NOD 18 – Srila Prabhupada’s Perfect Example

Swarup Damodara dasa: Hare Krishna dear devotees, Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. His Holiness Giriraj Swami ki jaya. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya. 

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca
kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo
vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

nama om viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale 
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

Hare Krishna to all the devotees and a very warm welcome on behalf of ISKCON in Durban, South Africa. Welcome to all the devotees from all over the world. We have seen devotees from India even though it is so late, and other parts even further east. A very warm welcome especially to His Holiness Srila Giriraj Swami Maharaja, who is so very dear to the hearts of the devotees in South Africa, to the devotees all over the world, all of Srila Prabhupada’s devotees. Thank you to Maharaja for agreeing to participate in this wonderful program, a very important topic I should add, a very exceptionally important topic that we felt, who better than His Holiness Giriraj Maharaja to guide us in exploring. 

This evening’s program was actually conceived of by Her Grace Malika devi dasi, a very senior devotee in South Africa, who runs a reading group, cultivating the Krishna consciousness of various devotees. They are about to commence with a reading and discussion of Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta book, the very wonderful biography of Srila Prabhupada by His Holiness Srila Satsvarupa Maharaja. To inspire her reading group to commence with this discussion, we have invited His Holiness Giriraj Maharaja to inspire them. Then, we thought, Why not inspire all the devotees to access the wonderful lessons from Srila Prabhupada’s life? So we will now ask Her Grace Malika Mataji to offer an introduction to His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja. Malika Mataji. 

Malika devi dasi: Hare Krishna dear devotees. Welcome and thank you once again for joining this evening session. We are very blessed and fortunate today to have the wonderful association of His Holiness Giriraj Swami. Giriraj Swami met His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada in 1969. He was very inspired by Srila Prabhupada and then took initiation from him. He later made significant contributions to Srila Prabhupada’s mission. He helped with the different aspects of the development of the Hare Krishna Land in Juhu, the Bhaktivedanta Ashram in Govardhana, the Kirtan Ashram for women, the Bhaktivedanta Hospice and the Vrindavan Institute of Palliative Care, in Vrindavan. 

He is the author of many books: “Watering The Seed” “Life’s Final Exam” “Many Moons” and more recently, his latest book, “I Will Build You A Temple: The Juhu Story.” He is a faithful, loving, and surrendered servant of his spiritual master Srila Prabhupada. Today he will share Srila Prabhupada’s exemplary lifestyle with us, and from there on we can see how we can mold our life in our Krishna consciousness. We hand you over now to His Holiness Giriraj Swami. Once again Maharaja, thank you. Welcome. We are blessed to have you. Hare Krishna. We now hand you over to His Holiness Giriraj Swami. Hare Krishna. 

Giriraj Swami: Before we continue I would like to request the devotees on Zoom to put on your cameras, as far as possible, so we can see your moon-like faces, and it will be more personal. I will begin by singing the maṅgala-ācaraṇa prayers and leading a short kirtan, and then we will speak about Srila Prabhupada’s exemplary life. Exemplary means it is an example for us also, how we can mold our lives. 

[Prayers]

Shall I begin to speak? 

Host 1: Yes, Guru Maharaja, please proceed. 

Giriraj Swami: Okay. We are discussing Srila Prabhupada’s exemplary life. He was exemplary in every way. One thought that comes to mind is that he said the duty of a sannyasi is to write transcendental literature for the benefit of others. And certainly, Srila Prabhupada’s writing of transcendental literature was one of his main services or contributions. It is a contribution that is guiding all of us. Srila Prabhupada is the foundational śikṣā-guru for all devotees in ISKCON, and we get his guidance mainly from his books. He would hardly sleep at night, he would retire maybe at 10:00, get up at midnight, and then he would translate and write books while we were sleeping. We should make his effort in writing his books fruitful by reading his books. By reading and distributing, both. 

The Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu enumerates nine characteristics of one in ecstatic love for Krishna, and Srila Prabhupada certainly exhibited those qualities.

1. He is always eager to utilize his time in the devotional service of the Lord. He wants service always, twenty-four hours a day without deviation.
2. He is always reserved and perseverant. He definitely manifested his perseverance in the struggles in Juhu, and in so many other situations.
3. He is always detached from all material attraction.
4. He does not long for any material respect in return for his activities.
5. He is always certain that Krishna will bestow His mercy upon him.
6. He is always very eager to serve the Lord faithfully.
7. He is very much attached to the chanting of the holy names of the Lord.
8. He is always eager to describe the transcendental qualities of the Lord.
9. He is very pleased to live in a place where the Lord’s pastimes are performed, such as Mathura, Vrindavan or Dwarka. 

