Prabhupāda: Ask them, "What do you mean by religion?"
Vāsughoṣa: Well, they will say what is in their śāstra, their Bible.
Prabhupāda: Let them say what is there. Then you can talk with them.
Brahmānanda: They say: "I love God. I go to church every . . . once a week I go, Sunday morning. I make my prayer. So what more? I have my family. I have my job."
Vāsughoṣa: But I was reading in this National Geographic Magazine, there is one sect of people in New York City, very orthodox following. You know, they don't even go to cinema. They don't . . . when they have free time they are studying the śāstras, their śāstras. They are very strict. They don't even shave their faces, because it says: "Do not round the corner of your face." So they have these big beards like this, and their whole life is dedicated like this to study reading and . . . they also sing and dance.
Prabhupāda: That is something good.
Brahmānanda: When I was a teacher in New York I taught in one of their schools. I taught the little children . . . (break)
Prabhupāda: After that, he is fit down. Then, if Life Member comes, he can simply stay in the guest room without any charges for three days. (break)
Dhṛṣṭaketu: . . . that one who is making progress by how he feels, or should he just simply execute the order of the spiritual master and not worry about how he feels? How should . . . in other words . . .
Prabhupāda: If he is making progress, he must feel. If he is not making progress, then he will not feel.
Dhṛṣṭaketu: And that feeling is a willingness to serve Kṛṣṇa or . . .
Prabhupāda: No, that is always. Whether he is actually serving Kṛṣṇa . . . that is devotion. So if he is actually serving Kṛṣṇa, then anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt bhajana-kriyā. Bhajana-kriyā means anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt (CC Madhya 23.14). This is the result. If his anartha is not decreasing, or becoming zero, then he is not making bhajana. He is doing something else.
Dhṛṣṭaketu: And if he's not feeling increased ecstasy, then he should try to change his position or try to perform . . .
Prabhupāda: No. There is no change of position. Position is the same.
Dhṛṣṭaketu: Because once this question was asked that . . . in class a devotee asked that, "I'm losing my taste for serving the Deity, and I don't know what to do," and so they asked this question. So . . .
Prabhupāda: He can chant. There is no question of "I am losing interest." If he is actually following the rules and regulation, there is no question of losing interest.
Hari-śauri: There is never any decrease.
Dhṛṣṭaketu: You mean if one simply follows everything that is outlined in the temple schedule and . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes. That should be strictly followed.
Dhṛṣṭaketu: Then his feeling will gradually develop. He'll gradually develop love, then.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā. If his anartha is decreased, then he becomes firmly fixed up. There is no question of decreasing.