Category:How Can I (Prabhupada)
Theme Analysis
Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly used the questioning phrase "How can I?" to underscore his profound humility and deep realization that he was entirely dependent on the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, the blessings of his Guru, and the sincere cooperation of his disciples. Despite being the founder of a worldwide movement, he never claimed personal credit for its phenomenal success. Instead, he constantly reminded his followers that without divine sanction and the active help of dedicated devotees, he was helpless. This mood permeated every aspect of his leadership, from his pleas to be relieved of complex management duties so he could translate the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, to his straightforward approach to preaching without manufacturing new doctrines. By expressing his reliance on others, he practically demonstrated the essence of Vaiṣṇava humility and trained his followers to take genuine responsibility.
- Total Dependence on Supreme Authority: Śrīla Prabhupāda consistently attributed all success to Kṛṣṇa and his spiritual master, openly admitting that as a single individual arriving in America, he could not have achieved anything without their divine intervention and guidance.
- The Need for Cooperative Management: He regularly pleaded with his senior disciples to take up the burden of administrative affairs, questioning how he could possibly concentrate on writing and translating if he was constantly disturbed by internal disputes and mismanagement.
- Rejecting Concocted Methods: He stressed that one cannot simply manufacture ways to please God or preach concocted philosophies. True preaching means repeating exactly what is heard from the disciplic succession, recognizing one's own imperfections.
- Practicality in Leadership: Rather than enforcing artificial standards that would alienate people in foreign cultures, he used common sense and compassion. He acknowledged the realistic challenges of the material world and focused on engaging everyone practically in devotional service.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: How Can I Do Anything Alone - Prabhupāda's Dependence on Kṛṣṇa and His Disciples.
Pages in category "How Can I (Prabhupada)"
The following 69 pages are in this category, out of 69 total.
H
- Here in the Western country it is their custom that boys and girls mix, intermingle freely. How can I stop it? I may stop in my temple, but they will do it outside
- How can I advise you that one is to do something and another is to do something. Neither you should depend upon me for such local administrative business
- How can I give up anger? But I use anger only for Krsna. So we do not leave anything, but we utilize everything for Krsna. That is our Krsna consciousness philosophy
- How can we approve of this (worship of demigods) when it is condemned by Lord Caitanya and Lord Krsna? How can we allow people to become foolish and hrta-jnana (BG 7.20), bereft of intelligence?
- How could we mislead people into worshiping so-called gods in material bodies within this material world?
- How I can judge from here? It may be you who are fighting and making politics, it may be you who is wrong. It is up to the President to judge
- How I can say God is dead? Because if God is the law-giver, by His order everything is moving nicely. The sun is rising exactly at the time, the moon is rising exactly at the time
I
- I am asking people to become God conscious; but if you refuse to become God conscious how can I help you?
- I am in your country. If I falsely claim, "I am citizens of America," how can I be accepted? You can be accepted as citizen of America because there is a definition of the word - citizens of America
- I am trying to retire from management to translate but if these things come then how can I translate. I have set up the framework and everything should be done within the framework
- I am trying to retire from the administrative affairs, but if the presidents and GBC men make such disturbances then how I can be peaceful?
- I do not know how I can get these Deities, but they are manufactured in Vrindaban. I do not know how I can approach the Indian people, at large, but I am approaching Krishna only
- I do not know how I can help in great blunder. I can only hope that Krishna will help you
- I do not know how I can solve all of these departmental problems if they are all referred to me. It would be better if the department heads could work out such things amongst themselves
- I do not see how we can insist that all members must follow the four regulative principles, but this is certainly our recommendation to anyone who is serious about pursuing Krishna Consciousness
- I have received a letter from the Bombay secretary, Aditya dasi, requesting me to sign a number of legal forms for the bank. Neither you or Gopala Krsna have even signed or initialled an approval, so how can I sign these forms?
- I never asked my Spiritual Master one question except one: "How shall I serve you?"
- I never said there should be no more marriage. By all means legally you can get married. How can I object? They misunderstand me. Unless it is there from me in writing, there are so many things that "Prabhupada said"
- I prayed like that in Sydney, I can't do anything good to them. But somehow or other I have brought them to You Sir. Now You make them Krsna conscious. Otherwise, how can I do anything? It is beyond my power
- I say that you shall remain fixed up in this way, but if you do not accept it, then how can I help you? If I say that "Don’t dry your knife on your neck," and if you do it, so how can I save you?
- I want to retire now and simply concentrate on translating work, but how can I do it if I cannot give over the management of my society to you all my advanced senior disciples?
- If he had no desire to go to London he would have plainly told me like that. It has certainly given me a great shock. He is one of my very faithful disciples and if he does like that how can I prosecute my programmes
- If my mind becomes disturbed in this way, then how can I concentrate on book writing. It is not possible. Better not to inform me anything, and let me sit in Vrindaban
- If one moment you are willing and the next moment there is some small disagreement and immediately you all go away, how can I be calm in my mind?
- If our men are cheated, if they agree to be cheated, how can I stop them?
