CC – Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s Disappearance Day—CC Concluding Words

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. So, we have gathered today, as usual, to discuss the glories of the Lord and His devotees. And today, we are gathered for a very special occasion, the Disappearance Day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, the beloved spiritual master, guide, and friend of our Srila Prabhupada, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. I happened to be with Srila Prabhupada on this occasion in 1970 in Surat. And Srila Prabhupada began his remarks by saying that on the absolute platform, appearance and disappearance are the same. He said just like the rising and the setting of the sun, both are beautiful. Of course, for us who are left behind, the disappearance is painful, but as Srila Prabhupada often instructed us, we can feel the presence of the spiritual master, even in his physical separation, by following his instructions. And Srila Prabhupada dedicated his translation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to his spiritual master with the words, “He lives forever by his divine instructions, and the follower lives with him.”

Srila Prabhupada was the perfect acharya. Of course, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and all of our predecessor acharyas in the line were perfect exemplars. But on this occasion, I want to discuss how Srila Prabhupada showed us the example of always remaining connected with his spiritual master, even in his spiritual master’s physical absence by following his instructions. And Srila Prabhupada has discussed this point very beautifully in the concluding words to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So, I will read Srila Prabhupada’s concluding words and discuss. Please repeat after me.

jaya jaya śrī-caitanya jaya nityānanda

jayādvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

CONCLUDING WORDS by Srila Prabhupada

Today, Sunday, November 10, 1974-corresponding to the 10th of Kārtikka, Caitanya Era 488, the eleventh day of the dark fortnight, the Rāma-ekādaśī-we have now finished the English translation of Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī’s Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta in accordance with the authorised order of His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākur Gosvāmī Mahārāja, my beloved eternal spiritual master, guide and friend.

COMMENT

So, here in the very first sentence, Srila Prabhupada mentions the theme of the whole piece, which is that the translation of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta was performed in accordance with the authorized instruction of his spiritual master. And the theme continues, and we should take note of it very carefully because it really is the secret of our success in Krishna consciousness.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

Although according to material vision His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda passed away from this material world on the last day of December, 1936, I still consider His Divine Grace to be always present with me by his vāṇī, his words. There are two ways of association-by vāṇī and by vapuḥ. Vāṇī means words, and vapuḥ means physical presence. Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but vāṇī continues to exist eternally. Therefore we must take advantage of the vāṇī, not the physical presence. Bhagavad-gītā, for example, is the vāṇī of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Although Kṛṣṇa was personally present five thousand years ago and is no longer physically present from the materialistic point of view, Bhagavad-gītā continues.

In this connection we may call to memory the time when I was fortunate enough to meet His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometime in the year 1922. Śrīla Prabhupāda had come to Calcutta from Śrīdhama Māyāpur to start the missionary activities of the Gauḍīya Maṭha. He was sitting in a house at Ulta Danga when through the inducement of an intimate friend, the late Śrīman Narendranātha Mallika, I had the opportunity to meet His Divine Grace for the first time. I was newly married, addicted to Gandhi’s movement and dressed in khadi. Fortunately, even at our first meeting, His Divine Grace advised me to preach the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in English in the Western countries. I was convinced that the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was then in the hands of a very expert devotee and that surely the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would spread all over the world. I could not, however, immediately take up his instructions to preach, but I took his words very seriously and was always thinking of how to execute his order, even though I was quite unfit to do so.

COMMENT

So, this is a very important point. At the very first meeting, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura instructed Srila Prabhupada to preach the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in English in the Western countries. But Srila Prabhupada was newly married and he had family responsibilities, and he felt unable to take up the instruction immediately. But he kept the instruction within his heart, and awaited the opportune moment when he would be able to execute it. We also may receive instructions that we are unable to execute immediately, or that we may begin to execute, and then, after some time, due to circumstances, have to set the instructions aside. But we should always remember the instruction, and wait for the opportunity, or look for the opportunity, or pray for the opportunity, to be able to execute it.

