SB 7.13.45 – The Most Intelligent Take to Krishna Consciousness

Giriraj Swami: Reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Seven, Chapter Thirteen, “The Behavior of a Perfect Person,” Text Forty-Five.

TEXT 45

svātma-vṛttaṁ mayetthaṁ te
suguptam api varṇitam
vyapetaṁ loka-śāstrābhyāṁ
bhavān hi bhagavat-paraḥ

TRANSLATION

Prahlāda Mahārāja, you are certainly a self-realized soul and a devotee of the Supreme Lord. You do not care for public opinion or so-called scriptures. For this reason I have described to you without hesitation the history of my self-realization.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

A person who is actually a devotee of Kṛṣṇa does not care about so-called public opinion and Vedic or philosophical literatures. Prahlāda Mahārāja, who is such a devotee, always defied the false instructions of his father and the so-called teachers who were appointed to teach him. Instead, he simply followed the instructions of Nārada Muni, his guru, and thus he always remained a stalwart devotee. This is the nature of an intelligent devotee. The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam instructs, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ. One who is actually very intelligent must join the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, realizing his own self as an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, and thus practice constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

COMMENT

Hare Krishna. Here, the perfect person explains why he chose to narrate his story to Prahlada Maharaja. In other words, not only the speaker of a transcendental subject must be qualified, but the hearer also must be qualified. And the main qualification of Prahlada Maharaja was that he was a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lord Krishna spoke Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna. Why to Arjuna? Arjuna was not a sannyasi, he was not a Vedantist. Why to Arjuna? Lord Krishna Himself explains bhakto ‘si me, “I am speaking this knowledge to you, Arjuna, because you are My devotee.” Similarly, Śukadeva Gosvami spoke Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to Maharaja Parīkṣit. Śukadeva Gosvami was mahā-bhāgavata, and Maharaja Parīkṣit was also on the same platform as mahā-bhāgavata.

So here, the perfect person explained why he spoke his confidential history to Prahlada Maharaja, because Prahlada Maharaja was also on the same level. He was also perfect. Prahlada Maharaja did not care for the false instructions of his father or his teacher.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states in the Fifth Canto, gurur na sa syāt, that no one should become a teacher, no one should become a father, no one should become a mother, no one should become a husband, no one should become a superior relative of any sort, unless he can deliver his dependent from repeated birth and death. If one is not able to deliver his dependent from repeated birth and death, he is not a real father, not a real teacher, not a real friend, and so on. And who can be delivered from the repetition of birth and death? Only a pure devotee.

So, to properly discharge one’s duty as a teacher, as a father, as a friend, as a public leader, one must be a pure devotee of Krishna, and one must train one’s dependent also to become a pure devotee of Krishna. Otherwise, one is not a real guru or a real father, and so on. So, ordinarily, it is the duty of the student or disciple to obey the order of the teacher or guru. But Prahlada Maharaja, although his teachers instructed him in so many demonic ways, he disobeyed his teachers because they were not real teachers. They were not helping to deliver him from the repetition of birth and death.

Similarly, it is the duty of the son to defend the father if the father is attacked. But when Hiraṇyakaśipu was attacked by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, Prahlada did not make any effort to defend him. So, was Prahlada guilty of some fault? No, because Hiraṇyakaśipu was not a real father because he was not helping deliver Prahlada from the repetition of birth and death.

So, sometimes devotees come to Krishna consciousness against the orders of their parents or their relatives, or against the advice of their parents or their relatives. But unless our parents or our relatives are helping us to become free from the cycle of birth and death, they are not real parents, they are not real relatives, and we are not obliged to obey them. So, we should not think, I have disobeyed my mother or I’ve disobeyed my father, I’ve come to Krishna consciousness. Those who have actually surrendered to the service of the Lord, they have no obligation to so-called family members. They have done the right thing by surrendering unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

But we should also not misunderstand and think, Now I am a devotee, now I can do anything without regard to the laws of the state, without regard to public opinion. Because we are here to preach, to spread Krishna consciousness. And to spread Krishna consciousness, we want people to respect us as being saintly persons. If not saintly persons, at least honest persons. So, if we act with disregard for the laws of the land, thinking, I’m a devotee of Krishna, I don’t have to follow the law, I can lie, I can steal, I can cheat for Krishna, we may actually be jeopardizing the teaching mission, which is the whole reason that we are in Krishna consciousness. To become Krishna conscious and help others to become Krishna conscious.

