View source for If any of us here this morning wish to become followers what would we have to give or give up?

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{{compiler|Mangalavati|Rishab}}
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{{first|14May11}}
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[[Category:Questions asked to Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Questions asked to SP... 1971]]
[[Category:Questions On... Devotees - General]]
[[Category:Questions On... Initiation]]
[[Category:Questions On... Regulated Life, Regulative Principles]]
[[Category:Questions From... Journalists, Reporters, Writers]]
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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="1971_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="4" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1971 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1971 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="TemplePressConferenceAugust51971London_0" class="quote" parent="1971_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="15" link="Temple Press Conference -- August 5, 1971, London" link_text="Temple Press Conference -- August 5, 1971, London">
<div class="heading">First of all one has to give up illicit sex life.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Temple Press Conference -- August 5, 1971, London|Temple Press Conference -- August 5, 1971, London]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Woman Interviewer: How many followers have you got now throughout the world or can you not count...?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Well, for any genuine thing the followers may be very little, and any rubbish thing, the followers may be many.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: How many... I meant for the initiated followers, people who have...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: About three thousand we have got.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: And is it growing all the time?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes, it is growing very slowly. Because we have got so many restrictions. People do not like any restriction.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: Yes. Where is the following the greatest? It is in America?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: In America, in Europe, and Canada, in Japan, Australia. And India there is millions, there is millions of this cult. Apart from India, in other countries they are small quantity. But in India there are millions and millions.</p>
<p>Male Interviewer: Do you think your movement is the only way to come to know God?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: What is that?</p>
<p>Devotee: Do you think this movement is the only way to know God?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Male Interviewer: So how do you have that assurance?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: From the authorities, from God, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66 (1972)|BG 18.66]]).</p>
<p>Male Interviewer: But if somebody else was to say that God had told him something else, would you equally believe him?</p>
<p>Śyāmasundara: It's not that we don't accept other religious processes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, we believe other process. Just like there are steps. If you want to go to the topmost story, so you go by steps. So some of them have gone fifty steps, some of them have gone hundred steps, but to complete the required steps is 1,000 steps.</p>
<p>Male Interviewer: And you've gone up the thousand have you?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: If any of us here this morning wish to become followers what would we have to give or give up?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: First of all one has to give up illicit sex life.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: Does that include all sex life or...?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Huh?</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: What is illicit?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Illicit sex (is) without marriage, without any relation, sex life, that is illicit sex life.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: So sex is allowed in marriage, but not outside.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: That is animal sex life. Just as animals, they have no relationship and have sex life. But human society there is restriction. In every country, in every religion there is a system of marriage. So without marriage, sex life is illicit sex life.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: But sex is allowed within marriage.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes, that is...</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: And what else would one have to give up for...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: One has to give up all kinds of intoxicants.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: Is that drugs and spirits?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Any kind of drug that intoxicates.</p>
<p>Śyāmasundara: Even tea and...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Even tea, cigarette. They are also intoxicants.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: So that includes alcohol, marijuana, tea. Anything else?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. One has to give up animal food. All kinds of animal food. Meat, eggs, fish, like that. And one has to give up gambling.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: Does one have to leave one's family? I think everybody lives in the temple, don't they?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Unless one gives up all these sinful activities one cannot be initiated.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: So one should give up one's family as well?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Family?</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: To be a for..., yes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Of course, family. We are not concerned with the family, we are concerned with the individual person. If one wants to be initiated in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement he has to give up all these sinful activities.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: So you give up family as well. But what about...</p>
<p>Śyāmasundara: No, no, you don't have to give up one's family.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: But I mean supposing I wished to become an initiate. Wouldn't I have to come and live here?</p>
<p>Śyāmasundara: No.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Not necessarily.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: Oh, I could stay at home?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: What about work, though? Does one have to give up one's job?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: You have to give up these bad habits and chant these beads, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. That's all.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: Would I have to give any financial support?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, that's your voluntary wish. If you give us, that's all right. Otherwise, we don't mind.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: Sorry, I didn't understand.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: We do not want, depend on anyone's financial contributions. We depend on God, or Kṛṣṇa.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: So I wouldn't have to give any money at all.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No.</p>
<p>Woman Interviewer: Is this one of the main things that distinguishes a genuine guru from a fake guru?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. A genuine guru is not a business man. Our... (end)</p>
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