“I am not well and the doctor has warned me not to speak too much. It is quite possible that I do not stay much longer in this world. I am telling you that to engage in a proper practice of devotional service, you must be fixed in the worship of the ultimate object of your devotion. When a woman is not faithful to her husband, when she loves someone else, she cannot give herself to his service. Infidelity and exclusive devotion cannot go together. For this reason, a faithful and devoted wife will never allow anyone to take the place of her husband, nor will she criticize anyone else. She will not condemn her brother-in-law, her mother-in-law or her father-in-law, nor anyone else who is related to her husband, but will rather give each of them his or her due respect. In the same way, if you wish to advance in devotional service, worship Krishna alone. Do not criticize the other gods and goddesses, but think of them as servants of Krishna and give them their due respect in that consciousness. But be careful to never give them the place which is due to the ultimate object of your devotion. I am giving you this instruction. Give this matter a little thought. You are a competent person, you are highly qualified, but you don’t understand this tradition yet.

“In the Gaudiya sampradaya, in the lineage of Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, in the religious tradition of devotion to Krishna, dedicated devotees worship Krishna exclusively. If you put other gods and goddesses on the same level as Krishna, you are making a mistake. Don’t forget this. Not all gods and goddesses are equal, nor all avatāras of Viṣṇu. Ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.28). After discussing all the different avatāras, Matsya, Kurma, Rama, Nṛsiṁha, etc., Veda Vyasa says that none of these avatāras is Krishna Himself. Some of Them are expansions, some are partial manifestations, but Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

jānr bhagavattā haite anyer bhagavattā
svayaṁ bhagavān śabder tāhātei sattā

The epithet svayaṁ bhagavān can only be used for Him from whom the characteristics of Godhead are derived.
(Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.2.88)

“No one is equal to Krishna. Everyone should keep this in mind and worship Krishna exclusively and with dedication. Devotion will not increase by making a great sound and fury. Everyone should remember this. We will not condemn any other gods or goddesses, but will pray them to give us the blessing that we remain fixed on our supreme object of worship, Krishna.”

“I have registered the Math. The Math is no one’s personal property. But that doesn’t mean that each of us become boss or be indisciplined. By doing so, this life will have been wasted. Therefore a management scheme is necessary for the proper running of the Math. One person will be named Acharya; he will be the head man or president.

“When I am gone, one person will take my place. Who will that be? My spiritual master did not like the idea that there should be a vote to decide the matter. To elect an acharya is not in accordance with the principles of Hari-bhakti. God Himself will decide who is the acharya. The acharya is the person who is most dear to the Lord. Who will make that decision? The proper arrangement is when the Lord Himself says, ‘This person is the one who is most dear to Me.’ Therefore, the rule of the disciplic succession is that the choice should come from above. The correct process is that the order should be given from higher up. From the worldly point of view, everyone can get together to elect a leader, but the correct process is that the Lord Himself indicates which devotee is filled with love for Him, and He makes him the acharya. This is the process approved by scripture.

“When Śrīla Prabhupada was exhibiting pastimes of illness, he asked the solicitor, Mr. J. N. Basu, to write up a constitution. We heard that the constitution could be made according to one of two methods, by nomination or by election. Finally, the constitution was written according to the latter method. But Śrīla Prabhupada did not like it and he rejected it. I and two or three others were personally present when it happened. You cannot decide who is a sādhu, an acharya or realized soul by taking a vote on the matter. Someone will say one thing, another something else and the debate will simply go on. Therefore the proper method is that the Lord Himself will choose which person will be honored with the position of acharya. The scripture enjoins us to respect this process.

This process is not followed only in the Gaudiya sampradaya; it can be seen in every Vaiṣṇava sampradaya, the Ramanuja, Madhva, Nimbārka and Viṣṇuswami lineage. This is the way that the disciplic succession is maintained. Therefore, the process ordained in the disciplic succession must be followed. I have therefore discussed with my senior godbrothers who are a part of the Gaudiya Math brotherhood, and I have decided to make Sriman Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja my successor and president in my absence.

When I have gone, that does not give you all an excuse to behave just as you please. The defining characteristic of a Vaiṣṇava is following a devotee. The highest order devotee is the one who follows the footsteps of a devotee for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord. The Lord’s blessings follow the blessings of the devotee. When a devotee is merciful to someone, the Lord’s mercy follows. This is the essence of my instruction to you, please follow it. I have written in more detail elsewhere.

