Jagadīśa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, when you were in Los Angeles you heard that new record by Kṛṣṇakānti.
Hari-śauri: This pop music? This tape that you just got of that Western style music.
Jagadīśa: Apparently in a new BBT newsletter which just came yesterday afternoon there's a statement by Rāmeśvara that you were asked whether this record should be played in the temples and you said, "Why not in the temples?" Hari-śauri thought that you said "not in the temples," Rāmeśvara said...
Prabhupāda: No, no. Not in the temple. I... I want... If the wordings are all right, so there is no... If there is no mistake in the set-up of the wording, the change of musical tune, that is not harmful.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: This one tape that Alex has made, he gave me a copy in Bombay to listen. I just played it...
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa, this vibration, you can make in different tune. We are already doing that.
Hari-śauri: We're talking about these songs that they are writing.
Jagadīśa: Philosophy songs.
Prabhupāda: And therefore we have to see the words.
Hari-śauri: Like this "caterpillar had a change of heart."
Jagadīśa: If the words are all right, then they can be played in the temple?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Because no one can hear the words. It's the pop music that people hear.
Akṣayānanda: Actually the words are just like modern pop songs. You can't tell really what it means. I suggested to those people. I said, "Why don't you put music to Prabhupāda's books? Take the words straight from your..."
Hari-śauri: No, Prabhupāda's approved this method for attracting karmīs.
Akṣayānanda: Yes, not for devotees.
Hari-śauri: But the thing is once you become a devotee, we don't need...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Akṣayānanda: That kind of music also reminds us of past bad activities, sinful activities.
Hari-śauri: The question is whether should it be played in the temple or not?
Prabhupāda: Temple may not be played. What is use of playing in the temple?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I know from practical experience, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that... I just played this Alex's record. It's all current pop music with English philosophy wording. And all the brahmacārīs were so agitated, they came to my room to listen and they were, you know, really making fun of it like it was a pop...
Akṣayānanda: Because that style of music it reminds us of the nightclubs or whatever it might be.
Prabhupāda: Therefore I said it is better not to make these records.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Just your these records and paramparā records should be played, I think. There are so many tapes of your records.
Hari-śauri: This style that they are doing now, they explain that they wanted that because then that way, they'll be able get them played on the radio. Otherwise they won't play bhajanas or anything on the radio. But there's a distinction between that kind of music and pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness music. Even though the words indicate Kṛṣṇa consciousness, most of the songs are written in such a way that it's indirect. It's not directly Kṛṣṇa.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But you can't hear the words.
Prabhupāda: Yes, indirect.
Hari-śauri: They give this thing, "The caterpillar changed his mind," like that. It provokes some speculation.
Prabhupāda: No, indirect for gross outsiders, not for us. Therefore they should not be played in the temple. Gross outsider only.