Higher Realizations
Some devotees become very excited about sadhus with "higher realizations," who regularly speak about confidential Vrndavana lilas in an intimate, attractive manner. Such devotees seem to think that Srila Prabhupada had a "lower realization" because he almost always spoke the simple, basic philosophy of Krsna consciousness and was most cautious about speaking of esoteric subjects. However, simply speaking about "high topics" does not constitute the highest realization. The highest realization is to sacrifice everything to serve Krsna as He wants. Krsna wants prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama -- preaching in every town and village.
Srila Prabhupada was always absorbed in preaching Krsna consciousness. He generally spoke in a simple manner, at a philosophical level accessible to all. He hardly ever discussed the subtleties of rasa-tattva or other intimate topics. Some people have concluded, therefore, that Srila Prabhupada is a lesser guru who teaches only on a lower level. Maybe they have not heard that even higher than madhurya (the sweet exchange of Krsna and the gopis in Vrndavana) is audarya (the mood of liberal distribution of Krsna bhakti exhibited by Lord Caitanya). Even if we consider madhurya-rasa, what is the essence of madhurya? Sacrificing everything for Krsna, just as the gopis did. No one of his generation sacrificed even a millionth of what Prabhupada did.
Others may speak of prema, but Srila Prabhupada practically demonstrated his prema by going all over the world, preaching and convincing the atheists and demons, or at least taking them on. Others may talk, but they have no potency to convince atheists and indeed, have no taste for such activities. They are on such a "high" level, they could hardly condescend to come down among nondevotees. They may attract many followers, but only those who have already been made devotees. In this way they collect around them groups of sentimental sycophants who discuss the teachings of the previous acaryas, as if to evince themselves as very learned and qualified. But in the opinion of our previous acarya, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the position of a Vaisnava can be tested by seeing how good a touchstone he is -- that is, by seeing how many Vaisnavas he has made during his life. This is the highest realization and Srila Prabhupada had it. There is no one in this world more dear to Krsna, nor will there ever be one more dear.
- From the "My Memories of Srila Prabhupada" by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami
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