From ‘The Hare Krishna Explosion’ by Hayagriva Das. The Birth of Krishna Consciousness in America (1966-1969)

“That is sense gratification music,” Swamiji answers.

“Oh?” I’m taken aback. “But its Ravi Shankar,” I protest……

“Ravi Shankar is a businessman,” Swamiji says, smiling.

Sex is like an itch; when we scratch, it gets worse. So we must tolerate it, and ask Krishna to help us. We must understand that sex life is the highest material pleasure, and therefore the strongest bond to material life, to rebirth in the material world.

NASA’s space programs: “They are trying to reach the moon and other higher planets by material means. Impossible. They will not be permitted entry. You must qualify spiritually to go there….According to the Vedas, the moon is a higher planet where demigods live in advanced civilizations.”

“Then why don’t they come here?” I ask.

“Why should they?” he [Prabhupada] responds, surprised. “This is a middle planet. The demigods are enjoying themselves in the heavenly planets. Why should they come to an inferior place?”

“The eternal living entity is the enjoyed, Prakriti, and Krishna is the enjoyer, Purusha. It is the nature of the female to be enjoyed, the male to enjoy. But in reciprocation, both experience enjoyment. Prakriti in being dominated, in serving, in being enjoyed….

Swamiji gives a brief talk…… “Marriage is for life. It is the wife’s duty to serve the husband, to keep the house clean, cook nicely, and make her husband comfortable when he comes back from work…… It is her duty to bear Krishna conscious children and aid her husband in a life of progressive Krishna consciousness. And it is the husband’s duty to protect the wife and provide for her. The wife should not have to go out and work. That is a very bad proposal. The wife is never to be independent but is to be protected and remain at home. In this way, the marriage will go smoothly.”

“Women are soft-hearted,” Swamiji says, “but unfortunately they are fickle, too. They are quick to accept and reject. They come to Krishna consciousness quickly, out of sentiment, and then some boy comes along, and they reject everything. Men are not so quick to accept, but once they have accepted, they are more reluctant to reject. So the male is considered a higher birth because a man is more likely to…..remain steady. In Vedic culture, the woman is considered weak. Soft-hearted. She should be protected, not given freedom to roam about, like in this country [USA]. Therefore we are marrying our girls to nice Krishna conscious boys.”

Prabhupada discards all propaganda about the planned moon landing.

“They will never get there by these artificial, mechanical means,” he insists. “But even if they manage somehow, the demigods would kick them out.”

Prabhupada then tells the story of the boy who went to the great sage Gautama and begged him for initiation.

“What is your father’s name?” Gautama Rishi asked

“I don’t know,” the boy replied

“Go ask your mother.”

The boy went to his mother, who said, “Before you were born, I was foolish and loved many men. I don’t know whose son you are.”

The boy returned to Gautama Rishi.

“What did your mother say?”

“Since she was a prostitute, she doesn’t know,” the boy replied.

“Oh!” exclaimed the sage. “You are truthful. You are a Brahmin, I will initiate you”