Prabhupāda: Perfection is to please Kṛṣṇa. If by . . . You are doing everything, that's all right; but if by your working Kṛṣṇa is satisfied, then that working is perfect. If Kṛṣṇa is not satisfied, then it is useless, waste of time.
Guest (2): But how do I come to know that Kṛṣṇa is satisfied?
Prabhupāda: That you have to learn by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By becoming . . . just like Kṛṣṇa says, whatever Kṛṣṇa says, you have to do that. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65): "Always think of Me, become My devotee, offer your obeisances unto Me," man-manā bhava, "become My devotee." So if you abide by this, then Kṛṣṇa is satisfied. Kṛṣṇa says, yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27): "Whatever you are doing, it doesn't matter, but you do it for Me."
Guest (2): Without any selfish interest.
Prabhupāda: Yes. You remain servant of Kṛṣṇa. Just like a servant discharges his duty very faithfully for the satisfaction of the master, similarly, you have got industry, if you work in this industrial work for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa . . . Just like this boy behind you, he is working somewhere, getting good salary. But I had told him that "Some percentage you must give to Kṛṣṇa." He is regularly giving.
Guest (2): If I feel I have love for Kṛṣṇa, is that enough to be a devotee?
Prabhupāda: But you must show how your love . . . simply if you say . . . suppose, anywhere in this material world, if you say somebody that, "I love you," but there is no symptoms of love, then what kind of love? Love symptoms means dadāti, giving. First symptom. Just like when a boy goes to love a girl, he brings something. That is ordinary etiquette. So first beginning of love is dadāti, pratigṛhṇāti. If I love you, I must give you. And if you offer me, I will take it, I will take something. Pratigṛhṇāti. Exchange, giving and taking. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti, bhuṅkte bhojayate. If you love somebody, give him to eat, and whatever he gives you, you also eat. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate, guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. And if you love somebody, then you disclose your mind to him and try to understand him also. By these six processes the symptoms of love is there. But if you say that "I love you," but there is no action . . .
Guest (2): That giving duty . . . that giving should be without any intention of taking.
Prabhupāda: No, no profit-making, no business, that "I give you something. I must have something from you." No, no. Love means without any desire, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), without any motive. That is pure love. If I give you something without any motive, that is pure love.
Guest (3) (Indian man): (indistinct Hindi) . . . there are three factors: one, duty towards God, duty towards the family, duty towards the business, duty towards the country, duty towards the society. Then how is he to balance himself in these duties?
Prabhupāda: Duty, there are so many duties. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says: vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām (BG 2.41) "Those who are actually perfect, their buddhi is one. And those who are not perfect, their buddhi is distributed in so many ways." Just like you said, duties, so many, so many, this, that, this, that. But just like there are many branches and twigs and leaves and flowers in a tree, but if you pour water in the root, then it approaches everywhere.
Guest (3): Yes. Therefore the duty's also in the strong room.
Prabhupāda: Just try to understand that you must know how to discharge your duty. Because you do not know what is duty, therefore you are placing so many other duties: nationality, this, this. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya (CC Madhya 22.62). If you become devotee . . . just like your son. Is he not maintaining his family? Is he not maintaining, respecting his father, mother, he is not doing his duty in the service, he is doing his spiritual master? But his main principle is that he is devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So if you become devotee of Kṛṣṇa, you can discharge your duties properly; otherwise you cannot. It is not possible. If you want to pour water leaf after leaf, it will be useless waste of time. But if you pour water in the center, on the root, it will go everywhere. Because he is devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he knows how to discharge his duty towards his parents, how to discharge his duty to his wife, how to discharge his duties towards his spiritual master. He knows everything. But one who is not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he does not know. He is simply confused—sometimes jumping here, something jumping there, something jumping there. He does not know how to pour water.
Guest (1): But what should be the first step to become a devotee.
Prabhupāda: Yes, dadāti. Dadāti. That I have already explained. Dadāti. He must give. Give. Everyone goes to God to beg: "God, give us our daily bread." But one must go to God to give Him. "If I do not give bread to Kṛṣṇa, He will be starving." This is devotee's mentality. Yaśodāmāyī. Yaśodāmāyī is thinking, Kṛṣṇa, "If I do not feed Kṛṣṇa well, my child will die." This is devotion. Otherwise, everyone is asking from Kṛṣṇa. But Yaśodā-mā is thinking that "If I do not maintain Kṛṣṇa properly, He will die." Therefore he (she) is always trying to supply everything, mākhana, miśri. So real love begins when you try to give God. Everyone is trying to take from God, "O Father, give us our daily bread." This is not pure devotee. This is good, because he has approached God, but this is not devotion. It is not devotion, it is . . . means business: "God, give me something, then I will love You." Is it not?
