Vyasa Puja Offering to Srila Prabhupada by Rajiv Lochan Dasa

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet.

Srila Prabhupada, even though I am unqualified to describe your transcendental glories, I am sure that just like a father accepts the broken language of his child, you will accept these humble offerings from your unqualified servant.

You appeared in this world in 1896, as predicted by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, to bring the whole world under Hare Krishna Movement.

“Prabhupada: ...in 1896. Bhaktivinoda Thakura was the first origin of this movement. But he simply thought of it. And he was expecting some others that willing to take up the work. Well, somebody says that I am the same man. And I was born in 1896. So he wanted to combine the whole civilized nations under this Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's cult, Hare Krnna movement.”

“Prabhupada: Just like Thakura Bhaktivinoda. In 1896 he sent the Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's message to McGill University. That book you have seen. The letter was there. And these are coincidence. Now,after so many years, a servant of that disciplic succession has come here again to preach. So these things are significant.”

You appeared in this world to fulfill the prophecy of Lord Chaitanya that in every town and village the holy name of the Lord will be heard.

“Sripada Sridhara Maharaja also appreciated my service. He said that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's prediction: prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama/ sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama, would remain a dream only, but he congratulated me that I have done it practically.”

(SP letter to Bon Maharaja, July 7, 1975)

Your contribution to the world is most exemplary. You presented the highest and sublime truth of Love of Godhead in such a simple and practical way, that the whole world was inundated by the ocean of your mercy. In 1965, at seventy years of age, you went outside India for the first time to fulfill the order of your spiritual master & founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness with a small group of disciples, after a year of struggling alone in New York City. Your transcendental sound has awakened millions of souls, who were loitering in the darkness of this material world.

Now that transcendental sound in the form of your books, your vani, is still inundating more and more numbers of such fortunate people. Every word of your books is meaningful and full of spiritual potency. You spoke daily on the philosophy of Krsna consciousness, delivering thousands of formal lectures, conducted many hundreds of informal conversations on the science of Krsna consciousness with disciples, guests and friends. You conducted scores of interviews and philosophical discussions with news reporters, scientists, religious leaders and politicians.

You established 108 Krishna temples in six continents, installed the deity of Krsna in each center and trained the disciples in the process of deity worship. You sent your disciples, chanting the holy names, into the streets of cities and towns everywhere and Hare Krsna became famous in every corner of the earth. You inaugurated the Rathayatra Festival of Lord Jaganatha in major cities around the globe, in effect, bringing the temple to the people.

Let me just bow down at your lotus feet again and again for having mercy on this insignificant soul, I am eternally indebted to you. By your mercy let me just meditate on your order and find out the means by which I can perfectly worship and execute your orders, for that is perfectional meditation. Your insignificant servant,

Rajiv Lochan Dasa

President, ISKCON-Hubli.

Devotee Vision

A devotee has no vision in his life other than Krishna.
SB 4.28.30

Vyasa Puja Offering to Srila Prabhupada by Amitasana Dasa

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my humble obeisance at your lotus feet.

Today is the celebration of your appearance within this world, and it is a time of great rejoicing. We are grateful to Lord Krishna for sending an empowered representative like your good self.

Srila Prabhupada, it’s been a memorable experience working for this great mission of yours. I am grateful to you for your inconceivable mercy and direction.

You and Lord and Krishna have miraculously guided me in my life. There where times, when things didn’t go as per my plan. It was difficult for me to comprehend your plan. At times I was disappointed thinking, “Why Krishna is not helping me?” Now, if I look back, I see that all along, you have been molding me, as per Your divine plan. Let me be grateful for all your inconceivable mercy and guidance.

Srila Prabhupada, keep guiding me, so that I don’t go astray from your instructions and your divine plan. I have no doubt that you have been guiding me and will continue to guide me. My only fear is I should not miss to recognize that and be grateful to you. Let me not get covered to an extent that I start offending you and your devotees, knowingly or unknowingly.

I pray on this day to help me correct my wrong beliefs which are embedded so deep in the mind. Our mindset is caused by what we have been experienced and learnt in this lifetime and experienced over many lifetimes. Our beliefs can be so powerfully embedded that they create a pattern of thinking.Whenever we hear your instructions, the message is first filtered through these belief systems, causing the actual message heard to be distorted. In other words, I may not hear what you instruct; I hear your instructions filtered through my faulty beliefs.

Thank you, Srila Prabhupada, for the wonderful gift of devotional service. Please allow me to remain your servant eternally.

Your humble servant,

Amitasana Dasa

Vice President, ISKCON-Bangalore.

Vyasa Puja Offering to Srila Prabhupada by Stoka Krishna Dasa

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet on this most auspicious day of your divine appearance.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna is very compassionate upon the suffering souls of this world. He personally descends to deliver them and He also sends His confidential servitors like your divine grace to deliver these suffering souls.

You have descended from the spiritual world simply to deliver all the suffering souls. Some of the fortunate souls take shelter of your lotus feet and follow your instructions to prepare themselves to go back to Godhead. Yet there are many others who are unwilling to get out of their present condition. You show compassion upon them also by tirelessly preaching to convince them of Krishna consciousness. You have established the Hare Krishna Movement to institutionalize and perpetuate the preaching activity to deliver all the suffering souls of this world, so that the preaching continues with out cessation even after your physical departure.

