770120 - Conversation B - Bhuvanesvara

Conversations by Date, 1977

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

770120R2-BHUVANESVARA - January 20, 1977 - 6:39 Minutes

(people talking in background)

Prabhupāda: So I shall speak from some book or . . .?

Hari-śauri: You're already speaking at night.

Prabhupāda: So I shall speak in the evening?

Bhavānanda: Yes. There are more gentlemen assembled then.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Hari-śauri: Whatever you want.

Bhavānanda: We are always eager to hear your . . .

Prabhupāda: That is natural.

(children talking in background)

Hari-śauri: (to children) Hey. Shhh! Shut-up. Quiet.

Prabhupāda: So I shall speak in the evening. (break) Kṛṣṇa has given so many nice preparations. From milk . . . therefore cow protection is very essential. (break) Go-rakṣya vāṇijyam (BG 18.44). Go-rakṣya. 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.

Indian lady: (Oriya)

Indian man (1): She wants to know that . . . you can ask her direct. She wants to know that when she can take the dīkṣā. She is prepared to be abided by the rules.

Prabhupāda: Oh, then it is very nice. You can take tomorrow. Quality.

Indian man (1): Tomorrow.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Indian man (1): What time?

Prabhupāda: You come here in the morning. You take prasādam here, and you'll be initiated. Where is your father's house?

Indian lady: (Oriya)

Indian man (1): Her father dead.

Prabhupāda: Oh. What business you are doing?

Indian man (1): I am a lawyer by profession.

Prabhupāda: Oh, advocate.

Indian man (1): Yes. Dealing with all these . . . mostly with the sinners.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes.

Indian man (1): And I don't know how to avoid them.

Prabhupāda: No, sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). Sve sve karmany abhirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ (BG 18.45). 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.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (chuckling)

Guest (1): You deal with the better number of sinners than the . . .

Prabhupāda: Pāpī tāpī jāta chilo, hari-nāme uddharilo, tāra sākṣī jagāi and mādhāi. You are lawyer. You want evidence how pāpī tāpī has been delivered. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, "Here is the evidence," tāra sākṣī jagāi mādhāi. So practically we have to deal with Jagāi and Mādhāi, so many. And by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, hari-nāme uddharilo. Hari-nāma is so powerful that everyone can be delivered, especially in this age. And so far one's profession is concerned, Kṛṣṇa 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-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). And Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung that nāmāśraya kari thākaha āpana kāje: "Take shelter of hari-nāma and remain in your own profession." And Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also recommended, sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiṛ (SB 10.14.3). Bhagavān is ajita, but if one simply hears about Him from the authoritative sources, then Bhagavān, although Ajita—nobody can conquer Him—He becomes jita, He becomes conquered, simply by hearing about Him. So we should take to that. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām. You have to hear from the right source, and then everything will be adjusted. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). So where is that prasādam arranged? Eh? (break) (end)