Aug 22, 1976 room – Hyderabad, India. conversation with Endowments Commissioner Andhra Pradesh
The Success Formula
Srila Prabhupāda: But generally, generally, that Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s process should be taken. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu represented Himself that “I am fool.” He is not fool. He’s representing the fools of this age. So, if we take that process, it will be successful. It will be successful.
Commissioner: That also, (indistinct) that bhajana and every.
Srila Prabhupāda: Yes, let them come. Let them come in the temple and there may be sumptuously offering of bhoga. Let them chant and take prasāda. In this chanting illiterate, literate, rascal, fool, lower, higher, everyone can join. And give them prasāda. See the effect.
Commissioner: Yes. That is also part of the, that is the other part of it. We are having dhana-prasthānam,(?) bhajana group, hari–kathā group…
Srila Prabhupāda: But kalau śūdra–sambhavaḥ. The Vedas are meant for the brāhmaṇas. So, there is no brāhmaṇa practically. Neither there is training of brāhmaṇas. Brāhmaṇa means he must speak truth. Satyā śama dama titik—and if you ask nowadays anybody that “You don’t speak lie, you speak truth,” he will laugh, that “What a rascal this is. By speaking truth one can live nowadays?” he will say. The first business is satyam. And if you ask him, “You speak truth,” he will laugh. So where is brāhmaṇa? A brāhmaṇa is so simple that if you ask him about his secrecy, he’ll tell you, “Yes, this is…” Satyam. Just like Jābāli? Upaniṣad, he was asked, he went to Gautama Muni. Satyaka, yes, for initiation. Gautama Muni asked him, “Who is your father?” He said, “I do not know.” “Go to your mother.” He went to the mother. Mother said, “Oh, my dear son, I do not know.” He was a prostitute’s son. So he came to Gautama Muni and said, “Sir, my mother does not know, I do not know.” So, he said, “You are a brāhmaṇa. Because you don’t keep any secrecy you are brāhmaṇa. I’ll initiate.” So, it is not the birth, but the quality-truthful. But these qualities will come when you make him a devotee. So, this process should be taken, how to make him a devotee. And the easiest process of making devotee is let them come to the temple, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and take prasāda. Then gradually they’ll become… I began this movement on this. Very simple. And they have come. I never asked them to study Vedas in the beginning. What they’ll read Veda? What do they know? But this process has become successful. So if you take this process it will be very quickly successful. And then literature. I never gave them literature. I have got about eighty books. Not that in the beginning I asked them, “Come here and read books.” No. “Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and take prasāda.” Now they are interested in reading books, in publishing them, in selling them and everything. They are doing everything. So if you take the authorized program it will be successful. Otherwise, it will not be successful.
Some Conclusions–Srila Prabhupada is giving to this man his success formula, which came originally from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself-chant, dance and take prasadam-and it became totally successful, all over the world.
But we tend to make things more difficult due to our mental speculations and in the end, make simple things complicated. Our only business is to follow in the footsteps of the mahajanas and great Acaryas, Srila Prabhupada being one of them.
Judge by the result– When we are Krsna Conscious our life goes smoothly and when we are not Krsna Conscious, things become difficult.
Sept 5 1976 Vrndavna
…”if we do not become very simple servant of Kṛṣṇa, problems will increase. It will never be solved. If you have got any other desire than to serve Kṛṣṇa, then the problems will increase. It will never decrease.
July 13 1975 Philadelphia conversation
Prof. Hopkins: So, what you are doing is simply showing people how to be happy.
Prabhupāda: Thank you. That is the real want, how to become happy.
Prof. Hopkins: It’s remarkable how complicated simple things get.
Prabhupāda: The example is also very simple. Just like a child is crying and somebody is offering some milk, somebody is offering something but he is still crying. Could not find any cause. Then when the child goes to the mother’s lap, immediately (claps)-stops. He understands immediately, “Now I am on the lap of my mother, then everything is all right.” Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ. Everyone is hankering after making some profit, this way, that way, this way, that way. But when one becomes, gets that supreme thing then he thinks, “Oh, I don’t want anything.” That is happiness. Unhappiness due to want. So the karmīs, jnānīs, yogis, they are all in want. They want something. Bhaktas are also sometimes in want. They want Kṛṣṇa. And in absence of Kṛṣṇa they are very unhappy, but that unhappiness is greater than [material] happiness.
April 13 1971
And it is a fact that “Sankirtana will keep you happy and the books will keep you convinced”, so make your program in that way and become fixed up in Krishna Consciousness.
Hare Krsna Damaghosa das