Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival in Boston

Giriraj Swami: Today is a very special day. The day that Srila Prabhupada arrived in the west in America, Boston. The event is so historic and so momentous that it has been included in the list of special days be observed by ISKCON members. So, to observe the event we shall read from Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta about Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in America. Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta Volume Two, “Planting the seed,” A Biography by Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami, Chapter One, “The Journey to America.”

CHAPTER ONE

Today the ship is plying very smoothly. I feel today better. But I am feeling separation from Sri Vrindaban and my Lords Sri Govinda, Gopinath, Radha Damodar. My only solace is Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita in which I am tasting the nectarine of Lord Chaitanya’s lila. I have left Bharatabhumi just to execute the order of Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, in pursuance of Lord Chaitanya’s order. I have no qualification, but have taken up the risk just to carry out the order of His Divine Grace. I depend fully on Their mercy, so far away from Vrindaban.

– Jaladuta diary
September 10, 1965

THE JALADUTA IS a regular cargo carrier of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company, but there is a passenger cabin aboard. During the voyage from Calcutta to New York in August and September of 1965, the cabin was occupied by “Sri Abhoy Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami,” whose age was listed as sixty-nine and who was taken on board bearing “a complimentary ticket with food.”

The Jaladuta, under the command of Captain Arun Pandia, whose wife was also aboard, left at 9:00 A.M. on Friday, August 13. In his diary, Śrīla Prabhupāda noted: “The cabin is quite comfortable, thanks to Lord Sri Krishna for enlightening Sumati Morarji for all these arrangements. I am quite comfortable.” But on the fourteenth he reported: “Seasickness, dizziness, vomiting – Bay of Bengal. Heavy rains. More sickness.”

On the nineteenth, when the ship arrived at Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Prabhupāda was able to get relief from his seasickness. The captain took him ashore, and he traveled around Colombo by car. Then the ship went on toward Cochin, on the west coast of India. Janmāṣṭamī, the appearance day of Lord Kṛṣṇa, fell on the twentieth of August that year. Prabhupāda took the opportunity to speak to the crew about the philosophy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and he distributed prasādam he had cooked himself. August 21 was his sixty-ninth birthday, observed (without ceremony) at sea. That same day the ship arrived at Cochin, and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s trunks of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam volumes, which had been shipped from Bombay, were loaded on board.

By the twenty-third the ship had put out to the Red Sea, where Śrīla Prabhupāda encountered great difficulty. He noted in his diary: “Rain, seasickness, dizziness, headache, no appetite, vomiting.” The symptoms persisted, but it was more than seasickness. The pains in his chest made him think he would die at any moment. In two days he suffered two heart attacks. He tolerated the difficulty, meditating on the purpose of his mission, but after two days of such violent attacks he thought that if another were to come he would certainly not survive.

On the night of the second day, Prabhupāda had a dream. Lord Kṛṣṇa, in His many forms, was rowing a boat, and He told Prabhupāda that he should not fear, but should come along. Prabhupāda felt assured of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s protection, and the violent attacks did not recur.

The Jaladuta entered the Suez Canal on September 1 and stopped in Port Said on the second. Śrīla Prabhupāda visited the city with the captain and said that he liked it. By the sixth he had recovered a little from his illness and was eating regularly again for the first time in two weeks, having cooked his own kicharī and purīs. He reported in his diary that his strength renewed little by little.

Thursday, September 9
To 4:00 this afternoon, we have crossed over the Atlantic Ocean for twenty-four hours. The whole day was clear and almost smooth. I am taking my food regularly and have got some strength to struggle. There is also a slight tacking of the ship and I am feeling a slight headache also. But I am struggling and the nectarine of life is Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, the source of all my vitality.

Friday, September 10
Today the ship is plying very smoothly. I feel today better. But I am feeling separation from Sri Vrindaban and my Lords Sri Govinda, Gopinath, Radha Damodar. The only solace is Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita in which I am tasting the nectarine of Lord Chaitanya’s lila [pastimes]. I have left Bharatabhumi just to execute the order of Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati in pursuance of Lord Chaitanya’s order. I have no qualification, but have taken up the risk just to carry out the order of His Divine Grace. I depend fully on Their mercy, so far away from Vrindaban.

