How has Sirla Prabhupada Changed Your life

[yogesh]

I would like to kick this topic off and ask everyone who has come into contact with Sirla Prabhupada directly or indirectly thorugh his books/(Hare Krsna/ISKCON) devotees has brought to us.

 

The reason I started this thread is because I saw in one thread someone criticising Sirla Prabhupada for his disciples fall down.

 

So I will start off this topic.

 

I was most fortunate (due to some good karma)to be born to a mother who is very much attached/devoted to Lord Krsna In a small village in India. My mother is my first guru and she is the one that instilled that devotion into me and thus have always been attached to Lord Krsna since I can remember.

 

We came to the west when I was 6yrs old and my hunger for spiritual knowladge kept growing. There was a thirst/hunger for spiritual knowladge that I cannot explain. I grew up in a time period when racisim was part of the countries political makeup and the only religion that was recognised was Christianity.

 

Going to school was tuff because not only are you racially marginilized but also culturally marganilised. Growing up in that time period the school system had religious instructions as part of the school curriculum. I had no problem listening to christianity teachings because my mother brought me up to show respect to all different religions.

 

My problem started when I was in grade3 and the memory is still as fresh as yesterday. The teacher was a christian fanatic who boldy told me I was a heathen and am going to burn in hell unless I accept Jesus as my only saviour. As you can understand I was very young and as small child's mind is very easily impressionable and had to suffer through nightmares of burning in hell.

 

That actually became my catalyst to understand my spiritual postition. I attended many Hindu temple gatherings to try and understand spiritual knowladge but I was still not satisfied. Then I got Sirla Prabhupada's book called Science Of Self Realisation (SSR). Wow just reading this book was a mind blowing experience, so logical and lucid was the explanation that I just embraced the teachings that Sirla Prabhupada had given me. At last all the answers to my spiritual questions I was looking for:pray:.

 

I remember reading a lecture given by Sirla Prabhupada where someone in the audiance asked Sirla Prabhupada "SO Who is God?" Then Sirla Prabhupada looked at the audience and saw a small child and said "lets ask this child". And the child loudly replied "KRISHNA!!!!" And Sirla Prabhupada said there you have it. It was so simple yet so sublime:).

 

I am sure the audience member was expecting a huge comlex answer involving many Shastric Quotes. That is what I love about Sirla Prabhupada so simple yet so sublime:).

 

My Most Humble obeisance to all the Sannyasi, Brahmchari, Grihastas and all devotees connected to ISKCON who have remained true to Sirla Prabhupada and also because you have to face so much criticisim due to people who deviated from Sirla Prabhupadas teachings.

 

Please carry on your good work and remain always attached to Sirla Prabhupadas Lotus feet. I will always be indebted to YOU Devotees of Sirla Prabhupada and to Sirla Prabhupada I will never be able to repay my debt to you even if I live through a 1000 lifetimes.

 

Words cannot describe my gratitude to You and a "Thank You" seems so insignificant but that is all I can offer My Dear Sirla Prabhupada.

 

So If there was a definition for MAHA-ATMA than Sirla Prabhupada would be the only one I can think of.

 

Hare Krsna/Krishna

 

Jay Sirla Prabhupada

[stonehearted]

Dear Yogesh, there is a definition of mahatma, which you can find in Bhagavad-gita (9.13): those who, having taking complete shelter of the svarupa shakti, undertanding that Krishna is the Supreme personality, original and inexhaustible, and who therefore engage wholeheartedly in devotional service. Srila Prabhupada certainly answers such a definition. However, so do many of his disciples and their disciples, as well as many other devotees in other missions, no doubt even other sampradayas.

[cbrahma]

One cannot minimize the stature of the His Divine Grace, not only as siksa and diksa guru of so many Westerners but as a fully surrendered liberated soul by the standards of the GV teachings. With the term 'guru' being trivialized by so much personality cultism and corrupt institutional cronyism, his importance has been diluted. He has been reduced to a 'plaster saint', a murti in the temple room.

I was in his physical presence, received his personal darshana in Evanston, Chicago. He passed only a few yards away from me, getting out of the limousine. He is not an ordinary person. The effulgence he gave off, for somebody with such a small body was remarkable and unmistakable. We are cautioned nowadays not to deify gurus. But that's because the appointed gurus of ISKCON are mere shadows of His Divine Grace. If they properly reflected his teachings, that would be another matter. But they want to bask in the material benefits of all that attention. His disciples at that time, however, were also effulgent and seemed to transmit his potency. Their presence was also transforming and led me at least to surrender to a temple for some time.

[theist]

Yogesh. Thank you for such a wonderful post and thread. Opening this thread first this morning has to be a most positive omen.

 

[Kulapavana]

I was profoundly changed by the process of Krsna consciousnes that Srila Prabhupada propagated in the West. I have not met him in person but his indirect influence on my life is undeniable.

 

Over the years my perspective on both KC and Srila Prabhupada has been changing and evolving, forming a rather complex, multicoloured and multilevel picture.

 

For me the process of KC does not begin and does not end with Srila Prabhupada and the vision of Vaishnavism he was presenting to his disciples, yet I can safely say that he is the person who influenced my life the most.

[seamusjcarroll]

i owe my life to prabhupada ,but my frustration is growing , if prabhupada stood in front of you now in what way would he chastise you , im sure he would be very savere with us all , except the children women, but to us men with our lies he would cut us all down with sublime simple truth , and then he would say , what are you waiting for , i already gave you all instruction , in my books , and still you wait , we speculate and sift through his words like grains of salt only looking for tears , mellow to form , how sweet this nectar is , oh my lord , but right now we need the warriors not the fools , every devotee that can think and do , must now abandone every other goal , release this love that prabhupada has shown you so the whole can know, do your duty , and serve as arjuna , krihna will come when prabhupada is pleased

[Amlesh]

The complex sanskrit codes were transformed into comprehensive English by the Jagat Guru. It was a herculean task but He executed it with simplicity. My perception of things was adjusted to the appropriate angle of vision by His Grace only.

 

Concerning the downfall of Devotees; if the Karma of an Individual does not depend on Krishna Himself, then how can it depend on this Great Guru.

 

He showed us the right path....but it's on us to choose whether to follow or not.