GUEST: Yes. So what you are saying is that we should
start experiencing the books' knowledge, and then the environment will
confirm the truth of these teachings? HANSADUTTA: Yes. Exactly. If you read Bhagavad-gita
and Srimad-Bhagavatam, I guarantee money back—double
money back guarantee—that after reading these books, you will become a
fully God-realized soul, and you will be capable of convincing others
and helping them to realize. I can make this claim. So the qualifying
clause is that you should read, and whatever the instruction, you
should follow that. Then you will realize. Just like this machine or
video machine... the manufacturer gives a guarantee that if you use
this machine like this, then you'll get this result. We guarantee,
money back. But you have to follow the instructions. You cannot
whimsically. That is actually fact. If the person will follow the
advice and instructions, he will actually become fully realized, just
as a student in the science class learns that hydrogen and oxygen
combine to produce water. The professor gives the procedure: "Do it
like this." If the student follows the procedure, he will get the
result. more
Prabhupada: After reading a book does
anybody come and ask questions? Do they receive regularly letters and
enquiries?
Amogha: Yes. Here they do. I
answer many of the letters when they come. Last week, just before we
came over to Perth, one boy wrote a letter, he said, "I cannot come to
your temple, but I am a student in Geelong"—that's one city near
Melbourne—"And when I come to Melbourne I always get your Back
to Godhead magazine." So he said, "How can I become a member of
the Hare Krishna movement?" So I wrote him a letter telling him about
getting more books and chanting. And one man wrote us a letter from New
Zealand. He said, "I have Srimad-Bhagavatam parts one,
two and three. Can you please tell me how many other parts I can get,
because I want to have them all."
Prabhupada: That is very good.
Amogha: And in the schools
they have comparative religion courses, and they usually write us a
letter saying, "Can you please tell us, for our comparative religions
class, what you believe and what is behind your movement?" And things
like this. And if they are close enough we usually go there, or if not
we write them and send them some literature. Everyone in the classes I
find in the schools, everyone is bored with the ideas they are
teaching. Everyone has heard it all, and they are bored. But when we
come, they become very interested. Just like at one school. We had one
hour. We showed the film, then we talked and answered questions for one
hour, and then the bell rang. It was time for their next class. So the
teacher said, "Students, shall we go to the next class or stay here?"
And they said, "Oh, let's stay here. This is much better." So they
stayed for one more hour. Their teaching is so dry, but we handed out maha-prasadam,
and it was very interesting. Usually in each class there are three or
four students who are especially pious, and they come, they stay
afterwards and ask many questions. We can also see that they are more
affected by the understanding than the other students.
Prabhupada: This road is
good. There is no traffic.
Paramahamsa: All of the
temples they are receiving letters regularly from people who read your
books.
Prabhupada: It is not meant
for mass people. Only selected fortunate. My Guru Maharaja used to say,
"If I could make one person to be Krishna conscious, then my mission
would be successful." It is not for mass person. Only the fortunate
they can do. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, by introducing sankirtan,
even the mass can take part. When there is sankirtan, everyone
joins. And by joining in that way, they will become purified.
Amogha: In Sydney, the city
council once tried to stop us, legally, from chanting in the streets.
First they arrested us two years ago, but then they spent many dollars
of tax money to prepare a case for the court, and they didn't even tell
us. They had the court session, and the judge ruled that "This Hare
Krishna chanting in the streets is good. It adds color to the city and
is not illegal. Why you are saying this is illegal? This is their
right. And it makes the city more colorful."
Prabhupada: Nice judge. God
gave him sense.
Amogha: So actually many
people like to see the chanting now. When we go downtown with a big
party on Friday and Saturday nights, when they have late-night shopping
and movies, many people clap, and they dance a little bit. Sometimes
mocking, but also one can see they're affected. And usually if we stop
in front of a cinema and chant there, fifty or more people they just
stop and they stare, and they can't think of anything else. They just
watch and watch and watch. They seem to be fascinated by the sound of
Krishna's name.
Prabhupada: There is a
natural tendency to hear. Artificially they stopped. Nitya
siddha krishna bhakti. Appeals to the heart immediately. Unless
he is too much sinful it will appeal immediately.
Amogha: In Sydney there was
one teacher in a school, a private school, for rich men's sons, very,
very wealthy. And he is the head of general studies and the school
chaplain. A Christian. One boy from the school became a devotee,
although he still went to the school. And the discussion came up in
class about what the Hare Krishnas believe. So he invited us to come.
Prabhupada: The clergyman?
Amogha: Yes, school chaplain,
and he liked it so much. I remember he was taking notes, and he was
smiling every time one point came up that he liked. So he asked us to
come again the next week, and again, and then the next time we went
through six classes in one day. For about two months he asked us again
and again, and then to show the film. And he was always taking notes.
He would say, "What was that again? Part and parcel?"
Prabhupada: He is sincere.
Amogha: Yes, he was very
sincere. Then one day he came to the temple on Sunday because I invited
him. He wanted to make sure, he wanted to find out the difference
between us and Christianity. But he was convinced in the end that the
main philosophy is the same point, the same purpose.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Amogha: And he ate a big
plate of prasadam. He liked it very much. So he was saying that
perhaps we can have some regular comparative religion course in the
school, and when we show the students, tell them about Hare Krishna
movement as a study, about, as he calls it, our religion, so they can
also come in a bus to the temple.
Prabhupada: Very good.
Amogha: The students will
come in a bus and see how we chant and have some prasadam.
Prabhupada: It is a good
reception. So that is still going on?
Amogha: It hasn't started
yet. This is the plan. But sometimes he hesitates, because he has
doubts.
Prabhupada: Superstition.
That is superstition.
Amogha: He gets in bad
association, and then he begins to doubt a little bit, I think.
Prabhupada: You do your duty,
that's all. ... Amogha: Srila
Prabhupada?
When people in the street hear Krishna's name, the chanting, or they
get some literature, does that mean they will not take birth as an
animal?
Prabhupada: No. They'll get
birth in a good family. Shucinam shrimatam gehe [Bhagavad-gita
6.41]. If they simply appreciate "It is very nice," then in the next
life, human life is guaranteed. In a very nice family. Simply if he
appreciates, "Yes, it is very nice"—that's all. Then he'll get another
chance.
Amogha: Many people think the
pictures are very nice.
Prabhupada: Anything they say
nice, that means it is guaranteed, next life. Or even in this life it
will definitely help. As soon as he reads some pages, then it is
guaranteed. Those who are enquiring, that means they are liking. Their
life is guaranteed.
Amogha: One man who joined us
about Rathayatra time last year was a solicitor. He used to buy our
books but he never read them. But he would keep them on his bookshelf.
And he used to always think, "Those are such beautiful books." He used
to think like that.
Prabhupada: This is
appreciation.
Amogha: He never got time to
read it.
Prabhupada: It doesn't
matter. If he keeps the books with appreciation, that makes his life
sure, insured. He immediately becomes in touch with God. Who keeps the
book with reverence and love, immediately he becomes in touch with God.
Because these books are representative of God.
Amogha: When we go to a
school, I first ask, "How many students have seen us chanting in the
steets?" Immediately they all raise their hands.
Prabhupada: It is a very nice
service you are doing. Krishna will be satisfied,
hari-toshana. As soon as Krishna is satisfied, your preaching is
perfect.