We know that Srila Prabhupada lived in Vrindavan before he came to America, and then he established temples. It is also said that a temple in which the deity of Lord Vishnu or Krishna is worshipped, becomes like the spiritual world; it becomes like a holy place. He engaged in service with his body, mind, and words. As far as utilization of times, The Nectar of Devotion says, “An unalloyed devotee who has developed ecstatic love for Krishna is always engaging his words in the service of the Lord. With the mind he is always thinking of Krishna, and with his body he either offers obeisances by bowing down before the deity or engages in some other service.” In this way, his whole life is engaged in the service of the Lord, with not a moment wasted on any other engagement. So Srila Prabhupada’s exemplary life can serve as an example for us; how we can act perfectly in relationship with Krishna, molding our lives to always hear, chant about, remember Krishna, and serve Krishna. And when there are reverses or apparent reverses, we persevere in devotional service, as Srila Prabhupada showed us in his own life. Srila Prabhupada lived his life according to shastra, and his life is the best example we have of the practical application of shastra in one’s life. 

We are fortunate because we have so much information about Srila Prabhupada’s life from so many sources. Now, in Malika devi’s reading group, we will be reading Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, which is a wonderful description of Srila Prabhupada’s life, his activities, and teachings. Many other books have also been written about Srila Prabhupada by other of his disciples, and we should take advantage of these books. Of course, hearing about a pure devotee is purifying to the heart, it is nourishing to the soul, and it informs us of how we can live our lives in Krishna consciousness. So, we have directly from Srila Prabhupada his books, lectures, letters, and from his disciples we have their remembrances of him. Everything in relation to Srila Prabhupada is as good as shastra, so we should take advantage of the presentations about Srila Prabhupada. 

There are also video presentations. Yadubara Prabhu has compiled the DVD series—Following Srila Prabhupada—so we can follow Srila Prabhupada. In both senses of the word, we can follow his activities as they were recorded in video, and we can follow his example as shown in the videos. One of the first devotees who came to ISKCON after Srila Prabhupada left was His Grace Mahaprabhu dasa, who unfortunately left us recently. But I showed him a video of Srila Prabhupada in my office. Actually, we didn’t have videos then, but we had a Fairchild movie projector. And when he saw Srila Prabhupada’s face he said, “My God, I have never seen anyone like him. He has so much love, but at the same time, he is so detached.” Usually, if someone has love, they are attached. And if someone is detached, they don’t have love. But just by seeing Srila Prabhupada in that video or film he said, “He has so much love but he is so detached.” 

Another thing about Srila Prabhupada is that he was ready to do anything for Krishna in the mood of service. I recall one exchange between Sri Bhakti Svarupa Damodara Swami Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada. At that time, he was Svarupa Damodara, he hadn’t taken sannyasa. And Svarupa Damodara said to Srila Prabhupada, “I have only one department, the Bhaktivedanta Institute, the BI, and I have to deal with so many problems. You have the whole ISKCON to deal with, so I can’t even imagine how many problems you have to deal with.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Problems? I don’t see any problems, I see only service to my guru Maharaja.” Yes, we should hear from Srila Prabhupada and hear about Srila Prabhupada, and take advantage of all the information we have about Srila Prabhupada, both in devotees’ writings. Of course, first and foremost we should study his books, but then the writings about him by his different disciples, and the presentations of him in videos, especially the wonderful series Following Srila Prabhupada.

His Grace Krishna Chandra Prabhu in Mumbai, otherwise known as Hrishikesh Mafatlal, said that every devotee should see the films of Srila Prabhupada in the early days in America. He said especially in India, but probably everywhere, people cannot imagine the type of people to whom Srila Prabhupada was preaching. So he recommended that every devotee should see those films to get a sense of the type of people that Srila Prabhupada was bringing to Krishna consciousness. When I think of what he did for me and so many of us, how much time and energy he invested in us, I think we should be like Srila Prabhupada, as far as possible, and be generous with our time and energy to help others in Krishna consciousness, just as Srila Prabhupada was with us. 

As we read and hear more about Srila Prabhupada, we will understand how he really was an empowered incarnation, śakty-āveśa-avatāra . Caitanya-caritāmṛta says kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana, that without being empowered by Krishna’s potency, one cannot spread the saṅkīrtana movement. Many learned devotees have opined that Srila Prabhupada was a śakty-āveśa-avatāra. And Srila Prabhupada himself, in some verses and purports, has basically admitted the same. But then there is also the question of, by whose potency specifically was he empowered? Of course, Krishna in a broad sense, but Srila Prabhupada’s very learned godbrother, Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaja, accepted him as śakty-āveśa-avatāra. And he thought that he was empowered by the potency of Lord Nityananda, who is so merciful upon the fallen souls and whose mission was to deliver the most fallen. So by understanding so many facts about Srila Prabhupada we can appreciate our good fortune of being connected with him, and really take full advantage of his presence in different ways.  

