What is the difficulty (Conversations, 1976 - 1977)

Expressions researched:
"what is difficulty" |"what is the difficulty"

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Guest (3): Exactly. Will you agree with this point, that we are not perfect?

Prabhupāda: Well, anyone who follows the order of God, he is perfect. Otherwise all are...

Guest (3): Can you be completely perfect and follow the orders perfectly?

Prabhupāda: Yes, why not? Just like what is the order of God? God wants that "You shall always think of Me, 'The God is my Supreme Father.' " So what is the difficulty? Now, if you think, "God is the Supreme. God is the Supreme Father," if you think like that, where is the difficulty?

Guest (4): We believe that God is Supreme, He is like you say. But we believe we are constantly striving to become perfect, every day.

Prabhupāda: No, why constantly striving? God says that "You think of Me." So where is my difficulty to think of Him unless I am disobedient? I can think of God always. There is no difficulty. There is no expenditure. There is no disadvantage. But if I am rascal, I'll disobey. That is the.... If I am rascal, then I will disobey. I will not think of God. I'll think of something else.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: The Christian people say like that, that "We cannot become pious. We.... Let us go on doing all nonsense, and Christ will suffer." Is that very good?

Guest (3): I agree with you, see. I really do. But what I'm saying is I believe that we're not all perfect, and we're working for perfection.

Prabhupāda: No, no, I say that what is the difficulty to become perfect?

Guest (3): Well, we have to learn and...

Prabhupāda: That means we are nonsense. If there is no difficulty to become perfect and still we remain imperfect, that means we are nonsense.

Guest (3): I see, well, okay.

Prabhupāda: That means you are first-class nonsense.

Guest (3): I see. All right, well...

Prabhupāda: Where is the difficulty? Christ's picture is there. Suppose we have got our picture, Kṛṣṇa. So all right, don't believe in Kṛṣṇa. But you have got picture of Christ, and you can see that he is being crucified. The cross is your symbol.

Guest (4): We don't worship the dead Christ.

Prabhupāda: You may not, but Christians.... The Christians, they put the cross, a reminder that "Christ suffered for us." This is the cross. So we became sinful, and the Lord, he suffered for us. We should stop this sinful activity. That is sanity. But "Christ will suffer, he'll be repeatedly crucified, and we shall go on with our nonsense activity." Is that religion?

Guest (3): Well, I agree with you there.

Morning Walk -- May 27, 1976, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: Knowledge means misguiding knowledge. That's all. That is not knowledge. That is going on. In the name of knowledge, all rascaldom is going on. That is the misfortune of the present world. In the name of knowledge, all rascal isms going. That's all. If we accept after all somebody else is the Supreme Lord, so He's the father. Why don't you accept that? What is the difficulty?

Devotee (2): The difficulty is that they feel that there's no one that we have to answer to.

Prabhupāda: Ha?

Devotee (2): They feel that there's actually no, there, there's no... First of all, there's no laws, there's no natural laws we have to follow.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Then why you are dictating laws, philosophy? That is the (indistinct) no laws. Why you are dictating your laws, that we should be communistic, this will be capitalistic, this will be socialistic? Why you are dictating? Let there be no law, as the uncivilized man does.

Room Conversation -- June 9, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: The body may vanquish, but you are going through. That is incarnation. The child body is vanquished; it is no more existing. Either you say grow or I may say it has changed, that body is finished. Is it not?

Jay Warner: Yes.

Prabhupāda: But you are still existing.

Jay Warner: I still feel that I am myself.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That means you were in the child body and you are in this young man's body. So you are existing, but the body has changed. What is the difficulty to understand?

Jay Warner: Where is it difficult to answer?

Devotees: (all at once) What is the difficulty to understand?

Prabhupāda: You are.... When the child's body, that body, is no more existing, you are in a different body.

Jay Warner: The difficulty for me reaches the moment, retroactively, before the moment of birth, or past the moment of death. How can one come to have faith that there is life after one leaves his body?

Prabhupāda: This is the proof. A child may not understand that there is, after his childhood body, there is another body, boyhood body or youthful body. He may not understand. But that is the fact. If the child says, "There is no more body. This is the final body," that is not the fact. He is going to get another body which is boy's body, young man's body, old man's body. Similarly, you may believe or not believe, you are going to get another body. The proof is that you have no more the child's body; you have got a different body. The common sense reasoning.

Garden Conversation -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles:

Hṛdayānanda: They can no longer control England. They are having fights between the labor and management. They cannot control it.

Prabhupāda: Why? What is the difficulty?

Hari-śauri: Communists.

Hṛdayānanda: No, between the laborers and the management. They are having great, always strikes, and the British industry is becoming crippled.

Prabhupāda: And there is another problem, Irish problem. The Irish men, they are dropping bombs in London, in daytime. Creating always disturbance.

Gopavṛndapāla: I was in London just recently, and in the airport, where we distribute books, you cannot put your bag of books down because the police will come, hold you, and say, "You have a bomb in your bag." You must always keep it on your shoulder. And there are signs about every fifty feet, saying "Do not leave luggage unattended" because they are thinking anything which is unattended is a possible bomb.

Prabhupāda: London airport is very congested.

Gopavṛndapāla: Yes, very.

Prabhupāda: Very, very congested. Always thousands and thousands of men. If there is any such bomb explosion.... Life is becoming more and more insecure. The advancement of civilization is no relief for these other problems.

Hṛdayānanda: Prahlāda Mahārāja has said that their solution is bringing more problem.

Prabhupāda: Yes. In order to solve one problem, more problems.

Dr. Wolfe: Prabhupāda, am I right when I say the only solution is a change of consciousness?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is real solution. So we shall now go?

Morning Walk -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: Māyā's harassing, that means you are not in devotional service. It is not concoction; it is fact.

Devotee (1): (indistinct) We're having a lot of trouble distributing books in the airports now.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: What is the difficulty?

Devotee (1): It just seems legal problems. People don't like us there.

Mādhavānanda: People are opposing more. As our movement grows more and more, people want to check.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (1): ...trying to get it open in the terminals, and there's a possibility of maybe getting forty devotees inside the airport to distribute your books.

Prabhupāda: So, that is favorable. (break)

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: ...so powerful, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that all over the country young men are running away from home. We have one fifteen-year-old boy, he left everything after getting a book in a parking lot. Another boy is a sculptor, an artist. He's also runaway, seventeen years old. Just like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, once he was attracted by Lord Caitanya's movement, nothing could keep him at home. So all the young men of America, as they read your books, will come and join us.

Room Conversation -- June 15, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: No, this Jagannātha festival will be participated by all the Indians. There is no doubt about it. So our few men, and with the cooperation of the local Indians, it can be successful.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No doubt, but what about the daily worship? Should we have Jagannātha deities if it's not possible for worshiping them? Should we have them just for the festival?

Prabhupāda: What is the difficulty of worshiping? You are already worshiping Gaura-Nitāi. Then what is the difficulty? The same.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Well, I'm just afraid that visa problems with the brāhmaṇas.

Prabhupāda: No, no, if you are worshiping Nitāi-Gaura, along with Jagannātha, where is the difficulty?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: We only have two brāhmaṇas in South Africa.

Prabhupāda: No, one brāhmaṇa, half brāhmaṇa will do. Only one hand will do.

Conversation with Clergymen -- June 15, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: No, I think that for the welfare of the whole human society.... America is opulent. They can start, that here is a college for training first-class men. Here is a college for training second-class men, and here is a college for third-class men, and balance fourth class. Fourth-class man doesn't require any training. They are simply to help the first class, second class, third class.

Kern: That would be difficult. (laughs)

Scheverman: That is one of the difficulties we have in this country. Everybody wants to be first class.

Prabhupāda: What is difficulty? You do not like to train first-class men?

Scheverman: Everybody wants to be first class.

Prabhupāda: Yes, so why not train him? If I simply by imagination, that "I have become first class," will that do? Simply by imagination, I have become a medical man, will that do? You must have training.

Scheverman: So you say put him in a training program, and if he can make it, okay, and if he can't make it, then he'll be..., he goes as far as he can in training program.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that process we can help. Therefore how to become peaceful.

Kern: Are all the people here first class?

Prabhupāda: Yes. We are training them at least.

Interview with Professors O'Connell, Motilal and Shivaram -- June 18, 1976, Toronto:

Prof. O'Connell: Are they still willing to join in the same way?

Prabhupāda: Yes, many young boys are joining daily.

Viśvakarmā: Since we got the new building here, we have twelve new brahmacārīs that are being initiated this evening.

Prabhupāda: But to accept this creed requires some big qualification. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says in the Caitanya-ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). Some selected, fortunate persons can accept. Kona bhāgyavān. Not everybody.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

It is not very easy thing to accept Kṛṣṇa as everything and surrender there. It is not so easy. But it is possible if one is fortunate. Kona bhāgyavān. But anyone can accept it. What is the difficulty? But they'll not do it. Therefore unfortunate. What is the difficulty, Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Does Kṛṣṇa say anything extraordinary that we cannot perform? Nothing. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Four things: "You just think of Me always-man-manā. You just become My devotee, worship Me and offer your obeisances unto Me." Four things. Where is the difficulty? Anyone can think of Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma. Where is the loss? Is there any loss? Is there any tax if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa? Just make an experiment and see the result. There is no loss, there is no tax, there is no botheration. Why don't you do it? Not at all difficult. If you compare with other system, this is the easiest. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. The Gosvāmīs did. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. They taught us how to do it. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. They did this, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and dancing. And the love was coming. Premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. In the morning we have.... Always we have got kīrtana, in morning especially. You can see how these boys dancing and chanting only Hare Kṛṣṇa, how they are ecstatic. What is the difficulty? There is no difficulty. Chant, dance and take prasāda. Bas. Su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam. In the Ninth Chapter: Rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyam. Su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). To execute this Kṛṣṇa consciousness business is very, very palatable and happy. And whatever you do, avyayam, that is your permanent asset. Read it.

Prabhupada Visits Palace and Garden -- June 22, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: What is the difficulty? If somebody wants to go, migrate in America, what India government will do?

Kīrtanānanda: They won't give them passport.

Prabhupāda: No, no, passport means coming back. But if he's going to domicile, Indian government cannot check. If I want to go somewhere and live there...

Kīrtanānanda: You have to have passport. As far as I know.

Prabhupāda: But passport means if he wants to return.

