Prabhupāda: Unless something is important, why shall I try to understand it? It is all useless. Actually that is. Our criterion is, as soon as we see one is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is rejected. He is nothing. He has no value. That is our criterion. Just like the other day he was opening that book of geography.
Śatadhanya: Oh, yes. When you opened the book of maps.
Upendra: World Atlas.
Prabhupāda: I rejected immediately. What is this nonsense? Why shall I refer to it? "Probably." Finished, one word. Tāvac ca śobhate mūrkho yāvat kiñcin na bhāṣate:(?) "A mūrkha, a rascal, is beautiful so long he does not speak. As soon as he speaks, we understand where he is." Bas. Just like you're cooking rice. You take one rice and press it. If it is not soft, oh, whole rice is not. If it is not soft, it is not yet cooked. Similarly, one word will give his identity. As soon as he says "Probably," finished. Why shall I take trouble?
Upendra: In all of your books there's not that word.
Śatadhanya: That way we avoid wasting time.
Prabhupāda: Yes. "Probably," "maybe," "in millions of years."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We call that "closet talk." That means when you start talking like that, we advise him to go into the closet and close the door. Then only they will have to hear it.
Prabhupāda: We take Kṛṣṇa's word. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante... (BG 7.15). (break)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very positive. He says, "One additional note. Our Library Party in America recently attended the annual convention of the largest organization of libraries." That's called the American Library Association. It's made up of all of the libraries in the US, and it's the most prestigious library association. "At this convention, the booth of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust won the first prize..."
Prabhupāda: Just see. This is our triumph.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "...for the most attractive booth. And a plaque was awarded to our representative, Śeṣa dāsa." He was called up in front of all of the gathering of librarians. They awarded him a plaque. "He had the booth arranged with a portable movie projector showing one of the ISKCON films. Incense was burning, Indian sweets were distributed, and all your books were displayed as well as tapes. So it was nice that such a big organization recognized Kṛṣṇa was all-attractive."
Prabhupāda: That's the kind of propaganda.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Four hundred booths competed, four hundred publishers.
Prabhupāda: And we became first.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We were first.
Prabhupāda: Just see. This is triumph.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually these others, when they try and sell their books, it's all nothing.
Prabhupāda: There is a proverb in Bengali, chuṅco mere hata gandha.(?) What is called that chuṅco? It is like a rat, but a mouth is... They are different class.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Like a rat, but...
Prabhupāda: Different class.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The mouth is long?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very long? Are you speaking of ant-eater? They eat ants?
Prabhupāda: I do not know. But that animal is called chuṅco. (makes whispering sound) "Chuchu, chuchu."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Squirrel.
Prabhupāda: No, a squirrel is different.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Chuṅco? It's called chuṅco?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It makes that sound.
Prabhupāda: So if you kill, then your hand becomes bad flavor.
Śatadhanya: Bad smell. Skunk.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Skunk.
Śatadhanya: He has stripe on back.
Prabhupāda: Huh? So chuṅco mere hata gandha. So if you want to kill, then your hand will be bad flavor.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh.
Prabhupāda: We don't want to touch them even. I never did so.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He got a review already on his book. This is from the... It's called Books West.
Prabhupāda: Keep your position respectable. Don't create many enemies. It is very simple. Why should I try to understand the rascal Gandhi philosophy and Ramakrishna? I take it from the beginning, they're useless. Why shall I waste my time? I know it is useless. They'll require superficial touch, no important. I therefore say in every..., "I do not know who is this."
Śatadhanya: Just like one reporter, he asked Bhavānanda Mahārāja what he thinks of Vivekananda. So he said, "Who is that? I don't know." And he was very surprised. He said, "You do not know?"
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He said, "Maybe he was important here, but we never heard of him in America."
Prabhupāda: (laughs) That is sufficient.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So this is a review. "From Books West: A magazine of the book trade, from June 1977." It says, "Readings in Vedic Literature: the Tradition Speaks for Itself, by Satsvarūpa dāsa Goswami..."
Prabhupāda: So this kind of, that "I do not know who is Vivekananda." "Oh! You do not know?" Then you can know what he is. Then he can say, "This is his philosophy." Then you criticize, "This is nonsense!" Let him present Vivekananda's philosophy and smash it. Let the other party present Gandhi's philosophy and you crush it by kicking. That is the opportunity. Otherwise it will be the same philosophy, to kill that... What is that animal?
Devotees: Skunk.
Prabhupāda: Skunk, and the hand becomes badly flavored. Hm? (break) Therefore three books, Bhagavad-gītā... All my other small books, they are also on the basis. That Topmost Yoga, it is based on Bhagavad-gītā in a different name. Easy Journey to Other Planets is based on Bhagavad-gītā in a different name. Why shall I waste? I don't want to waste time. In this condition of life I try to write book because I do not try to waste my time. All right, I am not having sleep. Let me try at night. If I can write one, two lines, that's all right. I don't want to read any other book or criticize or play. Waste of time. What is that first verse? Kim anyaiḥ śāstraiḥ. Where it is?
Śatadhanya: That's from Bhāgavatam, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Hm. Just see. You do not read. Find. Bring Bhāgavata, the first part. (coughs)