Compiled by Damaghosa dasa (Seattle, USA) Below we have gathered 25 very potent quotes from Srila Prabhupada which should act as warnings to us all. When something goes wrong in your car and the red lights start flashing you know it is time to stop and carefully check things out. Similarly in the same way, Srila Prabhupada has given us all warning signs for the sincere and serious devotees to watch out for in our devotional lives. 1) Letter to Dhruvananda in 1973 “The greatest danger to our movement will come when we manufacture and create our own process for worshiping the deities. So don’t ask any more new questions, whatever is going on, follow it just to the exact standard as I have given you, that’s all.” 2) 21 September, 1970 , Calcutta Letter to Isana and Vibhavati: “In my books I have tried to explain clearly this simultaneously one and different philosophy acinta beda beda tattva propounded by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. But sometimes it happens that this philosophy is given a self-interested interpretation. As soon as personal motivation comes in, it is not possible for one to understand our Krishna Consciousness philosophy.” 3) Order of how to offer bhoga: April 1, 1970 Los Angeles Letter to Himavati : “Yes, it is nice that you are worshipping Lord Chaitanya along with Radha Krishna. That is alright. Lord Chaitanya should be placed to the right side of Krishna. There is nothing special for His worship, but you may continue as you are doing now. The order of worshipping is first Spiritual Master, and then Lord Chaitanya, then Radha Krishna (as in the mantras or Bunde aham prayer). Your confidence to do whatever you are instructed by the Spiritual Master is very encouraging. Yes, this is the method of the Vedic injunction, staunch faith in Spiritual Master and Krishna makes one perfect in spiritual understanding.” 4) June 16, 1969 New Vrindavan Letter to Arundhati: “Regarding your question about offering Prasadam, whatever is offered to the Deity actually it
goes through the Spiritual Master. The Spiritual Master offers to Lord Chaitanya, and Lord Chaitanya offers it to Krishna. Then Radha Krishna eats, or Jagannatha eats, then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu eats, then the Spiritual Master eats, and it becomes Mahaprasadam. So when you offer something, you think like that and chant the Gayatri mantra, and then everything is complete. At last, ring the bell, take out the plate and wipe the place where the plate was kept.” 5) Vrindavana, India August 1967 Letter to: Devotee & Hamsaduta: “One who understands and appreciates the disciplic succession is certainly advanced, and we should always be very careful to give full respect to those who have so carefully handled this Divine Fruit of transcendental knowledge before us. Even a slight change will spoil it. That is why I have always been so careful to give you only those things which I have heard from my Guru Maharaja .” 6) Adi 5.232 The Glories of Lord Nithyananda Balarama: There are others who are against the worship of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, thinking Him mundane. But any sect that differentiates between Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Radha- Krishna, either by worshiping Radha-Krishna as distinct from Lord Chaitanya or by worshiping Lord Chaitanya but not Radha-Krishna, is in the group of prakrta–sahajiyas. Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, the author of Chaitanya-Charitamrita, predicts in verses 225 and 226 that in the future those who manufacture imaginary methods of worship will gradually give up the worship of Radha-Krishna, and although they will call themselves devotees of Lord Chaitanya, they will also give up the worship of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and fall down into material activities. For the real worshipers of Lord Chaitanya, the ultimate goal of life is to worship Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. 7) Avoid all Gaudiya matha godbrothers “…Whatever is to be learned of the teachings of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakura can be learned from our [i.e., Srila Prabhupada’s books] books. There is no need whatsoever for any outside instruction.” SPL December 25th 1973 8) Therefore amongst my God brothers no one is qualified to become Acharya. So it is better not to mix with my God-brothers very intimately, because instead of inspiring our students they may sometimes pollute them. This attempt was made by them previously, especially Madhava Maharaja and Tirtha Maharaja and Bon Maharaja, but somehow I saved the situation. This is going on. We shall be careful about them and not mix with them. This is my instruction to you all. They cannot help us in our movement, but they are very competent to harm our natural progress. So we must be very careful about them.” (SPL April 28, 1974) To be continued….