Umāpati: Is darkness eternal, Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Umāpati: Is darkness eternal?
Prabhupāda: No. Darkness is within this universe, not outside. Not outside.
Karandhara: Darkness has no separate existence.
Prabhupāda: Darkness means absence of light. That is darkness. It is the negation of light. Similarly, material life means forgetfulness of God. That's all... What is our spiritual life? We are simply trying to revive our understanding of God. That is spiritual life. And when you perfectly revive, that is spiritual. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa... (break) ...whatever you do, that is your defeat. Because you cannot see things in the proper perspective, therefore in darkness or in ignorance, whatever you do, that is your defeat. Therefore we see that so much advancement of education, civilization, but everything is defeat. Nobody's satisfied. Because it is defeat. It is not progress. It is defeat.
Bali Mardana: We have to be led by someone who can see.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Otherwise, if you led by another blind man, what is your benefit? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). And our thankless task is... Just like a blind man going, falling into the ditch, we say, "No, no. Don't go there. You'll fall down." But he becomes angry, "Why you are instructing me?" That is our thankless task. We have to do it. How we can see that this blind man is going...? He'll immediately fall and die. How we can remain silent? We must have to say. That is our business, that "For want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you are going to die. Take it. Be saved." But they do not like it.
Umāpati: The followers of Guru Maharaji, the so-called...
Prabhupāda: Well, don't talk of Guru Maharaji. He's a rascal. What is the use of talking about him?
Umāpati: They say that...
Prabhupāda: They say! They are fools and rascals. We are not concerned.
Umāpati: (too faint)
Hṛdayānanda: Oh, this way, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: What do they say?
Bali Mardana: They have no philosophy. It is useless to discuss.
Prabhupāda: Everyone is nonsense. A set of nonsense.
Umāpati: If we ask them what is the basis of their philosophy that they understand Maharaji to be a seer...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Umāpati: ...they have no answer. They have no...
Prabhupāda: That is good question. Yes. On what standard you accept him?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: They want to be cheated.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: People want to be cheated.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the society of cheater and cheated.
Prajāpati: Sometimes great souls, they will cheat people also for their own benefit?
Prabhupāda: Uh? But a great soul will never cheat. One who cheats, he's not great soul. He's the menial soul. Soul is not menial or great, but he's covered by māyā.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: But Lord Buddha cheated the...
Prabhupāda: Hmmm?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Lord Buddha.
Prabhupāda: Cheat, His cheating was perfect, because he cheated for the good. They did not believe in God, and God came, "Yes there is no God. Just follow me." But he's God. That's all.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: So God can only do.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Satsvarūpa: What about Śaṅkara's cheating?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Śaṅkara's cheating is also like that, because he was taking, he was accepting from the Buddhists. If he immediately says that "Lord Buddha was, cheated you," they'll not accept. Therefore he made some compromise. The Buddhist theory is "void," and he said, "No form." So it is almost the same. But he said, "There is Brahman." Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. That much improvement. The same process. Just like one wants to eat meat. He is given some regulation, "Yes, you can eat meat. There is no harm. But you do like this: Go to a mosque. On Eid day you can kill one animal." Or "You go to the synagogue under the protection of..." And our Hindu śāstra says, "Go to the Goddess Kālī's temple, and get a goat, black goat." That means under condition. If it is good thing, it would have been sanctioned, "Yes, you can do whatever you like." But it is not good. But if you say, "It is not good," he'll not accept. Therefore under some condition. (break)