quality, not quantity

Priest: …that “I am an avatara” or “I am Guru Maharaj-ji” or “I am,” so to
say, “Meher Baba or Satya Sai Baba,” so many babas exist, you know as well
as I do. Now, who has to say this one is really baba. They are all abusing
us. Now, if so many people today pretends to be avatara and they have many
disciples.
Prabhupada: But we don’t believe them.
Priest: No, but they have many disciples.
Prabhupada: Many disciples, that is another thing.
Priest: Millions.
Prabhupada: Millions, trillions, that is another thing. But we have to see
what is the disciple. That we have to see. Simply if somebody… So many
disciples by number, we have to see the quality. What is the quality, not
the number, not the quantity.
Priest: And if I had said that…
Prabhupada: It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita,
manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascin vetti mam tattvatah
[Bg. 7.3]
Krsna does not say that “millions and millions of people know Me.” No. Out
of millions and millions of people, one is perfect. And out of millions of
perfect person, one may know Him. That He says. So we cannot accept because
one is accepted by millions, therefore he is God. We don’t accept it.
Priest: That’s right.
Prabhupada: We want to see the quality, not the quantity. So our process is
parampara. Just like in India — you have been in India — there are
acaryas: Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Nimbarka, Visnu Svami, Caitanya. If the
acarya accept, then we accept. This is our process. We don’t go the
millions; we see the quality. Ramanujacarya, high quality devotee;
Madhvacarya, high quality devotee; Caitanya, high quality devotee. If they
say he is God, then we accept. This is our process. We don’t see how many
millions of followers. No. We want to see the quality man. He says yes. So
Sankaracarya says “Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,” Ramanujacarya
says “the Supreme Personality of Godhead,” Madhvacarya says “Supreme,”
Caitanya says “Supreme,” then we accept. That’s all.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Room Conversation with Christian Priest — June 9,
1974, Paris