Date: 19 February 2016
Venue: Bangladesh
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!

We are never tired of talking about Srila Prabhupada……. Haribol!!! It’s more than 40 years, almost 45 years we have been talking about Srila Prabhupada and we will keep talking about him forever.

‘cakshu-dan dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei’

And that is also the reason Prabhupada gave us the cakshu, gave us the eyes, gave us everything, gave us life, Prabhupada has given us Krsna! Haribol!!!

‘krsna se tomara, krsna dite paro tomara sakati ache’

Krsna is with you and you are competent, capable of giving that Krsna to me.

‘ami to kangala krsna krsna boli dhai tava pache pache’

And that is why I am a pauper, I am running after you hoping, begging that you would give us that Krsna.
We were hearing from His Holiness Krsna Ksetra Maharaj that Prabhupada, he was a giver, what did he give? He gave us Krsna. He gave the whole world Krsna. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Maharaj used to say that there is one thing that is lacking in this world. What do you think? Could you imagine what that lack is? What is that lacking?
Srila Prabhupada provided that Krsna, not only to Indians and Hindus but to the whole world.
“Swamiji, why have you come to our country?”, one correspondent newspaper, he asked this question to Srila Prabhupada in America.
Prabhupada said “You also came to our country, now I have come; it’s my turn now to come. But when you came or your Viceroys came, whatever they thought was of valuable, wealth of India, you stole, you looted that. But in fact, the most valuable gift of India, even Viceroys (The British rulers) forget that, they left that behind. So now I have come to do the home delivery of that most valuable thing” (Laughter). Haribol!!

When asked what is that our rulers didn’t recognize the real wealth of India? Then Prabhupada explained, Bhagavad Gita yatha rupa, the culture of our country. The holy name of the Lord, this is the gift, Haribol!!

Whenever Indians went to the West, yesterday Maharaj was talking. We went to take, give this, give us loan, give us job, give us super computers. So as a result, India was known as beggars country. I remember first time I went in ’78. People would asked, ‘Swamiji, where are you from?’. So when I was responding from India, they used to say, ‘Oh! That’s beggar country?!’But Srila Prabhupada didn’t go to take but he went to give, he went to give Krsna.

Another Swami also had gone; Swami Vivekananda also went to the West, to America, to Chicago. “Ladies and gentlemen”, he gave such a speech, they talk about. And as a result of that speech, whatever else he did he influenced the Americans, the Westerners. As a result, one lady surrendered everything and became follower of Vivekananda and she came to India later on and joined him. So after 100 years, when they talk of glories of Vivekananda Swami, they say, ‘ Oh that lady, bhagini Nivedita, big name, she became follower of Vivekananda Swami. So we had one bhagini Nivedita but now we have thousands of bhagini Nivedita right here, Haribol!! And bhaktas also!! (Laughter)

Recently there was a report in a weekly magazine called newsweek and the story about Hare Krsna movement was there. That said, ‘The fastest growing religion in Former Soviet Union is Hare Krsna religion.’ And then the news report had the number, that there are 700,000 followers of Hare Krsna religion in Russia. Haribol!! We don’t know how many but they found out and that’s just Russia and then worldwide.

‘yadi prabhupada na hoito, tabe ki hoito’ like ‘yadi gaura na hoito, tabe ki hoito…’

Jayapataka Maharaj has written a song, if Prabhupada had not appeared, if Prabhupada na hoito, so what would have happened. We cannot even imagine what possibly could have happened to this world, to me!! I don’t know what possibly could have happened. This is because of Srila Prabhupada I got Krsna. Also I got “Hare krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.” The whole world is getting that Krsna through Srila Prabhupada, founder Acharya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness.

When I was a young boy, young man studying in college in Mumbai, Hare Krsna Festival was held in Mumbai. And they had advertised that the European sadhus are in town. Americans sadhus are in town. We Indians had never heard of Americans sadhus. We knew sadhus from Varanasi or Haridwar or Pandharpur. But Americans sadhus?! So this was kind of mind boggling (Laughter) Haribol!! So there were thousands of us Indians, were running to the Hare Krsna Festival to find out is it real thing, fake thing or some… What is that? Could Americans be sadhus? American scientists were okay but American sadhus (Laughter).

So Srila Prabhupada, he is also known as an exporter and importer. He exported Krsna consciousness, culture of India to the West. And he imported American sadhus, European Brahmins, Haribol!!
Next year, following year there was another festival in Mumbai but at Hare Krsna Land Juhu. I attended that festival in ’72 March – April. I was very much impressed with Srila Prabhupada and his followers and Krsna also. I wanted to join Hare Krsna movement. Haribol!! My parents wanted me to be an engineer but I ended of becoming sadhu. Then they invited me back to village saying, ‘Pease come. If you don’t return, then mother may not survive, you better come back.’ I had association of Srila Prabhupada, ‘lava matra sadhu sanga sarva siddhi hoi’. We were Bombay brahmacaris and Bombay was Prabhupada’s office. Prabhupada used to spend lot of time in Bombay.

