Anyone who is in the bodily concept of life, he's confused like the animals—cows and asses. That is the general condition. So you should not be surprised to see somebody confused. Because he's in bodily concept of life. Unless he overcomes the bodily concept of life, he'll remain confused, because he's accepting something which is not. He's practically seeing that he's not body, still he's thinking, "I am this body." This is confusion. Practically he's seeing daily that the body is there and the spirit soul left the body, now the body has no value. Everyone knows it. Still, he's thinking, "I am this body." How much foolish he is. That is confusion. He knows that. He practically sees every day, "My father is gone." "Why your father is gone? He's lying there." "No, no, my father is gone." He's experienced. His father is gone, his brother is gone, his relatives gone, and still he thinks, "I am this body." "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am this," "I am that." This is confusion. So it requires little advancement of knowledge to get out of this confusion. But he is practically keeping himself in this confusion. So not somebody, but everybody.
Atreya Ṛṣi: Practically material life is very confusing, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Yes, this is confusion.
Atreya Ṛṣi: One is thinking that one can enjoy and goes after something, and it is not there. Everybody's trying to grab for themselves. It's very confusing.
Prabhupāda: Therefore the śāstra says, yenātmā suprasīdati.
- sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
- yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
- ahaituky apratihatā
- yenātmā suprasīdati
- (SB 1.2.6)
He is . . . everyone is trying to become happy, wants to love somebody, but everything is misplaced. So as long as this activity will be misplaced, he'll never become happy. When it is properly placed, then he'll be happy. The confusion is there. The easiest process is recommended in this age, to chant the holy name of the Lord. Then you'll be gradually purified and you'll understand. You'll be out of confusion. This very easy thing. It is not . . . we are not recommending that you simply chant the name of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the name of God, but if you think that "Kṛṣṇa is Indian name or Hindu name. Why shall I chant it?" no, you have got your God's name, so you chant that. You chant that. We recommend that you chant. God's name must be. Then you'll be purified.
Atreya Ṛṣi: Authorized name of God.
Prabhupāda: Yes, name means authorized. Name means authorized. Not fictitious. If you chant fictitious name, that will not be effective. But if you chant real name of God, then you'll be purified. So if you have got name of God, chant it; there is no question of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. You chant. If you have got the name, real name of God, chant it. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ (CC Antya 20.16). If God is unlimited, therefore He must have unlimited names also. But the name must be God's name. Then you chant, you'll be purified. So there is no question of sectarianism in this movement. We are recommending that you chant the holy name of the Lord. Do it. Is there any objection? Suppose you say that you are Muhammadan. If I say: "You chant the holy name of God," have you got any objection?
Ali: Yes.
Prabhupāda: You have got objection?
Atreya Ṛṣi: (explains to Ali what was being asked)
Ali: Oh, no, no. Sorry. Chanting, yes, I do chant myself.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that's all. We are preaching this. We don't say that you become one of us. You chant the holy name of the Lord, that's all.
Ali: There's no such thing as "one of us," "one of you," anyway, because the thing is the same. If one is true, then the whole thing is . . . there is no difference.
Prabhupāda: Then when you are purified, you'll understand what is God, what God wants you to do, what is your relationship with God, so on, so on, so on.