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EDITORIAL April 30, 1999 VNN3743 The Desire To Be With Srila Prabhupada (3) BY MAHALAKSMI DASI EDITORIAL, Apr 30 (VNN) — All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I offer my humble respects to all the readers of this humble offering. In this last and final edition of "The Desire to Be with Srila Prabhupada", I wish to share an experience which has brought me closer to my Gurudeva. It is an experience which I can only try to divulge through my inadequate usage of language skills, and through the medium of my imperfect memory. But Krsna is very merciful, and I know he will help me, as He says, "From Me come knowledge, remembrance, and forgetfulness." Nearly four years ago, the Badger community, (renamed New Braja) was visited by His Divine Grace Srila Narayana Maharaja. He has returned each year since, and I wish to express how his presence has been helpful in my developing my relationship with my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. The first lecture which I listened to of Srila Narayana Maharaj, I walked out. I was so scared that I might hear him say something which would cause my devotional creeper to wilt and die... in truth, the opposite has happened. The point at which I walked out of his lecture, he was explaining why he felt that his books should be appreciated by the American devotees. He had commented that down in Los Angeles the authorities are saying, "Don't read Narayana Maharaja's books". At that point, my blurred remembrance of my spiritual masters instructions in the Nectar of Devotion came to mind, which I shall quote in just a moment, and I decided I should leave the lecture. I went home and looked up what Srila Prabhupada has stated in the Nectar of Devotion; I read it over very carefully and prayed to grasp Srila Prabhupada's message and instruction. (NOD page 64-65) "And one should also not be very enthusiastic about constructing new temples, nor should one be enthusiastic about reading various types of books, save and except the ones which lead to the advancement of devotional service. Practically, if one very carefully reads the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Teachings of Lord Caitanya and this Nectar of Devotion, that will give him sufficient knowledge to understand the science of Krsna consciousness. One need not take the trouble of reading other books." In studying the above words, over and over, it appeared to me that the statement, "one need not take the trouble" is not actually a prohibition; I thought about this for a long time, and it came to mind that a disciple might go out and collect bags and bags of flowers for the decoration of the temple, or even more specifically, for the Vyasasana--either way. If the guru were to come and say, "You need not take the trouble" should it be understood that he is displeased? Not necessarily. He might actually not be in a mood of displeasure at all, but might be pleased... just pointing out that the trouble wasn't absolutely necessary. So, I concluded in this regard that Srila Narayana Maharaj had committed no offense in offering his writings to the Vaisnava community of New Braja, or anywhere else, although some people offered objections. Srila Prabhupada's words, "One need not take the trouble of reading other books.", is a reassurance, that his books will take one back home, back to Krsna. I wrote Srila Narayana Maharaj a letter, that evening, explaining that I thought it best not to "push" his books; I was quite shocked afterward to hear him say in successive lectures, "If you like my books, you read, if not, that's OK...(words to that effect). Certainly, I never expected him to be so humble that my simple suggestion would go so deeply into his heart, but it did. I was also informed, by the Mataji at whose home he was staying, that when he came home after the first lecture, which I had walked out of, he said, "I think I have committed an offense". Certainly, he did not do so, but in seeing that my mind was disturbed by his offering of his books, to be read along with the books of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, he concluded that he had been offensive. This is the heart of a true Vaisnava; always meek and humble, always looking at his (or her) own heart, to see if there is room for adjustment or greater care. In writing this essay, I have taken some days to locate an article by Sridam-Sakha dasa, entitled, "Srila Prabhupada and the Gaudiya Math". This article begins with a paragraph epitomizing the mood which myself and most others have lived with, our entire life within the ISKCON temples. Here it is..... " When Srila Prabhupada originally started ISKCON, he was very willing to undertake his mission in cooperation with his godbrothers. However, they were all envious of his success, and neglected all of his requests for help. As if that were not enough, they also did their utmost to disrupt his efforts in whatever way they could, for instance, by poisoning the minds of his disciples against him and reinitiating them. '" "Sound familiar? During the time that I spent living in a temple, from what I heard from other devotees, this was, more or less, the impression that I had of Srila Prabhupada's godbrothers and the Gaudiya math. However, after having done some research on the subject, I began to recognize how complex an issue it was, and that my previous understanding had been over simplistic and misinformed." "No doubt the reader is familiar with some of the negative comments Srila Prabhupada had to make about his godbrothers. However, he praised them on numerous occasions too: "I am very glad to know that Ananda prabhu is staying with you, please offer my dandavats. He is my old godbrother, sincere Vaishnava. Please treat him like your father. Do remain in full co-operation." S. P. letter 6/5/73 "So if you are actually serious to take instructions from a siksa guru, I can refer you to one who is most highly competent of all my god-brothers. This is