Prabhupāda's Appeal to Cooperate in His Service
Śrīla Prabhupāda carried the immense responsibility of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness worldwide, a divine order from his spiritual master. Recognizing the magnitude of this mission, he constantly appealed to his sincere disciples to cooperate, viewing them as loving assistants sent by Kṛṣṇa to help him fulfill this monumental task.
The Heavy Burden of Translation
Śrīla Prabhupāda considered the translation and commentary of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other essential texts to be a herculean task. He poured his life energy into this service, desiring to leave behind a foundational literature for humanity before his physical departure.
- First of all let us offer our respectful obeisances unto our spiritual master by whose order I am engaged in this herculean task of writing commentary on the Srimad-Bhagavatam as the Bhaktivedanta purports.
- I am just trying to write my books, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Nectar of Devotion, and Krishna, and lately Vedanta Sutra. So certainly this is heavy task but by the Grace of Krishna, it does not depress me. I feel encouraged to act so busily day and night.
- I am trying to finish the translation of Srimad-Bhagavatam as soon as possible, but before finishing it, I have given my readers the book Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so that if I die before finishing the whole task, they may enjoy this book.
- Were we not favored by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, by our first meeting for a few minutes only, it would have been impossible for us to accept this mighty task of describing Srimad-Bhagavatam in English.
A Declared War Against Māyā
The effort to bring people to Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not a casual endeavor but a spiritual conflict against the material energy. Śrīla Prabhupāda spoke of the immense struggle involved in converting even one soul, emphasizing that the task of making the world god-conscious is undeniably difficult and a war against māyā.
- Our task is very heavy because we have declared war against Maya.
- Everywhere it is difficult because people have become godless. Still, we have to try our best. The task is difficult, undoubtedly. It is very difficult task, to bring back people to God consciousness.
- You have to spend or waste gallons of blood before you can convert a person to Krsna consciousness. It is so difficult task.
- We have taken a very difficult task, to convince people to take to Krsna consciousness. But that is the only benefit, or the supreme goal of life. Krsna personally comes to teach this science.
Affectionate Reliance on Disciples
Śrīla Prabhupāda viewed his disciples with great love, considering them representatives sent by his Guru Mahārāja to help him in his mission. He openly shared his dependence on them, acknowledging that at his advanced age, he could not carry out these adventurous tasks without their active and sincere help.
- My Spiritual Master knew it that alone I could not do this great work. Therefore He has very kindly sent you all to help me in this task. I accept you therefore as representatives of my Guru Maharaja playing as my affectionate disciples.
- Who knows if all the boys and girls joining me were not born by the Supreme Will of Krishna just to help me in this great task of distributing Krishna Consciousness in the Western World specifically.
- Naturally my health does not allow me to work very hard but still I am working as hard as possible to advance this mission and I request all my disciples to give their full cooperation in this great task.
- You can take me also as Old Bijo and therefore even at my ripe old age I have taken some adventurous task and as your little Bijo requires your help always in his little adventures so also your old Bijo requires your help in his adventures in America.
The Call for Global Cooperation
To expand the mission of Lord Caitanya, Śrīla Prabhupāda stressed the need for organizational unity. He entrusted his leaders and assistants with the responsibility of managing the movement and spreading the message through the distribution of books and the establishment of centers.
- This task will not be finished without the cooperation of my appointed assistants, the GBC, temple presidents, and sannyasis.
- We all combined together have taken a great task of this Krsna Consciousness movement so I am very glad to learn that you are all gradually understanding the importance of this movement.
- We have got a very heavy task before us. Together we have to push on this Krishna Consciousness movement for a revolutionary change all over the world.
- Lord Caitanya has given us the task to spread His message all over the world, and any process which may be useful for facilitating this business, that we shall gladly adopt, never mind his zone or my zone, that is material designation.
Conclusion
The mission to reclaim humanity from the grip of māyā is a monumental undertaking that Śrīla Prabhupāda accepted as his life's purpose. By sharing the heavy nature of these tasks, he did not seek to complain but to inspire his followers to join him in a divine cause. His reliance on his disciples shows that the success of this global revolution depends on the sincere cooperation and determination of those who have taken up his instructions to serve Kṛṣṇa and his Guru Mahārāja.
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 My Tasks (Prabhupada). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.