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By Samapriya dasi

Associating with Srila Prabhupada

In the beginning days of establishing his movement, Srila Prabhupada was assisted by a handful of dedicated disciples. Though unfamiliar with Vedic culture they were qualified through love and submission to their spiritual master. The good fortune of these devotees is unquestionable, and there is no doubt each and every one of them was worthy of their unique benediction. Whenever recounting the events Srila Prabhupada’s disciples directly experienced with him in the course of their service, it is considered sacred and appreciated by all the assembled devotees.

One might wonder whether personal association with Srila Prabhupada is limited to the select few who served him while he displayed his vapu pastimes. Fully aware of the time factor at the advanced age of seventy, Srila Prabhupada’s enthusiasm remained irrepressible. Within twelve years he firmly established his movement and initiated five thousand disciples. Were any of them less important to him? Though it was not physically possible for him to spend intimate time with everyone, Srila Prabhupada made an arrangement to fulfill this need of all his disciples and future followers. During the long hours of the night when the world was asleep, he wrote his transcendental books assuring each of us who seek his shelter confidential association with a nitya-siddha.

The opportunity to directly and intimately associate with His Divine Grace is still available and will remain so as long as his books exist. The realizations and confidential ecstasies revealed in his sublime purports have the power to transform any sincere soul and lead him or her safely on the path back to Godhead. This material world is always in a tumultuous crisis. Therefore we urgently need to hear transcendental knowledge from the self-realized spiritual master. Srila Prabhupada was not forced to come to this world of birth and death as are ordinary conditioned souls, enslaved by their fruitive desires. How can we neglect the rare blessing of sitting at the lotus feet of he who has descended from Goloka Vrndavana and rendering service to him by hearing submissively?

Ballad of a Sankirtana Devotee

Brhat-mrdanga drumming with a sacred mighty force,
meant to keep your mission on its elevated course.
Not graced to travel with you as your servants or your cooks,
we dedicated our lives to passing out your books.

This life is very precious; nothing more that one can give,
than to ease the suffering of lost souls and show them how to live.
Clad with faith as armor, wielding the sword of truth,
enlisted in your army, we sacrificed our youth.

One becomes compassionate by being kind to all,
lifting every jiva from his tragic downward fall.
The sankirtana mentality gives everyone a chance,
awakening a love supreme that lifts all hearts to dance.

Taking up this service we must be strong and brave,
to see the soul in everyone, not choose who we will save.
But leave our egos far away from the holy site,
where these books of truth emerge some will run in fright.

A sacrifice for your desire is our only claim,
we thrive upon your sacred text and chant the holy name.
Not graced to travel with you as your servants or your cooks,
we dedicated our lives to passing out your books.

They were written for all souls, and we are all the same —
your books ignite within the heart a transcendental flame.
Enlightened words of ecstasy exist on every page,
what could be more valuable in this degraded age?

In silent hours of the night absorbed in meditation,
writing down the Lord’s decrees of secret revelation.
As He spoke to Pandava, a battle though it took,
the essence of the Vedas is captured in your book.

The guru’s always present but we must play our part,
he comes to teach us love of God begins within the heart.
An intimate connection awakening that place,
hearing with sincerity awards internal grace.

Krsna knows the selflessness that one accepts to serve,
and rewards accordingly — we get what we deserve.
But in proportion to one’s love the Lord is ever ready,
to give Himself to His dear friend whose service has been steady.

And of those other gentle souls serving all these years,
not many of us know their names and fewer know their tears.
They did not travel with you as servants or your cooks,
their love for you is nurtured by the wealth within your books.

For more of the same sweet, sweet nectar please see:

http://store.krishna.com/the-divine-love-trip-meditations-of-a-prabhupada-disciple
https://www.touchstonemedia.com/the-divine-love-trip-meditations/
Or Search – Amazon.com Samapriya devi dasi The Divine Love Trip

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88008

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