You have never seen a Vaishnava.'
After settling in, taking his breakfast, an hour's rest, his massage, and bath, Prabhupada had lunch prepared by Mrs. Saigal with Palika supervising. Then, after his nap, he went out onto the spacious grounds to enjoy the fresh air and pleasant vista of several acres of well-kept gardens. Accompanied by Surendra Saigal and soon joined by a small group of eager devotees, Prabhupada relaxed on the manicured lawns and entered into discussion prior to his scheduled late-afternoon lecture.
Surendra has a strong humanitarian side, and he solicited Srila Prabhupada's opinion about M. K. Gandhi's attempt to elevate the so-called untouchables. Gandhi had tried to give them respectability in Indian society by renaming them "harijanas," literally "associates of Hari," God. But Prabhupada was not impressed. Although he approved of the sentiments behind it, he said that in practicality, Gandhi did not know how to elevate the lower classes. He gave the example of a man who, having obtained a blind son, named him Padma-locana, "lotus-eyed." The name was wishful thinking and did not reflect the reality.
"Similarly," Prabhupada told us, "this harijana movement is a farce because they remain the chamar and bhangis, and still they are called harijana. The same thing. No locana, but 'padma locana.' Everyone has got right; you can become the most advanced devotee. There is no hindrance. But they must be trained up as harijana. Not that artificially you simply rubber-stamp harijana. Therefore that movement is failure."
Advantages in life, he told us?wealth, beauty, learning?were obtained by higher permission, granted according to one's pious deeds. It is not accidental that someone is born in a lower position and someone else in a higher. Just as a person gains promotion in his job according to his work record, similarly everyone gets a birth according to their past deeds.
As far as our movement is concerned though, he said that we deal only on the premise that everyone is a soul, distinct from the body. "Just like a gentleman is gentleman. One may have a different type of dress. Not that everyone is expected of the same dress. But within the dress, a gentleman is gentleman.
Similarly, although there are so many varieties of bodies, within the body the soul is pure part and parcel of Krishna. So the spiritual movement means to take up the spirit soul within the body and to elevate him from the conditioned life. That is spiritual movement."
The principle of the Bhagavatam, he said, was ahaituky apratihata [SB 1.2.6]; there is no material impediment to the soul being raised by this process. Krishna says that even the papa-yoni, the fallen, can be raised by simply taking shelter of Him. "We have to take lessons from the sastras. So anyone can be raised to the highest platform. Candalo 'pi dvija sreshtho hari bhakti parayanah [SB 4.31.10 pur.]. Even one is born as candala . . . means less than the sudras. The dog eaters, Candalas. They are called sva-paca. Sva means dog and paca means cooker. There are still so many. In Korea, in China, in Hong Kong. They eat dogs."
Surendra chuckled and told Prabhupada a story about a German priest who stayed with him last year. The man visited Hong Kong. "He was telling me that he had wonderful soup. And when he found out what was the soup, he said, 'Well, didn't you see the puppy that was going about this morning? It is soup of the same puppy.' "
Prabhupada grinned. He had heard similar stories before. "Yes. In Hong Kong you won't find street dogs. They'll eat them. So in India also there are dog eaters. In Assam you'll find. They make kukur pitha. Kukur pitha means that first of all the dog is given to eat some rice preparation with gur [Indian brown sugar]. And pushing, pushing. When he dies, then it is roasted. Then that is very good food!"
Laughing along with his audience, Prabhupada returned to his point. "So everyone can be raised to the platform of Krishna consciousness. There is no difficulty. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement. So from early in the morning He is teaching. Udilo aruna purava bhage dwija mani gora amani jage [When the rising sun appeared in the East, the jewel of the twice-born, Lord Gaurasundara, awakened]. He was not lazy. He was very busy. From early in the morning. So if we at least pretend to follow Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we cannot sleep. We must rise early in the morning. One must get up at least one and a half hours before the sunrise. That is mangala arati. Mangala arati means to get up early in the morning, take your bath, and be prepared for the mangala arati. Then begin your chanting, prayer. This is activity."
He told us about an exchange he had in the 1940s with a man who had challenged him that Vaishnavas were lazy fellows. He chuckled as he recounted the conversation. "So I said, 'You have never seen a Vaishnava.'
"'No, I have seen these Vaishnavas. They do not do anything and taking mala and pretending to be very highly elevated and sleep and snore.'
"'But you have not seen. You might have seen these pseudo Vaishnavas, but real Vaishnava you have not seen.'
"'What is that real Vaishnava?'
"And I said that in India there were two big wars. One war was the Rama Ravana, and another war Kurukshetra. So in these two wars, the hero is Vaishnava. One is Hanuman and another is Arjuna. Have you seen them? Have you heard about them? Are they lazy fellows? Hanuman is Vaishnava. He could raise one mountain and jump over the sea and set fire in the very beautiful state of Ravana. This is Vaishnava. And Arjuna, he was in the beginning hesitating that 'My cousin brothers, the other side . . .' Then he decided, 'Yes, I shall fight.' Krishna inquired from him, 'Now I have instructed you. Now, whatever you like you can do. And what is your decision?' Then he clearly said, 'Yes, my decision is there. I'll fight.' Karishye vacanam tava [Bg. 18.73]. 'As You advise, I understand that You want this fighting.' So Vaishnava means for the sake of Krishna he can do anything. Not that he is lazy fellow, showing, 'I have become very big Vaishnava. Let me sleep under the name of chanting Hare Krishna . . .' Faithful servant means always alert. And that is bhakti. Anukulyena krishnanu silanam bhaktir uttama [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. Simply one has to execute, anukulyena, how Krishna is satisfied. This is bhakti."