I will give one example of my own. I first met the devotees and Srila Prabhupada in Boston, and I joined the temple there. And Satsvarupa Maharaja was the temple president, as well as the editor of Back to Godhead magazine. So, he encouraged me to write for Back to Godhead. So, I wrote an article about “guru”. And the production schedule was such that it took a few months to actually appear in the magazine. So, when Srila Prabhupada was in Gorakhpur, he received the issue, and he called for me to meet him. And I was quite a new devotee, I wasn’t often called to meet Srila Prabhupada. He said, “I have read your article in Back to Godhead, and you should write. You should take up writing as your main business. And you can stay with me and travel with me, and I will guide you.”

So, within a few days, one of the leading disciples Hansadutta Prabhu approached Srila Prabhupada that he wanted to begin his, what he called, world-traveling saṅkīrtana party. And he wanted me to be on the party. And Srila Prabhupada agreed. So, I was a little disappointed because I thought I was going to be staying with Srila Prabhupada to be trained in writing, but I accepted that whatever Srila Prabhupada did was for the ultimate good of all concerned. So anyway, I went out and bought some lined paper and pens and pencils. Those days were way before computers. And in fact, typewriters were quite rare in India. Most people, if they needed a document typed, would have to go to the courthouse, and there would be typists available that you could hire. So, I bought my lined paper and pens and pencils to take up the order.

So, we went to Agra and Aligarh. In Aligarh, Hansadutta Prabhu received a telegraph from Srila Prabhupada saying that he was putting on a big pandal program in Bombay, and Hansadutta and the party should come immediately to Bombay. So we took the train. And Shyamasundara Prabhu was the temple president, and he was organizing the pandal program, so he had a meeting with all the devotees to allocate the services, and he told me that he wanted me to collect, to raise funds for the pandal program. I said, “Srila Prabhupada instructed me to write as my main business, and if I have to collect for the pandal program, what will happen to my writing?” Shyamasundara Prabhu replied, “You can write anytime, but this is the one opportunity we have. We can go into the office of any big man in Bombay and ask for an advertisement for our souvenir. So you should do this now, and then you can take up writing.” So I thought of what Shyamasundara Prabhu said, and it made sense. It was a special opportunity to meet people, and it was an important program that Srila Prabhupada wanted. And I further considered that Srila Prabhupada wanted us to cooperate with our authorities, so I agreed.

Then, after some weeks, Srila Prabhupada arrived in Bombay. And I don’t know how many of you have experienced it, but it was a wonderful experience when Srila Prabhupada would arrive. He would go into his room and sit down, and the disciples would crowd into the room, and he would glance lovingly at all of them and exchange some words with them. And so, we were all sitting in his room, and he was glancing at the devotees, and exchanging words with them. And then he came to me, and he said, “So Giriraj, how is your writing going?” And I was so flustered, I didn’t know what to say. I was just speechless. But Prabhupada knew that I was unable to speak at the time, so he said, “All right, we will discuss later.” So, later after all the devotees had left the room, he called for me, and then he asked. So, I explained what Shyamasundara Prabhu had said and what I have thought, but I was very, very worried that I had committed an offense, that I had disobeyed the order of the spiritual master, and I was very apprehensive as to how Srila Prabhupada would respond. So, he looked at me thoughtfully, and he said, “One may suspend the order of the spiritual master, but one can never neglect it.”

And then he gave his own example. He said, “My guru Maharaja instructed me to write.” This is paramparā. “My guru Maharaja instructed me to write, but I have been so busy traveling all over India and speaking, that I also practically have no time to write. So, one can suspend the order of the spiritual master, but one can never neglect it.” And so, I was elated that Srila Prabhupada was so practical, he understood that we may receive an instruction but the circumstances may be such that we have to set it aside temporarily. And I was also relieved that I didn’t commit an offense. I was trying to follow his orders but sometimes there are different orders that are contradictory, and one has to decide which order is most relevant, or most important, at the time.

