa. Tamo-guṇa, and rajo-guṇa very active, and sattva-guṇa, intellectual activity. Both of them, active, only tamo-guṇa, not active. (indistinct) Tamo-guṇa means sleeping and laziness. These are the symptoms of tamo-guṇa. Every saintly man can avoid these two things—laziness and sleeping. Of course, as much you require, sleeping allowed, not more than... And keep everyone active, man or woman-all. Then it will be ideal society.

Room Conversation with Devotees -- August 1, 1975, New Orleans:

Prabhupāda: They'll enter into the mouth of Aghasura. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is there. He will kill." This is Vṛndāvana. There is no need and I don't find in Bhāgavata big factory and slaughterhouse, no. Nothing. The whole atmosphere is surcharged with sinful life. How people will be happy? Now they are coming to crimes and hippies and so many things, problems, diplomacy, CIA and what other? So many unnecessary waste of energy, time, and money. Vicious condition. Better give up city. Make Vṛndāvana, like this. City life is abominable. If you don't live in the city, you don't require petrol, motor car. It is no use. They may criticize that "You are going to the farm in a car." So for the time being, there is no vehicle. Otherwise bullock cart—where is the difficulty? Suppose you are coming, one hour, and it takes one day. And if you are satisfied, such life, there is no question of moving. Maybe local moving, from this village to that village. That is sufficient, bullock carts. Why motor car? Drive here and park problem. Not only park problem, there are so many things. There are three thousand parts, motor car. You have to produce them, big factory.

Car Conversation -- August 3, 1975, Detroit:

Brahmānanda: Because he was afraid. He was advised by Kissinger that "If you see him, then the Russian leaders, they will become angry upon you." So he refused to see him. So this received a great deal of criticism in America, that "We are for freedom and here he is coming, freedom fighter, and you refused to see him simply to pacify the Russian leaders." (break)

Prabhupāda: ...was a fault?

Satsvarūpa: His fault is that he spoke out against the whole Russian...

Brahmānanda: He speaks very strongly, condemns the Russian system.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Russian, it is terrorism.

Car Conversation -- August 3, 1975, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: So Russian government did not take any step against him?

Brahmānanda: They exiled him. He was too famous to... If they persecuted him, he was too famous. It would have brought a lot of criticism against them, so they exiled.

Prabhupāda: Asked him to go out.

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Satsvarūpa: He is officially a nonperson in Russia.

Brahmānanda: He has no longer any existence.

Jagadīśa: The Americans are playing right into their hands because now the Americans won't meet the man.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Jagadīśa: The Americans should have taken advantage and given the man a great welcome, but they refused to see him. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...God conscious or he is another edition?

Brahmānanda: He has some leanings toward some mysticism.

Morning Walk -- August 6, 1975, Detroit:

Ādi-keśava: Sometimes people criticize us, saying we are teaching everyone how to do nothing, that we are teaching them about God, but how are we going to teach anyone to practically survive in the world? Sometimes they say like that, that we don't have any practical instruction as well.

Prabhupāda: Practical? What is not practical? We are not eating? We are not sleeping?

Ādi-keśava: Yes, they are saying, "Oh, when will you learn to do a trade? When will you learn to perform business, or when will you learn to become a doctor, if you are always studying..."

Prabhupāda: But you are doctor already. Why shall I become doctor? You serve me. We serve you by giving you Kṛṣṇa consciousness; you serve me as a doctor. What is the wrong there? Parasparārtham. I am for you; you are for me. Division of labor, that is accepted universally. So ask them, "Do you think that everyone should become doctor? Then where is the patient?" Eh? Everything is required. Similarly, you require our help also. It is cooperation. You know medical science; we know spiritual science. So let us exchange and be happy. Why you are envious of us? Why there is division in the body—head, arms, legs, belly? Why not everything head or everything leg? Why there is divided? That is nature. It is required. Why this road is neglected?

Mādhavānanda: It's mismanagement.

Room Conversation -- August 21, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) ...village... (Bengali) ...the cooperation... (Bengali) I like this position, dictatorship. Personally I like this. (Bengali) ...America... (Bengali) "What is your opinion about this?" Must criti... Yes, criticized policy of Indira Gandhi. (Bengali) ...is spiritually inclined. If she improves, it will be perfect. She wants to be improved.

Lalitā: This should be taken with...

Bhavananda: A most important piece of paper.

Prabhupāda: "Barefoot Swami draws admiring Kṛṣṇa crowd." And... Read that portion. (Bengali)

Lalitā: (Bengali) ...most prominent person in U.S. is Prabhupāda.

Brahmānanda: "Asked about the political situation in his native India and the criticized actions of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the swami replied that 'Mrs. Gandhi is inclined to some spiritual understanding, and if she fully develops it the situation will improve. Democracy is not much beneficial if its leaders have no spiritual values. Mahatma Gandhi was practically a dictator, but he was a man of high moral character, so people accepted him. Dictatorship can be good provided the dictator is spiritually developed.' "

Prabhupāda: (Bengali)

Morning Walk -- September 1, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Oh. Because he was criticized by our students in U.S.A. (sound of bell) See? The bell is ringing nice. There was no such ringing in this quarter. (break) ...fixed up so that thieves may not take it away? Not so securely.

Dhanañjaya: Well, they have... I'll make sure it is done today.

Prabhupāda: Oh. When I say? That means no brain. I am asking without seeing, and you are seeing for the last one week. You do not know it, that what is secure, what is not secure. That is the defect. Here thieves are very expert.

Dhanañjaya: But the chokidar is there at the front, guarding all night, and the bell is situated very high inside the dome.

Prabhupāda: Still should be secure. (break) ...that in the temple these bells are stolen even it is secure. Therefore we shall be very careful.

Morning Walk -- September 9, 1975, Vrndavana:

Indian man (2): They know only how to criticize for nothing.

Prabhupāda: No, what is the meaning of that criticize? First of all you come to the stage.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Enviousness.

Prabhupāda: Now, Bon Mahārāja, our Godbrother, went. What did he bring? He brought some HMD. HMD. You know HMD? You do not know?

Indian man (3): Hindustan Machine Tools.

Indian man (2): When Bon Mahārāja came I asked him many things, many questions. He was praising, and he said that more than 50% people are liking our organization in U.S.A. Only due to that, their children got saved from intoxication. And they are happy that their lives are also... That's what he told me. I told him, "What is your impression about our organization?" Then he told me everything. He also told me that one or two places (indistinct) (break)

Prabhupāda: (Hindi)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...official said, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." When we went to...

Prabhupāda: They have been forced to forget Hare Kṛṣṇa by the so-called rascal leaders. Otherwise India is meant for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, the whole India. (break) ...scandalous these Māyāvādīs and next the politicians, killing the spirit of India. These Māyāvādīs teaching "Why you are after God? You are God." That's all. And he says, "Yes, I am God. Why shall I worship God?" This is the... And becoming God, when they do not get any relish of becoming God, then the politician says, "It is all useless.

Morning Walk -- September 15, 1975, Vrndavana:

Vāsughoṣa: Once I went to one Gauḍīya Matha in South India, and I showed them a picture of our Deities in Hyderabad. They said, "This Kṛṣṇa is white." So later on I told that story to Acyutānanda Swami, and he said, "Do you know what I tell those people? I say, 'No, Kṛṣṇa is not white. You just can't see Kṛṣṇa.' " So like that, sometimes we are criticized by them for Kṛṣṇa in the Deity being white. (break)

Hari-śauri: ...Kṛṣṇa's energy is all-spiritual, then why in Bhagavad-gītā does Kṛṣṇa make a distinction—"My separated material energy"? Why does He say, "separated"?

Prabhupāda: Separated... Just like I am talking and this will be reproduced as it is, although it is separated.

Hari-śauri: So He's not personally present there.

Prabhupāda: Yes. When you replay, the same voice will come, but I am not there. So if you want to utilize this separated energy for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it will help you. Just like the Deity. Everyone knows it is stone, but why we are worshiping stone?

Hari-śauri: It is Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is as good as Kṛṣṇa. It is not worshiping the stone.

Morning Walk -- September 30, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be, but we never criticize anyone. When the Christians come forward—"Whether our Christian religion can also give the same meaning"—"Yes, why not?" Yes.

Dr. Patel: It has the same bhakti.

Prabhupāda: I never said...

Dr. Patel:ut I think the Christianity is nothing but bhāgavata-dharma. It has been preached in a different way.

Prabhupāda: They inquire, "What is your opinion of Jesus Christ?" And "He is our guru."

Dr. Patel: It's a fact.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- September 30, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: I never criticized. I simply said that positive side, God consciousness.

Dr. Patel: Christ himself was drunk with God consciousness totally.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Dr. Patel: Christ himself was drunk with God consciousness in toto, absolute.... There cannot be a higher bhakta than that. It is said that Jesus Christ learned all these things in India. It might be a fact?

Passerby: (Hindi)

Dr. Patel: And he daily bhakta. (?) He came for pūjā, for guru. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...devatā bhaktāḥ, te 'pi mām eva kaunteya yajanty avidhi-purvakam. They give examples, as the gopīs worshiped Kātyāyanī. But that is not avidhi. They went to Kātyāyanī for getting the favor of Kṛṣṇa. They prayed to mother Kātyāyanī, "Please be favorable to us so that Kṛṣṇa may be pleased upon us." Others go to beg from Kātyāyanī some material benefits, but the gopīs, they did not ask for any material benefit. And therefore that is vidhi.

Morning Walk -- October 9, 1975, Durban:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They've taken your books in the past. (break) ...preaching, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we don't know whether to be diplomatic towards these other so-called religious movements or whether to simply expose the philosophy which they are putting forward.

Prabhupāda: No. You should be diplomatic. You should give positive information of our philosophy. Where need be, absolutely necessary, you can criticize others. (break) ...preaching is successful.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Only because you've sent us here. Otherwise we would have never come to this place in a million years. I think in America the devotees think that Africa is simply a bunch of jungles. No one wants to come here to preach.

Prabhupāda: (break)...very broad. (break) ...ask him about swimming, why they cannot swim all through like the fish. They are defeated.

Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 :

Prabhupāda: All right, India. Then?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: So then the point is that they criticize that how we can preach such a civilization to the Western countries if even it's not working in India today. Although theoretically it's perfect, practically it's not working.

Prabhupāda: No. Practically, because you have preached your culture in India; therefore they have lost their own culture. The Western, the Britishers were for two hundred years and they preached. Their policy was to kill the Indian culture. Because that report of Lord McCauley, after studying Indian situation, the report was to the Parliament that "If you keep India as Indian, then you will not be able to rule over them," so therefore there was regular policy to kill Indian civilization. And because they were on the governing power, they could do it. Therefore India lost its own culture and victimized by the Western culture. This is the position. Just they are learning how to eat meat, how to drink wine, how to dress them with coat and pant, how to go to the hotel, illicit sex—these things are…

Morning Walk -- October 17, 1975, Johannesburg:

Devotee: When we were at school we accept a teacher and he teaches us mathematics or something like this, but when it comes to spiritual life and we accept a guru, people criticize by saying, "Oh, you're not thinking for yourself anymore."

Prabhupāda: Yes, you have surrendered. You say, "Yes, we have surrendered. That is the way." Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). The first term is "surrender," praṇipāta. Otherwise it is not possible. If one does not surrender, there is no question of reformation. He must voluntarily surrender: "Yes. Whatever you say, I shall do." Then things can be advanced. Otherwise not possible. (end)

Morning Walk -- October 21, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: Never see. Ten years? Twenty-five years. They may go and see, give some gifts to the guru.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: In the Western countries they criticize our gurukula that "This is inhuman, people sending their children away at such an early age, not seeing them."

Prabhupāda: And to kill, that is very human. Rascal. Kick them upon their face. You rascal, you are talking of morality, rascal, you go to hell. Your place is hell. "Devil citing scripture." You are not... You are so shameless that you do not be ashamed to speak like that. You are so shameless. Your civilization is so shameless. You are killing child in the womb, and you are talking "inhumanity." Just see. We have to deal with such fools and rascals.

Morning Walk -- October 21, 1975, Johannesburg:

Devotee: The big animals also prey on the small animals.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Mutual praising society. That's all. "I praise you and you praise me. I say you are very big; you say I am very big." That's all. And compromise. "I don't criticize you; you don't criticize me." That's all. (break) In the womb the child got life and when the... Sometimes some child comes, stunt. By process again he cries. So why the dead child is not brought into life by that? What do you call dead?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Stillborn. Still. When it's born dead.

Prabhupāda: So... No, no. How the life came? How it became dead? This is eucalyptus, very hard. Eucalyptus?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: It has smell.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Very hard. No need. (break) ...question, ask them that in the egg there is no life, and the life is coming by what is called? Fermenta... No?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Fertilization?

Prabhupāda: Fertilization or... No, giving the heat?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Incubation.

Room Conversation -- October 29, 1975, Nairobi:

Prabhupāda: That is Kṛṣṇa's grace, just like the government gives the prisoners also to eat. But they are condemned. And government's grace that government provides all necessities. If a prisoner is sick, he is given the hospital facility. But he is restricted free movement, that much. Otherwise government gives the same facilities within the prison house and without the... The standard may be little different. Eko yo bahūnāṁ (yo) vidadhāti kamān. He satis... Why this human being prisoner? Even He is giving food to the animals, to the birds, beasts, everyone. Noncooperation cannot be. Kṛṣṇa says, bijo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (Bg 7.10). Now, you have to grow trees, plants and vegetables for your eating. So that you cannot have without cooperation with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa gives all the seeds. Bijo 'ham. You cannot manufacture the seed. He gives the seed. You work little, sow it and get the result. But without cooperation with Kṛṣṇa, how can you get the seed? Then where is your food? No food. You must take... "God, give us our daily bread." Kṛṣṇa gives the seeds, and you sow it and get the fruit or grains. Then you can exist. Even if you are animal-eater, the animal must also come from Kṛṣṇa. You cannot manufacture the animal. That is also coming from Kṛṣṇa. Bijo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (Bg 7.10). The animal is produced by father and mother, but the seed is given in the semina by Kṛṣṇa. And then animal is produced. So how you can non-cooperate Kṛṣṇa? You have to cooperate. Otherwise... (man yelling in background) What is that? (laughter) Huh? They are criticizing us? No.

Brahmānanda: He's imitating the birds.

Morning Walk -- November 2, 1975, Nairobi:

Devotee (5): They always say the Africans could never become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Prabhupāda: How they are becoming?

Devotee (5): They don't believe.

Prabhupāda: Believe? You do not see even?

Devotee (5): But they say that "Oh, he will do it, and then, after one year, he will stop."

Prabhupāda: Well, that is another criticism. Somebody is eating nice yogurt. Everyone will say, "Oh, it is very nice. It is very nice, very nice." Another man says, "Yes, it is nice, but after three days it will be sour." (laughter) You rascal, you consider for the present. What "after three days"? Means he's a bad critic, so he could not find out any fault. Everyone says it is good. So "After three days it will be bad." This sort of criticism. So you have already become bad. You were doing service to others. What does he do, that priest?

Brahmānanda: He's a businessman.

Prabhupāda: Business. So is that...? The business is the occupation of brāhmaṇa? You are already fallen. How he can criticize others?

Indian woman: That is all, brāhmaṇas, all brāhmaṇas, there is no big knowledge. That is Śiva. Śiva is the head.

