SPD04-01 Australia TV Coverage, 1971, Sydney

[6:53 minutes]

[00:31] [Reporter:] His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,

[00:36] a spiritual master who knows the Absolute Truth, arrives on time in a blue Volkswagen combi-van.

[00:43] For members of the Hare Krsna sect it's the first coming;

[00:46] for the Press, just another Indian mystic; and for the Paddington mob, another curious visitor.

[00:52] His Divine Grace founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in 1966.

[00:57] But it is said his disciplic succession can be traced back directly for five hundred years.

[01:03] According to his followers, he is the divine representative of God, and he is completely pure.

[01:09] Basically, the movement he heads is austere and exclusive.

[01:13] Alcohol, tobacco and sex, other than for procreation, are frowned upon, and diet is strict and simple.

[01:19] Disciples surrender everything they own when they join the movement,

[01:23] and they survive on money from publications, donations and, they say, "Krsna."

[01:31] [Prabhupada:] God, or Krsna, is all-pervading. From His energy the five elements, material elements...

[01:46] [Reporter:] The history of the movement, they say, can be traced back five thousand years,

[01:50] when Krsna first spoke the truth in India.

[01:53] These days, the headquarters are in Los Angeles where, according to one member,

[01:56] there are more frustrations.

[01:58] But today, they say, the most perfect person in the world is in this Paddington flat,

[02:04] and the fifty members of the Sydney branch are ecstatic.

[02:07] Today, say the disciples, is a day of rejoicing and of peace, love and humility.

[02:12] But behind the facade there is some conflict and some sadness.

[02:16] Sheryl Zimmerer is eighteen. She tried university and a job in Treasury

[02:21] before leaving both to join the sect a few months ago.

[02:25] Today, after her initiation by the spiritual master, she says she has found true happiness.

[02:31] But her mother and her aunt are not so sure. For them, the ceremony represents

[02:35] an alienation from the type of life they hoped Sheryl might lead.

[02:39] [Mother:] Well I'm not happy with it, I don't go along with it, but it's her life; it's what she wants,

[02:42] so my husband and I make the best of it.

[02:45] [Reporter:] What worries you about her being initiated?

[02:47] [Mother:] Her future.

[02:49] Her whole future, and the fact that they are teaching them not to have sex.

[02:55] I came here last night, and the spiritual master was telling them that to have sex is like animals.

[03:01] Well, this isn't the way I've brought my children up.

[03:04] When I hear this sort of thing, I'm wondering what her future is.

[03:06] She has given up university to do this. She's given up everything. She's not working.

[03:13] And I can't see any future in it at all. What's going to happen in ten years' time?

[03:17] [Reporter:] And what religion are you, can I ask?

[03:19] [Mother:] Church of England.

[03:20] [Reporter:] And do you feel that...

[03:22] [Mother:] She's been christened, she's been confirmed in our own church,

[03:26] and she's suddenly turned to this, all in a matter of two months.

[03:31] [Reporter:] What do you think has attracted her most of all about this?

[03:32] [Mother:] Well, she's been looking for something. She's an introvert,

[03:35] and she's felt that she's wanted more out of life than what she's been getting. And...

[03:39] [Aunt:] She's obviously getting it, isn't she, because she seems very happy since she has been here.

[03:45] [Mother:] Her ideas coincide with these peoples' ideas, and I think they are very good-living people.

[03:52] They are very sincere in their ideas. But they are not my ideas.

[03:56] [Reporter:] This is one of the things you don't particularly appreciate is the prostrating...

[03:59] [Mother:] No, I can't see the point of doing this.

[04:01] [Reporter:] Sheryl, why do you in fact prostrate yourself like that?

[04:05] [Sheryl:] Well, it's a sign of humility. The spiritual master, he is a messenger from God,

[04:11] an associate of God. He's actually Krsna's friend, God's friend.

[04:14] That is why we bow down to the spiritual master,

[04:18] because the spiritual master is giving us this knowledge,

[04:21] how to go back home, back to Godhead, back to Krsna.

[04:25] It's, sort of, just so potent in the world.

[04:29] We have fifty-two temples all over the world today.

[04:32] [Reporter:] Your mother is worried that in fact all the things you are saying are largely due to brainwashing.

[04:39] Are you worried that she is worried?

[04:41] [Sheryl:] Well, yes, I'm worried that she is worried, but I don't think that she should be,

[04:45] because you can see that there is peace and happiness here.

[04:49] Everybody has one goal, and, you know, there's no, sort of, bad relationships in the temple.

[04:58] People realize that we are all spiritual souls, all part of Krsna.

[05:02] [Reporter:] Do you feel she could have spiritual happiness and peace with herself without doing this?

[05:07] [Mother:] Of course. I thought that this is what she was getting at home.

[05:12] I mean, we love her very much at home. She's been brought up to the Christian religion.

[05:18] But there just seemed to be something lacking somewhere.

[05:21] [Reporter:] This is a very hard question, but if your parents wanted you to come home

[05:28] and to perhaps ignore all of this, and to perhaps get married like most normal

[05:34] eighteen-year-old girls, what would you do?

[05:36] [Sheryl:] I'd say I can't, because we are all spirit soul, and we're only on this lifetime...

[05:44] This lifetime is like an eye-wink in the eternal time, so we have to try to go back home,

[05:50] back to Krsna, as soon as possible.

[05:53] There's no other bona fide spiritual master. This spiritual master is pure.

[05:56] You can tell just by association that he is pure.

[06:01] You can find out for yourself just by association. We don't ask you to believe.

[06:05] Just because he is such a pure soul, a lover of God; He's completely devoted to God.

[06:11] So Krsna says, "If you serve the spiritual master, then it's just like, it's better than serving Me."

[06:19] Krsna would rather you serve the spiritual master than He would to serve Him,

[06:23] because the spiritual master is the friend of Krsna.