(Click to see a larger photo of Srila Prabhupada)
"And when I came out on the street, this my friend asked me, 'What is your opinion of this sadhu?' Then I said that 'Here is the right person who has taken up Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's message, and now it will be distributed. So I was at that time a fool, but I opined like this. And I accepted him as my spiritual master immediately. Not officially, but in my heart."
(Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's Disappearance Day Lecture, Los Angeles, December 13, 1973)
"Now here I am sitting, New York, a very great, the world's greatest city, so magnificent city, but my heart is always hankering after that Vrndavana.
Woman: Yes.
Prabhupada: Yes. I am not happy here.
Woman: Yes, I know.
Prabhupada: I shall be very happy to return to my Vrndavana, that sacred place. 'But then why you are...?' Now, because it is my duty. I have brought some message for you people. Because I am ordered by superior, my spiritual master, that 'Whatever you have learned, you should go to the Western countries, and you must distribute this knowledge.' So in spite of all my difficulties, all my inconveniences, I am here because I am in duty. I, I... That is my personal convenience, if I go and sit down at Vrndavana, I shall be very comfortable there. And I'll be, I'll have no anxiety, nothing of the sort. You see? But I have taken all the risk in the old age because I am in duty-bound. I am in duty-bound. So I have to execute my duty in spite of all my inconveniences. That is the idea."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, March 4, 1966)
"Of course I do not reply your each and every letter, I always think of you because you are all my heart and soul. I am so pleased to have your association and I always thank my Spiritual Master Om Visnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja for His favor by sending me some sincere representative of Him in missionary activities in this part of the world."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, April 7, 1967)
"Whenever there is new branch of our society for Krishna Consciousness I become very very happy, & my blessings in heart and soul are with you. I went to your country for spreading this information of Krishna Consciousness & you are helping me in my mission although I am not physically present there but spiritually I am always with you. Our procedure is very simple and consistent. We chant, we read from Bhagavad Gita & Srimad-Bhagwatam and we distribute prasadam."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, October 3, 1967)
"We have a distinct position that we are neither cheated nor cheaters. We are the genuine representative of Krishna who is the friend of all living creatures. We must play our part independently only on faith in Krishna and His bonafide representatives. Krishna was very kind to me when He sent you to me for cooperating. My hearty thanks for you when you write to say that 'Krishna Consciousness is the full perfection of life.' Lord Chaitanya was eulogized by Rupa Goswami as the latter understood that Lord Chaitanya was there to distribute Krishna Consciousness. The only gift for the humanity at large. Lord Chaitanya wanted that the message should be distributed in every village and town of the globe. Let us do this service as far as possible in all seriousness. We can not make any compromise with anyone for cheap popularity."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, December 21, 1967)
"So, at any circumstances you must not forget Krsna. I love you at my heart and therefore I gave you the name Krsna devi dasi. Don't forget Krsna even for a single moment; chant Hare Krsna loudly or slowly as it my be convenient. But don't forget to chant the Holy Name."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 26, 1968)
"Your vivid description of the prearrangement of Rathayatra ceremony was so nice and elaborate that it has moved my heart. I thank you very much for grasping the momentum of Krishna Consciousness, by your advanced service attitude. I can only wish that Krishna may give you more and more strength in understanding His transcendental nature."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, July 4, 1968)
"Our business is to chant and glorify the Holy Name of Krishna and wherever we may remain, Krishna is with us, Krishna is within your heart, Krishna is within my heart. So, spiritually there is no question of separation, even physically we may be in far distant place."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 30, 1968)
"As you know as I have several times mentioned that the press is my heart and soul and it should work constantly to produce literature for wide distribution."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 16, 1970)
"In my heart I want that KRSNA book in small or large form, should be distributed in every home who are English-speaking people."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, May 17, 1971)
"As you are going to restore order in the temple I am always with you because Srila Jiva Goswami's temple is my heart and soul. I think with your cooperation I shall be able to render some genuine service to the Gosvamis Who are staying in the temple. I shall be glad to hear from you now and then specially when you reach Vrindaban during the Holi festivals. My American students are all glad to have your good blessings for them. If Radha Damodara desires many Americans will go to see the holy place of Jiva Goswami in the very near future."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Nripen Babu, March 18, 1967)
