Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.6 Prabhupada: sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje ahaituky apratihata yayatma suprasidati [SB 1.2.6] This is a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, Chapter Two, text number six. There was a big meeting of great sages, saintly persons, about 2,500 years ago at Naimisaranya. Naimisaranya still… Those who have gone to India, they know. Near Lucknow there is a place. It is called now, railway station, Nimsar. So there is Naimisaranya. So there in the meeting the questions were put by the sages, that, to summarize the whole range of revealed scriptures, because in India the Vedic literatures are many-folded. First of all there are the four Vedas—Sama, Yajur, Rk, Atharva. Then they are explained or supplemented by the Puranas, eighteen Puranas. Then they are further explained by hundred eight Upanisads. Then they are summarized in Vedanta-sutra, Brahma-sutra. And then again, the Brahma-sutra is explained by Srimad-Bhagavatam. Bhasyayam brahma-sutranam. The Srimad-Bhagavatam is the direct commentary by the author himself. Therefore you will find at the end of each chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam, srimad-bhagavate maha-purane brahma-sutra bhasye. Bhasya means commentary. Commentary means to explain. Just like in the Brahma-sutra the first aphorism is athato brahma jijnasa: “This human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth.” Brahman means Absolute Truth, the supreme truth. So it is said that the human life should not be spoiled or expended like animals. Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [Bhag. 5.5.1] What is the distinction between the human form of life and the life of the hogs and dogs? What is the difference? The difference is that the hogs and dogs (children shouting) (aside:) It is not possible to stop them? We’ll find the hogs and dogs, whole day they are searching after eatables: “Where there is some food? Where there is some food?” That is hogs’ and dogs’ life, the condemned life. They cannot have any peaceful life. They cannot do any intelligent work. They cannot produce food from the earth. They have no intelligence. The same earth is there, the dogs and hogs are there, the human being is also there, but human being has developed a civilization, comfortable life; the hogs and dogs, they cannot do that. Although they have got the same opportunity, but they cannot do it. So human life is meant for living very comfortably, brain clear to understand what is Absolute Truth, what is our life, what is the goal of life, because the hogs and dogs, they will also die and we will also die, but we can understand what is the goal of life; the dogs and hogs, they do not know what is the goal of life. Therefore in the Vedanta-sutra the first aphorism is advised that human form of life… It doesn’t matter where that human form of life has happened. It doesn’t matter. Either in America or in India or in Pakistan or anywhere, human life is human life. So their business is to inquire about the Absolute Truth. That is the injunction of the sastra. Therefore we find a form of religion in the human society. It doesn’t matter whether Christian society or Hindu society or Muslim society or any other society. Because they are human being, there must be a type of religion. And what is that religion? Religion means to understand God. This is the sum and substance. Religion means to understand God. In the sastra it is said, religion means… Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. Religion means the codes and the rules and regulations given by God. That is religion. This is the summary, short definition of religion. If somebody asks you, “What do you mean by religion?” the immediate reply is there in the sastra, dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam na vai vidur rsayo napi devah: [SB 6.3.19] “The principles of religion is given by God. It is unknown to the human being or the demigods.” That means except God, nobody can give you religion. Just like the law, state law. Law means the principles given by the state. You cannot manufacture law at your home. That is not law. Similarly, religion means the law given by God. Therefore we must know who is God and what kind of law He is giving to us. This is religion. So from Bhagavad-gita we understand, Krsna or God, says, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, tadatmanam srjamy aham: [Bg. 4.7] “When there is discrepancies in the matter of discharging religion, then I incarnate, I descend.” Why? paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge [Bg. 4.8] So religion is disturbed by duskrtina, demons, and those who are saintly person, they execute religion. So paritranaya sadhunam. Sadhu means saintly person, devotee of God. They are sadhu. And asadhu, or demon, means persons who deny the authority of God. They are called demons. So two business—paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam: “To