It will not be correct if you try to expel someone out of the Math as soon as there is some discord. That will result in chaos. You first have to explain and try to clarify the situation. If that still doesn’t work, then give the devotee who is causing problems some money and a letter and send him to another Math. Do not act impetuously, but try work together and follow the person who has been made leader. It is not proper to ignore his commands and to do as one pleases. One has to follow the directions of the temple commanders. All his commands are given for the service of the Lord, bear that in mind.

I want to say one more thing. We have come here to engage in devotional service to Krishna. There are three principle impediments we have to watch out for.

The first is the desire for sense gratification. The first obstacle to devotional service is kanaka, gold -- the greed to accumulate lots of money. Your attention, your attachment, should be fixed on Krishna’s lotus feet. If you become attached to anything else, you will fall down. You should not think that because outsiders will not understand, you should save money for a rainy day. Mendicants beg, that is their duty. But they should turn whatever money they collect over to the Math.

The temple managers should note that they must arrange for treatment if any temple devotee falls ill. If necessary, they should borrow money, but they must see that the devotee is taken care of. I can remember a time in the Math when we didn’t even have money for groceries. Then I borrowed money from someone without telling any of the devotees and went and bought food from the market. Only Uddharan Prabhu knew about it. Uddharan Prabhu would also go to a householder’s place and borrow money from him. The householder was Govinda Babu. If Govinda Babu didn’t have any money, he borrowed it from his wife. Later I paid all the money back. How many people know about that?

Sripad Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Sripad Nemi Mahārāja, and I did all the collecting. I would put on a waistcoat and would go out to collect. Then I would come back and give all the money to the temple. Srimad Bhakti Pradip Tirtha Mahārāja, Yayavar Mahārāja and Sridhar Mahārāja would accompany me. Whenever they needed something I would buy it, but I never spent the temple collection money for myself.

When I was at the Kolkata Math, I would say to Kunja Da, “Is there any cloth in the Math? If there is, let me have one.” But I would never ask for anything that I did not need, just for pleasure. None of you should set aside money that was collected for the temple. That will disrupt your devotional life. It doesn’t really matter to the Math if you decide to hold some of the money for yourself, because Math is protected by Krishna, the devotees, the Vaiṣṇavas. But if you try to build up a savings account with that money, your spiritual life will go to hell and you will not last long in devotional service. So please don’t set money aside for your personal use; give everything to the temple manager. If there is any problem, tell the temple manager. The desire for money is an obstacle to devotional service.

The next obstacle is association with women. Both direct association and subtle association are a hindrance. It goes without saying that you don’t engage in gross sexual activity, but you shouldn’t even think about it, because we have given up everything to come here and engage in the service of the Lord.

The third obstacle is the desire for personal aggrandizement. Śrīla Gurudeva wrote:

kanaka kāminī pratiṣṭhā bāghinī
chāṛiyāche jāre sei to vaiṣṇava
sei anāsakta, sei śuddha bhakta,
saṁsāra tathāya pāy parābhava

Someone who has given up the tigresses of gold, women, and fame, is a true Vaiṣṇava. He is unattached and a pure devotee. He has overcome the illusory power of the material world.

Prabhupada here compares the desires for wealth, women and fame to a tigress. The desire for fame and good reputation are very strong and problematic, but even someone who does not seek fame, finds that it comes to him of its own accord when he engages in true service to the Lord. People naturally give him their respect. People will always give respect to a true devotee.

pratiṣṭhāra bhaye purī gela palāñā
kṛṣṇa-preme pratiṣṭhā cale saṅge gaṛāñā

Madhavendra Puri ran away, afraid of being distracted by fame. But when one has love for Krishna, fame flows alongside him.
(Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.4.147)

“So, you avoid these three obstacles. It is not an easy thing to do, for they draw the mind. The conditioned soul lives for money, women and fame. They are anarthas that remain to a greater or lesser extent in the mind of the practitioner, but we should not tolerate their presence or approve of them.

“Tirtha Mahārāja cannot always stay here. So Jagamohana Prabhu has to run the Math. Don’t be offended if I am rough with you. Forgive me. Vaiṣṇavas are my object of worship. I want to serve all of you.

“Worship the Lord with unflinching dedication. Don’t stop worshiping Him, no matter what situation you are in. This is my prayer to you, my appeal and my instruction. Chant the Holy Name in all circumstances. Worship Krishna always. Always respect the best Vaiṣṇava, and don’t hesitate to do so. May all auspiciousness follow you all.”

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca
kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo
vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇava devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees which can bestow all that is wished for, they are oceans of compassion who purify the fallen souls.