I will just try to find that one quotation when Srila Prabhupada discusses that verse. Well, this isn’t exactly the one that I was looking for but this will also be good. This is Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā, Chapter Three,

TEXT 1

“I wish the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by whose mercy even one who is fallen can describe the pastimes of the Lord.”

COMMENT

Reading this purport, we can see how it applies to Srila Prabhupada.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

To describe Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu or Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one needs supernatural power, which is the grace and mercy of the Lord. Without this grace and mercy, one cannot compose transcendental literature. By dint of the grace of the Lord, however, even one who is unfit for a literary career can describe wonderful transcendental topics. Description of Kṛṣṇa is possible for one who is empowered. Kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana (Cc. Antya 7.11). Unless endowed with the mercy of the Lord, one cannot preach of the Lord’s name, fame, qualities, form, entourage and so on. 

COMMENT

This is so fortunate. I mentioned that there are many books available about Srila Prabhupada. In a way, first and foremost there’s Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, which the devotees are about to start reading—Malika dasi’s reading group. And Tamal Krishna Goswami—we have A Servant Of The Servant, we have TKG’s Diary; Hari Sauri Prabhu—we have his transcendental diaries, and we have my books. Especially this latest book, I Will Build You A Temple: The Juhu Story. As mentioned, following Srila Prabhupada’s videos. There is another series of videos about Srila Prabhupada, Remembering Srila Prabhupada, produced by Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Siddhanta Prabhu, in which he records memories of Srila Prabhupada. Those are also very enlivening and enlightening. The more we appreciate Srila Prabhupada as a person, the more we will appreciate the gifts that he has left for us, and the more eager we will be to read his books and serve his mission. 

Also, Srila Prabhupada was very multifaceted. He was not only expert in everything, but he was enthusiastic in everything related to Krishna’s service. All of his followers reflect different aspects of his personality, of his interests, of his devotional service, and so we can also come to see Srila Prabhupada in one another. How each and every one of us who is engaged in devotional service is in some way fulfilling Srila Prabhupada’s desires and completing his mission. As Srila Prabhupada said, “I have given you the framework, now you have to fill it in.” By appreciating Srila Prabhupada’s multifaceted personality and the varieties of devotees in ISKCON who are able to render different kinds of service, we can also see how to attract new people, anyone and everyone, and encourage them because they all have some spark of service. You just have to fan that spark. 

By hearing more and more about Srila Prabhupada we will get a better sense of what he would want of us and how he would like us to serve him and his mission. Joining ISKCON means that we are making a decision to follow our Srila Prabhupada as our founder acharya. And to really follow him, we should go deeply into his teachings, into his exemplary life and try to follow in his footsteps. Our general process in Krishna consciousness is to taste Krishna consciousness, or relish Krishna consciousness, and distribute it. I think of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s statement. Well, I think most of you are familiar with these two words but I will explain before I repeat what Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said. There are two words, bhajanānandī  and goṣṭhyānandī. Bhajanānandī basically is concerned with his own bhajan, his own chanting, hearing, and remembering Krishna; and goṣṭhyānandī is concerned with preaching, with sharing Krishna consciousness with others. So, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that the best goṣṭhyānandī is a bhajanānandī who preaches. In other words, the best preacher is someone who relishes Krishna consciousness. 

So, we have spoken a bit, about an hour. We have so many learned devotees with us, I think it would be nice to hear from them. If they have any comments or questions. One thing, somehow while we are on the subject of Srila Prabhupada, is japa. In one purport Srila Prabhupada writes that of all the instructions of the spiritual master, the instruction to chant a minimum of sixteen rounds daily is most essential, and here too Srila Prabhupada was exemplary. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had different standards for numbers of rounds to be chanted by different types of disciples, but Srila Prabhupada accepted the standard of sixteen rounds, and he passed on the same standard to us from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. He said when he was a householder, a grihastha, he would chant four rounds before breakfast, four rounds before lunch, four rounds before dinner, and four rounds before taking rest at night. That way he was always sure that he would be able to complete his sixteen rounds. Yes, it is a very good example. 

There were periods when he chanted sixty-four rounds a day, but at that period when he was a grihastha, he would chant sixteen. And to make sure that he did his sixteen, he wouldn’t have breakfast unless he chanted four, he wouldn’t have lunch unless he chanted another four, he wouldn’t have dinner unless he chanted another four, and he wouldn’t take rest until he finished the last four. So we should also be very conscientious with our rounds. As Srila Prabhupada said, if by chance we happen to miss any rounds one day, which we shouldn’t, but if it happens, then we should make up the rounds we missed on the next day. We should always maintain our sixteen rounds. 

