Expressions researched:
"did not believe"
|"disbelief"
|"disbelieve"
|"disbelieved"
|"disbeliever"
|"disbelieves"
|"disbelieving"
|"do not believe"
|"does not believe"
|"don't believe"
|"no belief"
|"nonbeliever"
|"not believable"
|"not believe"
|"not believing"
|"unbelievable"
|"unbeliever"
|"unbelievers"
Conversations and Morning Walks
1967 Conversations and Morning Walks
Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco: Prabhupāda: These things should be ascertained(?). Then, it is mentioned there, exhibit illicit sex, slaughterhouse, intoxication, gambling. Then the third scene is very nice. Rāsa dance.
Hayagrīva: Uh... Just before this... I'm not going to make this I don't believe either eastern or western, but I think this can apply for the whole world in the sense that the names may be Indian names, but I think the exhibition of the assembly of Kali and his consort sin and the exhibition of illicit sex and slaughterhouse, this can all be, it can be from western type prototype.
Prabhupāda: That may be. No, why should you... It may be sometimes misunderstood that western people are only under the influence of Kali. Because the world is under the influence of Kali. Not that in your country only this intoxication, illicit sex. No, everywhere it is.
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Interview -- March 9, 1968, San Francisco: Prabhupāda: So here is the scientific statement of our relationship with God. And then, according to that relationship, exactly in the same way, just like understanding your relationship, your citizenship in a state you can act nicely, similarly if we know our relationship with God, we can act very nicely and that is peaceful life. And besides that, this life, the present life is not all. We have got life after death. That is a fact. Just like we are continuously in life, in this present life, you were a child, I was a child. Everyone of us were a child. That was a life. Then we became boy, then we became youth. Now we are, I am becoming old, and generally, when this body will be useless, I will have to take another body. This is the way. Unfortunately, the people, they do not believe in the next life. Although in every day affair they are experiencing that "I am eternal. I can remember the days of my childhood. I can remember the days of my youthhood, my boyhood, and I am still working. That means I am continuously there although my body in different ways have changed." So it is a fact that even after changing this body, you will have another body. Just like you are sitting in this room. Now, if you vacate this room, that does not mean you are finished. You have gone in some other room. So this is a great science. And people are neglecting this science. They have no, I mean to say, information.
Radio Interview -- March 12, 1968, San Francisco: Interviewer: Know yourself. I have some more questions. We're talking with Swami A.C. Bhaktivedanta, head of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. (radio ad:) ...And you can sell anything by reaching more than two million who read the Chronicle and the Examiner. (break)
Girl caller: ...Gargamuni Prabhu. All glories to Gargamuni Prabhu! (break)
Interviewer: You believe that sex is only for having children. You do not believe in alcohol or the use of any stimulants.
Prabhupāda: No, that is prohibited.
Interviewer: What do you believe in?
Prabhupāda: We believe in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have to purify. Just like this is also a belief, that you will be happy by drinking alcohol. That is your consciousness. I don't believe in that.
Interviewer: Do you have certain dietary rules for which you do not eat?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Certainly.
Room Conversation -- July 16, 1968, Montreal: Prabhupāda: Oh, he was talking that on zero some great swami spoke four hours. And he was very proud that on zero one can speak throughout his whole life. Now I did not... (laughs) But if you can speak on some subject matter for four hours, how it is zero? Just see the contradiction. Gaurasundara, you were present when he was speaking? You heard? If I can speak something on a subject matter, is that subject matter zero? Zero means śūnya. Śūnya means nothing. So how you can speak on nothing? If you can speak on nothing, then nothing is no more nothing. It is something. Just see. But you are so proud. "Oh, he spoke on zero for four hours." I did not contradict because he is newcomer, but I talked on other subject. But this is the position. Suppose you can talk on zero for four hours. Then either you waste your time... Because after all it is zero. The result is zero. Just like you add one million zeros. So what is the value? Zero. So who is a fool that knowing that one million zeros makes zero, why shall I waste my time making so many zeros? So either he is a fool or if zero has so much substance to speak, then how it is zero? If zero has so much value that one can speak on it for hours and hours together, then how it is zero? So people do not understand things very properly. They're so dull. Then he was eulogising the man who spoke on zero for four hours. Yes. That is the system, if you hear a man talking nonsense and people will give cla... Oh! And he's asking what you have understood, "Oh! it is very difficult to explain." Then why you are wasting time? If you cannot express, if you do not understand. Simply people wants jugglery of words, they don't want substance. They don't want substance. That is the difficulty in the mod..., in the present age. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya saṁsiddhiṁ labhate param (BG 18.46). Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). So you should learn this nice simple fact, that whether by your work Kṛṣṇa or the Supreme Personality of Godhead is being satisfied. Just like a student, how he is prosecuting his studies will be tested at the examination how he can satisfy the examiner. Similarly, whatever we may do, we have to enquire or to understand whether by that work the Supreme Personality of Godhead is satisfied. Unfortunately, they do not believe in God, or if they had some ideas of God... Now they say God is dead. So they do not think that it is necessary to please God. That is the difficulty.
Interview -- September 24, 1968, Seattle: Prabhupāda: There is no conflict at all. The conflict is between persons who are godless, who does not believe in God. Conflict is there. The conflict is not between East and West; the conflict is between the atheists and the theists. We are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not that we are trying to replace something by Indian method to Christian method or Jewish method. That is not our policy. This is... In one sense, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the post-graduate study of all religions. What is the method of religion? To accept the authority of God. That is the primary principle of every religion, may be Christian religion or Hindu religion or Mohammedan religion. It doesn't matter. But people are becoming godless. That is the problem. They are thinking that "There is no God. Nature is everything." That is their foolishness. They are unhappy for this godlessness. And as a result of this godlessness, the Communist party have sprang up, the hippies have sprang up and so many other things will gradually spring up. So there is no check. It is... The only check is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if people are taught that he can be happy only by reestablishing his eternal relationship with God. So our test of religion is how one has developed his God consciousness or love of God. We do not accept any principle of religion as genuine if we see that the followers have no love of God but they have got love of matter. We testify the, I mean to say, bona fides of a religious principle... Of course, in religious principle there is the teaching to become God conscious, to accept the authority of God, but because they are not properly taught, the followers are becoming godless, not only here, in India also. That is the position everywhere. So our proposition is to make people God conscious. It doesn't matter what he is. Either he is Hindu or Christian or Mohammedan, it doesn't matter. And this Kṛṣṇa consciousness procedure is to raise or to develop love of Godhead. And as soon as he develops love of Godhead, then he becomes happy individually and collectively because there is love. He wants to love somebody else, but he is placing his love wrongly. He is placing his love... Even one has nobody to love, he is loving cats and dogs. So love is there, but he does not know where to place his love and be happy. This is the information, Kṛṣṇa.
Interview -- September 24, 1968, Seattle: Prabhupāda: So far Hindu religion is concerned, it is a very broad thinking. The Hindu religion, Vedic religion, is divided into two kinds of philosophers. One kinds of philosopher is the impersonalist. They take the Absolute Truth as impersonal, all-pervading impersonal. And the another philosophers, they take that the Supreme Absolute Truth is person. The impersonal feature is one of the features of that person, but ultimately he is person. So without person there cannot be any question of love. Therefore the section who believes in person... Not believing, they know actually what He is, and there is method how to love that person. The example is given: just like the sun and the sunshine and the predominating Deity in the sun globe, similarly, one who comes to the light, he first of all sees the sunshine. That is impersonal. Then, if he goes further, if he is able to go to the sun planet, that is localized. And if he can enter into the sun planet and see the predominating deity there, then he is a person. So this is a vast science. People are too much engrossed with material activities. They do not try to understand actually what is the position of Absolute Truth, what is the position of the soul. Practically in the present day they are more or less animalistic. Just like animal does not know anything beyond eating, sleeping, mating and defending, similarly, the modern civilization is too much busy for increasing the method of eating and increasing the process of comfortable life or sleeping, and increasing the matter of, method of sexual life, or increasing the method of defense. So these things, are found even in the animals. They also eat, they also sleep, they also have sex life and they also defend in their own way. So human life is not limited within these four walls. He has to understand what he is, what is this world, what is this creation, what is God, how it is going on. But they are neglecting that fact. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness will give information to this department of knowledge.
Interview -- September 24, 1968, Seattle: Prabhupāda: Other belief, they are also based on the principle of love. That is actually not belief; that is misbelief. Because any religious principle... Just like Buddhism. Buddhism, actually, they do not believe in God, but they have love for Lord Buddha. So love is there. They may declare that "We don't believe in God," but they love Lord Buddha. And according to our Vedic scripture, Lord Buddha is also incarnation of God. So we interpret in this way, that Lord Buddha preached among the atheists by cheating them. Oh, how it is? That they did not believe in God, and Lord Buddha said, "Oh, yes, there is no God. But you love Me." So they are loving Lord Buddha. Similarly, there are many persons. They do not believe in family life, they do not believe in so many things, but love is there. He is sleeping with a cat, with a dog. So in no circumstances you can avoid love, but they are suffering because the love is misplaced and misused.
Interview with LA Times Reporter About Moon Trip -- December 26, 1968, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: But for sixty miles, fifty miles, if they could stand sixty miles off from the moon planet, they were already on the atmosphere. Suppose if I am sixty miles away from a city, I am in that atmosphere. So if I could stay that atmosphere, how it is possible that, how it is wonderful that they could not go further sixty miles? I don't believe these things, these statements, that they were within sixty miles area. This is simply imagination.
Reporter: Well, they didn't take along the spaceship that they need that they...
Prabhupāda: Anyway, anyway, just like I am inhabitant of Vrndavana. Vrndavana, that is ninety miles off from New Delhi. The atmosphere is almost the same. So, if I could live at Vrndavana, I could live at New Delhi also. So if they stayed sixty miles off from moon planet how is it that they could not go further sixty miles? This is most ludicrous. At least, we cannot believe such things. Sixty miles is no much difference. It is almost in the same atmosphere.
1969 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation -- April 27, 1969, Boston: Prabhupāda: He wants to utilize our men.
Haṁsadūta: Yes. Don't deal with him, right? That's what I thought.
Prabhupāda: He wants a cheap, cheap price. (Break) I don't believe all these things they have... They have come here to beg, to make money. You see? Their mentality cannot be good.
Haṁsadūta: I have a letter for you from Gopāla Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Oh. Gopāla Kṛṣṇa is a good boy.
Haṁsadūta: Oh, he's very nice. Oh, he's getting so nice. He wants to come.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Because he is serving.
Himavatī: He lives in our house now.
Haṁsadūta: He lives with us now. You know we have another house, the whole house, and almost everyone now is a devotee there. And they're eating prasādam.
Prabhupāda: Gopāla Kṛṣṇa is very nice boy. You give him good protection, and he will turn very good help. Sevonmukhe... This Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be, I mean to say, appreciated only by service. There is no other, no other way. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). You cannot catch Kṛṣṇa by any way, by your riches, by your beauty, by your..., because He excels everything. How you can make Him under your control? You can simply make Him under your control by service, like the gopīs did. Yes. What is this? Prasāda? Oh, I think I cannot take any. All right, I shall take some.
Room Conversation -- May 10, 1969, Columbus, Ohio: Prabhupāda: Material consciousness means forgetting God. When one forgets God, that is material consciousness. Material consciousness is called māyā. Actually one should not forget. But if he forgets somehow or other, that is material consciousness. Naturally nobody forgets his father and mother. But if, somehow or other, he forgets, that is a special circumstances and that is called māyā, illusion. Just like any one of you who are existing, you must have a father and mother. That is a fact. Without father and mother, your existence cannot be. Now, if you cannot say who is your father and mother, if you do not know, this forgetfulness, this is called māyā. Actually it should not happen, but somehow or other, if you are asked, "Who is your parents?" You cannot say. This is called māyā. But there must be some father and mother. Without father and mother, there cannot be an existence. You cannot deny that. You cannot say, "Oh, I have no father and mother." That is not possible. You may not know who is your father, mother. That is a different thing. But you cannot say, "Oh, I have no father, mother." So this denial, that "I don't believe in God," is a existence like that, one who has forgotten his father and mother. That is māyā, and that is material consciousness. Denying God in different way, "There is no God," that is also denial. "I don't believe in God"—that is also denial. "God is impersonal, void," anyway, whatever you say in that way, that is all insanity, māyā. Maya means insanity. Another meaning of māyā means insanity. Just like when a man becomes insane, that is false. It is expected that he should not be insane. By treatment he is brought again to his original consciousness. Similarly, māyā means insanity, forgetfulness of God. And by Kṛṣṇa consciousness treatment he comes to the original consciousness. He becomes a cured man. Actually māyā means which has no existence. Māyā has no existence. But sometimes it is there. Just like the sky's cover. This covering is not reality.
Room Conversation -- May 10, 1969, Columbus, Ohio: Prabhupāda: This is māyā. Everyone is thinking, "Oh, there are so many problems I have to solve. I have to make this, that, this, so many." But he has no problem. He has no problem. His only problem is how to accept Kṛṣṇa. That's all. And Kṛṣṇa is so kind. He says, "Yes, you accept Me. Simply chant Kṛṣṇa. I am yours. That's all." But my, I am so misfortunate that I cannot chant even. All problems solved simply by chanting Kṛṣṇa. Etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavān. Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches that "O Kṛṣṇa, You are so kind that You have come to Me in the sound vibration, word, 'Kṛṣṇa.' I can very easily chant, and You remain with Me. But I am so misfortunate that I have no attraction even for this." You say people, "You chant Kṛṣṇa; you get everything." They will not believe it. If you say, "You press your nose. You pay me fifty dollars. I'll give you some nice mantra and this, that. You make your head like this, leg like this," "Oh," he'll say, "here is something." Something. "And this Swamiji says, 'Simply chant Kṛṣṇa.' Oh, what is this?" Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavān mamāpi durdaiva: "But I am so unfortunate that You have become so easily available in this age, but I am so unfortunate, I cannot accept it." So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness so easily being distributed, but they are so unfortunate, they cannot accept. Just see. And you give them bluff, you cheat them—they will, "Ah, yes, welcome. Yes." They'll welcome it. And cheaters are always ready: "Oh, there are so many customers for being cheated. Let me take advantage of it." So my Guru Mahārāja used to say, "This world is the society of cheaters and cheated." The members are somebody are cheating, and somebody are cheated. The association of cheaters and cheated. So we want to save them from this society of cheaters and cheated.
Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 13, 1969, Columbus, Ohio: Allen Ginsberg: He says, all conceptions of the existence of the self, as well as all conceptions of the nonexistence of the self, as well as all conceptions of the existence of a supreme self, as well as all conceptions of the nonexistence of the supreme self are equally arbitrary, being only conceptions.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is a jugglery of words. So his principle was that they did not believe in God. So still the Buddhists says, "You don't believe in God." So but they are worshiping God, Lord Buddha. There are so many temples. In the same way, as we worship. So this is transcendental cheating.
Allen Ginsberg: Transcendental cheating.
Prabhupāda: (chuckling) Just like sometimes father has to cheat his child. That is not cheating. That is welfare. But apparently it (looks) likes cheating. A child is insistent on some point. "Yes, yes. You are all right. But you do this like this. Yes, you are very good boy." Like that. But Vaiṣṇava, in Vaiṣṇava literature, in Vedic literature, he is God. The godless worshiping God in a different way. If there is nothing, why they should worship Buddha even?
Allen Ginsberg: They don't... Well, strictly speaking, one does not worship Buddha.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, they have many big, big temples in Burma and Japan.
Allen Ginsberg: Yeah. But the practice in the temples is like empty.
Prabhupāda: Maybe. That is a little different. That's all. But the temple worship and God worship is there.
1970 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation -- November 7, 1970, Bombay: Prabhupāda: That's... They do not understand Kṛṣṇa. (Hindi) Why step by step? If you have to accept Kṛṣṇa, why not immediately? That is intelligence.
Guest (9): But you should be...
Prabhupāda: There is no question of "should be." When Kṛṣṇa says, "I'll give you protection," why "should be"? You don't believe in Kṛṣṇa. He says, ahaṁ tvaṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣa (BG 18.66). You are doubtful about Kṛṣṇa's capacity. That means you do not know Kṛṣṇa. Yes.
Guest (9): But in a part of one form...
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Guest (9): To understand Kṛṣṇa...
Guest (2): He means that is beyond his capacity, to understand Him.
Prabhupāda: What is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa says, "I am everything." Why don't you accept Him? That means you want to understand Kṛṣṇa in your own way. Why you are becoming intentionally unable?
Guest (9): No, believe Him as a you are a servant and serve Him. Or you believe that you are mother to Him.
Prabhupāda: No, that is second. First of all surrender. Then what way you shall surrender, that is different thing, another stage, more confidential. First of all there is surrender. First of all you enter this house or this room. Then you ask, "How can I serve you?" That is different. First of all there is no surrender, or without surrender, full surrender, there is no entrance in Kṛṣṇa. No entry. Because those who revolted against Kṛṣṇa, those who wanted to become Kṛṣṇa by imitating Him, they are here in this material world. Icchā-dveṣa-samutthena sarge yānti parantapa (BG 7.27). (Hindi) Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), creation, that all the living entities who have come into this created world, they have revolted. They wanted to become Kṛṣṇa, to imitate Kṛṣṇa.
Room Conversation -- December 12, 1970, Indore: Prabhupāda: We, according to our Vedic system, we do not accept any other system of religion because we consider them nāstika. That is the primary principle. Nāstika means one who does not believe in the Vedas. He is called nāstika. Not that he does not believe in God. One may believe in God, but one who does not believe in the Vedic literature, he is called nāstika. Veda na manīyā bauddha haila nāstika. Lord Buddha, although he is accepted as incarnation of God, but because he defied the Vedic principles it is said, nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātaṁ. Lord Buddha criticized the, I mean to say, sacrificial ceremonies because in the sacrificial ceremonies sometimes there is recommendation of killing an animal. But he was preaching nonviolence. So he criticized even the sacrifice in yajña. He criticized. Nindasi... But a Vaiṣṇava is praying, "My dear Lord, you are defying the Vedic principles." He knows why the Lord is now defying the Vedic principles; therefore he is devotee. In spite of Lord Buddha's defying the Vedic principles, a devotee is offering him obeisances. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. He knows the Lord, how He is playing, how He is bewildering the atheistic class of men. The atheistic class of men did not believe in God. Lord Buddha says, "Yes, you don't require to believe in God. There is no God. But you feel yourself that when you are attacked with violence you feel pain. Why should you offer to others?" Because his mission was to stop animal killing. Sadaya-hṛdaya-darṣita-paśu-ghātam. The Supreme Lord became too much compassionate when he saw that people are unnecessarily killing animals, as it is going on still. Instead of... At least those who are claiming Buddhist, they are killing animals. Bruce, is it not? Yes. But in the Buddhist religion there is no sanction for killing animals. Yes?
Room Conversation -- December 12, 1970, Indore: Prabhupāda: (Hindi) Muhammad, he also did not believe in the Vedic literature. But according to Vedic literature, anyone who does not believe in the Vedic literature, he is nāstika. Just like the Mohammedans, they say, "Anyone who does not believe in Koran, he is kafir." The Christians say, "Anyone who does not believe in the Bible, they are heathens." That is there everywhere. Similarly, Lord Caitanya said that veda na manīyā bauddha haila nāstika. He is giving the definition because we have to follow the great personalities, great ācāryas. That is our process. We do not make any research, or we do not make any statement made by us. We simply accept the injunctions given by great ācāryas. Ācāryopāsanam. That is the process of Vedic system. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). One must approach a spiritual master and learn from him. So whatever spiritual master says, that is accepted. Sādhu guru śāstra vākya. Real evidence is, it must be stated in the scriptures, it must be explained by the spiritual master or saintly persons. That is evidence.
Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore: Prabhupāda: You have heard about our philosophy? You have heard about our philosophy?
Guest (1) (Indian man): Whatever I have read, but, you see, I don't believe what I have read. I believe only whatever I have talked to you, whatever you have said.
Prabhupāda: No, no, that is another thing. But still, what is your conception of our philosophy? What is that teaching?
Guest (1): Whose? My?
Prabhupāda: No, as we are?
Guest (1): No, I have understood what I have heard from you, what is your conception of God, I have not understood.
Prabhupāda: Our conception of God is that He is a transcendental person. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Īśvara means Lord. The Supreme Lord is a person. As you are person, He is also person, but He is the chief person. Nityo nityānāṁ. He is the leader, and we are all led. Or He is the master; we are the servitors. That is our self-realization, to understand that "I am eternal servant of God." In Bhagavad-gītā it is said, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ: (BG 15.7) "Eternally all the living entities are My part and parcels." So as the part and parcel of anything is to serve the cause of the whole, similarly, all living entities, their only business is to serve the Supreme. That is all.
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Conversation with Prof. Kotovsky -- June 22, 1971, Moscow: Prabhupāda: So suppose we accept such statement without any argument. That is the way of Vedic understanding. Vedic understanding means you have to accept whatever is stated in the Vedas without any argument.
Prof. Kotovsky: So forget about Vedas. Our approach is we don't believe in anything without argument. We can believe only on anything based on argument.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that...
Prof. Kotovsky: Here is the basic...
Prabhupāda: No, no, that is allowed.
Prof. Kotovsky: ...projecting (?).
Prabhupāda: That is allowed. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena (BG 4.34), paripraśnena sevayā.Paripraṣna, argument, is allowed, but not with a challenging spirit. With a spirit to rightly understand. Praṇipātena paripraśnena. That... Argument is not denied. But so far Vedic statements are there, they are infallible, infallible, and the followers of the Vedas, they accept in that way. For example, just like cow dung.
Darsana -- June 28, 1971, San Francisco: Prabhupāda: Preaching work is for the guru. So Kṛṣṇa... Caitanya Mahāprabhu says it doesn't matter whether he is a gṛhastha or vānaprastha or a brāhmaṇa or śūdra. It doesn't matter. If he knows what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness and preaches, then he is guru. That's all. So we have to become like that. It doesn't matter what we are, but whether I am preaching nicely. That is required. But still there is some regulative principles like sannyāsī and brahmacārī will be like this, gṛhastha will be like this. That is the external. But the main business is preaching. So you have got good opportunity, you have got good name, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is being appreciated. So live very cautiously and preach very cautiously and seriously, then in this one life you will become successful, go back to home, back to Godhead. One life. You haven't got to wait for another life. If this life we work sincerely, then our business is finished. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (
BG 4.9). That is assured by Kṛṣṇa. "After giving up this body, he doesn't come to this material world." Then where does he go? Mām eti, "He comes to Me." This is said by Kṛṣṇa. Why shall we
disbelieve? So serve this life very sincerely and go back to Kṛṣṇa immediately. That is intelligence. Why should you wait for another life? We do not know what life we can get. May not be possible. So we should be very responsible to this life in serving Kṛṣṇa. Make yourself successful. Don't waste a single moment. Every moment should be utilized to serve Kṛṣṇa. Always think, how I can serve Kṛṣṇa? The direction is already there. The work is sufficient. If you don't want to do, that is a different thing. There is sufficient work to do. If you cannot do anything, you can go and meet any man and request him, "Please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." What is the difficulty? You can request. That your endeavor to request him is your service. He may not chant. But if you request him, "Please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa..." If you cannot do anything, if you meet anyone in the street and say "Please... (end)
Room Conversation -- July 20, 1971, New York: Pratyatoṣa: Oh, yeah, for the editing..., for our purposes, this is the best time-sharing system. I've used almost every one. It's unbelievable. It's so fast, it's so reliable. I used that for months and months and it never... It wasn't..., maybe... I can't even remember a time when the thing wasn't working. It was always working.
Devotee (4): So reliable.
Prabhupāda: They charge $180 per month?
Pratyatoṣa: $185 per month for 40 hours a week.
Devotee (4): That means eight hours a day, five hours...
Pratyatoṣa: Yeah, that's just a little over a dollar an hour for the computer time, and it's a really... Normally it would be about twelve hundred or thirteen hundred dollars a month, but because... See, there's another thing, you've got to... The time is only between 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., that's why it's less expensive. But that's a better time actually, because it's after hours and you get a faster response on the computer because there's hardly anybody on it. It's really good. And normally it's...
Prabhupāda: What is the whole price?
Pratyatoṣa: Well, the terminal would cost $700 for one that handled upper and lower case. You can get 132 characters across.
Prabhupāda: $700 altogether?
Pratyatoṣa: Yeah, $700...
Room Conversation -- July 20, 1971, New York: Prabhupāda: So first of all you bring this Tanberg, then I shall see.
Pratyatoṣa: I'll just leave all this here. (aside:) Take this, this is with the microphone. These are Kona(?) microphones. They're unbelievable, they're so good. You want to keep that?
Devotee (4): I just want to see... I want to see the computer.
Pratyatoṣa: OK.
Devotee (4): (indistinct)
Pratyatoṣa: OK.
Devotee (4): Śrīla Prabhupāda, actually...
Prabhupāda: What is the price of this machine?
Pratyatoṣa: I'm not too sure, but it'd probably be about two hundred and fifty, something like that. The numbers usually sort of correspond to the price more or less.
Prabhupāda: I found Tanberg better than Sony.
Room Conversation -- August 14, 1971, London: Prabhupāda: According to Bhagavad-gītā, there are four classes of men who deride at God and four classes of men who approaches God.
- na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
- prapadyante narādhamāḥ
- māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
- āsuriṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
- (BG 7.15)
Atheist class of men, who are always engaged in sinful activities, and therefore fools... They don't believe in the next life. Therefore they are fools. There is next life. They say, "Oh, we don't care for next life. Let us do whatever we like." That is a foolish proposition. Because there is next life. Just like a man he becomes irresponsible. He says, "I don't care for government or law. I can do whatever I like." That means he's risking his life. As soon as he'll be arrested, he'll be punished. Therefore he's mūḍha, rascal. Anyone who is defying the kingdom of God, he's a rascal. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Narādhamāḥ, is lowest of the mankind. God consciousness is meant for human beings, and if a person defies God, then he's the lowest of the mankind. māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. His knowledge has been plundered by the illusory energy. He may be academically a very big title holder, but if he's not God conscious, then his knowledge has been taken away. Real knowledge has been taken away. Asuriṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. These are the symptoms of the atheist class of men. So on the whole, at the present moment, God consciousness must be spread if actually they want peace and prosperity. And those who are in charge of religion, religion means God consciousness. Everyone should combine to spread God consciousness. That is the immediate necessity at the present moment.
Room Conversation with Dr. Weir of the Mensa Society -- September 5, 1971, London: Dr. Weir: Yes. They have that same basis.
Prabhupāda: But so far we know that Buddhists they do not believe in God, existence of God.
Dr. Weir: No. They believe in this existence of a "Godness" if you like.
Mensa Member: It's very subjective, the Buddhist point of view in general seems to be very much that of the nineteenth century English rationalist, the agnostic in its visual sense.
Dr. Weir: That's why I say the Unitarian comes closest to it.
Mensa Member: The fact that I got here is impossible to comprehend. (indistinct) in these very brief terms.
Dr. Weir: But if you accept its existence then it's present in everybody. Exactly what you're saying. Whether they utilize it, whether, as you call it, uncovered, or to the degree to which they are conscious of it, is a different thing.
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is a question of consciousness, development of consciousness.
Interview with Reporters -- November 10, 1971, New Delhi: Prabhupāda: It is not faith. It is not Lala... When I speak "Here is Lalaji," it is not faith. It is fact.
Reporter: I guess because you have...
Prabhupāda: But you don't believe me.
Reporter: Because you have personally witnessed, you see, sir.
Prabhupāda: That's all. It is not faith.
Reporter: Oh, yes, sir. You are (indistinct).
Prabhupāda: If you believe me, then it is all right. If you don't believe me, that is different.
Reporter: Then, sir, if everybody (indistinct) and that comment, "Believe me," that...
Prabhupāda: No. Why do I say...? You have to, you have to see whether, whether this person is worthy of believing. (laughter)
Reporter: Whether the guru is right.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore guru, guru cannot be any ordinary man.
Interview with Reporters -- November 10, 1971, New Delhi: Prabhupāda: Not by birth. They are brāhmaṇas by quality. They have got sacred thread. That is also there in the śāstra. Yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ syat. Varṇa has been given. Varṇa. Varṇa, we want to compare symptoms. The brāhmaṇas are this: satya, samaḥ, damaḥ, titikṣa, ārjavam, jñānam vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). This is the symptom of brāhmaṇa. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. If you find these symptoms anywhere, he is a brāhmaṇa.
Reporter: Except those who believe in Bhagavad-gītā, not (indistinct), sir. They don't believe in that. They believe caste by birth.
Prabhupāda: He does not know what is Bhagavad-gītā.
Reporter: (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: I say he does not know what is Bhagavad-gītā. If he believes in that way, that he does not know about Gītā.
Reporter: He says he's Hindu.
Prabhupāda: Maybe your Hinduism. You lick up your Hinduism. But we are creating real brāhmaṇa all over the world.
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation -- February 15, 1972, Madras: Prabhupāda: This is philosophy. Do you follow? You have got a very big building, so you have to pay tax. To save tax, break the building. No more taxes. No more pains and pleasure. No more anxiety. That is Buddha philosophy. That means these philosophers are called fools and rascal, less intelligent. Would you like this advice, that you have got a big building, just like in London there is a big building, and he has got a policy anyway that he does not allow any tenant. Largest building in London, to save tax. But his point is different. In Bengali there is adage that (Bengali), that a man's utensils were stolen by a thief, so he became very angry, that "A thief has taken all my utensil. All right, I shall not purchase utensil. I shall take food on the floor. I shall take food on the floor. No more utensils. I shall not keep plates and utensils any more. I shall take food on the floor." This is philosophy. (break) We don't believe in so-called nonviolence, nonattachment, zero. No. We believe in everything, but if there is required violence, fight, "Yes, come on." Yes. Arjuna. No consideration, "The other side my grandfather, my father, or this or that. Kṛṣṇa wants this fight to kill them all." Gopīs, at dead of night they went to Kṛṣṇa: "Kṛṣṇa wants us. Oh, we don't care for all this social convention. Kick out. Let us go." Prahlāda Maharaja, Nṛsiṁha-deva killing his father, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is taking pleasure in killing my father. That is all right. (laughter) That I don't protest." He could have said, "My dear Lord, please do not kill my father." Immediately he would have been saved from that.
Room Conversation with John Griesser (later initiated as Yadubara Dasa) -- March 10, 1972, Vrndavana: Guru dāsa: About this tape recording.
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is not the question of "the Chinese are eating, I am not eating." It is a question that how many number of different types of body I got. It is not that I am talking of Chinaman eating man or dog. I may be in this form, next life. So, therefore, the problem is how to stop this transmigration of the soul. That is the problem. Not that because the Chinese man eats something else other than I eat, that does not mean that I am very much... (break) Therefore, we have to prepare ourself what kind of body we are going to have next. That is human civilization. But they do not believe in the transmigration of the soul. They do not believe in God. They do not believe in anything. Simply just like animals. This life—eating, sleeping, mating—do it to your best capacity. That is Kali-yuga. They have no knowledge, neither they are interested to know. Mandāḥ. And even they become little interested of spiritual..., a hodgepodge, no clear idea. Mandāḥ sumanda matayo (SB 1.1.10). And unfortunate, harassed in every field of life. And hy upadrutāḥ. And over and above everything, they are always disturbed by external enemies. This is the position of Kali-yuga. And this life shortened, duration of life. So how they can advance by following the regular Vedic process? It is not possible. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma (CC Adi 17.21). No car?
Śyāmasundara: Not yet come.
Conversation with Author -- April 1, 1972, Sydney: Prabhupāda: That is the natural inclination. So if you are eternal, if your life is not for these ten, twenty, or hundred years—you are going to have another span of life—are you not interested to know what kind of life you are going to get?
Author: Well, I don't believe that I shall. But then I don't think that...
Prabhupāda: It is not the question of belief. It is a fact. You have to accept another body after this body, just like you have already accepted. Your childhood body was there, and that is gone. You accepted another body. Similarly, now you have got another body. A few years after, you will get another body. So you are accepting bodies one after another. That is a fact. So you have to accept another body after this. So what kind of body I am going to get? Is this not the point of consideration? But there is no education on this point. But that's a fact. We have accepted already so many bodies. And natural conclusion is that I must accept another body. But what kind of body. Now you can select. There are 8,400,000 forms of body. So these questions are not discussed at all, but they are very important factors. That is philosophy. But modern civilization they neglect: "I don't mind what kind of body I shall get next life." So those who are intelligent, if they think that "Why shall I neglect this fact? I am not going to accept a body like a tree or a dog. If I accept a body, I must have a body very nice." One may not (be) interested in this fact, but others may be interested. So if others are interested, why this chance should be denied?
Room Conversation -- April 1, 1972, Sydney: Prabhupāda: Then where is your advancement? You supply everyone palatial building like this. Why they are living in the matchboxes? Why they are eating cats and dogs? One thing, if you don't believe in God, then you give them. But you cannot give. Then who has given them? Nobody wants to live in the matchbox. Why he is living in the matchbox and you are living in a nice house? Is it all a chance? He is not struggling? He is not making his plan that "I shall also live." Just like the Communists. But he could not. We went to Moscow. They have no nice building made by the Communist people. All big, big, old buildings that is made, constructed by Czar. Not a single building I saw which was constructed by the Communist government.
Śyāmasundara: They all live in matchboxes too.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Room Conversation with Maharishi Impersonalists -- April 7, 1972, Melbourne: Śyāmasundara: Buddha, Lord Buddha.
Prabhupāda: Yes. About Lord Buddha is also mentioned in the śāstra that Lord Buddha will appear in Gayā Pradesh, in the province of Gayā, and his business will be to cheat the atheists. That is described. Now, how he is cheating? He is the incarnation of God, but he is preaching amongst people who don't believe in God. So he is cheating in this way, that "Yes, there is no God. You hear me." But he is God. The people amongst whom he is preaching, they don't believe in God, but they accept Lord Buddha. But he is God. So by cheating, he is making others to worship God. God is there. But superficially they think, "We don't believe in God. We believe in Lord Buddha." And Lord Buddha is God. Therefore in the Bhāgavata it is said that his business will be cheat the atheist class of men. Sura-dviṣām. Sammohita-sura-dviṣām. Sammohita means bewilder. But his philosophy is that to make the people sinless. Ahiṁsā. "Don't kill." That is the greatest sin. So he is propagating that "Let these people be saved from the greatest sinful activities." Lord Buddha appeared... He also appeared in India. Why? He was also Hindu. He was kṣatriya, king. He promulgated this philosophy, ahiṁsā, when there was unnecessary killing of animals. According to Vedas, animal can be killed in sacrifice. That also to give a new life. But people misinterpreted and they began to kill animals like anything with the evidence of..., "In the Vedas animal killing is sanctioned." So Lord Buddha appeared, just being compassionate to the poor animals. Sadaya-hṛdaya-darśita-paśu-ghātam. Sadaya. He became very compassionate, that "All these poor animals are being killed unnecessarily." So he promulgamated a new type of religion-ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ. "Don't commit violence. If I pinch your body, you feel pain. You should not pinch others." That is his religion.
Conversation with Dai Nippon -- April 22, 1972, Tokyo: Prabhupāda: Oh, that's nice. So Veda, Veda means knowledge. So every human being should be interested for advancement of knowledge. So our movement is not a religious movement. It is a movement for advancement of knowledge. And this knowledge, God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is especially meant for this human body. Because knowledge cannot be given to animals. I cannot speak to the other animals about knowledge because they are imperfect. Their body is imperfect. They are not suitable for receiving knowledge. Only elementary knowledge for maintaining this body, they have got: where to secure food, where to sleep, how to have sexual intercourse, and how to defend. These knowledges are there in animals also. So human being requires further knowledge. That is special prerogative, gift by God, by nature. Whatever you say. So we should utilize this human body for furtherance of knowledge. And the first important knowledge is that we should know that there is life after death. That is the basic principle of knowledge. Unfortunately at the present moment, in no university there is any department of knowledge where this education is given where there is life after death. I am traveling all over the world. There is no such department. They have completely evaded or set aside because they cannot make any solution whether there is... I talked with one Mr. Kotovsky, a Russian professor in Moscow. I was in Moscow. He said, "Swamiji, there is no life after death." Just see. He's a big professor and his knowledge is so imperfect that he says that there is no life after death. So that is the position everywhere. Those who are teachers, they are with imperfect knowledge. The teachers in the universities, they are with imperfect knowledge. Now, life after death, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is very easily explained that just like a child has next life, boyhood. The boy has next life as youthhood. The youthhood has next life, the old age. So why not the old age next life? If we are passing through so many stages of life from birth or from the womb of the mother, then what is the reason that one does not believe there is no life after death? Can you say, any one of you? What is the reason? You remember your boyhood body; I remember my youthhood body. So that body is no longer existing, but I am existing. I remember my childhood body.
