20160826 A Talk at Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vyāsa Pūjā.

The following is a class given by H.H. Jayapataka Swami Maharaja on August 26th 2016 in Chennai Tamil Nadu, India.

The class was given on the occasion of Srila Prabhupada’s appearance day festival and was given with Tamil translation

Srila Prabhupada Abhisekam taking place with kirtan .

Bhakthi Tirtha Swami Maharaj and so on on. Here I am seeing in Mayapur we have still many Prabhupad discipleṣ.  Here in Chennai the whole ceremony was basically performed by grand disciples.  Haribol ! (applause)  We want to keep the heritage and teachings of Srila Prabupada alive. Of course you are so fortunate that many times HG Bhanu Swami Maharaj is here .Haribol! Srila Prabhupada wrote us in 1970 that I am bringing with me one Japanese devotee. So since then he has been in India. [ All devotees clap] There are many temples who have no Srila Prabhupada’s disciples. So in that sense Chennai is fortunate. [ All devotees clap]

Srila Prabupada gave us Krishna consciousness in a pure manner.  And he had to face a lot of problems. Sometimes we go into his room in Mayapur and he would be holding his head like he had a headache.  Then he commented “You don’t know what it is like to manage a worldwide spiritual movement” Srila Prabupada was taking on so much headaches, for us and for all of you. He knew that even the slightest change may cause a confusion in the future. I was leading kirtan once after the Guru Pooja. 

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

(all together)

Hare Rāmā Hare Rāmā Rāmā Rāmā  Hare Hare Bolo Bolo

(all together)

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare 

Hare Rāmā  Hare Rāmā Rāmā Rāmā  Hare Hare Bolo Bolo

(all together)

So while I was singing I was saying in between Bolo ! Bolo ! So Srila Prabhupada called me in between, simple thing I wanted everybody to chant so I said Bolo Bolo and Srila Prabupada told me “Don’t add any extra words” ( Guru Mahārāja laughs and all start Laughing) Haribol !!

Even a bolo bolo when Srila Prabhupada noticed and said no extra words.

One time someone told me that, “One time when I saw the Guru I would say something to praise him and then I say something to humble myself and then ask for some mercy” “Srila Prabhupada you are the deliverer of the most fallen” .And then I said “I am the most fallen” Srila Prabhupad cut me off. He corrected me “You are not the most anything”(laughter) He made me humble, I may think I am the most humble the most fallen. Srila Prabhupada corrected me and said “You are not the most anything” Like this every day I would go in front of Srila Prabhupada I would say something to praise him,something to humble myself and ask for blessings . This is hundreds of times. Usually it went automatically, but we could never take Srila Prabhupada for granted. He would listen sometimes and sometimes he would say something unexpected. Like I said something to praise Srila Prabhupada, how he has delivered the fallen souls.  forgot what I said. Then I said “I am you’re servant I want to serve you life after life” Srila Prabhupad cut in, he asked me “Why do you want me to come back again?” What did I say wrong? I thought  that I said the right thing! Now he asked me “Why you want me to come back?” (laughter) So if every birth is to serve him when I stay here he has to come back. So how to correct thaṭ?  Several answers come to mind but that moment I have to think of something quick so I said “I want to serve you EVEN life after life. If you come back I will serve you  here and if you are in the spiritual world I will serve you there” [All devotees clap and say Haribol ] That was a daily thing and you are not the greatest of anything that spread out throughouṭ

In that time there was no email and he had many thousands of disciples so he would answer the disciples letters like snail mail. So the secretary would read the letter then he would reply. Sometimes after a few lines he would say something and the secretary would take a note. So a carbon copy was kept, that’s how the Srila Prabhupada’s archives have copies of most of his letters. The original letter is with the person to whom it was sent.  The archives asked them to send them the original.  Archives have Srila Prabupada’s lectures, his translations, letters, his conversations.  Some of the conversations are not everything. Every year some new letters and new conversations are sent to the archives .Now it’s important to maintain the heritage of Srila Prabhupada.  Not to change anything and to keep the spirit of what Srila Prabupada said. Srila Prabupada was a very special person. He walked with us but he was from another worlḍ and Srila Bhakthi Siddhantha Sarswati Thakur wrote to him that, “If you preached in the West it would be very good for you spiritually and for those who help you, they will also do good spiritually.” Who all  here wants to help Srila Prabhupad? [ Guru Mahārāja questions and raises his hand]  Look if anyone by the side has hands to raise .They have hands to raise. 

Haribol!! [ All chant Haribol as Guru Mahārāja and all raise both their hands high]

 Tags : Disciples, Chennai, Kirtan, Bolo Bolo, most fallen , archives, heritage, serve