May 22 1975 Melbourne conversations
Prabhupāda: Yes. But a pure devotee goes back to home. There is no more material body. That is the... So we are advocating that you come to this stage where you will not to have accept this material body. Then you are really happy. And if you want to enjoy the flickering, illusory māyā, then you are subjected to the māyā. You are enjoying as American. Then you enjoy as a dog. That is māyā's control. But if you don't enjoy material things then you become purified. You come to the eternal life, back to home, back to Godhead. But they are not willing to give up this material enjoyment. That is the defect. So it requires education. It requires knowledge. It requires training.
 
Devotee 7: Prabhupāda, when you leave this material world, will there be another spiritual master after you? Another pure soul?
 
Prabhupāda: Then that spiritual master is Kṛṣṇa Himself. There is no need of education. Everyone is free. Everyone is full knowledge. There is no need of spiritual master.
(He is talking here of the spiritual world, not the material world)
 
Devotee 8: Śrīla Prabhupāda, many people who live outside the temple have Jagannātha Deities and Gaura-Nitāi Deities.
 
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
 
Devotee 8: Śrīla Prabhupāda, many people who live outside the temple have Jagannātha Deities and...
 
Prabhupāda: Better Gaura-Nitāi Deities.
 
Devotee 8: Huh?
 
Prabhupāda: Better Gaura-Nitāi.
 
Devotee 8: So they have to do full Deity worship when they have these Deities?
 
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
 
Devotee 8: They have to do full Deity worship to have these Deities? Dress the Deities every day?
 
Prabhupāda: They are supposed to do so, but whether they are able to do so, that is the point. If you can worship properly, that's all right. But whether you are able to worship?
 
Devotee 7: Prabhupāda, can a person go back to a spiritual planet without initiation?
 
Prabhupāda: Huh?
 
Devotee 7: Can a person go back to a spiritual planet...
 
Prabhupāda: No, there is no more init... Initiation here required when the living entity is in darkness. Just like uneducated person requires to go to school. One who is educated, in his full knowledge, he doesn't go.
 
Madhudviṣa: The question was, Prabhupāda, is it possible for a person to return to the spiritual world without taking initiation from a bona fide spiritual master?
 
Prabhupāda: No, that is not possible. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī said, ā dau gurv-āśrayam. First business is to accept spiritual master. Ā dau gurv-āśrayam. Who will train him? He is already fool, rascal. He must be trained up. So he must be trained up by the representative of Kṛṣṇa.
 
Devotee 9: Is second initiation necessary, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
 
Prabhupāda: Second or first only.
 
Devotee 9: Śrīla Prabhupāda, what are you saying? You said before there's no necessary for a spiritual master and now you...
 
Devotee 1: He said in the spiritual world there is no necessity.
 
Devotee 9: Oh, in the spiritual world.
 
Devotee 1: Everyone is in full knowledge. In the material world everyone is in darkness.
 
Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda! Hari bol! Hari bol! [break]
 
Devotee 1: Śrīla Prabhupāda, it appears that there is a group of persons here in Australia who think, judging from the different questions that are being asked, they are thinking that it is not required to formally accept...
 
Prabhupāda: There are so many rascal swamis come. They say like that, "There is no need of guru."
 
Devotee 1: Yeah, right. They think that Kṛṣṇa is in the heart and you can accept initiation by that way.
 
Prabhupāda: You do not know where to find out Kṛṣṇa in the heart. (end)
 
Some Conclusions--
Many points were covered in this short conversation. The first one was never completely answered here about who will take Srila Prabhupadas place when he leaves. Actually this question was answered later when Prabhupada said in Vrndavana on Nov 2 1977 in Hindi...”only Lord Caitanya can take my place. He will take care of the movement.”
 
The next important point was that he recommended householders only worship Gaura Nitai murtis,and not Jagannatha deities (what to speak of Radha Krsna) unless they could do the full menu of daily worship , arotiks, dressing deities daily etc.
 
Another point was that is IS necessary to accept initiation from a bona fide spiritual master to go back to Godhead. Even at this time some devotees were thinking you dont need to take initiation to go back to Godhead, what to speak of today where all sorts of rubbish ideas are being spread by the “rascal swamis” Srila Prabhupada mentions above.
Hare Krsna
Compiled by Damaghosa das