HH Radhanath Maharaja’s expression of gratitude towards his god brother.
Thank you, Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj for this eloquent and brilliant presentation of the genuine love of your heart for our beloved Guru Maharaj His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Your words were overflowing with realisations born out of deep affection and total surrender; I was thinking that Srila Bhakti Sidhaanta Saraswati Thakur and Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur were personally from within your heart speaking through you to glorifly your gurudev Srila Prbhupada.Thank you very much.
Humble surrender unto guru maharaj even in the midst of doubts & anxiety.
Yesterday was the fiftieth anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s past time of entering into the sanyaas order of life, in 1959 Vishvarupa mahotsav in Keshav gaudiya math in Mathura Srila Prabhupada took those wow and often times he would tell the story how over many years while he was in the grahasta ashram and later vaanaprastha ashram his guru maharaj Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada was appearing to him in his dreams in those dreams his gurudev would be appealing to him to leave everything else behind and become a sanyaasi. When Srila Prabhupada said I was thinking this is horrible to leave my children’s my family and everything else; become a mendicant..? He had so many responsibilities, Bhakti Charu Goswämé maharaj, explains the history of the relationship between Prabhupada and his gurudev 1922 on that rooftop motudanga junction road very first gaudiya math preaching centre of Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur.
An urgency to preach to one & all throughout the world
He received that order; you are intelligent young man you should take the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to the whole world in English language in response Prabhupada in a very respectful but very serious way challenge Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati. Who will listen to us? Srila Prabhupada was in the acharya or in the clothing of one who follows Gandhi for independence of Britain and to delegate ‘swaraj’, the independence. Who is going to listen to us…? Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, politics are always changing, who is in charge of the country is always changing but Krsna consciousness that, we are the eternal soul and our eternal love for Krsna is the eternal truth. We have no time to wait for political adjustments. This is always the first and foremost duty of all living being.
A simple & sublime way of learning how to serve; is to follow the footsteps of our acharya.
Now Srila Prabhupada was serious follower of Gandhi, he was going to Scottish churches colleges which is one of the most prestigious colleges in all of India and just for Gandhi’s sake he gave up getting his degree he had no evidence that he ever went there, even taking the course, he gave so much but yet when he heard this Sadhu speaking the truth on that rooftop; Srila Prabhupada told us, I accepted him in my heart as my guru Maharaj. He surrendered his life and how he did is very instructive for all devotees because there were no external formalities as his holiness has already explained Srila Prabhupada didn’t even take hari naam initiation till over ten years later, but in his heart he had surrendered his body, mind, world, life and soul to his gurudev. And he was pondering on this instruction externally he carried on with his duties to take care of his family, but in his heart he was a surrendered disciple. He was not getting any honour or prestige but he had that burning passion to serve and he was just waiting for the time. He took first and second initiation at the same time in Allahabad Srila Rup Goswämé Prayag Gaudiya math.
To listen desperately to spiritual master is the essence of surrender.
But before that he went to Kashi and listen to Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur for many hours speaking and everybody else was going out to different holy places but he just sat at guruev’s feet and listen when time came for his initiation nobody really knew him for that well but Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati said, yes.. I’ll accept him because he likes to hear, he does not go away. He met his guru Maharaj at Radha Kund, where his guru maharaj said if you get money print and distribute books. He started a temple here in Bombay along with his two god brothers still grahasta. His gurudev came here for installation. His god brother said guru Maharaj, Abhay Babu should be the president of this temple. When Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur he responded let him be as he is he will do everything in time. He understood what was in the heart of Srila Prabhupada.We don’t know of so many more meetings, perhaps Srila Prabhupada talked about few other meetings but wasn’t that many. In Gaudiya math Srila Prabhupada was highly respected because of his devotion, because of his scholarships, his beautiful mridanga playing in kirtan but he was never considered a leader. Srila Prabhupada he took the order of his gurudev so deeply into his heart and then years later of course Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur in his last instruction to Srila Prabhupada, Prabhupada said so many of you sanyasis, brahmacharis disciple are doing so much service with you they are always with you and I’m a grahasta with wife and childrens how can I serve you?..
