Prabhupāda: Well, actually sex life is allowed only to the householders. According to Vedic culture, sex life is restricted. There are four divisions of society. The brahmacārī is strictly forbidden for sex life. The vānaprastha, they are also forbidden for sex life, and the sannyāsī, they are also forbidden for sex life. So out of four divisions, three divisions are strictly forbidden of sex life. Only the householders, they can have restricted sex life with married wife, simply for begetting children. That is the Vedic culture.
Interviewer: Only for propagating children.
Prabhupāda: That's all.
Interviewer: Then there is a similarity to Catholicism. The priest is supposed to be celibate.
Prabhupāda: Certainly. Anywhere there is spiritual conception, sex life is not indulged. Anywhere, either it may be Christianity or Hinduism . . . sex life is materialism. That is opposite number of spiritualism. So people are trained gradually to refrain from sex life. And in the sannyāsa life he's completely trained. Therefore he's allowed to move in the society for preaching spiritual education.
Interviewer: Now, the whole world is heard of the Maharishi Mahesh. Is he part of the order?
Prabhupāda: No. I have heard so much in the paper.
Interviewer: He is the world's most famous guru at the present time.
Prabhupāda: He's not guru. But he's advertised his name like that. (laughs) A guru is different thing. But people are, in your country, in the Western part of the country . . . of the world, people are after some spiritual information. So anyone who comes professing as spiritualist, they is welcome, and if he flatters, then it is very convenient to get followers. So we don't follow exactly in that way. We follow exactly the principles of Vedic ways of life. So in that way, sex life for a sannyāsī is strictly prohibited.