Posted by nitin parihar on September 20, 2011 at 6:58pm
Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the USAThese excerpts have been taken from Satswarup dasa Goswami’sPrabhupada-lilamrita ch 11-12.Srila Prabhupada’s Departure for preaching in the west.With the manuscript for Volume Three complete and with the money to printit, Bhaktivedanta Swami once again entered the printing world, purchasingpaper, correcting proofs, and keeping the printer on schedule so that thebook would be finished by January 1965. Thus, by his persistence, he who hadalmost no money of his own managed to publish his third large hardboundvolume within a little more than two years.At this rate, with his respect in the scholarly world increasing, he mightsoon become a recognized figure amongst his countrymen. But he had hisvision set on the West. And with the third volume now printed, he felt hewas at last prepared. He was sixty-nine and would have to go soon. It hadbeen more than forty years since Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had firstasked a young householder in Calcutta to preach Krishna consciousness in theWest. At first it had seemed impossible to Abhay Charan, who had so recentlyentered family responsibilities. That obstacle, however, had long ago beenremoved, and for more than ten years he had been free to travel. But he hadbeen penniless (and still was). And he had wanted first to publish somevolumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam to take with him; it had seemed necessary if hewere to do something solid. Now, by Krishna’s grace, three volumes were onhand.Srila Prabhupada: I planned that I must go to America. Generally they go toLondon, but I did not want to go to London. I was simply thinking how to goto New York. I was scheming, “Whether I shall go this way, through Tokyo,Japan, or that way? Which way is cheaper?” That was my proposal. And I wastargeting to New York always. Sometimes I was dreaming that I have come toNew York.Then Bhaktivedanta Swami met Mr. Agarwal, a Mathura businessman, andmentioned to him in passing, as he did to almost everyone he met, that hewanted to go to the West. Although Mr. Agarwal had known Bhaktivedanta Swamifor only a few minutes, he volunteered to try to get him a sponsor inAmerica. It was something Mr. Agarwal had done a number of times; when hemet a sadhu who mentioned something about going abroad to teach Hinduculture, he would ask his son Gopal, an engineer in Pennsylvania, to sendback a sponsorship form. When Mr. Agarwal volunteered to help in this way,Bhaktivedanta Swami urged him please to do so.Srila Prabhupada: I did not say anything seriously to Mr. Agarwal, butperhaps he took it very seriously. I asked him, “Well, why don’t you askyour son Gopal to sponsor so that I can go there? I want to preach there.”But Bhaktivedanta Swami knew he could not simply dream of going to theWest; he needed money. In March 1965 he made another visit to Bombay,attempting to sell his books. Again he stayed at the free dharmasala,Premkutir. But finding customers was difficult. He met Paramananda Bhagwani,a librarian at Jai Hind College, who purchased books for the college libraryand then escorted Bhaktivedanta Swami to a few likely outlets.Mr. Bhagwani: I took him to the Popular Book Depot at Grant Road to helphim in selling books, but they told us they couldn’t stock the books becausethey don’t have much sales on religion. Then we went to another shop nearby,and the owner also regretted his inability to sell the books. Then he wentto Sadhuvela, near Mahalakshmi temple, and we met the head of the templethere. He, of course, welcomed us. They have a library of their own, andthey stock religious books, so we approached them to please keep a set therein their library. They are a wealthy asrama, and yet he also expressed hisinability.Bhaktivedanta Swami returned to Delhi, pursuing the usual avenues ofbookselling and looking for whatever opportunity might arise. And to hissurprise, he was contacted by the Ministry of External Affairs and informedthat his No Objection certificate for going to the U.S. was ready. Since hehad not instigated any proceedings for leaving the country, BhaktivedantaSwami had to inquire from the ministry about what had happened. They showedhim the Statutory Declaration Form signed by Mr. Gopal Agarwal of Butler,Pennsylvania; Mr. Agarwal solemnly declared that he would bear the expensesof Bhaktivedanta Swami during his stay in the U.S.Srila Prabhupada: Whatever the correspondence was there between the fatherand son, I did not know. I simply asked him, “Why don’t you ask your sonGopal to sponsor?” And now, after three or four months, the No Objectioncertificate was sent from the Indian Consulate in New York to me. He hadalready sponsored my arrival there for one month, and all of a sudden I gotthe paper.At his father’s request, Gopal Agarwal had done as he had done for severalother sadhus, none of whom had ever gone to America. It was just aformality, something to satisfy his father. Gopal had requested a form fromthe Indian Consulate in New York, obtained a statement