In carrying out your instructions to preach, I recently had a realization because of your causeless mercy upon me. In my many attempts to preach, I would work very hard to carry out my preaching duties and not sufficiently pray for your mercy, thinking that hard work alone is important. At other times I would earnestly pray for your mercy to carry out my preaching duties and not work hard sufficiently, thinking that dependence on your mercy alone is important. I now realize that both are important – working very hard to carry out the preaching duties and praying earnestly for your mercy also.

I pray to you that I may never spare any effort to work hard for preaching Krishna consciousness just like you demonstrated by your personal example as the Acharya. I also pray that I may learn to depend on your mercy always for carrying out my preaching duties, working always under your shelter, in cooperation with your sincere disciples. May I not become proud by working hard nor become lazy under the pretext of depending on your mercy by merely offering prayers.

I am confident of getting your mercy, after I read the following entry in your diary recorded on Sunday, 6th March 1966 while you were in New York:

“According to Mayapur Panjika today is Adhivas day of Gour Purnima. Devotees at Vrindaban and Nabadwipa are enjoying the celebration. I am here alone without any devotee companion. But I have come here to serve the Lord and not for personal happiness. I am prepared to live in hell even, if I am able to serve the Lord. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted that His mission should be propagated all over the world and that is my objective. I do not mind the inconvenience personally felt.”

On this auspicious day, I fall at your feet and offer my obeisances a million times and commit myself to serve your mission with renewed dedication.

Your humble servant,

Stoka Krishna Dasa

Vice President, ISKCON-Bangalore, Co-President, ISKCON-Mysore

Vyasa Puja Offering to Srila Prabhupada by Chanchalapathi Dasa

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

On this auspicious day of Your Divine Grace’s Vyasa Puja, I wish to humbly submit certain reflections on the absolute necessity of a pure devotee in Gaudiya Vaishnava theology – a pure devotee’s role and influence to extricate a conditioned soul from material existence and awaken him to love of Godhead -and Your Divine Grace’s brilliant strategy for establishing and manifesting this role and influence of a pure devotee in the human society on a global scale, and perpetually.
1. One of the foundational and inviolable Gaudiya Vaishna principles is that a conditioned soul must come in touch with a pure devotee of Krishna to awaken his dormant love for Krishna.

Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has sung, chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payeche keba: "Without serving the lotus feet of a pure Vaisnava or spiritual master, no one has ever attained perfect liberation from material bondage." (SB 5.1.6 purport)

To achieve spiritual perfection and attain love of Krishna, Srila Prabhupada’ s expresses the role and influence of a pure devotee as follows:

The conditioned soul must approach a pure devotee:

The bona fide representative of God is as good as God Himself. Or, in other words, the loving representative of the Lord is more kind and more easy to approach. A sinful soul cannot approach the Lord directly, but such a sinful man can very easily approach a pure devotee of the Lord. And if one agrees to put himself under the guidance of such a devotee of the Lord, he can also understand the science of God and can also become like the transcendental pure devotee of the Lord and thus get his liberation back to Godhead, back home for eternal happiness. (SB 2.7.46 purport)
The conditioned soul must associate with a pure devotee:

In this verse the words tomara prabhave (“Your influence”) are very important. Unless one is spiritually advanced he cannot influence an audience. Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung, suddhabhakata-carana-renu, bhajana-anukula. “Unless one associates with a pure devotee, he cannot be influenced to understand devotional service.”(CC Adi 7.105 purport)

The conditioned soul must render service to a pure devotee:

A materialistic person sometimes thinks that simply by executing pious activities and remaining at home one can understand the Absolute Truth. That is denied in this verse. Nor can one understand the Absolute Truth simply by observing the rules and regulations of brahmacarya (celibacy). One only has to serve the pure devotee. That will help one understand the Absolute Truth without fail.
(SB 5.12.13 purport)

The conditioned soul must receive the favour of the dust of such a pure devotee:

Similarly, when the atheist father Hiranyakasipu asked his son Prahlada Maharaja how it was he became attracted to devotional service, the boy replied, "As long as one is not favored by the dust of the feet of pure devotees, he cannot even touch the path of devotional service, which is the solution to all the problems of material life." (SB 7.5.32)(TLC Chapter 11: Service to the Lord)

The conditioned soul must place himself under the guidance of a pure devotee:;

Therefore devotional service and the guidance of a pure devotee are so strong that there is no discrimination between the lower and higher classes of men; anyone can take to it. The most simple man taking shelter of the pure devotee can be purified by proper guidance. According to the different modes of material nature, men are classified in the mode of goodness (brahmanas), the mode of passion (ksatriyas, or administrators), the mixed modes of passion and ignorance (vaisyas, or merchants), and the mode of ignorance (sudras, or workers). Those lower than them are called candalas, and they are born in sinful families. Generally, the association of those born in sinful families is not accepted by the higher classes. But the process of devotional service is so strong that the pure devotee of the Supreme Lord can enable people of all the lower classes to attain the highest perfection of life. ( Bg 9.32 purport)

If anyone wants to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has to take to pure devotional service under the guidance of a pure devotee. Otherwise, the truth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead will always be hidden.( Bg 18.55 purport)

The conditioned soul must be trained by a pure devotee who is a spiritual master:

If by chance we receive training from a teacher who is a saintly person and a pure devotee of the Lord, by such contact we become pure. Therefore Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says that the fortunate person who has had some spiritual asset in his past dealings will seek the association of pure devotees. The seed of Krishna consciousness is received by the mercy of the guru, the spiritual master, and by the mercy of Krishna. When the spiritual master and Lord Krishna will that a person become Krishna conscious, the seed of Krishna consciousness very nicely fructifies. When one’s spiritual assets make him so fortunate that he becomes spiritually enlivened, he meets a bona fide spiritual master. By the grace of that spiritual master he can receive the seed of Krishna consciousness. That is the result of his inner urge, his questioning: “Where can I get this association? Where can I get this awareness?” (Essays and Articles Pre-1967: The Real Peace
Formula)

The Vedas enjoin, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: [MU 1.2.12] to understand spiritual knowledge, one must approach a bona fide spiritual master. Unless one has been trained in geology, one cannot detect gold in stone. Similarly, unless one has been trained by a spiritual master, he cannot understand what is spirit and what is matter. (SB 7.7.21 purport)

The conditioned soul must please a pure devotee by service.