curtail the activities of the demons and to give protection to the saintly person, I descend.” Dharma-samstha…: “And to establish dharma, the principles of religion.” These are the three business for which Krsna, or God, or God’s representative—or, you say, God’s son—they come. This is going on. So what is religion, then? The religion is obedience to God. Just like law means obedience to the state, and one who obeys the laws of the state, he is good citizen, similarly, the laws given by God, one who obeys the law, he is religious or saintly person. So it doesn’t matter what religion you are following. It doesn’t matter. If you are actually obedient to the laws of God, then you are religious. It doesn’t matter. So that is explained here: sa vai pumsam paro dharma yato bhaktir adhoksaje. Adhoksaje. Beyond the sense perception. We have got different stages of knowledge: direct perception… Pratyaksa, paroksa, aparoksa, adhoksaja, aprakrta—these are five stages of knowledge. Direction perception, knowledge received from others, then realization, then anubhuti, understanding what is the position of God and His situation. That is called aprakrta. Aprakrta means not within this material world but above that. Sankaracarya, he has described, narayanah parah avyaktat. Avyaktat. This material world is manifested. And above this, there is the total stock of material energy. That is called avyakta. And beyond that, there is spiritual world. Narayanah parah avyaktat. So we have to understand God, where He is situated. He is situated everyone, everywhere, but still, we cannot see. In Kunti’s prayer she said that “Krsna, You are without and within also, but still, You cannot be recognized.” Nato natyadharo yatha. Just like one person’s father or relative is playing on the stage, still, he cannot recognize him—“Who is playing?”—so similarly, Krsna or God’s position is adhoksaja. Adhoksaja. Aksaja. Aksaja means direct perception. Aksa means eyes. Sometimes we say, “Can you show me God?” This is called aksaja. But He cannot be seen by these eyes; therefore His name is Adhoksaja. Adhah-krtah aksajam jnanam. You cannot see God by direct perception. You have to create your eyes, you have to create your senses, so that you can see God, you can touch God, you can talk with God, you can feel God’s presence. Therefore His name is Adhoksaja. When sometimes God is described as impersonal, that does not mean that He has no personality. He has His personality, but He is not a person like us. He is not a person like us. That is called impersonal. Impersonal does not mean that He has no personality, but the experience of our personality, God is not like that. In the Vedas they are very nicely explained, pasyaty acaksuh: “God sees, but He has no eyes.” Srnoty akarnah: “He has no ears, but He can hear.” If He cannot hear, then what is the use of our offering prayer? He hears, but He does not hear like us. We cannot hear in a distant place, a few yards. But God, He is in His kingom. Still, if you offer prayer He can hear. That is God. Srnoty akarnah pasyaty acaksuh. He is seeing everything, every action of your activities, but that kind of eyes, seeing everything— not only of my activities; your activities, his activities, everyone’s activities—we haven’t got such eyes. Therefore, when He is spoken of, that “He has no eyes,” that means He has no eyes like us. It is to be under Acaksuh. He hasn’t got eyes like this—I cannot see more than hundred feet. But He can see everywhere. Sarvatah pani-padas tat: “He has got His hands and legs everywhere.” He has got His eyes everywhere. So therefore He is described here, adhoksaja. Adhoksaja. Adhoksaja means beyond sense perception. And still, you have to become obedient. Therefore it is said, sa vai pumsam paro dharma. Paro dharma and apara dharma. There are two natures: para and apara. These things are very nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gita. This material energy, five elements, eight elements, even we can see… We cannot see five elements properly. Five elements: bhumir apo analo vayuh kham mano buddhir ahankara. We can see earth, we can see water, bhumir apo. We can see fire, analo. But we cannot see the air, but we can feel that air is blowing. That is also sense perception. We can see… We can perceive. We cannot see what is that sky, but we know, “Here is sky—vacancy.” Then we cannot see even mind. We cannot… I know that you have got mind, you know I have got my mind, but you cannot see where is my mind, I cannot see where is your mind. Bhumir apo analo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca, bhinna prakrti me astadha. These are different energies of God, and the whole material world is composed of these five gross elements and three subtle elements. This is called material world. And Krsna says further, apareyam: “These material energies, they are inferior energy, apara.” Beyond that, there is a superior energy. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakrtim param: “My dear Arjuna, these gross and subtle material elements, they are inferior energy. Beyond that, there is another, superior energy.” What is that superior energy? Jiva-bhutah maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat: “That is that living being.” We are all living being. So we are superior energy. We are exploiting the material resources; therefore we are superior. We are molding the material energy to our satisfaction, so we belong to the superior energy. So at the present moment we are engaged in the activities of material energy. Just like we are economists, nationalists, scientists, and so on, so on. That means all our engagements are within this material energy, even psychologists, mental speculators, philosophers—all material energy. But that is not our superior engagement. The superior engagement is explained here, sa vai pumsam paro dharmo [SB 1.2.6] Superior engage means to remain engaged in devotional service of the Supreme Lord. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje. Bhakti. Bhakti means devotional service. When we understand the Adhoksaja, the Supreme, the Absolute Truth, then we understand our position. Our position is eternal servant of God. This is our position. But at the present moment, because we are not in the superior energy, in the activities of the superior energy, we are struggling hard with this material energy. mamaivamso jiva-bhutah jiva-loke sanatanah manah-sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [Bg. 15.7] The Lord says that “These living entities, they are part and parcel of Me.” Mamaiva amsa. Amsa means part and parcel. Just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body, so the finger’s business is to carry out or to see the comforts of the body. I want to itch my nostril; immediately the finger is engaged. And if the fingers cannot help me, then it is diseased. Similarly, we are part and parcel of God. If we cannot help God, if we cannot assist God, if we cannot serve God, that is our diseased condition. That is our diseased condition. So we are, at the present moment, we are not helping God, we are not assisting God, we are not serving God, so this is our diseased condition. So we have to get out of this diseased condition. That is called mukti. The mukti is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, muktir hitva anyatha rupam sva-rupena avasthiti. Mukti means when we give up our false engagements and we are engaged properly in our original constitutional position. That is called mukti. So this bhakti means mukti. Because bhakti means to be engaged in devotional service of the Supreme, therefore that is mukti. And bhakti begins after mukti. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gita: brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54] Brahma-bhutah. We are all Brahman. The Mayavadi philosophers, they are very busy to realize his Brahman position. So we are Brahmans. That is a… Because we are part and parcel of God. God is Parabrahman. So we are part and parcel of God. We are not parabrahman, the Supreme Brahman, but we are Brahman. Aham brahmasmi, this realization, “I am not this body,” that is called brahma-bhutah. So brahma-bhutah, when you realize this, this is called knowledge, brahma-jnana, that “I am not this body but I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God. My duty is to assist God, to serve God.” That is called brahma-bhutah. Otherwise, being jiva-bhutah, we are engaged in this material world, struggling with the material energy. That is called jiva-bhutah. And brahma-bhutah means to realize that “Why I am unnecessarily struggling with this material world? I do not belong to this material world. I am spirit soul. My business is spiritual.” That is brahma-bhutah. And as soon as one understands this position, then prasannatma, he becomes immediately happy, joyful. Just like if you are doing something for which you have no necessity, and when you come to realize that “I am unnecessarily wasting my time in this way,” naturally, if you become joyful that “Why I am wasting my time in this way?” that is brahma-bhutah stage. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. Prasannatma means joyful stage, no more anxiety. We are full of anxiety on account of our material conception of life, unnecessarily. So many leaders came and gone. So long they were living, they were always concerned. In our country… Just like Mahatma Gandhi, he came, big leader. Or in other countries, Churchill came or Hitler came. So long they were living, they were always anxiety, full of anxiety, fighting with one another. Now they are not existing. What is the loss there? But unnecessarily they were busy, that “Without me, my country will be finished, and this will be vanquished.” Unnecessarily. So therefore we require to be brahma-bhutah, then prasannatma. Then, because our only business is to see that “I am happy. I have no anxiety,” that we are searching after, every one of us. So that anxietylessness is