Prabhupāda: If one is pure devotee, then he has all the good qualities. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja was addressed, prahlāda bhadra bhadraṁ te (SB 7.9.52). Bhadra, a gentleman. Who can be more gentleman than the devotees? The devotees are thinking, "How these rascals will be happy?" Prahlāda Mahārāja, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān: (SB 7.9.43) "My Lord, I am thinking that these rascals, simply for flimsy happiness, temporary happiness, they are making so gorgeous arrangement." Big, big road, big, big building, big, big car, congested. If you want to go one mile it will take two hours. Māyā-sukhāya. We have seen in your country. You'll go two miles in a car in three hours. So what is the use of this car? In London I have seen. I was going. It was about two miles, and it was so congested that it took two hours. Paris is always congested. So in India also they are becoming like that. So this is māyā-sukhāya. They are thinking that "Getting a car, we shall be very, very happy," but there is no place to drive car. (laughter) Therefore it is called māyā-sukhāya. And for manufacturing this car there are three thousand parts. So many factories are going on for that. Who was telling me that within a few minutes a car is prepared in the Ford's factory? Somebody was telling. They bring the different parts of the car and mix and assemble them within half an hour. That means each half hour they are manufacturing car.
So, of course, sometimes we require car. But we should not forget Kṛṣṇa simply for the manfacturing and riding car. This is foolishness. This is foolish. We can utilize everything for Kṛṣṇa's service. Just like we have got so many cars... Not here. Here also we have got many, eight to ten buses and cars. In the foreign countries each temple has got more than dozen cars. So, but these cars are used for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to make the best use of a bad bargain. So we never use car for sense gratification. Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa sambandhe yukta-vairāgyam ucyate, prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari... A sannyāsī is supposed to walk. But if somebody criticizes, "Sir, why you are flying on airplane?" no, that is our not principle. The Jain sannyāsīs, they never use cars. Now they have begun. Because I am traveling all over the world, now the Jains, they are also. (laughter) But our philosophy is different. We are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Suppose I have to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Europe or America. So because a sannyāsī has to walk, therefore I shall walk throughout the whole life to go to America? This is foolishness. If I can go to America within fifteen hours for preaching facility, why shall not I use the aeroplane? Why shall I stick... It is called niyamāgraha, "without any profit," to follow the regulative principle without any profit. No. If we get opportunity, preaching facilities for going on car, on airplane, using typewriter, dictaphone, microphone, we must use it. Because this is Kṛṣṇa's property, it must be used for Kṛṣṇa. This is our philosophy. This microphone is Kṛṣṇa's. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). So when it is used for Kṛṣṇa it is not material; it is spiritual.
- prāpañcikatayā buddhyā
- hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ
- mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo
- phalgu-vairāgyaṁ kathyate
So anything which can be used for Kṛṣṇa's service, that is not material; that is spiritual. So we must use it. But not for sense gratification. Therefore we have to use and work exactly under the direction of spiritual master. Otherwise it will be sense gratification. Don't manufacture. Guru-mukha padma-vākya, cittete kariyā aikya, āra na kariha mane āśa **. If you want to be guided, then take in every step the words of guru. Manufacturing will not help you. Prahlāda Mahārāja become so great because he was initiated by Nārada Muni. That is required. Chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava sevā, nistar payeche kebā. Nobody can become perfect without serving the bona fide spiritual master. That is the motto. So evaṁ pralobhyamāno 'pi varair loka-pralobhanaiḥ (SB 7.9.55). So much attractive... Now, if somebody says, or Kṛṣṇa says that "I'll give you immediately five lakhs of rupees and one beautiful girl also. You give up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement," how many will be restrained? That is very difficult. But our boys have been tested. They are not after money, most of them, or women. But generally... Therefore it is said, loka-pralobhanaiḥ. In this material world everyone is after money and woman. Money and women. That is called viṣaya. Viṣaya.
So there is verse. I (am) just now forgetting. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). Mahat-sevā. Mahat-sevā means to serve the mahātmās or devotees. That is the way of liberation. Tamo-dvāram... Tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. Yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. So this material world means that yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam, to be attracted by money and woman. This is material world. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has warned very rigidly, hā hanta hā hanta viṣayiṇāṁ sandarśanam, paraṁ jigamiṣa... What is that? Eh? I forget that verse. The brain is not working.
Sac-cid-ānanda: Parāṁ paraṁ jigamiṣoḥ...
Prabhupāda: Ah, parāṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya. Viṣayiṇāṁ sandarśanam atha yoṣitāṁ ca hā hanta hā hanta viṣa-bhakṣanato 'py asādhu (CC Madhya 11.8), that one who is very serious for going to the other side of this material world—that means spiritual world—they should be very, very careful about money and woman. May not be trapped, victimized.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja was not deluded by any kinds of material profits. Evaṁ pralobhyamāno 'pi. Kṛṣṇa, Nṛsiṁhadeva said, "Prahlāda, you take. Whatever benediction you want, you take." So he said, "Sir, I am your servant. I am not a merchant that in exchange of something I will have to give You service. No. Please do not delude me." Just see what kind of servant he is. Evaṁ pralobhyamāno 'pi varair loka-pralo... Ekāntitvād. "What is the reason?" The reason is that determination of Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, that "We shall simply serve Kṛṣṇa. We shall not accept anything but Kṛṣṇa." This is ekāntitvād. "My... I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). "I shall simply serve. I shall give everything, whatever I have got." Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings, manasa deha geha, yo kichu mora, arpilūn tuwā pade, nanda-kiśora. What we have got, nonsense? Everything Kṛṣṇa's. But still, He has given us something. What is that? This body, this mind. This body for sense enjoyment and the mind for speculation. So body, mind. Manasa. And a little home, a wife, some children. We can claim. That is also not actually ours. That is given by Kṛṣṇa. "You want to enjoy your senses? All right, take this."