Trivikrama Swami .com

Dear devotees,

PAMHO AGTSP!

Srila Prabhupada said we should keep the Acarya in the center.

Therefore we should try to understand what Srila Prabhupada’s desire was on this issue and remain loyal to that.

On May 28th 1977 Srila Prabhupada was asked by Satsvarupa representing the GBC: Then our next question concerns initiation in the future, particularly at the time when you are no longer with us. We want to know to know how first and second initiation would be conducted.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. I shall recommend some of you to act as officiating acaryas.

Tamal Krsna: Is that called rtvik-acarya?

Srila Prabhupada: Ritvik, yes.

Satsvarupa: Then what is the relationship of that person who gives the initiation and the….

Srila Prabhupada: He’s guru, He’s guru.

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My comment: He is guru! Why? Because he will conduct the fire sacrifice and give the name and chant on the beads. But consider that he is a guru that must remain loyal to Srila Prabhupada’s institution and work cooperatively with it under the managerial authority of the GBC. If a guru wants his disciple to join him from some temple he has to get the permisson of the local temple authorities. This is not the traditional guru disciple relationship but it is what Srila Prabhupada wanted. Otherwise how will the institution remain united?

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Satsvarupa: But he does it on your behalf.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. That is formality. Because in my presence one should not become guru, so on my behalf, on my order…Amara ajnaya guru hana. Be actually guru, but by my order.

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My comment: Here Srila Prabhupada is saying two things. One is that he will appoint some of his leading disciples to act as riviks, like it had been done before, to initiate disciple on behalf of His Divine Grace. Then he is also saying that when I order they can become actually guru. The FINAL ORDER is not given yet.

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Satsvarupa: So they may also be considered your disciples.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, they are disciples. Why consider? Who?

Tamal Krsna: No, he’s asking that these ritvik acaryas, they are officiating, giving diksa. Their…The people who they give diksa to, whose disciples are they?

Srila Prabhupada: They’re his disciples.

Tamal Krsna: They’re his disciples.

Srila Prabhupada: Who is intitiating. He is granddisciple.

Satsvarupa: Yes.

Tamal Krsna: That’s clear.

Satsvarupa: The we have a question concer….

Srila Prabhupada: When I order, “You become guru,” he becomes regular guru. That’s all. He becomes disciple of my disciple. That’s it.

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My comment: Remember this exchange takes place after Srila Prabhupada has called all the GBC to come to be with him, and these question are being presented in a formal way by the GBC spokesperson. It is not just a casual conversation.

The next important conversation on this issue takes place on July 7′ 1977.

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Tamala Krsna: Srila Prabhupada? We’re receiving a number of letters now, and these are people who want to get initiated. So up until now, since your becoming ill, we asked them to wait.

Prabhupada: The local, men, senior sannyasi can do that.

Tamala Krsna: That’s what we were doing… I mean, formerly we were… The local GBC, sannyasis were chanting on their beads, and they were writing to Your Divine Grace, and you were giving a spiritual name. So should that process be resumed, or should we…? I mean one thing is that it’s said that the spiritual master takes on the… You know, he takes on the… He has to clean se the disciple by… So we don’t want that you should have to… Yourhealth is not so good, so that should not be… That’s why we’ve been asking everybody to wait. I just want to know if we should continue to wait some more time.

Prabhupada: No, the senior sannyasis…

Tamal Krsna: So they should continue to…

Prabhupada: You can give me a list of sannyasis. I will mark who will…

Tamal Krsna: Okay.

Prabhupada: You can do. Kirtanananda can do. And our Satsvarupa can do. So these three, you can give, begin.

Tamal Krsna: So supposing someone is in America, should they simply write directly to Kirtanananda or Satsvarupa?

Prabhupada: Nearby. Jayatirtha can give.

Tamal Krsna: Jayatirtha.

Prabhupada: Bhavanan…, er, Bhagavan. And he can do also. Harikesa.

Tamal Krsna: Harikesa Maharja.

Prabhupada: And… Five, six men, you divide who is nearest.

Tamal Krsna: Who is nearest. So persons wouldn’t have to write to Your Divine Grace. They could write directly to that person?

Prabhupada: Hm.

Tamal Krsna: Actually they are initiating the person on Your Divine Grace’s behalf. Those persons who are initiated are still your…

Prabhupada: Second initiation we shall think over, second initiation.

Tamal Krsna: This is for first initiation, okay. And for second initiation, for the time being they should…

Prabhupada: No, they have to wait. Second initiation, that should be given…

Tamal Krsna: Should… Some devotees are writing you now for second initiation, and I’m writing them to wait a while because you’re not well. So can I continue to tell them that?

Prabhupada: They can do second initiation.

Tamal Krsna: By writing you.

Prabhupada: No. These men.

Tamal Krsna: These men, they can also do second initiation. So there’s no need for devotees to write to you for first and second initiation. They can write to the man nearest them. But all these persons are still your disciples. Anybody who gives initiation is doing so on your behalf.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Tamal Krsna: You know that book I’m maintaining of all of your disciples’ names? Should I continue that?

Prabhupada: Hm.

Tamal Krsna: So if someone gives initiation, like Harikesa Maharaja, he should send the person’s name to us here and I’ll enter it in the book. Okay. Is there someone else in India that you want to do this?

Prabhupada: India, I am here. We shall see. In India, Jayapataka.