Kīrtanānanda: No, in other words, in order to get visa from US, you have to present your passport.

Prabhupāda: There are different kinds of visa. Immigration visa. Suppose if anyone wants to migrate in America, our society here, we give guarantee. I think there will be no...

Kīrtanānanda: No difficulty. We can try.

Prabhupāda: Our society is here, and we give this man our guarantee for maintenance. So what is the objection? By law there is no objection. And if the immigration department allows, "Yes, you can come and live," then where will be...? Immigration means that here government should be satisfied that this man is coming, he will have no difficulty, government gives permit.

Garden Conversation -- June 23, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Kulādri: Rūpa Gosvāmī says bhajana-kriyā and then anārtha-nivṛtti. Then all the unwanted things go away.

Prabhupāda: First of all, beginning with kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya. So bhakti, beginning is ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅga bhajana-kriyā anartha-nivṛttiḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). The material world means simply creating unnecessary duties. Simply anartha. Any material activities, you take, analyze, it is simply useless. Therefore we have called anartha. Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Take for example we say no meat-eating. So what is the difficulty there? I have seen in the airplane, they eat meat, a little piece, not a lump. But because everyone is eating little, little, we require huge number of slaughterhouses. But if one decides, "I have got so many preparations to eat, so why shall I eat little meat?" (indistinct) I shall forego. Immediately he is saved from so many sinful activities. It is not that he will die if he does not eat a little piece of meat, he will die. He'll not die. We are not dying, and we don't take. So similarly everyone, without eating meat, he can live very nicely. In the whole principle, there is no difficulty. So on this principle this whole world is merged into sinful activity. (Sanskrit), unnecessary. That is material position-unnecessarily creating trouble. There is no necessity. But on account of ignorance, foolish association, sinful life, more and more and more and more going on.

Garden Conversation -- June 23, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Devotee (1): I've heard that you use the example that spirit has form and therefore the body also has similar form, just as a hand has a form in a glove, it's the hand's similar form. So how can we understand that the trees have a certain form? That..., is there spirit in the form of a tree?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (1): Then how do we explain the transmigration of the soul?

Prabhupāda: This outward is a form. What is the difficulty? Describe.

Pradyumna: Just as this human body has a human form, we say that because this body has a form, the soul also must have form.

Devotee (1): Talking about the transmigration then.

Pradyumna: Just as the glove has a certain form because the hand is shaped like that, the material body of a human has that form because the spirit is in that form? And the tree has that form because the spirit is in that form?

Prabhupāda: Here difficulty is that the form is fixed up. That is not.... Just like Kṛṣṇa appears in so many forms, everything is spiritual. So what do you think?

Garden Conversation -- June 23, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Devotee (2): So the form in the spiritual sky is not absolute either? We can take different forms in the spiritual sky?

Prabhupāda: Yes, there are also many forms, but all of them are spiritual. The Vṛndāvana. There is tree, there is Yamunā water, there is land, there is cow, there is calf, there is gopas, gopīs, they are all spiritual. Just like from earth you make many forms, but they are earth. You make pots, you make dolls, but they are all earth. Similarly, spiritual world, there are many forms, they are all spiritual. What is the difficulty?

Pradyumna: Does that form ever change? That form changes also?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- June 24, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: These questions that "I believe," "I don't believe," you are rascal, what is the meaning of your believe or not believing? You are, after all, a rascal. Just like a child will say something, "I don't believe." The mother will say "You are rascal, you must go to your room." So rascals believe or not believe, what is the meaning? Mūḍha. It is the law of nature. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). The example is given that this boy will change his body. Dehāntara-prāptir. He'll become a young boy, young man. This body will not remain. What is the difficulty to understand? Yes, this body will not remain. While he came out of the womb of the mother, that was another body. But these rascals, they do not understand it. It is very difficult to deal with the rascals, that's a fact, but... Whatever they are doing is all rascaldom, that's all. And forgetting their real business. So your son, does he believe that he's going to be a young man? You believe? (laughs) Huh? What is your...

Garden Conversation -- June 27, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: So one learned brāhmaṇa, he said, "All right sir, namaskār your Kṛṣṇa. I cannot believe all these things." And the cobbler, he began to cry, "Ah, Kṛṣṇa is so great, He can do anything." So he, Nārada Muni asked, he saw the learned brāhmaṇa refused to accept, and this cobbler is so absorbed that he's crying, "Ah, Kṛṣṇa can do anything." So he asked him, "Do you believe this?" "Yes, why not?" "So how do you believe it?" "Now I'm sitting under this banyan tree, and so many banyan fruits are falling down, and I can see there are hundreds and thousands of seeds within the fig, and each seed contains a banyan tree. So why can I not believe? If within this seed a big banyan tree can be kept, what is the difficulty for Kṛṣṇa to pull the elephant through the hole of a needle?" He has got reason. He is not blindly believing. How the scientist who does not believe in God, he can explain that within the small seed there is a big banyan tree? Let them do that. By chemical composition make little seed. As I told, make little egg. They cannot do anything. Still they are so proud.

Garden Conversation -- June 27, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: What is the difficulty? Everything is explained. By seeing the sun one can understand the sunshine, the sun globe and the sun-god. There are three things. Within the sun globe, there is the sun-god. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1) "I spoke to Vivasvata." So there is a person Vivasvata, and the globe is there, we see, and the sunshine is there. So what is the difficulty to understand? Three things are there. The person within the sun globe, Vivasvata, is there, otherwise how Kṛṣṇa could speak with him? He says, imaṁ vivasvate yogam, "unto Vivasvata I spoke." So there is a person. And we can see the globe, and we can see the sunshine. Is there any difficulty? So similarly, the Brahman is the sunshine, light, and Paramātmā is the sun globe, and Bhagavān is the sun-god. This is, the sun is one example. From this example, we can understand the Absolute. Where is the difficulty? (aside:) Sit down properly. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). As heat and light, all of them are the same... In the sunshine there is heat and light, in the sun globe there is heat and light, and within the sun globe there is heat and light, but the temperature is different. You can tolerate the heat and light of the sunshine, but if you go to the sun globe you'll be finished. Temperature's so high, it requires a special qualification. Similarly, from heat and light point of view, Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān, the same. Everywhere there is heat and light, but the temperature is different. So one who understands Brahman, he cannot understand Paramātmā. He understands, but not as thoroughly. Similarly, one who understands Paramātmā, he can (not) understand Bhagavān, but if you understand Bhagavān, then you understand Paramātmā, Brahman, everything.

'Life Comes From Life' Slideshow Discussions -- July 3, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Devotee: Prabhupāda? You explained that all those forms are already existing. What is the meaning of all those forms if there is no one inhabiting them? Why is it that they all exist without...

Prabhupāda: No, no, how you can say nobody is inhabiting?

Devotee: You said that they are there, you just go to the different forms. So that means they are existing without anyone living there?

Prabhupāda: No, form, a class of form. It can be immediately, that A class, B class, C class, D class. So if you are fit for D class, immediately form for you, a D class body is there, made.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: It is also existing in the sense that in the unmanifested form, before it is manifested, the form is there.

Prabhupāda: No, no. That is species. Form is there already. They are existing. So you require to get another form, but the same class. First-class compartment is there. If it is, one bogey is already, first-class filled up, then railroad company brings another bogey and gives place to the passengers. That's all, there is no difficulty. What is the difficulty? Put him into this particular mother's womb and he gets a form, that's all. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Don't compare Kṛṣṇa's power with your power. He can do anything, anyone, immediately.

Morning Walk -- July 20, 1976, New York:

Ātreya Ṛṣi: On this planet we have certain elements, like iron, water, or sand. Could there be other elements on other planets, new elements?

Prabhupāda: No. No.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Same elements.

Prabhupāda: More or less. Just like in the heavenly planets it is said that the roads are built with pearls. So there is more pearl. Here is also. The pearl quantity is there. Therefore they pave on the road.

Hari-śauri: You told us, in Hawaii, they had emeralds as big as huge boulders.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Hari-śauri: Yes, big rocks, like this, when we were walking in Hawaii.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: And the beaches are made of gems.

Prabhupāda: Yes, so what is the difficulty? This is also stone; that is also stone. That is valuable stone, that's all-valuable in your eye.

Conversation with George Harrison -- July 26, 1976, London:

Prabhupāda: We want worker. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa is giving us so many centers. In India I can get so many places, but how to manage? Simply taking from persons, and if I cannot manage nicely, that does not look well. Therefore I say first of all get men, then take donation. There is no harm. How many devotees were living here?

Jayatīrtha: There's about a hundred, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Yes, then it is all right. And if there was no devotees, ten devotees, then how could we manage?

Jayatīrtha: We have about fifteen devotees that work full time on the grounds.

Prabhupāda: So what is the difficulty sprinkling water that quarter? It is costly?

Jayatīrtha: We'll try to sprinkle more, but there's a lack of water pressure.

Prabhupāda: No, pressure, by pump.

George Harrison: That's what we have, we had a little Honda pump, but you had to start it off. It's a gasoline engine, I think. And put one pipe into the lake and just pump out of the lake, and then you have a sprinkler on the other side. Makes a noise, though, that's the only thing. Makes a noise and gives off an exhaust.

Prabhupāda: A pump for, say, one hour, two hour.

George Harrison: You could use the water out of the lake, then nobody could really complain about that.

Morning Walk Around Farm -- July 31, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Devotee (1): See from the garden many tomatoes and squash. Cauliflower is coming also.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...a large stock of water.

Devotee (1): Yes. There is lots of water underground, but it requires great equipment to bring it up in order to water all the land.

Prabhupāda: What is the difficulty?

Devotee (1): We have only the previous pump which was here before, and it's not strong enough to water everything. So we need to install a new pump to get more water.

Room Conversation With French Commander -- August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: Yes. Anything grown in the garden, that is hundred times valuable than it is purchased from the market. (pause) Bhagavad-gītā is a book which can guide the whole human society. In all different branches of knowledge, namely in politics, in sociology, in religion, in culture, in philosophy, in economics, everything, all lines are described very vividly, and the human society can take advantage of it. The Bhagavad-gītā begins in the battlefield with politics. And when Arjuna declined to fight, how Kṛṣṇa chastised him, that is described, kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam. Find out this verse.

Bhagavān: You tell him what Prabhupāda said.

