thoughts on Srila Prabhupad by HG Shyamasundara das prabhu

[Guest guest]

Shyamasundara (das) ACBSP (Vedic

Astrologer) (USA)

22-Sep-04 02:01 -0400

When I

first read Srila Prabhupada's books (after having read

other "eastern"

philosophy books) I was very much impressed by the way

Srila Prabhupada

wrote; it was just like the presentation of a

mathematical theorem. In

a

mathematical proof you don't give your opinion, rather

you back up

everything with an already proven and universally

accepted mathematical

theorem or axiom such as the Pythagorean theorem. In

this way

everything

rests on a firm bedrock of already known truths and is

unassailable.

And

that is exactly the way that Srila Prabhupada wrote

and spoke, he

always

supported all of his assertions with sastra. In this

way he was a

perfect

representative of the guru paramapara. In any case he

convinced me that

he

was not just giving his opinion by his solid

presentation of sastra and

surrendered to him.

 

A guru is only a guru if he supports sastra, an acarya

is only an

acarya if

he supports sastra, and a sadhu is only a sadhu if he

supports sastra

because everything comes from sastra. "Sastra yonit

vat" (The existence

of

Brahman cannot be inferred), because He is known only

through sastra.

Vedanta Sutra 1.1.3. The sutra literally states that

knowledge is born

(yonit) from sastra. And of course there is Rupa

Goswami's

 

sruti-smrti-puranadi-

pancaratra-vidhim vina

aikantiki harer bhaktir

utpatayaiva kalpate

 

"Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the

authorized Vedic

literatures like the Upanisads, Puranas and

Narada-pancaratra is simply

an

unnecessary disturbance in society."

 

So it goes without saying that if we want to stay on

track we have to

be

kept in check by sastra otherwise we are liable to

speculate and create

a

disturbance. And we know how much Srila Prabhupada

rightly abhorred

speculation, which is basically a form of gambling.

See how Srila

Prabhupada

explains the meaning of sastra as the means to be

ruled:

 

So... "Kindly speak to me that.So why shall I speak

to you?" Here

says:

sisyas te 'ham [bg. 2.7]. "Now I am accepting You as

my guru. I become

Your

sisya." Sisya means: "Whatever you'll say, I'll

accept." That is sisya.

The

sisya word comes from sas-dhatu. Sas-dhatu. Sastra.

Sastra. Sasana.

Sisya.

These are from the same root. Sas-dhatu. Sas-dhatu

means rule, ruling.

So we

can rule in various ways. We can be ruled, becoming a

sisya of a proper

guru. That is sas-dhatu. Or we can be ruled by sastra,

weapon. Just

like

king has got weapon. If you don't follow the king's

instruction or

government's instruction, then there is police force,

military force.

That

is sastra. And there is sastra also. Sastra means

book, scripture. Just

like

Bhagavad-gita. Everything is there. So we must be

ruled, either by

sastra,

sastra or guru. Or becoming sisya. Therefore it is

said: sisyas te 'ham

[bg.

2.7]. "I become voluntarily... I surrender unto You."

"Now you become

sisya.

What is the proof that you have become My sisya?"

Sadhi mam tvam

prapannam.

"Now I am fully surrender." Prapannam.

 

Bhagavad-gita 2.1, - Ahmedabad, December 6, 1972

 

Yours in the service of my eternal master Srila

Prabhupada,

 

Shyamasundara Dasa

 

 

 

 

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