View source for Our mission is that Indians especially, they should take advantage of Bhagavad-gita - not by distorting the meaning. As it is. You cannot distort the statement of Bhagavad-gita. Then you defy the authority

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{{terms|"our mission is that Indians especially, they should take advantage of Bhagavad-gītā—not by distorting the meaning. As it is. You cannot distort the statement of Bhagavad-gītā. Then you defy the authority"}}
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[[Category:Our Mission (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Our Mission Is...]]
[[Category:Indian]]
[[Category:Especially]]
[[Category:They Should]]
[[Category:Should Take]]
[[Category:Taking Advantage of the Bhagavad-gita]]
[[Category:Not By]]
[[Category:Distort]]
[[Category:Meaning]]
[[Category:Bhagavad-gita As It Is]]
[[Category:You Cannot]]
[[Category:Statement]]
[[Category:Defying Authority]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - SHARMISTHA]]
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<h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<h3>1977 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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Evasive is no good. So anyway, our mission is that Indians especially, they should take advantage of Bhagavad-gītā—not by distorting the meaning. As it is. You cannot distort the statement of Bhagavad-gītā. Then you defy the authority. You manufacture your own way. That is very bad.
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[[Vanisource:770422 - Conversation B - Bombay|770422 - Conversation B - Bombay]]
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Prabhupāda: So how many kṛṣṇa-bhaktas you have got? You see thousands. What you are teaching?

Indian man (1): Swāmījī, our mission is to . . .

Prabhupāda: Whatever your mission, I am talking of Bhagavad-gītā. The many missions are there. I am not concerned with them. I am concerned with Kṛṣṇa. Why don't you do that?

Indian man (3): We are here to take His message only.

Prabhupāda: But who is taking your message? It is not effective. But here you see, they have taken message. They have dedicated their life for Kṛṣṇa. You could not do so. The message must be effective. Otherwise, simply talking, what is the benefit?

Indian man (3): Swāmījī, excuse me. I don't see any difference between the person to person.

Prabhupāda: There is difference. Cat and dog, there is difference. An intelligent man and a rascal is difference. There must be difference. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 4.13 (1972)|BG 4.13]]). How you say there is no difference? A brāhmin is brāhmin. A kṣatriya is kṣatriya. Vaiśya is vaiśya. That is real understanding. If you say: "Everyone is brāhmaṇa," that's not good.

Indian man (3): But we have been told to see only one consciousness, one life, between indi . . .

Prabhupāda: That oneness is on the spiritual platform. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu ([[Vanisource:BG 18.54 (1972)|BG 18.54]]). That is another thing. But so long you have got a bodily concept of life, you must divide: cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 4.13 (1972)|BG 4.13]]). That is wanted. Just like in my body there is division. There is head. There is hand. There is leg. There is belly. So they have got different activities. The head is important. If you cut the head, then whole thing is finished.

Indian man (3): We need the substratum because of which we identify with the processes.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Indian man (3): We need the substratum because of which we see the differences.

Prabhupāda: Difference is there in your body. Do you think the head and the leg the same thing?

Indian man (3): But certain occupation . . .

Prabhupāda: No, no, I mean to say that you have to take work from the head and from the leg, but head and leg different. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya ([[Vanisource:BG 18.46 (1972)|BG 18.46]]). That is science. If you want to take the work of head from the leg, that is foolishness. Head must remain head, leg must remain leg, but you take the work of leg for walking; you take the work of the brain for thinking. That is wanted. Evasive is no good. So anyway, our mission is that Indians especially, they should take advantage of Bhagavad-gītā—not by distorting the meaning. As it is. You cannot distort the statement of Bhagavad-gītā. Then you defy the authority. You manufacture your own way. That is very bad. Then there is no authority. Sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi keśava ([[Vanisource:BG 10.14 (1972)|BG 10.14]]). As Arjuna . . . "Whatever You say, I have accepted." That is the need, not that, "I am very learned scholar; I can change the meaning." That is not good. You are not greater authority than Kṛṣṇa. Thinking like that is foolishness. Kṛṣṇa is authority. All the ācāryas—Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu—they have all accepted kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam ([[Vanisource:SB 1.3.28|SB 1.3.28]]). How you can speak something else what, against what, the instruction of Kṛṣṇa?

Indian man (3): What is the means by which we know what Gītā says to us, Swāmījī?

Prabhupāda: Do you don't know what Gītā says? Then why do you read Gītā? Don't read.

Indian man (3): But there must be some means that you can adopt . . .

Prabhupāda: No, no. Do you know what Gītā says? Do you know it? What Gītā says, do you know it? You do not know?

Indian man (3): Swāmījī, nobody knows Bhagavad-gītā.

Prabhupāda: Nobody knows! You do not know. We know. Why do you say, "Nobody knows"? You do not know. It is open secret. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam . . . ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66 (1972)|BG 18.66]]). You do not know. But don't say that "Nobody knows." That is wrong impression. We know. You are blind. You do not like to know it. Everyone should know. What is the difficulty?

Indian man (3): No, Swāmījī, I mean . . .

Prabhupāda: No, I do not know what you mean. But you say: "Nobody knows." That is a wrong impression. Everyone knows. You do not know. That is my . . .

Indian man (2): Swāmījī, we have been taught like this and, in fact, now we are convinced on that point. We are convinced.

Prabhupāda: No, everyone knows, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru ([[Vanisource:BG 18.65 (1972)|BG 18.65]]), sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66 (1972)|BG 18.66]]). These are open secret. What is the difficulty?

Indian man (3): Differences in meaning . . .

Prabhupāda: You can take different meaning, but we do not take like that. We take Bhagavad-gītā as it is.
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