Srila Prabhupada

[Guest guest]

My Humble Obeisances unto the lotus feel of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Çréla Prabhupäda

 

 

A brief and wonderful quote:

Prabhupada: ...say "impossible" is a word found in fool's dictionary. 750627mw.la

 

"Before me, many swamis went to the Western countries to preach this Bhagavad-gita. Not a single person became a devotee of Krishna. Not a single person. And now Bhagavad-gita is being presented as it is, thousands are becoming devotee of Krishna. This is the secret. People give me credit that "Swamiji, you have done wonderful. Nobody could do it." I am not a wonderful man. Neither I do know anything magic. I have presented Bhagavad-gita as it is. That's all. This is the secret." -- Srila Prabhupada

 

 

Biography of Srila Prabhupada

 

“So far my present life is concerned, I do not remember any part of my life when I was forgetful of Krsna.” - Srila Prabhupada

 

 

 

In the ancient Vedic literatures (Vedas) it is stated that the ultimate cause of all causes, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is Lord Sri Krishna. The name Krishna means “All-attractive”, and by His unlimited, transcendental opulences He can attract all living beings. There are many incarnations of Lord Krishna. Each one is scheduled and forecast within the Vedas themselves, and manifest within this material world in order to teach by example the path to spiritual emancipation.

 

The most recent incarnation of Lord Krishna appeared just over five hundred years ago as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Golden Avatar. It was Lord Chaitanya who predicted that the chanting of His holy names - Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare - would spread beyond the shores of India to every town and village in the world. Hundreds of years passed as Lord Chaitanya’s faithful followers endeavoured to expand his mission. Still they wondered how and when the Lord’s incredible prediction would come true.

 

This is a brief account of how the powerful Vaisnava saint, His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, single-handedly brought into reality this historic and deeply significant prophecy.

 

 

 

A LIFETIME OF DEVOTION

 

Srila Prabhupada was born on the day after Janmastami (Lord Krishna’s Appearance Day) in 1896 in Calcutta, and was named Abhay Charan De (though for reasons of etiquette we shall continue to refer to him throughout this booklet as Srila Prabhupada). Srila Prabhupada displayed great devotion to Lord Sri Krishna from a very early age, as he recollects:

 

“My father was a pure devotee of the Lord, and when I was only four or five years old, my father gave me a couple of forms of Radha and Krishna. In a playful manner, I used to worship these Deities along with my sister, and I used to imitate the performances of a neighbouring temple of Radha-Govinda. By constantly visiting this neighbouring temple and copying the ceremonies in connection with my own Deities of play, I developed a natural affinity for the Lord.”

 

By the age of six Srila Prabhupada became captivated by the Ratha-yatra festivals of Lord Jagannatha, held yearly in Calcutta. This festival mirrored the one held for centuries in Puri where three giant wooden carts carrying forms of the Lord are towed by the crowds along a two-mile parade route. Srila Prabhupada asked his father to help him build a cart so he could perform his own little Rathayatra amongst his family and neighbours. Srila Prabhupada painted the cart and insisted on arranging various aspects of the festival which was a great success, running for eight consecutive days. In later life he was to transport this entire festival to many of the major cities of the world which had never before seen such a spectacle.

 

After leaving college, Srila Prabhupada met his own spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, when a friend took him to one of his lectures. Srila Prabhupada recounts:

 

“Sometime in the year 1922, when I was acting as manager of Dr. Bose’s Laboratory Ltd., I was fortunate enough to meet my Spiritual Master, His Divine Grace Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya 108 Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupada. On the very first meeting with His Divine Grace, He asked me to preach the message of Lord Caitanya in the Western world. At that time, I was a young man and a nationalist, admirer of Mahatma Gandhi and C.R. Dass. So I replied Him at that time, who would care for the message of Lord Caitanya while we are a subject nation? In this way, I had some argument with my Spiritual Master, and at the end I was defeated.”

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta told Srila Prabhupada that Krishna Consciousness was not dependent on any change in mundane politics since it was the absolute truth. Srila Prabhupada was deeply impressed and within his heart immediately accepted Srila Bhaktisiddhanta as his spiritual master. From that time on Srila Prabhupada would attend his Guru Maharaja’s lectures whenever he could, listening with rapt attention. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta noted his new disciple’s keenness when he commented:

 

“This boy does not go away, he hears.”

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta headed up the Gaudiya Matha, a vibrant and highly successful preaching mission with temples all over India. Ever mindful of the prophecy made so long before, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was determined that the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would reach the whole world. To this end in 1933 he sent one of his most senior disciples, Bon Maharaja, to start the mission in London with a monthly allowance of seven hundred rupees, which was a substantial sum in those days. Sadly, his preaching had no effect, and after some time he was recalled back to India. Later another Goswami was sent with no better result. Fortunately, as we shall see, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta had another disciple who would later succeed spectacularly where others had failed.

 

As a householder Srila Prabhupada spent some time doing business in Bombay. The local devotees there once complained to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta that Abhay should not be living outside, separately, when he could be valuably engaged as the temple commander for the Gaudiya Matha in Bombay. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s answer was highly prophetic:

 

“It is better that he is living a little further away from your Matha. And when time will rise, he’ll do everything. He hasn’t got to be advised.”

 

In 1933 Srila Prabhupada took formal initiation, and although he regularly donated money to help his Guru Maharaja’s mission, he urgently wanted to do more to please him. He wrote to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta in December 1936 asking if he could offer some more direct service.

 

Srila Prabhupada:

 

“So that letter was replied in 13th December, dated 13th December, from Puri. And he passed away on the 31st December. Just a fortnight before. So the reply was the same as he wanted me to do this preaching work in 1922, when I first met him, that “You try to preach whatever you have learned from me to the English-knowing people in English. That will do good to you and to the people to whom you shall preach. That is my instruction.” So I took up, (that) direction.”

 

In the years that followed Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita, continued assisting the Gaudiya Matha in its work and, in 1944, started Back to Godhead magazine. Maintaining the publication was a struggle. Single-handedly, Srila Prabhupada wrote the material, edited it, typed the manuscripts, checked the galley proofs, and even distributed the individual copies.

 

Recognizing Srila Prabhupäda’s philosophical learning and devotion, the society of Gaudiya Vaisnavas honoured him in 1947 with the title "Bhaktivedanta." In 1950, at the age of fifty-four, Srila Prabhupada retired from family life, adopting the vanaprastha (retired) order to devote more time to study, writing and preaching. Srila Prabhupada moved to the holy village of Vrindavan, where he lived in humble circumstances in the historic medieval temple of Radha-Damodara. There he spent several years in deep study and writing. In 1959, he was awarded Sannyas by one of his Godbrothers, His Holiness B.P. Kesava Maharaja, and a year later he started work on his life’s masterpiece: a multivolume annotated translation of the eighteen-thousand-verse Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). He also wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets. Then, on August 13, 1965, just a few days before his sixty-ninth birthday, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada set out for America to see what could be done to fulfil his Guru Maharaja’s order.

 

 

 

JOURNEY TO THE WEST

Srila Prabhupada was acquainted with a Mrs. Morarji who owned the Scindia Steam Shipping Company. Since he was a sadhu with no money, she arranged for him to travel free on the Jaladuta, a regular cargo carrier. He had decided to commence his preaching in New York as he figured that since everyone was following the Americans, if he could convince them of Krishna consciousness, then the world would eventually follow.

 

The crossing proved difficult for Srila Prabhupada, he suffered two heart attacks and was concerned that a third could prove fatal. That night in his cabin he had a wonderful dream. Lord Krishna was rowing a boat and assuring Srila Prabhupada that He would protect him. After that his heart problems desisted.

 

When the Jaladuta arrived in New York harbour thirty-seven days later, Srila Prabhupada was ut­terly alone. He had come to America knowing no one, with absolutely no visible means of support, and with only the meagre handful of posses­sions he had carried on board the ship. These consisted of $7, an amount he was later to describe as ‘one hour’s expenditure in New York’, a metal suitcase full of his books and translations, an umbrella and a supply of dry cereal in case he could not find anything vegetarian to eat. He had no friends, no followers, not his youth or even his health. Just the certain conviction that he must carry out the order of his spiritual master, and the knowledge that lord Krishna was personally protecting and guiding him in his quest to present the spiritual knowledge of the Vedas to the en­tire Western society.

 

In a poem written in Bengali just after his arrival, Srila Prabhupada expressed his humble mood of surrender to the desire of Lord Sri Krishna:

 

“Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life, they think themselves very happy and satisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vasudeva. […] Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure as You like.”

 

This poem was written on September 18, 1965. Just twelve years later, on November 14, 1977, Srila Prabhupada passed away in India at the age of eighty-one. What happened in those twelve years? Did Lord Krishna make him a success or failure? What was Srila Prabhupada able to accomplish during this brief period, having begun with nothing, and at an age when most are ready to retire? The list of ac­complishments is striking by any standard.

 

In short, between the years 1965 and 1977, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, or Srila Prabhupada, as his followers affectionately came to know him, had spread the teachings of Krsna consciousness to every major city in the world and had formed an inter­national society comprising thousands of dedicated members. He had established 108 temples, with magnificent estates spread across six continents, and had circled the globe twelve times to personally guide the membership of his broad­ening mission.

 

As if this were not enough accomplishment for a person pro­ceeding from his seventieth to his eighty-second year, Srila Prabhu­. had also translated, written, and published fifty-one volumes of books in twenty-eight different lan­guages, tens of millions of which had been distributed throughout the world. He had delivered thou­sands of lectures, written thousands of letters, and taken part in thou­sands of conversations with follow­ers, admirers, and critics alike. And he had won the esteem of dozens of prominent scholars, social fig­ures and politicians, who had genuine appreciation for Srila Prabhupada's contributions to religion, philosophy, and culture.

