Prabhupāda Instructs His Disciples to Vigorously Preach Their Philosophy
The core of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the active distribution of spiritual knowledge to suffering humanity. Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly instructed his followers that simply practicing devotion privately is not enough; one must boldly share this perfect science with others. By thoroughly learning the philosophy and traveling vigorously to preach it without alteration, devotees perform the highest welfare work and completely satisfy the Supreme Lord.
Becoming Convinced of the Philosophy First
Before one can effectively convince others, the preacher must be philosophically solid. Śrīla Prabhupāda taught that the first step in successful preaching is to study the authorized literature carefully and become deeply convinced of the absolute truth. When a devotee fully understands the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and clears all personal doubts, their words naturally carry spiritual potency and easily transform the hearts of the listeners.
- Become very convinced yourself of our philosophy and then your preaching will act.
- Become yourself very convinced of this Krishna philosophy, be always preaching and trying to understand some basic points from different angle of vision, keep the devotees in your temple always satisfied and jolly, and that will be your success.
- Every one of you should study the philosophy, try to understand it and spread it. That is good for you and good for others.
- Simply by repeating what I have said; first you must yourself become fully convinced of this philosophy, your preaching will meet with all success.
Preaching Boldly to the Younger Generation
The younger generation, especially those in schools and universities, are highly receptive to logical and scientific spiritual education. Recognizing their potential, the spiritual master directed his preachers to specifically target these educational institutions. By presenting the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gītā in a clear, academic, and factual manner, devotees can attract highly intelligent individuals to take up the path of self-realization.
- I am glad to read in your letter you are going to the universities to preach. The universities are very important places because there are men who can appreciate our philosophy.
- I wanted that many sannyasis would travel widely in the Western countries and preach to the young people, especially in the schools and colleges, and spread our Krsna philosophy in these places.
- Study our books very carefully under the guidance of Amarendra Prabhu and preach our philosophy from Bhagavad Gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam in your scientific language.
- I (Prabhupada) began my preaching work by chanting Hare Krsna Mantra and by talking some philosophy from Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam and thus the younger generation of your country gathered around me.
Presenting the Simple Truth Without Alteration
Effective preaching does not require complex vocabulary or convoluted philosophical speculation. The absolute truth is perfect in its original form, and Śrīla Prabhupāda warned his followers never to alter or interpret the message to appease the public. By simply repeating the exact teachings of Kṛṣṇa and presenting the basic fact that we are not the material body, the preacher delivers the highest truth in the most digestible way.
- Our devotees may become very much learned to remove their doubts and become very much fixed up in Krishna consciousness, but so far preaching to the general public, especially the hippie class, it is better not to preach very much philosophy.
- This is our philosophy, Krsna consciousness preaching. You don't require any high type of philosophical speculation or this or this ism, that ism, that ism - no. Simple truth. That's all.
- We are preaching this philosophy on the basis of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is without any interpretation. This is a cultural and educational movement to understand what we are, what is God, and what is our relationship and how to act upon it.
- So our preaching is the same. We don't change. We present, therefore, Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Krsna says that everyone should surrender unto Him. We are preaching the same philosophy, that - You surrender to Krsna.
Traveling Extensively to Distribute Knowledge
To rescue conditioned souls, one must be willing to step out of their comfort zone. Renunciation in the preaching mission means traveling extensively from town to town and village to village to distribute transcendental literature and hold public saṅkīrtana. This bold, traveling spirit is the essence of victory in spiritual life, ensuring that the philosophy reaches every corner of the globe.
- I strongly recommend and encourage you to travel extensively and preach our philosophy everywhere you go. You have my authorization to open centers as you see fit after considering twice and thrice.
- Preach as much as possible. Preaching is our life. Travel, here and there, holding kirtana, distributing prasadam and books and speak our philosophy very nicely.
- Nirgatah means went out of home, not simply enjoying comfortably at home. Similarly, for a preacher also, that is digvijaya. Go from country and country, from village to village, town to town, and make digvijaya - Here is our philosophy.
- Unless we take care of the books and preach and read ourself, understand the philosophy, this Hare Krsna will be finished within few years.
The Highest Welfare Activity for Humanity
There is no greater philanthropic work in the entire world than awakening dormant God consciousness within the hearts of suffering humanity. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasized that vigorously spreading the teachings of Lord Caitanya is the ultimate mission of life. When devotees cooperatively dedicate their energy to preaching this pure philosophy, they attract the highest favor and eternal blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- The highest welfare activity for living entities is the preaching of Krsna consciousness. It is stated herein that those who are specifically favored by the Lord can become absolutely Krsna conscious and be engaged in the work of preaching the Vaisnava philosophy.
- Hare Krishna Mantra is the greatest common factor for self-realization. Please preach this philosophy whole-heartedly and Krishna will be very much pleased upon you.
- Our mission is to preach Gauranga philosophy. Therefore we are taking. So why the municipal cannot give land for this public purpose?
- We must stay together and vigorously preach the Krsna consciousness philosophy to the world. That is the real spirit of Lord Caitanya's Movement.
Conclusion
The dynamic instructions explored in this article demonstrate that true compassion requires decisive action. By commanding his followers to thoroughly understand the science of Kṛṣṇa and distribute it far and wide, Śrīla Prabhupāda laid the foundation for a global spiritual revolution. When disciples vigorously preach this philosophy without concoction or hesitation, they perform the most vital service for humanity and perfect their own journey 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 Preaching Our Philosophy (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.