Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 26.08.2016 morning, Ludasto)

(continues from the previous Friday) 

Just look at this picture – this tells everything about Shrila Prabhupada! He had a very unusual face, very picturesque. Look at this picture – with these closed eyes. Beautiful! It tells the inner story. This very elegant gesture of the hands. If you have observed the movies: how he put on his glasses, how he took his pen to sign a paper – it was like a demigod, so delicate! This picture is a part of a series of pictures taken. And it was quoted, “Instead of so many discussions, and resolutions, and conclusions, and this and that, simply try to love Krishna.” Because then you will achieve that kind of transcendental peace.

In 1937 his master disappeared. In 1944 he started his magazine and in 1959 he took sannyas. How can we describe properly such a chosen personality? How to understand him? By descriptions and by his own words. It’s very nice that we have this book, Search for the Ultimate goal of life in Bulgarian also. Do you know how this book was found? Maybe not. The manuscript was lost. Actually it was practically thrown out, it was hidden at the bottom of a barrel. While one very dear god-brother of Gurudev, Shripad Nrisimha Mararaja, somehow removed all the garbage from that bin and at the bottom he found the manuscript. This book was published under his guidance and his god-brothers who belonged to another organization had only one remark concerning this: “Good catch!” So you have to read this book – you will understand a lot about this how deep his inner meditation was. Because he had written this book while he was staying in the Radha-Damodar temple in Vrindavana.

And he was very active trying to find the proper way of preaching. Let me quote some of his ideas here. Before he started his preaching in the West he had organized the League of devotees, Sarva-bhauma Bhagavata Samaj. The goals and some conclusions are mentioned here:

“In order to regain the broken balance of life we shall propagate the spiritual science in an organized, systematic way to all the inhabitants of India and the whole world. Our organization will educate people in spiritual practice, because this is the basis of a harmonious psychic and biological growth of humanity and also the key to harmony and peace amongst all the conflicts. We try to establish a new system of society based on spiritual values in order to bring peace and mutual understanding between people. To propagate God in human society, who is one and absolute, the source of all wealth, fame, might, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, creator of all visible and invisible and the ultimate protector of all existence and also the enjoyer.”

“We shall maintain free postal service; if somebody comes with a question to us, the answer will be free. We invite members from all nations; in this way we grow international and through education and culture we serve the spiritual benefit of the members.”

So you see, he was very practical. A real visionary and at the same time trying to translate this to the daily practicalities of life.

(to be continued)