So I had gone to see my mother. The comments that people were making in my village, ‘He used to be such a nice boy. He used to be nice boy (Laughter) he has become pagal, He has become mad.’ Anyway, somehow I returned.
The day I wanted to join, I wrote my appeal, my application, address to the temple president. I did a hand-written application appeal. I thought this is an International Society; a hand-written application may not be accepted or may not be taken seriously. I went to the typing institute and got it typed for 50 paisa. In the application, I had written, ‘ I like your ecstatic kirtan, I like your dazzling aartis. And I like your sumptuous prasadam.’ I also didn’t know what ecstasy was, ecstatic, sumptuous, dazzling was. I just copied from their festival advertisement (Laughter) I copied. “Please come to attend our dazzling aarti, sumptuous Prasad and ecstatic kirtan.” So I just copied that (Laughter) I liked these all.
And then I went to Hare Krsna Land. I wanted to meet the President. The person that I asked, ‘I would like to meet the president, could you please bring me to him?’ I was thinking it was very difficult; probably I need appointment to see the President. But the person that I asked, he said, ‘I am the president.’ Then I was thinking, once I submit my application, then next board of directors meeting, they will put my application on agenda. There will be discussion, but the president read my letter right then and there. Not only that, he started making big big announcements. ‘Hey, we have new bhakta here! We have new bhakta here!’ Haribol!! So all devotees came running to meet new bhakta and I was welcomed. And soon they asked me to come behind the ashram. I didn’t know why they are taking me behind the ashram (Laughter). When I reached there, there was one barber waiting for me (laughter). So like that, I became Hare Krsna bhakta.

And then the American prabhus, they taught me how to wear dhoti. American sadhus were teaching me how to wear dhoti. And that same evening there was one function in a school. Brahmananda’s brother, Gargamuni Swami Maharaj, he brought me also to the programme. So school children, they didn’t know English. And these American sadhus, they only spoke English. So Gargamuni Swami Maharaj handed me mike also. So he was giving a talk and I was translating. So I became preacher the same day. (Laughter)

So like that, I was finally surrendered onto Srila Prabhupada and joined his movement. Then in ’72 kartik time devotees came from different places in Vrndavana for kartik festival. So I also was lucky fellow, bhakta to also go to Vrndavana. Prabhupada stayed at Radha Damodara Temple. So from Mathura station, we went to Radha Damodara Temple. We took darshan of Radha Damodara and immediately we were scouted to enter into Srila Prabhupada quarters. His abode, residence was very very simple, humble, a small room that he was residing in. Although he was the founder Acharya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness and he had followers like Ambarisa, the Ford and George Harrison. But when Prabhupada returned to Vrndavana, he was residing in Vrndavana like goswamis, very simple, humble.

‘tvaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati”

We were allowed to enter Prabhupada’s quarter and we were sitting around Prabhupada, in front of him in semi-circle. I was kind of sitting right in front of Srila Prabhupada. So Srila Prabhupada was talking to us. While talking, he was also looking at us. He started from devotee at one end and go around. His camera was moving. But when it was turn of Prabhupada to look at me, he would kind of pause. He would stop; take a close look and then move. Again returning, again stop looking at me and around.

I was wondering why I was getting his attention. Did I not put tilak on? Or my buttons not proper? Something wrong with me? Or something too much right with me? I was not able to figure it out until Prabhupada said, “Stop it!!” Stop what? So those days I had a habit. Whenever I would listen with full attention, attentively I would also move my thighs like this. And I was very violently moving which I was not aware. I didn’t know (Laughter) I was moving it. Prabhupada said, “Stop it!!”. And then I stop, never again. Only today I did this or whenever I talk about this pastime (Laughter).
Srila Prabhupada was and is so dear to us, dear to our hearts.

In Mumbai as I mentioned, Prabhupada used to, his arrivals into India, departures from India would take place from Bombay airport. So we used to go to greet Prabhupada at the airport. And also when he would leave, we would go for the farewell ceremony to say bye to Srila Prabhupada. So we used to make sure in which aircraft Prabhupada is entering. Then we used to go on the top of the building, the gallery from where we could see Prabhupada’s aircraft. When we would have full attention on the movement of the aircraft; now it is leaving the parking area and now it is going to take off. And when it took off, we would keep looking at the aircraft till we could see aircraft no more. Then we would pay our obeisances to the aircraft that we would not see in that direction. And come back to the temple feeling separation from Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!
Because Srila Prabhupada gave us everything, gave us Krsna, we feel indebted to Srila Prabhupada. We are grateful to Srila Prabhupada. So one time his followers were talking with him and Prabhupada was saying the debt. Disciple is indebted to the spiritual master.

So one of the disciples there inquired, ‘ Is there some way that disciple could become free from this debt Srila Prabhupada?’
Prabhupada said, ‘ Not possible!’
But thinking for a while, then he said, ‘ Yes, one thing could be done.’
‘What is that Srila Prabhupada? What could we do? What could we do?’

Then Srila Prabhupada said, ‘You do as I did. Spreading Krsna consciousness movement and spreading Krsna consciousness all over the world. I have started it, inaugurated this work and now you carry on, push on this Hare Krsna movement. So you could make attempt to become free from the debt.’ And this was also his instruction. Another last instruction Prabhupada gave to his followers, ‘If you love me, I would like to see that love or expression of that love. I would like to see how you protect this institution after I am gone. Or how you cooperate with each other to protect this institution after I am gone.’
So now of course we love Srila Prabhupada.