Guest (1): Can you tell us what the program is for Hindu priests or Hindu holy man, swami.
Prabhupāda: It is not the question of Hindu. I say the description of great souls. Either he may be Hindu or Christian. It doesn't matter. Great soul, the description or the symptom of great souls... (break) ...one has to become Muhammadan, one has to become Christian. Just like if I say that "You speak truth. Don't speak lie." It is not that it is applicable to the Hindus or to the Christians. It is applicable to everyone.
Guest (1): But in the Hindu religion do they have a certain title for the holy man? Do they call the holy man swami?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Swami means, I have described, that who has conquered over the demands of the senses. That is swami. Swami means who has attained the perfection of not being dictated by the senses. He is called swami.
Guest (1): Is that the equivalent of a Hindu priest?
Prabhupāda: Not Hindu priest. Hindu priest... There are many so-called priests. They are dictated by so many sense gratification. And there are many others also in other parts of the world who are restrained. So as you inquire what is swami, swami means master. And master, what does it mean? Master of the senses. Generally people are driven by the dictation of the senses. So if you can control your senses, then you become a swami.
Guest (1): Do they have a period of training or a program for the training of the swamis?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Certainly.
Guest (1): Can you tell me how long the program takes?
Prabhupāda: That depends on the student. Yes. If you can quickly can control... There are processes. Just like we are training here. They're American boys, but we are training them in that process. We don't allow our students to have illicit sex life. We don't allow our students to indulge in nonvegetarian diet. We don't allow our students for intoxication. And we don't allow our students for gambling. So these four principles they are practicing, they are chanting, and they are restraining. In this way, when one is trained as brahmacārī, then he can become a swami later on. Yes. The training is there.
Guest (1): Is there a process of training to become swami, a process of training?
Prabhupāda: Yes. The real aim is spiritual realization. But for realizing perfect spiritual life one has to undergo some training. Just like if one is serious of being cured of a certain type of disease he has to undergo certain type of training or regulation as prescribed by the physician. Then he gets cured. Similarly, we are all materially diseased at the present time. So spiritual life means completely freed from material disease. The material diseases are birth, death, old age, and bodily diseases. They are material disease. Because I am spirit soul, I am eternal. I have no death. I have no birth. But because I am contaminated with this material body, therefore with the birth and death of this body I am thinking that I am taking birth and dying. That is my material condition of life. Actually I am not subjected to birth and death. These things are very nicely described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So the immortality of the soul, transmigration of the soul, everything is described there. So there are books of authority. If we learn, if we'll be trained, then our spiritual liberation is open. Therefore it is recommended here that one should associate with great souls. Without associating with great souls we don't get all this information.