Hari-śauri: Purport: "People in general always require a leader who can teach the public by practical behavior. A leader cannot teach the public to stop smoking if he himself smokes. Lord Caitanya said that a teacher should behave properly even before he begins teaching. One who teaches in that way is called ācārya, or the ideal teacher. Therefore, a teacher must follow the principles of śāstra, scripture, to reach the common man. The teacher cannot manufacture rules against the principles of revealed scriptures. The revealed scriptures, like Manu-saṁhitā and others, are considered the standard books to be followed by human society. Thus the leader's teaching should be based on the principles of the standard rules as they are practiced by the great teachers. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also affirms that one should follow in the footsteps of great devotees, and this is the way of progress on the path of spiritual realization. The king or the executive head of a state, the father and the schoolteacher are all considered to be natural leaders of the innocent people in general. All such natural leaders have a great responsibility to their dependents; therefore they must be conversant with standard books of moral and spiritual codes."
George Gullen: Very good, very good. I believe all that. Every word. The people need leadership, inspiration, that they can follow with their whole heart. They cannot follow . . .
Prabhupāda: There must be practice. That we are teaching. That simply not theoretical, but practical. Here in our institute, we teach all the students practically how to become God conscious. Theoretical knowledge will not help us. There must be practical behavior. They are rising early in the morning, attending maṅgala-ārati, then having class, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, chanting. In this way, twenty-four hours engaged. It is not fifteen minutes' recreation. No. Twenty-four hours' program.
George Gullen: I think this is good for the world. I think the world needs it, very much so.
Prabhupāda: So we are trying, although we are not supported by any government, we are trying in our own way. Own way . . . the way is standard, but unfortunately people have lost interest in these things. Animal life. As soon as we forget our interest in spiritual life, then immediately we're animals.
George Gullen: We're very much creatures of habit, and it's difficult for us to give up our habits.
Prabhupāda: Habit can be changed. Habit can be changed by practice. Just like we advise no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating. So all these Europeans, Americans, they were habituated to all these habits, but now they have stopped. It can be, by practice, bad habits can be changed.
George Gullen: You appear to have a program of great discipline, and I think that discipline is necessary for people who want to feel and learn and understand. I'm an admirer of discipline of that kind. But it's hard for one to bring oneself to do that out of a world that's strange, a strange world—our world is strange—try to bring myself out of that to other things. But I'm pleased to have this opportunity to hear you and to think about it, talk about it. I'd like to read more about it.