(Notes #22)
Srila Prabhupada, Our Real Hero Forever
In the material world, it's a known fact that people all over the world remember the exact moment when their favorite luminaries like John F. Kennedy or John Lennon die unexpectedly. At that moment, time freezes and the public never forgets it for the rest of their lives. What to speak of those who recall the precise moment when we all heard that His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness -- and our most beloved spiritual friend and ever well-wisher -- left his body at 7:20 p.m. on November 14, 1977. It was the worst of times for us all. In fact, we never imagined it and that's what's made it so difficult for us to fully process and digest even after 32 years. We're still mourning his seemingly untimely passing from this world and from our lives, and we're still left wondering if we'll ever get over it.
For us, his disciples, Srila Prabhupada was -- and is -- everything. He saved us all from a mundane life of drudgery and nihilism with no end in sight but merciless suffering and meaningless death. At the time -- during the late 60's and early 70's -- we had tried almost everything to no avail. There was nothing we could find in this world except pain. The pain of not knowing what life was all about. The pain of not knowing why we we're here in the first place. The pain of not understanding why everyone -- from paupers to princes -- were all subject to birth, death, old age and disease. Why did everyone ultimately have to die? Nothing really meant anything in the face of almighty death. In the end, life seemed so meaningless.
Yes, at first there were many promises and diversions. The Beatles arrived on the shores of America in 1964 with a message of love: "All you need is love." The Rolling Stones preached the philosophy of rebellion and revolution in the streets. Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin told us to burn our money in the stock market of all places. Timothy Leary advised us to "Tune in, turn on and drop out." The pop songs of the day implored us: "Tra la la la la la, live for today" (for tomorrow we die). Janis Joplin screamed aloud that we should "get it while we can." Jim Morrison advised that, "no one gets out of here alive." Bob Dylan assured us that "the first ones now will later be last" (as he amassed millions of dollars in the process). Eventually we figured out that all our revolutionary heroes cashed in just like the rest of them. They lived lives of excess and often vulgar sense gratification and they no longer practiced what they preached (if they ever did). Those of us who believed in the ideals of "love and peace'" were left on the streets penniless in our tattered blue jeans and torn knapsacks with nowhere to go. The once promising vision of communes, which were supposedly an answer to crass commercialism, all fizzled out due to infighting and the familiar age-old possessiveness of human nature. Nothing had changed. Our so-called leaders talked the talk, but they didn't walk the walk.
Enter Srila Prabhupada, a humble emissary of pure devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna. Not only did he exhibit a selflessness above and beyond what we'd ever seen or heard before, but he mercifully gave us a process to follow which brought us happiness from within. It was so simple, but it worked for all those who sincerely listened and tried it:
"By reading my books and chanting Hare Krishna, your life will become perfect."
(Srila Prabhupada letter, March 14, 1975)
Not only that, but Srila Prabhupada so kindly gave us all a place to live -- free of charge. And did I mention the food? Delicious vegetarian prasadam offered to the Supreme Lord with love and devotion. It was simply out of this world. We quickly made friends in numerous ISKCON temples worldwide, and we were always welcome with open arms. Srila Prabhupada gave us so much facility in which to live happily and travel like we never could have imagined in our previous mundane lives. In fact, Srila Prabhupada once remarked that his disciples traveled from country to country like ordinary folks go from room to room. He gave us everything and it didn't cost us a penny. All we had to do was sing the Lord's Holy Name as enjoined in the ancient Vedic scriptures:
"Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare Hare/
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare."
And boy, was it blissful. Life was a celebration and festival all rolled into one. And the best part was that we quickly learned that "aham brahmasmi" -- We're not these temporary material bodies. We're all eternal spirit souls, part and parcel of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We don't die when the body dies.
Over the years we learned more indepth spiritual knowledge from the Vedic scriptures, translated and explained by Srila Prabhupada himself, and it all made perfect sense. For example, God has both feminine and masculine aspects to His personality -- Radha and Krishna. How could there be so many beautiful men and women in this world and just an old man with a white beard in heaven? Srila Prabhupada wisely revealed to us that the material world is just a pale reflection of the eternal Spiritual Sky. And that Spiritual Sky is our real eternal home. Right now we're like a fish out of water and we can never be truly happy here -- at least not forever. So Prabhupada gave us the sublime process of gradually qualifying ourselves to go back home, back to Godhead by the purifying process of bhakti-yoga. Now this was truly revolutionary and it resonated with millions of people worldwide. The Hare Krishna movement -- under Prabhupada's divinely inspired direction -- took off like wildfire and it seemed like there was no stopping it. The Hare Krishna devotees were all in bliss and their future seemed nothing short of sublime. In fact, Prabhupada was very fond of saying that he had turned "hippies into happies"!
