How a disciple of the Mayavadi Swami chinmayananda became servant of Srila Prabhupada.

Sri Nathji dasa - "Before the Juhu temple was even conceived, Prabhupada lived at Seaface Park in Bombay, and every day my wife and I used to meet him there. Out of respect I would offer my obeisances and listen to Prabhupada, but I was a Mayavadi.

[Mayavadi teachings foolishly believe everything is the manifestation of one consciousness (brahman), teaching the absolute oneness of all creation and that pure consciousness resides within every material bodily vessel, but ultimately is "all-one consciousness" when not confined in a material bodily container, like water released from a bottle merges into the oneness of the ocean].

I would also argue with Srila Prabhupada saying,

"Srila Prabhupada, Brahman is supreme, not Krsna. Brahman takes the form of Krsna, Rama, Nrisimha, etc." 

Srila Prabhupada tolerated my nonsense. He would give us prasadam. He would give us his association, but he would say, 

"Who has told you all these nonsense things? This is all rascaldom." I would say, "My spiritual teacher is Chinmayananda Swami."

Srila Prabhupada said, "Oh that rascal. He's the biggest Mayavadi in the world today. Ask him, 'If you're Narayana, why are you getting old, why are your teeth falling out, why is your hair getting gray? Why are you not looking young like Narayana?' He's calling himself Narayana, and he calls other Mayavadis Narayana. Other Mayavadis call him Narayana. This is all nonsense. God is always God. He doesn't become God. We are always an individual jiva-soul, and we'll always be an individual jiva-soul. We are parts and parcels of God and the part-and-parcel can never be the same as the complete whole."

I was confused because, although Srila Prabhupada's logic seemed quite clear, I still thought that he might be conning me. When you come from a city like Bombay or New York, you meet many con artists. 

In India, lots of so-called spiritual teachers collect money and sell mantras and do all sorts of other nonsense. So I'd go back to Chinmayananda Swami and ask him, "Swamiji, why do you get old? If you control Mother Nature, why are you getting old? Can you not control that?" 

And he would say, "I have to look old so that people respect me more." I'd go back and tell Srila Prabhupada, "He has to look old because people will respect him more." Srila Prabhupada said, "That is rascaldom. Mother Nature is under Krsna's control and not under his control. He will always be controlled by nature. You go and tell him that."

And Srila Prabhupada would usually quote some verse from Bhagavad-gita, like the verse where Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the seed-giving father." How could Swami Chinmayananda be the seed-giving father of everybody? 

Again I'd go back and tell Swami Chinmayananda that. Slowly, over a period of seven years, I tried to find fault or inconsistency in Srila Prabhupada's books, teachings, tape recordings, and letters. I couldn't find a single inconsistency or untruthfulness. There was no duplicity. Duplicity is very common in those who are doing some sort of variation or concoction of religion.

But Srila Prabhupada was sticking to the original teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the original teachings of Lord Krsna. It was unique. 

Eventually Srila Prabhupada asked me to invite Chinmayananda Swami to come and have a debate. I asked Srila Prabhupada, "What point shall we debate?"  

Srila Prabhupada said, "We shall debate whether Chinmayananda Swami will lift Govardhan Hill or not. If he's God, he should be able to do that. God did it. If he knows what's in my mind and everybody's mind, then he's God. He's Paramatma (Krsna as Supersoul). But if he only knows about his own body, and that too not fully, he's just another human being who's trying to cheat God and trying to cheat everyone else."

I told Chinmayananda Swami, "Are you prepared to have this debate? It'll resolve this awful doubt I have now as to which of you two are the real spiritual master." 

But Chinmayananda Swami refused. I asked Chinmayananda Swami, "Can you please tell me whether you can know what's in the minds of everyone? God knows what's going on in everyone's mind. Can you do that? For instance, if I sat down now and thought about something would you be able to write down what I was thinking about?" 

He said "No. I am not a mind-reader." I said, "No, no. I am not talking about reading minds. If you are really at an elevated level where you are one with God, then it's like you've plugged yourself into a computer that has so many facts. You should be able to retrieve information." He couldn't do it. Then I surrendered to Srila Prabhupada. I became his driver.*.

Vyasa puja offering to my eternal spiritual master Srila Prabhupada September 5, 2026.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. 

Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism. 

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsādi Gaura bhakta vṛnda. 

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare / Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. 

All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda who arrived in the Western world 61 years ago (1965) at the advanced age of 69 years old with a wonderful gift for the entire world. In just 12 short years, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu (God) have become established in cities and farming communities all over the world. 

Śrīla Prabhupāda, you taught us in those early years of ISKCON, that life in this temporary decaying material world is consistently difficult and always a struggle. 

To help us advance and become serious in spiritual life, you made it a condition of initiation that your disciples must always chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra 16 rounds a day and read your books daily in the association of serious devotees. Telling us that by following your instructions, Kṛṣṇa will always help us and protect us on our spiritual journey back home, back to Godhead. 

Despondently over the years, some devotees have experienced great trials and tribulations in their endeavour to realise and follow your strict standards mentioned above, you warned us that the spiritual pathway is often never easy as confirmed in scripture: 

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - "Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavour for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth." (Bg. 7.3) 

Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have also personally taught me that no matter how fallen we are, we should never give up the goal of achieving Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You personally told me this while I was guarding your room in Melbourne Temple, Australia, in early 1976, giving me further appreciation, clarification and understanding of a letter you sent me in 1975. 

