Mr. Dixon: Your Grace, do you keep in touch with the world through television or newspapers or the media?
Prabhupāda: Yes, many newspaper, many television men, they come. But we speak our philosophy plainly.
Mr. Dixon: Do you watch TV yourself?
Prabhupāda: No, we have no business. We don't wish to waste our time.
Mr. Dixon: Do you read newspapers?
Prabhupāda: No. What is newspaper? "This man is killed. This man has stolen. This politician has captured the government." So why shall I waste time?
Mr. Dixon: How do you become informed as to certain events? Is that...
Prabhupāda: We have got enough books to read, these books. If you read our books, in your whole lifetime you cannot finish it. And that is required to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is success of life. So why should.... Of course, we are in touch in the newspaper, but as much as it is required. We are in touch with the material world as much as it is required. We are interested in Kṛṣṇa. To help our Kṛṣṇa consciousness we may be in touch with the material world as much as possible. Just like we are riding car also, we are also using dictaphone, everything, but it is not for any ulterior purpose. It is for Kṛṣṇa's service. Just like we are writing books. This is Kṛṣṇa's service. People may understand about Kṛṣṇa, be benefited. This is our.... And in that way we are printing books, we are selling books, we are writing books.
Mr. Dixon: How many people are in the Kṛṣṇa movement in the world, about?
Prabhupāda: About ten to twelve thousand, directly dedicated. Otherwise millions, they are reading our books. They have sympathy. We are selling books very nicely, daily twenty thousand dollar minimum all over the world. In learned circle, big, big universities, professors, they are appreciating. We have many congratulations.
Mr. Dixon: And the funds that you derive from the books...
Prabhupāda: Book Trust. That is explained.
Mr. Dixon: ...are used within your congre..., within the people that live in...
Prabhupāda: Yes. I make a Book Trust. That is my will, that from all the collection of the books fifty percent for reprinting and fifty percent for expanding these temples, these buildings. In this way.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: We really don't require very much for our maintenance. As you can see, we live a very simple life.
Prabhupāda: Just like these boys, they are practiced to sit down. We have kept two chairs for the visitors. (laughter) We don't require. We can lie down on the floor. We can use only one or two cloths, that's all, throughout the whole year. We have no demands, only bare necessities. We don't smoke, don't drink. There is no expenditure. Don't go to cinema, don't read newspaper or ordinary magazines, nothing. We have got reading matter. Practically we are noncooperating.
Mr. Dixon: Practically?
Prabhupāda: Noncooperating.
Mr. Dixon: Noncooperating?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Practically.
Mr. Dixon: I don't understand that.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Because we are not engaged in so many of the superfluous or unnecessary...
Prabhupāda: Material amenities.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: These things are described in Vedic terms as anartha. They are not very important or very valuable to human advancement. What is really essential is advancement in knowledge.
Mr. Dixon: One of the principles upon which I have lived is a question of involvement with the people around me in trying to do things better than they have been done before.
Prabhupāda: But you must know first of all what is the aim of life and what is better. That we must know. So that is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that we are not interested in God; then whole thing is spoiled. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). We are not interested in God. We want to be happy by adjusting the external energy of God. That is blind leadership. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. This will never be successful, and it is blind leadership because we do not know what is the aim. If you know the aim of life and if we make program according to that aim, then it will be successful. Blindly everyone is manufacturing his objective, different leaders, different isms. The Communists, they have got different aims. The capitalists, they have got different aims. The socialists, they have got different aims.
Mr. Dixon: Is it true that there are more young people now in the world that are giving more serious thought to what life is really all about?
Prabhupāda: Yes, they should. Because they are being educated, they are experiencing the faults of their fathers and grandfathers.
Mr. Dixon: And they're able to tell that?
Prabhupāda: So we are telling this is the aim. You take. And therefore more response from the younger section. All our devotees, they are just like my grandchildren. Their fathers may be like my children. But they are responsive.
Mr. Dixon: How do you spend a day?
Prabhupāda: Day?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: How do we.... What do we do during the day? What are our activities?
Prabhupāda: We have got activities day and night, but because the body is there, we have to eat, but we eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam. And naturally we go to sleep, to take some rest. Otherwise we are always engaged in Kṛṣṇa's business. We have no other business. So I go in the morning for little morning walk because the body, whole day if I sit down, it may be jammed. Therefore, for body's sake, I go for little walking. And then, whole day and night, I am sitting here, either chanting or writing books or talking with you, giving them direction. That's all. We have no other business than Kṛṣṇa's business. That is the peculiarity of this movement. Even if you take it is a religious movement, there is no religious movement in the whole world which has got twenty-four hours' engagement. You'll never find. The Christians go to the church once in a week for one hour, then closed. That is also not very regularly. Even if you take.... Our engagement. Twenty-four hours.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Every day.
Prabhupāda: Every day. You can see how we are engaged twenty-four hours.
Guru-kṛpā: Prabhupāda gets up at one o'clock in the morning.
Prabhupāda: Last night I woke up at half past twelve. (laughter) Yes. So on the whole, utmost, I sleep four hours, two hours at night and two hours in daytime.
Mr. Dixon: I must.... Your Grace, I'm most grateful to have seen you. I must depart. Thank you very much for having me here.
Prabhupāda: Why, thank you for your coming. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Give him prasāda.
Mr. Dixon: Good-bye. (break)