Tamal Krsna: Jayapataka Maharaja.

Prabhupada: You are also in India.

Tamal Krsna: Yes.

Prabhupada: You can note down these names.

Tamal Krsna: Yes, I have them.

Prabhupada: Who are they?

Tamal Krsna: Kirtanananda Maharaja, Satsvarupa Maharaja, Jayatirta Prabhu, Bhagavan Prabhu, Harikesa Maharaja, Jayapataka Maharaja and Tamala Krsna Maharaja.

Prabhupada: That’s nice. Now you distribute.

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My comment: Here Srila Prabhupada is telling his secretary Tamal Krsna Maharaja to inform the society that he has appointed these people to initiate on his behalf as ritviks. He did that the next day, but it is not his FINAL ORDER, that comes Oct 18 1977.

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Tamal Krsna: Seven. There’s seven names.

Prabhupada: For the time being, seven names, sufficient. You can make Ramesvara.

Tamal Krsna: Ramesvara Maharaja.

Prabhupada: And Hridayananda.

Tamal Krsna: Oh, yeah. South America.

Prabhupada: So without waiting for me, wherever you consider it is right… That will depend on discretion.

Tamal Krsna: On discretion.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Tamal Krsna: That’s for first and second initiations.

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The Next important conversation on this issue takes place on Oct. 18th 1977.

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Prabhupada: Hare Krsna. One Bengali gentleman has come from New York?

Tamal Krsna: Yes. Mr. Sukamal Roy Chowdury.

Prabhupada: So I have deputed some of you to initiate. Hm?

Tamal Krsna: Yes. Actually… Yes, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: So I think Jayapataka can do that if he likes. I have already deputed. Tell him.

Tamal Krsna: Yes.

Prabhupada: So, deputies, Jayapataka’s name was there?

Bhagavan: It is already on there, Srila Prabhupada. His name was on that list.

Prabhupada: So I depute him to do this at Mayapura, and you may go with him. I stop for the time being. Is that all right?

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My comment: From July 8th’77 until this point Srila Prabhupada has been initiating disciple via his ritvik representives. Now he wants to stop doing that.

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Tamal Krsna: Stopped doing what, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: This initiation. I have deputed the, my disciples. Is it clear or not?

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My comment: By now Srila Prabhupada is very ill. He has lost a tremendous amount of weight and has practically no strength even to shift himself in his bed. Now Srila Prabhupada is giving his FINAL ORDER. He wants his disciple who he has appointed to begin initiating their own disciples. Otherwise what can he mean when he says he is stopping this initiation but he still wants Mr. Sukamal Roy Chowdury to be initiated. It is simple for the simple. This is his FINAL ORDER on this subject.

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Giriraja: It’s clear.

Prabhupada: You have got the list of the names?

Tamal Krsna: Yes, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: And if by Krsna’s grace I recover from this condition, then I shall begin again, or I may not be pressed in this condition to initiate. It is not good.

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My comment: Now he has stopped the system of having some of his leading disciples initiate on his behalf. The letter of July 8, written by his secretary, was NOT his FINAL ORDER as some are claiming. Here is his FINAL ORDER.

I was there in Vrndaban for this whole saga. Everyone knew there was a list of disciples who were to become gurus, if, and when, Srila Prabhupada left the planet. As a matter of fact it was years before anyone even doubted
this clear system. Only when gurus starting falling down did the doubts come. Devotees then, and many still, couldn’t bring themselves to believe that Srila Prabhupada would have left us with a system which led to so much abuse. Therefore the reaction has come about in the form of the ritvik movement. But it is in fact a most reactionary movement, not based on guru, sadhu, or shasta.

Your servant,
Trivikrama Swami

On Srila Prabhupada’s Unique Position And Why We Should Serve His Mission

As an introduction to this web page I would like to establish in the mind of the readers why I am personally strongly committed to my eternal spiritual master His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, and to his ISKCON mission.

Srila Prabhupada himself talks about his unique position in the following informal talk in Bhubaneshwar Jan.28′77:

“Now I’ll say from my practical life…It is not pride. Actually everyone knows that my Guru Maharaja had thousands of disciples. So out of thousands disciples, practically I am a little successful. That everyone knows. Why? Because I firmly believed in the words of my guru. That’s all.”

“There may be many other Godbrothers, maybe very learned and very advanced, whatever it may be, favored and…Everyone claims that ‘I am the most favorite.’ And practical point of view…So I think sometimes that ‘Why this wonderful thing has happened to me?’ So I search out. I search out only that I cent percent believed in the words of my spiritual master. That is all, nothing else. Guru mukha-padma vakya, cittete koriya aikya, ara na koriho mane asa. Don’t think of any nonsense. Simply execute what your guru has said. That is success….

And the child decides it that ‘Whatever my parents says, that’s all I shall do. I shall do nothing’, then he’s safe. Then he’s safe. And as soon as he manufactures - finished. So don’t do this. This is the secret of spiritual success.”

In this short excerpt we find two very valuable lessons. The first is that although Srila Prabhupada was very humble, he nevertheless was completely aware that he had received the full mercy and blessings of his spiritual master. He knew with conviction that he was a perfectly pure devotee, empowered by Krsna to spread the mission of Lord Caitanya throughout the whole world. This fact was being manifest to him both internally and externally at every moment. He was “THE ACARYA”, THE SPIRITUAL GUIDE for the whole of mankind.

