Room Conversation – July 5, 1976, Washington, D.C.

The politicians in Washington

Prabhupada: One, the origin of life, and the other, planetary system. There is no knowledge. They are simply speculating.

Raksana: It is correct that the illumination of the moon is caused by the movements of the vegetation on the surface?

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Raksana: The illumination?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Raksana: So it should be fairly easy for scientists to prove, Svarūpa Damodara and such, that... I know that they can't prove there is illumination caused by the deserts.

Prabhupada: That is the point. Therefore it is doubtful whether they have gone.

Devotee (1): Did they go to some other planet, Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: That is different question. But they did not go to the moon planet.

Vipina: I think in the Bhagavatam you also explain that the moon is about 1,600,000 miles away, so they couldn't have gone. It's beyond the sun, you said, Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: Hmm. [break]

Devotee (2): ...rectifying the senators and the congressmen, is there much hope in talking to them?

Pusta Krsna: The politicians in Washington. He would like to know if it's worthwhile talking to them, preaching to them.

Devotee (3): Much hope talking to people like that?

Prabhupada: He wants to talk?

Devotee (2): Yes, I want to talk to them.

Prabhupada: No, no. He wants to talk or you want to talk?

Devotee (2): I want to talk to them.

Prabhupada: No.

Rūpanuga: I tried that, Srila Prabhupada. I tried that. It wasn't very successful. They're not serious. They shake hands and smile, but they don't want to talk any business.

Hari-sauri: They're so filled up with diplomacy anyway, it's impossible for them to understand anything. [break]

Devotee (2): If Hare means energy of the Lord, what energy is that?

Prabhupada: Reply, someone.

Hari-sauri: "Hare" refers to the spiritual potency of Krsna, Srimati Radharani. You can't approach Krsna directly; you have to go by the mercy of Radharani. So when you chant Hare Krsna you're asking Srimati Radharani to engage you in Krsna's service.

Devotee (2): I heard on a tape, Srila Prabhupada, you were talking about the same thing, and you happened to mention that Hare meant the energy of the Lord in terms of maya, and that we were calling upon to free us from her clutches.

Pusta Krsna: We call upon Krsna to become free from maya because Krsna is the master of maya. Mayadhyaksena prakrtiḥ [Bg 9.10].

Devotee (3): You mentioned a deranged man can be cured by the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. But if it's necessary that the senses be controlled and the mind be controlled to understand spiritual subject matter, how is it that a person whose mind is completely out of his control, by chanting the holy name of the Lord can become spiritually advanced?

[break]

Devotee (4): ...we will go on ten thousand years, and they are celebrating two hundred year anniversary. And maybe they'll go on another hundred years, maybe.

Pusta Krsna: Another ten if they're lucky.

Devotee (4): Already there is a big decline in their civilization. We are just coming alive, being born. We have a great future. In Philadelphia they had a big cake, five stories high, for the Bicentennial. They made a big cake, five building stories high, and they brought it in big trucks.

Prabhupada: Cake?

Devotee (4): Big cake, birthday cake for America. And then the health department came and condemned it after people had been standing three, four hours in line to get a piece, because it had gone stale. [break] [end]