So, just to repeat, so we catch up the thread again.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

I could not, however, immediately take up his instructions to preach, but I took his words very seriously and was always thinking of how to execute his order, although I was quite unfit to do so.

 In this way I passed my life as a householder until 1950, when I retired from family life as a vānaprastha. With no companion, I loitered here and there until 1959, when I took sannyāsa. Then I was completely ready to discharge the order of my spiritual master.

COMMENT

It took some time. But of course, what Srila Prabhupada did was unprecedented.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

Previously, in 1936, just before His Divine Grace passed away at Jagannātha Purī, I wrote him a letter asking what I could do to serve him. In reply, he wrote me a letter, dated 13th December 1936, ordering me, in the same way, to preach in English the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as I had heard it from him.

COMMENT

So, this is also a very important point, that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura repeated the same instruction, so there could be no doubt. Sometimes the spiritual master may give different instructions on different occasions and you don’t know how important they are, whether they were meant for a particular time, place, and circumstance, or whether they are meant to be one’s life’s mission. Last night, I had the same experience in a different way. And I hope you understand that when I say spiritual master, I don’t necessarily mean the dīkṣā-guru exclusively, that is another topic, and that also comes in the discussion here. But any order coming to us from Krishna through whoever it is, we can take as an authorized instruction.

So, last night, I visited the home of an elderly devotee here in Vrindavan. She is over Eighty-one years of age. And almost immediately after I entered, she requested me to pray for her, that at the end, she will remember Radha-Shyamasundara, and also Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, and nothing else. So it was a reasonable request. Srila Prabhupada said, “If someone makes a reasonable request, you should agree.” So, I agreed. Then, maybe midway in the visit, she brought it up again. “I request you that you pray for me that at the end, I can remember Radha-Shyamasundara, fix my mind on Radha-Shyamasundara and nothing else.” I said, “Yes, yes.” And I noted, “Oh, she has repeated it, she is serious.” And then again, towards the end of the visit, she repeated it again. And then I thought, Wow! It actually started to sink in, I thought, This is very serious. And then, as I was leaving, fourth time. So, it had an effect, that repetition had an effect. And I hope I can fulfill my order.

So, repetition is necessary. Sometimes we think from a literary point of view repetition is not good, like in school you are taught not to repeat. But spiritually, repetition may be necessary. And Srila Prabhupada said, “It is not enough that we say Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one purport. But we say Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every purport.” So, one might think from the literary point of view that is a defect that he is repeating himself, but it is necessary. And why is it necessary? Because of us, Kali-yuga readers. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayomanda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ. Kali-yuga people are very slow, so we need to hear the same thing again and again. Recently, I heard a lecture by Srila Prabhupada, he kept repeating the same thing. And then I realized it is because of us, we are so slow he has to keep saying the same thing again and again and again because we don’t get it. We might smile and nod our heads in agreement, but he knows whether it is actually going in or not. And if he senses it is not going in, he repeats it. And the same with the books. He does repeat. But we need to hear it again. And if we read in the proper mood, we will realize we do need to hear it again and again and again, we are not the body. Because we know theoretically, we are not the body, but we react to different circumstances as if we were in the body.

So, when we read Srila Prabhupada’s books, we should be humble that he is repeating because we are slow. And when we actually relish the instructions, then we can have a sense that we are coming out of our material disease. Otherwise, we think, Oh, why do I have to hear that again? I am not the body. That means we don’t want to be reminded. “Why do I have to hear it again? Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” It means we don’t want to surrender to Krishna. These are just possibilities, I am not saying absolutely, but these are possibilities. But here, Srila Prabhupada is mentioning how his guru Maharaja repeated the same instruction that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta gave him in the first meeting, the same instruction was repeated in the last letter, which was just a fortnight before His Divine Grace passed away. And so, Srila Prabhupada understood, “This is serious, this is a confirmation. This is not just a stray instruction, or a random instruction. This is my life’s work; this is the order of my spiritual master.”