Those who were fortunate realized this fact and cooperated with him in executing his mission. Others, due to envy or ignorance, failed to take advantage of this rare opportunity. But it is not too late; anyone can still be connected to him by assisting him in spreading the message of Lord Caitanya via his institution, ISKCON, which he personally created and is still looking after.

This brings us to the second lesson. Srila Prabhupada is clearly explaining to us here that he has achieved this success simply because he took the order of his spiritual master as his life and soul. What a wonderful piece of information! This secret of success is no longer a secret, it is open to all for the next 10,000 years. Anyone, following in the footsteps of Srila Prabhupada, who accepts his words, his orders, and executes them with 100% sincerity will also become a perfectly pure devotee.

Of course this is not something cheap, nor can we imitate Srila Prabhupada, but we can be confident that if we try to assist him in his mission to the best of our capacity, then our success is assured. Especially his last order, which is applicable to all of his followers: “You will show your love for me by how you cooperate together.”

Naturally we cannot cheat Srila Prabhupada or Lord Sri Krsna, they know our heart’s intentions. Do we always want to serve Srila Prabhupada and his mission or do we sometimes want to be the one who receives the service? To become a real servant requires our purification, and the deepening of our faith. For this to be accomplished we have to be patient and tolerant. Our disease is we want to be the ACARYA instead of serving him; this unnatural condition appears to be quite normal here in the material world, due to the covering influence of maya.

In order to be relieved from this unnatural situation we have to be prepared to submit ourselves for a radical treatment of rectification in the hands of the real ACARYA. Now that we have understood who that real ACARYA is we can go forward with confidence, secure in the knowledge that by serving him and his mission Lord Krsna will be pleased with us. Of course that means we have to always be alert to keep our intentions pure and our conduct non-duplicitous, and to be serious about keeping Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON pure. That was his desire, so let us please him in this way. Then our future is very bright!

Srila Prabhupada Ki Jay!

Yours sincerely
Trivikrama Swami

Srila Prabhupada has given us a very valuable slogan; Preaching is the essence, books are the basis, utility is the principle and purity is the force. He also showed by his own example, and instructions, just how essential he considered this first item of preaching.

I personally heard and saw an example of this preaching mood in Srila Prabhupada in his last days. He instructed his disciple, the then President of the Bombay temple Giriraja Swami, about how to conduct the opening of the Juhu temple. This was in late Oct. or early Nov. 1977. He said to him; “In case I am not able to attend the opening there, then I want you to arrange things very nicely. The prasadam should be first class and you should invite all the important leaders etc, etc.” Here Srila Prabhupada was in his very last days on the planet but he was still preaching and training us how we should preach.

He makes this point very emphatically in this purport to Srimad Bhagavatam:

“Preaching is the best service to the Lord. The Lord will immediately be extremely satisfied with one who engages in this service of preaching of Krishna consciousness. This is confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita “There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” If one sincerely tries his best to spread Krishna consciousness by preaching the glories of the Lord and His supremacy, even if he is imperfectly educated, he becomes the dear most servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is bhakti. As one performs this service for humanity, without discrimination between friends and enemies, the Lord becomes satisfied, and the mission of one’s life is fulfilled. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advised everyone to become a guru-devotee and preach Krishna consciousness. That is the easiest way to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By such preaching, the preacher becomes satisfied, and those to whom he preaches are also satisfied. This is the process of bringing peace and tranquility to the entire world.” S.B. 7.6.24 purport

Of course in our preaching work we will meet many obstacles, that is to be expected because we are declaring war on Maya, but when Maya sees that we are really determined to continue with our preaching service, no matter what, she will not be able to interfere. Rather she will congratulate us for maintaining this struggle even in the face of so many of her temptations. As mentioned above we may be “imperfectly educated” but that can not stop us from simply repeating the words of Srila Prabhupada and Krsna for the benefit of the suffering humanity. That is our perfection and it will bring us real satisfaction. But if we think; “I don’t care about others, I only want to save myself,” then we will not get the really sweet taste of devotional service. So please don’t give up the struggle to preach the message of Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada no matter what position in life you happen to be in.

Yours sincerely
Trivikrama swami

Here is some excerpt from a letter from Mallika dd my disciple. Some months ago I was encouraging her to develop her relationship with Srila Prabhupada but she responded, “No Guru Maharaja I only know you etc.” I asked her a couple of times if she had any dreams of SP and she said no. Then recently she sent me this:

Srila Prabhupada is so merciful, that He appeared in my dream. In the beginning I laughted at the dream, because I didn’t understand it. But now I think that maybe some day I will become Krishna conscious in such care. I never imagined that it can seem like this. I have read Sri Caitanya Caritamrta and I am under the great impression, how exceptional thing Srila Prabhupada brought to us. Such personal love-relationship with Krishna is probably a very rare thing even in the spiritual world. There are many planets of Vaikuntha, where the Supreme Lord is worshipped with respect and timidity, but only one Goloka Vrndavana, where devotees simply love Krishna. And Srila Prabhupada gave us the chance to come just there! I am still shocked how it was possible, that I were able to join this movement, and I also fear to lose this possibility, because on the one hand I know I am not worthy of such hapiness, but on the other hand it is the greatest treasure, which I had whenever. Thank You, Guru Maharaja. I would like to pick up to love really. And another time I had a dream, that Srila Prabhupada was present in my garden and He wanted to do bhajan and to give a lecture. I tried to serve Him, but I didn’t be able to do anything properly and He had to do all things Himself. Andb finally I smiled apologetically with feeling of helplessness, and He said it is better, that I smile than I were angry or discouraged. Srila Prabhupada is so warm, and He is most kind and forgiving!

