Kṛṣṇa Consciousness: A Walk on a Razor's Edge
With Śrīla Prabhupāda's arrival in the West, a spiritual revolution was set in motion. As is the destiny of all revolutions, the initial revolutionary spirit can turn into a more comfortable and established regime of maintenance at best, or an opportunistic lifestyle where the exploits of the original pioneers are turned into playgrounds for politically minded individuals. Sometimes, revolutionaries themselves turn out to be the enjoyers of the conquered territories, acting more in a colonizing rather than a cultivating spirit.
On the path that Śrīla Prabhupāda cleared for us in the most amazing ways—turning the beasts of the jungle into human beings and human beings into devotionally acting bhaktas—we may also find those who eagerly join others on their gradual walk back home, back to Godhead, but with a very different motivation. Like vultures, they follow the path of pious pilgrims only to prey on the weaker ones.
The voice of the "spiritual family" becomes loud but does not define the rules, etiquette, and social conduct that any Vedic family is governed by. Preaching the dogma of unlimited mercy, any pervert or deviant can find a place in such a family—so we are asked to believe.
Such preachers of love, peace, and unity hardly ever mention the one who cleared the path they walk on. They speak more about themselves or directly about the Supreme Personality of Godhead—without accepting His supremacy. Even when Kṛṣṇa personally walked the pastures of Vṛndāvana, such demons disguised as cowherd boys joined His village family only to find an opportune moment to kill Him.
For those who truly try to follow the path of the Founder-Ācārya, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, it is imperative to be on guard when confronted with such preachers of universal indiscriminate unity.
As we learned from Śrīla Prabhupāda, by no means are all things one and the same. On the contrary, those who are spiritually aware can detect the pollution of Māyāvāda even when camouflaged by the eloquent words of śāstra in the wrong hands.
It was here that Śrīla Prabhupāda warned us: we should investigate who is speaking just as much as what is being spoken.
Those who are aware of the spiritual history of the Western countries know that, despite a few attempts, it was ultimately Śrīla Prabhupāda who established Kṛṣṇa Consciousness in the West—and nobody else. There were no "other members of a great spiritual family" arriving before him, nor did he receive any assistance from the movement he was initiated into. One would expect family members to help each other. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda spread Kṛṣṇa Consciousness single-handedly. Anyone demonstrating some spiritual prowess after his appearance can only follow in his shadow. Never before had Kṛṣṇa Consciousness reached such remote tracts of land as during Śrīla Prabhupāda’s presence. Regardless of who may harvest the fruits of his preaching, he was the one who planted the seed. Without him, even his imitators could not exist.
There is a vast difference between imitating and following. Real followers strive to follow the instructions of the Founder-Ācārya word for word, whereas imitators extract from the vast body of knowledge he left behind only what suits their purposes.
We should abstain from the association of such parasites and strive to become part of the mission Śrīla Prabhupāda entrusted to us, which is primarily conducted through:
- Distribution of his books
- Distribution of the Holy Name via public harināma
- Distribution of prasādam
- As a follow-up to preaching, the foundation of Vedic varṇāśrama-dharma-based farm communities
May all those who claim to be followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda become part of these ideals he set for us to follow, leaving behind those who are eager to gain personal profit by pretending to walk in his path—mysteriously trying to integrate him into a "family" of those who were not there when he might have needed them. May such parasitic fellows be left to their own destiny.
After all, the path back home, back to Godhead, may be open for everyone, but the final walk is a walk on a razor’s edge—a rather narrow path to tread.
To already be on this path is invigorating, but the final goal, reached by one among millions, requires truly the utmost qualifications a human being can acquire.
"Those who are free from false prestige, illusion, and false association, who understand the eternal, who are done with material lust, who are freed from the dualities of happiness and distress, and who, unbewildered, know how to surrender unto the Supreme Person, attain to that eternal kingdom."
(Bhagavad-gītā 15.5)
Śrīla Prabhupāda assured us that those who follow vigilantly in his footsteps will be personally introduced by him into the Kingdom of God. Only by his amazing mercy is this possible.