Prabhupāda: You can ask him to open that book. Then read it. (translation read in French) So what is the difficulty in understanding? Ask him. This is military. Kṛṣṇa is asking that "You are in the battlefield. Wherefrom you got this cowardice mentality?" This is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā teaches how to become a brave hero in the battlefield. This is the instruction. Kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame sam. Just read the purport. Is there any purport? (purport read in French) (break) ...difficulty to understand.

Translator: He finds it very admirable that from a small verse you are able to always find something new and wonderful to say about it. And he say you go from verse to verse, and the complexity of what you explain is always new and wonderful to read. So he's very admiring of the book.

Prabhupāda: Thank you.

Bhagavān: How you can go from two lines to three pages.

Prabhupāda: I can go more. (laughter) But I have made shortcut. Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. So He can be described unlimitedly. But we have no unlimited patience.

Evening Conversation -- August 8, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: Yes, the body's destructible, but the spirit soul is not destructible. When you understand this point, then we understand what is spirit, and then spiritual culture begins. Without being convinced of this spirit soul, there is no question of spiritual culture. So the spirit soul is described as eternal. And the proof is given, eternity. Just like there are so many children. They'll grow up from childhood to boyhood, from boyhood to youthhood. The body is changing. This is very practical. But the spirit soul is there, the same spirit soul which was within the womb of the mother in a small body. Then coming out of the mother's womb, the same spirit soul is there, but the body is different. In this way, the body is being situated in different status, but we know that the proprietor of the body is the same. Is there any difficulty to understand? Anyone? The body is changing, that's a fact. You are young man. You'll have to become an old man like me. That means body will change. But so far you are concerned, you are the same. So, the body changes and the spirit soul remains the same. This is to be understood first of all. What is the difficulty? First of all, you must distinguish what is spirit, what is matter. Material culture means this body is there, it requires some necessities. The body must be given something to eat. Is it not? Eating? Then the body must be given some rest, sleeping, for which we require some apartment, some place. Not we, but also even the animals, birds, they have got their nest, or the animal has got some hole or something. So eating, sleeping, and some sense gratification, sex. These are bodily necessities. But when you understand what is spirit, then we must try to find out what the spiritual necessity is. That is spiritual culture.

Evening Conversation -- August 8, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: Assurance is there. Kṛṣṇa says kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhakta... (BG 9.31). If you remain a pure devotee, you'll never fall down. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). These are assurances. If you simply try to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, why does He come, what are His activities. Janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9). Simply.... This is cultivation, to understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa consciousness cultivation. And Kṛṣṇa assures: tyaktvā dehaṁ, you have to give up this body, but for a devotee giving up this body means no more accepting another body. And nondevotees giving up this body, tathā dehāntara prāptir, another body. That is the difference between devotee and nondevotee. One may say both of them are dying. Yes, they are dying, that's all right. They are not dying, nobody is dying, but changing the body. But a devotee's changing not to accept any more material body. The nondevotee's changing to accept another. That is the difference. And if you accept another body you will suffer, more or less, degrees. And if you don't accept material body then you become spiritually situated. Sac-cid-ānanda vigraha (Bs. 5.1), simply ānanda, eternally blissful. Very easy. So we should be intelligent enough that if by practicing in this one life I can get next eternal blissful life of knowledge, why shall I deviate? Even if there is some difficulty, let me tolerate, what is the difficulty? Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given so easy, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and everything will be done perfectly. So where is the difficulty? No difficulty. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has not bluffed. He said kalau nāsty eva: the Kali-yuga you cannot do anything more. You do simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? A boy can chant. It is simply practice, association. Your son, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. So these chances should be given to everyone, then everything will be all right. Let him be practiced to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then everything will go on. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Where is the difficulty? Unless we make it difficult. Otherwise there is no difficulty.

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- August 9, 1976, Tehran:

Hari-śauri: That if the scientist are so expert then they should be able to back up their claim of life coming from chemicals. Then why can't they produce an egg which will give life? They can take some chemicals and make the white, and take some little coloring to make it yellow inside, and wrap it up in some modern synthetic casing, and then put it in an incubator and let it produce life.

Prabhupāda: What is the difficulty? These rascals, it is proposed that life comes from chemicals. So take a small egg and analyze, find out the chemicals, same chemicals combine together, and bring life. Why? What is the answer? He's for the modern scientists. (laughter) He represents them.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: And the scientists will sit on the eggs?

Prabhupāda: Scientist may not be. They're putting the incubator, producing so many chickens. So why the egg is taken from the chicken? Why not manufacture and produce hundreds and thousands of chickens, chemical? First of all, begin with chicken then with other.

Parivrājakācārya: They say they are working on this.

Prabhupāda: Rascal, working, it is already being done, so what is your credit? We are working. You may work also, but what is your credit? Suppose if you become successful. What is your credit? It is already being done by the chicken. Why should you take the laureate title, Dr. such-and-such. Give it to the chicken. What they can do? Can they produce a seed of this, just like one seed produce so many things? Bījāhaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. Where is your credit?

Evening Darsan -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: Simply surrender to God, immediately. He says sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66).

Mrs. Sahani: For a layman who doesn't know anything.

Prabhupāda: People do not know. Therefore God comes personally to teach you. Why don't you take the teaching? Why don't you take the teaching? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66), why don't you become fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa?

Mrs. Sahani: Yes, we follow, you know. Someone has to create interest first, and then people will take the teaching.

Prabhupāda: That is conditional. But He wants unconditional surrender. That is religion. Of course, if you cannot surrender unconditionally, then you at least practice. That is also instructed. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). At least think of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā. What is the difficulty if you think of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā. What is the difficulty if you think of Kṛṣṇa? What is the difficulty? Is there any difficulty?

Evening Darsan -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:

Mr. Sahani: But as it is, it is in Sanskrit, and it is very difficult to understand in the...

Prabhupāda: Not at all. What is the difficulty? Suppose

dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre

samavetā yuyutsavaḥ

māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva

kim akurvata sañjaya

(BG 1.1)

So dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre. Kurukṣetra is still there, and it is a dharma-kṣetra. From Vedic order, Kurukṣetra is dharma ācaret. Still, people go there by thousands and by millions as pilgrimage. So where is the difficulty dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre (BG 1.1)? Unless you make difficulty. But as the literature is, dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre (BG 1.1), where is the difficulty to understand it? Kurukṣetra is there and it is dharma-kṣetra. Where is the difficulty? Unless you make it difficult.

Ali: What is the meaning of "as it is."

Prabhupāda: "As it is" means Kurukṣetra is Kurukṣetra, dharma-kṣetra is dharma-kṣetra. That is "as it is."

Ali: Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa, Pāṇḍava is Pāṇḍava. That is "as it is."

Ali: Kṛṣṇa explains who is.

Prabhupāda: No, first of all you have to understand. So Kṛṣṇa is explained Himself, "I am this." Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). "There is no more superior authority than Me." We accept it. Why you accept another authority to understand Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa says mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). So there is no difficulty as it is. But we create difficulty. If somebody asks me, "Where is your nose?" if I say, "Here is my nose." And if I say, "No here," (laughter) then it is difficulty. If I say directly, "Here is my nose," then there will be no difficulty. But if I want to do like this, then it is difficulty. There is no difficulty. We have created difficulty. That is our folly. Therefore there is no result. That is the present position, that we have created difficulty in understanding Bhagavad-gītā and we Indians are now practically out of our own culture.

Evening Darsan -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:

Mr. Sahani: But when, as said, that no leaf moves without the intentions of Kṛṣṇa...

Prabhupāda: Without hearing the good advice of Kṛṣṇa, he does it at his risk. That's all. He'll be arrested, he'll be put into jail. That's all. He'll suffer. But Kṛṣṇa gives him good counsel, "Don't do it." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). He's situated in every heart, but if you persist to do something, He gives, "All right, do at your risk. What can I do?" You suffer. That independence you have got. Just like State. State does not advise anyone that "You become a criminal." But when he becomes criminal, then put into jail. State says, "Everyone go to the university, be educated," but if you make your choice, go to the prison house, you can make your choice. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says everyone, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). But if you make your choice to go to hell, what can He do?

Mrs. Sahani: This means we have the freedom.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, you he got little freedom. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, "You do it." He does not force. He can force you. He's all-powerful. But He does not force. He gives you the chance, "Do it, you'll be happy." If you don't do it, that is your choice. Yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63). Eh? Find out this verse. Yathecchasi tathā kuru. Kṛṣṇa gives Arjuna the freedom, "Now I have given you all instruction, now make your choice." Yathecchasi tathā kuru. "Whatever you like, you do." What is the difficulty? Could not find? Ask somebody else.

Evening Darsan -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:

Mr. Sharma: So one who has surrendered, what is his thinking and acting, how he lives in the world?

Prabhupāda: He's active only on Kṛṣṇa's business. That's all. He has no other business.

Mr. Sharma: So he does no other work. He does only what Kṛṣṇa has said.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Mr. Sharma: Preaching and this and that.

Prabhupāda: Yes, just like we are doing. Kṛṣṇa said, "Surrender unto Me." And what we are preaching? We are preaching, "Sir, you surrender to Kṛṣṇa." So what is the difficulty? Is there any difficulty? Kṛṣṇa said "Surrender unto Me." And if I go to you "Mr. Sharma, you surrender to Kṛṣṇa." So what is my difficulty?

Evening Darsana -- August 14, 1976, Bombay:

Indian man (2): Kṛṣṇa is the only God. That's why there is no other alternative. Kṛṣṇa is the God, there is no alternative.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa is... That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). All incarnation of God is described, and the summary is given at the end that all these names, Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, and so many, hundreds and thousands, so all of them are Kṛṣṇa's plenary portion or portion of the plenary portion. Ete ca aṁśa-kalāḥ. And this Kṛṣṇa, tu bhagavān, He is the original. Ete ca aṁśa-kalāḥ. And this Kṛṣṇa, tu bhagavān, He is the original. Ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). It is clearly stated. And Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). There are many incarnation of God. So many incarnations that you cannot count even. Just like it is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that like you cannot count the waves of the river, similarly you cannot count how many incarnations are there. But Bhāgavata gives you the information that all these incarnations, innumerable incarnations, they are portions or part of the portions. But kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. And Kṛṣṇa also confirms that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: (BG 10.8) "I am the origin." Mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. What is the difficulty? But unfortunately you have got fertile brain. You manufacture things. And that is your misfortune. It is better to remain a fool before the ācārya. Then he'll make progress. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, guru more mūrkha dekhi' karila śāsana (CC Adi 7.71). "My guru saw Me a fool number one, and he has chastised Me." When Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī asked Him that "You are a sannyāsī, You are simply chanting," so He replied like that: guru more mūrkha dekhi' karila śāsana, "My Guru Mahārāja saw Me a fool number one. Therefore he has said, 'You simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. You rascal, You cannot do anything.' So I am doing like that." He said that. He represented Himself a representative of the fools and rascals. So kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. This is the only business, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then you gradually come to your original sense.