Prabhupāda: That's all. Śiva is the head, but whether you are brāhmaṇa? That is the question.

Morning Walk -- November 2, 1975, Nairobi:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Yes, he is right.

Brahmānanda: If they set a bad example, then they will follow bad example, then the criticism of the Indians will be justified.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That's it. So those who cannot follow, they should not come here. And ask from the origin that "Those who cannot strictly follow the rules and regulations, they should not come at all. It will set a bad example. They should be forbidden to come here." That I was speaking, that instead of filling with bad cows, better keep the cowshed vacant. That I was speaking. Those who cannot strictly follow our principles, they should not come here. It is bad example. By mistake, if somebody does, he should be regretful and he should rectify. That is another thing. But not willingly he should neglect. Then such person is not required at all.

Morning Walk -- November 2, 1975, Nairobi:

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 3, 1975, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: Man-manā bhava. Perpetually. It is just like an insect climbing a wall. Immediately it comes down on the ground. It takes about twenty-four hours.

Prabhupāda: No, no. If you practice... Just like these boys. They are chanting "Hare Kṛṣṇa," so their mind is fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. Man-mana. And they can do it without any being afraid by public criticism because they are mad-bhakta. They have become bhakta. Others, they will afraid: "I am such and such person. If I chant then what the others will speak?" (laughter) But a devotee is not afraid of anyone.

Morning Walk -- November 7, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: In this way, practical instruction. Taking to yoga system, karma system, this system, that system, but he does not know that these are like the dog's tail. Nobody...

Dr. Patel: (laughing) They are criticizing you.

Prabhupāda: No, it is practically. Yes. You cannot cross over the sea by capturing the tail of a dog because you see the dog is swimming. So all this karma, jñāna, yoga, they are all failure. It is just like dog tail. You cannot cross over the nescience by capturing dog's tail. You must capture the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Tan aham... Eh?

Yaśomatīnandana: eśa tat...

Prabhupāda: No. Samuddhartā mṛtyu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt. And explain the Bhagavad-gītā śloka. Mṛtyu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt. From this ocean of birth and death, if one wants to be saved, he must come to Kṛṣṇa, not to the dog's tail.

Morning Walk -- November 7, 1975, Bombay:

Bhāgavata: I was thinking if we had him for the festival, to come to the festival, that would be a very prestigious...

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Why don't you arrange for that? You have to arrange. Yes. (break) ...king. Their constitution, first word is "the king can do no wrong." Yes, that is the Vedic system. Suppose a king beheads somebody by his own sword, as it was being done. Nobody can charge him that "Without any trial he has killed this man." No. Whatever is done... Just like we take Kṛṣṇa, apāpa viddham. Kṛṣṇa is never touched with any sinful activities. Apāpa-viddham. Tejiyasam na doṣaya (SB 10.33.29). Just as the sun, because it is very, very powerful, nothing can infect it. These are the dangers. (Hindi?) Of course, if you want to keep one in very exalted post, at the same time, if you want to find fault with him, then that is not good. That is not good. That is also stated, that arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhir guruṣu nara-matiḥ. If somebody thinks that the Deity is made of stone and he criticizes, that is not allowed. If one thinks spiritual master as ordinary human being, that is not allowed. Arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhir guruṣu nara-matiḥ. So those who are in highly exalted post of the state, you cannot find out fault with him.

Morning Walk -- November 14, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Just like America... (laughs) Americans have not even one per cent. They are many thousands times opulent, the demigods. So it is very difficult. Just like here for a very rich man to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very difficult. That is a disquali...

bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ
tayāpahṛta-cetasām
vyavasāyātmikā-buddhiḥ
samādhau na dhigacchati
(BG 2.44)

(Hindi) Voluntarily sannyāsa. All big, big kings in India, voluntarily: "Eh! Give it! Kick it out!" Mahārāja Bhārata, at the age of twenty-four years, he left everything, young wife, children, kingdom, whole world—gave it up. This is Indian culture, vairāgya. Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, (Hindi) as soon as the grandson, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, was major: "Take it. We are going." That is the fact. (Hindi) Even Mahatma (Gandhi). He declared himself mahātmā. He is such a mahātmā that unless he was killed by Goli(?), he was not leaving anything. He was not prepared. This is mahātmā, Kali-yūga ka mahātmā. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya-manaso (BG 9.13). (Hindi) ...politics, politics, politics. (Hindi) ...nonviolence theory. Kṛṣṇa said, "You will die by violence. Nonviolence, there cannot be nonviolence. You wanted to prove nonviolence from Bhagavad-gītā and criticize Me, Kṛṣṇa. All right, you die." Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Morning Walk -- December 9, 1975, Vrndavana:

Akṣayānanda: Like you wrote in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta that when Caitanya Mahāprabhu had many disciples behind him, He was criticized that He should not take them to Vṛndāvana. It might disturb the nice atmosphere. We have to be careful that we don't disturb with our big buildings and things. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...transform into a nice park this space. (break)

Akṣayānanda: Did Giridhārīlal see you last night, from the Mathurā Janmasthān? (break) ...influence Dalmia, but I don't know. We haven't seen any results yet regarding the gośālā. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...sandy. We want to avoid this sandy.

Morning Walk -- December 10, 1975, Vrndavana:

Indian man: But now they all afraid from your stick.

Prabhupāda: Stick?

Indian man: Prabhupāda, they all thought many times that "Prabhupāda he criticize us." You know, they say. We said, "Yes, you are made to be criticized."

Devotee (3): Your stick is Bhagavad-gīta As It Is.

Prabhupāda: They say? They say?

Indian man: Oh, yes. In Mauritius there are many cults. So they invited us, I went to two, three. So they asked me that "We are coming many temple. You people, why not you come?" I said, "Well, whenever you invite us, we are ready to come, but you accept our philosophy." So they said, "How we can accept your philosophy? Prabhupāda, he, wherever, he say that all the other are Māyāvādī. All other are rascal." (laughter) "Well, Kṛṣṇa has said that. Prabhupāda is not doing that. Kṛṣṇa said who don't accept Him, he is mūḍha; he is rascal. So Prabhupāda is giving as it is, whatever Kṛṣṇa has said." Oh, they were...

Prabhupāda: No... (break) Kṛṣṇa said, "The rascals do not surrender to Me." So as soon as we see somebody not Kṛṣṇa conscious, we call him rascal. So what is the wrong there?

Indian man: It is not wrong.

Morning Walk -- December 12, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Desire is there. Desire is there. Just like in your country, the nudism going on. The desire is, "Ah, I shall remain free, naked." So Kṛṣṇa is giving you facility, "Alright, you stand here for thousands of years as tree, naked, nobody will criticize. You want to remain naked on the public street and you want to enjoy in that way, alright you become tree."

Harikeśa: Because desire is a function of consciousness, which is a symptom of the spirit soul, it's very powerful.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Harikeśa: Because it's spiritual actually.

Prabhupāda: Therefore it is said, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Abhilāṣ means desire. Anya means "except service of Kṛṣṇa." That is beginning of bhakti. As soon as he desires something material for enjoyment he has to come to Me. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). The mind and the senses; with these things he is struggling for existence.

Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:

Harikeśa: No, no. I mean there's no need for any organized Communist movement, because according to their philosophy...

Prabhupāda: Yes, because they're fools. They're as fools. They are simply criticizing the capitalists, that much. That much, there is something ideal that the state property should be equally divided. That's a good thesis. But they do not know that it is not the ultimate solution. You do not know who is the proprietor. You do not know the proprietor. These things belong to Him. You are using it. I am thinking that "You are proprietor." But actually you are not proprietor. He is proprietor. If that is the position, then I take it from you that: "You cannot possess. I shall possess." Then what is my possess? The same thing. As you took it, took it out from this man, so I took it, take it from you. So my position is the same. If you cannot find out who is the actual proprietor, then you may change hands. The problem remains there, that it, it does not belong to you. You are forcibly snatching from the proprietor, or without knowing the proprietor, you are making arrangement. What is the value of this arrangement?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 12, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: And if you take care of your own son, nobody will criticize you that "Why are you taking care of your own son, not others? Nobody will.... That is natural. That is explained in the Bhagavad.... Samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu

(BG 9.29). He is equal to everyone. But one who is a devotee, "I take special care."

Dr. Patel: "He is in Me, and I am in him."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- January 12, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: (break) ...tato bhāvaḥ sādhakānām ayam premnaḥ prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ. (break) Vaiṣṇava doesn't make any discrimination that "He is Hindu," "He is Muslim," "He is this and that." He takes everyone as servant of Kṛṣṇa. (break) In India the caste brāhmaṇas criticize me that "Swami Bhaktivedanta is putting Hindu dharma ruin." Yes.

Dr. Patel: Bhagavad-gītā never.... I think cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Not by birth vibhāgaśaḥ.

Prabhupāda: Never.

Dr. Patel: It is by guṇa and karma.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- January 13, 1976, Calcutta:

Prabhupāda: They are Mongolians.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I was saying that to Jayapatāka, that they're Mongolians. So the same criticism that everyone has said against you.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That you are making mlecchas and yavanas brāhmaṇas. I think that that Mongoloid race is also considered like that.

Prabhupāda: I do not follow what you say.

Morning Walk -- January 15, 1976, Calcutta:

Prabhupāda: Then why this statement is there, lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam? If it is approved, why Bhāgavata criticizing?

Harikeśa: Was long hair a sign of beauty in those days?

Prabhupāda: It was not meant for everyone.

Harikeśa: Kṣatriyas.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (break) ...stairs first?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- January 16, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: (break) ...that's nice. Very good. (break) ...surprised that "In temple, why handloom? What kind of temple it is?" They will criticize like that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Really?

Prabhupāda: They'll.... They get one point: "Oh, here is some fault." And then, "They're not worshiping? They are going handloom?"

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Here is the moon. There is one dark spot."

Prabhupāda: But the rascals do not know Kṛṣṇa says, svakarmana tam abhyarcya saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ. Whatever he knows, he can work on it, and that way he can get perfection, provided he is Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is wanted. Otherwise people think, misunderstand, that "They are parasites." Why we should be parasite? We should work for Kṛṣṇa. That's all. It is not that because sannyāsī and brahmacārī, you'll be able. No. Everyone. Svakarmaṇā. Kṛṣṇa says, svakarmaṇā: "Whatever talent you have got, you can serve Me and be perfect." That is the program. They are preparing cloth for the devotees, not for business. Therefore he is serving Kṛṣṇa. To serve devotee and to serve Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference. (break) So proper watering is going on?

Morning Walk -- January 20, 1976, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Written within the last thousand years.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You know that? They say like that. So many rascals are there. And this is the only shelter, these, our centers, to be protected from all these rascals. These ISKCON centers are the only shelter. So you have to maintain it very nicely. There is no other shelter. All bogus more or less, all bogus. But you have to, not to... You quote, but the purpose of the verse you present reasonably. If you simply quote, it will not be simply very appealing. "Oh, they are simply..." Sometimes the Westerner criticize that, my Godbrother, Sadānanda? He was criticizing that "Your presentation..." "Your" means our, this Vaiṣṇava literature. "Simply you quote some Sanskrit verse, that's all." So these Sanskrit verses should be explained for understanding of the modern people. If you simply quote, it is not very appealing. In Durban..., Durban? We went to that university. You remember? That Ārya-samājī? He was speaking that "This is Hindu conception.

Morning Walk -- February 3, 1976, Mayapura:

Jayapatākā: They want to have..., make tractors popular and then...

Prabhupāda: Kill the bulls. They were criticizing us because in our gośālā we maintain the male calves.

Prabhupāda: No, when our Harikeśa was struck by a bull and he was taken in the hospital, the doctor was criticizing, "If you have killed the bulls, then this condition would not have come to you."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Wow. Karma.

Prabhupāda: No. There will be no accident because this..., the acci...You know that?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I heard about the accident.

Prabhupāda: There was some accident, and he was taken to hospital. So he was advised, "Because you do not kill the bulls, therefore this is the accident." As if without killing..., by killing the bulls there is no accident. And they do not cite the accident by motorcar, greater bulls. Accident will be there.

Morning Walk -- February 6, 1976, Mayapura:

Hṛdayānanda: Sometimes, Prabhupāda, when we expose them, their argument is, "Oh, you are a saintly person. Why are you criticizing me?"

Prabhupāda: No, it is not criticizing. It is opening your eyes. You are blind, you are thinking yourself as very big, so we are opening eyes. You are not big. You are not even pig or fig. That is... ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā. You are blind with ignorance, so we are trying to open your eyes. See things as they are. It is favoring you. It is not criticizing you. (break)...words, vibhu, the great, and aṇu, the small. So these rascals, they do not understand these two important words, "God is great; I am small." They think, "I am as good as God." This is the folly. (break) ...English proverb? "Where angels dare not, the fools rush in."

Morning Walk -- February 10, 1976, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Friendly.

Prabhupāda: Yes. "It doesn't matter." He did not know the gāñjā smoking was bad for sādhu. That is impression in India. We criticize, but in India, in every sādhu samāj they smoke gāñjā.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Still?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Not high class. These bogus swamis and yogis. They...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, that Mr. Das, the lawyer who came here?

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I used to visit him, and he had one sādhu who used to come who was his guru, and he would also smoke gāñjā.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Gāñjā smoking is not taken as bad in India, by the sādhus, not ordinary men.

Morning Walk -- February 19, 1976, Mayapura:

Hari-śauri: Yes, that's always been one of the main criticisms against the Catholic Church. They have so much money and land.

Acyutānanda: He said, "Religion is the opiate of the people." So there was a cartoon that Marx came back in 1976, and they said, "No, opium is the religion of the people."

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Acyutānanda: "Now opium is the religion of the people because everyone is taking drugs. You say religion is the opiate. Now opium is the religion." They think there should be no private property. There was... They are discussing this in Indian Parliament now. They should abolish private property and abol... Women should not wear ornaments.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Acyutānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Where it is?

Acyutānanda: They're discussing in Parliament.

Morning Walk -- February 19, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: That is all right. That is good.

Acyutānanda: They can do anything.

Yaśodānandana: I think that some of the comments of Your Divine Grace, some of the purports of the Fourth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, if they come to the notice of the Indian government, it may give us some... They may seriously consider about banning, because in that one purport you openly criticize how unfortunate the citizens are because they have a woman as the prime minister, and in another purport you openly say that the citizens should keep their, some of their treasury secret, which is against the principle of their income tax.

Prabhupāda: So, I have... There is no support in the śāstra?

Guru-kṛpā: There is support, but according to their idea and their so-called...

Prabhupāda: Then they confront Bhāgavata. Bhāgavatam...

Children: "Hare Kṛṣṇa! Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda! Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break)

Acyutānanda: ...neighborhood, Cāṇakya...

Prabhupāda: Yes. So Cāṇakya is authority. So I am quoting Cāṇakya. What is my fault?

Morning Walk -- February 19, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Cāṇakya is authority. Otherwise, why you have named "Cāṇakya Purī"? He's as good as Gandhi and other big, big men. So it is said, viśvāso naiva kartavyaṁ strīṣu rāja-kuleṣu ca.(?)I am innocent. I am quoting authority.

