730711 - Conversation A - London

Conversations by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

730711R1-LONDON - July 11, 1973 - 06:52 Minutes

• This page was previously named: 730711 - Conversation E - London

Prabhupāda: So I do not know why these people protest against me. Kṛṣṇa says, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says. I do not know what Śaṅkarācārya says, but . . .

Indian guest: When, when advaita-darśana was the main doctrine of ādi-śaṅkarācārya, so there should not be any dvaita between brāhmaṇa and śūdra. (laughs)

Prabhupāda: (laughs) That is, from argument, it is all right. Yes. Why one should see Brahman and not-Brahman? Yes.

Indian guest: There is only one God.

Prabhupāda: There is only one God.

Indian guest: Eko brahma dvitīyo nāsti.

Prabhupāda: Nāsti. So . . .

Indian guest: Only one God dwells everywhere.

Prabhupāda: And Kṛṣṇa says that sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambha . . . ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). He's the original seed-giving father of all living entities, in any form. So not only human being, but also animals, birds, beasts, Kṛṣṇa is the original father. Jīvera . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108-109). And Kṛṣṇa also: mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7).

Indian guest: Jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7).

Prabhupāda: So why other jīvas should be left aside? Why they should not understand Kṛṣṇa? And actually, they are understanding Kṛṣṇa better than many Indians. They have taken very seriously. They do not put any competitor of Kṛṣṇa. Our Hindus, they put forward so many competitors of Kṛṣṇa: "Why Kṛṣṇa shall be God? I have got my own God." Especially after the preaching of this Vivekananda that, "You can create your own God," it has become very simple business to create one God.

Indian guest: Well, then, that time, when Swami Vivekananda went to America, the country was not independent, not liberated. So at that time . . .

Prabhupāda: Who?

Indian guest: Swami Vivekananda, at that time . . .

Prabhupāda: No, who was not liberated?

Indian guest: This country of India. India was not liberated. So . . .

Prabhupāda: So what was the connection with liberation?

Indian guest: Ne. Because at that time there's some proud of nation and some proud of culture. He wanted to . . .

Prabhupāda: No, I don't think in America there was such conception. America had nothing to do with the British ruling. Rather, they declared independence from British rule.

Indian guest: I don't know what was the main idea of Swami Vivekananda at that time, when he preached that, this Vedānta.

Prabhupāda: No, I have read his Chicago speech. In that speech, he openly says, "Why do you care for God? You work hard, and why do you give credit to God?" Like that. Rather, one Christian priest protested . . .

Indian guest: But many times Swami Vivekananda himself went to temples and bowed down before Kālī, before Śrī Kṛṣṇa, before Śrī Bhavānī, and many other temples. He went to Kanyā-kumārī and prayed before Mother.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

(aside) Distribute the prasāda. Bhagavān ka prasāda.

(aside to server) Hmm. That's all.

So it is a great pleasure for us. Your Holiness visits us voluntarily. Although I could not invite you, but still, you are so kind, you came. So I am doing my bit, following in the footsteps of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That's all.

Indian guest: It is a great service to Hindu dharma and Hindu society, and humanity as well.

Prabhupāda: They are strictly following Vaiṣṇava principles. They . . . whenever one comes to become my disciple, the first condition is that no illicit sex; no meat-eating, eggs, fish, nothing of the sort; no intoxication up to smoking cigarette, drinking tea and coffee; and no gambling. So they strictly follow these things. In our Society, there is no tea-drinking even. We don't drink tea. So . . . intoxication, pāna, chāi pāna, pāna . . . pāna is intoxication.

Indian guest: Tāmbūla . . .

Prabhupāda: Tāmbūla. Yatra pāpaś catur-vidhā.

Indian guest: (indistinct Bengali) . . . Krsna mandire, arcakaha samarpayanti tambula. (In a Kṛṣṇa temple, the Kṛṣṇa Deity is offered tāmbūla.)

Prabhupāda: No, Kṛṣṇa can take.

Indian guest: Yes. And that prasāda of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Indian guest: . . . the devotees can take also . . .

Prabhupāda: No. Prasādam, according to our principle . . . just like on Ekādaśī day, we do not accept even prasādam, anna. We keep it. So prasādam . . . just like in Ekādaśī, anna is prohibited, but not the Deity. Deity's offered anna, but we cannot take the prasādam even. So following strictly the principle, even tāmbūla is offered to Kṛṣṇa, it is not for us. Yes. Strictly following the principle. The same example: just like on Ekādaśī day, anna is offered to Kṛṣṇa, but we don't take.

Indian guest: The devotees are not allowed to take.

Prabhupāda: Not allowed, yes.

Indian guest: Ācchā.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā.

Indian guest: I'm very grateful to have your darśana. Oṁ namo nārāyaṇāya.

Prabhupāda: Jaya. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)