Room Conversation -- August 14, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes, but the mission should be, human being should be meant for doing good to others. Para-upakāra. That para-upakāra spirit is gone on account of losing our own culture. Otherwise, India's culture is para-upakāra. India was open, "Come everyone, learn." Lord Jesus Christ also came here. All the Chinese, learned scholars, they used to come. The history is there. And India was open. Gṛhe śatrum api prāptaṁ viśvastam akutobhayam. This is Indian culture. Even the enemy comes, "Yes, please come, you stay." But later on, they took advantage: "Oh, they are very liberal, enter there." And still we are liberal. "Please come here, stay here and take prasādam free, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Open to everyone. I shall manage anyway, I shall travel, still I shall lay down my life and bring money. Come here, stay. Still we are liberal. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra (CC Adi 9.41). First of all, make your life successful by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then do good to others. Yesterday, I think, in Tehran, one boy came. He proposed that is it not good to help others? I immediately challenged, "What you have got you can help? What is your asset?" You cannot help. It is simply bogus proposition. If you can help, you can simply help by spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). "Sir, I have come to you." "Why?" "To request you that you become Kṛṣṇa conscious." "How?" Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, "Always think of Me, just become My devotee, offer little obeisances." Anyone can do, a child can do. You cannot do? What is the difficulty to become Kṛṣṇa conscious? Is there any difficulty? You haven't got to practice any yoga process, pressing your nose or keeping your head or this or that, no. Nothing. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ (BG 18.65). "Without any doubt you are coming back to Me." And that is the highest perfection, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). There is no difficulty in preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no difficulty to accept it. And the result is the supreme.

Room Conversation -- September 5, 1976, Vrndavana:

Akṣayānanda: One problem is that the devotees who are not serious, we say they cannot stay here. Yet, because they are still attracted to Vṛndāvana, many times they go and find a place outside the temple in Vṛndāvana and they make a bad example. This problem we cannot solve. Or they go to Rādhā-kuṇḍa and live. We say, "You cannot stay here because you won't help in some way." Therefore they...

Prabhupāda: No, cannot stay... You can allow three days free. You can receive guest for three days. Not permanently. And they can... That is very reasonable. If they have come, spending so much to Vṛndāvana, they cannot pay?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They usually have money. Everyone who comes from America, Europe, has some money.

Prabhupāda: Then? What is the difficulty? What is the difficulty if they have got money?

Room Conversation -- September 5, 1976, Vrndavana:

Akṣayānanda: So we should have one kitchen only. One kitchen? As we had discussed last night. Now we have a Deity kitchen and a devotee kitchen. We also have a guest house kitchen.

Prabhupāda: Why three?

Akṣayānanda: So the devotee kitchen and Deity kitchen could be made into one.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That's decided.

Akṣayānanda: Yes. So I'll give you a list of the preparations we'll offer for your approval. It means we'll be offering less to the Deity.

Prabhupāda: What is difficulty? (Hindi conversation) How many Deities are there? Guru-Gaurāṅga four, Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma two, six, and...

Akṣayānanda: Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā, and the gopīs.

Prabhupāda: Ten. So...

Akṣayānanda: Small Deity of Gaura-Nitāi. (Hindi conversation)

Prabhupāda: What is your idea? (break)

Room Conversation with U.N. Doctor -- September 29, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). That is intelligence. But that intelligence is not possible for ordinary persons. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. One who gets this intelligence, such kind of mahātmā, is very, very rarely found. To take it immediately, ah, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). That is very difficult.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

It is not so easy to understand Kṛṣṇa or to accept Kṛṣṇa as all in all. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam. But if you take it, you are fortunate.

Doctor: And the only way to attain is reciting the name.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa says man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Do that. Therefore the temple is there. Everyone may come and see Kṛṣṇa and think of Him. What is the difficulty? But he'll not come. He has concluded Kṛṣṇa is nirākāra. God is nirākāra.

Doctor: Then Kṛṣṇa will not come.

Prabhupāda: Well now, Kṛṣṇa... You... Whatever you think, that is your business, but Kṛṣṇa is there everywhere.

Press Interview -- October 16, 1976, Chandigarh:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa:

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto

mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru

mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam

ātmānam mat-parāyaṇaḥ

(BG 9.34)

"Engage your mind always in thinking of Me. Offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." It's Chapter Nine, verse 34.

Prabhupāda: So what is the difficulty? If you think of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, is there any difficulty? There is no difficulty.

Interviewer: I think his problem is, it is my problem as well. You see, the spiritual consciousness does not stay at the same level. Sometimes you are well absorbed. At other times you do all the arja. The arja, the bhakti. It's not a constant factor.

Prabhupāda: No, you have to keep it constantly.

Interviewer: How to do it? That is the problem.

Prabhupāda: That we have see, if you come to our center, live with us, you'll see how we are doing it. You are welcome. You can live with us any time or any period of time. You'll see how we are doing that.

Room Conversation -- November 24, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Hm? Finished. So what is your charge?

Hari-śauri: Your including...

Prabhupāda: Eh? What is that?

Devotee (1): Well, restaurant, shop, kitchen, the kitchen godown.

Prabhupāda: Kitchen godown?

Devotee (1): Supplies.

Prabhupāda: Oh, supplies. So what is the difficulty? The other day you complained some difficulty. So what is the difficulty?

Devotee (2): Nothing. Nothing excepting my jaundice.

Prabhupāda: Then?

Devotee (2): Everything is all right.

Room Conversation -- November 24, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So what is that difficulty? You are in charge of this department. That's right?

Devotee (2): Yes.

Prabhupāda: So what is the difficulty in discharging your duty? Now you cannot say? What is that? All of you said there is difficulty.

Devotee (2): It doesn't concern directly what we have as charges.

Prabhupāda: So what is that difficulty? What is your difficulty? That I must know.

Room Conversation -- November 24, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Oh, along, authori... So that I want... (break) ...discuss with authorities here. Our first authority is Akṣayānanda. So what is the difficulty you get along with? What is the difficulty? You must discuss. Otherwise how it can be resolved?

Devotee (2): Personally consulting me, I have had no difficulty so far. But there have been other...

Prabhupāda: Who had difficulty. You came, so many. What is your difficulty? Now explain what you are in charge?

Indian devotee: I am the reception.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He's the guest house receptionist at the moment.

Prabhupāda: Guest house reception?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So what is your difficulty with the authority?

Indian devotee: Regarding this guesthouse, everything is okay, but things, little things, these equipments and all these things...

Prabhupāda: Help to understand.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I am understanding. He is saying that everything is all right but he needs equipment sometimes. So if they need equipment the procedure is that it has to be...

Prabhupāda: Equipment? What is that equipment?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Like plates or...

Indian devotee: These bedding materials and these mans for managing these..., sweepers and all. We are running short of mans. Of course we are trying to get short of man...

Akṣayānanda: Short of men. Cleaners.

Indian devotee: Cleaners and these mans...

Prabhupāda: You have got cleaners.

Akṣayānanda: Coming.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Akṣayānanda: Well, we had sufficient but they are unreliable, paid men, so we're getting new men. But I don't think that's the difficulty with the management.

Prabhupāda: So you solve this difficulty. You answer. He has got difficulty. You answer him. So he has got difficulty.

Room Conversation -- November 24, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So is there difficulty now?

Indian devotee: No, it is coming now. There are no difficulties.

Prabhupāda: So what is the difficulty, I do not find out. You told him and that is already done. And you also said there is no difficulty, so why the other day you all came and there was difficulty?

Devotee (3): Well, it was not my, directly my difficulty, Prabhupāda.

Room Conversation -- November 24, 1976, Vrndavana:

Devotee (3): They have been small situations where other Indian devotees, closer to him, came to me with their problems.

Prabhupāda: So all Indians are here. Now say what is the difficulty.

Devotee (3): Well, some things like changing of our duties, changing of our services.

Prabhupāda: So why you change? Consult.

Devotee (3): Well, they're wanting change, Prabhupāda. And they were not satisfied with that change, so, and they wanted to remain in that particular service.

Prabhupāda: Change is no rectification. If somebody is not working he should be trained up. Changing is another... If he is a fool, another fool will come. What will be the difficulty? You see? Change, of course, sometimes required but if you constantly change, the man is not trained up. That practice is not good. If somebody is not doing satisfactorily, then he should be trained up that "You should like this." And if you immediately change another that, that is not actually solution because all our workers, they are not accustomed to certain type of duty. They are devotee, after all. So still, we have to do something, so one man requires little training. But whatever capacity he has got, he is posted, so immediate change, that is not very good management. Let him be reformed and whatever inability he has got, he should be instructed and he should be... And this, all of a sudden change, simply go on changing, nobody... "Rolling stone never gathers moss." A "rolling stone" policy is not good. So what is the difficulty? Keep the stone in a place and it will gather moss. And if you simply roll, it will never gather moss. If the man who has committed mistake, he should be reformed. He should be instructed. Sometimes I show your cleaners by myself, "Do like this." Change them, immediate change, that is not good management, and to make him competent in that way, that is management. So this policy should be followed, not that because he has done something not correctly he should be changed immediately. That will not help. Now discuss this point.

Evening Darsana -- December 3, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: ....... Kṛṣṇa came to speak this truth, that "I am the Supreme." Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66). He appeared to speak this philosophy. And if you do the same work, that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead," then you are serving the mission of Kṛṣṇa, great service to Kṛṣṇa. The words for which He appeared on this earth, if you simply carry these words door to door, village to village, man to man, then you become a guru, a real guru. Not to pose yourself a guru without any knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. That is cheating. And to accept and understand Kṛṣṇa the Supreme thoroughly and preach these words, that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead," is the supreme success of life. What is the difficulty? Is there any difficulty? Why don't you do that? I have to bring all these young men from Europe and America to speak to you this truth. Why our young men is not coming to speak this truth? Hm? What is the difficulty? That means willfully they are denying the success of life. Willfully. Then what can be done? If somebody willfully commits suicide, who can save him? This is our position at the present moment. The Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings, jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu: "I have drunk poison knowingly." So if somebody knowingly drinks poison, then who can save him? So we are doing that. Without preaching the gospel of Kṛṣṇa consciousness we are drinking poison willfully. This is our position.

