Giriraja Svami: Sripada Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami Maharaja

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Text PAMHO:12407193 (311 lines) [W1]

Giriraja Swami

14-Oct-06 19:06 (12:06 -0700)

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A Letter to Sripada Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami Maharaja

 

October 8, 2006

Carpinteria, CA

USA

 

My dear Maharaja,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

We are missing you terribly today, after your sudden departure from this

realm

of mortality to the service of Srila Prabhupada in eternity.

 

My thoughts turn to my earliest association with you. I had been suffering

from

a relapse of jaundice in Bombay, and Srila Prabhupada said that as long as I

remained there I would be unable to recover. So I returned to the United

States

for treatment, and after spending about five days in Chicago, proceeded to

Los

Angeles.

 

There, you were continuing your association with the devotees and going on

your

famous morning walks with Srila Prabhupada, discussing the principle of

“life

comes from life” and the importance of scientific preaching. As I gradually

recovered from my illness, I was able to accompany you and Srila Prabhupada

on

some of the walks and to be in Srila Prabhupada’s room when you and

sometimes

Dr. Wolf-Rottkay came to meet him. Hearing your discussions, I was struck by

your humility and simplicity--and by your open and intimate relationship

with

Srila Prabhupada. He had so much love for you and put so much trust in

you--and

surely, his great hopes for you were not disappointed. Your patent

sincerity,

combined with your intellectual prowess, were strong qualifications for

understanding Srila Prabhupada and his teachings and mission--and the

specific

mission he gave to you. You took all of his words to heart and were so

enthusiastic to take up his call. Obviously, you were a very pure devotee

from

your birth, from your culture, and in Srila Prabhupada’s association your

natural devotion was encouraged and manifested. It was like a jewel that

Srila

Prabhupada mined and cut and polished--and then held out to sparkle for the

world, for all the world’s benefit.

 

Earlier in 1973, a scientist had come to the university and given a lecture

on

how life had arisen from a combination of four primordial elements: carbon,

hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. With so many technical words and diagrams

and

formulas, he tried to establish that life had come from these material

elements. At the end of the presentation you had stood and inquired, “If I

give

you these ingredients, will you be able to produce life?” And the scientist

had

replied, “That I do not know.” Srila Prabhupada was so pleased and proud of

you

that he spoke of the incident in his lectures and conversations--how “our

Svarupa Damodara” had challenged the scientist and defeated the notion that

life comes from matter.

 

Being with you and Srila Prabhupada in that atmosphere, I became inspired by

the idea of scientific preaching. Although I was not qualified like you,

materially or spiritually, I did have some desire to participate. So one day

I

approached Srila Prabhupada in his room, during his massage, and told him

that

I was willing to join in the scientific preaching. He, in a relaxed,

blissful

mood, simply smiled and said, “Your field is psychology.” (He knew I had

been a

psychology major.) Still, he said I could apply that knowledge in the work

of

the Bhaktivedanta Institute. Then I told him that I noticed that when he

spoke

about the scientists he used such words as “nonsense” and “rascals” and said

that we should “kick them in the face with boots,” and I asked whether when

we

preached or met with scientists we should use such language. And Srila

Prabhupada replied, “No. You should speak like a gentleman.”

 

Soon enough, I was able to recover my health and return to India (as Srila

Prabhupada had told me in LA, “Back home, back to Bombay”) to work on the

Juhu

project. In time, the project developed and we were able to provide Srila

Prabhupada a facility on the fifth floor of the west tower, overlooking the

Arabian Sea. There too, Srila Prabhupada continued to emphasize the

importance

of scientific preaching and to encourage you in all respects. I was

fortunate

to be present with Tamal Krishna Goswami when Srila Prabhupada asked him how

much money the Bhaktivedanta Institute, the BI, needed for its work. Goswami

Maharaja wasn’t sure exactly--he said he would have to consult with you--but

he

thought about $10,000 a month. And Srila Prabhupada, without a moment’s

hesitation, responded, “Arrange immediately.” He wanted you to have whatever

you needed; he didn’t want you to have to worry about money.