 

PREACHING TO THE WESTERN MIND

 

Once settled in New York, Srila Prabhupada started giving lectures from a small narrow office without furniture or even a telephone, and later he acquired a small shop-front called ‘Matchless Gifts’ in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The message he was preaching was almost completely unfamiliar to his audience, his saffron dress was alien and exotic, and his singing and chanting like nothing New York had ever heard. He was the first person to ever come to America with the pure teachings of Gaudiya Vaisnavism. Still, he gradually found young men and women willing to hear him. Below is an excerpt from one of the many lectures Srila Prabhupada gave to his American audience, recorded on Nov 20th 1966, where an American student had interrupted his class to ask why one should chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra:

 

Prabhupada: “Chanting, the chanting process is just to cleanse your mind. You have got so many misunderstandings about yourself, about this world, about God, and about our interrelationship between these things. We have got so many misgivings. We are in the position of complete ignorance. This chanting will help you to cleanse your mind. Then you’ll understand that this chanting Hare Krishna is not different from Krishna.

 

Student: Yes. No, I, I, I...

 

Prabhupada: Yes. Yes. Yes. So in the beginning we have to chant. We may be in whatever position we are; that doesn’t matter. If we begin chanting then our, the first benefit will be ceto-darpana-marjanam: [Cc. Antya 20.12] “The mind will be clear of all dirty things.” Ceto-darpana-marjanam. And then next stage will be bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam. The next stage will be that the sufferings, the miseries of this material world, will subside. So we’ll have to, I mean to say, make progress stage after stage. But any stage you can adopt this means, any stage. There is no necessity of preliminary qualification, that “You have to come to this stage and then chant.” From any stage you can chant. Yes.

 

Student: Well, secondly, I don’t quite understand what material world is, because...

 

Prabhupada: Material world is full of suffering and miseries. Don’t you understand it? Are you happy?

 

Student: Sometimes I’m happy and sometimes I’m not.

 

Prabhupada: No. You are not happy. That sometimes is your imagination. Just like a diseased man says, “Oh, yes, I am well.” What is that “well”? He’s going to die and he’s well?

 

Student: I don’t claim any ultimate happiness...

 

Prabhupada: No, you do not know what is happiness.

 

Student: ...(indistinct) but it’s greater or lesser...

 

Prabhupada: Yes. You do not know what is happiness.

 

Student (2): Well, of course, that sorrow or that suffering might add the spice to make that suffering that goes in between happiness.

 

Prabhupada: No. The thing is that there are different kinds of miseries. That we understand. That is our..., due to our ignorance. We don’t care for it. Just like a man who is suffering from very, since a long time. He has forgotten what is happiness. He has forgotten what is real happiness. Similarly, the sufferings are there already. Now take for example, you are now young man. Now, would you like to become old man?

 

Student: I will become an old man in the process of...

 

Prabhupada: Now, you will become. You’ll be forced to become old man, but you don’t like to become an old man.

 

Student: I’m not going to be forced to become old man.

 

Prabhupada: Yes. Yes. Forced. You’ll be forced.

 

Student: I don’t see why...

 

Prabhupada: If you don’t like to become old man, you’ll be forced to become old man.

 

Student: It’s one of the conditions of...

 

Prabhupada: Yes. That condition is miserable.

 

Student: I find it not miserable.

 

Prabhupada: No. You don’t because you are young man, but ask any old man how he’s suffering. You see. A diseased man—do you want to be diseased?

 

Student: I wouldn’t search it out.

 

Prabhupada: Eh?

 

Student: I wouldn’t search it out.

 

Prabhupada: No, no. Just answer me. Do you like to be diseased?

 

Student: What is...?

 

Prabhupada: Just answer.

 

Student: What is disease?

 

Prabhupada: Oh? You have never suffered from disease? You have never suffered from disease?

 

Student: I’ve had, I’ve had the mumps and the measles and whooping cough, (laughter) which is what everyone has, and you get over...

 

Prabhupada: Everyone has, that does not mean because..., that does not mean... Everyone is now suffering from this winter season, but that does not mean that is not suffering. So we have to admit that we are always in suffering.

 

Student: If I’ve never known happiness, I feel sure I’ve never known suffering either.

 

Prabhupada: That is due to your ignorance. We are in suffering. We don’t want to die. The death is there. We don’t want to be diseased. The disease is there. We don’t want to become old. The old age is there. So we don’t..., so many things we don’t want, but they are forced upon us. And any sane man will admit that these are sufferings. But if you are accustomed to these sufferings so you say, “It is all right,” that is a different thing. But naturally, any sane man, he won’t like to be diseased. He won’t like to be old. He won’t like to die. You see. Why this movement? Because if there is war, there will be death. So people are afraid. They’re making. agitation, “There should be no war.” So don’t you... Do you think that death is very pleasurable thing?

 

Student: I have never experienced...

 

Prabhupada: You have experienced, forgotten. You have exper... Several times you have died, you have experienced, but you have forgotten. Forgetfulness... Forgetfulness is no excuse. Forgetfulness is no excuse. Suppose a child forgot some suffering. That does not mean that he did not suffer.

 

Student: No, I agree. I agree. But...

 

Prabhupada: Yes. So suffering’s there. You have to take version from realized souls, from, I mean to say, authorities that this... Just like in the Bhagavad-gita it is said that dukhalayam asasvatam: [bg. 8.15] “This place is full of miseries.” So one has to realize it. Unless we understand that this place is miserable, there is no question how to get out of it.