Following & Contemplating on the instructions of guru is the shortest way on the path of devotion.
And very not much time before Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur left this world for Goloka he wrote back the same instruction he gave the first day they met, you are intelligent young man; spread this mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu to the western world in English language. This was his last instruction to Srila Prabhupada. Now what happened between that, Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur sent the most scholarly, empowered and the best of his sanyasis to western world to spread Krsna consciousness and some of his very powerful brahmacharis also. And they went and they really tried and they couldn’t do much it was very difficult and Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati the major amount of money of whole Gaudiya math was going to them. The majority of all the money collected was being sent to England to help them to establish something still they tried with their hearts and soul but which wasn’t possible to do so much Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati was very saddened and for years he was sending people. So here the biggest, best sanyaasis scholars’ preachers were sent and they couldn’t establish much. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati after all that writes letter to Srila Prabhupada to spread Krsna consciousness in the western world in an English language. He knew that Srila Prabhupada had the capacity and potency because Prabhupada had such deep faith and such deep surrender in his guru and the holy name and perhaps no one else even the closest associates could recognise that.
Srila Prabhupada – the personification of highest compassion.
And then some years later Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati appearing repeatedly in dreams to Srila Prabhupada take sanyas! He hadn’t got all his children married yet. Prabhupada was very traditional, very responsible we read from all those years of his grahasta life he was extremely responsible towards family. Extremely committed to his guru’s mission at the same time. Take sanyas at that time..? Srila Prabhupada said horrible! But he kept coming. And in one beautiful lecture it was taped Prabhupada was crying he could hear his voice choked- up and whipping as he is speaking. He said practically my guru Maharaj pulled me out of my house hold life. He pulled me into sanyasa, and Srila Prabhupada said he pulled he was crying, appreciating the mercy of his guru maharaj. And when he was living at RadhaDamoder doing his writing of Srimad Bhagvatam in 1959, selling back to godhead; his god brother said, Bhaktivedanta Babu you must take sanyaas to fulfil the orders of your guru Maharaj. Then Prabhupada said I heard my guru Maharaj speaking through you and he forced me to take sanyaas. 50th anniversary and why did he do it? Only to be an instrument of compassion of our parampara. In interesting way on this day the temple room was filled with Hindi and Bengali speaking people. He was asked to speak by Bhakti Pragyaan Keshav Maharaj, Srila Prabhupada spoke in English and only may be two or three people could understand English and nobody else did & nobody was translating for them. Srila Prabhupada speaks fluent Hindi, fluent Bengali, but he spoke English because it was symbolic, it was personification he was taking sanyaas only for this purpose to carry out the order of his gurudev &
It is the endurance with faith in Lord that counts.
In an August of 1965 he went to his gurudev Samadhi, spent the day praying & crying, went to Advaita Bhavan praying for mercy & then he boarded on 13th August 1965 boarded the Jaladuta and the amazing thing was none of his god brother or any important people came to see him off. Because nobody really believed he could do it. His son, his youngest son none of the other family member even bothered to come. His youngest son VrindavanChandra & a few people who just worked for shipping company, that solve. One was a Muslim only five people, they helped him. Seventy years old, forty rupees. How Srila Prabhupada had such deep substance of love, compassion & faith in his gurudev. Came off Jaladuta to New York after having heart attacks, sea sickness. When he first came off there was nobody there to greet him, he just started walking, nobody know what is he going to do, seventy year old Bengali man and the both sides were very rough place.Srila Prabhupada said he looked right and then looked left & he had complete faith he said. Because he had the holy name, he had the order of his guru and had his boxes of books; so he had great faith that, the Bhagvatam, mercy of guru and the holy name he would be successful. And we know how in the beginning stages so many apparent failures, so many obstacle, both in his health he was getting heart problems strokes. People threatening to kill him, people robbed him nobody cared to help him for quite a while. Was cold ha..ha….ha, but Prabhupada had that faith, he kept his determination his compassion was relentless and he established his movement.