Srila Prabhupada stressed that neither Hanuman, a monkey, nor Arjuna, a warrior, were told by the Lord to give up their occupational duties to "sleep and snore and become a great devotee."
"No. He never says. He says that 'You are attached to this kind of work. All right, do it, but the result you give Me'; that is bhakti. 'Arjuna, you are a military man. All right, I ask you to fight. You become a fighter and become My devotee.' Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me. Just see. What is that? He was not chanting Hare Krishna. But Krishna says, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me: 'You are very dear friend and My devotee.' "
Prabhupada made it clear that he wasn't speaking against sitting down and chanting. But one has to be qualified to do that. "Of course, ultimate is to always be absorbed in glorifying the Lord, but not in the beginning. In the beginning you must work very hard; you come to the stage of pure devotional platform. Then you can fully engage yourself meditation or chanting. Not in the beginning. In the beginning you should be very expert and active. That is wanted. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's . . . Udilo, from early in the morning, active. 'Come on, chant. Come with Me so that others will see. If we make a party chanting Hare Krishna, so in the beginning they may be disturbed because they have been accustomed to sleep up to nine o'clock, but as they will hear, gradually they'll become purified. They'll receive it.' "
He pointed out that Lord Caitanya could have remained at home as a big devotee but didn't. He went out all over India to spread the holy names, and He instructed His followers to spread it all over the world. Prabhupada spoke strongly against the mood of many of the babajis in Vrindavana that one should never leave the place. And as he spoke I couldn't help but be reminded of Nitai dasa's recent criticism's of ISKCON and Prabhupada's refutation of them.
"Prithivite ache yata nagaradi grama [Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya 4.126]. 'All over the world, as many towns and villages are there, this Krishna consciousness movement should be . . .' Not that 'We are big, big gosvamis and babajis. We do not go out of Vrindavana.' Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that prithivite ache yata nagaradi grama. And they have become very big Vaishnava: 'No, I don't go beyond the limits of Vrindavana.' What is this nonsense? Did Caitanya Mahaprabhu say like that, that 'You do not go beyond the limits?' A devotee, wherever he is, that is Vrindavana. That is Vrindavana tirtha. A pure devotee can make any hell a tirtha, a holy place. That is devotee. Tirthi kurvanti tirthani [SB 1.13.10]. That was Bhagiratha. Ganga was hesitating that 'I shall go to the material world. All sinful men will take bathing, and I'll be overloaded with sin. Then how I shall get out of this accumulation of sins?' So Bhagiratha said, 'My mother, don't hesitate. When a holy man will take bath in your water, then all the sins he will assimilate.' Then she agreed. So if we become holy man, actually, then immune. There is no difference. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
"These are bogus, that 'I do not go out of Vrindavana.' They are making Vrindavana limited. Vrindavana is not limited. Wherever there is Krishna, wherever there is a Radha Krishna temple, that is Vrindavana. Caitanya Maha-prabhu, once only He went to Vrindavana. Does it mean He was not in Vrindavana? So this is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, that preaching must go on in hell and heaven. We should be very much expert and follow the instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the simple instructions. Mukunda madhava yadava hari bolena bolo re vadana bori. Simply chant the holy names of Lord, mukunda madhava yadava. This is Caitanya. Rise early in the morning. You go and preach, and work hard, day and night, and that is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's . . . This song indicates."
Prabhupada sat back and with a sideways tip of his head brought the short darsana to close. "Thank you."
As the devotees dispersed, Surendra hung back to express his appreciation of Prabhupada's comments. "As you rightly said that these Vaishnavas, they want to become matha desas, they want to become like kings. They don't want to leave their empire and go out, working hard like you and spreading the message of Lord Krishna."
Prabhupada was happy that he had caught his mood. "Yes. That is our mission."
"That is the right attitude," Surendra continued. "Even if there is one bhakta, that is Vrindavana."
Telling him that a bhakta creates Vrindavana, Prabhupada concluded, "Krishna says, 'I do not stay in Vaikuntha.' Naham tishthami vaikunthe yoginam hridayeshu [Padma Purana]?'Neither I stay at the core of the heart of the yogis.' Tatra tishthami narada yatra gayanti mad bhaktah?'When My pure devotee chants the glories of My . . . I immediately stay there. I immediately stay.' It's not that He is packed up in some place. He's all pervading. Therefore His name is Vasudeva. Isavasyam idam sarvam. He's everywhere. Electricity is everywhere. Only one who knows how to take the electricity . . . So Caitanya Mahaprabhu's preaching and teaching, their effect you have to follow. Then our life will be successful. We don't manufacture ideas. That is not wanted."
He said that some Hindus had manufactured the idea that if one goes over the sea, he becomes fallen. He shook his head in consternation because it was just the opposite of what the Lord had said. "Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that prithivite ache yata nagaradi grama. [CB Antya-khanda 4.126] Foolish theories. Just see?as soon as you cross over the Bay of Bengal or Indian Ocean, you become immediately fallen." Citing the history of one politician who was invited to attend a conference overseas, he contrasted that with his own endeavors. "He took so much Ganges earth. He was mixing that Ganges earth with water. He's going for political purposes, and showing a . . . What is called? Hobby. This is not that. Now this movement is there, and unless we do it very sincerely and vigorously, it cannot be pushed on."
Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 5 by Hari Sauri Dasa
Recently Added
Trending Today