Morning Walk -- December 5, 1976, Hyderabad:

Guest (2): Do you mean to say there is no space between His planets?

Prabhupāda: I mean to say. Now you mean to say also. You do not know there is space difference between one planet to another?

Guest (2): Unless it is bounded by space.

Prabhupāda: So whatever it may be, there is difference. Just like you are existing. I am existing. There is space. So what is the difficulty?

Guest (2): No, but actually it is beyond space and time.

Guest (9): Spiritual planets, he means to say.

Guest (2): They are beyond space.

Guest (4): They are beyond time and space.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So what does he mean? What does he mean?

Guest (10): What is your point?

Prabhupāda: The point is that... You can explain in this way, that goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Kṛṣṇa is in the Goloka planet which is far, far away from our planet, but still He is everywhere. That is the difference. That you cannot imagine. In our material knowledge you cannot imagine that. But that is the fact. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, tad aham aśnāmi: (BG 9.26) "Anyone offering Me in devotion patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam, I eat." Now, Kṛṣṇa is living far, far away in the Goloka planet. How He can eat? That is your imagining. But Kṛṣṇa says, "Yes, I do." That is Kṛṣṇa. Although He is far, far away, He is within your heart. That you cannot imagine, how it is possible. That is your material knowledge. But you have to accept from the statement of śāstra that although He is far, far away, within your heart. Aṇḍāntara-stha-para... He is within the atom also. So that you cannot imagine. That requires a different knowledge, Vedic knowledge. The material knowledge will not help you, but you cannot imagine. You have to accept Vedic knowledge. What is stated in the Vedas, that you have to accept. That's all. Otherwise there is no possibility. Therefore to understand Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's activities you have to learn from Kṛṣṇa. That is Bhagavad-gītā. You cannot manufacture your knowledge. That is not... Because you are defective—your senses are imperfect—so whatever knowledge you get through your senses, that is all imperfect. You cannot get perfect knowledge by your imperfect senses. That is not possible. Therefore the Vedic injunction is tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). In order to learn that transcendental science you have to approach a guru who knows it.

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

This is a different phase of knowledge. By your material calculation it will be difficult. The same thing, Kṛṣṇa says, aśnāmi: "I eat." So Kṛṣṇa is far, far away. How does He eat?

Room Conversation -- December 7, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Well, they mistake... You say, "They mistake." Who are "they"? You say you do mistake. Don't say, "they." This is bureaucracy, "they." You are all "they." Anyway, whatever is done, immediately make arrangement. And this is one thing. And the other thing, I came here that there will be festival and prasādam distribution. Why this is not begun?

Mahāṁśa: Till yesterday there was being marriages in the city. Now, from today, the pandals are free.

Prabhupāda: Because there are marriages our program will be cancelled?

Mahāṁśa: No, but the person who gives us the pandal... It's supposed to start today, Prabhupāda, their program. They have been advertising in the villages about the prasādam distribution this evening, so the stage and the śāmiyānā will be coming today and the pots are coming today. So we have all the grains and everything. We can start the prasādam distribution this evening.

Prabhupāda: So you'll keep, come in charge. So do this also immediately. And the next is that Bhogilal wants to come here. So bring him immediately. What is the difficulty of that house?

Mahāṁśa: All the plastering inside is finished now.

Prabhupāda: Everything, whatever is finished...

Mahāṁśa: Painting has to be done.

Room Conversation -- December 7, 1976, Hyderabad:

Mahāṁśa: They give very nicely. We have had programs there, Prabhupāda, since three years. We've collected lakhs of rupees from there and thousands of books have been distributed there.

Prabhupāda: This I have heard even.

Mahāṁśa: You have heard, yeah.

Prabhupāda: So go there. What is the...? Make this.

Mahāṁśa: They can start today? The boys are ready. They want to move but it's just the leaders which have not decided on getting it done.

Prabhupāda: So decide now. What is difficulty?

Mahāṁśa: If you can give one bus they can go immediately. And another party can go to Nagpur and start arranging for the program there on the 25th. They can do nagara-kīrtanas, book distribution, and arrange for the program on the 25th and one bus can go to Kakinagar. So all the boys will be out and be engaged. And the boys from Hyderabad should go back to Hyderabad and get into the program there. There's so much work to be done in Hyderabad. They're suffering a lot.

Room Conversation on Farm Management -- December 10, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Rādhikā with Her friends, they are cooking. And they cook so nicely that parama ānande kṛṣṇa korena bhojana. With great pleasure Kṛṣṇa is eating. And that we have to distribute. Not dog's food. You do not know what is the purpose of this mission. No need. Here is a good chance, don't spoil it. Produce food. Make profit, you spend for Kṛṣṇa. Train all devotees how to cook. All women. Don't distribute dog's eatable things. Kṛṣṇa prasādam.

rādhikāra pakka anna vividha byañjana

parama ānande kṛṣṇa korena bhojana

Kṛṣṇa is taking with great pleasure. That prasādam you have to distribute. Not that dog is rejecting and you have and you distribute that prasādam. Why do you think like that? This prasādam, this so-called, rubbish thing which is rejected by dog and you are offering to the human being. You do it. If you have no money I shall pay. There is no question of scarcity of money. Don't spoil money, but spend for real purpose, that's all. And you arrange for huge agricultural... Whatever is required, water, we shall arrange for that. Labor. Everything. And if you perform yajña, there will be rain. Anyway, I asked you the other day to fill up the tank. What is the difficulty?

Mahāṁśa: Which tank?

Prabhupāda: That big tank. Well, big well.

Room Conversation on Farm Management -- December 10, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Hm. But God is giving hint that if, "Rascal, it is in My hand. I can keep you in starvation to death." The man is dull brain. Anyway, I am anxious to learn, why so many people are suffering? They have become all gray. Throughout whole France I saw. From Paris to Valencay I went. Gray. These people are not lazy, but there was no water. They utilize every inch land for agricultural purpose. At least I saw in France. Then maybe everywhere in Europe. They are not lazy fellow. There is organization, government organization here. People, they... Anyway let us show some example. Immediately make program. You have seen, yes?

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: And you are expert. Do it immediately. If there is requires some money, we shall pay. Fill up. What is the difficulty in filling up this tank?

Mahāṁśa: I'm not still understanding which tank you are... Because there are many tanks...

Devotees: (indistinct—all speak at once)

Harikeśa: ...it's empty.

Mahāṁśa: No one ever swim in here. We took out water to water the fields.

Prabhupāda: So why it is empty? Have it filled up.

Room Conversation -- December 20, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: But how it can be called? If you interpret in your own way, interpret in your own way, interpretation, then where is Bhagavad-gītā? Best thing is that take Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Then there will be (indistinct). Why you should interpret? You have no right to interpret on the words of Bhagavad-gītā?

Guest: But Swamiji, you have also given so much (indistinct). That is interpretation.

Prabhupāda: No, that is not interpretation. That is explanation. Interpretation, if I change Kurukṣetra into something else, that is interpretation. That is wisdom. That is wisdom.

Guest: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: No, I mean to say instead of collecting so many hundreds and thousands of literature on the Bhagavad-gītā, why not take Bhagavad-gītā as it is? What is the difficulty? Kurukṣetra is this position is fact. Mahābhārata, Mahābhārata means greater India. And that is, it is itihasa. It is called itihāsa. Itihāsa, if you don't believe that there was a battle in the Kurukṣetra... But that is the fact. It is the history. Then how you can finish (?) Bhagavad-Gītā? Every point of Bhagavad-gītā, it is clear. It is clear. There is no need of interpretation. That is the first thing. If you interpret you spoil the whole thing. Because interpretation is required when the things are not clear. If everything is clear, why should you interpret?

Room Conversation with Indian Man -- December 22, 1976, Poona:

Prabhupāda: Yes. And that Kṛṣṇa is explaining. Where is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. There is no difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa. Suppose you have no knowledge about me, what is Swamiji. You may speculate, "Swamiji may be such and such, such and such." But if I explain myself, that "I am like this," then where is the difficulty? You haven't got to speculate. Because I am explaining. So you take that. You understand Kṛṣṇa. Why speculation?

Indian man: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Yes, there is no need of speculation. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. You take the advantage of Kṛṣṇa's explanation. You understand Kṛṣṇa. What is the difficulty? There is no difficulty. I am explaining my position. You have to understand as I am explaining. You cannot explain me. That is not possible. There are so many secrets, I do not dis..., if I do not disclose, how you can explain it?

Indian man: Very simple, the way you related mother's. My mind could immediately accept it. But at the point of father's it stopped.

Prabhupāda: Because you are thinking to become father in a particular way. You do not accept...

Indian man: Mother also in particular way...

Prabhupāda: That means you are thinking in your own particular way. But Kṛṣṇa is not subjected to your thinking. You have to give up this bad habit first of all, that Kṛṣṇa will be subordinate to your thinking. That is not God.

Indian man: How to give up this bad habit?

Prabhupāda: That means you have to become a bhakta. So long... You are thinking as jñānī. Therefore... Jñānī cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Only the bhakta can understand.

Room Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra -- December 22, 1976, Poona:

Prabhupāda: That is your study. That is foolish study. Therefore He says avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). The rascals think that I am one of the human beings. If he is one of the human beings, how he can say mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). In the human society, there are big men, you are big man, I am small man, he is still more, he is still more, he is still bigger. There are so many varieties. But He says "No more superior than Me." That is God.

Mr. Malhotra: No one is supreme than Him.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Mr. Malhotra: That He says, of course.

Prabhupāda: He says everything but because we are foolish we do not hear Him. That is the difficulty.

Mr. Malhotra: We don't understand Him.

