Prabhupāda: What benefit is there by remembering?
Paramahaṁsa: Well, the family feels honored that there is a tree here for that son of theirs.
Prabhupāda: What benefit do they derive?
Paramahaṁsa: Well, they can come and see it, and . . .
Prabhupāda: Do they think that man who has died is still there?
Amogha: Next time when there is a war, then they will feel more inclined to fight, knowing that there may be a tree for them. (laughs)
Prabhupāda: It means this is government deceiving. The man is not there. And even if he is there, suppose the soldier, after dying for his country, has become a tree, (laughter) is it a very good reward? Just see their . . . (indistinct) . . .. How foolishly they are thinking. We have to point out their foolishness. That is our business. They are working very hard, undoubtedly, but they are working foolishly. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). The result is that simply they are becoming tired. That's all. Because they are not working intelligently. Like monkey, he is busy all day. What is the value of that busy-ness? You'll find the monkey, he is never sitting idly. He's always busy, "erh, erh, erh" (imitating monkey). (laughter) So what is the result of that busy-ness? He's a monkey. And they claim to be, they are coming from monkey, these rascals. So we can say that your monkey's quality is already there. (laughter) You have not improved more than monkey, because you are working uselessly. They are theorizing that you have come from monkey, and as soon as you say that "You are monkey," they become angry. Just see. They are claiming that we are coming from monkey. And if you say, "You are monkey, no better than monkey," then they are angry. Just see.
Paramahaṁsa: Well that's because we've advanced from the monkey stage up to the human stage.
Prabhupāda: You have not advanced. If you are uselessly working, then you are monkey. Monkey is busy, but useless. There is no value. What is the value of your working? You cannot make a solution of the problem that you are dying. Then what is the use of your working? You do not like to die. Why you are dying? You are keeping memory of him because you wanted that he should not have died. That is your desire. You do not like to die. So where is the solution of your death? You might open many hospitals, but where is the solution of the disease, that there should be no more disease? That you cannot do. Therefore your so-called scientific research, working hard day and night, is all monkeys' business. Useless.
Paramahaṁsa: But we are seeing that even great spiritualists, they all get old and die also.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. We are not talking of this body. We are talking of the soul. We say that soul transmigrate. So, instead of transmigrating to another this perishable body, we are transmigrating to the eternal body. That is our business. We are making solution. But you do not know. You are simply working like monkey, uselessly.