50
Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers
life—they don't want to undergo austerity or bodily pain, but still they must. They are being forced by nature to suffer austerities.
ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA:  That is forced austerity. That is not good. Voluntary austerity will help.
ŚYĀMASUNDARA:  If you don't undergo voluntary austerity, then you must be forced to undergo austerity.
ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA:  That is the difference between man and animal. An animal cannot accept austerity. But a man can accept it. There is a nice foodstuff in the confectioner's shop, so a man wants to eat it, but he sees that he has no money, so he can restrain himself. But when a cow comes, immediately she pushes her mouth in. You can beat her with a stick, but she will tolerate it. She will do that. Therefore an animal cannot undergo austerity. Our austerity is very nice. We chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, dance, and Kṛṣṇa sends very nice foodstuffs, and we eat. That's all. Why are your people not agreeable to such austerity? Chanting, dancing and eating nicely?
BOB:  What is that?
ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA:  Because we are following austerities, Kṛṣṇa sends us nice things. So we are not losers. When you become Kṛṣṇa-ized, then you get  more  comforts than at the present moment. That's a fact. I have been living alone for the last twenty years, but I have no difficulties. Before taking  sannyāsa  I was living in Delhi. So I had no difficulties, although I was living alone.
ŚYĀMASUNDARA:  If you don't accept spiritual discipline, then nature will force so many calamities.
ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA:  Oh, yes. That is stated in the  Bhagavad-gītā :