Prabhupada 1009 - If You Respect Spiritual Master as God, You Must Offer Him the Facilities of God



750713 - Conversation B - Philadelphia

Anne Jackson: You have said that you are very small and that you are not God, and yet it appears to me as an outsider that the devotees treat you as if you were God.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is devotee's duty. Just like a government officer. Personally he is not very important, but so long he executes government order, he should be respected as government. That is the way. Even a ordinary policeman comes, you have to respect him because he is government man. But that does not mean he is government. He is respected. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ. If that man thinks that "I have become government. People are respecting me," then he is foolish. So... But it is the etiquette. If the government man comes, he should respect him as government.

Anne Jackson: Along the same idea, I wonder also about the many beautiful material things that the devotees bring to you, and, for instance, when you left the airport, you left in a beautiful, big, fancy car, and I wonder about this because...

Prabhupāda: That is teaching them how to respect. If you respect government man as government, then you must treat him like that.

Anne Jackson: But...

Prabhupāda: If you respect spiritual master as God, then you must offer him the facilities of God. Otherwise how you treat him as God? Simply in mind? In action also.

Anne Jackson: I'm sorry. What was the last you said?

Prabhupāda: If the spiritual master is treated as God, so he must show, practically show, that he is treating as God. So God travels by golden car. So if the spiritual master is offered ordinary motorcar, so still it is not sufficient, because he has to be treated like God. What is this motorcar for God? (laughter) They are still deficient. If God comes to your home, will you bring Him in ordinary motorcar or you would arrange for a golden car, if you treat him as God? So your point is that they offer me nice motorcar, but I say that is not sufficient. That is still lacking to treat him as God. Be practical.

Anne Jackson: Yesterday I met a devotee from New York who said that there were many people present at the festival from other planets, and that you could see them. Is that true?

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Everyone can see. If you have eyes, you can see also. But if you have no eyes, therefore you are envious because they have offered a nice motorcar. So you have to make your eyes to see. A blind man cannot see. The eyes are to be treated how to see.

Anne Jackson: Is this true also of your other senses?

Prabhupāda: Every senses. If you want to see something, you must be trained up how to see. Like a scientist is seeing something through the microscope, and you want to see with naked eyes. How it is possible to see? You must adopt the process to see. Then you can see everything.