Room Conversation
with Bhurijana and Disciples
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
July 1, 1974, Melbourne

Prabhupada: That is sense. Otherwise nonsense, that’s all. It is up to us to take up the sense or nonsense. The direction is there. What Arjuna said?

Satsvarupa:

arjuna uvaca nasto mohah smrtir labdha tvat-prasadan mayacyuta sthito ’smi gata-sandehah karisye vacanam tava [Bg. 18.73]

“Arjuna said, My dear Krsna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy, and I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.”

Prabhupada: This is sense.

Bhurijana: Prabhupada, I think my illusion is not yet dispelled.

Prabhupada: Then unfortunate.

Bhurijana: Yes.

Prabhupada: Continue. (laughter) Who can check?

Bhurijana: I want to understand in this sense though, exactly how far your instructions are because I know I want to do it, what you say, but I am not exactly…

Prabhupada: You are old student.

Bhurijana: Yeah.

Prabhupada: If you still cannot understand what is my instruction, then how can I help you? New students may say like that. You are intelligent, educated, old student. If you say… (long, silent pause) Our movement is that beginning of spiritual life is to surrender. If there is no surrendering, then it is no advance. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66] This is the beginning. If that thing is lacking, there is no beginning even, what to speak of advancement. That is discussed already. Na siddhim sa avapnoti na sukham na param gatih. This is the beginning of spiritual life. The word is called disciple. Disciple means who accept discipline. If there is no discipline, where is disciple? And “disciplic succession.” We have used this word. Not that discipline is finished by one man, no. It will continue to go by succession. That is perfect.

evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh sa kaleneha (mahata) yogo nastah parantapa [Bg. 4.2]

Find out this verse. As soon as the disciplic succession is missing, then everything is lost.

Satsvarupa:

evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh sa kaleneha mahata yogo nastah parantapa [Bg. 4.2]

Prabhupada: Nasta, this word is used.

Satsvarupa: “This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.”

Prabhupada: That’s it. As soon as the discipline broken, then everything is lost. Now you can dance like a dog. That will not affect. Nobody can do that unless there is spiritual strength. Now, last night Madhudvisa Maharaja was singing, and so many men became enthused to dance. So unless there is spiritual strength, it cannot be done. Others cannot ask and dance. No, that is not possible. That is not possible. Unless there is spiritual strength, you cannot enthuse others. So we should have to acquire spiritual strength by following the regulative principle. Sanatana Gosvami has therefore forbidden. Avaisnava-mukhodgirnam puta-hari-kathamrtam sravanam kartavyam: “Those who are not following Vaisnava principles, one should not hear from him.” Why? It is Krsna-katha, Krsna’s. Now sarpocchista-payo yatha: “Milk is very good, but as soon as it is touched by a serpent, it is no more good. It is harmful.” So one must be Vaisnava. Unless one is Vaisnava, there is injunction, “Don’t hear from him. It will be poisonous.” So one who is not following Vaisnava principle, he cannot speak about Vaisnava principle. It is harmful. That is forbidden by acaryas, Sanatana Gosvami. If somebody says, “What is the harm? He is chanting Hare Krsna…” He cannot chant. That is a show-bottle chant. That is not effective. But even taking that “Anyone who is chanting, let me hear,” no, Sanatana Gosvami says, “No, don’t hear.” It will be harmful more than… In other words, if you are not following the Vaisnava principle, you don’t chant. It will not be effective. Did you not see the difference last night? There were many others. They could not join in the dancing. So far gathering men, if you do not gather intelligent men, then what is the use of gathering men? Ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tara sahasrasah: “If there is one moon, that is sufficient. What is the use of millions of stars?” If one is perfect Vaisnava, that is sufficient. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement is… There are so many… Such a big instruction book. It is not that, whimsical. But still, we recommend that “Go on chanting.” This will help you anywhere. That is also good. It is exactly like that: if you ignite wood for fire, if the wood is dry, the fire takes place immediately, and if it is moist, then it takes time. Only smoke will come. So smoke is not required. The blazing fire required. Then if from the wood, if simply smoke comes you cannot (chuckles) take any work out of it. There is traces of fire. As soon as there is smoke, there is fire, but it is not useful. It is useful for troubling your eyes only. What is smoke? Smoke means also fire. But you require blazing fire, not smoke fire. So blazing fire takes place if the wood is dry, immediately takes place. Otherwise, you go on enjoying the smoke. Be satisfied. “When there is smoke, there is fire.” But it will not be useful. (chuckling) It will be useful, gradually the wood will dry. It takes long time. Just try to understand this example. You require the flame, not the smoke. But if you are satisfied with the smoke, that is your business. If you simply be satisfied—“The smoke is also fire. Unless there is fire, why the smoke comes?”—that’s a good argument, but smoke will not help you. You require the flame. That flame cannot be produced if the wood is wet. Wet means materially contaminated. Is that example all right?

