By Radhanatha Swami
The life Of Srila A.C.Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada:
Srila Prabhupada, when he was in his early twenties first met his beloved spiritual master Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. At that time he was given the instruction “You are an intelligent young man so take this message of Sri Chaitanya and spread it throughout the world in the English language.” Although Srila Prabhupada was a married man with a child, he spent the rest of his life preparing for that mission. When he was in his fifties he retired from all worldly life and made his base in Sri Vrindavan dham, the holy land of Lord Krishna, the most sacred of all sacred places, where there are over five thousand temples of Krishna and everyone is chanting the names of Krishna day and night. The very place where Krishna is eternally performing His beautiful pastimes in that charming spiritual environment is where Srila Prabhupada translated the First Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam in the English language with idea that this would facilitate him for fulfilling the mission of his spiritual master. He was living as sannyasi ,therefore he had no material wealth. But he had an unlimited treasure house of love and compassion for Krishna and for every living being. He went to Bombay; in brief he actually had to sit on the steps outside the offices of the Scindia Steamship Company begging for a ticket, on a steam cargo ship to New York City. Not begging for himself, begging for you and me. Begging for all living beings. He did not need anything. He had everything. He was living in Vrindavana in divine consciousness. He was begging, humbling himself to the most insignificant position, to lead a life which is full of danger and fear, which is full of torturous conditions. He did that to give the world love of Krishna. He was given his ticket on the Jaladuta.
From Bombay he took a train to Calcutta, just a couple days before the boat was to depart. He went to Mayapur dham to visit the samadhi mandira of his guru maharaja Bhaktisiddhant Sarasvati Thakur. He spent the day praying for his blessings. He came back to Calcutta. There were five people they came to be with him to see him off. (Sena Gupta, Bhagavati, Mr. Ali, a employee of Scindia steamship line and his little son Vrindavana). He had forty rupees. Seven dollars and he boarded the boat. While in the Arabian Sea, there were great storms, sea sickness, and several heart attacks.
Prabhupada’s Struggle in New York:
Srila Prabhupada departed Calcutta on Friday the 13th of August 1965. After a 38 day life threatening journey he finally arrived in New York City where he knew no one. For those of you who have read his diary, you can do nothing but fall at his feet with gratitude in your heart. How he lived! He sometimes lived on the Bowery, where there were drunkards and prostitutes and drug addicts. Sometimes he would find somebody who took a little bit of interest in Krishna and he would stay at their house with them.
Determination Of srila Prabhupa:
He was seventy years old and he wrote to his God brothers, to some wealthy people in India and to politicians, “I want to start the first Radha Krishna temple in America. The people will be receptive. Please help me”. But everyone wrote back, “Swamiji, it is impossible. Come home.” The only thing he had of any material value whatsoever was his return ticket on Jaladuta to Bombay. But he would not use it. Even if there was no result. If you read in his diary, he considered everything the property of Krishna. He was a pure devotee; he was accountable to Krishna for everything he said, everything he did. He would note down, every expenditure and everything that came in his income. Fourteen cents for a banana and some potatoes, he spent one day. Thirty cents for bus fare. Twenty three cents for a banana and potato and an apple. He was all wrote down. And sometimes people would buy his books and he would get a little income and he would simply use it for preaching.
In various places he was staying. He was always inviting people, come. In his diary it explains that he was inviting the world to come and get the message of Krishna. One night he wrote that nobody came. So was he depressed? Somehow or other he got the little tape recorder and just did a whole program for the tape recorder. Another day he explains, three ladies and gentle man came. “And I play the tape of my chanting for them. And they like it. Therefore now I can understand that Haridasa Thakur’s prediction that the holy name of Krishna will be spread all over the whole world.” Such positive thinking.
He never gave up hope. He never gave up faith. In 1966 on most blessed of all celebrations Gaura-purnima the day of appearance of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Prabhupada writes in his diary “In Vrindavana and in Navadvipa, my God brothers and God sisters are gathered together to have glorious celebrations, but here I am ten thousand miles from the nearest Vaishnava. I am all alone with nothing. But I am very happy, because this is the message of Krishna. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted His holy name spread throughout the world and I am willing to suffer in hell to perform His will.” That is Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada always positive:
At one point Srila Prabhupada was homeless. So some people arranged for him a small storefront at 26 Second Avenue, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York. They would able to help with the down payment for one month, but after that they could not help him. He writes in his dairy, “We will leave it to Krishna”. And he began having Bhagavad-Gita’s classes. Soon some interested people started coming. Then he started going to park, sitting under an elm tree in Tompkins Square Park and playing a bongo drum that somebody gave him. He had no Mridanga, he had no Vedic instruments. And playing that little drum, he would chant Hare Krishna and crowds and people would come around and sing and dance with him. He would explain the message of Bhagavad-Gita.
