Category:I Want To (Prabhupada)

Theme Analysis

When an ordinary person says "I want," it is almost always followed by a desire for personal sense gratification, wealth, or material comfort. However, when Śrīla Prabhupāda uses the phrase "I want to," we are given a window into the pure, unalloyed heart of a mahā-bhāgavata. This category reveals that his desires were completely spiritualized and boundlessly ambitious for Kṛṣṇa's sake. Whether expressing his urgent desire to translate transcendental literature, his vision to open hundreds of centers, or his plea for his disciples to establish an ideal spiritual society, his wants were entirely selfless. He simply wanted to save humanity from godless civilization and see the whole world become spiritually happy, perfectly illustrating the supreme ambition of a pure devotee.

• Flooding the World with Transcendental Literature: Śrīla Prabhupāda's most intense personal desire was to translate and publish the Vedic literatures. He repeatedly expressed his want to retire from management and touring simply to focus on his books, and he pushed his disciples to print and distribute them profusely, aiming to flood the market with the Absolute Truth.
• Expanding Temples and Global Preaching Centers: Driven by a vision of global deliverance, Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to establish magnificent temples, farm communities, and at least 108 preaching centers worldwide. His desires extended to introducing the Ratha-yātrā festival in every major city, ensuring that people everywhere had the facility to engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
• Establishing the Ideal Spiritual Society: Recognizing the chaos of modern godless civilization, Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to re-establish the varṇāśrama-dharma system. He expressed a deep desire to create an ideal Vaiṣṇava state, open gurukulas, and train a class of intelligent men (brāhmaṇas) who could offer genuine guidance to a misguided human society.
• The Training and Care of Sincere Disciples: Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desires were deeply personal regarding the growth of his followers. He wanted to train his students with conviction, encourage them to take over management responsibilities, and even introduce spiritualized social systems like arranged marriages to ensure they remained steady and happy on the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
• A Compassionate Revolution to Save Humanity: At the core of all his desires was a profound, causeless mercy. Even in failing health and advanced age, Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to continue working and traveling to start a spiritual revolution. His ultimate, stated ambition was simply to see the whole world happy through the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa.

• Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: I Want To - Prabhupāda’s Visionary Desires for the World.