What Were Srila Prabhupada’s Private Thoughts in 1965?

vaiṣṇavera kriyā mudrā

Devotees sometimes try to guess what was on Prabhupada’s mind.  Whenever this question comes up, someone inevitably quotes the familiar saying vaiṣṇavera kriyā mudrā vijñe nā bhujhaya, “one cannot understand the mind of the Vaisnava.”  Prabhupada sometimes added, “Nor should one try to inquire into his previous life.”  The meaning of this verse may also be extended to mean that people should not criticize an ачарьи or try to give him advice.

Prabhupada makes this point in Nectar of Instruction:  “The spiritual master must not be subjected to the advice of a disciple, nor should a spiritual master be advised to take instructions from those who are not his disciples.”  (Nectar of Instruction, Text 6 Purport) 

We can get a general impression of Prabhupada’s thoughts in 1965 from what he wrote in his letters, or what he later reiterated in conversations, but it is not possible to totally understand the mind of the pure devotee.  Only Krishna knows.