Glories of Srila Prabhupada - CC Adi Lila 10.2-7 - London, UK

Translation Text 2 - 7

All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu and Lord Nityänanda! All glories to Advaita Prabhu, and all glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by Sriväsa!

The description of Lord Caitanya as the gardener and the tree is inconceivable. Now hear with attention about the branches of this tree.

The associates of Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu were many, but none of them should be considered lower or higher. This cannot be ascertained.

All the great personalities in the line of Lord Caitanya enumerated these devotees, but they could not distinguish between the greater and the lesser.

I offer my obeisances unto them as a token of respect. I request them not to consider my offenses.

I offer my obeisances to all the dear devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu, the eternal tree of love of Godhead. I offer my respects to all the branches of the tree, the devotees of the Lord who distribute the fruit of love of Krsna.

PURPORT

Sri Krsnadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämi sets the example of offering obeisances to all the preacher devotees of Lord Caitanya, without distinction as to higher and lower. Unfortunately, at present there are many foolish so-called devotees of Lord Caitanya who make such distinctions. For example, the title “Prabhupäda” is offered to a spiritual master, especially to a distinguished spiritual master such as Srila Rüpa Gosvämi Prabhupäda, Srila Jiva Gosvämi Prabhupäda or Srila Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Gosvämi Prabhupäda. When our disciples similarly wanted to address their spiritual master as Prabhupäda, some foolish people became envious. Not considering the propaganda work of the Hare Krsna movement, simply because these disciples addressed their spiritual master as Prabhupäda they became so envious that they formed a faction along with other such envious persons just to minimize the value of the Krsna consciousness movement. To chastise such fools, Krsnadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämi very frankly says, keha karibäre näre jyeñöha-laghu-krama. Anyone who is a bona fide preacher of the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu must be respectful to the real devotees of Lord Caitanya; one should not be envious, considering one preacher to be very great and another to be very lowly. This is a material distinction and has no place on the platform of spiritual activities. Krsnadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé therefore offers equal respect to all the preachers of the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu, who are compared to the branches of the tree. ISKCON is one of these branches, and it should therefore be respected by all sincere devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu.