Minnen av Srila Prabhupada

Lärjungar berättar minnen av Srila Prabhupada:

"If you feel at all indebted to me, then you should preach vigorously like me. That is the proper way to repay me. Of course, no one can repay the debt to the spiritual master, but the spiritual master is very much pleased by such an attitude by the disciple."
Letter of August 14, 1976

Prabhupada was very strong in his denunciation of materialists. He would denounce even big industrialists as thieves. Everything belongs to Krishna, he said, and the capitalists (or communists) have taken far more than their God-given quota.

Srila Prabhupada wanted devotees and guests to be attentive while ha spoke on the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. One time when Prabhupada objected to a baby's crying, a person in the audience challenged, "If you are a guru, why are you disturbed?" Prabhupada replied that it was the audience who was disturbed fron attentive hearing and that was why he had asked that the baby's noises be stopped. Even when Prabhupada spoke in Hindi, which most of his disciples could not understand, he expected them to stay and be quiet. He said that even if they couldn't understand the language, the sound vibration would purify them.

"There is no question of using paper or plastic fruits and flowers for worshiping the Deities. If no fresh fruits or flowers are available, then you can decorate with some fresh leaves. You have seen our temples, nowhere do we use such things.You are experienced devotee. Why do you propose like that? We are not after decoration; we are after devotional service for pleasing Krishnas senses. Decoration must be there, of course, to make the temple as opulent as possible for pleasing Krishna. Ouside the temple, you can use plastic ornaments. But not for worship. For daily worship there must be fresh fruits, flowers, and leaves.
Lettter of December 26, 1971

"Regarding your questions, it is not very good to put "statues" of Radha and Krishna on a shelf. If They are not worshiped as Deities, what is the use of such display? Visitors will get the wrong idea that They are merely decorative figures or idols, that we do not take Them seriously. Why you do not worship Them on the altar?"
Letter of December 6, 1971

On another visit to the Brooklyn temple, while Srila Prabhupada was seeing the latest paintings of his artist disciples, he suddenly asked that at tape be brought of his singing the bhajana Jiva jago.
Within a few minutes the tape was found and Prabhupada sat back silently listening, along with the roomful of devotees. He became so absorbed in listening to the singing that to the devotees it appeared he had entered a spiritual trance. Even when he looked up and glanced around the room, they felt Prabhupada's spiritual mood was deep and unapproachable. When the tape was over, Prabhupada still could not speak, and so it appeared that the meeting was over. The devotees began to reluctantly rise and leave. But one of them came forward with another painting.
"Prabhupada, we forgot to show you. Here's one more painting."
"Yes" said Prabhupada, still in a very thoughtful mood. "Yes, it is good." he then looked around at the assembled devotees in the room and began shaking his head appreciatively.
"Actually all of you are good," he sid. "You are all good, and in your association, even I am good. Otherwise, I am very bad". Now the meeting was over, as no one was able to reply to Prabhupada's humble statement.

One time, while Mahabuddhi dasa was guarding Prabhupadas's door, Srila Prabhupada called him in and asked for the juice of a fresh dob. But even while Prabhupada was talking, his sister, Bhavatarini, suddenly entered his room. Prabhupada's sister, known as Pisima (or aunt) to Prabhupada's disciples, had free entrance to see Prabhupada whenever she wanted. Besides, no one could really restrain her if she wanted to see Prabhupada, to talk with him, or to cook for him.
As Pisima sat down in the room, Mahabuddhi got up to carry out Prabhupada's desire for the fresh dob. But Prabhupada spoke sternly, "Sit down". And so Mahabuddhi sat down again.
Srila Prabhupada began speaking with his sister in Bengali, while Mahabuddhi waited for about twenty minutes silently chanting on his beads. The talk between Prabhupada and his sister was enthusiastic, until towards the end when Prabhupada became somewhat reprimanding. Finally Bhavatarini offered her respects to her exalted brother an left the room, Prabhupada stood up , and Mahabuddhi started to carry out his interrupted errand.
As if to explain his action, Prabhupada quoted a verse:
matra svasra duhitra va
naviviktasano bhavet
balavan indirya-gramo
vidvamsam api karsati
"Never stay alone with a woman." said Prabhupada.

"Regarding Bumata devi dasi's affliction, she should simply take the proper treatment. Make the best out of a bad bargain. This material body is a bad bargain because it is always miserable. So to make the best out of this bad bargain means to render devotional service in any circumstance. The dust from the lotus feet of the spiritual master is never to be used for material benefit. That is a great misconception. The best thing is that the girl tries her best to chant sixteen rounds daily and to follow all the rules and regulations even if she is afflicted with something, and in this way she will fully understand the mercy of Krishna and the spiritual master."
Letter of April 8, 1975

"There are many examples in history of persons who have been very much disabled physically but who still have executed Krishna consciousness. Still, up-to-date in places like Vrndavana. India, there are many persons who are blind, crippled, lame, deformed, etc, but they are determined to practice Krishna consciousness to their best ability. Simply be determined to practice the process of bhakti-yoga with whatever abilities you have. If you are really sincere, then Krishna will give you help. If you require any medical help, you take as much as is needed." Letter of June 3, 1975

"So you have done your duty at the last moments of your wife's life so that she could hear the chanting. As to where she has gone, that depends on what she was thinking of at the time of here passing away. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita:
anta-kale ca mam eva
smaran muktva kalevaram
yah prayati smad-bhavam
yati nasty atra samsayah
"And whoever at the time of death quits his body remembering Me alone, at once attains my nature. Of this there is no doubt."
To remember Krishna requires practice, and this is mostly to be done by chanting Hare Krishan mantra."
Letter of June 11, 1974

