Morning Walk Conversation
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
April 1, 1975, Mayapur

Prabhupada: The people are thropping. Thropping, thropping? What is called?

Bhagavan: Shopping? Throbbing?

Prabhupada: Throbbing or throbbing?

Brahmanada: Groping?

Prabhupada: No. Throbbing?

Bhagavan: Groving? What does that mean?

Prabhupada: (Bengali) Cat-patha(?). Just like when you take a fish from the water and put it in the land.

Bhagavan: Oh, throbbing, throbbing.

Prabhupada: Yes. That is right word?

Brahmananda: Yes.

Prabhupada: Yes. All politicians, political party, nobody is in peace, simply throbbing—making this party, making that party, combining this party, and the anti-government troops, and this, that, so many… There is no other business.

Brahmananda: No solution.

Prabhupada: No solution. Big, big leaders. Nabhijanati mam ebhyah param avyayam. Mudhah. “All these rascals, they do not know the background is ‘I am.’ Solution should come from Me,” Krsna says. Tribhir guna-mayair bhavair mohita. But they’ll not take this solution. They’ll make simply, start a plan. [break] …less you come to this point, mam ebhyah, there is no solution. Now, at least for me, this Krsna consciousness movement is no more theoretical. It is practical. I can solve all problems.

Pusta Krsna: The people don’t want to accept any austerity, though.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Pusta Krsna: The people won’t accept any austerity.

Prabhupada: Then you must suffer from the disease. If you have got disease, you must undergo the… What is this austerity? Where is the austerity?

Pusta Krsna: If they don’t accept the medicine, then they can’t be cured.

Prabhupada: Then they must suffer. A man, diseased, and he doesn’t want to take medicine, then where is the…? He must suffer. Where is the cure?

Pancadravida: They say we’re the ones who are diseased.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Pancadravida: They say we are the ones who are diseased. They say, every one of us, we are diseased, not them.

Prabhupada: Yes. The deaf man thinks all others deaf. (Laughter) That means they are not even human beings. Animals. They do not come to reason, that “Whether we are diseased, or you are diseased. Sit down. Talk.” That also, they are not ready. Then? What we can do with animals?

Pancadravida: They say we are old-fashioned. They don’t want to bother with us anymore.

Prabhupada: Hm? Then why do you bother with the problems? Why do you bother with the problems of society? You bother, but you cannot make a solution. All over the world, the newspaper is full, simply throbbing.

Visnujana: Srila Prabhupada, can you make them reasonable? If they’re unreasonable, is there some way to make them reasonable?

Prabhupada: They are reasonable. Man, every human being, is reasonable. It is said, “Man is rational animal.” So when the rationality is not there, that means they are still animal.

Pancadravida: Well, what can be done with animals?

Prabhupada: It is… It is very simple truth. Just I am this body. I am seeking happiness. So why I am seeking happiness? The… If you simply discuss on this point, then you’ll find that a man is reasonable. Why I am seeking after happiness? What is the answer? That’s a fact. Everyone is seeking happiness. Why we are seeking happiness? What is the answer?

Pancadravida: Because everybody’s miserable, and they don’t like it.

Prabhupada: That is a opposite way, explanation.

Kirtanananda: ’Cause by nature I am happy.

Prabhupada: Yes. By nature I am happy. And who is happy, this body or the soul?

Pusta Krsna: No, the soul.

Prabhupada: Who wants happiness? I want protect this body—why? Because I am within this body. And if I go away from this body, who seeks for the happiness of this body? This common reason, they have no sense. Why I am seeking happiness? I am covering this body because the body may not be affected by cold. Then why I am seeking happiness of the body from cold and heat? Because I am within the… If I go away from the within the body, then there is no more seeking after happiness. Either you throw it on the street or it is in extreme cold or extreme heat, it doesn’t matter. Then who is seeking happiness? That they do not know. For whom you are so busy for happiness? That they do not know. Just like cats and dogs.

Pusta Krsna: But they think they have no time to chant the holy name.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Pusta Krsna: Their philosophy is that to be, in order to be happy, they have to work all day long.

Prabhupada: Hm. That is your philosophy. You are rascals, but we are not working. Why don’t you see our example? We are simply living happily.

Satsvarupa: But they say we’re living off their work.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Satsvarupa: They work and we beg money from them, they say.

