Answer
When you engage in practical service to Srila Prabhupada’s mission, your relationship with Srila Prabhupada naturally grows.
First, by reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, you become enlightened. From that enlightenment, gratitude develops. And what is a relationship? It is based on emotion. So as gratitude deepens, your relationship with Srila Prabhupada begins to take shape.
This relationship is essentially one of dependence. When you truly realize that you are dependent on Srila Prabhupada to serve Krishna and to return back to Godhead, you begin to feel his presence in your life.
Then you start to understand the meaning of being a disciple. A disciple is not just a label—it is a relationship. It means developing a genuine, heartfelt connection with the guru. And that relationship must be real, not artificial.
When you reflect on how much Srila Prabhupada has given you, gratitude naturally arises. Without his mercy, one would remain like so many others—lost in the material world, with no understanding of the soul, the body, or God. Recognizing this, one feels deeply and eternally grateful.
From there comes the desire: “I want to be a true disciple.” Srila Prabhupada is the guru, and I am the disciple. A disciple means one who follows the discipline given by the guru. When you follow sincerely, you feel that the guru is pleased. When you neglect those instructions, you feel that he is not pleased. In this way, the relationship deepens.
Most importantly, Srila Prabhupada’s desire is to make the whole world Krishna conscious. He wants his followers to preach. Even a small effort—like distributing a book, teaching someone to chant, or encouraging someone on the spiritual path—pleases him greatly. His entire life and mission were dedicated to this purpose: to bring souls back to Godhead on behalf of Lord Krishna and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
You may wonder, “How do I know if my daily sadhana is pleasing to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna?” The answer is simple—there is no need to speculate. If you are following what he has instructed, he is pleased. If you improve the quality of your practice, he is even more pleased.
Spiritual life is not just about “pleasing” in a minimal sense—it is about striving to please more and more. For example, in chanting, you may feel that today your attention was not very strong due to distractions or attachments. But the sincere desire arises: “Tomorrow, I want to chant better. I want to please more.” That mood of continuous improvement is essential.
There are levels of pleasing the guru. Simply chanting 16 rounds and following the four regulative principles is a good foundation, and Srila Prabhupada is pleased with that. But one should not stop there. One should ask: “What am I doing for Srila Prabhupada’s mission?”
He has given us everything—the holy name, prasadam, spiritual knowledge, and the process of bhakti. If we want deeper realization, we must also give something in return through service.
Every day, even alongside your regular duties, you can do something for Srila Prabhupada. You can cook and distribute prasadam, share books with friends, teach someone how to chant, or encourage others spiritually. By making this effort, Srila Prabhupada will give you the intelligence to serve better.
Your mood should be: “My Guru Maharaj is a preacher. I will follow in his footsteps. I also want to contribute to his mission.”
In this way, your relationship with Srila Prabhupada will deepen, and your sadhana will become more meaningful and pleasing.
The principle is simple: the more you offer, the more he is pleased. If you give a little, he is pleased. If you give more, he is more pleased. If you increase your service and sacrifice, his pleasure increases accordingly.
Therefore, the aim of a devotee should not be merely, “I want to please Srila Prabhupada,” but rather, “I want to please him more and more, at every step.”