Conversation with the GBC -- May 25, 1972, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Authorized. That people will refer to our books. So we have to very cautiously print our literatures. It is not ordinary literature, fiction, or something, story. Just like Bhagavad-gītā and Bhāgavata. They are not ordinary. literature. Without any four defects of human frailties. Bhrama, pramāda, vipralipsa, also... We are following those literatures. So our writing should be so authorized that in future one may not find any fault, contradiction. We shall have to, cautiously. The ideas are given there now... In future of course, it requires that we shall increase (indistinct). But for the present, we have to push on this movement with positive, I mean to say, conviction, that here is God. God is neither dead, nor every one of you is God, nor is He imperson. God is a person and we give you His name, address, father's name, activities. Here is God. So, we have to (indistinct). So if you have got any doubt about it, then you cannot do it. If you have got any doubt that whether Kṛṣṇa is positive God or (indistinct) then you cannot do it. That is the first qualification. If you are yourself not convinced, how you can convince others? This is our propaganda. This is our mission. (indistinct). Whether you are all convinced on this point? That here is positive God. What is your opinion? So far I am concerned, I have no opinion, convinced. (laughter). Therefore, I am pushing on. It is a fact. I am pushing on because I am pushing on fact, not fiction. That much I am personally convinced. Whenever there is somebody says, "You believe". "No, I don't believe, it is fact." Any press reporter, that press reporter.
Conversation with the GBC -- May 25, 1972, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: It is not the question I believe and don't believe, it is a fact. God is there—you believe or not believe—but God must be there. Your believing, not believing, it doesn't matter. If I don't believe there is no president, it does not mean there will be no president. There must be president. I do not know who is president. (indistinct) So people are in misconception that there is no God, God is dead, I am God, you are God, God is not person, so many God theories. But we have no theory, we have got a positive presentation, "Here is God." With that conviction we have to push on. So you must be prepared in that way. There will be so many questions, so many opposing elements. You have to face them by your arguments, by your knowledge. This is required. At least we must have faith in that way. We have to push on. This is the fact. We are Brahmā sampradāya, Lord Brahmā's sampradāya. So, Brahmā sampradāya, Lord Brahmā is giving. Just like last evening we were reading about Brahmā's thought. He is posing, "Yes, here is, You are God." Although He was child, "He appears to be a child, but You are God." That is Brahmā (indistinct). He is giving support on that point. So if you follow Brahmā then there is no question, here is God. And he writes in his saṁhitā,
- isvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
- sat-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ
- anādir ādir govindaḥ
- sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
- (Bs. 5.1)
Here is the God. And Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). Mattaḥ parataraṁ nasti. (indistinct). "There is no more superior truth than Me, I am the origin of everthing." Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. Everything comes from Him. The Vedānta says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), so Absolute Truth is there, which is the original source of everything." So, Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the original source of everything."
Morning Walk -- June 14, 1972, Los Angeles: Ātreya Ṛṣi(?): They're simply miserable, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: They're going to be cats and dogs and trees. They don't believe that there is life after death, so they think that "Whatever we have got now, let us enjoy sense." And the university education is giving them facility, "Yes, take education and gratify your senses from the age of twelve years." And at the last stage they think that "I would have liked that one would have shot me down on my head." What that old lady was talking?
Pañcadraviḍa(?): Oh, yes. (laughs)
Devotee (2): She said if someone else didn't shoot her, she would. She'd just do herself in.
Prabhupāda: Hopeless life. Māyā-sukhāya. Because they waste their time simply for flickering happiness, in future everything is zero. Śūnyavādī, nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi. Śūnyavādī means whose ultimate goal is zero. Pāścātya-deśa, Western countries. Nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi. (chants japa) Every one of you should take this movement very seriously and save your country. Misguided. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānas (SB 7.5.31). (laughs) Blind men. This Nixon is a rascal number one, and he's the president. Just see. They have no other selection. All the people are rascals, and they must select one rascal to become their guider, another big rascal. (devotees chant japa) (break) ...from Māyāpur?
Room Conversation -- June 29, 1972, San Diego: Prabhupāda: That is the process, Vedic process. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāniḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). You have to learn. Just you learn so many things from teacher, similarly, these things also you have to learn.
Guest (2): In other words, this question of there being another world, it could be actually learned. There is no belief in word in that.
Prabhupāda: It is a fact.
Guest (2): You could actually find out, experience yourself that there is another world.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, yes. Just like you have come to America. (laughter) Yes, similarly.
Guest (2): So you are saying there is a process by which you can see the other world.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.
Guest (2): Does this take a whole lifetime to learn?
Prabhupāda: It takes only one minute. (laughter) If you are serious. If you are not serious, it will not be understood, even millions of years. That is the fact.
Room Conversation -- July 5, 1972, London: Devotee: Is the land in Vṛndāvana, is it in the city? Is it on the outside of Vṛndāvana, or is it in the city?
Prabhupāda: No, it is just in front of Bon Mahārāja's college.
Devotee: It's in Rāman Reti.
Prabhupāda: (laughter) Best place in Vṛndāvana. All (indistinct). And we have got potential. There are so many buildings, they are not being properly utilized. If we want to, you can purchase the whole area.
Devotee: How is the Gauḍīya...
Prabhupāda: Now you have got enough place in Vṛndāvana, in Navadvīpa, in Bombay. There will be no difficulty if you go by thousands to India. You can live very comfortable. So you can go, purchase, you can go and come back. We saw that foreigners, they visit, and gradually, there will be unity between the so-called Hindu, Muslim, all Kṛṣṇa's servant. This is the idea behind Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We don't believe in this skin disease. (end)
Interview -- July 20, 1972, Paris: Devotee: He asks: Lord Jesus Christ, when he came, brought a message of hope, peace and confidence, not only in this life but also the future life, life after death. He asks if Your Divine Grace would like to speak about (indistinct) your speaking.
Prabhupāda: So we are giving a message by which everyone can be happy in this life and next life also. Generally all religious sects they do not believe in the next life. Or even they believe they have no clear idea of the next life.
Frenchman: What is the present hope of the human society even beyond death?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Human society is... Human life is an opportunity to stop all the problems of material life. So if he does not do so, if he does not understand or take to this business how to solve all the problems of life, then he's missing the opportunity. We are giving very nice idea what is next life, how we can elevate to the topmost spiritual planet, how we can live eternally, peacefully, with full knowledge. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for all these purpose.
Room Conversation and Interview with Ian Polsen -- July 31, 1972, London: Prabhupāda: Hm. Comparative religion, from our point of view, that there cannot be many religions, cannot be many religions. Religion means... We define religion as the law given by God. So we understand from Bhagavad-gītā that God says, Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: "Always think of Me, become My devotee, offer your obeisances unto Me." So any religion that has no conception of God, how he can think of God? If I think of something, that something must be known to me; otherwise how can I think of it? If I imagine something, that is not wanted. My imagination of God... God is not a thing to be imagined by me. He is a concrete thing. Therefore according to our philosophy, any so-called religion which has no conception of God, that is not religion. That is simply mental speculation. We accept that religion means the law given by God. But if you do not know what is God, what is His law, then where is religion? Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that all types of pseudo religion is rejected. You can ask any religious man, "What is your conception of God?" he cannot give any clear conception. So far we are concerned, we can immediately give conception of God—His name, His address, everything. That is the difference. Strictly speaking, we do not accept any system of religion as bona fide. They are all rejected. That is not religion. They do not know what is God. What is that religion? Strictly speaking, that is not religion. But if we speak publicly, they will be angry. So this comparative study of religion, we don't believe in it, because there is no religion. Where is the scope of comparative study?
Devotee: Nothing can compare.
Morning Walk Conversation -- September 28, 1972, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: That is their foolishness. They will not take the experience of Kṛṣṇa; they will manufacture their own experience. That is their folly. Therefore, they are called..., they have been addressed as mūḍhāḥ. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Lowest of the mankind, mūḍhāḥ, they do not surrender (indistinct). They will not take the intelligence given by Kṛṣṇa. They will manufacture their own intelligence. This is their folly. Therefore, they are rascals. Our process is all the big ācāryas, they are taking knowledge from Kṛṣṇa, Vyāsadeva, Kṛṣṇa's representative or guru. That is our process. And they are manufacturing their own knowledge. They do not know the system; they take it as dogmatic. Just like we speak of Vaikuṇṭha from experienced knowledge. They will not believe it. But they do not know what are these planets, still they will not believe it. They cannot say anything except their home planet. Even they do not know what are the... They have not studied all the corners of this planet. Therefore, they sometimes say, "Oh, this discovery, this is our first discovery." Discovery means they do not know so many things. That is discovery. When they come to know, "Oh, it is working like this, (indistinct)." But the things are there. So they do not know so many things, still they are scientists.
Room Conversation with Kenneth Keating, U.S. Ambassador to India -- October 14, 1972, New Delhi: Prabhupāda: Ah. A very nice gentleman. Indology. He is charge of the Indological department. Russia has got very good respect for Indian culture.
Ambassador: Yes. That's right.
Prabhupāda: They have very good respect. So that.... (break)
Ambassador: ...have much, they don't believe in God.
Prabhupāda: They do not know the (indistinct).
Mrs. Keating: Do you have many Indian followers? Many Indian followers as well as foreign?
Prabhupāda: Yes. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so far Indians are concerned, everyone accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Mrs. Keating: May I ask the significance of the markings?
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is a sign that we are Vaiṣṇava, devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
Ambassador: You all have that.
Mrs. Keating: And the bag, is that, is that...
Prabhupāda: That is our chanting.
Introduction Speech By Dr. Kapoor and Conversation -- October 15, 1972, Vrndavana: Prabhupāda: So I had no money, (laughter). But one nice boy—his name is known all over the world, George Harrison—he has promised to give me loan.
Dr. Kapoor: Kṛṣṇa has all the money.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So actually, we are spending not less than seven lakhs of rupees per month throughout the whole our institution. But by the grace of God, Kṛṣṇa, we are selling our books very nicely.
Dr. Kapoor: That's very encouraging. That's most encouraging.
Prabhupāda: Yes. We are selling our books, average, at the rate of 25,000 rupees per day.
Dr. Kapoor: Ah. That is unbelievable, I must...
Prabhupāda: Yes. So they are selling magazines, books, and especially our Nectar of Devotion is selling like hotcakes. (laughter) Nectar of Devotion. So Kṛṣṇa is encouraging. There is no scarcity. And I am traveling throughout the world at least twice in a year. And each time we have to spend... Now we purchased $20,000 ticket for four persons. $20,000. $20,000 means how much in Indian exchange? $20,000 to ten times.
Dr. Kapoor: 200...
Prabhupāda: 200,000. That means two lakhs. So our expenditure is going like that. Keep books. And we print at least ten thousand books, fifty thousand books. Our Kṛṣṇa Trilogy. Have you got here, Kṛṣṇa Trilogy? You have seen?
Dr. Kapoor: No.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Morning Walk -- April 19, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Bluff. That is a bluff. When that future will come? That they do not know. That is another bluff. And still, they're proud of advancement of knowledge. Still, they're talking of future. And what is your advancement?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: So long as the future is there they have a voice to say...
Prabhupāda: Future we cannot trust. Trust no future however pleasant. This is our philosophy. Everyone says that. Trust no future, however pleasant. You may talk that future is very bright, but we don't believe in that. Why future? If you are advanced, immediately...
Svarūpa Dāmodara: That's old poetry?
Prabhupāda: In the past, you say, in the past the life came out of matter. Why you again say in the future? What is this theory? You have already committed that the life began from matter. That is past, "began." Then why you say now again "future?" Then where is the beginning? Eh? Why this contradiction? If life began from matter, that is past. That is in the past. Then why do you say again future? What is the answer? Is it not contradiction?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yeah. That misses the whole point.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is whole, wholesale nonsense, wholesale nonsense. You are expecting the fact in the future, still you say it began in the past. Just see the contradiction.
Morning Walk -- April 26, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Kena upaniṣad. This "why?", simply so many "why's". Harer nāma harer nāma... (CC Adi 17.21). (pause) After making so much research and invention, after all, the scientist's going to die like cats and dogs. Then what is the use of his thinking? The cats and dogs also will die, and Professor Einstein will also die. So where is the difference? Real unhappiness, neither the scientist can check, neither the cat and dog can check. So where is the use of your thinking foolishly? And they do not believe that there is life after death. So far we are concerned... (break) Neither they do believe that there is life after death. Although practically we are seeing, after child's life, there is youth's life, after youth's life, there is elderly life, after elderly life, old life... So this we are seeing. Still we do not believe, that after this body, there is life again. Natural sequence. Big, big professors, they say: "Oh, after this body, everything is finished." And they're planning all happiness on this basis. Harer nāma harer nāma... (CC Adi 17.21). (pause)
Devotee: Any moment.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.
Morning Walk -- April 26, 1973, Los Angeles: Brahmānanda: Doesn't negate it.
Prabhupāda: No. Fact is fact. Whether you believe or not believe. It doesn't matter. Hiraṇyakaśipu thought that: "I shall not die on the land, on the water, on the sky." But death was there. Asuric, this is asuric thinking. (pause)
Svarūpa Dāmodara: It's called captivation by the illusory energy.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: The illusory...
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, ignorance. (pause) What is time?
Brahmānanda: Six-thirty-five. (pause)
Devotee: (inaudible)
Prabhupāda: Hmmm?
Devotee: (inaudible)
Prabhupāda: They were still alive...
Devotee: ...in a human form.
Prabhupāda: Yes, for Kṛṣṇa, there is no such consideration, human form or plant form or... Everyone is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Why you are anxious to know about the human form? Why? Eh? What is your answer? Question: Tulasī devī should be in human form. Why you are asking this question?
Devotee: I was wondering is she was alive in human form while Kṛṣṇa was on earth.
Morning Walk -- April 28, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: More dust. Now you have got handful of dust. I'll bring tons of dust. Don't.... And if I... "Oh, yes, now we shall get tons of dust." The rascal does not know, dust is dust, and tons... What is the meaning?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: They believe there may be life in Mars planet. So they are very hopeful...
Prabhupāda: If they believe or not believe, what gain there is? Life is here also. You are fighting. This is your program. Here is life also. Here is human being. So suppose there is life. There is life, undoubtedly. But what he'll gain? What is your gain?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: They're very curious to know what is going on there.
Prabhupāda: That means for their childish curiosity they're spending so much money. Just see the fun. To satisfy their curiosity, they're spending so much money. And when they're asked that: "There are so many poverty stricken countries. Help them." "No. No money."
Nīlakaṇṭha: Some people are very happy and they think: "Oh, my country has done this. They have gone to the moon. I am happy. I'm satisfied. I'm glad to be an American."
Prabhupāda: What's that?
Nīlakaṇṭha: Some people are very, the public, they're very satisfied: "Oh, I am an American, and we have done this. We have gone to the moon. We are so good."
Prabhupāda: Why don't you say: "We have gone to Kṛṣṇa-loka, Vṛndāvana, which you have no information"?
Morning Walk -- April 28, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Handling every day. Still they'll not. Dog's obstinacy. That's all. They're seeing practically, that the material energy cannot work independently unless the spiritual energy joins. So how they can expect the whole cosmic manifestation, which is matter only, has come out automatically? We are practically seeing, a very nice car, Cadillac. But if there is no driver, what is the use of that car? A computer machine. Unless the man knows how to work it, pushes the button, it does not work. So practically we are seeing that without superior energy, the material energy does not act. Still they'll not believe it. Therefore in this wonderful cosmic manifestation, there must be handling of a superior energy. And that they do not know. They are amazed with this material arrangement. Just like a foolish person is amazed by seeing the mechanical, big machine. So many parts. But another person knows that, however wonderful machine it may be, unless the operator comes and pushes the button, it will not work. This is intelligence. Therefore who is important? The operator or the machine? So we are concerned with the operator, Kṛṣṇa, not with the machine. If you say: "How do you know that He's the operator?" He says: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). "Under My superintendence, the whole cosmic manifestation is working." The difference is you don't believe. I believe. That's all. I take it immediately: "Yes, Kṛṣṇa is operating." Therefore I have no problem. Somebody's operating, that you have to accept. But you do not know who is that person. At least, we have got knowledge, here is the person. That's all. Now if you say: "No, Kṛṣṇa is not the person," then you have to accept another person. So present him, that "Here is the person, not Kṛṣṇa. Another..." That you cannot. So in the absence of your knowledge, you have to accept my proposal. (break) Can you create a stem like this in your laboratory?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: That's not possible.
Morning Walk -- April 29, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Doubtful. That means not perfect knowledge. So how they can say that there is no God. They can say: "Yes, there may be or may not be. We do not know." That is a gentleman. How they can say there is no God? And people are misled. "Oh, such and such scientist has said there is no God. Therefore there is no God." He does not know that he's a perfectly foolish. His statement has no value. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21), because he has posed himself as a very big man, people follow him blindly and they're misled.
Karandhara: Like the Russians...
Prabhupāda: Oh, they are set of fools.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: They do not believe in God, the Russians?
Prabhupāda: No. They are all rascals. I have studied them in one week.
Karandhara: They struggle so hard, but they still cannot produce enough food.
Prabhupāda: They are simply set of rascals. All people are unhappy there. Unhappy. They cannot speak anything against the government and they have got so many protests to lodge. So many. But they cannot speak. If you speak, immediately he's sent to the concentrated camp. Some... Nobody knows where he has gone. You see the Kruschev, such a big man. Nobody knows where he is. That is their policy. As soon as you are suspicious,... Therefore Lelin... Lelin, Lelin...
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Lenin...
Prabhupāda: Not Lenin. Stalin.
Morning Walk -- May 2, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: So that is also nice. We are not afraid of meeting any philosopher or scientist, but they are afraid. That is our credit. All scientists know that they are on the wrong basis, but because they are scientists, they say like that. That is their position. They do not believe in their own statement. Therefore he said, "I do not know."
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Because there is no solid background.
Prabhupāda: No. (pause, japa) You and Dr. Rao just make a combination, world-touring. I shall give you all expenditure. And go to the universities, scientists, and talk with them. Our kīrtana party also will go. We challenge all scientists, "Come on." We shall pay all expenditure. Ask Dr. Rao to come and join. Just like in Calcutta University, all the students... No, one leader student, he came. He talked about economic development, and he said that "Our students did not derive any faith by your theological statement." So I told them that "Because you are all rascals, therefore you could not." I told them freely. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā... Because they are student of Sanskrit. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). "So you are amongst these. You are duṣkṛtinas, sinful, lowest of the mankind, and the university is responsible for creating such rascals." So professors clapped and later on they said, "Swamiji, you have rightly said." All the professors said. And so far economic question is concerned, the birds, beasts, animals, they have no economic concern. Why you have got? You are less than bird and beast, you have created this economic problem. Harer nāma harer nāma (CC Adi 17.21). Where is the economic question? The small birds, tiny birds, they are solving their economic question, coming (makes sound:) "bup, bup," finished. They are not stocking, they are not thinking of tomorrow, but are satisfied. They have got eating, sufficient eating, sufficient sex, sufficient intelligence to defend. As soon as we go, immediately they fly away. That is defense.
Morning Walk -- May 9, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Yes. So Dr. Radhakrishnan was a big rascal.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: But I could not believe by that time. I said, "It cannot be possible."
Prabhupāda: No, it is possible. It is possible. If one has practiced yoga system, He can become light. To walk over the water means to become very light, like cotton swab. Then he can walk. He can fly also. In Siddha-lokas, the inhabitants there, they fly in the sky. From one planet to another planet they go by flying. There is Siddha-loka planet. Therefore they are called Siddha-loka, means they have all perfection of this yogic mystic power.
Kṛṣṇa-Kāntī: Are Siddha-lokas like angels, Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Angels, you can call, they are angels. But there are human beings who fly. In your side, Kāmakaḥ (?), there are some ladies who fly in the sky on a tree. You have not heard?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: I very vaguely have heard.
Prabhupāda: Yes. There are. They can fly in the sky on a tree.
Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York: Prabhupāda: You don't know, but I know.
Krishna Tiwari: Well, that's your belief.
Prabhupāda: No belief. I'm taking...
Krishna Tiwari: That's your belief.
Prabhupāda: I'm taking my...
Krishna Tiwari: It's my belief too that there's a soul (laughing), but I, scientifically I don't know.
Prabhupāda: Your, your, your belief is also based on some scientific data.
Krishna Tiwari: No. No. Beliefs can be anything. But I can believe he's out to kill me. He can believe I'm a bad man.
Prabhupāda: No, no.
Krishna Tiwari: Belief has no foundation.
Prabhupāda: No.
Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York: Prabhupāda: Here in America, the government means President Nixon.
Krishna Tiwari: Oh, well, okay, if you want to believe that.
Prabhupāda: Why not believe? It is a fact.
Krishna Tiwari: I don't agree with it at all. (laughing)
Prabhupāda: Why don't you agree? Then you are madman. You are a madman. (laughter)
Krishna Tiwari: (laughing) No, no. I don't agree with you, Swamiji, at all.
Prabhupāda: No, no... Yes.
Krishna Tiwari: I don't agree. Because I don't think, I don't think that some, it is the government.
Devotee (1): This is, this is, you know this is still going off the point. The point is still being made that you've already agreed with that you are under the laws of nature.
Krishna Tiwari: Oh, yes.
Devotee (1): And that you did not take a hand in determining these laws.
Krishna Tiwari: Okay, I agree.
Devotee (1): He agrees that he's under the law of nature.
Krishna Tiwari: But I do not agree with some of your government orders.
Devotee (1): That's fine.
Prabhupāda: Now the fact, first of all, we are under the laws of nature.
Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York: Krishna Tiwari: I, I have heard about those things, but I just don't know about the, how to believe...
Prabhupāda: That means, that means you are unbeliever.
Krishna Tiwari: No, not at all.
Prabhupāda: Certainly. Certainly! That you are unbeliever.
Krishna Tiwari: Not at all.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: If, if he doesn't know who he is, who is controlling?
Prabhupāda: Then he is?
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Then he is admitting that there is a controller. You admit that there is a controller, but you don't know. You're telling us that you do not see Him and you do not know Him.
Prabhupāda: That is a fact.
Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York: Krishna Tiwari: And subjugation is different than faith and belief.
Prabhupāda: No, no. Sub... We believe in the subjugation, because...
Krishna Tiwari: Well, I do not believe in the subjugation.
Prabhupāda: That is your madness, because you know.
Krishna Tiwari: No, no. No way, no way you can say that. (laughing)
Prabhupāda: No, no, don't be upset. You said that you are under the laws of nature.
Krishna Tiwari: I am.
Prabhupāda: Therefore you are under subjugation.
Krishna Tiwari: But, but I do not believe these kind of "authority" words.
Prabhupāda: You believe, you believe. When, when the laws of nature will force upon you death, you must believe.
Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York: Prabhupāda: Yes. But we, either you say "believe" or you know, we know.
Krishna Tiwari: Well that's okay. Okay, because everybody is free to believe in it, but one cannot say.
Prabhupāda: That is the point. You don't believe that; we believe that.
Krishna Tiwari: No, that is not true. I didn't say that. I agreed with it. But I do not know who the person is...
Prabhupāda: No, no.
Krishna Tiwari: ...when I will have...
Prabhupāda: I don't say who, but you have to believe that there is a person and there is a superior authority.
Krishna Tiwari: Person, I don't think so. It's not from person. Not in my opinion.
Prabhupāda: Or not person; something, something superior to these laws of material nature. That you have to accept.
Krishna Tiwari: Okay.
Prabhupāda: That is our point. That is our point. That's all.
Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York: Prabhupāda: That's all right. Let us agree to that point.
Krishna Tiwari: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Let us agree to that point. Now what is that something, that remains, for the time being. I may say "I know"; you may say "I don't believe in it." That is a different thing. But there must be something above the laws of nature which is controlling. That's all.
Krishna Tiwari: I agree.
Prabhupāda: If we agree to that, then there is no disagreement. Let us stop here. That's all.
Krishna Tiwari: Okay. I mean that is, but that is very obvious to everybody. I mean this is nothing, this is no...
Prabhupāda: Now our, our preaching is, "Here is the controller." Now, you may take it or not take it. That is different thing. But we say "Here is the controller."
Krishna Tiwari: Only difference of opinion is this, that, uh, one... Oh, you say or I say, it doesn't matter. It's not reflected to you. Anybody who says that they know about God, they have actually no, no, no, no way to prove any way, one way or the other.
Prabhupāda: No. We don't know by your process.
Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York: Krishna Tiwari: No, no... Okay, go on saying like that. Fine. (laughs)
Prabhupāda: Yes, because you are godless in this sense: because you are born in India, born in a brāhmaṇa family, and you do not believe Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Lord.
Krishna Tiwari: Oh. I do not believe, but uh, I do believe that God is, but I do not understand whether the... (indistinct) God or not. I don't know.
Prabhupāda: You do not understand, that is your godlessness. That is your godlessness, because...
Krishna Tiwari: No, that's not my godlessness at all. (laughs)
Devotee (1): Please listen while he explains the process of how to know God.
Prabhupāda: Brāhmaṇa means one who knows the Brahman Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇa. So at least you are not a brāhmaṇa, because you do not know the Brahman.
Krishna Tiwari: I do not believe in classes anyway.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York: Prabhupāda: Now we are talking of Bhagavad-gītā. Can you say any quotation?
Krishna Tiwari: No, I do not follow them by quotation, by quotation.
Prabhupāda: Then don't say śāstra. Don't say our śāstra. You don't believe in śāstra. You do not know śāstra. Therefore don't say our śāstra. You'll say Indian scientific point of views. Don't say your śāstra.
Devotee (1): Say what you have found through your scientific process. Tell us what knowledge is. Tell us what..., how things are working. What is the, what is the process of scientific...
Prabhupāda: How the nature, law of nature is being controlled? Where is your scientific...
Krishna Tiwari: I, I already agreed, and all scientists agree that they know nothing about it.
Prabhupāda: That's all. That you don't know.
Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York: Prabhupāda: That, I say, I present this, Vedas authority. You don't...
Krishna Tiwari: (indistinct) with those.
Prabhupāda: You do not believe in the Vedas, that is a different thing. But I am saying I know from the authority.
Krishna Tiwari: I have seen that. I have seen, I have lived in India.
Prabhupāda: That is my position.
Krishna Tiwari: I have lived in everywhere. If Vedas were all that great and we have followed Vedas for thousand of years...
Prabhupāda: No. You might have...
Krishna Tiwari: ...look what it has done to the country.
Prabhupāda: You might have faith...
Devotee (1): (indistinct) is still there.
Prabhupāda: But Vedas are still...
Krishna Tiwari: In what situation?
Prabhupāda: It is not what situation. It is what situation for you. You do not believe.
Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York: Prabhupāda: But Vedas, authorities have not been accepted by all the ācāryas, by the, all the brāhmaṇas, all great personalities in India? That is our authority. Now, you don't believe in authority. That is you have become deviated from Vedas. That is the point.
Krishna Tiwari: Well, if you want to say that point.
Prabhupāda: That is the point.
Krishna Tiwari: This is not my opinion.
Prabhupāda: That we have got our authority. That's all.
Krishna Tiwari: This is not my opinion, because I look with eyes open; I make my own mind.
Prabhupāda: This opinion, it is your opinion. Because you are Indian, I am also Indian. I believe you don't believe.
Krishna Tiwari: Sure, I do not believe.
Prabhupāda: So it is your opinion.
Krishna Tiwari: I do not believe in the strict following of every word...
Prabhupāda: That's all right, that is your, that is your point of view, but that is not our point of view.
Room Conversation with David Wynne, Sculptor -- July 9, 1973, London: Prabhupāda: That is a rascal. These rascals say like that. Anyone who denies the existence of God, he is rascal number one. Immediately. And anyone, he may be a great scientist or philosopher, let him come. If he says that "I don't believe in God," then I shall prove that "You are rascal number one." That I shall prove.
Śyāmasundara: We'll bring you some scientists.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So many scientists, psychologists, philosophers came to me.
David Wynne: But the greatest scientists have..., are the humblest.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is real knowledge, when one becomes humbler: "Oh, God is so great." That is real scientist. I think Professor Einstein, he admitted.
Mukunda: Yes, he said that "I want to know how God created the universe. Everything else is details."
Prabhupāda: Yes. So that means he's still thinking, "My knowledge is imperfect because I do not know about God." That is real scientist.
Room Conversation With Three College Students -- July 11, 1973, London: Prabhupāda: No, believe... You have to believe. You have to believe. Otherwise you cannot make progress. You have to believe.
Student (1): But say you're in a position of not particularly believing in anybody. I mean there's loads of organizations going around, "Believe in us..."
Prabhupāda: No, if you don't believe, that is a different thing
Revatīnandana: No, what he's saying is this. Now he's saying also, this Guru Maharajaji, he says, "You believe in me, and I'll show you everything." Now he's saying that... What he's accusing is...
Prabhupāda: But who cares for the Guru Mahārāja?
Revatīnandana: He cares.
Prabhupāda: Here is Nārada, Devala, Vyāsa, authority.
Student (3): No, we're not saying we do, but some people do, anyway.
Student (1): Yeah, they'll argue just as convincingly as you.
Prabhupāda: But everyone can say, "I am God." Then how you'll understand? If Guru Mahārāja says, I can say also. He can say. Then go on studying who is God. The same question: Everyone says, "I am your father," "I am your father," "I am your father," but whom you have to believe? You have to believe only mother.
Room Conversation with Educationists -- July 11, 1973, London: Haṁsadūta: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes. We are giving the right information, how human being can be really happy. This is end. It is not a religious sentiment. Religion means kind of faith. Today I am Hindu; tomorrow I am Christian; next day I am Mohammedan. What benefit I may get by changing so-called faith? Unless I understand what is my constitutional position, why I am suffering, how to get out of it? That is real life. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that. It is not a sentimental religious faith. It is not like that. It is absolutely necessary for the human being. We are talking of human being because without being a human being, nobody will be able... The cats and dogs, they will not be able to understand the problem. In the human form of life, you can make solution of all the problems of life. It is a science, how to make that solution. That we are teaching. We are not talking of religion. Religion... Somebody will say, "I believe," "We believe..." Another will, "We believe..." You believe, if it is not a fact, what is the use of such believing? We are dealing with facts, not the question of believing and not believing. Facts are facts. If you don't take facts, then you are missing the opportunity. (pause) You have got some visitors' book? To...?
Haṁsadūta: Visitors' book, to sign?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Room Conversation with Two Buddhist Monks -- July 12, 1973, London: Prabhupāda: So I told him that "You have created your own god, Lenin. And we have got our own God, Kṛṣṇa. Now, the principle of accepting somebody as God is there, in your philosophy and in my philosophy. So that you cannot avoid. Your communistic philosophy cannot avoid the conception of God, the leader." Just like in Buddha philosophy also, there is the conception of God, of Lord Buddha.
Buddhist Monk (1): No. That's not correct. Because we do not treat the Buddha... In fact, when the Buddha preached his atheistic philosophy... That's why he was termed a nāstika, a wasala. We do not believe in a god. We say panya, wisdom, and dharmuddha, is an incompatible...
Prabhupāda: At least, you follow the leadership of Buddha.
Buddhist Monk (1): Leadership, that's correct.
Prabhupāda: So that is, I am pointing out. Leadership,... God means "the leader." According to Vedic injunction, God means "the supreme leader." Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is the chief living entity. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). God means the Supreme Leader. So leader you have to accept. That is the conception of God. Either you select Buddha or Lenin or somebody else, you have to accept one leader and follow. That is your business. So our philosophy is that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, He's the Supreme Leader. And we are to obey His orders. This is our philosophy.
Room Conversation with Malcolm -- July 18, 1973, London: Prabhupāda: Eh?
Haṁsadūta: Can you make a child Kṛṣṇa conscious if you yourself don't believe in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
Prabhupāda: If you do not believe, if the father does not believe? You mean to say?
Malcolm: If the father does not feel.
Prabhupāda: Yes well, everything is individual. Father is individual and child is individual. Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu.
Malcolm: Can a father impose on a child, something which he does not believe himself.
Prabhupāda: No Kṛṣṇa consciousness is transcendental position. Once one gets a little touch with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he'll make progress. Just like the wick in a firework. Firework, a big, what is called? (sic:) Pottatter?
Haṁsadūta: Firecracker.
Prabhupāda: Crack. The long wick, you just set fire: (makes sound:) tille, tille, tille, tille, tille, and when it comes: tung! (laughter) It is like that. You just set up the fire and then one day he'll become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Room Conversation with Lord Brockway -- July 23, 1973, London: Prabhupāda: So work is required. But godly persons, they want to live a simple life and high thinking, save time for understanding of God. The demonic people, they are engaged in horrible activities. They have manufactured so many things. So in this way... There are so many descriptions. Actually, by the increase of demoniac people, people are not very happy, and they are missing the ultimate goal of life. That is the defect of the modern civilization. They do not believe that there is an ultimate goal of life, there is life after death, and what kind of body he's going to get next. These things are not, neither in the university education curriculum, neither people are interested. So at the present moment... This is called Kali-yuga. So people are being misled. Actually, the human being, the form of human life, is distinct from animal life. So if we live like animals, then we are missing the chance. At the present moment, this is the position. So we are preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement strictly on the basis of this Bhagavad-gītā. In the Bhagavad-gītā, there is everything explained. So if people take to it, if people are educated, then things will change in a different way. They'll be happy and they will be peaceful, nice. And above, over and above them, they will have next life very blissful, full of knowledge, and eternal.
Room Conversation with Reporter from Researchers Magazine -- July 24, 1973, London: Prabhupāda: Pañcavān.(?) This is the position. So at the present moment, to reform that, you cannot take them to the original position. It is not possible, it is Kali-yuga. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). They are very slow, they don't accept the right path... Just like God is here, Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). But they're creating their own God. Even big, big leaders they are saying, "Eh, Kṛṣṇa, why Kṛṣṇa should be accepted?" Even big, big leaders, they do not believe that Kṛṣṇa was there on this planet, there was Kurukṣetra battle. You know better than me.
Reporter: Yes.
Prabhupāda: So, if big, big scholars say, when Kṛṣṇa says that man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī... (BG 18.65). The scholars say, "It is not to Kṛṣṇa." You see? If now, I can frankly say, if leaders like Dr. Radhakrishnan, Gandhi and others, they mislead people, then how the people will be in normal condition? This is the position of India at the present moment. The leaders... Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). The leaders are blind. They have no training. They are not in disciplic succession. They do not know what is what, and they are taking the part of leadership, then everything is spoiled. Jāti-dharma, kula-dharma. And they have created varṇa-saṅkara.
Garden Conversation with Mahadeva's Mother and Jesuit Priest -- July 25, 1973, London: Prabhupāda: You get.
Mother: Yes, well, the some of your boys could be doctors.
Prabhupāda: But simply to becoming doctor at a medical science will not save me. Unfortunately, they do not believe in the next life.
Mother: Oh, yes they do. I go to... I had a doctor who came to church—and Michael knows him—every Sunday, a very good man.
Prabhupāda: Mostly. I have spoken with many educated persons. In Moscow I was talking with Professor Kotofsky. He said, "Swamiji, after finishing this body, everything is finished." But he's a big professor. Generally, even they do believe next life, they do not believe it very seriously. If we actually believe there is next life, then we must be prepared: "What kind of next life I am going to have?"
Mother: Yes, well, father...
Prabhupāda: Because there are eight million, four hundred thousand forms of life. The trees are also life, the cats and dogs, they are also life. And there are higher, intelligent persons in the higher planetary systems. They are also life. The worm in the stool, that is also life. So, calculating all of them, there are 8,400,000 species of life. So if I am going to have next life... Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). We have to change this body to another body. So our concern should be "What kind of body I am going to get next?"
Room Conversation with French Journalist and UNESCO Worker -- August 10, 1973, Paris: Yogeśvara: He says that only resolves the problem for a few years.
Prabhupāda: That is nonsense. We don't believe it. That is not...
Yogeśvara: Why. Why is it that this program...?
Prabhupāda: Why do they think that it is for few years?
Yogeśvara: He's thinking that the Earth is not capable of providing enough...
Prabhupāda: What does he know about Earth? His knowledge is not sufficient. He, he's speaking like a woman who saw in the marketplace in the morning thousands of people have gathered, and she began to cry: "Where I shall give place to these men?" So her son came: "My dear mother, don't cry. You come in the evening. We shall find some solution." So when she came in the evening, there was nobody.
Room Conversation with French Journalist and UNESCO Worker -- August 10, 1973, Paris: Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.
Yogeśvara: (French)
Prabhupāda: So you are thinking in that way. "How I shall provide this population?" That is the old woman's crying. Without sufficient knowledge. We do not believe in this, all rascaldom. We believe in God. If God can create... just like animals. They do not cry. They're increasing. The hogs and dogs, even lower animals... This is demonic economy. A man is holding thousands of acres of land and he's thinking of overpopulation. Why not he distributes the thousands of acres of land to the people? They would produce their own food. That is the, that is the defect of so-called socialism. But here we give a right type of socialism.
Yogeśvara: He thinks he has a fairly clear idea of what our program is now.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Discussion about Guru Maharaji -- August 13, 1973, Paris: Śrutakīrti: No! Therefore, I don't think he's very widely accepted as God.
Prabhupāda: No. That's all right. But whatever propaganda, little, he has made, we must make some counter-propaganda. We must prove him... Simply pushing eyes, pushing eyes. And anyone can push one's eyes and there is some light within... That is called retina light or... What is called? And he has become God. At least, we, we should not allow the people to be in darkness and accept him as God. We have got our meeting. We shall say: That he is a rascal. Call him by all ill names. A cheater. He does not believe in the authoritative scriptures. And he has become God? What he has done? How you have become so foolish? God has created the universe, what he has created? A cake, creating, He's God?
Haṁsadūta: Ummh?
Prabhupāda: He has created one cake?
Śrutakīrti: No, no. No.
Haṁsadūta: No, you misunderstood the point.
Śrutakīrti: One person walked up to him and he threw a pie in his face. As an insult, as insulting him.
Prabhupāda: Oh. The man insulted him.
Room Conversation with Officer Harry Edwards, the Village Policeman -- August 30, 1973, Bhaktivedanta Manor, London: Revatīnandana: Yes.
Harry: But, at the same time, I don't believe that you're going to change all your principles, are you, just to suit people outside?
Revatīnandana: When we go outside, we can act accordingly. There's no...
Harry: No, you do, don't you? There's only these little things, you know. To me, I mean, you come past me, my house, and if I'm out there, it makes no difference to me at all. And I don't suppose it makes any difference to a certain other people, but there's just that little bit of nuclear that, you know, will sort of catch on to it, as a, as a means to their own ends or to justify their rumors, I suppose. This is what I think. Well, anyway, we can sort out that as we go along.
Śyāmasundara: Yeah. Time heals all wounds.
Harry: Ah yes, time... yeah. I dare say, I mean, possibly about next year, there may be something, someone else may have bought another house. So, so there'd be rumors about that.
Prabhupāda: In America, we are recognized by the police: We are well-behaved, peaceful persons.
Room Conversation -- September 2, 1973, London: Prabhupāda: That I do not know.
Guest (1): Are they going to worship there? (laughter)
Prabhupāda: Well, they do not believe in astrology. Therefore they cannot take any step. They do not believe in next life, so they cannot take any step. And whether it is a fact or not, because they do not believe in next life, so what is the use of taking step? Is it as good as to say that Jawaharlal Nehru has become Indra. If somebody says like that, so they'll have to discard this thing also, and they have to discard that thing also. Because they do not believe in the next life. Simply by presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, we can defy all these rascals. Everything is there. Bhagavad-gītā was not presented as it is. That is the defect. The first thing is: tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Nobody understands. And they are students of Bhagavad-gītā. Even Gandhi, he did not understand, dehāntara-prāptiḥ. All these political leaders, they do not understand what is dehāntara-prāptiḥ. What do you think, Bhadra Kṛṣṇa? The dehāntara-prāptiḥ, do they understand?
Bhadra Kṛṣṇa: It's not something known.
Prabhupāda: Yes. They do not understand.
Room Conversation with Indian Ambassador -- September 5, 1973, Stockholm: Ambassador: But in the countries like Moscow, Soviet Union, they are hostile, against it, but in most countries of the world, they're indifferent. It's...
Prabhupāda: No, no. Why Moscow? Everywhere. Moscow, they are, rather, good that they say, "We don't believe in God."
Ambassador: That's true, that's true.
Prabhupāda: But others, they say that "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I believe in God," but he does not know anything.
Ambassador: I'm afraid most of us are like that, to be honest. That's true.
Prabhupāda: (laughs) I should say that Moscow are gentlemen. Because they cannot understand, they say, "Don't believe."
Ambassador: It's mūḍha-dhī.
Prabhupāda: Yes. But these rascals, they say, "Yes, I'm religious," but he's doing most irreligious activities. You see? I asked the Christian so many times that "Your Bible says, 'Thou shalt not kill.' Why you are killing?" They cannot give any satisfactory answer. This is my experience. It is clearly said, "Thou shalt not kill." And they are maintaining slaughterhouses. What is this? The other day in London, one lady, she was showing me... She... You were present? Broke some grass blade?
Haṁsadūta: Oh yes, I was present.
Room Conversation with Dr. Christian Hauser, Psychiatrist -- September 10, 1973, Stockholm: Dr. Hauser: One, one very normal problem that I meet very often in patients is the security to feel that one can believe in something, a security of... Always there is... Very often there is an ambivalence. "Should I believe? Should I not believe? I have a, a..." Swaying to and fro.
Prabhupāda: No. Believe... There is no question of believe. Suppose you are hungry. I give you some food. I say: "You are hungry. Take this food." So when you take this food, you'll believe that: "Yes, my hunger is now satisfied. I'm getting strength." That is belief. So you are hungry, and if I give you some food, if you don't eat, then how you can believe that your hunger is now satisfied? You must eat. So we say: "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." So why not chant? Where is the loss? If there is any gain, let me take it. That is belief. If I say: "You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." so you have got tongue, you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as you chant, you'll believe me, because the result will be there. There is no difficulty. But if you say: "No, I shall not chant," then, then you suffer. What can be done? Anyone can chant. The child chants. If you say: "I don't believe in it. I cannot chant it." So many words. And Hare Kṛṣṇa, two words. You take so much trouble. "I cannot chant. I don't believe in it." And Hare Kṛṣṇa, two words. So it is whose fault? I say: "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." If you say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," immediately, the belief begins. And if you say: "No, no, I cannot chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. I don't believe in it." What can be done? That, that will be taken as misfortune. He's being requested to chant two words. Instead of two words, he'll repeat twenty words. But due to his misfortune, he'll not chant these two words. That is a misfortune.
Room Conversation with Dr. Christian Hauser, Psychiatrist -- September 10, 1973, Stockholm: Prabhupāda: He tried to find out the brain of God. So he's not rascal. He's sane man. Those who are defying God, they're rascal, demons. Einstein believed in God. Yes. There are many scientists, they believe in God. Harāv abhaktasya kuto... Unless one is God conscious, he's a rascal. Immediately, take it. We take it like that. As soon as you say godless, atheist, oh, a rascal. That's all. It may be the understanding of God is not so perfect. But he thinks there is God. That is intelligence. That is intelligence. And the demons will never accept God. Just like in Russia. All set of rascals. They do not believe in God.
Dr. Hauser: But the interest... The religious interest in Russia is, is greater than in any other country in Europe. But not the, the leaders are not...
Prabhupāda: I say the leaders. Not only in Russia. Everywhere. The leaders, the rascal leaders spoiling the whole world situation. In India also. In India, by nature, they are aloof from these four principles of sinful life. Eighty percent of the population, by nature. But government, at the present moment, the leaders, they're inducing them to eat meat, to drink. And gambling also. Introducing. Gambling. Government is issuing that gambling cards. Because government means some rascal just like Nixon has gone to the power. Now he's proved he's a rascal. So everywhere the government leaders means all rascals.
Conversation at Airport -- October 26, 1973, Bombay: Prabhupāda: So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to educate people to understand the value of life. The modern system of education and civilization is so degraded that people have forgotten the value of life. Generally, in this material world everyone is forgetful of the value of life, but the human form of life is a chance to awaken the importance of life. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. So long one is not awakened to the consciousness of self-realization, the foolish living entity, whatever he is doing is defeat for him. This defeat is going on in the lower species of life because they cannot understand what is the value of life. Their consciousness is not advanced. But even in the human form of life, the same defeat prolongs, that is not very good civilization. That is almost animal civilization. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca samānyā etat paśubhir narāṇām. If people are simply engaged in the four principles of bodily demands-eating, sleeping, mating and defending—that is visible in animal life also, so that is not very advancement of civilization. So our attempt Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to educate people to come to the responsibility of human life. This is our Vedic civilization. The problem of life is not the difficulties for a few years of this duration of life. The real problem of life is how to solve the repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. That is the instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). People are embarrassed with so many problems of life, but the real problem of life is how to stop birth, death, old age and disease. So people are callous. They have become so dull-headed that they do not understand the problem of life. Long, long ago when Viśvāmitra Muni saw Mahārāja Daśaratha, so Mahārāja Daśaratha inquired from the Viśvāmitra Muni, aihistaṁ yat taṁ punar janma jayaya (?): "My dear sir, the attempt that you are trying to conquer over death, how that business is going on nicely? Is there any interruption?" So this is our Vedic civilization, how to conquer over birth, death, old age and disease. But at the modern time there is no such information, neither anybody is interested. Even big, big professors, they do not know what is there after life. They do not believe even that there is life after death.
Room Conversation -- November 3, 1973, New Delhi: Śyāmasundara: Ah.
Prabhupāda: So they, these so-called leaders are so fools that they... Therefore they don't believe in next life. Because that is very horrible for them. But the next life is there. Just like we, we, we have our next life. We had our previous life, then now another life, another life. So this simple thing they cannot understand. Nature is controlling this, next life, next life. Otherwise why so many varieties of life? So they have no brain. They are simply making plan for the fifty years duration of life. That's all. And even from practical point of view, suppose you are constructing a very nice house, and if you know that next day you'll be kicked out, you'll die, will you do that? But it is a fact. Next day or two days after, you'll die. That's a fact. So first of all, make arrangement that you'll not die, you'll be able to live here. That is their foolishness.
Śyāmasundara: Sometimes they take refuge in the idea that: "My family will live on," or "My species..." or "my..."
Prabhupāda: That's...
Śyāmasundara: "...children..."
Prabhupāda: ...all right. The family will live on not forever. They'll live also, say, for few days. Just we go sometimes in... Just like in England, the castles are there, very old castle, thousand years, two thousand... Even this Westminster Abbey and palace, but which king has lived for there permanently? And now, if you know more, if the king has, by his work, become something else. Not necessarily he'll become a king in that house. He may become a dog there. This science they do not know. And they are proud of their education, culture. Suppose we are constructing the Vṛndāvana temple or Bombay temple. It is also certain we shall not live, but our attempt to construct that temple will be recorded in Kṛṣṇa.
Morning Walk -- December 4, 1973, Los Angeles: Karandhara: They would say, "How can we believe Kṛṣṇa?"
Prabhupāda: No, you don't believe, that here is a fact! That there is something within the body which is spreading consciousness. That is eternal. There's no question of believing. It is a fact. Now you show, what is that fact? Where is that fact?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: They'll say it's just biochemical reactions.
Prabhupāda: Biochemical... You simply do it, rascal. You cannot do it. (Hṛdayānanda laughs) You rascal, simply speak, but you cannot do it. That is our contention.
Hṛdayānanda: Jaya.
Prabhupāda: Therefore you are rascal. You speak something which is beyond your power.
Yaśomatīnandana: Prabhupāda solves...
Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore it is simply cheating people. And we, Kṛṣṇa conscious men, we want to stop these cheating, any way...
Karandhara: They'd say we also cannot prove the soul is eternal.
Prabhupāda: No, there is proof. There is something. We accept it, but you don't accept it. There are so many things, there are so many things. You do not see, but still you accept it. Just like without father there cannot be son. Now you have not seen your father, but mother says, "Here is your father." You have to believe it. It is a fact.
Morning Walk -- December 4, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Want two hundred..., no, we want immediately, we don't want blank check. (devotees laugh) Rascal blank check.
Yaśomatīnandana: Prabhupāda, we can go this way.
Prabhupāda: Postdated blank check. (devotees laugh) We don't believe. We must have real cash.
Devotee (2): And then they will admit actually that their senses are...
Karandhara: No, then they'll want to see the soul...
Devotee: ...are limited.
Devotee: ...they want to see a soul as eternal.
Prabhupāda: (aside:) Which way?
Devotee: Go to one life to another life.
Prabhupāda: Which way?
Devotee: Which way?
Devotee: This.
Hṛdayānanda: Where is...?
Yaśomatīnandana: Prabhupāda, actually this knowledge is so absolute, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. You can actually experience...
Prabhupāda: Yeah.
Morning Walk -- December 6, 1973, Los Angeles: Svarūpa Dāmodara: Lord Buddha.
Prabhupāda: Cheat, His cheating was perfect, because he cheated for the good. They did not believe in God, and God came, "Yes there is no God. Just follow me." But he's God. That's all.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: So God can only do.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Satsvarūpa: What about Śaṅkara's cheating?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Śaṅkara's cheating is also like that, because he was taking, he was accepting from the Buddhists. If he immediately says that "Lord Buddha was, cheated you," they'll not accept. Therefore he made some compromise. The Buddhist theory is "void," and he said, "No form." So it is almost the same. But he said, "There is Brahman." Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. That much improvement. The same process. Just like one wants to eat meat. He is given some regulation, "Yes, you can eat meat. There is no harm. But you do like this: Go to a mosque. On Eid day you can kill one animal." Or "You go to the synagogue under the protection of..." And our Hindu śāstra says, "Go to the Goddess Kālī's temple, and get a goat, black goat." That means under condition. If it is good thing, it would have been sanctioned, "Yes, you can do whatever you like." But it is not good. But if you say, "It is not good," he'll not accept. Therefore under some condition.
Morning Walk -- December 6, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: They can call anything. Just like... Just like...
Svarūpa Dāmodara: It's now taught almost over all of the universities now here.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: They have...
Hṛdayānanda: But the, but the sincere people don't believe it. When we go to the colleges, many students come to us and say, "These people are cheating us." They know it.
Karandhara: They don't even talk about God, transcendental meditation.
Satsvarūpa: Creative Intelligence.
Bali Mardana: Psychological.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hṛdayānanda: The intelligent students know they're cheaters.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: But it has been accepted all over the country.
Hṛdayānanda: Not by the intelligent.
Bali Mardana: They're tricking the government.
Prabhupāda: Not... I don't accept. We don't accept. Why do they say "all over the country"?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: No, I mean in schools, in colleges.
Prabhupāda: No.
Morning Walk -- December 7, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: But that is their foolishness.
Dr. Wolfe: They don't want to admit it even.
Prabhupāda: Why not? They have to admit Just like I gave you the example that you cannot see how many stars are there, but there are. If you say, "I don't see it, I don't believe it," that is your foolishness. That is your foolishness. You have to admit that your senses are limited. They are not perfect. That is the four defects of the conditioned soul: he commits mistake, he is illusioned, he cheats, and his senses are imperfect.
Dr. Wolfe: But they say they try and try again.
Prabhupāda: No, try, how? How can you? You are diseased person. Suppose you are suffering from cataract disease. So you can try, try, try, try. Will you be cured? You'll never be cured. You must go to a physician. He'll operate, surgical operation. Then there is chance of seeing. You cannot, trying, trying, trying, trying. Then you go on trying, but you'll never be cured.
Morning Walk -- December 8, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Where are their higher authorities?
Satsvarūpa: They don't accept śāstra, that Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana Hill five thousand years ago.
Prabhupāda: No... Like that, they do not believe the śāstra, just see.
Yaśomatīnandana: They believe in Alexander the Great and George Washington. Why don't they believe in Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Yes, that's it. That is their foolishness. Nobody has seen George Washington.
Karandhara: No. believing in George Washington is not the same thing.
Prabhupāda: Why not same thing?
Karandhara: George Washington is still a mundane figure, imperfect.
Prabhupāda: Well, mundane figure, because you have got picture of George Washington, that's... We have got picture of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. You think George Washington fact because you see the picture of, that's all. So we see daily the picture, the photo, the statue.
Morning Walk -- December 8, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Yes.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Similarly also, Śrīla Prabhupāda, some astrologers say that Śrīla Prabhupāda...
Prabhupāda: No, no. Suppose if he has said, how can you disbelieve it? How can you disbelieve it? That is... Because in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). "After giving up this body, one has to accept another body." So he has accepted another body but nobody can tell what body he has accepted. If the astrologer says, you have to accept it. You cannot say, "No, he has not accepted dog body." You cannot give any proof. So anyone can say anything. But it is a fact that he has accepted another body.
Devotee: Jaya.
Prabhupāda: That is a fact. That you cannot deny because it is said by Kṛṣṇa, tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). That you cannot deny. He has accepted another body. What kind of body he has accepted... If you want to suggest, that is also given in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā
- madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ
- jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā
- adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ
- (BG 14.18)
He was in tāmasic, so he has gone down to the animal kingdom. That's a fact in the Bhagavad-gītā. He has gone to the animal kingdom. Now he may be tiger or dog. That is a different thing. But he has gone to the animal kingdom. That is the verdict of Bhagavad-gītā.
Morning Walk -- December 9, 1973, Los Angeles: Karandhara: Yes, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Yes. There are so many things. Actually, if the American nation take it seriously, "In God we trust," ...They must take it seriously because it is Constitution. Then the whole world will change. The whole world will change. Not only that. The Americans... Just like they are always combatting with the Communists. Similarly, the American nation should be so strong that anyone godless, he should be fired. Any nation who does not believe in God, war declared. "Either you believe in God or come on. Fight. Come under us." This should be the...
Svarūpa Dāmodara: It is like the...
Prabhupāda: It is not that God consciousness, just like our Gaurasundara, to go to a solitary place, and do all rascals and rascaldom. Sell the temple and go to the solitary place. This kind of God-trust, rascaldom, hooliganism, is no trust. You see? This is all hooliganism, nonsense.
Prajāpati: There is no trust without obedience.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, yes. There is no... There is no question of trust. Yes. That is, that is the first requirement in the Bhagavad-gītā. "You surrender unto Me." That means: "You trust." I cannot surrender unto you if I do not trust you. That is trust. I don't believe you; how can I trust you? Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is full trust. "Yes, I must surrender to Kṛṣṇa. He, He..." Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings,
- mānasa deha geha jo kichu mora
- arpilūṅ tuwā pade nanda-kiśora
Morning Walk -- December 9, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Medical science has given the chance of committing sinful activities. That's all. And the medical man and the man who is committing such sinful activities, they will suffer. This is the advantage of their so-called medical science. They do not know. They have, they have sanctioned this abortion, medical science. Means they have given chance to commit sinful activities. That's all. So so many rascaldom is going on all over the world, and we, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, wants to stop all this nonsense, and save the humanity from going down to the animal kingdom. That is our program. They are... They have become just like animals, and next life they are going to be animals. That law they do not know. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). They do not believe in dehāntara-prāptiḥ. That is their nonsense. And now, what kind of dehāntara, change of body? That also they do not know. That is also going to happen. If you become like cats and dogs, you get cats and dogs life. There is nature's law. But they do not know. They're misguiding simply. And if it is so that I have got now nice, human form of body, and next life I'm going to be a dog, is that advancement of civilization? Simply cheating. Everyone is cheating.
Morning Walk -- December 9, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: That I know. Or due to this moon, yes. Now it will go down. After this full moon. Yes. (break)
Prajāpati: ...Christmas, Śrīla Prabhupāda. They'd be better off celebrating the fact that you're here.
Prabhupāda: I say that they are not Christian. They're all atheists. Christians, one who is actually Christian, he's good. But they are not Christians. They do not believe in Christ. Neither in his words. So what kind of Christian they are?
Hṛdayānanda: They're such rascals that some of the young student so-called Christians, they even preach that.
Prabhupāda: Similarly, any Hindus, so-called Hindu, if he does not believe in the words of Kṛṣṇa, what kind of Hindu he is? He's a rascal. He's a rascal.
Prajāpati: In days gone by, there were pious Christians who tried to follow in the footsteps of saintly persons, but there are no more...
Prabhupāda: No, no. Christians must be always pious.
Prajāpati: There are no more...
Prabhupāda: There cannot be impious Christian or pious Christian. Christian must be pious. If somebody's impious, then he's not Christian. (break) ...impious thief cannot be. Thief is always impious. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma... (CC Adi 17.21). (break)
Morning Walk -- December 10, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Eh?
Devotee: Like Guruji, this young boy, do they constitute a threat to peacefulness in society?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Disturbance.
Devotee: Disturbance?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Because they do not believe in the śāstras, they are rascals, creating disturbances. The Guruji's group, they say, "There is no need of books." Do they not say like that?
Devotees: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Therefore simply set of rascals.
Hṛdayānanda: Actually, Prabhupāda, in the beginning, in the beginning, they used Bhagavad-gītā, but when we kept defeating them, they said, "All right, no more books."
Prabhupāda: Oh. Just see.
Hṛdayānanda: But in the beginning, they accepted. Then they changed.
Prabhupāda: They will change so many times, because they're rascals. They have no standard program. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī has given his verdict in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu,
- śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-
- pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā
- aikāntikī harer bhaktir
- utpātāyaiva kalpate
- (Brs. 1.2.101)
Any kind of spiritual advancement without reference to the Vedas, Purāṇas, and śāstra, it means simply disturbance. Utpātāyaiva kalpate.
Morning Walk -- December 11, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: And propaganda.
Hṛdayānanda: You have to fight.
Prabhupāda: You must know that they are all rascals. That I said, rascals, unbelievers. You have to convert them to be sane man. That is preaching.
Hṛdayānanda: Jaya.
Prabhupāda: That is preaching. What do you expect that every man will immediately go and he'll agree with you? Why do you expect like that? That is foolishness.
Hṛdayānanda: Jaya!
Prabhupāda: You must know that everybody will disagree with you, and it is your preaching work that you will make him agree with you. That is your preaching work.
Hṛdayānanda: Jaya, Prabhupāda! As your example.
Prabhupāda: Yes. We do not expect that everyone will agree. Everybody will disagree. Just like our book. Say, four, five years ago, nobody knew these books. So there was no market. But we have created our market. That is preaching. We have created our market. Nobody was dying for want of these books. So that is preaching. Preaching does not mean everyone is ready to accept your theories. You must expect that everyone will not accept it. Now it is your power to convince him, "Yes, you must accept." That is preaching.
Morning Walk -- December 11, 1973, Los Angeles: Yaśomatīnandana: Actually Prabhupāda, his books are full of rubbish, garbage. There is no knowledge in the books or any philosophy or anything. They're simply...
Prabhupāda: What is his books? They do not believe in books.
Yaśomatīnandana: Still, he puts out a magazine, called "Broadcasting His Glories." And in the magazine he quotes some verses from Bhagavad-gītā. He supports that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). So he says that... Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "I come whenever there is decline of religiosity." So he claims that he is now Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Anyway, he accepts authority of Kṛṣṇa.
Yaśomatīnandana: Yes, he says that Kṛṣṇa is God.
Devotee: But now he is Kṛṣṇa. And he wears Kṛṣṇa's crown and he plays Kṛṣṇa's flute. He wears Kṛṣṇa's crown. They give him Kṛṣṇa's crown and he wears it, and he plays Kṛṣṇa's flute. Or he says it is Kṛṣṇa's flute, and he plays it.
Prabhupāda: Anyway, he is making his business with Kṛṣṇa's crown and Kṛṣṇa's flute.
Morning Walk -- December 11, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: But when Kṛṣṇa lifted the mountain, it was not meant for the devotees, it was meant for everyone.
Yaśomatīnandana: But because he is rascal, that's what he says.
Prabhupāda: "So you, why you are simply thinking of Kṛṣṇa, your devotee. You show us. We don't believe you that you are Kṛṣṇa, but if you want us to come to you, you show this. We shall come immediately. Why make it confidential? Make it public. Then we come immediately. This is our condition. But because you do not show it, therefore we know you are a rascal number one. Why shall I come to you?"
Yaśomatīnandana: "If you claim that you are God, then anybody can claim that he is God."
Prabhupāda: "Yes, anybody can claim. But we think you are a rascal. Therefore we do not come. Now, if you can show us something like Kṛṣṇa, then we shall immediately come. Our difficulty will be solved. We shall see Kṛṣṇa. But we know that you are a rascal." You go there. Go there, somebody, and tell like that.
Morning Walk -- December 12, 1973, Los Angeles: Nara-nārāyaṇa: When you came to the western world, no one anywhere believed that it would be successful I think. But actually, it has become very successful, by preaching.
Prabhupāda: I myself did not believe I shall be successful, what to speak of others, but because I did in the proper line, so it has become successful.
Yaśomatīnandana: Yes, Kṛṣṇa is so kind that we expect something and He gives us hundred times more.
Prabhupāda: Oh yes.
Yaśomatīnandana: So if we simply follow your instructions, then I am sure that it will come out glorious.
Nara-nārāyaṇa: So if we are in the proper line, then our political activities also can become successful?
Prabhupāda: Oh yes. Why not? Kṛṣṇa was in politics. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means all-round: social, political, philosophical, religious, cultural, everything. It is not one-sided. They take it as... They do not know. Therefore they are thinking it is a religious movement. No, it is all-including, all-including, all-pervasive.
Morning Walk -- December 12, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Ah, avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam. (break) ...is correct. We can face any so-called philosopher, any. Any so-called scientist. Any so-called politicians. You must be strong enough to have your firm conviction, that "We can face anyone rascal and defeat him." (break) ...and logic, argumentum vaculum. You know that? In logic there is a thesis or argumentum vaculum. Means no argument, but with stick and gun, you see. "If you don't believe, then here is stick and gun." That is called argumentum vaculum. So we have to make our position so strong that anyone who does not believe in God, he should be finished.
Umāpati: We had a president that used to believe in that. He is finished.
Prabhupāda: (laughs) No, but don't think like that. But there are two kinds of business: paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). To give protection to the devotees and killing the unbeliever. These are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. (break) Yes. Government has got two departments: law and order department, military department. Why? Two things must... (break) This is their business, śūdra business. Śūdra business. Śūdras, they have no knowledge. They commit mistake over and over. Therefore brāhmaṇa required to guide the kṣatriya, the vaiśya and the śūdra. Therefore they are guru. Otherwise, they will commit mistake, more or less. It is practical. Just in your country, you have all elected Mr. Nixon as president, and again you are protesting. Why you are protesting? You have already elected him. What is the reasons?
Morning Walk -- December 12, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Because they are under this impression the doctors are scientifically advanced. But the doctors' science is also imperfect. Because they do not know what is the soul. They do not believe in soul.
Karandhara: They trust the doctors the first, and they trust television the second.
Prabhupāda: Television.
Karandhara: Whatever they see on television, they accept.
Prabhupāda: Why they give so much authority to television?
Karandhara: Well, everyone watches it. So they just become indoctrinated.
Prajāpati: That is their altar in their home. It is in a permanent place in the center of their house, and they put flowers on top and they worship like that.
Prabhupāda: (laughing) Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Umāpati: It's intoxication also.
Prabhupāda: After all, they accept authority. Either the doctor or the television, is it not?
Yaśomatīnandana: Now they should accept Bhagavad-gītā.
Morning Walk -- December 15, 1973, Los Angeles: Candanācārya: Without theism?
Prabhupāda: No, no, that is not explanation.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Atheist means not believing in God.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Say like that. Don't say in a negative way. In a positive way. What does it mean? Atheist.
Prajāpati: He says there is no God.
Prabhupāda: There is no God. Then what do you mean by God? Next question. Next question will be what do you mean by God?
Candanācārya: So he'll say the conception which has been presented by the different religions.
Prabhupāda: What is your conception? Why do you go to different religions? You are talking with me. So you say, what do you mean by God? Next question will be this. Don't go to others. Don't fly away. You are atheist. You are posing yourself atheist. Atheist means one who does not believe in God. That's all right. Now what do you mean by God? First of all the thing must be there. Then you believe or not believe next. Just like here is a person. He says, "I believe in him." I say, "I don't believe in him." But the person is there.
Morning Walk -- December 18, 1973, Los Angeles: Prajāpati: If we were there and we could make one speech in front of that assembled Congress and Senate, the main government of the United States, what were the main points we would stress?
Prabhupāda: Yes. The main point is that "In God we trust," on this slogan... So the same point that, "What do you mean by God and what do you mean by trust? That you do not know." So you have to explain what is God and what is trust, thoroughly, from our books. Our point of propaganda should be that "It is very good that you write this slogan, 'In God we trust,' but nobody has got clear conception of God; neither they do not know what is the meaning of trust. Under the circumstances, so you have to learn it scientifically. And our propaganda is like that, to teach actually what is God and what is trust. And you important men of the state, you come forward, try to understand, and open schools, colleges. Make it perfectly known what is God. And make America strong. As the Communist party, they are preaching godlessness, now America should preach, 'No, in God we trust.' Now there should be a fight, not on the political point of view, but actually it includes everything. A class of men godless and a class of men who knows God. There should be fight. Then there will be peace in the world. The class of men who do not believe in God, they should be punished, because they are creating all the troubles. A man who trusts in God, he is the ideal man. He will never create any trouble. Therefore this science should be learned very scientifically. And we are prepared. And you also must be able to teach them. Then it will be successful." (Aside:) You leave little aloof. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. "Anyone who does not know what is God and does not know how to trust in God, he is animal. So how you can expect a human civilization composed of some animals? That you have to learn from us. If you are serious. If you simply make it a slogan, but you remain same as the man who does not know what is God, then what is the meaning of this slogan? That will not help you."
Morning Walk -- December 18, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Yes.
Girirāja: So therefore this explosion came from God. But then where did God come from?
Prabhupāda: That is God. God is always existing. Not "come from." That is God. Nityo nityānām. You are also existing. This knowledge, they are lacking. Just like I am, you are, we are eternal. We are eternal. We are changing body. Because they do not believe or do not try to understand that I am not this body, therefore the whole mistake is there.
Devotee: The scientists would use the same argument. The scientists would say, "Well, since I have not experienced that I am eternal, therefore how can I accept that I am eternal?"
Prabhupāda: Yes, you are eternal. Because you were a child and now you are grown up, but you know that you were a child. Therefore you are eternal. You were a child, but you have no that child's body. Now you have got a different body. So although you have got different body, you know that you had a body like a child. Therefore body has changed. You have not changed. That is eternity.
Girirāja: And nobody wants to die.
Prabhupāda: Nobody wants to die.
Morning Walk -- December 29, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Sujit, oh. (Bengali conversation regarding his being a student of science, chemistry and plastics engineering, and Śrīla Prabhupāda tells him that he attended Scottish Churches' College) (break) ...astrology?
Sujit: What is my opinion?
Prabhupāda: No. I am asking scientist.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: First of all I did not believe astrology in the beginning. I thought it was a pseudo science.
Prabhupāda: No, you may think, but what is the opinion of the scientist?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, scientists would say that there is no background.
Prabhupāda: So how it so happens?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Because they say something which cannot be proved by experimental science, that does not work, calling science.
Prabhupāda: So then how do you say that life is from matter? That cannot be proved by experiment.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: That is why they are going to prove it. They are trying to prove it.
Prabhupāda: Then again, "going to prove." They cannot prove, they'll not not admit it.
Morning Walk -- December 29, 1973, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: So our astrology is calculated by the position of the stars. By astronomy you calculate the position of the star, and they know, "If the star is in such and such position, the result will be like this." That is astrology.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: This looks like collecting some facts from some experience.
Prabhupāda: No, no. It is calculated by the astral movement. It is a great science. People do not know it now.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: So Wolfe Prabhu was telling me that "So we don't believe in astrology, but when Śrīla Prabhupāda says, then you believe."
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Wolfe, he was telling me that, because I was telling him that I did not believe in astrology. Then one day Śrīla Prabhupāda was talking on astrology. Then Wolfe said, "If Śrīla Prabhupāda said, then you believe. And if it is not said by Śrīla Prabhupāda, you don't believe."
Prabhupāda: No. We believe in astrology. But because it is a difficult science, people do not understand it properly. That is another thing. In my practical life I see. In my horoscope, everything is written, what I am doing. Everything is written.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Morning Walk -- January 5, 1974, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: You see? That we are giving.
Devotee (2): But they think no such thing would exist.
Prabhupāda: They think, may think, but it is theoretical. Supposing there is such life, would you not accept it? You may believe, not believe. That is another chapter. First of all, this is our proposition, that there is a life like this. Would you like? So who would say "no"? Everyone will say, "Yes, I like." It is a question of understanding. There is such life, but because he is disappointed at being cheated, cheated, cheated, he thinks, "Here is also another cheating." Just see. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness preaching means to convince them that there is life like this. That is propaganda.
Bali Mardana: What would convince them that it is simply not another cheating?
Prabhupāda: Yes, it is cheating, it is fact.
Bali Mardana: But what would convince them of that? What qualities?
Prabhupāda: Just see example, our. We are chanting, dancing, and eating nicely. What you are doing? You are simply talking nonsense. There is no peace in your life. And see our devotees in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the proof, practical proof.
Morning Walk -- January 7, 1974, Los Angeles: Devotee: Oh, they say that abortion isn't bad because the child is not fully formed and therefore is not really a life. It's not really alive.
Prabhupāda: Just see. Therefore one man who is sleeping, he has no soul.
Bali Mardana: No one... They do not believe that generally.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bali Mardana: They admit that they are killing.
Prabhupāda: They admit?
Bali Mardana: That they are killing the child. But they do not care. 'Cause they don't want to take the trouble to raise it.
Gurukṛpā: Just like the rabbit.
Prabhupāda: Rabbit philosophy. So therefore, considering from all points of view, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the best in the world. There is no doubt. You must be convinced about it. Otherwise, how you can preach?
Morning Walk -- January 9, 1974, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Highest stage, everything animate.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. So a stone... Even a stone has soul.
Prabhupāda: Oh yes, yes. Just like this tree. You cut; it does not protest. The consciousness is not developed. That is the... But it has got life. You scientists, you do not believe that stone has also life?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: No, they say it's just matter.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: They say there's no life there.
Prabhupāda: No, there is life.
Nitāi: Every stone has life?
Prabhupāda: Yes. No, dead stone has no... But there are many mountains, they are increasing. You know, at Benares there is a stone? Tila-bandhesvara. (?)
Svarūpa Dāmodara: I don't know.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That increases. If you go, see today, and go ten years after, you'll see—take the measurement—it has increased. They'll go...
Morning Walk -- January 10, 1974, Los Angeles: Svarūpa Dāmodara: That is the symptom of material nature.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So this yajña means to satisfy the Lord. Yajñārthe karma. So when you miss this yajña, then everything becomes disturbed. When you become godless then the whole thing will be disturbed. And practically also, if you pay income tax, then government arrangement is everything, nicely going on. And as soon as stop income tax, then whole thing... There is no finance, there is deficit, this, that, so many things. So yajña is yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra. Everything should be done for the Yajña, for Viṣṇu. Then everything is in order. In Kali-yuga, other, costly yajñas are not possible. Therefore yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ. Saṅkīrtana. But these rascals will not take. If you say that "This simple yajña, you take it. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. All problems will be solved," they will not believe. They will not take it. They are so misfortunate. Śāstra says, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). Su-medhasaḥ. Those who have got good brain, they take up this yajña process. Su-medhasaḥ. And another word is alpa-medhasaḥ, less brain substance. Tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). They are doing all other things, but not yajña. Therefore alpa-medhasām: their brain substance is small. And here is su-medhasaḥ. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). That is the sign of merit: You do something which will produce good result. And if you, cats and dogs, if you simply jump over, what you will do result? That Lilavati Munshi of Bombay, she is the wife of a big man, K. Munshi. So she was asking, "Swamiji, how you made like this?" Everyone is surprised because nobody has done like this. I said that "Because I have taken the proper method, therefore it is done so nicely." The method must be right. It may be simple, but it must be right method.
