First adopt Vaishnava standards yourself; then teach others—external practices reflect internal commitment.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Room Conversation — June 26, 1975, Los Angeles 750626R1-LOS ANGELES [18:48 Minutes] Conv_750626R1-LOS ANGELES Prabhupāda: So you have given up the Vaiṣṇava-sadācāra for business selling. So you can be dangerous for that. Devotee (1): But we have also maintained the Vaiṣṇava-sadācāra. They didn't tell us...
Prabhupāda: That's all right. You do that. But they do not see whether you are maintaining. Devotee (1): But at the same time, when we were maintaining that, we had the same problems, is that, when we presented sociological applications of the philosophy, for instance, to arrange marriages in a reasonable way, that the women not be sent out on saṅkīrtana to prostitute themselves to sell books, but be trained up to be wives, or that the brahmacārīs in the temple, someone would sit and talk with them and see how many of them want to be married and try and arrange some type of training for them, knowing that most of them are going to become married, rather than just have no training and one day find oneself married, out on the street with no occupation or training.
Prabhupāda: First of all, you are not trained up. You are sometimes becoming astrologer, sometimes this, sometimes that. Devotee (1): It's true, because of my birth in this...
Prabhupāda: So how they can follow you? Devotee (2): We're not asking them to follow us. We're asking you, Prabhupāda, that these are some problems.
Prabhupāda: My request is that first of all you adopt yourself the Vaiṣṇava ācāra. Then you try to teach others. Otherwise you have no right. Devotee (2): But we have done that for five years, and no one here listened to us at all. Prabhupāda: So why you are anxious to listen... You...
Let them not listen. You do your own duty. Devotee (2): We had no duty. They gave us nothing to do. They would not recognize our qualities, as we understand, even of, say Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Prabhupāda: So what can I do? Devotee (2): Well, you can make statements on certain of these things so that when they hear them, their ignorance will be dispelled. Prabhupāda: Then we have to hear both of you.
We have to hear both you... There will be regular court, and we shall see. Devotee (1): Not court, simply... Prabhupāda: No, no. Devotee (2): That would be fine. Devotee (1): Okay. Prabhupāda: Before me. You are saying something; they may say something else. So brothers together, we sit down together, and bring this... Devotee (2): All right.