Actually, without the mercy of a devotee nobody can approach the Lord directly—and it is easier to get mercy of a devotee than to get mercy of the Lord. So therefore the most intelligent way of approaching God is to take shelter of a pure devotee. Somehow or other if one can please a pure devotee of the Lord, such action means immediate satisfaction of the Lord, even though such a person is not officially qualified to receive the mercy of the Lord. (Letter to: Yeager — Los Angeles 21 January, 1970)

Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. First of all you have to surrender, and then you have to please him by service. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah. If you can please him, then naturally Krsna is pleased upon you. That is the injunction. (Sri Isopanisad Lecture Excerpt --Los Angeles, July 8, 1971) And by the influence of such a pure devotee only will a conditioned soul achieve perfection.

2. Yet another Gaudiya Vaishnava principle is that such a pure devotee who is completely surrendered to Lord Sri Krishna is very, very rare. These two sections of transcendental knowledge in devotional service become revealed to a person who is a soul surrendered unto Vasudeva; as it is said in the Bhagavad-gita (7.19), such a great soul, fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of Vasudeva, is very, very rare. (SB 2.7.19 purport) That kind of perfect person, mahatma, is very, very rare, to understand that "I am eternal servant of Krsna. My only business is to serve Krsna. That is my constitutional position. I am part and parcel of Krsna." (Bhagavad-gita 7.3 lecture Nairobi, October 29, 1975)

3. Institution and institution building is a modern world concept. The civilized societies (of course the so-called civilized societies, as devotees understand) have created enduring institutions to capture a concept (or a practice or culture or value system), establish the same in the human society endowed by law to derive it’s benefits or influence, expand over large geographies and perpetuate it’s benefits in the society for a long time, far beyond the life time of it’s founders.

Institutionalisation refers to the process of embedding something (for example a concept, a social role, a particular value or mode of behavior) within a social system, or society as a whole. (Wikipedia) For example, the political systems have been institutionalized in the democratic systems of governments with a written constitution. Business enterprises have been institutionalized into multinational corporations. Education and research has been institutionalized in Universities for over two centuries.

4. Srila Bhaktisiddantha Saraswathi Thakura for the first time institutionalized the practice of the teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the form of the Gaudiya Mutt institution in the 20th century.

It is important to observe how Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement flourished during His time in simple and informal gatherings around Himself and His associates – just suitable for the relatively far less complicated society in the fifteenth century India. Later in the 19th century Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur (1838 –1914) not only raised the respectability of Sri Chaitanya’s movement but also revived and energized the same through innovative preaching programs of his times. Later in the 20th century, Srila Bhaktisiddantha Saraswathi Thakura further gave a formal institutional structure to Sri Chaitanya’s movement in the form of the Gaudiya Mutt.

5. But Srila Bhaktisiddantha Saraswathi Thakura towards the end of his life was unhappy about the developments in his institution.

I do not wish to discuss about activities of my Godbrothers but it is a fact they have no life for preaching work. All are satisfied with a place for residence in the name of a temple, they engage disciples to get foodstuff by transcendental devices and eat and sleep. They have no idea or brain how to broadcast the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. My Guru Maharaja used to lament many times for this reason and he thought if one man at least had understood the principle of preaching  then his mission would achieve success. In the latter days of my Guru Maharaja he was very disgusted. Actually, he left this world earlier, otherwise he would have continued to live for more years. Still he requested his disciples to form a strong Governing body for preaching the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. (Srila Prabhupada (Letter to: Rupanuga — Tirupati 28 April, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada further expanded on the unfinished work of his spiritual master by creating the worldwide institution, ISKCON. We see how Srila Prabhupada, the pure devotee of Krishna, makes himself available to approach him, to surrender to him, to hear from him, to serve him, to receive personal guidance – all of which is an absolute necessity as per the Gaudiya Vaishnava principles – through his books, his institution and his representatives. In other words, we must appreciate how Srila Prabhupada has institutionalized the availability, access and influence of a pure devotee for posterity. This is an extraordinary contribution of Srila Prabhupada – the principle of institutionalizing and applying a very contemporary concept of institution building in the domain of timeless spirituality. This is also a crowning example of the application of the yukta vairagya principle taught by Srila Rupa Gosvami – a very modern institutionalizing concept applied in the service of Krishna to preserve and further on a global scale the most important Gaudiya Vaishna principle of the role and influence of a pure devotee of Krishna -who is very, very rare.

6. Srila Prabhupada’s definitive instructions indicate how all the essential Gaudiya Vaishnava principles can be understood, practiced, appreciated, and developed internally to perfection, shared with others all over the world to achieve similar perfection – all through the body of his institution, his books, recorded lectures, letters and his representatives.