Acyutānanda: Yes. Yes, you can say that is the statement of Cāṇakya. One foolish man... I was saying, "Some...," in my lectures, "some foolish scholar has written that because Kṛṣṇa is black, He is a scheduled caste." So there was a scheduled caste man in the audience who became educated. So he took offense. "Well, maybe Kṛṣṇa was the leader of the scheduled caste." So I said then, "that is the statement of some scholar. You cannot criticize me. I am quoting a scholar." The audience shouted him down too. (break) Śūdras and yavanas may become brāhmaṇas, but many of them don't.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Acyutānanda: So many born śūdras are śūdras, many times.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- February 27, 1976, Mayapura:

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

Jayapatākā: Aurobindo.

Prabhupāda: Aurobindo is a Bengali.

Morning Walk -- March 1, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Yeah. That is the...

Acyutānanda: Like Duryodhana. Even people criticize Kṛṣṇa, "Why He could not convince Duryodhana to be peaceful?" Because there was nothing... He was so sinful that he had used up all his pious...

Prabhupāda: So that is the Duryodhana party.

Acyutānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Acchā.

Acyutānanda: The scientists are all sinful.

Prabhupāda: The Duryodhana party, and we are Pāṇḍu's party. So there must be war always, fighting. And they'll be smashed. Hṛdayāni vya... You know that? "Breaking the heart of the Dhārtarāṣṭra." So we have to make preaching in such a way to break the heart of this Dhṛtarāṣṭra company.

Morning Walk -- March 9, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: ...and these are.... You are being plundered. They are very expert in the plunder. But I thought, "Some Indians will help. He is also 'big belly,' you. It is simply in my eyes. I am the only fool." I criticize like that. Just see how much money they have taken. One day, they are charging ten rupees, and fifty men working, so all spoiled. This is going on all over. Baro baro baṅgole baro baro peṭ, lanka dingate mata kara het. (?) Hm? (break) (Bengali) He did not take the cart?

Jayapatāka: I took a jeep also.

Prabhupāda: No, no.

Morning Walk -- March 10, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: I do not follow.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: He's saying that sometimes the brahmacārīs, even the sannyāsīs, they may have a very strong aversion towards association with women and/or householder life, things of this nature. And sometimes the gṛhasthas will criticize the sannyāsīs and brahmacārīs that "This is fanaticism," or it's, to the other end, "It's just as bad as the enjoying spirit, because you're meditating on the same thing, but only you're averse to it." So what is the...? Bhāgavata dāsa's question is "What is the condition?" Is it better to be neutral or to be averse?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Neutral.

Prabhupāda: These are all fanaticism. Real unity is in advancing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva... In Kali-yuga, you cannot strictly follow, neither I can strictly follow. If I criticize you, if you criticize me, then we go far away from our real life of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Morning Walk -- March 11, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Hm. Yes. Make it more.... Therefore I wanted first of all this house, not the temple, because where they'll stay? They'll come to the temple. Where they will stay? If you get staying place, then you can act your brain and improve. And if you are harassed—no place—then brain will not work. Therefore I wanted first of all the residential place. And they criticize me, "Oh, you did not construct temple first." And a temple of the devotees is first, our temple. Then God. God will come if there are devotees. Tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyantī mad-bhaktāḥ. Unless there is devotee, where is God? God is not a stone. Any stone is God? Unless there is devotees, there's no God. Therefore, without devotee: the idol, this is idol worship. That is not worship. Therefore they cannot understand what is the form, what is the distinction between form of the Lord and idol. They do not know how to worship in devotion. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). They are thinking, "It is stone, and God is remaining here, stone. He will never speak," because they are not devotee. If you become devotee.... Just like Sākṣī Gopāla. For devotee He went to give witness, "Yes, I'll walk." That is God. And if you are not devotee, how you can expect the stone statue is walking? You have read that Sākṣī Gopāla?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, very nice.

Morning Walk -- March 15, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Do you think it is necessary?

Prabhupāda: It will be necessary when there will be criticism.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Later on, but at the present moment they have shown interest in our books, so we'll give it the way it is.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That we can correct. There is no.... (break) ...is very good boy.

Talk at Radha-Govinda Mandir -- March 24, 1976, Calcutta:

Prabhupāda: And that is the inspiration of my devotional life. Then I asked my father that "Give me Rādhā-Govinda Deity; I shall worship." So my father was also Vaiṣṇava. He gave me small Rādhā-Govinda Deity. I was worshiping in my house. Whatever I was eating, I was offering, and I was following the ceremonies of this Rādhā-Govinda with my small Deity. That Deity is still existing. I have given to my sister. So then I introduced Ratha-yātrā. So I.... My Ratha-yātrā was being performed very gloriously. My father used to spend money. In those days ten rupees, twenty rupees was sufficient. I hired one kīrtana party and a small friends, they..., I think the brother of the present generation, and there was another De family here, so we performed this Ratha-yātrā ceremony. According to our children's imagination, it was very gorgeous. So I think our present Manmohan.... His name is? Gabhur Bhavana? (Bengali) Gopishvara Mullik. That Gopishvara Mullik was my father's friend. So he was criticizing my father that "You are performing Ratha-yātrā ceremony and you are not inviting us." So my father said, "That is children's play. What shall I invite you? You are very big man." "Oh, so you are avoiding. In the name of children you are avoiding us." On the whole, this Ratha-yātrā festival was very gorgeously.... Then imitating me, the other, my brother like, Kangalu(?), he also introduced Ratha-yātrā. And.... Kangalu. (Bengali) So all of them introduced Ratha-yātrā, and the destination was this Thakurbari, from there. So practically what I am doing now, the same thing, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa worship and introduction of Ratha-yātrā. I am not doing anything else. You know very well.

Morning Walk -- April 16, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Prahlāda Mahārāja has criticized mauna-vrata, like that. They have got so.... (break) ...scientists were not perfect in the past, they are not perfect now, and they will continue to remain imperfect. He has written clearly.

Dr. Patel: So this, our science, is a science of māyā. Not the science of spirit. Am I right?

Prabhupāda: No.

Dr. Patel: The science deals with all the earthly things.

Prabhupāda: Even an earthly thing, that does not mean you shall commit mistake. Two plus two equal to four, that is earthly thing. But if you make two plus two equal to five...

Dr. Patel: One.

Prabhupāda: That is not...

Dr. Patel: If you make two plus two is equal to one, then that is spiritual. (laughs)

Prabhupāda: No, no. Apart from spiritual, they are talking and again changing. Sometimes they say two plus two equal to four, sometimes they say two plus two equal to five, and then next they say two plus two equal to three. This is going on. So where is you truth? (break) ...the mūḍhas.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: So you criticize the person who is keeping the statue within a temple, "the heathen worship, idol worship," and you keep your father's statue exposed for passing stool on his head.

Guest (4): You know, if you're going to liken it unto that, I can also liken it unto your statues down here in your temple...

Prabhupāda: No, take it as statue, but where is good sense, to keep a statue within a temple or to keep it open field for passing stool by the birds?

Guest (4): Okay, here is some of my good sense. You've got your statues in your temple, and I notice there were a lot of flies in there the other night crawling all over it and doing their, whatever they do.

Prabhupāda: So do you mean a fly coming and crow passing stool is the same thing? Very good sense.

Morning Walk -- April 24, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: They are mūḍhas. Even they see it, still, they do not believe.

Guru-kṛpā: They're envious, that we can do it and they can't. If you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then it could be done. If you want to struggle yourself, then you have to struggle. That one lady was.... They were criticizing how we have such big building and everything, and then you invited her to come and stay with us and she wouldn't do it.

Prabhupāda: So we shall go again or go back?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: We can go again if you like.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: There is time. They are very much attached to their sinful activities.

Prabhupāda: The stool, you take them and keep it apart. They will go again to the stool. Nature's way, they must suffer. So-called philanthropic activities, welfare activities—useless. You cannot do any welfare activity; you must suffer. Only way you can do them some good, inducing them chanting, that's all. Otherwise no possibility.

Room Conversation -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand:

Devotee (2): Last week we wrote letters to the newspaper, and they published them, showing our view. And in Whangarei.... It's another city, a hundred miles from here. It's near the farm up north, and the devotees chant there. And the businessmen complained. And the devotees wrote a letter criticizing the materialistic businessmen, and that they didn't care for the people, only they wanted money. And they printed it this big in the newspaper, completely criticizing, and the people liked it. They put it in everything, word for word what the devotees said. So it was good.

Prabhupāda: So there is agitation against chanting. That is also good. Yes, "Hare Kṛṣṇa is bad." (laughs)

Morning Walk -- May 27, 1976, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: "Everyone says that I am very learned man, but I am so learned that I do not even know what I am. I'm so learned." (Bengali) This is admission of foolishness.

Hari-śauri: His first question was, "Tell... Please tell me who I am."

Prabhupāda: Yes. They do not know who he is, and he's philosophize. Calendar..., calendar? Is criticizing ladle?

Hari-śauri: Oh, colander.

Prabhupāda: Colander.

Devotee (3): Full of holes.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (3): Hole is used for straining, so many holes....

Prabhupāda: So many holes, and he's criticizing me, "Oh, you have got a hole. (Bengali) These rascal, they do not know whether he's this body or something other than body, and they're philosopher. The basic principle of knowledge is lacking, and they're philosopher. Cheater.

Morning Walk -- June 5, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: (laughing) This is too much.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Even you were challenging their gurus. That they get very angry at. Sataji will always tell me, "I like your Prabhupāda very much. But he is always criticizing all of our gurus."

Rāmeśvara: Like Ramakrishna and this cheater magician.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "He calls them cheaters, rascals, rogues, in public." At all the pāṇḍāls you used to do that. Oh, they couldn't stand it.

Hari-śauri: That man that stopped me in the street...

Prabhupāda: What can I say? Kṛṣṇa says. I am simply a child, repeating the words of Kṛṣṇa.

Garden Conversation -- June 8, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: You wanted this body. Therefore you have got this body. You wanted. Just like a child asks the father, "Give me this dress." Father gives him, "All right, take this dress." You wanted a certain type of body. Just like the surfers. They want a body like fish. Therefore they are so much anxious to swim. So father will give him next body a fish.

Rāmeśvara: He was saying that some people criticize us that we are saying this is God's creation, yet we are always speaking of it in a very bad way.

Prabhupāda: Very bad way?

Trivikrama: The bad way is also the mercy of the Lord to help us realize that...

Prabhupāda: No, no. Bad way, good way, man proposes, God disposes. You want something, bad or good.... Actually, everything is bad. This body or the fish's body or the dog's body, that is all material body. So everything is bad. But I prefer to get the body of a human being or a dog or a fish or a bird. That is my choice. So God gives you that body. Everywhere God's mercy is there, because whatever you want, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). In the material world, you have come to enjoy. You cannot enjoy. You are thinking.... Just like child. He's playing with something for sometime, again taking another thing, again taking another thing, childish.

Morning Walk -- June 9, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Because they do not know what is the aim of life. (break) ...one center. With center, you can draw so many circles, big or small; they will not overlap. But if you have got different center, it will overlap. Your circle will come upon me; my circle will go upon.... So there is svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum. They do not know the central point is Kṛṣṇa.

Rāmeśvara: People sometimes criticize us that if our movement becomes very large and everyone chants Hare Kṛṣṇa, no one will want to become a doctor or technician, and everything will fall to hell.

Prabhupāda: Why don't you say if your movement goes on, there will be no need of that. (laughter)

Kīrtirāja: No lawyers.

Prabhupāda: No need. Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Bas. That's all.

Room Conversation -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles:

Hari-śauri: People don't know how they'll survive if they don't get money.

Prabhupāda: No. We are actual examples. We are not after economic development, but we are after following Kṛṣṇa's instructions.

Nalinīkaṇṭha: People criticize us sometimes because they always see...

Prabhupāda: No, what do we care for them? We go on with our own business.

Bharadvāja: Actually, they are all envious because they see that without working we are getting such nice facility.

Prabhupāda: No, we are working, but working for Kṛṣṇa.

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: Monkeys also. So monkey's the forefather of Darwin. Better kill them so that there is no opportunity of criticism that "You are coming from monkey." You extinct this species. It is rather insulting. If I say that you are descendant of monkey, then it is insult. So extinct this monkey. I don't think there is monkey here. Africa there is monkey. You have been in Africa? There are monkey-eating birds. Top of the tree, monkey, they catch up on the head and drop it from high. And then they take it. (pause) There was a boat which belonged to this house. I think he has sold it.

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: Just see. There is story like that. One saintly person was sitting, and some karmīs came, that: "You are escaping, you are not working." So he said, "Why shall I work?" "You'll get money." "So what shall I do with the money?" "Then you can live peacefully." "I am living peacefully. Why shall I work?" (laughs) So they want to earn money, keep a good bank balance, and at the end of the life they want to live very peacefully, without any working. But if somebody is living peacefully without working, they will criticize him. Envious. They will accuse him, "You are escaping." If the end is this, and I shall live peacefully without any work—I am doing that in my own standard—why you are bothering me?

Prabhupada Visits Palace and Garden -- June 22, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Kīrtanānanda: Barking for the last thirty years.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Nobody has criticized them. They have taken it seriously; otherwise, why they have published? Yes, that's right. What they have done except barking? "I am American," "I am Russian," "I am this," "I am that," that's all. If you keep them dogs and hogs and, nicely dressed, they go to United Nations and talk of unity, is it possible? Can the dogs and hogs can unite? Common sense. You bring all the dogs of this neighborhood and ask them "Don't bark now. Live peacefully," (laughter) will they be able? (laughs) The United Nation is like that. They're kept as dogs and they're advised, "Now keep peacefully." Is it possible? They have no common sense even. First of all, let them become human beings. Conference is going on, big conference, and Jawaharlal Nehru has imitated, that in the conference there are different languages, different..., but if somebody is speaking in any language you'll hear it in your own language. Remember? In New Delhi he has done that.

Room Conversation -- July 7, 1976, Baltimore:

Prabhupāda: You cannot do anything which is beyond your power. But you are limited, your power is limited, that you must agree. Your power is not unlimited. You are finite. That you must admit.

Ravīndra-svarūpa: Then they say "Yes, we may be limited and our inductive process may be imperfect, but, you may criticize, but you have to show us something better."

Prabhupāda: I may not show, but as I give you example, that you have manufactured 747 and God has manufactured mosquito. You do that. We are... I am layman, but I see there is another, better manufacturer than you. I may be layman, but I can see that you cannot do it. If you say you can do it, then you are rascal. I must say that you are rascal. First of all do, then speak. You take your credit, as much as you have done. But if you want to take the place of God, then we must slap you right and left. (laughter) We cannot give better credit than God to anyone. That is our business. Asamordhva. There is nobody equal to God, nobody is greater than God. This is our preaching. So you cannot claim equal to God. No question of becoming greater than God. You cannot become even equal to God. You are always under. You admit it, then we have no quarrel with you. You admit that "Yes, we are under God," then we are friends.

Room Conversation -- July 7, 1976, Baltimore:

Prabhupāda: You refute.

Devotee: We can publish that and also our refutation?

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is nice. We invite, "All right, come on."

Devotee: "Criticize, and we will defeat you."

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is fighting.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: That will be very good.

Devotee: Yes, it will be more interesting. The more fight, the more people like it.

Prabhupāda: So, we shall have to go now?

Rūpānuga: I think it's best if we would drive back now to Washington.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Let us go.

