PRABHUPADA IS THE MOST COMPASSIONATE SOUL IN THE ENTIRE WORLD

By Niraj Bidawatka

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Today is Prabhupada’s disappearance day. This is my offering in the honour of Prabhupāda.

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Dear Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

Your Divine Grace is the most compassionate soul in this world, who for the well-being of the masses, did not care for Your own personal comfort. For eleven years Your Divine Grace continuously travelled around the world, which is extremely strainful and tiring. You had nothing to gain personally.

One may argue that even businessmen and politicians are travelling vigorously but they do so for their personal benefit. In Your case, You had no personal interest. You had nothing to gain because Krishna was already firmly in Your grip. The karmis travel for their own pleasure and for amassing wealth but Your Divine Grace went around the globe to distribute Your own wealth, which You possessed. In order to do this, every third day you had to adapt to new living conditions in a new city and in a new room with a different time-zone, which is extremely difficult, especially in advancing old age. Sometimes, while travelling You had to spend entire nights and long hours waiting on the airports. You endured such hardships so that the fallen souls could be rescued from the clutches of maya.

In the beginning, Your Divine Grace was single-handedly feeding two dozen students and You were cooking, serving, cleaning and washing the pots all by Yourself without any helping hand from any of Your students. You had no regular income and still You were feeding prasadam to so many people so that they may get Krishna in the form of prasadam.

You were staying blissfully in the holy Vrindaban dham but You gave up Your comforts so that the fallen souls could be benefited. This melts my heart. Nobody else could do what You did for the fallen souls.

Jai Srila Prabhupāda.
Hare Krishna.

Your fallen servant,
Niraj

I Ain’t Going Unless I Wear My Wrangler Shirt

Told by His Grace Ugrasrava das

I had friends in the advertising industry, and one day they came to the temple and said, “The Wrangler Jeans Company wants us to advertise their product and we have the idea to use the Hare Krishnas in a sankirtana party—playing mridangas and wearing dhoti and full tilak, coming down Burk Street. One of the devotees will wear a Wrangler denim shirt along with his dhoti, and the caption on top of the photo will read, ‘I ain’t going unless I wear my Wrangler shirt.’”

SRILA PRABHUPADA’S DAY – JULY 13TH, 1976 – NEW YORK – PART III

By Hari Sauri Das

July 13th, 1976 New York (Also read the First and Second part)

When Puṣṭa Kr̥ṣṇa Swami talked directly to Srila Prabhupāda on July 10th about his desire to leave his present service, His Divine Grace was not at all pleased. Puṣṭa’s rationale was that he needed a situation where he could preach more often. He explained that his mind was unsteady and his spiritual life so unregulated that he was unable even to chant his sixteen rounds properly. Prabhupāda countered him that he could not possibly have a better situation than traveling with his spiritual master. Prabhupāda asked me about him today during massage. When I said that he complains about being unable to control his mind, Prabhupāda made a sour face and shook his head disapprovingly. He said it was due to insincerity.

Srila Prabhupada with Pusta Krsna Swami

He wasn’t pleased that it would mean yet another change of secretary. Because Puṣṭa Kr̥ṣṇa  Mahārāja is convinced that leaving is the only solution, Prabhupāda has asked the GBC to decide on a replacement, and Brahmānanda Swami was the first choice. Tamal Krishna Mahārāja interrupted today’s massage to tell Prabhupāda he had just spoken to Brahmānanda in Africa. Brahmānanda declined because he feels he is needed in Africa, holding the opinion that all responsible post holders should remain in place for at least a year as per the Māyāpur decision. Tamal added that Brahmānanda sounded very responsible, mature and advanced.

Prabhupāda and Tamal Krishna discussed the possibility of Harikeśa Swami rejoining the party. He is preaching in eastern Europe, but recent reports indicate that he is feeling a little strained there.

Srila Prabhupāda was agreeable, although he said Harikeśa sometimes causes arguments. Still, he said that he is undoubtedly qualified to do the work. So a letter will be sent to Harikeśa asking him to meet Prabhupāda in London. The American GBC members, who will all be here for Ratha-yātrā, will meet to discuss a new engagement for Puṣṭa Kr̥ṣṇa Swami.

SRILA PRABHUPADA’S DAY – JULY 13TH, 1976 – NEW YORK – PART II

By Hari Sauri Das

July 13th, 1976 New York (Click here to read the first part)

During class Prabhupāda expanded on the observations he made during his walk. He doesn’t talk dry philosophy simply to impress an audience with his learning; he gets to the root of the matter, dealing with the actual dilemma of living in the material world. His ability to relate the most elevated subject mater to the most ordinary person’s life is unsurpassed, and this is what makes him so effective. Whether out and about amidst the grand displays of māyā, or immersed directly in the recondite treatise of the Caitanya-caritāmrta, his consciousness is never bewildered. He remains irrevocably fixed in the vision of the unity of all things with the original fountainhead, the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna.