When I had my cardiac bypass surgery, at one stage I came to be sixty-three days of rounds behind because I couldn’t chant. I was in such a condition I couldn’t chant. And even when I was able to start to chant, I couldn’t chant sixteen rounds, so I kept falling further and further behind until I was sixty-three days of rounds behind. That is sixty-three times sixteen rounds behind, but I did keep track and I eventually made them up. So we should, of course, be conscientious about our rounds. 

Thank you again for joining. So many of you, even from India as Swarupa Damodara Prabhu mentioned, where it is quite late. But yes, thank you for joining. And now please I would be very happy to hear your reflections, your thoughts, your comments or questions. If you wish to speak, I guess raise your hand, your physical hand or your digital hand. 

Host 1: Guru Maharaja, there is a hand raised, Nityananda Prabhu and Dasrila Mataji.

Giriraj Swami: Wonderful. 

Nityananda Prabhu: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. This pandemic is making us think. I am thinking of this English author Charles Dickens, I think he said “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity. It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” Also I think it reflects the times we are in now, but I am just thinking in spite of all this adversity, there is so much opportunity for us to deepen our spiritual lives and go beyond the dualities of this world. These reading groups that you have inspired, I think is something special where we could really deepen our appreciation of Srila Prabhupada in the association of devotees. 

I am also thinking about your book Guru Maharaja, whilst the title is “I will Build You A Temple” and it definitely deals with that, but it is also a book on leadership, on management, and more so, a book on the love between the spiritual master and the disciple. So I just wanted to thank you for this. You have followed in Srila Prabhupada’s footsteps in so many ways, especially with your writing. But maybe not a question but just an inquiry, I think you joined at the Boston temple, I am not sure if I recall. 

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: Well it will be nice to read about the pastimes of the devotees, especially Your Divine Grace, of the times it was there, in those years. I think you mentioned that devotee early on who said we should watch a lot about Srila Prabhupada in America, but it is also nice to read and appreciate that. I recall reading Hayagriva dasa’s book, “The Hare Krishna Explosion.” It was just amazing in those early days what the devotees and how they were just magically following Srila Prabhupada. But more keenly, I would like to know how it was in Boston when you were there. Thank you. 

Giriraj Swami: I have two books in mind, one about Boston and the other about traveling with Srila Prabhupada in India before Juhu. There was a question, which I should do first. So Kalachandji dasa said I should do Boston first because chronologically it comes first. Indradyumna Swami said I should do traveling with Srila Prabhupada in India first because there is more of Srila Prabhupada in it, and it is a more important period of time. Then I asked Devamrita Swami and he said “Oh, I don’t want to get between these great souls, I am not giving any comment.” Then I asked His Holiness Radhanatha Swami and he said, “Well, you have already done Juhu so you can still do it in chronological order and do traveling with Srila Prabhupada in India, but it is just that the chronological order will be going backwards.” I thought that was a perfect answer so that will be next, and then Krishna willing, after that Boston. 

Swarupa Damodar dasa: Hare Krishna devotees. Anyone else would like to offer some reflections, some thoughts, a question? Hema Gauri Mataji, please unmute.

Hema Gauri dasi: Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja. Daṇḍavat praṇāmas. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. In the beginning of the lecture you said that when you showed this about Mahaprabhu’s comments on Srila Prabhupada being attached and detached at the same time. . . 

Giriraj Swami: Loving and detached. 

Hema Gauri dasi: Oh, loving and detached, okay. So, loving in the material world, we can have love for our children and our grandchildren, and then because the children are busy with their lives sometimes we don’t get the equal reciprocation from them, they are not able to. Sometimes you think, Oh, okay, maybe we should not get so attached to them, we should be detached. But in Prabhupada’s case, his attachment was towards Krishna and he had lots of love for Krishna. So how was it possible for him to be detached at the same time? 

Giriraj Swami: Well, the two go together, being attached to Krishna and being detached from maya go together. He loved everyone because he saw them as part and parcel of Krishna, but he was detached in the sense that he wasn’t asking for anything in return from them in a personal sense. He wasn’t attached to getting anything from them in a personal sense, he just wanted them to serve Krishna and be Krishna conscious. So, in that sense he was detached, he was full of love and at the same time he was detached. 

Hema Gauri dasi: Thank you, thank you very much. 

