Just like I have got many Godbrothers, they are all acting. Similarly, all these disciples which I am making, initiating, they are being trained to become future spiritual masters

Expressions researched:
"Just like I have got many Godbrothers, they are all acting. Similarly, all these disciples which I am making, initiating, they are being trained to become future spiritual masters"

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

All of them will take over. These students, who are initiated from me, all of them will act as I am doing. Just like I have got many Godbrothers, they are all acting. Similarly, all these disciples which I am making, initiating, they are being trained to become future spiritual masters.

Room Conversation -- July 18, 1971, Detroit:

Mohsin Hassan: Would you please mention something about the meaning of the ritual of the initiation. They put their hand in the oil and the burning of the fire, for example.

Prabhupāda: They are not putting their hand on the oil. It is called yajña, offering ghee to the fire. This is Vedic. This is Vedic rituals, to offer clarified butter and grains in the fire. Fire is supposed to be the mouth of God. So we are offering eatables to the Supreme Person, rūpa.

Mohsin Hassan: What is the goal of this movement for the future? Is there any program set for the future?

Prabhupāda: Because it is genuine movement, it will make progress, provided it is presented in pure form. It was not presented before me in pure form, at least in the Western countries. Therefore people could not take it, nor they could understand it. Now it is being placed in pure form in the right way of paramparā system, as the ācāryas introduced, and actually it is happening. It is . . . they are taking. Wherever they are going, people are very much anxious to take this movement, as if they are waiting. Anywhere we go, even we have sent men to . . . Jerusalem.

(aside) What town? . . . (indistinct)

Devotee: In Russia?

Prabhupāda: Yes. So this method is very effective, and people are accepting, any part of the world, without any discrimination. Here mostly you see our students are from the Christian group, the Jewish group, there are many students from Muhammadan group, from Parsi group. Everyone is taking.

Mohsin Hassan: Now, this movement must have structure. Will you please tell us about the structure of the movement from the hierarchy on the top, and all the way down.

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is . . . this movement is started from Kṛṣṇa.

Mohsin Hassan: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Then, from Kṛṣṇa, Nārada. From Nārada, Vyāsadeva. From Vyāsadeva to Madhvācārya, from Madhvācārya to Īsvara Puri, Mādhavendra Puri, then Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then His disciples, the six Goswāmīs, then Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja, then Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa. So we are taking account very rigidly from Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and I am the tenth generation from Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Mohsin Hassan: Yeah, the tenth. After you, is it . . . any decision has been made who will take over?

Prabhupāda: Yes. All of them will take. These students who are initiated from me, all of them will act as I am doing. Just like I have got many Godbrothers, they are all acting. Similarly, all these disciples which I am making, initiating, they are being trained to become future spiritual masters.

Mohsin Hassan: How many svāmīs do you initiated, American? I'm speaking just on the American . . .

Prabhupāda: About ten.

Mohsin Hassan: You have ten svāmīs. And outside of svāmīs, what's the lower . . .

Prabhupāda: Now, they're competent. They can . . . not only the svāmīs, even the gṛhasthas, they are called dāsa adhikārī, and brahmacārīs, everyone can, whoever is initiated, he is competent to make disciple. But as a matter of etiquette they do not do so in the presence of their spiritual master. This is the etiquette. Otherwise, they are competent.

They can make disciples and spread. Become, to whom, I mean, recruit more members in this. They do, but they are being trained up. Just like here in this meeting, one of my disciples, he is acting as priest. Instead of myself; he is acting. So some of my students, they are acting as priest, some of them are svāmīs. So they are competent to make disciples.

Mohsin Hassan: Do you have any hope in the future that you . . . your movement will involve printing a lot of books, making . . . building schools for your children, for . . .?

Prabhupāda: Yes. We have got already many books. You have not seen?

Mohsin Hassan: Oh, yes. I have almost all of your printed, but I'm trying to prepare . . . Ramakrishna, they have big library and bookstore, and this is where goes most of their income. I was wondering . . . and many . . . they have so many scholars for this movement because they are for a variety of religions. And one argument I always receive from some teacher, they say this movement insists on the chanting, and they are not trying to open all the other doors for other religion. And I have no answer to them.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Mohsin Hassan: They tell me that . . . the Ramakrishna Mission, they offer all kinds variety of books about every religion.

Prabhupāda: We have got varieties of books.

Mohsin Hassan: Yes.