He began by explaining that Sanātana Gosvāmi is a nitya-siddha, an eternally perfect associate of Lord Caitanya. When the Lord appeared He went around and gathered up all His eternal assistants from different places to engage them in His mission. Prabhupāda said that everyone is eternally part and parcel of Krishna and Lord Caitanya’s mission is to transform the soul engrossed in material life to their perfection as eternal associates of the Lord.

Little Drops of Prabhupada Nectar – 1

By Satsvarupa das Gosvami

Spreading Krishna consciousness in India often meant that Prabhupāda went with his disciples to honor prasādam at people’s homes. Thus, eating became a form of service to Krishna.

When Girirāja dāsa first arrived in India, he was used to strict training as a brahmacārī, and his personal habit was to be particularly reserved about accepting any sweets. On one occasion, however, Prabhupāda saw that his disciple’s austerity was causing discomfort to their host.

The Psychologist – helpless before a Hare Krishna

Girirāja  dasa had been serving Srila Prabhupada in Bombay for quite a few years when he finally returned for a visit to the United States to recover his health and to see his parents in Chicago. When he returned again to Bombay, Prabhupada inquired about his health and his visit to his parents’ home.

Giriraja with Srila Prabhupada

Girirāja  described how during the two-day visit with his family, his father had invited a friend, who was a psychologist, to have a talk with Girirāja . The psychologist, a woman, had begun asking Girirāja  whether he felt

ISKCON News: New Book “Swamiji” Fills in ISKCON’s Early History

Brahmananda prabhu holding a danda (rod), is on the left of Srila Prabhupada

Brahmananda Das, one of the early disciples of Srila Prabhupada recollects his intimate association with Srila Prabhupada in the newly launched book “Swamiji” Visit the following link to know more.

ISKCON News: New Book “Swamiji” Fills in ISKCON’s Early History.

WHAT IS SRILA PRABHUPĀDA’S DAY LIKE?

By His Holiness Satsvarupa Goswami

People ask, What is Srila Prabhupāda’s day like? Srila Prabhupāda rises about 1:30 a.m. Sometimes around 2 or 3 a.m. I awaken and hear him dictating. Once one man in Bombay said to Srila Prabhupāda, “Today I rose at 2:30!”—to which Srila Prabhupāda replied, “I rose at 1:30!” In Hyderabad Gargamuni Svāmī said to me, “What other sādhu in India gets up at 1:30 to write books?” It is great proof of his authenticity. In Bombay we set up a small house of mosquito netting for him to work in. He opens the big volume of Bengali Caitanya-caritāmrta, and with a small desk lamp lit, he begins translating the synonyms one by one, clicking the dictaphone button as he pauses briefly for his thoughts.

The translation work usually goes on for two or three hours, sometimes less. From around 3 to 5 he sits and chants Hare Krishna on his beads. Srila Prabhupāda chants beads almost silently, although the motion of the beads can sometimes be heard in the next room, and sometimes “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna.”

His regular morning walk begins just before

ONE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A SCHOLAR TO UNDERSTAND KRISHNA

 

“Isn’t academic education almost an impediment?” I ask. “A whole way of thinking has to be changed.”

“Yes,” Prabhupada says. “Material qualifications become disqualifications when they’re used to help us forget Krishna. But those same qualifications can be dovetailed to Krishna’s service. For instance, you learned to read and write in school. Now, you can use these abilities to earn money for sense gratification, or to

Prabhupada says, “Eating Onion and Garlic is as bad as Eating Cow’s Flesh”

By  Hari Sauri dāsa

December 22 1976 – Pune

Hari Sauri dasa

The Malhotras are the owners of Weikfield Products food company, which was established twenty years ago. They have a very large modern house, Malhotra Bhavan, situated on several acres of well-kept land at 116 Koregaon Park, which, unusual for India, even has a moderately sized swimming pool. At the house Srila Prabhupāda was introduced to the wives of all three brothers, and some of their children.

As I busied myself retrieving Srila Prabhupāda’s silver plate and bowls for breakfast from our bags in the car, Haridāsa escorted His Divine Grace into the house. A few minutes later he came out grinning and told me of an unusual story Srila Prabhupāda had narrated to our hosts. The ladies had naturally inquired from Srila Prabhupāda what would he like to eat, and his initial response was to say “anything.” He declared he would be satisfied with whatever they wanted to offer. But then he added, as a precaution, that there should be no onions or garlic. They knew this to be one of our standards, but still they were inquisitive to know why.

Prabhupāda said with a smile that eating onion and garlic is as bad as eating cow’s flesh. And he told them a story about a Muslim king, a cow and a brāhmana.

For the Muslims, cow slaughter is a regular affair. This particular king however, before having the cow slaughtered would call a brāhmana and the brāhmana would offer