Visnujana: When Bhaktivinoda Thakura stated that he was leaving this planet with his work unfinished?

Prabhupada: Then let us finish. We are descendant of Bhaktivinoda Thakura. So he kept unfinished so that we shall get the chance to finish it. That is his mercy. He could have finished immediately. He is Vaisnava; he is all-powerful. But he gave us chance that “You foolish people, you all also work.” That is his mercy. So we should pray to Bhaktivinoda Thakura that “We are your grandchildren, great-grandchildren, so we have got some right to beg some mercy from you. The grandchildren get some indulgence from the grandfather. So I pray like that.” It is Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s mercy. A Vaisnava can… Krsna doesn’t require anyone’s help.

Still, He is asking, “Surrender to Me.” He doesn’t require anyone’s surrender. But it is for him good, one who surrenders. Not Krsna is in need of anyone’s service. He is complete. But He comes as if He is in helpless condition and asking for us to surrender. So that is for his good. One who is surrendered, he’ll get the result. Krsna is self-sufficient. Similarly, Bhaktivinoda Thakura is self-sufficient. But if he said that “I keeping unfinished,” that means he gave us the chance, the opportunity. So we should always pray to Bhaktivinoda Thakura to be merciful upon us so that we can execute his unfinished task. That should be our… And never we should think that “What Bhaktivinoda Thakura could not finish, I have finished.” [laughs] Don’t think like that.

Conversation — June 20, 1975, Los Angeles