Send this story to a friend

• Srila Prabhupada translated and wrote purports to 18,000 verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Reading one verse with purport daily would take the reader 49.31 years to complete.


• He translated and wrote purports to 700 verses of Bhagavad-gita. It would take the reader approximately two years to complete.


• He translated and wrote purports to 17 volumes of Chaitanya-charitamrita (2,170 pages, or 11,555 verses). Reading one verse with purport daily would take the reader 31.6 years to complete. Reading one page daily would take the reader 5.9 years to complete.


• He wrote Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, a synopsis of Chaitanya-charitamrita;


• and wrote Nectar of Devotion; 


• Ishopanishad.


• He created a monthly magazine, Back To Godhead, which at one point was distributed in excess of one million copies per month.


• Under his explicit direction and inspiration, hundreds of artful illustrations were published in all the above-mentioned books.


• He wrote over 7,000 personal letters to his disciples, published in five volumes of books;


• He gave lectures on Srimad-Bhagavatam, compiled into 11 volumes of books.


• He gave lectures on Bhagavad-gita, compiled into seven volumes of books.


• His darshan conversations have been compiled into 42 volumes of books.


• He produced phonograph records.


• He established 108 temples (including Mayapur, Vrindaban, Bombay--with hotel or guest houses, Hyderabad temple, New Vrindaban and Gita Nagari farm communities).


• His published books total some 160. Reading one book per week would take three years, or one book a month, 13 years. One book every two months equals 26 years of reading, about twice the time it took Prabhupada to write them. Probably we will not live that long. If one started reading today, he would not finish till the year 2019. Think of it!

All the while, Prabhupada was constantly travelling, going around the world at least twelve times from the age of 70 until 80 years. Plus he recruited from countries all over the world over 5,000 young boys and girls as his disciples, who served him enthusiastically, giving up sinful life and chanting Hare Krishna in towns and villages world-wide.

The ACHARYA is one who sets a milestone in the evolution of the SAMPRADAYA, as Srila Vyasadeva did by recording all the Vedic literatures, as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did by introducing the sankirtan movement and as Thakur Bhaktivinoda and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta did by introducing and utilising all modern facilities for preaching the message of Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada took that message and presented it to the whole world in English, subsequently translated in all languages of the world, his purports being so clear and concise that anyone reading his books seriously today becomes transformed and awakened to Krishna consciousness. Therefore he is the ACHARYA, because he has made all the people of the world conscious of Krishna by bringing Krishna in the form of His books.

All others are his servants--rittviks of the acharya-- and that is a very honourable, respectable and prestigious post. But to pose as a guru-acharya in the light of all this is ridiculous.

"Where there's smoke there's fire," and this is a lot of smoke for persons claiming to be Guru Acharyas! Prabhupada used to say, "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion." But here we have some very suspicious Caesars.

Here is an excerpt from a conversation with Srila Prabhupada in Nairobi Africa:

INDIAN MAN: When did you become the spiritual leader of Krishna consciousness?
PRABHUPADA: What is that?
BRAHMANANDA: He's asking, When did you become the spiritual leader of Krishna consciousness?
PRABHUPADA: When my Guru Maharaja ordered me. This is the guru-parampara.
INDIAN MAN: Did it...
PRABHUPADA: Try to understand. Don't go very speedily. A guru can become guru when he's ordered by his guru. That's all. Otherwise, nobody can become guru.
INDIAN WOMAN 2: (Hindi)
PRABHUPADA: (Hindi) Sadhi mam prapannam. "I am surrendered to you. Whatever you say, I shall carry out." That's all.
INDIAN MAN: When did he tell you to--
PRABHUPADA: What is the business, when did he tell me? And why shall I disclose to you? It is so very insignificant thing that I have to explain to you?
INDIAN MAN: No, I am just curious when--
PRABHUPADA: You should be curious within your limit. You should know that one can become guru when he is ordered by his guru, this much.

Author's comment: The point is: when the guru orders, then only one becomes guru. For instance, in the ashram, if the spiritual master does not ask or order his disciple to take food, then the disciple should fast. That is the discipline. Prabhupada ordered some disciples to "act as rittvik of the acharya, " but he never ordered, "You become full guru acharya of ISKCON" to any disciple. Where is the order? It does not exist!

The authorities Srila Prabhupada created are meant to obey and support the orders he gave. When the authorities fail in that function, no excuses, benefits of the doubt (as we gave in the case of so many gurus before) or word jugglery should be accepted to justify their deviation. They must immediately be brought to account for their discrepancies, in harmony with the teachings of the Founder-acharya, Srila Prabhupada.