ISKCON Youth Program

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Devotees: Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Earlier, when His Grace Radheshyam Prabhu was discussing with me what would be an appropriate topic to discuss with you, he suggested two things. One was how Srila Prabhupada preached to the youth in America, and then how the youth from America assisted Srila Prabhupada to preach in India.

My first association with Srila Prabhupada took place when I was a university student near Boston. At the time, Srila Prabhupada had a regular program—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, he would speak in the temple, and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, he would speak outside, generally at one of the universities, and then Sunday would be the regular Sunday feast.

So, I was looking for a guru. Actually, I was looking for spiritual perfection, but I came to understand that in order to achieve perfect happiness, I needed to adopt a spiritual practice and have the guidance of a spiritual master. So, my focus became finding my perfect master.

And the university I attended, Brandeis University near Boston, had a very evolved department of psychology, I was a psychology major. And the head of the department was named Abraham Maslow, and he began what he called a third force in psychology.

Up until then, there were two main schools. One called behaviorism, which basically studied stimulus and response. They didn’t even want to consider the concept of consciousness, they just wanted to measure observable behavior, and they did. Of course, the first in Russia, Pavlov, he did a lot of experiments with dogs, but when he came to America and became a field of study in America, they dealt mainly with rats. Then the other main school was psychoanalysis, founded by Sigmund Freud, and they studied diseased people.

So, Abraham Maslow began a third force in psychology. He thought instead of studying rats and diseased people, he would study healthy people. And so, he developed a scheme of a hierarchy of needs, that after we fulfill the basic bodily needs; for food, clothing, and shelter, and the basic social needs for acceptance and society, there was a higher order of need, which he called self-actualization. And so, in his study of the most healthy people, he found that they all had something, which he termed peak experiences, which was a sort of experience of the oneness of existence.

So, the department invited many swamis and yogis to speak because they were interested in self-realization, self-actualization, and one of them was Srila Prabhupada. Now, the thing is that before Srila Prabhupada came to the campus, I had met many, many swamis and yogis and masters, but I was not satisfied with any of them. I could go through the list, but it would take too long, but I’ll just take two out of the long list. And I was ready to travel a thousand miles. Anywhere I heard that there was some guru or master, I would go, because I was looking. But I’ll just take two that came to Brandeis.

So, one, well, to begin with, I won’t use the name, but he came and he was giving a morning session and an evening session. And I had one professor who had been to India and he even introduced many concepts from India into his course in psychology, and he would use Sanskrit terms, and then psychological terms, and show the correlation. So, from him, I learned dharma, artha, kāma, moksha, and other such words.

So, this one teacher from India spoke, and the hall was very crowded. It wasn’t that big of a hall, but it was very crowded, I could hardly squeeze in. And then, during the lunch break, I told my professor that I wanted to have a meeting with the spiritual teacher from India, and he said, “Well, what do you want to speak to him about?” I said, “Well, I’m looking for a guru and I want to see if he is the one.” And my professor replied, “Oh, he doesn’t accept disciples, he won’t even touch money.”

And my professor thought this was very noble, but I thought, If he has knowledge and if he can actually help people with his knowledge by becoming a teacher or a guru, why should he refuse just to uphold some artificial detachment or renunciation? So, I thought, He is not my perfect master.

So then, another one came, and he spoke in the department’s auditorium, and he was more of a hatha-yogi, and he said that by yoga, you can gain mastery over your involuntary muscles, and you can actually control your intestines, your colon. And he said you can command your colon, “Ascending colon advance, transverse colon advance, descending colon advance, and rectum release.”

But I was really desperate to find my perfect master, and although, I mean, it sounded intriguing, but I wanted to find out more. So, I said, “I would like to speak to the swami.” So, he said, “Well, actually, he is going straight from the campus to the airport because he has to catch a flight to his next destination.” I said, “Well, can I ride with him in the car?” And he said, “Well, his car is full, but you can drive with some of his disciples.” Okay.

So, on the way to the airport, the disciples were discussing all the different types of food that they used to like to eat before they came to the swami and how they missed the different types of food. And I thought, They’ve just been with their guru, and this is what they are talking about? All the different types of food they missed from before they met him. I thought, They are just students, I can’t really judge from the students. But it did raise a question in my mind.