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

After he passed away, I started the fortnightly magazine Back to Godhead sometime in 1944 and tried to spread the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu through this magazine. After I took sannyāsa, a well-wishing friend suggested that I write books instead of magazines. Magazines, he said, might be thrown away, but books remain perpetually. Then I attempted to write Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Before that, when I was a householder, I had written on Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā and had completed about eleven hundred pages, but somehow or other the manuscript was stolen. In any case, when I had published Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, in three volumes in India, I thought of going to the U.S.A.

COMMENT

So, there are two important instructions here. First, Srila Prabhupada took up the instruction of his guru Maharaja through Back to Godhead magazine. But then, a friend suggested that, “Magazines could be thrown away, but books remain. So, you should write books.” In other words, the instruction of Srila Prabhupada’s well-wishing friend was a further instruction that was favorable to the original instruction of his spiritual master. He didn’t take it that, “Who is he to advise me?” But he took it, “Oh, yes, he is trying to help me in my service to my spiritual master. He has given me a good suggestion.” And I saw the same thing in Srila Prabhupada later. Srila Prabhupada had a friend in Bombay named Brijratan Mohatta, who was a very intelligent person and a friend of Srila Prabhupada. And he suggested to Srila Prabhupada, “Why don’t you serialize the Bhagavad-gītā in Back to Godhead magazine?” And Srila Prabhupada took the instruction to heart. He adjusted it a little, instead of putting an installment from the Bhagavad-gītā in each issue of Back to Godhead, he decided to put an installment of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in each issue. But that came from a well-wishing friend, not even really a devotee, although towards the end, he became more of a devotee, but just a well-wishing friend.

So, we should be open to good advice, good suggestions, good instructions from any source. And we can take them as being sent by Krishna, being sent by our spiritual master, to help us in our service to them. This is a very, very important point. The other thing is that Srila Prabhupada wrote eleven hundred pages of translation of the Bhagavad-gītā, and then the manuscript was stolen. That is a lot of work, but Srila Prabhupada did not give up. This is another lesson, that if there is some reversal, we should not conclude, “Oh, Krishna doesn’t want it.” We are in the material world, and there are reversals. So, it is a very delicate point because we do always look for indications from Krishna. Is what I am doing authorized? Is what I am doing sanctioned? Is what I am doing blessed? So, one could put in a lot of effort, and then the manuscript is stolen, “Oh, I guess Krishna doesn’t want me to translate the Bhagavad-gītā, or publish the Bhagavad-gītā.” But no, because this order came from his spiritual master, so he persevered even in spite of the reversal.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

In any case, when I had published Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, in three volumes in India, I thought of going to the U.S.A. By the mercy of His Divine Grace, I was able to come to New York on September 17, 1965. Since then, I have translated many books, including Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Teachings of Lord Caitanya (a summary) and many others.

In the meantime, I was induced to translate Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and publish it in an elaborate version.

COMMENT

“I was induced,” that means, the same idea, he was requested, he took it, “This is coming from my guru Maharaja, I should do it.”

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

In his leisure time in later life, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhakura would simply read Caitanya-caritāmṛta. It was his favorite book. He used to say that there would be a time when the foreigners would learn the Bengali language to read Caitanya-caritāmṛta. The work on this translation began about eighteen months ago.

