Material advancement will never make us happy, that's a fact. People have not become happy. In India they say that we neglected this material side, therefore not developed. But actually that is not the fact. They have lost their own spiritual culture; therefore they are not...

India's culture given up to imitate the West

What is duty?

PRABHUPADA: So anything you do in this material world, that is temporary. So many—Roman Empire, Moghul Empire, British Empire, Hitler Empire—they have come and gone. But my real problem is that I am eternal, so what I am doing for my eternal life? That is it.

Temporarily I may become very rich or poor, it doesn't matter. But people are being taught, "Oh, you are poor? You become rich.'' That's all. Just like our India trying to imitate the Western world. But they do not see that in the Western world, in America, in Europe, why these young boys, they are rejecting this materialistic way of life? These boys have come to me because they have rejected, they don't like. Just like you are coming. Why you are surrendering to me? Because you are not satisfied.

So our Indians, they do not see that "These men, they have already everything. Why they are rejecting?'' All facility. Because this will not give us real happiness. We are spirit soul. We cannot be happy simply by material opulence. That is not possible.

This is Vedic civilization: how people will be happy. They can be happy simply by self-realization, spiritual realization, because he is spirit. Material advancement will never make us happy, that's a fact. People have not become happy. In India they say that we neglected this material side, therefore not developed. But actually that is not the fact. They have lost their own spiritual culture; therefore they are not... But still, whatever spiritual culture they have got, still they are happier than others, if I make comparative study. In India still in village you'll find a man with practically no income but he has got his happy home, good wife, a cottage, little bread, but he is happy. Here I see they have no home, no family life. Even ordinary necessities of life means eating, sleeping, sex life and defense. They have no fixed-up eating. In America, in the Bowery street, lying down on the street, drinking. So many. Here also in your country. Day and night, in India they are lying, suppose they are poverty stricken, lying on the street. Now why you are lying on the street? When I go to the park I see so many there.

Our philosophy is that there is no necessity of wasting time for economic development. Be satisfied whatever Krishna has given you. That's all right. Be satisfied according to your position, save time, and be Krishna conscious. That is the verdict of the shastra. Because your happiness and distress is already fixed up, according to the body you have got. You cannot change that. You cannot change that.

INDIAN GUEST: Prabhupada, I may be wrong here, but Lord Krishna has given man brain, mind...

PRABHUPADA: But he misuses it.

INDIAN GUEST: No, if we use it properly.

PRABHUPADA: But he does not know. That is... Therefore we call these rascals. Why we are calling these scientists, philosophers, politicians rascals? Because they have got brain but they're misusing. Therefore they have been called dushkritinah. You have got brain, you can utilize it for smuggling and you can utilize it also how to understand Krishna. The same brain.

INDIAN GUEST: But the development of my economy...

PRABHUPADA: Development... If you become miscreants by utilizing your better brain, then what is the use? You are going to hell. This brain has no meaning. Misuser brain. Brain means to understand Krishna. That is brain.

IAN POLSEN: Yes.

INDIAN GUEST: Perform his duty.

PRABHUPADA: He does not know what is his duty. He talks of so many big, big things, duty. But if I ask, "What is your duty?'' he cannot explain. So these things will not help. Simply...

INDIAN GUEST: Every man in this world, every being in this world has got a duty, performance, object...

PRABHUPADA: But first of all say what is your duty.

INDIAN GUEST: Duty of the soul.

PRABHUPADA: Huh? What is your duty? If I ask you, "What is your duty?'' what is your answer?

INDIAN GUEST: Lead a good life, develop soul, and ah, be honest, sincere to people, and ah...

PRABHUPADA: These are simply words, but you cannot say what is your duty.

INDIAN GUEST: Disciple, all this... [laughter]

PRABHUPADA: So, why don't you do that? [laughter] That is duty, yes.

INDIAN GUEST: So we agree.

PRABHUPADA: We are teaching that it is your..., this your duty. Our so-called material duties as we have done, "This is my duty,'' this is called dharma. But Krishna says, sarva-dharman parityajya: [Bhagavad-gita 18.66] "You give up your all nonsense duty.'' [laughter] Krishna says, sarva-dharman parityajya.

DEVOTEE: Give up your duty.

PRABHUPADA: Give up your all nonsense duty. Krishna says. So your first duty is to give up your nonsense duty. [laughter] That is your first duty. That "You have concocted so many duties, but please give up all these ideas.'' That is your first duty. Everyone has manufactured his duty. Just like in our country all the leaders, they thought, "This is my duty,'' and every other country also, "take to politics.'' Huh? But people did not become happy. Rather, they were so unhappy that a great leader like Gandhi was killed. But he thought, "I am doing my duty.'' But why he was killed?

INDIAN GUEST: That is inevitable.

PRABHUPADA: Huh?

INDIAN GUEST: It is inevitable. Someway or other he has to be...

PRABHUPADA: But inevitable means... Inevitable, that's all right, but as we are speaking of duty. So Gandhi was working his duty but other man killed him. He thought that "You are not doing your duty."

DEVOTEE: Hm. So who is the judge of what is your duty? What I may think is my duty, someone else may think it's his duty, it's not my duty.

PRABHUPADA: Yes, that is going on. So what is the duty?

DHANANJAYA: The duty is to serve Krishna.

PRABHUPADA: Yes, that is the real duty. But people do not know that. They are manufacturing their duty. A big man like Gandhi, he also manufactured his duty, but he does not know what is his duty. He never preached Krishna consciousness; therefore he does not know what is his duty.

DEVOTEE: He said that the message of Bhagavad-gita is nonviolence.

PRABHUPADA: That is all. Opposite. Whatever message it is... He was supposed to be a very good scholar of Bhagavad-gita. His photograph is with the Bhagavad-gita. But he did not speak a single word that "You become a devotee of Krishna.'' He talked so many nonsense. All others... The real Bhagavad-gita is Krishna says that "You surrender unto Me.'' Nobody says, neither Tilak, Gandhi, this Ramakrishna, this Aravindo. Nobody says that. He's made purposefully avoiding his duty. And these rascals are going as dutiful. His duty is to say as Krishna says, if he is actually student of Bhagavad-gita. Here Krishna is saying that you surrender, you surrender to Krishna. We are doing that. We are not speaking something nonsense. We are speaking, "Here Krishna says surrender. You surrender unto Krishna.'' That's all. Simple thing. We don't manufacture duty. We are servant of Krishna. Our duty is to say people, "Here Krishna says man-mana bhava mad-bhakto [Bg. 18.65]. You become His devotee, you always think of Him, you offer Him obeisances.'' Our simple duty.