Prabhupāda: No, we understand. But we do not accept it. What is the difficulty to understand? God is superior. Everyone knows it. But I will not accept, he will not accept. Unless one is superior, how He can be God? (break) ...sevayā. Therefore you have to find out somebody who knows Him. Otherwise you will be in darkness. (break)

Morning Walk -- December 25, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: They'll not take it: "No! What is this Swamiji...? Mahatma Gandhi says this and this... Tilak says this, this, that." And if we say that they are wrong, then people will criticize, "Oh, he has become more than..." This is the difficulty. We don't say anything except what is said by the great personalities that are Kṛṣṇa conscious. So I am not saying anything of my own manufacture. I am simply saying what Kṛṣṇa has said. But they will reject that. I say that Kṛṣṇa says that you become a Kṛṣṇa's devotee. It is very simple for me. And they will say, "Huh! What is this nonsense Kṛṣṇa? We have seen this Kṛṣṇa. Now we have got this leader." This is the problem. Upadeṣo hi mūrkhāṇāṁ prakopāya na śāntaye. (Hindi)

Guest (2): They reject it because they find it difficult to...

Prabhupāda: No, it is not at all difficulty. What is the difficulty?

Guest (2): So then why do they reject it?

Prabhupāda: If I say that "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa," what is the difficulty? But he thinks that "This is insignificant." He thinks like that. What I am teaching these people?

Guest (1): Very simple thing.

Prabhupāda: Very simple thing, "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." I have not given them any bribe. I have not shown them any magic of gold manufacturing. From the very beginning I said, "You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." But that is becoming fruitful.

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- December 26, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Scientists are rascals. Those who are following Darwin. What is their theory?

Devotee (1): They maintain that from the oceans came one-celled animals. Then from these one-celled animals, they developed into fish and then reptiles. And then these reptiles became very big dinosaurs, and they have put together many big museums. For instance, in Washington the Smithsonian Museum has many, many big bones put together and they date these millions of years ago.

Prabhupāda: So we have got also the same theory. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. (break) ...within water. So where is the difference? We also admit the forms of life begins from the ocean. Then plants. As soon as the water is dried, there are plants, trees. Sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Sthāvara means "the life which cannot move." So the trees, plants, grass, they cannot move. Then insects, then reptiles, then birds, then beast, then human being. In this way the living entity is changing body. So what is the difficulty?

Devotee (1): But they say that the human body developed right from these other bodies. In other words...

Prabhupāda: Evolution, from beast human body has come. That is the difference? Even there is difference, what is the idea?

Devotee (1): Well, they maintain that therefore man was not created by God, but simply by chemicals.

Prabhupāda: Rascals! Wherefrom the life came first? Wherefrom the life came from? When you find life in the water, wherefrom this life came?

Room Conversation -- December 27, 1976, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Courses start every Monday.

Hari-śauri: Then they'll advertise that there's a course starting every Monday and finishing every Sunday, like that. And then they'll book in accordance so that they'll arrive on a Monday and they'll drive out on Sunday night or...

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's all right. But what is the difficulty? He is... On Monday he is hearing in one room, and Tuesday another room, and Thursday another room. So where is the difficulty?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Also, this way we have to reserve seven rooms.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But this way, if we have courses Monday to Sunday, we can have one big hall, just keep one hall for yoga class.

Prabhupāda: I mean you cannot give two kinds of classes in one room. That is not possible. That is nonsense. Even if you have got one student, he must be in that particular class. You cannot hold all the classes in one room, no, you have to... No, for seven days you have to give seven rooms, even there is one student.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Evening Darsana -- January 7, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: You arrange, I will advise her. I am not proud, but I am the authority at the present moment. It is not pride. It is the fact! So let her take! Let her understand. The authority is there. And what is understanding? It is simple truth. Everyone can understand. Any child can understand. There is no difficulty. We make it difficult by our rascal interpretation. And that is very simple thing. Kṛṣṇa says, aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). So there must be somebody, original person. You are existing, you are coming from your father. Your father coming from his father, his father, his father... Now, who is the original father? There must be somebody. You may or may not know. So here is the answer: aham ādir hi devānām. So why don't you take? Where is the difficulty? If you are finding out who is the original person and the original person is presenting Himself and He is being accepted by great authorities—formerly Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Asita, Devala, and later on Rāmānujācārya Madhvācārya, and all big, big stalwart ācāryas, Caitanya Mahāprabhu—so why don't you accept Kṛṣṇa the supreme original authority? What is the difficulty? The fact is very plain, but I'll not take it. If I misguide myself, then who will guide me? If I sleep while I am not sleeping, then who will help me? Take Kṛṣṇa's instruction. If Indira Gandhi... I know she is intelligent, she is religious. Let her follow strictly the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. Just his, all her ambition, all her programs, will be successful—if he's (she's) serious.

D. D. Desai: Now, since you have shown the repeated willingness to talk to her directly, so I'll...

Prabhupāda: It is science. There is no difficulty to understand

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Guru is there. Kṛṣṇa. Why don't you find? Why you are blind? Kṛṣṇa says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya (BG 4.8). He has come. Why don't you take Him? Why do you go to a cheater? Because you want to be cheated. Guru is there. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7), Arjuna said. Why don't you surrender to Kṛṣṇa? That means I don't want guru. I want somebody, my order supplier. So how you can be... Because you want to be cheated, you'll get cheater. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmi (BG 4.11). Why don't you accept Kṛṣṇa as guru? What is the difficulty? Is there anybody greater than Kṛṣṇa? Do you think like that? What is your idea?

Guest (2): He is the ultimate. There's nothing more.

Prabhupāda: He is the supreme guru. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). He's the supreme person. So why don't you accept Him as guru? That means you do not want. Then you must be cheated. If gold is available in a gold shop, purchase there. Why do you go to a pan-wala to purchase gold? Will you not be cheated? You do not know where to purchase gold, and still you are..., "Where is guru?" Go there, where gold is sold. And if you do not know even there, then you must be cheated. You do not know where is gold is available. Unfortunately you go to a pan-wala: "Have you got gold?" He'll give you some gold leaf, that's all: "Here is gold." The real thing is that guru is there, Kṛṣṇa is there. And we are presenting. We are not manufacturing. I do not say that I am guru. Our business is to present what Kṛṣṇa has said. That's all. Therefore I'm guru. Guru is he who speaks Kṛṣṇa's word. That is guru. And if he manufactures, then he is a cheater.

Morning Darsana and Room Conversation Ramkrishna Bajaj and friends -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Guest (10): What's the difference between grace and mercy?

Prabhupāda: Grace means he'll willingly give you mercy, and mercy means you ask for mercy. Kṛpa-siddha. Sādhana-siddha and kṛpa-siddha. You are trying to earn one lakh of rupees—that is sādhana. But if somebody is gracious he can give you: "Take one lakh of rupees. Don't work hard." That is grace. That is kṛpa. You are ambitious for one lakh of rupees or somebody graciously give you: "All right, take." There are many persons. So that is grace. Otherwise, you earn by your hard labor. That is sādhana. Similarly, by association, by sādhana-bhakti, you attain perfection, and by grace also, you can attain perfection. Two ways. So those who are kṛpa-siddha, they are more fortunate. (Hindi) Preach this Bhagavad-gītā as it is. People will be benefited. You'll be benefited. Don't make unnecessary interpretation, misguide others and spoil your own life. That is very unfortunate. What is the difficulty to accept Bhagavad-gītā? There is no difficulty. Unfortunately we interpret in different way and take it other way. So our little attempt is to spread Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and whatever it may be, it is being accepted in the Western countries. Not by all. But the people in general, now the... Feeling the weight, they have now began opposing.

Morning Walk -- January 25, 1977, Puri:

Prabhupāda: ...I was jumping here. (laughter) 1920 or '21, I came. After my appearing in examination, B.A. test, I came here. By that time I was married. I was married in 1918. (break) Because jubilant, I was jumping. When the waves come, I was jumping, the waves passed. There was one guide, he taught me, Babuji, ei sakava.(?)

Gargamuni: They wear those hats.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...'20, and it is 1977. How many years?

Gurukṛpa: Fifty-seven years.

Prabhupāda: Fifty-seven years after. (laughs) So the body has not changed? Where is that body? Now I am with stick. (laughter) Then I was jumping. Is not that? I am there. I remember. The body has changed. What is the difficulty to understand? I am the same person. How I am remembering all these things. But I have no... That body is now lost. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Why this simple philosophy these rascals cannot understand? I remember I am not the second man. I am the same person but I haven't got the same body. The whole world this simple philosophy cannot understand. Where is the difficulty? I cannot understand.

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara prāptir

dhīra...

(BG 2.13)

because they are not dhīra. Dhīra means sober. They're rascals. They cannot understand. But dhīras tatra na muhyati. Those who are sober, they can understand immediately. So there is no education to make people sober and intelligent. All rascals, fools, rogues, thieves, that's all. Animals. What they will understand about spiritual life? Therefore Kṛṣṇa... After all, Kṛṣṇa is speaking. This very word is used. Dhīras tatra na muhyati. Adhira. There are two classes of men, dhīra and adhīra. Dhīra means sober, and adhīra means restless. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He gave us something... Dhīrādhīra. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra. What is next word?

Evening Conversation -- January 25, 1977, Puri:

Prabhupāda: They simply wasted their time. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). Simply wasting time. Therefore this is the best service, to revive Kṛṣṇa consciousness for the human society and send them back home, back to Godhead. This is the best service.

Gargamuni: And if anybody helps us, then he is also greatly benefited.

Prabhupāda: He is also... He becomes recognized by the master. "Oh, he is trying for this, what I want." Naturally he becomes immediately recognized, although he has no qualification. If he tries. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa: (CC Madhya 7.128) "You become guru. No qualification required. Simply you repeat what Kṛṣṇa has said." Just see how simplified. Don't talk anything nonsense. Yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-bas. So who cannot do it? Anyone can do it, even a child. (laughs) Our Śyāmasundara's daughter. She was preaching, "Do you know Kṛṣṇa?" They said, "No I have got no..." "The Supreme Personality." This is preaching, simply if you say that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality, supreme controller. Just be obedient to Him." Where is the difficulty? Anyone can preach. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Bas. Three words: Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead; surrender unto Him; and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Your life will be successful. What is the difficulty in preaching these three words? Hm? Is there any difficulty? Even a child like Sarasvatī, she can preach. Then what to speak of others? Those who are educated, grown-up, advanced, they can put the matter more nicely, more convincingly, more philosophically. That is another thing. But these three words, that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord; you are servant; and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa"—bas, preaching complete. Very simple thing and the sublime instruction. Everyone can become guru by simply teaching these three words. Not sophisticated, but he must also understand not blindly. Bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra, janma sārthaka kari (CC Adi 9.41)'. He must also understand these three words perfectly. Then wherever he speaks, he'll be successful. Not that "For you I am speaking. I can do everything independently." No. I am also servant of Kṛṣṇa. Realized. This is realization.

