What does it really mean to assist Shrila Prabhupada in his mission?

“It is not simply executing a particular service, but it’s encapsulating the very spirit and form of all of his instructions and applying it in our life. 

Unless we are empowered by the mercy of SP, we cannot really with substance be instruments of his mercy. 

That means we need to sincerely please him.” HH Radhanath Swami

Many a times we may think that by executing a particular service, I am pleasing Shrila Prabhupada. That is good. But that is the just the beginning. 

To really encapsulate the spirit and form of all his instructions means to develop a selfless service attitude, develop heartfelt compassion, develop an intense longing for Krishna through our sincere sadhana. 

And along with doing our services, we desire to please him, we endeavor to please him, we endeavor in a way that is pleasing to him. Just like in the definition of pure devotional service, the word anukulyena means that our actions must be favorably pleasing to Krishna. The inner meaning is our actions must be performed with an intention of favorably pleasing Krishna. Just like Yashoda running after Krishna who is crying is actually pleasing to Krishna, whereas Trnavrata carrying Krishna high above – although Krishna is feeling happy, the act itself is not performed with an intention to please Krishna. 

Similarly, for pleasing Shrila Prabhupada, we need to act in a way and manner so that we intend to please him, and not our egos. The success in our service is not how inflated our ego becomes, it is the way and manner we honor his instructions.

We must not be Trnavrata in execution of our services. Trnavrata went very high, similarly, we may externally show off doing big big things, but if we don’t encapsulate the mood of his teachings, the mood of co-operation, the mood of sacrifice and surrender, then even those big things are hardly pleasing to him. We will fall down just as Trnavrata!

There is a group of people those who say that they follow Shrila Prabhupada, but they blaspheme his devoted followers. Will this please Shrila Prabhupada? Even if they do big things, will it in any way be of any consequence?

When we endeavor in the right way to please him, Shrila Prabhupada will bestow his grace upon us. And that grace will enable us to be instruments of his mercy. Otherwise, we may accomplish many things, but without guru’s grace, without Prabhupada’s grace, what is our standing? It is just like beating an empty husk.