 

Srila Prabhupada was also concerned that you should have proper offices in

the

new construction. Although he had instructed that in general our offices

should

be at the back of the property in the old tenement buildings, he insisted

that

the BI should be in the temple complex, in a prominent location. So you and

I

reviewed the architectural drawings and walked through the site and decided

on

the six rooms between the two towers on the second floor (in America, the

third

floor), three overlooking the temple courtyard and three overlooking the

guesthouse entrance. Later, you created a room on the western end of the

offices overlooking the temple for use as a conference room, and you got

other

rooms to use for residence.

 

In the 1970s you were still quite new to ISKCON’s ways, and because of your

humble and gentle nature--and your highly cultured (and different)

background--you were often overlooked by ISKCON’s leaders. Although I myself

was not one of the big managers, at least I was able to speak with them on

your

behalf. Being attracted by your gentle and humble nature, and knowing how

much

Srila Prabhupada loved and cared for you, I would often ask how you were

doing

and if you needed anything, and you, in turn, would approach me whenever you

had some difficulty or needed to get some message through to the leaders. So

I

was pleased to present your concerns to them, or to arrange for you to meet

with them and present your concerns to them directly.

 

In March of 1977 we arranged a pandal program for Srila Prabhupada at Cross

Maidan in downtown Bombay, and as part of the program Srila Prabhupada

wanted

you to make a presentation. Although Prabhupada was quite ill then (this

proved

to be his last public engagement) and remaining in the pandal for long was a

strain for him, he was so keen on your work that he wanted to be there for

your

presentation. The programs began in the early evening, and after the first

kirtana and Prabhupada’s own lecture, when he usually left, you began your

presentation about “life comes from life,” with slides and your own

explanations.

 

Earlier, Srila Prabhupada had commented that ordinary people can’t

understand

what the scientists are saying but that they are impressed by the

scientists’

bombastic words--the complicated calculations and formulations and diagrams

and

jargon. So even if people don’t understand what we are saying, if they see

that

we too have scientists who make presentations with technical language and

scientific evidence--in favor of God and the philosophy of the

Bhagavad-gita--they will be impressed and think, “Oh, this is scientific; we

can believe what they say.”

 

So Srila Prabhupada--I will never forget how happy he was. I had hardly ever

seen him so happy. He was so pleased with your presentation that evening at

Cross Maidan--he really felt that this approach could change the world. He

knew

that the scientists’ ideas were guiding all of human society and that,

unfortunately, most of the scientists were atheistic. On a morning walk in

Juhu

I had told Srila Prabhupada about a news report about a scientist who had

been

in town, and when asked where the ingredients for creation came from, had

replied that he didn’t know. “Then why do you talk nonsense?” Srila

Prabhupada

had retorted, as if to the scientist. “Another rascal. You do not know from

where the ingredients came. Our answer is, Krsna reveals, aham sarvasya

prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate [bg 10.8]: ‘The ingredients come from

Me.’”

But the scientist had said more. So I had continued, “He replied that he

didn’t

know but that he was sure that the answer wouldn’t involve God.” And

Prabhupada

had responded, with sarcasm, “Still, he is scientist. He doesn’t know--he is

rascal--still, he is scientist. Just see.” Srila Prabhupada considered the

scientific preaching to be crucial, so that God will assume His rightful

place

in people’s consciousness, in their understanding of the scheme of things,

and

their human lives will not be wasted in animalistic, materialistic pursuits.

 

Srila Prabhupada wanted you to present the same philosophy of the

Bhagavad-gita

in scientific language. Once, some devotees proposed to Srila Prabhupada

that

we use the name “Bhaktivedanta Research Institute,” because research is so

popular and people like to give for it. But Srila Prabhupada was emphatic:

“No

‘research.’ The research is already done--Bhagavad-gita. No research.” He

was

pleased when you published The Scientific Basis of Krsna Consciousness.

 

After the pandal program, Srila Prabhupada spent some time in Juhu, and

following a brief stay in Rishikesh, retired to Vrndavana, where he was to

spend most of his last months. There, with Prabhupada’s encouragement and

guidance, you organized an international conference on “Life Comes from

Life,”

October 14, 15, and 16. And Srila Prabhupada, although so ill, took personal

interest in every detail. He was pleased when he heard your reports about

your

meetings with various scientists and other leaders you invited, and he was

even

more pleased when he heard the reports, from you and from others, about the

conference itself. In fact, he became ecstatic.

