Prabhupāda: So our process is to cleanse the heart, not the opulence or poverty. No, that is not our . . . to cleanse the heart. If the poor man is cleansed in his heart he will not touch anybody's property. I heard that King, er, Emperor Edward VII, his habit was to steal.
Lt. Mozee: Yes, he was a kleptomaniac. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: And I have known many instances. In Calcutta one very rich man's son, in the evening he would take his bath and dress nicely, and he would go to the Howrah station and beg, cheat, means: "I have lost my purse. Will you kindly help me?" And any gentleman, "He has lost . . ." And he will go to the restaurant and eat and go home. That was his habit. He was a very rich man, but his habit was this. So we have to change the habit by changing the heart. You know very well. Many thieves, they have committed many times theft and put into the jail.
So he knows that, "If I commit theft, I will go to the jail." He has practically seen it, and he knows it. Still, he steals. Why? His heart is unclean. So this process will cleanse the heart. Unless he cleans the heart, you cannot stop criminality simply by laws. Laws are already known. The professional thief, he knows the law. The professional murderer, he knows the law. But still, he commits, because heart is unclean. And our process: to cleanse the heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), it is Sanskrit, "Cleansing the heart." Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam, "Then all the troubles of this material world will be solved."
Lt. Mozee: A very difficult task, sir.
Prabhupāda: It is not difficult. Very simple task. To ask them, "Please come here, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, dance, and take sumptuously prasādam, go home"—where is the difficulty? And they are coming; we are doing that. But we are doing—because we have no money—we are doing on a small scale. But if the government gives us facility we can expand this scale. That's all. We are collecting money . . . of course, we are doing our business by selling these books. We have got many books. And we are inviting men; they are coming, and gradually increasing. There is no dearth of men or devotees. But the government is faced with these difficulties, "Crime, why and what to do?" So we are suggesting this.
Because they are unclean in their heart, therefore there is crime, and take this process, it will be successful. This is our . . . they are faced with the problem, "Why crime, and what to do?" and we are giving the answer. So you take advantage of it. Why? We are saying: "Because they are godless." And what to do? Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and take prasādam. Now if you like, you can take. Otherwise, we are doing our own business. Just like a poor medical man: he is also giving medicine, but if he is given facility, he can open a big hospital. That is our proposition. We are already doing that business. But if we get facility from the authorities, then we can open a big place, big hospital. And the problem is already big. Otherwise, why they are saying: "What to do?"
Lt. Mozee: Well, there are . . .
Prabhupāda: No civil state wants this criminality. That's a fact. But they do not know how to stop it. That we can suggest. We are good advisor. Now, the government is the executor. So if they take our advice and execute it, then things will be done nicely.
Lt. Mozee: There are countless numbers in the United States of large facilities of the Christian faith, and, like you, they give the refreshment of the holy communion. Why does this not work? Why is this not cleansing the heart?
Prabhupāda: The answer is . . . then we come to the details. So you say: "Christian," and I find to find out a Christian . . . I find difficulty to find out one Christian. I must frankly say, because the so-called Christians, they do not abide by the Bible's order that in the Christian's Bible it is said: "Thou shall not kill," and where is a Christian who does not kill? So this can be effective only persons who are practicing religion. So these persons, they are trained to practice. So their chanting of the holy name of God and others' are different. (break) It is not simply a rubber-stamp position. It must be practiced, realized. This chanting of holy name by our men who are trained up and the same chanting by others will be different. Of course, if we . . . (break) . . . your Hindu principle. That is secular state, not to remain callous, "Whatever you like, you can do. We have no concern to see." That is not government's duty.
Lt. Mozee: Sir, isn't the difficulty, rather, that the group of . . . I want to call them hard-core group—the priests, the devotees, the followers, the little circle of people, have always been the ones that have followed the practices—but the fringe . . . assume for example that Hare Kṛṣṇa grew to gigantic proportions as Christianity has grown. Would not it be the problem that the fringe areas, the ones who were not . . . who professed to be the followers . . . would not they be the difficulty as the Christian is today? You have said that you . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes, that possibility is always there. But my proposal is that if you are not true Christian, then your preaching will not be effective. I don't say that now we are strictly following and we will not fall down in future. I don't say that. That fall-down propensity, tendency, is always there. But my proposal is that unless one is strictly follower of the principles, his preaching will not be effective. That is my charge.