Back To Prabhupada, Issue 22, Winter 2008/9
In 1486, Lord Chaitanya, the incarnation of Godhead for this age of Kali-yuga (quarrel and hypocrisy) in which we live, advented to usher in a 10,000 year golden age, during which the chanting of Hare Krishna would spread to every town and village. To fulfil this prophecy, the parampara (disciplic succession of bona fide Gurus) empowered a special personality, Srila Prabhupada, who appeared in 1896, and who would remain the acharya (Guru or spiritual master) for the rest of the golden age. This he did by founding a Society for which he alone would remain the acharya, and which would act as the vehicle for fulfilling the prophecy. However, since Srila Prabhupada's departure Kali has utilised various ambitious, deviant gurus, leaders and managers to usurp Srila Prabhupada and derail his movement; thereby turning ISKCON into just another new-age Hindu sect, devoted increasingly to philanthropic, commercial and secular activities. Hence the need for the IRM and the revival of Srila Prabhupada's original, glorious mission.
"So far as cooperating with my Godbrothers is concerned, that is not very urgent business. So far until now my Godbrothers have regularly not cooperated with me and by the grace of my Spiritual Master, things are still going ahead. So cooperation or non-cooperation, it is the desire of Bhaktivinode Thakura to preach the Caitanya cult all over the world and in 1875 he predicted that someone would come very soon who would individually preach this cult all over the world."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 23/2/1971)
Jayapataka: "... you Srila Prabhupada. Only by your mercy you have brought us to this Krsna consciousness movement."
Prabhupada: "Yes. I am simply messenger. Mercy is of Bhaktivinode Thakura and Srila Prabhupada. Before your coming they predicted, that "Somebody will bring." Maybe that somebody I am. Bhaktivinode Thakura predicted."
(Conversation, 23/3/1975)
Guest: "Are you planning to choose a successor?"
Prabhupada: "It is already successful."
Guest: "But there must be somebody you know, needed to handle the thing."
Prabhupada: "Yes. That we are creating. We are creating these devotees who will handle."
Hanuman: "One thing he's saying, this gentleman, and I would like to know, is your successor named or your successor will..."
Prabhupada: "My success is always there."
(Room conversation, 12/2/1975)
"I wish that each and every Branch shall keep their independent identity and cooperate keeping the Acarya in the centre. On this principle we can open any number of Branches all over the world. The Ramakrishna mission works on this principle and thus as organization they have done wonderfully."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 11/2/1967)
[Note: This refers to the Ramakrishna mission's policy of having no guru successors after Ramakrishna, who continues to remain unchanged as the sole guru for the institution].
Prabhupada: "So a similar counterpart leaflet you should, that "International Society for Krishna Consciousness, world organization, established by His Divine Grace, and anyone can come here and take foodstuff. We have got arrangement," like this. In suitable words you write and issue another pamphlet."
Tamala Krsna: "Bengali."
Prabhupada: "In Bengali and in English. Which may not touch there, but we write in our own way that "By the order of his guru he went to America. Then he..." That's a fact. What is the fact, that should be written. Give the list of the books and so on, so on."
Tamala Krsna: "List of the temples."
Prabhupada: "Yes, temples. And "He is the acarya of the present Gaudiya-sampradaya.""
(Room conversation, 19/1/1976, emphasis added)
"So Sridhara Maharaja and his two associate gentlemen unauthorizedly selected one acarya and later it proved a failure. The result is now everyone is claiming to be acarya even though they may be kanistha adhikari with no ability to preach. In some of the camps the acarya is being changed three times a year. Therefore we may not commit the same mistake in our ISKCON camp. Actually amongst my Godbrothers no one is qualified to become acarya."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 29/4/1974)
* Gaudiya Vaisnava spiritual lineage
"Hare Krishna will be finished within ten thousand years. [...] People will take advantage of this up to ten thousand years."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, May 13th, 1969)
"Rather, this movement, as I have now began with my disciples, European, American boys [...] It will increase. That is also stated, that for ten thousand years Krishna consciousness movement will increase."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, July 22nd, 1973)
"This movement will go for ten thousand years without any impediment [...] Many fallen souls will be delivered back to home, back to Godhead."
(Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, 5/6/76)
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