Yours sincerely
Trivikrama swami

Sri Viraha Astakam

by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

First published in 1959
Submitted to Chakra by Shambhu das

1

Cutting through the web of illusion,
The overflowing ocean of mercy Sri Nityananda Rama
Ordained that the flood of love of God bestowed by Him
be distributed throughout the world.
Unfortunately, those persons to whom the noble responsibility
was given to spread this divine God-consciousness
Were tragically stricken by the disease of caste-consciousness,
And in their hands
which were always busy performing formal ritualistic ceremonies,
the exalted title “Goswami”
became merely another family surname,
And the channel of divine current became blocked.

Therefore you personally came, O beloved master Srila Prabhupada,
to demolish the dam of maya
and re-release the eager floodtide of prema-bhakti.
By your potency
The divine tidal wave of Mahaprabhu’s all-encompassing grace
once again inundated the entire world.
Falling upon even such wretched and fallen souls as myself.
Taking the order of Sri Caitanyadeva as your very life’s breath,
You sent your dedicated servitors door to door
to deliver the whole of humankind.
Under your infallible direction the message of Godhead was preached
from the shorefronts of the ocean to the peaks of the Himalayas.

But now you, who suffered so upon seeing the suffering
of misguided humanity, are gone,
And the world once again appears dark and empty.
O Srila Prabhupada, I am feeling lost and alone in your absence
on this day upon which you departed from our vision.

2

The intense eagerness to benefit all humankind
which was felt by Sri Advaita Acarya
and which thus brought Sri Gaurangadeva into this world
Was similarly felt by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura,
And therefore, O beloved master Srila Prabhupada,
You who are the most intimate associate of that beautiful golden Lord
graciously made your divine advent as well.
“A human birth in the land of India is intended to be utilized
for the purpose of becoming perfect in God-realization
and then compassionately sharing that realization with others.”
Revealing India’s spiritual glories you preached this ‘maha-mantra’
for the illumination of the Earth’s ten directions.

In your absence, however,
the world has once again become plunged into darkness,
And the flowing current from your ocean of mercy
has again been stopped.
Devoid of your ambrosial dispensation of Sri Caitanya’s message,
Confusion reigns in human society,
And all the Vaisnavas are feeling the pangs of separation
from your lotus feet.
The jivas have reshackled themselves
with the heavy chains of ignorance and delusion,
And as they swim about in the vast ocean of material existence
in a frenzied attempt to reach the shore of peace, they perish.

This lance of misery pierces my heart
as it similarly afflicted you, Srila Prabhupada,
who suffered so upon seeing the suffering of the misguided humanity.
I am indeed feeling lost and alone
on this day upon which you departed from our vision.

3

Your lotus lips continuously ushered forth the sweetest nectar
in the form of your instructions regarding the Holy Name of Lord Krsna.
You made the path of spiritual progress so easy and delightful to follow
with your teaching that ‘Utility is the Principle’ –
That anything useful and practical
could be constructively engaged in the service of the Lord
without personal attachment,
And that the sincere practice of such devotional service
with a genuine spirit of detachment
Could transform every house into a mandira
and every common household into a holy sangha.
You lovingly cautioned that the transcendent activities of the Supreme Lord
should never be imitated — even within one’s mind.
You ‘nectarized’ the ears of all persons,
Filling their hearts with sublime attachment
to singing, dancing, and worshipping the Lord
in accordance with the standards established by the previous acaryas.
You magnanimously offered everyone the divine qualifications
to distribute the pure Holy Name for the deliverance of the whole world.

But alas, in your absence,
Nescience has now once again stealthily crept onto the scene,
Creating a most disturbing complication;
Those who are conspicuously unqualified
have taken to the practice of performing solitary bhajana
In strict accordance with the dictates of their own minds
and exclusive devotion to their own impassioned senses,
Garbed in fraudulent attire
and lavishly adorned with feigned emotions,
Such persons have, by their selfish strategy,
woefully left their blemishing effect upon the body of society.

O Srila Prabhupada,
You suffered much upon seeing the regrettable plight of misguided humanity.
I am feeling especially lost and alone in separation from your lotus feet
on this day of your departure from our vision.

4

“Lord Krsna’s associates in Vraja have real life,
And therefore they are preaching.” –
Persons interested in genuine ‘wealth’ and mystical perfection
will doubtlessly find all such things in your words.
“The chanting of the Lord’s Holy Name is the greatest of all the religions.”
– By preaching this message and thereby preserving this eternal truth,
You, O beloved Gurudeva, have attained the greatest eternal fame.
One who rejects this truth regarding Harinama-sankirtana
will find truth nowhere throughout the three worlds;
And one who accepts the Holy name from your divine lips
Becomes qualified to make disciples throughout the three worlds
and rescue all such conditioned souls from their suffering condition.

