View source for This gentleman asks if the disciples have to give up their religion, if, for example, they are Christian, they have to give up Christianity to be devotee?

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[[Category:Questions asked to Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Questions asked to SP... 1974]]
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<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<div id="1974_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="7" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1974 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1974 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="RoomConversationwithMonsieurMesmanChiefofLawHouseofParisJune111974Paris_0" class="quote" parent="1974_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="108" link="Room Conversation with Monsieur Mesman, Chief of Law House of Paris -- June 11, 1974, Paris" link_text="Room Conversation with Monsieur Mesman, Chief of Law House of Paris -- June 11, 1974, Paris">
<div class="heading">Well, Christianity also, they are trying to understand God, and we are also trying to understand, not only understand, but we, we are trying others to understand what is God.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Room Conversation with Monsieur Mesman, Chief of Law House of Paris -- June 11, 1974, Paris|Room Conversation with Monsieur Mesman, Chief of Law House of Paris -- June 11, 1974, Paris]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Pṛthu-putra: This gentleman asks if the disciples have to give up their religion, if, for example, they are Christian, they have to give up Christianity to be devotee.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Well, Christianity also, they are trying to understand God, and we are also trying to understand, not only understand, but we, we are trying others to understand what is God. (French)</p>
<p>Pṛthu-putra: He asks if we have temple in France or if we do in apartment or if we do in conference, private conferences. How we are doing it?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Anyway. We welcome all, all learned men, or leading men, to understand this philosophy. And the book is... You show Bhagavad-gītā. And all other books also show him. (French)</p>
<p>Yogeśvara: He says, unfortunately, he doesn't read English.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Here is French. French language. (French)</p>
<p>Bhagavān: We have practical political philosophy.</p>
<p>Yogeśvara: He asks what are our political principles in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Do we have a program?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Our... We have not only political program, but we have got political, and economical, intellectual, and ordinary. We think... Just like in your body, there are four divisions: the head, the arms, the belly and the leg. So this is complete. Head is the most important division. If you cut your head, then everything finished. Therefore head must be there. Head means first-class intelligent men. And their qualification is stated... Find out, śamo damas titikṣā.</p>
<p>Yogeśvara: You want to translate? (French)</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So there must be four divisions of the society, the first-class men, the second-class men, the third-class men and the rest, fourth-class. The first-class men should be self-restrained, control over the senses... Hmmm. Read. Yes.</p>
<p>Yogeśvara:</p>
:śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ
:kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca
:jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ
:brahma-karma svabhāva-jam
:([[Vanisource:BG 18.42|BG 18.42]])
<p>Prabhupāda: This is definition of the first-class man.</p>
<p>Yogeśvara: Do you want me to translate?</p>
<p>Pṛthu-putra: (translates)</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: With all these qualifications, one can become first-class man. They should be the directors, or the brain of the society. The next class...</p>
<p>Bhagavān: (correcting translator): "These people should be..." Prabhupāda said: "These people."</p>
<p>Pṛthu-putra: (corrects translation)</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: A class of men, first-class men...</p>
<p>Yogeśvara: He says "We say, 'They should be,' " which indicates that perhaps now we do not have that situation.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No. Practically none. That is the defect of the modern society, that there is no brain. Therefore the whole world is in chaotic condition. In your country also, it is famous for so many revolutions. And whole Europe is..., Russia and other countries, because there is no brain. So there is need of these qualified first-class men, to lead the human society. Then next class... The head is first class, and next class: arms, protector, administrator. Their qualification is stated...</p>
<p>Yogeśvara: Nitāi?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Teja... What is that?</p>
<p>Nitāi: It's uh...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Tejas. No?</p>
<p>Nitāi: Śauryam,</p>
:śauryaṁ tejo dhṛtir dākṣyaṁ
:yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam
:dānam īśvara-bhāvaś ca
:kṣātraṁ karma svabhāva-jam
:([[Vanisource:BG 18.43|BG 18.43]])
<p>"Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity and leadership are the qualities of work for the kṣatriyas."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Next class, the vaiśyas. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam ([[Vanisource:BG 18.44|BG 18.44]]).</p>
<p>Nitāi:</p>
:kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ
:vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam
:paricaryātmakaṁ karma
:śūdrasyāpi svabhāva-jam
:([[Vanisource:BG 18.44|BG 18.44]])
<p>"Farming, cattle-raising and business are the qualities of the work for the vaiśyas, and for the śūdras, there is labor and service to others."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: At the present moment, the people in general, they are engaged in service, in factories, in big, big office, big, big establishment. So they're all śūdras, fourth-class men. And the fourth-class men select their representative. So they must be also fourth-class. Democracy means selected, I mean to..., voted, elected. So because they are being elected by the fourth-class men, the leaders are also fourth-class men. The fourth-class men cannot appreciate the first-class men. And there is lacking of second-class men. So the result is that at the present moment, the whole world is being managed by the fourth-class men. Therefore, there are so many anomalies.</p>
<p>Pṛthu-putra: He says this concept is against the...</p>
<p>Yogeśvara: "Traditional western capitalism..."</p>
<p>Pṛthu-putra: The traditional western capitalists.</p>
<p>Yogeśvara: It is against capitalism, this idea?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No. It is the movement to qualify men to their respective positions. It is an educational system to divide first-class, second-class, third-class, fourth-class. They all required, but at the present moment, the fourth-class man is occupying the first-class man's place. We want to divide the society into real first-class, second-class, third-class... They're all required, but they have got their respective positions, not topsy-turvied. As the, as to keep the body fit, we require the head, the hands, the belly and the legs. If we simply keep legs, it is useless. (French)</p>
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