Prabhupāda Invites Sincere Souls Everywhere to Join Him and His Disciples
The ultimate solution to the world's suffering lies in the simple, joyful practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In these welcoming instructions, Śrīla Prabhupāda extends an open invitation to sincere souls everywhere, asking them to join him and his disciples in the saṅkīrtana movement. He explains that there are no material prerequisites to participate; simply by chanting, dancing, and honoring prasādam, anyone can achieve the highest perfection of life. To his disciples, he issues a mandate to actively preach, recruit the intelligent youth, and care for all newcomers with profound compassion.
The Open Invitation to All
The house of the Supreme Lord has no borders and recognizes no mundane material designations. Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently reminds his followers that the movement is meant to provide shelter to anyone who approaches, guaranteeing that any honest person can join and find immediate spiritual relief.
- We invite everyone to join and the process is very simple. Simply chant Hare Krsna and you'll feel. There is no difficult process. The children also can take part and actually they are taking part.
- Now we have come to establish some branches in India. We invite everyone. There is no discrimination that "You are such, you are such." Anyone can join us.
- I am requesting in this letter through you that every honest and sincere boy or girl must immediately join with us in this movement.
- There is the question of needy men. So we invite any needy man to come and join with us, and we shall feed him. That's all. We invite anyone.
The Simplicity of the Process
Unlike the difficult yogic processes of previous ages, the path of bhakti in the current age is sublime and easily executed. Śrīla Prabhupāda stresses that joining the movement does not require mundane academic degrees or the immediate abandonment of one's career; it simply requires giving an aural reception to the holy name.
- A person, simply by joining us, chanting with us, dancing with us and taking prasadam with us, will gradually also come to say that this (Krsna consciousness) movement is very good.
- You don't require to become M.A., Ph.D., D.H.C. or D.A.C. If you are, it is already very good. But even if you are not, if you have no knowledge, still you simply join with us in this chanting and dancing.
- If you chant this Hare Krsna mantra, there is no expenditure and there is no loss. Just like we requested you while our students were chanting to join with. What was the loss? But if you do not do, then how we can help you?
- Our process is a system, following which any man from any religious sect may come and join and learn how to love God.
Appealing to the Intelligent and Youth
To establish the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement as a dynamic, worldwide force, capable individuals are needed to push the mission forward. Śrīla Prabhupāda specifically directs his disciples to focus their preaching efforts on the student community and the educated class, as they hold the future hope for society.
- We request the intelligent persons, especially the student community, to join this movement, to try to understand scientifically what is this movement.
- This Krishna consciousness is authorized, practical and simple and those who have enough intelligence will recognize this fact and will join with us.
- Land is not very difficult to gain, but we require some men to work for this great mission. The educated younger sections are required to join this great movement.
- Now it will please me very much if you all can work together nicely and recruit many more young people to join our movement, it is their only future hope.
Permanent Spiritual Credit
The material world is characterized by loss and temporary gains, but spiritual endeavors are eternal. Śrīla Prabhupāda provides immense encouragement by verifying that even if a person joins the movement and temporarily falls away due to weakness, the service they rendered creates a permanent, indestructible asset.
- A man comes and joins this Krsna consciousness movement, and in the middle he falls down, he does not make further progress because he falls down. But whatever he has done, that is permanent credit.
- A few cases have happened also that joined, being nice, but all of a sudden drifted from our Society. So Narada Muni advised that even some, sometimes somebody may not continue, but falls down, there is no loss.
- If anyone wants actually to become sura, the perfect man, they must join this Krsna consciousness movement. Then his life will be successful.
- Even if you give up whole career and simply join Krsna consciousness movement, then your life is success. That is being stressed. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya.
Compassionate Care for Newcomers
Bringing a conditioned soul to the platform of devotional service is an incredibly difficult task. Because of this, Śrīla Prabhupāda vehemently instructs his leaders that anyone who joins the society must be treated with love, patience, and a genuine desire to rectify their faults rather than rejecting them.
- It should be our definite policy that nobody is ill treated that he may go away. We recruit a person to join us after spending gallons of blood.
- Kindly inquire into this matter and do the needful. Either Indian or foreign whoever joins us they are not under any obligation, our only tie is Love of Godhead. It should be our definite policy that nobody is ill treated that he may go away.
- You should rectify, but not reject. Members are coming to join us to be rectified, not to be rejected. So, try to rectify the incorrigible, and if not possible, then change. What can we do?
- We are not interested to attract millions of men to see some show. Better we attract one sincere soul to join us in ecstatic chanting and hearing, that will be of real value.
The Universal Potency of Saṅkīrtana
The holy name of Kṛṣṇa acts completely independent of a person's material background or geographical location. Śrīla Prabhupāda observes with great joy that simply by vibrating the mahā-mantra publicly, thousands of people from all over the world are becoming purified and naturally inspired to join the movement.
- By chanting this Hare Krsna mantra, any part of the world, although they do not know the meaning, they chant and they join and they become rectified, and they become bright-faced. That is the verdict.
- You cannot take any other name, chant and enjoy like that (Hare Krsna). It is practical experience. I am touring all over the world, three times in a year, and because this chanting is Absolute, everyone is joining - Europe, America, Africa, Japan, everywhere.
- So many thousands of Europeans, Americans, they have joined us on account of sadhu-sanga.
- When there is large-scale congregational chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, we keep our temples open for everyone to join, and by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu this policy has given good results.
Conclusion
The call to join the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is an invitation to return to one's original, blissful nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda ensures that the doors of the society remain wide open to everyone, assuring that simply by participating in the joyful process of chanting and honoring prasādam, any sincere soul can achieve ultimate success. Simultaneously, he places a profound responsibility on the shoulders of his disciples: they must vigorously preach to the intelligent class, recruit the youth, and most importantly, care for all new members with deep compassion. Through this perfect combination of a universal invitation and loving care, Śrīla Prabhupāda guarantees the steady and glorious expansion of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission all over the world.
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 Join 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.