Glimpses of the Lotus Feet of Srila Prabhupada

by His Divine Grace Om Visnupad Srila Bhakti Promod Puri Gos ami
Once Srila (Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura) Prabhupada was viewing the Deities of Sri-Sri Guru Gauranga-Gandharvika-Giridhari at the Sri aitan!a "ath# standing on the front porch of the te$ple% The door of that te$ple is not ver! wide and Srila Prabhupada did not have his glasses on% Standing ne&t to hi$ was one of his dear disciples% The disciple thought perhaps Prabhupada could not view the Deities ver! well through the narrow doorwa!% 'e said# (Prabhupad# this doorwa! is not ver! wide% So it is not possible to view the Deities ver! well fro$ inside%( 'earing this# Prabhupad s$iled# and he said for the benedit of all of us# ()e should not think of the Supre$e *ord as an ob+ect of our vision% ,nstead we should $editate on the thought of how we can ac-uire so$e -ualifications so we can beco$e worth! ob+ects of 'is vision% )e should think about whether 'e wants to see us# and whether 'e will want to reveal 'i$self to us% atah sri-sri krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam-indriyaih sevonmukhe-hi jihvadau svayam-eva spuratyadah (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, .astern )ave# /%012) (The hol! na$e# for$# -ualities# and pasti$es of Sri 3rishna are divine and transcendental% The! cannot be e&perienced b! $aterial senses% The *ord $anifests 'i$self spontaneousl! on the tongue of a devotee who is eager to serve 'i$%( 4ust as a devotee waits to see the *ord with great patience and eagerness# so$eti$es the *ord also waits with great patience and eagerness to see 'is devotee% ,t is described in the Caitanya-caritamrta how the hidden Deit! of Gopal in 5rindavan was waiting for 'is beloved devotee# Sri "adhavendra Puri% bahu-dina tomara patha kari niriksana kabe asi madhava ama karibe sevana (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madya-lila 6%72) 8or $an! da!s , have been watching the road for !ou# and , have been wondering# 9)hen will "adhavendra Puri co$e here to serve "e:9( ,n this wa! the Supre$e *ord# who succo$bs to 'is devotee9s love# waits to see 'is devotee with great eagerness% bhaktera dravya prabhu 'kari' kari' khaya abhaktera dravya prabhu 'ulati' na caya (The *ord will grab food fro$ 'is devotee# but 'e will not even glance at an!thing given b! a non-devotee%( This is wh! the eagerness to serve 'i$ in loving devotion has to be present%

Srila Prabhupada9s loving devotion for the lotus feet of his Gurudev is be!ond our co$prehension% ;t one ti$e he told us# ()hen , used to think that , was a big scholar of $athe$atics and philosoph!# b! $! good fortune , got darshan of the lotus feet of Sri Gurudev% 'e ignored ever!thing that was previousl! appreciated in $e b! others< $! truthfulness# $! $oral and pious life# and scholarship# knowing the$ to be of little value% )hen he ignored whatever was good in $e# , reali=ed how good he hi$self was# he who could ignore so $an! (good -ualities( in $e> what inconceivable wealth there was in hi$% Being ignored b! hi$# , reali=ed that there was no one $ore fallen than $e# $ore conte$ptible than $e# and that this was $! real identit!% This great soul did not consider the things which , considered to be highl! desirable# such as scholarship and pure $oral character# to have an! value% Then , reali=ed what was in this great soul was absolutel! priceless% , pra!ed ver! hu$bl! to the Supre$e *ord for 'is $erc!% *ater# b! the $erc! of the Supre$e *ord# , reali=ed that without receiving the $erc! of this great soul and serving hi$# nothing good could happen to $e% )hen , reali=ed that and acted accordingl!# b! taking shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Gurudev and b! receiving his unli$ited causeless $erc!# , considered $! life fulfilled% , have understood that if the people of the world do not receive the sa$e +olt that , received fro$ $! Gurudev# then their consciousness will not awaken% Therefore , a$ telling ever!one# 9, a$ $ore stupid than an!one else in the world> please# all of !ou# do not be stupid like $e% Do not live !our life within the li$itation of a calculating consciousness% Please enter the real$ of the unli$ited# and !ou will beco$e ver! wealth!