“It is the business of the sannyasi or brahmacari.” No. It is the business of everyone. The whole world is suffering for want of knowledge. The present civilization is animal civilization. They do not know anything beyond eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That’s all. This is animal civilization.

Animal does not know beyond these four principles of life: eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That’s all. No. Human life is meant for something else: “What I am? What is God? What is my relation with God? What is this material world? Why I am here? Where I have to go next?” So many things one has to learn. Athato brahma jijnasa. This is human life. Not that eat and sleep and have sex life and die someday like cats and dogs.

Therefore, there is need of acaryas, teachers, for propagating spiritual knowledge, Krsna consciousness. Bhaktivinoda Thakura was… Although he was a grhastha, householder, a government officer, magistrate, but he was acarya. So from his dealings, from his life, we should learn how one can become a preacher in any stage of life. It doesn’t matter what he is.

Srila Prabhupada; Bhaktivinoda Thakura Appearance Day Lecture — September 3, 1971, London