Swarupa Damodar dasa: Thank you Hema Gauri Mataji. There are a couple of comments or questions in the chat Guru Maharaja, which we can attend to while others may think of questions. Krsangi Mataji is currently involved in service in the gift shop in L.A. temple, so she can’t ask directly. She is asking how many rounds Srila Prabhupada was chanting after he established ISKCON. And then she clarifies that she heard some devotees say that Srila Prabhupada was chanting sixty-four rounds even after he established ISKCON. Was it so? 

Giriraj Swami: Oh, he might have. I always understood that his minimum was sixteen after he started ISKCON because he was so busy. He could have chanted sixty-four but I don’t think that was his regular minimum after he started ISKCON. But in a way, he was chanting all the time, śāntyā and aśāntyā. Śāntyā means counting and aśāntyā means without counting. He was chanting all the time. I think his basic minimum after he started ISKCON, especially when the activities really got going, was sixteen. 

Swarupa Damodar dasa: Thank you Guru Maharaja. Any further comments or questions devotees? There is Pavitra Bhatt Mataji, please unmute. 

Pavitra Bhatt: Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Guru Maharaja, I have a question, this is about initiation. Srila Prabhupada didn’t initiate some of his disciples, for example, George Harrison and Mr. Sethi. Any reason for this? 

Giriraj Swami: Oh, yes. I don’t know if Mr. Sethi was chanting sixteen rounds, and as far as George Harrison, I don’t know. I hope he was chanting sixteen rounds, but he did have some other weaknesses with the four principles. They are great devotees and they definitely got Srila Prabhupada’s mercy even though they weren’t officially initiated. I know at least Mr. Sethi went back to Godhead because in his last days, of course, Srila Prabhupada hinted to Mr. Sethi that he would be going back to Godhead on several occasions. 

At the back of the Hare Krishna Land we had these six apartment buildings, so Mr. Sethi built an additional floor on top of those six, or five of the six. And Srila Prabhupada said, “Just as you are constructing these rooms for my disciples here, Krishna is constructing rooms for you in the spiritual world.” When Mr. Sethi was just about to leave his body in his home, in the Juhu  development scheme near the temple, at one stage, right at the end, he told his family members and devotees who were in the room, he said, “Quick, pack my bags! Srila Prabhupada has come to take me!” I am quite confident about Mr. Sethi’s destination. 

Pavitra Bhatt: Thank you guru Maharaja. 

Giriraj Swami: Regarding George Harrison, he did offer to shave up and move into the temple, but Srila Prabhupada said, “No, better you remain as a veto and write songs about Krishna” but he didn’t offer to do that. 

Swarupa Damodar dasa: Thank you Pavitra Mataji. Malika Mataji, you have your hand raised, you can unmute. 

Malika dasi: Hare Krishna Maharaja. I think in one of your talks last week or the other week you were speaking about Srila Prabhupada wanting Radha-Rasabihari deities to be there and the temple to be built there for Them. You mentioned that Srila Prabhupada had promised Radha-Rasabihari that he would build a temple for Them there. And you also mentioned that even though some disciples weren’t so happy about the place but still Srila Prabhupada was very determined that he promised Radha-Rasabihari that he will build a temple for Them there. Then you mentioned after that, that is how the title of your book came. So, I was just reflecting on how determined Srila Prabhupada was to build the temple for Radha-Rasabihari at that age and with that spirit of so much positivity in wanting to build this temple for Radha-Rasabihari. I was very inspired that at that age Srila Prabhupada had wanted to commit to his promise 101 percent to the deities. 

And another question, as I commented I had, was in your very early days in ISKCON, when you were in the association with Srila Prabhupada and you associated very intimately with Srila Prabhupada, following his instructions. I just wanted to know in your opinion, at that time did you feel that Srila Prabhupada was different or a unique personality at that time when you had just joined in your early days? 

Giriraj Swami: Yes. From the very first day when I came to the temple and asked my question, I felt he knew everything about me, inside and out. It was extraordinary that I had that experience. I felt he was seeing into my apartment, into my bathroom, to the wall of my bathroom where I had inscribed in my own ornate lettering in different colors, “You are God.” Yes, from the very beginning. Of course, that was the first time I spoke to him, but before that, the day before he came and delivered a lecture at Brandeis University where I was a student, that was actually the first time I saw him. And even then, I felt he was so effulgent, I actually had difficulty focusing on his form because he was so effulgent. 

But everything really became clear the next day when I went to the temple and I asked my question, “There are so many swamis and yogis and each one recommends a different process of self-realization. Each one says that this is the best, so how do I know which is actually best?” And he replied with his own question, “What is your goal? Do you want to serve God or do you want to become God?” That was a very intelligent answer because I was asking what is the best means, but before we discuss what is the best means, we have to decide what is the end, and according to that end we adopt the means. 