Satsvarupa: Yes, that’s true.

Prabhupada: Yes. So pure devotional service is flame. All other things are smoke. You must get the flame. Otherwise, your business will not get done. So naturally we fan when there is smoke, “Phat, phat, phat.” As soon as flame comes, there is no smoke. So again fan it. Let the flame come. Then everything will be all right. Otherwise be satisfied with the smoke. You are cooking with smoke for three hundred years. (laughter) There is a very humorous story that one man… He was a yogi. So he approached. It is not story, it is fact. Approached one big man that… As people are very inquisitive to see some yogic magic, so the rich man asked the yogi, “What you have learned about yogic perfection?” “No, I can in the severe winter season, I can dip myself in the water up to this and practice yoga.” “So, how long can you remain? At night?” “Yes. No, I can remain the whole night or as long as you…” “All right, if you remain within severe cold, within water, overnight, then I shall give you such and such presentation.” So he agreed, and he did it. And in the morning, when the man came, so he said, “Oh, you are successful.” Then he did not… Either he had no money or he did not want to give. So he had his one advisor, “So what shall I do?” “No, no sir, you cannot give money.” “Why?” “Now, there was heat.” “So how there was heat?” You know, in India they give akasa-pradipa? During Karttika month they… This is our Vaisnava principle, I think. The lamp is there on the head of the roof. On the roof there is a bamboo, and in the top of the bamboo there is light. So this man was in the lake. And his advisor said, “You have seen that the lamp was there, and heat was coming.” (laughing) That lamp was three miles away and still, he advised, “Yes, there was heat. Therefore he could tolerate.” So what can be said? He is poor man. So there was another servant of that big man. So he appealed to him that “See, I took so much trouble and he did not pay me anything.” “So don’t worry. I shall see that you are paid.” What is that? Some presentation?

Paramahamsa: Yes. First of all, I will pay my obeisances.

Prabhupada: Then that servant, while he was employed, there was an urgent business. The rich man said that “Tomorrow I am going. You must come and go with me.” So suppose he was to go at ten o’clock. Then at nine o’clock a messenger came: “You are ready?” “No, just I am cooking. Then I shall finish my cooking, take my meals and then we shall go.” So he was very angrily inquired, “So why you did not…?” “No, I am cooking.” “Where you are cooking?” Now, he has three bamboos, and on the top there was a pot, rice pot, and he was giving fire here. So that rich man came and saw. “What kind of cooking this is?” “No, there is heat. It is going on.” (laughter) “So how you do this, such a nonsense.” “No, if the temperature from the lamp on the roof of the sky could protect that man, why not it will be cooking?” Then he could understand this is the reply. So that man was paid. So this kind of progress, cooking, three miles above, a pot, a little fire, it will not act. There must be proper adjustment of cooking. Then you can cook food and eat. A little smoke or little fire and three miles away the cooking pot, in this way, cooking is useless attempt. One must be serious to cook. There is method how to cook. If you don’t adopt that method and if you cook in your whimsical way, you will never be able to eat. If you say, “I shall cook in my way,” and if you adopt that process, will it help? Na siddhim sa avapnoti na sukham na param… So what are these things? [break] …on the floor. But this instruction was for you, that you are keeping. I never keep my Bhagavata on the floor. I keep always my head. So better you take it. (laughter) I keep my Bhagavata either on this table or on the head and never on the floor. So that is for you. (laughter) Yes. Then next? (laughter) Yes. It is good, nice.

Paramahamsa: This was knitted by a devotee who came from Sydney. A scarf for you to wear in the cold.

Prabhupada: Hm. That’s nice.

Paramahamsa: And I also brought one from me.

Prabhupada: That’s nice.

Paramahamsa: And some mangoes.

Prabhupada: Oh, that is good.

Paramahamsa: From Queensland, very nice mangoes. They are very difficult to get.

Prabhupada: Very good. The mango I like very much. Mango is the king of all fruit. Do you accept it or not?

Paramahamsa: Yes.

Prabhupada: It is the king of fruits. Rose is the king of flowers. There is a statement in the Caitanya-ca… Two fruits. One fruit is the nim tree fruit. You have seen nim tree? In not your country. Nim tree you have seen in India, and their fruits…

Paramahamsa: A little bitter.

