------------------------------------------------------------
Srila Prabhupada
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acarya of the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness, was born in 1896, in Calcutta, in a
Vaisnava family.
His father, Gour Mohan De, named him Abhay Charan. His father’s only wish
was that, Abhay would become a devotee of Srimati Radharani.
Abhay studied under British colonial rule, finally going to university to
read chemistry. At university, he became a supporter of Gandhi’s movement to
gain independence for India. As a measure of this support, he would only
dress in white handloom cloth, woven in India and furthermore, he declined
to accept his degree from the university.
Abhay married and went into business as a small pharmaceutical firm to
support his wife and family. He met his spiritual master, Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami, for the first time in Calcutta in 1922.
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, took a liking to Abhay and told him to devote his
life to teaching Vedic Knowledge; more specifically to preach Lord
Caitanya’s message to the English speaking world. Although, Abhay accepted,
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta within his heart as his spiritual master, it was not
until 1932 that he became initiated. He then received both harinama and
mantra diksa at his initiation.
In 1936 Srila Prabhupada wrote his spiritual master requesting if there was
any particular service that he could render. Srila Prabhupada received a
reply to that letter containing the same instruction the he had received in
1922: ‘Preach Krishna consciousness to the English speaking world’. His
spiritual master passed away from this world two weeks later; thus leaving
these final instructions engraved on Srila Prabhupada’s heart. These
instructions were to form the focus of Srila Prabhupada’s life.
Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita and assisted the
Gaudiya Matha in its work. In 1944, during the Second World War, when paper
was scarce and people had little money to spend, Srila Prabhupada began a
magazine called Back to Godhead. Single-handedly, he would write, edit,
oversee the layout, proof-read and sell the copies himself. This magazine is
still being published today.
In 1950 Srila Prabhupada adopted the vanaprastha (retired) life; thus
retiring from home and family life, in order to devote more time to his
studies. In 1953 he received the title Bhaktivedanta from his Godbrothers.
He travelled to Vrindavana, where he lived very humbly at the Radha-Damodara
temple. He spent several years there studying the scriptures and writing.
In 1959 he took sannyasa, the renounced order of life. It was then, while
staying at Radha-Damodara temple that he started on his masterpiece:
translation and commentary of the Srimad-Bhagavatam in English. He also
wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets. Within a few years, he had written
three volumes of English translation and commentary for the first canto of
Srimad-Bhagavatam. Once again, single handedly, he bought the paper and
gathered funds, to print the books. He sold the books himself and through
agents in the larger Indian cities.
He now felt ready to carry out his spiritual master’s orders and decided to
start by taking the message of Krishna consciousness to America, convinced
that other countries would follow suit. Obtaining free passage on a freight
ship, called the Jaladuta he finally arrived in New York in 1965. He was 69
and practically penniless. All he possessed was a few copies of the
Srimad-Bhagavatam and a few hundred rupees.
He had had a very difficult crossing, suffering two heart attacks and once
arrived in New York he didn’t know which way to turn. After a difficult six
months, preaching here and there, his few followers rented a storefront and
apartment in Manhattan. Here, he would regularly give lectures, kirtana and
distribute prasadam. People from all walks of life, including hippies, were
drawn here; in search of that missing element from their lives and many
became part of ‘Swamiji’s’ following.
As people became more serious, Srila Prabhupada’s followers used to hold
regular kirtanas in the parks. The lectures and Sunday feast days became
renowned. His young followers eventually took initiation from Srila
Prabhupada, promising to follow the regulative principles and chant 16
rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily. He also reinstated the Back to
Godhead magazine.
In July 1966, Srila Prabhupada established the International Society for
Krishna Consciousness — ISKCON. His aim was to use the society to promote
Krishna Consciousness throughout the world. In 1967, he visited San
Francisco and started an ISKCON society there. He then sent his disciples
all over the world to spread Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s message and open new
centres in Montreal, Boston, London, Berlin, and other cities in North
America, India, and Europe. In India, three magnificent temples were
initially planned: Vrindavana, the Krishna Balaram temple with all its
ancillary facilties; Bombay, a temple with an educational and cultural
centre; and in Mayapur, a huge temple with a Vedic planetarium.
