Prabhupāda: Just like a disease. Somebody cures very quickly, somebody cures . . . takes some time, according to the, what is called, acuteness of the disease. Somebody dies; somebody falls down. It is a treatment. Just like some of our students in Hawaii, due to bad association they've fallen down. But whatever sincere service one has given, that will never be lost. That's a fact. It will again revive. For the time being, as it is said by Arjuna, kāla-karma-tamo-ruddhaṁ (SB 1.15.30). Just like the sky is clear. It may be covered immediately by some cloud. And again the cloud is removed, the sky is clear. So this māyā is just like cloud. It comes. Where the temperature is very high, the cloud does not come. All depends on the circumstances.
Sudāmā: Now, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Kṛṣṇa has sent you here to teach us this art of surrendering.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Sudāmā: Now you have told us to first of all surrender. So as your students, we are trying to hear in that way. Now when we go and preach and we tell . . . if we tell a man, "First of all, you surrender before you'll be able to understand," then what, what question is there of preaching?
Prabhupāda: They have already surrendered. They have already surrendered. When they have come to hear you, that is a symptom of surrender. Otherwise, why does he waste his time? There is little bit surrender. Full surrender and partial surrender. When one agrees to hear you, that is partial surrender.
Sudāmā: Even there may be some argument, but we must be fixed up enough to convince him to surrender more.
Prabhupāda: Actually, at the present age, nobody is interested in spiritual subject matter. Nobody is interested. So nobody is coming to surrender to you. Therefore you have to canvass, "Please surrender. Please surrender." This is our position. Otherwise, the . . . tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). One should come to the guru. But nobody comes to the guru, therefore guru has to come to USA to canvass. This is the position. Nobody went to me in India, but I had to come here to canvass you. Because it is Kali-yuga.
Real process is one should go to the guru. But intelligent man goes, "My life is meant for spiritual realization. So I must find out a guru." That is his business. But people are so fallen in this age that nobody's interested in that subject matter, that he has got spiritual value and he has to achieve this knowledge and make his life perfect. Nobody knows it. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught preaching. These rascals, they are so fallen, they'll never search out guru. So guru should go and canvass.