Prabhupāda Strictly Following His Guru
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s life is the ultimate testament to the power of pure devotion and obedience. He approached his mission with the conviction that his only real qualification was his firm faith in the orders of his spiritual master, proving that simply by strictly following the predecessor, one can achieve the impossible.
The Sole Secret of Spiritual Success
Śrīla Prabhupāda never claimed personal credit for the immense success of his global preaching. Instead, he repeatedly emphasized that his entire secret formula was simply his unwavering determination to follow the instructions of his Guru Mahārāja without deviation.
- I am successful only because I am following strictly the orders of my Guru Maharaja, and I do not deviate.
- I am glad to learn that you are realizing about Krishna's providing us with more and more facilities and that you are appreciating for my following purely the instructions of my Spiritual Master. Yes, that is the secret of success.
- Be always cool-headed and utilize every moment in the best manner possible. I am successful only because I am following strictly the orders of my Guru Maharaja, and I do not deviate.
- Just like we are also following the instruction of our spiritual master. I don't claim that I am pure devotee or perfect, but my only qualification is that I am trying to follow the instruction of the perfect.
Eternal Association Through Vāṇī
Many disciples feel anxiety about missing the physical presence of the spiritual master, but Śrīla Prabhupāda demonstrated a higher reality. Though he only met his Guru Mahārāja a handful of times while living as a gṛhastha, he remained eternally connected and entirely secure by living through his divine instructions (vāṇī).
- So far personal association with the Guru is concerned, I was only with my Guru Maharaja four or five times, but I have never left his association, not even for a moment. Because I am following his instructions, I have never felt any separation.
- For me, personally, I had the opportunity to talk with my spiritual master not more than ten times in my whole life, not more. It may be less than that. But I tried to follow his instruction, that's all, although I was a grhastha.
- Follow the instruction. Then you are secure anywhere. It doesn't matter. Just like I told you that I saw my Guru Maharaja not more than ten days in my life, but I followed his instruction. I was a grhastha, I never lived with the Matha, in the temple.
- I have written in the first publications of Srimad-Bhagavatam, "The spiritual master lives forever by His divine instruction and the disciple lives with him.", because I have always served my Guru Maharaja and followed His teachings I am now even never separated from Him.
Delivering the Perfect Message Without Manufacturing
To be a bona fide spiritual guide, one does not need to be a grand innovator. Śrīla Prabhupāda stressed that the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is actually very simple: one merely has to receive the perfect knowledge from the predecessor and repeat it accurately, without manufacturing anything new.
- We have no new discovery. We don't manufacture. This is our process. We simply follow the predecessor's instruction. That's all. Our movement is very easy because we haven't got to manufacture something.
- I am a bona fide teacher as long as I follow the instructions of my spiritual master. That is the only one qualification for becoming a teacher. As soon as one deviates from this principle one is no longer a teacher.
- Regarding the Teachings in the temple; everyone of my disciples may become a teacher strictly following my instructions. I am a bona fide teacher as long as I follow the instructions of my spiritual master.
- Because I am following the instruction of Bhaktisiddhanta, I'm liberated.
Executing the Specific Orders of Preaching and Publishing
Beyond the general principles of spiritual life, Śrīla Prabhupāda received specific directives: to print books and to preach to the English-speaking world. His blind, absolute faith in carrying out these particular instructions is what sparked the worldwide revolution of the saṅkīrtana movement.
- I blindly follow my guru maharaj. I do not know what is the result. So I am stressing on this point of book distribution. He told me this personally.
- I was telling you that my Guru Maharaja hinted that "If you get some money, you publish book." So from the very beginning, I am trying that. So this is specific. Other, following rules and regulations, that is all right. But a specific.
- We preferred to come to the West, following the order of our spiritual master, and by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu this movement is becoming successful.
- Whatever success is there, it is just due to my firm faith in his (Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's) instruction. So I am trying to follow. And by his grace, you are helping me. So actually, the responsibility will now depend on you. I am also old man.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s profound success in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness across the globe was not born of material ambition, but of an unyielding surrender to the orders of his spiritual master. By strictly following his Guru Mahārāja, he proved that a disciple is never alone; they live eternally with the spiritual master through the vāṇī. His life teaches us that we do not need to manufacture new spiritual processes. If we simply accept the perfect knowledge handed down through the paramparā and faithfully execute the specific instructions given to us, we too can achieve spiritual perfection and assist in delivering the world.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vāṇī
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category My Following (Prabhupada). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.