But in your absence, Srila Prabhupada, the ‘resolute determination’
explained by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
has become broken by the forces of darkness,
And those who were not fixed in devotional service
have divided your holy Gaudiya Mission into many separated branches,
It appears that the essence of your teachings
did not enter very deeply into their ears,
And that the tigress of desire for material prestige
has regrettably claimed a great many victims.
Indeed, I am wondering where I, too, will receive the strength
to remain steady in my bhajana in separation from your lotus feet.

O Srila Prabhupada, The depth of your compassion was such
that the suffering of the misguided humanity
was a cause of much suffering for you;
And I am acutely feeling lost and alone
on this day of your departure from our vision.

5

Persons afflicted by the jaundice of ignorance
cannot taste the ambrosial sweetness
of the heart-transforming names of Hare, Krsna, and Rama,
And therefore they do not chant the holy Maha-mantra;
Whose thirty-two syllables are like resplendent pear-like droplets
which constitute the elixir of immortality –
The very medicine for curing the disease of such persons.
One of your closest disciples
whose cup you lovingly filled to the brim
with the deathless nectar of your instructions
has ungratefully thrown away that chalice,
And his regrettable preference for infectious poison
has resulted in an epidemic of sahajiyaism.
It seems that the prize valiantly acquired by the triumphant lion
has at present been unscrupulously stolen by a jackal,
The oppressive forces of nescience have reduced everyone to tears,
And it appears that each of the young lions is ‘again becoming a mouse.’

O Srila Prabhupada,
Where are your pure teachings to be found at this dark hour?
Standing as we are on the shore of the ocean of spiritual devastation,
Only your lifesaving glance of causeless mercy
can save us from certain death,
Only by your infallible grace
can we perceive a way somehow to retrace our steps;
To return to a life of divine remembrance of the Holy Name
in great happiness and implicit faith in your ‘Vaikuntha message.’

O blessed master, please awaken some good intelligence
in this insignificant servant of yours,
Increasing the fullness of his faith in your sublime message day by day.
You compassionately took the suffering of misguided humanity
upon your own holy head,
And I am feeling severe pangs of separation from your lotus feet
on this day upon which you disappeared from our vision…

6

“Let there be congregational singing and dancing
in praise of the Supreme Lord
among the association of the Lord’s devotees.” –
Where can one find such sweetness and magnanimity as could be compared
with Mahaprabhu’s method of attaining spiritual perfection?
If we could but perform Harinama-sankirtana
with complete faith in the words of the spiritual master,
genuine love of Godhead would make its divine appearance.
Without true love of God,
aur intellects are merely intricate networks of delusion.
Because no one has obtained that prema-bhakti,
a great catastrophe has resulted:
The Vaisnavas have given up preaching in favor of solitary worship,
And a vast and perilous jungle of impersonalism
has grown tall and spread over the surface of the world.
Because so many devotees have given up their devotional service,
The name Patita-pavana — ‘Saviour of the fallen’ –
has itself fallen into disrepute.

O Srila Prabhupada, What are we to do at this most inauspicious time?
The beautiful garden of Krsna-bhakti
which you personally planted and tended with your own lotuslike hands
has apparently been looted and destroyed.

Please awaken some good intelligence
in this insignificant servant of yours,
increasing the fullness of his faith in your sublime teachings day by day.
You compassionately considered the suffering of misguided humanity
to be your own,
And I am indeed feeling afflicted by pangs of separation
from your lotus feet
on this day of your disappearance from our vision.

7

O beloved master,
Sri Krsna Caitanya is the very personification of compassion,
And you are the very personification of His message
That the chanting of the Holy Name is the singular infallible means
of crossing the turbulent ocean of material existence
And entering a life of joyous self-dedication
in the service of the Divine Couple,
Lord Gaurahari made the entire world the recipient of His causeless grace,
And you are vigorously distributing that grace
to every town and village of the world.
You personally travelled all over India, even in the South –
And you sent your devotees
to save the inhabitants of the Western countries as well
from their mothlike rush headlong into the flames of self-destruction.

Mahaprabhu employed many clever tricks
to engage the conditioned souls in devotional service,
And you were expert at understanding all these things
and following closely in His holy footsteps,
You understood exactly what was required to be preached
in perfect accordance with time, place, circumstance, and audience:
And although the leaders of the sheeplike masses,
devout in their worship of the idol of mongrelized logic,
could not understand;
Though the blind lawyers, though having eyes,
could not see,
And though the many nonsensical groups of deviators and imitators
could not appreciate,
The intelligent section of society
could understand the impeccable purity of your teachings,
Clearly see the utter selflessness of your motives,
And earnestly appreciate your inexhaustible efforts
to defeat all elements which were opposed to the Absolute Truth.

O Srila Prabhupada, You accepted much suffering on our own account
in order to relieve the suffering of humanity at large,
And I am indeed feeling pangs of separation from your lotus feetv on this day of your disappearance from our vision.

8

Adored master,
You patiently reminded all of your disciples time and time again
that devotional service to Lord Caitanya
is not performed exclusively in solitude.
You took great care painstakingly to explain to all of us
That just as the Lord out of His causeless mercy
preached everywhere and delivered Jagai and Madhai,
So does the exact same preaching work
need to be continued in the present day.
The world has now become filled with countless Jagais and Madhais,
And it is clear to all that the only means for their salvation
is the path shown by Caitanya-Nitai.