During the voyage, Śrīla Prabhupāda sometimes stood on deck at the ship’s rail, watching the ocean and the sky and thinking of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Vṛndāvana-dhāma, and the order of his spiritual master to go preach in the West. Mrs. Pandia, the captain’s wife, whom Śrīla Prabhupāda considered to be “an intelligent and learned lady,” foretold Śrīla Prabhupāda’s future. If he were to pass beyond this crisis in his health, she said, it would indicate the good will of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

The ocean voyage of 1965 was a calm one for the Jaladuta. The captain said that never in his entire career had he seen such a calm Atlantic crossing. Prabhupāda replied that the calmness was Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, and Mrs. Pandia asked Prabhupāda to come back with them so that they might have another such crossing. Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote in his diary, “If the Atlantic would have shown its usual face, perhaps I would have died. But Lord Krishna has taken charge of the ship.”

On September 13, Prabhupāda noted in his diary: “Thirty-second day of journey. Cooked bati kichari. It appeared to be delicious, so I was able to take some food. Today I have disclosed my mind to my companion, Lord Shri Krishna. There is a Bengali poem made by me in this connection.”

This poem was a prayer to Lord Kṛṣṇa, and it is filled with Prabhupāda’s devotional confidence in the mission that he had undertaken on behalf of his spiritual master. An English translation of the opening stanzas follows:

I emphatically say to you, O brothers, you will obtain your good fortune from the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa only when Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī becomes pleased with you.

Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, who is very dear to Lord Gaurāṅga [Lord Caitanya], the son of mother Śacī, is unparalleled in his service to the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is that great, saintly spiritual master who bestows intense devotion to Kṛṣṇa at different places throughout the world.

By his strong desire, the holy name of Lord Gaurāṅga will spread throughout all the countries of the Western world. In all the cities, towns, and villages on the earth, from all the oceans, seas, rivers, and streams, everyone will chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa.

As the vast mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu conquers all directions, a flood of transcendental ecstasy will certainly cover the land. When all the sinful, miserable living entities become happy, the Vaiṣṇavas’ desire is then fulfilled.

Although my Guru Mahārāja ordered me to accomplish this mission, I am not worthy or fit to do it. I am very fallen and insignificant. Therefore, O Lord, now I am begging for Your mercy so that I may become worthy, for You are the wisest and most experienced of all. …

The poem ends:

Today that remembrance of You came to me in a very nice way. Because I have a great longing I called to You. I am Your eternal servant, and therefore I desire Your association so much. O Lord Kṛṣṇa, except for You there is no means of success.

After a thirty-five-day journey from Calcutta, the Jaladuta reached Boston’s Commonwealth Pier at 5:30 A.M. on September 17, 1965. The ship was to stop briefly in Boston before proceeding to New York City. Among the first things Śrīla Prabhupāda saw in America were the letters “A & P” painted on a pierfront warehouse. The gray waterfront dawn revealed the ships in the harbor, a conglomeration of lobster stands and drab buildings, and, rising in the distance, the Boston skyline.

Prabhupāda had to pass through U.S. Immigration and Customs in Boston. His visa allowed him a three-month stay, and an official stamped it to indicate his expected date of departure. Captain Pandia invited Prabhupāda to take a walk into Boston, where the captain intended to do some shopping. They walked across a footbridge into a busy commercial area with old churches, warehouses, office buildings, bars, tawdry bookshops, nightclubs, and restaurants. Prabhupāda briefly observed the city, but the most significant thing about his short stay in Boston, aside from the fact that he had now set foot in America, was that at Commonwealth Pier he wrote another Bengali poem, entitled “Mārkine Bhāgavata-dharma” (“Teaching Kṛṣṇa Consciousness in America”).

So now, we will read the poem.

CHAPTER ONE (continued)

Mārkine bhāgavata-dharma (Poem)

baro-kṛpā kaile kṛṣṇa adhamer prati

ki lāgiyānile hethā koro ebe gati

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me.

COMMENT

So, here Srila Prabhupada expresses his mood of complete surrender to Lord Krishna’s will. He says, he doesn’t know why Krishna has brought him but he is ready to do whatever Krishna wants him to do.

MĀRKINE BHĀGAVATA-DHARMA (continued)

āche kichu kārja taba ei anumāne

nahe keno āniben ei ugra-sthāne

TRANSLATION

But I guess You have some business here, otherwise why would You bring me to this terrible place?

rajas tamo guṇe erā sabāi ācchanna

bāsudeb-kathā ruci nahe se prasanna

TRANSLATION

Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life, they think themselves very happy and satisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vāsudeva. I do not know how they will be able to understand it.

