India 500 years ago and propagated the Hare Krsna mantra as the means of God
realization for the present age. A book called Nectar of Devotion, an authorized
summary study of Sri Rupa Gosvami’s Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, will also soon be
published. Prabhupada is presently writing a several volume work called Krsna,
which contains all of the pastimes of the Supreme Lord when present on this planet
5000 years ago. Translations are also underway of the Vedanta-sutras, Caitanya-
caritamrta and his 12 volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam. The literatures compiled by
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami are authorized by the disciplic succession, which is
descending from Krsna Himself; Prabhupada’s whole life mission is to faithfully pass
on the original understanding of Krsna consciousness without distortion. According
to the Vedic literature this descending process is the only way to realization of the
Absolute Truth, as the Absolute Truth is beyond the reach of our mundane
speculation or scholarship.

The author is not a retired personality, despite his prodigious literary output. He
personally and very intimately guides his disciples through the most practical
problems of daily life. Spiritual life is practical and, due to the predominent material
atmosphere of Kali-yuga, often problematic. As spiritual master, Bhaktivedanta
Swami is the last recourse and the ultimate standard of Krsna consciousness, and he
writes some twenty-five letters a day to leaders and students of his various worldwide
centers. He himself resides in no one place but travels from center to center and
regularly lectures. The spiritual master is responsible for his devotees; when he
accepts a sincere soul as his disciple, he promises to take him back to home, back to
Godhead. No one should think, “Oh, everyone is taking a spiritual master; let me
take one.” The spiritual master as a style or as a pet is useless. Rather, his order is to
be taken as one’s life and soul. By taking shelter at the feet of the bona fide guru and
serving him 24 hours a day, the fallen soul can be lifted to the spiritual sky. It is said
that if the spiritual master is pleased, then one can make great advances in spiritual
life. And one pure convinced devotee can make many pure devotees by his example
and teachings. Those serious students with an understanding of the absolute value of
the spiritual platform of life therefore honor the spiritual master with the honor due
to God, because the guru is the transparent via media or representative of God and is
distributing unalloyed love of God. The intelligent reader is invited to take to this
philosophy with the utmost seriousness.
