However, surrender to the spiritual master is not meant to be simply a youthful fling. He is our lord, birth after birth. You have done so much for Prabhupada's mission. Now won't you do more? You belong at Prabhupada's lotus feet, not anywhere else. Prabhupada wants you. He is waiting for you. So are we, your Godbrothers and sisters, nephews and nieces. We are missing your association and friendship. Please come and join with us again." There are many Prabhupada disciples (and disciples of his disciples) who are still devotees at some level or other, but who are spoiling their lives by not practicing Krsna consciousness very seriously. Such a great asset of knowledge, experience and advancement is going to waste! The world is suffering by your not continuing to give to others what Prabhupada gave to you. Fellow devotees, we beg you -- please come back and help push on this movement in whatever capacity you can. Or at least practice Krsna consciousness seriously again, for your own benefit and to honor your promise to Srila Prabhupada. Don't neglect the valuable gift you have received. Help yourself and others by being Krsna conscious.
My dear godbrothers and godsisters, please hear my humble request. You are all highly exalted souls. Srila Prabhupada went all over the world, calling people to his flock, and you were the ones who responded. You were the ones who sacrificed everything on his order and took all risks to preach. How sweet and fresh were those early days!
But what of today? Let us look into our hearts. Do we still cry for Prabhupada? If not, why not? Have we become stuffy, staid, comfortable and complacent? Are we now self-righteous senior citizens, slowly ticking on to our next change of body? Or, worse still, have we slipped from the vows we made to Srila Prabhupada?
Prabhus, our duty to Srila Prabhupada is not over. It is not enough simply to remember Prabhupada. We have to do something significant for Him. The Krsna consciousness movement did not end in 1977. There is so much work to do all over the world. So many devotees need the association of experienced, mature devotees. As senior family members, we have to help the newer devotees, even if, due to their inexperience, they do not always treat us as they should.
Whatever bliss we experienced in the ''Prabhupada days'' can be had again, for the Prabhupada days are not over, nor will they ever be over. Srila Prabhupada lives forever by his divine instructions, and the follower lives with him. If we are not feeling the bliss of Krsna consciousness, we cannot blame it on any external cause. Srila Prabhupada has given us everything. He gave us the nectar of serving Krsna in ISKCON. The nectar is still there. It's up to us to get properly linked again.
- From the "My Memories of Srila Prabhupada" by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami
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