Srila Prabhupada, His Movement & You

United Under the Acharya

I wish that each and every center shall keep the ACHARYA [i.e. Srila Prabhupada] in the center and keep their separate identity. (Srila Prabhupada’s letters, 1967)

Further testimony to the fact that the spiritual master lives eternally and preaches through his bona fide disciples:

Thakura Bhaktivinoda also wanted to beget a child who could preach the philosophy and teachings of Lord Chaitanya to the fullest extent. By his prayers to the Lord he had as his child Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, who at the present moment is preaching the philosophy of Lord Chaitanya throughout the entire world through his bona fide disciples. (Purport, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Three, Chapter Twenty-two, Text 19)

If I depart, there is no cause for lamentation. I will always be with you through my books and my orders. I will always remain with you in that way. (Srila Prabhupada)

Even after the departure of his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada continued to act under his direction:

So better remain a foolish person perpetually to be directed by Guru Maharaja.

If one remains always a servant everlastingly of guru, then he is liberated. And as soon as he thinks that he is liberated, he’s a rascal. That is the teaching of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. You must be ready always to be chastized by guru. Then he’s liberated. And as soon as he thinks that “I am beyond this chastizement, I am liberated,” he’s a rascal. …Why this Gaudiya Math failed? Because they tried to become more than guru. He [Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura], before passing away, he gave them all direction and never said that “This man should be the next acharya.” But these people, just after his passing away, they began to fight, who shall be acharya. That is the failure. They never thought, “Why Guru Maharaja gave us instruction so many things, why he did not say that this man should be acharya?” They wanted to create artificially somebody acharya, and everything failed. They did not consider even with common sense that if Guru Maharaja wanted to appoint somebody as acharya, why did he not say? He said so many things, and this point he missed? The real point? And they insist upon it. They declared some unfit person to become acharya. Then another man came, then another, acharya another acharya. So better remain a foolish person perpetually to be directed by Guru Maharaja. That is perfection. And as soon as he learns the Guru Maharaja is dead, “Now I am so advanced that I can kill my guru and I become guru.” (Srila Prabhupada, August 16, 1976, Bombay: Conversations with Srila Prabhupada, Vol. 26, p. 59-60)

Dedication by Srila Prabhupada to his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Gosvami Prabhupada (in Srimad-Bhagavatam):

He lives forever by his divine instructions, and the follower lives with him.