 

Student: So we have to...

 

Prabhupada: Similarly, a person who does not develop this miserable condition of this world, he is not fully developed. Just like the animals. Animals, they do not understand what is misery. They do not understand. They are satisfied...”

 

It was through endless exchanges such as the above that Srila Prabhupada gradually established his authority amongst his lively and often rebellious audience, and of course the authority of the Vedic knowledge he had come to impart. In general, Srila Prabhupada was not impressed by the materialistic culture he found in New York as he explained in a letter to one of his disciples:

 

“Several times my typewriter and tape recorders were stolen and the police could not take any action. There are many persons in the Bowery Street; they have no shelter to live. So if a certain fraction of the people are supposed to be very materially happy at the cost of others, that is not material advancement. Had it been so, then why there are so many persons confused and frustrated? So actually there is no material advancement here. (…) So the Western type of civilization, industrialism and capitalism, is no material advancement. It is material exploitation.”

 

Srila Prabhupada gradually attracted more and more followers through his lecture programmes and by sitting with a drum and chanting in Manhattan’s Tompkins Square Park where many young Americans, mostly from the hippie movement, would dance around him in ecstasy. There is now a commemorative plaque in Tompkins Square Park, signed by the famous former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani of New York, that pays homage to Srila Prabhupada’s preaching activities there.

 

It was the ‘swinging sixties’, yet Srila Prabhupada never compromised his teachings simply to attract more followers. At a time of experimentation with free love and hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD, he told his American hippie followers that they must give up illicit sex, drugs, alcohol, gambling and meat eating. Yet still the numbers attending his programmes grew. He was offering something more real than anything the hippie movement provided. A higher spiritual taste and a complete philosophy of life.

 

Alan Kallman was a record producer. He had read a newspaper article about how Srila Prabhupada’s chanting was causing a spiritual revolution, and it gave him the idea of releasing a record of the ‘Swami’. He met with Srila Prabhupada at his storefront on the Bowery, and shortly after the record was cut. The following are extracts from a lecture, written and spoken by Srila Prabhupada as a concise synopsis of Vaisnava philosophy, which was also included on the recording:

 

“The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is the sublime method for reviving our transcendental consciousness As living spiritual souls, we are all originally Krishna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness is now adulterated by the material atmosphere. The material atmosphere, in which we are now living, is called maya, or illusion. Maya means that which is not. And what is this illusion? The illusion is that we are all trying to be lords of material nature, while actually we are under the grip of her stringent laws. When a servant artificially tries to imitate the all-powerful master, it is called illusion. We are trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities. Therefore, although we are engaged in a hard struggle to conquer nature, we are ever more dependent on her. This illusory struggle against material nature can be stopped at once by revival of our eternal Krishna consciousness. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare is the transcendental process for reviving this original pure consciousness. By chanting this transcendental vibration, we can cleanse away all misgivings within our hearts. The basic principle of all such misgivings is the false consciousness that I am the lord of all I survey.

 

Krishna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind. This consciousness is the original natural energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived. This simplest method of meditation is recommended for this age. (…)

 

This chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness—namely sensual, mental and intellectual. (…) When it is chanted by a pure devotee of the Lord in love, it has the greatest efficacy on hearers, and as such this chanting should be heard from the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord, so that immediate effects can be achieved. As far as possible, chanting from the lips of non-devotees should be avoided. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects.

 

The word Hare is the form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Krishna and Rama are forms of addressing the Lord Himself. Both Krishna and Rama mean the supreme pleasure, and Hare is the supreme pleasure energy of the Lord, changed to Hare (Hah-ray) in the vocative. The supreme pleasure energy of the Lord helps us to reach the Lord. (…)

 

These three words, namely Hare, Krishna and Rama, are the transcendental seeds of the maha-mantra. The chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His energy, to give protection to the conditioned soul. This chanting is exactly like the genuine cry of a child for its mother’s presence. Mother Hare helps the devotee achieve the Lord Father’s grace, and the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely.

 

No other means of spiritual realization is as effective in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy as the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”

 

By 1967 Srila Prabhupada was ready to expand his mission, now called ‘The International Society for Krishna Consciousness’, or ‘ISKCON’, beyond New York to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Buffalo, and then on to other countries. He sent disciples to London where contact was made with George Harrison from the pop group ‘The Beatles’. George Harrison became very interested, and he too released a record of chanting which reached number one in the UK popular music charts. This exposed millions of people to the maha-mantra, and greatly pleased Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada flew into London and personally met George who was so impressed he donated a large Manor House in the English countryside to the Movement.

 

By 1970 Srila Prabhupada turned his attention back to India, the spiritual home of the Movement he was spreading in the West. He was trying to secure land in Mayapur through the agency of his Godbrothers, but was not finding much spirit of co-operation. Losing patience he wrote the following letter to Govinda Maharaja in September 1970:

 

“Regarding propagating the Name of Sri Mayapur as Birthplace of Lord Caitanya, it is going on regularly in our different literatures and books. If you kindly take the trouble of coming here conveniently, I can show you how we are giving publicity to the Birthsite of Lord Caitanya. Perhaps you know that I begged from His Holiness Sripada Tirtha Maharaja a little piece of land at Mayapur for constructing a home for my Western disciples, but he refused the proposal. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura wanted that the American and European devotees would come to Mayapur and the prophecy is now fulfilled. Unfortunately they are loitering in the streets of Calcutta without having a suitable place at Mayapur. Do you think it is alright?”

