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Srila Prabhupada met his Guru Maharaj Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur

Prabhupada in 1922, and on the very first meeting he was convinced by

him that Krishna consciousness was the most urgent need.

He further added that he should spread the teachings of Lord Chaitanya all over the world.

Srila Prabhupada immediately accepted him as his spiritual master in his heart.

Srila Prabhupada, then Abhay Charan De,began to associate with the devotees of the

Gaudiya Math, established by Bhakti SiddhantaSaraswati Thakur.In October 1932, Srila Bhakti

Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada led hundreds of disciples and followers on a month-long parikrama of Vrindavan. Due to his work Abhay Charan could attend the parikrama only for a day. When he met the parikrama at Koshi, he chose to hear from Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada rather than going to have the darshan of Sheshashayi Vishnu. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati spoke for many hours and Srila Prabhupada listened with rapt attention, as the already small gathering gradually thinned. Abhay Charan felt that he was being revealed the reality of loving service to the lotus feet of Radha Krishna. Around a month later, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur came to Allahabad to lay the corner stone for the

Rupa Goswami Gaudiya Math and also to conduct an initiation ceremony. On the day

of the initiation, as each devotee was being introduced, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati

Thakur recognized Abhay Charan and visibly pleased to see him, remarked "He likes to hear. He does not go away. I will accept him as my disciple". Abhay was in ecstasy as he was awarded first and second initiations simultaneously and was awarded the name Abhay Charanaravinda das. After initiation, Srila Prabhupada increased his visits to the

Gaudiya Math and began to preach more vigorously.

Srila Prabhupada would talk freely with his spiritual

master, who was very affectionate towards

him. Sometimes when Srila Bhakti Siddhanta

Saraswati Thakur would chant pacing back and

forth, Srila Prabhupada would chant with him,

walking alongside. Srila Prabhupada observed

how he dealt effectively with public figures like

Subhash Chandra Bose, and Srila Bhakti

Siddhanta in a private meeting told Srila

Prabhupada of the risks he took by preaching so

boldly. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta

Saraswati impressed

upon Srila Prabhupada

the need to preach.

Rarely did Srila

Prabhupada put a philosophical

enquiry before

his spiritual master

except one: "How shall I

serve you?"

It was in Mumbai that

Srila Prabhupada wrote

the famous poem in glorification of his spiritual master, on his

62nd birthday. Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati liked it very much,

and instructed the editor of "The harmonist" to publish whatever

Srila Prabhupada wrote. In November 1935, at Sri Radha Kund,

Srila Prabhupada received a personal instruction from his Guru to

print books whenever he had the money. A few weeks before his

departure from the material world, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta again

wrote to Srila Prabhupada, instructing him to preach in the

English language, thus confirming his first instruction.

Srila Prabhupada dreamt many times that his spiritual master

wanted him to take Sannyas and preach in the western world. On

September 17, 1959, Srila Prabhupada took Sannyas and in August

1965, at the age of 69, after taking the blessings of Srila Bhakti

Siddhanta at his Samadhi in Mayapur, he boarded a cargo ship to

America and successfully fulfilled the desire of his spiritual master

by introducing the whole civilized world to the message of Lord

Chaitanya and establishing ISKCON.