Srila Prabhupada Tirobhava Tithi | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | October 25, 2025
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
Introduction:
So, Srila Prabhupada accomplished something miraculous within his lifetime. And particularly in the last 10 years. Most devotees, maybe they spend 10 years doing bhakti and then they get initiated. But Srila Prabhupada spread the movement around the world and established so many temples where there was zero, in 10 years.
1. Preaching:
Of course, we see within Srila Prabhupada’s lifetime, preaching was difficult. Even in India, it was difficult. That is why Srila Prabhupada left India and went to America, because he didn’t get much response. And when he went to America at that time, people were unfamiliar with yoga and vegetarianism and such things. And when he came back to India, even then he was looking for land, he asked different people, but hardly anybody responded. And when he established centers in Bombay and Vrindavan and Mayapur, he had to get money from foreign devotees, not from people in India, not life members, not wealthy people of India. So, compared to the number of temples abroad, that is, in foreign countries, when Prabhupada disappeared, the number of temples in India was very little, maybe five. Now, we see that, that has reversed, and we have maybe a few hundred temples in India, compared to the rest of the world. And India has more wealth, Indian temples have more wealth than the other temples around the world. So, in any case, Srila Prabhupada, in his lifetime, accomplished something very remarkable that had not been done before.
2. Systems to preserve
But then, Prabhupada’s concern was what would happen afterwards. What would happen when he disappeared? What would happen after 20 years, 30 years, 50 years or 100 years? And he did his best to take precautions. So, there were, let’s say, legal precautions. So, Prabhupada established, for instance, in India, a legal trust or society. This would safeguard the properties and the donations. When he first went to America, then he established International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the society. So, one, of course, was to preserve the temples and properties. And if we can do that, that’s one success.
3. Measuring the quality of devotion
But, of course, Prabhupada just didn’t want preservation, he wanted expansion. Just as Prabhupada may have been satisfied with one temple, two temples, three temples, but even when he had those temples, he was trying to expand. So, at least preserve what we have, but better we can expand everything. But expansion does not mean simply increase the temples, increase the properties, increase money. It means increase devotees. But then, how do we measure devotees? One is to count bodies [Laughs]. So, we sometimes do, how many devotees are in your temple? We count, you have 10, 20, 30, 50, 100, whatever [Laughs]. And if you have 5 devotees, 10 devotees, it’s a small temple. If you have 200 devotees, then it’s a huge temple. So, that’s some measure, but, of course, we’re not just looking for numbers. Because there’s something we cannot really quantify, and that is bhakti. So, we have hundreds of devotees, and they have 0.1% bhakti each, it doesn’t amount to too much. So, therefore, yes, we want to make devotees, but we also have to cultivate them properly and see that they develop. Even that has to be carefully analyzed.
4. Taking care of devotees
Because we do want to measure things. It is said for any organization, you have to measure results. You also have to have systems for preserving things. You also have to have practical plans to communicate with the public. So, this means our preaching. And then we make devotees, and then you have to care for the devotees. So, care, of course, ultimately means we have to make sure that we can have them cultivate bhakti properly.
Cultivation of devotion – the real care, the real measure, the real system to preserve & harmony
So, again, we come back to measurement. How do we measure devotees and devotee care, etc.? So, actually, it is quite difficult in one sense. But then we have to take some measurements, so we do that. So, then we make out how many rounds they chant. If you chant two rounds at this level, five rounds this one. Of course, nothing wrong with that also, because we see the person is quite dedicated if he’s chanting 16 rounds.
And then another measure is initiation. If you’re initiated, you’re one type of devotee. If you’re not initiated, you’re like a second-class devotee. So, then the aim of the temple is to get people initiated [Laughs]. And again, nothing wrong with that because the standards are quite high. But, again, then we have to look at standards versus real qualification. So, as we know, you can be qualified for many things by writing different exams. That doesn’t guarantee you really know the subject. So, we have graduates in economics or in accounts or whatever. Yeah, most of them have a degree, but they may be terrible accountants [Laughs] or terrible whatever. So, similarly, with bhakti, we can also set some sort of standards like that, still it’s not a fool proof method of measuring bhakti itself.
So, of course, we haven’t solved that problem, but we should always be thinking what is the best way in which we can measure the devotion of devotees. And the reason for that is, we overemphasize the formal recognition, sometimes that also becomes a problem. So, in other words, we have to, in expanding the movement, have to make measurements, at the same time, we have to see that it’s actually devotion that we’re cultivating.
Yeah, we see that as movements grow and expand, etc., then we put systems in place, etc. But there’s also, and it’s good, at the same time, there’s also some dangers. So, we have this problem towards centralization and decentralization. That’s a problem or a controversy even in ISKCON [Laughs]. And different devotees have completely different ideas on this. Some say Prabhupada wanted centralization, others say he didn’t want centralization [Laughs]. So, in other words, we do have areas in which there is some controversy. But in all cases, as I said, we have to preach to make devotees, and then we have to care for the devotees, which means we have to see that they can cultivate bhakti properly.