Arrival Comments in Car to Temple -- July 9, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: They think that we unnecessarily criticize. But we require everything. But just like a man. When he's alive his decoration, his nice dress, everything is very good. But if he's dead, then it is useless. Similarly, without spiritual consciousness we are dead. Because the body is dead. Because the spirit soul is there, therefore it is moving. The important point is the spirit soul. So if you are simply taking care of the body very nicely, that means you are decorating the dead body. What is the value of it? It is clear? The body is important because the soul is there. So long the life is there, if you decorate the body everyone will appreciate. But if you decorate the dead body, people will say "What a fool he is!" Aprāṇasya hi dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. That is simply a popular applause, "Ah, the dead body is decorated," but what is the value of it? Similarly, without spiritual knowledge, this dead civilization simply on the bodily concept of life, it is ludicrous. That we have to condemn. Take Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then everything is... Just like one, if there is zero, then it is ten. Another zero, hundred. But without one, simply zero; it is only useless.

Room Conversation -- July 10, 1976, New York:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He used to get very angry. He said, "I like your Prabhupāda very much, but why does he have to criticize all of our gurus?"

Prabhupāda: Now he is realizing.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Because at Cross Maidan you were speaking very boldly that all these others are cheating.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they are cheating. Is there any meaning that you pay so many dollars and take the mantra? Mantra is such a thing for business?

Evening Darsana -- July 11, 1976, New York:

Indian man (3): Not blindly.

Prabhupāda: Not blindly. But you must know... Just like if you accept the government, and the government orders, "This man should be hanged," you have to accept it. You cannot protest that "The government has ordered this man should be hanged. It should be protested." And who will care for your protest? Government is government. You cannot criticize. You may criticize on account of your less intelligence, but government order is all. Is it not? If government orders that "This man should be hanged," can you say anything against it? It will not be accepted. Similarly, if you know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, then as Arjuna said, sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yan māṁ vadasi keśava (BG 10.14). Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitram (BG 10.12). Unless you understand Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's personality, you will try to weight the strength of His words, the value of His words. But if you understand other statement... Just like Kṛṣṇa says mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7), "I am the supreme authority." So if He is the supreme authority, then whatever He has said, it is all right. But if you have doubt about He's supreme authority, then you will find out His fault. That is the defect.

Morning Walk -- July 11, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: That is ignorance. So this education, this civilization is so dangerous that everyone is kept in the darkness. And when he dies, this everything is finished, he's going to accept. Whatever body nature gives him, he has to accept.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sometimes people criticize us that we are talking too much about death.

Prabhupāda: Because we are not fool like you. Because as sure as death. But you are so fool you do not think of it. So we are not rascal like you. This is the difference. We take practical reality, but you are such a fool you don't care for the reality. So we are not so fool like you are.

Morning Walk -- July 12, 1976, New York:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (break) ...political satires. Critic of the government put the criticism in the form of a children's story, but indirectly was criticizing the government.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...reason they cannot keep this park neat and clean? In other cities they keep.

Ādi-keśava: They cannot pay the workers.

Prabhupāda: How is that? In America, city, New York, they cannot pay?

Hari-śauri: New York almost went bankrupt.

Interview with Newsday Newspaper -- July 14, 1976, New York:

Hari-śauri: That you have to see. You have to judge whether you are going to get that result.

Prabhupāda: Yes. People... Whether he is coming to God consciousness or dog consciousness, two things are there. Consciousness means when he understands that "I am part and parcel of God. I am servant of God." Then it is all right. But if he is thinking that "I am servant of dog," then it is not proper way.

Interviewer: Your movement has been criticized.

Prabhupāda: Well, how it is criticized? How it is criticized?

Interviewer: People have said that it works against the family, it works against Western society, that you...

Prabhupāda: No, here is a family man.

Interviewer: Hm?

Prabhupāda: Here is a family man.

Interview with Newsday Newspaper -- July 14, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: All family members, children, husband, wife, they are present there. How do you say it is against family? Wrong criticism. This is...

Interviewer: Are your followers encouraged to visit with their...

Prabhupāda: No, first of all you take your answer one by one. You say, "against the family." It is a wrong. It is a wrong propaganda. Oh, there are so many families in our society. It is a society. There are family members. There are brahmacārīs. There are sannyāsīs and vānaprastha. Whatever situation is suitable for you, you can accept, and in any situation, you can become God conscious. That's a wrong propaganda, that we are against family. Here is a wife of a boy. They have family. There are so many families. Why do you say like that, "We are against family? It's a wrong. You should note it especially that this type of criticism is envious. It is not proper. We invite all families, children, husband, wife, "Come on. Take Kṛṣṇa consciousness."

Room Conversation -- July 17, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: In South America there was a great criticism?

Hari-śauri: South Africa.

Prabhupāda: South Africa.

Indian man: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Of Satya Sai.

Hari-śauri: One man, he challenged that he could prove that Sai Baba is a fake. So he's written so many letters to Sai Baba to challenge him, but he's never received a reply. So that paper gave this article criticizing Sai Baba like that and other gurus, and then in the same paper there was a very nice article concerning our Jagannātha Cart Festival. So practically they were appreciating that Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is bona fide and these other people are nonsense.

Room Conversation -- July 19, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Somebody should send this clipping, not our men, to...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: To your Godbrothers.

Prabhupāda: To Indira Gandhi.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Some Indian people.

Prabhupāda: She is little anxious to cooperate with Americans, because the most criticism for his (her) present act... Everyone will criticize, the Americans have criticized like anything, and they are thinking that the American people are... Actually, her nation is under danger. (end)

Conversation at House of Ksirodakasayi dasa -- July 25, 1976, London:

Prabhupāda: The difficulty is that in India, in different parts of India different standard. Somebody says, "This standard is good"; somebody says, "This standard is good."

Kṣīrodakaśāyī: Well, we are not worried about the criticism.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Kṣīrodakaśāyī: We are not worried about the criticism, anybody say. What you say we'll take that one line, the guide line.

Prabhupāda: No, I am not authority in Hindi, but this Hindi, different parts of India, a different standard.

Kṣīrodakaśāyī: Yes, that's true. That is why I had not depend on myself. It going from the four people different, one after another, and they are qualified Sanskrit and Hindi scholars.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Let it be published.

Room Conversation -- July 27, 1976, London:

Harikeśa: Some people think.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they are some. They are not all. Even they criticize that "You cannot see Kṛṣṇa." So similar argument can be, "You do not see Lenin. Why you are worshiping?" That's it. "Is Lenin present before you? So why you are worshiping?" You'll see. You have got, in Moscow got, every street corner a big picture.

Room Conversation -- August 2, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: Our Bon Mahārāja, once I was eating in his festival and... He's a bara-sahib. So he has given fork and knife. (laughs) So I did not know, I do not remember even which way I took fork. So Bon Mahārāja began to criticize "You are going to foreign country you do not know which hand to take this fork and knife." So I told him, "I am not going to learn all these things. I am going to teach them something else, to forget it. (laughter) You went to learn all these things. But I am not going to learn anything."

Room Conversation -- August 2, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: They used to advertise like that.

Hari-śauri: Then they could exploit and avoid criticism.

Prabhupāda: Yes, so many bad things Britishers introduced. Bad things means Western type of civilization.

Hari-śauri: Sometimes people, they say, we're always glorifying Indian culture, so why are they so badly off? So we tell them it's because they've give up the culture that they're badly off. Otherwise, a hundred years ago there was no problem. (end)

Room Conversation -- August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Bhagavān: One time you said that they criticized you when you were going to America because you did not know about the knife and the fork?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Bon Mahārāja. And the book English Etiquette. Very big book. How to sit, how to laugh, how to smile, how to pass water, how to this... (laughter) And they would learn it and waste time. (pause) So, if you grow more, and offer fruits to the Deity in the evening, and this will be very nice. You can distribute that.

Bhagavān: Would you like to go for a walk soon? I'll get everything ready. The palanquin was nice?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, everything is nice. In the morning also you give me fresh fruit and that milk and medicine, that's all. And when I'm (indistinct), someday we can take puri and... (end)

Room Conversation with Professor Francois Chenique -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Bhūgarbha: He agrees. He's saying that he wishes-he's not criticizing in any way—but he wants that your books have a better audience, then more people will accept them. And he feels that if the French, the way that the French has been written, is changed, we'll have a better audience, it will reach higher.

Prabhupāda: But that is from scholarship point of view. But our point is this Bhāgavata must be presented by bhāgavata. And there is no much scholarship required. Just like Bhāgavata begins with the words janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). This Sanskrit word means the Absolute Truth is that from where everything emanates. Now that Absolute Truth further explained: anvayād itarataś ca abhijñaḥ svarāṭ. That Absolute Truth is aware of everything, directly and indirectly, of all this creation. In this way, if you step-by-step study, it is not very difficult so far the word meanings are concerned, but it is a question of realization. Unless one is realized, he cannot explain properly. That is the secret. Therefore we have given the life of Caitanya Mahāprabhu in our Bhāgavatam because He's living Bhāgavatam.

Evening Darsan -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:
Prabhupāda: He was not a coward, but he's good reasonable man, that "We are all brothers. They want to rule over. Let them rule over. Why fight?" Sometimes it is misunderstood, Kṛṣṇa is misunderstood, that Arjuna is such a nice man, he didn't want to fight, and Kṛṣṇa's inducing him "Yes, you must fight." It is puzzling. God is inducing a good man to fight, who does not want to fight. It is really puzzling. Is it not? Arjuna is a good, nice man, that "After all, it is family property. So other brothers, they want to rule it over. Let them do it. I shall better beg only. Why shall I kill them?" It is good proposal. Very nice gentleman's proposal. And Kṛṣṇa said, "No, you must fight." So that Kṛṣṇa's position is very awkward, that He'll induce such a good man to fight. So superficially one can criticize, "How is this? What kind of God you have got, Kṛṣṇa, that He induces a very nice gentleman to fight in the family?" Superficially, it is like that. But they do not know that this is foolishness, to deny the order of Kṛṣṇa. So who can understand this philosophy? Unless one is a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he cannot understand. From superficial angle of vision, Kṛṣṇa is inducing a nice gentleman to fight, and we are worshiping that Kṛṣṇa? So it is very puzzling. "Your God is like that? What kind of God you have got? Inducing gentleman to fight amongst family?" They can criticize.
Room Conversation -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: But if you want philosophy, the aim of life, the destination of life, then we can talk, what is the destination of life, what is required. If you criticize me, then I can criticize you also.

Jñānagamya: Then we must take it to the absolute platform in order to actually have a sincere argument, to make a sincere decision.

Prabhupāda: Yes. There is no end of such things. Therefore unless one accepts a person guru, there is no need of talking. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Unless one accepts somebody as guru, the instruction will not be fruitful. Just like Arjuna is accepting Kṛṣṇa as guru. So long he was talking as friend, it was not effective. Arjuna therefore decided... Find out that verse, kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ.

Room Conversation -- August 11, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: So you have to create people to have faith in Kṛṣṇa. If people are going by faith, so you have to create this faith that Kṛṣṇa (indistinct). They can create, you can create. And they criticize our destiny theory, believing in the destiny. They criticize it. So why they'll depend on chance theory? What is the difference, destiny and chance?

Devotee (2): Destiny means there is controller.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Devotee (2): Destiny means there is a controller.

Prabhupāda: That's all right, but they cannot explain what is this controller; therefore they disbelieve. Just like yesterday we were discussing that atheist class, that they are by chance there was lusty desires and there was pregnancy and there will be child. So we say, "No. Daiva-netreṇa. These things have been arranged by superior authorities." This is destiny, that what is already arranged by superior authority, that is destiny. You cannot change it. A man is ordered to be hanged by court justice, you cannot change. He is to be hanged. And they will say, "By chance he will be hanged."

Morning Walk -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: Obstinate. It is perverted reflection of love. Actually, it is... They say it is love. The sahajiyās in Vṛndāvana, they have got connection with woman. If you criticize them, say "Why you are connected with illicit sex?" "What is the wrong there? It is love." They say it is love.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: What is their definition of love?

Prabhupāda: Rascals, they are all... These sahajiyās, you'll find most of them illiterate. Not a single of them is even literate, they are so low class. Most of them they come to Vṛndāvana... Why Vṛndāvana? There are many other places. Their aim is woman and money. Just like these swamis and yogis, they come.

Morning Walk -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: And if your electricity fails, you'll go to hell. (laughter) This is no argument. That is obstinate rascal's argument. That one, they were eating yogurt. Everyone said, "Oh, very first-class, nice yogurt." Everyone was saying. So there was the obstinate rascal, he has to find out some fault. He said, "Yes, it is very nice, but if we keep it three days it will be bad." He's not thinking of the present, but he has to criticize it, that if you keep it three days it will become bad. That is all right, but what you are tasting now, talking of that. When there will be rain, you'll have to go in the room—this is no argument. This is obstinate rascaldom. We're talking of this. If accident and this and that, then in everywhere that will... That I've already replied, if there is electricity failure, then it is...

Press Interview at Muthilal Rao's House -- August 17, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: There are so many "isms." If I go to criticize and study, it will take most of our time. Better positively present what you want. If you like you can take it, that's all. There are so many "isms." When we become animal, then we manufacture so many "isms."

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca
buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām
(BG 2.41)

Those who are not fixed up, they have got so many "isms," and those who are fixed up, they have got one "ism"—that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). We are teaching that.

Room Conversation -- August 20, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: This is morality. "You commit immorality as much as you like. You simply admit it. Then it's right" (indistinct) This is their propaganda. They do not want to stop immorality. "You do, and don't hide it—you admit." But persons are so shameless that they will continually do, and they have no shamefulness to hide even. That is the Christian theory, that "Our religion is so... Maybe we are unable to remain without any sin. Christ will excuse us." Is it not? This is going on. This is.

Saurabha: They're also criticized a lot there. They have been criticized a lot there locally. People, they think they are CIA.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Us?

Saurabha: No. The MRA. Because they have big meetings twice a year only.

Prabhupāda: The MRA, they are Americans?

Saurabha: Yes. Most are Europeans, Americans.

Prabhupāda: This movement was started by President Eisenhower with the help of a Christian priest.

Room Conversation About Blitz News Clipping -- August 21, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: So "You are not genuine. Therefore we are not appreciating." Genuine they appreciate. "But you are not genuine. Therefore we are criticizing you."

Pradyumna: "As far back as 1971 the Maharastra government had taken action against the foreign devotees who had chosen to overstay in Bombay and elsewhere."

Gargamuni: That isn't true. Their action was to allow us to build our Bombay center.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, that's not true.

Pradyumna: "In mid 1975 the Union Home Ministry took, however, a lenient view and allowed the immigrants to stay for long periods on the specious plea that the mastering of Vaiṣṇava literature, the spiritual diet of the cultists, was not like learning shorthand." Then heading: "Contrary Pulls in Government." "Lately, of course, the center has become wise, though contrary pulls in the thinking process still persist. This was quite evident at the Raj..."

Prabhupāda: This article no sane man will take notice of it. No sane man will like. It is not very important article.

Room Conversation About Blitz News Clipping -- August 21, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: So this paper is against Sai Baba also?

Pradyumna: No. On the front page it says... Because he is doing a lot of educational... He has made all these universities and health centers and everything. So it says that he is doing good to the people. So for that reason they said, "We don't want to see him criticized."

Hari-śauri: They're supporting him.

Prabhupāda: So the case is already in the court?

Pradyumna: No, it is just a challenge. The Bangalore University, some people at Bangalore University want to investigate his things. And then Sai Baba sometimes, he won't submit to be examined.

