Spend nothing on yourself, spend everything for Krishna—this alone exposes the soul's disease and cure.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
[Śrīla Prabhupāda is taking prasādam during first part of the conversation] Prabhupāda: ...and we don't smoke even. We don't spend a paisa even for sense gratification. Jagadīśa: They squander billions of dollars. Prabhupāda: Eh? Jagadīśa: They're squandering billions of dollars. Prabhupāda: Yes. And they..., you spend money for cigarette, for cinema, for restaurant—unnecessarily. We don't spend a farthing even for all this purpose.
Simply we take little rice, chapāti, that's all. And still, you are culprit? Hari-śauri: They..., even the papers report that, that we spend very lavishly for the Deities, but for ourselves we only eat very simply. Prabhupāda: So is it not credit? We spend for God. We are servant of God.
We want to see God gorgeously situated, and for us we have no comforts, we don't care for any comfort. We simply spend minimum, just to keep the body and soul together, that's all. This is our principle. We don't spend a farthing for our sense gratification.
This should be noted down if some case is there. This should be presented. We don't go to restaurant, we don't go to cinema, we don't spend lavishly for dress or something else. No.
Neither for furniture. [laughter] Eh? If you sit down in a..., a pad, is that faulty? Hari-śauri: Then when they go to any of our temples, they're amazed because we don't... Prabhupāda: We sit down, don't use any chair, any couches, unnecessarily, carpet. What expenditure?
We have no expenditure for personal self. And still you are faulty? What can be done? We don't purchase any cosmetic; this clay tilaka is sufficient.
We don't apply any pomade or cosmetic or ointment, either for our girls or ourselves. We don't do that. We live very simply. After fifteen days we shave; there is no use of cutting or decorating.