COMMENT

So, this series came to seventeen volumes, and he completed it in eighteen months. That means one volume per month. That is a lot. No ordinary human being could do it, there is no question. As Vaisesika Prabhu said recently in San Jose, even to publish a pamphlet properly takes a lot of work. Just a little pamphlet, to get to say what you want to say in the proper way and have it spelled properly and punctuated, it is a big thing. Even a sign, a good sign can take time. And, seventeen volumes in eighteen months, it is a super human feat. And I can tell you that. . . Well, it was Prabhupada’s mercy, to publish them. Because Prabhupada was so far ahead of the BBT with his translation that he was feeling discouraged, “I am translating the books, but the BBT is not publishing them.” So, on one morning walk, he spoke to the head of the BBT, Rameshwar Prabhu. And at that time, they were way behind, maybe two volumes had been published, or three, there were fourteen left. Srila Prabhupada said, “I want these books published in four months.” That is also a lot of publishing. And Rameshwar immediately replied, “Impossible.” And Srila Prabhupada responded, “Impossible is a word in the fool’s dictionary.” [laughter] So, then Rameshwar Prabhu said, “Well, what if we can’t do it?” And Srila Prabhupada said, “Disqualification.” In other words, “You are disqualified from this service, you lose your job.” [laughter]

So, the order came, and it was serious. And so, Rameshwar called all the devotees together, and they completely reorganized themselves. They started to work around the clock, literally, twenty-four hours, they would hardly sleep. And one example is the art department because to produce paintings for all the books required a lot of new art work. So, instead of the usual way where one artist will do one painting. . . And, there could be a little sense of proprietorship, “This is my painting,” they gave up that sense of proprietorship, and they divided up the work according to who was expert in what area. So, if someone was good at backgrounds, that person would do all the backgrounds. If someone was good at faces, that person would do all the faces. If someone was good at cows or other animals, that person would do all the animals. And they would work literally around the clock. If someone was tired, they might rest for an hour, hour and a half, and then they would be up again, working.

And the other devotees who were not directly involved with the press, they also supported the effort. They would cook, they would bring prasāda, they would do the devotees’ laundry, they would do everything to facilitate the devotees so that all of their time could be used for the book production. So, that was surrender. And that came by the force of Prabhupada’s order and the devotees’ surrender to his order. And as it is said, that when the spiritual master gives an order, he also gives the potency to execute it. So, that was another miracle, publishing thirteen or fourteen volumes within four months, that was the force of Prabhupada’s order and his mercy coming through paramparā from his spiritual master and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Krishna.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

In this connection I have to thank my American disciples, especially Śrīman Pradyumna dāsa Adhikārī, Śrīman Nitāi dāsa Adhikārī, Śrīman Jayādvaita dāsa Brahmacārī and many other boys and girls who are sincerely helping me in writing, editing and publishing all these literatures.

COMMENT

So, Prabhupada didn’t take credit for himself. On the one hand, he gave credit to his guru Maharaja, and then on the other hand, he gave credit to his disciples. Now we come to a very, very, very important point. In a way, it is the most revealing of all the points in the piece.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

I think that His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura is always seeing my activities and guiding me within my heart by his words. As it is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye. Spiritual inspiration comes from within the heart, wherein the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His Paramātmā feature, is always sitting with all His devotees and associates.

COMMENT

So, there are two points here. The main one is that he was getting instruction from his spiritual master within the heart. Now, often we hear that the Lord is in the heart, and certainly, as the Paramātmā, He is in the heart. But here, Srila Prabhupada says that the Lord is not in the heart alone, He is accompanied by His associates and servants within the heart. So, that includes the spiritual master. So, when Srila Prabhupada said he is guided by his spiritual master within his heart through his words, of course, Srila Prabhupada kept the words of his spiritual master in his heart, the words that he received from him in person when Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was physically present, but he also received further instruction from his spiritual master within the heart. And how we can be eligible to receive such instruction within the heart is very important because we all need instruction within the heart because we don’t always have the external manifestation of the spiritual master to guide us.

Srila Prabhupada quoted, “tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye.” That refers to Lord Krishna instructing Lord Brahma within the heart. We read in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that when Lord Brahma took birth, he was surrounded by darkness, and he did not know what is his purpose in life, what is his duty in life. And he received instruction within the heart. Who knows what the instruction was? Tapa, to perform austerity. And Srila Prabhupada says, “We are all like Lord Brahma, we are all born in darkness, and we all need to know what is our purpose in life, what is our duty.” And the way to find out is by tapa, by austerity, and specifically, devotional service.

