Prabhupāda's Purpose - Delivering the World
Śrīla Prabhupāda's arrival in the Western world was not an accident or a casual journey; it was the execution of a profound divine mission. Guided by the instructions of his guru, he dedicated his life to a singular purpose: rescuing conditioned souls from the illusion of material existence and giving them the pure science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
The Order of His Spiritual Master
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s motivation was rooted entirely in the desire of his spiritual master, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. To fulfill this specific purpose, he willingly renounced his family life and accepted immense austerities, proving his absolute dedication to the preaching work.
- I say that because my Guru Maharaja appointed me for that purpose.
- As a bona fide disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, and because I am trying my best to fulfill His holy desire in the matter of preaching work in this part of the world, I have got the right to ask from you a plot of land for this purpose.
- I have given up my wife and children for this purpose. If I am engaged in family life, then I cannot do this missionary work. I have taken absolute shelter to this work without any disturbance.
- The purpose and duration of my stay abroad are preaching work on the philosophy of Caitanya cult and the duration was two (2) years and nine (9) months.
The Core Mission of Saving Humanity
The true aim of Śrīla Prabhupāda was never to establish a sectarian religion or convert Hindus into Christians, or vice versa. His sole objective was to teach the universal science of God, thereby solving the ultimate problems of human life and saving society from the cycle of repeated death.
- My main purpose is to propagate the teachings of Lord Caitanya or Krishna Consciousness. I am not after recruiting some disciples; but for preaching work we want some assistants and if somebody offers voluntarily his service it is welcome.
- It is not the purpose, that we are trying to convert American into Indian, or Indian into American, or Christian into Hindu. That is not our mission. We are just preaching the science of Krsna, or science of God, Krsna consciousness.
- To save us from death... That is the first business of humankind. We are teaching this Krsna consciousness movement for this purpose only.
- ISKCON is a non-lucrative organization, whose purpose is to promote the well-being of human society by drawing its attention to God. We are a non-sectarian society, and our members include people from Christian, Jewish and Moslem as well as Hindu faiths.
Presenting the Vedic Literatures As They Are
Recognizing that the world was misled by speculative interpretations, Śrīla Prabhupāda painstakingly translated the vast Vedic literatures to present their direct meaning. He clearly stated his purpose in writing these books: to guide conditioned souls to the absolute truth without any distortion.
- Our only purpose is to present this Bhagavad-gita As It Is in order to guide the conditioned student to the same purpose for which Krsna descends to this planet once in a day of Brahma, or every 8,600,000,000 years.
- We have begun by presenting Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and we propose to present all the Vedic literature in terms of the direct meaning of its words.
- Because I have written some book, so I know what is the purpose of writing my book. You cannot know. My purpose you cannot know. There is a small instructive story in this - not story, fact - in this connection.
- With this purpose in view I have taken up the mighty project (of translating Srimad-Bhagavatam) and I wish that you gentlemen cooperate with me fully. The cooperation is possible to be made either by life, wealth, intelligence or words.
Establishing Temples and Engaging Devotees
To ensure this movement had a lasting impact, Śrīla Prabhupāda established ideal centers worldwide where people could actively practice devotional service. By purchasing land and organizing temple communities, his purpose was to provide practical facilities for everyone to awaken their dormant love for Kṛṣṇa.
- Make L.A. the ideal temple for all our temples to follow, in every respect. For this purpose, I purchased that house.
- We want to open a centre of magnificent proportions in Vrindaban City, as was discussed with Your Honor by my secretary, Sriman Ksirodakasayi das. I therefore request you to give us the one-acre piece of land near the Dak Bungalow for this purpose.
- We have given these houses with the purpose that they should execute devotional service exactly like the Brahmacaris and sannyasis. Otherwise, why purchase houses near the temple?
- Here (in San Francisco) the Indians who have come from the Gujarat province, they are generally devotees of Lord Krishna. They are offering their willing cooperation. Especially I have come for this purpose, how to engage them in Krishna Consciousness.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s purpose was vast, selfless, and entirely focused on the spiritual upliftment of humanity. By perfectly executing the desire of his guru, he laid down the foundation for a worldwide movement centered on authentic Vedic knowledge, beautiful temples, and the pure chanting of the holy names. His absolute dedication continues to inspire and save conditioned souls across the globe.
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 Purpose (Prabhupada). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.