 

With his expanding Movement in the West, Srila Prabhupada was now taken much more seriously in his homeland. Even so, it was not until February 1972 that he finally laid the cornerstone for the new temple in Mayapur. Srila Prabhupada never gave up once he set his mind on some project for the glorification of Lord Krishna, even if it meant a fight. He won a huge legal battle in Bombay to build a beautiful temple and guesthouse complex at Juhu Beach, when a wealthy businessman had tried to cheat him. In Vrindavan he also established a large temple and school complex.

 

Wherever he travelled Srila Prabhupada was always eager to meet and discuss with scholars and academics, since he particularly wanted to influence the intelligent class of man. When visiting the former Soviet Union in 1971, Srila Prabhupada met with Professor Grigoriy Kotovsky, head of the India Department at the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences and Chairman of the Indian Studies Department at the University of Moscow. As they sat informally in Dr. Kotovsky’s office, the spiritual leader and the communist scholar vigorously discussed topics of mutual concern, and Srila Prabhupada proposed a radical reformation within modern communism, and explained how the caste system in India was not following Lord Krishna’s teachings:

 

Prof. Kotovsky: But by creating brahmanas from different social classes of society, you deny the old prescription of the Hindu scriptures.

 

Srila Prabhupada: No, I establish it.

 

Prof. Kotovsky: According to all scriptures—the Puranas, etc.—every member of one of these four classes of varnas has to be born within it.

 

Srila Prabhupada: No, no, no, no.

 

Prof. Kotovsky: That is the foundation of all the varnas...

 

Srila Prabhupada: No, no. I am sorry.

 

Prof. Kotovsky: The foundation of all the varnas...

 

Srila Prabhupada: You have spoken incorrectly. With great respect I beg to submit that you are not speaking correctly. In the Bhagavad-gita (4.13) it is stated, catur-varnyam maya srstam, guna-karma-vibhagasah: “These four orders of brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas, and sudras were created by Me according to quality and work.” There is no mention of birth.

 

Prof. Kotovsky: I agree with you that this is the addition of later brahmanas who tried to perpetuate these qualities.

 

Srila Prabhupada: That has killed the Indian culture.

 

On another occasion Srila Prabhupada met with a member of MENSA, the organisation for people with an exceptional IQ. Towards the end of the conversation the member from MENSA, clearly proud of his great intelligence, invited Srila Prabhupada to come and have his IQ tested. Srila Prabhupada had a better idea:

 

Prabhupada: “Why not you come to our Society and we test you?

 

MENSA member: We test something different, you see.

 

Prabhupada: We also test (indistinct).

 

MENSA member: That’s right, yes, quite right.

 

Prabhupada: You have process of test, we have also process of test.

 

MENSA member: And ours is just as universal.

 

Prabhupada: Our process of test is, how far he is advanced in God consciousness. That is our test. Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-gunah. It is said yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana. If one has developed God consciousness all good qualities must develop in them. All good qualities. Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-gunah. And one who has not developed Krsna consciousness or God consciousness, he cannot have any good qualities because his business is mental speculation, mano-rathenasati dhavato... By simply mental speculation, he’ll be fixed up in this material world.

 

MENSA member:: Mental speculation alone is sterile.

 

Prabhupada: Mental speculation, mano-rathena. Ratha means chariot, one who is driving on the chariot of mind, mano-rathena. The chariot of mind will take him, will fix him only on material conditions. So long one remains in the material conditions of life, he cannot have good qualifications. One has to transcend this material platform and come to the spiritual platform. Then his natural good qualities will come out automatically.”

 

 

 

Whenever Srila Prabhupada met someone of the Christian faith he would invariably challenge them on the issue of animal slaughter, as he once pointed out in May of 1974 in Geneva to Mr.C.Hennis of the International Labour Organisation of the UN:

 

Prabhupada: “Now the so-called, the priestly society, priestly society, they are amending the Biblical injunction according to their whims. Just like in the Bible, the injunction is, “Thou shalt not kill.” But the priestly class and all classes, they are simply killing. So how they can guide? They are keeping regular slaughterhouse for killing. So how they can guide? I have asked so many Christian gentlemen, including priests that “Your injunction is that ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ That is Lord Jesus Christ’s order. Why you are violating this?” They give me vague answers. Directly it is said, “Thou shalt not kill.” And the whole world is simply killing poor animals, and keeping up-to-date slaughterhouse.”

 

 

 

Meanwhile in America an appreciation of Srila Prabhupäda’s scholarship by the university authorities of Columbia, Princeton and Yale, among others, helped support the establishment of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in Los Angeles. The Trust launched a promotion of Srila Prabhupäda’s translations and original works under the logo of the Living Library of Transcendental Knowledge. Remarkably, in the face of a worldwide economic recession, the Trust’s book and magazine sales reached nine million in 1975.