But then, rather suddenly and unexpectedly, Srila Prabhupada's physical body became ill and he left this mortal world in 1977, only 12 years after he arrived in America and sparked the Hare Krishna revolution. Needless to say, the devotees weren't at all prepared. We had anticipated and hoped that Srila Prabhupada would stay with us so much longer -- at least long enough to establish the Krishna Consciousness movement more firmly. We felt weak in his absence and for the first time we were no longer sure of our collective fate. The scriptures confirmed our feelings of despair:
"In the Fifth Canto of Brhad-bhagavatamrta (5.44) it is stated that the association of a pure devotee is more desirable than life itself and that in separation from him one cannot even pass a second happily."
(Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Page 341)
And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (an incarnation of Krishna Himself) asked His devotee Ramananda Raya: "Of all kinds of distress, what is the most painful?" Sri Ramananda Raya replied, "Apart from separation from the devotee of Krishna, I know of no unbearable unhappiness."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 8.248)
For many years we have all felt so much pain and loss due to Prabhupada's departure from our material vision. Yet there are now signs of renewed optimism emerging as we learn to imbibe the higher truths of associating with a pure unalloyed devotee of Krishna even in his physical absence. Srila Prabhupada often warned us that he could leave at any moment, but he also gave us hope in the following statements:
"The Spiritual Master is present wherever his sincere disciple is trying to serve his instructions. This is possible by the Mercy of Krsna. In your attempts to serve me and in all your sincere devotional sentiments I am with you as my Guru Maharaja is with me. Remember this always."
(Srila Prabhupada letter, 12/01/73)
"But always remember that I am always with you. As you are always thinking of me, I am always thinking of you also. Although physically we are not together, we are not separated spiritually. So we should be concerned only with this spiritual connection."
(Srila Prabhupada letter, 13/11/69)
"There are two conceptions, the physical conception and the vibrational conception. The physical conception is temporary. The vibrational conception is eternal. When we feel separation from Krsna or the Spiritual Master, we should just try to remember their words or instructions, and we will no longer feel that separation. Such association with Krsna and the Spiritual Master should be association by vibration not physical presence. That is real association."
(Elevation to Krsna Consciousness, Page 57)
"Although according to material vision His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarsavati Thakura Prabhupada 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 vani, his words. There are two ways of association - by vani and by vapuh. Vani means words and vapuh means physical presence. Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but vani continues to exist eternally. Therefore, one must take advantage of the vani, not the physical presence."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 5 Conclusion)
"I shall remain your personal guidance, physically present or not physically present, as I am getting guidance from my Guru Maharaja."
(Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, Vrindavan, 14/7/77)
"You write that you have desire to avail of my association again, but why do you forget that you are always in association with me? When you are helping my missionary activities I am always thinking of you, and you are always thinking of me. That is real association. Just like I am always thinking of my Guru Maharaja at every moment, although he is not physically present, and because I am trying to serve him to my best capacity, I am sure he is helping me by his spiritual blessings. So there are two kinds of association: physical and preceptorial. Physical association is not so important as preceptorial association."
(Srila Prabhupada letter, 18/8/69)
"So although a physical body is not present, the vibration should be accepted as the presence of the Spiritual Master, vibration. What we have heard from the Spiritual Master, that is living."
(Srila Prabhupada lecture, 69/01/13)
"I also do not feel separation from my Guru Maharaja. When I am engaged in his service, his pictures give me sufficient strength. To serve master's word is more important than to serve him physically."
(Srila Prabhupada letter, 19/7/70)
"So my Guru Maharaja will be very, very much pleased with you ... it is not that he is dead and gone. That is not spiritual understanding ... he is seeing. I never feel that I am alone."
(Srila Prabhupada lecture, 2/3/75)
"So we should give more stress on the sound vibration, either of Krsna or Spiritual Master. Never think that I am absent from you, presence by message (or hearing) is the real touch."
(Srila Prabhupada letter to students, August 1967)
"Krsna and his representative are the same. Similarly, the spiritual master can be present wherever the disciple wants. A spiritual master is the principle, not the body. Just like a television can be seen in thousands of places by the principle of relay monitoring."
(Srila Prabhupada letter, 28/5/68)
"Physical presence is immaterial. Presence of the transcendental sound received from the Spiritual Master should be the guidance of life. That will make our spiritual life successful. If you feel very strongly about my absence you may place my pictures on my sitting places and this will be source of inspiration for you."
(Srila Prabhupada letter, 19/1/67)
"Yes, the ecstacy of separation of Spiritual Master is even greater ecstasy than meeting with him."
(Srila Prabhupada letter, 13/1/68)
So there it is -- the secret of having Srila Prabhupada's personal association even today. Our beloved Prabhupada never left or abandoned us like so many of our heroes in this material world. He is always right here if we want him in our lives. So although we naturally feel the sadness of his physical absence, especially during Prabhupada's annual Disappearance Day, we can all take solace in these wonderful instructions and comforting words from His Divine Grace:
"If you think of me and work for me, then I am in your heart. If you love somebody he is in your heart. It is common thing, everyone understands it."
(Srila Prabhupada letter to "My dear Students," 8/2/67)
Thank you very much for never forgetting us, Srila Prabhupada. You're our real hero -- forever.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
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