So then, we reached the airport and there was the swami, and he was really the picture of Indian spirituality. He had long flowing hair, and a beard, and a twinkle in his eyes, and he would often be holding a flower, twirling the flowers, and he had long robes. And I saw him in the airport very, I would say, warmly and tightly embracing a young lady, who I imagine might have been one of his students. And I thought, This is not my perfect master.

Then there was. . . Well, I said two, but I think this one has a little bit of a link to Srila Prabhupada. So then, I heard that there was a. . . He was actually a professor of psychology at a university, I think at least seven, eight hundred miles from my university, and he was supposed to be enlightened, through Suizen Buddhism.

So, as soon as my last class ended on Friday. . . No, actually, I didn’t even attend class on Friday, just left Friday morning and drove to Antioch, Ohio, and with all expectations, I ran up to the professor’s office and saw his secretary and said, “I would like to meet the professor.” And she said, “Well, I’m sorry, you won’t be able to meet him today.” I said, “Why not?” “Well, he is out playing golf.” And I didn’t say anything, I looked at her like, “He is supposed to be enlightened and he is out playing golf?” But I didn’t say anything, but she could see from my expression, and she said, “Golf is his Zen.” So, I thought, This is not my perfect master.

And there were others, but for the sake of time, I will skip ahead. So then, I’ve driven all the way, so I thought, Alright, I’ll go to the student union and meet the students. And I told them I was looking for a guru, and they said that someone had come to the campus some weeks earlier. I still don’t know his name, but I know the beginning was Swami, and the last part of his full name was Ananda, but I don’t know what came in between. But he was the first one that gave a hint of personalism. He has said that God is in your heart and you can actually have a relationship with Him, you can actually speak with Him. And when I heard that, I thought, Wow, this is amazing.

But I went back I was so discouraged that I thought, I think I’m never going to find my perfect master. And I even had a sort of mental impression of what he looked like, and he didn’t have hair, and all the big swamis all had long hair. And so, I was almost hopeless.

So, one day, I saw posters on the campus: “Bhagavad-gītā As It Is,” with a picture of an Indian man, such and such place, auditorium, such and such time, and it was that very day. So, I had invited some friends over for dinner. I was a vegetarian by then and we were going to go to a movie called Art Film. And like I said, I almost gave up, there were so many swamis, but something inside of me kept sort of pushing me, “You have to go, you have to go to this.” So, I told my friends, “We were going to go to the movies, but you want to go back to the university, go to a lecture.” I said, “Well, we will go to the movie, but to the late show.”

And at that time, I had a friend who was in a woman’s body, as we say in ISKCON, and of all of them, she was the most upset, and she, I don’t know, just really went wild, and she said, “Why can’t you be like other people? Why do you always have to be running off to hear these swamis and yogis? Why can’t you just be normal?”

And my nature was such, I didn’t like to disappoint people or hurt people, and I really wanted to go along with what she was saying. But something inside of me was just overpowering, “You just have to go.” So, she was sort of shouting or whatever, so then I just shouted back, “Okay, this will be the last swami I ever go to see.” I guess Krishna made it true.

So, by the time I got to the auditorium, the lecture was over, because that argument took some time, and they were just beginning the kirtan, and the auditorium had bare brick walls, it was sort of modern and pretty tasteful, but that sound vibration was reverberating off of the walls. And one by one, the students were getting out of their seats and jumping up on the stage and joining the kirtan with Srila Prabhupada. He was there but he wasn’t leading the kirtan, and the devotees were dancing in a circle around Srila Prabhupada.

And I also felt like joining, so I stood up, and then I looked at my friends and I thought, If I do this, it will be too much, they will not be able to take this. So, I just stood up and was swaying in the aisle. And then afterwards, they said, “If anyone has a car and is driving to Harvard Square or Boston and can give the devotees a lift, they should meet the devotees and let them know.” So, I had a car, a station wagon, and I was planning to go to Harvard Square, and so I gave them a ride.

That was also very interesting, but again, for the sake of time. I asked them that I wanted to speak to the Swami and they said, “Well, he is giving a lecture at the temple tomorrow night, you can come.”

So, I went to the lecture and I couldn’t follow everything. For one thing, Srila Prabhupada had a thick Indian accent at the time, and then the other thing is I wasn’t used to the subject. But he did quote that out of many thousands of men, one will seek perfection. And when I heard that, I thought, He is speaking about me. Everyone else is complaining, but he is talking about me, maybe this is meant for me.

