Becoming Attached to Prabhupada 

It may be said that as we get attached to Prabhupada, there is a tendency to weaken in other relationships, especially material ones.  If family ties are material, then they tend to weaken.  The more you become Prabhupada’s disciple, the less you become interested in other things that are not connected to Krishna.  You also develop friendships with those who are Prabhupada’s followers.

In my case, I did not know of Krishna except for the painting on the cover of Prabhavananda Swami’s Bhagavad-gita.  I thought He was some mythical figure.  But by meeting Swamiji on the Lower East Side, I began to know of my relationship with Krishna, starting with hearing about Him.  And that has grown to the stage where I now identify Krishna as God, the God whom I understood in my childhood, the Supreme Being, the Creator, the God of religion and so on.  As you make further progress, you begin to understand Krishna as Krishna.  He becomes part of yourself, just as Prabhupada does.  Even if you neglect the attachment, He is still there and He acts from His side, and that is a wonderful thing.

The Prabhupada connection is tangible and strong.  By his strength, you maintain yourself in spiritual life.  If you haven’t fallen down from the four rules, it is because he is protecting you.  You should be able to perceive where the strength is coming from.  “O Gurudeva, your mercy is all that I am made of.”  As I perceive it, I am grateful, and I promise – with feelings of regret for having failed so far – to protect and reciprocate with Prabhupada’s protective presence.  Request him to stay always and especially as you go over the bridge from here to the next life.