If you were to come again at this time, Srila Prabhupada,
and personally reestablish the proper understanding
of all these things in all the ten directions –
The joy of the people would know no bounds.
Hearing the deeply resonant sound of your voice
loudly proclaiming the victory of Mahaprabhu’s mission,
The demons and atheists would flee,
And the thirsty living entities
would drink the divine nectar-message of Sri Gaurangadeva
to their complete fulfillment.
The whole world would once again be set aright.
Whereas in your absence,
nothing of value is to be found anywhere.

Brokenhearted,
this Abhay makes his cry of appeal, O Gurudeva,
in the bitter throes of separation from your lotus feet,
You compassionately felt the suffering of the jivas to be your own.
And I am indeed feeling lost and alone
on this day of your disappearance from our vision.

Daily inspiration – the words of the Vaisnava Acaryas

Sri Narada-bhakti-sutra, purpoprt to Sutra 5:

The next item favorable for devotional service is niscaya, confidence. When one becomes disappointed in his service to the Supreme Lord, that disappointment must be rejected and replaced with confidence in attaining the ultimate goal, love of Godhead. The devotee should patiently follow the rules and regulations of devotional service so that the day will come when he will achieve, all of a sudden, all the perfection of devotional service. He should not lament for any loss or any reverse in his advancement in spiritual life. This patience (dhariya) is the third positive item for advancing in devotional service.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:

“Amongst the higher classes of people in society, there are three main paths for traveling through the kingdom of various beliefs regarding transcendence, These are known as the paths of karma (performance of materially furtive activity), jnana (cultivation of transcendental knowledge), and bhakti (purely surrendered devotional service.) First, the path of karma-marga involves the arrangements for obtaining temporary worldly benefits, which are enjoyed by souls trapped in the bondage of the materially conditioned platform of life.

Second, the jnana-marga involves renouncing impermanent material things as well as the impermanent distractions related to patriotic interests and such; one then searches after the undifferentiated spiritual reality of impersonal brahma. And the third path involves positive activity that is transcendental to karma, jnana and matter altogether - it is the way of cultivating actions favorable for serving the object most worthy of service, Sri Krsna. This is called bhakti-marga, the path of pure devotion.”

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura:
“O faithful jiva! You have turned away from Krsna and then suffered the experience of so-called happiness and distress in the realm of mayika-samsara. This situation is not befitting you. As long as you remain bound to the wheel of karma as a result of your faulty aversion to Krsna, please accept one transcendental remedy.

If you are inclined toward the path of pravrtti (positive use of material situations), then just become a grhastha, brahmacari, or vanaprastha; or if you are inclined to the path of nivrtti (renunciation of material situations), then just be a sannyasi. But in whatever position you find yourself, please give up all anacar (sinful activities), while offering your body, home, wife, children, and wealth unto Sri Krsna.

Living in Krsna’s world, perform all your actions by dovetailing your senses and mind with topics of Krsna, and with a heart purified of envious aversion pass the journey of life. The supreme nectar (paramamrta) of favorable service rendered unto Lord Krsna will gradually become thickened until it breaks through your two bodies — the gross (sthula) and the subtle (linga) — and will finally cause your eternal spiritual form (aprakrta svarupa) to again awaken.

All the following things come under the heading of unfavorable actions, performed either by oneself or by society: theft, speaking lies, cheating, hostility, lust, inflicting bodily harm, duplicious politics, and so forth. Abandoning all these, just resort to pious means and spend your life in Krsna’s world. The ultimate statement is this — showing mercy to all living beings, living a pure lifestyle, just chant the holy name of Krsna. There is no difference whatsoever between Krsna-nama and Lord Krsna Himself. By the mercy of the holy name, Krsna in the form of His names, forms, attributes and pastimes (nama, rupa, guna, and lila) will personally reveal Himself to the vision of the eyes of your siddha-svarupa (spiritual body). Truly in a few days your chit-svarupa will awaken and will remain floating in the ocean of eternally sweet Krsna-prema.”

Sri Namamrta – The nectar of the Holy Name

Srila Prabhupada, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, ‘Conversation with Prakasananda’:
In three out of the four millenniums (namely Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga and Dvapara-Yuga) people had the honor to be able to understand transcendence through the path of disciplic succession. However, in the present age, people have no interest in the disciplic succession. Instead, they have invented many paths of logic and argument. This individual attempt to understand the supreme transcendence (called the ascending process) is not approved by the Vedas. The Absolute Truth must descend from the absolute platform. He is not to be understood by the ascending process. The holy name of the Lord – Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare – is a transcendental vibration because it comes from the transcendental platform, the supreme abode of Krsna. Because there is no difference between Krsna and His name, the holy name of Krsna is as pure, perfect and liberated as Krsna Himself. Academic scholars have no entrance by means of logic and other argument into the understanding of the trancendental nature of the holy name of God. The single path in understanding the transcendental nature of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the chanting of these names with faith and adherence. Such chanting will release one from designated conditions arising from the gross and subtle bodies.

