Prabhupāda Teaches His Disciples to Preach in Their Own Words
To effectively spread the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness around the world, a preacher must possess deep conviction and personal realization. Śrīla Prabhupāda guided his disciples to move beyond simply reciting verses by instructing them to deeply assimilate the philosophy and reproduce it in their own words. Yet, he brilliantly balanced this intellectual empowerment with strict obedience, teaching them that while they must become self-sufficient in preaching, printing, and farming, they must never rely on their own imperfect intelligence to manufacture the absolute truth.
Assimilating and Preaching in Your Own Words
True spiritual education requires digestion. Śrīla Prabhupāda explained that if a disciple merely repeats phrases without understanding, their preaching will lack potency. He encouraged his students to read his books scrutinizingly, realize the profound truths within the purports, and then express those same absolute conclusions using their own vocabulary and style, which is the true hallmark of a successful preacher and writer.
- Study my books and reproduce the purports in your own language.
- All students should be encouraged to write some article after reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, and Teachings of Lord Caitanya. They should realize the information, and they must present their assimilation in their own words. Otherwise, how they can become preachers?
- For lecturing, any one of our members can speak. Simply one has to memorize the purports and then speak in one's own language.
- The process is that you should memorize the purports of my books and then speak them in your own words. Do not adulterate or change anything. Then you will be the perfect preacher.
- I was very much pleased to read the essays by our Bali-mardana dasa. So similarly, you also write. Writing means if you have digested the idea, you can produce in your own words.
The Danger of Manufacturing Our Own Ideas
While disciples are encouraged to use their own words to explain the philosophy, they are strictly forbidden from creating their own concepts. The absolute truth descends through the paramparā (disciplic succession), and altering it based on personal whims destroys its potency. Śrīla Prabhupāda warned that attempting to artificially interpret the scriptures or concoct new theories is the business of sahajiyās (cheap imitators) and leads only to chaos.
- Arjuna is not willing to fight and Krsna is inducing him to fight. They misunderstand that Arjuna is better than Krsna. But that's not the fact. What Krsna says, we have to execute that. We should not manufacture our own ideas.
- Do not try to concoct your own theories. This is not the process. You must write just as you have heard from your Guru and nothing else. Otherwise, your writing is useless.
- If we try artificially to explain sastra in our own words, there is every danger of interpretation and speculation.
- We cannot manufacture our own idea. That is blasphemy, sahajiya. Yata mat tata pat. These things are not accepted by mahajana. Mahajana means who follows the previous mahajana. This is the system.
- We have got, everywhere we have got immediate boss. So we must work. That is systematic. If everyone manufactures, invents his own way of life, then there must be chaos.
Depending on Kṛṣṇa's Intelligence
The human brain is prone to making mistakes, harboring illusions, and possessing imperfect senses. Therefore, a sincere seeker of truth does not rely on their own tiny, inductive intelligence to figure out the universe. Instead, they depend entirely on the perfect, deductive intelligence provided by Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master. By accepting this higher guidance, the devotee's actions and understanding automatically become perfect.
- We don't depend on my own intelligence. We depend on Krsna's intelligence. That is the difference. Then, if Krsna is perfect, then my intelligence is perfect. I may be not perfect, but because I take Krsna's intelligence, therefore I'm perfect.
- Regarding utilizing intelligence in devotional service, intelligence should be confirmed by the Spiritual Master. Therefore we accept the Spiritual Master for guidance. You should not depend on your own intelligence.
- We cannot manufacture our own process, therefore mental speculation does not at all help us in spiritual life.
- In the Deductive Process we deduce the conclusion from the statement of higher authorities whereas by the Inductive Process we make a research in the truth by our own imperfect knowledge and induce a conclusion.
- Therefore you have got spiritual master. Why he is there? Therefore you have to accept spiritual master who will give you direction. You cannot do it. If you manufacture your own..., then go to hell.
Printing Books on Our Own Press
To ensure that the philosophy is distributed without limitation or compromise, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must control its own means of production. Śrīla Prabhupāda strongly desired that the majority of his books and magazines be printed on presses owned and operated by his disciples. This self-reliance guarantees that the high standard of transcendental literature is maintained and that outside business interests never hinder the preaching.
- I would always prefer to distribute our books ourselves and publish them ourselves in our own press. That is my ambition, so you try to fulfill this desire of mine.
- Best thing is to get Bhagavad-gita printed on our own press, some soft bound and some hard bound, regularly sewn. Now in N.Y. we have got large space. If required we can increase by another press, but try to get all our books printed on our own press.
- I am very eager to see our own press printing the majority of our publications. The first thing now should be the printing of the new, enlarged edition of Bhagavad Gita As It Is. That will be a great boon to our Movement.
- My only point is that we have got our press for printing our own literatures more and more.
- Let us improve more and more, but we must always remember the standard of printing and also we should keep this motto in view that to have our own press means to do nicer work than the outside printers.
Producing Our Own Necessities
Modern industrialized civilization creates an artificial dependency on hellish factories and complex economic systems. To provide an ideal alternative, Śrīla Prabhupāda initiated farm communities like New Vrindaban and Māyāpur. He instructed his disciples to live simply by growing their own food, protecting their own cows for milk, and weaving their own cloth, thereby saving vast amounts of time and energy to dedicate exclusively to spiritual advancement.
- Now, we should have self-sufficiency. This means to make our own food grains grow and to weave our own cloth - like in Mayapur. If we have food grains, milk, and cloth life becomes easy and we can save time for preaching and chanting.
- Produce your own food and produce your own cloth. Don't waste time for luxury, and chant Hare Krsna. This is success of life.
- That is our mission: Cow protection and agriculture and if there is excess, trade. This is a no-profit scheme. For the agriculture we want to produce our own food and we want to keep cows for our own milk.
- First of all produce your own food grain, milk and vegetables, eat as much as absolutely necessary, don't eat more, and in this way keep your health.
- That you are growing all your own grains is very good. It is my ambition that all devotees may remain self independent by producing vegetables, grains, milk, fruits, flowers, and by weaving their own cloth in handlooms.
Establishing Independent Centers and Taking Responsibility
As the spiritual master ages, the disciples must mature and assume the burden of the mission. Śrīla Prabhupāda urged his followers to take the preaching work into their own hands, relying on their own local strength rather than constantly depending on headquarters. By bravely establishing independent centers around the world, recruiting local men, and managing their own affairs, the disciples prove their true love and capability in executing the divine order.
- In the last stage of the spiritual master's life, the devotees of the spiritual master should take preaching activities into their own hands. In this way the spiritual master can sit down in a solitary place and render nirjana bhajana.
- If each center must rely upon its own strength to stand, that will be better training ground for the devotees.
- By your own work you can recruit men locally, that is the best process. So immediately resume the preaching work amongst the Africans and show yourselves as always meek and humble and refrain from a tough attitude and in this way gain their confidence.
- I get great pleasure when I see my own disciples from America going to far off places leaving their rich nation with all facilities and their families, to preach. The secret of success in spiritual life is to satisfy one's spiritual master.
- Regarding householder life, I have no objection, this is not my responsibility. Henceforth my students must take the responsibility for their own householder life.
Conclusion
By training his disciples to preach the philosophy in their own words, Śrīla Prabhupāda created an empowered, intelligent society capable of spreading the movement globally. This intellectual self-sufficiency was perfectly mirrored by his push for practical independence through society-owned presses and self-sustaining farm communities. Yet, the true genius of his instruction lies in the absolute boundary he established: a devotee may utilize their own words and resources, but they must forever depend on the perfect intelligence of Kṛṣṇa and never manufacture their own path.
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 Our Own (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.