Hari Sauri: We were talking in his sitting room about growing old, and at one moment Prabhupada got up from his desk. His eyes shone brightly and he said simply and convincingly, “I am not an old man! I will never grow old!” We all laughed.
Prabhupada is a self-realized soul. He does not identify with his body, and he doesn’t see us as material entities either. He relates to us as one spirit soul relates to another. We are all meant to serve the Supreme. In that sense he does not perceive himself as superior to us, yet he always keeps the formal guru and disciple relationship intact.
Prabhupada’s humble service is to bring us back to Krishna, and our humble service to Krishna is to serve Srila Prabhupada.
Reference: A Transcendental Diary Volume 1 – Hari Sauri Dasa
