Prabhupada: ...there are so many paths, that Krsna says that "Real religion is to surrender unto Me. Therefore you give up all this pseudo-religion," sarva dharman parityajya, give it up, mam ekam saranam, "just surrender unto Me, I shall give you protection from all sinful reaction." So here is God, and He is accepted by great acaryas. In India there were great acaryas, religious leaders. Just like Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Visnu Svami, Nimbarka, later Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and many others. They accept Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So there is God, His name, His address, His activities, everything is there. If you accept, then you will benefit.

Woman: Do you think that the, the poor Indians who are suffering because of this terrible drought in India..., is it in India?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Woman: Yes. Umm, is their relief never going to be in this world? Is it only going to be when they die?

Prabhupada: Well, nobody is dying.

Woman: Dying is parting, is the soul parting from the physical body (indistinct)....

Prabhupada: So every, everyone everywhere is dying. Do you think in your country nobody dies? Is there any guarantee, that any, that nobody will die?

Woman: No, but everyone, everyone dies because this..., because this is the pattern and this is the cycle: you are born, you will live your life, you will die. Some people die young, some people die old.

Prabhupada: No. India, India at the present moment, they have lost their culture. In India, five thousand years ago, when Maharaja Pariksit was there, one black man was trying to kill a cow. He immediately took his sword, the king. So "Who are you? You are killing cow in my kingdom?" The same India, the government is sanctioning ten thousand cows to be killed daily. So India is not the same India. India has lost its culture. You see? Therefore they are suffering.

Woman: But everything is changing. Not only India is changing, every country is...

Prabhupada: So every country is suffering. Just they are suffering in one way.

Devotee (1): California is suffering...

Prabhupada: Suffering another way. Nobody is, is free from suffering. I have already explained. There are three kinds of suffering. So who is free from this suffering? You may not be suffering from any bodily disease, but you may be suffering from mental agony. You may not be suffering from mental agony, but you may suffer, suffering imposed by others. There are so many suffering. This place is suffering. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, duhkhalayam asasvatam. This place is for suffering. Duhkhalayam. Duhkha means suffering, alayam means place. Asasvatam. And still you cannot make adjustment. You, if you say "All right, let there be a little suffering. Let me stay here," that also will not be allowed. You will be kicked out: "Get out!" Then you have to accept another body. You do not know what kind of body. So these things are there. Don't think that a little happy life for ten years or twenty years is the solution of your problem. That is not solution. Real solution is different. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita,

Find out this verse, mam upetya tu kaunteya, duhkhalayam asasvatam. You are reading Bhagavad-gita, kindly read very carefully. You will get all answers.

Man: I am going to read it.

Devotee (2): I have the book, Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Devotee (2):

"From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again."

Prabhupada: This is a, this is a fact. That, that people are going to the higher planetary system, that is already known. Not this process, but there is another process, how you can graduate there. So, a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah. And even if you go to the highest planetary system, Brahma-loka, where people live for millions and millions of years... Brahma's one day, twelve hours, you cannot calculate. It is so big number of years. So Krsna says that if you do go to the Brahma-loka, still you have to come. Simply your suffering will be stopped, mam upetya tu kaunteya, duhkhalayam. What is that?

Devotee (2): Mam upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate.

Prabhupada: Then mam upetya kaunteya duhkhalayam asasvatam, where is that?

Devotee (2): Oh,

Prabhupada: What is the meaning?

Devotee (2): "After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection."

Prabhupada: This is the highest perfection. We have to go to Krsna.

Woman: So when you have had your suffering in various forms and through various lives, you then reach the...

Prabhupada: No, not that.

Woman: Not that. Not...

Prabhupada: Not that.

Woman: Not that.

Prabhupada: You have to prepare yourself to go there. Not that because you have suffered so much, automatically you will go there.

Woman: Not that. Not that.

Prabhupada: No, not like that. Unless you endeavor for going to Krsna, there is no possibility. That is there in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah [SB 1.5.18]. Human life is meant for trying for that thing which he has not achieved by wandering up and down. So a living entity is wandering up and down, sometimes in the higher planetary system and lower planetary system, sometimes this, sometimes rich, sometimes poor, sometimes this, sometimes a cat, sometimes dog, sometimes demigod. In this way he is suffering. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. You understand Bengali?

In this way...

Man: (indistinct), is it?

Prabhupada: ...in this way a living entity is wandering, but by fortune, if he gets in touch, guru-krsna, a bona fide representative of Krsna, a guru, by the mercy of Krsna, because Krsna is in everyone's heart, then he gets the seed of devotional service. And if he cultivates that devotional service, then he goes. This is the process. Not that because one has suffered so much, therefore automatically.

Woman: No, no.

Prabhupada: No, not that.

Man: Swamiji, my wife is tired, I think. She's had a long day today. May I have your permission...

Prabhupada: Yes.

Man: ...to take her home?

Prabhupada: Oh, yes.

Man: Thank you very much. It's been a great joy for me and for my wife to be with you.

Prabhupada: (softly to devotee) Give them this flower. One. Yes. No.

Devotee: One?

Prabhupada: Yes. Take another. (to guests) Your full name?

Devotee: Your full name.

Woman: Your full name. Ruby and James (indistinct).

Man: Ruby and James (indistinct). You have my name, full name.

Devotee: Yes.

Woman: How did you find out his name?

Devotee: I was recommended, in fact.

Woman: By who?

Devotee: Oh, the person asked me not to say.

Woman: Oh I see.

Man: Who?

Woman: The person asked not to say.

Man: Ahh. Thank you.

Devotee: You may take these also.

Man: For me?

Devotee: Yes.

Man: Thank you very much. We will, we will read this with great joy at home. Thank you, Swamiji.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Hare Krsna! Thank you for your coming. Hare Krsna! (end)