How many disciples of SP ?? over 10,000
Room Conversationwith Journalist
May 19, 1975, Melbourne
Journalist: Yes. How many followers do you have throughout the world now?
Prabhupāda: No, throughout the world, in India everyone is Kṛṣṇa conscious. In the outside India we have got about ten to twelve thousand dedicated followers.
Room Conversation
April 23, 1976, Melbourne
Guest: How many people are in the Kṛṣṇa movement in the world, about?
Prabhupāda: About ten to twelve thousand, directly dedicated. Otherwise millions, they are reading our books. They have sympathy. We are selling books very nicely, daily twenty thousand dollar minimum all over the world. In learned circle, big, big universities, professors, they are appreciating. We have many congratulations.
Press Interview
October 16, 1976, Chandigarh
Interviewer: What is, sir, the number of your disciples round the world?
Prabhupāda: Dedicated life—not less than ten thousand. And admirers, there are many millions. Recently one American politician has remarked in Houston, that “This Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is spreading like epidemic. So unless we take some steps it may take our government.” (laughter)
Interviewer: Who was the man who said it?
Hari-śauri: A government official in Houston.
Prabhupāda: No, no, what is his name? You can give.
Hari-śauri: His name was not given.
Prabhupāda: Oh. Simply it is said a government official.
Press Conference
December 16, 1976, Hyderabad
Guest (3): Total membership for around the world?
Prabhupāda: Total membership is practically unlimited because we are now getting opposition, so… But actually dedicated life, about ten thousand like these boys.
SB 10.2.26 purport…The devotees who are fully engaged in spreading the Krsna consciousness movement, more than ten thousand men and women all over the world, have no steady or permanent occupation, yet we actually see that they are maintained very opulently…
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“It is a great responsibility you now have.”
So it is up to you to learn it and be able to present it nicely. Now you have everything, respect, philosophy, money, temples, books, all these things I have given, but I am an old man and my notice is already there. Now it is up to you all how to manage it. If you cannot increase it, you should at least maintain what I have given you. You cannot accuse me that I have not given you anything. So it is a great responsibility you now have.” Letter to Jagannatha Suta – August 26, 1975
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3 Kinds of disciples
Phalgun Krsna Pancami-
Srila Prabhupada’s address to his Godbrothers on the appearance day of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Maharaja-Radha Damodara temple 1961 Vrndavana
Third Vasistya
23. If everyone just initiates then there will only be a contradictory result. As long as it goes on, there will be only failure.
24. Now even, my God brothers, you return here to the order of our master, and together we engage in his puja.
25. But simply a festival of flowers and fruits does not constitute worship. The one who serves the message of the guru really worships him.
26. The service of the message is the real meaning of the Vedas. Don’t be proud, brothers, Come back to this.
O shame! My dear brothers aren’t you embarrassed? In the manner of businessmen you increase your disciples.Our master said to preach. Let the neophytes stay in the temples and ring the bells.
Fourth Vasistya
31. All these things are not our spiritual master’s preaching methods. These are all the things done by the caste Goswamis.
32. But just take a look at the terrible situation that has arisen. everyone has become a sense enjoyer and has given up preaching.
33. In the temples they have also begun to lock the doors. Preach this bhagavata dharma, don’t hesitate.
34. Within this world there is another world, whose sound is the unequaled penetrating force.
35. The preaching that “the mullah [Muslim priest] only goes as far as the mosque and no further” should be put to an end today.
36. From the seas, across the earth, penetrate the universal shell, come together and preach this Krishna consciousness.
37. Then our master’s service will be in proper order. Make your promise today, Give up all your politics and diplomacy.
38. Everyone come together on this very day and make your valued comment. The five of you get together and decide what should be done.
39. You have become renouncers, brothers, so renounce everything. But if you also renounce the order of the spiritual master, then what kind of renunciation is that?
40. The one who renounces the guru’s order [guru tyagi] and the one who tries to enjoy the assets of his spiritual master [guru-bhoghi] are two kinds of useless persons. First become a servant of your spiritual master [guru-sevi] and then you will understand things clearly.
Some Conclusions– We have seen above that Prabhupada himself admitted he has over 10,000 disciples-so where have we all gone? Some died, but many are still with us. So what are we all doing in the manner of doing some practical service for him? He said if we can’t increase what he has given to us, then AT LEAST maintain what we had then.
But did we do that? No. Rather, things for the majority of the Hare Krsna world have diminished and some places just vanished. There are some pockets in the world where a few devotees have tried to at least “maintain” what Srila Prabhupada gave to us. But the real problem is that the worldwide institution, then seriously dedicated to preaching which he formed, has now vaporized due to massive disobedience to so many of his basic orders.
Therefore one of the conclusions we must draw from all the above is this-which type of disciple am I ? Am I guru bhogi, guru tyagi, or guru sevi? The first two are useless, the last one, the only one who actually serves the order of the spiritual master, he lives forever with him. That is the real disciple, whereas the others are only pretenders, disciples in name only.
Nov 25 1973..”“The spiritual Master lives forever by His divine instruction and the disciple lives with him.”, because I have always served my Guru Maharaja and followed His teachings I am now even never separated from Him. Sometimes Maya may come and try to interfere but we must not falter, we must always follow the chalked out path layed down by the great acharya’s and in the end you will see.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
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