Do we have to do something "big" to please Srila Prabhupada? Prabhupada himself always tried to do big things to please his spiritual master and wanted us to do significant service also. He coaxed and pushed us to do big things in Krsna's service, and was pleased when any of his disciples made solid achievements. But most of all Srila Prabhupada wanted us to be pure devotees. When asked what pleased him most, Prabhupada replied, "If you love Krsna." To chant the holy name of Krsna in complete purity even once is the perfection of life. And commenting on Isvara Puri's gratefulness to Lord Caitanya for developing pure love of God, Srila Prabhupada wrote:
"The spiritual master is not actually happy if the disciple brings him money, but when he sees that a disciple is following the regulative principles and advancing in spiritual life, he is very glad and feels obliged to such an advanced disciple." (Cc Adi 7.91)
Srila Prabhupada was pleased with his big-achiever disciples, but he was also pleased whenever a devotee cooked a nice offering for Krsna, chanted Hare Krsna nicely, or brought up children carefully in Krsna consciousness. The conclusion is that although Prabhupada wanted his disciples to do big things in Krsna's service -- without which this movement could not have spread as it did -- he was also satisfied with sincere service rendered in any capacity. Not everyone can perform spectacular service, but anyone can perform sincere service.
Of course, this should not be taken as an excuse to serve with less than full capacity. Srila Prabhupada was expert in bringing out the best in everyone and getting devotees to do things which they had never imagined they could. He pushed us beyond what we thought were our limits and thus proved that devotional service is unlimited. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
- From the "Jaya Srila Prabhupada!" by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami
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