The journey of miles begins with one step.
And what happened next was historically remarkable; how he inspired & empowered people. We talked about how empowered sanyasis who were Vaishnavas from birth; who knew Sanskrit, Bengali, meticulous English; who were trained in the highest principles of preaching, etiquette, everything. They were going to western countries and no matter how hard they tried, they just were not very successful. But Srila Prabhupada was taking people… that famous story Prabhupada said “sometimes a person picks up a stick, then picks up a gourd a pumpkin & then picks up a wire and then put them all together to make an instrument. He said that’s the way how I started this movement, I just picked up you… and you… and you and put you all together and told you to preach & chant the holy name. Srila Prabhupada what did he had to work with, they were not people from Brahman families he just took people , who were meat eaters, who were taking so many intoxications, gambling their lives away who were confused. But Srila Prabhupada transformed them into wonderful vaishnavas and within a couple of years by his example, by his compassion & by his purity he gave them the power to go out to other countries in other parts of America where Krsna consciousness was absolutely unknown and starts centres & all of them were flourishing. How is that possible? Shivananda went to Germany very rough place in those days; started a centre! Mukunda Maharaj & Janaki, a man and his wife sent them to San Francisco they started a centre, another one to new country Mantreal Canada started a temple. Malati, Shamasunder, Mukunda Maharaj, Janaki, Yamuna, and Gurudas prabhu he sent them to London, another centre. And they were all really successful centres. Send someone else to Paris & they started a temple. And these are some of the hardest places to preach on the planet. And the amazing thing that these devotees were not so advanced, they were not scholarly, they at the beginning didn’t have books to read, they only had the first three volumes of the first canto of Srimad Bhagvatam, a little purport of bridged traditional Bhagavad Gita & they were only listening to Prabhupada’s lectures not very long. They were only devotees for year or two. But no samskaras of the past yet they were able to successfully establish Krsna consciousness in a very profound & a big way in all of these foreign land & the amazing thing all of these devotees going all to these places none of them ever had any money when they went. They all went with nothing.
If one has the mercy of lord Krsna & guru, nothing seems insurmountable.
Gaudiya math’s biggest sanyaasi who were getting lots of money to start centre there, but here are just some new devotees, some foreign hippies who just became devotees, were just struggling to follow the principles & chant their rounds, and they don’t have any money. All they have is the inspiration, the example of Prabhupada & they are starting centres, & their hundreds and hundreds of people coming everywhere transforming their life becoming devotees. How is that possible..? And some of those people didn’t even last in their own Krsna consciousness. Of course their service was in the eternal glory, some of them fell away; but Prabhupada on Jaladuta prayed to a puppet & because he wants so much affection so much faith, & so much love from these people they were willing to be his puppets. And even without qualifications at all. They were able to do what the greatest sanyasis could not, what the greatest scholars could not. Prabhupada was asked, what is our qualification to do all these things & to have all these things? Prabhupada said very humbly that “you have no qualifications; I’ve made your qualifications”. And he was giving the qualification. His desire to preach Krsna consciousness was manifesting in a big way in all of these cities he sent people to Africa, he sent people to middle east, to Iran, to muslim countries, to turkey, he sent people to South America, he sent people to Australia, eventually he sent someone to China, he personally went to Russia. He sent a girl there, “go there & marry a person in Russia so you can stay there and preach”. And these were just people, the only qualification they had factually, was Prabhupada’s love for his spiritual master was empowering them to fulfil Srila Prabhupada mission. It’s really a miracle! How would it happen? When Prabhupada was travelling all over the world during Prabhupada’s life time all of his temples were flourishing, they were overflowing with devotees, millions of books being printed & going on. And how is it done. Because these devotees that Prabhupada inspired were willing risk their life without expecting anything in return. To go to some of the most dangerous & difficult places on the planet to teach lord’s Caitanya’s message. Srila Prabhupada’s love for humanity & his love for Krsna had that power. And those devotees of Prabhupada who really took his instructions as their life & soul & stuck to those teachings like Srila Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj such seez 2.25.43} s him mature representing Srila Prabhupada.
