People want to worship Radha and Krishna, but they don't even know who Krishna is
Saudamani dasi : Prabhupada's Gaura Purnima lecture that year went right to my heart. You know how you have that experience that even though there's a whole crowd, the whole temple room was filled with devotees, that nevertheless he's speaking directly to you. Because of what I had gone through in the festival and attempts about Deities and things that are my own story, I felt that the questions were answered and Prabhupada said, "People are trying to worship Radha and Krishna." He said, "I was walking in Calcutta and I saw in a bookstore there was a picture of Radharani on the cover of Bhagavad-gita, on the cover by Herself." And then he said how actually Radharani is not even mentioned in Bhagavad-gita. Not only was it a picture of Radharani, it had Her in a very unchaste way with Her hair hanging and with no one, no Krishna. That was the cover of Bhagavad-gita.
He said, "People want to worship Radha and Krishna, but they don't even know who Krishna is." Then he said, "It's not possible to worship Radha and Krishna until first you know who Krishna is. And if you want to worship Krishna, then first you have to understand Lord Caitanya. And don't think that you can worship Lord Caitanya without first worshiping Nityananda." And then he said, "And don't think that you can worship Nityananda until first you follow in the footsteps of the Six Goswamis." He would continue on, there were intervals. Then he said, "And don't think that you can ever follow in the footsteps of the Six Goswamis until first you follow the order of the spiritual master."
Although we had by writing gotten permission to see about purchasing Radha-Krishna Deities this was the idea, coming to India and I remember sitting in the audience and feeling like Prabhupada personally in a most direct but nevertheless compassionate way just put me in my place. "First you must follow the order of the spiritual master." And being put in my place was so ecstatic because it meant that I actually had a place in Prabhupada's movement. I felt like the tiniest little dot of a space because that's how squished down I had been put. So after that, I felt I belonged finally. That was the most ecstatic lecture that I had ever heard.
Reference: Following Srila Prabhupada-A Chronological Series by Saudamani Dasi
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