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam

dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gītā, to those, satata-yuktānāṁ, to those who are constantly engaged. Not that we meditate for twenty minutes in the morning and twenty minutes in the evening and then the rest of the time we do nonsense, or not even that we chant our sixteen rounds and then do all nonsense. But satata-yuktānāṁ, and prīti-pūrvakam, means with affection, not officially, not externally that, “Oh, guru Maharaja said I have to do this. All right, I will do the minimum.” A few years ago, there was a big festival in the Philippines. It was really wonderful, devotees from all over the orient came, many devotees from China. And so, different senior devotees were there, giving seminars. And one was Krishna Kshetra Prabhu, who is an authority on deity worship. So, one of the questions was, “What is the minimum standard that one has to meet in order to install deities?” And Krishna Kshetra Prabhu replied, “Now, isn’t that an odd question? ‘What is the minimum standard?’ From the very beginning, the mentality is wrong. ‘What is the minimum I have to do to be able to have an installed deity?’” Anyway, you got the point.

So, prīti-pūrvakam, it means with affection, with a desire to serve, with a desire to please, with the desire to make Krishna and the paramparā happy. In that mood, Krishna, within the heart, gives intelligence. Now, what does that mean, “Give intelligence?” That is also a very interesting question, because once, in maybe 1976 or maybe even 1977, a newspaper reporter was interviewing Srila Prabhupada, and asking Srila Prabhupada how he gets answers, and, asking, “Do you reason it out, or is the answer revealed to you by the Supreme?” And Srila Prabhupada, he made the point that Krishna can give him the answer. And teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ, Rameshwar Prabhu thinking that this was maybe a little bit too much for the interviewer to be able to accommodate, he explained that what Srila Prabhupada really means is that Krishna gives the intelligence. And Prabhupada replied, “Not necessarily. He can also speak directly.” [laughter] But of course, you have to be on a certain level, that is a high level. But Krishna can speak directly. And here, Srila Prabhupada is saying not only Krishna, but His associates who are in the heart with Krishna can also speak directly. It may be a little mysterious, who is actually speaking. [laughter] Like, now wait a minute, which of you down there is this? But in a way, it doesn’t matter because all the instructions would be harmonious. And it is possible, as one becomes more advanced, one can actually distinguish these different voices of these different superiors who are lovingly guiding us within the heart. And then again, in his utter humility.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

It is to be admitted that whatever translation work I have done is through the inspiration of my spiritual master because personally I am most insignificant and incompetent to do this materially impossible work. I do not think myself a very learned scholar, but I have full faith in the service of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhakura. If there is any credit to my activities of translating, it is all due to His Divine Grace.

COMMENT

Now, Srila Prabhupada shifts a little bit.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

Certainly if His Divine Grace were personally present at this time, it would have been a great occasion for jubilation, but even though he is not physically present, I am confident that he is very pleased by this work of translation. He was very fond of seeing many books published to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Therefore our society, the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, has formed to execute the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhakura.

COMMENT

So, this is our mission, this is paramparā. This is the same order coming from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu through paramparā to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to Srila Prabhupada, and now to us, the members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

I wish that devotees of Lord Caitanya all over the world enjoy this translation.

COMMENT

So, now Prabhupada translated the book. We have to read it; he translated it for us. He hardly slept at night, really, about maybe two hours, it was all he slept at night, and then he got up and translated for us so we could read these books. So, we should make his effort fruitful by reading and relishing and applying. Of course, it is good that we distribute them too, but as Prabhupada said, “Distributing my books will keep them happy, and reading my books will keep them.” In others words, keep them from going astray, wandering away.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

It is my wish that devotees of Lord Caitanya all over the world enjoy this translation, and I am glad to express my gratitude to the learned men in the Western countries who are so pleased with my work that they are ordering in advance all my books that will be published in the future.

