Bill Faill: What can an ordinary man do? I mean the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement involves shaving the head and wearing the saffron robe. What can the man who is caught up in family life do?
Prabhupāda: This saffron robe is not very essential, or cut the hair, but it creates some good situation, mental. You see? Just like a military man, when he is dressed properly he gets some energy to feel like a military man. But it does not mean that unless you are dressed, you cannot fight. It does not mean. So God consciousness can be revived in any condition, without any check. But these conditions are helpful, helpful. Therefore it is prescribed that, "You live like this," "You dress like this," "You eat like this," "You do like this." These are convenient. These are convenient. So they are not essential. At the same time, if we take to these processes, then it will be helpful.
Bill Faill: Yes. One can be a student of Kṛṣṇa consciousness while going about a normal daily life.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bill Faill: Do you think Transcendental Meditation is beginning to help a lot of people?
Prabhupāda: They do not know what is meditation. They are . . . simply it is a farce. That is another cheating process by the so-called svāmīs and yogīs. They do not know what is meditation. Do you know what is meditation? You are asking me the question, but do you know what is meditation?
Bill Faill: Just a stilling of the mind, trying to sit in the center without swimming either way.
Prabhupāda: So what is that center?
Bill Faill: Oh, I don't know.
Prabhupāda: Then? Why you are asking me? You do not know. So everyone does not know what is meditation, and they talk very much "meditation." This is going on.