B. R. Sridhara Maharaja, whom I consider to be even my siksa guru, so what to speak of the benefit that you can have from his association... When I was in India, Acyutananda, Ramanuga, and myself, with others, lived with Sridhara Maharaja, so Acyutananda knows him very well. He spared a big house for us and if both of you go there now, it will be very good for your spiritual benefit. Then I will feel that you are safe. Besides that, if you wish to live in India, you can make arrangements for this house so that other of your godbrothers may go there in the future" letter to Hrsikesa, 69/01/09 There are many many letters and points brought out in this article, for a photocopy please write to Mahalaksmi Dasi, P.O. Box 87, Badger, Ca, 93603......I am going to skip down to the final instruction, which I find most relevant. The following is from a room conversation, recorded October 29th, 1977, just days before Srila Prabhupada passed away. "In keeping with the spirit of the previous acarya's vision of Gaudiya-Madhva sampradaya, to cement relations with all the sister temples of Gaudiya-Madhva sampradaya under one banner, to solidify preaching the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as desired by His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada and Srila Thakura Bhaktivinoda and all the previous acaryas in this line." Then, on November 6th, 1977, the following: Bhavananda: With bookstand. Prabhupada has formed a trust, the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust, and its purpose is to develop Gauda-mandala-bhumi. Prabhupada's one idea is to build this darsana-mandapa at the yoga-pitha. And another is to finish Sridhara Maharaja's darsana-mandapa at his....,to encourage cooperation between the different Godbrothers in the temples. The members of the trust are myself and Tamala krsna Maharaja, and Giriraja, Svarupa Damodara, myself, Madhava Maharaja and Madhusudana Maharaja. Prabhupada named those members. Prabhupada: How do you think the idea? Jayapataka: All of your ideas, Srila Prabhupada, are perfect. I am not someone to offer opinion. but if you ask, I think that actually, especially the yoga-pitha, natha--mandira, that's a very dynamic idea, and in general it must do good. Prabhupada: We want cooperation. (room conversation, Vrndavana, Nov 6th 1977) From the above letter, it is impossible to conclude that Srila Prabhupada expected us to always remain distant from the Gaudiya Math. It should be understood, that in developing a world wide movement with the immature disciples he had, certainly there had to be caution. But as Srila Prabhupada's disciples and grand-disciples develop and mature in their faith to him, and in their understanding of the Vaisnava philosophy, they should have the insight to know what cooperation with the Gaudiya-Madhva sampradaya means. It means appreciation and respect for other senior Vaisnavas, and the ability to work with them to develop the Krsna Consciousness movement worldwide. One final letter of interest contained in the article by Sridham-Sakha dasa explains Srila Prabhupada's nonsectarian view. He said, "The International Society of Krishna Consciousness) is a non-lucrative organization, whose purpose is to promote the well-being of human society by drawing its attention to God. We are a non-sectarian society, and our members include people from Christian, Jewish and Moslem as well as Hindu faiths. The aim of ISKCON is not to found a new religious sect, but to invoke the living entity's dormant love of God, and thus provide the human society of all faiths with a common platform of clear theistic knowledge and practice. Members of ISKCON may retain their own respective religious fathis, as ISKCON is meant to establish a clear, practical common formulation of the common ideal of all theists, and to defeat the unnecessary dogmatic wranglings that now divide and invalidate the theistic camp. This common ideal of theism is to develop love of God." (S.P. letter, 68/08/24) Upon reading Srila Prabhupada's description of what he saw ISKCON to be, how could we, in the farthest reaches of our imagination, think that other preachers of Vaishnavism from the Gaudiya-Madhava sampradaya would not be welcomed to visit, live, preach, or associate within The International Society for Krsna Consciousness? In returning to the original theme of this essay, I would like to conclude by explaining that while listening to Srila Narayana Maharaj speak, here in Badger, I asked myself what I felt would be the benefit of my association with him, through his speaking, his presence, his darshan, etc. My conclusion was that enhancement of my Krsna Consciousness meant to think of Srila Prabhupada at every moment, and thereby I would gradually more and more become conscious of Krsna, through the company of Srila Prabhupada. Well, I can only say that since hearing personally, over the last three years, from this most pure hearted Vaisnava, Srila Narayana Maharaja; hearing constant glorification of Srila Prabhupada, as well as hearing of his (Srila Narayana Maharaja's) awe and wonder at the accomplishments which Srila Prabhupada has achieved by establishing so many temples and attracting so many devotees, my thoughts and my heart have become more and more conscious of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta walking by my side, guiding my desires, my thoughts, even my speech, so that I can ultimately please the Divine Couple Sri Sri Radha and Krsna. This is my heart, and without offering appreciation and gratitude to Srila Narayana Maharaj for his inspiration, for his kindness in offering his darshan, I would simply be an ungrateful thief. I therefore offer him my unlimited obeisances, and thank him for the inspiration I have gained to remember and love my beloved Srila Prabhupada, more and more, each day. Respectfully submitted, Mahalaksmi Dasi About the Author | Other Stories by this Author Comment on this Story | Contact VNN regarding this Story
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