Hari-śauri: (reading from dictionary) Says, "Religion: 1. monastic condition, being a monk or a nun; enter into a monastic order; 2. practice of sacred rites; 3. one of the prevalent systems of faith and worship, i.e. Christian, Muhammadan, etc.; 4. human recognition of superhuman controlling power, and especially of a personal God entitled to obedience; effect of such recognition on conduct and mental attitude."
Prabhupāda: This is religion. Personal conception of God.
Hari-śauri: And then "5. action that one is bound to do."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Everything is there. Any one of them you take. That's good idea, but special conception of personal God, huh? What is that?
Hari-śauri: Yeah. "Human recognition of superhuman controlling power, and especially of a personal God entitled to obedience."
Prabhupāda: That's all, clear. What are the other items?
Hari-śauri: Then, "the effect of such recognition on conduct and mental attitude." And then "action that one is bound to do."
Prabhupāda: One is bound to do. Dharmena hina paśubhiḥ samana. If he does not do, then he's animal. It must be done. There is no question of optional. If you are human being, you must be religious, you must recognize the supreme controller. Otherwise, you are animal. What is the other interpretations? Beginning one?
Hari-śauri: "Monastic condition, being a monk or a nun, or to enter into a monastic order."
Prabhupāda: Just like every religion has got some condition, monastic, is it not?
Hari-śauri: Yes, every religion has a system of priests and, er . . .
Prabhupāda: (coughs severely for a few minutes) Monastic condition?
Hari-śauri: "Practice of sacred rites."
Prabhupāda: So, without reference to God, what is the meaning of sacred rites? Everything is reference that accepting the supreme controller. That is the real meaning. At least, Christian religion accepts God, Muhammadan religion accepts God, or Hindu religion accepts God. So without God, how it can be religion? Hmm? If there is no understanding of God, the conclusion comes that there is no religion. Fictitious. "We trust in God," but do not know what is God. This is going on. So we have to fight against all this nonsense. Nonsense scientists, nonsense religionists. What do you think?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Necessary.
Prabhupāda: It is not easy-going, sleeping business. We have to fight with so many demons. Otherwise, kava dava adakanam(?), my Guru Mahārāja used to say. Beg some rice, and bring it and cook it, and eat and sleep.
Pradyumna: Kava daka . . .?
Prabhupāda: Kava dava adakanam. As all our Godbrothers are doing. They have got a little temple, and a few devotees go and beg rice and cook it, and eat and sleep, that's all.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: It's like being dead almost.
Prabhupāda: No fighting spirit. Ṭhākura dekhiya . . . (indistinct) . . ..
Pradyumna: Ṭhākura dekhiya . . .?
Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct) . . .. Just make a Deity, show. Our Tīrtha Mahārāja is doing that. His whole idea was that "I have now captured the birthplace of Caitanya Mahāprabhu by high-court favor. Now I have got everything. People will come, and they'll pay something, and that will be my income for my family," as the caste gosvāmīs do in Navadvīpa and other . . . A means of livelihood. He has no devotion. He wanted as a means of income. Like the Vṛndāvana gosvāmīs, Navadvīpa gosvāmīs do. Little devotion automatically there is. They are, after all, worshiping the Deity. But their purpose is different.