And centralization, decentralization systems or non-systems or whatever, they may be applicable to certain situations. But then ultimately the movement is held together by devotion. And as the movement grows and becomes more systematized and whatever, maybe bureaucratic or whatever then people sometimes feel, oh this is all very mechanical and something, devotion has disappeared [Laughs]. So, we have to be careful of how we expand the movement. So, that’s one factor we have to keep in mind. And it all depends, of course, on how deep the devotee has bhakti. Because if that bhakti is there, that solves all problems.
So, as we see from Lord Caitanya Siksastaka, the real devotee is one who is humbler than a blade of grass, and tolerant than a tree, and offers respect to everyone. And doesn’t expect respect for himself. So, if that principle is there and devotees are like that, we should not expect any problems at all. But then we get problems because the bhakti is probably not going properly [Laughs]. So therefore, bhakti is also a central thing and care for devotees means how we develop our and other people’s devotion in the proper way.
5. Innovation:
The last factor for expanding a movement besides preaching and taking care of the devotees, and measuring things and establishing systems, the fifth element is innovation. We see that Bhaktivinoda innovated by preaching and writing in English. Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur innovated by making printing presses. And Srila Prabhupada, of course, had many innovations. And, of course, now there are more opportunities than ever. Because the number of innovations that happened in the world happened very quickly. For thousands and thousands of years, the only innovation was wheel [Laughs]. So, for five thousand years, they had carts and they went on wheels pulled by horses or bullocks [Laughs]. Then two hundred years ago, they made machines, so they had automated wheels, trains [Laughs]. And then a hundred years ago, they flew in the air and had aeroplanes [Laughs]. So, within a few hundred years, as opposed to thousands and thousands and thousands of years, we’ve had so many advances. And they can be useful. In this way, we can utilize all the modern facilities for preaching and expanding the movement. But, of course, mechanical devices can never replace the cultivation of bhakti itself [Laughs]. So, therefore, we have innovation in order to communicate our message to the people at large. At the same time, we do have to cultivate our own creeper of devotion. So, we have to have a good balance between our spiritual life and our various techniques of preaching. If we do that properly, then we can expand.
So, many outsiders are surprised that ISKCON has survived for the last fifty years. Most movements, most businesses don’t survive fifty years. So, ISKCON survived. It’s expanded. But, it is up to the present generation to see how ISKCON can continue in the future and, at the same time, maintain its pure devotional attitude. So, that is the challenge for all devotees. But, if we can make the movement expand and maintain its proper devotion, this is what will please Srila Prabhupada.
Conclusion:
Srila Prabhupada, in one of his Vyasa Puja offerings, criticized. This is after Bhaktisiddhanta’s disappearance. What is the use of all the fruits and flowers? So, he was criticizing the fact that the members of the Gaudiya Math had given up the preaching spirit. And, they were just maintaining what had been established by Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati 15-20 years earlier [Laughs]. So, to please Srila Prabhupada, then we should think very carefully how to expand the movement, how to maintain Krishna Consciousness in the pure way. So, in the Bhagavad Gita, there is a commentary, ‘Vyavasayatmika-buddhi’, and Prabhupada was inspired by that. So, Vishwanatha Chakravarti Thakur, in his purport, then talks about this very one-pointed determined intelligence. So, he says, the devotee should take the order of Guru as his life-sustaining medicine. So, some people have diabetes and they don’t take their medicine, then they are going to have blood sugar and collapse [Laughs]. So, the instruction of Guru is the medicine which keeps you alive [Laughs]. If you don’t take it, then you die [Laughs]. So, Prabhupada was inspired by the instructions of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. And he wanted to expand the movement, so he said, you speak to the English-speaking public.
So, similarly, Srila Prabhupada desires that all the devotees in the future will continue to preach and expand the movement. And, that becomes our life-sustaining medicine. Of course, if we look carefully in that explanation of Vishwanatha, when he talks about the order, then he finally concludes that the order is that you should become fully dedicated to the lotus feet of Radha and Krishna. So, the final order of Guru, through whatever orders he gives, is that we should develop our devotion for Radha and Krishna. In other words, we are fulfilling the instructions of Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be more humble than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, and respect everybody and not expect respect for ourself, that growth of those qualities should be our sign of being a devotee. So, if we can expand the movement, ourself become an ideal devotee, and make other similar devotees, this is most pleasing to Srila Prabhupada. So, that’s our best offering to Srila Prabhupada.
Hare Krsna !
Devotee : Hare Krishna. Thank you, Maharaj. We are all very, very fortunate. We have His Holiness Bhanu Swami Maharaj.