possible when we come to this stage: sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje ahaituky apratihata yayatma suprasidati [SB 1.2.6] If you want actually peace, then you must be engaged in the service of the Lord. And before being engaged in the service of the Lord you should be qualified, brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. Brahma-bhutah. As soon as you become brahma-bhutah, you are jolly. What is the symptom of jolliness? Na socati na kanksati. Na socati means “does not lament.” We are always lamenting for the things which we have lost, and we are always hankering for things which we haven’t got. This is our business. So long we do not get, we hanker. And when we get, then “How to keep it?” That is anxiety. And when it is lost, that is also anxiety. This is the material position. And when you come to the spiritual position there is no such thing— no more lamentation, no lamenting, no hankering. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati, samah sarvesu bhutesu [Bg. 18.54] At that time it is possible to see that everyone is equal because he can see. He does not see “Here is American.” He does not see “Here is Indian.” He does not see “Here is a brahmana.” He does not see “Here is a dog.” He sees all living being part and parcel of God. That is called samah sarvesu bhutesu. That equality is possible when you are brahma-bhutah. Samah sarvesu bhutesu. Artificially you have opened this United Nation, but your conception is, “I am Indian,” “I am American,” “I am Hindu,” “I am Muslim.” So how it can be, there can be unity? It is not possible. That is not brahma-bhutah stage. That is prakrta stage, identifying with this body. So long you identify with this body when you are in the material conception of life, there is no question of spiritual understanding, there is no question of joyfulness, there is no question of freedom from lamentation and hankering and there is no question of equality. It is all false show. So therefore here is the explanation, sa vai pumsam paro dharmah. Paro dharmah. Here it does not say that “Hindu religion is the best” or “Christian religion is the best” or “Muhammadan religion is the best.” No. That religion is best which teaches the follower how to love God. Sa vai pumsam paro dharma yato bhaktir adhoksaje. If one is lover of God, then he is lover of everyone because he knows everyone is part and parcel of God. If you love your father, then you love your brother. But if you do not know who is your father, then how you can say “universal brotherhood”? This is all hypocrisy. You first of all know. You must first of all know what you are, what is God, what is your relationship with God. And when it is perfectly understood, then there is the possibility of samah sarvesu bhutesu, panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18]. vidya-vinaya-sampanne brahmane gavi hastini suni caiva sva-pake ca panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18] Panditah, one who is actually learned, he sees everyone on the equal level. Who are they? Vidya-vinaya-sampanne brahmane. A brahmana who is very learned and very gentle, vidya-vinaya. Education means one is very gentle and learned. Vidya-vinaya sampanne brahmane gavi, a cow; hastini, an elephant; sunice, a dog; sva-pake, a dog- eater, candala. He sees that this… [break] Indian man (1): He is everywhere. He is omnipresent. Prabhupada: Yes. He is present within your heart, but still, He has got His own place. Indian man (1): This is why he says he has been trained(?). Prabhupada: Yes. Indian man (1): But it can also mean that He is not everywhere because… Prabhupada: Why not? That is God. That is God. You are thinking in your terms. Because when you are at your home you are not everywhere, you think God is like that. That is your deficiency. Why do you compare yourself with God? That is your deficiency. Indian man (1): This is a philosophical point of view. Prabhupada: Not philosophical point, view. You are thinking God in your own terms. Because you are imperfect—when you sit in your home you cannot be present in my home—therefore you are thinking God is like that. Indian man (1): When you say “He descends,” does it mean “got down”? Prabhupada: Yes. “He descends,” it does not mean that He is absent in His abode. That is God. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33] You understand this? Ananta-rupam. He can expand Himself in unlimited forms. Otherwise how it is possible—isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]? God is situated in everyone’s heart. “Everyone” means within your heart, within my heart, within cat’s heart, within dog’s heart—everyone’s heart. So there are innumerable living entities. How He is situated everywhere? Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham: “He is within this universe and He is within the atom.” That is God. Indian man (2): Swamiji? Prabhupada: Yes? Indian man (2): You are accepting to you questions put by a young man. Will you still kindly answer all questions put by an old? (laughter) Prabhupada: Hm? What is that? Brahmananda: He says that—excuse me—that you have already accepted one question from a young man, so now would you kindly accept a question from an old man? Prabhupada: Oh, yes. You are neither old; he is neither young. (laughter) Panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18]. Yes. Yes? Indian man (2): In your lecture, Swamiji, if I don’t mistake, you have mentioned many authorities, beginning with the Veda, Brahma-sutra, Bhagavad-gita or wisdom of the Mahabharata. Do you accept all truth? Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Indian man (2): Or are they stories? (?) Prabhupada: Yes. Because it is given by Vyasadeva, therefore it is also authority. Indian man (2): We have all listened to you very attentively. Prabhupada: Ramayana, Valmiki Ramayana, that is also authority. Indian man (2): We have listened to you very attentively and I have no doubt that the audience have learned much which is, could be practiced to help us in some way to realize what we are and to realize God. Now, if God Himself comes to teach to someone in this world, and if he has learned from God directly and he is satisfied that he has learned, that he has understood, can he, a few minutes afterwards, forget that he has received instruction from God and can he depart in a very ridiculous way from God, from what God has taught him in person? Prabhupada: Ridiculous way? What is that “ridiculous”? Indian man (2): If I have read… Prabhupada: No, no. First of all correct yourself. What is that “ridiculous way”? Indian man (2): If after receiving good education you act contrary to that education. Prabhupada: What is that? Indian man (2): At least, is ridiculous. Brahmananda: If you receive a good education and then you act contrary to that education. Prabhupada: If one has received good education, he cannot act contradictory. Indian man (2): That is… I agree with you. But this is what, if I have understood… Prabhupada: So a person who has got real education, he cannot be ridiculous. No, why you are saying that? Indian man (2): It can be explained by ridiculous. Prabhupada: No, no. Don’t say anything which is contradictory. Education does not mean ridiculous. That means he is not educated. Indian man (2): I have not said that education is ridiculous. I said that one who has got good education from a teacher… Prabhupada: So he cannot act ridiculously. If he acts ridiculously, then he has not good education. Indian man (2): So if I have well understood… Prabhupada: You have not well understood. You say a person who has got education, still, he acts ridiculously. That means you have no knowledge what is education. Indian man (2): I shall explain myself well, but if you wish to be… Prabhupada: So if you cannot explain yourself, how can I continue to hear you? Indian man (2): If you have got one minute more patience I will explain how. Prabhupada: No, no, no. If you speak ridiculously, how can I hear you? You say that one man has got education and he acts ridiculously. This is… Your statement is ridiculous. Indian man (2): I said if a man who has good education… Prabhupada: No, no. He has no good education. You cannot say that. If he acts ridiculously, that, he has no good education. Indian man (2): Well, let me put it another way. In the Bhagavad-gita is there a passage, is there a chapter where Arjuna says, “I have heard all Your teachings. Now I have understood the truth,” or not? Prabhupada: So you have to hear and you have to understand; then you can speak. Otherwise you will speak ridiculously. Indian man (2): No. Arjuna has said that he has heard God Himself speak to him and that he has understood the truth and that we are all, as you have said, a little bit of a finger in a body and the finger must serve the body. Prabhupada: So you have to approach such person who has heard God, just like Arjuna. Indian man (2): The next day he goes on the battlefield and he hears that his son has been killed. He loses all his self-control and he said, “I am going to throw myself in the fire. I have lost my son.” Is that the action of a man who has heard God Himself speak to him? This is what I want to ask. Prabhupada: You mean to say Arjuna? What is your statement? You mean to say Arjuna? Indian man (2): Yes. Prabhupada: So Arjuna, he… Of course, sentiment… Just like theoretically we understand, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. Still, when my son dies I become affected. That is temporary. That is temporary. But Arjuna, after hearing Bhagavad-gita, Krsna gave him the liberty that “Now I have spoken to you everything. Now whatever you…” [break] …under certain circumstances. But if your conviction is that “I shall act according to the order of God,” that is final. That is final. He did not act against the will of the Lord. That is his victory. Temporarily he might have been disturbed when his son was killed. That is a different thing. Everyone