March 9 1975 London interview

Prabhupāda: …he did not like to kill his cousin-brother. He said that “Even they usurp my kingdom, I do not wish to kill them.” So this affection, this bodily affection, was not very much approved by Kṛṣṇa. He said that “You are talking like a non-Āryan.” Anārya-juṣṭam. Anārya. “The Āryan, they do not think like that.” Another place He says that “You are giving consideration on the body, but any learned man does not refer to body, either dead or alive. They, learned man, will give stress on the moving force of the body.” So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means basically on the moving force of the body.

Reporter: The moving force of…?

Prabhupāda: Of the body. Just like you are moving, I am moving. As soon as the moving force, whatever it is, is gone, then your body is a lump of matter, my body is a lump of matter.

Reporter: Have you had any difficulty in bringing this, which seems to have originated in India, into the West?

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Haṁsadūta: Have we found any problems or difficulty is bringing this teaching, which appears to have originated in India, to the West? Have we found any problem?

Prabhupāda: No, there cannot be any problem. Just like I am speaking to you. If you are sane man, you will have to admit this. The mistake you will have to admit, if you are a sane man. If you are something else, then you will not admit the mistake.

Reporter: Uh huh. But…

Prabhupāda: Now, the mistake is… You are talking with me; I am talking with you. Your body is there, my body. But which is important? Your body is important, or the force which is talking, that is important? Which is important?

Reporter: The force.

Prabhupāda: Just see. So who is giving? Where is the educational institution to give lesson about this living force? Is there any education all over the world?

Reporter: But you don’t find that the fact that your monks are wearing robes or shaving their heads is a difficulty in the West, where not many people…

Prabhupāda: It is not the question of East and West. It is the question of human life. There is no question… The Western people also have this living force, and Eastern people also have this living force. So where is the difference, West and East? There is no question of West and East. It is the problem for the whole human society.

Reporter: Can you tell me how your teaching relates to the Bible, to the Christian teaching?

Prabhupāda: Christian teaching is good. It is giving idea of God. But who is following Christian teaching? That is the problem. Nobody is following. Christ says, “Thou shall not kill,” and the Christian people are very expert in killing. Do you admit or not?

Reporter: I admit.

Prabhupāda: Just see. Then who is a Christian? If one does not follow the instruction of Christ, then would you call him a Christian?

Reporter: No.

Prabhupāda: That’s it. That is the problem.

Reporte: Is there any reason why you teach your followers the Bhagavad-gītā rather than the Bible?

Prabhupāda: The teaching is the same. The teaching is the same. What Lord Jesus Christ taught and what we are… (aside:) Aiye. The teaching is the same. But who is following? That is the difficulty.

Reporter: I see. So you don’t think that…

Prabhupāda: The difficulty has arisen—I am claiming to be Hindu, but I am not following the Vedic rules. You are claiming to be Christian, but you are not following the Christian rules. This is going on all over the world.

Reporter: But if someone was making the Bible a sort of reality in their lives…

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is good. What is the wrong there, Bible? It is everything all right. We don’t say “The Bible is bad, and Vedas are good.” We don’t say that.

Reporter: Are you yourself or do your followers regard you as an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa or as the teacher of His teachings?

Prabhupāda: No. We regard ourself as servant of Kṛṣṇa.

Reporter: Servant of Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Reporter: There are a lot of other spiritual groups in the world…

Prabhupāda: Everyone is servant of Kṛṣṇa.

Reporter: Are you saying…

Prabhupāda: Everyone. You are also servant of Kṛṣṇa. Are you not servant of Kṛṣṇa? Are you master? You are not servant of anyone? Are you? You have come as press representative. You are servant of the press. So you are not master.

Reporter: But I wanted to ask about other spiritual groups in this country…

Prabhupāda: So any spiritual… If he actually belongs to the spiritual understand, then he must admit that he is servant of God.

Reporter: Servant of God.

Prabhupāda: That is real spiritual understanding.

Reporter: But many different groups give the…

Prabhupāda: They are not… They have no spiritual understanding. Anyone who says something else beyond this understanding, that every living entity is servant of God, if he says something else, he does not know what is spiritual life.

Reporter: But there seem to be a lot of groups that are saying that, but teaching a different way to…

Prabhupāda: Different way… There cannot be dif… The way is one. God is one, and we all living entities, we are dependent on God’s mercy. Therefore we are servant. Everyone is servant. We say that, that God is one, and every one of us, we are all servant of God. So let us engage in our original position as servant of God. This is our teaching.