Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to educate people how to become free from designations. Therefore we accept from any group. He might think that he is under designation . . . but our business is to make him free from the designation. We therefore welcome anyone. He may come with designation, but if he lives with us, he follows our rules and regulations, he become free from designation. And this so-called designated religious system will not help us. If we keep ourself on the designated platform—"I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Iranian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am Buddhist"—then we have to continue in that designation. There is no question of freedom. That requires tapasya. That designationless status is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. And the opposite of brahma-bhūtaḥ is jīva-bhutaḥ. Jīva-bhutaḥ . . . there are so many jīvas, living entities. The dog is thinking, "I am dog." And the bird is thinking, "I am bird." The man is thinking, "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim." So this designation, you may be a dog designation or Hindu designation or Muslim, they are the same. There is no difference. Maybe some degrees. But one has to become designationless. That is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). Then bhakti, when one is designationless. If he wants to keep his designation, then there is no question of bhakti. The bhakti line is so nice that if you take to bhakti line, automatically you'll be designationless.
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Prabhupāda: Now you have to decide whether you want to keep designation or become free from designation.
(pause)
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Śrīla Prabhupāda, thank you very much.
(guests leave) (break)
Pradyumna: . . . activity, but he still has designation and he comes to the temple and he chants, but he still thinks . . .
Prabhupāda: That is an attempt to become designationless. But one has to become free from designation. The same example: If the rod is put in the fire, it is becoming warm, warmer, warmer, and when it is red hot it is no more rod, it is fire. So beginning of life, neophyte stage, is the beginning. When he actually becomes advanced in devotional service, that is designationless.
Pradyumna: But we still call that, when a person first comes and he still has that designation stage, but we still call that bhakti?
Prabhupāda: No, he's on the platform. Just like the same example. The iron rod is put in the fire. So it is fiery condition. Similarly, one who has given to devotional service, he is in the designationless condition, but it requires time to make the iron rod exactly fire.
Pradyumna: Same thing as that pulling the plug out of the fan.
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Pradyumna: Same example, pulling the plug out and fan keeps going for some . . .
Prabhupāda: There are so many examples. There are so many examples. The beginning stage and the perfect stage. Perfect stage, designationless. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, in the beginning, api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30): even he's not completely a devotee, still, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ, you must accept him as a devotee. Why? Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. He has taken to the process completely. So there may be some designations of his on account of past habit, but because he has taken to the process of becoming designationless, he is sādhu. If he sticks to the principle, kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati (BG 9.31), he'll very soon he'll become a perfect devotee and he'll get peace—śaśvac-chānti-kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati. These things are there. So one has to take the line of Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously, then everything automatically will appear. There is no . . . that is called utsāhān dhairyāt. Dhairyāt, patience. Niścayād: "I have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness exactly as Kṛṣṇa wants, then I'll surely be perfect." That is niścayād. There is no doubt about it. If I am following the direction of Kṛṣṇa under the guidance of spiritual master, be sure that you'll be successful. There is no question of becoming unsuccessful. Niścayād. But if I am deviating, that is my . . . (indistinct) . . . but if you follow, then you'll be sure to be successful.