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Advanced disciples

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Adi-lila

The spiritual master is not actually happy if the disciple brings him money, but when he sees that a disciple is following the regulative principles and advancing in spiritual life, he is very glad and feels obliged to such an advanced disciple.
CC Adi 7.91, Translation and Purport:

“‘It is very good, my dear child, that You have attained the supreme goal of life by developing love of Godhead. Thus You have pleased me very much, and I am very much obliged to You.

According to the revealed scriptures, if a spiritual master can convert even one soul into a perfectly pure devotee, his mission in life is fulfilled. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura always used to say, "Even at the expense of all the properties, temples and maṭhas that I have, if I could convert even one person into a pure devotee, my mission would be fulfilled." It is very difficult, however, to understand the science of Kṛṣṇa, what to speak of developing love of Godhead. Therefore if by the grace of Lord Caitanya and the spiritual master a disciple attains the standard of pure devotional service, the spiritual master is very happy. The spiritual master is not actually happy if the disciple brings him money, but when he sees that a disciple is following the regulative principles and advancing in spiritual life, he is very glad and feels obliged to such an advanced disciple.

Correspondence

1969 Correspondence

Specially you and Rayarama who are advanced disciples must now do the preaching work. We are now increasing centers & they must be maintained now properly.
Letter to Brahmananda -- Columbus, Ohio 15 May, 1969:

P.S. When you come to New Vrindaban, we shall talk in detail about our future preaching programme. That is our first business. Specially you and Rayarama who are advanced disciples must now do the preaching work. We are now increasing centers & they must be maintained now properly. But our publication department must be considered as the most important department for preaching work.

1970 Correspondence

The conclusion is that you are so many advanced disciples now in Europe, including Hamburg, London and Paris.
Letter to Lilavati -- Los Angeles 1 April, 1970:

Regarding George's center, if he opens it very nicely according to his position, then on hearing from Syamasundara. I shall give direction how to do it. I have already written Syamasundara. about this, and I am awaiting his reply. The conclusion is that you are so many advanced disciples now in Europe, including Hamburg, London and Paris. Now you should organize the Sankirtana Movement in Europe by opening as many centers as possible from town to town at least. So do it conjointly and that will give me very much satisfaction.

1972 Correspondence

I want that you all my advanced disciples become very bold preachers and take up this task of saving the fallen humanity from its worst condition of sinfulness.
Letter to Sukadeva -- Los Angeles 16 August, 1972:

Yes, the program of increasing book distribution is very much appreciated by me, and especially if you can preach very widely to the university students nearby to your place, that is the best program. Try to get a course of instruction in the college and preach daily in a scholastic way. If we can attract this student class of men by our preaching work, that will enhance everything and we are very much in need of intelligent preachers for expanding this movement all over the world. I want that you all my advanced disciples become very bold preachers and take up this task of saving the fallen humanity from its worst condition of sinfulness. If you simply convert the leaders of your country to our philosophy, then the whole world will follow and be saved from ruin. Otherwise, they are all doomed to become animals like hogs and dogs. So you preach like that, very strongly, to especially the hippie class of men and the student class of men and convince them to give up their sinful activities and find out their real perfection of life in this Krishna Consciousness movement.

Maybe there is a little fighting amongst yourselves, that is natural, but you are advanced disciple, don't be disturbed by these things.
Letter to Nityananda -- Bombay 25 November, 1972:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 12, 1972, and I have noted the contents with care. I am forwarding the copy of your letter, along with my reply, to Satsvarupa in Dallas. I think he is the GBC man in that zone, and he is the best man to come there immediately and see what is the situation and do the needful. Of course I do not know what are the facts, but I have seen that you have done very nicely there, so far I know. And no one has made complaint to me. So maybe there is a little fighting amongst yourselves, that is natural, but you are advanced disciple, don't be disturbed by these things. Actually I want that householders shall manage in the temples, because they have got propensity to manage things and they want to take responsibility and they will not go away. Brahmacari, householder, it doesn't matter, but householders are doing nicely all over the world, why the others shall resent householders in your temple? That is not reason. This attitude of changing this, changing that, if there is some small thing to make it something very great, changing the leaders three every week—these things are going on, I know. This is not at all good attitude, that if by adjustment, this and that, changing everything, I may create the perfect combination and everything will be all right. I am more impressed if someone has opened one centre and that he has stayed there tightly and developed nicely, not going away whimsically. So you have been leader at New Orleans temple for long time, you are the pioneer there, so why you should be whimsically discharged? Only the GBC man shall be able to make these changes, not any so-called secret meeting of devotees. Why they have misunderstood these things?