COMMENT

So, here Srila Prabhupada reflects on the difficulty of his tasks because the population there is covered by the mode of passion and ignorance. And because they are covered by the lower mode, they have no taste for the message of Krishna. They think that they are very happy and satisfied. And Srila Prabhupada another time commented that he was afraid that the people of America would not accept his message, because the people of America would think, “We are rich, we are educated, we are opulent in so many ways. And who is he? He is just a poor Indian. What have we to learn from him?” And Srila Prabhupada further commented that he feared that when he told them the regulative principles, no eating meat, fish, or eggs, no intoxication, no illicit sex, no gambling, they would say, “What? No eating meat, fish, or eggs, no intoxication, no coffee, tea, and cigarettes, no illicit sex, get out from here, we don’t want to hear, go back to your country.” So he knew, because of the influence of the lower modes, they would have no taste for the message of Vāsudeva. No, he didn’t know how they will be able to understand?

MĀRKINE BHĀGAVATA-DHARMA (continued)

tabe jadi taba kṛpā hoy ahaitukī

sakal-i sambhava hoy tumi se kautukī

TRANSLATION

But I know Your causeless mercy can make everything possible, because You are the most expert mystic.

COMMENT

In other words, people infected by the lower modes of nature cannot appreciate the message of Krishna. For them, to appreciate the message of Krishna would require some miracle, some mystic power. But Srila Prabhupada has complete faith in Lord Krishna that He is the most expert of all mystics. And by the mystic potency of Lord Krishna, they could appreciate Srila Prabhupada’s message.

MĀRKINE BHĀGAVATA-DHARMA (continued)

ki bhāve bujhāle tārā bujhe sei rasa

eta kṛpā koro prabhu kori nija-baśa

TRANSLATION

How will they understand the mellows of devotional service, rasa? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message.

COMMENT

In other words, Srila Prabhupada feels completely dependent on the mercy of Krishna. He feels, he has no ability to convince the people himself, so he depends fully on the mercy of Krishna.

MĀRKINE BHĀGAVATA-DHARMA (continued)

tomāra icchāya saba hoy māyā-baśa

tomāra icchāya nāśa māyār paraśa

TRANSLATION

All living entities have come under the control of the illusory energy by Your will, and therefore, if You like, by Your will they can also be released from the clutches of illusion.

COMMENT

There is a similar prayer in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by the Personified Vedas, where they address the Lord in the same way that, ‘By your will, the living entities come under the control of the illusory energy.’ So by your will, you can also release them from the clutches of the material nature. Lord Chaitanya had one devotee named Vāsudeva Datta, who was so merciful that he approached Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that, “There are so many living entities within the universe suffering in so many species of life. They are suffering the reactions to past sinful activities but I do not want to see them suffer. So Lord, kindly give all of their sinful reactions to me and I will suffer for all of them and let them be liberated.” We cannot conceive of the mercy of a devotee like, Vāsudeva Datta. Day and night, we are always thinking how we can become free from miseries. Even if we don’t have any pain at the time, we are afraid that some pain may come. So, we are always thinking about our bodies, our eating, our sleeping, our positions, our prestige, our wives, our children, our relationships with our colleagues, so many things. And the basic idea is how to be happy and how to avoid distress. What is the cause of our distress? The cause of our distress is past sins or anarthas.

So really, we are trying to become free from past sins, our own. And sometimes very rarely but sometimes, we might think of the suffering of others. How to receive the suffering of others? But then we will think especially of our wife, or our children, or our own relations. And we may try to do something for them but we are not prepared to suffer their sinful reactions, not of even one person. You may know that Valmiki was a great rogue. He was a murderer, a robber. He engaged in so many sinful activities but by the mercy of Narada, he became a devotee. So, in his meeting with Narada, Narada gave him a glimpse of all the sinful reactions he would have to suffer in the future because of all of his sinful activities. He became afraid. And Narada asked him. Why are you doing all these things? He said, “I am doing them for my family.” “That you are doing them for your family. But you think your family will share in your miseries when you suffer the result?” He thought they would. This is the illusion of material life, maya. We think our family loves us, our friends love us. Some people have told me personally, how they became free from that illusion. When he had money, he thought their wife loved him so much, his children loved him so much. His friends and relatives, they always came to visit him and they would sometimes take money from him.

In one lecture in Vrindavan, a Nectar of Devotion Srila Prabhupada commented that ‘the husband works hard day and night to earn money. And when he comes home in the evening, does he get any relief? No. he gets no relief because the wife and children immediately approach him for money. “I need this. I need this. Oh honey! please I need this. Oh daddy! please give me this.” And all the money he worked so hard to earn during the day, they plunder at night. Srila Prabhupada therefore termed the family members as legitimate plunderers or legitimate thieves. And the poor fellow is so illusioned by maya that he takes it as love. “Oh they love me so much they want to take my money they want me to stand for them.”