And then afterwards, I asked my burning question, “There are so many swamis and yogis, and each one says that his method is best, so how do I know which is actually best?” And Srila Prabhupada replied with a very intelligent question, “What is your goal?” Because I was asking what’s the best means, but we really need to know what is the end that you want to achieve. Then you can know what is the best means.

So, he said, “What is your goal? Do you want to serve God, or do you want to become God?” And he said, “If you want to become God, it means you are not God now, and how can not God become God?” He said, “God is always God. He doesn’t have to become God by yoga or meditation. And Krishna is God. He is God when He is playing on the lap of Mother Yasoda, He is God when He is speaking the Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna, He is always God.” He said, “You can become godly, but you cannot become God.”

And then he said, “If you sow the seed of service to God and water it by chanting, God will provide all the sunshine and air and requirements to make that plant grow. But if you want to become God, you are only cheating yourself. If you want to serve God, God will help you, but if you want to become God, why should God help the competition?” So then, he said, “So, what do you think? You want to serve God, or do you want to become God?”

Now, at that time, I had the distinct impression that Srila Prabhupada was looking right into me, right through me, through the walls of the temple, through the neighboring areas, and actually seeing my apartment, and looking in my apartment and into my bathroom, and onto the wall of my bathroom where I had engraved in my own handwriting, with ornate letters in different colors, a sign that I posted on my bathroom wall, and the sign said: “You are God.” Just in case I would forget that I’m God, the sign was there to remind me.

So, Prabhupada then asked, “So, what do you think? Do you want to serve God, or do you want to become God?” So, I wanted to say, “I want to serve God,” but I knew he knew everything, and I said, “I want to serve God, but actually, I realized I wanted to become God.” He said, “Yes.”

So then, I knew I had found my perfect master and I bowed my head down in obeisance and surrender, and I kept my head down for quite a while. At the time, I thought it was just surrender, but that there was also another little part of me that was afraid to lift my head up because I imagined that everyone would be looking at me and frowning and glaring, “He wanted to become God.”

But eventually, there were sounds that indicated. . . I didn’t know what prasāda was, but there were sounds that indicated they were serving food. I thought, Okay, it will be safe, everyone will be busy. So, I sat up and looked around and people were very happy and smiling and looking at me, smiling. So, that was good.

So, one more story from that period. So, as I mentioned, every alternate night, Srila Prabhupada would speak, usually, at a university. And so, very soon after that, he spoke at Harvard University Divinity School, which is very prestigious. And after his talk, many students raised their hands, they wanted to challenge him, and he disposed of their challenges one after the other. After the other, they were so happy, and the students were buzzing, “Wow, what just happened?”

One young man raised his hand and said, “You said that by chanting Hare Krishna, all problems will be solved, but in Russia, there was a group of Christian mystics who would repeatedly chant the name of Jesus, but it didn’t really change anything. It was really when there was a revolution that things changed.”

So, the idea was, “What is this chanting really going to do? We need social action or political action.” And Prabhupada replied, “So, the people in Russia, are they happy now?” And he said, “Well, no.” And Prabhupada said, “What is the use if they are not happy?”

And another one raised his hand and said, “Have you seen God?” Prabhupada said, “If I tell you falsely that I have seen God, would you believe me?” And he said, “Well, no, I wouldn’t.” And then Prabhupada said, “Then what is the use of asking this question?”

And then another one, “You emphasized repeating Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, but couldn’t we achieve the same result by repeating anything like one two three, one two three?” And Prabhupada immediately replied, “Of course, that is not possible, but you can try counting, and after you get tired of counting, you can try chanting.”

So, one after the other, he just disposed of them. And so, I was just loitering, just hearing the students’ comments. And I saw devotees didn’t have a car, and when I was coming, I had a car, so they asked me if I would drive Srila Prabhupada.

So, I had actually driven Srila Prabhupada to the program, but it was daylight then, and I could find a way, but when the program was over, it was dark, and I wasn’t really sure, but I had a general idea, so I thought, Okay, we’ll go this way for some distance, then this way. And as we went on, I had this sinking feeling that we were lost and we were getting more lost, and even though I didn’t want to admit it, I had to ask the other devotees, “Does anyone know the way back to the temple?” And no one knew.

And I was in the driver’s seat and Prabhupada was in the passenger seat, and he said, “Is not the driver supposed to know the way?” I hadn’t realized that I was the driver and that the driver had certain duties and responsibilities. I thought I was being a good guy driving the devotees.