from his employercertifying his monthly salary, gotten a letter from his bank showing hisbalance as of April 1965, and had the form notarized. It had been stampedand approved in New York and sent to Delhi. Now Bhaktivedanta Swami had asponsor. But he still needed a passport, visa, P-form, and travel fare.The passport was not very difficult to obtain. Krishna Pandit helped, andby June 10 he had his passport. Carefully, he penned in his address at theRadha-Krishna temple in Chippiwada and wrote his father’s name, Gour MohanDe. He asked Krishna Pandit also to pay for his going abroad, but KrishnaPandit refused, thinking it against Hindu principles for a sadhu to goabroad—and also very expensive.With his passport and sponsorship papers, Bhaktivedanta Swami went toBombay, not to sell books or raise funds for printing; he wanted a ticketfor America. Again he tried approaching Sumati Morarji. He showed hissponsorship papers to her secretary, Mr. Choksi, who was impressed and whowent to Mrs. Morarji on his behalf. “The Swami from Vrindavana is back,” hetold her. “He has published his book on your donation. He has a sponsor, andhe wants to go to America. He wants you to send him on a Scindia ship.” Mrs.Morarji said no, the Swamiji was too old to go to the United States andexpect to accomplish anything. As Mr. Choksi conveyed to him Mrs. Morarji’swords, Bhaktivedanta Swami listened disapprovingly. She wanted him to stayin India and complete the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Why go to the States? Finishthe job here.But Bhaktivedanta Swami was fixed on going. He told Mr. Choksi that heshould convince Mrs. Morarji. He coached Mr. Choksi on what he should say:“I find this gentleman very inspired to go to the States and preachsomething to the people therei” But when he told Mrs. Morarji, she againsaid no. The Swami was not healthy. It would be too cold there. He might notbe able to come back, and she doubted whether he would be able to accomplishmuch there. People in America were not so cooperative, and they wouldprobably not listen to him.Exasperated with Mr. Choksi’s ineffectiveness, Bhaktivedanta Swami demandeda personal interview. It was granted, and a gray-haired, determinedBhaktivedanta Swami presented his emphatic request: “Please give me oneticket.”Sumati Morarji was concerned. “Swamiji, you are so old—you are taking thisresponsibility. Do you think it is all right?”“No,” he reassured her, lifting his hand as if to reassure a doubtingdaughter, “it is all right.”“But do you know what my secretaries think? They say, “Swamiji is going todie there.’”Bhaktivedanta made a face as if to dismiss a foolish rumor. Again heinsisted that she give him a ticket. “All right,” she said. “Get yourP-form, and I will make an arrangement to send you by our ship.”Bhaktivedanta Swami smiled brilliantly and happily left her offices, pasther amazed and skeptical clerks.A “P-form”—another necessity for an Indian national who wants to leave thecountry—is a certificate given by the State Bank of India, certifying thatthe person has no excessive debts in India and is cleared by the banks. Thatwould take a while to obtain. And he also did not yet have a U.S. visa. Heneeded to pursue these government permissions in Bombay, but he had no placeto stay. So Mrs. Morarji agreed to let him reside at the Scindia Colony, acompound of apartments for employees of the Scindia Company.He stayed in a small, unfurnished apartment with only his trunk andtypewriter. The resident Scindia employees all knew that Mrs. Morarji wassending him to the West, and some of them became interested in his cause.They were impressed, for although he was so old, he was going abroad topreach. He was a special sadhu, a scholar. They heard from him how he wastaking hundreds of copies of his books with him, but no money. He became acelebrity at the Scindia Colony. Various families brought him rice, sabji,and fruit. They brought so much that he could not eat it all, and hementioned this to Mr. Choksi. Just accept it and distribute it, Mr. Choksiadvised. Bhaktivedanta Swami then began giving remnants of his food to thechildren. Some of the older residents gathered to hear him as he read andspoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam. Mr. Vasavada, the chief cashier of Scindia,was particularly impressed and came regularly to learn from the sadhu. Mr.Vasavada obtained copies of Bhaktivedanta Swami’s books and read them in hishome.Bhaktivedanta Swami’s apartment shared a roofed-in veranda with Mr.Nagarajan, a Scindia office worker, and his wife.Mrs. Nagarajan: Every time when I passed that way, he used to be writing orchanting. I would ask him, “Swamiji, what are you writing?” He used to sitnear the window and one after another was translating the Sanskrit. He gaveme two books and said, “Child, if you read this book, you will understand.”We would have discourses in the house, and four or five Gujarati ladies usedto come. At one of these discourses he told one lady that those who weartheir hair parted on the side—that is not a good idea. Every Indian ladyshould have her