How can we hear from a pure devotee now?

You have heard it from me and my disciples, similarly I have heard it from my Guru Maharaja, and so on, and on. Because you have heard it from a pure devotee of the Lord, therefore it is transmitted from you to another. Just as an aerial message, is transmitted from one place to another, similarly, this Guru parampara system is working. My disciples are my agents, my representatives, so by hearing it from them, you are receiving it from me. And because you are a sincere soul, those who are hearing the Mantra from you are receiving it in disciplic succession, from Lord Caitanya and from Lord Krishna. (Srila Prabhupada letter to Andrea temple, 6th March 1968)

How can one receive personal guidance from a pure devotee spiritual master, now? Tamal Krishna Goswami (reading a letter by Gargamuni): "My dear Srila Prabhupada, please accept my humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. We fervently pray that Your Divine Grace continue to remain in this world because we need your personal guidance. Even when Lord Krsna disappeared, Arjuna lost all strength temporarily."

Prabhupada: I shall remain your personal guide, physically present or not physically, as I am getting personal guidance from my Guru Maharaja. (Room Conversation-Recent Mail -- July 14, 1977, Vrndavana)

How can one receiving personal instructions from a pure devotee spiritual master now? Regarding your question about instruction, spiritual life is different from material life. The instruction given in my books is supposed to be personal instruction. When we read the Bhagavadgita As It Is, it is understood that we are receiving personal instructions of Krsna. No physical barrier is there in the case of spiritual affairs. (Letter to Dhrstaketu, October 14, 1973)

How can one get directions from the pure devotee spiritual master in philosophy, management and personal problems? What was Srila Prabhupada’s direction on this during pre-1977 days of ISKCON?

So I am requesting my good disciples as much as possible to consult the senior disciples in matter of management, philosophy, and personal problems. Of course, I always welcome to get letters from my beloved disciples, but unless there is some urgent matter it is better if all of the students will address their questions from South Pacific and Australia zone to you. You may inform them. I have got some letters from Tusta Krishna from Auckland and he is inquiring about printing press and other matters so I am advising him to consult with you and I think, cooperatively along with Mohanananda and others, you, senior members, can manage everything there very nicely and relieve me of such questions. (Letter to: Madhudvisa — Los Angeles 12 June, 1972)

How can one clarify doubts in philosophy in future now?

In my books the philosophy of Krishna consciousness is explained fully, so if there is anything which you do not understand, then you simply have to read again and again. By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you....You may please me the most by reading my books and following the instructions therein. (November 22, 1974)

How can one derive benefit from studying Vedic literatures like Bhagavad Gita, without the help of a pure devotee spiritual master physically present?

Our Krsna consciousness movement is teaching the whole world this central point, and because we are not polluting the theme of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, anyone seriously interested in deriving benefit by studying the Bhagavad-gita must take help from the Krsna consciousness movement for practical understanding of Bhagavad-gita under the direct guidance of the Lord. (Bhagavad Gita Preface) How can one experience reciprocation and develop personal relationship with the spiritual master? Satsvarupa: Srila Prabhupada, there's also a question of reciprocation. You have so many disciples, thousands, and one devotee was asking me yesterday, "How does... I want to please Srila Prabhupada. How does he know my progress and my service because I'm..., when I'm so far away from him and if I don't write him?"

Prabhupada: So his representatives are there, the president, the GBC. They will see. Madhavananda: The representatives.

Jayadvaita: The representative may be there, but what is my personal relationship? Prabhupada: Hm? To obey your spiritual master. Whatever he has said, you follow strictly. Follow the regulative principles. Chant sixteen rounds. That's all. (Morning Walk -- April 8, 1975, Mayapur)

How can one associate with the pure devotee spiritual master especially after his passing away? The day after Srila Prabhupada arrived, a press conference was held, with all the major newspapers and television stations represented. Sitting under the glare of TV lights in the large Berkeley temple room, Prabhupada was faced with the question, "What will happen to the movement when you die?" His answer came back immediately: "I will never die." All the guests and devotees cheered and Prabhupada continued, "I live in my books and you will utilize." (Berkeley: July 16th, 1975)

During a morning walk:

Paramahamsa: Srila Prabhupada, when you are not present with us, how is it possible to receive instructions, for example, on questions that may arise? Prabhupada: Well, the questions... Answers are there in my books. (Morning walk at Cheviot Hills Golf Course in Los Angeles,13 May 1973

On one morning walk in Toronto, Srila Prabhupada reassured, “In my absence you read the books. What I talk, I have written in the books. That’s all. . . . You can associate with me by reading my books.” (7 August 1975)

In other words, Srila Prabhupada has applied Rupa Gosvami’s principles of yukta vairagya and created a modern day format: an institution with devotees, his books, devotional lifestyle given by him,serving his mission – and all this captures, preserves, establishes and perpetuates the pure Gaudiya Vais;hna principle: associating with a pure devotee and pleasing him with service is the only means to attain love of Krishna. In this way Sri Chaitanya’s movement has taken this most modern format and can flourish as long his sincere followers continue to strictly abide by his instructions.

