Prabhupada's Ideal Society

[krsna 3]

Interview on the Prabhupada Centennial

 

With Srila Gour Govinda Swami

Barcelona, Spain, 22 August 1994

Interviewed by Savyasrestha Prabhu

 

Interviewer: What do you think is the best quality of Srila Prabhupada?

 

Gour Govinda Swami: Prabhupada is a pukkha vaisnava, pure vaisnava. All vaisnava qualities are in him, as mentioned in sastra: krpalu, akrta-droha, satya-sara, sama, maitra vadanya, kavi (Cc. Mad. 22.77-80) All qualities are there. A pure vaisnava has all these qualities. Srila Prabhupada is a pure vaisnava — cent per cent vaisnava-sadhu. His heart bleeds to see the sufferings of the jiva’s, therefore he came down from the abode of Krsna and traveled all over the world to save the fallen jivas. One who is a vaisnava, his heart bleeds.

 

Int: By celebrating the centennial, what benefit do we get?

 

GGS: Are baba! Benefit for the individual and benefit for the masses. All benefit is there. Sastra says:

 

vaisnava guna-gana karile jivera trana

suniachi sadhu guru mukhe

 

Sadhu guru says that if you glorify a vaisnava, you will be glorified. Glorify, magnify, spread, inculcate, tell others, print books, spread throughout the world, and the world will benefit. Individually and collectively such benefit is there. The vaisnava pure devotee should be glorified more than the Lord. The Lord will be very happy when His pure devotee is glorified.

 

Int: If we want to make a nice centennial we have to become very Prabhupada conscious, how can we become strong and all the time thinking of Prabhupada?

 

GGS: How can you become strong? How can you do it on your own? If you have love and affection for Prabhupada, if you have love and affection for a sadhu, if you can understand what he has done, then you will be very strong. You will get his mercy, his strength. It’s Baladeva’s krpa, Baladeva’s merciful strength. It’s manifest in sad-guru. You’ll get his strength. If you get his mercy, that is very powerful. Krpa-bala — merciful strength. Then you can do wonders with that strength. It’s not physical or material strength but spiritual strength that comes from such a sadhu, pure Vaisnava. And that is from Krsna.

 

Int: Many former devotees of ISKCON seem to be forgetting Prabhupada. They have left the association of devotees. We feel that we have to bring all these people back to celebrate Prabhupada’s centennial. How can we accomplish this?

 

GGS: The first thing we have to ask is why they left? What is the reason? Why did they leave Prabhupada’s movement? If that problem is done away with then they will come back, isn’t it? What is the reason why they left? If I state the reason, it will be an unpalatable truth. In his Bhagavatam purport to 5.13.11, Prabhupada has said:

 

“The Krishna consciousness movement aims at creating an atmosphere of non-envy. Of course it is not possible for everyone to become Krishna conscious, but the Krishna consciousness movement can create an exemplary society wherein there is no envy.”

 

Prabhupada wanted an exemplary society where there would be no envy at all, a society of vaisnavas and sadhus. They are never envious. This is the purpose of Prabhupada. If those who are the pillars of the society, the pillars of this house, if they will acquire all vaisnava qualities, if they will be pukka vaisnavas, sadhus, if they will be non envious, then they can bring them back. Those persons who left will see, "Yes, this is the ideal society. No envy at all, a vaisnava society." Krishna is all attractive. His dear devotee is all attractive. Krsna-katha is all attractive. How did Prabhupada attract people throughout the world? He just spoke krsna-katha. This krsna-katha is not different from Krsna, so thereby all are attracted. Do like that and all will be attracted. And those who have gone out of the society because of this enviousness, because some wrong was done to them, if you fix that and they see that it is completely gone, if they see that things are now very good — a pukka vaisnava society where there is no enviousness, only love and affection — then all will be attracted. If Krishna and krsna-katha are there, then they’ll definitely come back. Any jiva will be attracted, why wouldn’t they be attracted? Why would they not come back? But if the same thing continues to go on then no one will come back. The same thing is going on now, do you understand me? You should first know the reason. What is the reason why they left? If that is not going on now and you can exhibit it — not just theoretically saying it, but exhibiting it practically — then they’ll come back.

 

Int: But Maharaja, when Prabhupada was here, some devotees left, because maya is very strong.

 

GGS: Yes maya is very strong. They left because they couldn’t follow Prabhupada’s instruction as it is. You should follow sadhu-guru’s instruction as it is. Don’t twist it and don’t add any of your deliberation to it. Then you’ll get immense spiritual strength. If you don’t follow it, if sadhu-guru gives you some instruction and you think, “Yes, guru maharaja, sadhu maharaja, said this thing. O, I may or may not do like that.” Then finished. You will not get his mercy. You won't have strength. You cannot fight against maya. Maya is so strong, therefore Prabhupada said, “Our purpose is to inculcate Krsna consciousness unto one and all, but of course it’s not such an easy thing.” It is not such an easy thing that everyone will become Krishna conscious. Still we have formed this society, and the members of the society should be such that they will not be at all envious. This should be a society where there is no envy at all. That is Prabhupada’s purpose. If you fulfill this purpose then they’ll come back. These are Prabhupada’s words, do you understand? You may do so many things for show. So many material societies are there. Political groups are there, saying so many things, big big things. They produce so many material plans and projects, “O, this is the aim. We’ll do this thing and that thing.” What is the value? If you do like that what is the value? This is the society for Krishna consciousness, baba! This is significant. Why did he name this society Krishna consciousness, not other consciousness? To develop complete Krishna consciousness is the goal of this human life. That is the perfection of human birth.