Morning Walk -- January 10, 1974, Los Angeles: Gurukṛpā: Next life they may have to experiment in a dog's body.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And some of our politicians, he has become a dog. Yes. Nehru. He has become a dog, in Stockholm. Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I told that to my mother and she would not believe it. You know, people think that if someone is a great politician or something, he can never become something like this.
Prabhupāda: Then why the politician dies? If he has got so good brain, let him live forever.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: People have so much blind faith in people like Nehru and Gandhi.
Prabhupāda: Jawaharlal Nehru did not want to give up his Prime Ministership unless he was collapsed. So why he did not live if he is so intelligent? And Kṛṣṇa says, if you have to believe Bhagavad-gītā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). "He has to accept another body." So why you should disbelieve that he has accepted a dog's body? Because the acceptance of body is not your business. It is the business of higher nature. Daiva-netreṇa. So if the daiva likes that "You must take this dog's body," how can you refuse it? You cannot refuse.
Morning Walk -- January 22, 1974, Hawaii: Prabhupāda: So acceptable to someone. My documentation is acceptable to so many. Why not my many? We have got many followers of the documentation of Vedic literature. As you have got your own ways of documentation, I have got my own ways of documentation. If you do not believe my documentation, why shall I believe without seeing your documentation? And if you set aside your documentation, my documentation, then come to reason. Eh?
Nitāi: If, if what?
Prabhupāda: I don't believe your documentation; you do not believe my documentation. Then let us come to reason. The reason is, as we see varieties—one is better than the other—there must be the best. And that is God. So far documentation is concerned, you do not believe my documentation, I do not believe your documentation. Then? How the conclusion will come? As far as possible, by reasoning. Reasoning is that we find one is better than the other. So go on finding; if you have got power, you will see that the best. (aside:) Give me that. This is reasoning. As the child has a father, the father has his father, the grandfather has his father, then there must be some ultimate father. How can you deny this? By experience you see. Suppose a great-grandchild does not see the great-grandfather, does it mean that he was not there? The reason is as everyone has got father, father's father, his father, his father, his, so go on, find out the ultimate father.
Morning Walk -- January 22, 1974, Hawaii: Prabhupāda: We understand from the writings, not from the fossils and bones. The bones and fossils are already finished, but they kept their writing.
Bali Mardana: Only the uncivilized people were buried.
Prabhupāda: Suppose I am writing books. In future if you could not find my bones and fossils, but the books will prove what I was. So we have got the books. That is the real bones and fossils.
Bali Mardana: They try to disprove...
Prabhupāda: They cannot find out bones and fossils of Kṛṣṇa. Now, why they accept?
Satsvarūpa: Nobody agreed... (tape garbled)
Prabhupāda: You have to accept authority... (break) ...authority of yourself, we have got authority also. We have got authority. We have got our books... (break) ...that Kali-yuga has begun five thousand years but you say they do not believe in... (break) ...these rascals. Although it is history... (end)
Morning Walk -- February 23, 1974, Bombay: Dr. Patel: So the vartas (?) also get it, these śakti-vartas. They get this by tantric yoga. I can't still understand how tantras, by following, I mean, drawing particular figures and writing down those figures, you can get powers. This is very common in Bengal side, this tantra. No? I read a book on tantra by Sir Arthur Avalon, and he described so wonderful powers come by this and that. I don't know whether it is a fact or not.
Prabhupāda: No, no. That is materialism. Anyone who is after powers, that is materialism.
Dr. Patel: I could not believe in it. How could it come?
Prabhupāda: It can come.
Dr. Patel: Not so.
Prabhupāda: Now, this is also tantra. Just like nowadays, they were flying sputnik, and from here controlling everything. Millions and millions of miles...
Dr. Patel: But there is a science behind it, no?
Prabhupāda: So that is also a kind of science, subtle science.
Dr. Patel: This writing, writing letters, two and two, and, and...
Prabhupāda: Yes. There are subtle sciences. These are gross sciences. There are subtle science also. Just like now mechanically you are flying. But there is science... Anything. I can fly with this stick. That is possible. Ākāśa-patana. There is a science, ākāśa-patana. Kapota-vāyu. Kapota-vāyu. Now, you can train the pigeons, and it will, you'll fly in the sky.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Vāyu.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Morning Walk -- March 6, 1974, Mayapura: Prabhupāda: That expectation is always there. Any fool can expect anything. That is another thing.
Viṣṇujana: But they've done it with goat head.
Prabhupāda: We are concerned what you are doing now. That's all. We are not for expectation, future hope. We do not believe in that. Trust no future, however pleasant. It may be pleasant to you, but we don't believe it. You rascals, you can feel, but history shows that after death, no brain works. So we take this simple conclusion, that this brain is useless. So am I right or wrong?
Siddha-svarūpānanda: You are right.
Prabhupāda: Sudāmā Vipra, you are very critical. You can say. Am I right or wrong?
Sudāmā Vipra: You're right. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: Thank you. That's... Svarūpa Dāmodara asked the scientist that, "You are beginning life from chemicals. Suppose I give you chemicals, can you make life?" "That I cannot say." This is their proposal. This is their... All rascals. And they're wasting public money and making other fools. They're going to the Candraloka and this loka, Venus. Simply wasting time. This remark I gave in the newspaper sometimes in San Francisco...
Morning Walk -- March 15, 1974, Vrndavana: Prabhupāda: Arcye viṣṇau... (break) ...when it will teach military art, with tilaka, soldiers will, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa..." (laughter) We want that. Marching with military band, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." You maintain this idea. Is it not good?
Hṛdayānanda: Yes, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: When there will be military march of Kṛṣṇa conscious soldiers. Anyone who does not believe in Kṛṣṇa, "Blam!" (laughter) Yes. The same process as the Mohammedans did, with sword and Koran, we'll have to do that. "Do you believe in Kṛṣṇa or not?" "No, sir." "Blam!" Finished. (laughter, Prabhupāda laughs) What do you think, Madhudviṣa Mahārāja? Is that all right?
Madhudviṣa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: (laughing) What these communists can do? We can do better than them. We can kill many communists like that. (laughter) Then it will be counteraction of communist movement. And you think like that. "Why you are sitting idly, no employment? Come on to the field! Take this plow! Take this bull. Go on working. Why you are sitting idly?" This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Nobody should be allowed to sit down and sleep. They must find out some employment, either work as brāhmaṇa or as a kṣatriya or as a vaiśya. Why there should be unemployment? The same example. Just like I am, this body is working. The leg is working, hand is working, brain is working, belly is working. Why there should be unemployment? You just stop this unemployment, you will see the whole world is peaceful. There is no complaint. And they'll very happily chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hm? Nobody's working in this field. They're all drawn to the cities to work in the factory. Condemned civilization. That communist emblem, what is that?
Room Conversation -- March 16, 1974, Vrndavana: Prabhupāda: But you should talk from the platform of Buddha. We know the secrecy. Our, our understanding of Buddha, that he is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. But the Buddhists, they do not believe.
Guest: No, they've rejected the Vedas.
Prabhupāda: Yes. But we say.
Guest: But I'm not trying to, uh, to set up, to argue sect against sect.
Prabhupāda: That's not the question. It's a question of philosophy. Here we just say, we know, just like we, we are devotee of Lord Buddha, keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. We glorify Lord Buddha because we know what is Buddha, sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam. So we know perfectly that he is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, but those who are cheated by Buddha, from their point of view I want to know what is their perspective.
Guest: Now how, how, how, why would Buddha want to cheat people?
Prabhupāda: Yes, cheated because they did not believe in God. So, but he is God, he is God; therefore he says, "What I say, you believe." That means he is cheating them.
Room Conversation -- March 16, 1974, Vrndavana: Prabhupāda: Good, good lessons for...
Guest: "...leaves are made out of gold to keep children from crying," meaning that you have to arrive at truth from your own self, your own understanding. Nobody can, you know, no blind following, as you yourself say. I remember correctly that you used to preach and say, uh, that uh, you shouldn't accept anything blindly.
Prabhupāda: That, in the Bhāgavata it is said, sammohāya sura-dviṣām (SB 1.3.24). Lord Buddha appeared for cheating or bewildering the atheistic person. They do not believe in the (indistinct). They did not, did not believe in God, but God is there. Lord Buddha himself is God. Just like if I say I don't want (indistinct), but you come in a different place. So (indistinct) is there, but I am thinking it is not (indistinct). Similarly, God is there—Buddha—but they are thinking that they don't believe in God. This is cheating. God is there. They are worshiping Lord Buddha exactly as we worship Kṛṣṇa. Then is it not the same? Then how do they say they don't believe in God? They are made to believe in God in a different way. That is cheating, and it is good for them. That is written in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, sammohāya sura-dviṣām (SB 1.3.24). (break) They're Australian. (Hindi conversation with another guest about Lakṣmī's position in relation to Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs) (break)
Guru Dāsa: Like Lord Caitanya, you have also showed him the right way.
Prabhupāda: He is on the line.
Morning Walk -- March 25, 1974, Bombay: Prabhupāda: So therefore you have to... Therefore the indication is tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā... (BG 4.34). You should go and take knowledge.
Dr. Patel: But I talk of the Einstein. Einstein, somebody asked Einstein...
Prabhupāda: Anyone...
Dr. Patel: "Do you believe in God?" He said, "How can you not believe in God? God is everywhere, and I feel the presence of it." That is the real scientist.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Dr. Patel: Not the other fellows who say there is no God and all these things are atoms and all...
Prabhupāda: But still, he does not know that Kṛṣṇa is God.
Dr. Patel: That is... That is...
Prabhupāda: That is ignorance. That is ignorance.
Dr. Patel: ...ignorance of God! That means there will be a quarrel between us two.
Prabhupāda: No, no. That is ignorance. Mūḍha. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.15).
Morning Walk -- March 27, 1974, Bombay: Prabhupāda: Ah. And that is going on, transmigration.
Chandobhai: ...gṛhītvaitāni saṁyāti vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt. How the body goes away?
Prabhupāda: Yes. According, according to the quality or the modes of nature, he has to change his body. This Māyāvāda philosophy has made the whole world atheist. They don't believe in God.
Dr. Patel: I think this, what do you call Māyāvāda philosophy is not... (break)
Prabhupāda: Māyāvādī was introduced...
Chandobhai: By Buddha.
Prabhupāda: ...by Śaṅkara.
Chandobhai: Śaṅkara and Jains mostly.
Prabhupāda: Māyāvāda...
Dr. Patel: Jains are, they are... They don't believe in God. Jains are... Their soul is as long as their body. If that leg is cut, the soul's leg is cut.
Prabhupāda: No. Without, without going to other philosophies, best thing is to stick to your own philosophy and try to understand.
Morning Walk -- March 29, 1974, Bombay: Prabhupāda: Sadṛśo mayā. Yes. "I'll protect my money in this way. I shall keep money in this way so that my sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons will enjoy. And I am going to become a cat and dog, doesn't matter. (everyone laughs) My grandson will enjoy." These are the plans. Where this rascal is going, he has no information. He has no information where he is going, but he is making provisions for his great-grandson. He does not know who is coming to be his great-grandson. This is asura program. You ask these asuras that "If you do not believe in the next life, then why you are working so hard?" They reply, "For the next generation." Next generation. And if you do not believe in the next life, what is the meaning of next generation? They say like that. This is the asuric civilization. (Sanskrit) So...
Indian man (2): Āsurīm...
Prabhupāda: Punar janmani. They'll never be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavān mate. They'll never be able to understand. And remain in darkness, and transmigrate from one body to another, and this business will go on.
Indian man (2): But then how will they come up?
Prabhupāda: When they tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). When they come to the stage to understand things by surrendering. But they will never surrender. That is their business. Ah?
Morning Walk -- March 29, 1974, Bombay: Prabhupāda: Tantra, tantra... I do not know what kind of tantra...
Dr. Patel: ...does not believe in killing animal and eating it even... Vedas say you can eat, I will not. And I don't mind decrying the Vedas that way, if you say so, sir. (indistinct) Vaiṣṇava, I don't think I can allow anyone to be killed. I'm very sorry to say this.
Prabhupāda: Hm.
Dr. Patel: If the Vedas say "Kill," I won't. I won't, don't want that.
Prabhupāda: That is Buddhism.
Dr. Patel: I don't mind you call me a Buddhist or a fool, but I won't kill an animal, being a Vaiṣṇava myself.
Prabhupāda: That's all right, but the thing is that you may not like something, but you cannot decry the authority of the Vedas.
Dr. Patel: This is not decrying the authority of Vedas.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.
Morning Walk -- March 29, 1974, Bombay: Indian man (3): As a Vaiṣṇava. No, that is what I'm...
Prabhupāda: No, you do not understand, that is the defect...
Indian man (3): That is my misfortune, that is my misfortune because I am a little fixed-cult man. But then you explain me what I should behave.
Prabhupāda: Suppose you don't believe in meat-eating, can you stop?
Indian man (3): I don't want to stop. For your followers yes, you say don't eat meat.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Indian man (3): Like that he has told us, "Don't eat meat."
Prabhupāda: That's all right.
Indian man (3): You don't want to eat, do yajña.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Indian man (3): So don't call it Buddhist.
Prabhupāda: But that doesn't... No, this is Buddhist philosophy; you do not know it.
Morning Walk -- April 2, 1974, Bombay: Prabhupāda: Now visṛjāmi. The Gods, He creates. Here they comes. The rascals, they do not believe it, that "There is no creator." The Jains, they do not believe it, that creator has done it. "It has come automatically." Buddhist philosophy is like that, that "Everything is coming by combination..."
Dr. Patel: Prakṛti and puruṣa.
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is wrong theory. Actually, He says visṛjāmi, ahaṁ visṛjāmi: "I do."
Dr. Patel: Prakṛtiṁ svām avaṣṭabhya: "Controlling my prakṛti."
Prabhupāda: Avaṣṭabhya, now entering.
Dr. Patel: "Entering into My prakṛti, I am sṛjāmi, punaḥ punaḥ."
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. He is outside; He is inside.
Indian: And then leave it in the control of the prakṛti, prakṛter vaśāt, avaṣaṁ prakṛter vaṣāt. Bhūta-grāmam imaṁ kṛtsnam avaṣām prakṛter vaśāt.
Prabhupāda: Bhūta-grāmam, not He.
Morning Walk -- April 2, 1974, Bombay: Prabhupāda: Now, these mūḍhas, they will think, "Huh? It is controlled by Kṛṣṇa? He is ordinary man like this." A mūḍha. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto. He does not know how much powerful is Kṛṣṇa, the mūḍha.
Dr. Patel: But you see, this is not like this, that those fools... (break)
Prabhupāda: That is also another mūḍha, but supposing if Kṛṣṇa says that "I am controlling the whole universe." The mūḍha will not believe it. "Huh? How is that? How...? Such a big gigantic prakṛti, and He is a person. He can control?" The mūḍha cannot understand. He cannot understand that how much powerful is Kṛṣṇa.
Dr. Patel: Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ.
Prabhupāda: Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. They do not know what is the all-omniscient nature of Kṛṣṇa.
Dr. Patel: The spiritual power of Kṛṣṇa. No. Paraṁ bhāva? Moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo mogha-jñānā vicetasaḥ (BG 9.12).
Prabhupāda: Therefore, as soon as these rascals, they get little power, yogic perfection, they think, "I have become God. I have become God."
Dr. Patel: Mogha-jñānā vicetasaḥ. (laughing)
Morning Walk -- April 2, 1974, Bombay: Dr. Patel:
- pitāham asya jagato
- mātā dhātā pitāmahaḥ
- vedyaṁ pavitram oṁkāra
- ṛk sāma yajur eva ca
- (BG 9.17)
Prabhupāda: Yes. "Everything, these Vedas, that I am." Vedaiś cāham, aham eva vedyaḥ. So these... There are rascals. They claim that "We are Vedic student. We don't believe in Kṛṣṇa. We don't believe in Bhagavad-gītā." You know this rascal society?
Dr. Patel:
- gatir bhartā prabhuḥ sākṣī
- nivāsaḥ śaraṇaṁ suhṛt
- prabhavaḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṁ
- nidhānaṁ bījam avyayam
- (BG 9.18)
"Everything is I. I am death as well as I am life."
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.
Morning Walk -- April 4, 1974, Bombay: Prabhupāda: What the modern scientists will say, that the..., all the universes were shown in the body of Kṛṣṇa. So what is the, I mean to say, what is called, action, reaction, reaction of the modern scientists?
Girirāja: They don't believe.
Dr. Patel: Even they are now trying to find out stars further and further with a bigger and bigger...
Prabhupāda: They cannot see even one universe, and here it is said that "All the universes, innumerable universes." So what these...?
Satsvarūpa: Their reaction is: "Simply because it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā does not mean it actually happened." They don't think it happened just because it is written here.
Prabhupāda: No, no, happened or not happened. But you have no estimation, even one universe. You cannot say like that because you are a fool still. Even though it did not happen in the body of Kṛṣṇa, but you have no estimation, you cannot know what is the sun-god or sun planet or moon planet. You cannot go there. So what is the value of your knowledge? If the statement of Bhagavad-gītā has no meaning, then what is the meaning of your scientific knowledge? You are not perfect. So how you can say? Because you are imperfect, so you cannot say against Bhagavad-gītā, which is accepted by all the ācāryas. Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya... Don't be in hurry. Just finish one word. That is sufficient.
Morning Walk -- April 5, 1974, Bombay: Dr. Patel: He was frightened, seeing that. Shall I read further, arjuna uvāca?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Now, why he became frightened?
Dr. Patel: On seeing such a huge, I mean, unbelievable things perhaps by ordinary human being. In a one place of Kṛṣṇa's. (indistinct) Right?
Indian man (2): He realized his insignificance because of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.
Dr. Patel:
- arjuna uvāca
- paśyāmi devāṁs tava deva dehe
- sarvāṁs tathā bhūta-viśeṣa-saṅghān
- brahmāṇam īśaṁ kamalāsana-stham
- ṛṣīṁś ca sarvān uragāṁś ca divyān
Prabhupāda: Now, he is beginning from the three deities of creation: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara.
Morning Walk -- April 5, 1974, Bombay: Prabhupāda: A crude example can be given. Just like a man may be director of this company and trust of that company and so many when he is working. But his wife is feeling that he is her husband. That's all. She does not see anything, although he is working in aneka-rūpam. This is the, a crude example. He has his eyes to see, "Here is my beloved husband." That's all. Just like Yasodamayi. Yasodamayi saw that all the universes within the mouth... She asked, ordered Kṛṣṇa, "I want to see whether you have eaten dirt. Open your mouth." So Kṛṣṇa opened the mouth and not only dirt, but all the universes... So she saw, but she did not believe that Kṛṣṇa can have all these universes. So she said, "All right, that's all right. Don't do it again." She did not take care of the universes. Although Kṛṣṇa is showed him all the universes within the mouth, she was concerned with Kṛṣṇa. That's all.
Morning Walk -- April 5, 1974, Bombay: Dr. Patel: Kṛṣṇa is not only one name. There are... All the names of God are...
Prabhupāda: No, no, that is Māyāvāda.
Dr. Patel: That is wrong. Then we disbelieve that.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa has got name...
Dr. Patel: All the names of God are Kṛṣṇa's names. That is what we are taught from our birth.
Prabhupāda: Then why you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa? You can chant any name.
Dr. Patel: No, but we want to chant Kṛṣṇa's name. That's all. That is the purest.
Prabhupāda: Ah, that is contradictory. You said... Sometimes you say that Kṛṣṇa has got many names...
Dr. Patel: If I say, "Christ, Christ, Christ," it is, also goes to Kṛṣṇa.
Indian man (4): But do you think all the medicines are equal?
Dr. Patel: Yes, yes, there are some potent medicines, all are equal. And there is Kṛṣṇa and there is Christ and there is Bhagavān and there is Viṣṇu and there is Rāma. The same medicine with multiple names. Okay?
Indian man (4): Well, then it is the same disease.
Dr. Patel: All the disease, one medicine.
Prabhupāda: Then why don't you prescribe a particular...
Morning Walk -- April 7, 1974, Bombay: Prabhupāda: Fairy tale, why?
Yaśomatīnandana: Because they don't believe anything that they cannot see with their gross senses.
Prabhupāda: That is another foolishness. You cannot see in the sky so many things. Now this plane is going on. It may be unseen for some time. So that is the only reason? Because they cannot see? They cannot see milk? They have seen milk or not?
Yaśomatīnandana: Their experience of sea is that it has salt water.
Prabhupāda: No, this is water. As water is also liquid, milk is also liquid. So if there is ocean of water, why not ocean of milk?
Yaśomatīnandana: There can be, but,...
Prabhupāda: There can be, yes. So how they can say that there cannot be?
Yadubara: They would say that "The milk comes from the cow. So how could it be an ocean?"
Prabhupāda: Water comes from man. If you pass urine, there is water. What is the difference? The water also comes from...
Yaśomatīnandana: It is just that it is beyond their experience.
Morning Walk -- April 11, 1974, Bombay: Italian Man (1): I see, yes, yes. And the difference between the impersonalist, I mean, and the personalist is that the impersonalist does not believe...
Prabhupāda: No, no, believe... You don't believe or not believe, it doesn't matter. We are explaining science. If somebody says, "No, there is no temperature," that is foolishness. There is temperature. How can you say there is no temperature? There is temperature. Even you go to the water, there is temperature. Everywhere. Because the elements are all there, bhūmir āpo analo vāyu... The beginning is the ākāśa, ether. The ether is in the air, the air is in the fire, the fire is in the water, and the earth is in the water. This is this way. And in the earth you will find everything. You will find air, ether, water, fire, everything. And the final state, it is ether only, originally. So suppose I am breathing. It is ethereal. But so many things are coming. If I am contaminated, by touching my breathing, you will be contaminated, and it will come out as disease.
Morning Walk -- April 11, 1974, Bombay: Prabhupāda: Atheists, they say that "We have not seen God."
Indian Man (1): But they need support of God in the beginning. Without that, they cannot go to that...
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is always. Therefore they are fools. They cannot become atheists. If somebody says that "I do not believe in God," this saying will be stopped immediately by God. He cannot do anything. And that is God. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). When God comes as mṛtyuḥ, then all His talking is finished. "I don't believe in God, there is no God," finished. So control that death. Because death takes all your possession, your talking, your riches, your body, everything will be taken away. Now, why do you allow to, death, overtake you? Why do you allow? If you are God, check it.
Indian Man (2): Yes, yes, don't allow your death to come.
Prabhupāda: Yes, then you are God.
Indian Man (1): This body is supposed to die.
Prabhupāda: Why supposed? Why supposed? That is ignorance, "supposed." Because he cannot do anything, he suppose... Why?
Indian Man (1): Of course, we say this body is not say absolute or permanent.
Prabhupāda: No, no, no. Permanent, but who has made it this? You have not made. You make a permanent body. Then you are God.
Morning Walk -- April 11, 1974, Bombay: Prabhupāda: No, no, not controlling.
Indian Man (1): You have to believe or imagine some entity. It may be Kṛṣṇa or it...
Prabhupāda: No, no, how can you disbelieve? First of all, thing is how can you disbelieve? Believe or not believe, that is another question. How you can... This water has come from some source. So what is that source?
Yaśomatīnandana: By our logical research we can come to Bhagavad-gītā and find out Kṛṣṇa is the only person in the whole world who says that "This comes from Me."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Water comes from your body, perspiration. So why not from Kṛṣṇa's body? Simple reasoning. (break) ...ānanda-vigrahaḥ. (break) ...tap produces water. An inanimate object, a small material thing, it produces water. And Kṛṣṇa cannot produce such water? (break) ...potency. They are explained. But because we do not go to the right teacher, we do not understand. That is the difficulty.
Morning Walk -- April 11, 1974, Bombay: Prabhupāda: They cannot see. He is blind, how he can see?
Indian Man (1): It is very difficult to believe he is God...
Prabhupāda: No, no, believe or don't believe. That is another thing.
Indian Man (1): So we must have spiritual eyes or something which is beyond our physical body. And so how why we are drowsing ourself and why we are just galloping in a different way? Because everybody says it is beyond...
Prabhupāda: No. Suppose you are blind. So you require the help of a man who has got eyes. So unless you are sure that "This man has got eyes," why should you take care of him? That is another ignorance. If I know the man who proposes to lead me, he is also blind, why shall I take his help?
Indian Man (1): But if he says, "I am also blind," but just trying to find out the way...
Prabhupāda: Yes, so find out the right way. Find out a man who has got the eyes.
Morning Walk -- April 12, 1974, Bombay: Indian man (1): But you see, up till now, in my long life of eighty years...
Prabhupāda: No, no, you have not so many experiences. That does not mean these things does not exist. Your experience is not all in all. Don't think like that. So these are existing actually. That is the defect, that you do not accept the authorities. That is the defect. Here Vyāsadeva is describing, who is called Vedavyāsa, full of all knowledge, and Bhāgavata is a mature experience. We are hearing from him. Why you should not believe? I may not have experience. This ghost means the living entity is subtle life without any material body. That is ghost. When one is very sinful, he does not get the material body. He lives in the subtle body: mind, intelligence and ego. That is ghostly life. And they display. Because they have no body, one cannot see, but they display so many mischiefs. That is ghostly life. (break) Seeing or not seeing doesn't matter. Therefore it is enjoined in the Vedānta-sūtra, śāstra cakṣuṣā.
Indian man (1): But it should be proved.
Prabhupāda: It is true because it is spoken by Vyāsadeva. How you say it is false? You cannot say that. That is blasphemy.
Indian man (1): In olden days there used to be the ghosts and all these things, but now that is gradually...
Prabhupāda: But gradually... That does not mean you have improved very much. Because you do not believe in the ghost...
Indian man (1): Our mental condition has improved.
Morning Walk -- April 22, 1974, Hyderabad: Prabhupāda: This is not proper answer.
Pañcadraviḍa: Then if you have love of God, then we are also spreading this consciousness of love of God all over the whole world to people who have not developed that love, then you should willingly engage yourself in supporting this work.
Prabhupāda: "But we are also preaching." Mohammedans will say, "We preaching. We take also sword sometimes. If he does not believe in God, we cut his throat." The Christian missionaries, they will also say that "We are also going on all over the world. We have made so many big church."
Pañcadraviḍa: We have also got our work, and we show them...
Prabhupāda: No, no. How do you say that you are better than him? If they are also doing, it may be difference of degrees, but we are also doing the same thing.
Pañcadraviḍa: If a person is having love of God, though, then his love is not simply confined to his own work. You say you are having love of God; we are also spreading this movement all over the world. So God is one...
Prabhupāda: "No, no, we are also preaching Christianity all over the world. Our number of Christians is higher than your number of devotees. Our preaching work is better than yours."
Morning Walk -- April 23, 1974, Hyderabad: Mahāṁsa: It is not very difficult to give up. If one is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is not difficult to give up these four things.
Prabhupāda: Not at all. Very easily, in one second. If you have taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo... (BG 18.66). These are sinful activities. Immediately Kṛṣṇa will help you, "All right." Immediately. Kṛṣṇa said. Is He bluffing? If you sincerely take to Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, immediately the effect will be you give up all this nonsense. They don't believe in Kṛṣṇa, they don't believe in Kṛṣṇa's word; neither they will surrender; neither they will give up. So where is the reformation? They want to remain in degradation and protesting... This is māyā. This is the called, prakṣepātmika śakti, to keep him in degradation, that "You rascal, you have come to enjoy material happiness. So I will keep you in this degradation and you suffer. I shall kick on your face." This is māyā. So what is the result of this protest against degradation?
Akṣayānanda: They get shot. The police come and shoot them.
Prabhupāda: That's all. And tax you and get fat salary. That's all. This is government. They will degrade you and take your money and enjoy themselves. That's all. (break) ...revolution in India. Yes. Because people are hungry. There is no food. A very great revolution. So long they were under Vedic culture, they were suffering. Suffering in this way-tolerating. Now that culture is gone. Now they will be violent. Just like in other countries. If you pinch somebody on and on, there will be a violent protest. In the beginning you may tolerate. But if you go on pinching, pinching, pinching, how long you will tolerate? This is India's condition. Britishers, when they were ruling, had some responsibility. Although they were exploiting, but they were arranging for sufficient food and other things. But these people are irresponsib..., simply personal. "Whatever money I can get, that's all." This is going on. All these so-called ministers, they come to the post for taking money, as much as possible. (break) It must have been belonging to some Nawab, Nizam. It is aristocratic building, not ordinary building. (break)
Morning Walk -- April 29, 1974, Hyderabad: Gargamuni: Sales of books.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. Because we have got substantial sale of books, we are free to get money. And it is unbelievable that religious books are sold thirty thousand, forty thousand, fifty thousand daily. There is no history.
Gargamuni: So that is a miracle.
Prabhupāda: Is it not miracle?
Satsvarūpa: Yes. Some of those devotees like Tripurari, a hundred big Bhāgavatams. It's not a popular book.
Prabhupāda: It is not popular actually. For the common man it is dry subject. And I have heard that after reading one book, somebody comes to purchase. "What is this, Bhāgavata?" "We have got six." "All right, give me six volumes." He is not a devotee. Why he purchases all the six volumes of Bhāgavatam? In London our Bhagavad-gītā As It Is was sold in two months, thirty thousand copies. That is the report. Thirty thousand copies.
Room Conversation with Catholic Cardinal and Secretary to the Pope -- May 24, 1974, Rome: Cardinal Pignedoli: Well, I think that because you are friends of God, we are friends of God, we are all friends and this is good. But I think that, if I understand it well, that your aim is to reach people who are unbelievers or people who are atheistic, as you said before. And then I would like to know... You are not obliged, you are completely free to do what you want. But I would like to know if you got into these places or amongst these people... There are many places and many peoples in the world who are in these conditions, without faith and without the spiritual values. Because it is for us, we hope so. We are good friends of God, and we are always in our prayers and meditation united to God, and to... But we thank you for your visit and for your, for this reason we are good friends altogether. But I would like to know historically your work, I mean if you go into these areas or into these places where is possible. For instance, take the example of Russia, eh? Now you are in good relations. India and Russia probably for Indians it is easier than for Europeans or for some of our countries or for Americans. Are you... Have you this problem? Do you go into these areas, into these places?
Prabhupāda: Yes. I went to Moscow. I was invited.
Room Conversation with Catholic Cardinal and Secretary to the Pope -- May 24, 1974, Rome: Prabhupāda: God has also some hobby.
Cardinal Pignedoli: Yes. What I used to do when I am traveling... I travel a lot. I used to make friends among young people, generally teenagers. And then I choose also—I try to do this—people who are unbelievers, who are in difficulties, who are men of the weak faith, and who don't love, at least, they say they don't love God. Because I think that we are few men who love God, friends to God... We are not many. And we have to go and to look for these people, and for these areas or environments, where these peoples live. And it is for this reason that I say always when I am good friends, you know... Priests, Catholic priests, well, go to an area because here is too many. They don't need you here, but go to, well, I would say Stockholm or Copenhagen where there are a few really also, Christians, I mean Catholic or Protestants. We are all brothers. But they go there because there are very few people who are dedicated to God. What do you believe about this? I mean your society, your movement, your spiritual movement, is dedicated for this kind of people and for these areas, or not? I ask. It's not...
Prabhupāda: For all.
Cardinal Pignedoli: For all. Well, also we are for all. But I mean, you have not so many people. You have some thousand people. Do you prefer for this your people? Do you prefer they go to a place where God is not known, where spiritual values are not estimated? Or they go also to places where God is loved and God is present.
Prabhupāda: No, we go everywhere.
Room Conversation with Catholic Cardinal and Secretary to the Pope -- May 24, 1974, Rome: Monsignor Verrozano: And what concern the Buddhist countries where God is not so, at least, the prayers or the name of God is not so well known. I am just coming from Bangkok where we had a meeting with Buddhist monks of the (indistinct), and have you also some movement, some kind of action to spread love of God to (indistinct)?
Prabhupāda: Well, Buddhists, they do not believe in God.
Cardinal and Monsignor Verrozano: Yes.
Prabhupāda: So according to our Vedic conception, Buddhist philosophy is atheistic philosophy.
Cardinal Pignedoli: Theoretically yes, but practically, do you think they are atheistic, practically? Because...
Prabhupāda: No, no. Our... Yes. Theoretically atheistic, but because they believe in Lord Buddha, they are theistic. Because we accept Lord Buddha as incarnation of God, Kṛṣṇa.
Cardinal Pignedoli: Also some of them, they believe in... They think Buddha is a god, and they are believers.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Buddha is God. That is stated. You will find?
Room Conversation with Catholic Cardinal and Secretary to the Pope -- May 24, 1974, Rome: Prabhupāda: Yes, we go.
Cardinal Pignedoli: This is more important because you have not so many. If you go to South Africa, and although... I mean because also we. We have not so many. It's a question of possibility, of chances. Why don't you choose...? This is my question. These areas where Japan for instance is an area very atheistic and where yesterday I had this sect with me of the not perfectly... It's called... No. It's a different one. Mr. Kalyana is the president. He came yesterday. He came yesterday. Mr. Kalyana. Well, they don't believe, as you say. This is philosophy. Welfare, is happiness, but not in your meaning, in my meaning. Well, this is only to ask, then you go to Japan?
Dhanañjaya: Yes, we have a center in Tokyo.
Prabhupāda: Yes. We have got center in Japan, in Hong Kong.
Cardinal Pignedoli: Are you welcome in Japan? People are interested, eh?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Recently some of our preachers, they have collected fifty-thousand dollars from the Japanese people. They wanted to contribute me for my Vṛndāvana temple, but the Japanese government will not allow to let the money go out. He wrote me. And I have seen personally, when I went... I went to Japan three, four times. These Japanese boys and girls, they are as good as these American, Europeans boys. And that is my practical... Or they, they are my students. They offer me respect so much. The Japanese boys, without being my students, they offer the same respect. So I thought that Japan is very good. Everywhere. That I told you already, that the love of Godhead is dormant in everyone. It doesn't matter what he is. It is the process to awaken that love of Godhead: That is first-class religion. The matter is already there. Simply we have to awaken. And now, that process which awakens very quickly, that is first-class religion. That is the first... And besides that, really understanding of God is very rarely found.
Morning Walk -- May 27, 1974, Rome: Yogeśvara: Mahatma Gandhi formulated many such programs for producing khādi, for cow protection and so on.
Prabhupāda: No, he did not make any cow protection.
Yogeśvara: No? We know from your teachings that he was missing the point.
Prabhupāda: Missing... The point is God. He was atheist. He did not believe in Kṛṣṇa.
Yogeśvara: But from the level of application of his programs, is there some value?
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is good program, to produce your own necessities of life. That is good idea. But he could not turn the people, because they are godless. Godless man cannot have any good qualification. I requested him to become God conscious and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He thought it ludicrous. Yes. He was such a godless man.
Yogeśvara: All Indians worship Gandhi.
Prabhupāda: Then how he was killed? That is the proof. Otherwise, how was he killed?
Yogeśvara: Every place we go, we see Indian's homes, pictures of Gandhi on their tables.
Prabhupāda: You, you have not visited everyone's house here. The three, four house you have visited. That's all.
Morning Walk -- May 29, 1974, Rome: Dhanañjaya: They are thinking their success is in building huge skyscrapers that stand for thousands of years.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And within that thousands of years, he personally might have gone to the species of some worms and germs. That they do not believe. If they believe that, then they cannot do it. If they think that "After constructing this big, big skyscraper, I may become a tree or a germ or an animal," then they cannot do this. And they do not encourage this philosophy also. Because if they encourage that, then this thing will not be done. People will not be interested. Just like we are not interested. Therefore they do not like to discuss such thing. This is their position. We are trying to get out of these activities, material activities. And they are trying to entangle themselves in the material activities. So much difference. This is a nice path.
