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.

SRILA PRABHUPADA: That is forced austerity. That is not
good. Voluntary austerity will help.

SYAMASUNDARA: If you don’t undergo voluntary austerity,
then you must be forced to undergo austerity.

SRILA PRABHUPADA: 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 Krsna, dance, and
Krsna 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?

SRILA PRABHUPADA: Because we are following austerities,
Krsna sends us nice things. So we are not losers. When you
become Krsna-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 tak-
ing sannydsa I was living in Delhi. So I had no difficulties,
although I was living alone.

SYAMASUNDARA: If you don’t accept spiritual discipline,
then nature will force so many calamities.

SRILA PRABHUPADA: Oh, yes. That is stated in the
Bhagavad-gita:
