An Offering On Srila Prabupada's Vyasa – Puja 2006
Srila Prabhupada was a " Vaikuntha man." He was not limited to any particular time or place. I have to say that, to my vision, Srila Prabhupada was completely perfect. His ability to cut to the essence was perfect. Whe asked why the death rate was so high in India, he countered, "The death rate is the same everywhere: 100%." When foolishly asked, "Is the world flat?" he answered, " Everywhere I walk it is," and then added with a chuckle, "except for new vrindaban."
Some challenged, "I say we have evolved from monkeys," to which Srila Prabhupada countered, "Where is the question of evolution? I say you are still monkey."
A man said," Sooner or later, I will surrender to krsna." Srila prabhupada advised, "Better sooner. Do you know you have a later?"
He was perfect n his compassion. When one of his sannyasis saw a poor woman picking through the trash, he turned to Srila Prabhupada and said, "Sometimes I feel so sorry for these people." Srila Prabhupada looked at him with a gaze laden with mercy and questioned, "Why just sometimes?"
A man shouted at Srila Prabhupada during a darsana and had to be hustled out of the room. The devotees were quite unnerved and began to speculate as to the offender's future. Would he be born in a decrepit condition here on earth? how would he become free of his offense? After the discussion went back and forth among the devotees for some time, Srila Prabhupada looked up and offered, "We could forgive him," an option no one else had thought of.
As Srila Prabhupada prepared to give an arrival address, he looked out over the audience of college
students,hippies, factory workers, inner city street kids, Indian families, and even few motorcyclists dressed in full leather regalia. He said to himself, softly but with determination, "Krsna's lotus feet are big enough for everyone."
He was perfect in humility. While he explained the vedic system of four varnas and four asramas, an agitaed communist interrupted him, challenging, "And I suppose you think you are first class?" Srila Prabhupada stopped him cold by answering with deep conviction: "No, I am fifth class. I am a Servant of all the other classes."
He asked that a picture of Srila Bhatisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakuura be hung behind his darsana desk. When the devotees came in to do so, he was sitting there working. They began to back out of the room, saying they wold return later. He instructed them to go ahead with the job, but they protested, "Srila prabhupada, we are afraid we might bump into you in the process." With complete innocence he replied, "What? For service, you can stand on my head."
He was perfect in bravery. A morning walk in kolkata took him past the massive Victoria Memorial, towering two hundred feet above the park. He related how as a young boy, when it was being built, he scaled the scaffolding to the very top. A devotee offerd," Srila Prabhupada, you ust have been very brave." He replied, " Yes, and I am still brave. Otherwise, how did I came to America all alone?"
He was perfect as a disciple. His personal assistant was so impressed by a powerful series of evening lectures Srila Prabhupada was giving in London that while offering the daily massage he felt like he was getting a world champion ready for a prize fight. With youthful enthusiasm he was going on and on with praise, when suddenly Srila prabhupada slapped his hand on the mat and said firmly, "No. I am siply the servant of my guru maharaj."
Srila Prabhupada gave a small glimpse into his perfect love and dedicated to his guru maharaja inthe following excerpt from his concluding words to the Sri Caitanya Caritamrta: Although according to material vision his Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati 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 mwby his vani, his words…… I think that His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is always seeing my activities and guiding me within my heart by his words. It is to be admitted that whatever translation work I have to done is through 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 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. If there is any credit to my activities of translating, it is all due to His Divine Grace.
Srila Prabhupada was perfect in his surrender to the order of his guru maharaja. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura instructed Srila Prabhupada, "Goto the West!" and it became Srila Prabhupada's life's mission. Others told him that no one beyond the shores of India would take up the teachings of Lord Caitanya. He was cautioned that it would be freezing cold and that he would have great difficulty finding vegetarian ingredients for cooking. "Then let me starve," was his response. He was warned, "You will die of a heart attack." Yet he still left the sweet shelter of Vrndavana and arrived in the land of the mlecchas, alone and unassisted. "When I got off the boat, I did not know whether to turn lef.
He was perfect in his disappearance from this world. Voltaire, the infamous atheist, called for a priest in his last hours. Many of those who preached that "it is all Brahman" have left this world hooked up to machines and begging for a few more days. In contrast, Srila Prabhupada never wavered and never faltered. When the devotees begged him to stop traveling and rest, he replied, "I want the benediction to fight like Arjuna until my last breath. If a warrior dies on the battlefield, is it not glorious?" In perfect appreciation of and reciprocation with his mood of selfless devotion, Krsna allowed Srila Prabhupada to leave this world in Vrndavana, giving the world his Bhaktivedanta purports until nearly his last breath.
He was perfect in his instruction. Confirming his empowerment directly by Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, Srila Prabhupada managed to present the path of the Six Gosvamis in such a way that even the most fallen could take it up. At the same time, the highest lilas and most intimate understandings lie embedded in his Bhaktivedanta purports, to be revealed as the heart becomes purified.
The simple truth is that the more I surrender to following each and everyone of his instructions, the more I realize how perfect they are. They are perfect for happiness now, perfect for happiness in the future, and perfect for offering the best service to all humankind. There is no way I can ever properly express my indebtedness and gratitude toward the most perfect spiritual master and friend, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
His most insignificant servant,
(Badrinarayana Dasa)