Bhakti Caru Swami’s Disappearance Day offering to Srila Prabhupada
Why do we hesitate to tell a new comer who is searching for a guru that Srila Prabhupada, the best guru the world has ever seen, is still here, and one can surrender unto him and go back to Godhead very easily? When we have such a great good fortune, why do we not take full advantage of it?
…Prabhupada did not say anything and then in a very soft voice he told me, “Didn’t I teach you that the spirit soul is eternal and he never dies?”
That one statement gave me a profound realization: how could the person who taught me that the spirit soul never dies ever die himself? He will always be with us, although some day he may disappear from our mundane vision.
But today, when I look back, I can see that soon after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance we took it for granted that Srila Prabhupada is not here any more – like any other mortal, as he left his body, he is no more. I very strongly feel that this is the greatest mistake we have made. And as a result, ISKCON today is in such a critical condition. Now that we assembled here to celebrate Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance pastime, once and for all let us recognize that Srila Prabhupada has not gone away.
Rather, he has simply disappeared from our vision. Although we are not able to see him any more with our mundane vision, he is very much there, watching us from the spiritual sky. He will always be there to guide us, provided we remain fixed up at his lotus feet.
He will reward us when we please him and he will chastise us if we make mistake.
It is due to the mistake of considering that Srila Prabhupada is gone we are facing all these difficulties. During his last days on this planet, Srila Prabhupada told his leading disciples many times, “Just maintain what I have given you.” At that time we thought it would be such an easy thing to do. However, today we see how miserably we failed to fulfill that instruction. Srila Prabhupada’s greatest asset was his devotees, and that asset we started to lose first. Now we are about to lose everything else that His Divine Grace gave us to maintain.
I do not want to blame anyone for all the mistakes that were made, but we must nonetheless recognize them and learn our lesson from them. Therefore, with all sincerity, I say that we are losing everything because we had been thinking that Srila Prabhupada is now dead and gone, and we started to claim our shares of our inheritance. This morning, during her speech, mother Daivisakti pointed out how natural it is to see that Srila Prabhupada is ‘the guru’ of ISKCON, still today. It occurred to me how clear a fact that is. Still, how seldom we act according to that understanding! Or do we ever act at all with that understanding?
Nevertheless, everyday, in all the temples of ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada is worshipped by everyone.
Then why do we hesitate to tell a new comer who is searching for a guru that Srila Prabhupada, the best guru the world has ever seen, is still here, and one can surrender unto him and go back to Godhead very easily? When we have such a great good fortune, why do we not take full advantage of it? It is only when we do so that the glorious days of ISKCON will come back again and we will witness Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtan movement starting to spread in leaps and bounds all over the world.
If we really love ISKCON and if we sincerely want the Krsna Consciousness movement to spread all over the world in every town and village, then let us broadcast all over the world that Srila Prabhupada is still with us and that anyone who wants to receive his mercy can approach him and establish his eternal relationship with him.
On this day when Srila Prabhupada has apparently left this planet, let us take up the solemn responsibility to recognize the fact that Srila Prabhupada is always present in his ISKCON, and that whoever wants to can come and meet him here, still today. As his humble servants, let us help them to establish their relationship with His Divine Grace.
Bhakti Caru Swami
About the Author
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada! “Virtues when overly applied (and in wrong circumstances) can become vices and do alot of harm. There is a time for compassionate action to become transformed to measures of discipline.”
Devotees be part of the solution,not part of the problem. Take taking such a critical stance for bringing Srila Prabhupada back to the centre of his ISKCON is detremental to all. Work with the devotees and do in the right mood and state of mind and that is of serving Srila Prabhupada and his ISKCON. The above commentary adds no value to anything and is therefore rendered useless.
Dont be mistaken though, as i do agree with you all however your approach will bread contempt and get us no where.
I recommend using your intelligence to dismantle what we call ISKCON today and re establish Srila Prabhupadas ISKCON, rather than you verbally criticising.
Be part of the solution not the problem!
Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai!
There is a saying that actions speak louder than words. These words from HH Bhakti Caru are from about 11 years ago, yet is there any evidence that he has walked the talk yet?
He loves to be honoured with lavish worship and daily puja as the Guru of his disciples (cake requiring 8 devotees to carry it – included!).
He is known to get angry when there are not enough disciples glorifying him on his ‘Vyasa-Puja’ day as the one who is performing all the functions of being their eternal Guru which he now claims Srila Prabhupada actually fulfils.
He continues to take disciples and collect Daksina (gifts and money meant to be used in the service of God, not for personal sense gratification) under the plea that they must have a ‘living guru’ like him to ‘surrender to’, to ‘approach’, to take back to Godhead, to ‘chastise’ and to ‘guide’ i.e. even though he now agrees that Srila Prabhupada does this – which of course begs the obvious question as to why we need him AT ALL?!
Hare Krishna AGTSP, PAMHO.
His grace Bhakti Charu Swami (Title gived by himself in honor of his political behavior) sould be considered as a disident or he dont knows what do hipocresy is.
The BChS conclutions are a psicotic disasotiation, because Srila Prabhupada (The master of all the devotees) is death since 1977, accordingly with the demonic conclutions of the GBC (Gang of Bandits Corruptors).
More even, A.C. “Bhaktivendanta” Swami is not only, no more the Acharya or Prabhupada in ISKCON since 1977, but the GBC don´t accept him neither as an acharya of the vaisnava tradition, and by that all his books can be changed, his institution can be desmounted and his name can be errased from the history becouse he is not an autority in any sense becouse (accordingly the GBC) he dissapeared in 1977, and all his money, girls, lands, properties, power, domination and servands passed away too another hands. “King death King Crowned.”
The concept: “All Glories To Srila Prabhupada” was changed to: “Iskcon Guru Vrinda Ki Jay”. And so on.
The following was a coment by Srila Prabhupada to Citshukananda prabhu in Cuernavaca, Mexico, in 1972.
“We can have the situation about a devotee who gets up every day of the year at 3: 00 a.m., showering and dressing as a perfect vaisnava dhoti, kurta, sika and tilaka on his body. Go down into the hall of the temple, chant about 8 rounds for space of one hour and then participate decidedly in mangala-aratik. When this function is completed; the devotee worships Tulasi Devi and then diligently chants the rest of his rounds during the japa`s time [from 5: 15 a.m. to 6: 30 a.m.]. Subsequently he directs Guru-puja and attends to the hosting of the deities, “Govinda”. Then you’ll see him sit in front or side of the exposed altars and give an inspiring teach of the Srimad-Bhagavatam illustrating citing of memory Sanskrit slokas, telling puranics stories and doing analysis and tremendous inferences.
Completed the morning devotional sadhana, this devotee will go to do his devotional service for the rest of daytime to plan, motivate others, or directly execute a plethora of activities aimed at promoting the Krishna Consciousness movement. Already overnight read carefully Caitanya caritamrta or Krishna book and finally finished his day you’ll see him drinking a glass of hot milk and eating two puris. The devotee repeatedly named can have been doing without fail all this devotional routine for a period of 30 years or more; however, he is not even one percent conscious of Krishna.”
Please correct me if I am wrong. Yours in service to Srila Prabhupada.
Gaurasundara Dasa.
Hare Krishna,
At last you have recognized that Srila prabhupada is still with us and is the only Guru and no bodyelse. When he said “he will never die” was it too hard to understand ??
As you have accepted “It is due to the mistake of considering that Srila Prabhupada is gone we are facing all these difficulties”. I wonder how you are going to rectify it either alone or with other so called Gurus.