becomes. But that does not mean he stopped work. That is wanted. What was the final conclusion? He did not leave the warfield because his son Abhimanyu was killed; therefore he left—“No, I don’t want to fight”? No, he did not do that. He was affected for the time being. That is natural. But finally he concluded and he said, “Yes,” karisye vacanam tava [Bg. 18.73]. Nasto mohah smrtir labdha: “My illusion is now over. I shall fight.” That is right conclusion. Indian man (2): Thank you. Indian man (3): Swamiji, may I ask, just to… As my friend has just said about the teaching of… In the battlefield, Sri Krsna, about the verse about… Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7]. It is an oft repeated phrase or sloka which has gone deep into the subconscious mind of the Ind…, especially the Hindu people have taken it, probably because of all of the wrong interpretations. That why should we go and tire ourself or make effort? If we are in trouble, oh, just wait for the God to come down to the earth and He will help us and do what we need or defend us? Prabhupada: That is your instruction. That is not God’s instruction. Indian man (3): But it has been. Prabhupada: No. Indian man (3): According to my… Prabhupada: The God says that “Here is injustice, so you should fight.” God says that. God never says that “I am God, Krsna. I am your friend. You sit down idly and I shall do everything.” He never said that. He said that “You must fight.” That is our duty, not that God has given us hands and legs and you sit down idly and let God do it. This is not devotion. Indian man (3): Then you agree with me that this oft-repeated sloka has created a state of fatalism among the Hindu community? Prabhupada: What is that? Indian man (3): That yada yada hi… Pusta Krsna: Fatalism. This verse created fatalism, fatalism, a sense of hopelessness. Prabhupada: Hopelessness? Pusta Krsna: Pessimism. Fatalism. Brahmananda: It has been interpreted that this verse means that God will come and therefore we don’t have to do anything. Prabhupada: God is always present. You carry out the order of God. God is always present. You carry out the order of the God. Indian man (3): The verse is clear, yada yada hi dharmasya [Bg. 4.7]. Prabhupada: Yes. So that is being done every moment. Every moment we are forgetting our dharma and God is giving us instruction. Indian man (3): This state of fatalism which is prevalent in India… Prabhupada: It is not spoken to India. It is spoken to everyone. “India,” why do you bring India? God is not made for India. Indian man (3): But I have nothing in India, but I know India, so… Prabhupada: Then why you say India. Indian man (3): I have seen India. I know India. Prabhupada: No, why you bring India at all? God is not meant for India. Indian man (3): But Hinduism… Prabhupada: No, God is not meant for Hindu. Indian man (3): No, I am not talking about… I was talking about… (laughter) …that this sloka, I mean, probably… Prabhupada: That God said, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir… [Bg. 4.7]. He doesn’t say, yada yada hindu dharmasya glanir. (laughter) So why do you speak nonsense? He never says. Why do you speak like that? Indian man (3): It has written. I mean it was read like that. Prabhupada: No, no. That is your creation. That is your creation, mental speculation. He never said yada yada hi hindu dharmasya glanir bhavati. He never said. Why do you speak all these things? Indian man (3): Anyway, it has created a state of fatalism. Indian man (2): Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati [Bg. 4.7]. Prabhupada: Yes. Indian man (2): “When there is unrighteousness, I come in this world to reinstate dharma.” Prabhupada: Yes. That is the… Indian man (2): And He has not come now. There is no unrighteousness in this world? Prabhupada: He has come, but you have no eyes to see. You require the eyes to see. English man: Sir, I have listened to your talk with very great interest. You’re very clear and very lucid. But you’re also very dogmatic, I feel. Is there any area of doubt in your own philosophy, or are you quite certain in every field? Prabhupada: What is that dogmatic? English man: Dogmatic? You are very… When you have a question put to you, you are very clear what the answer shall be. (devotees chuckle) Have you any doubts yourself that have not appeared to us? Prabhupada: So you answer. You are American? English man: I am Scottish. Prabhupada: Scottish, England. In Scotland we have got also. Edinburgh, we have got our temple. English man: But you are very… You seem very… Your philosophy seems very clear cut. Prabhupada: Thank you very much. (laughter) English man: Are you well satisfied with that, that there is no area of doubt? Prabhupada: Therefore it is appealing more to the Western countries, yes. Mostly it is very acceptable in the Western countries. English man: Thank you. Prabhupada: So chant Hare Krsna again. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Mauritius, October 5, 1975