View source for God is everything, and we can associate with Him according to our choice. The ability to choose, or our conscience, is given to us in the human form so we can utilize it

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[[Category:God Is Everything]]
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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="1972_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="5" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1972 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1972 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="InterviewwiththeNewYorkTimesSeptember21972NewVrindaban_0" class="quote" parent="1972_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="38" link="Interview with the New York Times -- September 2, 1972, New Vrindaban" link_text="Interview with the New York Times -- September 2, 1972, New Vrindaban">
<div class="heading">"All of them—as they surrender unto Me—I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā." God is everything, and we can associate with Him according to our choice. The ability to choose, or our conscience, is given to us in the human form so we can utilize it. All the ingredients are there. The spiritual master is there, the scripture is there, and God is there, within you and within me. The atmosphere is calm and quiet, we have a good boat and a good navigator, and the wind is blowing favorably.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Interview with the New York Times -- September 2, 1972, New Vrindaban|Interview with the New York Times -- September 2, 1972, New Vrindaban]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">
John Nordheimer: What about the future? Is it possible to bring more people into Kṛṣṇa consciousness? To expand?

Prabhupāda: Of course, there are good men and bad men, and good men are taking to this movement because it is a good movement. "Good" means not having illicit sex, not eating meat, not indulging in intoxication and not indulging in gambling. If anyone observes these four principles, he is considered a good man, and if he does not observe them, he is a bad man. So good men will take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and bad men will not.

We give distinct rules on how to become good, for if one does not become good, how can he understand God, who is all good? First we must become good men; then we can understand God. God is all good, and if we don't become good we cannot understand Him. That's all. It's up to us to make the choice. The past, present and future are open for everyone. There is no restriction. No one says: "This class of men shall be good, and this class of men shall be bad." Anyone can become good. If we educate a child nicely, he becomes good, but if we train him foolishly, he becomes a rascal.

It is the duty of the government, of the father and of the teachers to make everyone good. If the government is bad, if the father is bad and the society is bad, how can the child be good? Everywhere the government, father and society are bad, and therefore we are producing bad men, and therefore there is no peace and prosperity.

John Nordheimer: What about the men who surround you?

Prabhupāda: They're all good men.

John Nordheimer: They are good men who were raised in a bad society.

Prabhupāda: No, they were raised in a bad society, but they have chosen to become good.

John Nordheimer: Is that preordained, or is it by free choice?

Prabhupāda: Free choice. What is preordained? You are here of your free choice. If you like, you can sit down and talk with me, and if you don't like, then you can go. That is your free choice. Free choice makes destiny—if I act in goodness, then my future is good. And if I act badly, my future is bad. That is destiny. "Man is the architect of his own destiny." If you are educated, your future is nice, and if you remain foolish, then your future is bad. Future destiny depends on present action.

This life is an opportunity to make the next life, and if we behave like human beings, then in our next life we will go back home, back to Godhead. But if we behave like animals, then in the next life we will take animal bodies. That's all. All this is very nicely described in ''Bhagavad-gītā''. The conclusion is that human beings are meant for understanding God, but if we waste our time understanding dog, and if we become attached to dog, then we will become dogs in our next life. And if we are attached to God, we become like God in our next life. The choice is ours.

:''ye yathā māṁ prapadyante''
:''tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham''
:''mama vartmānuvartante''
:''manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ''
:([[Vanisource:BG 4.11 (1972)|BG 4.11]])

"All of them, as they surrender unto Me, I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā." God is everything, and we can associate with Him according to our choice. The ability to choose, or our conscience, is given to us in the human form so we can utilize it.

All the ingredients are there. The spiritual master is there, the scripture is there and God is there, within you and within me. The atmosphere is calm and quiet, we have a good boat and a good navigator, and the wind is blowing favorably. We should take our chance and cross the ocean. This human body is a very nice boat, and we have a very good navigator, the spiritual master. We also have a very favorable wind—the instructions of God. If we don't take this opportunity and solve the problems of life, we are cutting our own throat. If you cut your own throat, who can save you? We can say: "Now here is an opportunity. Take it and be saved from birth, old age, disease and death," but if you don't take advantage, what can we do?

John Nordheimer: Why does all this exist? Why the challenge in the first place? Why ''māyā''?

Prabhupāda: ''Māyā'' means that you are unfortunate. Here it is light, and there it is darkness. If I tell you to come from the darkness into the light and if you don't come, that is your misfortune. ''Māyā'' is there, and God is there. If you want to remain in ''māyā'', then how can you be saved? I can help you by saying, "Don't remain in darkness. Please come out into the light." But if you say: "No, I shall remain here," then how can I save you? You have your choice. God is there, and ''māyā'' is there. If you take to ''māyā'' you remain in ''māyā''. What can I do, and what can God do? That is your choice.

John Nordheimer: Who created ''māyā''? Man or God?

Prabhupāda: The government may create a prison house, but why do you go there? Does the government invite you there? No. You become a criminal and go there. The prison house is there and the university is there. Why do some people go to prison rather than the university? The government is not partial to people; it does not say: "You live in this university and be educated, and you go to the prison and live there." It is in the individual's choice. Similarly, God has created so many things, but it is our duty to follow God's instructions.

God says, ''sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja'' ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66 (1972)|BG 18.66]]): "Just give up all nonsense and surrender unto Me. I shall give you all protection." That is God's declaration. Why don't you take to that? God is all powerful, and He may create so many things for some purpose, but why don't you follow God's instructions? God says: "Surrender unto Me," so why not surrender? Why surrender to ''māyā''? That is the individual's choice.

Another example: the government does not want the youth to become hippies, but they are abandoning a wealthy life just to lie down in the street. In London I've seen many boys lying on the street. Why? We Indians may lie on the street because we are poor, but they are not poor, nor the Americans. Why has some of the younger generation accepted this way of life? You have enough food, enough house, enough money, facilities, machines—everything. Why are they accepting this kind of life?