Prabhupāda Instructs His Disciples on How to Become Future Spiritual Masters
The journey of spiritual life is a profound process of transformation, where the dormant qualities of the soul are awakened through dedicated practice. Guiding his followers step by step, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains exactly how a conditioned soul gradually becomes purified, spiritually powerful, and fully equipped to lead others. This ultimate evolution culminates in the disciple becoming a bona fide spiritual master, an empowered representative capable of delivering the entire world from the darkness of material illusion.
The Process of Becoming Purified
Every living entity in the material world is suffering due to accumulated sinful reactions and impure consciousness. However, this contaminated state is not permanent, and it can be entirely cured through the potent medicine of the mahā-mantra. Clarifying the mechanics of this transformation, Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the more one engages in devotional service and restricts their sinful habits, the more they become purified. This steady cleansing process eventually qualifies the practitioner to enter the eternal kingdom of God.
- Chant Hare Krsna and you become purified, more, more. And day will come when you find that you are completely pure from all material contamination and you become eligible to enter into the kingdom of God, and that makes a solution of all problems.
- By chanting Hare Krishna certainly we become free from all sinful reactions, but that does not mean that we shall deliberately commit sins and counteract it by chanting.
- If you simply follow these four principles, then you become immediately uncontaminated.
- The whole devotional process is purificatory process. The more he is purified, he becomes high-class devotee. But the process is the path of liberation. Just like mango. The green mango, this green mango will be ripe mango. The same mango.
- Janma, birth, is due to my impure consciousness. Therefore if we purify our consciousness by advancing, by developing Krsna consciousness, then we become pure. This is the process of Krsna consciousness movement.
Gaining Strength Through Discipline
Spiritual advancement requires immense inner strength to combat the relentless attacks of māyā. This necessary power is not acquired magically, but rather through the strict, daily observance of the regulative principles and the vows of initiation. When a disciple voluntarily restricts their senses and faithfully follows the orders of the guru, Śrīla Prabhupāda assures that they automatically become empowered. Without this foundational discipline, one remains weak and highly vulnerable to material entanglement.
- Anyone who sticks to the regulative principles, he gets a power, spiritual or material. He gets power. A brahmacari gets power if he follows brahmacarya. Everyone, if we follow the prescribed rules and regulations, automatically you become powerful.
- Even if you don't do anything, if you simply restrain your sex life, you become a very powerful man. People do not know the secret. So anything you do, if you want to do it with determination, you have to stop sex life. That is the secret.
- As soon as you become Krsna conscious and you follow the rules and regulations under the direction of your bona fide spiritual master, at that time you become yourself bona fide.
- If we become fixed up in this resolution, that "Whatever we have heard from my guru, the representative of Krsna, I must execute. I do not care for my personal convenience or inconvenience. This is my life and soul," then your life is perfect.
- Unless we become very strong in Krsna consciousness, it is very risky to handle material things and business.
Becoming an Ideal Preacher
The highest welfare work a person can perform is to distribute transcendental knowledge to the suffering masses. However, effective preaching requires the speaker to practically embody the philosophy they are sharing. Emphasizing the importance of personal behavior, Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed his followers that they must first become ideal, civilized human beings before attempting to correct others. When a devotee preaches boldly while maintaining strict purity, the public naturally becomes inspired to follow their noble example.
- The first preaching work is that yourself should become an ideal devotee. Lord Caitanya said that one should first make himself perfect and then attempt to instruct others.
- You become ideal civilized man. Others will follow.
- I am just requesting you to become ideal example of Krsna consciousness in householder life and thus you will encourage so many others who come in your contact to adjust their lives to this sublime process. That in itself will be the greatest service.
- You have only to speak what Krsna has said. Then you become a preacher.
- I want that you all my advanced disciples become very bold preachers and take up this task of saving the fallen humanity from its worst condition of sinfulness.
