Srila Prabhupad Disappearance day

                  class by

    HH Banu Swamy Maharaj

                        Today is the disappearance day of Srila Prabhupad.Prabhupad actually disappeared in vrindavan.He was 81 years old. In a very short period of time he accomplished something no one else did. Of course if we take India in general, no one else influenced the western other than Srila Prabhupad. Certainly there were famous people. Vivekananda was famous.Ramakrishna was famous. But they do not influenced many people in the western world. Aurobindo also became little famous in the west but he did not influenced the people in the west. Gandhi is famous in the west,but he did not influenced anyone in the west. So western culture was not influenced by the vedic culture before Prabhupad went there. There may be few people, very very few. After Prabhupad established this movement then we see they have changed. Of course there was a change in understanding the philosophy and the Vedas.

                       Previously every one thought oh Vedas means Upanishads, Upanishads means Brahman, Brahman means Impersonalism.Prabhupad brought bhakti yoga,devotion to the personality of God.He brought this concept of god which is most Complete.Complete quality of god has all wonderful form,qualities,activities,pastimes.That was not described anywhere in Western culture.Infact if we look everywhere we find almost zero.So he communicated this to the Western world that there is another concept of god which is superior to the concept.At the same time it is non different.There is attraction because we are not condemning any belief or any religion,but including it Prabhupad established something much greater.So that was theosophy logical.Another achievement was that he gathered people who has committed to this belief.They really sacrificed alcohol,meat,smoke,drugs,tea,etc.

                      They are trying to live a completely different type of life.This was not done before by anybody.There were philosophy of Ramakrishna,Vivekananda,but nobody changed.People changed their way of living very radically.Now they adopted conditions like in India – dress,tilak.This is also remarkable achievement,introducing a culture.In other words we have introduction of a new philosophy and introduction of a new culture.As we know from BG,Krishna says bhakti is the best process and whatever benefit we get from another process are also included in the bhakti process.We have supreme philosophy and the supreme fact and for some reason these things were not known in the west,One reason is that this is not known in India.In other words chaitanya mahaprabhu's bhakti process was not very prominent.It was prominent 500 years ago when Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was there.[Goswamis trying towards in vrindavan that place is very active].

Lord Chaitanya established something very big movement.He started from nothing,he had is own philosophy and then he spreaded.After 500 years we see that the energy the impetus of that movement was  not very strong.Also people were just rarely preserving.What is there?Some of the scriptures are not there now.They are lost.This is not so far back just 500 years ago its not 2000 years ago.Still in 500 years so many things were lost.At the time of Bhakti vinod thakur,he discovered lord chaitanya's philosophy.he was living in Bengal.Still he didn't know anything about lord chaitanya's life history.He tried a complete copy of chaitanya caritamrita,he couldn't find anything anywhere.After very very difficulties he found authorized complete copy of chaitanya caritamrita.Nobody in the west heard the philosophy of chaitanya caritamrita.Then we see that bhakti began very vigorously.Greater victim and Bhakti siddhanta saraswati thakur also keeps up that mission in a big way. Bhakti siddhanta saraswati was great revolutionary.So revolutionary that his brother also rejected him.His brother was also a great devotee but he couldn't understand what Bhakti siddhanta saraswati was doing.So Bhakti siddhanta saraswati thakur very energetically established this movement in India.

                        Bhakti vinod thakur had this idea,that this greatest treasure has to be spreaded everywhere and that was committed by Bhakti siddhantha saraswati thakur and Srila prabhupad also followed it.What prabhupad did was started by Lord Chaitanya, Bhakti vinod thakur, Bhakti siddhantha saraswati thakur.After all this was accomplished, every body said its not so difficult. Any body could have done that.But really none of them did it. Even Bhakti siddhantha saraswati thakur send is disciple to England, Germany nothing has happened.So many of them doesn't encouraged Prabhupad for going to western countries.Yet somehow or other he was very determined and persevere inspite of all the obstacles. Prabhupad said,actually its not me I am like a puppet.Krishna controlled all this and whatever Krishna wants I will do.He also said I did nothing I just followed my spiritual master instruction.That instruction has great shakti.Where is that shakti comes from?Ultimately its Krishna's shakti.So Krishna is the most powerful and he can do the impossible.So through Krishna's will and through his gurus will that shakti transferred to prabhupad.Of course BSS had many disciples and he gave instructions to them. Basically it's the same order. Please Lord Chaitanya by spreading the holy name to everyone.