Srila Prabhupada, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, “Conversation with Prakasananda”:
A student is to be consider perfected when he understands the identity of the holy name and the Supreme Lord. Unless one is under the shelter of a realized spiritual master, his understanding of the Supreme is simply foolishness. However, one can fully understand the transcendental Lord by service and devotion. When Lord Caitanya offenselessly chanted the Hare Krsna mantra, He declared that the mantra could at once deliver a conditioned soul from material contamination. In this age of Kali there is no alternative to chanting this maha-mantra. It is stated that the essence of all Vedic literature is the chanting of this holy name of Krsna: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Lord Caitanya also told Prakasananda Sarasvati, “In order to convince Me about this essential fact of Vedic knowledge, My spiritual master has thought Me a verse from Brhan-naradiya Purana [38.126]. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam Kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha: In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the onlymeans of deliverance is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Ther is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.”

Srila Prabhupada, The teachings of Lord Caitanya:
“As long as one is within the limited jurisdiction of fruitive activities or is involved in mental speculation, he may perhaps be eligible to study or teach the theoretical knowledge of Vedanta-sutra, but he cannot understand the supreme, eternal, transcendental (completely liberated) vibration of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. One who has achieved perfection in chanting the transcendental Hare Krsna vibration does not Have to separatly learn the philosophy of Vedanta-sutra. According to the Teachings of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the bona fide spiritual master, those who do not understand the transcendental vibration as being nondifferent from the Supreme and who try to become Mayavadi philosophers or experts in Vedanta-sutra are all fools. Studying Vedanta-sutra by one’s own effrots (the ascending process of knoledge) is another sign of foolishness. He who has attained a taste for chanting the transcendental vibration, however, actually attains the conclusion of Vedanta. In this connection, ther are two verses in Srimad Bhagavatam which are very instructive. The purport of the first is that even if a low caste person is engaged in chanting the transcendental vibration, it is to be understood that he has performed all types of renunciation, austerities, and sacrifice and has studied all the Brahma-sutras. Thus one can be able to chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The purport of the second verse is that one who chants the two syllables Ha-ri must be considered to have studied all the Vedas: the rg Veda, Atharva Veda, Yajur Veda and Sama Veda.”

The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the sublime method of reviving our Krsna consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by the material atmosphere. The material atmosphere, in which we are now living, is called maya, or illusion. Maya means “that which is not.” And what is this illusion? The illusion is that we are all trying to be lords of material nature, while actually we are under the grip of her stringent laws. When a servant artificially tries to imitate the all-powerful master, this is called illusion. In this polluted concept of life, we are all trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities. Therefore, although we are engaged in a hard struggle to conquer nature, we are ever more dependent on her. This illusory struggle against material nature can be stopped at once by revival of our Krsna consciousness.

Krsna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind; this consciousness is the original energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived. And this process is recommended for this age by authorities. By practical experience also, one can perceive that by chanting this maha-mantra, or the Great Chanting for Deliverance, one can at once feel a transcendental ecstasy coming through from the spiritual stratum. And when one is factually on the plane of spiritual understanding — surpassing the stages of senses, mind, and intelligence — one is situated on the transcendental plane. This chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is directly enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness — namely sensual, mental, and intellectual. There is no need, therefore, to understand the language of the mantra, nor is there any need for mental speculation or any intellectual adjustment for chanting this maha-mantra. It springs automatically from the spiritual platform, and as such, anyone can take part in the chanting without any previous qualification, and dance in ecstasy. We have seen this practically. Even a child can take part in the chanting, or even a dog can take part in it. Of course, for one who is too entangled in material life, it takes a little more time to come to the standard point but even such a materially engrossed man is raised to the spiritual platform very quickly. When the mantra is chanted by a pure devotee of the Lord in love, it has the greatest efficacy on the hearers, and as such, this chanting should be heard from the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord, so that immediate effects can be achieved. As far as possible, chanting from the lips of nondevotees should be avoided. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects. The word Hara is the form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Krsna and Rama are forms of addressing the Lord Himself. Both Krsna and Rama mean “the supreme pleasure,” and Hara is the supreme pleasure energy of the Lord, changed to Hare in the vocative. The supreme pleasure energy of the Lord helps us to reach the Lord. The material energy, called maya, is also one of the multi- energies of the Lord. And we, the living entities, are also the energy — marginal energy — of the Lord. The living entities are described as superior to material energy. When the superior energy is in contact with the inferior energy, an incompatible situation arises; but when the superior marginal energy is in contact with the superior energy, called Hara, the living entity is established in his happy, normal condition. These three words, namely Hare, Krsna, and Rama, are the transcendental seeds of the maha-mantra. The chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy, Hara, to give protection to the conditioned soul. This chanting is exactly like the genuine cry of a child for its mother. Mother Hara helps the devotee achieve the grace of the supreme father, Hari, or Krsna, and the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely. No other means of spiritual realization, therefore, is as effective in this age as chanting the maha-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

(Śrila Prabhupad)

A biography of Srila Prabhupada:

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, was born in 1896, in Calcutta, in a Vaisnava family. His father Gour Mohan De named him Abhay Charan. His father’s only wish was that, Abhay would become a devotee of Srimati Radharani. Abhay studied under British colonial rule, finally going to university to read chemistry. At university, he became a supporter of Gandhi’s movement to gain independence for India. As a measure of this support, he would only dress in white handloom cloth, woven in India and furthermore, he declined to accept his degree from the university.

