Who is Srila Prabhupada - his guruship

A guru (also known as a teacher), is very important if one has to acquire knowledge in a particular field and thereby become an expert in it. Just as we have teachers in our schools and universities, similarly, in matters related to spirituality, we need gurus to guide us in the right path if we are serious and want to progress in our spiritual lives. A genuine guru in the spiritual path is Srila Prabupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, who, despite leaving his body in 1977, continues to guide us towards God via his profoundly written books and other teachings.

Srila Prabhupada, a glorious modern sage, shares his love with all he meets, via his profound teachings, which bring to life Lord Chaitanya's message: how to develop pure love for Krishna, or God. Srila Prabhupada's outstanding personality - his transcendental desires, qualities, character and personal history - is abundantly expressed in his lectures, conversations, letters and, to some degree, in his books. An endearing presentation on his guruship is found within this Vaniquotes category - I Am Your Guru (Prabhupada).

An introduction is given below in the following 8 quotes.

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Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's teachings

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You have also mentioned to repeatedly offer obeisances to your spiritual master. This is very important. A disciple should offer dandabats, not namaskara. The more one becomes fixed up in guru obeisances, the more he advances in spiritual progress. yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau (ŚU 6.23). (Letter, 15 November 1974, Bombay)

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As soon as this poison will come—"Suppress guru and I become Brahman"—everything finished. Spiritual life is finished. Gauḍīya Maṭha finished, that..., violated the orders of Guru Mahārāja. (Conversation, 20 April 1977, Bombay)

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As you say we are all unqualified, but we become qualified by the mercy of Guru and Krsna. (Letter, 16 May 1973, Los Angeles)

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The author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta is beginning with guru, pūrve gurv-ādi. Beginning is the guru, the spiritual master, because he is the representative of the paramparā system, disciplic succession. Therefore, whatever we do, we must first of all try to understand from guru. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Lecture, 3 March 1974, Mayapur)

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Krishna consciousness means staunch faith both in Guru and Krishna. One minus the other is no good for the devotee. So your faith in the principles of devotion to Guru will certainly help you more and more Krishna. Do not ever try to approach Krishna directly. Anyone who talks of Krishna without service to Guru will not be successful. (Letter, 27 September 1967, Delhi)

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By Krishna's Grace we have a very responsible task before us, so combinedly we should do it nicely so that everything goes on systematically. Rupa Goswami says that the things are enthusiasm, patience, conviction, acting exactly to the order of the Sastra and Guru, and always keeping oneself in the society of devotees, and this makes our devotional service successful. So our serious students should follow Rupa Goswami's advice. (Letter, 8 June 1972, Los Angeles)

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As guru's business is to protect the subordinate disciples from falldown... Just like I am traveling all over the world twice, thrice, in a year. My duty is to see that my disciples who have accepted me guru, they may not fall down. That is my anxiety. So similarly, Kṛṣṇa, being the original guru, He is also very anxious that "My sons..." We are all sons of Kṛṣṇa, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. (Lecture, 15 July 1975, San Francisco)

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If you get guru's kṛpā, then automatically you get Kṛṣṇa... That he was speaking, vāṇī and vapuḥ. Even if you don't see his body, you take his word, vāṇī...If you actually follow the words of guru, that means he is pleased. And if you do not follow, how he can be pleased? (Conversation, 21 July 1975, San Francisco)

Srila Prabhupada's guruship - explore more within this category.

Vanipedia has now over 301 introductory articles compiled from Srila Prabhupada's teachings from the series Who is Srila Prabhupada. All these articles can be seen in the Table of Content on the right side of this article and also here in this Umbrella Category. Browse through them to relish the breadth and depth of Srila Prabhupada's outstanding personality - his transcendental desires, qualities, character and personal history - There is a subject for everyone.

	HOME Choose Another Who is Srila Prabhupada he is a father he is a spiritual master he is happy he is very pleased his absence his activities his advice his aims his allowing his ambitions his answers his anxieties his anxiousness his appeal his appreciations his approval his arrangements his asking his attempts his begging his beginning his being alone his being an old man his beliefs his birth his blessings his body his books his brain his business his capacities his care his challenge his chanting his childhood his coming his comments on going to the moon his concerns his confidence his considerations his consultations his contributions his convictions his cooking his credit his criticism his daily routine his dealings his death his decisions his Deity Worship his dependence on disciples his desires his difficulties his directions his disciples his discussions his disturbances his doing his dreams his duties his eagerness his education his encouragement his endeavors his energy his engagements his enthusiasm his establishing his example his expectations his experiences his facilities his faith his family life his his father his feeling obliged his feelings his feelings of separation his followers his following his following in the footsteps his framework his giving his gladness his Godbrothers his gratitude his guidance his guruship his happiness his hard work his health his hearing his heart his home his hopes his humble his humility his ideas his informing others his initiation his inspiration his instructions his instructions on distributing his books his instructions on editing his books his instructions on management his instructions on reading his books his instructions on selling his books his instructions on training his disciples his instructions to senior disciples his interests his introducing his journey to the West his kirtana his knowing his knowledge his leaders his learning his leaving his lectures his letters his life his life and soul his likes his literature his love his managing his material children his meetings his mercy his mind his mission his missionary activities his morning walks his mother his Movement his Murti form his needs his old age his only request his opinions his opportunities his orders his organizing his permission his plans his plea for assistance his plea for cooperation his plea for help his plea for relief his plea to be informed his plea to join him his pleasure his point his policies his position his prayers his preaching his preaching work his presence his presentations his pride his programs his projects his promises his propositions his purports his purpose his qualifications his quoting Proverbs his receiving service his relationships his remembrances his repeating his requests his requirements his response to comments his responsibilities his retiring his risks his sanctions his satisfaction his sannyasa his satisfaction his secret of success his secrets his seriousness his servants his service his servitude his sincerity his sons and daughters his sorrow his speaking his spiritual children his spiritual master his Srimad-Bhagavatam his stories his strength his stressing points his strictness his students his success his suggestions his surety his talking his tasks his teachings his temples his thankfulness his thinking his time his training his translating his travelling his understanding his wife his wishes his words his work his worship his writing books his his writings people telling him his people's love for him publishing his books publishing his Back to Godhead publishing his Bhagavad-gita As It Is publishing his Krsna Book publishing his Srimad-Bhagavatam his purchasing his books remembering his Guru, part 1 remembering his Guru, part 2 remembering his Guru's blessings remembering his Guru's orders remembering what his Guru said remembering who his Guru was giving him he accepts he always he and the GBC he could not he did not he does not he does not allow he does not approve he does not know he does not like he does not think he does not want he does not wish he has become he has come he has explained he has given he has given us he has got he has got experience he has heard he has never he has no objections to he has not he has received he has started he has taken he has to he is always he is going to he is not he is simply he is so glad to learn he is so sad to learn he is trying to he knows he may he may be he may inform us he means to say he must he never he never said he says he sees he shall he should he tries his best he wants he wants that he wants to he wants to know he wants to see himself let him on his behalf regarding his seeing him so far he is concerned those accepting him those appreciating him those envious of him what can he do? what can he say? what Krishna gave him