Prabhupada followed his own schedule and only occasionally departed from it. He was supposed to take massage at about eleven or eleven-thirty in the morning, but if he had guests and was preaching, he would not stop for the schedule. Or at night, he would keep talking, especially with some life member or solicitor in Bombay, but he was never whimsical about time, or about where to be for Krishna's service. Once, after walking along Juhu beach for half an hour, Dr Patel, one of his friends who joined us to walk, suggested that we turn back. Prabhupada looked at his watch and said that it was too early, the Deity of Radha-Rasabihari would not give darsana for another hour. Dr Patel said "If you come back early, since you are a pure devotee, Krishna can give darsana early." Prabhupada said that was out of the question; we cannot change the Deities' schedule to suit ours.
He never went off alone without devotees accompanying him. It was unheard of that he would say "I am leaving for a few days" or "I am going on som private business," or "I am going on a vacation."
Everything was done at the right Krishna conscious moment. Even his solitude (one could overhear it) as he produced the Bhagavatam, or when he was chanting Hare Krishna mantra on beads. The silence of his pure consciousness we could not try to understand, but there were glimpses of it, when he would sometimes tell us of a dream he had, or he would reveal something he had been thinking of alone.
In New York City, in 1968, after staying up very late at night, Prabhupada rose and traveled early in the morning to Boston. He then wrote back to his temple president in New York City, who had not been able to rise on the morning of Prabhupada's departure to Boston. "Don't just praise me," Prabhupada wrote, "but do as I do".
Prabhupada followed his schedule w ith considerable strictness. Events would crash down on him, news of a demon's attack might make him very grave, and yet he would go off gravely to his bath, or take prasadam, unless it became too much, then out of anxiety he would not atttend his eating, or once he stayed up all night worrying when a leading disciple showed signs of serious deviancy. One time when shown colour photos of the first Ratha-yatra in Los Angeles, he stared in transcendental pleasure for hours and did not take his massage. Promptness was the steady factor, punctuated by these depatures showed us something beyond the schedule, but usually everything was taken care of, absorbed within his routine.

He did not fit the stereotype of an Indian who was always two hours late for every meeting. Prabhupada regularly glanced at his watch, and sometimes when his servants were not ready to leave, he would walk out his room and head for a waiting car, prepared to leave them behind. Yet he did not appear like a karmi, bound hand and foot to follow an imoposed schedule that gave no freedom.
The Bhagavad-gita describes the "regulated principles of freedom", and Prabhupada was liberated, but to show us, and to live in the most effective way for accomplishing his service, he organized the day and night of twenty-four hours. There was a best time - when the air was cool and the neighborhood quiet - for taking a morning walk. There was a best time to greet the Deities - according to Their time. There was a best time for devotees to gather, a suitable time to eat for health, and a reasonable time to answer letters. To regulate his men so they would rise early, he rose early. He preached to his guests at times convenient for their schedules. Thus he scheduled his transcendental acts, not for the rule's own sake but for performing constant, optimum service to Krishna, for spreading an solidifying his ISKCON movement in this world.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

"The thing is we should have a little common sense in all activites. The example can be given that women by nature do not forget to dress very nicely although always engaged in the household affairs. Deity worship or lecturing in the colleges is just as important as book distribution. So these things must be done very nicely, and at the same time, book distribution should be done. Not that we should do one thing at the sacrifice of another. That requires a little common sense. Factually, we should be engaged twenty-four hours in Krishna's service and everyting should be done very nicely and perfectly."
Letter of January 2, 1975

"If our men are trained, one man can run a place. One experienced man can sit down in a hut and simply talk about Krishna and organize the local people. That is how I started in the beginning at 26 Second Avenue in New York City. If there is genuine preaching, they will be attracted, so long as the preacher has no self-motivation but simply chants and preaches."
Letter of April 8, 1974


Srila Prabhupada himself was loyal. He always wore the sannyasi saffron dhoti, shaved head, and behaved as a perfect Vaisnava wherever he went. He was the most loyal son of his Guru Maharaja; therefore he carried out the instructions of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to go to the West. When Srila Prabhupada first came to New York City, he was advised by Indian swamis there to give up his strict vegetarianism and sannyasi observances, but Srila Prabhupada was loyal. And in his Bhaktivedanta purports, he is always loyal to the previous acaryas conclusion.
At least when one became his disciple, then Prabhupada asked for complete loyalty. Krishna consciousness knowledge is very exclusive; one has to understand that Krishna in Goloka Vrindavana is the Supreme Truth. Loyalty to Srila Prabhupada means not to follow other versions of the Absolute.
Not being loyal to Prabhupada means to create a very serious erosion in the most crucial place - dedication to the guru. Prabupada once said that if you lose faith in the guru, it is like a crack at the very foundation of your Krishna consciousness.
Loyalty is expressed in living, personal qualities. Because of our attachment, we do not forget Srila Prabhupada, and we take to practices that help us remember him. Loyalty also means that we feel a great distaste and guilt if, in any context, we find ourselves accepting someone else as ou guru.
The more we can retain habits we have learned from him, the style of eating, a way of dressing, then the more we can keep remembrance of him a loyal reality, provided we do these things in an intelligent way.
A Srila Prabhupada disciple is loyal to his philosophy, even in the face of opposition.
One has to read the books of Srila Prabhupada regularly (this itself is another item of being loyal), without modifying or changing his conslusions. Maintaining what he has given us, living in a society of devotees, always chanting the maha-mantra - these are loyal responses. And this very concept of being loyal to Srila Prabhupada is itself another of Prabhupada's matchless gifts. He gave us ample reasons and inspiration to be loyal.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

Källa: Prabhupada Nectar