Is the comma after preach needed?

[Guest guest]

"...when sending him out to preach, Srila Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté

instructed him to prove the falsity of that theory."

 

Without the comma, it reads "to preach Srila Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté" as

if the subject of his preaching was Srila Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté. But if

we were to speak that sentence we would not naturally pause after "preach."

Insertion of the comma thus seems undesirable. Since "preach SBS" makes no

sense, is dropping the comma acceptable?