From Yasomatinandan to SP (and SP's reply)

[Guest guest]

Most Worshipable Srila Prabhupada, Please, accept my most humble obeisances.

It has been more than two months since Janmastami, and I am still cherishing

the vision of your lotus face while seeing you off at Pittsburgh Airport.

After hearing you for six days and seeing you every day, my ears and eyes

have become lusty. The ears do not want to hear anything but your

transcendental voice, and the eyes do not want to see anything but your

lotus face. I have been living in the Chicago temple since Janmastami. Every

day I keep looking at your picture on the vyasasana, thinking that some day

you will speak. It hasn't happened yet, and having become impatient, I

decided to write to you so that you can hear me more distinctly.

 

All my desires to work as an engineer seem to have dwindled by seeing your

lotus face in New Vrndavana. I am enjoying the nectar of devotion more and

more every day. I have been going on sankirtana every day for an average of

six to eight hours (sometimes even fifteen) ever since I have been in this

temple. I love to go out on sankirtana and distribute your books, and Krsna

is rewarding me with unexpected pleasure.

 

Every day I am realizing more and more the magnanimity and potency of your

sankirtana movement, which is giving me the strength to resist the attack of

this dense forest of the material world with its wild animals, the karmis

(materialists). The people in general are taking one major step every day

towards degradation. I cannot understand their royal march towards hell,

even though I would have been one of them had you not picked me up from this

holocaust. This is more true with Indians than anybody else, especially

those present in this country. They do not know anything about Vedic

philosophy. They do not have any religion but Carvaka's "eat, drink and be

merry." Varnasrama-dharma is existing only in a skeleton form. The brahmana

class has become almost extinct. The society is a headless body. How can

there be any peace and prosperity when they do not know what peace and

prosperity mean? How can there be brotherhood when they do not know who

their father is? How can there be Rama-rajya [the kingdom of God] without

Rama [God] ?

 

Amidst all the hypocrisy, quarrel, chaos and disarray, you have come forward

with this nectar of Bhagavata-dharma-the function of soul. Only very

fortunate people-those who are picked up by the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna

Himself-can taste this nectar, as confirmed in the Gita:

 

bahünam janmanam ante

 

jnanavan mam prapadyate

 

vasudevah sarvam iti

 

sa mahatma sudurlabhah

 

"After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders

unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a

great soul is very rare." (Bg. 7.19) This sankirtana yajna is undoubtedly

the highest of all yajnas [sacrifices], and anybody, whether a brahmana or

südra or even worse, pure or impure, can take part and get the highest

benediction-bhakti unto Adhoksaja, Sri Krsna. Out of causeless mercy, you

have planted these seeds in our hearts and chosen us to go all over the

whole world and plant the seeds of devotion in everyone's heart. Only

through your transcendental mercy can one approach Ajita, Krsna. Krsna has

given you all powers to purify anybody. The Bhagavatam confirms this:

 

yat pada-samsrayah süta

 

munayah prasamayanah

 

sadyah punanty upasprstah

 

svar-dhunyapo 'nusevaya

 

"O Suta, those great sages who have completely taken shelter of the lotus

feet of the Lord can at once sanctify those who come in touch with them,

whereas the waters of the Ganges can sanctify only after prolonged use."

(Bhag. 1.1.15)

 

One of the most important and attractive things about you is that you

started this movement after being on the brahma-bhüta [self-realized]

platform, on which one does not have to perform any duties and has already

realized the Absolute Truth. Every word in Bhagavad-gita As It Is and the

Bhagavatam volumes is a proof of this fact. Only a fool can read

Bhagavad-gita As It Is and not understand that you are an absolutely

realized soul. (A nice Indian friend of mine has already read your Gita

twenty-five times.) Your purports in Bhagavatam are so powerful and honest

that sometimes I simply cannot take so much mercy and cry in ecstasy.

Bhagavatam, the most ripened fruit of the Vedic tree, is naturally very

beautiful and is made sweeter by Suka, its speaker. Your final touch in the

form of purports has made it unbearably beautiful.