                         But somehow that shakti began to manifest nicely actually through prabhupad. We see that the shakti of the supreme lord manifested through prabhupad was very very strong.So we can say as the BG says that according to your surrender unto me I reciprocate.So because of prabhupads surrender and desire,Krishna responded.Therefore he was able to accomplish something very great.Krishna's shakti manifested through him because of his full surrender.So that is the greatest thing if one completely surrenders unto the supreme lord,that is very rare.From that every things happened.Lord's desire started manifesting.The desire of the devotees fulfilled.Prabhupad illustrated this very perfectly.So that is the contribution.Somebody criticize prabhupad.But they will never criticize his purity and sincerity.Every thing he did was with that purity and sincerity and for that reason his followers his disciples had faith.He didn't ask anything but his disciples surrendered to him and willing to do anything.So prabhupad's shakti then spreaded through his disciples.

                        In this way prabhupad and his disciples started spreading this movement.It was even now after 30 years of prabhupad's disappearance still that shakti goes on.So the shakti comes from Bhakti vinod thakur, Bhakti siddhanta saraswati thakur,prabhupad and continues only through their sincerity.There is nothing mysterious.All we have to do is very very sincere.We can do that by studying prabhupad's wonderful example.If we study him very very carefully,his writings,words,film,video etc…we will understand that sincerity and we can take that for ourself.Prabhupad was very intelligent he knew he will not stay here for ever.Therefore he started organization to preserve that shakti and he did that from the very beginning of his preaching in America.He had established a procedure by which the society develops.Organisation means leaders,followers,structure.He established a structure and he did that to preserve that spiritual energy.

Some people said oh organization means non spiritual.There will be rules and regulation that controls spontaneous love for Krishna.That is true if we have only material organization.Definitely it restricts the spiritual shakti.The secret is to keep the organization spiritual.By that all the members of the organization spiritualised.Therefore we do have the structure,we have rules and regulations,we have position etc…But we should always remember that the qualification for any of this is spiritual qualification.If we have material and spiritual qualification very good.If we have only spiritual qualification that's also good.if we have only material qualification that's bad.We should be very careful always keep everything spiritual.Prabhupad said I simply followed my spiritual masters order.Therefore I am successful.If we follow prabhupad's order to preserve his shakti and follow him in such a way then we can also be successful.We also preserve prabhupad's order.

                         This movement is a challenge for everyone.It is a great opportunity.We can cultivate bhakti that's for ourself and we are very free to expand this bhakti for others.That is the challenge for everyone.Increase your bhakti and spread it.That is the order given by Bhakti vinod thakur.Two phrases are there naame ruchi and jibe doya.The whole purpose of Lord Chaitanya movement is personally we develop attachment to the name of Krishna and spread it to others.Nama sankirtan also means give mercy to others.If we do one or the other it is not the best thing.So we should do both.That is what the society is for both.Our movement purpose is we can cultivate KC and we can spread KC.So the challenge is for us.Prabhupad took that challenge even in that very old age.So every devotee of ISKCON can also took up the challenge.Krishna will give that mercy.Anything is possible by the mercy of Krishna if they have faith.We can always think of new ways to expand the movement.This is the best way by which we can honour Prabhupad.We keep this movement strong and pure and expanding.He had desires.We have to fulfill his desire.It pleases Bhakti siddhantha saraswati thakur  Bhakti vinod thakur.It is pleasing to Lord Chaitanya,Nityananda,pleasing to Krishna.This is way in which we can advance and we can also expand.Every moment the world keeps going down.Every day there is more and more corruption,more and more sinful activity.So the whole world needs a change.So we want to help others.Let us propagate the mission of Srila Prabhupad to others.