"Consecutively two days, attack. Actually I would have died on the ship before reaching your country. I could not understand that was heart attack. The pain was so severe, I thought, 'I am now dying.' And it was done two nights. And I was very much afraid whether on the third night, that 'If this night also again some pain like that comes, then I'll die.' But third night did not pain. It was suspended."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Puri, January 25, 1977)
"I came here with a great mission to execute my Spiritual Master's order but my heart is stabbing me. Of course, I'm not afraid of Maya, I know Maya cannot touch me, but still if I die in this condition, my mission will remain unfulfilled. Please therefore pray to Prabhu Lord Caitanya and Vrindaban Bihar, to rescue me this time, my mission is still not finished. I wish to live for a few more days."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Hari Bhakta Nudasa, June 1, 1967)
"Regarding preaching tour, it has become a little difficult for me because I have got the same heart trouble as you have, and still I am moving just to encourage these young boys who are working on my behalf."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Sridhar Maharaj, July 14, 1974)
"Then, 1967, in July, I thought, 'Now the health is broken.' I was very sick after heart stroke. So I thought, 'Now I shall not exist. So let me go to Vrndavana and die there.'"
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Los Angeles, June 8, 1976)
"I am very much anxious to see the progress at Bombay center, and I want it shall become the first-class preaching center in the world. Please help me in this ambition. If we can manage successfully, we will be attractive for the whole of India. Our task is very heavy, do not neglect by paltry disagreement. I hope Krishna will bless you to understand my heart and oblige."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, June 19, 1972)
"I wish to express my heart-felt gratitude for the kind treatment given me and my disciples, members of the Hare Krishna Movement on our recent two day visit in Tirumala. The special excess we were given for darsana before Balaji is something we will always remember favorably, and for my American and European followers it was a rarely given privilege for which they are fully appreciative. We all left Tirupati feeling very much inspired by the darsana and by your excellent management, and we hope to return when we are able again."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to the Management, Tirupati-Tirumala-Devasthanam, May 4, 1974)
"The leaders of the government must be very honest and religious because otherwise all the affairs of the state will suffer. Unfortunately, in the name of democracy, rogues and thieves are electing other rogues and thieves to the most important posts in the government. Recently this has been proven in America, where the president had to be condemned and dragged down from his post by the citizens. This is only one case, but there are many others. Because of the importance of the Krishna consciousness movement, people should be Krishna conscious and should not vote for anyone who is not Krishna conscious. Then there will be actual peace and prosperity in the state. When a Vaisnava sees mismanagement in the government, he feels great compassion in his heart and tries his best to purify the situation by spreading the Hare Krishna movement."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.3, Purport)
"First meeting, perhaps you know, he asked me to preach. So at that time I was young man, only twenty-five years old, and I was also householder. So I should have joined and executed his desire immediately, but due to my ill luck I could not immediately execute his order, but it was in my heart that it is to be done. So better late than never, I executed his order at the age of seventy years, not at the age of twenty-five. So actually I wasted so much time, I can understand that. From twenty... The message was there when I was twenty-five years old, but I began at the age of seventy years. But I did not forget the message. Otherwise, how could I do? That was, that is a fact. I was simply finding out the opportunity, how to do it. So anyway, although I began very late, at the age of seventy years, so by the help of my disciples this movement is gaining ground and is spreading all over the world. So therefore I have to thank you. It is all due to you. It is not my credit, but it is your credit that you are helping me in executing the order of my Guru Maharaja."
(Sri Vyasa-puja Lecture, London, August 22, 1973)
"I think that His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is always seeing my activities and guiding me within my heart by his words. As it is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam, tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye [SB 1.1.1]. Spiritual inspiration comes from within the heart, wherein the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His Paramatma feature, is always sitting with all His devotees and associates. 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 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. If there is any credit to my activities of translating, it is all due to His Divine Grace."
(Caitanya-caritamrta, Concluding Words)
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