Dhanañjaya: So these buildings are mere symbols of their ignorance.
Prabhupāda: That's all. They have got some intelligence. They are utilizing for piling up these stones and bricks. That's all. This is their intelligence, how to pile up nicely stones and bricks. Crane. The same thing. The real business is to pile up some stones and bricks, that's all. They are making research, engineering. The real business is how to pile up stones and bricks. That's all. The same business as the children pile up some sand and imagine "This is park, this is this, this is that."
Morning Walk -- June 8, 1974, Geneva: Prabhupāda: Everywhere. It is a civilization of rascals. That's all. That duṣkṛtina. Duṣkṛtina means they have got merit. As human being, everyone has got merit. That is used for sinful activities. That's all. Duṣkṛtina. Therefore they are godless. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15). All these sinful men, rascals, they don't care for God. They don't care for next life. This is the position. They don't believe in these things. If they believe in these things, they'll have to be systematized. They don't want that. The life is, what is called, extravagancy? No? Now it is a... Systematically they are following. The karmīs, they work hard, whole week, and the end of the weekend, they call any beautiful woman, pay her something, don't take responsibility of family life. This has become a system. Is it not?
Guru-gaurāṅga: This is why the women wish to have the same rights as the men because they're not being taken care of at home.
Prabhupāda: Animal life. (pause) What are these trees? Oak tree? No.
Nitāi: Yeah, oaks.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Nitāi: Some of them are oaks. (pause)
Prabhupāda: We can get out from this?
Guru-gaurāṅga: Yes. (break)
Morning Walk -- June 8, 1974, Geneva: Prabhupāda: So you cannot give up philosophy. Now it is misfortune that you met with the cheaters. So make your fortune now. Believe in Kṛṣṇa's philosophy. Then you'll be happy.
Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Jaya.
Prabhupāda: That argument that we don't believe... But you're believing in Lenin's philosophy, the communist. And what is this hippies, their philosophy, Allen Ginsberg's philosophy? Ha? Debauch number one. (laughter)
Satsvarūpa: Ultimately, they don't follow anyone, although they may like people, they...
Prabhupāda: No, they follow.
Devotee: They say our only...
Prabhupāda: But they are manufacture their own philosophy. Philosophy there must be. They've become their own authority. That is a chaotic condition. Authority he has made himself. Yes. I am my authority. Authority has to accept. But he does not know that I am fool No. 1, what is the value of my authority? Authority he must accept. But he makes himself his authority. That is the tendency now. "In my opinion." All rascals say like that. "In my opinion." He does not... He's rascal No. 1, what is the value of his opinion? But he'll say, "In my opinion." That is the difficulty. And this is called creative philosophy. Is it not?
Room Conversation with Christian Priest -- June 9, 1974, Paris: Prabhupāda: Anywhere he has written. Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa has written. Kṛṣṇa has spoken, Vyāsadeva has written, and it is accepted.
Priest: But this is what the Christians say about the Bible, and I don't believe it (inaudible).
Prabhupāda: No, no, you don't believe anything, that is another thing. That is another thing. Without belief, you cannot make progress.
Priest: Ah, you have to go beyond.
Prabhupāda: As soon as you... Just like you learn who is your father. You take the version of your mother and you believe that "He is my father." Otherwise there is no other way. How can you know your father? The only means is his mother recommends, "My dear boy, he is your father." And that is perfect, that's all. Otherwise you cannot know who is your father.
Priest: Yeah, but you know...
Prabhupāda: If you say, "Mother, I don't believe it," you don't believe it, but you cannot know.
Room Conversation with Christian Priest -- June 9, 1974, Paris: Prabhupāda: No, no, I mean to say...
Priest: ...that "I am an avatāra" or "I am Guru Mahārāj-ji" or "I am," so to say, "Meher Baba or Satya Sai Baba," so many bābās exist, you know as well as I do. Now, who has to say this one is really bābā. They are all abusing us. Now, if so many people today pretends to be avatāra and they have many disciples.
Prabhupāda: But we don't believe them.
Priest: No, but they have many disciples.
Prabhupāda: Many disciples, that is another thing.
Priest: Millions.
Prabhupāda: Millions, trillions, that is another thing. But we have to see what is the disciple. That we have to see. Simply if somebody... So many disciples by number, we have to see the quality. What is the quality, not the number, not the quantity.
Priest: And if I had said that...
Prabhupāda: It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ
- (BG 7.3)
Morning Walk -- June 10, 1974, Paris: Devotee (3): Everyone thinks in terms of their own relative position.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Even an insignificant bird, because he knows swimming, he knows swimming, so he can (indistinct). Because you do not know swimming, you cannot say like that. Even insignificant bird, just see how nicely he is swimming. He knows the art. Everyone, cent percent of the modern people, they do not believe in God and they do not know what is religion. That is the position. They think religion is sentiment, anyone can manufacture his own sentiment, there is no God. This is going on. So we are in fault. It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss. The whole world is under this conception; therefore we are at fault, we are preaching God consciousness.
Devotee (4): Generally they make it difficult.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Devotee (4): Generally they make it difficult for us to preach.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Room Conversation with Monsieur Mesman, Chief of Law House of Paris -- June 11, 1974, Paris: Prabhupāda: He's dedicated disciple.
Yogeśvara: Does that mean he must give up his family, and come and live here?
Prabhupāda: No, he can live with his family. It is to take up the cause, not to give up the family. We don't believe in giving up. We believe in engaging them properly. That is our philosophy. (French)
Pṛthu-putra: He asks if the hundreds devotee are all in Paris or they are a little bit everywhere...
Yogeśvara: Explain there's travelling parties.
Bhagavān: No, we're centered in Paris, and they travel all over France. (French)
Pṛthu-putra: He asks if we have a school in France.
Prabhupāda: We have got a school in Dallas, America, but we are trying to open a school here, also. (French)
Yogeśvara: This school is for all ages or just for children?
Prabhupāda: No, all ages. Children means they learn Sanskrit and English. And they are taught our books. You show our books, all books. These are... Other books. We have got eighty books like this. So if a student reads all these eighty books, he becomes Doctor of Philosophy. Ph.D. Beginning from A,B,C,D, up to Ph.D., all, everything is there.
Room Conversation with Russian Orthodox Church Representative -- June 13, 1974, Paris: Prabhupāda: So my talk with was published in some...
Church Representative: Yes, I have this book in my office in Paris.
Prabhupāda: But he does not believe in incarnation and he still, he is professor of Indology. (French)
Karandhara: He doesn't believe in the soul. Professor Kotovsky, he doesn't believe in the existence of soul.
Church Representative: But I think that he is a Marxist.
Karandhara: Yes. Or at least he has to appear as one to maintain his position. Prabhupāda's point is that...
Church Representative: There are many professor in Russia of religion, on the history of religion, but who don't believe in nothing.
Karandhara: That was Prabhupāda's point that it's ironic that in modern societies men are called professors, or being proficient in knowledge, but yet they're ignorant of the soul, which is the most basic knowledge, the most fundamental knowledge. According to the Vedic system, Indian system, even a most ignorant man knows about the soul, what to speak of the great learned sages. But in this society, western society, the so-called learned men—they're supposed to be the topmost learned men—they don't even know of the soul. Therefore they're not even in the class of an ignorant man. They're lower than even ignorance.
Prabhupāda: And according to Vedic understanding, one who does not understand what is soul—he identifies himself with this body—he is animal.
Room Conversation with Mr. Deshimaru -- June 13, 1974, Paris: Prabhupāda: Merges?
Yogeśvara: Just like a flower grows from the earth...
Prabhupāda: They do not believe in the reincarnation, next birth? (French)
Pṛthu Putra: He says there is no personal reincarnation of the soul. When the body dies... (break) (French) He says, himself, he has no answer, but the Zen philosophy has one answer.
Prabhupāda: Zen philosophy answer? (French)
Yogeśvara: He was that cosmic force. Before birth, man was the universality of everything.
Prabhupāda: And what you are now?
Yogeśvara: And now he is himself. Now he is different.
Prabhupāda: So how you became from zero?
Pṛthu Putra: No, he don't say he is different. He says, "Now I am myself." (French) His point is that he doesn't think that man is more important than the flower or the table. It's all the same.
Prabhupāda: Then why he is anxious for man's suffering? (French)
Pṛthu Putra: He says the man is there. The suffering is there.
Prabhupāda: No. So why he is bothering about suffering? He was zero, beginning, and he will be zero and now he is also zero.
Morning Walk -- June 14, 1974, Paris: Prabhupāda: That's all right. We are preaching Bhagavad-gītā. If you like, you take it. Otherwise, go to hell. Who cares for you? We have, we have started this institution, "Kṛṣṇa Consciousness." So if you do not accept Bhagavad-gītā, then why did you come here? Why do you come here? You go away. We are not hankering after you. If you go to hell, go to go. Go to that. Who objects? Go. But if you come here, then you must be Kṛṣṇa conscious. If there is some signboard that "Indian sweets, rasagullā is available," why do you go there for asking meat? What is this meaning? We, we, our Society, it is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So why do you come here for if you don't believe in Kṛṣṇa? Go to hell. Don't come here. If you want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then come here. That is the first principle. Therefore in New York somebody suggested that "Make this International Society of God Consciousness." That will be great havoc. They'll bring, rascals, so many gods. Make it clear, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you are interested in Kṛṣṇa, then come here. If you are interested in something else, you go there.
Room Conversation with Mr. Tran-van-Kha, and President & Members of the Society of Buddhists in France -- June 15, 1974, Paris: Prabhupāda: You have got now a different body, but you had a body like a child, so you cannot understand this? Why is that? Even a child can understand. You were also sometimes a body like this young girl. You do not believe that?
Yogeśvara: (French)
Lady (2): (French)
Yogeśvara: She says she can recollect.
Prabhupāda: No, but who recollects? The soul. The body is changed. The body is changed, but the soul is the same and therefore she can recollect.
Yogeśvara: (French)
Lady (2): (French)
Yogeśvara: She says there is an example of the worm that turns into a butterfly. It changes body.
Prabhupāda: Yes, she is right.
Room Conversation with German Women Philosophers -- June 17, 1974, Germany: Prabhupāda: He'll become a dog. (German)
Pṛthu: She says that this would mean that there is a hell. But she doesn't believe in hell.
Prabhupāda: He may not believe, but hell is there. If... You read this book. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). Read this verse. Just see how misbelief, that there is no hell. Just see. In this way, misled, whole world. The so-called rascal leaders mislead, "There is no hell. Don't believe in hell." Vivekananda said, "Yes. There is no hell." Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ.
Pṛthu: What is it?
Prabhupāda: Ūrdhvam. And she is a philosopher? (German)
Pṛthu: She says she is a primitive, simple man.
Prabhupāda: But still not willing to go to hell. (German) You found?
Satsvarūpa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Read it.
Satsvarūpa: Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ...
Prabhupāda: Sattva-sthāḥ.
Room Conversation with German Women Philosophers -- June 17, 1974, Germany: Prabhupāda: I don't follow. What is that?
Satsvarūpa: She, from what he says, she does not actually believe in Jesus.
Prabhupāda: Who?
Satsvarūpa: This lady. She says that who can be sure of what Jesus actually did because he was...
Prabhupāda: Then why, why she quotes Jesus? If she does not believe in Jesus, why she's giving evidence from Jesus? (German) (break)
Pṛthu: She says like if she makes a comparison like if today there is a car crash, then all the people will say something different and the information will differ from the original car crash. So she says, in the same way, what Jesus did and said is now twisted around so nobody can actually give...
Prabhupāda: That means everyone has rejected Jesus. (German) (break)
Pṛthu: ...that what Jesus said, this is all right, but what is now made of it, this one shouldn't take wordly.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Pṛthu: She says what Jesus said is all right, but what is now existing from that, one should not take wordly.
Haṁsadūta: Literally.
Prabhupāda: Hm? I do not follow.
Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany: Professor Durckheim: They realize that now belief which is not faith has to be, well, renewed by real experiences. And, you see, we have so many priests today who say they can't pray anymore. They lost the connection because of so much formalism and so much traditional beliefs. And they are looking for a new source and new beginning in their hearts, and they don't believe what you tell them. They just want to feel it, to experience it. And there is a big change today in this direction, and there is a..., big movements. You see all these trends today to learn meditation. It's only one longing to feel something and not only to believe. That is the situation now very much in Germany, isn't it so?
Dr. P. J. Saher: Yes, it is.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So thing is that, first thing is that you have to believe, but whom to believe? If the person whom I believe, if he is perfect, then my belief is perfect. And if I believe a person who is not trustworthy, then there is no meaning of this belief. Therefore we have to find out the person or the statement which are to believe. That is accepted in the Vedic culture, that the knowledge in the Vedas, that is perfect. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). If one is perfect in Vedic knowledge... Veda, Veda means knowledge, perfect knowledge. So that belief is perfect. Just like we are believing Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the perfect, the supreme perfect. So far we Indians are concerned, there are ācāryas, just like Śaṅkarācārya, Madhvācārya, Rāmānujācārya. Actually these ācāryas are controlling the Indian culture. So all of them are unanimous to believe Kṛṣṇa, the supreme perfect person.
Morning Walk -- June 21, 1974, Germany: Prabhupāda: So this argument, this argument is not very sensible argument.
Professor Durckheim: No, but that is the answer they would give. I don't believe the special name of God is for me the name, the word God. We are praying to God.
Prabhupāda: No, no. No, no. Then name... When Christ says, "Hallowed by Thy name," there is name. The name is Kṛṣṇa, already there. Therefore he did not require to say again. But the name is there, Kṛṣṇa is there, Viṣṇu is there, Mādhava is there, Govinda is there. There are thousands and thousands of names. So you pick up any one of them. And chant it. Why do you say there is no name? Then we are chanting the name. Then what we are? We are all rascals and fools? If he says, "No, there is no name," Christ confirms there is name, and we are chanting the name. How you can say there is no name?
Professor Durckheim: Yes, quite. Well, I understand exactly what you mean very well.
Prabhupāda: There is name. It is confirmed. "Hallowed be Thy name." Now, we are chanting the name. What is your objection? You chant this name.
Room Conversation -- June 28, 1974, Melbourne: Prabhupāda: That's all right. Yes. Formality, you should be respectful. Suppose your enemy—that is etiquette-comes in your room. But when he has come to your room, you should offer him respect: "Come on, come on. Sit down." That is etiquette. You know that "He's my enemy." That... The etiquette according to Vedic civilization: gṛhe śatrum api prāptaṁ viśvastam akuto-bhayam. Even your enemy comes at your home, you should treat with him in such a nice way that he'll forget that you are his enemy. Gṛhe śatrum... That was... Just like Jarāsandha and Bhīma. They, they wanted that "We want to fight with you..." (Break) Unless one of the kings died... (Break) ...a strong flavor, and it is continually, continues. So long it is alive, the flavor is there. So where is that art, where is that science? When you have... Where is that scientist amongst the human society? They are very much proud of their scientific advancement. Everything see, the flowers and leaves, so artistically, beautifully manufactured that simply by seeing them you'll feel pleased. How the man can manufacture it? And still, they are denying the existence of God and taking all the credit. How foolish they are. Mūḍha. (laughter) Yes. Yes, they have been described as mūḍha. Now, we are appreciating immediately Kṛṣṇa's craftsmanship, artistic sense, and we are glorifying. So that should be done by everyone. But the mūḍhas, they will not do that. They'll explain away. They'll never admit God's hand, intelligence, brain is there. They'll never admit. Neither they will explain how it is. They know it, how it is done. It has been done, or it is being done by somebody. That they do not know, who is that somebody. And when we say it is Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa says, "It is I am," they'll not agree. This is their position. They do not know who is that somebody, and when we say, "Here is that somebody," they'll not believe it.
Room Conversations -- September 11, 1974, Vrndavana: Prabhupāda: (indistinct) So Akbar (indistinct) asked Birbal, "What is your idea of sex life? How long it continues?" He answered, "Up to the point of death." "No, no. I don't believe it." "All right." So one day all of a sudden Birbal came to Akbar (indistinct) house, "Sir, you have to go with me immediately with your youngest daughter." So Akbar (indistinct)'s daughter, king's daughter, very (indistinct). So the father and the daughter and Birbal went to see one dying man. The man was dying, and he asked, Birbal (indistinct) that "You simply see his face." So when he was entering, that man was looking to that young girl, not the Akbar (indistinct). He was looking over that young girl. Both of them were intelligent. Then Akbar (indistinct) said, "Yes." And our śāstra says yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). What is the happiness of the gṛhastha life? Gṛhastha is different, gṛhamedhi. There are two words. Gṛhastha means living husband and wife together, but the aim is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And gṛhamedhi means he has no Kṛṣṇa consciousness; therefore his life is sex. That is the difference. Therefore, this word is used, gṛhamedhi. Yan maithunādi. What is the standard of happiness? Maithu, sex, that's all. Yan maithunādi. All these gṛhasthas, you will find they are accumulating money, they are enjoying sex life, then daughter's sex life, son's sex life, grandson's sex life. They are busy. Especially in India you will find, they spend thousands lakhs of rupees for son's and daughter's and grandson's sex life. Is it not? That is their happiness.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation with Professors -- February 19, 1975, Caracas: Prabhupāda: That I have already discussed, that you have to go to the perfect and take his experience. And then, gradually, you become a perfect.
Professor (Hṛdayānanda): So then everything would be an act of faith, simply to believe.
Prabhupāda: No, no, no, not believe. You just corroborate it with your experimental knowledge, and you will find it is right. Just like Kṛṣṇa says that...
Professor: Excuse me.
Hṛdayānanda: He says that in order...
Prabhupāda: No, he wants to say something.
Professor (Hṛdayānanda): He's saying that in order to do any activity it requires some motivation. And so therefore one gets this realization by practicing, but it seems like someone would have to be a special person with something inside him in order to have the determination to practice it, in order to go ahead to try to get the realization.
Prabhupāda: Yes that is required. There must be determination, and whatever knowledge you get, that must be for practical use. Now, just like in the Bhagavad-gītā... Shall I speak? That he says that the proprietor of the body is within the body. Now, you make your thoughts working on this, that what is that proprietor? And you find that actually this body is not the proprietor, but body is the property, the proprietor is within the body. Then your knowledge is perfect. Then your thoughts, your reasoning... You accept the statement of Kṛṣṇa that the proprietor of the body is within the body. That is knowledge, perfect knowledge. What Kṛṣṇa says, that is perfect, but you corroborate with your reason, with your experimental knowledge, and you will find that is perfect. Then it is perfect.
Room Conversation with Professors -- February 19, 1975, Caracas: Professor (Hṛdayānanda): Then he's asking, he's humbly asking you to give him a little bit of the clue.
Prabhupāda: Yes, just like... It is very common sense clue. Kṛṣṇa says the proprietor of the body is within the body. Now, you were a child. So in your child body, you were present there, and in your boyhood body, you were present there. In your youthhood body, you were present there. Now you are middle-aged. You are there. I am old man. I am there. So body, the childhood body, the boyhood body, the youthhood body, they are no more existing, but I am existing. Therefore I am eternal; the body is temporary. This is the clue. Therefore the conclusion is that as I have changed so many body but still I am existing, therefore, when I shall change this body, I will exist. Now, I have transmigrated from babyhood body to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood. Similarly, I shall transmigrate to another body. A you..., young man can say, "No, no, I don't believe in the old body," but that does not mean he will not get the old body. He will get it by laws of nature. That is compulsory. Similarly, if somebody says, "I don't believe in the next life," that does not mean he is authority. Nature will give him. Nature will not agree or obey the imperfect person. The same example: if the young man says, "I don't want old body," nature will not hear him. Nature will give him, force him: "You must accept old body." Everyone does not want to die, but nature puts him forcibly: "Yes, you must die." So after all, we are perfectly under the control of superior authority. We cannot become independent, and our independent thoughts has no value.
Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- March 1, 1975, Atlanta: Prabhupāda: Oh, we have got any experience? You have got any experience? Then, why do you say nonsense, this? You have no experience, and you say something nonsense, ludicrous. They say "nature." What is the nature? Nature is a machine only. Just like the harmonium. It is also machine. But if one expert operator is there, it makes very melodious, oh, nice. So will the harmonium play automatically? And bring melodious sound? So they have no common sense even; still, they are scientist. That is our regret. They are less than common sense man. That you have to expose, that these people have not even common sense, and they are passing on as scientist. That you must protest because you are servant of God, you are servant of the scientist. Call them directly rascal. Let them defend that they are not rascal. He brought some scientist. I called him, "You are rascal, you are demon. You are everything," (laughs) and he tolerated. That means internally he accepted that he is a rascal. (laughs) Actually they... They have no common sense even. So we are not scientist, but we speak from common sense. That's all. Yesterday or day before yesterday, I was talking on common sense on law points, so Rūpānuga said that "You are bigger than lawyer." I do not know that I am bigger than lawyer, but I was speaking on common sense. The difficulty is they are misleading. So many people are being misled by the so-called politician and scientist and... But Gandhi says... He has written so many nonsense things. One thing is that he said, "I do not believe that there was anybody as Kṛṣṇa living ever. Kṛṣṇa is of my imagination." These things he has written.
Room Conversation -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta: Prabhupāda: Hm. Sceptic.
Dr. Wolf: Because they are cheaters themselves.
Prabhupāda: Sceptic is not a scientist or a man of knowledge. He's unbeliever, that's all.
Rūpānuga: Sceptic can actually not have full knowledge, he can never have full knowledge.
Prabhupāda: No.
Devotee (1): The scientists, they cannot understand the (indistinct), they can understand what is the relationship between the world of ideas, the world of names, and the world that they see. How can we explain what that means?
Prabhupāda: There is spiritual and material. The material is simply a phantasmagoria. It is the imitation of the reality. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, fifteenth chapter, find out. Ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākham (BG 15.1). That is called mirage. In the desert the animal is finding water. There is no water in the desert. But there is water, but not in the desert. That they do not know. So this is just like desert, this material world and everything is reflection like the water. But desert there is no water, it is only reflection. Tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mṛṣā. Tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayaḥ. Here everything is a transformation of three material things, fire, water, and earth, but it looks like reality. Just like the mirage, that is also tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayaḥ, by reflection of the sun falling on the sand, and it looks like water. This is (indistinct). And the animal is running after water, running, running, running, when he becomes fatigued (he) dies. That's all.
Room Conversation -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta: Guest (1): Everything comes from the mother earth. We are in very short supply of things.
Prabhupāda: No, no. No shortage. That is everything supply. You have got the Vedic knowledge. You don't take care of that. You now manufacture your own knowledge. Now there is knowledge, this Bhagavad-gītā is perfect knowledge, but even a political leader like Gandhi, he says that I don't believe that there was anybody like Kṛṣṇa living. This is your leader. All the ācāryas, previous ācāryas, big, big ācāryas, Śaṅkarācārya, big, big, stalwart, learned, they have accepted Kṛṣṇa. Now Gandhi says, "I don't believe." Now you are guided by Gandhi, you are not guided by the ācāryas. That is your misfortune. You are not guided by Kṛṣṇa. You are guided by Dr. Radhakrishnan. That is the misfortune. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31), one blind man is being, is following another blind man. That is going on. That is going on all over the world, not only in India.
Guest (2): I think Mahatma Gandhi followed the Gītā, all these...
Prabhupāda: But he did not believe in Kṛṣṇa and he followed Gītā. Just see.
Guest (2): (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: No, just try to understand the psychology. He says plainly that I do not believe there was anybody Kṛṣṇa, living ever. And he's following Kṛṣṇa's instruction. Just see his position.
Room Conversation -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta: Guest (2): No, he must have also answered this question.
Prabhupāda: No, no, there is no questioning. If you do not believe in somebody, how you are reading His book of knowledge?
Guest (2): That's my point also.
Prabhupāda: Yes, so therefore... This kind of leader we are following, contradictory. That is our misfortune.
Guest (1): Swamiji we are not following any person but we do see the realities all around the world.
Prabhupāda: Realities... If you have no knowledge, what do you know about reality? If you have no knowledge, then what is reality, what is non-reality, how can you know? If your knowledge is imperfect, then how you can say reality? Suppose beyond this wall you cannot see, and how you can speak of the reality beyond this wall? That is misfortune. You do not see what is there clearly, and you are speaking on the reality. Your senses are defective. What do you know about reality?
Guest (1): In the spiritual level yes, we are very blind.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is reality.
Room Conversation with Bernard Manischewitz -- March 5, 1975, New York: Bernard Manischewitz: There seems to be a determination on the part of most of the devotees to eliminate from their lives all news except that dealing with Kṛṣṇa. It seems..., it seems to me if they are to bring Kṛṣṇa to the world that it would be an important thing for them to have news, to know, to be able to communicate with people. Is there some actual prohibition against (indistinct)?
Prabhupāda: No, we know... It is useless. It is useless. Because what you will find in the newspaper? The material activities within this item-eating, sleeping, sex and defense. All the politicians will speak, "Now we are arranging eating process like this, we are making this plan, we are..., economic." Uhh? (aside:) Thank you. Very good. You have written? Aiye. The repetition of the same news. It has no good news. "There was a burglary, there was a theft, and this man cheated, and this man was rogue." What is the use of this news? Let everyone know that the whole world is full of such rubbish things. The politicians, they are talking in their own way, that's all. (indistinct) Even Gandhi, such an exalted man, he says that "I have no belief. I do not believe that there was any person as Kṛṣṇa ever living." Just see. All the big, big ācāryas of India who are practically controlling the destiny of the Hindu civilization or Vedic civilization, they all believe. Gandhi became more than them. Who made him, that is another thing. But he thinks like that, and because Gandhi thinks, just imagine how many millions of people have been misled. Similarly big, big scholars like Dr. Radhakrishnan, he says when Kṛṣṇa says man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), he said, "This is not to the person Kṛṣṇa." Just see. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, clearly it is stated, bhagavān uvāca Find out this verse. Please, you find out, somebody. Bhagavad-gītā here.
Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran: Prabhupāda: Separation, how it is possible? Separation is expressed when there is separation between man to man or man to woman, person. Otherwise what is the meaning of separation?
Yoga student: Separation from one's divine...
Prabhupāda: Divine? This means must be person. They do not believe in the Personality of Godhead?
Yoga student: They believe... The Sufis see the personality of Ali...
Prabhupāda: No, I am not talking of the Sufis. I am talking of the original Islam.
Yoga student: Well, the Sufis claim to be the original Muslims.
Prabhupāda: Do the all the Muslims accept them? Then?
Parivrājakācārya: There are about 780 different schools of Islam and different ideas.
Prabhupāda: Then? We have to take the original. Otherwise misled.
Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran: Dr. Movebhed: But you are an insider.
Prabhupāda: Yes, actually without listening, so many big, big men, they have committed mistake about Bhagavad-gītā. Even Gandhi, he says that "I do not believe that there was a person, Kṛṣṇa, ever living." Just see. What to speak of others. (Hindi) Without listening from the right source, even a personality like Gandhi will commit mistake, what to speak of others. Similarly, Dr. Rādhākrishnan has committed so many mistake. So big, big scholars, they're trying to study Bhagavad-gītā, but they cannot understand. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). You first prepare yourself to surrender, praṇipāta, praṇipāta-prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa nipāta. Without any reservation, surrender, praṇipātena, by the surrendering process, and paripraśnena, by enquiring from the authority. Because it is not very easy to understand Kṛṣṇa. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Out of many, many million persons one try to understand, one trying to become perfect, siddhaye. Siddhi means perfection. So yatatām api siddhānām: (BG 7.3) "Those who have attained siddhi, perfection, out of many such siddhas," kaścid māṁ vetti tattvataḥ, "maybe one man can understand Me." The first of all to become siddha. Then, after becoming siddha, one may understand Kṛṣṇa or he may not. Actually it is very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa. But you can understand Kṛṣṇa if you adopt this process: praṇipātena, paripraśnena, sevayā-three things. You have to go to a person where you can surrender, not to a bogus person or one who is not competent to accept your surrender. And then you make question that "Kṛṣṇa says like this. What is the meaning of this?" Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati... (BG 7.3). And sevayā. Three things required: first of all surrender, and then question, and seva. You cannot question by challenging. You have to render service and surrender. Between the two, praṇipāta and sevayā, there is paripraśna. Then you will understand. Upadekṣyanti tad jñānaṁ jñāninaḥ tattva-darśinaḥ. Tattva-darśi, one who has seen the truth, he can enlighten you. This is the process.
Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran: Prabhupāda: Sarvam etaṁ ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi keśava: "My dear Keśava..." Keśava, the another name of Kṛṣṇa... "Whatever You have said I accept them cent percent." Sarvam etaṁ ṛtam. Ṛtam means fact, truth. This is understanding. So if we accept in that way, then our knowledge is perfect. And if we accept in a different way... Just like Gandhi says that "I do not believe that Kṛṣṇa ever lived." Just see. He does not believe in the ācāryas. All the ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, they have written big, big comment on Bhagavad-gītā, even Śaṅkarācārya. He does not believe anyone. He believes himself. And that kind of belief is not help. And our process is: because Kṛṣṇa has been accepted by all the ācāryas, all the great sages, Arjuna has accepted—we accept, that's all. We have no difficulty. If I am child, I ask my father, "What is this, my father?" The father says, "My dear child, it is called coconut." Then, if I distribute this knowledge, "This is coconut," then my knowledge is perfect. I may not be perfect, but because I have heard it from my father, who is perfect about the knowledge of this fruit, so I have taken that word from my father, and I am preaching, "This is coconut," and this is perfect. So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is like that. We are simply repeating the perfect statement of our predecessor. That's all. So there is no difficulty. We haven't got to write thesis on Kṛṣṇa. The perfect knowledge is already there. And supported by the ācāryas. And we are simply submitting that "This is Kṛṣṇa. This is God." That's all. All over the world we are placing this statement that "Here is Bhagavad-gītā, and Kṛṣṇa spoke. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is like this.
Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran: Prabhupāda: But He has a form.
Ānanda-mārga woman: He has all the forms. And the purest form, the most beautiful form, has shown itself to me inside of me. It's the light and it's the music and it's the water. I cannot name it Kṛṣṇa because I do not believe in names.
Prabhupāda: Do you know what is the meaning of Kṛṣṇa?
Ānanda-mārga woman: I believe Kṛṣṇa was one form of God. You said something about extension of Kṛṣṇa. It's the same.
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa means "the all-attractive." As you say that God is so beautiful, so that is, in other words, all-attractive. So if you have realized God, then you have become perfect.
Ānanda-mārga woman: No.
Prabhupāda: No?
Ānanda-mārga woman: Whenever I realize God I receive it through my mind and not perfect. But if I meditate and surrender, then there is no distance between me and God. I reach God and I become one with God. And that's the only time I can call everything true meditation. And that's the only time I experience this life in me. And I cannot talk about it as "me and God" because it was the same as God, because I became one with God. And there was no distance really.
Prabhupāda: Then you are God?
Ānanda-mārga woman: I am not God. I am just... I truly experience this God through me all the time.
Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran: Indian man: Oh, I thought Kṛṣṇa conscious only for this...
Prabhupāda: No, no, no. Any association which is Kṛṣṇa conscious, you can join.
Indian man: Thank you for the enlightenment. But I have got one other doubt. You had told that some great scholars like Mahatma Gandhi had confused and they did not believe in the Kṛṣṇa living, He ever lived, and Dr. Radhakrishnan and another also were not clear in enunciating the theory of Kṛṣṇa. I would like to know whether Kṛṣṇa living or not living, is it very important? And will the movement depends upon one Kṛṣṇa living, positive...
Prabhupāda: No, no. No, no. Kṛṣṇa is never not living—He is living. Otherwise how He can be Kṛṣṇa? But if you do not know whether He is living or not living, that is your lack of knowledge.
Indian man: Do you believe Kṛṣṇa...
Prabhupāda: No, first of all settle up this one question, that Kṛṣṇa is always living, and if you do not know whether Kṛṣṇa is living or not living, then your knowledge is imperfect. Therefore your knowledge will not be accepted, because you are imperfect. That is the point.
Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran: Dr. Movebhed: I feel... If I am not wrong, I feel that what others have done, that Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Radhakrishnan, etc., etc., they have taught that Kṛṣṇa of Bhagavad-gītā is very much important for us. Whether He was living or whether He did not live, or anything which was in the name of Kṛṣṇa, that is quite (sic:) impertinent. We want to have the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa as enunciated in Bhagavad-gītā, is just enough to tell others who are in need of...
Prabhupāda: That's all right. But if you do not believe in that person, how do you understand his philosophy?
Dr. Movebhed: That's where... I think I may be wrong. Please correct me if I go wrong. That's where people have taken little, two to three steps, as my friend has told, first advaita. She wanted to have two...
Prabhupāda: No, no, why advaita, dvaita? First of all you take the preliminary things, that you are accepting the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavad-gītā, but you have no knowledge of the person who has spoken Bhagavad-gītā. Then where is your understanding? You do not understand the person who has spoken the Bhagavad-gītā. Then what is the meaning of your understanding Bhagavad-gītā?
Indian man: No, we have to try...
Prabhupāda: No, no. Try, try, another thing.
Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran: Indian man: If it is accepted, then we can surrender. I was questioning only this point, whether the Kṛṣṇa of Bhāgavata is necessary to accept...
Prabhupāda: No, no, set aside Bhāgavatam. I have told you that first of all you try to understand Kṛṣṇa from the Bhagavad-gītā.
Indian man: If that is enough, it's enough.
Prabhupāda: Enough. But if you say that you don't believe in the Kṛṣṇa, whether He was living or not, then you have not understood Bhagavad-gītā.
Indian man: I know the living Kṛṣṇa will come in Bhagavad-gītā, I hope.
Prabhupāda: No. He says... He says that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no superior authority than Me." Then if you do not understand what is that Kṛṣṇa, then how you accept Him as superior authority?
Guest: I think we have to define the concept of God first, and then only...
Prabhupāda: No, no, concept of God is there in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Morning Walk -- March 15, 1975, Tehran: Prabhupāda: Separation, how it is possible? Separation is expressed when there is separation between man to man, man to woman. First, otherwise what is the meaning of separation?
Guest: Separation from his divine...
Prabhupāda: Yes, then it must be person. They do not believe in the Personality of Godhead?
Guest: They believe, the Sufis, see the personality of Ali.
Prabhupāda: No, I am not talking of the Sufis, I am talking of the original Islam.
Guest: The Sufis claim to be the original process.
Prabhupāda: Do they, all the Muslims accept them?
Devotee 2: There are about 780 different schools of Islam, different ideas they have.
Prabhupāda: You have to take the original, otherwise mislead.
Interview with a German Girl and Assorted Devotees -- March 30, 1975, Mayapur: Girl: India has the knowledge.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Anyone who is born in India, he has got immediately this knowledge. He immediately knows there is God. That is the advantage of taking birth in India. What it will take hundreds of years to understand, they understand it by the birth. You have seen, so many thousands of people came. So the... Apart from this, the whole world, they do not believe that there is soul and after annihilation of this body, we shall get another body, another chapter of life. They do not believe it.
Girl: (German)
Haṁsadūta: Then, she says, why do the philosophers not study in India?
Prabhupāda: Hm? Then again, the same question. Because they are rascals.
Haṁsadūta: (German)
Prabhupāda: Because they are rascals, they are speculating. They do not understand how knowledge is gathered. This is our charge. You refute it.
Interview with a German Girl and Assorted Devotees -- March 30, 1975, Mayapur: Prabhupāda: Yes. People are in ignorance, ninety-nine percent.
Girl: (German)
Prabhupāda: Yes. Entire, whole world. They are going on. They are fighting on this bodily concept of life. So, apart from fighting... Of course, you cannot stop fighting. But at least a section of men must be in right knowledge. So what I say, that in the Western countries, they, even the very high, topmost educationists, they also do not believe that there is life after death, is it not? Am I right or not?