hair parted in the center. They were very fond of listeningand very keen to hear his discourse.Every day he would go out trying to get his visa and P-form as quickly aspossible, selling his books, and seeking contacts and supporters for hisfuture Srimad-Bhagavatam publishing. Mr. Nagarajan tried to help. Using thetelephone directory, he made a list of wealthy business and professional menwho were Vaishnavas and might be inclined to assist. Bhaktivedanta Swami’sneighbors at Scindia Colony observed him coming home dead tired in theevening. He would sit quietly, perhaps feeling morose, some neighborsthought, but after a while he would sit up, rejuvenated, and start writing.Mrs. Nagarajan: When he came home we used to give him courage, and we usedto tell him, “Swamiji, one day you will achieve your target.” He would say,“Time is still not right. Time is still not right. They are all ajnanis.They don’t understand. But still I must carry on.”Sometimes I would go by, and his cadar would be on the chair, but he wouldbe sitting on the windowsill. I would ask him, “Swamiji, did you have anygood contacts?” He would say, “Not much today. I didn’t get much, and it isdepressing. Tomorrow Krishna will give me more details.” And he would sitthere quietly.After ten minutes, he would sit in his chair and start writing. I wouldwonder how Swamiji was so tired in one minute and in another minuten Even ifhe was tired, he was not defeated. He would never speak discouragement. Andwe would always encourage him and say, “If today you don’t get it, tomorrowyou will definitely meet some people, and they will encourage you.” And myfriends used to come in the morning and in the evening for discourse, andthey would give namaskara and fruits.Mr. Nagarajan: His temperament was very adjustable and homely. Our friendswould offer a few rupees. He would say, “All right. It will help.” He usedto walk from our colony to Andheri station. It is two kilometers, and heused to go there without taking a bus, because he had no money.Bhaktivedanta Swami had a page printed entitled “My Mission,” and he wouldshow it to influential men in his attempts to get further financing forSrimad-Bhagavatam. The printed statement proposed that God consciousness wasthe only remedy for the evils of modern materialistic society. Despitescientific advancement and material comforts, there was no peace in theworld; therefore, Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, the glory of India,must be spread all over the world.Mrs. Morarji asked Bhaktivedanta Swami if he would read Srimad-Bhagavatamto her in the evening. He agreed. She began sending her car for him at sixo’clock each evening, and they would sit in her garden, where he wouldrecite and comment on the Bhagavatam.Mrs. Morarji: He used to come in the evening and sing the verses inrhythmic tunes, as is usually done with the Bhagavatam. And certainpoints—when you sit and discuss, you raise so many points—he was commentingon certain points, but it was all from the Bhagavatam. So he used to sit andexplain to me and then go. He could give time, and I could hear him. Thatwas for about ten or fifteen days.His backing by Scindia and his sponsorship in the U.S. were a strongpresentation, and with the help of the people at Scindia he obtained hisvisa on July 28, 1965. But the P-form proceedings went slowly and eventhreatened to be a last, insurmountable obstacle.Srila Prabhupada: Formerly there was no restriction for going outside. Butfor a sannyasi like me, I had so much difficulty obtaining the governmentpermission to go out. I had applied for the P-form sanction, but no sanctionwas coming. Then I went to the State Bank of India. The officer was Mr.Martarchari. He told me, “Swamiji, you are sponsored by a private man. So wecannot accept. If you were invited by some institution, then we couldconsider. But you are invited by a private man for one month. And after onemonth, if you are in difficulty, there will be so many obstacles.” But I hadalready prepared everything to go. So I said, “What have you done?” He said,“I have decided not to sanction your P-form.” I said, “No, no, don’t dothis. You better send me to your superior. It should not be like that.”So he took my request, and he sent the file to the chief official offoreign exchange—something like that. So he was the supreme man in the StateBank of India. I went to see him. I asked his secretary, “Do you havesuch-and-such a file. You kindly put it to Mr. Rao. I want to see him.” Sothe secretary agreed, and he put the file, and he put my name down to seehim. I was waiting. So Mr. Rao came personally. He said, “Swamiji, I passedyour case. Don’t worry.”Following Mrs. Morarji’s instruction, her secretary, Mr. Choksi, made finalarrangements for Bhaktivedanta Swami. Since he had no warm clothes, Mr.Choksi took him to buy a wool jacket and other woolen clothes. Mr. Choksispent about 250 rupees on new clothes, including some new dhotis. AtBhaktivedanta Swami’s request, Mr. Choksi printed five hundred copies of asmall pamphlet containing the eight verses written by Lord Caitanya and anadvertisement for Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the context of an advertisement forthe Scindia Steamship Company.Mr. Choksi: I asked him, “Why couldn’t you go earlier? Why do you want togo now to the States, at this age?” He replied that, “I will be able to dosomething good, I am sure.” His idea was that someone should be there whowould be able to go near people who were lost in life and teach them andtell them what the correct thing is. I asked him so many times, “Why do youwant to go to the States? Why don’t you start something in Bombay or Delhior Vrindavana?” I was teasing him also: “You are interested in seeing theStates. Therefore, you want to go. All Swamijis want to go to the States,and you want to enjoy there.” He said, “What I have got to see? I havefinished my life.”But sometimes he was hot-tempered. He used to get angry at me for thedelays. “What is this nonsense?” he would say. Then I would understand: heis getting angry now. Sometimes he would say, “Oh, Mrs. Morarji has stillnot signed this paper? She says come back tomorrow, we will talk tomorrow!What is this? Why this daily going back?” He would get angry. Then I wouldsay, “You can sit here.” But he would say, “How long do I have to sit?” Hewould become impatient.Finally Mrs. Morarji scheduled a place for him on one of her ships, theJaladuta, which was sailing from Calcutta on August 13. She had made certainthat he would travel on a ship whose captain understood the needs of avegetarian and a brahmana. Mrs. Morarji told the Jaladuta’s captain, ArunPandia, to carry extra vegetables and fruits for the Swami. Mr. Choksi spentthe last two days with Bhaktivedanta Swami in Bombay, picking up thepamphlets at the press, purchasing clothes, and driving him to the stationto catch the train for Calcutta.He arrived in Calcutta about two weeks before the Jaladuta’s departure.Although he had lived much of his life in the city, he now had nowhere tostay. It was as he had written in his “Vrindavana-bhajana”: “I have my wife,sons, daughters, grandsons, everything, / But I have no money, so they are afruitless glory.” Although in this city he had been so carefully nurtured asa child, those early days were also gone forever: “Where have my lovingfather and mother gone to now? / And where are all my elders, who were myown folk? / Who will give me news of them, tell me who? / All that is leftof this family life is a list of names.”Out of the hundreds of people in Calcutta whom Bhaktivedanta Swami knew, hechose to call on Mr. Sisir Bhattacarya, the flamboyant kirtana singer he hadmet a year before at the governor’s house in Lucknow. Mr. Bhattacarya wasnot a relative, not a disciple, nor even a close friend; but he was willingto help. Bhaktivedanta Swami called at his place and informed him that hewould be leaving on a cargo ship in a few days; he needed a place to stay,and he would like to give some lectures. Mr. Bhattacarya immediately beganto arrange a few private meetings at friends’ homes, where he would sing andBhaktivedanta Swami would then speak.Mr. Bhattacarya thought the sadhu’s leaving for America should make animportant news story. He accompanied Bhaktivedanta Swami to all thenewspapers in Calcutta—the Hindustan Standard, the Amrita Bazar Patrika, theJugantas, the Statesman, and others. Bhaktivedanta Swami had only onephotograph, a passport photo, and they made a few copies for the newspapers.Mr. Bhattacarya would try to explain what the Swami was going to do, and thenews writers would listen. But none of them wrote anything. Finally theyvisited the Dainik Basumati, a local Bengali daily, which agreed to print asmall article with Bhaktivedanta Swami’s picture.A week before his departure, on August 6, Bhaktivedanta Swami traveled tonearby Mayapur to visit the samadhi of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Thenhe returned to Calcutta, where Mr. Bhattacarya continued to assist him withhis final business and speaking engagements.Mr. Bhattacarya: We just took a hired taxi to this place and that place.And he would go for preaching. I never talked to him during the preaching,but once when I was coming back from the preaching, I said, “You said thisthing about this. But I tell you it is not this. It is this.” I crossed himin something or argued. And he was furious. Whenever we argued and I said,“No, I think this is this,” then he was shouting. He was very furious. Hesaid, “You are always saying, “I think, I think, I think.’ What is theimportance of what you think? Everything is what you think. But it doesn’tmatter. It matters what sastra says. You must follow.” I said, “I must dowhat I think, what I feel—that is important.” He said, “No, you shouldforget this. You should forget your desire. You should change your habit.Better you depend on sastras. You follow what sastra wants you to do, and doit. I am not telling you what I think, but I am repeating what the sastrasays.”As the day of his departure approached, Bhaktivedanta Swami took stock ofhis meager possessions. He had only a suitcase, an umbrella, and a supply ofdry cereal. He did not know what he would find to eat in America; perhapsthere would be only meat. If so, he was prepared to live on boiled potatoesand the cereal. His main baggage, several trunks of his books, was beinghandled separately by Scindia Cargo. Two hundred three-volume sets—the verythought of the books gave him confidence.When the day came for him to leave, he needed that confidence. He wasmaking a momentous break with his previous life, and he was dangerously oldand not in strong health. And he was going to an unknown and probablyunwelcoming country. To be poor and unknown in India was one thing. Even inthese Kali-yuga days, when India’s leaders were rejecting Vedic culture andimitating the West, it was still India; it was still the remains of Vediccivilization. He had been able to see millionaires, governors, the primeminister, simply by showing up at their doors and waiting. A sannyasi wasrespected; the Srimad-Bhagavatam was respected. But in America it would bedifferent. He would be no one, a foreigner. And there was no tradition ofsadhus, no temples, no free asramas. But when he thought of the books he wasbringing—transcendental knowledge in English—he became confident. When hemet someone in America he would give him a flyer: ““Srimad Bhagwatam,’India’s Message of Peace and Goodwill.”It was August 13, just a few days before Janmashtami, the appearance dayanniversary of Lord Krishna—the next day would be his own sixty-ninthbirthday. During these last years, he had been in Vrindavana forJanmashtami. Many Vrindavana residents would never leave there; they wereold and at peace in Vrindavana. Bhaktivedanta Swami was also concerned thathe might die away from Vrindavana. That was why all the Vaishnava sadhus andwidows had taken vows not to leave, even for Mathura—because to die inVrindavana was the perfection of life. And the Hindu tradition was that asannyasi should not cross the ocean and go to the land of the mlecchas. Butbeyond all that was the desire of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, and hisdesire was nondifferent from that of Lord Krishna. And Lord CaitanyaMahaprabhu had predicted that the chanting of Hare Krishna would be known inevery town and village of the world.Bhaktivedanta Swami took a taxi down to the Calcutta port. A few friendsand admirers, along with his son Vrindavan, accompanied him. He writes inhis diary: “Today at 9 a.m. embarked on M.V. Jaladuta. Came with meBhagwati, the Dwarwan of Scindia Sansir, Mr. Sen Gupta, Mr. Ali andVrindaban.” He was carrying a Bengali copy of Caitanya-caritamrita, which heintended to read during the crossing. Somehow he would be able to cook onboard. Or if not, he could starve— whatever Krishna desired. He checked hisessentials: passenger ticket, passport, visa, P-form, sponsor’s address.Finally it was happening.Srila Prabhupada: With what great difficulty I got out of the country! Someway or other, by Krishna’s grace, I got out so I could spread the Krishnaconsciousness movement all over the world. Otherwise, to remain in India—itwas not possible. I wanted to start a movement in India, but I was not atall encouraged.The black cargo ship, small and weathered, was moored at dockside, agangway leading from the dock to the ship’s deck. Indian merchant sailorscuriously eyed the elderly saffron-dressed sadhu as he spoke last words tohis companions and then left them and walked determinedly toward the boat.For thousands of years, krishna-bhakti had been known only in India, notoutside, except in twisted, faithless reports by foreigners. And the onlyswamis to have reached America had been nondevotees, Mayavadiimpersonalists. But now Krishna was sending Bhaktivedanta Swami as Hisemissary.SPL 12: The Journey to AmericaCHAPTER TWELVEThe Journey to AmericaToday the ship is plying very smoothly. I feel today better. But I amfeeling separation from Sri Vrindaban and my Lords Sri Govinda, Gopinath,Radha Damodar. My only solace is Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita in which I amtasting the nectarine of Lord Chaitanya’s lila. I have left Baharatabhumijust to execute the order of Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, in pursuance ofLord Chaitanya’s order. I have no qualification, but have taken up the riskjust to carry out the order of His Divine Grace. I depend fully on Theirmercy, so far away from Vrindaban.—Jaladuta diarySeptember 10, 1965The Jaladuta is a regular cargo carrier of the Scindia Steam NavigationCompany, but there is a passenger cabin aboard. During the voyage fromCalcutta to New York in August and September of 1965, the cabin was occupiedby “Sri Abhoy Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami,” whose age was listed assixty-nine and who was taken on board bearing “a complimentary ticket withfood.”The Jaladuta, under the command of Captain Arun Pandia, whose wife was alsoaboard, left at 9:00 A.M. on Friday, August 13. In his diary, SrilaPrabhupada noted: “The cabin is quite comfortable, thanks to Lord SriKrishna for enlightening Sumati Morarji for all these arrangements. I amquite comfortable.” But on the fourteenth he reported: “Seasickness,dizziness, vomiting—Bay