Rāmeśvara: Kṛṣṇa's arrangement, after all. Anything material or anything spiritual, it's His arrangement.
Prabhupāda: What we say material, that is not aloof from Kṛṣṇa. That is also Kṛṣṇa's energy. Just like darkness and light: both of them are related to the sun. Is it not? What is darkness? Absence of light. Is it not?
Interviewer: Can you tell me what this painting up here is?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Painting of the spiritual sky.
Prabhupāda: Explain.
Interviewer: Painting of the spiritual sky?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, it's a picture of the entire creation. It shows many different . . . each of these spheres is a planet. And you may notice that on the right-hand bottom corner there is a darker area. That darker portion is known as the material world. By "world" we don't mean just mean this planet; we mean a composite of all of the material universes. But these only make up one small portion of the entire creation. Just for our understanding it's said to be about one fourth of the creation, the entire composite of all the material universes. The other three-fourths are made up of spiritual planets, which are self-illuminating. There's no need of sunshine or moon, light or electricity. (break) . . . and full of knowledge, whereas here life is very temporary and it's not always blissful, and there's a lot of ignorance also.
Interviewer: But you are living in a spiritual planet here?
Rāmeśvara: No.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, this planet is part of the material universe, but because our consciousness is Kṛṣṇa conscious, or God conscious, practically we are not affected very much by the conditions of the material world. Just like one of the conditions is fearfulness of death. But because we're . . .
Prabhupāda: I can give one example. Just like royal throne. The king is there, and a bug is there.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: On a royal throne there's a king . . .
Prabhupāda: And the bug.
Rāmeśvara: Also a mosquito may be there also, some bug.
Prabhupāda: But the mosquito is mosquito, and the king is king, although they are sitting on the same place.
Bali-mardana: Both sitting on the throne.
Rāmeśvara: So we're both . . . everyone is here on this planet. Some people are affected by the material conditions . . .
Prabhupāda: He's mosquito.
Rāmeśvara: He's the bug.
Prabhupāda: This is the best example. On the throne, both of them are sitting, but king's consciousness and mosquito's consciousness are different. It is not because they are on the same throne, therefore of the same consciousness.
Interviewer: (aside) I must bring attention to the time.
Prabhupāda: Mosquito's business is to bite, and king's business is to rule over.
Rāmeśvara: Another important thing to note about this painting is that the material world is said to be a reflection of the spiritual world. Just like here in this universe there are many planets, similarly there are many planets in the spiritual world. But it is a perverted reflection.
Prabhupāda: And besides that, even we are claiming to be very materially advanced, we do not know everything of the material world. Just like so big universe, material, what do we know about that? We have no knowledge practically. Even of the material world we have no sufficient knowledge, what to speak of the spiritual world.
Interviewer: Could you tell me something about your altar?
Prabhupāda: Just explain. This Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Lord Nityānanda, we are worshiping Him.
Rāmeśvara: The two figures on the throne of the altar represent an incarnation of God named Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, and They both appeared in India approximately five hundred years ago. They are incarnations of God, God Himself, who descends into this world. So those forms represent the Supreme Lord. Therefore we are worshiping Them.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And the pictures . . .
Rāmeśvara: And below, on the step, are the pictures of the spiritual masters coming in the disciplic succession from Lord Caitanya when He appeared in this world five hundred years ago.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Lord Caitanya started this movement, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa congregationally. It was predicted five thousand years ago in the Vedic scriptures that in this age, this present age, the Lord would appear and would teach the real religious process for this age, which is chanting of the holy names.
Rāmeśvara: This is very traditional in India, temple worship and the figures are on the altar. It's very, very traditional. It goes back many thousands of years.
Interviewer: Let me ask you one more question. Why are you returning to India? Had you ever considered staying here in the United States?
Prabhupāda: (chuckles) I have got branches everywhere. Just like I am coming here after traveling so many branches, similarly I am going to India.