20240827 Founder-Ācārya Śrīla Prabhupada

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, had registered the International Society for Krishna consciousness. He said that the Founder-Ācārya of ISKCON is A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. And he registered ISKCON and that way he became the Founder-Ācārya. And different godbrothers tried to bring ISKCON within their own jurisdiction. I could not understand but could personally see everything. We found a place in South Calcutta. I told many of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s godbrothers that Śrīla Prabhupāda had preached very nicely in the West but no one was willing to assist him. But Śrīla Bhakti Pramode Purī Mahārāja had in the beginning said he wanted to go. But some gṛhastha devotees came to Purī Mahārāja and said, “Why should you go? He is junior to you and you are a senior sannyāsī. Why should you go to receive him?” This way, none of the godbrothers had come to receive him at the airport. But they said that you please come to the Maṭha. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that they wanted I should go from the airport to the Maṭha and they can take all the credit that Śrīla Prabhupāda had gone abroad on their desire. Śrīla Prabhupāda told us that they wanted to take the credit but when I asked for help, they did not give any help. This way, I understood that there was some kind of politics going on amongst the inner circle.

Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted that the instructions Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda should be followed as he had given them. This way, he had gone to the Western countries on the order of his spiritual master. So, he established ISKCON and he was the Founder-Ācārya. And in Calcutta in the temporary center, Śrīla Prabhupāda called me in and interviewed me. Then he said that he was not willing to go. Someone had written a letter and he described how Śrīla Prabhupāda had gone to the West, and in a very negative way he explained by Śrīla Prabhupāda had gone to the West. This way, Acyutānanda and other disciples, they heard this and were spreading this. So in this way, they were confused a bit. Receiving this kind of letter, some people had the thought that Śrīla Prabhupāda was Kṛṣṇa. In this way some misunderstanding was going on and some Western devotees of ISKCON were losing their faith. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda is our Founder-Ācārya. And he made ISKCON the way he wanted to. Because he formed the GBC, he this way started the parikramā. He translated many scriptures and wrote purports and commentaries. He desired that all the godbrothers and the grand disciples would cooperate. So that is why we endeavor, try to do this. How Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to form ISKCON, we are all trying to assist and cooperate with him.

Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya! They told me to speak for 15 minutes, I think my 15 minutes are over.