Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometimes when we go preaching, people do not want to take Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sometimes they actually . . .
Prabhupāda: So if they want to take, then where is the question of preaching? Because they do not want to take, you have to preach. Otherwise, where is the necessity of preaching? (laughter) You have to prepare yourself in such a way that nobody is dying for your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but you have to convince him that "Your life is spoiled without Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That is your capacity. They are under the clutches of māyā. They are thinking . . . (break)
Woman devotee: . . . convinced that they have some revelation or some experience that is assuring them of eternal life. So they are not very open to hear about Kṛṣṇa, and they . . .
Prabhupāda: If they are not open to hear about Kṛṣṇa, then don't waste your time. The simple thing. There are four things. For a preacher, there are four things:
- īśvare tad-adhīneṣu
- bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
- prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā
- yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ
- (SB 11.2.46)
When in the lower stage of devotional service, he cannot become preacher. When he's in a little upper, second stage, he can become preacher. So preacher has to see four things. First of all God, īśvara, and tad-adhīneṣu, and those who are devotee. God, His devotees, and bāliśa, innocent, he does not know anything about . . . So three: God, devotee, and the innocent. And dviṣat, and envious, atheist class. He has to see four things, and he has to deal with four persons differently. With God, īśvare prema: how to advance my love for God, these dealings. Prema-maitrī: and to the devotees, we have to make friendship with them. Prema-maitrī. And to the innocent, we have to preach, kṛpā: "Oh, here is an innocent person. He does not know; he's eager to learn." There teaching is required. Teaching, you cannot teach God or you cannot teach God's devotee. But you can teach only the innocent. And those who are dviṣat, atheist, upekṣā, don't go there, save yourself. These are the four things. So when one is not open to hear, then don't bother yourself. That requires very strong preacher to convince the atheist class, provided he is reasonable also. If he's stubborn, obstinate, then it is also very difficult. But preaching is meant, innocent; that one who is actually sincere but he does not know what is God, what is my relationship with God, there is necessity of preaching. Not to the envious or those who are already advanced, or to God. This is the . . . Hmm.