(Srila Prabhupada arrives in America with 40 rupees and a small suitcase—click to enlarge)
"I am not a magician that I can create wonderful. Sometimes people, they give me so much honor: 'Swāmījī, you have created wonderful.' I do not feel that I have created wonderful. What I have done? I say that I, I do..., I'm not a magician. I do not know how to create wonderful. I have simply Bhagavad-gītā, presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, that's all. If there is any credit, this is only credit.
Anyone can do that. The Bhagavad-gītā is there, and anyone can present Bhagavad-gītā as it is. So it will act wonderful. I am not a magician. I do not know the tricks of magics and the yoga-siddhi, 'I am creating (makes gesture) like this.' (laughter) I have no such power. Neither I do it. So I..., my only credit is, I do not want to mix with this pure Bhagavad-gītā teaching any rascaldom, that's all. That is my credit. And whatever little miracle has been done, only on this principle. That's all."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, January 9, 1973)
"Sometimes, you know, people say that I have done miracles. They say everywhere. But I do not know anything miracles or magic. If there is any miracle, that miracle is that we present things as they are, that's all, without any adulteration. So that should be the principle. Present as it is: it will be accepted."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavan, October 22, 1972)
"Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). If you go through the process of disciplic succession, hearing from the authorities, you may be fool, I may be fool, but because I am hearing from the authority, my knowledge is perfect. My knowledge is perfect. Just like I may be imperfect. I don't say that I am perfect. But I am speaking to the whole world, 'Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.' The same thing. As the child says, as the boys says, I am also saying the same thing. But it is becoming effective because this is the fact. This is the fact. I don't make any miracles or create any gold or this or that. No. These boys and girls, they are captivated to me not by miracles, but by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Because this is the fact."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, November 18, 1974)
"They give me so much credit, that 'You have done wonderful, miracle,' and I do not know how to play any miracle… I do not know how to play magic. I do not know. But only magic is, that I don't adulterate. That's all. I don't adulterate."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavan, April 7, 1976)
"People are giving me credit that I have done miracles, but my miracle is that I carried the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu: yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). So this is the secrecy."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Hyderabad, August 19, 1976)
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