STUCK

Interesting to note. After the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada the followers for the most part were left to scramble... How to serve the pure devotee.

Some were thinking ISKCON had deviated. And if devotees will just follow the process strictly the movement can be revived to its original ecstatic glory. But I don't see that. I see that ISKCON is perfect and has done exactly what it was intended to do. It could not have done anything else. To try to go back to "square one" as one disgruntled disciple often suggests would mean that after 40 more years starting from square one they would be exactly where ISKCON is now after 40 years. Eisenstein has quoted, "Insanity means to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result."

Others think that they are following the process and that gurus are being manufactured by the process who are available to teach the process.

What I see is that Krishna consciousness is not simply a process. It is a person. In the absence of a pure devotee what else could devotees do but try to follow a process? Srila Prabhupada in his infinite wisdom given to him directly by Krishna set up a process. He gave a process to help his followers at least maintain a certain level of Krishna consciousness until the Lord would empower someone to carry the movement forward. When the Lord empowers someone... serving that person takes precedence over any process.

What was the magic about Srila Prabhupada? That he had a process? No it was that he was a pure devotee. His presence solved all material problems.

The problem is that some of the followers, even most of the followers, forget that it is a person they must worship and serve and end up worshiping and serving a process. When an empowered Vaishnava appears they cannot recognize him. In this way they get stuck and cannot progress.