of Bengal. Heavy rains. More sickness.”On the nineteenth, when the ship arrived at Colombo, Ceylon (now SriLanka), Prabhupada was able to get relief from his seasickness. The captaintook him ashore, and he traveled around Colombo by car. Then the ship wenton toward Cochin, on the west coast of India. Janmashtami, the appearanceday of Lord Krishna, fell on the twentieth of August that year. Prabhupadatook the opportunity to speak to the crew about the philosophy of LordKrishna, and he distributed prasadam he had cooked himself. August 21 washis seventieth birthday, observed (without ceremony) at sea. That same daythe ship arrived at Cochin, and Srila Prabhupada’s trunks ofSrimad-Bhagavatam volumes, which had been shipped from Bombay, were loadedon board.By the twenty-third the ship had put out to the Red Sea, where SrilaPrabhupada encountered great difficulty. He noted in his diary: “Rain,seasickness, dizziness, headache, no appetite, vomiting.” The symptomspersisted, but it was more than seasickness. The pains in his chest made himthink he would die at any moment. In two days he suffered two heart attacks.He tolerated the difficulty, meditating on the purpose of his mission, butafter two days of such violent attacks he thought that if another were tocome he would certainly not survive.On the night of the second day, Prabhupada had a dream. Lord Krishna, inHis many forms, was rowing a boat, and He told Prabhupada that he should notfear, but should come along. Prabhupada felt assured of Lord Krishna’sprotection, and the violent attacks did not recur.The Jaladuta entered the Suez Canal on September 1 and stopped in PortSa’id on the second. Srila Prabhupada visited the city with the captain andsaid that he liked it. By the sixth he had recovered a little from hisillness and was eating regularly again for the first time in two weeks,having cooked his own kichari and puris. He reported in his diary that hisstrength renewed little by little.Thursday, September 9To 4:00 this afternoon, we have crossed over the Atlantic Ocean fortwenty-four hours. The whole day was clear and almost smooth. I am taking myfood regularly and have got some strength to struggle. There is also aslight tacking of the ship and I am feeling a slight headache also. But I amstruggling and the nectarine of life is Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, thesource of all my vitality.Friday, September 10Today the ship is plying very smoothly. I feel today better. But I amfeeling separation from Sri Vrindaban and my Lords Sri Govinda, Gopinath,Radha Damodar. The only solace is Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita in which I amtasting the nectarine of Lord Chaitanya’s lila [pastimes]. I have leftBharatabhumi just to execute the order of Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati inpursuance of Lord Chaitanya’s order. I have no qualification, but have takenup the risk just to carry out the order of His Divine Grace. I depend fullyon Their mercy, so far away from Vrindaban.During the voyage, Srila Prabhupada sometimes stood on deck at the ship’srail, watching the ocean and the sky and thinking of Caitanya-caritamrita,Vrindavana-dhama, and the order of his spiritual master to go preach in theWest. Mrs. Pandia, the captain’s wife, whom Srila Prabhupada considered tobe “an intelligent and learned lady,” foretold Srila Prabhupada’s future. Ifhe were to pass beyond this crisis in his health, she said, it wouldindicate the good will of Lord Krishna.The ocean voyage of 1965 was a calm one for the Jaladuta. The captain saidthat never in his entire career had he seen such a calm Atlantic crossing.Prabhupada replied that the calmness was Lord Krishna’s mercy, and Mrs.Pandia asked Prabhupada to come back with them so that they might haveanother such crossing. Srila Prabhupada wrote in his diary, “If the Atlanticwould have shown its usual face, perhaps I would have died. But Lord Krishnahas taken charge of the ship.”On September 13, Prabhupada noted in his diary: “Thirty-second day ofjourney. Cooked bati kichari. It appeared to be delicious, so I was able totake some food. Today I have disclosed my mind to my companion, Lord SriKrishna. There is a Bengali poem made by me in this connection.”This poem was a prayer to Lord Krishna, and it is filled with Prabhupada’sdevotional confidence in the mission that he had undertaken on behalf of hisspiritual master. An English translation of the opening stanzas follows:*I emphatically say to you, O brothers, you will obtain your good fortunefrom the Supreme Lord Krishna only when Srimati Radharani becomes pleasedwith you.Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who is very dear to LordGauranga [Lord Caitanya], the son of mother Saci, is unparalleled in hisservice to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. He is that great, saintly spiritualmaster who bestows intense devotion to Krishna at different placesthroughout the world.By his strong desire, the holy name of Lord Gauranga will spread throughoutall the countries of the Western world. In all the cities, towns, andvillages on the earth, from all the oceans, seas, rivers, and streams,everyone will chant the holy name of Krishna.As the vast mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu conquers all directions, aflood of transcendental ecstasy will certainly cover the land. When all thesinful, miserable living entities become happy, the Vaishnavas’ desire isthen fulfilled.Although my Guru Maharaja ordered me to accomplish this mission, I am notworthy or fit to do it. I am very fallen and insignificant. Therefore, OLord, now I am begging for Your mercy so that I may become worthy, for Youare the wisest and most experienced of alliThe poem ends:Today that remembrance of You came to me in a very nice way. Because I havea great longing I called to You. I am Your eternal servant, and therefore Idesire Your association so much. O Lord Krishna, except for You there is nomeans of success.In the same straightforward, factual manner in which he had noted the date,the weather, and his state of health, he now described his helplessdependence on his “companion, Lord Krishna,” and his absorption in theecstasy of separation from Krishna. He described the relationship betweenthe spiritual master and the disciple, and he praised his own spiritualmaster, Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, “by whose strong desire theholy name of Lord Gauranga will spread throughout all the countries of theWestern world.” He plainly stated that his spiritual master had ordered himto accomplish this mission of worldwide Krishna consciousness, and feelingunworthy he prayed to Lord Krishna for strength. The last verses give anunexpected, confidential glimpse into Srila Prabhupada’s direct relationshipwith Lord Krishna. Prabhupada called on Krishna as his “dear friend” andlonged for the joy of again wandering the fields of Vraja. This memory ofKrishna, he wrote, came because of a great desire to serve the Lord.Externally, Srila Prabhupada was experiencing great inconvenience; he hadbeen aboard ship for a month and had suffered heart attacks and repeatedseasickness. Moreover, even if he were to recover from these difficulties,his arrival in America would undoubtedly bring many more difficulties. Butremembering the desire of his spiritual master, taking strength from hisreading of Caitanya-caritamrita, and revealing his mind in his prayer toLord Krishna, Prabhupada remained confident.After a thirty-five-day journey from Calcutta, the Jaladuta reachedBoston’s Commonwealth Pier at 5:30 A.M. on September 17, 1965. The ship wasto stop briefly in Boston before proceeding to New York City. Among thefirst things Srila Prabhupada saw in America were the letters “A & P”painted on a pierfront warehouse. The gray waterfront dawn revealed theships in the harbor, a conglomeration of lobster stands and drab buildings,and, rising in the distance, the Boston skyline.Prabhupada had to pass through U.S. Immigration and Customs in Boston. Hisvisa allowed him a three-month stay, and an official stamped it to indicatehis expected date of departure. Captain Pandia invited Prabhupada to take awalk into Boston, where the captain intended to do some shopping. Theywalked across a footbridge into a busy commercial area with old churches,warehouses, office buildings, bars, tawdry bookshops, nightclubs, andrestaurants. Prabhupada briefly observed the city, but the most significantthing about his short stay in Boston, aside from the fact that he had nowset foot in America, was that at Commonwealth Pier he wrote another Bengalipoem, entitled “Markine Bhagavata-dharma” (“Teaching Krishna Consciousnessin America”). Some of the verses he wrote on board the ship that day are asfollows:*My dear Lord Krishna, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do notknow why You have brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me.But I guess You have some business here, otherwise why would You bring meto this terrible place?Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignoranceand passion. Absorbed in material life they think themselves very happy andsatisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental messageof Vasudeva [Krishna]. I do not know how they will be able to understand it.But I know that Your causeless mercy can make everything possible, becauseYou are the most expert mystic.How will they understand the mellows of devotional service? O Lord, I amsimply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them aboutYour message.All living entities have come under the control of the illusory energy byYour will, and therefore, if You like, by Your will they can also bereleased from the clutches of illusion.I wish that You may deliver them. Therefore if You so desire theirdeliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your messageiHow will I make them understand this message of Krishna consciousness? I amvery unfortunate, unqualified, and the most fallen. Therefore I am seekingYour benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so onmy own.Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. Now,my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure, as You like.O spiritual master of all the worlds! I can simply repeat Your message. Soif You like You can make my power of speaking suitable for theirunderstanding.Only by Your causeless mercy will my words become pure. I am sure that whenthis transcendental message penetrates their hearts, they will certainlyfeel gladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions oflife.O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought mehere to dance, then make me dance, make me dance, O Lord, make me dance asYou like.I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith inthe holy name of Krishna. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, and now,if You like, You can fulfill the real purport of Bhaktivedanta.Signed—the most unfortunate, insignificant beggar,A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami,On board the ship Jaladuta, Commonwealth Pier,Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.Dated 18th September 1965.He was now in America. He was in a major American city, rich with billions,populated with millions, and determined to stay the way it was. Prabhupadasaw Boston from the viewpoint of a pure devotee of Krishna. He saw thehellish city life, people dedicated to the illusion of material happiness.All his dedication and training moved him to give these people thetranscendental knowledge and saving grace of Krishna consciousness, yet hewas feeling weak, lowly, and unable to help them on his own. He was but “aninsignificant beggar” with no money. He had barely survived the two heartattacks at sea, he spoke a different language, he dressed strangely—yet hehad come to tell people to give up meat-eating, illicit sex, intoxication,and gambling, and to teach them to worship Lord Krishna, who to them was amythical Hindu god. What would he be able to accomplish?Helplessly he spoke his heart directly to God: “I wish that You may deliverthem. I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them.” And forconvincing them he would trust in the power of God’s holy name and in theSrimad-Bhagavatam. This transcendental sound would clean away desire formaterial enjoyment from their hearts and awaken loving service to Krishna.On the streets of Boston, Prabhupada was aware of the power of ignorance andpassion that dominated the city; but he had faith in the transcendentalprocess. He was tiny, but God was infinite, and God was Krishna, his dearfriend.On the nineteenth of September the Jaladuta sailed into New York Harbor anddocked at a Brooklyn pier, at Seventeenth Street. Srila Prabhupada saw theawesome Manhattan skyline, the Empire State Building, and, like millions ofvisitors and immigrants in the past, the Statue of Liberty.Srila Prabhupada was dressed appropriately for a resident of Vrindavana. Hewore kanthi-mala (neck beads) and a simple cotton dhoti, and he carriedjapa-mala (chanting beads) and an old chadar, or shawl. His complexion wasgolden, his head shaven, sikha in the back, his forehead decorated with thewhitish Vaishnava tilaka. He wore pointed white rubber slippers, notuncommon for sadhus in India. But who in New York had ever seen or dreamedof anyone appearing like this Vaishnava? He was possibly the first Vaishnavasannyasi to arrive in New York with uncompromised appearance. Of course, NewYorkers have an expertise in not giving much attention to any kind ofstrange new arrival.Srila Prabhupada was on his own. He had a sponsor, Mr. Agarwal, somewherein Pennsylvania. Surely someone would be here to greet him. Although he hadlittle idea of what to do as he walked off the ship onto the pier—“I did notknow whether to turn left or right”—he passed through the docksideformalities and was met by a representative from Traveler’s Aid, sent by theAgarwals in Pennsylvania, who offered to take him to the Scindia ticketoffice in Manhattan to book his return passage to India.At the Scindia office, Prabhupada spoke with the ticket agent, JosephFoerster, who was impressed by this unusual passenger’s Vaishnavaappearance, his light luggage, and his apparent poverty. He regardedPrabhupada as a priest. Most of Scindia’s passengers were businessmen orfamilies, so Mr. Foerster had never seen a passenger wearing the traditionalVaishnava dress of India. He found Srila Prabhupada to be “a pleasantgentleman” who spoke of “the nice accommodations and treatment he hadreceived aboard the Jaladuta.” Prabhupada asked Mr. Foerster to hold spacefor him on a return ship to India. His plans were to leave in about twomonths, and he told Mr. Foerster that he would keep in touch. Carrying onlyforty rupees cash, which he himself called “a few hours’ spending in NewYork,” and an additional twenty dollars he had collected from selling threevolumes of the Bhagavatam to Captain Pandia, Srila Prabhupada, with umbrellaand suitcase in hand, and still escorted by the Traveler’s Aidrepresentative, set out for the Port Authority Bus Terminal to arrange forhis trip to Butler.(These excerpts have been taken from Satswarup dasa Goswami’sPrabhupada-lilamrita ch 11-12.)
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