So, his question was very pertinent: “What is your goal? Do you want to serve God or do you want to become God?” And then he said, “If you want to become God, that means you are not God now. And how can not God become God? Krishna is always God, when He is playing on the lap of Mother Yasoda, when He is speaking Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna. God is God; He is always God. He doesn’t have to become God by doing yoga or meditation.” He said, “If you sow the seed of service to God and water it by chanting, then God will give you the sunlight and all conditions to make it favorable, God will help you. But if you want to become God, why should God help the competition? God is within you, you can become godly, but you cannot become God. If you try to become God, you are only cheating yourself.” 

So, when he was speaking to me, I got this clear impression, this distinct impression that he was seeing straight through me, through the walls of the temple, down the roads to my apartment, looking right into my apartment, into my bathroom, where I had written in my own hand and pasted it on the wall, “You are God” in case I forgot. I had to remind myself “You are God.” So as Prabhupada was speaking to me I felt he was seeing that. Then he asked “So what do you think? Do you want to become God or do you want to serve God?” By then I understood I should want to serve God, but at the same time, I knew that Prabhupada knew what my intention had been. I said, “I want to serve God, but actually I did want to become God” and Prabhupada said, “Yes.” Then I surrendered and I put my head down to the floor in obeisance, I was really in the mood of surrender and I kept my head down for a long time. But I was also afraid that everyone else in the temple room, all the other devotees and guests would be glaring at me, “He wanted to become God” so I also kept my head down because I didn’t want to face that. 

But then I heard sounds that indicated that food was being served, prasāda was being served, and I could feel the atmosphere was light in the temple room. I thought, Okay, maybe it is safe to come up now. So I came up and nobody was glaring at me, everyone was smiling, happy and honoring prasāda. They served me a plate of prasāda and, my God, I think the first thing I had was a cauliflower pakora and it was an explosion of taste in my mouth. Everything tasted out of this world, literally. Then I thought, Everything about Krishna consciousness is perfect, the guru, the process, the philosophy, the food, everything about it is perfect.” 

Swarupa Damodar dasa: Ayushi has also raised her hand, if you could unmute. 

Ayushi: Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. Happy Vyasa-puja for Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja today. My question is in accordance with one blog that I was reading related to astrology. Prabhupada condemned it for the age of Kali-yuga. He mentioned that it is a waste of time to pursue astrological predictions in Kali-yuga, so my question is that many devotees have also taken up this profession of being an astrologer, how good is it to actually go to an astrologer for predictions related to marriage or other things? 

Giriraj Swami: Astrology does have its part to play, and for a marriage proposal I think it is worth checking the astrology of the proposed spouses. It would be wrong to say that Srila Prabhupada was completely against astrology, but once a palm reader came to our camp in India with Srila Prabhupada, I think we were in Indore at that time. The palm reader asked if he could read the devotees’ palms, so Prabhupada said, “Okay.” I guess maybe he wanted to have some fun or maybe he wanted to engage the man. The man was looking at devotees’ palms and I don’t know much about it, I know there is a lifeline in different lines, so he was giving us different predictions. And then after he left, the devotees asked Srila Prabhupada what they should think about what he said to them. He said, “Just by clapping your hands in kirtan all the lines are wiped off, so you don’t have to worry about that.” 

Ayushi: It is so beautiful, thank you Guru Maharaja. 

Swarupa Damodar dasa: Thank you Ayushi. We have a hand raised from Patita Pavan Prabhu, unmute please. 

Patita Pavan dasa: Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja. Haribol. I have a comment. Actually, it is more a question. Something happened yesterday when I was going through Facebook, I found a photo of Srila Prabhupada and I know that photo very well. I think all your disciples know that photo because usually you are behind Srila Prabhupada in that photo, but in the photo on Facebook you were not there. Srila Prabhupada’s face was there but I look at the photo and I say, “Well, this is exactly the same, they did some photoshop and took you out of the photo.” Then I was going to comment something but I didn’t have so much time, but I have the impression that Srila Prabhupada without his devotees is incomplete, so we cannot appreciate his exemplary life without his exemplary devotees. So for me, when I associate with his disciples, I can appreciate Srila Prabhupada. Just a comment, this happened yesterday and I was thinking that without the disciples we cannot appreciate Srila Prabhupada. 

Giriraj Swami: That is nice. I recall something that our departed godbrother, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja said. He said that the difference between us and the Rithviks is that we both want Prabhupada to be in the center, but the Rithvik wants Prabhupada to be in the center without associates, and we want Prabhupada to be in the center with associates. And regarding pictures, of course this is in relation to Krishna, but Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna should never be seen alone. He should always be with some devotee or at least a cow or a peacock, but he said Krishna should never be pictured alone, otherwise, it is impersonal. 