To please guru means, to please Krsna.
Srila Prabhupada was especially so proud & so grateful for every single effort that any devotee did to help him. When a person who is so pure & so surrendered & so divinish Srila Prabhupada who is so ultimately dear to Krsna is grateful to someone he knows that Krsna’s mercy is so specially showering on that person. Anyway, anyone in any form assisted Prabhupada he was so… & he is, he is so deeply grateful. And that is one of the reasons why we hold such profound value in the society that Prabhupada established the ‘International Society for Krsna consciousness’ is Prabhupada’s personal contribution to our parampara. The institution that is as Srila Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj has said. The institution that is created by him to fulfil the prophecy of Mahaprabhu & Nityanandaprabhu, the vision of Bhaktivinod Thakur, the mission of Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur to spread this mercy of the rarest, highest nectar of love of God like water all over the world, not considering who is fit & who is unfit. And understanding it from this perspective that anyone who is willing to help in this movement that Prabhupada created is going to be so specially & dearly blessed by lord Krsna, why because Prabhupada is so grateful to anyone who helps.
The conditioned soul is the beggar of the mercy of lord
Srila Prabhupada signed that, that prayer on Jaladuta your insignificant beggar A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. He was feeling that way, that was how he was presenting himself to Krsna. He came with nothing & anyone at that time & anyone today who helps him.. Beggars are really grateful! Beggars are really grateful for anything. Prabhupada was begging us to assist him in his mission. On Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s disappearance day on several occasions Prabhupada was crying & begging us. He knew he didn’t have long; he was begging us to carry this on. He started at seventy, even a couple of years later, in his lectures he would say “I don’t know how much longer I have to live.” Prabhupada had so much faith. I think it was in about 1969 when he got really sick & he went to India. He just had a temple in San Francisco & in New York & there were very new devotees everyone was just one or two three years at the most. And he was very very sick & he was going to Vrinadvan & he said when I go to Vrindavan Krsna will decide whether I leave this world because that’s the best place to leave or that’s the best place for me to regain my health. So when he was leaving these new devotees they, really didn’t know if they would ever see their guru Maharaj again. But yet Prabhupada had great faith that they would keep going to spread this movement all over the world & carry on. And there are only a few people. Yes, Prabhupada would literally beg us, please carry on the mission of my gurudev, my guru Maharaj Because I may leave at any time. And in 1977 when he did leave us it was absolutely devastating. But still his disciples… because he begged us he empowered us; they kept going & being very young, taking on such serious responsibilities many mistakes were made. And those mistakes had quite serious re-precautions 2.32} but still by Prabhupada’s love & faith & by his empowered dedication to Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s order, the mission remained intact & came through those obstacles & we see all over the world, some places are really growing & some places the potential is fantastic just waiting. But for all of you first generation, second generation third generation and all other generations, anyone who simply remains faithful to this mission; whatever difficulties may be, and endeavours to assist Prabhupada in this mission. Srila Prabhupada’s heart is flooding over with such gratitude & we have faith that there no greater way to receive lord Caitanya, Lord Nityananda, lord Radhagopinath’s mercy than pleasing Prabhupada. Prabhupada just wanted us to chant the holy names to show our love by how we co-operate together by following these regulative principles & do what we can to give the example to the world of true vaishnavas & by doing so when we represent Prabhupada sincerely his potency can manifest to even though least of us, to manifest the mirror of Prabhupada’s love. On this day from my heart of hearts I thank Srila Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj for being with us giving that brilliant presentation I thank all of you. You are all Srila Prabhupada beloved children. Please be grateful and show our gratitude by our willingness to follow & willingness to serve.
Thank you very much.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!
Leave a Reply