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Prabhupada: No, that is... Whether you live in temple or outside temple, the rules and regulation and the process must be followed. Then you are successful. It doesn't matter that you have to live in the temple. Grhe thako vane thako, 'ha gaurahga' bo'le ḍako. Not that everyone has to live in the temple. If he does not agree with other Godbrothers, friends, he can live separately. But he must follow the rules and regulation. That is wanted. But if you live with devotees, it will be automatically done.    (More...)

Prabhupada: Therefore it is recommended that you live with devotees. But if you cannot agree with the devotees, you have got your own opinion, then you cannot make a new opinion so far the process is concerned. That must be followed. This is not good idea, that "Whatever I do, it is my independence, and I will chant." So that is good in sense that some day he will come to senses. Otherwise, for the time being, the chant is not very powerful. The fire in wet wood is not powerful. It will create some smoke, although the fire is there. But if you put dry wood, immediately it will be blazing, and your business will be quickly done. This is intelligence. There are many examples. A patient suffering from disease, a doctor said, "You should do; you should not do." So if we follow "You should not do," then it becomes quickly recovered. But if he becomes under the treatment of the doctor, at the same time he does all nonsense, then how it can be successful? It will take time. That is stated in the Caitanya-caritamrta. Tabe jani, aparadha achaye pracura. Tabe jani, aparadha achaye... Offenseless chanting is the ultimate goal. In the beginning we are not offenseless, but by chanting, chanting, by practice, we gradually become offenseless. But this is, I mean to say, necessary, that you should be offenseless.    (More...)

Devotee (3): Srila Prabhupada, it's very difficult to control my mind when I chant. It wanders.    (More...)

Prabhupada: So what is the controlling of mind? You have to chant and hear, that's all. You have to chant with your tongue, and the sound you hear, that's all. What is the question of mind?    (More...)

Ramesvara: Srila Prabhupada, it seems unfortunate that if the devotees cannot live in the temples, then they have to work for some karmi just to support themselves, and then they do not have time to go on the sahkirtana party. So it is such mercy to be on the sahkirtana party. So it seems very unfortunate that they do not have the time.    (More...)

Prabhupada: No, then they should live in the temple if they want to give service in the sahkirtana party.    (More...)

Ramesvara: We always try to encourage them to come back to the temple?    (More...)

Prabhupada: Yes. If he does not join the sahkirtana party, that does not mean his spiritual life is hampered. He has to follow the rules and regulation. He may not be able to join the sahkirtana party, but he must follow the process, rules and regulation. That is wanted. And because he is living outside the temple, therefore he will forget all rules and regulation and do whatever he likes-then it will ruin the whole thing.    (More...)

Devotee (1): Srila Prabhupada, is it faster if one lives in the temple and goes on the sahkirtana party? Is it faster?    (More...)

Prabhupada: That depends on him. Even in the temple, if his mind is in a different subject matter, then how it will help him?    (More...)

Bali-mardana: The temple authorities like to preach that anyone who's living outside the temple is going to hell.    (More...)

Bali-mardana: But even devotees who are following. They like to preach that.    (More...)

Prabhupada: No, that is not good. That is not good. Just like even in ordinary business, if you transact business in the stock association, you get good business. And outside the stock association you don't get. Because association is there, there are many purchaser and many seller. So if you have to sell, you get immediate purchaser. And if you have to purchase, there is immediate seller. That is... Therefore the stock exchange is there. That is the way, that if we live together in the stock exchange of devotional service, then you can help me; I can help you. So our business will go on nicely. And outside the market, you can live three hundred miles away from the stock exchange-you will not get so many business. Like that.    (More...)

Devotee (2): You'll miss the opportunities.    (More...)

Prabhupada: Yes. Therefore it is helpful. If you want to do business, you must take the first opportunity, the greatest opportunity, do your business. That is intelligence. And if we think, "All right, I shall do slowly. In seven hundred lives I shall become perfect," that is another thing.    (More...)

