Prabhupāda: Why do you question like that? Kṛṣṇa is so foolish that He will dictate to give to a foolish, er, sinful man? It is odd question.
Hari-śauri: This is that point that does one come to . . . does one get contact with a pure devotee and advance like that from his own free will, from accepting the mercy of the spiritual master or not?
Prabhupāda: What does he say? Hmm?
Hari-śauri: Well the point . . . The point . . .
Prabhupāda: Somebody answer.
Jayādvaita: Not every sinful man is dictated to give money; otherwise they'd all be giving us money. They're all sinful. We'd be getting money from everyone.
Revatīnandana: But then the question is why some and not others also?
Trivikrama: Kṛṣṇa is in everyone's heart.
Gurukṛpā: But some are innocent.
Prabhupāda: That is Kṛṣṇa's dictation.
Revatīnandana: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And you cannot bind Kṛṣṇa to dictate in a similar way. If He likes, He can ask a sinful man, "Do this." If He doesn't like, He may not act. That is Kṛṣṇa.
Revatīnandana: So ultimately it is simply by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Revatīnandana: . . .that he comes back to Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So it is Kṛṣṇa's business where to show mercy, where not to show. You cannot oblige Him that "You show mercy everywhere." No. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-maya-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). Kṛṣṇa . . . You cannot oblige Kṛṣṇa, "You do this." That is not Kṛṣṇa. That is not Kṛṣṇa. If one is obliged to act to your dictation, then he is not Kṛṣṇa. Therefore whatever Kṛṣṇa likes, He'll do. You cannot oblige Him, that "You have to do it." No. That is karma-mimāṁsa, that "If good work gives good result, so why should we care for Kṛṣṇa? We shall do the good work." That is . . . Ordinary people, they think like that. Karma-mimāṁsa. "If I do good work, Kṛṣṇa will be obliged to give me good effect. Why shall I care for Kṛṣṇa?" That is karma-mimāṁsa. "Work is final. Do good work, that's all." They say like that. But we say, even if you do good work, if Kṛṣṇa does not want it, then it will not produce good result. That is Kṛṣṇa.
Trivikrama: We don't have the mercy of Kṛṣṇa yet, so . . .
Prabhupāda: No, no. Everyone has got the mercy, but that mercy is not obligatory. If He likes, He can give you mercy; if He does not like, He may not.
Trivikrama: But everyone has it.
Prabhupāda: Everyone . . . He is giving mercy. That is general. But if He does not like, He may not give you. You cannot make Him obliged.
Pañcadravida: So why is it, then, if it's a question of ajñāta-sukṛti . . . The Indians, from their birth they're watering tulasī, they're chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, they're doing so many activities, but mostly your disciples are foreigners.
Prabhupāda: So that . . . No, means that is temporary. They may come again. It will never go in vain. Just like this cloud. Cloud is meant for raining. Now it is not raining, but when there is sufficient cloud, it will rain. You cannot say there is no rain. There is, but it is not sufficiently collected. When it is sufficiently collected, then.
Revatīnandana: Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the śāstras, like in Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa gives certain criteria . . .
Prabhupāda: Sometimes you will see, even no sufficient cloud, still raining.