So, this is materialistic household life. And to earn money to support the family, people generally engage in some sort of sinful activity or illegal activity. But Valmiki was an example to the extreme. He would rob people, he would murder, he would plunder. Why? He told Narada, “For the sake of my family.” And Narada said, “Yes, for the sake of your family but do you think your family will share in the sinful reactions that you will have to suffer?” When they asked, immediately the wife said, “No. Why should I suffer for his sins? I never told him to steal. He is stealing because he wants to. I am not going to suffer for him. Why should I?”

So, nobody even one’s own dear wife who once served day and night, hand and foot, nobody is ready to take even a share of our sinful reactions. But Vasudeva Datta was so merciful, he was ready to take the full share of the sufferings of every living entity in the universe. And he was not just saying it, he meant it. So, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard the merciful words of Vasudeva Datta, His heart melted tears welled up in His eyes and overflowed from His eye. His body began to tremble. His voice became choked. And, He took Vasudeva Datta to Him and he says, “My dear Vasudeva, you want to accept all the sinful reactions of every living entity in the whole universe and you are prepared to stay in the universe for as long as it takes to suffer all the reactions. You are a pure devotee of Krishna and Krishna has no other desire than to fulfill the desires of His pure devotees, so, there is no need for you to suffer the sinful reaction. Because you desire the deliverance of all living entities, Krishna will fulfill your desire even without you suffering the sinful reaction. And Lord Chaitanya said that there are so many universes not only one universe, there are so many universes and they are just like mustard seeds. You know how small is the mustard. They are just like mustard seeds in a big bag of mustard. So, all the living entities become delivered from one universe and the universe becomes empty. What is the loss for Krishna? It is just like one mustard seed lost from a huge bag of mustard. Krishna won’t even feel the loss. And then Lord Chaitanya quoted the verse from the Tenth Canto of the Bhāgavatam, Ādi-līlā, where they pray to the Lord that, “By your will the living entities have come under the control of material nature. So by your will, you can also release them from the clutches of material nature.” In other words, just by the desire of the pure devotee or the prayer of the pure devotee, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu or Krishna becomes inclined to deliver the fallen souls.

I actually had some personal experience with Srila Prabhupada. I met Srila Prabhupada at the age of about twenty in Boston in the same place and almost immediately I surrendered to Srila Prabhupada and joined the temple. After about two and a half months, the devotees were discussing they needed another pujari. Then, one was allowed to worship the deity if he only had first initiation. So, they needed someone to worship the deity and I had been there for about two and a half months so they said well what about Glen? So, the temple president Satsvarupa Maharaja wrote Srila Prabhupada and recommended me, and Srila Prabhupada initiated me. So, in his letter he wrote so many things that your name is, ‘Giriraj dasa Brahmachari.’ Giriraj, the name for Govardhana Hill where Krishna used to tend to His cows. And sometimes, devotees take stones from Govardhana Hill and worship these stones as representations of Krishna. Then he said, “So I marked it when I met you. And, I prayed to Krishna that this good soul should become aware of the importance of Krishna consciousness.” So, this is the process. By the mercy of the devotee, by the prayer of the devotee to Krishna, Krishna who always wants to satisfy the prayer of the devotee, fulfills the prayer of the devotee to give mercy to the fallen souls and give them devotional service. Because when they get devotional service, they automatically become liberated from material existence.

So, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told Vasudeva Datta that whoever you desire to become a devotee, will become a devotee and devotees are automatically liberated from material nature. So, there is no need for you to suffer the sinful reactions. Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Vasudeva Datta. He said, “You are the incarnation of Prahlada Maharaja because you have the same mood of compassion of Prahlada Maharaja,” and Srila Prabhupada is the same. Srila Prabhupada often used to quote the verse of Prahlada Maharaja that “There are many saintly persons but most of them are interested in their own liberation and they go to the forest or the mountains and avoid the materialistic life of the cities.” When Prahlada Maharaja says, “I am not like that, I don’t want to go back home, back to Godhead alone. But I want to bring as many of these materialistic persons, fools and rascals, with me as possible. For myself, I have no anxiety because whenever I want, wherever I am, I can chant and hear the glories of the Lord and merge into the ocean of transcendental good. But I am concerned for the fools and rascals, who are rotting in material nature. Because I know that without the shelter of Your lotus feet, without the service of Your lotus feet, they cannot be happy. So, I am always thinking how to engage them in devotional service so they can become happy.“ So Srila Prabhupada says:

MĀRKINE BHĀGAVATA-DHARMA (continued)

taba icchā hoy jadi tādera uddhār

bujhibe niścai tabe kathā se tomār

TRANSLATION

I wish that You may deliver them. Therefore if You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message.

bhāgavater kathā se taba avatār

dhīra haiyā śune jadi kāne bār bār

TRANSLATION

The words of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are Your incarnation, and if a sober person repeatedly receives it with submissive aural reception, then he will be able to understand Your message.

