Pradyumna: Yes.
- sat-saṅgān mukta-duḥsaṅgo
- hātuṁ notsahate budhaḥ
- kīrtyamānaṁ yaśo yasya
- sakṛd ākarṇya rocanam
Prabhupāda: Where it is quoted from?
Pradyumna: Quoted from Bhāgavatam, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 1.10.11.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Pradyumna: First Canto, Tenth Chapter, Eleventh Verse.
Prabhupāda: Make note there.
Pradyumna: Translation?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Pradyumna: "The intelligent, who have understood the Supreme Lord in association with pure devotees and have become freed from bad materialistic association can never avoid hearing the glories of the Lord even though they have heard them only once."
Prabhupāda: Hm. So this will protect you from the influence of māyā. Read that again.
Pradyumna: Sanskrit or translation.
Prabhupāda: Translation.
Pradyumna: "The intelligent, who have understood the Supreme Lord in association with pure devotees and have become freed..."
Prabhupāda: "In association with pure devotees." So if you are karmīs, then where is the..., What is the value of this association? Sat-saṅga. Sat-saṅga means assembly, discussion. Bodhayantaḥ parasparam, tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca. If you are not interested in association, discussion, then you are finished. So... karmīs, they are fools and rascals. When you have got this center, it is not that you should be engaged from morning till you go to bed for sense gratification. That is not life. That is karmī's life. You have no time for sat-saṅga, for association. You cannot make any progress by this sort of karmī's life. We have to work for organization, but not that whole day and night engaged and no sat-saṅga. That is a misguided policy, and it will spoil the whole structure. In Los Angeles, they regularly assemble during ārati and class. If this regulative principle is lost, then you are karmīs. They must come back by six o'clock, suspending all other duties, and assemble by seven o'clock. Joint mess program is not good. "You bring some money, you bring some money and spend us jointly for eating, sleeping." That is called joint mess. You know the joint mess? This word? What is that, meaning?
Brahmānanda: Well, it means... I thought it had something to do with civil servants, where they all live in a dormitory and eat in a large hall.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.
Brahmānanda: And they all contribute...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Brahmānanda: ...part of their salary.
Prabhupāda: So if you make that association, that will not help you. Joint mess, dormitory. Or joint family. Just like in India. There are five brothers. They're earning. Father and mother is the leader. They're handing over the money, and the father, mother managing. That is Indian system, a joint family. So joint family or joint mess, the same thing. So if you make like that, a center, then it is no good. You must get spiritual strength. Karmī strength will not help you.