The Prabhupada Story–Part 1
On the occasion of his birth, an astrologer was called. He calculated the birth-chart and predicted to the joy of all present that when Srila Prabhupada would reach the age of seventy he would cross the ocean, become a great exponent of religion and open 108 temples…
The Greatest Exponent of India’s
Spiritual Knowledge
Born by the banks of the sacred Ganges river in 1896, Srila Prabhupada was destined to become the greatest ever ambassador of lndia’s spiritual knowledge to the world. Completely rejecting that Vedic knowledge was only for those born in a certain caste or for a certain race, he carried the spiritual message of Godhead to all peoples of the world in a dynamic movement which he began at the age of seventy.
His writings were so prolific, his achievements so unprecedented that his contributions to world religious knowledge is munificent beyond compare. Whereas people everywhere are now familiar with “Hare Krishna” due to his efforts, he never strived to make himself known. Who was this unique personality who so selflessly did so much on behalf of God?
A Son is Born in a Spiritual
Family
Srila Prabhupada was born by the banks of the Ganges river in Calcutta on September 1st, 1896, the day after Sri Krishna Janmastami. It was the time of British Raj in India.
His mother and father were both devoted to Lord Krishna, especially in His form as Lord Chaitanya. In Bhagavad‑gita, Lord Krishna states:
atha va yogintim eva We bhavati dhimatam
etad dhi durlabhatram loke janma yad idrsam
“Or he takes birth in a family of transcendentalists who are surely great in wisdom. Certainly such a birth is rare in this world.”‑ Bhagavad‑gita (6.42)
Srila Prabhupada’s father earned a humble but adequate living as a cloth merchant
“Actually his real business was worshipping Krishna, but for livelihood he did some business. We would be sleeping and father would be worshipping the Lord. Ding, ding, ding ‑ we would hear the bell and wake up to see him bowing down before Krishna.
” ‑ Srila Prabhupada.
The Stars Foretell His Great Destiny
According to the custom, on the occasion of his birth, an astrologer was called. He calculated the birth-chart and predicted to the joy of all present that when Srila Prabhupada would reach the age of seventy he would cross the ocean, become a great exponent of religion and open 108 temples.
Trained Spiritually From Birth
Srila Prabhupada’s father always treated him with great affection as a most special child and saw to it that his son learned the practice of Krishna consciousness from his very birth. He gave his son, Sri Radha-Krishna Deities for his childhood play.
He arranged mridanga and harmonium music lessons and Srila Prabhupada became accomplished in devotional music. He also made sure his son learned Sanskrit, the language of the Vedic scriptures he would later translate for all the world to understand. Later, when there was talk of Srila Prabhupada studying law in England, his father objected: “He will learn drinking and woman-hunting‑I do not want his money!” In these ways, Srila Prabhupada was always supported by his affectionate father on the spiritual path.
Preaching Was His Childhood Play
When Srila Prabhupada was five years old, he desired to hold a Ratha Yatra festival like the one held annually in Jagannatha Puri, attended by millions. When he heard his father could not afford a new wooden ratha, he began to cry. This attracted the attention of a passing Bengali women who kindly let him buy her old ratha. Srila Prabhupada enlisted the help of the neighbourhood children and their mothers in an elaborate eight-day spiritual festival that he continued annually during his boyhood. This same festival would eventually be established by Srila Prabhupada on five continents.
To Be Continued…
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Hare Krishna Madhudvisaji,
Could you please advise.
I want to read the double volume Srila Prabupada Lilamrta by Satsvarupa Goswami. I read it some years ago but have a yearning to read it again.
But I have been warned it is not an accurate account of Srila Prabupada’s life and like the book changes it has been altered to suit certain people.
Is this correct? Should I still read it.
Thanking you for giving us a trusted source of information
You have heard correctly. Prabhupada Lilamrta, by Satsvarupa, it is not a correct description of the life and teachings of Srila Prabhupada.
If you want the correct description of the life and teachings of Srila Prabhupada read his books.
There is the book Bhagavata and the person Bhagavata. Srila Prabhupada is the person Bhagavata and his books are the book Bhagavata. Book Bhagavata and person Bhagavata are the same.
So don’t waste your time reading the conditioned soul Satsvarupa’s books. Only a pure devotee of Krishna can understand Krishna and Krishna’s pure devotees. Conditioned souls have no entry into the confidential subject matters. So all Satsvarupa can do is give some external description of the pastimes of Srila Prabhupada from the material bodily point of view. He has no vision to see the actual spiritual nature of the activities of Krishna and Krishna’s pure devotees.
So read Srila Prabhupada’s books if truly want to understand Srila Prabhupada. Satsvarupa is a conditioned soul, he does not understand Srila Prabhupada and Krishna himself, so he is not capable of writing transcendental literature.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Why Srila Prabhupada discourage the modern technology even he himself used watch, Dictaphone which is made with the help of modern technology ?
if we should discourage modern technology then is it that scientist should stop discovering science and stop developing technology . I accept that technology should be in fair of humanity but is it that we should completely discourage tecnology or modern science .
Please clarify my doubt sir ?
We don’t encourage technology. It is unnecessary. And actually creates so many problems.
Our philosophy is plain living and high thinking, following the style of life that Krishna lead in Vrindavan with the cows, His friends, etc.
However our philosophy is also yukta vairagya, practical renunciation. SO whatever we posses, whatever is in the material world, whatever the scientists have created, it can be engaged in the service of Krishna. So that is our vision. We are not anxious for developing any of these technological things ourselves, but if someone develops them then if they are useful in the service of Krishna we will use them.
