Prabhupada: Just see the world situation. Everyone is busy on the concept of body. So what is the position of the world? Apaṇḍita, ignorance. And such people are going on as learned scholars, politicians and leaders and so on. So how there can be peace? If you bring different types of dogs—greyhound and bulldog and Indian dog—and bring them, the “United Dog Association,” (laughter) so will there be peace? That is the position. I declared in Melbourne in a public meeting that this United Nation is the unity of barking dog. I told. It was published in the paper. They also criticized me, “The Swami has come to hound.” (laughter) But that is actually the fact …
The world situation is that you can speak truth if it is palatable. And if it is unpalatable, don’t speak. But this thing cannot be maintained when you are preaching spiritual life. There we cannot cheat. Spiritual life must be declared very frankly. Not that we have to declare; it is already declared. Kṛṣṇa says, dehino ‘smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanam, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13): The spirit soul is within this body. The body is different from the spirit soul, and as it is changing—the body is changing—similarly, after death, so-called death… Because spirit has no death, no birth. Na jāyate na mriyate vā. So this knowledge is the beginning of spiritual life. And if you are preaching, they are opposing us. India also opposing. This is our position …
They’re feeling the weight, the Western countries. They are opposing means that those who are thoughtful, they are thinking that “If this movement allowed to go on, then our civilization will be finished.” That is their… That… They are right. They are right. If these young men, they go on under my instruction, I shall finish their civilization.
Devotees: Jaya!
Prabhupada: That’s a fact. No meat-eating in Western countries. No intoxication. No illicit sex. No gambling. That means their life is finished.
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Bombay, January 3, 1977
Some conclusions-This business of not speaking that which some devotees do not want to hear, is not spiritual life,as Srila Prabhupada tells us above.He is not just talking about the materialistic people, but to devotees as well.
BG 10.4-4 purport– Satyam, truthfulness, means that facts should be presented as they are for the benefit of others. Facts should not be misrepresented. According to social conventions, it is said that one can speak the truth only when it is palatable to others. But that is not truthfulness. The truth should be spoken in a straight and forward way, so that others will understand actually what the facts are. If a man is a thief and if people are warned that he is a thief, that is truth. Although sometimes the truth is unpalatable, one should not refrain from speaking it. Truthfulness demands that the facts be presented as they are for the benefit of others. That is the definition of truth.
So there are many instructions that Srila Prabhupada gave to us, that we must follow, and if we cannot follow then at least admit we should follow, but never reject them. And when a devotee is repeating to others what Srila Prabhupada himself writes or tells us to do, those instructions should be accepted as coming directly from Srila Prabhupada himself. This is called the param para…..dont shoot the messenger but hear the message.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa dasa