April 20 1976 Melbourne conversations
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They take that spiritual life is negation of anything that they’re doing now, no more money, no more anything.
Prabhupāda: For our personal comfort, we, our students are lying on the floor. They are not using the money for purchasing nice furniture. No personal comfort. But if you say that “You are purchasing big, big car,” yes, for going quickly to serve Kṛṣṇa. Our service is main point. If I can go and serve Kṛṣṇa within a minute, why shall I wait for one hour? So we take all advantages. After all, it belongs to Kṛṣṇa. They say that “We have manufactured.” That’s all…. But we say that Kṛṣṇa has manufactured. So they…. This philosophy, it is little difficult to understand by the dull men, that nothing is without Kṛṣṇa. Everything…. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. Sarvam, when we say sarvam, how we can exclude this and that? Everything is in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, sarvam. Sarvam means everything. So how can you discriminate, “This is material; this is spiritual”? The discrimination is that when it is not used for Kṛṣṇa, that is material, and when it is used for Kṛṣṇa, that is spiritual. That is the explanation of sarvam. Just like a thief has stolen my money. The money will be utilized. He’ll spend it. I am spending, and he is…. Then why he’s criminal. If you plea…. If you present this plea that “Money’s for spending, so either you spend or I spend…,” but that is not the idea, that the money…. My money means the money should be spent for my purpose, and because you have taken the money and spending for your purpose, therefore you are criminal. That is the distinction between material and spiritual. Money, or everything, belongs to Kṛṣṇa. When it is utilized for Kṛṣṇa, this is spiritual, and when it is not utilized for Kṛṣṇa, that is material. Where is the difficulty to understand? You cannot say that “Yes, I have taken your money, so you are also spending. I am also spending. So why do you call me a criminal?” The answer will be: “Yes, you are not spending for me. You are spending for you. Therefore you are criminal.” Is it very difficult to understand?
Some Conclusions-Once, some time ago a sannyasi friend of mine was staying with us and I was cooking sweet rice for a festival. I ground the rice up in a spice grinder almost in half and then it took my only a half hour to cook the rice into sweet rice. He told me that was “bogus”. I said why is it bogus?
He said you have to cook the rice for an hour, otherwise it isnt sweet rice. I told him if I can do the same thing in half the time, then why waste a half hour just cooking it? He never agreed with me but every devotee and guest I have ever served this sweet rice to-loved it.
In the above statements by Srila Prabhupada mentions the same argument…
Our service is main point. If I can go and serve Kṛṣṇa within a minute, why shall I wait for one hour?”
So driving cars instead of walking is utilizing what is available to serve Krsna-better. That was SP’s argument and mine as well as far as not wasting time cooking down the hard rice until it was done. The end result was the same, but I save a half hour by doing it my way. I think SP would agree….
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
