On Srila Prabhupada's Spiritual Revolution
Every devotee has his own relationship with and vision of Srila Prabhupada. Some feel more the aspect of his kind fatherliness, some have an open, friendly relationship, others approach him in great awe and reverence as their worshipful master. Many devotees related to Prabhupada as a transcendental general, the leader of the troops. Personally, I like to meditate on Srila Prabhupada as a revolutionary.
Like many of my generation, from an early age I knew there was something intrinsically wrong in the modern world. I felt that this whole material civilization and all it stands for is totally bogus and nasty and needs turning upside down (that is, putting it the right way up) -- a complete revamping from top to bottom. All the so-called great thinkers who tried to solve the world's problems failed. Srila Prabhupada was the first true revolutionary. Throwing out all mundane ideas, he went to the heart of the problem. He advocated total change, a change of consciousness. "Don't try to be an exploiter. Recognize your position as servant, not master." Srila Prabhupada caught our mood; not with gimmicks, but from the platform of realization. He could not tolerate seeing the all humanity wasting their lives, preparing to go to hell instead of to Krsna. He blasted everything. The United Nations, hamburgers, rock 'n' roll, motor-car whoosh-whoosh. For Prabhupada, even Ravi Shankar was sense gratification.
Prabhupada was ready to take on a world full of demons, for Krsna's sake. As the humble servant of Krsna, he was always confident of Krsna's support. Unafraid, Srila Prabhupada targeted the leaders as the main culprits, the "thought-criminals" who are misdirecting the world. But Srila Prabhupada was nothing like the loud-mouthed rebels who want to demolish the status quo simply to establish another variety of illusion. Srila Prabhupada brought the real revolution. "Revolution" means a complete turnaround. Srila Prabhupada brought us from the mundane to Krsna. Not only did he point out the wrongs of modern society, but he gave us reality, substance -- Krsna -- as the actual alternative. Now that Srila Prabhupada has shown us the actual problem -- forgetfulness of Krsna -- all the so-called great thinkers are seen to be blind men, groping around without any idea of what's really going on.
Because simply to criticize is not enough. The real thing is not simply to talk, but to do something valuable for human society. The social reformer is better than the armchair critic. However, the reformer must first be a critic. Unless he sees the problem, how can he attempt to solve it? Srila Prabhupada was the only real reformer because he perceived the actual problem. He saw poverty, injustice, crime and the rest as manifestations of the basic problem: enviousness of Krsna. Who is wronged, and who is the wrongdoer? Who is a criminal, and who is a victim? All are criminals. All need reforming. Therefore Srila Prabhupada did not waste his time making useless niceties such as hospitals to make people fit for sense gratification, or schools for training them in sense gratification. He gave the blueprint for an alternative society with Krsna at the center. He started farm communities for living according to the ideal of simple living and high thinking, depending on the land, the cows, and Krsna.
- From the "My Memories of Srila Prabhupada" by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami
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