Svarūpa Dāmodara: To attract the Bengalis who are educated, what techniques will be most effective?
Prabhupāda: This kīrtana and prasāda distribution.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: But it seems that to me they are not so much interested. There was a man who came from Calcutta about two months ago, a Bengali, and in fact we were class friends in Calcutta when I was studying in Calcutta. And actually I discussed this problem with him, why so-called Bengali intellectuals are not attracted to our movement. And his answer was that the Caitanya movement is mostly for less intellectuals. For those who are educated, they want to be followers of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. In fact, they have a society called Vedanta Society. All the Bengalis get together . . .
Prabhupāda: And waste their time. The rascals waste their time.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: And they discuss . . . so I was a little mad at him, this friend.
Prabhupāda: Because the real fact is they do not want to give up meat-eating and fish-eating. Therefore they like Vivekananda. That is the real reason. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement, Vaiṣṇava, they have to give up so many things. That is the disease of the Bengalis. And Vivekananda is recognized only in Bengal. To some part, not all.
Vipina: There is also a small Vedanta Society here in Washington. I had one of our Indian associates, whom I hope you will be able to meet, go there, and he said they could not even discuss the topics of Bhagavad-gītā. They had no conclusions. They were arguing in their own meeting, and no one had any idea what Bhagavad-gītā was, and so many technical points.
Prabhupāda: The meat-eaters are the most sinful. They cannot understand. Vinā paśughnāt, nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt (SB 10.1.4). They will have no access.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: I think there must be a fundamental mistake in their outlook.
Prabhupāda: No, their life is a mistake, because they are sinful. Their life is a mistake. Misguided.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: This fellow is a chemist, and actually he's very intelligent, and he has read all the Gītās, and he has studied many thoughts on Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Prabhupāda: First of all, we have to talk with them about this, "What is life?" Then they will talk. If they are on the bodily conception of life, they are animals, which is not. First of all, you have to talk with them on this platform, "What is life." Identification.