want a few moons, not many stars

Why a few selected persons come here? Because it requires background of pious activities. Otherwise it is not possible. We do not expect that cent per cent of people will become Krsna conscious. That is not possible. But if there is one ideal Krsna conscious person, he can do benefit to many thousands. Ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tarah sahasrasah. [Canakya Pandita.] If there is one moon in the sky, he can illuminate the whole universe, na ca tarah sahasrasah, not these twinkling stars. It is not possible. (More...)

Prabhupada: But that is not acceptable by the greatest number. That is to be accepted by the smallest number. (More...)

Prabhupada: That is not meant for mass of people, the greatest number. The mass of people, abodha-jata, they are fools and rascals. The Krsna consciousness movement cannot be understood by mass of people. A selected number of men who are fortunate, they can understand. (More...)

Prabhupada: Just like ekas candra tamo hanti. Moon, you will find one in the sky, but stars, millions. But moon is wanted, not the stars, to drive away the darkness. That is our philosophy. You cannot say that there may be many moons. No. That is not possible. Many stars, maybe, which have no utility. They are glittering only. What is called? Peeping? (More...)

Prabhupada: Twinkling. But they cannot drive away darkness. That is not possible. Glowworms. As soon as you come to the quality, that is the lowest number, minimum. (More...)

Prabhupada: No, the majority may not accept. You see, if you want to sell jewels, a diamond, you cannot get many customers. That is not possible. But still, diamond is diamond. It may not have many customers; it doesn't matter. If there is one customer, that is sufficient. Ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tarah sahasrasah. If there is one moon in the sky, that is sufficient to dissipate all darkness. There is no need of thousands or millions of stars. So our movement, if anyone, through all men in the world, can understand Krsna consciousness, he will do tremendous good to the people. My Guru Maharaja used to say like that. (More...)

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 19, 1972, and I have noted the contents. Regarding the high school programmes, this is very good opportunity to introduce our movement and try also to introduce our cheap editions of Krishna Book. Every student will be interested to read it. I think the whole set can be purchased for $2. Some way or other these books should be introduced to the understanding of the mass of people, specially these students. There are religion classes in schools, the authorities should be approached with the books so they will recommend Bhagavad-gita and Krishna Book especially. At least there are no such books throughout the whole world, God is nicely explained. The authorities must implement God consciousness among the people, otherwise they are going to hell, and our books only introduce God so clearly that they must be introduced. At least nobody can tell so much about God as we can.

So far your management of different centers in Eastern Zone, I have already advised Rupanuga to do the needful; if there is waste then you can merge various centres. You can thin milk by adding water and you can make it thick by boiling. Now is the time for us to begin the boiling process. Now you know everything how to be a Vaisnava brahmana, now you must practice these thing or the whole thing will be a show only. Better to develop the small number of devotees we have, make them truly Krishna conscious boys and girls than to go on getting many followers who do not understand and practice the real principles. Better one moon than many stars.

Hoping this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

(More...)

Regarding your points about taxation, corporate status, etc., I have heard from Jayatirtha you want to make big plan for centralization of management, taxes, monies, corporate status, bookkeeping, credit, like that. I do not at all approve of such plan. Do not centralize anything. Each temple must remain independent and self-sufficient. That was my plan from the very beginning, why you are thinking otherwise? Once before you wanted to do something centralizing with your GBC meeting, and if I did not interfere the whole thing would have been killed. Do not think in this way of big corporation, big credits, centralization-these are all nonsense proposals. Only thing I wanted was that books printing and distribution should be centralized, therefore I appointed you and Bali Mardan to do it. Otherwise, management, everything, should be done locally by local men. Accounts must be kept, things must be in order and lawfully done, but that should be each temple's concern, not yours. Krishna Consciousness Movement is for training men to be independently thoughtful and competent in all types of departments of knowledge and action, not for making bureaucracy. Once there is bureaucracy the whole thing will be spoiled. There must be always individual striving and work and responsibility, competitive spirit, not that one shall dominate and distribute benefits to the others and they do nothing but beg from you and you provide. No. Never mind there may be botheration to register each centre, take tax certificate each, become separate corporations in each state. That will train men how to do these things, and they shall develop reliability and responsibility, that is the point. I am little observing now, especially in your country, that our men are losing their enthusiasm for spreading on our programmes of Krishna Consciousness movement. Otherwise, why so many letters of problems are coming, dissatisfied? That is not a very good sign. The whole problem is they are not following the regulative principles, that I can detect. Without this, enthusiasm will be lacking. Even mechanically following, and if he gets gradually understanding from the class, he will come to the point of spontaneous enthusiasm. This spontaneous loving devotional service is not so easy matter, but if one simply sticks strictly to the rules and regulations, like rising early, chanting 16 rounds, chanting gayatri, keeping always clean-then his enthusiasm will grow more and more, and if there is also patience and determination, one day he will come to the platform of spontaneous devotion, then his life will be perfect. All of this I have told you in Nectar of Devotion. So I do not think the leaders are themselves following, nor they are seeing the others are following strictly. That must be rectified at once. Each centre remain independent, that's all right, but the president and other officers must themselves follow and see the others are following the regulative principles carefully, and giving them good instruction so they may understand nicely why this tapasya is necessary. And GBC and Sannyasis will travel and see the officers are doing this, and if they observe anything lowering of the standard, they must reform and advise, or if there is some discrepancy I shall remove it. Of course, if new men are coming, they may not be expected immediately to take to our regulative principles cent per cent. Therefore we should not be so anxious to induce them to live in the temple. Anyone who lives in the temple must agree to follow the rules and regulations without fail. So if some new man moves in with us he may become discouraged if he is forced in this way. Therefore let them live outside and become gradually convinced in the class why they should accept some austerity, then they will live with us out of their own accord and follow nicely everything. It is very difficult to give up very quickly so many bad habits as you have got in your country, so educate them gradually, first with chanting, and do not be so much anxious to count up so many numbers of new devotees, if such devotees go away later being too early forced. I want to see a few sincere devotees, not many false devotees or pretenders. (More...)

Even if there..., if one man understands perfectly what is this Krsna consciousness movement is, he can do tremendous benefit to the other people. So you are all intelligent boys and girls. You try to understand this Krsna consciousness philosophy with all your reason or argument. But try to understand it seriously. Don't make it a farce. That is the object of life. (More...)

PRABHUPADA: Well, this is a very difficult job, naturally. We don't have a large number of followers. As soon as you try to sell a diamond, you cannot expect many customers. Nonetheless, a diamond is a diamond, even if there are no customers. The number of customers is not the test. The customer must pay the value of the item. In this society we propose that you give up illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication and gambling. When people hear this, they go away saying, "Oh, Svamiji is very conservative." But I cannot become liberal and tell everybody, "Go ahead and do all nonsense, and you can become God conscious." I cannot possibly recommend that. Therefore my first condition is that if someone wants to become my student he has to follow these four regulative principles. Consequently I do not have many followers, but I do have a select few. Because they are select, they will bring about a revolution in the world. One moon is sufficient to dissipate darkness. If there is one moon, there is no need for millions of stars. It is useless to expect a large number of followers. We want only one good follower. If I can get one man to become Krsna conscious, I will consider my mission fulfilled. If you talk to whatever small number of followers I have, you will find that they speak better than any great philosopher, better than any scientist or politician. That is the quality of my students. What's the point in talking nonsense? One's words may be simple, but they should be valuable. Every day your employer is printing so many newspapers. On Sunday, especially, the paper is so big that one can hardly carry it. But after reading it an hour, people throw it away. Here is this book, Bhagavad-gita, and people keep it and read it for a lifetime, and in this way it has been read for the past 5,000 years. Give such literature that will be taken and kept forever. (More...)

Prabhupada: I don't make any compromise with these rascals. No words. No, no. I'll never make that. Even if I don't get any disciple, I'll be satisfied. But I cannot make any compromise as these rascals. I cannot make. Ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tarah sahasrasah [Canakya Pandita]. If I create one moon, that is sufficient. I don't want many stars. That was my Guru Maharaja's principle, and that is my principle. What is the use of having number of fools and rascals? If one man understands rightly, he can deliver the whole world. [break] (More...)

Prabhupada: Well, when there is question of knowledge, only you will find a few people to get the knowledge. When you put this question, "Find out some learned scholar," generally they will be very..., their number will be very little. But one thing is that if there is one man in real knowledge, he can give the..., distribute the knowledge to many. The example is just like ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tarah sahasrasah: if you get one moon at night, that is sufficient to dissipate the darkness. And there are millions of stars-it is useless. So it is necessarily not required that everyone should be in perfect knowledge. But if one man is in perfect knowledge, hundreds and thousands can hear from him and they can perfect. So it does not depend on the quantity; it depends on the quality. (More...)

Prabhupada: No, we don't take that, by number of people. We take how many people are taking actually. But neither... Ekas candras tamo hanti [Canakya Pandita]: "If one man accepts, then he can become the bright moon." Na ca tarah sahasrasah: "The so-called stars has no value." One moon is sufficient. So our preaching is: let one man understand Bhagavad-gita as it is. We don't want disciples. I never collected disciples. I never compromised, that "You can do whatever you like, and you become my disciple. No. "You have to follow this." Now also, this morning, I accepted so many... "First promise whether you are going to do this." Then I initiate. This is my policy. If I would have said, "No, you can do whatever you like, and give me some money, I shall give you mantra," then you would have seen millions. But I accept very selected disciple, not that anyone, everyone comes, and I accept disciple. No. He is first of all trained up six months. Then, when he is able to promise to follow the regulative..., then I accept. This is stricture. It is not that everyone comes, "Give me thirty-five dollars. I give you mantra, and within six months you become God." I do not do that. (More...)

Prabhupada: No. Tiny percentage... Just like there are so many stars in the sky, and there is one moon. In percentage the moon is nothing. If we take percentage of the stars, the moon is nothing. But moon is important than all the nonsense stars. [laughter] But if you take percentage, he has no percentage vote. But because he is moon, he is important than all these rascal stars. This is the example. What is the use of taking percentage of the stars in the presence of moon? Let there be one moon, that is sufficient. There is no question of percentage. One ideal man. Just like in Christian world, one ideal Lord Jesus Christ. (More...)

Prabhupada: Many? What you...? Many followers... The philosophy you present, it must be followed by everyone. That is wanted. You have got, say, ten thousand followers. That does not mean success. Everyone has got some followers. This... What is that? Guru-ji Maharaja. He has got also so-called followers. The T.M., he has got also some followers. Everyone has got some followers. But what kind of followers they have? That is quality. Everything has quality. Simply quantity is not. There are many Christians. Even up to date, some Christian fair or..., many millions will come. What is the quality? Quality is all meat-eater. But Christian means he should not kill. Where is the Christian? So we have to test by the quality, followers. Not many followers; the quality of the followers. My Guru Maharaja used to say like that, that "If I get at least one quality disciple, then all my labor will be success." He was saying like that: quality, not the quantity. By quantity if one is amazed, then he is also goru. By quality-what kind of followers? That is the... From the very beginning my strictures are there, that "You have to follow this"-quality. If I were..., "No, you can do like Vivekananda. Yes, what you can, whatever you like," then I think quantity would have been very, very big. But I don't say. I make him promise before the fire, before the Deity, before guru. [break] (More...)

After all, young man, fallen down-that's all right. It is by nature's way. But marry that girl. That I am insisting from the very beginning, that no friendly liaison. If you want, get one nice... They are all of them qualified. Get one wife and live like a gentleman. Similarly woman. Live with one husband prestigiously, with children. What is the wrong there? We have so many grhastha devotees. You have got children. Pradyumna has got child. Gopala has... Live with husband, wife. There is no restriction for husband and wife. But what is this nonsense that you take sannyasa and make relation with...? This should be completely stopped. And in our this campus, actually those who are eager to advance in Krsna consciousness, they should live; nobody else. We give free food, free apartment, cloth and everything. "Come here. Live. As far as possible we shall provide." But this is specially meant for bhagavad-bhajana. Attend arati, early rise in the morning, attend the functions, take prasadam... (More...)

Prabhupada: Suppose I am a very big business magnate. Next life, if I am going to become a dog-according to my karma, the nature's law will act-then what is benefit? One day before, Indira Gandhi was so important. Next day out nowhere, finished. Nobody knows where is Indira Gandhi. Just twenty-four hours she was most prominent woman, and after twenty-four hours nobody cares to look at her. This nature's law, how you can check? This is going on. Any moment, anything can be changed by the laws of nature. So India's importance is there. They know the law. Therefore so long the body, full of intelligence, human body, is there, they'll utilize it very... That is life, not to be carried away by the waves of nature. This is India's duty. So we want to make our institution at least a place for understanding this knowledge. It doesn't matter only a few persons may understand. That is sufficient. Ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tarah sahasrasah: "If you keep one moon in the sky, that is sufficient for light. What is the use of millions of stars?" [Canakya Pandita.] (More...)

Prabhupada: That means we don't take any importance. But now, if you want to do something, then you maintain this institution rigidly, follow the principles of Bhagavad-gita. It doesn't matter. It doesn't require many men. Ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tarah sahasrasah [Canakya Pandita]. If there is one moon in the sky, that is sufficient. You don't require millions of stars, twinkling. So let there be an institution, and it is open to everyone. There is no question of "secular" and particular... Let them learn this art. That is wanted. Not blindly, but apply your consideration and take it after mature judgment. No, what is that? Everything is there. There is no difficulty. Why you are neglecting this important business of India? Do you think it is right? (More...)