Learning the Science of the Soul 15

lovers, they have sex, the woman becomes pregnant, and the man goes
away. The woman has to take charge of the child and beg alms from the
government, or else she kills the child by having an abortion. This is the
woman’s independence. In India, although a woman may be poverty-
stricken, she stays under the care of her husband, and he takes respon-
sibility for her. When she becomes pregnant, she is not forced to kill the
child or maintain him by begging. So, which is real independence—to re-
main under the care of the husband or to be enjoyed by everyone?
Ms. Nixon: How about in spiritual life—can women also succeed in
Krsna consciousness?

Srila Prabhupada: We make no distinction on the basis of sex. We give
Krsna consciousness to both men and women equally. We welcome
women, men, the poor, the rich—everyone. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-
gita [5.18]:

vidya-vinaya-sampanne
brahmane gavi hastini

Suni caiva Ssvapake ca
panditah sama-darsinah

“The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a
learned and gentle brdhmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-
eater.”

Ms. Nixon: Could you explain the meaning of the Hare Krsna mantra?
Srila Prabhupada: It is very simple. Hare means, ““O energy of the
Lord,”’ and Krsna means, ‘‘O Lord Krsna.”’ Just as there are males and
females in the material world, similarly, God is the original male
(gurusa), and His energy (prakrti) is the original female. So, when we
chant Hare Krsna, we are saying, ‘‘O Lord Krsna, O energy of Krsna,
kindly engage me in Your service.””

Ms. Nixon: Could you please tell me a little bit about your life and how
you knew that you were the spiritual master of the Krsna consciousness
movement?

Srila Prabhupada: My life is simple. I was a householder with a wife and:
children—now I have grandsons—when my spiritual master ordered me
to go to the Western countries and preach the cult of Krsna conscious-
ness. So I left everything on the order of my spiritual master, and now I
am trying to execute his order and the orders of Krsna.

Ms. Nixon: How old were you when he told you to go to the West?
Srila Prabhupada: At our first meeting, he ordered me to preach Krsna