Prabhupāda: He submits?

Pradyumna: They want to have him come and examine him, that, "Do it and let us see."

Room Conversation -- August 22, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: When the Englishmen were ruling over this country and Gandhi had to do so much labor, his life sacrificed, some way or other they were gone. Now the same Englishman is working here as book distributor. (laughs) Who was our ruler. So whose achievement is better? Gandhi's or mine?

Gargamuni: Yours.

Prabhupāda: And one Englishman is giving me massage. This rascal criticizing. But they have come to me for money? They are poor or they are illiterate fools? They have come to me for money or some material gain? No. Unless they are convinced about the spiritual gain, why they should give me such service? They have no eyes to see.

Room Conversation with Endowments Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh -- August 22, 1976, Hyderabad:

Commissioner: They don't have people. They said, "We don't have men even for our own missions."

Prabhupāda: No. How long they can go on with false pretense? And these people, they have no idea what is spiritual life. It is a profession for collecting money. So if you... We do not like to criticize. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kanayalal Munshi, he did not believe there is life after death or he did not believe there is Kṛṣṇa, fact. This is the founder. So what is their knowledge? And Vivekananda made Nārāyaṇa daridra. So this is their manufacturing ideas. They have no sound knowledge, vacant. They are misled themselves, and they will mislead others. This is going on. But if you say that, "You are the only man?" I can say, "Yes, I am the only man" at the present moment. You believe or not believe. And why? Because I am following Kṛṣṇa's instructions. That's all. I do not touch anything. That is our process.

Meeting with Endowments Commissioner -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:
Prabhupāda: We'll not touch a single farthing of your money, but we can give you direction, "Spend it like that." And government men, you can see that we are not touching a single farthing of your money, but it is being spent for Kṛṣṇa's mission. That you can believe. It is the duty of the government men to see that people may not misrepresent. That is the Vedic injunction. Pṛthu Mahārāja was to see that a brāhmaṇa is doing, acting like brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya is doing like kṣatriya. So it is government's duty to see that Bālajī's money, Kṛṣṇa's money, is to the farthing spent for His mission. That is your duty. That is government's duty, that nothing is misused, nothing is misrepresented. But we know how to execute the mission of Kṛṣṇa. Anyone can know because direction is there. It is not a secret thing. It is open secret. But you have to act upon it. That requires training. And so far my experience goes, the whole world will take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Unfortunately, I am struggling single-handed. And they are criticizing me in the Parliament. You have seen the recent article Blitz against me? What is that heading? "Ungodly face." I am doing ungodly? But they are advertising like that. Trying to make me unpopular. The Māyāvādīs, they say that Bhaktivedanta Swami is ruining Hinduism. They are saying like that. (Hindi) So I am being criticized in Parliament, I am criticized by the so-called jagad-gurus who have never seen what is jagat. And so on, so on.
Meeting with Endowments Commissioner -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: No librarian, no university, no scholar, no professor is refusing. As soon as we go, "Oh, yes, bring. We shall take." So I am bringing money from the foreign countries by my selling books, and they are criticizing me that I am C.I.A. Just see the fun. And there is nobody to give me protection.

Indian man: Not Lord giving protection? (laughter)

Prabhupāda: No, Lord, giving, giving. That I am confident. Because they are envious, "How Bhaktivedanta Swami is getting so much money? He's paying crores and crores. There must be some political..." As they are getting from Russia. But actually, I am selling. I am working night, writing these books, and these boys are helping me to sell it. I am getting enough money to spend it. What is my fault? For Kṛṣṇa's sake we have sacrificed everything, our life and everything and Kṛṣṇa is giving us money and we are spending it and they are criticizing in the Parliament. This is my misfortune. I don't take it as misfortune. Because asuras are always there. Even Kṛṣṇa's time.

Minister: They are criticizing, but not...

Prabhupāda: Because we are getting so much money. For this temple we have spent... ten lakhs?

Meeting With Member of Parliament, Mr. Krishna Modi -- August 31, 1976, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Even not in our favor. I am working hard in foreign countries and bringing money to India. You should give us some credit. But instead of giving credit, I am being criticized in the Parliament.

Krishna Modi: They are putting like this. They are putting this case like that, that foreign money is coming here to advertise the American embassies, like that. They are that talking like that.

Prabhupāda: They may talk nonsense, but this is the fact. This is the fact. I have got my Book Trust Fund and I've advised regularly to send eight lakhs of rupees per month. That is being spent in Bombay, in... I'm not collecting from here.

Krishna Modi: That is correct.

Prabhupāda: So if an Indian brings from foreign country by his labor eight lakhs of rupees per month, how much credit he should be given? He should be recognized. But instead of recognizing they are criticizing.

Room Conversation -- September 9, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: It is a question of culture. Culture. She was king's daughter, royal, and married her with a muni, old, rotten. Older than me. All the skin has become slackened. But still she was serving him just like worshipable lord. The age difference is great-grandfather and great-granddaughter. You'll find in Bhāgavatam. Lord Śiva, he could not construct even a house. He was living underneath a tree. And his wife, Durgā, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā (Bs. 5.44). She can create a new world, so powerful, Durgā. She's living with her husband underneath a tree. Never claims, "My dear husband, if you cannot, I can make one." There is a story about that. That, "People criticize us. All right, let us have some house." So Lord Śiva, Durgā, both of them capable to do anything. So they constructed a very nice gold house. "Now we shall live." So there is new house entering ceremony. So one Gargamuni was invited as brāhmaṇa. Many other brāhmaṇas. So they began to eat so much... That story I'm now forgetting. Then whatever stock they have finished, when, after eating, when they wanted, "Give us dakṣiṇā." Because after eating there is... So Lord Śiva, where shall I get everything? I have finished." Then they became puzzled what to do. So Lord Śiva said, "All right, you take this house." Again they became underneath a tree. (laughs) "All right, as dakṣiṇā you take this house. Don't bother." Their house entrance ceremony was there. As a result of that ceremony they became again underneath a tree. (About someone else:) What they're doing? (end)

Room Conversation -- September 11, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Everyone can say like that. What you have done as God? God is an Indian. Making things very complicated.

Hari-śauri: Yes, and this man goes on to describe the aura. He goes on to describe how spiritual his presence is. They chant oṁkāra. They chant oṁkāra.

Prabhupāda: So, anything about us? He criticized "God is an Indian," that is a criticism.

Hari-śauri: No, no. This is a glorification. He's a nationalist; so he's saying God is an Indian. 'Cause it's supposed to be very good.

Prabhupāda: How God can be Indian? Then how he's God? God must be for everyone. An Indian God.

Hari-śauri: He says here that he is the image of Kṛṣṇa incarnate.

Prabhupāda: He says?

Hari-śauri: He says, "They say that he's Śiva and Pārvatī combined together. He certainly embodies both masculinity and femininity. Kṛṣṇa, as we read of Him in the scriptures, must have resembled Swamiji. His walk is that of a dancer floating in a graceful movement."

Prabhupāda: All right. I will take rest.

Room Conversation -- October 4, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: People have got already very respect now for the... (break) You should maintain the temple. They already call it iṁrej (English) temple. But still people come. But if you make a mleccha temple... Actually, (laughs) they can say like that, but still, they come. But their awe and veneration may be disturbed, may not be disturbed. That is management.

Hari-śauri: One of the things they haven't been able to criticize us for is our Deity worship.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Hari-śauri: One of the things they can't criticize is our Deity worship because it's a lot better than anywhere else.

Prabhupāda: But you are not above criticism.

Hari-śauri: Oh no, they criticize us for plenty of other things. That's one point, that was one point in our favor, so we should maintain it.

Prabhupāda: The servant should be kept only when it is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, everything should be done by us.

Room Conversation -- October 26, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: He harassed. "He has not increased my..." Hearing and hearing, he wants to go. So why not, if he found some real disciplic succession, some bābājī, why he did not remain there? He is criticizing that our is not in the proper succession. So why he did not remain where he found the proper succession? Why he's sometimes in Vṛndāvana, sometimes Delhi, sometimes here. Why he is loitering? Crazy. Unfortunate. Unnecessarily picking out some trouble.

Room Conversation -- October 26, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: The bābājīs, they are against anything preaching. They are very, very much against preaching. So I am preaching. Bābājīs, the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, and all of them, their idea is that I am ruining this bhajana and Hindu dharma. This is the propaganda. What I am writing, they are all wrong. And they are making... And they try to poison my disciples as far as possible so that the whole institution may be poisoned and break. This is their propaganda.

Hari-śauri: That was one thing that Nitāi put in his letter, that the teachings of ISKCON are completely opposite or contradictory to what is actually in the śāstra.

Prabhupāda: Now he has become tiger. He wants to kill that philosophy. When he did not know anything he came to us. Now he has become learned, he wants to criticize. The same philosophy. "You have made me tiger, now I can see you are my eatable." (laughs) He could not find out any other eatable. "I shall eat you." The rascal. What can be done? (end)

Room Conversation on New York court case -- November 2, 1976, Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Then do that. Hold a meeting among the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas here, and I will explain the position. Now we should combine together and fight. As soon as you introduce something strong, there will be fight. There will be fight. Even Kṛṣṇa had to see the fight, Kurukṣetra. Dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ (BG 1.1). The fight must be there, yuyutsavaḥ. So if you belong to Caitanya Mahāprabhu's party, then you should come out to fight. Whatever done is done, and it is done single-handed. Nobody has helped me. Even not my god-brothers. These American boys, they have helped me. They understood the philosophy and they helped me. Rather, they are criticizing that I am making these American boys sannyāsī, and giving them sacred thread. They are criticizing. What is your opinion?

Guest: I don't think that...

Prabhupāda: They criticize me. They do not recognize this temple as a Vaiṣṇava temple, they say angrej temple. (laughter)

Room Conversation -- November 15, 1976, Vrndavana:

Devotee: Prasādam party.

Prabhupāda: No, Hare Kṛṣṇas. That will be main thing. At least they will criticize Hare Kṛṣṇa and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (laughter) That's all. We want. (Sanskrit) It is said that. (Sanskrit) If we respect chanting, it is very good, even by neglecting chant, that is also good. Just like Ajamila, he chanted. He never meant "Nārāyaṇa." He meant his son, but he got result. Ante nārāyaṇa smṛtiḥ (SB 2.1.6). He never meant that he's calling for Nārāyaṇa. He did not follow up bhakti. But Nārāyaṇa took care of it that "Now anyway he's chanting 'Nārāyaṇa.' He must come to Vaikuṇṭha."

Room Conversation -- November 25, 1976, Vrndavana:

Hari-śauri: We can get very good wigs.

Prabhupāda: No, no, there is no need. It is simply... That is also mental concoction. Nowadays, if you go with coat-pant shaven headed, nobody will criticize you. It has become a practi... Russians, they used... That Krushchev I have seen. Bald head.

Hari-śauri: Yes, bald head.

Prabhupāda: And so many.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They don't have a śikhā, that's all.

Prabhupāda: Oh? It is practice only.

Morning Walk -- December 25, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: They'll not take it: "No! What is this Swamiji...? Mahatma Gandhi says this and this... Tilak says this, this, that." And if we say that they are wrong, then people will criticize, "Oh, he has become more than..." This is the difficulty. We don't say anything except what is said by the great personalities that are Kṛṣṇa conscious. So I am not saying anything of my own manufacture. I am simply saying what Kṛṣṇa has said. But they will reject that. I say that Kṛṣṇa says that you become a Kṛṣṇa's devotee. It is very simple for me. And they will say, "Huh! What is this nonsense Kṛṣṇa? We have seen this Kṛṣṇa. Now we have got this leader." This is the problem. Upadeṣo hi mūrkhāṇāṁ prakopāya na śāntaye. (Hindi)

Morning Walk -- December 25, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Film-wala...? What is his name?

Girirāja: Devanand?

Prabhupāda: Yes. He purposefully criticized this movement by Hare Kṛṣṇa film.

Guest (1): Yes, yes, I have seen that film.

Prabhupāda: We are going on. He is finished. His film is finished, but we are going on. But he tried purposefully that "This is a hippie movement."

Guest (1): Yes, "Hippie movement, bhāng, gāñjā, and all sex and perversion of all sorts."

Guest (2): This cloud on the movement in America, is that vanishing?

Prabhupāda: It will vanish.

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- December 26, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: You are criticizing the bāniyās. The bāniyās criticize the doctor. (laughter)

Dr. Patel: And doctor criticizes you.

Prabhupāda: Bāniyās say, they say, nal jal jachuri tene dhaturi.(?)

Dr. Patel: Nal jal?

Prabhupāda: Jachuri.(?)

Dr. Patel: Jachuri means?

Prabhupāda: Cheating. (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) Or all cheating words.

Morning Walk -- December 28, 1976, Bombay:

Yaśomatīnandana: There are two other versions of Bhāgavatam. There also, Śrīdhara Svāmī has been considered the best commentator.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepts. Svāmī nā māne yei jana veśyāra bhitare. Everyone has given. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, iti svāmī caraṇa kahe.(?) Jīva Gosvāmī, all authorities, they accept. And why they are criticizing Śrīdhara Svāmī?

Girirāja: That is the main point.

Prabhupāda: That is the main point. If you can criticize Śrīdhara Svāmī, then your criticism, why you take the criticism. Then others, you must be judged.

Indian devotee: Because all of the (indistinct) gurus, they are all devotees now, all of them.

Prabhupāda: So what they are going to answer to this? Will you accept everything? Ask them. So when the (indistinct), but exposes you, what answer you have got? Why you are silent? Silent means acceptance. Maunam (indistinct). If I say, "You are rascal, you are thief," and if you don't reply that means you accept it. Maunam (indistinct). If you do not protest, and if you do not say anything, so such a big criticism from (indistinct) and they are silent. Why do they not go to the court? Bluff (indistinct). That means he accepts. (indistinct) has been made here? (static—very indistinct for some time) (Hindi)

Morning Walk -- December 28, 1976, Bombay:

Yaśomatīnandana: But they cannot say anything against Gauḍīya Sampradāya because Vallabhācārya glorified Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They cannot say anything against Caitanya Mahāprabhu because Vallabhācārya glorified Him.

Prabhupāda: No. He has written to (indistinct)?

Girirāja: Yes. He made another point, that is Vallabhācārya actually considered Caitanya Mahāprabhu as his superior. Then after this incident, still, he criticized Śrīdhara Swami. So that means he did not accept Caitanya Mahāprabhu as superior.

Prabhupāda: There is no question of accept. He was plainly defeated. Because he said that (indistinct). Even Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted his invitation after this. He also invited and he also (indistinct) ...talk like that. Not only that, Caitanya Mahāprabhu criticized, but as soon as Vallabhācārya invited, He accepted. There was no enviousness. Rather friendly, sometimes they call others are (indistinct). Otherwise why Caitanya Mahāprabhu would accept invitation from Vallabhācārya. But they are habituated to criticize (indistinct). That Caitanya Mahāprabhu chastised him: "Why should you think like that?" In a friendly way. (indistinct) They are still criticizing Śrīdhara Swami, and if others criticize them, "Why you are criticizing Śrīdhara Swami?" There is no answer. This is the position. (indistinct—only fragments of conversation audible for some time)

Hari-śauri: They have no (indistinct) because they even refute one other in the śāstra. They would criticize that Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja made mistakes when he wrote the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Prabhupāda: They say like that?