Girl: (German)
Haṁsadūta: She understands.
Prabhupāda: So just see how much ignorance is prevailing. So if you can dissipate this ignorance, darkness...
Girl: (German)
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Girl: (German)
Haṁsadūta: So that... She says, yes, if one thinks in this way, then life has no sense, that there's no sense to it, if one does not believe in a life beyond this life. It is senseless.
Girl: (German) Then it's no life, no life after death.
Haṁsadūta: She says therefore, therefore they feel anything can be done in this life because in next life there is nothing.
Prabhupāda: Nothing. That I talked with big professors. They say. They say like that. Here also, the so-called Indian leaders, they are also thinking like that.
Conversation with Devotees on Theology -- April 1, 1975, Mayapur: Pañcadraviḍa: Well, how they can have any...? How they can have any tenets or principles if they don't believe they're accountable to God?
Ravīndra-svarūpa: Because they believe they can use Jesus like a doormat to clean their sinful activities of themselves.
Prabhupāda: Now, one thing is that why theology should be in reference with Bible? If it is a science, then why should it refer only to the Bible?
Prajāpati: Yes. The biggest school of theology, Harvard School of Theology... The study of the Bible is there, but only on the side. Instead, they study Freud, Karl Marx, everybody else...
Acyutānanda: Well, they should study Gītā.
Conversation with Devotees on Theology -- April 1, 1975, Mayapur: Prabhupāda: This is nonsense. If you know somebody, why should you say, "His name should not be explained"?
Brahmānanda: They say that God's name is so pure and we are so impure that to utter His name is to make it impure.
Ravīndra-svarūpa: Is blasphemy.
Acyutānanda: No, I heard the explanation that a nonbeliever should not know it.
Prabhupāda: That is all right.
Acyutānanda: So they don't say it out loud.
Prabhupāda: No, when we come to argument that... We are supposed to be all believers in God. We are not nonbelievers. We simply want to ascertain who is that God. We are not nonbelievers. Then some persons who believe in God come together so to ascertain who is God. So just like when we come to a meeting to elect a president, so they are not nonbelievers. They are not nonbelievers. As there are so many personalities, candidate for president, now who is the right person to become the president? That is wanted. To the nonbelievers, he has no access. About discussion in God he has no access. When we discuss about God, it is supposed they are all believers. So if you say... Just like we are holding meeting to ascertain... There are so many names of God. Now we ascertain who is real God. God means there should be no more above Him. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). That is God.
Morning Walk -- April 3, 1975, Mayapur: Prabhupāda: That's all right. That is called foolishness, that "I am going to be kicked out tomorrow, and let me enjoy tonight." That's all. That is foolishness.
Madhudviṣa: This is their only recourse 'cause they don't believe in anything after this life.
Prabhupāda: Yes. They... That... "Don't believe" means, don't take knowledge means, foolishness. Yes. Just like you are walking. You don't believe that you are going to the temple, but simply walking. Is that very intelligent? We are going. We are going to some place. We know that. That is intelligent. And if I ask you, "Why you are walking?" "That I do not know." Is that very intelligent man?
Satsvarūpa: Like animal.
Prabhupāda: Animal, that's all. Animal also knows that "I'll have to go there." Without any aim, without any purpose, if they are working, they are fool number one, mūḍhāḥ.
Morning Walk -- April 7, 1975, Mayapur: Satsvarūpa: A materialist would say that is our faith.
Prabhupāda: It may be your faith also that you do not believe it. Your faith, wrong faith. And if we are accepting this faith, so if there is chance, so we are getting promotion. But you have no faith, you will continue to suffer. We are at least taking the chance, but you are so foolish, you are not taking the chances. So your suffering will continue.
Jayapatāka: In India they say, well, we will take the chance when Kṛṣṇa wishes. Whenever He wishes; His will is everything, that whenever He makes me Kṛṣṇa conscious, then...
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa said that you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). He wishes, why you don't take up His wish?
Gargamuni: Because He is everything.
Prabhupāda: He is everything; therefore ask Him. You do it.
Conversation with Indian Guests -- April 12, 1975, Hyderabad: Prabhupāda: ...nānyat. Na anyat. So this is going on. And where is surrender? If you don't believe in Kṛṣṇa, don't surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then what is the meaning of this surrender? This is going on. Our, one swamiji, is there in Bombay, Cinmayananda. He is a big speaker in Bhagavad-gītā, and he has constructed temple-Śiva-liṅga, the genital of Lord Śiva. Just see.
Mahāṁsa: He said he has translated... His interpretation of Kṛṣṇa is that this "Kṛṣṇa means black. Black is ignorance. So Kṛṣṇa is ignorance."
Prabhupāda: Just see.
Guest (1) (Indian man): I think one of the best persons in Madras who is translating the Prita-Gītā (?), isn't it? Cinmayananda Swami.
Guest (2) (Indian man): Cinmayananda?
Guest (1): Yes. I have heard it.
Guest (2): Ramana Maharshi, (?) has...
Guest (1): Ramana Maharshi was a great man.
Prabhupāda: Rāmānuja bhāṣya is a fact.
Conversation with Indian Guests -- April 12, 1975, Hyderabad: Guest (1): It's not right.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That you should understand.
Guest (2): ...not believe Kṛṣṇa and preaching Bhagavad-gītā...
Guest (1): The thing is Ramana Maharshi did preach Bhagavad-gītā. He had (inaudible) ...so he kept quiet.
Prabhupāda: Why should he kept quiet if he has read Bhagavad-gītā?
Guest (3) (Indian man): No. But, say, it's like this. Man who has understood philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā probably will not attach much importance whether it's Kṛṣṇa, Śiva or somebody else, once he has reached the supreme state.
Prabhupāda: No, if Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the supreme..."
Guest (3): Yes, He says...
Prabhupāda: So if you read Bhagavad-gītā, then you must accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme. Otherwise, what is the use of...?
Conversation with Devotees -- April 14, 1975, Hyderabad: Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Don't you think that the great musicians like Bach, they were inspired by God to make this music.
Prabhupāda: But they (indistinct) do not believe in God. So that is another thing. But this music is like you are hearing music ten thousand miles away. Similarly, this music is being imported from Vaikuṇṭha many millions and many millions of miles away. So this is not just music of this mundane sound. Otherwise why you are not tired repeating it for many, many days? Any mundane sound, we repeat it, you cannot prolong it. You cannot prolong it. But we are (indistinct) only Hare Kṛṣṇa and you can chant this. And you also hear it. You (are) attracted.
Yaśodānandana: You have said that variety is the mother of enjoyment. So we are enjoying many different songs.
Prabhupāda: Unless there is variety how we are enjoying.
Conversation with Devotees -- April 14, 1975, Hyderabad: Prabhupāda: Not only now, I've said long, long years ago. That this is all childish.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. But how can you say this when we have so much proof that we have gone to the moon?
Prabhupāda: But that proof is with you. I have not gone with you. I don't believe you because, according to you, unless you see, you don't believe. I have not seen so I don't believe.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You have not seen the North Pole but you believe it.
Prabhupāda: Ah ha. You materialistic people say that "We have not seen God, therefore don't believe." Therefore I say, "I have not gone with you, that you have gone to moon, I don't believe." That's all. Finished. How can I believe? You say that you have gone. But I have not gone with you. So how can I believe. That's all. That is my argument. You did not take me with you. How can I believe?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Pictures.
Prabhupāda: Why I shall believe pictures? I have not seen it. This is false picture. As you say that you could not saw God therefore don't believe. Therefore I say that I did not go with you, I don't believe.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But we can arrange to put you on a ship to take you to the moon.
Prabhupāda: When you take then I shall believe.
Conversation with Devotees -- April 14, 1975, Hyderabad: Prabhupāda: But that's all right. There was a big animal, that's all. Just like you are a foolish animal, so there was a big animal. What is the difference? They are animals.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But we have skeletons showing the men at that time also and their brains were very tiny.
Prabhupāda: That you say. But I don't believe it. I have not seen.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, they have skeletons in the museum.
Brahmānanda: Very thick skulls and very small brains.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Almost like a ape.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. There was a big animal. So what is the difference? They are animals, big or small. You have seen a skeleton of pygmy man also. So where is that man now? You have seen pygmy man, you don't require archeological. So where is that man?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, they don't live any more. Now we are more intelligent. Previously there were pygmy men, very less intelligent, small, not nice looking. Now we have got more...
Prabhupāda: According to our śāstra you are going to be pygmy men. That is, there is proof, because you are not as strong as your forefathers. That's a fact. You are becoming dwarfer, dwarfer. According to our śāstra you come to that pygmy, (indistinct) in due course of time. As it was before, so again the time is repeating, history repeating.
Morning Walk -- May 9, 1975, Perth: Prabhupāda: Your seeing has no power. This is no argument, "I cannot see." I cannot see the other side. That does not mean there is nothing. This is all rascaldom. He has become authority "I want to see." What you can see? Now this is Indian Ocean. On the other side there is India, and other islands, but you cannot see it. Does it mean there is nothing? So, these are foolish questions. Because they are rascals they put such questions and nonsense. That is the proof that they are rascals. They are simply taking authority his little vision. That's all. What is your vision? Why don't you see what is the other side? But does it mean there is nothing because you cannot see? WHen one says "I cannot see," that means he is a rascal number one. He's believing so much upon his seeing. He does not know that he is a most insignificant person, so there is no value of his seeing. That he does not know. Therefore he is a rascal. Is it not? He's believing his eyes so greatly that "I cannot see." And what is the value of your seeing? What you can see?
Amogha: But there are so many people who come to us and say, "Well, we can see." But we don't believe they can see.
Prabhupāda: What they can see?
Amogha: We don't think anyone can see.
Prabhupāda: No. Nobody can see. Therefore Vedas say your seeing should be through the book of knowledge. That is seeing. Not with your these rascal eyes. What is the value of these rascal eyes? We know that there is, through books, through geography, we know that the other side is India. Not by seeing with these eyes, by touching it or by smelling it. These senses are useless. But these rascals depend on the senses-sense perception. Therefore they are rascals. Imperfect sense perception they believe too much. Therefore they are rascals. They do not know the value of the senses. Mūḍhā. Paśyati jñāna-cakṣuṣā. That is seeing, jñāna cakṣuṣa, by the eyes of knowledge, not by these imperfect senses. Paśyati jñāna cakṣuṣa. Everyone is anxious for the future. Why do they keep bank balance? Thinking of the future. Why they make insurance? Why they make hospital insurance? Everyone is thinking of the future. But because he is rascal, he is thinking simply for this span of life. Tathā dehāntara prāptir. Again you have to accept another body. That they do not know. So rascal. Simply calculating for this span of life.
Morning Walk -- May 10, 1975, Perth: Prabhupāda: No, no. Some bird.
Amogha: Oh, yeah. In Bhagavad-gītā we claim that it is a fact scientifically that Kṛṣṇa appeared on earth and so many things. But actually isn't it because we believe that the Bhagavad-gītā is true that we think it is scientific? Because we believe it. But someone else would say, "I don't believe it, so for me it's not scientific."
Prabhupāda: Why it is not scientific? If Bhagavad-gītā says, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14), by eating sufficient grains, the living entity become flourished. So, can you deny it?
Amogha: That must be true.
Prabhupāda: Everything is true. If you think it properly, you'll find it is all true. Bhagavad-gītā says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ: (BG 4.13) "By Me, the four divisions of human society are made." The most intelligent class, the brāhmaṇa, who knows the soul, God, etc., by their character, by their behavior. That is brāhmaṇa class. This is the most perfect way of keeping society. Unless there is a class which is very intelligent who know what is God, what is soul, then what is the civilization? Simply motorcar drivers? Is that civilization? Where is the brāhmaṇa? This is not civilization. Simply some artisans and workers, motorcar drivers, mill workers, where is civilized man, who knows God, who knows soul, who knows how to conduct the human society to the perfection? Where is that man? It is not civilization.
Morning Walk -- May 10, 1975, Perth: Paramahaṁsa: But we haven't seen that anyone has got...
Prabhupāda: How you can see? You cannot see. You do not believe in transmigration. So how can you see? Paśyanti jñāna-cakṣuṣā. When you will have the eyes to see—knowledge—then you'll see. Now you are monkey, how you can see? A monkey cannot see. Paśyanti jñāna cakṣuṣa. Just like our men in India, they know I have come to Australia. But he's not seeing by his eyes. He knows the arrangement was made, they purchased ticket, and they went to the airport. And they are confident. They are sending letters here. Has he come with me to see? How he knows? That I have come here, how he knows? He has not seen that I have come here. But how he knows?
Gaṇeśa: By hearing.
Prabhupāda: That means there are other sources of understanding—not only the eyes. The rascals do not know. They want to see.
Morning Walk -- May 12, 1975, Perth: Prabhupāda: Spiritual life is reality they do not understand. They take it as something mental position. (long pause)
Gaṇeśa: All of these gurus are being exposed. Just like Guru Maharaji.
Paramahaṁsa: Generally people don't believe it if someone says he is God.
Prabhupāda: The first thing is: what wonderful thing he has done, that he is God? People have no common sense. We accept Kṛṣṇa as God. There are so many wonderful things done by Kṛṣṇa. Now what has he done that we accept that he is God? He has fallen in love with his secretary; any common sweeper also becomes.
Paramahaṁsa: That is his līlā.
Prabhupāda: The sweeper's līlā. (laughter) (long pause)
Amogha: Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometimes if we go out to preach and we go away from the association of devotees, what can we do to make sure that we...
Prabhupāda: You go at least two. Don't go alone. That is the system. When you go to preach, you must go at least two. If possible, more than two. Don't go alone. That is not the system. (pause) This Guru Mahārāja (Guru Maharaj-ji) cannot go back to India?
Morning Walk -- May 13, 1975, Perth: Paramahaṁsa: They think that suffering together with your friends is enjoying.
Prabhupāda: No, they... Just like the ass. He does not know what is happening. Therefore he is agreeing, "All right, load with me any number of heavy weight. I shall carry." He does not know it is suffering. He has accepted the service of the man, bearing so much load, and he is giving little grass. The grass he can take from here, but he thinks that "He is maintaining me." Just see. This is ignorance. Therefore mūḍhā, this word is used. Suffering, suffering, suffering. Material nature is awarding sufferings after suffering. Still, they are not wake up. Who cares for suffering? (break) ...stand this philosophy that acceptance of this material body is suffering. They will say, "Oh, I have got this American body. I have got so much opulence. What is suffering?" He'll not believe. But real philosophy is that acceptance of this material body, whatever it may be, the demigod or dog, it is suffering. Who will understand? Even the demigods, they do not understand.
Devotee (1): They say that "It's natural to die. So everybody has to die. So we just have to accept it."
Prabhupāda: No, the philosophy is very simple. You don't want suffering, but where is a person who has got this material body is not suffering?
Paramahaṁsa: But then they will say, "Where is a person who has not got this material body?"
Prabhupāda: There, that is unknown to them. There is another world where there is no material body. Everyone is in spiritual body. That they do not know. That is ignorance.
Room Conversation with Justin Murphy (Geographer) -- May 14, 1975, Perth: Prabhupāda: Just see. Now...
Justin Murphy: So therefore I'm bad material.
Prabhupāda: (break) ...believe it.
Justin Murphy: But I will become an old man anyway in the course of my life.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So therefore there is future life. If you say, "I don't believe in it,"...
Justin Murphy: Are you talking about reincarnation, life after death?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Reincarnation, you are already reincarnated. Where is your that childhood body? Where is that body?
Justin Murphy: Here it is. It's grown.
Prabhupāda: No. No, it is changed.
Justin Murphy: It's grown, it's changed, it's evolved, I have evolved. Just like evolution, I have evolved to the situations...
Prabhupāda: Anyway... Just try to understand. Anyway, that, your boy's body or childhood body is no longer. Either you say changed or grown, whatever you say, it doesn't matter.
Room Conversation with Justin Murphy (Geographer) -- May 14, 1975, Perth: Prabhupāda: This world is full of problems. I have said. If you go this way, sense gratification, then you will have only problem. And if you go this way, towards God, there will be no problem. Because nature will put forward so many obstacles if you go. Because this is not the way of life, human life. Animal life, that is another thing. But they do not know. But human life, he is given the opportunity to go towards God, but he does not take this opportunity. He goes towards animal. Then there will be problem. Nature will not excuse. "So you are given the opportunity, and you are again becoming animal? You must suffer." This is nature's way. Therefore they are suffering problems. So many directors, so many government, the problem cannot be solved. That is nature's way. These foolish persons, they should know how nature is working. Find out this verse. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ, ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā (BG 3.27). They are thinking, "I am director," "I am minister," "I am this, I am..."
What is...? You are all rascals. Nature is working differently. That they do not know. They do not believe in the nature's authority. They think, "We have become authority."
Morning Walk -- May 16, 1975, Perth: Devotee (1): So they were not afraid of dying.
Prabhupāda: No, why? They knew. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). "I am not going to die after the annihilation of this body." It was a common understanding. Not that such a man, big man, director, he says, "No, no, I don't believe in the soul." (chuckles) Therefore I said the fourth-class man. In India still, even a common man, uneducated farmer, he believes. He believes. He believes in God. He believes in transmigration. He believes in his karma. These things which will take thousands of years to be learned by the Westerners, even the common man knows still.
Devotee (1): And all Kṛṣṇa's soldiers were killed?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Amogha: So Kṛṣṇa fought against His own soldiers also.
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa did not fight.
Amogha: Oh, that's right.
Prabhupāda: He did not.
Morning Walk -- May 17, 1975, Perth: Prabhupāda: But before that, you will be finished, so why you are anxious?
Paramahaṁsa: He's worrying about the civilization.
Prabhupāda: Civilization, but you will be finished. You will not take part in the civilization. You have no belief in the next birth. So why you are thinking like that? You will be finished, that's all. Why you are worried? Suppose I have come here for three weeks. If I simply think, "What will happen hundred years after I am in Australia?" What is my business? I will go away by three weeks. Why shall I bring so much thoughts about "What will happen, Australia, hundred years after"? You are going to be cats and dogs or something, or grass or anything else. But you will be finished. Then why you are anxious for Australia?
Paramahaṁsa: This is my country.
Prabhupāda: What is your country? You will be kicked out after some years, that's all. Where is your country? You cannot stay in your country. First of all you make sure that it is country. Where is your country? I have come here for three weeks. Shall I consider it is my country?
Paramahaṁsa: Your country is India; our country is Australia.
Prabhupāda: No, no. Anywhere, I come here for three weeks or some three years or some three hundred years. What are these in comparison to the eternal time? So why I am thinking like that, "my country, your country, this country"? Everyone will be kicked out: "Get out." You country will stay here permanently. This is called fourth-class man.
Morning Walk -- May 17, 1975, Perth: Prabhupāda: God means that without father, He can, He will exist. That is God. That is the difference between you and God.
Amogha: How can darkness argue with the sunlight? Their trying to argue is just like darkness trying to argue with the sunlight.
Prabhupāda: And that Burmese said, "We don't believe in God." And you don't believe in God. You don't... Why you believe Lord Buddha? He is God.
Amogha: Then he said, "But there is no God mentioned in Buddhism. There is nirvāṇa."
Prabhupāda: That's all right, but you worship Buddha. Why?
Amogha: Because he spoke about nirvāṇa. In Burma many people are Buddhist. They say they are Buddhist.
Prabhupāda: Till now, 2,600 years past from the Buddhist community, from other groups and Arabia, very big religionist or philosophers has come. They are all in darkness. It was for the time being. The Buddhist religion was for the time. Atheist class men... (end)
Morning Walk -- May 18, 1975, Perth: Amogha: Some scientists admit there is life there, there may be life...
Prabhupāda: No, no, these scientists are all rascals; first of all take it, don't believe it. "Some scientists say"; then who is real scientist? This scientist says there is no life, another scientist says there may be, then who is right, hm?
Amogha: They have to go and see. (laughs) But they don't see any signs of civilization or buildings, so they say it may be plant life, but they don't see anything...
Prabhupāda: First of all whether you have gone there. That is our charge, "You have not gone there."
Amogha: That's what we are trying to do. In a few years we will find out.
Prabhupāda: Yes. They might have gone to some hellish planet, where there is only sand, only, and very hot, and the culprit is pushed through that deserted place to the Yamarāja. And before going to Yamarāja he has to suffer so much. There are places, copperlike, you see. (aside:) Hare Kṛṣṇa. So hot, and the criminal has to go on that copper land. There are mentioned for many millions of miles simply copper, and one has to pass through that to Yamarāja. So, they might have gone to some such place, not to the moon planet, who is the source of vegetation even throughout the whole universe—and in his own planet there is no vegetation. Now I am sure they have not gone to moon planet. How they will go? It is beyond the sun. I was protesting that they have not gone; now I am convinced that they have not gone. The Russian scientists and the American scientists joined on the platform, "Don't expose me, I don't expose you." (laughter)
Morning Walk -- May 19, 1975, Melbourne: Prabhupāda: That's nice. That is wanted. Live here very nicely and go back to home, back to Godhead. Why should you die like cats and dogs? Die like a human being and be freed from all these material anxieties. But their determination is that they must live in this hellish condition. They do not believe in the next life. If they believe in the next life, then it becomes horrible. They want to avoid this question. "No, no there is no life. Enjoy to the best capacity now." Enjoy. We do not say that don't enjoy, but enjoy so that you may not be implicated. There is no harm having big house, comfortable life, but keep Kṛṣṇa, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. What is the wrong there? Hm? Madhudviṣa Mahārāja, if they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa in these big, big skyscraper buildings, what is their loss?
Madhudviṣa: Hm.
Prabhupāda: Huh? There is no loss, still they will not do it. We don't say that don't live in the... We are living in nice building; you also live in nice building. But see, do, see what we are doing there. Everyone can do it. Everyone can... That is Vedic culture, and everywhere Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa-śilā is worshiped. At least the higher castes, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya—not the śūdras. Don't eat meat, don't have intoxication, no illicit sex, have Kṛṣṇa's picture, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, make nice preparation, where is the difficulty? Take this civilization.
Room Conversation with Journalist -- May 19, 1975, Melbourne: Prabhupāda: In the civilized human society there is some system of religion. So that system of religion means try to understand God. Religion means the law given by God. So civilized human beings, they are trying to understand God and His laws. That is called religion. Now the difference between dog and me is that I can try to understand what is God, what is my position; the dog cannot understand. Dog means the animals. They cannot understand. So that is the difference between a human being and a dog. If we give up religion or the method to understand God and our relationship with Him, then we will remain dog. Then we remain dog. We are not human being. So at the present moment the so-called human society, civilized human society, is giving up the conception of God, understanding God, especially the Communist party. They are openly declaring that "We don't believe in God." But those who are not Communists, they, lip sympathy, they say that "Yes, we believe in God," but actually they do not believe.
Room Conversation with Two Lawyers and Guest -- May 22, 1975, Melbourne: Prabhupāda: No, that is another thing.
Guest 1: The situation could arise when you wouldn't want somebody to use what you were using for some particular reason. You might be using it yourself at that time. That situation can arise that you don't want...
Madhudviṣa: We are believing that everything belongs to God. If someone else does not believe in that concept and tries to use...
Prabhupāda: That is wrong, that I say. That is his wrong conception.
Guest 2: Well, how do you reconcile or how do you work out a situation... If everything belongs to God, we have to run society, and...
Prabhupāda: But you don't forget that everything belongs to God. Because you have to run society, it does not mean that you forget the real thing.
Guest 1: So I really don't object to that idea at all. But the thing is that the system we're working within has got different concepts.
Prabhupāda: It should be rectified.
Conversation in car -- May 23, 1975, Melbourne: Prabhupāda: How he will believe that someone has come? The first, next question will be, how you will believe. I will present a man.
Śrutakīrti: They don't believe.
Prabhupāda: Then what is the use of bringing that man?
Śrutakīrti: We tell them that you have come, (Prabhupāda laughs) but they'll not accept it.
Prabhupāda: No, I have come and that I shall think over. First of all let me know how you will believe. Suppose if I say, "I have come from spiritual world," will he believe?
Śrutakīrti: That's what I'm saying. No, they don't.
Prabhupāda: Therefore the method of his believing I must know. Then I present the man. What is the method of believing? Otherwise I can say, "I have come from spiritual world. You believe me." Will he believe it? Will he?
Devotee (1): Well, I would, but I do not think...
Prabhupāda: No, no, you may, you are my disciple. You may believe. But will he believe?
Devotee (1): No, he will not believe, no.
Prabhupāda: Then let me know first of all how he will believe. Then according to his belief, I shall bring man.
Morning Walk -- May 27, 1975, Honolulu: Prabhupāda: He will think, "What is next? Is it finished here?" The rascal says, "No, after finishing, everything is finished." What is this? If there is evolution—you have come to this stage —then what is the next stage? That is natural. That is answered in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). Now you can go to the moon planet if you try. Moon planet, sun planet, Venus and so many. If you become serious. And you can go to God's planet, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām. Now you select where will you will go. But there is spiritual planet. But what is their theory? That after finishing this body, everything is finished.(?) They do not believe in the next life.
Bali-mardana: Therefore their life must be hopeless.
Prabhupāda: Hopeless, yes. (break) Yes, you can send him to India.
Guru kṛpā: But there is no "after" here because there is so much to plant here.
Prabhupāda: Oh, that's all.
Devotee (1): Yesterday at night we got many plants, and this morning also we got lots of more plants, flower plants.
Prabhupāda: Oh, that's all right. But somebody may learn from him and go to India. (end)
Morning Walk -- May 28, 1975, Honolulu: Gurukṛpa: They are so dependent that if there is no electricity, where will they get water on the twentieth floor?
Prabhupāda: No, no, apart from that... There are so many inconveniences. There is no doubt about it. But he is thinking, "Now I have done this skyscraper building, it is my possession, and even though I go to hell, it will remain my possession." He does not believe next life, but he is thinking, "My generation." But if there is no next life, what is the question of generation? Who is coming to become your generation if there is no next life? Hm? "My son, my grandson will..." But who is coming to be your... Because there is no next life, everything is finished with this body, then who is coming to be your son and who is coming to be your grandson? The common sense. But they are so dull, they cannot understand.
Gurukṛpa: You once told us the story of the rich man, and he died and became a...
Prabhupāda: No, no, that is also believing next life. But if they do not believe next life, then who is coming to be your son? Why you are so anxious for your son and grandson?
Bali-mardana: It is simply an accident.
Prabhupāda: So for accident you are spending so much money and energy? All contradictory. There is no even common sense. Still, they will not take the actual fact from the authoritative śāstra.
Morning Walk -- May 28, 1975, Honolulu: Prabhupāda: (laughs) They are killing actually. They are maintaining slaughterhouse. What kind of Christian they are, I do not know.
Gurukṛpa: He admitted it, that they say it, but they really don't follow it.
Prabhupāda: If you don't follow the Christian principles, then how you are a Christian? Just to make a show-bottle. They don't believe in next life, don't believe in the Ten Commandments. Christ said, "Thou shalt not kill," and they killed first of all Christ. This is the followers. The instruction is "Thou shall not kill," but they said, "First of all let us kill you. Then we shall follow your instruction." This is the...
Gurukṛpa: "That's all right, though. We have been saved. We have been saved by Christ. We have accepted the baptism, so we are saved."
Prabhupāda: Yes. So what is the use of their church and preaching?
Devotee: Well, we want to tell the others so they can also be saved.
Prabhupāda: No, the Christian churches, all the priests, they eat meat. They're supporting everything, homosex, everything, man to man marriage.
Morning Walk -- May 28, 1975, Honolulu: Gurukṛpa: No, it says, if you follow the Bible, it says that there was a... God created...
Prabhupāda: They don't follow anything. They don't follow their own... (laughs) Whims, that's all. If you follow Bible, what do the Bible says? Bible says about God. They don't believe in God.
Gurukṛpa: They're rubbish people.
Prabhupāda: Rubbish. That is right conclusion. All rascals and rubbish. That is the right conclusion.
Paramahaṁsa: Just like that man this morning said, "Well, we believe in the Ten Commandments, but we don't follow them. We believe in God, but we don't follow."
Prabhupāda: What kind of belief if you don't follow?
Gurukṛpa: "Well, we believe, but we find it too difficult."
Prabhupāda: Then go to hell.
Morning Walk -- May 28, 1975, Honolulu: Prabhupāda: That's nice. Has Jesus Christ said like that, that "Those who believe in me, they will be saved"?
Paramahaṁsa: Yes, he says like that.
Prabhupāda: So believing means "I don't accept your commandments." Is that belief? Has Jesus Christ that "You don't believe in my commandments, but you believe in me."
Śrutakīrti: Christ never spoke the commandments. That was Moses.
Prabhupāda: Then don't take Bible. Throw it away. Then don't bring Bible as authority.
Gurukṛpa: They have no argument on any...
Prabhupāda: (break) ...fallen from their original culture. Still, we have seen, as soon as there is Kṛṣṇa conscious festival, thousands and thousands of men... That we have experienced.
Gurukṛpa: But in India it seems that no matter what you tell them, they don't change their ways. They have their...
Prabhupāda: No, they believe in Kṛṣṇa, "He is God." Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). That they believe in.
Śrutakīrti: But that's what the Christians say. "We believe in Christ," but they don't follow.
Prabhupāda: They follow Him. In India they still. Majority follow. The non-followers are minority. (end)
Morning Walk -- June 2, 1975, Honolulu: Prabhupāda: There is life everywhere. Bhagavad-gītā says, sarva-gaḥ. The life is there everywhere. And moon planet, according to our Vedic literature, that is one of the demigods' place. People live there daiva age, ten thousand years.
Devotee (3): They will not believe in the demigods...
Prabhupāda: So I will not believe them. That's all, finished. (laughter)
Devotee (3): They cannot see them.
Prabhupāda: What can you see, teeny eyes? What can you see? Can you see what is there on the other side of the sea? Then does it mean there is nothing? Your nonsense seeing. Why you are believing of seeing? Your seeing power is very, very limited. Why do you believe in seeing? That is childish, "I cannot see." What you can see? First of all, let us consider this point. You cannot see anything.
Paramahaṁsa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, people will be very surprised to find out that the moon is farther away from us than the sun when they read your..., when they read Fifth Canto.
Prabhupāda: But at least, they could not go there. Otherwise, why they are giving up this job? They could not go there. That's a fact. Their plan was to... They were selling land even on the moon planet.
Ambarīṣa: Selling land on the moon?
Prabhupāda: Yes. (laughter)
Room Conversation with Yogi Bhajan -- June 7, 1975, Honolulu: Prabhupāda: (Chuckling) But that education is there, the beginning, in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Yogi Bhajan: No, you are shy.
Prabhupāda: Bhagavad-gītā and the education is there, that, immediately Kṛṣṇa says, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Asmin dehe, there is the soul. This is the beginning of education. But there are many learned scholars; they do not believe in the soul. That is the difficulty. They do not believe. A big, big professor.... I have been in Moscow. Professor Kotovsky, he said, "No, there is no soul. After this finishing of the body, everything is finished."
Yogi Bhajan: But they don't have experience.
Prabhupāda: Therefore... So if you assemble some not experienced men, then how there will be unity?
Yogi Bhajan: No, granted. What we are trying to do is we are giving out a call to all learned, the unlearned... But basic fact is: there is a desire somewhere in the ether that everybody wants to feel each other. And they have not done anything good by negating each other or talking negatively. They have not gained anything. They have realized it now. Otherwise...
Prabhupāda: Now, what will be the basic principle of unity? That is the point.
Room Conversation with Yogi Bhajan -- June 7, 1975, Honolulu: Prabhupāda: That is wanted. That is wanted.
Yogi Bhajan: What I am trying to reach is that this concept which you honestly believe as individual must be shared.
Prabhupāda: No, no. I, again you take... Why "I honestly believe"? Why you honestly do not believe?
Yogi Bhajan: Well, every honest understanding will believe that.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Yogi Bhajan: There is no individuality in that...
Prabhupāda: That is wanted.
Yogi Bhajan: But still there is individuality.
Prabhupāda: No individuality. Then suppose you are leader of a group. If you honestly believe, teach them. They will accept it.
Room Conversation with Yogi Bhajan -- June 7, 1975, Honolulu: Prabhupāda: Nobody can argue on it.
Yogi Bhajan: You have to provide the opportunity for those who will not have the chance to meet you to meet you. Those who have no opportunity to listen to you to listen to you. Those who have not seen you to see you. And I think that has its value. I never... I would never have gone to meet Sant Kirpal Singh. He came. And there the idea of this Unity of Man Conference was framed. And I left all the way to India, and I asked him one thing which I loved in him. He said, "Well, I am going to die next year. You take over," and I said, "Forget it, that's not my job. I'm not going to take over anything from anybody. I have to do what I have to do." Then he said, "Well, this is the idea. Would you try to be second with me in this time?" I said, "All right, I'll do that." And in the end I almost was convinced that he is a great man. And he asked me, he said, "You don't believe in anybody except God. Human forms are very... I understand you, I know you," because he knows me from very childhood. But I asked him one thing. I said, "I have never seen a saint on whom saints believe. They all have their own territories and whole thing." You know.
Prabhupāda: Nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam: "He is not a muni if he does not disagree with another muni."
Morning Walk -- June 8, 1975, Honolulu: Prabhupāda: ...devotees are described as siddha-sattva-maṇi, siddha-sattva-maṇi. (break)
Harikeśa: I haven't listened to it all though. That's why the tapes aren't done. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...people, by not believing in the next life, they have dismissed all problems. Very happy life.
Bali-mardana: They have one saying, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you'll die."
Prabhupāda: That's right. Very good civilization. (break)... Aryan civilization. This is not Aryan civilization. Barbarian. (break) A small child, he knows that "I shall become like my elder brother. I shall get this body, next body." And these people, they cannot understand that there is next body. That means their civilization is less than a child's civilization. (break) ...hantara prāptiḥ.
Bali-mardana: Even every child knows that "When I grow up I will have a different body,"...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bali-mardana: ...but they do not know.
Prabhupāda: These people, they do not understand. What kind of civilized men they are? Less than a child, and they are proud of their science. (break)
Devotee: They're trying to catch some fish.
Paramahaṁsa: What are they doing?
Devotee: They're fishing.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Morning Walk -- June 10, 1975, Honolulu: Harikeśa: Well, the difficulty I was having about this mountain, this Meru. It sounds... It's very difficult to explain that to someone.
Prabhupāda: No, no, that is difficult, but everything is difficult for you. Because you want to see. You have not seen their arrangement; neither you have seen our arrangement. So but your proposition is you don't believe what you don't see. You have not seen neither of them, so you have to remain silent.
Harikeśa: So the best position is just remain silent until realization comes?
Prabhupāda: No. You should... Śukadeva Gosvāmī says. You have to believe that. It is an idea. If you believe or not believe, it doesn't matter. But you can get an idea about the planetary situation. That's all. Neither you can go there; neither you can see it. An idea is given, that is all. But there is no argument.
Harikeśa: No.
Prabhupāda: No.
Siddha-svarūpa: Did the people who said they went to the moon, did they go to another planet?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Or they did not go anywhere. They were in the desert... What is that?
Devotees: Arizona.
Prabhupāda: Arizona. That's all. That is possible.
Morning Walk -- June 10, 1975, Honolulu: Prabhupāda: Ācchā? (laughter) (break)
Siddha-svarūpa: He also sells, I think. But this other chain of restaurants, McDonald's, they are very proud. They announce how many hamburgers they have sold. They have branches everywhere in the world.
Prabhupāda: Hamburger means?
Siddha-svarūpa: Uh, that's beef. They kill the cows in a unbelievable, at an unbelievable rate, the number of cows they're killing for their meat.
Prabhupāda: (break) ...up? No?
Siddha-svarūpa: I'm not sure.
Devotee: I think up to now they have sold 200,000,000 hamburgers or something like that.
Prabhupāda: You also keep account?
Morning Walk -- June 10, 1975, Honolulu: Prabhupāda: He believed in God.