7. When we appreciate how Srila Prabhupada has made himself accessible through all of these varied spiritually potent manifestations – institution, books, recorded lectures, etc. - it is little surprise that he has made himself available to accept and initiate prospective disciples through a system initiation by his representatives. Your humble servant, Chanchalapathi Dasa President, Hare Krishna Movement, Vrindhavan. Senior Vice President, ISKCON – Bangalore

Vyasa Puja Offering to Srila Prabhupada by Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa

Madhu Pandit Dasa
Dear Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.Yet another year has passed under the transcendental shower of your causeless mercy. The transcendental shower that cools the scorching heat of miseries of this material world where there is the danger at every step. It is only by your mercy that over the last sixteen years we, the devotees of ISKCON Bangalore, have survived the material forces that have attempted to break the faith of thousands of your followers on this planet - that Your Divine Grace can be accepted as everyone’s direct sad-guru - both Primary Siksha and Diksha guru. It is easier to survive the attack of atheists than the guruvadis in ISKCON, who twist your direct orders and preach that Your Divine Grace cannot be a guru for anyone on this planet anymore after 1977.
 
According to them, Srila Prabhupada, you are ‘no longer with us’, having physically ‘departed’ in 1977. Therefore it is only to them that the jivas have to surrender to as disciples, and not to Your Divine Grace. It is nothing but the twisted philosophy of ‘kill guru and become guru’. Your Divine Grace has used this very phrase while referring to ambitious neophyte disciples. This is especially so when you have explicitly ordered that those initiated in ISKCON will always be the disciples of Your Divine Grace.

This faith of thousands of devotees that: Your Divine Grace actually receives their direct surrender from them; Your Divine Grace actually guides sincere seekers in advancing in spiritual life, in the wonderful association of your other servants, in an organization Your Divine Grace designed. This truth is proven today by your lilas at ISKCON Bangalore for the last fifteen years. Thousands of lives are transformed every day, by the association of your books and your deity form in the temples of our group over the past fifteen years. The intense and foremost attachment and commitment to Your Divine Grace, of all the devotees, is the proof of this.

Srila Prabhupada, you have nicely explained the prakata and aprakata form of the Lord. The visible and invisible. In CC Madhya 13.155 purport

“Krishna has two kinds of presence—prakata and aprakata, manifest and unmanifest. These are identical for the sincere devotee. Even if Krishna is not physically present, the devotee’s constant absorption in the affairs of Krishna makes Him always present.”

Srila Prabhupada, when Your Divine Grace were asked by a reporter, “what will happen to the movement when Your Divine Grace die?” Your Divine Grace replied, “I will never die”. Thus, wherever Your Divine Grace is sought after as the guru and worshipped and followed, Your Divine grace, even today in the aprakata (invisible) form, continue your aprakata lila with such disciples and inspire them to advance in Krishna Consciousness as much as Your Divine Grace were doing during your prakata lila. This is the understanding from your reply to the reporter – ‘I will never
die’.

Your Divine Grace also established your deity forms in your temples even when present on the planet. In these forms, Your Divine Grace is prakta, giving opportunity for rendering personal service of dressing, offering bhoga, worshipping etc. All these are in no way, different from your lila on this

planet before November 14th 1977. From your teachings it is clear that there is no difference. To think that on that day, Nov 14th 1977, some significant change happened and you are no longer ‘present’ with us after that date as a ‘living guru’ anymore, is absurd and false. It was this falsehood that led to so called new ‘living gurus’ being propped up in 1978 and thereafter continuing till date. And this turned out to be the biggest disaster which has practically destroyed the movement- so carefully built and nurtured by Your Divine Grace.

The Hare Krishna Movement is your transcendental creation and it transcendentally belongs to Your Divine Grace. It is your house in this world, where your service to the guru-parampara is conducted eternally, through your disciples. Your Divine Grace has expressed your transcendental ownership of ISKCON by clearly mandating through written instructions, that the words ‘Founder-Acharya’ shall always be written below, wherever ‘ISKCON’ is mentioned. Your mandate through this instruction is crystal clear. It is your transcendental vision to prevent future generations of ambitious neophytes from assuming that since Your Divine Grace is no longer physically present, it is time for the next person to fill your shoes, in ‘parampara’, and take over as the Acharya or spiritual successor. Promoting Your Divine Grace as the purva acarya, directly or indirectly, in ISKCON, is an act of constant offence as it means Your Divine Grace can be approached only through another current link as present guru.

On 18/2/76 Your Divine Grace said in a room conversation,

“After 80 years no one can be expected to live long. My life is almost ended. So you have to carry on, and these books will do everything.”

So it is very clear that Your Divine Grace will continue to influence thousands of souls by being directly connected to them as their spiritual master. Your  transcendental vision in setting up the ISKCON organization was to facilitate and give service to all your disciples for all future generations as long as ISKCON exists to become instruments in training and strengthening every spiritual aspirant’s direct connection with Your Divine Grace as their spiritual master, both diksha and siksha guru and thus continue your parampara.

On this occasion Srila Prabhupada, I would also like to meditate on your glory of taking so many hardships for the preaching mission in this world and setting the example for future generation of disciples - the standard of hard work to spread Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada, your life has demonstrated how one can express his love for his guru. To develop that love for one’s guru, one has to sacrifice one’s comfort for guru’s mission and vision. This means to take pains for his pleasure of expanding his spiritual mission on this earth. There is a tendency to think that perfection means that everything will go smoothly in this world and there will be no hardship. This principle of working hard by taking pains even for fulfilling the Lord’s mission, is nicely explained by Your Divine Grace in this following purport.

