Guest: I also read Gītā. What's the difference? I mean, Mahatma Gandhi . . .
Prabhupāda: He never surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. I wrote him letter, "Mahatma Gandhi, you have got so much influence. You just preach the gospel of Kṛṣṇa . . . Bhagavad-gītā. Now we have attained svarāj. You don't be in politics." But he was still in politics after attainment of svarāj. And his assistants became disgusted because he was interfering, and therefore he was killed.
And that is open secret. If he would have surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, "All right. Now I have worked for svarāj. My people have got svarāj. Now let me work for Kṛṣṇa . . ." He never did that. You cannot say that he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. He should have taken immediately sannyāsa and preached Bhagavad-gītā if he was actually surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. What did he do for Kṛṣṇa? We have to know from practical point of view.
I'll tell you another story about Mahatma Gandhi. My Guru Mahārāja invited him in our maṭha, Mahatma Gandhi. So Mahatma Gandhi inquired . . . the, my Godbrothers went to invite him. "What you are doing in your maṭha?" They replied that, "We are worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa." So he inquired, "Are you pulling on charkha?" They said: "No, sir." He said, "Charkha is my God. If there is no charkha, I am not going there." He said like that.
Devotee: What is charkha?
Prabhupāda: Yes, spinning. Because he was spinning daily. Just like you are chanting sixteen rounds, he was spinning sixteen rounds. And he said frankly, "Are you spinning charkha?" They said: "No, sir." "Oh, then I am not going there. My God is charkha." That is practical. We have got experience. And actually he was refusing. Just like we are insisting, "You must chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra sixteen rounds," he was . . . there were so many charkhas daily selling. People took it very seriously. We also took charkha and that, what is called?
Devotee: Handloom.
Prabhupāda: Handloom. And there was very good business. So many charkhas and that handloom was sold in the shops, because everyone was purchasing and purchasing. And they were stacked and thrown away some time after. So . . . because Mahatma Gandhi asked, everyone did. You see? So he also asked our maṭha people that "Are you spinning a charkha?"
They said: "No, sir." "Then I am not going." He refused the invitation. Does it mean he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa? He surrendered to charkha. That's all. And if you say: "Charkha is also Kṛṣṇa," oh, there will be no more argument.