I Want To See - Prabhupāda's Vision for Universal Happiness
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s vision was a perfect blend of transcendental compassion and practical management. He expressed a deep desire to see the world transformed through Kṛṣṇa consciousness, while simultaneously pushing his disciples to achieve excellence in their service, construction projects, and book distribution efforts. This article explores his profound ambition to see every living entity become happy and his specific instructions on how to manifest that vision through sincere devotional service.
The Goal of Universal Happiness
The core of Śrīla Prabhupāda's mission was the welfare of all living beings. He wanted to see a society where no one was exploited and everyone could experience the highest happiness through love of God, regardless of their nationality or religious background.
- We want to see that everyone is happy. That is our mission. We don't want to exploit others.
- I want to see the youngsters in your country to be happy. Everyone wants that, but not only in your country, I want to see everywhere. Because that is the duty of every human being, to give information of highest happiness.
- The communists have an idea for feeding human society, but our idea is expanding. We want to see even a snake not fasting.
- God is one. God is neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian. So we want to see that you love God, that is all. That is our mission.
Tangible Results and Practical Action
Śrīla Prabhupāda was a master of practical execution and frequently reminded his disciples that he wanted to see actions rather than mere words. He encouraged industriousness, efficient spending, and the rapid completion of temple construction projects.
- Do it. Don't talk. I don't want talk. I want to see.
- Do nicely, quickly, and spend money. That's all. (laughter) I want to see things are done very nice. Never mind money is spent.
- I am coming to India soon, at least by October, and I want to see that the building projects in Bombay, Mayapur and Vrndavana are going on nicely.
- I want to see that you are always busy. Busy-ness. That will give me pleasure. Laziness I don't want. Personally I was never lazy. I did not like laziness.
Ambition for Book Publication and Distribution
A cornerstone of the mission was the publication of transcendental literature. Śrīla Prabhupāda expressed a constant desire to see his books printed by professional publishers or on his own presses and distributed to the public on a massive scale.
- I am now very much serious about printing my books. There may be three sources for printing. If the MacMillan Company is interested to publish my books that will be a great relief. I do not mind for the profit concerned. But I want to see them published.
- I just want to see that these books be printed, whether it be on our own press or by Dai Nippon; that is my ambition. I have become slackened in my dictaphone work because the manuscripts already there are not being pushed ahead.
- That is nice that you are distributing many books. I do not want money, or buildings or anything else, I simply want to see that my books are being distributed and because you are doing that I am quite happy.
Developing Pure Devotees and Sincere Disciples
While Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to see the movement expand globally, his ultimate success was measured by the quality of his disciples. He longed to see even one pure devotee emerge from his efforts, emphasizing that spiritual success is found in the depth of one's surrender and sincerity.
- My position is that I want to see that at least one disciple has become pure devotee.
- I want to see a few sincere devotees, not many false devotees or pretenders.
- We are not after many millions of disciples. I want to see that one disciple has understood Krsna's philosophy. That is success. That's all.
- I am old man, and there has already been warning, but before I leave this body, I wish to see some of you very strong in Krishna Consciousness understanding.
Conclusion
The divine desires of Śrīla Prabhupāda serve as the blueprint for the success of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. His wish to see universal happiness was not a sentimental dream but a practical goal achieved through hard work, book distribution, and the cultivation of pure devotion. By focusing on quality over quantity and results over rhetoric, he provided a clear path for his followers to please the Supreme Lord. Whether through building temples or printing books, his singular motivation remained the same: to see everyone in the world awaken to their eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category I Want To See (Prabhupada). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.