“In executing penance, one must be determined to return home, back to Godhead, and must decide to undergo all types of tribulations for that end. Even for material prosperity, name and fame, one has to undergo severe types of penance; otherwise no one can become an important figure in this material world. Why, then, are there severe types of penance for the perfection of devotional service? An easygoing life and attainment of perfection in transcendental realization cannot go together. The Lord is more clever than any living entity; therefore He wants to see how painstaking the devotee is in devotional service. The order is received from the Lord, either directly or through the bona fide spiritual master, and to execute that order, however painstaking, is the severe type of penance. One who follows the principle rigidly is sure to achieve success in attaining the Lord's mercy.” SB 2.9.24 purport

Anyone who reads this purport will come out of the false idea that the perfection of devotional service is one of comfort to the senses, body and mind, without any disturbance from any quarter. Your Divine Grace, as the Acarya, has taught us by your own example how to be well grounded by emotional acceptance of the reality that troubles and pains are very much part of devotional service and it is very natural. And devotees have to take up such austerities if any significant progress is to be made against maya’s plans to keep the jivas within her clutches. Situations that demand austerity in devotional service are great opportunities to purify our self-centered mentality. Your Divine Grace wrote to your disciple on 27th July 1970:

“Kindly keep me informed of your activities at least twice in a week, otherwise I become very much anxious and due to my blood pressure sometimes do not eat, do not sleep. I am just trying to organize a worldwide movement not for any personal ambition but to execute superior orders, and by the grace of Krsna we are getting good encouragement. So I request my students to co-operate fully.”

So this is Acarya - one who sets standards by his own example. Your Divine Grace never taught an easy going life. You spent sleepless nights in the anxieties of organizing this world-wide movement for Lord Chaitanya. Your Divine Grace promised to take us back to Godhead - but instructed us all to lead a life of struggle for spiritual advancement and hard work to preach Lord Chaitanya’s mission. Dedication and commitment to fulfill the order of one’s guru, even if it means fighting formidable forces against all odds. Even if it means going to courts.

Your Divine Grace never settled to rest in material comforts or in the glory of your success while preaching in this world till your last breath. Preaching or practicing devotional service with such material ideas is just sense gratification and is just another deep anartha. Preaching mission in this world of maya means always dealing with opposing forces that are bound to attack, starting with our own body and mind.

While we are asked to take pains to preach the glories of the Holy Name, Your Divine Grace has also armed us with enough ammunition to give us real empowerment and transcendental happiness for the soul, by teaching us the art of associating with the Holy Name by chanting and hearing the sound incarnation of the Lord, “kali-käle näma-rüpe kåñëa-avatära”. Srila Prabhupada, you have talked and talked and talked about the glories of the Holy Name - of how to chant, how to hear, how to be attentive and the theology of the Holy Name in your books. So many transcendental secrets of the Holy Names are hidden in simple lines of your several purports. Each one of them opens the door to the spiritual world. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu named Haridas Thakur the Nama-acarya. Your Divine Grace has extended the mission of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, all over the world and has spread the Nama which is today dancing on the tongues of millions of jivas. Your Divine Grace is the true Ambassador, like Haridas Thakur, of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the very personification of Hare Krishna maha-mantra. What a spiritual wonder you have created on this earth. Now there is no stopping of this sankirtana. How close and dear you are to the Holy Name is understandable from the  degree of empowerment with which Your Divine Grace spread the Holy name all over the world in such a short span. kåñëa-çakti vinä nahe tära pravartana – (CC Antya 7.11)

We are all so fortunate to be born at a time to even hear about this Hare Krishna movement. Srila Prabhupada we all know that Your Divine Grace is in our midst, guiding and protecting us. In spite of not being surrendered enough to perfectly receive and follow all your instructions, Srila Prabhupada, you are still protecting me. I know that any complexity in your mission that is not solvable, is due to our lack of clearly hearing your directions; lack of clearly understanding your instructions; lack of enough determination to follow.

For years together, following your teachings, I prayed to the Supersoul, for practical guidance in preaching and have received tremendous reciprocation by repeated application of Krishna’s words in Bhagavad-gita “mat citta sarva durgani, mat prasadat tarisyasi”. But, for some reason, some big preaching projects that have been conceived and started off in the recent times, by your mercy, have stagnated for years, faced by one hurdle or the other inspite of increased prayer and dependence on the Lord in my heart. I understood that Krishna wanted to teach me something important and until I learn this, He would not permit or sanction the progress of these projects.
 
After a lot of soul searching, the realization dawned on me that there is a small - but significant difference - in praying, surrendering and depending on guru and praying and surrendering and depending directly on the Supersoul, Krishna. Krishna wants me to learn that first dependence is on his pure devotee - and then on Him. I have to move to the next phase of increased faith in Srila Prabhupada as the true power of attorney holder of Krishna. First things first. That is the true purport of “yasya prasädäd bhagavatprasädo  asyäprasädän na gatiù kuto 'pi”. Though I sing this every morning, yet I prayed to the Lord directly everyday all these years. After this finer  realization, I am now training myself to always pray to Your Divine Grace first, for granting of devotional service and strength to overcome all obstacles in your preaching mission and then only to the Lord. And I find increased spiritual energy to serve Your Divine Grace. After that I have started to see that things are changing for good in these stagnated projects in the last few months.

Srila Prabhupada, you have preached that we always pray and surrender to the Lord in the heart. But now I know that the Lord is more pleased when we surrender and pray to His pure devotees first. The very same Lord is more eager to reciprocate with mercy of all kinds when a devotee surrenders and prays to Your Divine Grace, for that is the right culture of devotion for a disciple. One thing I am sure from my own realization - Your Divine Grace is by the side of anyone who wants to serve your mission without simply thinking of his own peace and bliss at the material level. And your teachings direct us to experience the transcendental peace and bliss that comes from simply knowing and feeling the sense of one’s eternal belonging to the eternal guru and the eternal Lord as their eternal servant, and becoming indifferent to material ups and downs.
 
