So Vyāsadeva is offering his obeisances to satyaṁ param, the Absolute Supreme Truth, not to the relative truth. Everyone has to offer obeisances to somebody. Somebody… In our practical life, at least, we have to offer obeisances to the police constable. When you go on the street, as soon as they, “Stop!” So we have to obey. So how you can avoid obeying? They are saying that “We don’t believe in God. God is dead. I am God.” But why you are offering obeisances even to the small constable? That means you have to offer your obeisances to somebody. That is your position. But we are offering obeisances to the relative truth. Relative truth means… That has been explained here that tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra tri-sargo ‘mṛṣā. We are offering obeisances to a temporary manifestation of tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayaḥ. Tejaḥ means fire, vāri means water, and mṛt means earth. So you take earth, mix with water, and put it into fire. Then grind it, so it becomes mortar and the brick, and you prepare a very big skyscraper and offer obeisances there. Yes. “Oh, such a big house, mine.” Tri-sargo ‘mṛṣā. But there is another place: dhāmnā svena nirasta-kuhakam. We are offering here obeisances to the bricks, stone, iron. Just like in your country especially—in all Western countries—there are so many statues. The same thing, tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayaḥ. But when we install Deity, actually the form, eternal form of Kṛṣṇa, nobody offers obeisances. They’ll go to offer obeisances to the dead. Just like in British Museum. They are standing in queue to offer obeisances to a dead body. It has no value, but they are wasting time there. But here, if they are invited, “Oh, they are worshiping idol. Why shall I go? Why shall I go there?” This is called illusion. They are actually doing that, obeisances, but not to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Just like now fighting is going on on two political groups, the Communist and the capitalist. They are trying to avoid only fight, but the fighting is going on. As soon as America is in some field, immediately Russia is also there. In the last fighting between India and Pakistan, as soon as President Nixon sent their Seventh Fleet on the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, almost in front of India… This was illegal. But very puffed-up, America, so sent the Seventh Fleet, maybe to show sympathy the Pakistan. But immediately our Russian friend also appeared there, and therefore America had to come back. Otherwise, I think America would have attacked on behalf of Pakistan. So this is going on. Fighting you cannot stop. Many people, they are thinking how to stop war. That is impossible. It is nonsense proposal. It cannot be. Because the fighting spirit is there in everyone. That is a symptom of living entity. Even children, who has no politics, no enmity, they fight for five minutes; again they are friends. So the fighting spirit is there. Now, how it should be utilized? Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is there. We say “consciousness.” We don’t say, “Stop fight” or “Do this, do that, do that,” no. Everything should be done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is our propaganda. Nirbandha-kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. Whatever you do, it must have some relationship with the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. If Kṛṣṇa is satisfied, then you act. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇendriya tṛpti vāñchā tāra nāma prema. This is love. Just like you love somebody; for the sake of your beloved, you can do anything. And we do sometimes. Similarly, the same thing should be transferred to Kṛṣṇa. That’s all.

Reporter: You’re just over here for a visit, are you? Or are you staying here? Do you intend to stay here? Prabhupāda: If you allow me. Reporter: Well, is there any problem about that, then? Prabhupāda: Yes, because your immigration department is very strict nowadays. Reporter: So they only allow you a visitor’s permit, then. Prabhupāda: Yes, I am a visitor. Although I am proprietor of so many temples… Reporter: Yeah. Prabhupāda: …still I am a visitor in my temple. Reporter: So you’re just a visitor, but you want to stay here? Prabhupāda: Huh? Reporter: You want to stay here? Prabhupāda: Yes. Reporter: Permanently? Prabhupāda: Can you help me? Reporter: Oh, I don’t know. I’m just a newspaperman. Prabhupāda: Then why are you asking me? Reporter: Well, because I’m interested. I wanted to know whether you would be here… Prabhupāda: Yes. Reporter: …just for a visit… Prabhupāda: Yes. Reporter: …or whether you were here… Prabhupāda: England… Reporter: …permanently. Prabhupāda: England, especially London, is the most important city in the world, so there are many nice people here. I very much like to talk with them. So if I am allowed to stay here, I can stay and make friendship with nice people here. That’s all.

So in another place Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Karma, every living entity is bound up by the resultant action of his own karma. But Kṛṣṇa is not like that. The…, in the English constitutional law it is said that “The King can no…, king can do no wrong.” King can order punishment for the criminal, but the king is never criminal. King cannot be punished. Your President Nixon is fighting on this point. Although people wants to impeach him, he’s fighting on this point, that “I am not wrong.” Actually, that much facilities must be given to the head executive. If he becomes under the laws, then his position is not exalted. The… That is the principle of accepting in the highest order of life. So in the material condition, that is not applicable perfectly, but so far spiritual condition is concerned, God must be given full freedom; otherwise, there is no meaning of God. If God is also under the, under your laws… Sometimes: “Why God has done like this?” They inquire like that. This question sometimes put. “Why God has put us into this condition?” These are foolish question. But the real conception of God is that He is free to do anything, whatever He likes. You cannot say, “Why God can… Will…, God will do this, will do not that.” No. That is not the conception of God.

Very simple process of awakening Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This ātma-ruciḥ… Ātma-ruciḥ means attraction for the self, or soul. There are ātmā. Ātmā means sometimes this body. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke. Gross materialists, they think that “I am this body.” That is also ātma-ruciḥ. They are busy to maintain this body, to decorate this body, to feed this body, to satisfy the senses of the body. This is also ātma-ruciḥ, because the body is also called ātmā. So this is another ātma-ruciḥ, materialist. Then ātmā means mind also, mental speculation, very much busy in mental speculation. That is also ātma-ruciḥ. And the…, the topmost ātma-ruciḥ, topmost means that is real ātma-ruciḥ, to be attracted by the self or Superself. That is ātma-ruciḥ. So our business is to awaken that Supreme ātma-ruciḥ. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Supreme ātma-ruciḥ, supreme ātmā. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat. You can take in different platform different kinds of attraction, but when our attraction is in Kṛṣṇa, that is supreme. So just like for bodily comforts, there are so many scientists, physiologists, biologists, they are trying to understand the constitution of the body. They are busy. And similarly, mental speculators, philosophers, they are also busy. Similarly, the ultimate ātma-ruciḥ if we want to know, then we should be busy with such persons who are engaged in that type of ātma-ruciḥ. That is called sādhu-saṅga. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. As you associate, so your desires become, I mean to say, attached.

Prabhupāda: That is yajña. To work for Kṛṣṇa means yajña. Yajñarthe karma: “For yajña, performing yajña, one has to work.” To work for Kṛṣṇa means yajña. That is performance of yajña. [break] …communistic idea is borrowing this idea from… But because they are imperfect, they have made center state. And because it is imperfect, it is not successful. They have made center the state. [break] Tamo-guṇa means laziness and sleep. The śūdras, they are in laziness and sleep. So if they have got something to eat, they will not work. Laziness. Or eat more and sleep. This is tamo-guṇa. And rajo-guṇa means they are working for sense gratification. That is also useless. Tamo-guṇa is laziness and sleeping, and rajo-guṇa means working foolishly or for sense gratification. And sattva-guṇa means they know how to work. And therefore above this sattva-guṇa they become devotee, work for Kṛṣṇa. So without working for Kṛṣṇa, everyone is under the spell of these modes of material nature. And there is no training how to work for Kṛṣṇa. That is the defect of modern civilization.