Srila Prabhupada produced all of his books bar the three written in India
within the next eleven years. Srila Prabhupada slept little and would spend
the early morning hours writing. He would write almost daily between 1:30
and 4:30 a.m. He dictated his text, which his disciples then typed and
edited. Srila Prabhupada would translate the original texts from Sanskrit or
Bengali, word by word, and gave a complete commentary.
His works include Bhagavad-gita As It Is, the multi-volume
Srimad-Bhagavatam, the multivolume Caitanya-caritamrta, The Nectar of
Devotion, Krsna: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Teachings of Lord
Caitanya, Teachings of Lord Kapila, Teachings of Queen Kunti, Sri
Isopanisad, The Nectar of Instruction, and dozens of small books.
His writings have been translated into over fifty languages. The
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 to publish the works of His
Divine Grace, has thus become the world’s largest publisher of books in the
field of Indian religion and philosophy.
Despite his heavy literary schedule, Srila Prabhupada did not let his
writing stand in the way of his preaching. In just twelve years, despite his
advanced age, he circled the globe fourteen times on lecture tours that took
him to six continents.
His days were filled with writing, teaching his followers and the public,
and with guiding his growing society, until the day he departed from this
world. Before departing from this world Srila Prabhupada gave many
instructions to his disciples to follow in his footsteps and to continue the
preaching and spreading of Krishna Consciousness all over the world.
He departed this world on November 14 1977.
In the short time he spent in the west, he preached continuously,
established 108 temples, wrote more than sixty volumes of transcendental
literature, initiated five thousand disciples, founded the Bhaktivedanta
Book Trust, began a scientific academy (the Bhaktivedanta Institute) and
other trusts related to ISKCON.
Srila Prabhupada was an extraordinary author, teacher, and saint. He managed
to spread Krishna Consciousness all over the world, through his writing and
preaching. His writings comprise of many volumes and are the basis of
Krishna consciousness not only for his disciples but for his
grand-disciples, affiliated members of the disciplic succession, and for the
public at large.
His life history from his earliest days to his passing away in 1977 is
vividly described in his authorised biography, the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta
by Satsvarupa Goswami.
-----------------------------------------------------------
---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Text PAMHO:3486323 (112 lines) [W1]
From: Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami (ACBSP)
Date: 03-Sep-10 09:01 +0100
Subject: Some Ways I Know Prabhupada
------------------------------------------------------------
Around the end of November 1977, I spent the last days with him in
Vrndavana. He laid in his bed, nearly blind, and did not communicate. He
only waved to his secretary, Tamal Krishna Maharaja, who would go over to
his bed and exchange with him in whispers. A few devotees stayed in the room
chanting kirtana. At one point I was leading the kirtana. I was singing the
Nrsimhadeva prayers when Srila Prabhupada motioned Tamala Krishna Maharaja
over to his bed. Later TKG told me that Prabhupada asked him, “Who is
singing?” Tamal Krishna Maharaja replied, “Satsvarupa Maharaja.” Prabhupada
replied simply, “Hmm.” In my desire to always want more attention, I
lamented that Prabhupada didn’t say more. Tamala Krishna Maharaja told me I
should be fortunate that Prabhupada had at least said, “Hmm,” considering
the state he was in. And in fact he passed away within two days. That was my
last personal exchange with Srila Prabhupada.
On November 14th, I stood at the foot of his bed all day as he stayed
internal and finally passed away at 7:30 P.M.
Around April of 1977 I massaged his feet with talcum powder and felt I was
saying farewell.
Around January 1974 he called me to be his permanent servant, and I joined
him in L.A. I was in high spirits and felt very privileged.
Around May 1968 he arrived in Boston and gave lectures at our storefront and
at the universities for a full month. Various personal exchanges with him.
Around February 1974 he brought me with his entourage to Vrndavana and made
me feel at ease in India by his fatherly presence. On the way to Vrndavana
in our taxi, we came behind an old Indian bus that was belching black smoke
out its exhaust. Prabhupada turned to me and said, “They don’t have buses in
your country like this, and if they did have them, they would not let them
stay on the road.” Actually I had been afraid of the sight of this bus, and
Prabhupada in a fatherly way gave me consolation for the culture shock of
arriving in India.