But anyway, eventually, we managed to get back to the temple. It was a small storefront and the devotees had rented an apartment across the street. And so, we got back, I jumped down and opened the door for Prabhupada to get out. I actually felt very bad about what had happened, and I said, “I’m very sorry.” And Prabhupada looked at me with such love and compassion. He simply said, “That’s alright.”

This was really perfect, and I knew it was the perfect philosophy, the perfect process, and I’d seen how Prabhupada just totally disposed of the students’ challenges, so I knew if he wanted, he could have totally demolished me for my mistake. But although he had that power, I could see that he was very compassionate. And so, he knew I’m somehow trying, and even if I made mistakes, he didn’t take it very seriously. I’d already surrendered, I already knew it was my perfect master, but that was a further illumination on his divine qualities.

So, I’ll have to skip ahead now. Srila Prabhupada wanted to return to India to start the mission in India. And Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, had instructed him to spread Krishna consciousness in the western world in the English language.

So, one disciple asked him about his coming back, and he said, “Yes, I’ve done what my Guru Maharaja asked, and now I want to do something for the people of India, because they are very eager to imitate the westerners. So, if they see that the westerners are taking to Krishna consciousness, then they may look at their own culture again, they may imitate western Hare Krishna devotees.”

And the strategy proved successful. I mean, when we first came to Bombay and we were chanting in the streets, people were literally weeping with joy. I mean, they couldn’t believe it, they’d never seen white people dressed as Vaishnavas chanting the names of Krishna.

So, things were going on, and then we learned that other swamis would have big pandal programs and speak to large numbers of people. And so, we thought, Well, why don’t we do this for Srila Prabhupada? But it seemed impossible for us because we were new and we didn’t really have any resources. But Prabhupada said we could try, and he gave the example of shooting a rhinoceros.

Because it’s very hard to shoot a rhinoceros and to catch a rhinoceros, so if you try and fail, no one will blame you. He said, “Well, everyone knows you can’t capture a rhinoceros, and if you are successful, then everyone will praise you that you captured the rhinoceros.”

So, we tried. Shyamsundar Prabhu was the temple president in Bombay and he organized the program, and Tamal Krishna Goswami was in charge of the actual pandal. He was the temple president of the pandal and I was temple commander of the pandal.

So, one of the areas that I was in charge of in particular was the book tables. There were a lot of tables lined up next to each other, a long row of tables, and we had books, and we had only one Hindi magazine because we knew that all the books would be in English. But Srila Prabhupada foresaw that we will need it in Hindi. So, we printed one edition of Back to Godhead in Hindi with Dyanpan press in Japan, and had those simultaneously.

So, I have distributed books, many magazines in Boston, and we would put the magazine in people’s hands and they’d look at it and get a little attached to it, and then we would say, “Would you like to keep it?” Most of the time, they’d say they’d like to keep it, and we just asked for a small donation. So, I was in charge of the book table and people were coming and I was handing out the magazine, they were looking at it, and they were walking away with the magazines. So, this was something new, I hadn’t experienced in America.

So, I went to one of our advisors, the main advisor, [Unintelligible 00:43:18] told him what was happening, and he said, “You can’t do that in India.” “Well, what do we do? Because they have to look at it. How would they know if they want to buy it if they don’t look at it?”

He said, “What you do is you poke a hole in the corner of the magazine and you put a string through the hole, and then you tie the string to the leg of the table so they can hold it and look at it but they can’t walk away with it.” So, okay, well, as they say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans.” And that’s how they do it here, so that’s how we do it.

So, at that time, there was an American who was coming to the pandal site, but he was different. He was dressed in a sort of very simple white sort of faded cloth, and he had matted hair. And we were a few devotees, and he was there, so I said, “Would you like to do some service?” He said, “Yeah, what do you want me to do?” I said, “Well, I want you to poke holes in the corner of the magazine and put a string through it and tie the string.”

And that was, as Radheshyam Prabhu gave the hint in advance, that was Richard, who eventually became His Holiness Radhanath Swami. And out of his kindness and generous nature, he gives me the credit for being the first devotee of ISKCON to ever give him service. And then, as Radheshyam Prabhu mentioned, another person that came from that program was His Holiness Lokanath Swami. So, it was Prabhupada’s inspiration. And he said, “You are American, and so you should do something wonderful.”

And Shyamsundar, he was really brilliant, so he had the idea that we should really promote the event. There were such functions and there would be posters, but he took it to a whole another level. He had newspaper advertisements with Prabhupada’s picture and a glow behind him, and billboards, hoardings, and even had a balloon filled with helium that was right at the site, that was rising above the city with the Hare Krishna.

