Pradyumna: "In the midst of the ocean such volcanic eruptions can do very little harm. Similarly, those who are against devotional service to the Lord, and who put forward many philosophical theses about the ultimate transcendental realization, cannot disturb this great ocean of devotional service."
Prabhupāda: Go on.
Pradyumna: "The author of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, very humbly submits that he is just trying to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, although he humbly thinks himself unfit for this work. That should be the attitude of all preachers of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, following in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. We should never think of ourselves as great preachers, but should always consider that we are simply instrumental to the previous ācāryas . . .
Prabhupāda: Hmm.
Pradyumna: . . . and simply by following in their footsteps, we may be able to do something for the benefit of suffering humanity."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa (Nāma-saṅkīrtana 7). Tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi. Our main business is . . .
(monkey noises in background)
(pause) Hut! Hut! (laughter, applause)
So our main business is to serve the ācāryas. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means why . . . we are trying to serve the ācāryas, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His direct disciples, the ṣaḍ-gosvāmīs, and their disciples, rūpa-raghunātha-pade haibe ākuti. That is required.
- tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa
- janame janame mora ei abhilāsa
- (Nāma-saṅkīrtana 7)
So this Society is attempting to create a society of devotees all over the world, without any discrimination of caste, creed, color. One must be a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya (CC Madhya 8.128). One must know the science of Kṛṣṇa. Then he can preach to others. Sei guru haya. That is our purpose.
People may not misunderstand our propagation, that we are proselytizing some persons to Hinduism. Yesterday one so-called jñānī came to me, and he challenged me that, "Swāmījī, formerly the Christians used to convert the Hindus, and the Muhammadans used to convert the Hindus into Muhammadanism or Christianism. Now you are converting the Christians into Hinduism. Then where is the difference between their activities and your activities?"
So this fool does not know this is not making a person from Christian to Hindu. This is not the process. We are not interested. I never said in any meeting in the Western countries that, "Hindu religion is better than your Christian religion. You give up your Christian religion and come to Hindu religion." No, that was not my propaganda.
There are many old students here present. They may remember. I never made propaganda. Rather, when they inquired whether one can attain perfection by following Christian principle, I said yes.
So our propaganda is not to proselytize people from Christian to Hinduism. Our propaganda is to make everyone know this fact, that everyone is eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is our propaganda. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108-109). That is our propaganda. We are trying to convince people that "Your original position is servant of Kṛṣṇa. You have now forgotten that. You revive your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and you'll become happy." That is our propaganda.
Do not misunderstand that we are trying to spread Hinduism. "Hinduism" is a fictitious term. Because there is no fixed-up conclusion. Somebody's accepting this, somebody . . . even the Jains and the Sikhs and many other sub-religions, they are also ruled by the Hindu rules, Hindu law. So actually this word Hindu is given by the Muhammadans. We don't find this word in the Vedic literature, Hindu. It is later, I mean to say, prakṛta. Or in Bhagavad-gītā you won't find the word Hindu, or in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, or in any other Vedic literature. This is the convention of latest age.
Actually, we, the followers of Vedic principles, our system is varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas and four āśramas. This is . . . this can be applicable. But varṇāśrama-dharma is applicable in any, in anywhere. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The creation of God . . . just like sun. Sun is creation of God. Sun is visible everywhere. Not that something American sun and something Indian sun. No. The sun is the same.
Similarly, cātur-varṇyaṁ, the four principles of division, brāhmin, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra, they are everywhere. It is not the monopoly of India. Anywhere there are intelligent class of men, God conscious men, they are called brāhmins. Anywhere who are prepared to fight for the right cause, administrator—kṣatriyas.
Anywhere who are interested in business, trade, agriculture, they are called vaiśyas. And anywhere who are simply satisfied by serving others, he's called śūdra. So our principle is not to proselytize from Christian to Hindu or Muhammadan to Hindu. We are teaching simply how to revive his old constitutional position to become servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.