Published on January 2nd, 2022 | by Madhudvisa dasa

Amazing Ecstatic Prabhupada Guru Puja and Bhagavatam Class Video

Prabhupada’s class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17 given at New Vrindavan in 1974 is unique because it is the complete class starting with the Deity Greeting of their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra, with the devotees chanting the Govindam prayers. Prabhupada then walks from the alter to his Vyasasana where the devotees offer him Guru Puja, we have the whole Guru Puja on the video, “Sri Guru Charana Padma…”

Guru Puja concludes with a very ecstatic Hare Krishna Kirtan then Prabhupada chants Jaya Radha Madhava and the devotees recite the verse and Prabhupada gives his class. Then, at the end of the class, Prabhupada leads a very ecstatic kirtan.

This is the only actual complete video recording of a Prabhupada Guru Puja ceremony. So if for no other reason that experiencing this please watch this video.

We are very fortunate that some great soul decided to record some of Prabhupada’s classes when he was physically present. They were recorded with the best possible video technology at the time that was inexpensive enough to be practically used. It was 1/2 inch reel to reel black and white videotape. The original quality was not very good, and on this video the audio was so bad that it sounded like a chainsaw was overwhelming everything. But now, thanks to the latest AI computer technology, we have been able to fabulously improve the quality of the vido and remove the chainsaw sound from the audio.

So it is a great improvement compared to the original recording, it is still black and white video and the audio is not perfect, but it is easy to understand and we have provided subtitles also if you have any problem understanding what Prabhupada is saying.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17 is one of the most famous verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam:

“Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.”

Prabhupada discusses how we can attain peace, shanti. He says that the “peace movement” is not possible, it will not create peace. Peace is only possible in Krishna consciousness. In the spiritual world there is peace, in the material world there is envy. If you improve more than me then I am envious, this is the nature of the material world.

Therefore Srimad-Bhagavatam is not meant for the materialistic person. It is for the person who is spiritually interested.

Prabhupada goes on to study what is the essence of this body, essence of the body is life, the soul. Similarly the cosmic manifestation, the universe, there is also life, otherwise how is it going on? So he is making a simile, a comparison between the individual body and the universal body.

“Unless there is life within this cosmic manifestation how are things going on.” So one who is interested in the life that is causing this cosmic manifestation to work, he is qualified to read the Bhagavatam.

What is the active principle causing this cosmic manifestation to work? This is the central point, and if you simply understand the central point, Krishna, then everything becomes understood, it is very nice. Simply by understanding Krishna everything becomes understood.

One big scientist, Dr Svarupa Damodar Das, he has dedicated his scientific book to me [Prabhupada] saying “he has given me the real knowledge that Krishna is the origin of everything.” But I am not a scientist. So how was it possible for me to convince a scientist? You don’t have to be a scientist to teach a scientist. If you simply understand Krishna you will be able to teach the greatest scientist.

A devotee of Krishna can understand the truth simply by a little mercy of Krishna, others may not be able to understand after many, many births.

The study of science is perfect when one comes to the conclusion that surrender to Krishna is the perfection of everything. Everyone is engaged in different occupational duties but one should be interested to know if by executing this kind of duty will I become perfect.

Human life is meant for achieving perfection, that is the aim of life.

If we understand Krishna slightly in truth that is perfect, it is not possible to understand Krishna completely. Krishna Himself does not know how great He is. “God is great.” But we do not know how great God is.

If you try to understand about Krishna then Krishna will help you how to understand. Krishna is so kind, if anyone is interested to know about Krishna, to hear about Krishna, then even if we do not understand Krishna, if we simply chant Krishna Krishna, if we simply chant like that you become perfect.

Hearing and chanting Krishna means to become pious. We are all sinful, anyone living in this material world is sinful, it is a question of degrees. Unless we are sinful there is no question of accepting a material body.

We get different types of bodies according to the way we associate with the three modes of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. So we are changing body after body and suffering. So if we want to stop suffering we have to stop getting another material body. And that we can do only by Krishna consciousness.

Here in the material world you can elevate up to the mode of goodness, and what is the result of goodness? You can be promoted to a very high planetary system. Earth is a middle planet and if here we associate with the mode of goodness we can be promoted to the heavenly planets. There the standard of life is very much improved from this earth planet. Like Lord Brahma who has a fabulously long life. We can go to his planet.

So we are changing bodies according to our association with the three modes of material nature but that is not the real business of human life. Real business is to hear about Krishna. We are opening so many centers just to give people a chance to hear about Krishna, and if he chants, punya sravana kirtan, then all the dirty things accumulated in the heart on account of contamination of this material world becomes cleaned. And as soon as it is cleansed you understand that you are eternally related with Krishna, he is the supreme master, we are servant, let us serve Krishna, that is the perfection of life, Hare Krishna.

About the Author

Madhudvisa dasa My first contact with a Hare Krishna was a most merciful Mataji in Oxford Street, London who sold me a "Higher Taste" cook book in 1984 while I was on holidays there. I started seriously reading Srila Prabhupada's books in Australia 1985 and by 1986 Srila Prabhupada had convinced me "Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead" and "we should surrender to Krishna." I joined the Hare Krishnas in Perth, Western Australia in 1986. Since then I have been chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, reading and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and preaching as much as I can. That's my life and full-time occupation now really. I like it more than anything I've ever experienced before. Srila Prabhupada's books are so amazing... Even after reading them all many times they're still fresh and new. They are truly transcendental! That's it really. Now I'm just hankering to once again see the world chant Hare Krishna, dance and feast and float away in the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana movement as it did in Srila Prabhupada's physical presence. Let the whole world drown in the ecstatic flood of love of Krishna!