Converting Into Devotees of God - The Highest Missionary Goal
According to Vedic tradition, the highest welfare activity is to bring a conditioned soul back to their original spiritual consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that a true preacher does not seek thousands of followers for personal prestige. The ultimate goal of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to transform the hearts of suffering humanity, turning them into peaceful, unalloyed servants of the Supreme Lord.
The Principle of Pure Preaching
Before one can successfully preach, one must first establish their own spiritual foundation. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that by maintaining strict purity, a preacher can easily change the hearts of others, and saving even one soul is considered a total victory.
- You have asked me what are the formalities that you have to observe for recruiting Krishna devotees in India, and the first principle is that you have to become a pure devotee of the Lord. Then you can attempt to convert others to become devotees.
- According to the revealed scriptures, if a spiritual master can convert even one soul into a perfectly pure devotee, his mission in life is fulfilled.
- The missionary goal of a devotee is to convert simply one person into a pure devotee. In this way his admission to the spiritual kingdom is guaranteed.
- Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura always used to say, Even at the expense of all the properties, temples and mathas that I have, if I could convert even one person into a pure devotee, my mission would be fulfilled.
The Power of Great Vaiṣṇavas
History is filled with remarkable instances where exalted saints transformed the most degraded individuals. Śrīla Prabhupāda often cites the history of Nārada Muni, whose powerful instructions converted a cruel, sinful hunter into a gentle, perfect devotee of the Lord.
- Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has said that a Vaisnava is he who has helped others become Vaisnavas. An example of one who has converted many others into Vaisnavas is Narada Muni.
- There is a story about a hunter who was converted into a great devotee under the instruction of Narada Muni.
- In this connection, there is a story in the Skanda Purana about a hunter who was converted into a great devotee under the instruction of Narada Muni. When the hunter became a perfect devotee, he was not prepared even to kill an ant.
- Maharaja Pariksit was a maha-bhagavata, or a first-class devotee, who was not only well versed in the science of devotion but also able to convert others to become devotees by his transcendental instructions.
Conversions by Lord Caitanya
During His manifest pastimes, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed miraculous feats of preaching. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how the Lord softened the hearts of proud logicians, monists, and demigod worshipers, turning them into ecstatic participants in the saṅkīrtana movement.
- I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Gauracandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who converted the hardhearted Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, the reservoir of all bad logic, into a great devotee.
- Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was converted into one of the most important devotees of the Lord, and he had no other interest than to serve the Lord. He thought of Lord Caitanya constantly, and meditation and chanting became the main purpose of his life.
- After converting into Vaisnavas all the residents of Varanasi, who were headed by the sannyasis, and after completely educating and instructing Sanatana Gosvami there, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned to Jagannatha Puri.
- Arriving at Siva-kanci, Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the deity of Lord Siva. By His influence, He converted all the devotees of Lord Siva into Vaisnavas.
Transforming Society and the State
The ultimate purpose of this missionary activity is not sectarian, but universally beneficial. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that because true devotees are inherently peaceful, converting the populace to Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the most practical way to achieve a harmonious and crime-free society.
- After the mass nagara-sankirtana in protest against the magistrate Chand Kazi, the Kazi was converted to a devotee. Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned with His sankirtana party to the house of Sridhara, and Chand Kazi followed Him.
- Chand Kazi was converted to a devotee, when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned with His sankirtana party to the house of Sridhara, he followed Him, after resting in the house of Sridhara with all the devotees Chand Kazi then returned home.
- Sukadeva Gosvami and the Kumaras, although situated in the transcendental position, became converted by another feature of bhava and turned into pure devotees of the Lord.
- The devotees of the Lord are by nature peaceful and offenseless, and therefore it is the prime duty of the state to arrange to convert everyone to become a devotee of the Lord. Thus automatically there will be peaceful, offenseless citizens.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the supreme spiritual success is measured not by material acquisitions or the creation of vast, soulless institutions, but by the ability to convert conditioned souls into pure devotees of Kṛṣṇa. The path of preaching requires the practitioner to first strictly establish their own spiritual purity; from that platform of truth, their words carry the power to change hearts. History validates this science, from Nārada Muni transforming a murderous hunter into a gentle saint, to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu converting fierce opponents and proud scholars into ecstatic participants of the saṅkīrtana movement. Ultimately, because a pure devotee is naturally peaceful and offenseless, the widespread missionary effort to convert the masses is the only genuine solution to the world's social and political problems, ensuring a society grounded in eternal spiritual harmony.
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