 

Srila Prabhupada established several Vedic schools (called gurukulas), where children were trained in Krishna Consciousness from a very early age. He set up cow protection programmes on several of his larger projects to care for cows and bulls even after their productive lives were over. He set up an academy of artists who painted fabulous devotional artwork for his books. He also established the Bhaktivedanta Institute comprising of disciples expert in science and mathematics whose mission it was to disprove various atheistic dogmas such as the Big Bang theory and evolution, and at the same time establish a world view based exclusively on Vedic knowledge. And in New York, where his western preaching started, his disciples acquired an impressive thirteen-storey temple.

 

 

 

DISTRIBUTING SPIRITUAL FOODSTUFFS

Along with teaching Vedic knowl­edge and spreading the chanting of the Lord's holy names, Srila Prabhupada also insisted that ISKCON freely distribute spiritual food known as ‘prasadam’ throughout the world. Literally millions of plates of free plates of vegetarian foodstuffs has been distributed to needy people around the globe. Like the phi­losophy and the chanting, vegetar­ian food that has first been offered to the Lord purifies the heart and mind. Thus it assists in the process of gradually uncovering one's origi­nal awareness of God. ISKCON's distribution of spiritualized food, therefore, through its program known worldwide "Food for Life," is beneficial for the body as well as the soul of each recipient. Taking this instruction from Srila Prabhupada seriously to heart, ISKCON Bangalore currently feeds 50,000 school children every day with nourishing foodstuffs, offered to Lord Krishna.

 

 

PROPHESY COME TRUE

From such humble beginnings Srila Prabhupada made Hare Krishna a household word by the 1970’s. He established over one hundred temples including a thirteen storey building in the heart of the world’s most important city. He wrote scores of books, and initiated thousands of disciples. All this was achieved single-handedly without the financial support of any government department or institution. Thus it is clear that Srila Prabhupada alone fulfilled the prophecy of Lord Caitanya. All over the world the words ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Rama’ have permeated modern cultures with an indelible mark. Just as was predicted. It was Srila Prabhupada whose faith and devotion brought about this colossal feat, this miracle. Mankind owes him an enormous debt of gratitude since his pure Movement will act as a beacon of light for thousands of years to come.

 

 

 

HIS TEACHINGS

Of all his various contributions, Srila Prabhupada considered his books most important. In fact, he would often describe his work of translat­ing and explaining the ancient Vedic texts as his very life and soul. It was in1970 that Srila Prabhupada founded the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, now the world's largest publisher of books dealing with Indian philosophy and culture. Through its work over the last quarter of a century, tens of millions of people have read at least one of Srila Prabhupada's books and have felt their lives genuinely enriched. Here is a brief introduction to the spiri­tual knowledge you will find within those books.

 

 

 

THE HUMAN FORM OF LIFE

Srila Prabhupada would often pose the question: ‘what is the difference between a live body and a dead one?’ He would point out that if we are nothing but chemicals, then these chemicals are also present in the dead body. What is it that distinguishes a living form from a non-living form? The an­swer, Srila Prabhupada taught, is consciousness, or aware­ness. All living forms display this symptom of consciousness to one degree or another. That is why we call them living rather than dead. Even the small microbial germ or the common houseplant shows signs of consciousness, whereas our dining table and chairs do not.

 

Srila Prabhupada would stress that although different forms of life display different de­grees and levels of consciousness, it is in the human form that we find the highest development of conscious­ness. He taught that since humans had the highest level of self-awareness it was a complete waste if he simply engaged in the same activities as the animals.

 

But what is it about our con­sciousness that makes it so differ­ent from that of the insect, the bird, the beast, or even the monkey? These creatures eat and we also eat; they sleep and we also sleep; they repro­duce and we reproduce; they defend themselves and so do we. That we can perform these functions with greater sophistication may be one indicator that we possess higher consciousness, but it does not fully explain our excellence above all other forms of life.

 

Srila Prabhupada explained that the real difference is found in our ability to question our existence, reflect upon our selves, and inquire into our own nature and the nature of God. We can create languages, ponder the meaning of life, and puzzle in wonderment over the night sky. Such an endowment is not present in any other form of life.

 

The Vedas therefore advise that in this human form of life we should be inquisitive to know who we are, what the universe is, what God is, and what the relationship is between ourselves, the universe, and God.

 

We should inquire about the solution to the ultimate problems of life, namely birth, death, old age, and disease. Such questions cannot be asked by the cats and dogs, but they must arise in the heart of a real human being.

