Prabhupāda: Hearing directly from Him. Which one is better? Directly hearing from Him, or by some inspiration?
Devotee (2): Hearing directly, naturally.
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is true. By sentiment you can say "I'm inspired." But hear directly then there is no question.
Devotee (3): People sometimes ask, "If Bhagavad-gītā was spoken by Kṛṣṇa and it was recorded by Vyāsadeva in the Mahābhārata, was Vyāsadeva actually present there on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, or did he see it by revelation?"
Prabhupāda: No. Here, just like something's happening ten thousand miles away. You can record it by modern machine.
Devotee (3): (break) ...mercy he was able to...
Prabhupāda: Three millions miles, sun is, eh?
Hari-śauri: That's what they say.
Prabhupāda: So from so far distant place the heat is coming, and there is no brain behind it?
Devotee (4): It takes five minutes for the sunlight to reach us, and light travels at, what, 193,000 miles a second? I don't know. Whatever it is.
Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be, such a wonderful things is there, and there is no brain behind it? Is it very reasonable proposal? It has come automatically. There is a chunk. Childish.
Devotee (1): Because it's too much beyond their conception, they say that it's simply imagination.
Prabhupāda: Ha?
Devotee: They say that simply because it's too much beyond their conception...
Prabhupāda: It's a fact. You see the heat and light. It is not the imagination. So who arranged so much heat and light? That is the question. It is not imagination. We have to manufacture a small bolt. It requires a big, big factory's brain. And this has come by chunk? Nonsense. And you have to accept it? These crazy fellows propose and we have to accept.
Devotee (2): (break) ...they say that simply the universe always was, and that it always will be.
Prabhupāda: Whatever is (unclear) nature, there is brain behind. That is the proposal. Why there is, that doesn't matter. But it will continue. World is and will continue. That's a fact. But who made it? That is the question.
Devotee (3): Karandhara and I were at a scientists' meeting, and he used that argument with the scientists. He said "The universe always has been." So Karandhara used your argument that "Yes, the sun has been there, and the sun rays are there along with it. Still, the sun is the source of the sun rays." The scientists could not answer. And everybody in the crowd...
Prabhupāda: What they will answer? Simply speculator, misleading (unclear).
Devotee (1): Well the next proposition is that if God is there, then let Him stay there, and we are here, let us stay here. Why do we have to be concerned with Him?
Prabhupāda: But you (unclear) you rascal, you'll die. If there is no sun, you'll die. Therefore you must be obliged, feeling every moment that God is giving sun, you're living. God is so kind that you're given sun so that you can live. So you must be obliged to God. (Sanskrit) bhūtāni, bhūtāni jayanti. So saṁsanti, saṁkleśa (indistinct) santi.(?) You are living on mercy of God. You're so ungrateful. You're so rascal, you do not give Him thanks. Even the sun. In this world tax collector comes. If you say "Why shall I give you tax? It is already there. It was before my coming. How I was there. And still there. Why you're asking me tax?" Can you say like that? "Oh it was already there." There or there, if you enjoy, you must pay tax.
Devotee (3): That is why they're having so many revolutions, because they do not like to be under the control of the government, they figure that "Now we can have can have so many revolutions."
Prabhupāda: What is that revolution? The ball is kicked here, and again goes and he kicks there. That's all. Revolution means Czar was kicking, and then Lenin began to kick. But his business is to be kicked. That's all. What is the advancement? One man was kicking, another man was kicking. That's all. That is revolution. Gojan mumukta(?) (indistinct). If you have got strength, then the government is yours. That's all. But those who are resident, they are suffering. Just like this Korea, Vietnam, sometimes Communist government, sometimes capitalist government. The sufferer is the ordinary man. Revolution means one part takes the power, another man is killed. But the general people, they're suffering, this way that way. They do not think who will rule. Just like in India, they are the British rule, now it is Congress rule. But the result is in British rule the ghee was selling at one rupee per kilo, now it is twenty-five rupees. The dhotī was selling one rupee six anna, now it is twenty-five rupees. So what the public has gained? Nothing.
Devotee (2): (break) ...very much burdened, because they have some obligation to God. So therefore now they want to.... They consider it an obligation.
Prabhupāda: Obligation we must follow. That I have already said, that you have obligation to the state, you must pay tax. Otherwise you are criminal. So obligation must be there. If somebody is giving you protection, you must be obliged. If you don't feel obliged, then you'll be punished.