Srila Prabhupada – The Master Disciple

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda       —       Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura

Srila Prabhupāda – The Master Disciple

By Sri Hasti Gopala Dasa, Toronto, Canada.

Srila Prabhupada is the master disciple. He’s showing us by his example how to be a first class disciple. That example is continuing and the revelations will continue as we read his original books throughout the rest of our lives. The perfection of life is to follow strictly the bona fide spiritual master and make his orders, the life and soul of our disciplic position. By repeating without change his eternal message of how to love God Krishna, will be the perfection of life. He has told us this many times and he has masterfully followed it himself in the most perfect manner. Indeed he continues to do so.

So as much as we follow purely, we will become leaders but that following means to become as much as sincerely possible a master disciple.
The carpentry master has within himself the apprentice. The master may draw on the experience and knowledge of his apprenticeship but the apprentice cannot draw on the experience and knowledge of being a master carpenter. First we must become first class disciples of Srila Prabhupada…everyone. Then automatically leading others towards the same path of bhakti yoga will take its natural course.

There is no question of becoming a bona fide spiritual master without first becoming a bona fide master disciple.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

How does a genuine disciple think?

For the genuine devotee of a spiritual master, the genuine disciple, the spiritual master is his entire life, his ideal. His vow is to serve the spiritual master, and though he adores both Krishna and the spiritual master equally, he gives special preference to his spiritual master.

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

All my disciples will take the legacy. If you want you can also take it. Sacrifice everything. I, one, may soon pass away. But they are hundreds, and this movement will increase.

It is not that I give an order, ‘Here is the next leader.’ Anyone who follows the previous leadership is the leader….All of my disciples are leaders, as much as they follow purely.” (Room Conversation, London, August 14, 1971. )

Prabhupada: Yesam tu anta-gatam papam. One who has finished sinful activities; he can be engaged in God consciousness. One who is engaged in sinful activities, he cannot. Devil citing scripture.

A devil cannot cite scripture. Angel can cite scripture. And according to our acharyas, Sanatana Goswami, he says that “Don’t hear scriptures from the devil.” Avaisnava-mukhodgirnam putam hari-kathamrtam sravanam naiva kartavyam” If a devil’s preaching about God, don’t hear. If you say, “God is pure, so let me hear about God. It doesn’t matter whether he is devil or angel. It doesn’t matter.” No. The argument is sarpocchistam payo yatha. Just like milk is very nourishing food, but if it is touched by the lips, by the tongue of a serpent, it becomes poison. Sarpocchistam payo yatha. You cannot bring the milk which is touched by the serpent’s tongue.

So we should receive knowledge of God, message of God, from a person who is not a devil. Then it will be effective. Otherwise, it will act as poison. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s principle is apani acari prabhu jiveri siksaya. He first of all behaves himself, and then he preaches. So if the preacher is sinful, how he can deliver other sinful men by his so-called preaching. That is not possible. He must be pure, he must be sinless. Then his preaching will be effective. But in all conditions, if we, with faith and love we chant the holy name of God, we shall become gradually purified. There is no, I mean to say, cause of anxiety. Anyone who will chant this holy name, he’ll be purified.

Ys
Hasti Gopala Dasa

Originally posted on March 3rs 2011.
Special thanks to Tomohara Prabhu and Damagosh Prabhu for their contributions to this little article.