Prabhupāda's Life and Soul - The Weight of the Spiritual Master's Order

For most people, an instruction is something to be considered, analyzed, and perhaps executed if convenient. For Śrīla Prabhupāda, the instruction of his Spiritual Master was his very existence. In these revealing quotes, we see how a single order—"Go to the West"—became the seed that grew into a worldwide movement.

"I Took It Seriously"

Śrīla Prabhupāda attributes the existence of ISKCON not to his own intelligence, but to the gravity with which he accepted his Guru's words.

• I am giving so much stress and I am working so hard on this. Because this is my life and soul according to the order of my Guru Maharaja. And by his grace it is to some extent successful. And I took it seriously.
• I am successful only because I am following strictly the orders of my Guru Maharaja, and I do not deviate.

The Struggle to Surrender

He candidly admits that this surrender was not immediate. As a young man, he had his own plans for family and business success.

• My Guru Maharaja ordered, Krsna wanted, I was resisting Him.
• I took that order of my spiritual master very seriously, but I did not think that I'll have to do such and such thing. I was at that time a householder. But this is the arrangement of Krsna.

He describes how Kṛṣṇa eventually "forced" him into the position of a preacher by dismantling his material life, a process he later accepted as the greatest mercy.

The Consequence of Disobedience

Śrīla Prabhupāda used the history of his own institution, the Gauḍīya Maṭha, as a cautionary tale. He saw clearly that deviation from the Guru's order leads to destruction.

• As soon as this poison will come "Suppress guru and I become Brahman" everything finished. Spiritual life is finished. Gaudiya Matha finished, violated the orders of Guru Maharaja.
• We have got practical experience how a great institution was lost by whimsical ways. Without carrying out the order of the spiritual master, they manufactured something and the whole thing was lost.

Conclusion

The lesson is clear: spiritual success is not a matter of talent, but of obedience.

• Whatever is being done, there is no credit for me, but all the credit goes to my Spiritual Master, because He has arranged everything, and I am simply to abide by His order.

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 Orders of My Spiritual Master (Bhaktisiddhanta). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.