% , a$ onl! asking !ou to accept that which , have understood# b! the causeless $erc! of the Supre$e *ord# to be supre$el! beneficial%9 ,n another place he wrote# (.ven after seeing Srila Gaur 3ishore Das Baba+i# $an! people# the i$$ature and the clever# the !oung and the old# the scholarl! and the foolish# those lacking devotion and those proud of their devotion# did not have the proper transcendental vision to see hi$% This is the transcendental power of a pure devotee% 'undreds of people ca$e to hi$ for his instruction# to fulfill their $aterial desires% But that instruction was actuall! deceiving the$% "an! people take the garb of sadhus, and $an! people outwardl! act like sadhus, but in realit!# not onl! are the! not sadhus, but the! are ver! far fro$ an! sadhu. But there is no such i$purit! in $! *ord% B! his own e&a$ple he de$onstrated that purit! was truth% 'is genuine affection was inco$parable to an!thing in this world% 'e had no dislike for his co$petitors or his ene$ies% .ven to those who received his $erc!# he did not de$onstrate an! e&ternal favor% 'e used to sa! (,n this world there is no one who is the ob+ect of $! liking or disliking% , consider ever!one to be respectable%( ;nother inconceivable thing was that often deceitful# $aterialistic people whose $ood was unfavorable to pure devotion# would surround $! Gurudev without understanding his real position% The! considered the$selves ob+ects of his affection !et kept their attach$ent to pett! things% But he did not outwardl! $ake an! effort to get rid of the$# nor did he accept the$ in an! wa!% On the /2th of October# 0276# Srila Prabhupad discovered the place of pilgri$age where Srila ?upa Goswa$i saw Sri Gopal in the village of Sati-gara in "athura% ,

re$e$ber in 027@# starting fro$ the Ath of October# Srila Prabhupad observed Sri Da$odar-vrata on the bank of his beloved Sri ?adha 3unda% .ver! da! he gave lectures on Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Upanishads, and other hol! scriptures% .ver! da! he would circu$a$bulate Sri ?adha 3unda and would hear or talk about the eight dail! pasti$es (asta-kaliya-lila )% ;t this ti$e# to properl! serve Sri 5ra+a-$andal# he started regular $eetings preaching the glories of Sri 5ra+a-Dha$ (Sri raja-!ham "racarini Sabha )% 'ow $uch he loved talking about 3rishna is inconceivable% 'e would talk about 'i$ for hours on end# and if an!one asked or even gestured for Srila Prabhupad9s prasad to be brought in# he would be displeased% There were ti$es when his disciples re-uested hi$ not to talk ver! $uch# being so instructed b! e&perienced doctors% ,f an!one would ask hi$ how he was# Srila Prabhupad would answer# (, a$ fine% "! onl! disease is that , a$ not allowed to talk about 3rishna%( 'e use to sa!# (To wake up one sleeping soul# to $ake one conditioned soul aware of his real identit!# one should be willing to give gallons of blood%( Srila Prabhupad was e&tre$el! affectionate to his disciples# and if he found out an! one of the$ was bewildered b! Maya he would shed tears% ,n confronting those who had a de$oniac $entalit!# he was deadl! like a thunderbolt% Bet in his loving relationships his heart was softer than a flower% ,n an! of his Maths, if an! of his servants had to face a difficult! due to lack of $one!# Srila Prabhupad used to take great care to send that $one! as soon as he heard about it% 'e could not bear the thought that a devotee had to undergo hardships due to lack of $one!