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu

nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā

bhagavaty uttama-śloke

bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī

tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ

kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye

ceta etair anāviddhaṁ

sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati

evaṁ prasanna-manaso

bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ

bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ

mukta-saṅgasya jāyate

bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś

chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ

kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi

dṛṣṭa evātmanīśvare

TRANSLATION

It is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.17–21): “Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.

COMMENT

So, this is the method by which the people would be liberated. śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Just hearing about Krishna is pious activity. And Krishna, who is not different from His messages, enters the heart of the sincere listener and cleanses the desire from for material enjoyment from the heart. Now, the problem is what about people who don’t have eagerness to hear. The previous verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains, how one can develop eagerness to hear, syān mahat-sevayā, “By serving great souls or by serving pure devotees.” So from the beginning Srila Prabhupada knew that people would not be interested in his message so he engaged them in practical service. Because syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ [SB 1.2.16], “By serving the pure devotee, one develops affinity or attraction for the message of Vāsudeva.” So, by service to the pure devotees, one develops the qualities of the pure devotees. And the first characteristic or the prime characteristic of the pure devotee is attraction for the message of Krishna. So, whomever we serve we develop the same qualities by association. And therefore, if we serve a pure devotee who has taste for the message of Krishna, we will also get taste for the message of Krishna and then the process begins.

There is one story about association. One trapper went into the forest and he captured two parrots and he brought the parrots to the town to sell them. So, He sold one parrot to one family and another parrot to another family. After some time passed, he thought he should visit those parrots. So, he went to the first house and as soon as he opened the door, the parrot began to speak. “Who are you? Why have you come here? You nonsense, get out of here.” Then the trapper went to the second house and as soon as he opened the door, the parrot began to speak, “Swagatam swagatam, welcome welcome. I am so glad that you have come. You are so nice. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.” So, both parrots belong to the same species. Both parrots came from the same jungle. But why one has responded in one way and the other in another way? By association. Because the parrot in the first house must have heard the master of the house say, “You nonsense! why have you come here? get out, don’t disturb me,” like me, when people come to my office. And the parrot in the second house must have heard his master say, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, welcome welcome. Oh! you are so nice. I am so glad to see you. Please come in.” So only by association, one parrot became one way and the other parrot became another way.

So, Srila Prabhupada knew that just by associating with devotees and especially by serving the pure devotee, Srila Prabhupada, syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ. vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ, “They would get ruciḥ for the message of Vāsudeva.” And then, when they have taste for the message of Vāsudeva then the process really begins because of eagerness to hear or taste, the message goes to the heart. We also chant and attend class and read books. But the message doesn’t always go to the heart because of different reasons because of anarthas, aparādha. So, the full effect is not there. But when by service to the pure devotee, one becomes eager to hear the message of Vasudeva, then Krishna in the form of transcendental sound, enters the heart and cleanses the heart of all inauspicious things, all material dirt, anartha. And, that is described in the next verse.

MĀRKINE BHĀGAVATA-DHARMA (continued)

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu

nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā

bhagavaty uttama-śloke

bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī

TRANSLATION

By regularly hearing the Bhāgavatam and rendering service unto the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is practically destroyed, and loving service unto the glorious Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.

COMMENT

So, there are different stages in the development of devotional service and they are described in these verses. When one surrenders to the spiritual master and begins the process of regulated devotional service or practical devotional service that is called bhajana-kriyā. But in the stage of bhajana-kriyā, there may be so many anarthas that create disturbance like, envy. The other day, we discussed envy or lust, anger, greed, so many things, pride and envy. So, although we chant and hear, but there are so many disturbances, we can’t chant properly, we can’t hear properly, we can’t associate with Vaishnavas properly, we can’t observe the Vaishnavas properly because of anarthas or various things, various obstacles or kleśa. But by serving the pure devotee, one gets some relief. And especially, when one develops taste for the message of Vasudeva kathā and eagerly listens to the Vasudeva kathā then very quickly the disturbing elements are removed.