 

 

 

YOU ARE NOT THIS BODY

 

Without exception, all material phenomena have a beginning and an end. A prominent idea of modem culture is that consciousness is an­other such material phenomenon. Thus it is believed that conscious­ness (or the self) also ends with the death of the material body. This point of view, however, remains only an assumption. It has not been proven true by any scientific obser­vation or experiment. Srila Prabhupada was highly critical of Western culture’s strong identification of the self with the material body as he explains in the second canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam:

 

“The whole materialistic world, based on the conception of the material body as the self, is ignorant of the science of God. The materialist is always busy working for the welfare of the material body, not only his own but also those of his children, kinsmen, communitymen, countrymen, etc. The materialists have many branches of philanthropic and altruistic activities from a political, national and international angle of vision, but none of the field work can go beyond the jurisdiction of the misconception of identifying the material body with the spirit soul. Unless, therefore, one is saved from the wrong conception of the body and the soul, there is no knowledge of Godhead, and unless there is knowledge of God, all advancement of material civilization, however dazzling, should be considered a failure.”

 

Nonetheless, the idea that the self ends with the body remains one of the great articles of faith of modern materialistic thought, and most of us have been educated from early childhood to think of ourselves in terms of such beliefs. Few of us, however, have thought through the philosophical implications of this type of thinking, which draws us unconsciously toward voidistic and nihilistic styles of life.

 

Srila Prabhupada demonstrated that the most basic of the Vedic teachings stands in direct opposi­tion to the modern scientific view of consciousness and life. Accord­ing to that teaching, individual consciousness is not at all depen­dent upon neurobiological func­tions but permanently exists as an independent reality.

 

The presence within the ma­terial body of a conscious observer who remains ever present through­out changing bodily and mental states indicates the existence of two energies—the spiritual energy (represented by the conscious self) and the material energy (repre­sented by the temporary body). The Vedas explain that this spiritual energy, symptomized by conscious­ness, continues to exist even after the material body is finished.

 

If each of us is an eternal soul covered only by different tempo­rary bodily dresses, we can reason­ably conclude that the highest welfare activity for all of human society is that which awakens us to our true spiritual identity and our dormant relationship with God. That activity is called Krsna con­sciousness.

 

Just as there is neither glory nor profit in saving the dress of a drowning man, there is neither glory nor profit in humanitarian efforts aimed exclusively at im­proving conditions for the tempo­rary, material body, which in the end is destined to grow old, be­come diseased, and die.

 

As Srila Prabhupada notes in Srimad-Bhagavatam:

 

"The actual self is beyond the gross body and subtle mind. He is the potent, active principle of the body and mind.”

 

"Without knowing the need of the dormant soul, one cannot be happy simply with the gratification of the body and mind. The spirit soul's needs must be fulfilled. Sim­ply by cleansing the cage of the bird, one does not satisfy the bird....”

 

"There is dormant affection for God within everyone.... Therefore we have to engage ourselves in activities that will evoke our divine, consciousness. This is possible only by hearing and chanting the divine activities of the Supreme Lord.”

 

"Thus any occupational en­gagement which does not help one to achieve attachment for hearing and chanting the transcendental message of God is said...to be simply a waste of time."

 

 

 

REVEALING THE PERFECT KNOWLEDGE OF THE VEDAS

 

If we can accept the importance of this type of inquiry, our next consideration will naturally be where to find authoritative answers to such questions. Clearly, if perfect knowledge concerning questions of the self, the universe, and God exists at all, it would have to be of a standard higher than just your opinion or my opinion, or for that matter Freud's or Einstein's or any­one else's opinion.

 

Srila Prabhupada explained that since we all have imper­fect senses and because we are all prone to make mistakes and even cheat, our relative opinions about matters beyond our experience can supply neither valid nor reliable infor­mation. Such speculation is indeed sterile and futile.

 

Thus our attempt to approach such matters empirically will be fraught with various imperfections and ultimately fail. Therefore, so-called truths established exclusively on the basis of mental speculation cannot help us understand the Absolute Truth, which is beyond the reach of the imperfect senses and mind.

 

The Vedas explain that if we want to know about things beyond the jurisdiction of our experience— beyond the limitations of human perception and cognition—the pro­cess is to hear from one who knows. As Srila Prabhupada taught

 

“This is the process for getting transcendental knowledge: to approach the proper person, the guru, and submissively hear from him.”

 

The transcendental knowledge of the Vedas was first uttered by the Su­preme Lord Himself. The Lord, the supremely pow­erful being, cannot fall under the in­fluence of any other force since He is the source of everything. As a logi­cal consequence, His knowledge must be perfect. And anyone who transmits that knowledge without change gives the same perfect knowledge. We need only accept this proposition theoretically to progress in our understanding of Vedic thought.

 

The perfect knowledge of the Vedas has been preserved over time by transmis­sion through an unbroken chain of spiritual masters. Srila Prabhupada is the current link in one such chain or succession. That succes­sion goes back thousands of years to Lord Krsna Himself. Thus the knowledge found within Srila Prabhupada's books is non- different from that which was originally imparted by the Supreme Lord Himself. Srila Prabhupada did not manufacture "truths." He delivered the timeless teachings of the original Vedas without addition, deletion, or change. The writings of Srila Prabhu­. are represented mainly by three Vedic texts—the Bhagavad-Gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Caitanya-caritamrta. Together these works of literature comprise more than 25 vol­umes of detailed information con­stituting the original Vedic science of God-realization, or bhagavata-dharma. Their translation into the English language, along with elabo­rate explanations, constitutes Srila Prabhupada's most significant con­tribution to the spiritual, intellec­tual, and cultural life of the world.

