Sometimes people give me very much credit that I have done wonderful throughout the whole world. But I do not know that I am wonderful man. But I know one thing, that I am speaking what Krsna has spoken. That’s all. I am not making any addition, alteration. Therefore I am presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is. This credit I can take, that I don’t making any nonsense addition or alteration. And I see practically it has become successful. I have not bribed so many Europeans and Americans. I am poor Indian. I came to America with forty rupees with me, and now I possess forty crores. So there is no magic.

So this is the secret, that if you want to become guru honestly… If you want to cheat, that is another thing. There are so many cheaters. People also want to be cheated. As soon as we say that “If you want to become my disciple, you will have to give up four things: no illicit sex, no intoxication up to drinking tea and smoking cigarette, no meat-eating and no gambling,” and they criticize me, “Swamiji is very conservative.” And if I say that “You can do all nonsense, whatever you like. You simply take this mantra and give me $125,” they will like. Because in America, $125 is nothing. Any man can pay immediately. So I would have collected millions of dollars if I would have cheated like that.

But I do not want that. I want one student who follows my instruction. I don’t want millions. Ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tara-sahasrasah. If there is one moon in the sky, that is sufficient for illumination. There is no need of millions of stars. So my position is that I want to see that at least one disciple has become pure devotee. Of course, I have got many sincere and pure devotees. That is my good luck. But I would have been satisfied if I could find out one only. There is no need of so-called millions of stars.

From Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival Lecture — San Francisco, July 15, 1975