Prabhupāda: Any intelligent man will understand what is religion, what is God, in five minutes. It doesn't require even five hours. In five minutes.
Pater Emmanuel: Yes, I understand.
Prabhupāda: But we do not want to understand. That is the difficulty. Yes?
German guest: (German)
German devotee: He believes that to understand God is not a question of intelligence, but it is a question of humility.
Prabhupāda: Yes. "The humble and meek shall go to the kingdom of God." Is it not? It is Bible statement?
Haṁsadūta: "The humble and meek shall inherit the earth."
Prabhupāda: So nowadays the rascal philosophy has spread that everyone is God, and therefore nobody is humble and meek. If everyone thinks that he is God, then why he should be humble and meek? So they are being educated how to become humble and meek. In the temple, to God, or to the spiritual master, the God's representative, they offer always respect by offering obeisances. That is humble and meek. They are doing very easily progress, you see, only on account of this humbleness and meekness. Even on the road if they see me, they immediately fall down flat, never mind there is dust. This very qualification is pushing them towards spiritual realization. In the Vedic scripture it is said:
- yasya deve parā bhaktir
- yathā deve tathā gurau
- tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
- prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
- (ŚU 6.23)
Yasya . . . "Anyone who has got unflinching faith in God and His representative, the spiritual master, to him only, the purport of the scriptures become revealed."
Pater Emmanuel: (German)
German devotee: He is asking if he should not show this humility, attitude of humility, to all others.
Pater Emmanuel: Exercise upon others.
Prabhupāda: But just like special respect and ordinary respect.
Pater Emmanuel: But I think it is a very necessary, this mutual respect.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. So this is instructed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that you should offer respect even to a person who has no respect. Amāninā mānadena (CC Adi 17.31). You should not expect any respect for yourself, but you should give respect to others.
Pater Emmanuel: I agree with all my heart.
Prabhupāda: I think those who are Christian priests, they should cooperate with this movement, chant the name of Christ or Christo and stop animal killing. This is according to Bible. This is not according to my philosophy, but their Christian philosophy. Simply let them do it and see how the situation becomes nice.
Pater Emmanuel: I am very thankful to you for this . . .
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya.