Young man: Can you explain subordination again?
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Explain . . . explain subordination again.
Prabhupāda: Subordination, that . . . it is simple. You are subordinate. You don't understand what is subordination? Is it very difficult? Are you not subordinate to somebody?
Young man: Well, yes, I suppose you could say I was.
Prabhupāda: Yes. You must. Everyone. Everyone must be subordinate, in subordination.
Young man: Yes, in a spiritual sense though, I don't feel subordinate to . . .
Prabhupāda: First of all you understand what is spiritual life, then . . . in the spiritual sense also you are subordinate, because your nature is subordination. Spiritual . . . what do you mean by spiritual and material?
Young man: Well, like, my body is in a particular place and time, and all of these chaos. If I have a job, then I'm subordinate to my boss. But the real, my whole being, my real being, my inner being doesn't . . . I don't think that I am subordinate to my boss. I think that we would be more or less equal. In a temporary sense, we are . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes. This consciousness is very nice, that you are feeling dissatisfaction being subordinate to your boss. Is that not?
Young man: No, that's not right.
Prabhupāda: Then?
Young man: I don't especially . . .
Prabhupāda: Anyone.
Young man: I don't think that . . . well, speaking about this specific incident, it isn't necessarily true that I wouldn't want . . . that I would feel jealous of this guy because he was over me. But I just feel as beings we are more or less all equal. I mean, you know, it's kind of a philosophy that I have. I don't feel that I have to bow down to anybody, and I don't feel anybody should bow down to me.
Prabhupāda: Why? Why? You do not bow down? Why?
Young man: Because I don't feel that I owe him anything or he owes me anything.
Prabhupāda: So that is the disease. We are forced to bow down, and we think that "I don't like to bow down." This is the disease.
Young man: He didn't force me to bow down.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Young man: He isn't forcing me to do anything. I'm just kind of there, and he's kind of there.
Prabhupāda: No. Just try to understand. It is a very nice question. You say that, "I do not want to bow down." Is it not?
Young man: That's basically true, yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Why?
Young man: Because I don't feel like I'm inferior to . . .
Prabhupāda: That is the disease. You have diagnosed your own disease. That is the disease of materialism. Everyone is thinking that, "I want to be master. I don't wish to bow down myself." Everyone is thinking, not only yourself.