COMMENT

Yes, devotees got standing orders. His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami Maharaja was one of the great leaders in that project of getting standing orders from the universities and libraries.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

On this occasion therefore, I request my disciples who are determined to help me in this work to continue their cooperation fully. . .

COMMENT

That is us.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

. . . so that philosophers, scholars, religionists and people in general all over the world. . .

COMMENT

Even in Russia, even in China, even in Greece.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

. . . so people in general all over the world will benefit by reading our transcendental literatures such as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, dated November 10, 1974, at the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Hare Kṛṣṇa Land, Juhu, Bombay.

COMMENT

So, we have our orders here. Of course, there are general orders and specific orders, but we definitely have our general orders here. And on this occasion, appreciating the mercy of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura on Srila Prabhupada and through Srila Prabhupada on all of us, we should rededicate ourselves to his orders, to his mission. And of course, to preach one must practice. Here Srila Prabhupada has emphasized publishing and distributing books, but to do any activity in Krishna consciousness, especially in a sustained and effective manner, we really have to practice. And Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura commented that the best. . . Well, I hope you know these words, goṣṭhyānandī and bhajanānandī. Goṣṭhyānandī is someone who is absorbed in preaching, ānanda means bliss, someone who gets bliss by preaching. And bhajanānandī is someone who gets bliss through bhajana, through one’s spiritual practices. And he said that the best goṣṭhyānandī is a bhajanānandī who likes to preach. So, we should all be bhajanānandīs also. And we are in Vrindavan dhāma, which is such a boon for bhajana. So, yes, when we really relish our chanting and hearing about Krishna, our japa, our kirtan, our deity worship, our association with more advanced devotees, then we can preach.

Vaisesika Prabhu has been requested to write a book about book distribution. And when I stayed at his home some months ago, he was discussing the book with me, and he said that one of the basic points of the book is that our preaching, or our book distribution, should be the overflow of our bhajana. His bhajana is amazing. Even though he is a grihastha, he doesn’t live in the temple, but his morning program at home is so powerful, it is amazing. And then, out of all that ecstasy from one’s bhajana, one wants to go out and share that bliss with others, share that mercy with others. So, we have everything, we really do, we really have everything, all the instructions, all the facilities, the deities, the association, everything we need, we just need to dedicate ourselves, rededicate ourselves, and take full advantage. Our temple commander Dharmatma Prabhu told me that I can speak for as long as I want. [laughter] But time, place, and circumstance, I have taken an extra half hour, but it is a fast day, so we also saved maybe a half hour. So, of course, we could go on discussing on and on and in different combinations and permutations, we should discuss as much as we can, but I think we will end now. I guess we can see if anyone has any questions or comments. Yes, two over there. Okay, well, maybe we will just limit it to these two. Is there a traveling microphone?

Devotee: Maharaja, maybe you can give some inspiration for book distribution?

Giriraj Swami: Give some inspiration for the book distribution?

Well, I just think of one letter that Srila Prabhupada wrote me. He just wrote, “Go on increasing books, and go on increasing my pleasure.” So, our whole purpose is to please Srila Prabhupada and the paramparā, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So, by increasing books, we are increasing Srila Prabhupada’s pleasure, and through paramparā, the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And when they are pleased, we are pleased. Another small incident that came to mind, perhaps in December in 1976, Srila Prabhupada was invited to the Gītā conference in Warada, which is near Nagpur. And in his room, Srila Prabhupada mentioned to me, and there was one other disciple in the room, that when he sees us enthusiastic to distribute his books, his enthusiasm increases. Now, this surprised me because I always saw Srila Prabhupada as being unlimitedly enthusiastic, but he said that when he sees us enthusiastic to preach and distribute his books, his enthusiasm increases. So, this is like the Vedānta-sūtra that brahman is unlimited but always increasing. So yes, we should just distribute more and more and more. Do you have something to say to inspire the book distribution? [laughter]