Swarupa Damodar dasa: Thank you Patita Pavan Prabhu, wonderful comment. Maharaja, there is a comment from the YouTube viewers. Raghava Pandit Prabhu wanted us to read this beautiful, powerful, statement that you have made. I will just read it out on his behalf: “Prabhupada told me that if I soon studied the character of Lord Chaitanya in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, even apart from His being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just by studying Him as a Vaishnava, I would become perfect. So, in the same way, I feel that if people study Prabhupada, apart from what his inner identity might be, which we don’t even know, if we studied him just as a Vaishnava or as a great acharya or as a great personality, they will benefit.”

Giriraj Swami: Very appropriate. I thought of that before the meeting and then I forgot after the meeting had ended. Someone else remembers, it is good.

Swarupa Damodar dasa: Thank you Raghava Pandit Prabhu for that recollection. Looks like we are nearing closing time but on behalf of ISKCON in South Africa, we also want to take the opportunity to make a small, but what we feel is very important, presentation to all the devotees by the grace of Guru Maharaja and in the presence of Guru Maharaja as well. So just  stay with me for a few minutes, I would like to present something to you.

The basis of this presentation is to appeal to the devotees listening on this program and hopefully you will all be inspired to carry this request to all your friends, associates and other devotees not on this call. I just want to read something of Srila Prabhupada’s desires for Africa, South Africa in particular. I will first just read a small excerpt from Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta about Srila Prabhupada’s visit to East Africa, particularly Nairobi. And Satsvarupa Maharaja recalls that:

“Prabhupada wasn’t satisfied preaching only to the Indians, he wanted to preach to the Africans. Indians and Africans were completely segregated but since a Krishna conscious person does not make distinctions based on the body, Srila Prabhupada said, “The Indians have the duty to share the spiritual culture with the Africans.” Srila Prabhupada impressed on Brahmananda Swami that his first duty in Africa was to get Krishna consciousness to the Africans. Prabhupada wanted the Africans. He said something, ‘It is an African country, they are the proprietors, we should be preaching to them.’ As with everything else in Krishna consciousness, Prabhupada demonstrated how to do this also. He got the use of a Radha-Krishna temple in a predominantly African downtown area. The temple had a hall with doors opening onto the busy street. Prabhupada instructed the devotees to have kirtan in the hall, keeping the doors open. The devotees did as he asked, and in five minutes the hall began filling up with people. They were curious and they happily joined in the kirtan, smiling, clapping, and dancing.

“Members of the Indian community had been apprehensive of Prabhupada’s opening the hall to the Africans, and some of them had attended to see what would happen. Observing Prabhupada’s compassionate program however, the Indians were impressed. Such an apparently simple program had the spiritual potency to erase culture boundaries. ‘This should be Brahmananda Swami’s mission in Africa’ Prabhupada insisted. ‘Offering Krishna consciousness to the Africans. Krishna consciousness should not be just another Hindu religious society. The Hindu, Indians, should take part by donating money, but Brahmananda Swami’s preaching and recruiting should be among the Africans.’” This is an excerpt from Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, the section In Every Town And Village.

In South Africa we have been quite successful in our outreach to the Indian community and have established quite large and major temples in the heart of many Indian areas. And we have found that many thousands of Indian people have become devotees of Krishna, Lord Chaitanya, followers of Prabhupada. Yet quite admittedly, ISKCON support with the outreach to the African people and the African community has been notably weak. But we have a sacred duty to imbibe Srila Prabhupada’s example and follow his strategic direction with the Krishna consciousness movement in Africa, like we read in the Līlāmṛta.

So, this evening we want to appeal to all of you, devotees from South Africa and everyone around the world, to please consider how you can help this very important and this very vital aspect of Prabhupada’s mission in South Africa. Just today at our ISKCON South Africa National Counselor meeting we have established a National African Preaching Program that will start to focus on three African projects. One in central Johannesburg, in a very lively suburb called Melville, which is near the University of Johannesburg, in Hammanskraal, in Soweto. Melville is headed by a very dynamic group of young devotees focused on preaching to university students and young African professionals. Hammanskraal is a semi-rural project where Giriraj Maharaja’s senior disciples, Vrindavaneshwari Mataji. Many of you may know her. She served very closely under Giriraj Maharaja’s guidance in South Africa, even in Bombay and Mauritius. She has dedicated her life or the rest of her life to this project.

