Joseph Langevin
Subject: Unauthorized Gurus have no potency – it will not be effective
So we should not try to imitate Prahlada Maharaja. That is not good. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. I have already explained yesterday. Prahlada Maharaja is one of the mahajanas, authorized persons, authorized devotee. We should try to follow him. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah.
Just like in our country, perhaps you know, there was a poet, Rabindranath Tagore. He got many distinction from the Oxford University. He got... He never went to school but he got the title "doctor," "Doctor Rabindranath Tagore." And if you think that "I shall also get doctorate without going to school," that is foolishness. That is special. Similarly, don't try to imitate. Follow the general course,
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 Edition : Cc. Madhya-lila : Madhya 1: The Later Pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu : Madhya 1.220 : Purport
and here is the authorization required for all us disciples;
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada once remarked to his disciples, "You must become a general like me. I cannot be defeated."
Śrīla Prabhupāda Says - [On leadership in his ISKCON society]
"...after you, who will take the leadership?" And "Everyone will take, all my disciples. If you want, you can take also. (laughter) But if you follow. They are prepared to sacrifice everything, so they'll take the leadership. I may, one, go away, but there will be hundreds, and they'll preach. If you want, you can also become a leader. We have no such thing, that 'Here is leader.' Anyone who follows the previous leadership, he's a leader. 'Indian,' we have no such distinction, 'Indian,' 'European.' "
Brahmānanda: They wanted an Indian to be the leader?
Prabhupāda: Yes. (laughs) "Everyone, all my disciples, they are leaders. As purely as they follow, they become leader. If you want to follow, you can become a leader. You are Indian. But you don't want." I told them that.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, they probably wanted to propose somebody who would take over our movement.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Leaders. All nonsense. Leader means one who has become first-class disciple. He is leader. Evaṁ paramparā-prāpta... One who is perfectly following... Our instruction is ara na kariha mane asa **. You know this? What is that? Guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete kariyā aikya, ara na kariha mane asa **.
Who is leader? A leader, to become leader, is not very difficult, provided one is prepared to follow the instructions of a bona fide guru.
[Room Conversation: Vṛndāvan 2 Nov 1977]
Tdasa; Srila Prabhupada had no written authorization to be guru either, but he had general authorization by dint of having been sent to preach by Srila Bhaktisiddhnta Saraswati. Our authorization is similar, but we must follow and come up to par.
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