Indian man: Let me take blessings of Lord Kṛṣṇa also, Hare Rāma, Hare Kṛṣṇa Mandir...
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa's blessings are everywhere. (break)
Indian man: ...open(?).
Prabhupāda: But nobody is prepared to take it. Kṛṣṇa says:
- sarva-dharmān parityajya
- mām ekaṁśaraṇaṁ vraja
- ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
- mokṣayiṣyāmi
- (BG 18.66)
"Just take shelter of Me and I will protect you from the reactions of all sinful life." Because here in the material world everyone is sinful—and there is reaction. He gives assurance that "I will give you protection from the reactions of sinful life. Just surrender unto Me." But nobody is doing it.
Indian man: Swāmījī, your blessings that I will surrender.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Indian man: Your kindly blessings that I surrender.
Prabhupāda: Surrender means this, that "Kṛṣṇa, so long I was forgotten that missing You. Now I have gotten from this day I surrender unto You. Whatever You like, You can do it." That's all.
Indian man: Swāmījī, I will request you to kindly give me that feeling of dedication and surrender. Bless me to have that feeling.
Prabhupāda: It does not require—you simply (indistinct) let him come. Anyone wants to come, let him come. Just like one man has fallen in the well, and he's crying, "Please get me..., get me out. Somebody please get some rope. Just catch it, I'll take it." Then where is the question now of getting a blessing? Here is the blessing: take it. But if you don't catch, or if you say that "Give me the strength to catch," this is not very good argument. Here is the rope; you catch it. That's all. But nobody is prepared to do that. Otherwise, the solution is there.
Indian man: The situation is the guru is the one who catches?
Prabhupāda: The guru is speaking... Guru is speaking, "Here is a bag of million dollars. Take it," then if you take.... Why don't you take it? If you don't take it, then how you can get rich? Kṛṣṇa says that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁśaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo, but nobody is taking it.
These European and American boys, they are taking it up and they are advancing. But if you are not prepared to take, how you will advance? It is a plea, that "You give me your grace so that I can catch this..., that goal of devotion," is that right? I'm already offering you the rope; you catch it. That is the difficulty.
These people, they have taken it, they have surrendered, they are making progress. It is not very difficult. Just see how they are dancing in esctasy. These European boys and girls, they are in ecstasy. There is a girl, her father is a very rich man in Chicago—that is a big businessman—and she is with us. She is married; she has got husband. I get them married.