Morning Walk -- December 29, 1976, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: Gomath, gangath.(?)

Prabhupāda: No no. Kane. After... Because formerly the girls were married early. So after getting puberty there is one ceremony, it is called diti-abhi-bha.(?) Another ceremony. And then she goes to her husband's house. So she was going there with presentation of father, mother. So she was covered. So another young girl, up-to-date, she was doing like this. They were girls. One can touch another. So once, twice. When it made thrice, that village girl slapped her, "Hut!" I said, "Yes, you have done right." She was thinking, the city girl was thinking, "What is this nonsense?" She wanted to criticize... (laughs)

Room Conversation -- December 31, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Therefore Bhāgavata has criticized all so-called religion.

Dr. Patel: One patient of mine Sardar Patel, he's a old (indistinct) from Hindus and Muslim. And (indistinct) killing of their...

Prabhupāda: Muslims are also restricted... (break) ...for some purpose. Therefore they are called karmīs. Actually, it is for satisfying Viṣṇu. Without Viṣṇu's satisfaction nothing can be done. So those who are desiring some material grants, they used to perform this ritualistic ceremonies. It is not for the devotee.

Room Conversation -- December 31, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: All right. No, no, why you (indistinct). Young man... (break) ...the world... (break) (laughs) So similarly, if one is giving very important service, then even if there is some faulty thing, excuse. Service is so important. So in the Western country the woman can give very good service. Api cet sudarācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). This, our book distribution is the most important task in our society. Therefore I am giving so much stress and I am working so hard on this. Because this is my life and soul according to the order of my Guru Mahārāja. And by his grace it is to some extent successful. And I took it seriously. I take it seriously still now. That is my life and soul. I never tried in India to construct big temples or even in your country we didn't. I never tried. But I was selling personally books. That is the history. Sometimes they are criticizing, "What kind of sannyāsī? He is doing book business." (laughs) The other day that, what is his name? Bachu Hai came. Bachu Hai Dresswalla. You know him?

Girirāja: I know one Madanlal Dresswalla.

Room Conversation -- December 31, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Prem Kutir. So they received me very nicely. So I was going to sell my books. So some of them were criticizing, "What kind of sannyāsī? He's making business bookselling." Not the authorities, but some of them. I was writing book also there.

Girirāja: I saw the room.

Prabhupāda: You have seen? (Śrīla Prabhupāda chuckles) Who showed you?

Girirāja: Hare Krishna Das Agarwal.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. He was very friendly. Actually, he is the organizer, main person. He showed that, "Here Swamiji was cooking." (laughs) Yes. I was guest for fifteen days, that Dalmia. Not this Jayadal, his big brother, Ram-Krishna. He asked me that his family... He wanted to construct a little cottage in his house, "You can live here. I'll give you a nice cottage." I thought, "No, it is not good to be patronized by a viṣayī." This is not good. Fully dependent on a materialistic... And he's first-class materialist.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with C.I.D. Chief -- January 3, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So you expand it. A dog is thinking, "I am this body. I am bulldog," "I am greyhound." And man is also thinking, "I am American," "I am Indian." But they do not know their real identity, and they are fighting like dogs. And this is going on in the name of civilization. And when we put forward Bhagavad-gītā, the first lesson is that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but you are lamenting about the body. But actually..." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ: "So far the body is con..., this is lump of matter. So whether it is dead or alive, nobody seriously think of it, no learned, paṇḍita." Of course, those who are fools, rascal, they can take it. But those who are actually learned, they do not talk about this body. So upon this statement just see the world situation. Everyone is busy on the concept of body. So what is the position of the world? Apaṇḍita, ignorance. And such people are going on as learned scholars, as politicians and leaders and so on. So how there can be peace? If you bring different types of dogs, greyhound and bulldog and Indian dog and bring them—the "United Dog Association" (laughter)—so will there be peace? That is the position. I declared in Melbourne in a public meeting that this United Nation is the unity of barking dog. I told. It was published in the paper. They also criticized me, "The Swami has come to hound." (laughter) But that is actually the fact. If you become impartial judge, not on behalf of CID or anyone, then you see the actual.

Morning Walk -- January 4, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That means another condition. From frying pan to the fire. (laughter) Dharmena hīna paśubhiḥ samaḥ. As soon as you give up religious principles, you are no better than animal. That means he will manufacture. The same disease. "I'll not follow the traditional." This is their death block. That they always think that "I am independent. I can manufacture my way. I can become happy in that way." They're always thinking like that. And in a meeting with hundreds of men claps, that he is his liberated. "Now it is approved." Who is approving? That is criticized by Bhāgavata. Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ (SB 2.3.19). This. They are animals and they are applauding another animal. That's all. Big animal. Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ. These ordinary persons, they are paśu and they are applauding. The man who is applauded, he's another big paśu. That's all.

Morning Walk -- January 4, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: He could not give them right knowledge. Phalena paricīyate. The paricīya is to be understood by the result. The disciple is the result. If they are so fool, then what is the guru?

Dr. Patel: Vaiṣṇava-paramparā, Vallabhācārya, the whole lot is now. I have seen it.

Prabhupāda: They are criticizing us.

Dr. Patel: This thing is the God has to reincarnate Himself again to reestablish bhāgavata-dharma.

Prabhupāda: That is everywhere. If you don't mind, your Swami Nārāyaṇa is also like that.

Dr. Patel: All of them. They are. That is why, I mean, liberation is created by God again by incarnation.

Prabhupāda: They create a cheap God. Real God they reject. That is going on.

Morning Walk -- January 4, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: These things happened by Vallabhācārya. That's a long history generally. They call him Mahāprabhu to make competition with real Mahāprabhu, Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Dr. Patel: Vallabhācārya was disciple of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Prabhupāda: Not disciple. Very admirer. But when He criticized strongly on account of his attacking Śrīdhara Svāmī...

Dr. Patel: Caitanya Mahāprabhu differs in philosophy from Vallabhācārya. He did.

Prabhupāda: Yes. But they were friend, Vallabhācārya and Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So he wanted to present his (indistinct) Gītā to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that "You'll find better than Śrīdhara Svāmī."

Dr. Patel: That is the highest

Prabhupāda: So He became very dissatisfied. He... Because friendly, He said that "If you don't accept svāmī, then you are a veśya." These words He recited, svāmī nā māne yei jana veśyāra. These are there, these words.

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes. They are against us. They criticize us, all the gosvāmīs, the bābājīs. I have become eyesore.

Hari-śauri: Sore for their eyes.

Prabhupāda: Therefore Nitāi left. He was instigated that "Your guru is useless. Find out a better guru and remain in bhajana." This rascal left. He talked with (indistinct). Now where he has gone? Nobody knows where is the paramahaṁsa.

Girirāja: The others are envious.

Prabhupāda: Yes, because they're ordinary men. Man's business is to become envious. An ordinary third-class men, there is always envy. Not only first class, but third class. And what to speak of Vaiṣṇava and paramahaṁsa. Third-class men. And the government is capturing them and giving sterilization because there is record—so many abortions in the American Hospital. The bābājīs are making pregnant the widows, and they are going for abortion. There are many cases, similar, and there is American Hospital.

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Huh? You have done already upasannān. So is Kṛṣṇa unable to maintain you? Why should you go to this blind man? So we go not for our maintenance. We want to engage his hard-earned money to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is our mission. Not for this belly. For belly we refuse to go anywhere. You'll find in Kumbhamela, still there are sādhus, they are not going anywhere. And they are starving? We go-gṛhināṁ dina-cetasām—"This rascal is absorbed in the thought of comfortable life, and he has taken only these wife and children, everything. Give him some other..." This is our mission. Yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa.' Let him go there and sit down and talk with him and give some instruction of Kṛṣṇa. This is our... We are not going for this belly. (Hindi) They are criticizing that "This man is empty stomach, and he has come to me." What does he care for empty stomach? No. Even they insult that, "They are empty stomach," it doesn't matter. It is my duty to give him some enlightenment about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Never mind. Let him insult. Nityānanda Prabhu, He was injured. Still, He said, "All right. You have injured. I don't mind. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa... "I don't mind you have injured, but I request you that you chant." This should be missionary... But they are thinking, "These people, empty stomach, they have come to us. We are... We don't require any God. We have got industry." This is going on. Yā niśā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti saṁyamī. Find out this verse, Bhagavad-gītā.

Morning Walk -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: I condemn everyone, that "You are all dogs and hogs." And United Nations a pack of dogs barking. That's a fact. And in Chicago I said, all women, "You cannot have freedom. You have got only thirty-four-ounce brain, and man has got sixty-four-ounce." I told them. So I became a subject of very great criticism.

Trivikrama: Women's liberation.

Prabhupāda: I denied, "No, you cannot have." I told them. One girl in the airship, she was seeing like (makes some gesture-laughter). I asked her, "Give me 7-Up." "It is locked now." So I frankly said that "No, no. You cannot have equal rights because your brain is thirty-four ounce." Actually that's a fact. Where is woman philosopher, mathematician, scientist? Not a single.

Morning Walk -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Trivikrama: And by teaching them to be chaste...

Prabhupāda: Yes. And teaching "Don't do it again." That's all. We are giving. And they are happy. My Godbrothers criticize that "You keep women in the temple." I tell them, "I cannot reject."

Dr. Patel: I was also thinking like that, today, I mean, presence I said, that Vaiṣṇavas keep woman...

Prabhupāda: It is different situation. I cannot reject anyone.

Dr. Patel: No, that's right. You are right. But this is a great affecting the boys down here. After all...

Prabhupāda: But they are taught, "Don't be misled." But if they cannot, that (indistinct). I cannot deny. I cannot deny. I cannot say that "You are woman. You are condemned." I cannot.

Arrival of BBT Manager -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Hari-śauri: Yes, I've seen that in Vṛndāvana.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Nature's study gives the... And therefore Bhāgavata gives the example: "Don't work so hard simply for hog civilization." So if we use this word—it is very, very harsh for the Western people—"It is the hog civilization," actually it is so. But you cannot say. Satyaṁ priyaṁ vada... Unless it is palatable, you cannot say straight. That is... They take it seriously that "You are criticizing our mode of life." Hare Kṛṣṇa. (Dr. Patel enters) Aiye, aiye, aiye. (Hindi—"Please come in")

Dr. Patel: You're not going to walk upstairs?

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is not yet six.

Conversation on Train to Allahabad -- January 11, 1977, India:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: It's a very good counterattack, that "You try to criticize us, but actually what is your position?" They have no position. That man, he was trying to criticize Kṛṣṇa as being a concoction or whatever, but we can practically see that his own religion is completely useless.

Prabhupāda: No, no, that also I have given. Kṛṣṇa might have hundreds and thousands, but where is the pregnancy and contraception?

Rāmeśvara: And abortion.

Prabhupāda: So if sex life without this botheration, it is welcome. We welcome that. Sex is enjoyment; that is all right. But here it is condemned because it is entailed with so many botherations.

Conversation on Train to Allahabad -- January 11, 1977, India:

Prabhupāda: That means—that's all right—that God is so powerful that He can do by His thinking. We also admit. But that does not mean God is not doing. But He is doing in a finer way. You rascal, you do in a grosser way. God does in a finer way. But that does not mean God is inactive.

Rāmeśvara: And he was criticizing our description of God coming as a boar...

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is God.

Rāmeśvara: ...and God coming as a tortoise...

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is God.

Rāmeśvara: ...and a fish, half man, half lion.

Prabhupāda: That means God.

Rāmeśvara: He was criticizing that this is mythology.

Prabhupāda: So that means you do not know what is God. God can come as He likes. That is God. But you rascal, you do not know what is God; therefore you are restricting, "He cannot come in this way." That is your restriction. Why God should be restricted? (knock) Yes?

Rāmeśvara: Come in.

Conversation on Train to Allahabad -- January 11, 1977, India:

Jagadīśa: When I heard the tape of this priest, this minister, and he was trying to cut down our religion, our movement, he was saying that "You believe that God came as a fish, as a tortoise, as a half lion, half man," it reminded me that whenever in the scriptures demons try to blaspheme-like Hiraṇyakṣa-tries to blaspheme against Lord Viṣṇu, Viśvanātha Cakravartī turns it around and makes it seem as if he's actually glorifying Him. You can't blaspheme Kṛṣṇa because whatever you say about Him is simply another glorification. They try to criticize, "Your God had sixteen thousand wives." Actually that's something wonderful. They just take it in the wrong way.

Hari-śauri: (in background) Is Pālikā in there? Listen, Prabhupāda wants some... Have you got any of that mango candy? Can you cut some fruit for Prabhupāda?

Jagadīśa: They're helping us to spread Kṛṣṇa's glories.

Rāmeśvara: Now, they say... Just like in Los Angeles we have sued the family for two million dollars, two and a half million dollars, because they kidnapped their girl. So they say that the girl, she would not have done this, but because we told her to do it, therefore she did it. Therefore there is control. We are controlling her.

Prabhupāda: We must because you checked her freedom.

Conversation and Instruction On New Movie -- January 13, 1977, Allahabad:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Rāmeśvara: Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is widespread. Because that... They are criticizing.

Prabhupāda: No, no, this, this, this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, this śloka, was cited just little after the creation. That means millions and millions of years ago. Now, not recently. Many millions and billions of years ago. That is the oldest. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23). Whichever item you take, it is very, very... Just like this Parīkṣit Mahārāja. That is at least five thousand years ago. So where is the history of the human society in the Western countries? They cannot give history more than three thousand years.

Rāmeśvara: They think it is simply caveman.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- January 20, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Rāmeśvara: We have one mother in Los Angeles of a girl named Līlā-śakti. She's a big book distributor. And her mother, she loves this movement so much that when the deprogrammers start debating us, she stands up and yells at them that "My daughter was on drugs, hippie, before she came to this movement. This movement has saved her. If I had known about this movement when I was a young girl, I would have joined this movement!" On television she's speaking like that, very strongly. "You have no right to criticize! You don't know anything about this movement." She says, "You just come over to my house for lunch and I'll tell you all about this movement, how nice it is." She started this club, "Parents for Kṛṣṇa."

Prabhupāda: Oh, she is very sincere. And her daughter, this Līlā...? What is?

Rāmeśvara: Līlā-śakti.

Prabhupāda: She's wonderful girl. She's expert in everything. Hayagrīva's mother, father?

Gargamuni: Yes. They wrote that letter.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They personally came. And many fathers came to Los Angeles to give me thanks. "Swamiji, it is our great fortune that you have come." They said like that.

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Gargamuni: On that tape where you are arguing with that man, you asked him, "Did you read Bhagavad-gītā?" He was criticizing, but then he asked him, "Did you read Bhagavad-gītā?" He said, "No."

Prabhupāda: Just see. Such... They have created this Vivekananda and Cinmayanandas, rascals, so many rascals. They have created such situation that Indian people are mostly in darkness, although God appears here in India. They have executed such thankless task, this Vivekananda, Cinmayananda and so many Māyāvādīs. "Ramakrishna is Bhagavān." And what is his certificate that he is Bhagavān? "He said." No. He said "I am the same Rāma. I am the same Kṛṣṇa." So he is taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa to prove his Godhead. So why not go to original Godhead? Why shall I take the imitation? He is maintaining his position that "I am the same Kṛṣṇa." "So then same Kṛṣṇa is authority.

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: And bring that also: "Before the hog, you give him stool and halavā; he will prefer to take the stool." So let it be extremely exposed. We are fighting. Let them be exposed. What is the wrong there?

