Remembering Srila Prabhupada: Understanding the mood of Srila Prabhupada

Q. I was wondering if it is the official view of ISKCON that Srila Prabhupada is Nitya Siddha?

There is no such official view. By studying the life of Srila Prabhupada and on the basis of scriptural evidence, however, we can see that Srila Prabhupada was an exceptionally empowered representative of the Lord and a perfected soul, siddha.

Q. 1. I'm having difficulty understanding the divinity of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Q. Srila Prabhupada was a pure devotee and a strong guru, yet we see that he accepted both strong and weak disciples. Was that a kind of lila?

Q. Prabhupada had undergone so many troubles in his life; still he continued his preaching in his life even after having so many temples to manage. That was his success. But when we are trying to follow his teachings in our life, why are we not able follow it perfectly?

Sometimes we say Maya is so strong. What will happen to us? When we are sick, it is so difficult to even complete 16 rounds. Why does this happen to us?

Q. 1. How do we know if God is real?

One way we can come to understand or verify the existence of God is simply by studying the meticulous organization of this universe and all the things happening around us. There is such precise design, order and control in the way everything in nature functions, from the gigantic planetary movements down to the intricate workings of a cell. Is it not illogical to propose that this vast universe is conducted so meticulously just by chance and for no purpose?

Q. It has always been puzzling for me when, in the heat of life's struggles, one faces situations of hardship, how does one know if it is, for example, Krishna testing our resolve to serve him, or is it karma because our endeavor is contaminated by material desires or, is it a message meant to make us realize that adjustments need to be made in order to achieve our goals?

Q. In the Srimad Bhagavatam - Third Canto, Chapter 15: Description of the Kingdom of God - we find some verses and purports with language I find problematic. For example, SB 3.15.17: "In the Vaikuntha planets the inhabitants fly in their airplanes, accompanied by their wives and consorts, and eternally sing of the character and activities of the Lord."
 

Questions Preface: Thanks so much for all the inspiration you have given me in Krishna consciousness through your lectures and the Q&A forum. I have a question regarding the differences between bhakti yoga and nishkama karma yoga on the platform of knowledge (detached from work and fruits of the work, but still performing work as per Krishna's injunctions in chapter 3). It seems that sometimes these two terms are used interchangeably and sometimes they are distinguished. Based on this, I have a few questions:

Q. People should help people just for the sake of helping them, and without any additional motivation. The propagation of that kind of behavior is the positive part of society in general. Doing everything for God negates the basic human decency of every good act, even though the outcome might be the same. The difference in motivation removes all of the good will from the equation. Essentially, people who do things only for indirect purposes are only automatons.

Q. Why is Srila Prabhupada awarded the title Acharya - doesn't one of the meanings of acharya mean one who has started something new? We call Madhvacharya or Shankaracharya as acharya and not swami because he started something new, isn't it? But Srila Prabhupada didn't start something new, he just brought it to the western world, so what is the understanding why he is given the title Acharya? I would really appreciate your answer to this question.