Mr. Koshi: Is something wrong with tea?
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is sinful, pāna.
Mr. Koshi: By itself it is not bad.
Prabhupāda: Itself is bad, sinful.
Mr. Koshi: It's a neutral thing.
Prabhupāda: You say, but śāstra says striya, sūnā, pāna, dyūta (SB 1.17.38), four kinds of sinful activities. Illicit sex; pāna, intoxication. Pāna, pāna, so it is intoxication. Therefore it is sinful.
Mr. Koshi: And what is the fourth?
Prabhupāda: Striya, sūnā and jīva-hiṁsā, unnecessarily killing animals.
Mr. Koshi: And therefore vegetarianism. Is that why vegetarianism is...?
Prabhupāda: First of all, you try to understand the principles. These are the four principles of sinful life. So you should avoid. Unless... Yeṣām anta gataṁ pāpam. That is the... Unless you are free from sinful activities, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Yeṣām anta gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām, te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā (BG 7.28).
Mr. Koshi: What is the meaning of that?
Prabhupāda: Anyone who is completely free from sinful activities, he can understand Kṛṣṇa. If you are engaged in sinful activities, how you will understand Kṛṣṇa? Therefore these things are forbidden. "Don't do this. Understand Kṛṣṇa."
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
- (BG 7.3)
Mr. Koshi: I don't understand.
Prabhupāda: You don't understand, therefore I say you become a student. Understand it. That is our institution. If you don't want to understand, that is another thing.
Mr. Koshi: No. I try to understand, but I drink coffee and tea. I cannot...
Prabhupāda: Because you have not been taught by proper teacher.
Mr. Koshi: That I accept.
Prabhupāda: That is not your fault. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). This is Vedic injunction. So therefore our brahmacārī system. First of all one becomes brahmacārī. Brahmacārī guru-kule vasan dānto guror hitam (SB 7.12.1). These things are there. Everything is there and we don't take advantage of this knowledge. We are after becoming dogs, that's all.
Mr. Koshi: But there are several millions like me.
Prabhupāda: That does not mean... Several zeros does not mean one. Millions of zeros does not mean one. Zero is zero. If several millions of zeros, adding, you cannot make one. That is not possible. One is required. And if you want after zero, you go on. But if you are after one, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, then you are Kṛṣṇa conscious. Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Don't after these zeros. Mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. This is the... If you are after zeros, that is your business. Kṛṣṇa says "Come after one." Then...
Mr. Koshi: So you say one, you mean this...
Prabhupāda: "One" means Kṛṣṇa.