Prabhupāda: What this material advance? You don't want to die; you have to die. Where is material advancement?
Hari-śauri: But there's no poverty or anything like that.
Prabhupāda: There is poverty. And "We are . . ." The same thing, "Mother, everything is all right. Simply there is no cloth, there is no food." You don't want to die. Nobody wants to die. Why you are dying? That is the real poverty. From the śāstra we understand, na hanyate hanyamāne śarī . . . (BG 2.20). Why I am under this tribulation?
Yogeśvara: So they may challenge, "Do you mean to say that you can feed the whole world without meat?"
Prabhupāda: We don't say, you are saying. We don't say. We say that you must be punished without food. You are dying without food. That is your proper justice. We say that. We are not anxious to this daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā. We are not. We give. Whatever we have got, we distribute prasādam. That's all. We are not concerned about their daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā. That is not our business. Suppose there are so many persons, they are without food in the hospital. Doctor has prescribed, "No food." What you can do there? Can you show your sympathy? "Oh, so many persons are lying without any . . . let us give." Then you'll be beaten with shoes.
Yogeśvara: Because you haven't understood the purpose.
Prabhupāda: If you go with sympathy that, "So many hungry persons are here," then you will be beaten with shoes. That we know . . .
Yogeśvara: So there's a purpose . . .
Prabhupāda: . . . that we should not disturb the arrangement of the hospital. We are saner. But you are disturbed, "Oh, so many people are starving. Let me give him some food." Then you are rascal.
Hari-śauri: But why should we be callous to the sufferings of others?
Prabhupāda: Yes! Because the arrangement is there, hospital, he should not have food. Why shall I disturb him? I must be callous. That is intelligence. I know that when the hospital, the doctor's keeping in starvation, it is good for him. Why shall I disturb?
Hari-śauri: So then why do you go to the hospital when you're sick? When you're sick, then why do you take medicine and consult doctor? Why not be callous to that, too?
Prabhupāda: Callous means we . . . callous means we can take treatment, but we cannot protest against the doctor that, "Why you are not giving me food?" We take treatment. That is saner. If the doctors ask me that, "Don't eat," I take the treatment. I don't protest that, "Why you are keeping me in starvation?" You are doing that, rascal that, "Why you are keeping me in starvation?" But one who knows things, he doesn't protest. That is Vaiṣṇava way. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇaḥ (SB 10.14.8): "Oh, my Lord, You are keeping me in this tribulation. It is Your great mercy."