Gargamuni: We should, in our attack...

Hari-śauri: They're criticizing us. We should point out their defects.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: That attack is the best form of defense.

Gargamuni: "You're a drunkard, you're a smoker, and you're doing all these things." We should turn the tide and expose them.

Prabhupāda: There are many opinion that "This movement is... Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will save the human society." There are many opinions like that. That's a fact.

Conversation During Massage -- January 23, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Yes. They have got money. The Jews have got money. They want to invest and get some profit. Their only interest is how to get money, no nationalism, no religion, nothing of the sort. Therefore it is not now; long, long ago... Therefore Shakespeare wrote "Shylock, the Jew."

Hari-śauri: Yes. "Shylock."

Prabhupāda: "One pound of flesh." The Jews were criticized long, long ago.

Hari-śauri: They were hated in the Middle Ages.

Rāmeśvara: America now has this policy that they will sell their guns to both sides.

Prabhupāda: That is all right, because they are doing business. So I am shopkeeper. Anyone pays, I shall... That is good.

Rāmeśvara: But no discrimination.

Prabhupāda: Why discrimination? I am selling. You come. Pay me. I shall give you.

Morning Walk -- January 24, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: That means they want permanent husband. That is their heart's desire, but no husband. Is that civilization? And here the father's duty is that "Before she attains puberty, let me find out husband, suitable." This is civilization. "And she was under my care, I give in charity to a suitable boy: 'My dear boy, you take charge of this girl. I give you some dowry and decorate that girl. Be happy.' "

Satsvarūpa: They criticize this in ISKCON, that the leaders pick out husband and wife.

Prabhupāda: That's it.

Evening Conversation -- January 25, 1977, Puri:

Prabhupāda: But what do you know about Rāma and Kṛṣṇa? You do not know anything. You are not a devotee. You have to learn the science. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati (BG 7.3). You are ordinary man. You cannot understand. Then one can criticize his father and mother also, that "My fa..." They do. Some rascal do that. Kim anyat kāma-haitukam. "My father has done harm to me. By lusty desire he gave me birth, and I am suffering." They say like that. So you can in that way, you criticize your father and mother. But that is not law. Law is father and mother should be respected. But you rascal, you can criticize your father. You are such a rascal.

Gargamuni: 'Cause in India that happens a lot. Especially...

Prabhupāda: No, then father, mother, should not be respected, because they indulged in sexual life and brought me into existence and I am suffering. Then there should be no respect of father and mother. And then this sex life should be stopped, and there is no need of big, big scientist, philosopher. Because this indulgence will bring so many big men, so it should be stopped. But Kṛṣṇa is the father. Why He should not have sex? Any father has got sex. So if you criticize Kṛṣṇa, then you must criticize your father first. But that is not the law of nature nor the law of the society. Law is different. Who will criticize his father? Any sane man? Will any sane man do that? So you are insane. So who is caring for your remark? You are insane.

Evening Conversation -- January 25, 1977, Puri:

Prabhupāda: That is the cause, that they're criticizing. They're envious.

Gargamuni: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: That's all. The envious man can say anything.

Gargamuni: That I notice when they say that. I can notice their envy.

Prabhupāda: But still Kṛṣṇa is being worshiped. Here is Jagannātha, Kṛṣṇa. Millions of people have come to worship. You are rascal. You may criticize. It doesn't affect Kṛṣṇa's respectful position.

Gargamuni: Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although Kṛṣṇa's life may have been controversial, still, He was very strict sannyāsī.

Prabhupāda: He never criticized Kṛṣṇa. Rather, He was enjoying Kṛṣṇa's love with gopīs.

Evening Conversation -- January 25, 1977, Puri:

Gurukṛpā: Sex-monger

Prabhupāda: Yes. You are taking Kṛṣṇa on your level. You are such a rascal. You do not know Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddh... (BG 7.3), yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid. You do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. You are taking Him on your level. Therefore you are trying to criticize Him. You do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. That is your ignorance. What is food for one is poison for others. So for you it is poison, not for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is God. He has everything. He can use everything. That is God. He is not restricted by anyone. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). Who can restrict Him? Then He's not God. If by a third-class man like you He's restricted of His sex life, then He's not God. He becomes under your control. But Kṛṣṇa is īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). He's the supreme controller. How He can be controlled by your so-called goodness and badness? So the conclusion is you do not know Kṛṣṇa. You want to bring Kṛṣṇa in your level of understanding, and that is your foolishness. So we don't care for the fools like you. This is our conclusion. Avajānanti... That is replied. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ: (BG 9.11) "Rascals, fools, they criticize Me, thinks Me that I am as good as human being." Mānusīṁ janma. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ: "The rascals do not know what is My actual position." So you have to preach in that way.

Room Conversation -- January 27, 1977, Puri:

Prabhupāda: Bring all these books in the court. Sometimes in Calcutta, high-court judge was a big lawyer. In those days he was earning not less than one thousand rupees per day, say sixty, seventy years ago. That one thousand means thirty times nowadays. Thirty thousand a day. He was very big lawyer. He was offered a judgeship in the... "No, no, no. I don't call for it." He was earning. The judges were getting at that time four thousand per month, and he was earning one thousand daily. So why should he give...? (coughs) So all the judges were friends. So in one case he brought so many books for argument. So the judges were friends, so he very mildly criticized, "Oh, Mr. Ghosh, you have brought the whole library?" "Yes, my lord, just to teach you law." (laughs) This was the... He addressed, "Yes, my lord, just to teach you law. No, no, you do not know what is law. I'll teach you today good lesson." He criticized him, "Mr. Ghosh, you have brought the whole library?" "Yes, my lord, just to teach you law." This is a famous argument. So they cannot deny that "Why you have brought so many books to bother me?" No. "You have to hear. It may take twelve years to hear, but you have to hear. This is law."

Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: He was also astronomer?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I think he was from Germany. He knew something about Sanskrit, but translation was just like to criticize those Indian, old Indian astronomers. Something like, very..., not even using even respectful words, but offensive sometimes, so we didn't bother to go through those books.

Pradyumna: There's copy of Sūrya-siddhānta by Bhaktisiddhānta in London at India Office Library. They have a copy in Bengali.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: In Bengali?

Pradyumna: Yes, they have original, these. But they do not let... They have a funny... You cannot copy the whole book with a xerox there. You only can see it and copy by hand. They won't let you do it. But there's a copy there, Samadhi Press.

Prabhupāda: It must be very old paper.

Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is amusing.

Gargamuni: At least the newspaper article in the Statesman was very amusing. It did not criticize, because it mentioned that by wearing these suits we are able to distribute many literatures on God consciousness, which is the real meaning of Christmas. They wrote this in the States... So it was favorable.

Nanda-kumāra: In Los Angeles there was some controversy, some trouble. So they had big signs that said "ISKCON," and they had a thing printed up that they put on the bucket that they were collecting with. It said, "Help us put the real spirit of God back into Christmas." And people appreciated that. It stated who we were and stated that...

Hari-śauri: Whenever there's some controversy there's always somebody that was dead against and there's always someone who's for you, but the general public, they just observe.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: It makes a better point for them instead of making a better point for ourselves.

Prabhupāda: Against party, they take it.

Room Conversation -- February 3, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: That was a religious fight.

Hari-śauri: Yes. Christians against the Mohammedans. That article of Gurudāsa's was very nice.

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Hari-śauri: They asked him, "Do you think that another religion will help Ireland?" criticizing that "We've already got two religions and they're fighting. What do you think you're going to do?" So then he said, "Well, actually, it's another way of life, and Ireland could certainly use another way of life." It was a good point. We get a good reception there too, our devotees. People are very pious there because Ireland is still very simple.

Prabhupāda: Everywhere people are simple. That is my opinion. Mass people, they are simple. The leaders spoil them.

Room Conversation -- February 10, 1977, Mayapura:

Jayapatākā: Who appointed, that I don't know. But that's his business. And then Dāmodara was telling about his journey on the bus and train, but Madhusūdana Mahārāja didn't seem very interested. He criticized, "Why do you go to Kumbhamela? What is going for bathing? What is special about that bath?" And then he challenged that, "We go for preaching." "But what preaching you did there?" "No, I preached, gave lectures."

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Jayapatākā: Dāmodara Mahārāja said, "I gave lecture at the mandira, Gauḍīya Maṭha."

Prabhupāda: In Allahabad.

Conversation on Roof -- February 14, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One who breaks the law of the government.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And what is the law of government? The law of government is to give the citizen best life. So similarly, if we are trying to give them best life, why we should be checked? We are asking them, "No meat-eating, no gambling," so is that bad instruction?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: By their definition it may be.

Prabhupāda: That is... Your criminal law will also criticize that "Why you are giving this instruction?" The two parties must be there, duality. If I accuse you of some criminality, you'll say, "Why you are checking my freedom?"

Room Conversation -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They are criticizing us because we say every one of them is demons. They don't like that.

Prabhupāda: Prahlāda Mahārāja said his father, demon. Asura-varya. Tat sādhu manye asura-varya: "Best of the demons. My dear best of the demons." (laughs)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I mean that's why... Just like in that Back to Godhead. The thing is that some of our devotees are becoming a little bit...

Prabhupāda: Influenced.

Room Conversation -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: These two girls, they are very fine. (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One of the big points of criticism is that we do not encourage our members to visit and spend time with their parents. In that way they say we are destroying the family.

Prabhupāda: Actually that we want to do.

Room Conversation -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: And eating fetus. So you are rākṣasas, less then rākṣasas. And they're criticizing us.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's really a question of the demons and the devotees, Prabhupāda, this whole issue. It's polarizing both sides. It's nothing else but that. We are not doing anything wrong. Our devotees should not compromise.

Prabhupāda: No, there is no question of.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We're up against demons. We should not think that these people will become satisfied. They're demons.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Room Conversation about BTG the Moon -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There was an underlying question of whether the magazine... Brahmānanda Mahārāja had mentioned that your original idea was that this magazine was meant for the devotees to write into the magazine and the spiritual master would read the articles and thus see how the devotees were making advancement, and the magazine was for the devotees to read each other's articles. Generally how the one..., the kind of the present-day idea behind the magazine is that it is for the common man outside. It is not so much for the devotee as much as for the karmīs. And therefore...

Prabhupāda: No, what is the purpose? To distribute to the karmīs?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. The purpose is to somehow connect the karmīs and give them a favorable opinion of our society, a general idea and favorable opinion of our movement. But the criticism on the part of some of the senior devotees now is that in doing this they have compromised our philosophy and our position.

Brahmānanda: Instead of quoting from some śāstra, they quote from a mundane book.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All the books. There's no more Sanskrit used.

Prabhupāda: So who has done this? You are asking me?

Brahmānanda: Rāmeśvara Swami's in charge.

Room Conversation about BTG the Moon -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: What about Transcendental Meditation?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They are very clever. But even now they're coming under great criticism. They're starting to become criticized also. But they are much... He has so much watered down the whole thing that it doesn't disturb hardly anybody. It's no... It's like ten minutes a day. "Keep your job. Keep your position. Do everything you're doing. Just ten minutes a day go to sleep. Say some mantra and sleep." So no one is very much upset by it. It doesn't demand anything, doesn't demand very much at all, like taking a pill.

Prabhupāda: He's very clever.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. A good businessman. They outright... This they outrightly say. "This is not religion. No question of religion, nothing about God." They advertise like that. "It is not religion."

Prabhupāda: That is true.

Room Conversation With Artists and About BTG -- February 25, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: In my old Back to Godhead I discussed Gandhi, Churchill, Jhinna, but with reference to the philosophy. I criticized them on the basis of our philosophy.

Rāmeśvara: For example, Rūpānuga just wrote one article which we published, and in this article he was describing some work of some scientists in Europe. They were trying to prove by their experiments that life comes from life. So he was quoting them. He was describing their work, but the whole purpose was to get people to accept the Vedas, to show that even the scientist's conclusion is the same as the Vedas. Therefore the Vedas are authorized.

Prabhupāda: Hm. That is nice.

Room Conversation -- February 25, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: (laughs) He said that. (Hindi)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And coming from him it's especially relishable, because he used to criticize you for denouncing all of them.

Prabhupāda: Means he's an intelligent businessman. (laughing) He can understand. He's the disciple of Chinmayananda. But he has realized that "What Chinmayananda is before Bhaktivedanta Swami?" That he realizes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He used to criticize Prabhupāda. He used to tell me, "Your Guru Mahārāja is always denouncing all the other gurus in public."

Prabhupāda: Now he is doing that, (laughs) following me.

Hari-śauri: Actually you're very well known for criticizing everybody else.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Yes.

Evening Darsana -- February 26, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: (break)...two years ago. (break) ...eighty-one. (break) Oh, very nice. (Bengali) (break) Very nice. (break)...quired, but I remember this movement, the Godbrothers.(?) (Bengali) (break)

Hṛdayānanda: This is from Professor K. D. Vajpay, Tagore Professor and Head of the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archeology, Director, Excavation and Exploration, Chairman, the Numismatic Body of India... (break) "The poetic excellence of the Bhāgavata has been recognized throughout the ages by eminent critics. It is gratifying to see that A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has brought out an exquisite edition of this great work in several volumes. He has given the English rendering of the entire Purāṇa and has very ably interpreted its contents. The lucid style of his writing is discernable on every page of the volumes, which have been illustrated suitably. The printing and get-up of the volumes are superb indeed. Swami Prabhupāda has been known to me since his sojourn in Vṛndāvana when I was in charge of the Archaeological Museum, Mathurā. He has been propagating kṛṣṇa-bhakti movement in this country, in USA and Europe. It is to his credit that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has been made a worldwide discipline. He has been following the path of the ancient sages in serving the cause of Indian culture. The philosophy of humanity and all pervasive love of Indian culture has been effectively advanced by the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, of which Swami Prabhupāda is the very soul."

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda!

Hṛdayānanda: "Besides his commentary on the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Swamiji has written on the Upaniṣads, the Gītā and on several other works of ancient bhakti lore. K. D. Vajpay."

Prabhupāda: So when I went to Vṛndāvana, he made friendship with me. The Mathurā Museum. He liked me very much. He remembered me.

Room Conversation -- February 28, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Here everyone was praising the food. Why in Vṛndāvana they criticize? So you GBC find out the cause. We cannot allow in Vṛndāvana complaining like that. I especially brought this Bhagatji, for this purpose. Still...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, he should be able to do it.

Prabhupāda: No, he cannot do.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He can't. I know Akṣayānanda cannot either.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, it is not being done.

Room Conversation -- March 24, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:

bhāraḥ paraṁ paṭṭa-kirīṭa-juṣṭam
apy uttamāṅgaṁ na namen mukundam
śāvau karau no kurute saparyāṁ
harer lasat-kāñcana-kaṅkaṇau vā

"The upper portion of the body, though crowned with a silk turban, if not bowed down before the Personality of Godhead who can award mukti, or freedom, is a heavy burden only. And the hands, though decorated with glittering bangles, if not engaged in the service of the Personality of Godhead, Hari, are like those of a dead man." Purport: "As stated hereinbefore, there are three kinds of devotees of the Lord. The first-class devotee does not at all see anyone who is not in the service of the Lord, but the second-class devotee makes distinction between devotees and nondevotees. The second-class devotees are therefore meant for preaching work, and..." (break) Sometimes the scholars criticize you that you are giving us all the Kṛṣṇa viewpoint instead of being impartial.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is supreme. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). Bhāgavata begins, namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Vāsudeva is Kṛṣṇa.