Soon very sincere searchers for the truth were coming to him. People who are born in great wealth and affluence, who have the world at their feet materially. But they have the wisdom to understand that there is no fulfillment, there is no meaning in those things alone. There must be something higher. There must be something deeper. There must be some spiritual substance to life. They were disoriented by hypocrisy they had experienced in society, and messages that that had no satisfactory philosophy. When they heard Srila Prabhupada’s message, when they met with Srila Prabhupada’s heart, they felt here is a man that loves me. Here is a man that loves God. Here is a man who will sacrifice his life for the welfare of everyone and anyone. And they gave their lives to assisting him. Soon Srila Prabhupada’s little storefront became overflowing with sincere souls. Then he went to San Francisco, then to Montreal. And an amazing thing about Srila Prabhupada became revealed – that those who are actually grateful for what he gave them, they were empowered and inspired with the same type of fearless compassion that he had.
There were three married couples who had just been devotees for not even one year. Srila Prabhupada sent them to London to establish Krishna Consciousness there. They had no money, they did not know a single person. But they had one thing – they saw what Prabhupada did for them. And the magic of that mercy inspired them to do the same for others.
Those six people, Gurudas and Yamuna, Mukunda Maharaja and Janaki, Samsundara Prabhu and Malati – they did not have enough money to get into the country. Srila Prabhupada had to send them a money order. One couple at a time come in and showed that this is how much money I have. So they would get through, they went from the hall and over the English channel. And they mailed that cheque to the next couple, and mailed it to the next, after they were all in they mailed that cheque back to Srila Prabhupada. Malati had a little baby child that Srila Prabhupada named Sarasvati. The first child born in the Hare Krishna Movement. In history of this world. She was sometimes living in the basement of warehouse, in a brown cardboard box with her family. But they were inspired. They were ecstatic. They wanted to share the glorious gift that Srila Prabhupada gave them. They have adapted Srila Prabhupada’s spirit of fearlessness, of doing the impossible, seeing Krishna as a controller. They approached the Beatles, the most influential people in the whole western world. Impossible to meet such people. But they met them. And influenced Mr. George Harrison. Gradually they were chanting in the streets. Srila Prabhupada came to London and established Krishna Consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada’s determination finally bears fruit:
Our beloved God brother Tamal Krishna Gosvami who by Krishna’s inconceivable arrangement he left our physical association – he was another such person that could do anything and everything because he was inspired by Srila Prabhupada’s mercy. Srila Prabhupada was sending such devotees in various places of the world. And soon there were 108 thriving temples. From living in a cardboard box in a basement of warehouse, there is Bhaktivedanta Manor. From a tiny room in Vrindavana, there is the most popular temple in Vrindavana Dham, Krishna Balaram Temple.
Book Distribution:
When Srila Prabhupada began his book distribution he was the only distributor. He would take his magazines and just go from tea shop to store at his old age trying to convince people to accept the message of Krishna in the form of Back To Godhead Magazine. And in a few years he created the largest publisher in Indian literature in the history of the world. Hundreds, of millions of books have been distributed. Sometimes tens and thousands of Bhagavad-Gita distributed in one day, by those who are touched by his spirit of compassion. We can speak on this subject for many many hours, days, weeks, months, years and life times. What was Srila Prabhupada’s motivation? Selfless, unconditional love for Krishna. Selfless unconditional love and compassion for you and me to share the highest treasures of the spiritual world, which can be easily attained by simply orchestrating our propensities and life, in a spirit of devotion, toward Krishna and chanting his holy names. On the basis of the holy scriptures, Srila Prabhupada established everything he said.
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
[Caitanya-caritamrita. Ädi 17.21]
Chanting The Holy Name In the Age Of Kali:
In this age of Kali there is one most beneficial, simple method by which we can attain the highest perfection of spiritual realization, to realize our eternal loving relationship with Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. And that method is to chant the holy names. Srila Prabhupada inspired small children, the old people on the verge of death, ladies and gentlemen, rich and poor, Asian, African, American, European – there was no discrimination. Prabhupada showed compassion to everyone. Srila Prabhupada showed compassion even to the most insignificant living entity. Because he had the faith. Simple chant the holy names, clean your heart and feel the real joy of life. So let us today, on this glorious occasion of the appearance of Srila Prabhupada, take his mercy to our heart by simply accepting as a priority in our life the chanting of the names of the God and try to share that great fortune with others. “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.” Thank you very much.
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