 

Earlier, at the end of August, Srila Prabhupada had gone to England, and

there

he had called for you. In a most personal, private, and intimate encounter,

he

had appealed to you, “Please take me from here. I want to go back to India,

back to Bombay.” Many of the other leaders had other plans for Srila

Prabhupada--to take him to America, to Gita-nagari--and Srila Prabhupada

himself had said that he wanted to go there to establish varnasrama-dharma.

But

now he confided in you: “I want to go back to India, to Bombay. Please

arrange.”

 

Srila Prabhupada wanted to see the Juhu temple open, and he returned to

Bombay.

But as fate would have it, he did not live to see the grand

opening--although

we are sure he was there in his spiritual presence. Anyway, after some time

in

Juhu he decided that he would go to Vrndavana, and we went with him.

 

There, you were in the inner group, serving Srila Prabhupada personally. I

had

always been impressed by your simplicity and dedication and devotion.

Although

you were so qualified academically, culturally, and spiritually, you were

always humble and unassuming. And you were a brahmacari then, in the midst

of

many sannyasis. But you were very much there with Srila Prabhupada. As

stated

in the Bhagavad-gita purport, you were “daring and active.”

 

When the controversy arose about whether Srila Prabhupada should go on

parikrama to Govardhana or other places, by bullock cart, you were in the

group

that wanted Srila Prabhupada to stay and recuperate before he attempted to

travel, and you were very strong about it. And I believe that your love--the

love of all of you--prevailed; your spontaneous desire to keep Srila

Prabhupada

with us longer, to keep him from pain and danger and perhaps even death on

the

way, conquered his heart, and Srila Prabhupada agreed to stay.

 

In your humility, you often took the night shift. Srila Prabhupada was

always

concerned about all the devotees, even when he was so ill, but I think he

was

especially concerned about you. Seeing you there at night, he was concerned

that you were staying awake both day and night and not sleeping. You

explained,

“No, Srila Prabhupada, we take turns. When others are here during the day, I

take rest, and then I come at night.” Then Srila Prabhupada gave a very

important instruction: “You must take rest. If you don’t take care of your

health, then later, even if you are enthusiastic to preach, you won’t be

able

to.”

 

Srila Prabhupada left us at 7:26 p.m., November 14, 1977. After putting

Srila

Prabhupada in samadhi in Vrndavana and carrying his flowers to Mayapur for

his

puspa-samadhi, Tamal Krishna Goswami and I proceeded to Bombay to work for

the

grand opening of the Juhu temple, which took place on January 14, 1978,

exactly

two months after His Divine Grace’s disappearance. We had many items to

think

about then, and one was certainly the BI and the facility for it in the new

complex.

 

It was a time of deep separation from Srila Prabhupada and deep

contemplation

about the future of our lives, the future of ISKCON, the future of Krsna

consciousness in the world. And I was very touched when once you mentioned,

with utmost humility, that we should give special respect to Tamal Krishna

Goswami, because of his extraordinary service to Srila Prabhupada in

Prabhupada’s last days--some special position of honor and respect. That

really

touched me. So free from envy were you that without reservation you

appreciated

the service of another servant of Srila Prabhupada’s, and were prepared to

express your appreciation. Because of your deep, deep attachment to Srila

Prabhupada, all that really mattered to you was Srila Prabhupada--his

comfort,

his service, his mission--and anyone who could serve him well was worthy of

your respect and appreciation, admiration and love.

 

Much happened in the years that followed. You organized the extraordinary

“World Congress for the Synthesis of Science and Religion” in Bombay, with

presentations by renowned scientists, theologians, and historians. It was a

tremendous effort with wonderful results. Because of visa problems, I was

unable to be present to assist you in your endeavors or even attend the

event,

but after my return to India I heard reports about it and eventually saw the

beautiful volume, Synthesis of Science and Religion: Critical Essays and

Dialogues, with papers that had been delivered at the conference. From

there,

you went on to plan and attend many other major conferences, and in 1996, to

coincide with Srila Prabhupada’s Centennial Celebrations, you organized the

“Second World Conference for the Synthesis of Science and Religion” in

Calcutta, Srila Prabhupada’s place of birth.