- If you are at all interested, you can return. Your service was there. Why did you leave, and now you are whimsically asking for service. You never asked me before leaving. How can I guide you? If you act whimsically, nobody can make you happy
- If you are thinking hopeless, then how I can make you hopeful?
- If you have received the money, which should be by this late date, then you must inform me. How can I arrange things if you do not acknowledge receipt of the transfers?
- If you still cannot understand what is my instruction, then how can I help you? New students may say like that. You are intelligent, educated, old student. If you say...
- In the mean time you work cooperatively with the others to make our New Vrindaban a very nice place. Then how I can refuse to visit there?
- It is because you are helping me that all this has become possible otherwise how can I do anything alone, ekaki amara nahi paya bol, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that I cannot do anything, alone I am helpless
K
- KC movement means we are preaching what Krsna has said, that's all. Not that we have manufactured something new. No. That is not our business. How I can manufacture? I am imperfect. But the spiritual master who follows the perfect teacher, he is perfect
- Krsna said, "Even if you are pauper, you try; you'll get everything." But I thought, "Without money, how this can be done?" That was difference of opinion with Krsna, argument
L
- Let them say all nonsense. What can I say? Every nonsense will speak something nonsense. How can I check it? There are so many nonsenses; therefore we are trying to make all these nonsense into human beings. That is our program
- Let us cooperate. You'll see how I can change the face of India. And this is the only platform where real United Nation can be made. That is practical. That is practical. That United Nation has failed
- Let us see their terms, although it is a hopeless business. Still, as you know, I never become hopeless in any case. So I am negotiating with them to see how we can cooperate
N
- Now he promises he will not return to London unless Hamsaduta goes away. How can I ask Hamsaduta to go away when he has improved the situation? From Puranjana's letter, Hamsaduta is ready to pay back the dues owed to the landlord at Bury Place
- Now I can see that it is a miracle. Otherwise, your city of New York, one single old man, with only a few books to sell for barely getting eatables, how he can survive, what to speak of introducing God-consciousness movement for saving the humankind?
- Now so many cases are there of unhappiness by the wife who has been abandoned by her husband against her wishes. So how can I sanction such thing?
S
- Sannyasis are meant for preaching only. That is the principle. But, contrary to the principle if things are being embezzled then how can I save them
- Sometimes I silently cried and prayed to Krishna that how I have lost this child, Kirtanananda. But I am sure that you cannot be lost because you chanted very nicely in Vrindaban
- Suppose I am a preacher of Krsna consciousness. How I can give opinion on medical science? That is ludicrous
T
- The other political parties are spending lavishly so how can we compete with them. We do not have enough money nor do I wish to spend our money in this way. Therefore I say it is better to stop
- The system of the country, the women and men, they intermingle. How can I check it? Then the women, shall I not give them any chance for chanting Hare Krsna? No, I shall do this chance, I shall give this chance to woman even at the risk
- This body is true. We have got body. We don't say it is false. It is true. Bodily pains and pleasures we feel, so how can I say that the body is false?
- This moon planet expedition is, up to this date, it is a failure. So how can I believe that they have gone there?
- This question-begging is going on, even some of the important men are doing like that, that I know. So how I can say your question from here?
U
- Unless one is person, how can I serve him? I cannot serve the air or the sky. I must serve a person. Love does not exist in the sky or in the air. It must be a person. Man or woman, it doesn't matter. Otherwise where there is love? Whom to love?
- Uttama-adhikari. But while I am preaching, how can I say I am the best devotee?
W
- We say everything definitely. How I can say definitely? Because I have heard it from Krsna. The example I have given: The child, he asks his father, "Father, what is this?" Father says, - My dear child, it is called microphone
- We're angry. This anger is service of Krsna. How can I give up anger? But we use anger in a different way, not for our sense gratification: "Why you have not paid me such-and-such money?" No, we don't say like that. "Why you are not KC?" That's our anger
- What we have discussed is printed in Caitanya Caritamrta. How can we rectify? We can't rectify what is written in Caitanya Caritamrta. We have no bad feeling or disrespect for Vallabhacarya
- While I am preaching, how can I say I am the best devotee? Just like Radharani - She does not see anyone as a nondevotee. Therefore we try to approach Radharani
- Why Bhagavan should interfere with Stockholm. I appoint GBC for peaceful management of affairs and now you are creating disturbances amongst yourselves. So how can I be peaceful to translate my work
- Will you kindly let me know what Guru Nanakji has said about Lord Krishna and Lord Rama in his Granth Sahib? How we can cooperate with the sikh community?
Y
- Yes, I am still brave. (laughter) Otherwise how could I come alone to preach Krsna consciousness? I am still brave
- Yes, train up the brahmanas very carefully. Many Indians and foreigners criticize us how we can create brahmanas. They are under the impression that brahmanas are born like horses and asses are born
- You say my apartment will be ready by mid-March but without an elevator, how can I use it
- You want to serve Krishna with all your energies and intelligence, so I have got all support and approval of this scheme, but until you have got some income, how can I advise you to give up your present job, especially when you are a family man