I have learnt over the years that pure selfless devotees like you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, are extremely rare to find, associate with and serve. Fortunately for us, before you left this world in November 1977, you had already trained up many of your young disciples who are still here today nearly 50 years later in 2026, helping a new generation of devotees in your ISKCON society. 

Such dedicated devotees are recognised by their Kṛṣṇa conscious words, by always remembering Kṛṣṇa and preaching to others and never forgetting Him. And by their actions of humility and guidance towards the fallen individual jīva-souls suffering in this decaying material world of repeated birth and death. 

You also taught us to be vigilant in this degraded age of Kali-yuga polluted by hypocrisy, envy, fault finding, lust, anger, exploitation, quarrel and the selfish accumulation of wealth (greed) gathered by impersonal imposters masquerading as religious, political and community leaders. 

As you have said Śrīla Prabhupāda, there is always hope for the vigilant, honest, and sincere seekers of truth, even if there is some fall down along the way in their attempts to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. 

Such spiritually alert devotees will eventually overcome their bad habits, faults, fall downs and misplaced faith, and never again let themselves be cheated by charismatic bullies masquerading as religious and community leaders, who rule with abuse, exploitation, threats and fear tactics. 

Such impersonal bogus so called leaders are in many cults around the world, who impersonate spiritual teachings, yet have no idea how to properly see beyond the external material bodily covering (decaying matter) of the individual jīva-soul (living anti-matter), and properly guide the genuine seekers of truth on the path back home, back to Godhead (Kṛṣṇa) out of this material world. 

A bonafide spiritual master like you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, leads all sincere seekers of truth to follow your instructions and voluntarily serve Kṛṣṇa in a capacity they desire and are happy with. 

Also, in Vedic teachings, there is no such punishment as ‘eternal damnation for the sinful and fallen individual jīva-souls’ in the material world because karmic reactions, good and bad, are temporary. 

Serious devotees of Kṛṣṇa will always question anyone who claims to be an authority on Vedic teachings. For such sincere devotees, there is always a clear roadway pathed out with devotional contributions, cooperation, loving exchanges, and reciprocation with Kṛṣṇa voluntarily achieved in the spiritual world. 

The spiritual worlds of the Vaikuṇṭha planets and Goloka Vṛndāvana are Kṛṣṇa’s eternal abodes where intentional cooperation and exchanges are eternally expanding the reciprocation between Kṛṣṇa and His dear devotees. Kṛṣṇa’s eternal abode is where His dear devotees always think of Him, try to please him in play, and never forget Him, with the only desire to selflessly contribute to His amazing pastimes. 

Association with Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world is deliberately a 'two-way' relationship of reciprocation, cooperation, personal convictions expressed as loving exchanges, which are eternally expanding, thriving, and enriching the relationship with Kṛṣṇa in an unlimited variety of devotional and amazing ways. 

By choosing to voluntarily serve Kṛṣṇa in this way, in a non-dictatorial, but co-operative reciprocal way, the individual jīva-souls (devotees) will perpetually remain in the spiritual world of pure devotional service without ever falling down to the temporary material world of repeated birth and death. 

Genuine love or service is only possible between two, on a two-way street of loving returns, personal contributions, and reciprocation. Such a loving atmosphere of giving and sharing between Kṛṣṇa and His devotees is always encouraged by Kṛṣṇa just so love is expressed in two directions. 

Srila Prabhupada - "Love means a relationship between two persons then there is exchange, then there is love. I must deal with you open-hearted; you must deal with me openhearted, then there is love. So, if you want to love Kṛṣṇa, God, then these things must be there." (Conversation with Nandarani and Ali, Aug. 9, 1976, Tehran)   

Srila Prabhupāda - "We have got the propensity to love. Love means somebody else. Love cannot be done or love cannot be executed by only one, there must be two. I love somebody; somebody loves me, there must be lover, there must be the beloved, and the reciprocation between both, then there is love." (SB 1.2.6, Delhi, Nov. 12, 1973) 

The golden rule is to remember Kṛṣṇa with dedicated voluntary service and never forget Him. 

Kṛṣṇa’s surrendered devotees never lose their individual ability to contribute their own personal unique distinctive offerings based on personal convictions, intentional participation, and collaboration within Kṛṣṇa’s eternal pastimes. 

Kṛṣṇa always encourages His devotees to willingly offer individual loving additions to the relationship that adds mystery and variegatedness to the devotees' further spiritual offerings, participation, and advancement in Kṛṣṇa’s sweet pastimes. 

As Śrīla Prabhupāda taught us, we must never forget that Kṛṣṇa serves and loves His dear devotees far more than they can ever serve and love Him. 

By looking hard enough and praying to Kṛṣṇa and His established pure devotees like Śrīla Prabhupāda for their wonderful guidance, the sincere devotees will only associate and seek out Kṛṣṇa’s genuine pure devotees and never bow down to the impersonal bogus Kali-yuga imposters exploiting human society all over the world. 

Only then can aspiring devotees find real caring genuine Vaiṣṇava devotees of Kṛṣṇa who humbly nurture and encourage them to deliberately serve Kṛṣṇa the best way they can, instead of being compelled or threatened to serve in a dictatorial forceful loveless way. 

Real devotional service is always voluntary and never forced. Only then will the present impersonalism infesting human society around the world stop.

Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for bringing this wonderful Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to the entire world. 

Your fallen yet aspiring and determined servant, Gauragopāla Dāsa (now in my 75th year) Initiated on July 10, 1972, Sydney Australia.^