Prabhupāda on Leaving - From Family Life to His Eternal Legacy
It is impossible to measure the depth of Śrīla Prabhupāda's love for us. When we trace his footsteps, we see a trail of unimaginable sacrifice—leaving behind his family, his peaceful life in Vṛndāvana, and all material comforts simply to deliver us from the darkness of the material world. He arrived with almost nothing, yet he gave us everything. As he prepared his disciples for his physical departure, he revealed a deep truth of spiritual life: for one who lives by his instructions, separation does not break the relationship. By dedicating our lives to his teachings, we ensure that Śrīla Prabhupāda is always with us.
Leaving Home for the Mission
The transition from a householder to a world-traveling sannyāsī required Śrīla Prabhupāda to leave his family and his home behind. He often spoke humorously but profoundly about this detachment. By giving up his small biological family to serve Kṛṣṇa, he gained a massive, loving spiritual family spanning the entire globe.
- I had to leave my own family and children because I was unable to tolerate seeing them remain servants of their senses. All the American children who are staying with me have shaved their heads, have mala and tilaka and always follow my orders.
- I gave her (my wife) final, that "Either you have to give up your tea or your husband." (laughter) So she agreed to give up husband, not tea. (laughter) So I left my home. That's all. (laughter).
- My Guru Maharaja pulled me out from this material life. I have not lost anything. He was so kind upon me. I have gained. I left three children, I have got now three hundred children. So I am not loser.
- When I left my home for your country in 1965 alone, the government would not allow me to take any money. I had only a few book and forty rupees, Indian forty rupees.
Traveling and Leaving Places to Preach
Śrīla Prabhupāda was a true general, constantly moving to wherever the preaching was needed most. He would leave one continent for another, enduring extreme climates and physical exhaustion, solely out of his deep interest in protecting his centers and inspiring his growing list of disciples.
- I am now on world tour. I left Bombay on Jan. 24th, 1975 and traveled to Hong Kong, Japan, Hawaii, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Caracas, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, New York, London, and now I am at our Tehran center.
- After leaving your place I went to Chicago and then San Francisco and in both the places the Rathayatra ceremony was very successfully performed.
- I do not feel much cold now but it is learnt that it will increase more and more and before that I wish to leave this place - New York.
- I have left India on April 1, 1973 so now it is almost 20 days and I have received no report from India. There are so many questions and answers for India, the Bombay, and Hyderabad, but I am in darkness.
Preparing to Leave This World
With great urgency, Śrīla Prabhupāda worked against time. Knowing that his aging body could give way at any moment, he labored through the nights to write his books and rigorously trained his followers. His physical departure was never a tragedy in his eyes, but a reality he prepared us to handle with strength and devotion.
- I am now old man, and attacked with serious disease; I may be overcome by death at any moment. Therefore I wish to leave some trained preachers so that they can do the work of Krishna Consciousness in the western world. That is my ambition.
- I am laboring so hard that before I leave this body, I may give you some books who you can enjoy after my death. So utilize it. Read every sloka nicely, try to understand the meaning, discuss amongst yourselves.
- I am on the deathbed. I may go away at any moment. Now it is up to you to give protection to the sanctity of our institution.
- It doesn't matter I leave this body. Even in death I'll live. One year before or one year after... Now as far as possible, I have trained you. Try to follow the principles. And go ahead. Don't be set back by maya's tricks. Go ahead, forward, at any cost.
The Eternal Connection: Never Truly Leaving
For the pure devotee, there is no separation from Kṛṣṇa or the spiritual master. Śrīla Prabhupāda gives us his absolute guarantee: as long as we hold tight to his instructions, he will never leave us. This is the mystical paramparā system where the guru lives eternally in his vāṇī (instructions).
- You do not require to worry as I shall never leave you, you are my disciple and I am your spiritual master, so there is no question, as long as you follow my instructions, that I shall ever leave you.
- 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.
- Every one of my disciples should act in such a way that they may go with me and may not have to come back to take another birth.
- I have got the clue of going back to Godhead just after leaving my present material body, and in order to take along with me all my contemporary men and women of the world, I have started my paper "Back to Godhead" as one of the means to the way.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s life was a continuous act of leaving the temporary for the eternal, always with our highest benefit in mind. He left his home, his peace, and eventually his body, but he left behind a solid foundation of transcendental books, beautiful Deities, and a global society of devotees. If we ever feel lost or separated, we simply need to open his books or engage in our practical service. In that faithful execution of his desires, we realize that Śrīla Prabhupāda is right there with us, guiding us safely 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 My Leaving (Prabhupada). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.