So, the intermediate stage is called anartha-nivṛtti, ‘the anarthas are destroyed.’ And then comes niṣṭhā, ‘steadiness in devotional service.’ When he is firmly fixed in devotional service, nothing can deviate him, This is niṣṭhā. So, this is described here. That by serving the book Bhāgavata that means ‘hearing’ And by serving the person bhāgavata, all the disturbing elements are almost destroyed to nil, not fully. Therefore it says, naṣṭa-prāyeṣv. Prāyeṣv means, ‘almost not full.’ In one lecture Srila Prabhupada says, 60 percent or maybe 75 percent that is naṣṭa-prāyeṣv. So, when 50 percent, 60 percent, or 75 percent of the anarthas are destroyed one comes to niṣṭhā then loving service unto the transcendental Lord becomes an irrevocable fact. Irrevocable fact, ‘you cannot go back.’ You cannot go back, you will be fixed. And by hearing, will go forward. You cannot go back.

TRANSLATION (continued)

At that time loving service is established in the heart, the modes of passion [rajas] and ignorance [tamas] and lust and desire [kāma] disappear from the heart.

COMMENT

So, even after anartha-nivṛtti even in, niṣṭhā there is influence of raja-guṇa and tama-guṇa to some extent. And, there is lust and desire. But by continued hearing especially they become washed.

TRANSLATION (continued)

Then the devotee is established in goodness and he becomes happy.

COMMENT

We are feeling some happiness in Krishna consciousness. And therefore, we are continuing from the very beginning stage. One can relish the happiness of Krishna consciousness from the beginning. But because there are disturbances caused by anarthas and especially offenses, our happiness is also disturbed. But by serving the pure devotee and eagerly listening to the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam without offense, the influence of raja-guṇa and tama-guṇa slack. The influence of lust and desire slacken then one becomes fixed in the mode of goodness. Then he is happy. The mode of goodness means ‘happiness.’ Passion means, ‘hankering and intense endeavor, and tamas means, ‘laziness and sleep.’

TRANSLATION (continued)

Thus established in the mode of goodness, the man rejuvenated by loving service to the Lord gains liberation from material association [mukti] and comes to know scientifically of the Personality of Godhead.

COMMENT

Here the devotee’s sadhana is successful. Here he crosses beyond sādhana-bhakti— niṣṭhā, ruci, and āsakti, and he comes to bhāva-bhakti. In Bhāva-bhakti is fully liberated. In ruci, he is also liberated. niṣṭhā-ruci, he is somewhat liberated, 50 percent liberated or whatever. But in bhāva, he is liberated and he comes to know scientifically of the Personality of Godhead. What does it mean to know scientifically of the Personality of Godhead? Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport to this verse in the Bhāgavatam. It means that ‘one sees the Personality of Godhead face to face, eye to eye, that is scientific.’ Otherwise, we know but theoretically. Of course, we do have realization but not realization to see the Lord face to face and eye to eye.

So, this describes the stage of bhāva-bhakti. Rupa Gosvami describes it in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, śuddha-sattva-viśeṣātmā [Cc Madhya 23.5]. In the stage of bhāva-bhakti, śuddha-sattva descends. śuddha-sattva means, ‘beyond material ignorance, passion, and even material goodness.’ It is śuddha-sattva, and in śuddha-sattva or bhāva-bhakti, the heart melts. Any slight remembrance of the Lord or any slight connection with the Lord, the heart melts. And therefore, there are so many ecstatic symptoms in bhāva-bhakti. And bhāva-bhakti is the first ray of the son of prema. In other words, bhāva-bhakti and prema-bhakti are the same, only bhāva-bhakti is the immature state and prema-bhakti is the mature state. And sādhana-bhakti, Rupa Gosvami gives the definition of sādhana-bhakti, ‘practices by which bhāva-bhakti is awakened.’ So, sādhana-bhakti means, ‘one must come to bhāva-bhakti.’ If he doesn’t come to bhāva-bhakti then by Rupa Goswami’s definition, he wasn’t doing sādhana-bhakti. He was doing something else, karma-miśra-bhakti, jñāna-miśra-bhakti or anything. So, sādhana-bhakti culminates in bhāva-bhakti then one is free from the modes of nature. He is fully situated in śuddha-sattva and he has personal realization of God or scientific knowledge of God. So, that is the culmination of sadhana.