Prabhupada: We don’t beg money from them. We take their money in the way that they’ll use it for bad purposes, so we take it for Krsna. They’ll drink. They’ll smoke. They’ll have illicit sex and go to hell. Therefore, out of our humbleness, we have become beggar, just like a father asking the child… He has taken one hundred rupees note and spoiling. “My dear child, you are so nice. Why you are taking this? Give this. Take a lozenges.” Like that. We are not for their money. That’s a wrong theory.

Pancadravida: But they say this drinking and smoking, it’s all right, but you are parasites because you’re taking our money.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Pancadravida: They say that smo…

Prabhupada: I’m not after… I kick on your face. I don’t want your money. (laughter.) You are taking books from us, and you are paying. Therefore I have adopted this means. They may not say… I knew that they would say in the Western countries. Therefore I thought that without books it is not possible. What is this?

Pusta Krsna: Come this way, Srila Prabhupada. Jayapataka is pointing to…

Prabhupada: All of a…

Srutakirti: We can cross right… No? No.

Pusta Krsna: Jayapataka Maharaja.

Prabhupada: There is no house?

Pusta Krsna: You want Prabhupada to come…?

Prabhupada: So why he’s claiming his money? Eh?

Pancadravida: He says, “Because I work for it.”

Prabhupada: That’s all right. But money, what is the standard of money? First of all, just discuss this. What is the standard of money throughout the whole world?

Devotee (1): Work, labor, labor.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Devotee (1): Labor.

Pancadravida: Purchases…

Prabhupada: Gold. So have you created gold? How is your money? The gold is already there. You have stolen. You are thief. You are not laborer, but you are rascal, thief. You’ll be punished for this policy. Is gold your property?

Devotee (1): But they say that if the whole world follows our example, then the society will be finished.

Prabhupada: Nobody follows. We do not follow… There are so many… Why they are struggle? Why they struggle? Why do you fight? Because you are all thieves—you want to steal God’s gold—therefore you fight. Why do you fight? Why you declare war from one nation to another? Because you are all thieves and you want to steal God’s gold. Therefore there is fight. Why do you claim, “This is America, my land”? Is it your land? Have your forefathers created this? Why you falsely claim like that? What is the answer? You have stolen from another party, Red Indians, and you are now claiming, “We are the proprietor.” You are thieves. You are not even gentlemen. What do you think?

Pancadravida: But they say… They say, “God is up in heaven. What does He need with gold?”

Prabhupada: Eh?

Pancadravida: They say, “God is up in heaven. What does He need with gold?”

Prabhupada: “God is up in heaven”? What is that?

Pancadravida: Well, they say God…

Prabhupada: Because the master is in heaven, or in some other place, therefore we shall steal?

Tripurari: They say, “God gave us the land to do what we want with.”

Prabhupada: No. God did not give you the land. How do you think it is given to you?

Tripurari: They say, “God put us here…”

Prabhupada: God… God has given to every living entity. You can say like that. Just like father. Father gives to all sons, not that a particular son. Why do you claim? Why do you slaughter the cows? They have got right. So, so many faults there are. But they are not reasonable. That is the…

Gopala Krsna: They quote a verse from the Bible where it says that God has given man control over everything on this earth.

Prabhupada: That control does not mean “The government is in control, therefore government should kill only.” These… All rascals, simply rascals. Control, that’s all right. You are grown-up boys, human beings, so you should control. You should maintain them, and take service from them, not that you shall kill them. They interpret in that “Because under my control, therefore I shall kill”?

Devotees: Yes.

Prabhupada: Just see how foolish they are.

Jayatirtha: The children are under the control of the parents, but the parents don’t kill the children.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Brahmananda: They protect.

Santosa: Control means protect. [break]

Prabhupada: Suffering for all these sinful activities, always throbbing. See the newspaper. The newspaper is full of news—one side, everyone is restless condition, throbbing, and another news, sense gratification. That’s all.

Pusta Krsna: Is it necessary for people to leave the cities and live in our varnasrama situations in order to become happy?

