Prabhupāda: Yes. Certainly. If you want to know me, then you must know about me from me. You can not speculate about me. If you speculate that, "Swāmījī is so rich," or "Swāmī might have so much bank balance also," or "He may be so . . ." This is all speculation. But when I say that my bank balance is such and such, that is right knowledge.
Reporter: I didn't understand you.
Prabhupāda: That suppose if you are speculating what may be the Swāmījī's strength of bank balance. So how you can know it by speculation? But if I say that my bank balance is such and such, than you can understand what is bank balance. So by speculative knowledge you cannot understand God. When God says what He is, then you can understand.
Reporter: Do you feel also that if someone read the Bhagava . . .? I can't pronounce it . . .
Rāmeśvara: Bhagavad-gītā.
Reporter: . . . Bhagavad-gītā and other books, that a person merely by reading these could attain knowledge of Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Why not?
Reporter: Would that person have to have contact with you and learn from you also?
Prabhupāda: Yes, it is explained; there is no difficulty. But if there is difficulty to understand, then we have to approach a person who has understood Bhagavad-gītā. Otherwise the language is very plain; there is no difficulty. Unfortunately, they bring their own interpretation and spoil the whole thing.
Reporter: Um . . .
Prabhupāda: Otherwise where is the difficulty? Just like the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā it is said:
- dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre
- samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
- māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva
- kim akurvata sañjaya
- (BG 1.1)
The beginning of Bhagavad-gītā is the battlefield, and the battlefield is called Kurukṣetra. So Kurukṣetra is still there in India, but these so-called learned scholars, politicians, they're squeezing out some meaning out of Kurukṣetra. What is the necessity? Kurukṣetra is a place where actually, historically the battle took place. (Reporter changes cassette of tape recorder) (break)
Rāmeśvara: . . . culture
Prabhupāda: Yes. Attentive.
Reporter: You don't see any slowing down of the impact of . . .
Prabhupāda: No. It can be slowed down unless we spoil it.
Reporter: Is there anyone who is designated to succeed you as the primary teacher of the movement?
Prabhupāda: I am training some, I mean to say, advanced students so that they may be very easily take up the charge. I have made them GBC. They are under my direct training, and I think they will be able to conduct this movement.
Reporter: Do you expect to name one person as your successor, or have you already?
Prabhupāda: That I am not contemplating now. But there is no need of one person. As other things are managed, but by committee, so this can also be managed, and the committee may elect one person as chief. As, just like in the democracy there are senators and there is president, so it may be I may nominate or they can nominate.