% 'e used to beco$e ver! concerned if he heard of an! devotee being ill% 'is affection could not be co$pared with that of $illions of fathers and $others% ,f we were ever sad and $iserable# as soon as we sat near hi$# all sadness went awa! due to the shower of his unli$ited affection% .ven his chastise$ent see$ed ver! sweet% (Srila Prabhupad has chastised $e#( we would sa! with great pride# and considered ourselves to be ver! fortunate% ;ll difficulties in our service were $ade worthwhile a $illion ti$es over when we could see the signs of pleasure on his affectionate lotus face% )hat we felt can be e&pressed b! this verse of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura in his book Sarangati# tomarasevaya duhkha haya yata, seo ta' param sukha seva-sukha-duhka parama sampada, nasaye avidya-duhkha The suffering that co$es fro$ Bour service is also our supre$e happiness% Both the suffering and the happiness that co$e fro$ Bour service are our greatest treasure# and the! destro! the $iseries that co$e fro$ ignorance% ,f we could not properl! perfor$ so$e service which had been ordered b! Srila Ourudev# it would cause us great sadness% Our service to Srila Gurudev see$ed to consist of ever!thing< devotion# worship# $editation# reali=ation# austerit!# and sacrifice% 'e was $ost dear to 3rishna% Therefore# if we could so$ehow bring hi$

so$e satisfaction# we considered that the highest fulfill$ent of our devotional practice% ,f Srila Prabhupad went awa! fro$ us for a few da!s# our hearts would ache in separation% )e would think da! and night# ()hen will he co$e back again:( ;lasC 'ow $an! !ears have passed since he left this planetC 'ow a$ , spending $! da!s in this long separation fro$ hi$: )h! is $! soul still living here: 8or the sake of what kind of happiness: Perhaps due to $! offenses to the hol! na$e and at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupad# $! heart has beco$e hard like a thunderbolt and it does not feel an! pain an!$ore% ,f , reall! loved hi$# how could , live this worthless life here: 1 $erciful lord# please protect this fallen servant of !ours% .ven though ,9$ so fallen# so sinful# and so deviated fro$ the path of devotional service# please pick $e up and put $e at the shelter of !our lotus feet% Once !ou did give $e shelter at !our lotus feet# considering $e the servant of the servant of !our servants% )e also got the assurance that if necessar!# !ou would co$e here again and again to rescue the fallen souls# like $!self% 1 $erciful Gurudev# !our heart is so full of affectionC Please forgive all the offenses , have co$$itted at !our lotus feet# knowingl! or unknowingl!% The da! before !ou left us# , clasped !our lotus feet on $! chest# and !ou looked at $e with e!es full of affection% Please re$e$ber that% , a$ stupid# ignorant# bereft of scriptural knowledge> , do not know what is good or bad for $e% Please correct $e and $ake $e worth! of !our service% Please $ake $e understand what $! faults are and what $! offenses are# so , will have the privilege of serving !ou% Sri aitan!a "ahaprabhu said to "urari Gupta# sei bhakta dhanya, ye na chare prabhura carana sei prabhu dhanya, ye na chare nija-jana durdaive sevaka yadi yaya anya sthane sei thakura dhanya tare cule dhari ane (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, ;nt!a-lila 6%6D-6E) Glorious is that devotee who does not give up the shelter of his *ord# and glorious is that *ord who does not abandon his servant% ,f b! chance# a servant falls down and goes so$ewhere else# glorious is that $aster who captures hi$ and brings hi$ back b! the hair% Bou gave $e the Tulsi beads so , could offenselessl! take the hol! na$e% But alas# , a$ still indifferent to that% "! worshipable Godbrothers# who are all $! wellwishers# have set such e&a$ples for $e b! their own actions# but , was not inspired b! that% , do not have the desire to take the hol! na$e# what to speak of having love for the hol! na$e% 'ave , been deprived of the $erc! of the hol! na$e due to $! offenses at !our lotus feet and the lotus feet of the 5aisnavas: 1 $erciful Prabhupada# please give $e love for the hol! na$e% Please inspire $e% *et those lotus feet of !ours# which , had the good fortune to hold to $! chest and which are $ore cooling than $illions of $oons# be installed and be worshipped in $! heart for all eternit!% This is $! onl! pra!er to !ou%