So, we have to understand the instructions of the scriptures with intelligence that Srila Prabhupada remarks in the purport. Once, one devotee in Bombay asked Srila Prabhupada, “If a devotee sees a man drowning in a river, should he save him?” Srila Prabhupada replied that a devotee has nothing to do with the material reaction of an ordinary person. Someone may sink or someone may swim according to his past karma, but devotees have nothing to do with karma, and therefore, we have no business to save a drowning man. So, that is bhakti, that is the philosophy of Krishna consciousness. Bhakti is independent of karma, jnana, or any other material factor, jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

Then Srila Prabhupada said, “However, if we allow the man to drown, people may criticize, ‘Oh, he is a devotee and he let the man drown.’” So, Srila Prabhupada said there is another consideration called lokāḥ-vicāra, which means consideration of popular sentiment. That although a devotee has no business to save the drowning man, in consideration of public sentiment, he may save the drowning man for the sake of creating a favorable situation for spreading Krishna consciousness, or at least avoiding a negative reaction that could turn people against Krishna consciousness.

When Srila Prabhupada was in Australia, he sent me a news clipping, and the news clipping told the story of the devotees. Srila Prabhupada’s secretary, Shyamasundara Prabhu, also sent a covering letter. The devotees were preparing for Ratha-yatra, they were building the chariot or assembling the chariot. And just on the street where the devotees were working on the chariot, a building caught fire. And one lady was trapped on the fourth floor of the building in the flames, and she would have died. So, the devotees picked up the canopy of the chariot and held it under the window and told the lady to jump. So, the lady jumped into the net of the canopy of the chariot, and thus she was saved. So, the newspapers were very happy about the action of the devotees. Not only that they have saved the lady, but that they had used the sacred cloth that was meant to be the temple zone on the chariot to save her.

So, Srila Prabhupada has sent the newspaper from Australia to me, and he instructed that I should show the clipping to all important men of Bombay and tell them that Krishna consciousness is rendering the best service to human society, spiritually and materially. So, as devotees, we may do things which are not really part of pure devotional service, but we can do them for the sake of creating goodwill amongst the people, or at least to avoid creating ill will among the people. And Srila Rupa Gosvami has advised that we should be straightforward in ordinary dealings.

Srila Prabhupada also instructed that we should be honest. And he cited the example of some other so-called spiritual movements where the leaders of the movement had been involved in illegal activities. They were caught smuggling and other things. And the reputation of the individuals and the institutions were very severely damaged. So, Srila Prabhupada said we have got a very good name, we have got a very good reputation. So, we should not jeopardize it by engaging in illegal activities or immoral activities.

So, although a perfect person or a paramahamsa is above the regulated principles, but when he preaches, he cannot act as a paramahamsa without regard for rules and regulations. He follows the rules and regulations to set an example for others, and so that others may not misunderstand him.

Once, one devotee wrote a letter, “Other disciples need to attend the temple program and chant sixteen rounds in order to maintain their enthusiasm to serve you. But I’m enthusiastic to serve you even without attending the temple program, chanting sixteen rounds, I don’t need the crutch of the temple programs and the realms.” And Srila Prabhupada wrote back, “Even if you are a paramahamsa, still, you should attend the temple program and chant to set an example for others.” But in the case of Prahlada, when his father gave him demonic instructions and his teachers gave him demonic instructions, he did not listen and he did the right thing.

