Prabhupāda: That is the point. Our advancement means the more we meet opposing elements, "Oh, that is all right." Therefore preacher is the best devotee, because he is a soldier. Just like government gives all importance to the fighting soldier. When there is war, all comforts for the soldier first, then the civil people. There was no butter in Germany.
There is no butter, but the soldiers were profusely supplied with butter. And sometimes when the enemy attacks, they throw it away and go away and go to another shelter, and still there is butter. That my Godbrother Sulye, when he first came to India I asked him that "I heard that you German people are very robust, stout and strong. Why you are so thin and weak?" So he replied me in this way that, "In our childhood, when I was eight years old, weekly I was getting butter of this size." Everything was controlled, even for children. But the soldiers, there was no control.
So that is . . . my point is that those who are soldiers, fighting on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, they are brave soldiers. Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ (BG 18.69). Kṛṣṇa says, "Nobody is dearer than him who is in the process of preaching this Bhagavad-gītā." So in order to become very dear to Kṛṣṇa . . . (indistinct) . . . actually, that is the position. So we must preach in that way—by our literature, by our magazine, by our books, by our speech, by our arrangement. Of course, very peacefully. We are not going back to be, becoming violence. But by argument, by words, by our methods, by our preaching, we have to convince.
Such selected fifteen men wanted, for the present. It may increase more. Now we have got very many . . . (indistinct) . . . but the duty is very responsible. So as . . . so far the center is concerned, the local president, these others, they will manage. The GBC can supervise that things are going on. The first management is that each and every member in the temple is chanting sixteen rounds regularly and following the regulations. Otherwise, we have no . . .
That is our spiritual strength. That must be executed. Haridāsa Ṭhākura, such exalted personality, such advanced, still he is numerical counting even up to the point of his death. These are . . . therefore he was given the nāmācārya, he was so rigid . . . (indistinct) . . . even at the time of his death, Lord Caitanya requested, "Now you can minimize." "No, Sir, I cannot minimize." And what is the number? Three hundred thousand. These are the examples . . . (indistinct) . . . sometimes . . . but the regulation is that if one day you cannot finish, you have to finish on the next day. But sixteen rounds is not very large number; the lowest. The lowest in India is twenty-five. Yes, Twenty-five . . . normally twenty-five.
So this the president, local president, must see that the members are chanting. So this way the institution will be managed, then it will make progress. That is our spiritual strength—to observe the regulative principle and at least chant sixteen rounds. Then you do other things. This is the biggest institution spiritual activities, so every one of us should be spiritually strong. Otherwise, superficially if we want to manage, it will not be possible.
- anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
- jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
- ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
- (Brs. 1.1.11)
Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam, favorably. Otherwise, it will be . . . (indistinct) . . . in the category of anyābhilāṣitā, material desire—jñāna, karma, yoga . . . (indistinct) . . . and bhakti is so pure that it has nothing to do with material activities or speculative, or mystic yoga. It has nothing to do. Just like gopīs . . . (indistinct) . . . they had nothing to do with all this nonsense, karma, jñāna, yoga. They are neither yogīs, nor very learned scholar, Vedāntist, nor very good businessmen, economist.
Simple boys and girls. But their devotion is exalted, because they did not know anything beyond Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Kṛṣṇa is their life. Never mind to know that Kṛṣṇa is God or not; it doesn't matter. Then they don't . . . they didn't care for God also. Gopīs, when they say Nārāyaṇa, "Eh, He's Nārāyaṇa." (laughter) "He's Nārāyaṇa." They have nothing to do with Him. They are searching after Kṛṣṇa, and when Kṛṣṇa presented Himself as Nārāyaṇa, four-handed, they neglected. And before Rādhārāṇī, He could not remain as Nārāyaṇa. Automatically His handed was folded. (laughter) Hands are folded.
So our idea is Vṛndāvana. So our love for Kṛṣṇa should be so strong that we don't care for anything. But for preaching, if somebody challenges, "Yes, we are prepared to talk." That is authority. That is uttama-adhikārī. His love is Kṛṣṇa, is enormous, but not sentiment. If anyone wants to talk with him, "Yes, come on." That is uttama-adhikārī, mahā-bhāgavata.