And of course, Soweto is one of the most ecstatic places to share Krishna consciousness. Anyone who has had a fruitful life in Hari-nāma there can easily testify to that. And our Soweto project has been run by one of the most senior devotees in South Africa, His Grace Mahaprabhu dasa. I recall Guru Maharaja also gave beautiful names to the deities there, Sri Sri Dayal-Nitai-Vijay-Gauranga. We also have Mahaprabhu dasa and now he has joined our program as well. Just as an indication of how difficult it is to maintain the African preaching, Mahaprabhu dasa, he  sustains that Soweto project on just about three thousand rand a month, which is just two hundred dollars a month. His entire social grant goes into that project, everything that he has goes into that project. He has sacrificed everything. 

The point is that we have so many dedicated and inspired Africans devotees. Preachers who we feel just a little support from all of us together will be able to significantly spread Lord Chaitanya’s mission all over South Africa and we really humbly appeal to all of you to please help them. I pray that if our appeal has inspired you in any way and if you would like to help, please feel free to contact me, I will put our contact in the chat. But please consider how Prabhupada exemplified how we should preach and how we should apply our resources in supporting the preaching to African people.

I hope I am not going to put him on the spot but I would really like to hear from Mahaprabhu dasa just a little, some thoughts of his, he is such a wonderful Vaishnava in our association in South Africa, and I know for a fact that a very beloved and dear disciple of Guru Maharaja, very committed disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Mahaprabhu dasa, would you like to share some thoughts about Srila Prabhupada and your service to him? You can unmute.

Mahaprabhu dasa: Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Guru Maharaja, all glories to your lotus feet. I have got nothing much to say really, except that Krishna consciousness is so nice and I was speaking to Rupa Ranganatha just recently, and I was telling him how Krishna consciousness is so nice. Krishna consciousness to me is based on two realizations, and that is appreciation and gratitude, without which we cannot advance for the moment. Just like if you see wake up in the morning and some way or the other, we are chanting the Gurv-aṣṭaka, what is it? It is appreciation to Srila Prabhupada. Guru-puja is appreciation to Srila Prabhupada. And then also Srila Prabhupada said most of our advancement is based on association. What is happening in this association, except through appreciation and gratitude. So yes, Krishna consciousness is based on that, appreciation is everything. Anything else outside that to me is not important really. If I can really appreciate the devotees, if I can appreciate what Srila Prabhupada has done for me, if I can appreciate what Guru Maharaja has done for me, to me I feel that is enough. Thank you.

Swarupa Damodar dasa: Thank you so much Mahaprabhu Prabhu. Guru Maharaja would you like to offer any words?

Giriraj Swami: I want to make a donation; I will speak to my treasurer in South Africa and will make a donation to support the African preaching.

Swarupa Damodar dasa: Thank you so much, Guru Maharaja. Prabhupada’s example, just follow his example and I hope the example would greatly inspire us.

Giriraj Swami: I just got one hundred dollars from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.

Swarupa Damodar dasa: Thank you so much anonymous Prabhu! Thank you very much to all the devotees. There was just one other comment, a very good comment from Vrajenda Nanda Prabhu based on the talk. He says “Recently I heard a talk where you said that if you love someone you must know the person. I thought that was very nice and in line with what you had spoken today. Thank you so much.” All right, if there are no further comments, thank you Mahaprabhu dasa for all of your lifetime of sacrifice, you and Mother Malini, Nitai and Manjari, keeping the preaching going in Soweto. 

Just a little saying that we often hear in South Africa, if you don’t know how important Soweto is, there is a nice statement “If Soweto coughs, the rest of South Africa catches a cold.” That is how important Soweto is, and that is how important Mahaprabhu dasa is. He is vital to preaching in South Africa. So yes devotees, please let us rally and support him and other very inspiring and committed devotees in African projects. We really look forward to you contacting us and discussing how we can help.

Thank you to all of you for making the time to join the program, we really do appreciate it. Thank you especially to His Holiness Srila Giriraj Maharaja for guiding us in the importance of understanding and appreciating and reciprocating Srila Prabhupada’s perfect example. Patita Pavan Prabhu has his hand raised, so we will have the last comment on him before we close.

Patita Pavan dasa: I was remembering thirty-two years ago I was in South Africa traveling with Guru Maharaja, and it happened that I had the great fortune to go with Mahaprabhu Prabhu to preach in Soweto. And since then he is preaching there. That is astonishing, a devotee dedicated so much to a service, and I remember those days very nicely. He was very happy, very jovial. Many times I remember him and his attitude in preaching, and this is a jewel that I have in my heart. I keep it as a big treasure. Hare Krishna.

Swarupa Damodar dasa: Thank you Patita Pavan Prabhu, wonderful. Guru Maharaja, would you like to close the evening program with Vaishnava praṇāmas?

Giriraj Swami: Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord, who are just like desire trees, who can fulfill the desires of everyone, and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca

kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo

vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