Srila Prabhupada was meeting with a professor, speaking very strongly about different classes of human beings. Paramahamsa Maharaja and I were sitting in the room relishing our spiritual master's words as he explained to the fairly receptive gentleman how almost everyone is a fourth-class man.
Srila Prabhupada looked at the professor and said, "You are also a fourth-class man."
The gentleman replied, "Well, what can I do?"
Srila Prabhupada energetically responded, "You must become a pure devotee like them!" He pointed to Paramahamsa and me.
My godbrother and I looked at each other and broke out in huge smiles. We knew we weren't pure, but we loved being used as illustrations for our dearmost spiritual master.
We knew that Srila Prabhupada would never say, "Become a pure devotee like me." That is one of the beautiful qualities of my spiritual master, the pure devotee of the Lord.
– Excerpt from a work in progress by Srutakirti Dasa