Bernard Manischewitz, March 5, 1975, New York: There seems to be a determination on the part of most of the devotees to eliminate from their lives all news except that dealing with Krishna. It seems…, it seems to me if they are to bring Krishna to the world that it would be an important thing for them to have news, to know, to be able to communicate with people. Is there some actual prohibition against?
Prabhupada: No, we know… It is useless. It is useless. Because what you will find in the newspaper? The material activities within this item—eating, sleeping, sex and defense. All the politicians will speak, “Now we are arranging eating process like this, we are making this plan, we are…, economic.” The repetition of the same news. It has no good news. “There was a burglary, there was a theft, and this man cheated, and this man was rogue.”
What is the use of this news? Let everyone know that the whole world is full of such rubbish things. The politicians, they are talking in their own way, that’s all. (indistinct) Even Gandhi, such an exalted man, he says that “I have no belief. I do not believe that there was any person as Krishna ever living.” Just see. All the big, big acaryas of India who are practically controlling the destiny of the Hindu civilization or Vedic civilization, they all believe. Gandhi became more than them. Who made him, that is another thing. But he thinks like that, and because Gandhi thinks, just imagine how many millions of people have been misled. Similarly big, big scholars like Dr. Radhakrishnan, he says when Krishna says man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65], he said, “This is not to the person Krishna.” Just see. Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, clearly it is stated, bhagavan uvaca Find out this verse. Please, you find out, somebody. Bhagavad-gita here. Find out.
Devotee: Eighteenth Chapter.
Prabhupada: Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji, Ninth Chapter.
Devotee: Ninth Chapter. Also Eighteenth.
Prabhupada: He directly says that, that “Just become My devotee, always think of Me, offer your respectful obeisances unto Me, and I guarantee that you will come back to Me.” Read it.
Devotee:
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru mam evaisyasi yuktvaivam atmanam mat-parayanah [Bg. 9.34]
“Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.”
Prabhupada: Now, Radhakrishnan says “Not to Krishna.” So there are so many wrong directions by big, big men, taking Bhagavad-gita. This is going on. And we are poor fellows. We are neither big scholar nor politician. We simply teach our disciple the same thing in Krishna’s service. Krishna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto; we are teaching, “You just become devotee of Krishna.” That’s all. No addition, no interpretation. And people are coming. And for the last two hundred years the so-called scholars and politicians published their books, and it is widely read, and not a single devotee of Krishna. Not a single. Just see practically. We have no magic. We don’t play any magic, prepare gold or jugglery. We simply say that you become devotee of Krishna, and these young men have become devotee of Krishna.
Bernard Manischewitz: I see. Well, thank you very much.
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