Abhay married and went into business as a small pharmaceutical firm to support his wife and family. He met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami, for the first time in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, took a liking to Abhay and told him to devote his life to teaching Vedic Knowledge; more specifically to preach Lord Caitanya’s message to the English speaking world. Although, Abhay accepted, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta within his heart as his spiritual master, it was not until 1932 that he became initiated. He then received both harinama and mantra diksa at his initiation. In 1936 Srila Prabhupada wrote his spiritual master requesting if there was any particular service that he could render. Srila Prabhupada received a reply to that letter containing the same instruction the he had received in 1922: ‘Preach Krishna consciousness to the English speaking world’. His spiritual master passed away from this world two weeks later; thus leaving these final instructions engraved on Srila Prabhupada’s heart. These instructions were to form the focus of Srila Prabhupada’s life.

Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita and assisted the Gaudiya Matha in its work. In 1944, during the Second World War, when paper was scarce and people had little money to spend, Srila Prabhupada began a magazine called Back to Godhead. Single-handedly, he would write, edit, oversee the layout, proof-read and sell the copies himself. This magazine is still being published today.

In 1950 Srila Prabhupada adopted the vanaprastha (retired) life; thus retiring from home and family life, in order to devote more time to his studies. In 1953 he received the title Bhaktivedanta from his Godbrothers. He gravelled to Vrindavana, where he lived very humbly at the Radha-Damodara temple. He spent several years there studying the scriptures and writing.

In 1959 he took sannyasa, the renounced order of life. It was then, while staying at Radha-Damodara temple that he started on his masterpiece: translation and commentary of the Srimad-Bhagavatam in English. He also wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets. Within a few years, he had written three volumes of English translation and commentary for the first canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Once again, single handedly, he bought the paper and gathered funds, to print the books. He sold the books himself and through agents in the larger Indian cities. He now felt ready to carry out his spiritual master’s orders and decided to start by taking the message of Krishna consciousness to America, convinced that other countries would follow suit. Obtaining free passage on a freight ship, called the Jaladuta he finally arrived in New York in 1965. He was 69 and practically penniless. All he possessed was a few copies of the Srimad-Bhagavatam and a few hundred rupees.

He had had a very difficult crossing, suffering two heart attacks and once arrived in New York he didn’t know which way to turn. After a difficult six months, preaching here and there, his few followers rented a storefront and apartment in Manhattan. Here, he would regularly give lectures, kirtana and distribute prasadam. People from all walks of life, including hippies, were drawn here; in search of that missing element from their lives and many became part of ‘Swamiji’s’ following.

As people became more serious, Srila Prabhupada’s followers used to hold regular kirtanas in the parks. The lectures and Sunday feast days became renowned. His young followers eventually took initiation from Srila Prabhupada, promising to follow the regulative principles and chant 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily. He also reinstated the Back to Godhead magazine.

In July 1966, Srila Prabhupada established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness - ISKCON. His aim was to use the society to promote Krishna Consciousness throughout the world. In 1967, he visited San Francisco and started an ISKCON society there. He then sent his disciples all over the world to spread Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s message and open new centres in Montreal, Boston, London, Berlin, and other cities in North America, India, and Europe. In India, three magnificent temples were initially planned: Vrindavana, the Krishna Balaram temple with all its ancillary facilties; Bombay, a temple with an educational and cultural centre; and in Mayapur, a huge temple with a Vedic planetarium.

Srila Prabhupada produced all of his books bar the three written in India within the next eleven years. Srila Prabhupada slept little and would spend the early morning hours writing. He would write almost daily between 1:30 and 4:30 a.m. He dictated his text, which his disciples then typed and edited. Srila Prabhupada would translate the original texts from Sanskrit or Bengali, word by word, and gave a complete commentary.

His works include Bhagavad-gita As It Is, the multi-volume Srimad-Bhagavatam, the multivolume Caitanya-caritamrta, The Nectar of Devotion, Krsna: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Teachings of Lord Kapila, Teachings of Queen Kunti, Sri Isopanisad, The Nectar of Instruction, and dozens of small books.

His writings have been translated into over fifty languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 to publish the works of His Divine Grace, has thus become the world’s largest publisher of books in the field of Indian religion and philosophy.

Despite his heavy literary schedule, Srila Prabhupada did not let his writing stand in the way of his preaching. In just twelve years, despite his advanced age, he circled the globe fourteen times on lecture tours that took him to six continents.

His days were filled with writing, teaching his followers and the public, and with guiding his growing society, until the day he departed from this world. Before departing from this world Srila Prabhupada gave many instructions to his disciples to follow in his footsteps and to continue the preaching and spreading of Krishna Consciousness all over the world.
He departed this world on November 14 1977.

In the short time he spent in the west, he preached continuously, established 108 temples, wrote more than sixty volumes of transcendental literature, initiated five thousand disciples, founded the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, began a scientific academy (the Bhaktivedanta Institute) and other trusts related to ISKCON.

Srila Prabhupada was an extraordinary author, teacher, and saint. He managed to spread Krishna Consciousness all over the world, through his writing and preaching. His writings comprise of many volumes and are the basis of Krishna consciousness not only for his disciples but for his grand-disciples, affiliated members of the disciplic succession, and for the public at large.

His life history from his earliest days to his passing away in 1977 is vividly described in his authorised biography, the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta by Satsvarupa Goswami.

Some links to the pages about Srila Prabhupada:

1. 150 unique photos of Srila Prabhupada
2. A lot of stories about Srila Prabhupada
3. Audio lectures
4. Lectures via e-mail
5. “Acarya for Golden Age”