At least 30 percent of the people we try to stop for books on distribution protest that they are not religious, and so they therefore don't want to take a book. But here in the conversation, Srila Prabhupada explains that we are actually not a religion. We are something much more.
Guest: We have to pay the taxes if we belong to religious group, and we don't have to pay if we belong to the national group. There are the taxes like that.
Professor Kulshrestha: Yes, taxes, yes.
Guest: If you donate any money to a religion, then you have to pay taxes. But if you pay, donate any money to a national activity, then you need not to pay any taxes for that.
Professor Kulshrestha: Either for religions not national? (laughter)
Guest: Just religion is like, that because Nehru was a nonreligious person at that time. Seventeen years. He didn't believe in God.
Prabhupada: But this is not a religion, this is a culture.
Professor Kulshrestha: Yes.
Prabhupada: Krsna consciousness . . .
Professor Kulshrestha: And what is culture? Culture has the full . . . (indistinct) . . . aspect, and religion is the most important one.
Prabhupada: Our culture, our Vedic culture, is on religion, on God consciousness, everything. The whole social structure, political structure, philosophical structure, scientific structure, everything is aiming on Visnu. Tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti suraya. Visnu, God. And in the Visnu Purana it is said:
varnasramacara-vata
purusena parah puman
visnur aradhyate (pantha)
nanyat tat-tosa-karanam
(CC Madhya 8.58)
So our cultural aim, Vedic cultural aim, is tad visnoh paramam padam. How to satisfy Him. But they do not know about Visnu. They have forgotten Visnu. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum (SB 7.5.31).
Our self-interest is there in Visnu. Na te viduh. These foolish men, they do not know. Durasaya bahir-artha-maninah. They are uselessly hoping that they will be able to adjust things by material advancement.
Professor Kulshrestha: Yes, yes.
Prabhupada: That is their mistake. So-called scientists, so-called religion that, "We shall make you happy. We are discovering now new methods, new interpretation." That will not . . . that will not help.
Professor Kulshrestha: The rate of those persons who are having blood pressure and such diseases, Swamiji, is rising like anything in America. Why? Because they are going away from God, you see.
Prabhupada: Anxiety.
Professor Kulshrestha: Yes, anxiety.
Prabhupada: Blood pressure is a disease of . . .?
Professor Kulshrestha: Yes. Just anxiety.
Prabhupada: And anxiety is the material disease.
Professor Kulshrestha: That's right.
Prabhupada: That is not new; it is always. Prahlada Maharaja explained this disease to his father.
Professor Kulshrestha: Yes.
Prabhupada: He asked from his son, "What you have learned, best thing, explain." So he said:
tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya dehinam
sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat
(SB 7.5.5)
This is samudvigna, anxiety.
Professor Kulshrestha: Yes.
Prabhupada: So, Prahlada Maharaja said: "In my opinion," tat sadhu manye "I think that this is the best thing." What is that? That "These people who are materially entrapped, they are full of anxieties."
Professor Kulshrestha: Yes. Yes.
Prabhupada: "So, for them it is better," hitva andha-kupam . . . hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam. Just like one is fallen in the blind well, so this so-called materialistic way of life is just like one man fallen in the blind well.
So one should give it up and take shelter of Krsna. Vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta. That is first class. So this Krsna consciousness movement is preaching people, educating people, that "You take to Krsna and everything will be solved."