And everyone knew about the program, to the point that at the end, he got a big billboard at VT Station, he didn’t need to put anything; no Bhāgavatam discourse, no Bhaktivedanta Swami and his American and European disciples, not even the place or the date. Just two words, “Hare Krishna,” because everyone knew.

And the first night, it was amazing, thousands of people were just streaming in, we didn’t know what to expect. So, that was very successful, and then afterwards, Prabhupada said to Tamal Krishna Goswami to meet in Calcutta to do a pandal there. And that was even bigger, in a way. I mean, we were getting 20,000 people in Bombay, and we were getting 30,000 in Calcutta.

And so, there was one very interesting exchange, which may give some insight into Srila Prabhupada’s magic, if you will. At that time, Calcutta was under the grips of the communists, and there was a group of young communist terrorists called Naxalites, and really, they had the whole city in terror. They would kidnap children of very rich people and demand ransoms, sometimes they would, it happened when Prabhupada and devotees were there, that they just shot a very wealthy man. He was sort of a pious wealthy man, dead right on the sidewalk.

So that was the climate, and just before the pandal program began, there was a press conference, and the press was also in that mood, a lot of these young sort of communist minded reporters, and they asked Srila Prabhupada, “What does this big arrangement kind of accomplish? Why are you spending so much money for this? You could use the money to feed poor people. What is the use of all this?”

And Srila Prabhupada replied, “The use is that it will give people a chance to hear. Actually, this whole huge arrangement has come just from hearing. Some young American boys and girls heard me speak, they heard my message, and just by hearing, now all of this has come. So, the purpose of this pandal is to give people a chance to hear.” So, he couldn’t really argue with Srila Prabhupada.

Someone sent him a death threat. It was out of a book or a movie. This is way before a computer, so if it was typed, it could possibly be traced, the typewriter could be found, and the culprit could be traced. So, they cut out letters from newspapers and put them together, and the basic message was: “Fly or die, Hare Krishna.” And Prabhupada didn’t fly or die, he just went on with his preaching.

But it was always his desire that the intelligent young people of India should join, and during his presence, it didn’t happen much. It’s funny how times change and attitudes change, but at that time, most of the Indian youth were in the mood of breaking away from the culture and adopting the western ways. The older generation wasn’t like that, but the students were pretty much like that. And looking out at all of you, I think Srila Prabhupada would be immensely pleased to see that so many of you have come forward, adopting the practices of Krishna consciousness.

And of course, our basic principle is to taste Krishna consciousness and to distribute it. Of course, to distribute it, at least to some extent, we have to have it, but I think that would be the perfection. I mean, students, of course, you have responsibilities that come with being students and you are practicing, and I’m sure to whatever extent you can, you are also preaching. And preaching doesn’t just mean speaking. Of course, it means speaking, distributing books, collecting donations, but it can also mean supporting the activities in any way.

Srila Prabhupada gave the example that in the Indian railways, they had signs everywhere with the slogan, “Keep the wheels turning,” and when Srila Prabhupada first saw that, he was thinking, Well, these people are sitting behind their desks, pushing pencils. How are they keeping the wheels turning? But then he realized the idea was that no matter what you are doing in the organization, in the Indian railways, the ultimate goal is to keep the wheels turning.

So, you may be an accountant sitting at a desk, you might even be a sweeper cleaning the floor, but the ultimate goal is to keep the wheels turning.

So, we may have different services in ISKCON, but the ultimate goal is to keep the wheels turning, to keep the books going out, to get the message going out, to keep new people coming. And yeah, you all can be very valuable instruments in the hands of Srila Prabhupada, and Lord Chaitanya, and their devotees, to extend their mercy in the form of the holy name and the Krishna consciousness movement in general.

So, most of us were students when we joined. I met the devotees at the end of March, I think maybe March 31st, and I was scheduled to graduate in June, and I surrendered to Prabhupada, but then I asked the devotees, “Now, should I go back? Should I take my exams?” And they said, “Yes, it could be helpful in the future if you have your degree.”

So, I wasn’t so interested, but I went back a weekend before exams to crack. But I was so excited about Krishna consciousness, whoever I met, I just told them about Krishna consciousness. I went to the library to study, and as soon as I saw someone, I just wanted to speak to them about Krishna.

