View source for What will be the technique to attract the Bengali educational class? To attract the Bengalis who are educated, what technique will be most effective?

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[[Category:Questions asked to Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Questions asked to SP... 1976]]
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<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<div id="1976_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="9" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1976 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1976 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="MorningWalkJuly41976WashingtonDC_0" class="quote" parent="1976_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="181" link="Morning Walk -- July 4, 1976, Washington, D.C." link_text="Morning Walk -- July 4, 1976, Washington, D.C.">
<div class="heading">This kīrtana and prasāda distribution.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Morning Walk -- July 4, 1976, Washington, D.C.|Morning Walk -- July 4, 1976, Washington, D.C.]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Svarūpa Dāmodara: What will be the technique to attract the Bengali educational class? To attract the Bengalis who are educated, what technique will be most effective?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: This kīrtana and prasāda distribution.</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: But it seems to me they are not so much interested. There was a man who came from Calcutta about two months ago, a Bengali, and in fact we were class friends in Calcutta when I was studying in Calcutta. And I discussed this problem with him, why so-called Bengali intellectuals are not attracted to our movement. And his answer was that the Caitanya movement was mostly for less intellectuals. For those who are educated, they want to be followers of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. In fact, they have a society called Vedanta Society. All the Bengalis get together...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: And waste their time. The rascals waste their time.</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: And they discuss... So I was a little mad at him, this friend.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Because the real fact is they do not want to give up meat-eating and fish-eating. Therefore they like Vivekananda. That is the real reason. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement, Vaiṣṇava, they have to give up so many things. That is the disease of the Bengalis. And Vivekananda is recognized only in Bengal. To some part, not all.</p>
<p>Vipina: There is also a small Vedanta Society here in Washington. I had one of our Indian associates, whom I hope you will be able to meet, go there, and he said they could not even discuss the topics of Bhagavad-gītā. They had no conclusions, they were arguing in their own meeting, and no one had any idea what Bhagavad-gītā was, and so many technical points.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: The meat-eaters are the most sinful. They cannot understand. Vinā paśughnāt, nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt ([[Vanisource:SB 10.1.4|SB 10.1.4]]). They will have no access.</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: I think there must be a fundamental mistake in their outlook.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Their life is a mistake, because they are sinful. Their life is a mistake, misguided.</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: This fellow is a chemist, and actually he's very intelligent and he has read all the Gītās and he has studied many thoughts on Caitanya Mahāprabhu.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: First of all, we have to talk with them about this, "What is life?" Then they will talk. If they are on the bodily conception of life, they are animals, which is not. First of all, you have to talk with them on this platform, "What is life." Identification.</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: To me, my feeling was that they somewhat look down. They look down in their feeling.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Look down?</p>
<p>Hari-śauri: They think they are superior.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: But you did not talk with him and argue?</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: I argued.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: What is life.</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: Well, ultimately he has to accept that, our philosophy.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: They have become less intelligent on account of their bad habits.</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: This man, there's a Professor Mitra, he's in Emory University in Department of Sociology. They claim he's a Vedantist, and they have a group. And this Das, actually his name was Das, he told me that he has Śrīla Prabhupāda's Bhagavad-gītā As It Is and worships it, he recites every day. And he told me that he praises very much, that it's the best Gītā he has seen. So although he's involved in something else, but still he's taking Śrīla Prabhupāda's.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Any man who is reasonable, he'll come. If he's animal, he cannot come. That is the difference. The first charge is that anyone who is in bodily concept of life, he's animal. First of all, refute. If you are thinking that "I am this body," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am American," "I am this," "I am that," then you are animal. This is our first charge. What they will answer? What is the difference? If a dog is thinking "I am dog," and I am thinking "I am Indian" or "American," what is the difference? What is the difference between the dog and the man? That first charge should be answered. Then further questions can be...</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: So it seems to be that we need some strong preaching in Calcutta, in Bengal. We want to attract some intellectuals.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, there are many intellectuals. Not that...</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: My concern here, staying here in Atlanta, there are many Bengali families, but they never come to the temple. There was our life member program, and so many prabhus are going to make life members, and these Bengalis, they don't even have some respect. That is why I was a little, seeing their moto(?) I was a little disappointed.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Because you will ask them not to eat meat, and that they cannot do. What are these? Crows?</p>
<p>Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: At our Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandira, though, lakhs of people are coming.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, it is by the common people, ordinary people.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Because they are godless, they are uncommon. Educated Bengalis, they are spoiled.</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. My feeling was they do not want to stop eating meat.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: That is the only...</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: I think that is the main reason.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: And Vivekananda says whatever you like, you can eat.</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, yata mata tata patha. They claim like this also. They follow like that.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Spoiled. Bengalis are spoiled.</p>
<p>Svarūpa Dāmodara: Our request is they should join and they should help us in spreading the mission.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 7.15|BG 7.15]]). They are narādhamas. (end)</p>
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