Satsvarūpa: How does a preacher realize? How does a preacher come to realize?

Prabhupāda: He must know that he's servant.

Room Conversation -- January 28, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Not all of them. But they are also claiming they're on the stage of Rūpa Gosvāmī. We are preaching—we are lower stage. That is their opinion. We are preaching all over the world; we are in the lower stage. And because he has imitated the dress of Rūpa Gosvāmī, mālā, tilaka, and he's manufacturing biḍi-he's higher. This is going on. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has condemned these rascals—that kali-celā—"the disciple of Kali." Ei ota eka kali-celā.(?) Here is a disciple of Kali. Who? Nāke tilaka galāi mālā. And sahajiyā bhajana kache mamu, saṅge lana pare bala.(?) He has tilaka and mālā, and sahajiyā, with other girls he's making parakīyā-rasa-bhajana. Kali-celā. Ei ota eka kali-celā. So we have to guided by our predecessor ācāryas. Then we shall be saved. Otherwise we are condemned.

Pṛthu-putra: So when certain boys experience difficulties and they come to because...

Prabhupāda: What difficulty? What is the difficulty?

Pṛthu-putra: Well, for example...

Prabhupāda: We have got everything clearly stated, that we observe these regulative principle, chant, minimum sixteen rounds, and act as far as possible for the service of the Lord. Where is the difficulty?

Pṛthu-putra: Maybe the realization may not be there.

Prabhupāda: What is that realization? This is the prescribed duty. So there is no question of realization. You must do it.

Pṛthu-putra: Yes. They must and they do also. They also do it.

Prabhupāda: Then where is the doubt? Let me go on with my duty. That's all. Why I shall be disturbed by so many things? Let me see whether I am discharging my duties properly. That's all.

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. That is the... What do you think? What is your definition of mahātmā?

Guest (1): Gītā said, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19).

Prabhupāda: Yes. Gītā says, but what you say? Recently I went to Wardha, Mahatma Gandhi's āśrama. Nobody is there. And they are worshiping Mahatma's lantern, and Mahatma's cādara. Not a single picture of Kṛṣṇa. (chuckles) There is not a single picture of Kṛṣṇa. And here it is said, bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. This is going on. So read Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Learn. Everything is there. Make your life successful. That is our proposal. Come here. We have developed this center in good quarter. Discuss Bhagavad-gītā and try to do what Kṛṣṇa says. Make your life perfect. (Hindi) We are misguided. Misguided... (Hindi) Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā: "This mahātmā; this is God; this is function; this you have to do." Do it. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Four things anyone can do. A child can do.

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

First-class yogi—one who is thinking of Kṛṣṇa. (Hindi) There is no difficulty. Take Bhagavān prasāda; chant Bhagavān's name; read Bhagavad-gītā; try to understand. Very easy. What is the difficulty? Is there any difficulty? Hm? Do you think is there any difficulty? (break) ...Hindi.

Room Conversation -- February 28, 1977, Mayapura:

Hari-śauri: At least he reported to Gargamuni that the prospect was good.

Prabhupāda: No. Gargamuni did not say anything.

Hari-śauri: Well, he remained in Calcutta.

Prabhupāda: No, no, he came here, but he did not say.

Hari-śauri: Who did Gargamuni speak to?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He spoke to me. He said, "Yes, but they have not yet got the permit."

Prabhupāda: That means there is no hope.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What is the difficulty?

Hari-śauri: Well, generally they require six weeks 'cause it's on the Chinese border.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There's so many places...

Hari-śauri: They have some protected areas. That's all. It's because there's a lot of missile bases and stuff up there. They have a lot of armament there. They've probably got some big project going. (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...the letterhead now for you from France, really nice.

Hari-śauri: Prabhupāda's seen it.

Prabhupāda: Where it is?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Can I show you a copy?

Prabhupāda: Some letterhead is already there, nice.

Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- February 28, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: And on this Kṛṣṇa culture, the India was ruling all over the world. During Parīkṣit Mahārāja time there was only one flag. And now go to the United States organization—simply flag increasing, "United."

Brahmānanda: In Africa they just made a new country. It's the smallest country in the world. It's one little island. Now it's independent country.

Prabhupāda: This is going on. So for the time being let this program. We go to Vṛndāvana and from Vṛndāvana to Bombay, and then we make program there. Is that all right? If possible, invite some ministers.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: But if you were to go to Manipur we have to make arrangements.

Prabhupāda: We can go from Bombay. What is the difficulty? From here or Bombay, after all, we have to go by plane, so there is no difficulty. Manipur going, there is no direct plane from Bombay to Manipur?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: No. From Bombay to Calcutta, Calcutta to Imphala, Manipur.

Prabhupāda: So that is not difficult. We can come to Calcutta and go to Calcutta, there. But if you organize Bombay center, recruit scientists, hold meeting, that is very nice proposal. There must be some state, ideal state. Just like the Russia is Communist state, and they're making nice propaganda, similarly we must have a Kṛṣṇa conscious state. What do you think?

Room Conversation with Scientists, Svarupa Damodara, and Dr. Sharma -- March 31, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Evolution..., apart from evolution, when I dig a pond, water comes out. You don't touch, after few days, after few months, there will be fishes.

Mādhava: They would say there are eggs in the stream and...

Prabhupāda: Wherefrom the eggs came?

Mādhava: From another fish.

Prabhupāda: Wherefrom the eggs came?

Mādhava: From another fish.

Prabhupāda: Where is another fish? There was no fish when you dug this well. These rascals are great rascals, and they are going on in the name of scientists. Another, another, where is that another? Another means that is God. These rascals, they do not know that. They simply "another." Who is that another? That is God. Simple logic. The child is there, the mother is there, there must be father. This is logic. Otherwise how the living entity came into existence? Talk on this point. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. Śāstra says in the beginning, jalajā, living entities born in the water. And they are not one kind. Not that one kind of fish is coming. Nava-lakṣāṇi. Nine hundred thousand different types of life, varieties, varieties of life. So how these rascals say that all of a sudden came another? What is that another? Answer it. What is that another? "Big, big monkey, big, big belly, Ceylon jumping, melancholy." (laughter) What is that another? That "another" is God. It is simple for us. We understand. Why? Because you are Kṛṣṇa conscious. Kṛṣṇa says ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). "I am, here I am. I am the seed-giving father." Finished. We take it. So we are in full knowledge. What is the difficulty for us? There is father. You can say another or this or that, whatever way you can say. There is father. You do not know? Here, the father says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: "Yes, I am." We believe in Kṛṣṇa, our knowledge is perfect. You rascal, you do not believe, do not know. Then you hover in the darkness forever and remain a rascal and declare yourself a scientist. Rascal, declaring as scientist.

Interview with Mr. Koshi (Asst. Editor of The Current Weekly) -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

Mr. Koshi: Is interpretation necessary or not?

Prabhupāda: Why interpretation?

Mr. Koshi: Some passages, they do not know to understand it.

Prabhupāda: Just like if they do not know this is a tape recorder. What is interpreting? Everyone knows that this is a tape recorder. So what is interpretation? Interpretation required when you do not understand.

Mr. Koshi: Is it that simple and clear for everybody?

Prabhupāda: No, that is the way of interpretation. Amongst the learned circle, interpretation required when the things are not clear. If the things are clear, why nonsense interpretation? There is no need of interpretation. Dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre (BG 1.1). Kurukṣetra is still there, and people go there for pilgrimage. And in the Vedas it is stated kuru-kṣetre dharmān ācaret. "Go to Kurukṣetra and perform ritualistic ceremonies." What is the difficulty? Why should I interpret, "Kurukṣetra means this, and means this, that"? Why? To mislead others and mislead himself. This is not required. But they are doing it. That is misleading. If you can interpret Bhagavad-gītā by your own interpretation, then what is the authority of Bhagavad-gītā? Everyone can do like that. Everyone can say "It is my interpretation." Then where is the authority of Bhagavad-gītā? These things should be stopped. Real Bhagavad-gītā should be studied. People should make life Bhagavad-gītā and preach all over the world. This is our movement.

Room Conversation with Ratan Singh Rajda M.P. 'Nationalism and Cheating' -- April 15, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: If we do not take mathematics as it is, and if we interpret "Two plus two equal to three," that is rascaldom. "Two plus two equal to four," that is everywhere.

Mr. Rajda: Quite right. Everything is right. Now only put some concrete proposals, how do we want to proceed in this...

Prabhupāda: The proposal is there. Here it is already done. The same principle, the four things, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru, mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ (BG 18.65). These four principles, what is the difficulty? But if you are determined, "No, we shall not follow," then who can educate you? There is no loss. And if there is some gain, why not take it? We have to educate so many young men. So I think that harijana movement... You can bring that... That one gentleman, Dr. Parmar(?), you know him?

Room Conversation with Ratan Singh Rajda M.P. 'Nationalism and Cheating' -- April 15, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So we have to touch all these. Then poverty... And "Drive away poverty. Give them more money." More money means cheating. You are employing; I am employed. Begins from government. More money and printing, they are coming. If I have got power to print paper and distribute it as money, you are dissatisfied, getting hundred rupees, you want two hundred, so what is to me? I print and give you. This is artificial inflation.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: More money means printing more bills.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, but you haven't increased the...

Prabhupāda: And your enemy country, they're actually happy. They print exactly money like this. They come and purchase goods and give you fortune, anybody. I know. Then what is the difficulty? Suppose this American dollar, is it very difficult to print? So the Chinese, they are America's enemy, they can print, bring millions of dollars and purchase from your country and export to his country and give you some paper. You are... What you can do?

Conversation with disciples of Chinmayananda and Shivananda Ashram -- April 22, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Now people are taking our philosophy. So your mission also, preach in the same way. People will be benefited. The whole world is taking Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti... (BG 7.7). Preach this. People will take it. This knowledge is there in India, and they require to be educated with this knowledge, and we have tried little bit, and they are accepting. Why don't you do that? They have taken. I said, "Here is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. You worship Him." Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām. Why don't you teach this? Hm? You are not teaching this, that "Accept Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Always think of Him. Man-manāḥ. Become a devotee. Offer Him obeisances." Why don't you teach this? Hm? What is the difficulty?