Guest (1): But giving means, you know, giving part of what you earn, or some other way? When you say give . . . Prabhupāda: Give means, you want to take something from God: "God, give me wealth, give me fame" Yaśo dehi.
Guest (1): No, if we want to give to God . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes, when you learn to give God. Generally . . .
Guest (1): Therefore, if a man feels empty, what he can offer?
Prabhupāda: No, no, empty . . . God says that you can give Him patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26). You can give Him little flower, little fruit, little leaf, little water, He is satisfied. Not that you have to give millions of dollars. But if you have got millions of dollars, and if you think, "God will be satisfied with little fruit," that is cheating. God knows, "He is a cheater. He has got millions of dollars and offering me little leaf, little water." He is intelligent enough. He knows that he's a cheater. People do that. Bhakti in the mind, God, and for others, garama garama purī. And for Kṛṣṇa, within the mind, meditate. (laughter) God knows that "He is a cheater number one. He is preparing purī for himself, and for Me he is meditating." What is this nonsense? How meditation will help?
Guest (1): God expects something from you.
Prabhupāda: God does not expect. It is for your good. If you are simply taking from God, now if you learn how to give God, that is your perfection. That is your perfection. Why God will ask from you? He is all-perfect. He does not want. He is not hungry. He is feeding millions of living entities. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Why God will ask from you? But if you give your life to God, then you become perfect. God is not want of, in your service or anything. He is complete. If He is not complete, He is not God. These are all mental concoction. What you can do? What you have got to give charity?
Guest (4) (Indian man): What is the position of man . . .
Prabhupāda: You are poor man. What you can give, charity? Why you are thinking that you can give in charity? Therefore God says, dadāsi yat: "If you are thinking to make some charity, give it to Me. Come on." Just like Bali Mahārāja was approached by Vāmanadeva. The Supreme Lord went to Bali Mahārāja, "Bali Mahārāja, give Me some land." You see? So these are all mental concoction. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says that "If you have got such mentality to give some charity, give it to Me. Come on." The first thing is you try to learn how to give God.
Guest (1): But Gurujī, giving those who are in need is not giving to God?
Prabhupāda: That is your philosophy. That is your philosophy. Everyone is needy here.
Guest (3): Now people . . . there are drought conditions. People are starving. Cattles are dying. There are no rains.
Prabhupāda: Yes, because they are not God conscious, they are thinking like that. Now, suppose in the hospital, there are many patients. They are starving, many patients in the hospital. Do you know that or not? So why don't you give them food? They are starving. Why? Why don't you go to the hospital, and you'll find hundreds of patients, they are starving. So similarly, why you are bothering? You are not bothering the hospital because you know that is right they are starving. That is the physician's prescription. They must starve. So if you know God, then you will understand that you cannot help anyone. They are put into the starving condition under certain condition. So you cannot help them. You are simply thinking that, "I will help." There are hundreds and thousands, millions of people starving. What you can do, even if you try to give some something? Just like this Vivekananda philosophy, daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā, to serve the poor Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa has become poor. These are manufactured things. This is not with reference to the authorized śāstras or knowledge. What they can do? They raise subscription, huge subscription, on this plea, daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā. And Swami Nikhilananda in New York, he personally said: "Now these Americans ask me that 'You take from us so much money for daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā, but when we go to India, we see all these daridra-nārāyaṇas are lying on the footpath. What you are doing for them?' " What you can do? You are simply thinking falsely. What you have got to give? Just oil in your own machine. Try to understand God, instead of thinking foolishly, "Oh, what I shall do, this? What I shall do, that?" First of all try to understand the situation.
Indian lady: (Hindi: (indistinct) . . . of God)
Prabhupāda: (Hindi: So who does not know? What can you do? You do any service related God then you will understand. What will happen by thinking like that? Cam you . . . (indistinct) . . .? Keep thinking for your whole life, what is the benefit in that?)
Guest (1): (Hindi: Guruji, there is one thing, doing something is better than nothing . . .)
Prabhupāda: (Hindi: Whatever you are doing, do it wisely, the way I just said now. Just like in this hospital, there are so many patients who are starving. Why do not they go? Because he is been told by doctor not to eat. Now understood? In this way, in the whole world, there are all classes. There are many poor . . .)