 

I was so stupid and dumb. Although born in a pious brahmana family and

brought up nicely, I went off the track and was living like a dvija-bandhu

[degraded brahmana]. Somehow or other Krsna gave me the intelligence to

realize that Your Divine Grace is my only hope, and I surrendered to you

wholeheartedly. Ever since then, there is always bliss in my life. The

emptiness and vacant mood that I was feeling before have been replaced by

enthusiasm and satisfaction. In you I have seen a wonderful lake with cool

water in the midst of a plain desert. You have given me both jnana

[knowledge] and vijnana . You have given me the vision that

vasudevah sarvam iti [Krsna is everything], knowing which I do not have to

know anything else. I have no qualifications whatsoever, but because I have

accepted you as my master and guide, and whatever I know comes from you, I

am sure of success, even with al I my imperfections and defects.

 

api ced asi papebhyah

 

sarvebhyah papa-krttamah

 

sarvam jnana-plavenaiva

 

vrjinam santarisyasi

 

"Even if you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you

are situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge, you will be able to

cross over the ocean of miseries." (Bg. 4.36)

 

My attachment for you is not at all sentimental. Until now, my definition of

love was in terms of superficial material relationships with parents, family

and friends. Now, since I have developed feelings for you, I am beginning to

realize what love is like and how perfect and blissful a loving relationship

can be. From time immemorial I have been rotting in this hell, and of

trillions and trillions of living entities, how fortunate I am to be born at

the same time that you have appeared and to be accepted by you as your

spiritual son. You are not an ordinary saint or sage. You can very easily be

considered as influential as Christ, Mohammed or Sankaracarya, and yet they

did not preach the complete transcendental truth or Bhagavata-dharma. Like

the twelve mahajanas, you are a maha-bhagavata [fully realized devotee] who

has influenced this whole age. All Vaisnavas for all time must pay you their

obeisances. Oh, Prabhupada, may I lose my legs, may my hands be cut off, may

I lose the sight of my eyes and my ability to speak, but may I never lose

the shelter of your lotus feet. I do not know if I can develop love for

Krsna in this life, but if I can develop love for you, that will be enough.

 

Anyone who comes in contact with you directly or indirectly will be

benefited. The best way one can come in contact with you is through your

books. If the degraded and misguided Indians can read your books, they may

understand the real purpose of Bhagavatam instead of being brainwashed by

professional reciters. There are hundreds of misleading Gita commentaries.

The foolish impersonalists and dangerous cheaters have turned people to near

atheism. There is no systematic teaching of Bhagavad-gita nowadays. My

teachers taught me about the French revolution and American revolution, but

they never mentioned Bhagavad-gita in school. Hence I very sincerely believe

that they should read your books. I am wondering if I can translate your

books into Gujarati. Gujaratis seem to me to be comparatively a little more

God conscious than others, and materially they are happier too. If they can

read your books, they may become fortunate enough to recognize you. I would

very much like to know your opinion about this and would like to be advised

as to how I can start it, if you approve it. I am not an expert linguist,

but I was a good language student in high school, and your language is

fairly simple and straightforward. Hence it would not be difficult to

translate them. Also, I was a very good Sanskrit student in high school,

although I later gave up Sanskrit to become an engineer. I can understand

more than half the meaning of the verses even now. I am wondering if I

should continue this and learn the language well, which should not take a

long time.

 

I did not expect to make this so tedious and long a letter. But I do not

know how to write nicely and briefly. However, if you read my broken

language, then the goddess Sarasvati will be pleased with me, and I will be

able to write better in the future.

 

yasya deve para bhaktir

 

yatha deve tatha gurau

 

tasyaite kathita hy arthah

 

prakasante mahatmanah

 

"Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and

the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically

revealed." (Svet. Up. 6.23)

 

It is true that you are present in your books, but as I read your books more

and more, I feel your separation more and more, and my desire to see you

becomes more and more intensified. I am looking forward to seeing you when

you visit Chicago next spring. Please accept again my prostrated obeisances.

 

Eternally at your lotus feet,

 

Yasomatinandana dasa Brahmacari

 

 

 

 

My dear Yasomatinandana,

 

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter, and I am so

much pleased to read it. Your letter is so nice that I am advising that it

be published in Back to Godhead. In the meantime you can immediately begin

translating all our books into the Gujarati language. All these translations

will be published in series in our Gujarati BTG, and if you are serious

about it, you can be the Editor. So immediately begin translating and

regularly produce books in Gujarati, and it will be a great service for you.

The more you render service, the more you will be enlightened by the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Thank you once more for understanding our philosophy

very nicely.

 

Hoping this will meet you in good health,

 

Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

 

(From BTG #55, 1973)