Now, there are so many scriptures with so many instructions, but intelligent persons can come to the essence of the instructions of the scriptures. Of course, the essence of Bhagavad-gītā [18.66] is

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

To give up all varieties of religiousness and just surrender to Krishna. Practically, no one has time to go through all the Vedas now, but the Gītā is the essence of the Vedas, and the conclusion of the Gītā [18.65-66] is

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

So, by surrendering to Krishna and becoming Krishna’s devotees, we are following the true conclusion of the Vedic scriptures. And if someone cites something from the Vedas, “You should do this, you should do that, you should worship Shiva, you should worship Durga,” or so many things, “God has no name, God has no form, God is blind, God is lame,” we don’t care. We are fixed in our conclusion and specifically, how to become devotees of Krishna in the present age.

yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ        [ŚB 11.5.32]

By joining the saṅkīrtana movement, by saṅkīrtana-yajña, one can become a devotee of Krishna and please Krishna and serve others. So, those who have come to Krishna consciousness are the most intelligent persons.

Once, I asked Srila Prabhupada a question. And Srila Prabhupada could always see through the disciples’ words. So, I asked Srila Prabhupada, “I’m such a fool, how can I preach Krishna consciousness? How can a fool give instructions to others?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “You are not the fool. You are the most intelligent.” And then he quoted the verse that persons who take to Krishna consciousness are most intelligent. So, of course, I’m not telling the story to make the point that I’m intelligent, which I’m obviously not, but I’m making the point that according to scripture, the most intelligent persons in Kali-yuga take to Krishna consciousness, saṅkīrtana-yajña, not only for their own benefit, but for the benefit of others. And thus, they are doing the best service for their own selves, as well as for the others in general.

So, this is the perfect activity, saṅkīrtana. By saṅkīrtana, we become perfect. And by saṅkīrtana, we help others to become perfect. So, saṅkīrtana is the perfect activity, and it is accepted by the most intelligent persons in the modern age. So, we are intelligent. We have come to Krishna consciousness. We have not been misled by so many other so-called teachers, so many other so-called processes, but we have come to the right teacher, Srila Prabhupada, and we’ve come to the right movement, Krishna consciousness, saṅkīrtana movement. So, we should take full advantage. We should not stand back or hold back because of weak heartedness, but we should become free from all doubts and hesitation and engage wholeheartedly in the service of the Lord in Krishna consciousness.

Hare Krishna.

Now, today is also a special day, Sri Rama-ekādaśī. Although we are observing the fast tomorrow, Maha-dvadasi, but still, today is Sri Rama-ekādaśī, and it is the day Srila Prabhupada completed the translation of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta in Bombay.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta ki jaya!

So, when Srila Prabhupada was in Bombay, he would walk on Juhu beach every morning about six o’clock, so some of us would go to his quarters to meet him and accompany him. So, one morning, as usual, I came to Prabhupada’s quarters, and His Holiness Harikesa Swami Maharaja greeted me at the top of the stairs. And he was very excited because he was Srila Prabhupada’s secretary, so he would get the taste of Srila Prabhupada’s dictation. So, he greeted me at the top of the stairs, and he said that last night, Srila Prabhupada finished Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and he wrote the most beautiful epilogue in glorification of his Guru Maharaja, and Srila Prabhupada has also commented that devotees should celebrate the occasion by having a feast. Haribol!

Now, I shall read from Srila Prabhupada’s concluding words:

“Today, Sunday, November 10, 1974-corresponding to the 10th of Kārtikka, Caitanya Era 488, the eleventh day of the dark fortnight, the Rāma-ekādaśī-we have now finished the English translation of Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī’s Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta in accordance with the authorised order of His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākur Gosvāmī Mahārāja, my beloved eternal spiritual master, guide and friend. Although according to material vision His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda passed away from this material world on the last day of December, 1936, I still consider His Divine Grace to be always present with me by his vāṇī, his words. There are two ways of association-by vāṇī and by vapu. Vāṇī means words, and vapu means physical presence. Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but vāṇī continues to exist eternally. Therefore we must take advantage of the vāṇī, not the physical presence. Bhagavad-gītā, for example, is the vāṇī of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Although Kṛṣṇa was personally present five thousand years ago and is no longer physically present from the materialistic point of view, Bhagavad-gītā continues.”

