Author: Sir, when somebody joins your movement, when they first come to see your movement, what presents itself to them—men with shaven heads and saffron-colored robes who dance in the street and who sing songs, strange songs . . .
Prabhupāda: We . . . (indistinct) . . . what we require.
Author: These are strange aspects. And in themselves they are not especially significant to an understanding of the philosophy, are they?
Prabhupāda: No, this is . . . this chanting and dancing is for mass of people. But when you want to discuss philosophy, we have got volumes of books. Yes. Both things we have got. We are attracting both the intelligent class of men and the mass of people, even the children.
Author: Now, sir, I think you agree that when . . . if you agree that this is the first thing that people generally see of your movement, then surely, if I am to write a book in which I am to describe the movement, it is necessary for me to describe some of the . . .
Prabhupāda: But if he is actually, anyone wants to see, so he should see our books also, magazines also. Why does he not see? We, our, send our boys in the streets with books. If you are not liking this saffron dress and dancing, why don't you read the books?
Author: No, I don't think you take my point. What I am saying is that . . . let us imagine that the reader who picks up the book, this book that I am going to write, I hope, is very much like a person who sees the devotees dancing in the street, because he is seeing something for the first time. Now, it's necessary, surely, to describe these external and superficial features.
Prabhupāda: It is not superficial. This dancing is spiritual ecstasy. Otherwise, it is not a dog's dancing. You see? Any gentleman, if I ask you, "Please dance on this footpath," will you agree? It is not that dancing. You don't compare with that dancing. It is not dog's dancing. They chant, they feel—they dance.
That is another thing. You try to understand it. If they are coming from respectable family . . . now, here is a boy. He is a professor. So if I ask him, "Please go and dance on the footpath," will he agree? A professor will agree? But when a professor dances, there is something. You should understand.
Author: But, sir, I'm not saying that the dancing is meaningless. I was saying that when one sees people dancing, that doesn't mean anything.
Prabhupāda: That does not mean to you.