Jagattarini dasi: During Srila Prabhupada’s lecture, one devotee asked a question; and his question was that if a devotee is initiated as a brahmana and he leaves Krishna consciousness, then isn’t it appropriate that if he wants to come back that he should be reduced to the level of a sudra. It was a very theoretical kind of a question, and Srila Prabhupada cut him off quite quickly and said, “It is not for you to judge who is guilty and who is innocent.” Then he tried again, and he re- phrased or he re-presented his question. It may have been that he didn’t think that Srila Prabhupada understood his question, but he tried again to explain this point that somebody who leaves should be put in a lower position and then work their way back up. Srila Prabhupada again cut him off, and then he commented afterwards that only the spiritual master knows who is actually guilty and who is innocent. And that really struck me quite deeply, that Srila Prabhupada was indicating that we can’t see from the outside what are people’s intentions and motives so as to be able to judge them or degrade them for their offenses or their faults.
Reference: Remembrances by Yadubara Das- Folio Vedabase