So here, the first paragraph states the theme of the whole essay, and the theme is service in separation. Srila Prabhupada will now describe the history of his association with his Guru Maharaja. And the history sounds like some events that took place between Srila Prabhupada and his Guru Maharaja, but what Srila Prabhupada is actually doing is tracing the history of the instructions that he received from his Guru Maharaja, which became the guiding principle for his life.

“In this connection we may call to memory the time when I was fortunate enough to meet His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometime in the year 1922. Śrīla Prabhupāda had come from Calcutta to Śrīdhama Māyāpur to start the missionary activities of the Gauḍīya Maṭha. He was sitting in a house at Ulta Danga when through the inducement of an intimate friend, the late Śrīman Narendranātha Mallika, I had the opportunity to meet His Divine Grace for the first time. I do not remember the actual date of the meeting, but at that time I was one of the managers of Dr. Bose’s laboratory in Calcutta. I was a newly married young man, addicted to Gandhi’s movement and dressed in khadi. Fortunately, even at our first meeting, His Divine Grace advised me to preach the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in English in the Western countries. Because at that time I was a complete nationalist, a follower of Mahātma Gandhi’s, I submitted to His Divine Grace that unless our country were freed from foreign subjugation, no one would hear the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu seriously. Of course, we had some argument on this subject, but at last I was defeated and convinced that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s message is the only panacea for suffering humanity. I was also convinced that the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was then in the hands of a very expert devotee and that surely the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would spread all over the world. I could not, however, immediately take up his instructions to preach, but I took his words very seriously and was always thinking of how to execute his order, although I was quite unfit to do so.”

So, as early as 1922, Srila Prabhupada received the order from his spiritual master to preach in the English language in the western world. So, although he felt that he was not able to take up the order immediately, he was always meditating on the order and thinking of when and how he would be able to execute the order properly. So, sometimes, because of circumstances, we may not be able to take up the order of the spiritual master immediately, but we should always remember the order of the spiritual master and await the opportune moment when we will be able to execute it.

“In this way I passed my life as a householder until 1950, when I retired from family life as a vānaprastha. With no companion, I loitered here and there until 1959, when I took sannyāsa. Then I was completely ready to discharge the order of my spiritual master. Previously, in 1936, just before His Divine Grace passed away at Jagannātha Purī, I wrote him a letter asking what I could do to serve him. In reply, he wrote me a letter, dated 13 December 1936, ordering me, in the same way, to preach in English the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as I had heard it from him.”

Srila Prabhupada commented that he asked his spiritual master only one question, “How can I serve you?” And in reply, his Guru Maharaja gave the same instruction that he had given some twenty-three years earlier, to preach the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the English language.

“After he passed away, I started the fortnightly magazine Back to Godhead sometime in 1944 and tried to spread the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu through this magazine. After I took sannyāsa, a well-wishing friend suggested that I write books instead of magazines. Magazines, he said, might be thrown away, but books remain perpetually. Then I attempted to write Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Before that, when I was a householder, I had written on Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā and had completed about eleven hundred pages, but somehow or other the manuscript was stolen. In any case, when I had published Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, in three volumes in India, I thought of going to the U.S.A. By the mercy of His Divine Grace, I was able to come to New York on September 17, 1965. Since then, I have translated many books, including Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Teachings of Lord Caitanya (a summary) and many others.

“In the meantime, I was induced to translate Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and publish it in an elaborate version. In his leisure time in later life, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhakura would simply read Caitanya-caritāmṛta. It was his favorite book. He used to say that there would be a time when the foreigners would learn the Bengali langage to read Caitanya-caritāmṛta. The work on this translation began about eighteen months ago. Now, by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and his Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhakura, it is finished. In this connection I have to thank my American disciples, especially Śrīman Pradyumna dāsa Adhikārī, Śrīman Nitāi dāsa Adhikārī, Śrīman Jayādvaita dāsa Brahmacārī and many other boys and girls who are sincerely helping me in writing, editing and publishing all these literatures.”

