Browsing: Opinion

published by BTG used with permission Author: Suresvara Dasa Vyasa-puja 1972: A Guru of Gurus                          …

Interviewer: What do you recommend for those who find parts of Founder-Acharya’s writings confusing or disturbing?

Garuda das: First, absorb. Read. Reflect. If you don’t understand, acknowledge it. Then bring it into dialogue with others. Be honest. Third, only after that process, share it. Present it with integrity.

If something doesn’t make sense right now, put it on the shelf. Return to it later. Have faith that the realization will come.

Reading Srila Prabhupada’s books is not like reading a novel. It’s a sadhana—a devotional practice. If we approach it with that mindset, our understanding will deepen over time.

Urmila Devi Dasi: Recognising Srila Prabhupada as the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON has profoundly shaped the movement. While acknowledging him as founder is widely accepted, his role as acarya—an ongoing guide, not merely a historical figure—remains more challenging. Staying true to ISKCON’s mission requires adherence to its core principles, while adjusting secondary details according to time, place, and circumstance. Prabhupada himself stated that such adaptation is essential.