Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada…
When Prabhupada saw a banner on bamboo poles-"Welcome Srila Prabhupada!"-he remarked, "I don't know if my Godbrothers will like this." He had already heard that some of his Godbrothers objected to his taking the same title as their spiritual master, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada. He had not actually taken the name, but his disciples had given him the name a few years ago in America. In May 1968 while in Boston, Prabhupada had been dictating a letter and had mentioned to his secretary that Swamiji was a third-class title for the spiritual master. "Then why do we call you Swamiji?" his secretary had asked.
"The spiritual master," Prabhupāda had replied, "is usually addressed by names like Gurudeva, Visnupada, or Prabhupada."
"May we call you Prabhupada?" his secretary had asked.
Prabhupada had replied, "Yes," and his disciples had switched from "Swamiji" to "Prabhupada." One of the devotees had inquired further from Prabhupada about the meaning of the word and had published a statement in Back to Godhead magazine.
Prabhupada
The word Prabhupada is a term of the utmost reverence in Vedic religious circles, and it signifies a great saint even among saints. The word actually has two meanings: first, one at whose feet (pada) there are many Prabhus (a term meaning "master," which the disciples of a Guru use in addressing each other). The second meaning is one who is always found at the Lotus Feet of Krishna (the Supreme Master).
In the line of disciplic succession through which Krishna Consciousness is conveyed to mankind, there have been a number of figures of such spiritual importance as to be called Prabhupada.
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