Purity Is the Force

In particular, we may note that Srila Prabhupada never compromised principles. The standard Vedic discipline requires that one strictly follow the basic rules-no gambling, no intoxication, no meat-eating, and no illicit sex. When Srila Prabhupada first arrived in America and saw for himself the high fever of Western materialistic life, he thought, "Who will agree to follow these rules? As soon as I mention them, everyone will go away." Nonetheless, never seeking to become popular by catering to the public taste, he always insisted that his disciples adhere to these basic rules for spiritual purity. His mission was to present the right medicine for the materialistic disease, even though that medicine might at first seem a little bitter, for he knew that what might seem bitter at first would very soon taste sweet. Only when an aspiring devotee was regularly chanting Hare Krsna and following these basic Vedic principles would Srila Prabhupada accept him as an initiated disciple.