How to Become a Bona Fide Spiritual Master
The continuity of the paramparā relies on dedicated disciples maturing to take on the heavy responsibility of initiating and guiding others. Dispelling the myth that becoming a guru requires massive academic scholarship or mystical powers, Śrīla Prabhupāda explained that the actual qualification is unadulterated fidelity to the previous ācāryas. By simply hearing the message from the authorized source, practicing it in one's life, and repeating it without addition or subtraction, any sincere follower becomes fully qualified to act as a spiritual master.
- You become guru. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission.
- You become a spiritual master under my order, under His order. Don't manufacture yourself. Under the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. That is called parampara system, one who is following in disciplic succession the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
- If you adulterate nonsensically like a rascal, then you cannot become a spiritual master. If you simply follow what Krsna has spoken, then you become spiritual master. Very simple thing. It doesn't require education.
- I shall choose some guru. I shall say, "Now you become acarya. You become authorized." I am waiting for that. You become all acarya. I retire completely. But the training must be complete.
- Whatever we hear from the bona fide spiritual master should be practiced in life and the same message delivered to whomever we meet. In this way you become spiritual master.
Becoming Dear to the Supreme Lord
The ultimate goal of executing spiritual duties is not to gain prestige or followers, but to capture the attention and affection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Revealing the intimate nature of this relationship, Śrīla Prabhupāda taught that when a devotee sincerely tries to spread the glories of the Lord, Kṛṣṇa personally helps them from within the heart. By remaining enthusiastic and free from duplicity, a disciple quickly becomes recognized and infinitely dear to Kṛṣṇa, which is the highest perfection of existence.
- You become dear to Krsna. That is your perfection, highest perfection, supreme perfection. So such easy thing, and such highest perfection. Why people should not accept this?
- Simply you have to become sincere. That's all. Everything is there. But if we become cheaters, we do, say something before Krsna, before the spiritual master, before fire, and do something else, then there is no question of dictation from Krsna.
- The more you engage yourself in the service of the Lord, the more you become enthusiastic. There is no question of becoming tired. Just like I am old man. I have come from India. My age is seventy-six years. So still I am enthusiastic.
- If you become advanced in Krishna Consciousness, you will be able to cure the disease of the soul for many many persons. And that is more important than a doctor or medical practitioner for curing the disease of this body.
- As soon as you become interested (in Krsna), oh, Krsna becomes very active: "Oh, he's trying to do something. I shall help him."
Enlightening the World as Suns and Moons
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is uniquely designed to produce spiritual luminaries who can guide humanity out of the dense darkness of Kali-yuga. Urging his followers to accept this monumental task, Śrīla Prabhupāda compared a pure devotee to a brilliant moon that completely dissipates the night. When disciples strictly follow the principles, preach the Bhagavad-gītā, and act as pure Vaiṣṇavas, they not only guarantee their own return to Godhead but mercifully illuminate the path for millions of others.
- What is the value of the millions of stars? But one moon, oh, dissipate the whole darkness of night. Similarly, at least those who have taken to Krsna consciousness, you become, each of you become a moon and enlighten the world.
- You become a great devotee of Lord Caitanya and help Him to push on this movement to every nook and corner of the globe.
- If you want to become recognized by Krsna very quickly, you take up this process of becoming spiritual master, present the Bhagavad-gita as it is, your life is perfect.
- Anyone who has accepted this Krsna consciousness movement, if he follows the principles, then he's surely going to home, back to home, back to Godhead. That is certain. But if you deviate, if you become attracted by maya, that is your business.
- It is requested that all our devotees in the ISKCON community become pure Vaisnavas, so that by their mercy all the people of the world will be transferred to Vaikunthaloka, even without their knowledge.
Conclusion
The process of devotional service is the ultimate science of character development and spiritual empowerment. Constantly encouraging his followers to rise above their material conditioning, Śrīla Prabhupāda envisioned a society where every sincere disciple could eventually become an authorized spiritual master. By strictly adhering to the regulative principles and faithfully preaching the message of the paramparā, devotees successfully manifest their pure, original qualities and return safely back home, back to Godhead.
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 We Become (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.