So Srila Prabhupada’s vision is that we will use all this technology in the service of Krishna, although we are not very anxious for wasting our time developing it ourselves. But if they develop it we will use it for Krishna.
We do completely discourage modern science, because they are godless idiots. The whole philosophy or religion of modern science is to try to come up with a “logical” way to prove that God does not exist. That is why we are totally against modern science.
But technology, that is a different thing, if the technologists develop some tools that we can use in Krishna consciousness, that help us spread the message of Krishna consciousness all over the world, then we will use their technology in the service of Krishna for sure. However, we don’t need it, we are not attached to it, we would not bother to develop it ourselves.
Sir I Am trying to become Krishna Bhakta and i am also very proud of my vedic culture and i also follow it .
those scientist wo are trying to prove God Does Not exist Are wrong I accept it .
I Believe God and also Sir I am in the process of becoming Engineer . IS it not good sir if create technology for the defence of out country or to minimise the pollution in earth i will create eco friendly technology .
So that we can live more peacefully .
For example sir todays car and planes are creating much pollution it would be better na if i create eco friendly cars and planes .
As like Arjuna in Mahabharat was a Krishna Bakta but simultaneously he used to protect his kingdom as a ksatriya .
Please tell me sir if i am doing wrong If my aim to become a technologist or engineer is in wrong path for Krishna Conciousness .
And also sir if for Krishna Conciousness if everyone would take sanayasa then who will do other jobs like agriculture , transporting services , etc. Is it necessary sir for Krishna Conciousness we have to take sanyasa . As Arjuna didnt taken sanyasa but he was a Krishna Bhakta Still . If everyone will become sanyasi then whole world will stop working .
And sir if todays scientist use this modern technology to cure many birth defects , or in pandemic like in Corona pandemic to make Vaccine they used modern science . is it not modern modern science is good sir if used in welfare of humanity and in the sevice of Krishna Conciousness .
In Dwapar yuga , treta yuga that time technology exist sir . as like in wars they uses different types of shastra or weapons ,it is also a type of technology sir . And that time also aerodynamics technology exist , as mentioned in Vyamanika Shaastra .
Please Clarify my Above Doubt Sir ,I will be very glad full to you Sir .
ALso please tell me Sir If am in wrong path if my aim is to become a technologist so that i can work in welfare of humanity .
Yes. You are on the wrong path for sure. Trying to become a technologist to work for the welfare of humanity.
Completely wrong path, useless waste of time.
This material world is an arrangement where souls who have fallen down from the spiritual world come to experience the reactions of their work. So we all have a history, we have all lived unlimited lives prior to this one. So we all come to this world with a great stock of past karma. This stock of karma is like seeds lying in our hearts. So as, when you plant a seed in the ground, it takes time to germinate and grow and ultimately bear fruit, similarly these seeds of karma in our hearts all fructify and bear fruit in due course.
So we can not change our own destiny or the destiny of others in this material world. Everyone comes here to the material world predestined to enjoy a certain amount and to suffer a certain amount, due to his or her past work, karma. If you have do a lot of good, pious things in the past then your karma will be good and you will reap the benefit of that, however, if you have done a lot of bad, sinful things in the past then you will incur suffering because of that.
There is nothing you can do materially to change your own balance of happiness and distress in this world, nor is there any way you can change the happiness and distress that others will experience by technology, etc.
No matter what technology you develop that will not change the balance of happiness and distress that anyone experiences. Everything is automatically adjusted by nature. If you cure one disease, another one will pop up to take its place. So you have achieved nothing.
So you are wasting your time, wasting your life and you can never achieve anything good with technology.
Anyhow, they are developing the technology in America and in China. What can you do in India? India brain is not good for developing technology. Indian brain is meant for more important things. Indian brain is meant for questioning the purpose of existence. Ahato brahma jijnasa “What is the meaning of life?”
So Indian brain is not meant for technology. In India you have the best knowledge, the best philosophy, in the Vedas. So you should spend your time and energy reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and chanting Hare Krishna and when you understand and realize what the purpose of life is then you can engage in that yourself and broadcast it to others.
That will be the greatest service to yourself and to the world.
The only way we can break the chains of karma is with devotional service, Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness means acting simply for the pleasure of Krishna. And when we are simply acting for the service of, for the pleasure of Krishna, then there is no karma. And the best way is to chant:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
hare krishna, There is no one like Prabhupada… Srila Praphupada was a true devotee of Lord and but still didnt tell anywhere in any talks, this is the quality of a devotee… Birth to death, he chanted, preached and seved… Hare krishna… Jai ho !!
Dear Madhudvisa Prabhu, do you know who is the spiritual master of Srila Prabhupada’s parents? Thank you.
No. It is not important. Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master is Srila Bhaktsiddhanta Sarasavati Thakura and Prabhupada’s father is a pure devotee of Krishna and trained Srila Prabhupada from birth in Krishna consciousness. That is all. We do not need to know anything else.
Feel like keep reading this great story forever….
Yes. But I have lost a lot of the parts of it unfortunately. We will have to write it properly one day. It it a really great story…
All glories to His Divine Grace Abhay Caranaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupada!
I really enjoyed the way this first part of the story was told. I found myself smiling every time I would read more and more of it. I really enjoyed studying this story, and I am definetely going to read more!
Hare Krishna!
Ilove sherla prabupad guru ..he is great of hindu sant every one people for life is Good by bhagwat geeta or hari nam mahamanter