Petrol is not the Food of the Driver

[Guest guest]

Material body is important so long as the soul is there and as

the soul leaves the body, it is a bunch of chemicals worth Rs. 250, but

the soul is important both within the body or without the body. Just

like a car is important so long as it is moving, but the driver is

important within the car or without the car. Yet the people in general

are giving importance to the car only.

 

Prabhupada: Your car is important so long it is moving. But if it does

not move, then what is the importance of the car?

 

Interviewer: Not, if it’s not in use it’s serving no purpose.

 

Prabhupada: Yes. Similarly if you simply concentrate on the car without

any attention to the car driver, then what is your knowledge?

 

Interviewer: It takes both, the car and the driver.

 

Prabhupada: Yes. Car is important so long it is moving and if it is not

moving it has no importance, it is lump of matter. So the car in both

the condition, while moving and not moving, it is lump of matter. The

car and the driver is always separated. The driver is not car, neither

the car is the driver.

 

Interviewer: Well, is the Krsna movement the driver or the car?

 

Prabhupada: Why you bring Krsna? First of all, try to understand the

analogy. There is car and there is the driver. That car is always

different from the driver and the driver is always different from the

car. Is it not?

 

Interviewer: Absolutely. The car can’t drive itself.

 

Prabhupada: If you understand this analogy, the car and the driver, so

who is important? The driver is important, the car is important. Both

combined together giving a service, the car is moving. But if they are

separated, who is important, the car is important or the driver is

important?

 

Interviewer: I don’t know how I’m going to get the point you’re making

there across. If the car and the driver are separated, the car is

useless and the driver is a person. The driver is always important.

 

Prabhupada: Yes, yes, driver is always important. Within the car or

without the car.

 

Interviewer: Within or without the car, and if he’s a chauffeur driving

a carload of people then he becomes less important, the people are

primarily the ones that are important, that are in the car. (laughter)

 

Prabhupada: First of all try to understand the car is moving with the

help of the driver. So the driver and the car they are always different

identity. So when the car is dead, the driver do not work with the car,

but the driver is important within the car or without the car.

 

Disciple: In other words, the soul is important with the body or

without the body. But the body without the soul is simply fertilizer.

 

Interviewer: People are generally working on the body.

 

Prabhupada: Yes. And we are working on the driver of the body.

 

Interviewer: Working on the driver of the body. On the spirit, right?

 

Prabhupada: Now, just you try. The driver of the car is always

important, either on the car or without the car. And people in general

they are giving importance to the car only. They have no knowledge of

the driver. The car requires petrol and the driver requires nice food

but people think that petrol is the food of the driver. (laughter)

 

Interviewer: I would like to ask you another question, your Grace.

 

Prabhupada: You have understood this point?

 

Interviewer: I accept, ah, I suppose what you are saying is that the

driver is the spirit of man and that the car is his physical functioning.

 

Prabhupada: That’s all right. So the car requires petrol. Does it mean

the driver also requires petrol?

 

Interviewer: You mean the spirit? Food? Does the spirit require food?

 

Prabhupada: No, no. This analogy. The driver’s food is different from

the...

 

Interviewer: Body food.

 

Prabhupada: ...from the petr..., of the motor car. The motor car

without petrol cannot work. Similarly, the driver without food cannot

work. But the food of the driver and the power of the motor car

different.

 

Interviewer: I gather what you are driving at is that bodily food is

different than, mental, reading, intellectual food, spiritual food, it

all comes into the body and we take it all information, ideas, this is

the kind...

 

Prabhupada: Not ideas, that is a fact. Fact that you driver, you must

have your food. Otherwise you will die.

 

Interviewer: I’m looking at you, that’s taking in a certain kind of

information.

 

Prabhupada: The sum and substance is that if a person thinks that he is

the car, the driver, if he thinks wrongly that he is the car, then his

life is spoiled.

 

Interviewer: You think, if he identifies with the body too much his

life is...

 

Prabhupada: Not too much.

 

Interviewer: At all.

 

Prabhupada: He should know that he is different from the car. That is

real knowledge. And if he identifies himself with the car, then he’s a

fool.

 

Interviewer: Well, can he, is he supposed to care about and honor the

body in the physical world...

 

Prabhupada: That is already taken.

 

Interviewer: ...and to see that, see the physical world as important?

 

Prabhupada: Suppose if you are utilizing this coat, you are naturally

taking care of it, but if you think that you are coat, then you are

doomed.

 

Interviewer: Well you know, Your Grace, the spiritual quality is an

important part of life of course...

 

Prabhupada: Yes, otherwise the animal. If the man does not understand

the value of his spiritual quality then he’s no better than the dog. The

dog does not know.