Prabhupada 0860 - It was British Government's Policy to Condemn Everything Indian
750521 - Conversation - Melbourne
Director: You don't think that peasants have any mind of their own?
Prabhupāda: They have mind, but that is deprecated mind. Just like madman, he has got his mind, but what is the value of that mind? You are not going to take opinion of a madman. He has his mind, but he is a madman. Mūḍha. Māyayāpahṛta-jñāna (BG 7.15). His knowledge has been taken away. The mind being, what is called, in disordered condition, there is no value of his opinion.
Director: And what if the brāhmaṇa starts to rule the world in their own interest?
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Devotee: He says, what if the brāhmaṇas start to rule the word for their vested interest?
Prabhupāda: No, no.
Director: But the capitalists or sombody else might...
Prabhupāda: No, no. It is not vested, it is the character, just like sama. What is that, peaceful.
Director: They might form a class of their own and catch their own interest and try to rule the world according...
Prabhupāda: No, no. Because they're honest, that is the word of the (indistinct) They will not do that.
Director: They must go according the book.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Honest means, he's not for his own interest, for everyone's interest. That is honesty.
Director: Now, what if he's misguided?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Director: The world changes, and since that book was...
Prabhupāda: Simply because they did not follow. Just like in India, this is the character of the brāhmaṇas. Then later on, gradually, the culture was lost since the last one thousand years, because India was subjugated by foreigners. The Muhammadans, they introduced some of their culture. Then the Britishers came. They intr... Everyone wants an interest. The Britishers, when British rule came, their Lord Macaulay's private report was that "If you want to keep them as Indian Hindu, you will never be able to rule over." So it was British government's policy to condemn everything Indian.
Director: But you said before that they didn't allow drinking, the British.
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Director: It's only now that... Didn't you say before?
Prabhupāda: Yes, the British allowed. British, very carefully, because they directly did not, I mean to say, put hands on their culture. But underground. And when they are now trained up, now they are openly doing. But the training was by the Britishers. In gentleman's society there must be drinking. This was the introduction.
Director: But in Indian society, they forbid it in Indian.
Prabhupāda: Indian society, they did not know how to drink tea even. In our childhood we have seen that Britishers started tea garden. There was no tea plants before Britishers. The Britishers saw the labor is very cheap, and they want to do business, they started. Just like they are doing in Africa, so many gardens, coffee and tea. So they started, and the tea was transferred to be sold in America. They were after business. So the... Now, so much tea, who will consume? The government started a tea sets committee. All the tea garden holders, they would pay government. And road to road, street to street, their business was canvassing, preparing tea, very nice, palatable tea, and they were advertising if you drink tea, then you will not feel very much hungry, and your malaria will go away and so on, so on. And people began to drink tea. "Nice cup." I have seen it. Now they have got a taste. Now gradually, now a sweeper also, early in the morning, is waiting in the tea shop to get a cup of tea. Tea was taken in our childhood if somebody is coughing, sometimes they used to tea. That was also later on. But it was unknown. Drinking tea, drinking wine, smoking, meat-eating—these things were unknown. Prostitution. There was prostitution. Not that everyone is prostitute. Very strict.
So these things should be taken care of—at least a class of men must be ideal for people, others will see. And the training should go on, just like we are doing. We are inviting people to come to chant with us, to dance with us, take prasādam. And gradually they are becoming. The same stuff, addicted to drinking, addicted to prostitution, addicted to meat-eating, he is becoming saintly person. This is practical. You can see, what was their previous history and what they are now.
Director: But how do we reconcile the fact that our doctors tell us we should eat meat because of the protein?
Prabhupāda: That is a foolishness. They are not eating meat for the last ten years. Do you think they are reduced in their health? Rather, people say "bright faces." In Boston... One priest, I was going from Los Angeles to Hawaii. One gentleman in plain dress, he is a priest, he said, "Swāmījī, how your students look so bright?" And sometimes we are advertised as "bright faces." In Boston or somewhere the ladies were asking, "Are you American?"