So, Srila Prabhupada has come and he has prayed to Krishna that they should hear his message. But they shouldn’t stay stuck only at unsteady devotional service, niṣṭhā, bhajana-kriyā. They should become free from anarthas by eagerly hearing the messages of Godhead. Then they should become fixed, niṣṭhā. And, they should have real taste, ruci. And then become attached, not only to the process of devotional service but attached to the Lord Himself, the service of the Lord. And then, being completely washed of all material contamination, he experiences bhāva-bhakti or as Bhāgavatam says that when bhāva-bhakti comes, lust and other things are washed. As we mentioned the other day, by our own efforts, we can’t become free from lust and other things. But by following the process and by the mercy of Krishna parā-bhakti will come. By hearing the past-times of Krishna, parā-bhakti will come. Parā-bhakti means, bhāva-bhakti and prema-bhakti. And, then the heart disease of lust will be cured. Some people think that first the heart should be freed of lust and then parā-bhakti will come. But the Bhāgavatam says, No. You hear the past-times of Krishna and by hearing the past-times of Krishna with faith, with eagerness, parā-bhakti will come. And parā-bhakti will come in the heart and wash away the heart disease of lust.

So, this is the real process. And Srila Prabhupada is praying here to Lord Krishna, not only that we hear for the sake of hearing but we hear with intense desire, greed, eagerness. And then cleanse the heart and go step by step, step by step, step by step to the perfection, not that we stay implanted in one place but we go forward. This is Prabhupada’s desire. And from the very beginning, he had this desire and he prayed to Krishna. So, we will just finish reading the poem because time is almost over.

MĀRKINE BHĀGAVATA-DHARMA (continued)

rajas tamo hate tabe pāibe nistār

hṛdayer abhadra sab ghucibe tāhār

TRANSLATION

He will become liberated from the influence of the modes of ignorance and passion and thus all inauspicious things accumulated in the core of the heart will disappear.

ki ko’re bujhābo kathā baro sei cāhi

khudra āmi dīna hīna kono śakti nāhi

COMMENT

So, here Srila Prabhupada again comes back to the original position that he is helpless, comes back to the first point.

MĀRKINE BHĀGAVATA-DHARMA (continued)

TRANSLATION

How will I make them understand this message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified, and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own.

athaca enecho prabhu kathā bolibāre

je tomār icchā prabhu koro ei bāre

TRANSLATION

Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure, as You like.

akhila jagat-guru! bacana se āmār

alaṅkṛta koribār khamatā tomār

TRANSLATION

O spiritual master of all the worlds! I can simply repeat Your message, so if You like You can make my power of speaking suitable for their understanding.

taba kṛpā ha’le mor kathā śuddha habe

śuniyā sabāra śoka duḥkha je ghucibe

TRANSLATION

Only by Your causeless mercy will my words become pure.

COMMENT

Earlier, Srila Prabhupada prayed to Krishna that He should release them from the material energy. And how will they be released? They will be released when the messages of Godhead entered their hearts. So, Srila Prabhupada prays for the powers to inspire their hearts with kṛṣṇa-kathā.

TRANSLATION (continued)

Only by Your causeless mercy will my words become pure. I am sure that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts, they will certainly feel engladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions of life.

āniyācho jadi prabhu āmāre nācāte

nācāo nācāo prabhu nacāo se-mate

kāṣṭhera puttali jathā nācāo se-mate

TRANSLATION

O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought me here to dance, then make me dance, make me dance, O Lord, make me dance as You like.

bhakti nāi beda nāi nāme khub daro

“bhaktivedānta” nām ebe sārthak koro

TRANSLATION

I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Kṛṣṇa.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada had one godbrother named Akincana Krishnadasa Babaji, which Srila Prabhupada said, was a paramahamsa. And, he was completely attached to the holy names of Krishna. He was always chanting the holy name. So, he commented that Srila Prabhupada was successful because he had full faith in the holy name. There are some nice anecdotes but there is no time.

TRANSLATION (continued)

I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, and now, if You like, You can fulfill the real purport of Bhaktivedanta.

COMMENT

So, today is the most auspicious day, most important day. If Srila Prabhupada had not come to the west on the orders of his spiritual master, where would we be now? We can’t even think of it. We don’t dare to think of it. So, this day is so important, preaching is so important. Because if Srila Prabhupada had not left Vrindavan and gone out to preach, where would we be? We wouldn’t even know about Vrindavan. We wouldn’t even know about Krishna. So, we are fully indebted to Srila Prabhupada, not only the people of the west but everywhere. Srila Prabhupada’s mission has spread everywhere. If it weren’t for Srila Prabhupada, many people in Asia, Africa, everywhere, they would have no idea about Krishna. And even people in India, although they may have had some idea of Krishna but they might not have had the right idea or the full idea. So, it is really Srila Prabhupada who has been the instrument of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the previous acharyas to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. And today is the day that he put his lotus feet in New York city in Boston. So on this day, you should think deeply about Srila Prabhupada’s mission. How to make his mission successful and pray to become his instrument so that his mission, and the mission of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be fulfilled.

Srila Prabhupada, ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in America, ki jaya!
Gaura premānande, Haribol!

For questions. Okay. One question but it is optional if you want to stay.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:15:08–01:16:21]

Giriraj Swami: Mahaprabhu dasa is actually raising two questions. One is that people speaking on the same verses have different realizations. And the other is that he always thought that it was up to us to surrender to Krishna or not it depends on our free will.

But here we are saying, it depends on the mercy of the Lord or the mercy of the devotee. But actually the versions are not contradictory. If someone has a sincere desire to serve a pure devotee or has a sincere desire to hear a pure devotee, then he is bound to be merciful to that person. He is bound to pray to Krishna for Krishna’s mercy that person may become awakened to Krishna consciousness. If you are envious just like the Bhāgavatam says, prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā, yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ [ŚB 11.2.46]. The preacher is madhyamādhikārī. Uttama-adhikārī doesn’t preach, and kaniṣṭhādhikārī has no power.

So, the preacher is the madhyamādhikārī and his function is to give kṛpā. He has four functions: to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to make friends with devotees, to show mercy to the innocent, and to neglect the envious. So, those who are envious are fit to be neglected. But those who are innocent, who are not envious, who are open, who are simple, who are sincere, they are fit to receive the mercy of the preacher. And the mercy of the preacher is not just that he speaks to you about Krishna. The mercy of the preacher may also be that he prays to Krishna to give you mercy. But then the mercy means, you should also take it. Srila Prabhupada gave so much mercy to so many devotees but they also lost it. They lost it by offenses. But if we follow the process rightly and if we don’t commit offenses then we will get mercy. They want to give mercy but we should be eager for it, or ready for it. And as far as different realizations, Srila Prabhupada said preaching is a matter of realization, is that you can hire a manager, you can hire a cook, you can even hire a pujari, but the one person you can’t hire is a preacher because preaching is a matter of realization. And different devotees have different degrees of realization.

So, their realization of the verses and their explanation of the verses will vary. But every verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is Krishna Himself. Every verse has unlimited meanings. So, it doesn’t mean that if someone on this level explains a verse that his explanation is wrong. His explanation may also be right. Of course, it is also possible to give a wrong explanation. But there can also be many right explanations, according to the realization of the preacher and the level of the audience. But they are not contradictory. Lord Chaitanya explained the ātmārāma verse in sixty-one different ways. So, if you are going to get bewildered that, “Oh! previously He said ātmārāma meant this. Now, He says, ātmārāma meant this. What is going on? One minute, they say one thing. Next minute, they say another thing. What is our position? We are the victim of these people, every day changing, every minute changing. It is not that one explanation contradicts another. The same verse can have many explanations, which are right, but we should know. This is another point. We should know our position or our level. And we should take the instruction that is appropriate for us and that will help us to advance. If we accept an instruction that is meant for less advanced devotees, we will get stuck. And if we accept an instruction that is meant for a more advanced devotee, we may become disturbed. Our service may become disturbed.

So Srila Prabhupada said, a devotee should know his own position and act accordingly. Then there is no problem. The books themselves are full of different instructions. Once there was a controversy in ISKCON between grihasthas and sanyasis. So, disciples said that different devotees are saying different things and you also seem to approve of different statements of different devotees which seem to be contradictory. So, what is the truth? What is the fact? Then Srila Prabhupada replied, according to time and circumstance, different instructions lie. Therefore, Krishna says that do your work and you will attain perfection. And at last, he says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ [Bg. 18.66]. “Give up all your duties and surrender to me. So, both appear to be contradictory, which is right. Both are right but according to time, candidate, and situations. So, whether you are in the position where you should work and gradually attain perfection through work or whether you are in the position to sarva-dharmān parityajya, you should know or you should take guidance from guru and Vaishnava to know what instruction is appropriate for you. But anyway, we should advance. We shouldn’t remain stuck in one place. Gradually, whatever stage we are in, we should advance.

So, somebody may ask the preacher, “Should I leave my work and do bhakti?” And the preacher will say, “No. You should do your work.” But you already left your work. So if you think, Oh! He said, we should do our work. I should go back and do my work. Then for you, it is going backwards. But for him, it is not going backwards. Because in his position, he should remain where he is, and do his work, and progress gradually by giving his fruits, gradually giving more of his fruits to Krishna. But you have already dedicated everything to Krishna. So what is the question? We had one godbrother. He used to say, different slokas for different folks. And even in the same slope, different meanings for different peoples.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Gaura premānande, Haribol!