Who will come?

Generally people think that they should get some benefit from their activities. "If we engage our sense organs by hearing about Krishna, by speaking about Krishna, by remembering Krishna, what benefit will we get?" Here tonight, several devotees have attended, and in other places we see that the number attending may be less. But, if we were to announce in the streets that each person who attended a class here in Stanley Halls to hear a talk from a devotee and to chant the Holy Name would be given $1,000, how many people do you think would come then? You would have to call the police because so many people would become devotees for two hours. They would earn $1,000 and consider their time well spent. There would be no empty space in this room. But if you were to announce that if they were to come to hear saints from India and be rescued from the clutches of maya, from the entanglement in worldly, non-eternal things and go to the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord, they would not come. "What is this? They would say, "If we go there, they should give us something." They would not come. Everybody is thinking of how to make efficient use of his time - and time is money. It should not be utilised without any purpose. This is the mentality.

--- His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj