Upendra: What Prabhupāda is speaking tonight is very important, and it might appear that he is not understanding you, but he is actually speaking to you, like you said, necessary . . . (indistinct) . . . so that if you can assimilate everything Prabhupāda is saying tonight, you'll be able to write the book much more clearly. You might think that he is not understanding you, but he is speaking the most important part.
Author: I am not suggesting his understanding. I think he is worried about my understanding, which is why he is stressing . . . right. Well, I appreciate this, but I am trying to convince him that I am going to try to say accurately what your philosophy is. And in this I'll have to rely on your help, because I can't do it otherwise.
Prabhupāda: I have already explained our philosophy.
Author: I'm sorry, not explain; describe. I think is a rather better word.
Prabhupāda: That philosophy, if you want to know more, then we can speak more. But that is the outlines of the philosophy, that people, without knowledge of his identification, they are misled, being misled. And that is very risky. Risky means that you have got this opportunity of understanding your position and get out of the difficulties of birth, death, old age and disease. If you do not properly use this opportunity and again you become cats and dogs, then are you not misled?
So present civilization is misleading. They are concerned with a few years' enjoyment, so-called enjoyment. Suppose you are Australian or American. You have got very nice status in your country—good house, good facility, good money, and that's all right. But after your death, when you have to quit this subtle atmosphere, then after your death what is happening to you, you are not concerned to know. If you are eternal, if you are eternal, then suppose you have got this shirt and coat. When it is torn down, when it is old enough, you have to give it up. Then you have to purchase another shirt and coat. So are you not prepared for that, "What kind of shirt and coat I shall have?"
Author: No, I'm not.
Prabhupāda: You are not? That is a very good intelligence? You go naked?
Author: No. It's not very wise, provided one assumes that one is going to have another body.
Prabhupāda: No. Everyone thinks like that. Suppose I have to purchase one coat. I consult my pocket, "What kind of shirt I shall purchase?" Everyone knows. But if you say you are not interested, that is different thing. But any man who is going to purchase a new shirt and coat, he considers before going to the tailor's house what kind of shirt he will have, what kind of coat. Everyone thinks. That is natural. You cannot deny it. Whether it will be suitable, whether it will be comfortable, so many things, everyone considers. And then he goes to a storehouse and orders, "Give me this kind of coat, this kind of shirt." Why you can say that nobody is interested in that? Everyone is interested.
Author: No, I didn't say nobody was. I didn't say that nobody was.
Prabhupāda: That is the natural inclination. So if you are eternal, if your life is not for these ten, twenty or hundred years—you are going to have another span of life—are you not interested to know what kind of life you are going to get?
Author: Well, I don't believe that I shall. But then I don't think that . . .
Prabhupāda: It is not the question of belief; it is a fact. You have to accept another body after this body, just like you have already accepted. Your childhood body was there, and that is gone. You accepted another body. Similarly, now you have got another body. A few years after, you will get another body. So you are accepting bodies one after another. That's a fact.
So you have to accept another body after this. So what kind of body I am going to get? Is it not the point of consideration? But there is no education on this point. But that's a fact. We have accepted already so many bodies. And natural conclusion is that I must accept another body. But what kind of body? Now you can select. There are 8,400,000 forms of body.
So these questions are not discussed at all, but they are very important factors. That is philosophy. But modern civilization, they neglect: "I don't mind what kind of body I shall get next life." So those who are intelligent, if they think that, "Why shall I neglect this point? I am not going to accept a body like a tree or a dog. If I accept a body, I must have a body very nice." One may not (be) interested in this fact, but others may be interested. So if others are interested, why this chance should be denied?
Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda? The temple is calling on the phone. They want to know if you are coming tonight.
Prabhupāda: No, no. It is too late. Just like there is higher studies in science, in so many departments of knowledge. It is not that mass of people is interested in Ph.D. degree. But if one is interested in Ph.D. degree, therefore government provides: "Yes, in university you come." That is the real facility. So if anyone is interested to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness, why it should be denied?
Why this should be obstructed because I do not like it? In big, big universities, maybe in higher studies there may be one student, and for that one student they are maintaining four professors. Each professor is paid two thousand dollars. Is it not a fact? What do you think, you professor? Is it not a fact? Some department of knowledge is maintained, even it is not paying. Is it not?
Devotee: That's true.
Prabhupāda: There are so many departments simply for research work because the government knows it is important thing. It may not be for the mass of people, but at least one, two intelligent class of men, he pays, qualified: "Let them have this opportunity."
So this is like that. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not for ordinary men, but it is very important movement. Those who are interested, why they should be denied? It should be maintained. We cannot expect everyone can give up all these bad habits—illicit sex, illicit meat-eating, or drink or intoxication, gambling. That is not expected. But if one wants to be for higher status of life, why he should be denied? This is not a bad thing. Why the city fathers are thinking that this should be stopped? (pause)
Hmm. All right, let us now . . . so my appeal to you, that you are journalist; you at least study this our movement, and present very nicely. That is my request.