20211108 Śrīla Prabhupāda Tirobhāva Address to ISKCON Malaysia and Perth

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

So on this tirobhāva tithi, we observe the disappearance of Śrīla Prabhupāda. On this tirobhāva tithi we especially think of the heritage, the instructions that he left behind. Actually, since we know Śrīla Prabhupāda achieved perfection, we feel happy. At the same time, since we are deprived of his association, we feel some separation. So, I saw how Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was writing the books, every night, from midnight to early morning, he was translating, dictating his books. He was writing his Bhaktivedanta purports. His purports were such that, he did not say that Kṛṣṇa said this or that, he gave direction interpretation. And he gave his observation, his experience, his realization. So, he gave his instructions for the next ten thousand years. So everyone can associate with Śrīla Prabhupāda through his books and he said that I hope I will be living with you through my books.

So devotees, they should take regular association with Śrīla Prabhupāda by reading his transcendental literature. He was saying how to get second initiation, one should get Bhakti-śāstrī. To get sannyāsa, one should have Bhakti-vaibhava. In one letter he said that to be a spiritual master, or dīkṣā-guru, one should have Bhakti-vedānta degree. Someone said, oh, but he did not do that. Actually, the Bhakti-vedānta degree was ready in Vṛndāvana only about ten years ago, and in Māyāpur about seven years ago. That is natural that Śrīla Prabhupāda could not do it because we had not developed it. Actually, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that we should Bhakti-Sārvabhauma and study the Caitanya teachings. I don’t think that Bhakti-Sārvabhauma is available yet. So, I was happy to participate in the inauguration of the Māyāpur Institute Sampradāya Vaibhava. And they will teach Śrīla Prabhupāda Līlāmṛta and previous ācāryas. So like this, everyone should read, study, know Śrīla Prabhupāda through his teachings. I was walking with Śrīla Prabhupāda every day when he was in Māyāpur. Sometimes he would walk on the road, somethings on the path, sometimes along the Ganges. He said something very interesting, that bathing in the Ganges, it is a proverb he said, on a fasting day, in the Ganges we should not take water in underwater. That sounded very mysterious – what did that mean? On some days we observe nirjala. Then we bathe in the river, and we are under water, and we drink, and we think no one will see me! But actually, Kṛṣṇa is present in our heart as Supersoul. He sees everything we do. We cannot cheat Kṛṣṇa! So Śrīla Prabhupāda would say don’t drink water underwater on a fasting day. Like that Śrīla Prabhupāda was giving his daily instructions. So like that he was very merciful. Once walking on the road, he saw a man and he asked him what do you do? He bowed down and he said, I am a handloomer. So Śrīla Prabhupāda said he is a fourth-class man. First class, brāhmaṇa, second class kṣatriaya, third class vaiśya, fourth class śūdra or worker. All these four classes are good, they can all be engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service. Not fifth class! So like that Śrīla Prabhupāda was teaching and he was very open. He was giving himself to all the people. He had an open-door policy in Māyāpur, from 4 to 6 pm and anyone who wanted could come and see him. One police officer, he came and he said I want dīkṣā. Śrīla Prabhupāda asked, how many rounds do you chant? He said, 8 because I am very busy. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, no, you have to chant 16. Like that Śrīla Prabhupāda was on one hand he was very merciful and on the other hand he was very strict. Then he wanted to fulfill all the predictions, all the desires of the previous ācāryas.

The previous ācāryas wanted the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, he wanted to fulfill that. Similarly, he wanted to see that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness message spread in every town and village of the world. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura had told him to print books, so he dedicated himself to printing books. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura said have a GBC, so he established the GBC. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura said, that there is no limit to be guru. So Śrīla Prabhupāda expressed the desire to have many spiritual masters. Like that Śrīla Prabhupāda had a different vision. His vision was completely in sync with all the previous ācāryas’ vision. So we are dedicating ourselves in serving the mission and desire of His Divine Grace. In this way, we should see that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness spreads in every town and village of the world. Hare Kṛṣṇa! I heard that Bhūrijana Prabhu and Cekītana Prabhu are present in Perth. I offer my humble obeisances to them. So today I thought I should participate in different tirobhāva tithi mahotsavas. I thank the devotees for observing this festival. Hare Kṛṣṇa!