Guest (1): But Guruji, giving those who are in need, is not giving to God? Srila Prabhupada: That is your philosophy. That is your philosophy. Everyone is needy.

Guest (3): Now people… There are drought conditions, people are starving. Cattles are dying. There are no rains.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, because they are not God conscious, they are thinking like that. Now, suppose in the hospital, there are many patients. They are starving, many patients in the hospital. Do you know that or not? So why don’t you give them food? They are starving. Why? Why don’t you go to the hospital and you’ll find hundreds of patients, they are starving… So similarly, why you are bothering? You are not bothering the hospital because you know that is right, they are starving. That is the physician’s prescription. They must starve. So if you know God, then you will understand that you cannot help anyone. They are put into the starving condition under certain condition. So you cannot help them. You are simply thinking that “I will help.” There are hundreds and thousands, millions of people starving. What you can do? What you are doing for them? What you can do? You are simply thinking falsely. What you have got to give? Just oil your own machine. Try to understand God, instead of thinking foolishly, “Oh, what I shall do, this? What I shall do, that?” First, of all try to understand the situation.

[September 19, 1973, Bombay]