Thank you Srila Prabhupada and your dear Lord Krishna for the intense merciful grind you are putting me through to learn these finer nuances of devotional service. Thank you, Srila Prabhupada for the daily dose of “divyagyan hrde prakashita” and hardships that make me think and learn different lessons. Thank you Srila Prabhupada for making my daily life transcendentally blissful in spite of trials and tribulations from the material energy. Based on this realization, on this auspicious day of this year’s Vyasa puja, I pray that if it so pleases Your Divine Grace, kindly put an end to this legal battle as soon as possible, and remove all the obstacles, and sanction us all in the coming five years the devotional service of completing the construction of a world’s largest monumental temple for your dear Lordships at Vrindavan dham to expand the glories of Vrindavan dham, which, Your Divine Grace has already put on world map.

Again I pray, if it pleases Your Divine Grace, in the coming five years, sanction us all, the service of completing the construction of an equally monumental complex of the Krishna Lila Park at Vaikunta Hill, Bangalore South, to make it the Vaikunta Embassy on this earth from where the Holy Name will be distributed to millions of souls by inspiring them through depiction of the wonderful lilas of Lord Krishna. Again I pray, give me the knowledge and spiritual skills and strength to do the service of chanting and hearing the Maha-mantra better and better without offenses and also to serve and share such knowledge of improved japa with all devotees who have dedicated their lives to spread the Holy Name as your unalloyed servants.

Srila Prabhupada, just as I finished writing this offering to Your Divine Grace, I received a mail of the following conversation of yours of 1976 from a recent set of new tapes released now by the Bhaktivedanta Archives. We are greatly enlivened by confirmation in this conversation that you wanted only siksha gurus in ISKCON, while you remain the diksha guru.

“Prabhupada: The tendency for becoming guru is there. But after all, every one of you should become guru. But why immature attempt? That is my question. Everyone will become guru when he is expert disciple, but why this immature attempt? Guru is not a thing, imitation. When one is mature, he becomes guru automatically. What is the answer to this, their making some attempt to become guru? I am training you all to become guru in the future. Now the K???a consciousness movement, the properties and everything, I will not take with me. They will remain where they are. It requires very mature treatment. But there has been some attempt to become guru immediately. Am I correct or not? Hm? We are also acting as guru. My other Godbrothers, they are also doing that. But we never attempted during the lifetime of our Guru Maharaja. That is not the etiquette. It is an immature attempt. And it is not the thing that by artificial attempt one becomes guru. Guru is accepted by etiquette, not by artificial attempt.

Amara ajnaya guru hana (CC Madhya 7.128): "Follow My order and become guru." Not that you become guru. amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa yare dekha, tare kaha "krishna"-upadesa (CC Madhya 7.128)

Hmm? You have to follow the paramparasystem, order. That is guru. Not that I declare myself as guru. No. That is not guru. Guru is he who has strictly followed the order of the spiritual master. He can become guru. Otherwise it will be spoilt. Artificial attempt is not good. (pause) Prabhupada: Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado (Sri Sri Gurv-a??aka 8)—we are singing daily, hundred times. Guru means kintu prabhor ya? priya eva tasya (Sri Sri Gurv-a??aka 7). Do you understand all these lines? You sing daily, thrice. Do you understand the meaning of these words? Can anyone explain?

Devotee (3): Kintu prabhor ya? priya eva tasya—"The spiritual master is very dear to Krishna."

Prabhupada: Yes. First of all one has to become very dear to K???a, then automatically he becomes guru. And when one becomes very dear to K???a, then he becomes guru, and by the mercy of such guru Krishna becomes merciful. These are the statements of the sastra. Ar na koriho asa. What is that, guru-mukha-padma-vakya?

Devotee (3): guru-mukha-padma-vakya, cittete koriya aikya ar na koriho mane asa (Sri-guru-vandana)

Prabhupada: Ar na koriho mane asa. Simply whatever you hear from the guru, try to execute it. Ar na koriho mane asa. Do not expect anything more. So whatever we are chanting, we are reading, we must realize that. The Gaudiya Madha institution became a failure on account of disobedience and not following the orders. Visvanatha Cakravarti ?hakura's statement about the verse vyavasayatmika buddhir—find out this verse from the Bhagavad-gita. The Caitanya-caritam?ta statement, amara: one can become guru by the superior order.

Devotee (3): Shall I read it?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Devotee (3): vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana bahu-sakha hy anantas ca buddhayo 'vyavasayinam (BG 2.41)

"Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolved is many-branched."

Prabhupada: And the purport?

Devotee (3): “A strong faith in Krishna consciousness that one should be elevated to the highest perfection of life is called vyavasayatmika intelligence. The Caitanya-caritam?ta states:

'sraddha'-sabde visvasa kahe sudha niscaya krishe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kta haya (CC Madhya 22.62)

“Faith means unflinching trust in something sublime. When one is engaged in the duties of Krishna consciousness, he need not act in relationship to the material world, with obligations to family traditions, humanity or nationality. Fruitive activities are the engagements of one's reaction from past good or bad deeds. When one is awake in K???a consciousness, he need no longer endeavor for good results in his activities. When one is situated in Krishna consciousness, all activities are on the absolute plane, for they are no longer subject to dualities like "good" and "bad." The highest perfection of K???a consciousness is renunciation of the material conception of life. This state is automatically achieved by progressive Krishna consciousness.  
 
The resolute purpose of a person in Krishna consciousness is based on knowledge (vasudeva? sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabha?) (BG7.19) by which one comes to know perfectly that Vasudeva, or Krishnaa, is the root of all manifested causes. As water on the root of a tree is automatically distributed to the leaves and branches, in Krishna consciousness one can render the highest service to everyone—namely self, family, society, country, humanity, etc. If Krishna is satisfied by one's actions, then everyone will be satisfied. “Service in Krishna consciousness is, however, best practiced under the able guidance of a spiritual master who is a bona fide representative of Krishna, who knows the nature of the student and who

can guide him to act in Krishna consciousness. As such, to be well versed in Krishna consciousness one has to act firmly and obey the representative of Krishna, and one should accept the instructions of the bona fide spiritual master as one's mission in life. Visvanatha Cakravarti ?hakura instructs us, in his famous prayers for the spiritual master, as follows: yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadanna gati? kuto 'pi dhyaya? stuva?s tasya yasas tri-sandhya? vande guro? sricara?aravindam
(Sri Sri Gurv-a??aka 8)

“"By satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satisfied. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Krishna consciousness. I should, therefore, meditate and pray for his mercy three times a day, and offer my respectful obeisances unto him, my spiritual master."

"The whole process, however, depends on perfect knowledge of the soul beyond the conception of the body—not theoretically, but practically, when there is no longer chance for sense gratification manifested in Fruitive activities. When one is not firmly fixed in mind… One who is not firmly fixed in mind is diverted by various types of fruitive activities." Prabhupada: These artificial attempts to become guru is not the platform of guru. Do you all realize this now? Hm?

Devotees: Yes.

Prabhupada: Just like this Bal Yogi Guru Maharaja. That kind of Guru Maharaja anyone can become; it is not very difficult. But really guru is not like that. That is eva? parampara vidu?.Eva? parampara…Eh?

Devotees: eva? parampara-praptam ima? rajar?ayo vidu? (BG 4.2)

Prabhupada: Ima? rajar?ayo vidu?. Through the parampara. Hmm? Ima? vivasvate yoga proktavan aham (BG 4.1). So the training period to attempt to become guru, that is not very good etiquette. That is artificial. At least officially during the lifetime of guru, nobody should attempt like that. The disciple should always remain as perfectly subordinate and be disciplined. Disciple means one who is being disciplined. That is disciple. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
 
He is God, Krishna;
still He said, guru more murkha dekhi' karila sasana (CC Adi 7.71): "My guru, seeing Me a fool number one, he has chastised Me." Now who can chastise Krishna, Caitanya Mahaprabhu? But that is the way of disciplic succession. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, guru more murkha dekhi. Who can be guru of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and who is actually His guru who will say Caitanya Mahaprabhu is a fool? But He said that guru more murkha dekhi' karila sasana: "My Guru Maharaja found Me a fool number one, and therefore he has chastised Me." This is the position of disciple.
 
So one who is always prepared to be chastised by guru, he is eligible to become guru. So these attempts are being done, just like Gaurasundara told, that "Why should I live under the subjugation of these people? Let me go away, become a guru." Similarly Sudama. This attempt will not be successful, but there is some attempt like that. What can be done? Such attempt will never be successful, but there are some attempts like that. (break) What is your answer? Gopala Krisha: I think that everybody should resolve not to do it in any form at all. I have heard similar… I have heard this type of complaint from other places also, where some other devotees have tried to call themselves some type of a guru. Whenever I heard that, I have been very disturbed.

Devotee (2): Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is desiring to be lower than the straw in the street.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Devotee (2): Caitanya Mahaprabhu is desiring to be lower than the straw in the street. So for him to desire to be guru, that is not in line with Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Gopala Krishna: Srila Prabhupada, I am just trying to clarify—I don’t want to offend anyone—but no disciple of yours should call himself dik?a-guru or sik?a-guru. Am I right? Prabhupada: Well, everyone is engaged to become sik?a-guru, but one should become perfect. The attempt is—what is called?—probationer. When probationer period is finished, then he is naturally, automatically, bona fide guru. Not in the probationer period. That is immature attempt. That will failure. Amara ajnaya (CC Madhya 7.128),
 
Caitanya Mahaprabhu said: "By My order."
So all my disciples are expected to become sik?a-guru on my order, not by his own order. That is meaning I am giving sannyasa, I am sending you to different places, so this means that you have to carry out the order of the guru very strictly; then you become mature. Otherwise it will be artificial attempt, and that kind of guru will not help. Just like there are so many gurus and avataras and yogis are coming. For time being there is some culture(?), and what is the effect? Just like this… What is that?.....”

Srila Prabhupada, you created a Hare Krishna explosion in 1966 on this earth - the tremors of which continue to be felt even today. Please create more such explosions, which results in creating transcendental employment of loving devotional service to the Lord for thousands of souls. Anticipating and always in great hope for such new transcendental explosions, Your fallen servant who begs at your lotus feet to be held always by your divine mercy,

Madhu Pandit Dasa
President, ISKCON-Bangalore

Prayers to Our Beloved Spiritual Master Srila Prabhupada

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krsna on this earth,having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvati Gosvami.You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.

om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namaha

I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who has opened my eyes,blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge.