Pradyumna: "Man is thriving economically, so at present he is not very interested in religion."
Prabhupāda: Yes. They are instructing, "If you want economic development, why you are going to church and temple? Just start industry. You'll get money." That is propaganda is going on. At least in our country, in India, it is going on. "Forget now God and temples. Just try to imitate America. Overnight become industrialist."
But they are not teaching them that America or Western countries, after industrialization, now they are producing hippies. That they do not see. They are seeing one side that, "America and Western countries, they have become so prosperous by industrialization. Let us imitate them. We must have."
Actually, India, after independence, should have distributed this spiritual knowledge. Why we should compete with industrialization? They have got also demand for the spiritual knowledge. So India should have given the spiritual knowledge to the Western countries instead of competing with industry. And that is a fact.
Now I alone started this movement. There is so much response because they are hankering after this. Caitanya Mahāprabhu hinted therefore:
- bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra
- janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)
"Those who have taken birth as human being in Indian, on the land of Bhārata-varṣa, they should learn their spiritual assets and distribute it throughout the world for real welfare activity." This was Caitanya Mahāprabhu's indication. That was my Guru Mahārāja's indication. With that indication I tried, and somehow or other, it is coming to be successful.
Now it is in your hand, you European and American young boys and girls. You take it seriously. From India they are coming, but I am very sorry to inform, they are not giving the real . . . not delivering the real culture. So we do not want to discuss that point.
But now you are intelligent boys and girls. You have taken this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Try to understand more philosophically and distribute all over the world. That is my request. Otherwise the world is doomed. Without this spiritual knowledge, without God consciousness, the whole world is doomed.