Siddha-svarūpa: Yes. And he had made a replica. He had made a small replica of the universe with all the planets floating and so on. He had made a small replica, and it was sitting in his house. And his assistant came one day, his atheist assistant, he came and he says, "Oh, who has made this wonderful replica of the universe?" And Sir Isaac Newton, who was sitting there reading, he says, "Oh, no one." And the man said, "What do you mean no one?" He says... He didn't look up. He just says, "No one made it." And he kept reading and the guy, the assistant, the atheist, he became very perturbed. He kept saying, "What do you mean, you fool? Obviously somebody made it. He must have great intelligence, and I'd like to meet the fellow who created this." And Sir Isaac Newton put down his book and says, "My friend, this is but a small replica of the universe, and you're the one who is always declaring that no one has created the universe. And now you're declaring to me that somebody must have created that. I'm saying it just happened, but you don't believe me. So how can I accept your logic when you say that all of this just happened?" (break)
Prabhupāda: ...temple is very nice. (break) ...is also very nice.
Siddha-svarūpa: Yes. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...lunch time.
Morning Walk -- June 10, 1975, Honolulu: Prabhupāda: ...injunction, apāṇi-pado javano grahīta, is, "He, the God, has no leg, no hand, but He accepts gift." "Accepts gift," means He has got hand, but why it is said, "No leg, no hand"? That means He has no material hand and leg. He has His hands and legs, but that is spiritual. That is the meaning. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). His body is made of spiritual eternity... This body is not eternal. But God has got His eternal body. There is no question of God's becoming old. Because His body is eternal. It is the material body which is not eternal. That is subjected to old age, disease, birth, death. What is this big house? (break) ...stated that he came to cheat the atheists. They did not believe in God, but God came as Buddha.
Siddha-svarūpa: Yes, yes.
Prabhupāda: And he said, "Yes, you are right. There is no God."
Siddha-svarūpa: "Worship me." (laughs) Yes, I'm pretty sure I mentioned that. (break)
Prabhupāda: They were satisfied, "Yes, we shall worship you." (break)
Siddha-svarūpa: The so-called more advanced ones, the teachers, the leaders, the monks, they have a more difficult time because they are, have actually further studied the impersonalist philosophies, so they are more contaminated, whereas the congregation in general, they just, they don't take very seriously the philosophy. They don't get too deeply into it, I don't think. They just like to go to the temple and offer some incense to Lord Buddha and... (break) ...Govinda Restaurant, hungry... (break)
Prabhupāda: ...chanting, dancing. So this will rectify his philosophy. Chanting is so strong, it will send all philosophy to hell. (laughter) Vijāyate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. (break) You will come out triumphant of all others. (break) ...that is happening. What we are doing? We are not playing any magic. How this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is increasing?
Morning Walk -- June 17, 1975, Honolulu: Prabhupāda: Why shall I believe in God? What is the benefit? Work hard... Now, of course, I shall work hard; I will get money. That's all right. Why shall I believe in God?
Śrutakīrti: Because if you work hard and believe in God then He'll save you at death. By working hard, then you'll be saved.
Prabhupāda: That's what the Communists say. They do not believe in God. So?
Harikeśa: Believing in God makes it all worthwhile. It makes you feel better while you're working hard.
Prabhupāda: Those who are atheists, they are also working hard. They are feeling nice by drinking. Why shall I believe in God? Let me drink.
Harikeśa: Because they're being satisfied by sense gratification, but in...
Prabhupāda: That's all right. Why shall I believe in God? Sense gratification is there. Why shall I believe in God?
Upendra: There has to be a certain amount of self-respect that the Christians give the people...
Prabhupāda: Nobody respects. Nowadays, if somebody is religious, he is thought of as a fool. He's not...
Morning Walk -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: (Hindi) It is jumping of the monkeys. In my book, it was published in 1958. (Hindi conversation) I don't believe all these rascals. Otherwise, how could I write? Later on, in San Francisco some press reporter asked me, "What is your opinion?" And, "This is all foolish waste of time and money." It was published. (break) We are conditioned. We call ourself "conditioned soul." So whatever condition is made by nature or by God, you cannot overcome them. That is futile attempt. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot surpass the condition of material nature. Foolishly, you may declare very great independent. But completely under the grip of material nature. Everything, there is a process. Just like you have come to U.S.A. You have come through a process, immigration. Can anyone come here without going through the process?
Indian guest: No.
Prabhupāda: And how you can go to the moon planet? Independently, without going through the process. (break) ...nineteen hundred fifty-eight, I said, "This is all childish." So I am not a scientist. How did I say? On what standing?
Indian guest: There is a difference in nomenclature. Just to resolve the conflict in my mind and (Hindi conversation).
Brahmānanda: You said it was a waste of time, and now they have stopped. They are doing it.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So how I predicted? I am not a scientist. How did I say it?
Bahulāśva: On the strength of Bhagavad-gītā.
Prabhupāda: That's it. Vedic science.
Morning Walk -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles: Indian guest: Gandhi believed in God, but Nehru didn't believe in God.
Prabhupāda: No, no, he does not know that Kṛṣṇa is God. Everyone believes in God. That is another thing, but one must know who is God. That is advancement. Here also, the people say, "God, God is great." But as soon God comes, "Here I have come," they don't believe it.
Indian guest: These people are good chors, and actually they can steal something...
Prabhupāda: Even Dr. Radhakrishnan he did not believe Kṛṣṇa. So this is the disease. God comes personally and says, "Here I am." They won't believe. That is the difficulty.
Indian guest: Really, it is some kind of sanctifying to a person to come in contact with a real sādhu. In India I run into hundreds of sādhus, and I donate some money, but completely... Well, this poverty probably has brought this corruption, in that whole temple. I go to Benares and I go to Mathurā and I go to any temple, Badnatham(?), and those people only they are after money.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Garden Conversation with Professors -- June 24, 1975, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: So first of all you have to believe yourself that you are part and parcel of God.
Peter: I don't believe that what I experience is necessarily different from what most of the people...
Prabhupāda: What do you believe? Let me know what you believe. That also you do not know?
Peter: Yeah, I don't know what I believe. That's the problem. OK, true. I grew up without a consciousness of God or without even...
Prabhupāda: Without God.
Peter: Well, I wouldn't say without God but without...
Prabhupāda: But without God, how there can be God consciousness?
Peter: So... I don't think that I experience differently than anybody here, but I think that I express that differently. So, what... If I believe in God in my own way, which is maybe expressed...
Prabhupāda: No, our proposition is that you believe or not believe, there is God.
Peter: Well, how can a person not believe? You have to believe.
Prabhupāda: Just like there are so many criminals. They do not believe in government. They don't care for the government. But that does not mean there is no government.
Garden Conversation with Professors -- June 24, 1975, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: And he will believe when he is arrested and given punishment by the government, then he will believe. The criminal may say, "Oh, don't care for the government." That does not mean there is no government. And as soon as he becomes a criminal, he is arrested and punished. Then he understands there is government. So you believe or not believe, there is government. Similarly, you believe or not believe, there is God.
Peter: O.K. You're saying then that God has a nature and...
Prabhupāda: First of all, there is God; you have to accept. Then you study what is God.
Peter: That we have a nature too, and if we go against our own nature...
Prabhupāda: That we have already explained, that you are nothing but a small fragment of God. So you can study God by studying yourself. Because you are small sample of God. There is no need of searching elsewhere. You study yourself, and you find God because you are the sample of God. So you study yourself, and you find God. God is nothing... He is exactly like you but very big. "God is great." You are small. So from small sample, you can understand what is the great.
Garden Conversation -- June 25, 1975, Los Angeles: Dr. Wolf: Śrīla Prabhupāda, and the tenant can be easily evicted.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Evicted. At that time he knows the owner. (laughter) When he is kicked out. That is stated also in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). Those who are not believing in God, to them God will come one day as death, "Now believe Me. Get out!" Finished. All your pride finished. Your pride, your property, your family, your bank balance, your skyscraper building—all taken away. "Finished. Get out." This is God. Now understand God? To believe or not believe, God will come one day. He will take you, take your everything, and "Get out!" That is God. You believe or not believe. It doesn't matter. The same example, the tenant may not believe the landlord, but when the landlord will come with court's order, "Get out," then you have to go out. That's all. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that "Those who are not believer in God, to them I come as death and take away everything, finished." That one has to believe, "Yes, as sure as death." Then God is sure. You may challenge so long you have got little life for a few years, (laughter) but God will come and drive you away from your present pride, prestigious position, "Get out." So unless one is madman, he cannot say, "There is no God." Anyone who denies the existence of God, he is a madman.
Room Conversation -- June 26, 1975, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: So let them take it and throw out, don't read it. That's all.
Devotee (2): But then they discredit the Bhagavad-gītā. We don't like that when they discredit the Bhagavad-gītā.
Prabhupāda: Why? They don't believe. What is the use?
Devotee (2): Well, because we also want to know how did they have four billion personal servants just so that we'll be able to convince them and also...
Prabhupāda: If a king has four billion servants, so it is not very astonishing. Why do you think that a king shall have only four servants?
Devotee (2): Well, there's only two billion people on the planet right now.
Prabhupāda: That's all right.
Devotee (2): So where did they all go?
Prabhupāda: I say you don't believe, you don't take it. Why you are insisting on that point? If you don't believe, you don't take it. If you don't believe the whole book or the whole society, then who forbids you?
Devotee (2): We were hoping that there are some things which can be improved, because they have not been set up by you.
Prabhupāda: No. You cannot improve. Whatever we are, we are.
Room Conversation -- June 26, 1975, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: I have got my advanced students. They can answer. If they are unable, answer, if you do not find answer from my books, then it is hopeless.
Devotee (1): Ah! But your advanced students are saying if they give an answer that because they have been appointed by you, therefore their answer is perfectly correct, because, absolutely correct on all things in the relative world because, they have been appointed by you, and because you know...
Prabhupāda: You may... That's all right. If you don't believe them, you can finish business.
Devotee (2): But are they correct? That's what we want to know.
Prabhupāda: Yes. They are correct.
Devotee (2): That everything they say is the absolute truth?
Prabhupāda: So what can I say? But I have no time to meet everyone.
Devotee (2): Is that correct, Śrīla Prabhupāda? I want to know very clearly that every word that anyone whom you have appointed says is completely correct on all things?
Prabhupāda: Yes. If they are authorized, it is correct.
Room Conversation -- June 26, 1975, Los Angeles: Devotee (2): Wait. I am not speaking with you. He said he did that and he did it in the name of his authority as a sannyāsa. So if you say, Prabhupāda, that everything that they say is absolutely true, then they will have absolute power and can do anything that they want, and anything that they say and any opinion they express is taken to be the same as yours, then it becomes implied that you agree with and condone such things, because they do them with absolute license. And we don't believe that to be true. So we think it is some kind of mistake.
Prabhupāda: They say like that?
Devotee (1): Everyone says like that.
Devotee (2): They do, Prabhupāda.
Satsvarūpa: No, they don't. Śrīla Prabhupāda has said these things don't apply to you. Don't worry about them because you are not following the principles.
Devotee (1): But they do say, and we are following and you don't know what we're doing, Satsvarūpa, because you haven't known me for two years. So you really don't know what I'm doing. You're not around.
Satsvarūpa: But our society is going nicely. It's not...
Devotee (2): In some respects it's going fine. But these are problems which can be dealt with amongst us, and they are affecting all of us. And for some people these are problems though they may not be for you. I think, as far as I know, your conduct has always been very honorable. But for some people who it's not and where these misconceptions apply, it's a real problem and we're trying to deal with it because it affects our lives.
Upendra: The strength to deal with those problems comes from following sādhanācāra.
Devotee (2): We are also attempting to follow sādhanācāra. And if we are imperfect...
Prabhupāda: Anyway, if he has said so, that is wrong.
Room Conversation with the Mayor of Evanston -- July 4, 1975, Chicago: Prabhupāda: So in this way, there is no sex in the vānaprastha. Simply the wife remains as assistant. And she also practices austerities. And then the husband, when he is fully mature, he sends wife back to his elderly children to take care of her and he takes sannyāsa. So this is spiritual advancement, and in sannyāsa life, one is absolutely dedicated for the service of God. So in this way his life becomes perfect. And according to his perfection, he gets next birth in higher planetary system. In the upper planets, planetary system, there is Svargaloka up to the third-class man. And then, above that, there are Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapaloka, Satyaloka, Brahmaloka. And beyond that, there is spiritual world. So in this way life becomes perfect. If you want, you can go to the spiritual world. Spiritual world means no more accepting this material body. And so long we are in this material world we repeat one body after another. And if we degrade ourself to become criminals, then we degrade to the hellish planets down this universe. So human civilization means by nature's way, by evolutionary process, he has come to this body of human being. He should now decide that whether he should remain in this chain of birth and death or he should get out of it and go to the spiritual world. This training required. So throughout the whole world there is no such institution to study all this fact. They are going just like fourth-class men. They have decided out of their own accord that there is no life after death. Young men say that there is no old age, but nature will not agree. Your next life is old age. That is natural. You cannot say, "No, no, I don't believe in it." You believe or not believe, it will come. Similarly, you believe or not believe, your next life is there. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Room Conversation with Lt. Mozee, Policeman -- July 5, 1975, Chicago: Lt. Mozee: Again I say I mean no disrespect, but in India, where the religious customs have been followed for centuries upon centuries, we are seeing a, not a return, but we are seeing a drawing away. We are seeing a drawing away from the spiritual world and the spiritual life in today's society.
Prabhupāda: Yes, it is due to bad leadership. Otherwise, Indian mass of people, they are fully conscious of God and they try to follow the laws of God, the mass of people. Here even the big, big professor, they do not believe in God, they do not believe in next life. But India, even the poorest man, he knows that "There is God. There is next life. If I commit sinful life I will suffer. If I live piously, then I shall enjoy." Even the low-grade society, social man, he believes it. Still if there is some disagreement, the village people go to the temple for settlement, and the opposite parties will hesitate to speak lies before the temple, still. So in that respect India is still 80 percent religious, 80 percent religious. That is the special privilege of taking birth in India. That is a fact.
bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra,
- janma sārthaka kari kara para-upakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)
Anyone who has taken birth in India, his business is to make his life perfect and distribute the knowledge all over the world.
Television Interview -- July 9, 1975, Chicago: Prabhupāda: They say, but the fact we have to study. As soon as you study the construction of different brain, then you must know that there is difference, different activities.
Woman reporter: In other words, you do not believe this, what they say.
Prabhupāda: Then why do you study different brain?
Woman reporter: I don't study them. I'm just telling you what the scientists say.
Prabhupāda: So scientists, the psychologist... As I was a student of psychology and our professor, a big man, Dr. W. S. Urquhart, he said that "By studying the brains of man and woman, we have found the highest brain substance found in man, sixty-four ounce by weight." You may deny. This is the statement of a big psychologist. You can shake your head, but this is the scientific words by big psychologist. You can note down his name, Dr. W.S. Urquhart, professor of psychology in the Scottish Churches College in 1918-20.
Television Interview -- July 9, 1975, Chicago: Prabhupāda: So can you give any proof since then that the woman's... In 1920... She does not take it?
Nitāi: She does not take it. Somehow they think that the brain is no longer small. If it was small, then, it is not small today.
Prabhupāda: But where is the proof...
Woman reporter: You do not believe that there has been advancement of science since 1920?
Nitāi: Well, if the brain has been ascertained as being half the size then why should it change by now? Should it change?
Woman reporter: Well, do you think that the Romans weren't as tall as men are today?
Nitāi: No, but the... But then, within fifty years there is not going to be any change in the brain.
Woman reporter: Not in the 1900's. Why do you use the technology that you use? You didn't have cars in those days, this television. Things have changed since 1920.
Prabhupāda: So what change has become? Can you give any evidence that woman is more powerful in brain than the man during these years? Can you give any evidence?
Woman reporter: No, what I'm saying is that...
Prabhupāda: Now, can you give any evidence that woman has become more powerful than the man during these fifty years?
Woman reporter: Yes.
Morning Walk -- July 11, 1975, Chicago: Brahmānanda: Actually they are simply interested in bones, but this is the activity of the dog. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes, he finds, (laughter) like that. So it is dog's philosophy. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) ...history in the I.A., intermediate. So a big professor, Dr. Kalidasa Nath, he began to speak, "There was stone age, simply stone there was," in this way. And I immediately..., that "What nonsense you are speaking, stone? There was nothing?" According to the anthropology of Darwin... From the very beginning, when I was a student, I did not believe this Darwin's theory. (break) ...study one after another, chronologically, as Darwin says, skull, it is not possible at all. For any single man it is not possible.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: 8,400,000 species.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Has he gone down the water? Then what is the...? simply speculation.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Factual scientific study would mean to study all 8,400,000 species?
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is scientific study. But that is not possible. Therefore your theory is always imperfect because you cannot say that "I have studied all." You simply guess, "There is some gap, millions of years." So this is not study.
Morning Walk -- July 12, 1975, Philadelphia: Prabhupāda: ...already very much attraction for this material world. That is called māyā. And when we are involved with these things, material prosperity, then we become more involved. On account of our material attachment, we are getting repetition of birth and death in different forms of life, and these attractions are making us more and more involved. māyāra vaibhava. People are becoming illusioned, "I am American. My country is so rich. I shall live here." But you cannot live. He is preparing for another body. So therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, anitya soṁsāre, moha janamiya, jība ke karaye gadha. Anityad means we shall not be able to stay. Unnecessarily, we are becoming involved in this material world. Now, those who built up this nation, where they have gone, nobody can say. Because after this body is fallen, where he is being carried, nobody knows. He is carried by his work, fruitive activities. Therefore they do not believe next life. Finished. (break) ...gentleman, he was very well known, brother of Rabindranath Tagore. Rabindranath Tagore was poet, and he was artist, Abanindranath Tagore. In our childhood, in a meeting, he said that "Why should we bother about the next life? Let us enjoy this life." I remember that. Most people think like that. Carvāka Muni advised like that. Ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet. "Just enjoy life." "I have no money to enjoy." "Beg, borrow or steal. Bring money. Purchase ghee." "I will have to pay." "Ah! Why do you think like that?" "Then next life I will suffer." "Don't think like that. Your body will be finished. Who is coming here again?" What is that tower?
Kīrtanānanda: Lighthouse.
Room Conversation with writer, Sandy Nixon -- July 13, 1975, Philadelphia: Father: Does that mean to say that you can't live a happy life without being religious?
Prabhupāda: Yes, certainly.
Father: I am eons away from this whole thing because I don't believe any religion. My son knows this.
Prabhupāda: You do not follow any religion?
Father: None at all. I will give philosophical discussions...
Prabhupāda: And still you are happy?
Father: Yes, I'm very happy. I have my moments when I'm not, of course. Basically I'm happy with my family, with my work...
Prabhupāda: Do you think your father is happy?
Devotee: No. (laughter)
Father: I don't feel very happy. (laughter) But...
Devotee: Prabhupāda, earlier today you were speaking in Bhāgavatam class about Ajamila and how by circumstances he fell down, and that because it wasn't intentional, Kṛṣṇa forgave him. So, but still, at one point or another, he agreed to the desires of the prostitute. So isn't that free will?
Prabhupāda: That is free will, but under the point of revolver. So māyā is very strong. māyā is very strong. So when you are under the māyā's clutches, she dictates and you have to do. This is called māyā, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā dura... (BG 7.14), very, very strong. So mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taran... If one is staunchly Kṛṣṇa conscious, he can avoid. Otherwise not possible.
Morning Walk -- July 21, 1975, San Francisco: Paramahaṁsa: Well, didn't the Yamadūtas... You stated in your lecture yesterday that the Yamadūtas said that what is truth is what is in the Vedas. So I assume from the Vedic knowledge that there is life on other planets. Logically speaking also.
Prabhupāda: Yes. How can you say there is no life?
Paramahaṁsa: But the scientists are saying, though, that the nearest star to our... You know, they consider the sun a star. And that the nearest star to ours is four light years away. Which means that it's... They do not believe that there's life in this entire solar system, in the planets nearest us, the moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Neptune, Jupiter. They assume it's either too cold...
Prabhupāda: No, we say in the sun there is life. Otherwise how Kṛṣṇa says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). "I spoke this Bhagavad-gītā science to the sun-god." So? Sun-god is dead stone, and Kṛṣṇa spoke to him?
Bahulāśva: They're very convinced, though, that they went to the moon, the scientists.
Devotee (3): I was going to ask you, Prabhupāda, is that the moon planet that we see, is that the same moon planet that's mentioned in the śāstras? The same planet?
Prabhupāda: Yes, same one. But the moon planet where they went, that is a dark planet. That is not moon planet.
Morning Walk -- July 21, 1975, San Francisco: Prabhupāda: Because they are, basically they are mistaken, how they can be happy? Basically they are mistaken. How you can be happy? They do not know what is happiness.
Paramahaṁsa: As a matter of fact, that's the same thing my father said. He says that "Because you believe in God, he says you don't have to fear death." He says, "But I have nothing to look forward to."
Prabhupāda: So that is also the position of a stone. So you better remain a stone, but I am life. The stone does not believe in anything and still it is happy. So you remain a stone. I am not stone; I am life.
Jayādvaita: There's a verse in Caitanya-caritāmṛta that without Lord Caitanya, there is no life. Acaitanya.
Prabhupāda: Hm, yes. Acaitanya, yes.
Bahulāśva: So this dark planet, then, is closer?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Bahulāśva: This dark Rahu planet, this is closer?
Prabhupāda: Rahu, yes. Rahu is between earth and sun. Moon is above sun.
Devotee (3): So it is bigger than the sun?
Prabhupāda: Not necessarily. The size is there in the Bhāgavata.
Morning Walk -- July 21, 1975, San Francisco: Prabhupāda: Ah. Śraddhāvān, That is required. If he has no faith, then he remains in darkness.
Devotee (6): If we save the common people by giving them prasādam, how can we save the impersonalists?
Prabhupāda: That will come later on. (break) ...ists will not come. They will never come because they do not believe in the personal feature of God. Unless very hungry, he will not come because he does not believe in prasāda, does not believe in God.
Bahulāśva: Just like yesterday those impersonalists wouldn't come on the stage. When they saw your opulent vyāsāsana and so many devotees offering your āratik, they realized if they came to the stage, they would have to sit at your feet. Therefore they wouldn't come. This one Swami Satchitananda... I have a friend who's a member of his movement. So this yogi told him that if you want to know how to receive the spiritual master you should go watch the Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees when they greet their guru at the airport... Then you will learn what is the proper way to...
Prabhupāda: Who says?
Bahulāśva: Swami Satchitananda told him that. (laughter)
Yadubara: He cannot give instruction, so he has to...
Prabhupāda: No, he was rejected. But then appealing, then he was reinstated.
Room Conversation With Yogi Bhajan and Jain Muni -- July 21, 1975, San Francisco: Prabhupāda: (Hindi) (Conversation continues in Hindi, with second Indian gentleman also. Seem to be discussing Prabhupāda's various centers around the world.) They have lost interest, the younger generation.... (Conversation continues between three)
Yogi Bhajan: As far as Golden Temple is concerned, that is their result... (Hindi) They have lot of temples and a lot of good word, (?) and let them learn to by themselves. (Hindi) I have no time to spoil(?) it. He is great. That is what I want to learn, how he can do that. And I don't believe that. My territory they define. It starts... It ends at the Suez Canal.
Prabhupāda: Suez Canal means whole Mediterranean.
Yogi Bhajan: Yes, Mediterranean. And there I have up to Singapore, Malaysia. So I said, "Well, you have forgotten writing down Burma, and you never wrote a word about India, so good-bye." That is not our territory. (Hindi)
Prabhupāda: (Hindi) Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29).
Yogi Bhajan: (Hindi) We have the best attorney here in this area, and you are having a trouble with this temple. If you... Somebody if you can call, because in this area he is the best law attorney.
Prabhupāda: You can take the address.
Morning Walk -- July 24, 1975, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Very soon? Not now? They have got advance. Yes. (chuckles) Most of the scientists, they think only living beings are on this planet, and all, they are vacant. They say.
Paramahaṁsa: Yes. They say the closest planet that could have life is four light years away. That means the fastest...
Prabhupāda: How there is life within this sand? We can see.
Paramahaṁsa: They do not believe.
Prabhupāda: No, there is no life within the sand?
Paramahaṁsa: In the sun.
Prabhupāda: No, no, in the sand. You'll find so many lives, many millions. How there is life in the water? There is life in the water, there is life on the land, there is life in the air, so where is there no life? How you can say there is no life? That is foolishness. And they say that the dust brought from the moon planet is the same. It can be found here. So why there should not be life?
Paramahaṁsa: If there is life on other planets then they assume it's in a plant form or very, very low, like plants, bushes at the most.
Prabhupāda: That is their opinion.
Morning Walk -- July 24, 1975, Los Angeles: Paramahaṁsa: So you say it's based on faith.
Prabhupāda: Not faith, it is fact. Just like if somebody says me, "The other side is Japan." I cannot see, so I may disbelieve. But that's a fact; Japan is there.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But others have seen.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore you have to hear from a person who has seen.
- tad viddhi praṇipātena
- paripraśnena sevayā
- upadekṣyanti tad jñānaṁ
- jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
- (BG 4.34)
- Darśinaḥ means one who has seen.
Rādhāvallabha: How do we know he has seen?
Paramahaṁsa: We have to have faith again then.
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Paramahaṁsa: To begin to believe that you have seen, I must have faith in you.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that faith. How do you believe there is Japan?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Faith.
Prabhupāda: Have you seen?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No.
Morning Walk -- July 25, 1975, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Theory is not faith? Theory is not faith?
Jayādvaita: They say that the theory, it's simply an idea of how it could happen.
Prabhupāda: That is faith.
Jayādvaita: But they don't believe the theory until they think they have sufficient facts.
Prabhupāda: That is faith, I dare say, blind faith.
Rādhā-vallabha: These facts, these theories, are tested. By presenting more and more facts in the light of this theory, either the theory collapses under the new facts or it becomes strengthened. So by this method...
Prabhupāda: What are the facts?
Rādhā-vallabha: Well, for example, you may see that living beings are reproducing geometrically. One couple produces two children, those children each produce two children, so in that way it appears that the animal population should be increasing geometrically. And we can see that...
Prabhupāda: Who made that geometric?
Rādhā-vallabha: This is all just going on.
Prabhupāda: Ah, accident. (laughter) That's all.
Morning Walk -- July 25, 1975, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: They used to create fire by mantra. Can you do that?
Brahmānanda: They need natural gas, and the natural gas is running out.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rādhā-vallabha: We don't believe in these mantras because there's no fossils.
Prabhupāda: I don't believe you also. Who believes, you? Some rascals may believe.
Rādhā-vallabha: There's so much evidence, though. We have fossils.
Prabhupāda: No, no, we have also evidence. If you don't believe me, who is going to believe you? (break)
Rādhā-vallabha: ...Śrīla Prabhupāda, where Darwin actually admitted that there was a creator.
Kirtirāja: He admitted?
Rādhā-vallabha: Yes. He said, "So we can see that the creator originally breathed the air of life into living objects, and from there on evolution took place."
Prabhupāda: That is good.
Room Conversations -- July 26, 1975, Laguna Beach: Prabhupāda: That is nice. That is the meaning. So do the people in general know what is God?
Professor: People in general... Today most people have an idea, but they don't all agree. So you can't say that they all have an idea of God. But they all believe they do.
Prabhupāda: No, believing is different thing. You can believe anything. But God is one. So God is there, you believe or not believe. Just like the president of your state is there. One may say, "I don't believe in him." That does not mean there is no president. Similarly, a foolish man can say that there is no God, but that does not mean there is no God. There is God. Now who is that God?
Professor: Who is God?
Prabhupāda: Just like in your state, everyone knows there is a president. And one can enquire, "Who is now president?" Is it not natural?
Professor: Is it not...? Everyone knows who the president is.
Prabhupāda: No, knows or not knows. Suppose I am a foreigner. I know...
Professor: Oh, yes.
Prabhupāda: ...that there is a president. Then I can ask, "Who is your president?"
Professor: Right.
Prabhupāda: That is natural. So first of all, the believers, they know that there is God. Now the next question will be "Who is God?" That is advanced knowledge.
Morning Walk -- August 7, 1975, Toronto: Indian man (1): Avenue Road. It is very busy street. There are so many cars coming in the morning, I think, twenty thousand a day.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And they will see the signboard. (break)
Indian man (2): ...that India, I traveled after several years. I last went in 1966. It was not so demonic. But this time I found the younger generation of India is very, very demonic and they don't believe God at all.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Indian Man (2): What is the reason of that?
Prabhupāda: They have been taught by your rascal leaders, Jawaharlal Nehru and company. These rascals taught them.
Indian Man (2): Jawaharlal Nehru was representing the India for so many years.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And therefore he has ruined.
Indian Man (2): He is ruining since our, before born, in 1930.
Prabhupāda: Well, that was the beginning, but he completed the finishing touch. Sometimes he came to Vṛndāvana—I was there, retired—to open a Ramakrishna Mission hospital, and he stayed there the whole day. He came in the morning and went back to New Delhi in the evening, but not a single temple he visited. Where thousands of men are coming to see the temple, but he, the prime minister, he did not visit not a single temple.
Morning Walk -- August 12, 1975, Paris: Mādhavānanda: Everyone thinks in terms of their own relative position.
Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) Even an insignificant bird, because he knows swimming, he knows swimming, so he can challenge, and because you do not know swimming, you cannot say like that. Even insignificant bird, just see how nicely he is swimming. He knows the art. (break) ...one, cent percent of the modern people, they do not believe in God, and they do not know what is religion. That is the position. They think, "Religion is sentiment. Anyone can manufacture his own sentiment. There is no God." This is the position. So we are in fault. "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." The whole world is under this conception. Therefore we are at fault. We are preaching God consciousness.
Brahmānanda: Generally they make it difficult for us to preach.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Brahmānanda: They hinder us in so many ways.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Room Conversation -- August 21, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: And kṛṣṇa bhajanate nāhi jāti-kulādi vicāra. These are all Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... What is that? In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. (Bengali) Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Just surrender to Kṛṣṇa and follow Him. Then you are successful.
Lalitā: And I will tell her.
Prabhupāda: Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). He says, "Kaunteya, take it for granted that My devotee will never be vanquished." Then you have to disbelieve all these words or you have to believe these words. There are two things. If you believe, then you are successful. If you don't believe... (Bengali)
Lalitā: ...to cooperate with you to establish a good life.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is actually my intention. Otherwise I have cancelled a very big, big... (Bengali)
Lalitā: (Bengali) ...immediately. She is eager to meet you.
Prabhupāda: No, I am not dependent on him. I can cancel, accept anything. (laughter)
Morning Walk -- August 24, 1975, Delhi: Prabhupāda: Oh. So sweetmeat market?
Tejas: Yes. That sweetmeat market. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...was a Hindu minister, chief minister of Akbar. Emperor Akbar, his chief minister was Todarmal.
Tejas: Babar was also a minister of his?
Prabhupāda: Babar was father of Akbar, Babar.
Tejas: These are all Muslim names here.
Prabhupāda: It was Muslim kingdom. Todarmal is Hindu. The Muslim emperors, they used to employ Hindus as chief of department.
Tejas: Like Rūpa Gosvāmī.
Prabhupāda: They did not believe Muslims to become the chief. They knew it very well that these Muslims are not reliable. They can kill their father even. (end)
Morning Walk -- August 27, 1975, Vrndavana: Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be, they deny. Therefore we call them atheist. But these Māyāvādī, they take the shelter of Vedas and they preach the same philosophy. "Yes, brahman-nirakara." (Hindi) ...don't believe in God... (Hindi) For the time being, Śaṅkarācārya might have said something like that to turn the Buddhists again to Vedas, but that is temporary. But they have taken it all true. (Hindi) ...eighty-five years they are working. They have no position. (Hindi) What is that? TM?
Brahmānanda: TM, Transcendental Meditation.
Prabhupāda: And what is the items they say?
Brahmānanda: No philosophy, no belief, no restrictions.
Prabhupāda: (laughs) Just see. He advertises. Mahesh Yogi.
Indian man: Mahesh Yogi, yes. Followers, they are taking everything.
Prabhupāda: He says, "There is no restriction, or no philosophy, no faith." (Hindi conversation) Recently one book was published by Professor Judah. He has studied this movement for five years. He came to India. So he has written one book, Hare Kṛṣṇa and Counterculture, but scholarly. (Hindi) He appreciated. (Hindi) ...and the fifty books I have, four hundred pages each.
Morning Walk -- September 13, 1975, Vrndavana: Upendra: In America they say you have to pay for freedom.
Prabhupāda: No, freedom, if I have got already, why shall I pay? I have already paid. Why you're inducing? I am already enjoying. Why you are inducing me to work hard? I have paid for it. By my karma in my previous life I have already paid for that; therefore I am enjoying.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They don't believe in the law of karma.
Prabhupāda: Therefore they are rascals. Rascal. This is a rascal civilization. Rascal civilization: one side, they say contraceptive; another side, they will encourage woman to marry three times a week. This is their civilization. If you want stop population why you are inducing "Indulge in sex life"? Stop sex life—brahmacārī. Everything is contradictory. And it is all sense gratification, based on sense gratification.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: If a person is not satisfying his senses they think he is crazy.
Prabhupāda: But where is your sense satisfied? You are crazy. You are repeatedly being kicked by nature, that your senses will never be satisfied. Still, you are trying for that. Even the old man of eighty years old, he is going to the nightclub. Where is sense satis... When his senses will be satisfied? (aside) Jaya. Relaxation. If somebody is relaxing, chanting, they will induce, "Oh, you are escaping."
Morning Walk -- September 13, 1975, Vrndavana: Prabhupāda: Therefore you are rascal. Kṛṣṇa is ordinary man, and He is lifting the hill.
Brahmānanda: Well, that's just a story in a book.
Prabhupāda: He may be story for you. You may not believe that you have got a father but we are not mad. You can say, "To have a father is a story," but mother says, "No, you have your father." She is authority. You can say, "Oh, it is story."
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They want historical evidence for everything.
Brahmānanda: Yes, why doesn't Kṛṣṇa come and do it now?
Prabhupāda: He is not your father's servant, that he will come by your order. He's the supreme master. Kṛṣṇa is doing the same thing still, but you have no eyes to see. Kṛṣṇa is doing. How this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading all over the world?
Brahmānanda: Why doesn't God force me to surrender?
Prabhupāda: No. That Kṛṣṇa is not a nonsense like you. Because Kṛṣṇa has given you little freedom He does not want to touch it. That is Kṛṣṇa. What He gives, He never takes it back. It is not a nonsensical award that "I give you sometimes; then I take it away." Kṛṣṇa does not do such. He has given you little freedom, so you can use it. Yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63), Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad..., "Whatever you like, you do." That freedom is taken by nature. You are human being. If you do not engage yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then nature will withdraw this privilege and you'll become a dog. Kṛṣṇa does not take, but His agent, māyā, will take it away. Just like the police is the agent of the king or the government. The government does not care what you are doing. But if you do something criminal the police will punish you.
Morning Walk -- September 27, 1975, Ahmedabad: Indian man (7): Should we go back to the bullock cart age?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, certainly. Then you will be sukhī. (Hindi) This is the first instruction: dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). (Hindi) This is the first instruction. (Hindi) This is the first to be given up in order to understand spiritual knowledge. (Hindi) So how you can expect tranquillity and peacefulness if the society is conducted by go-khara? This is the defect. (Hindi) This is the rule, nature's law. And if it is a fact... It is a fact. You believe or not believe; that is a different thing. (Hindi) Professor Kotovsky... (break) "Swamiji, after death, everything is finished." He said like that. And he is a big professor of Indology. (Hindi) ...sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). He is a professor. (Hindi) Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break)
- harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
- kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
- (CC Adi 17.21)
(Hindi) You cannot do anything. You cannot be educated at home. You must go to the teacher. (Hindi) And they are being eulogized.
Morning Walk -- September 29, 1975, Ahmedabad: Indian man (1): What is alternative? What do you do when...
Prabhupāda: No, no, alternative, that alternative will not correct. That is the defect of Gandhi's movement. He is supposed to be reading Bhagavad-gītā, but he has never said, recommended, Kṛṣṇa worship. That is the defect of his education. Rather, he denied the existence of Kṛṣṇa. "I don't believe if any person as Kṛṣṇa ever lived." This is his concept. Gandhi has written in his life that while his father was dying he was enjoying sex with his wife. You know that?
