Rāmeśvara: That is a big misunderstanding in America. People think that to be a Hare Kṛṣṇa you have to give up everything.
Prabhupāda: That... Yes, you have to give up everything which is bad. Do you think drinking is very good?
Rāmeśvara: (chuckling) No.
Prabhupāda: So if I say, "You have to give it up," so what is the wrong there?
Rāmeśvara: But they feel that unless they give up everything all at once, they cannot become members of the Kṛṣṇa movement.
Prabhupāda: No, you'll automatically give...
Rāmeśvara: Gradually he'll automatically...
Prabhupāda: He'll give up.
Hari-śauri: (train starts to move again) First thing is to begin the positive process. Then the negative process will follow along.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. If he understands it is very nice to chant, dance, and take prasādam, they'll give up.
Rāmeśvara: Many people think that if you become a Hare Kṛṣṇa you have to shave your head.
Prabhupāda: That is very good.
Rāmeśvara: But it scares them and it keeps them from joining us.
Prabhupāda: No, you save so much barbers' expenses. (laughter)
Hari-śauri: So much inconvenience for washing.
Rāmeśvara: These are misunderstandings that confuse people.
Prabhupāda: The whole life is misunderstanding, material life.
Rāmeśvara: But we want them to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That's the main thing.
Prabhupāda: Why they are envious of us? When we live very nicely, they are envious that "These people do not do anything, and they are living so nicely."
Rāmeśvara: They will not be so envious if they see that people who dress in Western style and keep their families and keep their jobs are also chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: We say... We say that, that we simply say, that "You change your consciousness."
Rāmeśvara: Not change your dress, but change your consciousness.
Prabhupāda: No, we never said. If you prefer that kind of dress, costly, you prefer it, but we are simplified.
Rāmeśvara: It's our choice.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hari-śauri: As a person becomes more purified, then he'll simplify himself anyway. And if he really cultivates a desire to...
Prabhupāda: Now, nowadays coat-pant is very costly. If you can spend your money, costly dress, we have no objection. Then you have to earn more; you have to work more. Therefore we are simplified.
Rāmeśvara: Ultimately, it is the best thing.
Prabhupāda: If they want to come in that dress, come in. If you want, come in.
Rāmeśvara: I have been studying this record business in the last month or two.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Rāmeśvara: I've been studying the record business in America. People spend more money on records than they do on books. In general people are buying more records than books.
Prabhupāda: (aside:) Give them some seat. Is there any carpet? Bring something.
Hari-śauri: What time do you want to take prasādam, Śrīla Prabhupāda? It's 8:25 now.
Prabhupāda: Whenever... You take?
Hari-śauri: Well, we'll all take in that other carriage, and you can eat undisturbed. I'll remain here or whatever you want.
Prabhupāda: I may take little later.
Hari-śauri: Well, we can take later on.
Rāmeśvara: So I found out that people spend more money on records than on books in America. That means that if we sell our record in the store, it can bring us a lot of income. In general, people spend more money on records.
Prabhupāda: So you get more income. For using it, let them come and take prasādam. Don't accumulate money.
Rāmeśvara: No.
Prabhupāda: Get money and spend it.
Rāmeśvara: Prasāda distribution is the best thing.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: There was a big parade in Los Angeles called the Rose Bowl, one million people. So we made ten thousand bags of peanuts and raisins and called it "Govinda's Nuts 'n' Raisins." We were tossing it to the crowd, and they were going, "Hare Kṛṣṇa! Here! Kṛṣṇa!" They were begging for it.
Prabhupāda: Just see.
Rāmeśvara: We could have passed out prasāda for one million people if we had had enough money.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Earn money like that.
Rāmeśvara: It costs a lot of money.
Prabhupāda: Either produce food in the farm or earn money and purchase, but give prasādam.
Rāmeśvara: We saw it, that they know it was Kṛṣṇa prasāda, and they were standing up in the crowds, "Kṛṣṇa! Here!" and begging for it.
Prabhupāda: (laughs) So they have at least chanted "Kṛṣṇa." That is our profit.