Now, Srila Prabhupada comes to the conclusion:

“I think that His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura is always seeing my activities and guiding me within my heart by his words. As it is said in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye. Spiritual inspiration comes from within the heart, wherein the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His Paramātmā feature, is always sitting with all His devotees and associates.” 

So, Srila Prabhupada is saying that he was guided in his service by his spiritual master from within his heart. So, someone may say that it is just a sentiment, that one thinks that his spiritual master is in his heart. But Srila Prabhupada said that the Lord is within the heart. And that we know [Bhagavad-gītā 18.61],

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati

That the Lord is situated within the heart. But the Lord is not alone. The Lord is sitting in the heart along with His devotees and associates. So, if we believe that our spiritual master is with Krishna, and Krishna is in our hearts, then our spiritual master is also there.

“It is to be admitted that whatever translation work I have done is through the inspiration of my spiritual master because personally I am most insignificant and incompetent to do this materially impossible work. I do not think myself a very learned scholar, but I have full faith in the service of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhakura. If there is any credit to my activities of translating, it is all due to His Divine Grace.”

Srila Prabhupada also said that when we work, if we give the credit to Krishna, then we will be successful. And if we try to take the credit for ourselves, there will be so many problems.

“Certainly if His Divine Grace were personally present at this time, it would have been a great occasion for jubiliation, but even though he is not physically present, I am confident that he is very pleased by this work of translation. He was very fond of seeing many books published to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Therefore our society, the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, has formed to execute the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhakura.”

So, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura gave Srila Prabhupada two instructions which were more prominent, and mentioned here by Srila Prabhupada. One, to preach Krishna consciousness in English throughout the entire world. And two, to publish and distribute many books on the science of Krishna. And Srila Prabhupada says that whatever he has done, which includes the formation of ISKCON, he has done to execute the will of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Gosvami Maharaja.

“It is my wish that devotees of Lord Caitanya all over the world enjoy this translation, and I am glad to express my gratitude to the learned men in the Western countries who are so pleased with my work that they are ordering in advance all my books that will be published in the future. On this occasion therefore, I request my disciples who are determined to help me in this work to continue their cooperation fully, so that philosophers, scholars, religionists and people in general all over the world will benefit by reading our transcendental literatures such as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

“Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, dated November 10, 1974, at the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Hare Kṛṣṇa Land, Juhu, Bombay.”

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta ki jaya!

Are there any questions or comments? Mahatma Prabhu?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:47:45].

Giriraj Swami: So, Mahatma Prabhu asked. . . I know he used the microphone, but I am not sure how clear the sound was. Mahatma Prabhu asked that the verse mentioned intelligence, the purport by Srila Prabhupada mentioned intelligence. So, we may receive an instruction from the spiritual master, but from any authority. So, to what extent should we apply our intelligence to the instruction?

So, in principle, the question is the same, but there is also a difference between an instruction received from one spiritual master and an instruction received from some other authority. So, we’ll begin with the case of an instruction received from some other authority. If one applies one’s intelligence and thinks that there could be a better way of doing things, one has the right, if not the duty, but definitely the right, to express one’s opinion.

And when one disciple asked Srila Prabhupada a similar question, Srila Prabhupada replied, “It is just like you are riding in a car, and the driver has an idea how to reach the destination, but you think you know a better way to reach the same destination. So, you have the right to tell the driver that you think that we could reach the destination better or faster if we go another way, but ultimately, the driver will decide which way to go, because he is in the seat of the driver.” So, Srila Prabhupada said, “You can express your opinion on what is the best way, but ultimately, the person in charge of the activity will decide, and you must accept his decision.” Then the disciple asked, “But is it wrong to think that my idea was better?” And Srila Prabhupada said, “No, within yourself, you may maintain the idea that your way was better, but still, you have to accept the decision of the authorities.”

