Allen Ginsberg told me, Swamiji, you are very conservative. I said that I am the most lenient. I'm not conservative. You are conservative. You cannot give up your bad habits

Expressions researched:
"Allen Ginsberg told me, "Swāmījī, you are very conservative." I said that, "I am the most lenient. I'm not conservative. You are conservative. You cannot give up your bad habits" |"Swamiji, you are very conservative and strict"

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Allen Ginsberg told me, Swamiji, you are very conservative. I said that I am the most lenient. I'm not conservative. You are conservative. You cannot give up your bad habits. I am very liberal and accepting everyone. But you are... Because you are conservative, you cannot give up your bad habits; therefore you deny to come to my camp. I am very liberal.

Room Conversation -- June 29, 1972, San Diego:

Ātreya Ṛṣi: When you first came, Śrīla Prabhupāda, a lot of people probably presented you arguments such as, "If you call the movement 'God consciousness' you'll be more successful. If you not wear tilaka and do not shave your head and do not wear robes and do not go on saṅkīrtana, you will be more successful."

And people still tell us things like this, that "You tell us the philosophy. We like the philosophy. But why do you go on saṅkīrtana?" So what were some of the arguments you presented to these type of people?

Prabhupāda: This is the same argument, ardha-kukkuṭī-nyāya (CC Adi 5.176). You cut the mouth of the chicken because it eats, it is expensive, and keep the back side because it lays down egg. You see? Intelligent man said: "I am getting every day one egg. So that side, the back side, is very good. But this side is expensive, eats. Cut it."

So he does not know, he is such a foolish, that if I cut the head, then the egg-giving business will also stop. Similarly, if you accept this philosophy, then you must accept this also.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes, that is difference . . .

Prabhupāda: If you don't accept this kīrtana, then it will prove that you don't accept the philosophy.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes. That's the difference between Your Divine Grace and all these other bhogīs. They make it according to the taste of the people. They change. That's why this movement is so solid: no compromise.

Prabhupāda: No. Why compromise? My Guru Mahārāja never made any compromise.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Compromise means you have some material attachment.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Compromise means you don't want real business, but you want some money by cheating and by bluffing. That's all. That is compromise. If I aim . . . just like this Mahesh Yogi is doing: "Yes, God has given you senses, why should you not enjoy? You simply enjoy. You simply give me thirty-five dollars, I'll give you a special mantra." (laughter)

And here, Allen Ginsberg told me, "Swāmījī, you are very conservative." I said that, "I am the most lenient. I'm not conservative. You are conservative. You cannot give up your bad habits. I am very liberal, and accepting everyone. But you are . . . because you are conservative, you cannot give up your bad habits; therefore you deny to come to my camp. I am very liberal."

Ātreya Ṛṣi: A Vaiṣṇava is conservative with Kṛṣṇa and liberal with everybody else.

Prabhupāda: That is not conservative. Conservative means unnecessarily catching something. That is conservative. If you try to protect your life, will anyone say: "You are very conservative. I wanted to kill you, and you want to keep your life"? Is that conservatism? Do you think?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: No.

Prabhupāda: And if the murderer thinks that, "You are very conservative. I wanted to kill you and you did not allow," that is not conservative. That is self-preservation, that is not conservative.

Conservative means unnecessarily you catch some rules and regulation without any meaning or without any utility. That is conservative. That is . . . in Sanskrit it is called niyamāgraha.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Just like our poet, Allen Ginsberg. He was always accusing me, "Swamijī, you are very conservative and strict." Actually, I told him that "I am never strict, neither I am conservative. If I become conservative, then I cannot live here for a moment. So I'm not at all conservative." (laughter).

Morning Walk -- March 10, 1976, Mayapur:

Madhudviṣa: In the Nectar of Instruction.

Prabhupāda: Niyamagrahaḥ is not good. Niyama means regulative principles. And niyama-āgrahaḥ is niyamāgrahaḥ. Āgrahaḥ means not to accept. Hmm? And niyama-āgraha. Āgraha means only eager to follow the regulative principles, but no advancement spiritually. Both of them are called niyamāgrahaḥ. So the basic principle is that niyamāgrahaḥ is not recommended. The real business is that if we advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simple method, chanting twenty-four hours, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31), then things will be automatically adjusted. You cannot find in Kali-yuga everything is being done very correctly, to the point. That is very difficult. Just like our poet, Allen Ginsberg. He was always accusing me, "Swāmījī, you are very conservative and strict." Actually, I told him that "I am never strict, neither I am conservative. If I become conservative, then I cannot live here for a moment. (laughs) So I'm not at all conservative." (laughter) I was cooking, and I saw in the . . . what is called, refrigerator of Yeargen, Yeargon? What is his . . .?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. Jergen. That boy you were staying with.

Prabhupāda: Ah, ah! I saw he kept some pieces of meat for his cat. So still, I kept my things in that refrigerator. What can be done? I had no place at that time. Jaya. (break) . . . will be little earlier?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hmm. The walk should be earlier.

Prabhupāda: Quarter to six. And class beginning quarter to seven. Because the sun is rising earlier.