Self-Proclaimed Messiah?

The other day I received an email in which the writer accused me of being a self-proclaimed messiah. Perhaps he was thinking that because so many people all over the world look up to me as a spiritual guide that I must be promoting myself as someone who is very great. But the real fact is that I do not at all consider or claim myself to be great or to be a messiah, savior of the world. I am simply the humble servant of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He has given me a message which carries the potency to deliver the entire world, and he has instructed me to make this message as widely known as possible all over the world. I am trying my level best to obey his order. It is only by Srila Prabhupada's grace that thousands of people all over the world are taking advantage of my humble attempt to spread the teachings of Krishna. In this connection I cannot take any credit. If I have any credit at all, it is simply that I have always dutifully obeyed the instructions which I have received from my spiritual master. This is my only claim.

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: Why Americans Took Krishna Consciousness and Not the Indians?...

I have question that is linked up with "Thought for the Day" from 22 May 2007. I am referring to the below extract written by you:

"He (Srila Prabhupada) tried for years and years in India to attract people to join this movement but not one person came. But after arriving in America in 1965 within one year he was able to successfully launch ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which is now powerfully pushing forward a worldwide spiritual revolution."

Is there any specific reason for the Hare Krishna movement getting firm grounds in USA as compared to India? Please let me know, because I always marvel at this miracle. I know it is beyond my reach of understanding, but I will try to grasp as much as I can.

Your humble servant,

Sukshma

Answer: Americans Were Materially Frustrated...

The reason that the Hare Krishna movement was able to take its original root in America instead of India was that at the time in the 1960's a large segment of the youth of America had become completely frustrated with the advanced materialism of the Western world and were looking for a spiritual alternative. At the same time in India everyone was interested in how they could advance materially to become like the Western countries. Srila Prabhupada's arrival in America could not have been timed better. This was the perfect arrangement of Krishna. Srila Prabhupada arrived just at the right time and in the right place to meet those persons who were the most enthusiastic to receive his message.

When Srila Prabhupada took the American youths to India and the Indian people saw that the Americans were taking up Krishna bhakti, they become inspired like anything and came forward with great enthusiasm to assist and join Srila Prabhupada's movement. Now that ISKCON has become solidly established in India, the current generation of Indians are realizing how India's traditional Vedic culture is far, far more important than any advancement of material civilization.

In this connection there is andha-pangu-nyaya, the logic of the blind man and lame man. On their own each of them is useless. But when the lame man with his good vision gets on the shoulders of the blind man who has strong legs, combined together as a team they become very effective. So India has spiritual vision, but is materially lame. And the Western world has material strength, but is blind in spiritual vision. If there is a combination of Western material advancement with India's Vedic wisdom, the entire world can live happily in a new era of peace and prosperity.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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