#prabhupada early days guru dream

Therefore the Vedic civilization is voluntary giving up. Voluntary giving up. Big, big king, Maharaja Bharata, the emperor of the whole world, Bharata-varsa-therefore it is called Bharata-varsa-at the age of twenty-four years, he gave up his kingdom, his young wife. There are many, many instances. So to become voluntarily akincana, "I have nothing. I don't possess anything." Here in this material world, everyone is trying to possess more-more wealth, more education, more beauty, more family prestige, aristocracy. This is materialism. And spiritualism means just the opposite. Therefore people are not attracted to spiritualism. I have told you that I was thinking when I was dreaming that "Guru Maharaja is asking me to come out," and I was going... Did I say this story? Yes. So I was afraid: "Oh, I have to give up my family. And I become... I have to become sannyasi? And I have to go behind my Guru Maharaja? No, no, it is horrible." I was thinking. But he forced me to it. He is so kind that he forced me, somehow or other. That is mercy. I can understand now that how much merciful was my Guru Maharaja that he forced me to take this life.    (More...)

So in this way, gradually, I became attached to these Gauḍiya Matha activities, and by the grace of Krsna, my business also was not going very well. [laughter] [laughs] Yes. Krsna says, yasyaham anughrnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaiḥ [SB 10.88.8], means if somebody wants to be actually devotee of Krsna, at the same time keeps his material attachment, then Krsna's business is He takes away everything material, so that cent per cent he becomes, I mean to say, dependent on Krsna. So that actually happened to my life. I was obliged to come to this movement to take up this very seriously. And I was dreaming that "Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is calling me, 'Please come out with me!' "    (More...)

Prabhupada: Forty-three years. So it is better late than never. Yes. So he desired me. I thought, "Now I am a family man. Let me adjust things." I would have accepted immediately, but I was not so intelligent at that time. I thought, "My responsibility to family is there. Let me wait." But still, Guru Maharaja was so kind to me that when I was grhastha, I was seeing him in dream and I was... He asked me, "You come with me." So I was going, and after that, I was thinking, "Oh, I will have to take sannyasa and go with him?" So it appeared to me very horrible. I was not very much inclined to take sannyasa, but Guru Maharaja is so kind that he ultimately forced me to take sannyasa and do this work. So it is all his kindness. So this is the memory of his kindness.    (More...)