Empowered by Grace to Empower Others
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
Kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana: “Unless empowered by Kṛṣṇa, one cannot propagate the
saṅkīrtana movement.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 7.11)
Understanding your unique position is crucial for the future of ISKCON. What you accom-
plished is no ordinary task. Only one who is extremely dear to the Lord and consequently fully
empowered is able to spread the holy name around the world. You are the direct senāpati-bhakta –
the commander in chief of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement, as expressed by
Locana dāsa Ṭhākura.
Being a liberated soul who descended into this world solely to save the conditioned souls,
you were fully empowered by the Lord and the entire paramparā. While staying at the Rādhā-
Dāmodara temple, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī personally appeared to you and encouraged you: “Don’t
worry about anything. Go ahead, travel to the West, and preach the message of Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu. You will be successful. I will be right there with you all the time.”
Later, on the Jaladuta, on the thirteenth day of your voyage across the Arabian Sea, you suf-
fered a massive heart attack. But that very night you had a vision: Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared along
with His incarnations to assure you that you were fully protected and blessed for your divine
mission.
Your empowerment by the Lord is as undeniable as the rising of the sun – self-evident to all
who have eyes to see.
But there is another aspect that makes you even more glorious: you empowered so many others
to engage in Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana mission.
There is a proverb: “True leaders don’t create followers; they create more leaders.” The way
you spread the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement was by creating leaders – by empowering so many of your
disciples.
You once remarked, “Just as Lord Rāma had an army of monkeys to help Him, so do I.” You
transformed hippies into happies, the sinful into the pious, the “spaced out” into the pakkā, and
the selfish into the selfless. This was your true miracle – not simply producing ashes or a golden
egg but empowering your disciples and, with their help, creating a spiritual revolution. Being
empowered yourself and empowering others – this was the secret of your success.
I am an insignificant soul with many limitations, yet somehow, I have now been entrusted
with great responsibility. My seniors have encouraged me, placing their hope in me to serve your
mission.
On this auspicious day of your divine appearance in this world, I pray that you might empower
me as well so that I may always remember your instructions and keep your vāṇī as my life and
soul. You made it clear that you have given us all instructions, both verbally and in your books.
Today, I specifically pray for your empowerment so that I may serve as one of your GBC men,
with responsibility for the German-speaking countries, always remembering your guidance: “Any
person authorized by either the Lord or by His bona fide representative is already blessed, as
is the work entrusted to him. Of course, the person entrusted with such a responsibility should
always be aware of his incapability and must always look for the mercy of the Lord for the suc-
cessful execution of his duty. One should not be puffed up because he is entrusted with certain
executive work. Fortunate is he who is so entrusted, and if he is always fixed in the sense of
being subordinate to the will of the Supreme, he is sure to come out successful in the discharge
of his work.… Anyone who takes pride in doing responsible work but does not give credit to the
Supreme Lord is certainly falsely proud and cannot execute anything nicely.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
3.9.29, purport)
Śrīla Prabhupāda, I pray that I can imbibe this mood and, in doing so, one day qualify myself
for true empowerment so that I may render my service in a way that pleases you.
Hare Kṛṣṇa, your aspiring servant,
Krishna Premarūpa Dāsa (BSDS)

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