Devotee: I am not qualified. [laughter]

Giriraj Swami: Oh, one thing. When I would distribute books, I would always pray to the Lord in the heart of the perspective buyer. Things have changed. We have sponsorships and mass distribution, but just approaching people, you put a book in their hand, and then they look at it, and while they are looking at it, we speak about it. And then I would always be praying to the Lord in their heart to inspire them to do some service and take the book. So, I think that also, to be absorbed in Krishna while we are in the act of distributing the books, that will make it all very pleasing and sublime. Yes, last?

Devotee: Maharaja, thank you very much for inspiring us [Unintelligible 01:16:33]

Giriraj Swami: Well, he says that I was involved in the Juhu project, which was a completely different situation for me, and how did I get the determination to persevere.

Well, I will have to reply by going back in time a little bit more. Because when I joined, I learned, as every new devotee, we should attend maṅgala-ārati, we should chant our rounds, we should read the books, we should clean the temple, we should honor prasāda, we should go on hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, everything. And to me, it was just a list of things to do, which I did gladly, I was happy to do all of it. But then, one night, on the balcony of the Calcutta temple, I had a talk with His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami that gave me a different insight. And I can’t explain all the details, but he shared with me his personal conviction, that the secret of success in spiritual advancement is to please the spiritual master, to follow the order of the spiritual master. And somehow, his words really went into my heart, and I accepted his words. And then, that became the focus for me, that became the focus. And everything else was there, everything was there, the same morning program, the japa, the books, the preaching, it was all there. But it had that specific focus of pleasing the spiritual master and serving the spiritual master.

So, that was with me when I came to Juhu. But then, there was another little incident. Because of all the complications with Mr. Nair who owned the land and he was a very big demon. Once in Los Angeles, I used the word demon at the beginning of my talk. I told the story of Juhu in brief, and one of my godbrothers said when he first heard the word demon, he didn’t like the sound of it, but by the end of the story, he agreed, “Actually, he was a big demon.” So, I am not using the term lightly, he was a big demon. But rest in peace. [laughter] So, I was in tremendous anxiety, and I was just waiting for Srila Prabhupada to come to Juhu because I thought that when Srila Prabhupada comes to Juhu, then I will get relief from my anxiety. So Srila Prabhupada came, and my anxiety didn’t go away. And I was wondering what was happening. So again, I asked Tamal Krishna Goswami. And I was confused because I knew I was doing what Prabhupada wanted me to do because he told me directly, but still, I was in anxiety. And Tamal Krishna Goswami explained, “It is like you are in a room that is on fire, and the only way to get out of the room is to put your hand through the glass window to break the glass window. It is the only way you can get out, so you have to do it. But in the course of doing it, your hand is going to feel pain.”

So, it is not that I was doing anything wrong. In other words, Krishna is the body, but Prabhupada is Krishna’s representative, he is like the body, and we are, like the hand, we are part and parcel of the body, so we have to serve the body. But it is not always like that, that the hand puts the rasagullā in the stomach, and the nourishment spreads throughout the body and the hand is happy and the body is happy. It may be that the hand has to break the glass window, so the body can escape from the fire. And temporarily, there will be some pain. But I can honestly say that I feel that whatever mercy I have gotten subsequently in all the decades since then, predominantly a lot of it, a lot of it comes from those austerities I performed back then in Juhu. So, yes, I really do believe that one who surrenders to Krishna through the spiritual master is not the loser, but is the gainer, by many, many times. Even if temporarily, it seems like there is some loss, but that is just temporary. But ultimately, the mercy and blessings and benefits one gets from the mercy and blessings of the spiritual master is beyond anything of this material world. So, Hare Krishna.

Devotees: Hare Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura ki jaya!!

Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai ki jaya!

Nitai-Gaura premānande, Hari Haribol!