They do not understand, but you have to make them understand.
Many times Srila Prabhupada has mentioned this is a preaching movement, not a place for eating and sleeping. Below he gives us our duty as his disciples how to understand this difficult task of giving Krsna to anybody we meet.
At the end, he explains that "initiation can take place anywhere."
Morning Walk, May 20, 1975, Melbourne
Prabhupada: No, that is missionary activities, that they do not understand, but you have to make them understand. They are not calling you, "I am suffering. Please come," but it is your business to go and let them know that "You are suffering. You take this method." That is the way of becoming very quickly recognized by Krsna. Otherwise, if you think, "They are not understanding, what is the use of going there? Let me sleep," that is not good. They are not understanding; still, you have to go. Then Krsna will take that "He is laboring so hard for My sake." Never mind he is successful. It doesn't matter. But you are working hard for Krsna. That is noted down.
So our business is to be recognized by Krsna. Whether one man is converted or not converted, that is not our business. We shall try our best. But Krsna must see that I am giving service to Krsna. That's all. That is wanted. Not that you have to judge that you have approached so many men; nobody became Krsna conscious. That doesn't matter. But you have gone there. You have endeavored your sincere effort. That is recognized by Krsna. That is the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa: "Whomever you meet, you give him, you inform him the instruction of Krsna."
Caitanya Mahaprabhu never said that "You see that he has actually become Krsna conscious." Never says. You simply say and go and say. That is your business. It is not that you have to see that he has become Krsna conscious. It is not so easy to become Krsna conscious. It is not so easy. It will take, bahunam janmanam ante, after many, many births. But you have to do your duty. Go and preach. Yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa. Your duty is finished. Of course, you will try to convert him. If he is not converted, that is not deviation of your duty. You have to simply go and speak. Just like when I came to your country, I never expected any success because I knew, "As soon as I will say, 'No illicit sex, no meat-eating,' they will reject me immediately." (laughter) So I was not hopeful at all.x
Devotee (1): They are so attached.
Prabhupada: Yes. But it is your kindness that you accepted me. But I never expected. I never expected that "These people will accept." I never expected.
Hari-sauri: So simply if we rely on Krsna…
Prabhupada: Yes, that is our only business.
Hari-sauri: And if we look for results, then…
Prabhupada: And we should do our duty as prescribed by the spiritual master. Guru-krsna-krpaya. Then both sides, you will be favored, from the spiritual master and from Krsna. And that is the success. My Guru Maharaja was publishing one paper, Dayinika (?) Nadiya Prakash. It was worth two paisa or one paisa. So if a brahmacari could sell a few copies, he would have been so glad. You see? The collection was not even four annas. Still, he was so glad that "Oh, you have distributed so much." Our business is to carry out the order, not to see success. Success is not so easy. That is not so easy.
Hari-sauri: Is this the reason why others who have preceded yourself earlier on, is this the reason why they were not successful, because they were trying to judge the results?
Prabhupada: Who?
Hari-sauri: Others who have come before yourself? When they tried to preach in the Western countries?
Prabhupada: They did not try. They came officially, and that's all. Not even tried to preach this.
Devotee (1): Just like Arjuna on the battlefield, you simply had to try for Krsna.
Prabhupada: Yes. Arjuna said, karisye vacanam tava: "Yes, I shall carry out Your order, nothing else. Yes, You are asking me to fight. I will fight. That's all."
Devotee (3): Srila Prabhupada, if one goes to the temple, if one attends the temple regularly and inquires from the devotees about the devotional principles, and because of some reason, it's not necessarily… it's not convenient for him to live in the temple at that time, and he is living with people…
Prabhupada: No, no, you live in temple or without temple, if you follow the instruction, that is wanted. If you live without temple and chant sixteen rounds and observe the regulative principle, that's all right. It doesn't require that you should live in the temple. And if you live in the temple and do all nonsense, then what is the use of living in the temple?
Devotee: Is it wrong to think of initiation then? Or initiated also? (?)
Prabhupada: Their "thinking" means they are not fixed up. That very word suggest that they are not fixed up. Oh, initiation can take place anywhere.
Srutakirti: He's saying those that are initiated, must they live in the temple? He's making the…
Prabhupada: No, no, must follow the regulative principle, not that must live in temple.