Prabhupāda Explains to His Disciples Why Living with Them Requires Pure Association
To rescue conditioned souls from the miseries of material existence, Śrīla Prabhupāda continuously invites individuals to step out of illusion and into the temple communities. By living with his disciples, guests receive an unparalleled opportunity to experience pure spiritual association. However, this sublime environment can only be maintained through the strict and uncompromising adherence to authorized Vedic principles.
The Open Invitation to Association
The fundamental purpose of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to freely distribute the ultimate happiness of spiritual life. Rather than struggling alone in a temporary and miserable world, Śrīla Prabhupāda encourages everyone to come and live in the society of devotees where their material needs are met without charge. This open invitation is based on the principle that simply by maintaining faithful association, a person naturally develops the desire to become a serious and initiated practitioner.
- Anyone can come and live with us. That is called association. Faith, association. Then by association somebody becomes interested to become initiated: So I shall also become bona fide initiated disciple.
- Everyone in this material world is suffering. It is called dukhalayam ashasvatam. Why should you give up your life? Instead come and live with us.
- Live with us and you will be happy. We can guarantee you will be happy. Yes. Hare Krsna. Our Vedic mission is sarve sukhino bhavantu, everyone be happy. This is our mission. And we know how to become happy. That is our credit.
- We don't charge anything. You can come and join. There is no business. You can live with us. We don't charge anything. Or you can come and go, attend class. There is no charge. Krsna gives us everything.
The Strict Conditions for Residency
While the invitation to join the temple is open to all, the act of taking up residency comes with heavy spiritual responsibilities. To protect the sanctity of the āsram, Śrīla Prabhupāda demands that anyone wishing to live with the devotees must agree to follow their exact standard of living. This means that without exception, every resident must strictly adhere to the four regulative principles and meticulously chant a minimum of sixteen rounds daily.
- Please come and live with us. We shall supply all, everything, necessities of life. But you shall have to live with us as we live. That's all. That is the only condition.
- Please be sure that anyone who comes to live with us there follows strictly the four regulative principles and chants a minimum of 16 rounds daily. Try to distribute my books as much as possible.
- Yes, if anyone agrees to live with us in the temple he must without any exception follow the four rules and regulations, plus the other regulative principles, otherwise he may be asked kindly to leave the temple and live outside.
- Our philosophy is that we are not this body, outer tabernacle, but one must stick to our principles and live with us like other devotees.
Cultivating Purity and Proper Appearance
Spiritual association requires the complete shedding of material identities and rebellious bodily conceptions. Therefore, Śrīla Prabhupāda instructs his disciples to ensure that all male residents adopt the traditional clean-shaven appearance of the paramparā, as long hair and beards are considered objectionable in the line of Lord Caitanya. By enforcing these uniform standards of dress and behavior, the temple successfully unifies its members under the single, pure desire to understand the Supreme Lord.
- If anyone with long hair or a beard wants to join this Krsna consciousness movement and live with us, he must shave himself clean. The followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu consider long hair objectionable.
- The difficulty will be the Mohammadans will not agree to shave their heads and beards. Our principle is anyone can live with us provided he becomes clean shaved, dresses like us, follows the regulative principles and chants the beads regularly.
- We actually do not want anyone to live there who is not a devotee. Note this policy and do the needful.
- Different desire means different types of association. We are therefore recommending that you associate with us. Then there will be one desire: how to understand God, that's all. That is wanted.
The Transformative Power of Vedic Training
The ultimate goal of temple residency is to undergo a complete education in the absolute truth. By living within the gurukula or temple environment, guests have the opportunity to study the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam practically and continuously. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that just as associating with drunkards naturally makes one a drunkard, associating intimately with a sādhu transforms a conditioned soul into a pure devotee and an empowered guru capable of teaching the science of Kṛṣṇa.
- Bombay is a very big city, people are rich, so we can give you nice room, nice prasadam. Come here, live here (gurukula) at least once in a week and learn Vedic literature, Vedic civilization. The essence of Vedic literature is Srimad-Bhagavatam.
- The best thing is if you come and live with us for some time and learn thoroughly the Krsna science. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu said anyone can become a guru in the matter of teaching about Krsna, provided he or she thoroughly learns the Krsna science.
- Before writing about Krsna, I request you to learn the science very well. If you live with us and study Krsna in the process then your writing will be very effective and Krsna will bless you.
- Why have we taken so much land (in Mayapur)? Those who are seriously desirous - they will come and live with us. Association is very influential. If you associate with drunkards, you become drunk; if you associate with sadhus, then you become a sadhu.
Conclusion
The transcendental society created by Śrīla Prabhupāda operates as an oasis within the material world, offering absolute shelter and perfect knowledge to anyone willing to accept it. By establishing rigorous standards for those who choose to live within the āsram, he ensures that the association remains eternally pure and potent. Through this uncompromising environment of devotion, suffering souls are systematically rehabilitated, thoroughly educated in Vedic science, and permanently freed from the miseries of material life.
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 Living with Us (Disciples of SP). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.