But somehow, when it came time for the exams, it seemed like whatever answers I knew, those questions were asked on the exam. So, it seemed to go well. But there was one part that was a little troubling to me. There was an essay question about evolution, to describe the whole process of evolution. So, I was writing it down and I was thinking, Now, wait a minute, how do we get from here to here? And I couldn’t remember how they got from there to there, and then I was like, “How do you get from there to there?” I couldn’t remember that, and I thought, Oh boy, I think I’m in trouble with this one.

And then when I got my exam paper back, I got an A, and I thought, Oh my God, the gaps were not in my knowledge of the theory, the gaps were in the theory itself. So, I thought, Anyway, I’m glad that I’m out of here. But that said, each case is different, but as a rule, I would say it’s good to finish. And also, many, not all, but many people do end up in grihastha ashram, so it’s good to have some livelihood in that case.

But really, those are details, the essence is to just surrender to Prabhupada and Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, and dedicate your life to their service. And there’ll be details, there’ll be difficulties, there are always difficulties. But as Srila Prabhupada said, spiritual life is difficult, but material life is impossible.

So, it is difficult in some ways, but the alternative of material life is impossible, so just persevere and work together. That was very important to Srila Prabhupada, and that’s coming from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself, to work together to relish Krishna consciousness and share Krishna consciousness.

Thank you very much. Hare Krishna.

There is a question. “Hare Krishna, Maharaja.” Hare Krishna. “As you said, you were seeking for some real guru for self-realization. What made you confirm Srila Prabhupada is the best master? Which aspect of Srila Prabhupada captured your heart?”

Well, as I mentioned, it was really my first exchange with him when I asked him, and I felt from his answer he was my perfect master. And then that time when we went to Harvard Divinity School and he was so kind to me even after my blunders. And I felt that he is perfect but he is also kind and compassionate.

And then I guess one other experience came at another university program. I believe it was Northeastern University, maybe Boston College, but anyway. So, Srila Prabhupada spoke, and then there were questions and answers, and then there was kirtan.

And during the kirtan, I felt a great feeling of love inside of me. And as we were dancing in the circle, I was looking at the students and staff, there was some professors and staff, I just felt love for them like I’ve never felt before. And then, that sense of love was expanding. It was going through the walls of the hall, and out, and across the nation, and filling the universe, and it was something I’ve never experienced before.

And afterwards, I was so overwhelmed that I approached Srila Prabhupada. I’d ask questions from the audience, but I never actually approached him personally. I was so overcome I went up to him. He was sitting up like this, and I was down there, and I said, “Swamiji, this chanting is wonderful,” just explaining. And he started to chuckle, his whole body was heaving. And I knew he wasn’t laughing at me. I knew he was experiencing some sort of ecstasy. And then he just looked at me and he smiled, again, with so much love and compassion, and just said, “Thank you very much.”

So, I mean, I didn’t have any doubts, but there were just so many experiences that reconfirmed that Srila Prabhupada is the perfect master, this is the perfect philosophy, this is the perfect process.

“There are many bona fide spiritual masters in ISKCON. How do I know who is my spiritual master?”

Well, in the beginning, everyone should develop their relationship with Srila Prabhupada, He is the founder acharya and he is the foundational śikṣā-guru. Our way is just repeating Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and trying to follow his instructions, and by Srila Prabhupada’s grace and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s grace, it will be revealed to you, who your personal spiritual master is.

But you should understand as well that although we have only one dīkṣā-guru, we can have many śikṣā-gurus. A dīkṣā-guru means an initiating spiritual master, and a śikṣā-guru means an instructing spiritual master.

And so, yes, you should wait for that indication within your heart who is your spiritual master. And don’t rush it, don’t be carried away by social pressure or any material consideration, but wait until it becomes clear. And whatever spiritual master you accept, he will certainly tell you to respect all senior Vaishnavas, serve all senior Vaishnavas, hear from them, and learn.

So, ultimately, it’s a family. Srila Prabhupada established a spiritual family. So, you’ll have your father and that is essential, but you’ll have your spiritual grandfather, Srila Prabhupada, and you’ll have uncles, and brothers, and sisters, and older brothers, and older sisters, and spiritual aunts.

And so, yes, you should wait for that indication, but at the same time, you should know that it’s not an exclusive relationship that will rule out other significant relationships. We have many significant relationships, but I pray that Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai will clarify for you who your spiritual master is and how to perceive.

Hare Krishna.