(Devotees eager for Prabhupada's mercy—click to enlarge)
"Yes I am glad that your center is doing so well and all the devotees are now appreciating the presence of their spiritual master by following his instructions, although he is no longer present. This is the right spirit."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, September 13, 1970)
"It is important that we preach the message of Krishna Consciousness exactly as we have heard it from our Spiritual Master. The same philosophy and spirit must be there exactly."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 23, 1969)
"One should not only surrender to the spiritual master but also render loving service unto him (sevayā) so that the spiritual master will be pleased with the student and explain the transcendental subject matter more clearly. A challenging spirit before the spiritual master should be avoided if one is at all interested in learning the Vedic instructions in depth."
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.12.3, Purport)
"Kṛṣṇa becomes obliged to the loving spirit of the devotee and not exactly to the service rendered. No one can serve Kṛṣṇa completely. He is so complete and self-sufficient that He has no need of any service from the devotee. It is the devotee's attitude of love and affection for Kṛṣṇa that makes Him obliged."
(Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 40)
"One who has developed the service spirit with love and devotion, he can understand Kṛṣṇa. Nobody else. Nobody... Not Dr. Radhakrishnan or similar person. No. But a child can understand Kṛṣṇa if he has full faith in Him. So it is the faith and devotion that makes one qualified to understand God. Mad-āśrayaḥ. This is called mad-āśrayaḥ. Now by simply that faith and service, you'll understand that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, San Francisco, March 26, 1968)
"The more you increase your service spirit, the more you increase your dormant love of God. And as soon as you are in the perfectional stage of love of God, you see God always, every moment. Twenty-four hours you can see."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, May 18, 1970)
"Religion is the service spirit. That is religion. Now, real religion is the service. Everyone is engaged in giving service, but he does not know where his service will be successful. That he does not know. Therefore Kṛṣṇa gives us indication that 'You serve Me and your service spirit will be successful.' That is religion."
(Srila Prabhupada Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx)
"We are serving actually, but instead of serving God, we are serving kamādi, our lust, our greediness, our senses. In one word we are serving our senses. So the position is there, but when you turn that service spirit to God, that is your success of life. Otherwise it is simply waste of time."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Montreal, July 6, 1968)
"So not only the churches in the Western countries; here also. As soon as you will lose the spirit of service, this temple will become a big godown (warehouse or storage room), that's all. No more temple. So we have to maintain that service spirit."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavan, September 24, 1976)
"Our Society is like one big family and our relationships should be based on love and trust. We must give up the fighting spirit and use our intelligence to push ahead."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 6, 1970)
"Let us try to work cooperatively, otherwise the fighting spirit will ruin our great movement."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, April 10, 1974)
"We have to understand that fighting spirit is there in everyone. You cannot check it, you cannot stop it. We do not say stop. The Māyāvādī philosopher says that 'You stop this thing,' but that is not possible. You cannot stop. Because you are living entity, you have got all these propensities. How you can stop it? But it should be utilized properly. That's all. You have got the fighting spirit. How to utilize it? Yes. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura recommends, krodha bhakta-dveṣī-jane: 'Those who are envious of God or God's devotee, you can utilize your anger upon them.' You can utilize. The anger you cannot give up. Our business is how to utilize it. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, London, August 6, 1973)
"We have so much work to do, we cannot lose our solidarity. Do not cause a crack there with any fighting spirit or competition. Whenever I hear complaints or disturbances in our centers my mind becomes too much disturbed and I cannot properly translate my books. So please spare me from such disturbance by cooperating all together Godbrothers and Godsisters."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 7, 1974)
"So we shall not think that this is my zone, that is his zone, just like the Indian and Pakistan nation are thinking, and then there is war, no. Lord Chaitanya has given us the task to spread His message all over the world, and any process which may be useful for facilitating this business, that we shall gladly adopt, never mind his zone or my zone, that is material designation. But we shall always do everything in cooperative spirit and avoid any fighting amongst us, that is Vaisnava attitude because Lord Caitanya has advised us to always offer all respects to others, especially to the devotees of the Lord."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 18, 1972)
"Vaiṣṇava means para-duḥkha-duḥkhī (unhappy to see others unhappy). Vaiṣṇava should be always duḥkhī for others. Vaiṣṇava personally he has no duḥkha (unhappiness). That is Prahlāda Mahārāja says. Naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyās tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa (SB 7.9.43). They are simply anxious for the persons who are godless. That is their... Even they are godless, even they are enemy of the devotee, still Vaiṣṇava says, 'How I can correct him?' Not that 'He's my enemy. Let him die.' 'How I shall correct him?' That is Vaiṣṇava, para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. He is under ignorance, he is talking nonsense—'How shall I correct him?' That is missionary spirit."
(Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, December 17, 1975, Bombay)
"From a practical point of view, as I have not yet finished Srimad Bhagawatam and we have got now 100 branches, so by the time I am finished with Bhagawatam there must be at least 1000 branches. I have worked alone, now you are so many. Our scope is unlimited, resources unlimited, so we must be exceptionally enthusiastic and sober-minded and responsible for working in that spirit."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, June 16, 1972)
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