His divine grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was a rasika acarya, an expert in relishing the mellows of pure devotion as taught by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Such capacity to relish hearing and chanting about Godhead’s transcendental name, form, attributes, and pastimes is uncommon. The great Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.14.5) informs us:

muktanam api siddhanam
narayana-parayanah
sudurlabah prasantatma
kotisv api maha-mune

"Out of thousands of perfected souls, it is very rare to find one that is a pure devotee of God."

For twelve years, beginning in 1965 until he disappeared from mortal vision in 1977, His Divine Grace circled the globe trans- planting what was thought by many to be an Indian religion onto foreign soil. He demonstrated practically that Gaudiya Vaisnavism is not a product of a particular culture, but the dharma of the soul. He took the living conception of what he called Krsna consciousness and extended its life beyond what the greatest Gaudiya thinkers and practitioners of the time imagined was even remotely possible. Deep realization lies within the ability to adapt the spiritual reality to diverse material circumstances, making it accessible to one and all. This is the work of an acarya, who teaches both by precept and example. The acarya is not frozen in time. He is melted in love of Godhead...