Prabhupada: Yes, very bitter. So the cuckoo, they try to eat the mango fruit flower when small, and the crow they eat that nim tree fruit. So amongst the birds also, there is discrimination according to the quality. Cuckoo sings very nicely. He is fond of mango fruit. And the crow is fond of this nim tree fruit. The white swan, they live in a very nice garden. There is lake, flower. And the crows, they live in the city. Of course, here in your country the garbage is not open. In India there is thrown anywhere and the crows… You have seen it?

Devotees: Yes.

Prabhupada: They enjoy that. Tad-vayasam-tirtham. It is mentioned in the Bhagavata. Tad vayasam-tirtham. Find out this. No, it is in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Na tad-vacas citra-padam harer yaso pragrnita karhicit tad vayasam-tirtham usanti manasah.

Jagattarini: Srila Prabhupada, my friends have to leave now.

Prabhupada: [break] …understanding of spiritual platform. It is impossible. Therefore, a human being, if he does not come on the spiritual platform, he remains animal. That is the difference. Therefore, Bhagavad-gita, you will find the first beginning of teaching—dehino ’smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara. Find out.

Satsvarupa:

dehino ’smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13]

“As the embodied soul continually passes in this body from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul in not bewildered by such a change.”

Prabhupada: This is the beginning of spiritual life, to distinguish between the soul and the body. One who does not understand that there is soul, there is no spiritual education because he is animal. The animal does not know that there is soul. A dog thinks, “I am this body.” So this is the beginning of spiritual education. Therefore Krsna instructs first this thing. Everyone is acting on the conception of body as self. She has also gone, your wife?

Bhurijana: No, she will come back.

Prabhupada: We… Our work is on that platform, dehino ’smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara tatha dehantaram [Bg. 2.13], dehina, not the deha, dehi. We are not working on deha. Deha means body. And dehi means the owner of the body. So our this Krsna consciousness is about the activities of the owner of the body, not the body. But the whole world is going on on acting on the body. That is the difference. Therefore it takes very, very, long time to understand. Those who are thinking, “I am this body…” One who knows that “I am not this body; I am soul, spirit soul,” then his spiritual education… They do not know what is spiritual education. What do they mean generally, spiritual education?

Satsvarupa: Some religion, knowledge about one of the religions or nowadays meditation, like that.

Prabhupada: Meditation? What is the ultimate goal? That means no perfect knowledge. The so-called meditation is very popular, but what meditation? What is subject matter of meditation? You can close. It is closed?

Satsvarupa: Close the blinds? There’s a draft coming in, but the windows are closed.

Prabhupada: Not closed. Yes, now it is closed. Just make it point three. It is on two. That’s it. (long pause) [break]

Satsvarupa: …have to strain the juice from this mango?

Prabhupada: And did you do it?

Satsvarupa: No. I’ve seen Palika do it with a cloth and then mix it with a little milk. [break]

Prabhupada: …human being. It is not meant for the beast. God has given different food for different person, different. You will find even food grains, rice—first quality rice, second quality rice. Why nature has produced? Because there are persons who cannot eat third quality rice. So God has given: “Oh, here is first-class quality.” They will eat little. And in India there are classes, they will eat so much. So for them that red rice is good. They do not like this fine basmati. I have got practical experience. Sometime we used to give even the servants the same rice. So this man came. He complained, “Bahu.” “Bahu” means master. “This rice is not suitable for us.” That fine basmati rice. He did not like it. Then the next day that red, big, big. Have seen that? Japanese rice or some, Burmese rice. It is reddish and big and little hard, and he likes: “Very nice.” So there are classes of men, classes of animals. I have got practical experience of all this. The big animals… [break] …living entities. That He is providing everyone. Nobody is hungry. Eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman.

Devotee: So therefore it must be impossible to have a classless society such as the Communists are trying for.

Prabhupada: No, classless society is Krsna consciousness. “Eat Krsna-prasadam.” Everyone will like. That is classless: “Everyone chant Hare Krsna, everyone eat Krsna-prasadam.” Life is successful. Classless society on the spiritual platform, not on the material platform. That is not possible. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati, samah sarvesu bhutesu [Bg. 18.54]

Madhudvisa: He’s at the temple. He will be coming tonight, though. He usually comes to prepare you something before you take rest. I can send for him.

Prabhupada: All right, no, no. No, no, let him come. I am not in a hurry. What is the time now?

Satsvarupa: Ten to eight. (end)