Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Although Srila Prabhupada, from an external point of view, may have appeared to be suffering physically due to his deteriorated bodily condition - His Divine Grace always remained absorbed in the plane of transcendence - remembering the lotus feet of his most worshipable Deities, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, Sri Sri Krishna Balaram, and Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar.
One day, seeing that it was with great difficulty that Srila Prabhupada continued to speak into the tape recorder - translating the verses of the Srimad Bhagavatam and giving his Bhaktivedanta Purports - Srila Prabhupada's secretary Tamal Krishna Maharaja asked him why he continued to translate and preach at this advanced stage of life - when in fact Srila Prabhupada had already written so many books and preached all over the world. The secretary suggested that Srila Prabhupada's daily working on the Bhagavatam was not necessary at this time.
Srila Prabhupada replied very humbly by telling us the story of the "Good Soldier." Srila Prabhupada said, "Even if a good soldier (who serves in the army of the King) is struck down on the battlefield and his head is severed from his shoulders - still even if he is lying on the ground in such a condition - if he is a "good soldier" he will try to wave his sword in the air with the hopes that he will somehow strike the enemy." "Similarly", Srila Prabhupada said, "I am a servant in the army of my Guru Maharaja and as long as I have life I must preach - even in my present condition (and he waved his hand about in the air as if waving a sword)." Then shortly before departing from this world Srila Prabhupada gave a blessing to the devotees present- he said, "Live long and preach."
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