Bob: Is praying louder than nonsense?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Bob: To Kṛṣṇa's ear, is praying louder than nonsense talk.
Prabhupāda: No, He's all-perfect. He can hear any temper, or any degree of saying. Even if you don't speak, even if you simply think, He can hear you. As soon as you think that "I shall do it," then He hears you. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ (BG 15.15).
Bob: But one should pray, is that so? That one should...
Prabhupāda: That is his business.
Bob: Excuse me?
Prabhupāda: That is his business.
Bob: Listening?
Prabhupāda: Praying.
Bob: Whose business? You mean...
Prabhupāda: Every living entity's. That is the only business. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That is the statement of the Vedas.
Bob: What does that mean?
Prabhupāda: He supplies everything. Everyone, actually He's supplying. He's supplying food to everyone. So He's father. So why should you not pray, "Father, give me this"? Just like in Christian Bible there is, "Father, give us our daily bread." That is good, they are accepting the Supreme Father. But grown-up children, they should not ask from the father, but they should be prepared to serve the father. That is bhakti.
Bob: My questions you solve so nicely. (Mild laughter)
Prabhupāda: Thank you very much.
Bob: So, should I ask you another question now?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, yes.
Bob: I have read that we are influenced by the different guṇas, passion, ignorance, ...(break)
Prabhupāda: (Speaks to someone is Bengali) (break)
Bob: I've read about there are three guṇas, passion, ignorance, and goodness, in life. And I was wishing that you could explain this somewhat, especially what is meant by the mode of ignorance and the mode of goodness.
Prabhupāda: Goodness means you can understand things. Knowledge. You can know that there is God, that this world is created by Him, and so on, so on, so many things, actual things. The sun is this, the moon is this, perfect knowledge. Even not perfect, he has got some knowledge. That is goodness. And passion means he identifies with this material body. And he tries to gratify his senses only. That is passion. And ignorance means animal life. He does not know what is God, how to become happy, "why I am in this world." Just like you are taking one animal to the slaughterhouse, it will go. But a man will protest. So this is ignorance. The goat, it is to be killed after five minutes, but if you give him a morsel of grass he's happy, he's eating. Just like a child. You are planning to kill her or kill him, he is happy, he's laughing, because innocent. That is ignorance.
Bob: This is... Being in these modes determines your karma, is that correct?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bob: Determines your karma.
Prabhupāda: According to the association of the modes of nature your activities are being contaminated. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu (BG 13.22). A man gets higher birth or lower birth according to the association of the guṇa, or the modes of nature.
Bob: So cheating and like that, what mode is that?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Bob: Cheating.
Prabhupāda: Cheating is mixed up passion and ignorance. Just like one man cheats other. That means he wants to obtain something. He's passionate. But he commits some murder. He does not know that "I'll have to suffer for it." So it is a mixture of passion and ignorance.
Bob: And what about when somebody helps another person?
Prabhupāda: That is goodness.
Bob: Why is that goodness? What intelligence is that? I mean, is,... This represents knowledge of what? You said that goodness is when you have knowledge, intelligence.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bob: So helping another person...
Prabhupāda: That means he's ignorant, you're trying to enlighten him.
Bob: So giving intelligence...
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is goodness.
Bob: What about just giving assistance, like you give...?
Prabhupāda: That is also goodness.
Bob: To a beggar who has nothing you give alms.
Prabhupāda: Um hmm. So that is goodness. But still... Just like in your Bowery Street, they give some charity, and immediately he purchases one bottle of wine and drinks and lie down flat. (laughter) So that is charity... That is not goodness, that is ignorance.