My Guru Maharaja is described as rupanuga-viruddha-apasiddhanta-dhvanta-harine. He strictly followed the rupanuga principle. Rupanuga principle, Srila Rupa Gosvami directs in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, “You somehow or other engage people in Krsna consciousness.”Yena tena prakarena manah krsne nivesayet, sarve vidhi-nisedha syur etayor eva kinkarah.

Just like in Europe and America, some of our friends criticize that “Swami Maharaja, he is not doing this, not doing that.” We are doing everything, but our main business is just to induce them to Krsna consciousness. That is the secret. You have to induce them. Then even there are some discrepancies in the rules and regulations, it does not matter. Rupa Gosvami says, sarve vidhi-nisedha syur etayor eva kinkarah. First of all, we must be Krsna conscious somehow or other. We must find out. It can be changed according to country, climate, and circumstances. But the result, we have to see by the result whether one has become Krsna conscious. That is wanted. That is wanted. Then we say that this is the rule: you don’t do this, we don’t do this. In the beginning we have many difficulties. Because their behavior, their culture, everything [is] just opposite. Just opposite. How you can expect [that] everything [is] to the right point? That is not possible. So we have to find out means how he becomes Krsna conscious. That is my first business. So that is the secret.

So Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami followed strictly Rupa Gosvami. Just like Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami introduced that a sannyasi should go for begging alms in motorcar. In motorcar! They should live in palatial buildings. Now if in this age if we follow that rupanuga… Srila Rupa Gosvami used to live underneath a tree, and if we say now we shall also imitate…, just like there are many babajis in Vrndavana, they are imitating, a small loincloth but doing all nonsense. So imitation is not required. Real thing is required. How, what is the purpose of Gosvami? They say that yena tena prakarena manah krsne. Somehow or other first of all engage him in Krsna consciousness. That is my Guru Maharaja’s gift. He first of all started that there is no need of going to Vrndavana and imitate the Gosvamis. Live in big, big cities, in big, big palatial houses, but preach Krsna consciousness. People may understand. Give chance to the people how they will understand Krsna consciousness…

He [Srila Sarasvati Thakura] opened many centers. Similarly, in big, big cities. So we are doing that. And because we are following strictly the principles of Rupa Gosvami, rupanuga, therefore it is somehow or other coming out very successful. The Krsna consciousness movement should be pushed according to the rupanuga principle.

[Srila Prabhupada; Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture, March 1972, Calcutta]