 

However, there is a deeper and more esoteric level at which Srila Prabhupada’s books deliver knowledge. We understand that since Srila Prabhupada fulfilled the prophesy of God’s most recent incarnation, he must be a fully liberated soul (technically known as saktyavesa-avatara) directly sent from the Absolute world to carry out this special service. Since Srila Prabhupada is a liberated person, existing on the Absolute platform, his books are non-different from himself. As Srila Prabhupada taught:

 

“If I depart there is no cause for lamentation. I will always be with you through my books and orders. I will always remain with you in that way.”

 

“In my books the philosophy of Krsna Consciousness is explained fully so if there is anything you do not understand, then you simply have to read again and again. By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you and by this process your spiritual life will develop.”

 

By reading his books, and accepting Srila Prabhupada as one’s eternal spiritual master, transcendental knowledge is revealed to us, and in this way we can come to know our unique and individual spiritual relationship with the Lord. So it is more than simply reading some words on a page, when included in a regime of chanting and worship, his books are the key to a mystical process by which one can factually realise one’s original spiritual identity.

 

 

 

A UNIVERSAL SCIENCE OF GOD-REALISATION

The Vedic teachings presented in Srila Prabhupada's books can be summarized under three general headings, known in Sanskrit as sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana. Sambandha means our relation­ship with God, abhidheya means acting in that relationship, and prayojana means the ultimate goal or perfection. These three divisions of understanding represent univer­sal principles common to all religious teachings of the world.

 

The knowledge described in Srila Prabhupada's books transcends religious, national, or cultural affiliations. The science of how to understand God, how to understand one's rela­tionship with God, and how to de­velop love for God has nothing to do with sectarian designations like "Christian,Hindu," or "Jew." These are objectives no religion in the world could deny. They are, in other words, the essence of reli­gion—universal features by which all religions may be understood.

 

Preferences regarding God's holy name may differ from one religion to another, modes of wor­ship may differ, and details of ritual and doctrine may differ as well. But the test is how much the practitioner actually develops knowledge of God and love for God. Real religion means to learn to love God. And how to love God is the sum and substance of the teachings found in Srila Prabhupada's books, as he himself explained:

 

“Just like we are chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. So according to Vedic literature, Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has got many names. Thousands and millions of names. This is the original name. So Caitanya says not that you have to chant Krishna, but if you have got actually a name for God, you can chant that. We are not asking you that you chant Krishna. If you have got actually a name for God, then you can chant that. We are requesting that you chant God’s holy name.”

 

 

 

SCHOLARS APPRECIATE SRlLA PRABHUPADA’S TEACHINGS

Srila Prabhupada often pointed out that although modern colleges and universities had many departments of understanding, there was no department that taught scientific knowledge of the self and God. By presenting the original Vedic Science of God- realization through his books, Srila Prabhupada filled the gap and met this vital educational need. Over the years hundreds of scholars who either personally met Srila Prabhupada or read his books have expressed keen appreciation for both his personal qualities and the contribution his teachings have made to humanity. Indeed many neutral scholars have said that Srila Prabhupada’s contribution is completely unparalleled in human history:

 

" I am impressed with how much the teaching of one man and the spiritual tradition he brought have impact themselves in to the lives of so many people. In my view Srila Prabhupada’s contribution is a very important one and will be a lasting one… At what almost anyone would consider a very advanced age, when most people would be resting on their laurels, he harkened to the mandate of his own spiritual teacher and set out on the difficult voyage to America. Srila Prabhupada is, of course, only one of thousands of teachers. But in another sense, he is one in a thousand, maybe one in a million.” - Harvey Cox, professor of religion at Harvard University

 

“Here for the first time since the days of the Roman Empire is a new Asian religion – that is to say, an Asian religion new to the Western world – being practised by people of Western race. It arose out of nothing in less than twenty years and has become known all over the West…and an important fact in the history of the Western world.” - A.L Basham, a leading authority on Indian history and religion.

 

"Besides being a man of deep moral strength, humility, and holiness, he was genuinely renounced. Unlike many modern gurus, he was content to live as his disciples did. Even when his health failed and he returned to the blazing heat of Delhi for his recovery, he sought nothing better than a poorly furnished room, without air-conditioning, in a Hindu temple where he had resided before coming to America. Srila Prabhupada's life. . . is the epitome of his ideal, an ideal that he set forth for others to follow. In an age of pervasive hypocrisy and cynicism, it is this kind of rare model that we need." - Dr. J. Stillson Judah, Professor Emeritus, History of Religions and Director of Libraries, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California.

 

"His books are significant contributions to the salvation of mankind." - Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri, Former Prime Minister of India.

 

“These texts are to be treasured. No one of whatever faith or philosophical persuasion who reads these books with an open mind can fail to be moved and impressed.” - Garry Gelade, Professor at Oxford University’s Department of Philosophy.

 

“Prabhupada’s personal piety gave him real authority. He exhibited complete command of the scriptures, an unusual depth of realization, and an outstanding personal example, because he actually lived what he taught.” - Dr. Larry Shinn, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Bucknell University.