Around July 1966—I walked into the storefront at 26 Second Avenue and saw
him for the first time. I thought he looked like Lord Buddha. After that
first night I never stopped coming back, and I followed the four rules. I
began reading his books, which I continue to do now, 43 years later.
Around spring 1973 I joined him on my first trip to India and Mayapur and
served him as his secretary, taking dictation for his letters. We went to
visit his Godbrother Sridhara Maharaja in Navadvipa.
Around all the time—Whenever I chant japa I am following his order.
Around 1971 he visited us at Dallas gurukula and there were fascinating
exchanges involving the installation of Radha-Kalachandji. They had arrived
with decorative paint, but the devotees convinced me that the decorations
should be scraped off and They should be repainted straight black. When
Prabhupada arrived he was angry that this had been done, and he said that
the decorations should be restored. On one morning walk I told him that I
thought the new painting had not dried. He said to Syamasundara, “Let us get
tickets and leave Dallas immediately.” But fortunately we used electric fans
on the Deities, and They dried in time for the installation. During that
same visit Prabhupada reprimanded me for chopping down a tree that had
fallen and was leaning against a building. When I asked him if my act was
“demoniac,” he said, “No, just ignorant.”
Around 1970 I answered the invitation Prabhupada extended to all his temple
presidents and visited him in Los Angeles, his Western-world headquarters,
to learn the ideal way to run a temple. I copied everything I saw there,
the white-colored tiles and yellow painted walls of the temple room, the way
Visnujana Swami used black electric tape on his fingers to play mrdanga,
etc., and brought it back to Boston. Two previous times I asked Prabhupada
if I could quit my welfare job and he said no. I asked him again and he said
yes.
Around April 1974 I grew restless as Prabhupada’s permanent servant and
asked him in Bombay whether I could change my service. He grew irritated and
told me not to jump around like a monkey. I wrote him a letter of apology
and said I wanted to stay with him. In the upper corner of my letter he
wrote in his hand, “You are pure. May Krishna protect you from calamities.”
Around June 1974, while still his servant, I sat in the room in Geneva and
heard him speaking of the need for a group of men to travel to the
universities to place standing orders of his books. I spoke up and said I
could do it. “Then do it!” he said abruptly.
Around the fall of 1966 I first heard Prabhupada say Krishna married 16,108
wives. I raised my hand and said, “I’m trying to understand the
Bhagavad-gita philosophy, but now you tell us that Krishna married 16,000
wives. How can I understand this?” He replied, “You cannot understand it?
The greatest scholars cannot understand it.”
Around the summer of 1966, I asked Prabhupada my first personal question:
“Is there a level of spiritual advancement from which you don’t fall down?
He answered simply, “Yes.” That one-word answer gave me confidence and
ability to follow the four rules.
Around the spring of 1967 I was accompanying Prabhupada in the New York City
streets after a visit to his lawyer on Chambers Street. Prabhupada said,
“The city is like a jungle.” I replied, “Except there are no snakes.”
Prabhupada said, “What about Mr. Payne?”
Around May of 1968 Prabhupada and the devotees went to Boston Commonwealth
Pier, where he first arrived in America in 1965. We went in Hamsadutta’s
used schoolbus. Except for the driver’s seat, it had no seats. The devotees
placed a chair for Prabhupada, and a strong devotee, Vamana dasa, held the
chair, but still the chair slid back and forth. At the pier there was a
sign, “Unalloyed Steel.” Srila Prabhupada said, “They have unalloyed steel,
and we have unalloyed devotion.” On the way back he told Hamsadutta he
should not have bought a used bus.
Around Memorial Day of 1967, Srila Prabhupada was in the Beth Israel
Hospital with a stroke. Devotees took turns staying with him in his room so
he was never alone. Once I was the only person present while he was
sleeping. He woke, sat up and said, “I do not know Krishna. I only know my
Guru Maharaja.”
These are just a few times that I have jotted down. There are many ways I
know Prabhupada, and I treasure them all.
Comments