What kind of devotee are you? 

Srila Prabhupada's movement created two categories of people: those who left and those who remained; between the two a whole nuance of colors exists that it is good and wise to take into account.

Of these two extremes, some have rejected Krishna consciousness completely and tend to forget it forever, without culpability. The others firmly believe that their guru is the manifestation of God on earth, that in their next life they will go to Goloka-Vrindavana. They no longer have any interest in the affairs of this world, they care for nothing else. 

(The preaching was aimed at reaching a category of people to join the Hare Krishna and become uncompromised members. They would abandon everything, even their families, meat-eating karmis, to devote themselves to pure devotion and submit body and soul to a guru. Once into the cult, they will renounce any education and culture; they will only study Srila Prabhupada's books to adapt to the requirement of bhakti-yoga, and thus return back to Godhead. Hence the disinterest about democracy of which I am speaking so often. 

And there are those who left, because they were chased away. For example, because they did not agree to be initiated by a zonal guru, as was customary. Or there are those who did not conform to the rules of the community: who did not come either to mangol aratik, guru puja or Bhagavatam class. They now had to learn how to live by themselves, sometimes in exile, etc. Marginalized, in a way, after some time, they felt undesirable. They were no more on the same wavelength with the community. By being distant from the temple, they slowly began to lose faith and close contact with the devotees. Association is the most important element on the bhakti path. But it must be admitted that devotees are not strong in this area, which is of warm and friendly relationships. Anyway, many devotees fall into that category. So, they left and a great number of them lost interest in Krishna consciousness. Some became Jehovah's witnesses and others worked for McDonald.

In the camp of persevering devotees, disciples of the newly appointed gurus and of Prabhupada were in the fire. The last ones could see more or less the irregularities and abuses committed by the authorities (GBC’s were also gurus), but they rationalize or relativize the facts. It means, in a way, a form of voluntary blindness for the benefit of a transcendental project, initiated by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and spread all over the world by Srila Prabhupada. Being a young movement, there are naturally some apparent flaws, but it's better to see the glass half full than half empty. So many books were distributed all over the world and recruits were joining the movement in mass, especially in India and in the ex communist countries. In fact, Prabhupada's disciples had no choice than to accept what was going on, if they wanted to keep their advantages and continue to do their service. The last thing they wanted is to enter in conflict with devotees for whom their guru was like a Maha-Bhagavat. They worshiped him every morning in that mood and understanding. Prabhupada's disciples will join them, of course, sometimes a bit confused…

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Commenting on my biography of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu: If we follow Vishvarupa’s reasoning, Nimai’s brother (which is effectively Srila Prabhupada speaking through him, given that this is a romanced biography), only the first category of devotees, the uttama-adhikaris, can become spiritual masters. In the intermediate stage, devotees are true representatives of Krishna consciousness, but they are not equipped to defend it; it is their faith that saves them. The third category comprises the neophytes. To put it bluntly, they are 'good for nothing,' yet they are drawn to Krishna for one reason or another, often out of base, selfish, or material motives. They are nonetheless devotees of Krishna, and it is vital to keep this in mind in our dealings with them.

​Furthermore, to understand the warning against this blunt hierarchical classification as it is presented here, one must remember that in the Bhagavad-gita, Srila Prabhupada places Dhruva Maharaja in this third category —prior to his enlightenment, of course. In reality, with few exceptions, one almost always passes through the neophyte stage before rising to the second and third levels; hence the need for caution and care in our relationships between devotees. I therefore invite you to read this chapter, titled 'The Definition of a Devotee,' in which I provide several extraordinary and quite astonishing examples. ■