Japanese man: I always want to ask whether if you met demigods or Indra or Brahma or…

Prabhupada: Then what benefit will be for you? Suppose if I met, now what benefit you will derive out of it? If I say, “Yes, I have met,” then what benefit you will get? Why you are asking this question? That you do not know.

Japanese man: I don’t know.

Prabhupada: Then why you are asking?

Japanese man: Maybe sense gratification. [laughter]

Prabhupada: Yes, it is sense gratification.

Japanese man: But actually, other devotees sometimes tell me that you met Indra or…

Prabhupada: Yes, I have met Indra or I have not met Indra. So if I met Indra, what benefit you get? And if I did not meet Indra, what is your loss? That is my question. [laughter] Then why do you ask this question? You have no profit, no loss. Any other question? Put some intelligent questions, then we can understand that you are studying really. [break]

Trivikrama: Surely there would be some benefit for him.

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Trivikrama: If Indra met you, then there would be some benefit for him. [break]

Prabhupada: Our proposition is that suppose if you know the president of Japan… Who is the president? A king or president here?

Japanese man: King, emperor.

Prabhupada: If you know the emperor, you can… Then what is the use of knowing the constable?

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 16.8  — January 28, 1975, Tokyo