Room Conversation (people talking in background) Prabhupada: So I shall speak from some book or…? Hari-sauri: You’re already speaking at night. Prabhupada: I shall speak in the evening. Bhavananda: Yes, there are more gentlemen assembled then. Prabhupada: Hm? Hari-sauri: Whatever you want. Bhavananda: We are always eager to hear your… Prabhupada: That is natural. Hari-sauri: (to children) Hey. Shh! Shut-up. Quiet. Prabhupada: So I shall speak in the evening. [break] Krsna has give so many nice preparations. From milk… Therefore cow protection is very essential. [break] Go-raksya vanijyam. Go-raksya. Because from cow’s milk we can get all vitamins, protein. That… These people, they are eating the flesh of cow, these Western people. But they do not know how to utilize milk. Now they are learning. We have opened many farms. So when they eat so many varieties of preparations from milk, especially from curd, casein, channa, they are surprised. Guest (1) (Indian man): She wants to know… You can ask her direct. She wants to know that when she can take the diksa. She is prepared to be abided by the rules. Prabhupada: Oh, then it is very nice. You can take tomorrow. Quite.(?) Guest (1): Tomorrow. Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Guest (1): What time? Prabhupada: You come here early in the morning. You take prasadam here, and you’ll be initiated. Where is your father’s house? Guest (1): Her father is dead. Prabhupada: Oh. What business you are doing? Guest (1): I am a lawyer by profession. Prabhupada: Oh, advocate. Guest (1): Yes. Dealing with all these, mostly the sinners. Prabhupada: (laughs) Yes. Guest (1): And I don’t know how to avoid them. Prabhupada: No, sva-karmana tam abhyarcya. Sve sve karmany abhiratah samsiddhim labhate narah. You have been put into that profession. That does not mean because you have to deal with some sinful men you have to become a sinful. That does not mean. (laughs) As your profession you can do. Guest (1): No, that I can always see. Because all the sinners have a right to come to you. Prabhupada: Yes. (chuckling) Guest (1): You deal with the better number of sinners than the… Prabhupada: Papi tapi jata chilo, hari-name uddharilo, tara saksi jagai and madhai. You are lawyer. You want evidence how papi tapi has been delivered. So Narottama dasa Thakura says, “Here is the evidence,” tara saksi jagai madhai. So practically we have to deal with Jagai and Madhai, so many. And by the grace of Krsna, hari-name uddharilo—hari-nama is so powerful that everyone can be delivered, especially in this age. And so far one’s profession is concerned, Krsna said that even in fire, so pure, there is some smoke. So because there is smoke, you cannot give up the fire. You have to utilize it. So in this material world there is always some faulty things in every profession. But that does not mean we shall give up our profession in that way. Sva-karmana tam abhyarcya. And Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung that namasraya kari thakaha apana kaje: “Take shelter of hari-nama and remain in your own profession.” And Caitanya Mahaprabhu has also recommended, sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir. Bhagavan is ajita, but if one simply hears about Him from the authoritative sources, then Bhagavan, although Ajita—nobody can conquer Him—He becomes jita, He becomes conquered, simply by hearing about Him. So we should take to that. Jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva jivanti san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam. You have to hear from the right source, and then everything will be adjusted. Sravanam kirtanam. So where is there prasadam arranged? Eh? (end)
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
January 20, 1977, Bhubaneswar