Roof Conversation – March 27, 1974, Bombay

Their speaking of Bhagavad-gita is artificial

Prabhupada: So in the beginning, before the creation, God is existing; and after the creation, when the creation is annihilated, He will be existing. This is called transcendental position.

Pancadraviḍa: Purport: The position of the Lord is always transcendental, because the causal and effectual energies required for the creation..... [break]

Prabhupada: ...before creating this shirt, it was imperson. There was no hand, there was no neck, there was no body. The same cloth. But the tailor, according to the body, made a covering of this hand and this looks like a hand. This covering of the chest looks like a chest. Therefore, the impersonal means the material covering. Otherwise spirit soul is person. Just like you go to the tailor, according to your body the tailor will cut a coat. This coat, ingredients of the coat, the cloth, that is imperson. But it is made like a person, covering of the person. In other words, the spirit soul is person as much as God is also person. Imperson means the covering. Try to understand. The covering is impersonal, not the living being. He is covered. He is not imperson. He is person. Very simple example. The coat, shirt, is imperson, but the man who is putting on coat and shirt, he is not imperson. He is person. So how God can be imperson? The material energy is imperson. That is explained...

[aside:] ...that is explained in the Bhagavad-gita,

This jagad is avyakta, imperson. That is also energy of Krsna. Therefore, He said, "I am expanded in the impersonal form." That impersonal feature is Krsna's energy. So the material covering is impersonal, but the spirit soul or Supersoul is personal. Any question on this, it is very intricate question, anyone? If there is any difficulty to understand? [break]

Bhagavata: ...because I have heard so many of these so-called yogis and svamis preaching in English about Gita or this and that, but they cannot explain, they have not even an inkling...

Prabhupada: No, no, how they can explain?

Bhagavata: They don't have an inkling.

Prabhupada: They cannot touch even Bhagavad-gita. They have no qualification.

Bhagavata: They have no understanding.

Prabhupada: Their speaking of Bhagavad-gita is artificial.

Bhagavata: Yes.

Prabhupada: They cannot speak because the real qualification, as it is stated in the Bhagavad, bhakto 'si. One must be a devotee, then he can touch what is Bhagavad-gita.

Bhagavata: Even in Mayapur, when we went to visit that time Sridhara Svami's asrama...

Prabhupada: Mmm, mmm.

Bhagavata: ...and he spoke something in English, some other man spoke in English. They cannot explain like you, Srila Prabhupada. You are the only one, that when you speak this knowledge it becomes immediately enters into the ear and into the heart, and then it is realized.

Prabhupada: Maybe [laughs].

Indian man: Jaya. [Hindi].

Prabhupada: Hare Krsna. Visakha, you think also like that?

Visakha: Without a doubt.

Prabhupada: [laughing] Hare Krsna!

Indian [woman?]: [Hindi monolog]

Bhagavata: We can tell that you are the only one who is speaking the real knowledge because you have created disciples that follow that knowledge, that follow the injunctions of the sastras. The others could not do that. When I visited Hrsikesa, they did not want to allow me to sleep in the asramas. We have to get a special police permission.

Prabhupada: Where?

Bhagavata: All foreigners. All foreigners. Because Maharishi and Bal Yogi and all of them, all of their disciples have created such a disturbance. They bring this marijuana, they bring liquor, someone was caught with gun, big guns. All kinds of disturbance. Walking with no clothes in public, this and that. So many disturbance.

Prabhupada: Where?

Bhagavata: In Hrisikesa, Hardwar.

Prabhupada: Oh.

Bhagavata: So they have become so upset with the foreigners, that any foreigner who comes, he must get a police statement from the captain that he can come to stay in the asrama, special permission.

Prabhupada: Which asrama ? What is that asrama ?

Devotee: Which asrama ?

Bhagavata: Any asrama. Gita Bhavan...

Prabhupada: Oh.

Bhagavata: ...Swarg, anywhere on Swarg Asrama or in Hrsikesa, you have to get a special permission. That Gita Bhavan, that is Paramartha Niketan, all of it, you have to get a special permission. I stayed up to 11:30 at night trying to see the police captain to get a permission to stay in the asrama. They were going to make me sleep in the street. Because all the foreigners, all these bhogi yogis, their foreign disciples have caused so much disturbance. But none of your disciples have done that. All of your disciples follow the injunctions of sastra. Therefore, we can understand that what you're speaking is being realized in the heart because it's creating real devotees. Where the others cannot create devotees. They can only create big bank balance.

Indian [woman?]: [Hindi] [break].

Prabhupada: So, just like I have got my consciousness and I feel pains and pleasure, you feel pains and pleasure.

[break] But unfortunately I am thinking this is American pains and pleasure, this is Indian pains and pleasure. Pains and pleasure is the same. It is neither American nor African. Pains and pleasure is the same. So as soon as this consciousness, that I am feeling American pains, American pleasure, as soon as this is over, then we come to the original consciousness. Because consciousness cannot be American or African. If I pinch you, the pain felt by you is the same when I pinch the African. So therefore the consciousness is the same. Artificially we are thinking that American consciousness, African consciousness. Actually that is not the position. Simply this misunderstanding has to be cleared out. That is called ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc Antya 20.12]. Is it not a fact?

Bhagavata: Oh yes, Srila Prabhupada, it's a fact.

Prabhupada: The consciousness of feeling pains and pleasure, can it be American or Indian?

Bhagavata: No.

Prabhupada: It is the same. Artificially we are thinking it is American pain or it is Indian pain. That is artificial. This artificial covering has to be removed. Then we come to Krsna consciousness. Feelings, consciousness is not American, African or Indian. Consciousness is the same. When you feel hungry, is that Americans feel a different way hungry and the African feels in a different way? So hungry, appetite is the same. Now, if you say there is American appetite and this is Indian appetite, that is artificial. So when you do not go to the artificial platform, that is Krsna consciousness. That is explained in Narada Pancaratra,

When we become free from these artificial designations, American consciousness, Indian consciousness, African consciousness, there is no such thing, this is artificial. Even bird and beast, they also feel consciousness, pains and pleasure. Just like when there is scorching heat, you feel some pain. Is that American, Indian or African? Scorching heat is [laughing] every, feeling...if you say that I am feeling scorching heat American way [Hindi exchange] simply these are artificial. Everything is depending on consciousness, everything depending on consciousness. Therefore, Krsna consciousness is the original standard consciousness. So we have given the name Krsna consciousness very, what is called, thoughtfully, that original consciousness is Krsna consciousness. [break] [End].