Now, in the case of an instruction from the spiritual master, as you mentioned in the question, although one may accept the validity of the instruction, but because of variations in time, place, and circumstance, one may think, Is it really the best for the situation? And here, one does have to be very careful. And Srila Prabhupada has explained that there are three categories of disciples: first class, second class, and third class. The first class understands what the spiritual master wants, even if the spiritual master does not say it himself. The second class receives an instruction from the spiritual master and executes it perfectly. And the third class, even in spite of receiving the instruction from the spiritual master, does not execute it, for one reason or another.

So, there is a danger that the spiritual master may give an instruction, and the disciples, who may be in the third category, may imagine that he is in the first category. And thinking that he really knows what Guru Maharaja wants, will not follow the instruction, but do something else, thinking that he really knows what Guru Maharaja wants, and Guru Maharaja may be wanting the other thing. And he may be completely speculating and doing the exact opposite of what his spiritual master really wants.

I can cite some examples from my own experience. And I don’t say I’m the best example, but I was probably more on the side of blind following than applying my intelligence. And sometimes the other managers would criticize me for my blind following and doing things which they considered to be impractical just because Srila Prabhupada said it.

Once, Srila Prabhupada said that he was just so impatient that the construction wasn’t beginning. So, Srila Prabhupada said, somehow or other, just in the construction, even if you are only able to lay one brick a day, just begin. So, I took the instruction very literally, and I sent someone to the railway station where you get the laborers early in the morning. We got some laborers, we got some bricks, we got some cement. We didn’t even really have the architectural drawings, but I figured out approximately where the wall should go, and they began. So, the devotee architect, who was in charge of the construction, just thought the whole thing was just absurd.

But, although I did other such unintelligent things, Srila Prabhupada never blamed me. And once, I did something, I won’t go into too many details, but just to make the example vivid, the original buildings at the back of Hare Krishna Land had two stories. And the terrace of the second story, the roof of the second story, was made of tile chips. So, when we added an additional story on top, Srila Prabhupada said that we should keep the same floor of the roof as the floor. We shouldn’t make a new floor.

So, there were some problems with the floor because the cement was coming out. Sometimes the little tile chips would come out, and there were some problems. Anyway, when Srila Prabhupada came, the GBC, in my presence, and it wasn’t Tamal Krishna Goswami at the time, the GBC started to sort of criticize me in front of Srila Prabhupada, that to save some money, I kept the same flooring from the old roof. In other words, the tiles were coming out, the cement was crumbling, and the floor was a mess.

And Srila Prabhupada, he was listening very patiently, and I thought maybe he will just listen and not going to say anything, I just assumed that because he was just listening. But then, when the GBC finished saying whatever he wanted to say, Srila Prabhupada said, “I told him to keep the same floor.” And that was the end of the discussion. And I appreciated it because, I mean, basically, the disciple was saying that the idea of keeping the same floor was really stupid. Srila Prabhupada could have kept silent, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but he didn’t. He said, “The reason he did it is because I told him so.”

I would say if there is any doubt, it’s better to follow the instructions. And we shouldn’t probably take the responsibility of deciding that we understand the order of the spiritual master better to the point that we can sort of adjust it. But I would say that it is possible that instruction could have been given in a certain situation or envisioning a certain situation, and the actual situation could be different. But then I would suggest that the leading devotees, the senior devotees, consult and decide together whether the instructions should be adjusted or not. And certainly, if one is intelligent enough to do that, to really fulfill the desire of the spiritual master, even if it means slightly, or apparently disobeying the order, the spiritual master will actually be more pleased.

And Srila Prabhupada gave the example that Srila Gaurakishora dasa Babaji Maharaja, as the story goes, ordered Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to not to go to Calcutta, just to remain in the holy dhāma, not to go to Calcutta, but eventually, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura did go to Calcutta to begin the missionary activities of the Gaudiya Matha. So, Srila Prabhupada said, “Does it mean that my Guru Maharaja disobeyed the order of his spiritual master? No, he never disobeyed the order of his spiritual master. He was never in Calcutta. He was always in Vaikuntha.”

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!