Homages to Srila Prabhupada from Vrindavana Dham (part 2)

[Guest guest]

Disappearance day homages continued:

 

 

Makhanlal Prabhu:

 

Please say the pranam mantras along with me loudly:

 

Namo om visnu padaya, etc.

Namaste sarasvate deve, etc.

Om ajnana timirandhasya, etc.

 

So the first time that I met Srila Prabhupada was in San Francisco in 1968.

There weren't many devotees in those days; there were about 40 or us waiting

to greet him at the airport. There was the old style of ramp that went up to

the plane and we were all anticipating his appearance.

 

I had only seen black and white photos of Srila Prabhupada taken by Gurudas

and had no attachment and couldn't understand his position. Suddenly he

appeared on the stairs and he was as brilliant as millions of suns. He had a

huge smile and was covered in about ten thick gardenia garlands. He raised

his arms up in the air and every shred of doubt I had was dissolved

instantly. Even a moment's association with a pure devotee can vanquish all

fear, greed, lust, etc. I realised I had no intellectual conception of guru

but I realised that he was not an ordinary human being, I understood he was

a saktyavesa-avatara, a messiah, come to deliver the world. This is the

position of Srila Prabhupada.

 

To those who didn't physically meet him, my request is please don't feel you

don't know Srila Prabhupada. This is very important that you understand how

to carry on this movement. My Godbrothers are an endangered species-we are

losing more every year so you all become more and more serious in Krsna

consciousness and catch on to the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada otherwise

all the hard work of my Godbrothers will be undone. You all have the

blessings of your Guru Maharajas, now take that full shelter.

 

How may Christians of today have met Jesus? None. But they follow him and

feel they have a direction relationship with Jesus. Yet people say "I don't

know Prabhupada." How will the Vaisnavas allow themselves to be outdone by

the mlecchas? At least we should come to the platform of the meat eaters. We

have these Vaikuntha gems. So you have met Srila Prabhupada; please don't

say you haven't met him. If you take his instructions you have met him.

Thank you.

 

(Applause)

 

 

Karunamayi Devi Dasi:

 

My name is Karunamayi Devi Dasi. I feel honoured to speak in the presence of

all of you, Srila Prabhupada's followers, anbd extended family members.

Srila Prabhupada was not envious but kind to every living entity. His most

profound message was out of love, the deepest, most profound philosophy.

 

I was nine when I met Srila Prabhupada. I left my family at 17 and did

books. In two weeks I left home in San Francisco, met a devotee who sold me

a Back to Godhead and I went back to the temple with them and joined the

same day.

 

We were told book distribution is Srila Prabhupada's heart. We were

distributing to collect for this Krsna Balaram Mandir and the Juhu temple. I

met Srila Prabhupada in Los Angeles at that time. I was unmarried and young

and it was hard to meet him. But we saw him in Srimad Bhagavatam class and

got prasada from his hand. It was as if Krsna Himself was present, so

exhilarating. I learned from him as my service was in separation. Proximity

wasn't important, rather commitment to his instructions and hearing. Srila

Prabhupada could develop the devotee by internal IQ and could reciprocate

mutually.

 

I was going on in my service and doing books, etc. As time advanced we heard

Srila Prabhupada was very ill. Gopal Bhatta Prabhu was the Temple President

then and you might have heard that each morning after mangal arati Gopal

Bhatta would announce the latest about Srila Prabhupada's health. Every day

our heart and life would hang on these words: "Yesterday Srila Prabhupada

was sitting up and eating this", like that. In this way many months passed

by.

 

We remember the final morning. I was sitting in my usual spot in the balcony

next to Jadurani. The area was filled with the ladies and all were silent

for the announcements. But on this day we heard that Srila Prabhupada had

left us. The devastation we felt is indescribable. The devotees were sobbing

for hours and days, we were like walking zombies on the street, dazed.

 

Some hours passed and some of us decided to go out on books as that would

have pleased Srila Prabhupada. I remember the van taking us to the airport

and me going up the escalator. I was unaware of time. I met soul after soul

and approached them with books. Sometimes I broke down crying, but continued

on. I was in the foyer which had a skylight, and was praying to Srila

Prabhupada. Suddenly a beam of bright light came down and went straight into

my heart, and I could hear Srila Prabhupada saying in my heart very loudly:

"I will never leave you." He allowed me to know that he is guiding me still.

The purport is that the guidance of saints is our only hope, they stand like

lighthouses to guide us to the land of faith. I got this book by Mulaprakrti

Dasi, who has left us, and found a quote on page 12:

 

chadiya vaisnava seva nistara payeche keba

 

Without serving an ideal Vaisnava who can be liberated.

 

May Srila Prabhupada keep us at his lotus feet.

 

 

 

Janananda Prabhu:

 

Once a devotee told Srila Prabhupada, "I am the most fallen", and Prabhupada

said, "You are not the most anything." So we are very fortunate to be here

today by his mercy. Recently I have been on Vraja Mandala Parikrama and a

realisation I have is what right do I have to be here? It is entirely Srila

Prabhupada's mercy, like a complimentary ticket as his guest. And walking on

the sand with stones underneath and tearing the feet, I was thinking that we

should all be like soft dust at Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet, not like the

thorns which simply give pain, but be soft and pleasing and serve others

nicely so they can also tread the path in the footsteps of the great

acaryas.

 

The last time I met Srila Prabhupada was in 1977 on his last visit to

London. Tamal Krsna Maharaja was with him at the airport-I don't remember

who was the servant-but there two or three devotees with Srila Prabhupada

and they carried him to the car. I happened to be the driver. Srila

Prabhupada got in the car, he was carried, and sat in the back seat. I was

nervous as this was an automatic car-and I'd never seen or driven an

automatic before. There were so many devotees there then and many were on a

nonstop marathon to please Srila Prabhupada as we knew how-he liked book

distribution and many were doing books.

 

As we were driving I thought Prabhupada would ask about that, or the number

of devotees we were making. But he asked something which surprised me: "How

are the cows at Bhaktivedanta Manor?" He wanted to know all about them, how

much milk they were giving ,their numbers, etc., which I didn't know much

about.

 

This indicates that despite so many other things, he was concerned at

everything. He was the expert conductor in an amazing orchestra. We were

dysfunctional and he brought us all together in this orchestra. We alll have

our instruments whether it is bass or percussion or whatever, in other words

we may be trying to impress people externally with our qualities, but he

brought us all together and engaged us in a way as to make a wonderful

symphony of ISKCON, which has a wonderful sound when we all come together

with arms in the air and chant the glories of Krsna. So when we chant and

dance together all difficulties and anxieties will fly away. So let us end

on that note and chant together the mahamantra:

 

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

 

Srila Prabhupada ki jai!