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The Shepherd has many Followers.
Prabhupada: December 26, 1976, Bombay: [...] But with that leadership, if you cheat others, does it mean leadership?
Indian lady: Or importance. Or the ego which they, “I have got so many followers. Whether I’m wrong or right, everyone thinks I’m right.”
Prabhupada: So what is the meaning of these followers who are all… What is called? Just like sometimes the… What is called? You take so many lambs, what is that called?
Devotee: Shepherd?
Prabhupada: Shepherd. Yes. The shepherd has many followers. But does it have any meaning?
Indian lady: We are the sheep without any understanding we blindly follow. The public I mean.
Prabhupada: Yes. So that does not mean that that man is very important, the shepherd, because you follow. What is the meaning of…
Indian lady: But the sheep has no sense of herd. What poor sheep can do?
Prabhupada: That’s all right. Because thousands of sheep following one shepherd, does it mean the shepherd is an important man?
Indian lady: One sheep thinks that “So many sheep are following, with me…”
Prabhupada: That’s all right. I say the shepherd is an important man because there is…?
Indian lady: No, not that. No no.
Prabhupada: No. Then why you take that? That is explained the Bhagavatam, sva-vid-varahostra-kharaih samstutah purusah pasuh. The shepherd may be followed by so many sheep but that does not mean he’s an important man. That is the… That is the, going on. The so-called leaders, they are just like shepherd and we are like sheep. But that does not mean the shepherd is an important man.
Indian man: Then what is alternative of that. Can we not change? Suppose I am a sheep…
Prabhupada: You can change immediately. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam [Bg. 18.66]. You can change immediately within a second.
Indian man: Within a second.
Prabhupada: But because you are sheeps, you’ll not do.
Indian lady: But we’ll change only when there is a guru-krpa.
Prabhupada: Krishna says… You are taking Bhagavad-gita, the leader is taking Bhagavad-gita, and he’s speaking nonsense. So we are human beings, we should know Krishna what He says. Krishna says, evam parampara praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]. The parampara, whether he’s speaking parampara or he’s speaking whimsically. That much sense we must have. Otherwise, I am the same sheep. Then why you are speaking which is not in the parampara? At least, you should be… Now this movement is started, because on this principle, That why these rascals are speaking not in the parampara? That is my seed of starting this movement. I must start the movement. That is the impetus of this movement, that they must speak according to the parampara. And someone allowed them to speak otherwise. Therefore I wrote this book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Don’t make interpretations. And by the grace of Krishna it has become to some extent successful. That is the impetus. Why they should talk nonsense? It is clear that evam parampara praptam. Parampara means… That is also explained.
imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam vivasvan manave praha manur iksvakave ’bravit [Bg. 4.1]
So if that parampara is lost, now you take the next parampara. As Krishna says, and speak that puratana-yoga. Find out this. Sa evayam… Yogah proktah puratanah evayam te.
Pradyumna:
sa evayam maya te ’dya yogah proktah puratanah bhakto ’si me sakha ceti rahasyam hy etad uttamam [Bg. 4.3]
Prabhupada: I’m just talking to you the same old yoga system. There is no change. Puratana. Why they make new interpretation? Krishna is saying the puratana, and these people are presenting new interpretation of Bhagavad-gita. Just see. How much misuse has been done. Try to understand. No effect.
Indian lady: I’m asking a question. How to stop this which is going on only if we chant God’s name, this poor activity…?
Prabhupada: This is also chanting. If you speak Bhagavad-gita As It Is, this is also chanting.
Indian lady: Preach to everybody as it is.
Prabhupada: Yes. Present Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
Indian lady: You must know what is in Gita.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Indian lady: Then nobody can fool you. And you know in our so- called guru baba’s speeches, without guru-krpa you can’t get anything. They want to enter…
Prabhupada: No, no. First of all we…
Indian lady: Without guru-krpa we can’t get. You can’t achieve the goal.
Prabhupada: That’s all right, but you have to ask whether are you guru?
Indian lady: That sense you must have. You must know what is what.
Prabhupada: Yes. You are not guru, you are goru. Goru means cow. Sa eva go-kharah. You are not guru. You are speaking against Krishna so you are not guru. Guru is Arjuna. Because a confidential instruction is given to Arjuna, so we accept Arjuna as guru. Or one who is following Arjuna, he is guru. Arjuna has accepted Krishna, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12] You accept Krishna as param brahma. You want to become param brahma. You are cheating people. You do not say Krishna is param brahma, but you are replacing Him. Then you are cheater, you are not guru. That has to be done. So organize this. Very plain thing. Very plain thing. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu did. Yare dekha tare kaha Krishna-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. Bas. You become guru.