Bali-mardana: It is riskier to stay outside.    (More...)

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Very risky. Otherwise why you are opening so many centers and making arrangement that "We shall provide you with shelter, with food? These are the facilities. You live here, do whatever is your capacity. Don't sleep, but work." This is our teaching. [japa] Satam prasahgat, this is also. And Rūpa Gosvami says, sato vrtteḥ sadhu-sahge sadbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati :    (More...)

Bali-mardana: Or with those who are too much attached to women also.    (More...)

Prabhupada: Yes. Nondevotee means too much attached to woman. That is the plain fact.    (More...)

Yasodanandana: Also one time in Bombay you told this verse from Caitanya-caritamrta, sadhu-sahga [Cc Madhya 22.83], sadhu-sahga...    (More...)

Prabhupada: ...sarva-sastre kaya, lava-matra sadhu-sahge sarva-siddhi haya [Cc Madhya 22.54]. For me, personally, I had the opportunity to talk with my spiritual master not more than ten times in my whole life. Not more. It may be less than that. But I tried to follow his instruction, that's all, although I was a grhastha.    (More...)

Bali-mardana: You are a much better student than us.    (More...)

Prabhupada: So this is the process. That is the... You sing every day, guru-mukha-padma-vakya, cittete koriya aikya. That is the process. Wherever you live, if you follow strictly the instruction of guru, then you remain perfect. But if we create, concoct ideas against the instruction of guru, then we are gone, hell. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatiḥ kuto 'pi. There is no more shelter-finished. Yasya prasadat. If guru thinks that "This person, I wanted to take him back to home, back to Godhead. Now he is going against me. He is not following," aprasadat, he is displeased. Then everything is finished.    (More...)

Devotee (1): Srila Prabhupada, where does someone derive his authority...    (More...)

Devotee (1): No, I know, but for his actions other than just following the four regulative principles and chanting sixteen rounds. He does so many other things during the day. Where does he derive his authority if he's not, let's say, living in the temple?    (More...)

Jayatirtha: Say I have some outside job, I'm living outside, but I'm not giving 50% of my income. So then that work that I'm doing, is it actually under the authority of the guru?    (More...)

Prabhupada: Then you are not following the instruction of guru. That is plain fact.    (More...)

Jayatirtha: So that means that whole activity during the day, working, that means I am not following the instruction of the guru. It's unauthorized activity.    (More...)

Prabhupada: Yes. If you don't follow the instruction of guru, then you are fallen down, immediately. That is the way. Otherwise why you sing, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado? It is my duty to satisfy guru. Otherwise I am nowhere. So if you prefer to be nowhere, then you disobey as you like. But if you want to be steady in your position, then you have to follow strictly the instruction of guru.    (More...)

Devotee (1): We can understand all of your instructions simply by reading your books.    (More...)

Prabhupada: Yes. Anyway, follow the instruction. That is required. Follow the instruction. Wherever you remain, it doesn't matter; you are secure. Follow the instruction, then you are secure anywhere. It doesn't matter. Just like I told you that I saw my Guru Maharaja not more than ten days in my life, but I followed his instruction. I was a grhastha. I never lived with the Matha, in the temple. It is practical. So many Godbrothers recommended that "He should be in charge in this Bombay temple, this, that, that..." Guru Maharaja said, "Yes, better he lives outside. That is good. And he will do what is needed in due course of time."    (More...)

Prabhupada: He said like that. I could not understand at that time what does he expect. Of course, I knew that he wanted me to preach.    (More...)

Yasodanandana: I think you have done this in grand style.    (More...)

Prabhupada: Yes, done grand style because I strictly follow the instruction of my Guru Maharaja, that's all. Otherwise I have no strength. I have not played any magic. Did I? Any gold manufacturing? [laughter] Still, I have got better disciples than the gold-manufacturing guru.    (More...)