Indian man (2): Gandhiji?
Prabhupāda: Yes, he has written it.
Indian man (1): It is, after all, only...
Prabhupāda: No, no. After, he became a great sage. That is all right. But in the beginning everyone is subjected. Which way we shall...
Kartikeya: We can go straight.
Prabhupāda: (Hindi) Brahmānanda, you just take an idea. We shall construct Gurukula in this pattern.
Morning Walk -- September 29, 1975, Ahmedabad: Prabhupāda: But you cannot see them. Your philosophy is unless you see, you don't believe. That is your philosophy. But you do not consider what you can see. That is the defect of this imperfect world, that people do not think that they are imperfect. With all imperfectness, they think they are perfect. That is the defect. Therefore it is said, andha. One is blind, and he is becoming the leader of other blind men. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Īśa-tantrya, by the laws of nature he is bound up very tight, hands and legs, and he is thinking he is free to think, free to see, free to... That is the defect. He is not at all free, completely under the clutches of material laws, and he is thinking that he is free. That is the defect. And when this sense comes, that "I am not free; everything is forced upon me," then he becomes human being. Otherwise he's a dog. Just like, you see, if a dog thinks he is free. He is jumping here, there. He is thinking, "I am independent," barking, attacking somebody. Oh, he is thinking he is free to do everything. When one comes to this sense, that he is not free, that is beginning of human life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Then the question will be that "Why I am not free? What is the reason?" Then that is... Real human life begins. Otherwise he's a dog. Is it correct or not? What do you think? If one is not free and wrongly thinks that he is free, then what is that mentality? A doggish mentality. And if I say, "Yes, you are free. You can think in any way you like. That is correct," then you become more encouraged to become, to remain a fool, to continue. That's all. So we shall go now? That is the defective part of modern civilization. Everyone is thinking, "I am free." Is it not? Everyone.
Morning Walk -- September 30, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: And all the ācāryas, they are fools.
Dr. Patel: No, no.
Prabhupāda: Then they have meant that...
Dr. Patel: They don't believe in these Purāṇas. That is a misfortune for them.
Prabhupāda: Why? Why?
Dr. Patel: That is a misfortune.
Prabhupāda: Not only that. They write Satya-artha-prakāśa. That means they have understood the real meaning, and all the ācāryas, they are fools. That is their intelligence, satya-artha-prakāśa, that so long there was no satyārtha; now they have invented satyārtha. This is their intelligence.
Dr. Patel: So Vaiṣṇava ācāryas have actually... I mean, through bhakti people realize the presence of God everywhere.
Prabhupāda: No, no. In comparison to Vaiṣṇava ācāryas... Apart from the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, they have done nothing even like me, what to speak of the ācāryas. I am only a servant and a servant of the ācāryas. They could not do anything. They admit. Real Arya-samājīs, they admit that, that "What was our program, you have executed."
Morning Walk -- September 30, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: There was a temple?
Dr. Patel: In the morning they had to say prayer to Deva. (?) Gītā-mandir they had. They had all the characteristics of a good saint.
Prabhupāda: Why not from the beginning? No, no, no. Gandhi did not believe in Kṛṣṇa. No, yes, he has written, that "I know..."
Dr. Patel: Not that the way we believe, but he did believe.
Prabhupāda: No. That means he is right and we are wrong.
Dr. Patel: We may be right. We may be right. Who knows? Many ways may be right. It is not only that one way be right.
Prabhupāda: Then how we understand who is right and who is wrong?
Dr. Patel: There cannot be only one way. There are many ways.
Prabhupāda: That is the defect. Therefore we present Bhagavad-gītā as it is, no other way.
Morning Walk -- October 7, 1975, Durban: Prabhupāda: They are rascals. What is the use? That is advised, prema-maitri kṛpopekṣā, four things. Preacher—there are four things for him. One thing is he should love God. He should make friendship with devotees. He should preach amongst the innocent, and he should kick on the face of the atheist. Upekṣā. "Hut! (laughter) I don't like you." That's all, no business with him. This is preacher. Preacher should love God; preacher should make friendship with devotees; preacher will preach amongst the innocent, poor; and those who are atheist, nonbeliever, kick on his face. Don't care for him. "Go away. Get out." That's all. That much mercy upon them. "Get out, rascal." But sometimes we take the risk of talking with these rascals also. That is our mercy. But according to śāstra, they are to be kicked out. They are not to be taken care of because it is waste of time.
Harikeśa: They just don't want to accept, no matter what.
Prabhupāda: No, no, even they have no argument, they have no logic, so what is the use of talking? What is the use? Simply waste of time.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: So is it better if someone argues against our philosophy or if someone doesn't argue at all and simply doesn't accept it either?
Prabhupāda: No, if he argues... If you can understand that by argument, if you come to conclusion, they will accept, then talk with them. If they remain dog, what is the use of talking with a dog? Dog will never accept any argument. It will remain dog. So better avoid that.
Room Conversation with the Rector, Professor Olivier and Professors of the University of Durban, Westville -- October 8, 1975, Durban: Prabhupāda: Science means which is applicable to everyone. Religion is described in the dictionary, "a kind of faith." Faith... I may be Hindu today; tomorrow I may be Christian. That is... I can change.
Indian man (2): But this is not the definition of true religion.
Prabhupāda: No, no. I am not talking of religion. I am talking of science. Religion is a kind of faith. You may be believe or you may not believe.
Indian man (2): No. There is no question of belief. The question is whether, what is the difference between religion and science? If difference is known, then the learned persons(?) can make him right or wrong at that time, but unless and until the demarcation of line between religion and science...
Prabhupāda: Now... Yes, that we can say like this, that "two plus two equal to four"—this is applicable to the Hindus, Muslim, Christian, everyone. This is science.
Morning Walk -- October 9, 1975, Durban: Prabhupāda: Yes.
Indian man: But can you see them? Do they have bodies?
Prabhupāda: First of all you go there. Then see. I don't admit that they have gone to the moon planet.
Indian man: You don't believe.
Prabhupāda: It is 1,600,000 above the sun, the moon.
Indian man: One million six hundred...
Prabhupāda: Thousand miles above the sun.
Indian man: Well, they say...
Prabhupāda: They say. They're all fools.
Indian man: Quarter million miles.
Prabhupāda: We don't accept them.
Indian man: 1,600,000.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Morning Walk -- October 9, 1975, Durban: Prabhupāda: That's all. That's all. Exploiting, that's all. This is their business. Just like Pakistan politicians, as soon as they cannot supply food, they declare war with India. The attention is diverted. Here also we have seen in the last war. When no man was joining, so in India, they created artificial famine. So for want of food they joined military. The government created a situation, purchased all the food grains and stocked. And when the price is very high the government opened controlled shop at high price. The people had no money; therefore they were obliged to join military. These polit..., demons, they are so dangerous, simply to keep their position they are doing all nefarious activities. Simply there is... Because they don't believe in the next birth, they are not afraid of sinful activities. They can do anything, "Whatever I like. There is no... This life is finished." That is the whole philosophy of the modern educated man, "There is no life." Big, big professors, they say like that, "There is no life after death." Therefore the Ārya-samājī rascal was: "That is Hindu belief." Why Hindu belief? Does the Mohammedan do not grow old? That answer he could not give. He is such a rascal. And at last he said that "I am God."
Morning Walk -- October 9, 1975, Durban: Prabhupāda: Dogmatic, no. Why we should waste our time talking with such foolish men? "I don't believe." No, what... You believe or not believe; fact is fact. You are going to be old man. If you say "I don't believe," then is that a very good proposition? It does not depend on your believing or not believing. The nature's course will take place. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). That will go on. What is there in your believing and not believing? If you keep yourself in such darkness that "If you believe, then it is fact," then you are a fool, rascal. If you depend only on your belief, then you are a fool. What is the meaning of your belief? "I believe if I touch fire it will not burn." Will this belief protect me? You touch fire; it will burn. You believe or not believe. What is this argument, "We don't believe"? This is going on. If nature's law is that you must die, then if you believe, "No, I'll not die," will that belief protect you? You have to submit to the nature's law. Why don't you understand this? You are talking of "believe and not believe." Whole world is going on in this way: "We think," "I suppose," "Perhaps," "I believe," like this. Where is science? Science does not depend on your "belief, not belief, supposing, perhaps." This is not science. But they are going on like that. Whole Darwin's theory is based on this, "Maybe millions of years past..." We want perfect knowledge, not such, what is called, saṁśayam. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, asaṁśayaṁ, "without any doubt." That is knowledge. And samagram, "complete." So if we have got the chance of knowing complete, without any doubt, so why shall I go to you, rascal? Your knowledge is based on "perhaps, maybe." I will have to go somewhere to take knowledge, so why not go to Kṛṣṇa, where the knowledge is complete and without any doubt? Why shall I go to you, you rascal? You simply say "maybe, perhaps, I think." What is the use of this knowledge? We don't accept. You cannot say that "You are right; I am wrong" because you are also going to somebody to get knowledge, I am also going to somebody to get knowledge. So here it assured, that "complete knowledge without any doubt." But you have no such confidence. Am I right or not?
Room Conversation with Professor Olivier -- October 10, 1975, Durban: Prabhupāda: We shall take responsibility for supplying the books from here, in this center.
Prof. Olivier: But now, what must you...what can you do if your, one of the professor who is in charge of Indology, like the one in Moscow, he teaches Indology but he does not believe the basis of what...
Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes.
Prof. Olivier: What must you do then?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Therefore in America many of our students, they are teaching courses at the university. I for one, I have a B.Sc. in chemistry. I'm actually a graduate in chemistry. I had a four-year scholarship to medical school and some of the other devotees are also graduates, and they are actually teaching in the universities.
Prabhupāda: If you want some of our student to teach, he can do that.
Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 : Prabhupāda: The brāhmaṇa became by caste brāhmaṇa. He will do everything nonsense and still, he remains a brāhmaṇa. But you can introduce the original Vedic culture in this Europe and America. You have understood. You can do it. By this material civilization they will never be happy, and it is risky. That they do not know. They do not believe in the transmigration of the soul. So irresponsibly… Or just like these elderly persons, how they are wasting time.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Just sitting on the beach.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Not only sitting, they have no other engagement. They do not know how human life should be utilized. They do not know. They are simply taking consideration of the body, running or skating or this or that, but they have no other engagement. They do not believe that there is soul and that soul's business is first business. They do not know that, neither they do accept it. They are under nature's law, very simply explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, dehino ’smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā. By nature's law you have to change your body. It is evident. Still, they will not believe. We’re changing body every moment, and they will say, big, big professors, that after the body is finished, everything is finished. This is ajñāna. And that is going on as education, whole world. "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." The whole world is in ignorance, so we are giving them wise instruction. They are thinking, "These people are crazy men." That's all.
Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 : Prabhupāda: Old Testament, but what is going on, Bible…
Harikeśa: That Genesis, where it says the creation…
Prabhupāda: That is another thing.
Harikeśa: That's just some story. Why should we believe it? There's nothing else to believe. Why not believe this Darwin?
Prabhupāda: No, but you are not believing Bible. Bible, they say that the earth is square. So nobody is believing. So one point is sufficient, that it is not perfect. One point is sufficient.
Harikeśa: (laughing) It says the earth is square?
Prabhupāda: Yes, they… They say it. Formerly they believed that.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Probably does.
Harikeśa: Oh, you mean flat.
Prabhupāda: You’ll fall down. If you go very far, you’ll fall down. Just like a child thinks. Bible, so many have been proved not authorized. Therefore Bible is not authorized.
Morning Walk -- October 20, 1975, Johannesburg: Prabhupāda: They kept dead body frozen?
Harikeśa: It hasn't become very popular.
Prabhupāda: Why? Why? The scientists' failure?
Harikeśa: Maybe people don't believe it.
Prabhupāda: No, it is made by the scientists. (break)
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: ...behind the frozen body was that if someone had an incurable disease, they thought that they could suspend the life by freezing it, and then, when they found the cure for the disease, they would unfreeze him or thaw him out and cure him of his disease so that he could live again.
Prabhupāda: And these childish activities are taken as scientific advancement.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Is there a Vedic definition of science?
Prabhupāda: Vijñāna. Jñāna-vijñāna. (break) ...not this science, experimental. That is not science. Vedic knowledge is science.
Morning Walk -- October 25, 1975, Mauritius: Prabhupāda: They are misinformed.
Indian man: They suppose?
Prabhupāda: It is not the fact.
Indian man: Astronomers too say that.
Prabhupāda: It is up to the man to believe or not believe, but we have got authorities, different; they have got authorities, different. So if we follow our authorities, then we have to accept according to that.
Indian man: We get in a dilemma, we people who do not know more than they explain about.
Prabhupāda: There is no dilemma, because our literature is there from millions and millions of years, and they have their knowledge within two, three hundred years. Now it is up to us whom to believe.
Indian man: You want to say that the astronomers are the mistaken. The astronomers have been mistaken to say all these things?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone commits mistake. Anyone who is conditioned, he must commit mistake. This is our position, that anyone who is not liberated, he must commit mistake. We take knowledge from liberated soul, not from the speculators. That is the difference.
Morning Walk -- October 26, 1975, Mauritius: Prabhupāda: And after resurrection he had to go away to India.
Cyavana: Yes. That's 'cause they tried to kill him.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Because if he had declared that "I am not dead," perhaps he would have been again crucified.
Cyavana: Yes. They would keep trying to kill him.
Prabhupāda: Because the people were so intelligent, they would not believe him, so out of fear he went away. "All right, stop my preaching. Come on. (laughs) Let me go to find some safe place." (laughter)
Cyavana: He created a great impression on the minds of men for many, many generations.
Prabhupāda: Imperson?
Cyavana: Impression.
Prabhupāda: What is that? Impression.
Cyavana: Yes. By his preaching he left a strong impression.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Morning Walk -- November 1, 1975, Nairobi: Jñāna: All living beings are independent, but some choose to serve and some choose to disbelieve.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is use of independence. Otherwise what is the meaning of independence? The meaning of independence is: "If I like, I can do. If I do not like, I do not do." That is independence. That means independence. If you are stereotyped, forced to do, that is not independence. Independence means if you like, you can do it, if not—you don't like-don't do it. That is independence. So misused independence means ignorance. He does not know that "If I infect this virus of this disease I'll suffer." But he does not know, ignorance. So he infects and he suffers.
Devotee (6): Śrīla Prabhupāda, I was noticing your Śrīmad-Bhāgavatams the other day and Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So I would like to take my time this time and offer my obeisances for such perfected, exalted work from such an exalted personality. All glories to you.
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (devotees offer obeisances) Thank you very much.
Morning Walk -- November 2, 1975, Nairobi: Prabhupāda: How they are becoming?
Devotee (5): They don't believe.
Prabhupāda: Believe? You do not see even?
Devotee (5): But they say that "Oh, he will do it, and then, after one year, he will stop."
Prabhupāda: Well, that is another criticism. Somebody is eating nice yogurt. Everyone will say, "Oh, it is very nice. It is very nice, very nice." Another man says, "Yes, it is nice, but after three days it will be sour." (laughter) You rascal, you consider for the present. What "after three days"? Means he's a bad critic, so he could not find out any fault. Everyone says it is good. So "After three days it will be bad." This sort of criticism. So you have already become bad. You were doing service to others. What does he do, that priest?
Brahmānanda: He's a businessman.
Prabhupāda: Business. So is that...? The business is the occupation of brāhmaṇa? You are already fallen. How he can criticize others?
Indian woman: That is all, brāhmaṇas, all brāhmaṇas, there is no big knowledge. That is Śiva. Śiva is the head.
Prabhupāda: That's all. Śiva is the head, but whether you are brāhmaṇa? That is the question.
Morning Walk -- November 10, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: If they change... "Now the scientists are thinking that"—that means they are rascals.
Dr. Patel: No, but as a matter of fact, they understand this thing from years back, that there should be life on other planets than earth.
Prabhupāda: Oh, many scientists say. I was known to one doctor Shaha in Allahabad. He said there are life. There is no question of disbelieving.
Brahmānanda: There's that article that Hayagrīva sent. The title of the article was, "New Discovery Creates Turmoil Amongst Scientists." Some scientists have now discovered some new sub-atomic particles. This has completely created turmoil amongst the scientists. All of their theories now are all...
Dr. Patel: Those are elementary particle, smaller than the element, present elementary particles.
Brahmānanda: Yes. And they found a lot of them, so now they don't know what to think.
Dr. Patel: Because they are trying to search it out by different matter. This ancient... I mean, the Āryans tried to search it out by different matter, by yoga-vijñāna.
Prabhupāda: Śruti, from the Vedas. Veda-pramāṇa. Śruti-pramāṇa That is pramāṇa. And nonsense, speculative, that is not pramāṇa. That is speculation.
Morning Walk -- November 10, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: Śruti, from the Vedas. Veda-pramāṇa. Śruti-pramāṇa That is pramāṇa. And nonsense, speculative, that is not pramāṇa. That is speculation.
Brahmānanda: They make some theory, and they become very complacent, that "Oh, now, this is it."
Prabhupāda: "Now we are advanced." And next year, again advanced. Next year again advanced.
Dr. Patel: Real scientists don't think that. You must not believe that. Real scientist says, "This may be like this."
Prabhupāda: But who...
Dr. Patel: It is their opinion.
Prabhupāda: How to know who is real and who is...?
Dr. Patel: They are learning, after all, they are learning. They have not reached that. They are not yuktas. They are in the process of getting it.
Prabhupāda: So why they say there is no God?
Dr. Patel: Who says that there is no God? Scientists don't say so. Some of them may be saying. Jagadish Chandra Bose did say so? He was a great scientist. Did he say so? No. If a few scientists say there is no God, that does not mean all the scientists. We are practically all of us, scientists, this architect, this Mr. Joshi, myself. We don't say there is no God. So, sir, don't say that scientists say.
Prabhupāda: Because you have become Vaiṣṇava, that is the...
Dr. Patel: Not... Even before that.
Morning Walk -- November 10, 1975, Bombay: Dr. Patel: (laughs) No, but He says, ye tu sarvāṇī karmāṇi mayi sannyasya mat-parāḥ.
Prabhupāda: The mat-parāḥ, this is mat-parāḥ. Whatever Kṛṣṇa says, we accept it. That is mat-parāḥ. Mat-parāḥ means whatever Kṛṣṇa says, accept it. That's all. That is mat-parāḥ. And if I say, "I don't believe in Kṛṣṇa, whether He was existing," that is not mat-parāḥ.
Dr. Patel: That is different.
Prabhupāda: That is different.
Dr. Patel: But Kṛṣṇa says through so many things. Kṛṣṇa says. Through every leaf, every atom...
Prabhupāda: No.
Dr. Patel: ...every molecule and every living cell, He says what He is.
Prabhupāda: So everyone, our...
Dr. Patel: That is what the scientists think.
Prabhupāda: Scholars, they think like that, "Kṛṣṇa is fictitious. This Bhagavad-gītā was imagined," as if Kṛṣṇa speaking and Arjuna hearing, and there was no war as Kurukṣetra. This is their reply. There was no five thousand years.
Morning Walk -- November 10, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: Scholars, they think like that, "Kṛṣṇa is fictitious. This Bhagavad-gītā was imagined," as if Kṛṣṇa speaking and Arjuna hearing, and there was no war as Kurukṣetra. This is their reply. There was no five thousand years.
Dr. Patel: Suppose, sir, it may be like that, as they say, but this is an acme of the knowledge. That's all. Even though it may be fabricated, it is the acme.
Prabhupāda: Acme of the knowledge you are taking, but you don't believe the source of knowledge. You are so acme of the knowledge. You don't believe in the source of the knowledge, so where is knowledge? That is darkness. Tama and jyoti-two things are there. This material world is tama, darkness, because here actually there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is almost absent. And jyoti means there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That we were discussing last night. Taṭastha-śakti. Taṭastha... The jīvas, they are in the marginal position between tama and jyoti.
Dr. Patel: Tamas is dark and jyoti is light.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So the jīva is between these two things. Therefore they are called taṭastha, marginal. Sometimes you may be in darkness and sometimes you may be in jyoti. That is your position. So those who are accepting Kṛṣṇa's word, they are in jyoti. And those who are interpreting Kṛṣṇa in darkness, they are in darkness. Unless one has accepted Kṛṣṇa as He is, he is in darkness. Therefore Kṛṣṇa describing him, mūḍha, narādhama. That man might have been in the jyoti, but he is losing the chance. Therefore he is mūḍha, narādhama. He had the chance of understanding Kṛṣṇa, but he is neglecting willfully. Therefore mūḍha naradhāma. Men so much learned? māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ: (BG 7.15) That learning has no meaning. That is another darkness. A person, without being learned, he is thinking, "I am learned." That is another darkness. That is another darkness.
Morning Walk -- November 13, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: The books are there, what is happening actually, that's all. Books... Therefore it is practical because what is written in the śāstra, that is happening. Therefore it is practical. (break) Throughout this age, the symptoms of Kali-yuga, they are happening practically.
Yaśomatīnandana: (break) ...all the Māyāvādīs, transcendentalists, they also don't believe in śāstras.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Yaśomatīnandana: This one man, he is a great devotee of one so-called swāmī, and he was quoting Bhagavad-gītā inside and out. And then...
Prabhupāda: He doesn't believe in.
Morning Walk -- November 13, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: Why don't you accept it? What is the use of quoting?
Yaśomatīnandana: Yes. That they will not do because they know they can make money by quoting Bhagavad-gītā. People will not accept anybody if they openly say that they don't believe in Bhagavad-gītā.
Prabhupāda: That was going on. It is the first time. We are pressing: "You must take it seriously." It is the first time. Otherwise this was going on, at least for the last two hundred years.
Yaśomatīnandana: And then when we say that a devotee goes to Vaikuṇṭha, this and that, "Oh, Vaikuṇṭha and all those things are just myth, just baloney."
Prabhupāda: You are authority, you rascal. You are authority. Everything is myth, you are simply truth. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya.
Harikeśa: Reality and...
Prabhupāda: Where everything is myth, then why you are truth? You are also myth. Everything is myth, so you are also myth. What is the use of talking nonsense?
Morning Walk -- November 13, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: They are not historians, rascals. They will believe Mahābhārata. They are not so-called historians, scientists. They still believe in the Vedic standard.
Yaśomatīnandana: People in general.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. They're actually doing that. They may believe or not believe; our belief is going on all over the world. Is it not?
Yaśomatīnandana: Yes.
Prabhupāda: That's all. Phalena pariciyate. Hare Kṛṣṇa. We don't make any compromise. What we believe, we are preaching that. People are accepting. So you believe or not believe; it doesn't matter for us.
Yaśomatīnandana: (break) ...just institutions, they also say "Indian mythology."
Prabhupāda: They have been taught like that.
Yaśomatīnandana: And they put out books on Mahābhārata or Rāmacandra, "Indian mythology."
Prabhupāda: But who cares for them?
Morning Walk -- November 13, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: No....
Dr. Patel: They have realized the working of God in every atom, to tell the truth. It was so some fifty years back that the scientists did not believe in the existence and working of God, but they have much changed now.
Prabhupāda: That means they were foolish; now they are coming to be wise.
Dr. Patel: But they have died out, the previous generation. Now the new generation.
Prabhupāda: No, still there are, so many rascals.
Dr. Patel: There cannot be uniformity of...
Prabhupāda: So many rascals. One scientist came to talk with me in California. And he: "God? What is God? We have now solved everything." And you are rascal, demon.
Dr. Patel: He should be asked to "Make a single living cell yourself. We'll give you all the ingredients, all the chemicals, and make us a living cell. If you can make it?" That should be the answer to that.
Prabhupāda: They are so foolish. I very strongly talk with them. Still, stubborn, doggish. That scientist, I told him in his..., that "You are a demon." I told him, "You are a demon." So he tolerated. (laughs)
Morning Walk -- November 13, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: All unfortunate, now they are. They have been so much trained badly. They say frankly, "Oh, this Hare Kṛṣṇa we have seen." In America when they chant... The Americans are chanting on the street, and the Indian students, "Oh, this we have done much. We have nothing to..." Here also they are thinking like that: "What is this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement? Eh? A beggars' movement." śāstra says, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21), and these rascals are thinking, "Oh, Hare Kṛṣṇa we have seen." You see? They have become so greatly intelligent, these rascals. They do not believe in śāstra, in sādhu, in God. All these "incarnations" and big, big men, they say, "Oh, what is the use of śāstra?" Even this Ānandamāyā says that "In higher advancement there is no need of śāstra." He is above śāstra. He, she says like that. And Kṛṣṇa said, yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ, na sa siddhim avāpnoti (BG 16.23), immediately condemned: "If you don't believe in śāstra, you are rascal." Kṛṣṇa said. And they say, "Oh, there is no need of..." And he's an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. This Bal-yogi rascal is doing that: "There is no need of śāstra." This is going on. Now he's finished, of course. His activity is finished. (break)...strength of śāstra we are challenging that "You have never gone to the moon planet." Who can do so? The whole world is accepting they have gone to moon planet, and we are challenging, "You have never gone to moon." Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thank you very much. (end)
Morning Walk -- November 18, 1975, Bombay: Dr. Patel: Few scientists may be like that. That does not mean all scientists are like that. We are here. Half a dozen of us are scientists, aren't we here?
Prabhupāda: No, no. Suppose you are a scientist, I am scientist, so if you do not believe in God, I believe in God...
Dr. Patel: How can I not believe in God?
Prabhupāda: No, no. You say some of the scientists.
Dr. Patel: No, somebody else does not believe in God. Don't put me there. (laughter) He does not believe in God. Suppose he does not believe in God. (laughter) It is impossible for me not to believe in God, how much I may try even in my dream. It is impossible.
Prabhupāda: No, I am speaking not you but a scientist, so-called scientist. So what did he say? That "There is no need of God"?
Girirāja: Yes. He said, "We don't know where the elements came from that made the creation, but we know that we don't require God to explain it."
Prabhupāda: This is the reply. All the so-called scientists, their only point is how to deny the existence of God.
Morning Walk -- November 18, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: So that we can understand, that he is grasping like a fool. Therefore we call them "fools, rascals." There was a newspaper interview with a so-called scientist.
Dr. Patel: The great-grandfather of modern science, Einstein, did he not believe in God? He made darśana of God everywhere. Even in explosion of atom he saw it. Even in his theory of relativity, he finally said it was wrong. "All things are relative to God." That is what he said. And I don't think there is a greater scientist than Einstein in the modern times.
Prabhupāda: There are some scientists...
Dr. Patel: If other fellows say any damn thing, that does not mean... Even though he may be a Nobel Prize winner, that does not mean that he is really a true scientist. He may be all right. He is looking through a long narrow tube in his own subject, a specialist. I have my definition about a specialist is a one who sees through long narrow tube and he got this much vision of the horizon. Such a man may be saying like this to you. I don't think we should deride that science... Scientists are trying to approach God through their own way, sir. That is what I think.
Prabhupāda: That is rascaldom.
Morning Walk -- November 18, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: Just like the students, they say... What do they say? The students?
Girirāja: That in the beginning there was a chunk, and it exploded, and there's no God.
Prabhupāda: How they are spoiling the career. Whole life is spoiled. They are being taught in this way. Andha yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). This is going on, schools, colleges: "Don't believe in God." That has become a fashion, advancement. Yes. (Hindi)
Dr. Patel: But all are not like that.
Indian man (1): Not all, but some. (Hindi)
Prabhupāda: Not some, ninety percent.
Dr. Patel: Some of the fools like him may be thinking like that. I have been right from the... I was born in science and I never thought that there was no God.
Prabhupāda: No, no, you...
Dr. Patel: Do you call me an exception?
Prabhupāda: I know that. I know. I know you.
Morning Walk -- November 26, 1975, New Delhi: Harikeśa: So faith in knowledge.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Knowledge means received from the superior. Like the child gets knowledge from the father. That kind of faith is required. If the child does not believe the statement of father and mother, he cannot make any progress. If the child does not believe the statement of mother, he does not know who is his father. So there must be faith, faith in the right person. Then it is all right. If you have got faith in the person who has got eyes to lead you, then he will help you to cross the road. And if you put your faith to another blind man like you, then it will cause disaster. Faith is required, but to the right person. Then it will be all right. You know that one barber is honest: then you can make your neck like this and he is with a sharpened razor. But you have faith that "He will not cut my throat; he will shave me." This is faith. And if you do not know him and if you put your neck like this and if he is a rogue, he will cut your throat. That's all. The same faith, if you put it to the right person, you become cleansed, shaved, and the same faith put in the wrong person—your throat is cut off. So you must know where to put the faith. So our Vedic injunction is: "Put your faith to the brahma-nistam, one who is God-realized." Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-paniḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭam: (MU 1.2.12) "One who has full knowledge in the Vedas and firmly fixed up in Brahman, God, you put your faith there." Otherwise there will be disaster. Right faith. (break) ...you call Prabhakara?
Tejās: I called him on the phone.
Morning Walk -- November 26, 1975, New Delhi: Prabhupāda: But they do not accept this, such a foolish person.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Any sane man, if he found out what the consequences will be, he would listen to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Prabhupāda: They do not believe next life, that, to dismiss all these ideas. If there is no next life... Bhasmi bhūtasya... Atheists, they do not believe next life. All big, big men in Europe, they say, "No, there is no life." Here also.
Haṁsadūta: They will say, "We have no evidence, no evidence of..."
Prabhupāda: Evidence is there. Still, you are so rascal. Evidence is you were a child. That is the evidence. Where is that body? A very simple evidence, but these rascals are so dull, they cannot understand.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They accept what is good for their sense gratification, and what is not good, they won't accept.
Prabhupāda: And where is sense gratification? (break)
Harikeśa: Everything is unmanifest in the beginning, manifest in the middle, and unmanifest at the end. So why should I care for anything in this lifetime?
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Harikeśa: If it's all unmanifest in the beginning, it's only manifest in the middle, and it's unmanifest again at the end, why should I care about anything this life?
Prabhupāda: Then why you are making so much arrangement for sense gratification?
Harikeśa: Well, I can enjoy while I've got it.
Morning Walk -- November 30, 1975, Delhi: Harikeśa: But limited quantity.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No.
Prabhupāda: They do not believe in the transmigration of the soul and they are "Awake." Just see these rascals. They have no preliminary knowledge even, and they are writing books, Awake.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They have a very big press in New York, Jehovah Witness, Brooklyn Bridge.
Harikeśa: They say the world is going to end next year.
Prabhupāda: Ācchā?
Harikeśa: Then they also say if it doesn't end next year, that it's Biblically correct to say that it may end in three years after that.
Prabhupāda: And then again seven years. Then again ten years. They are so awakened. So rascals.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We can ask them to sell their press to us because the world is going to end.
Prabhupāda: No, give us free.
Morning Walk -- December 7, 1975, Vrndavana: Prabhupāda: ...ly regret is that these rascals are going as scientists and big men. Simply talk. They cannot create. It is very simple thing. Put some chemicals together and if you know the chemicals, then why don't you put it? And incubator put, then you don't require to kill so many chicken. (break)
Alanath: In Sweden when you go on the street and you preach, "Everybody must suffer here," they don't believe because everybody got an apartment. They have never seen a poor man or a starving cow.
Prahupada: But he is himself a poor man.
Alanath: In Sweden...
Prabhupāda: But he has no knowledge to understand it. Why he is falling down from the skyscraper and killing himself? Why? A poor man commits suicide. So if he is committing suicide he is a poor man. He is a poor man. He falsely thinking that he is rich man.
Alanath: We're printing now a book there with all the talks according to the scientists and according to the Christian philosophy what was lately in the Back to Godheads in America.
Prabhupāda: Don't write anything nonsense. It must be very solid. Otherwise, you'll be laughing stock. What you'll say, it must...
Alanath: No, just the talks you make. Just your conversations.
Aksayānanda: Your lectures only.
Prabhupāda: Oh. That's all right. One must be confident before challenging others. Not that theoretical. Challenge is no good. In all stages he must be able to defend himself from the opposing elements. Then such challenge is all right. (break) We are confident that this soul cannot be manufactured by any material combination. Therefore we can challenge. And I can defend ourself in any stage.
Morning Walk -- December 10, 1975, Vrndavana: Prabhupāda: So who reads Raja Gopalācārya's Mahābhārata? (laughter) They are rotting at Bharatiya Vidyabhavan.
Akṣayānanda: They're rotting in the bookshelves and the insects are eating.
Indian man: But in Somanath... I went last year there when I was in Gujarat. The people, they don't believe, the people of Somanath, that he was killed by... like that. So these philosophers, simply for their name, they put some kind of theories so that people can, "Oh!" They can understand all this nonsense. (break)
Prabhupāda: These pastimes of Kṛṣṇa is to make the fools more fool. One who is thinking of Kṛṣṇa as ordinary man, Kṛṣṇa is playing this part to show them, "Yes, see. I am dying, this. You see."
Indian man: What He said? Avajānanti mā mūḍhāḥ.
Prabhupāda: Mūḍha janmani janmani (BG 16.20). He'll remain mūḍha janmani janmani (BG 16.20). This is this pastime. Life after life, he shall remain a fool, rascal. So this Raja Gopalācārya and company, they'll remain in darkness life after life. For them this pastime is there. Avajānanti mā mūḍh mānusīm tanum āśritaḥ: "The rascals, they think of Me as ordinary human being." To such rascals, He is playing like: "Yes, you see I am ordinary human being. Just see. I am dying." This is... To keep them life after life in darkness. If it is so easy to understand Kṛṣṇa, that He is dying-Acchā. "I have read it. I have seen. He has died." Then what is the use of saying, manuṣyāṇā sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3)? Out of many millions of persons one can understand Kṛṣṇa. Then what is the use of saying this? If it is so easy to understand Kṛṣṇa, what He is doing, what for He is doing, then everyone could understand Kṛṣṇa. Then what is the use of saying, manuṣyāṇā sahasreṣu? This requires intelligence.
Room Conversation -- December 14, 1975, New Delhi: Prabhupāda: Hm. But they do not know; na te vidu svartha-gati hi viṣṇum; these rascals they do not know what is the actual aim of life. They are, in the groups of ordinary men, they are doing some business opened this transcendental TM shop, that's all. Cheating. Cheating. All of them are are going on, cheating. Nobody knows the real interest is to go back to home, back to Godhead. Nobody knows. Ask any so-called sādhu, yogi, swami—they do not know. They read Bhagavad-gītā but they do not understand. (sic:) Yad jñātv na nivartante tad dhāma parama mama, so what do they understand, these... tyaktv deha punar janma naiti mam eti so'rjuna. They do not believe all these things, therefore they say.. Swami Chinmayananda says that whatever is necessary we shall accept; other ślokas we shall reject. This is his, this rascal's philosophy. As if Kṛṣṇa says something superfluous. They say like that. And the other day some gentleman came, "It is ficticious writing... You were present?
Haṁsadūta: Hm.
Prabhupāda: "Why he is not silent?" Kṛṣṇa is not silent. Kṛṣṇa is speaking. Why you should be silent when I challenge you like this. He said, he could not answer. This is going on. So many things they are doing, if they are challenged, they cannot answer. You were present? I told him, "Why silent? Kṛṣṇa is not silent. He says continually, Bhagavān uvāca; page after page, and he's saying "Why he should silent?" He gave me the information that Brahman was silent and anyone who would go to him, he would remain silent and the message would be transferred.
Morning Walk -- December 16, 1975, Bombay: Prabhupāda: He's a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
Dr. Patel: Yes, he's a brāhmaṇa devotee of Kṛṣṇa. And a great teacher, he was at university, a professor of Gujarati literature and a great, well-renowned poet...
Prabhupāda: So you do not come to our temple?
Man: Don't believe what he says! (laughter) I am just a humble servant.
Prabhupāda: That is wanted. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Gopī bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsanudāsa...
Dr. Patel: He only writes poems on God, Mr. Bethai. His name is Bethai, because he comes from the Bet.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Dr. Patel: Dvaraka-bet.
Prabhupāda: (Bengali:) ...puri sankhe bole mane ram. That don't go to any... Sit down anywhere and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