Prabhupada: You haven’t got to leave anything, provided you understand Krsna consciousness. We are not after leaving or accepting. We are not after this. We are after understanding Krsna consciousness. What… What shall I leave? Suppose if I leave city—I come here—still it is God’s property. So what, what I leave? What I have got that I have to leave? Everything God’s property. If you have something, then you can leave. But if you have nothing, what you will leave? It is another bogus. This is Mayavadi theory. Brahma satyam jagan mithya. Why jagan mithya? If Brahman is satya, jagan is also satya. [break] …means they are trying to possess, and the jnanis are trying to leave—both of them rascals. Where is the question of possessing? Stealing. You… I want to possess, but that thing does not belong to me. Therefore it is stealing. And the jnanis are trying to give up living. That is also not truth. But you haven’t got anything, so what you are going to leave? So both are in ignorance, the karmis and jnanis, the yogis. Simply Krsna conscious persons, they are in knowledge. Before your birth the land was there, the world was there. Everything is there. Now you came. Then how do you possess? Before your birth, things were there. How do you possess unless you steal and cheat? Hm? What is the answer?

Pancadravida: I have inherited it.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Pancadravida: They say that man inherits the property of his father, which is God.

Prabhupada: That means you must obey your father. Otherwise you’ll be kicked. (Laughter) You are so rascal that you don’t feel obliged to your father who has given you so much things, so many things. You are such a rascal. Therefore you must be punished.

karma-kanda jnana-kanda, sakali visera bandha

Narottama dasa Thakura says, “The karmis and jnanis, they are simply drinking poison.”

karma-kanda jnana-kanda, sakali visera bandha

“And by drinking poison, they are suffering different species of life,”

nana yoni brahman kare, khadarya bhaksana kare

“and eat all nasty things.”

tara janma adho pata ya

“One who accepts either of these, karma-kanda and jnana-kanda, he spoils his life.”

Satsvarupa: So if all the land belongs to God, then who decides who will distribute it to the people?

Prabhupada: You don’t distribute. You live only, till the ground and take your food. Where is the question of distribution? Whatever you can till, you take so much land. God has enough land. Why do you possess more? One acre of land is sufficient for producing your food. Why do you take more?

Satsvarupa: Nobody should own excessive.

Prabhupada: No. Therefore God’s representative, king, is wanted. He’ll divide. “All right, you take this.” That is king. King means God’s representative. Naradeva. Therefore, according to Vedic scripture, the king is so respected, guru is so respected, father is so respected—because they give guidance. “You live, Krsna conscious, like this.” That is their duty. The king is simply planning how to collect taxes, this tax, land tax, sale tax, income tax, this tax, this… So his only business is to plunder: “Let him work, and I shall take it away.” And everyone is doing. That is struggle for existence. I want to cheat you. You want to cheat me. That’s all. And therefore they are throbbing. There is no solution.

Pancadravida: Who will decide who will be king?

Prabhupada: Therefore the king is evam parampara system. The king, the original king is the sun-god. Then his son, Manu, his son, Iksvaku. Everything is described. Why don’t you see there?

Pancadravida: But who would be the king today? If we establish such a system, who would become the king?

Prabhupada: Nobody would be king. Everyone is king and fight. That’s all. Nobody is king. Everyone is a dog. And they are simply barking.

Devotee (1): In Africa, recently, one of the leaders has taken all the murtis and crucifixes from the churches and put his own statue.

Prabhupada: Just see.

Devotee (1): He has banned all religions.

Prabhupada: Just see.

Devotee (1): He put his own statue there, that the people should worship him. He’s a disciple of Mao.

Prabhupada: And because there is no king, therefore he is flourishing.

Devotee (1): Yes.

Prabhupada: Had there been any real king, he would have been killed immediately. Because there is no king, therefore in South India, they are insulting the statue of Lord Ramacandra, because there is no king. Everyone is king. Diplomacy… Democracy. What is this nonsense, democracy? All over the world the royalty is hereditary, never elected. [break] …and it was hereditary, even Russia. That is the system. Evam parampara-praptam. And evam parampara-praptam—who? Rajarsayoh. They are king, but just like saintly persons. That is king, not a loafer class is elevated to the royal po

Pancadravida: In France they went to the Queen a long time ago, and they said, “The people don’t have bread.” So she said, “Let them eat cake.” And they did not like this. So…

Prabhupada: These are all stories. Don’t indulge in stories. Just try to find out the real fact from sastra. Therefore sastra… Yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya vartate kama-karatah. Leaving aside the sastra, if one talks nonsense… (end)