When the parents expressed a concern common to many respectable parents—that the devotees “don’t seem very ambitious”—Srila Prabhupada did not retreat from the implication.
“That is right,” he replied. “A devotee has no ambition. He simply wants to do some humble service for Krishna. He is not trying to do anything big.”
Here, Srila Prabhupada was not making a rhetorical point. He was defining the internal culture of the movement he had founded. As Founder-Acarya, he was shaping not only institutions, but consciousness itself. Ambition—even subtly redefined—was not to be the motivating force of devotional life.
When an attempt was made by Kirtanananda to soften his words—saying that devotees have no material ambitions, but have spiritual ambitions—Srila Prabhupada immediately cut off Kirtanananda’s interpretation that disagreed with him.
“No! We have no ambition. The devotee is not at all ambitious. We just want to serve Krishna.”