Indian man (2): Excuse me. I could not follow.

Prabhupāda: Why don't you teach as Kṛṣṇa wants? It is a plain word. Why you are teaching something else?

Conversation with disciples of Chinmayananda and Shivananda Ashram -- April 22, 1977, Bombay:

Indian man (3): What is the means by which we know what Gītā says to us, Swamiji?

Prabhupāda: Do you don't know what Gītā says? Then why do you read Gītā? Don't read.

Indian man (3): But there must be some means that you can adopt...

Prabhupāda: No, no, you do know what Gītā says. Do you know it? What Gītā says, do you know it? You do not know?

Indian man (3): Swamiji, nobody knows Bhagavad-gītā.

Prabhupāda: Nobody knows! You do not know. We know. Why do you say, "Nobody knows"? You do not know. It is open secret. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam... (BG 18.66). You do not know. But don't say that "Nobody knows." That is wrong impression. We know. You are blind. You do not like to know it. Everyone should know. What is the difficulty?

Indian man (3): No, Swamiji, I mean...

Prabhupāda: No, I do not know what you mean. But you say, "Nobody knows." That is a wrong impression. Everyone knows. You do not know. That is my...

Conversation with disciples of Chinmayananda and Shivananda Ashram -- April 22, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, everyone knows, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66). These are open secret. What is the difficulty?

Indian man (3): Differences in meaning...

Prabhupāda: You can take different meaning, but we do not take like that. We take Bhagavad-gītā as it is.

Indian man (4): Swamiji, how do we know that that the meaning is distorted?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Indian man (4): How do we know that the meaning is distorted?

Prabhupāda: Because you do not worship Kṛṣṇa.

Indian man (4): Swami?

Prabhupāda: Because you do not worship Kṛṣṇa. It is plain fact. But we worship Kṛṣṇa. In every temple, all over the world, 102 temples, we worship Kṛṣṇa. But you don't worship Kṛṣṇa.

Conversation with disciples of Chinmayananda and Shivananda Ashram -- April 22, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: At least you do not understand.

Indian man (3): Please forgive me if I have given a wrong...

Prabhupāda: At least you do not understand. That's all.

Indian man (2): Are we not, potentially, not to understand Bhagavad-gītā, then?

Prabhupāda: Everyone. What is the difficulty? But you understand in a different way. It is simple thing. Everyone understands. This is expected. But you understand in different way. That is difficulty. You create your own meaning.

Indian man (3): I request, Swamiji, on what basis we can say that it is a different meaning or distorted meaning and not the meaning which the Gītā says...?

Prabhupāda: Because you say that nobody knows. You say. And whatever meaning, that is in your mind, but you said nobody knows.

Indian man (5): No, that is quite mistaken talk.

Prabhupāda: That mistake... Then what can I talk? It is mistake.

Indian man (3): I said nobody knows until he knows.

Prabhupāda: So if one does not want to know, how he'll know?

Indian man (5): Whatever Swamiji says, that...

Prabhupāda: Yeah. And Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66). Why don't you do that? Who has got the...?

Conversation with Vedic Astronomer -- April 30, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: You have no practical idea?

Indian Astronomer: No, have so many ideas, vague, not practical. This is here in five days(?).

Prabhupāda: No, no, vague idea is not good. You for some days stay here and do it here.

Indian Astronomer: I am told that Arka-somayaji is also coming here.

Patita Uddhāraṇa: No, he's not. I never said he was coming.

Prabhupāda: What is the difficulty? The śāstra is there. You have to make drawing according to śāstra. That's all.

Indian Astronomer: You see, everything is separate author. Preparing diagram is separate author.

Prabhupāda: Why separate au...? If you understand clearly, you can make it.

Room Conversation -- May 8, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Surrender is perfection. Just like that is the example. Finger is the part and parcel. If it works, then it is normal condition. If he does not work, then he's diseased. That is explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). You understand Bengali?

Indian man (1): Hm.

Prabhupāda: This is the normal condition, that he fully surrenders and acts according to the dictation of Kṛṣṇa. This is surrender. He says also, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65)—four things. It doesn't require any... It is very easy. If you like, you can think of Kṛṣṇa always-man-manāḥ. And unless you love Kṛṣṇa, how you'll think of Him? Mad-bhaktaḥ. And bhakta will worship-mad-yājī. And worshiping means offering obeisances-māṁ namaskuru. These four things can do, any... Even a child can do. But they'll manufacture and ultimately come to the conclusion-void, finished. So our request is that life is not zero. It is a fact. Don't spoil it. Take His instruction from Bhagavad-gītā and become perfect. This is our request. And we have no difficulty. The authority is there, Bhagavad-gītā. We haven't got to manufacture anything, some artificial rules. The standard of knowledge is there. What is the difficulty? Why should you manufacture knowledge? They are imperfect. Whatever you manufacture, that is imperfect.

Evening Darsana -- May 9, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Prabhupada: .......This life, this human form of life, is meant for understanding the real problem of life and to solve it. This is the opportunity. And Kṛṣṇa personally coming to instruct you, "You solve in this way." But we are so doggish, we will not take. What can be done? Then become a dog. Nature's law, you work. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). If you remain doggish—you do not become human being—then, all right, you become a dog next life. Tathā dehāntara-prā... Then take life of the street and "Gow! Gow! Gow!" Mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. This... For this purpose we request every one of you that you study Bhagavad-gītā very seriously as it is, apply it in your practical life, and teach it to others. That is perfection. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... He says that "You become guru, everyone." (break) You simply repeat. Don't misinterpret. Boliye. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... Every one of you become a guru, not a bluffer, but a guru, real guru. "How real guru? What can be done? I have no qualification." Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa: (CC Madhya 7.128) "You simply take the words of Kṛṣṇa and preach." Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). You simply repeat, "Sir, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Being, God." What is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa says, "There is no superior authority than Me." You simply say, "Kṛṣṇa is the supreme authority." That's all. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām... You preach, "Come here in the temple. See Kṛṣṇa's Deity and always think of Him." Where is the difficulty? Now, these Europeans and Americans, what I have done to them? I have not given any bribe. I say, "Here is Kṛṣṇa. He is God." They accept it, worship Him. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Just if you cannot do anything, just offer one obeisances, namaskāra. Any child can do. They have done it, and they are going ahead.

Conversation with M.P., Shri Sita Ram Singh -- May 19, 1977, Vrndavana:

Indian man (3): No, but is there any facility for getting Indian citizenship?

Prabhupāda: No, no, no. We don't want citizenship. What they will do with citizen..., Indian citi...?

Indian man (3): Then what is the difficulty?

Prabhupāda: Difficulty is... Let them live here as permanent residents, just like I am American permanent resident. I am not citizen. If I like, I can become citizen. But what is the use of becoming citizen? It is as good as citizen. (Hindi)

Sita Ram Singh: Within that period they have to go back.

Indian man (3): (Hindi)

Sita Ram Singh: Yes, of course, they have to go back, but...

Prabhupāda: No, extension... (Hindi) Generally.

Indian man (3): They don't give you this for permanent residentship...

Prabhupāda: No.

Conversation with Bhakti-caitanya Swami-New GBC -- June 30, 1977, Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Phillip's? Phillip's?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Phillip's, yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda. (break)

Prabhupāda: I may understand from the village(?) paper, for some vigorous men there is a very good field. You have also come. You have also...

Trivikrama: Yes, I can hear. Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Combine together. What is the difficulty.

Room Conversation with Alice Coltrane -- July 1, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So that is not possible for everyone, but there is no limit. Twenty-four hours you can chant, if you can.

Alice Coltrane: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Otherwise, minimum sixteen.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: She asked, how does she get Kṛṣṇa's instructions while chanting?

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa's instruction are there in Bhagavad-gītā. Don't you find Kṛṣṇa's instruction? Is it difficult? All instruction are clearly given there. What is the difficulty?

Alice Coltrane: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Yes, everything...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: She wants like personal day-to-day instructions, which she says she gets from meditation.

Prabhupāda: That you become qualified, then He'll give you. First of all be qualified to meet Him, then He'll give you. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. What is that verse? Find out.

Discussion about Bhu-mandala -- July 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: The superior energy is utilizing inferior energy for His purpose. You are utilizing this inferior, the lump of matter, for serving my purpose. That is superior energy. It cannot use me for its purpose.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It has no purpose.

Prabhupāda: No. I can use it for my purpose. Therefore I am superior. (aside:) Come on.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, it's about three o'clock now.

Prabhupāda: Shall we go?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I may have to go for that... I told Bhakti-prema Mahārāja I would meet him at three.

Prabhupāda: Go on. (break) So what is the difficulty?

Bhakti-prema: First we are interested to know...

Prabhupāda: (aside:) Take from the middle. (break) It is something new?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. This is the first drawing we did. This is Jambūdvīpa. This is Bhārata....

Bhakti-prema: This is Bhārata-varṣa, Bhūrloka. Now, this is Himalayan mountain going from east to west. This is India.

Prabhupāda: First thing is, these people cannot cross the Himalayan mountain. (aside:) You can turn this light in this way, down. From my practical experience, I have seen Switzerland. It is so high, that so many accidents have taken place. Little inattention. They have experience. The plane goes thirty-two thousand feet high. Is it not?

Room Conversation -- October 30, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If he can't stay here, then he should help to take Prabhupāda to Māyāpura. And actually that will make him very responsible, because then he'll see that Prabhupāda is taking risk simply to be under his care. So that will make him feel even more obligated to take proper care of Śrīla Prabhupāda even after going to Māyāpura.

Prabhupāda: This is the right conclusion.

Bhakti-caru: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda. (Bengali)

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) He does not agree. Then?

Bhavānanda: Agree to remain?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. He... He'll either agree to remain or else we'll make him agree to take you to Māyāpura. Probably by our refusing to accept this assistant, it will induce him to stay here a little bit longer to prepare you for the journey, and then he'll take you to Māyāpura.

Prabhupāda: Journey, what is the difficulty?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I don't find any difficulty. I didn't find any difficulty one week ago. I'm prepared to take you anywhere in the world, in any condition. I don't think that there's so much difficulty. I see how we're putting you on the palanquin.

Prabhupāda: Bhavānanda?

Bhavānanda: I also agree with Tamāla, Śrīla Prabhupāda.