 

In time you also developed the temple in Manipur. I was impressed, because

it

was one of the first temples other than the ones Srila Prabhupada had

constructed, that devotees in ISKCON had built from scratch in the Indian,

or

Vedic, style of architecture. At first, after Srila Prabhupada left, you

were

not authorized to initiate, so you brought some of the early devotees from

Manipur to Bombay to experience temple life, to be trained and initiated by

Tamal Krishna Goswami. I remember them--Ekanath Prabhu and Banamali

Prabhu--with great love and affection. My heart goes out to them in their

separation from you, and I offer my services to them and to your project in

Manipur in any way practical.

 

So revered and influential were you in Manipur that the royal family gave

you a

temple at Radha-kunda and an ashram in Navadvipa. One year, at the time of

the

Navadvipa parikrama, you hosted Tamal Krishna Goswami and a few of us at the

facility in Navadvipa and treated us to your wonderful association, Vaisnava

hospitality, and Manipuri prasada.

 

You also brought the great Vaisnava culture of Manipur to the world, through

your Ranganiketan performances. I was fortunate to witness some of them on

the

summer Polish festival tour with His Holiness Indradyumna Swami.

 

And your own kirtanas were legendary. My office in Juhu overlooked the

temple,

right under the BI (appropriate that I should be under your lotus feet, as

your

servant), and the sounds from the temple carried right into my office. Once,

I

heard your kirtana but didn’t know until later that it was you singing. I

was

astonished. The spiritual purity and potency of the sound completely

captivated

me. The sound entered my heart and captured my mind.

 

It was always a special occasion when you led kirtana. One year in

particular

you led the kirtana during the Ratha-yatra in Bombay. That was truly an

extraordinary experience--thousands of people around us, hundreds in the

procession, and you at the center of the kirtana party, with wonderful

singing

and dancing and playing of kartalas and mrdanga.

 

So we miss you.

 

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura wrote in his inscription at Namacarya Haridasa

Thakura’s bhajana-kutira:

 

He reasons ill who says that Vaisnavas die,

When thou art living still in sound!

The Vaisnavas die to live, and living try

To spread the holy name around.

 

And Srila Prabhupada, in relation to the Bhaktivedanta Institute, often

quoted

the verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.22):

 

idam hi pumsas tapasah srutasya va

svistasya suktasya ca buddhi-dattayoh

avicyuto ’rthah kavibhir nirupito

yad-uttamasloka-gunanuvarnanam

 

“Learned circles have positively concluded that the infallible purpose of

the

advancement of knowledge, namely austerities, study of the Vedas, sacrifice,

chanting of hymns, and charity, culminates in the transcendental

descriptions

of the Lord, who is defined in choice poetry.” He related the verse to the

purpose of the BI and concluded, “Science, philosophy, physics, chemistry,

psychology, and all other branches of knowledge should be wholly and solely

applied in the service of the Lord . . . to establish the glory of the Lord.

Advanced people are eager to understand the Absolute Truth through the

medium

of science, and therefore a great scientist should endeavor to prove the

existence of the Lord on a scientific basis. . . . Scientific knowledge

engaged

in the service of the Lord and all similar activities are all factually

hari-kirtana, or glorification of the Lord.”

 

Thus, through the BI, through your followers, your kirtana continues.

 

Like others, I wish that I had done more for you while you were here--and

had

more of your association. But knowing that you are with Srila Prabhupada,

and

that we have been left here to serve you both, gives solace. As Srila

Prabhupada instructed, “Please remember always the humble teachings that you

have received from me, and that will make you always associated with me, and

with your godbrothers. We should all work together for satisfying Lord

Krsna,

and in that way the feelings of separation will transform into

transcendental

bliss.”

 

Our hope now is that we can somehow serve you and please you in your

physical

absence, and we pray for your blessings that we may satisfy you with our

efforts here, and one day again have the opportunity to serve you

personally,

in service to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.

 

Please bless us.

 

Thank you. Hare Krsna.

 

Your eternal servant,

Giriraj Swami

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