Morning Conversation -- April 11, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: And respectable position. The more we publish books, we become respected.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This was practically the only criticism I ever heard against us was that "Why your books they are all in English? We don't speak English." Just like Bajaj. Whenever I used to see him, he always used to say, "Oh, it is very nice, but..." And he would only speak to me in Hindi. He knew I could not properly understand, but he's such a Hindu, pro-Hindu, that he would speak to me in Hindi.

Prabhupāda: Then...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And he wanted our books in Hindi, so now they are coming. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...so much money, is it possible?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. No ordinary man could have ever done it.

Prabhupāda: In the history it is unique. Crores of rupees' property, and all over the world, buildings, temples. It is all Kṛṣṇa's. Nobody can harm them. It is not for me. There is no history. In one, ten years only, books like this, which are being received with so much adoration. They are simply Kṛṣṇa. If I want to take credit personally, this is wrong, sir. So money does not come in that way unless Kṛṣṇa gives. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhiḥ (SB 1.8.26). If Kṛṣṇa wants, He can give the whole world. My father used to say, "God has got ten hands. If He wants to take away from you, with two hands how much you will protest? And when He wants to give you with ten hands, with two hands how much you will take it?" That's a common... But people are after money.

Room Conversation with Ram Jethmalani (Parliament Member) -- April 16, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: We admit. Guru Mahārāja said śaktyāveśa-avatāra, powerful incarnation. Therefore whenever there was question of Jesus, I never disrespected Jesus. Never criticized him, because I know that he is powerful representative of God. We took it from Guru Mahārāja.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Your Guru Mahārāja would sometimes...

Prabhupāda: He said that Christ is śaktyāveśa-avatāra, as Buddha. How he can be otherwise? He sacrificed everything for God. He cannot be ordinary man.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You want (indistinct)?

Prabhupāda: Hm. That Melbourne meeting, it was... You were present?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, I heard about it. With the monks, I think.

Prabhupāda: They very much appreciated. Because they saw that I have got full respect for Christ and his real disciples. And actually we have. Why not? He said, "Thou shalt not kill," and they are interpreting killing. This is going on. And they are Christians. Just see how much cheating. It is clearly written, "Thou shalt not kill."

Morning Talk -- April 18, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Māyāvādī. Otherwise he was a brāhmaṇa and learned scholar, God-fearing, everything.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, he's very well respected still.

Prabhupāda: In my paper I criticized him, "Scholars Deluded." I gave him criticism.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (laughs) Even then you were doing that. It's always amazing how, to me, you can practically, whenever you meet these big men, you kick them on the head and then you make them like it. Just like this lawyer. You told him, "This dog civilization..." Practically you were telling him that "You are acting like that." But still, he liked it. And at the pandal you were doing the same.

Prabhupāda: Still, the Chief Minister applauded.

Conversations -- April 19, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So they have criticized that "Your city, there will be forty...," "Aurobindo..." You have seen it?

Surabhīr Abhipālayantam: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Asked whether his city would not meet the same fate as Auroville..."

Prabhupāda: That...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "It was started nine years ago near Pondicherry with the same target of fifty thousand but has still a population of only four hundred, mostly foreigners." In other words, this is... The idea is that just as Auroville is a farce, any one of us, we're also farcical.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is... It is very good farce. That is the... Yes.

Conversations -- April 19, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: How they can fabricate in their own way? From... (pause) Rather, they have criticized that "This fantastic thing, it is going to be like Aurobindo's city, list of fifty thousand, 404 acres." They are not taking it very seriously. Otherwise why he has remarked? Indirectly he has said, "This man is speaking like lunatic." They are not taking very seriously. That very remark shows that "It is going to be meet the same fate." So many fantastic ideas.

Conversation with Patita-pavana -- April 20, 1977, Bombay:

Patita-pāvana: And even this Rāmānuja Agnihotram Tattvācārya... I went to the chief of the Raṅganātha Svāmī Temple and made good friends with him. I gave him your Caitanya-caritāmṛta which was the conversation between Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, I'm sorry, Bhaṭṭācārya, Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭācārya, and Lord Caitanya. And he is the ancestor of him, in charge of the Raṅganātha. And he told me that this Agnihotram is a little bit touched by Māyāvāda. I said, "I understand. But," I said, "can he do the universe good? Even though you're criticizing him, does he know the universal description?" And he said, "That he knows. Many people have praised him like this in different works."

Prabhupāda: It is a simply academic thing.

Patita-pāvana: Sampat Kumāra Bhaṭṭācārya also has recommended...

Prabhupāda: It has nothing to do with spiritual advancement. So when we plan, people may not think that it is not according to the...

Patita-pāvana: But these men also have the qualification of enthusiasm to serve your project, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: That is a great kindness. We are trying to do something on behalf of real culture.

Room Conversation -- April 22, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: As far as possible, I have tried to present. In one place I have criticized my Godbrothers.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Last night?

Prabhupāda: No, no, in Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yeah, at the end in one line. We were... When we read that, it was actually relishable, very personal.

Prabhupāda: Śrīdhara Mahārāja is little...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He read it?

Prabhupāda: I think so.

Morning Conversation -- April 29, 1977, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: All the contribution by the villagers. By their hard-earned money they keep something for going. You have seen Tirupati, Tirumal...? Standing for hours to contribute in a line. Hundreds of people. They'll come, contribute something. Then they'll shave their head, see the Deity, have some bath in the adjoining lake. Then they'll take prasādam. That is very big tank. Everywhere. In India, wherever some famous temple is there, there is a tank. Now the haircutting, that lakhs of rupees are sold to foreign countries is hair. Heaps. These managers, they are selling the hairs. Very big business. The foreign countries, the black hair, they purchase it at good price for making wig. (pause) So that is written nice. He wanted to criticize me, but he could not do it very strongly. He did not like the idea that I am sticking to Bhagavad-gītā. That was his... But it has been shown that our sticking to Bhagavad-gītā, that is our mission. And it is a science. Why he called sectarian? When Kṛṣṇa says anything, that is science. "Two plus two equal to four" is acceptable by everyone. Why it is sect...? Actually all religion is going on under the plea, "We believe." What is this nonsense, "We believe"? If you believe "Two plus two equal to five," will it be correct? Their religion is "We believe." So our Bhagavad-gītā is not like that. It is fact. That is the difference. (break) ...of him. I was staying there in one big room. Crazy. Alone I am.
Conversation with M.P., Shri Sita Ram Singh -- May 19, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Simply nonsense. So what is remedy? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). All over the world... Of course, we do not want to criticize, but according to śāstra, people will suffer more and more. And they must suffer. Because they are becoming godless, they must suffer. That is nature's punishment.

daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te
(BG 7.14)

They won't take the real culture given by God Himself, Kṛṣṇa, "Do like this." Therefore they are godless. They must suffer. Now the suffering is awaiting to the general mass of people. Durbhikṣa... Anāvṛṣṭi-durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). There will be no rain from the sky, and therefore there will be no sufficient grains. Anāvṛṣṭi-durbhikṣa. And in the name of improving the situation, government will tax. Kara-pīḍitāḥ. In this way, so the people in general, they'll be so much harassed that, without being able to manage things... Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti giri-kānanam. "Let whatever I may have to the family eating. Let me go." This is the position.

Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- June 21, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So we are criticizing, but...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But no one else is.

Prabhupāda: Nobody understands that these are bad things.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. Before I met you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, I was smoking cigarettes. So I tried to stop so many times 'cause someone would say it is bad for health. But when you said it is bad for spiritual life, then I could stop, 'cause no one ever said that before, that these things are against spiritual life. No one every said that. Everything is put on such a mundane level, no one cares. But when we're told that "You are spirit, and this is against your spiritual life," then it hits very deeply. Apart from you, no one has ever said anything about spiritual life in the West.

Prabhupāda: They do not know what is spirit, what is spiritual life. Everywhere.

Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- June 21, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That scientist said life slipped away from his...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, somehow life escaped from his fingers. So that's a proper word. I'm quoting his word, using it as an authentic quote from them. We also use some words which will be not so favorable when they read these things, our things. We're also trying to criticize them, that they are...

Prabhupāda: That do.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: ...intellectually dishonest, try to propagate a false knowledge in the name of scientific knowledge.

Prabhupāda: That moon hoax.

Talk About Varnasrama, S.B. 2.1.1-5 -- June 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: There was engagement in a small corner of the room.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Then Ratha-yātrā. Sounds like a very pleasant childhood.

Prabhupāda: Yes. My father's friends, the Mulliks, they used to criticize my..., "Oh, you are holding Ratha-yātrā festival, and you are not inviting us."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You didn't invite them?

Prabhupāda: It is childish play. Where is invitation? So my father, the children, they were playing. "Oh, by the name of children you are avoiding us." It was like that. But the festival was going on. We called the professional kīrtanīyas. They performed kīrtana. There will be procession of my small children friends.

Conversation about Old Days in Calcutta -- July 1, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: There were many cases.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What... I mean, what is the reason behind that? Isn't that very old to get married?

Prabhupāda: If he had no family member, he would marry again. (pause) But it was subject of criticism.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Must have been.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. But the custom was that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Seems like someone should simply cultivate spiritual life at that age instead of...

Prabhupāda: In Bhāgavata there are many instances, very old man married. Anyway, this gentleman was such a nice devotee. Oh.

Room Conversation With Son (Vrindavan De) -- July 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He says, "Actually in America, when you criticize someone who is highly regarded, people are very interested to read it. That is the American spirit. So I think by purposely singling out historical figures who are considered good welfare workers and showing that actually their welfare platform failed, it will make interesting reading and will help to establish the real platform of welfare in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I also want very much to write this book on men..." And then it says here, he says, "I... We decided on a number of historical figures. Because they lacked Kṛṣṇa in their philosophy and activities, their program for welfare failed. I want to deal with the figure of Mahatma Gandhi and also with the daridra-nārāyaṇa philosophy which was taught before his time by Ramakrishna and Vivekananda." He says, "When viewed in the light of Bhāgavata philosophy, these personalities will have to be criticized for their failure to put Kṛṣṇa in their teachings. My question is whether there is any objection on your part to a book which will criticize Ramakrishna and Vivekananda."

Prabhupāda: I think that is not good. You should go positively instead of attacking some particular person. They will never admit that they have been failure.

Room Conversation With Son (Vrindavan De) -- July 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Satyaṁ vada mā likha. You can criticize them with your mouth, but don't put into writing. That will create a section of enemy. Then we'll have to fight with the enemy one after another. That will be wasting of time and energy. What is the use of criticizing them? They are failure. Failure. Finish. Let us prove by action that all others are failures. And they will be automatically. Just like the Bala-yogi is failure now. (chuckles) Whatever it is. The Transcendental Meditation is going to be failure. And so many others. To criticize them means to give them some importance, that "the rival to Hare Kṛṣṇa." We don't care for them. We go on positively, and automatically they are failure.

Room Conversation With Son (Vrindavan De) -- July 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So this kind of, that "I do not know who is Vivekananda." "Oh! You do not know?" Then you can know what he is. Then he can say, "This is his philosophy." Then you criticize, "This is nonsense!" Let him present Vivekananda's philosophy and smash it. Let the other party present Gandhi's philosophy and you crush it by kicking. That is the opportunity. Otherwise it will be the same philosophy, to kill that... What is that animal?

Devotees: Skunk.

Prabhupāda: Skunk, and the hand becomes badly flavored. Hm? (break) Therefore three books, Bhagavad-gītā... All my other small books, they are also on the basis. That Topmost Yoga, it is based on Bhagavad-gītā in a different name. Easy Journey to Other Planets is based on Bhagavad-gītā in a different name. Why shall I waste? I don't want to waste time. In this condition of life I try to write book because I do not try to waste my time. All right, I am not having sleep. Let me try at night. If I can write one, two lines, that's all right. I don't want to read any other book or criticize or play. Waste of time. What is that first verse? Kim anyaiḥ śāstraiḥ. Where it is?

Room Conversation -- July 27-28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: (laughs) So I thought that unless he brings some book, he won't come. Because every time I criticize him, "Where is the book? Where is the book?"

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We've got the First Canto, Part Two, this time, in Hindi.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Very nice. So you are being recognized. You are doing good, so he's doing good.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He's doing good.

Yaśomatīnandana: I have got four or five books in Gujarati ready.

Prabhupāda: Why not print them?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We're printing them. I was in Ahmedabad last week, and we finalized plans to print those books.

Prabhupāda: Print.

Room Conversation -- October 24, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Still, they criticize us. Hm? Affirmations(?) good character, good health...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Another article says, "Procession draws hundreds. The hundreds lined the streets of Durban on Sunday to watch young and old Hindus taking part in the colorful procession which was held as part of Lord Kṛṣṇa's birthday celebration." It tells all about a celebration in the city of Durban organized by our society.

Prabhupāda: It will be good for propaganda.

Prabhupada Vigil -- November 1, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: They want to avoid criticism.

Brahmānanda: I argued right back with them. I said, "You..." They were saying that we shouldn't interpret Bhagavad-gītā. I said, "Then why are you saying that Kṛṣṇa means 'divine consciousness'? Where does Kṛṣṇa say 'divine consciousness'? He says, mām, aham. He doesn't say 'divine consciousness.' He says 'to Me.' "

Prabhupāda: And all the ācāryas say. We have to follow the ācāryas. Very good. They do not answer. And they... Is it not?

Brahmānanda: But they don't listen to you. We tell them the truth, but they don't want to hear it. They just want to come and become important by their attending this meeting, become puffed up and speak their own ideas and think that they're accomplishing some real...

Prabhupāda: That may be (indistinct).

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Pañca-draviḍa: Was there any criticism?

Gaura-govinda: Oh, many criticisms. Many criticisms. I also heard. There was one custom that there are some specific persons, pāṇḍās, they would go out all directions to search that wood, specific nim wood from which the new body would be carved. There are some symptoms in the wood, that nim tree. They would find it out. And they go all directions. But this year they never gone anywhere. Last time from where they have pulled up the trees, they went there, and without proper ceremony they cut down the trees and came. This was also criticism. They never followed this thing this year.

Prabhupāda: The pāṇḍās are doing...

Gaura-govinda: Doing all nonsense.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Ah, ha, ha.

Gaura-govinda: He was telling that when he associated with us, those pāṇḍās told him that "Oh, you have taken some money from these ISKCON people. Therefore you are favoring them." He was criticized, and he was telling me that "Now these pāṇḍās are talking about me like this."

Prabhupāda: He's also a pāṇḍā?

Gaura-govinda: No, he's not a pāṇḍā. He's one of these paṇḍitas of that Mukti-maṇḍapa paṇḍita. He's president. This time, while we were talking with Anantadeva, we said that "Sadasiva Rath Sharma(?) is favoring us, and he gives favorable opinion." Anantadeva said, "No, don't believe him. He's a rascal. He's the most greedy person. He wants much more money." Anantadeva gave this opinion about him.

Bhakti-caru: Śrīla Prabhupāda? (Bengali) (break)

Prabhupāda: The sanctity of Jagannātha Purī-lost.

Page Title:Criticism (Conversations)
Compiler:Mayapur
Created:22 of Sep, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=256, Let=0
No. of Quotes:256