As soon as there is little impurity, the whole thing will deteriorate and go to hell. So we shall not like to take the credit in that case, therefore I am praying simply that all of you, my advanced disciples, GBC men, sannyasis, temple officers, like that, that all of you will become sober-minded and feeling always very much responsible how the things will go on as I have given them.
Letter to Pusta Krsna -- Bombay 29 December, 1972:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 27, 1972, and I can very well appreciate your preaching work on European continent, having received very favorable reports from other big leaders there. That is wanted, that all of you will take upon yourselves the responsibility of preaching widely everywhere the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. By that responsible commitment to your spiritual master, that is your qualification for getting Krsna's blessing upon you. And only in this way will you be able to make your spiritual progress rapidly. So you are very determined and intelligent boy, you have got a cool head, so I am very much confident that you will be able to render more and more the best service to Krsna and to your spiritual master. That means that you will simply introduce our Krsna Consciousness program anywhere and everywhere, without any compromise or deviation from the highest standard of devotional practice, as chalked out for us by our great predecessors. If you yourself remain always pure, then your preaching will have effect. As soon as there is little impurity, the whole thing will deteriorate and go to hell. So we shall not like to take the credit in that case, therefore I am praying simply that all of you, my advanced disciples, GBC men, sannyasis, temple officers, like that, that all of you will become sober-minded and feeling always very much responsible how the things will go on as I have given them. If you simply do as I am doing, not avoiding anything which may have to be done for pushing on Krsna's movement, remaining always stuck up very tightly to the footsteps of Rupa Gosvami, then without any doubt you will remain always fresh and enthusiastic for working very energetically on Krsna's behalf, without any falldown.

1973 Correspondence

Yes, I know your wife Lilasakti, and I know that she is very serious and advanced disciple. But now you are married to her, there is some obligation according to our Krsna consciousness or Vedic system.
Letter to Madhukara -- Bombay 4 January, 1973:

For these questions arising between married husband and wife, you are requesting me to leave your wife and take the vanaprastha order of life, for these questions you must consult with and take permission from presidents and GBC. Yes, I know your wife Lilasakti, and I know that she is very serious and advanced disciple. But now you are married to her, there is some obligation according to our Krsna consciousness or Vedic system. These things cannot be taken so lightly, otherwise the whole thing will become a farce. Simply get married without considering what is the serious nature of married life, then if there is little disturbance, or if I do not like my wife or my husband, let me go away, everyone else is doing like that. So in this way the whole thing is becoming a farce. You say that your "association together was hindering your advancement." But Krsna consciousness marriage system should not be taken in that way, that if there is any botheration that means something is hindering my spiritual progress, no. Once it is adopted, the grhastha life, even it may be troublesome at times, it must be fulfilled as my occupational duty. Of course, it is better to remain unmarried, celibate. But so many women are coming, we cannot reject them. If someone comes to Krsna it is our duty to give them protection. Krsna has informed us in Bhagavad-gita that even women and sudras and others inferior class of men can take refuge in Him. So the problem is there, the women must have a husband to give protection. Of course, if the women can remain unmarried, and if there is suitable arrangement for the temple to protect them, just like in the Christian Church there is nunnery for systematic program of engaging the ladies and protecting them, that is also nice. But if there is sex desire, how to control it? Women are normally very lusty, more lusty than men, and they are weaker sex, it is difficult for them to make spiritual advancement without the help of husband. For so many reasons, our women must have husband. That's all right, but if once they have got a husband he goes away so quickly, that will not be very much happy for them.

Of course if there is any instance of very advanced disciples, married couple, and they have agreed that the husband shall now take sannyasa or renounced order of life, being mutually very happy by that arrangement, then there is ground for such separation.
Letter to Madhukara -- Bombay 4 January, 1973:

So I have introduced this marriage system in your Western countries because there is custom of freely intermingling male and female. Therefore marriage required just to engage the boys and girls in devotional service, never mind distinction of living status. But our marriage system is little different than in your country, we do not sanction the policy of quick divorce. We are supposed to take husband or wife as eternal companion or assistant in Krsna consciousness service, and there is promise never to separate. Of course if there is any instance of very advanced disciples, married couple, and they have agreed that the husband shall now take sannyasa or renounced order of life, being mutually very happy by that arrangement, then there is ground for such separation. But even in those cases there is no question of separation, the husband, even he is sannyasa, he must be certain his wife will be taken care of nicely and protected in his absence. Now so many cases are there of unhappiness by the wife who has been abandoned by her husband against her wishes. So how can I sanction such thing? I want to avoid setting any bad example for future generations, therefore I am so much cautiously considering your request. But if it becomes so easy for me to get married and then leave my wife, under excuse of married life being an impediment to my own spiritual progress, that will not be very good at all. That is misunderstanding of what is advancement in spiritual life. Occupational duty must be there, either this one or that one, but once I am engaged in something occupational duty, then I should not change that or give it up, that is the worst mistake. Devotional service is not bound up by such designations. Therefore once I have chosen, it is better to stick in that way and develop my devotional attitude into full-blown love of Godhead. That is Arjuna's understanding.

Page Title:Advanced disciples
Compiler:Visnu Murti
Created:11 of Feb, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=1, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=7
No. of Quotes:8