Syamasundara: So practicality has to be judged on the result, what is the result of that action?
Prabhupada: Yes. That is that the end justifies the means. Means is not very important. What is the end, we have to see.
Syamasundara: For instance, James uses the example of God. Whether God exists depends on the extent to which a belief in God affects my life. In other words if it is practical, if it makes me feel happy, if I get some courage and strength by believing in God, then God is true, then God does exist.
Prabhupada: So one may not feel like that, that means that God does not exist? Suppose one man does not feel very good talking about God. That means God is null and void?
Syamasundara: According to James's philosophy...
Prabhupada: That means he is an atheist. He's a godless.
Syamasundara: He considers himself to be a religious man.
Prabhupada: Considers... He has no idea of God. What kind of a religious man he is? We say he is a nonsense.
Syamasundara: In other words, truth is relative, according to him.
Prabhupada: No. Truth is not relative. Your position is relative. So long you are under the clutches of maya, your understanding of God is relative. God is not relative. God is absolute. You cannot understand God. Your position is relative. Just like, I will give you a practical example: a man is deaf and he is calling wife, "Mrs. such and such, such and such." She is replying, "Yes. I am coming." But he himself is deaf. He cannot hear the wife is replying. So he is accusing his wife, "Mrs. such and such is very deaf; she cannot hear." She is hearing; she is replying. This rascal cannot hear; therefore she becomes deaf. This is an example. So I cannot understand what is God -- therefore there is no God. This is the most rascal position. I cannot see at night the sun-therefore there is no sun. He does not understand that "I am in darkness at night, so there is no possibility of my seeing." He has no such knowledge. But he concludes there is not sun. That is rascaldom.