20241222 Śrīla Prabhupāda Smaran Utsava 2024 & His Holiness Subhaga Swami Vyāsa-pūjā Address

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

Jayapatākā Swami: I am honored to speak about Śrīla Prabhupāda! Since tomorrow is my dialysis day, I am speaking today. Since some of the Śrīla Prabhupāda līlās may include Subhaga Swami, I thought it will be alright!

So, when I came to Calcutta sent by Śrīla Prabhupāda, then I was staying in the Gauḍīya Maṭha. Śrīla Prabhupāda said he would only come when we had a separate place to stay in. So, we were looking for a place. And we found a place in South Calcutta. It was a house that a medical institution was planning to use. So they said we could stay there for some months, without rent. So, we sent that message to Śrīla Prabhupāda and he was pleased. So, we arranged a big reception at the airport. They arranged VIP lounge for Śrīla Prabhupāda. So Śrīla Prabhupāda was seated in the VIP lounge. I sang an opening song to him about guru. Then Śrīla Prabhupāda called me over and said, “Are there any of my godbrothers here?” The Gauḍīya Maṭha had sent some truckloads of brahmacārīs, but no godbrothers or sannyāsīs. So I told Śrīla Prabhupāda that they said they would welcome him at the Maṭha and they had cooked a feast! And Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “I want to go straight to our own house!” He was noticeably a little disturbed. So when we were in the car heading from Dum Dum to the city, Śrīla Prabhupāda said they did not come to the airport to meet me and they want me to go direct to their Maṭha! This is because they want me to go straight to their Maṭha and be received by them and that would indicate that they sent me to the West! They will take all the credit for my preaching! So you can bring some of the feast to our flat.

So many years passed by and then I was in Calcutta and then in Māyāpur. Śrīla Prabhupāda saw, I don’t remember, Śrīla Prabhupāda or His Grace Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami, one of them saw His Holiness Subhaga Swami, at that time a brahmacārī, in London, in the UK.  And so they invited His Holiness Subhaga Swami to come to India. So, I was in Māyāpur. Māyāpur, Śrīla Prabhupāda came twice a year. And that time I introduced him to His Holiness Subhaga Swami. So, he started to translate Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books.

Every day Śrīla Prabhupāda, he would be available in his quarters from 4 to 6 in the evening, more or less. So, every day, His Holiness Subhaga Swami was there, listening to Śrīla Prabhupāda! Śrīla Prabhupāda would speak on many things. And at that time, a tourist bus came. And His Holiness Subhaga Swami used to take them around the different buildings. Śrīla Prabhupāda asked, “Is he in charge of the tours? Hmm…” Śrīla Prabhupāda would note everything! Then before that, we had a book stall in the temple. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda was asking what is the system? So, they said that when the tourists come, then His Holiness Subhaga Swami, he was Subhaga dāsa then, he would distribute the books, and he was very successful! Śrīla Prabhupāda said, give him two foreigners just to attract the people, and he could distribute and have two foreigners there. At that time, they were saying that even if one tourist bus came, there was a big celebration! But now, Śrīla Prabhupāda must be so pleased, we get many tourist buses! Yesterday, there were 61,000 visitors! In Śrīla Prabhupāda’s time, if fifty people came, it was a big thing! So, His Holiness Subhaga Swami, Subhaga dāsa, then he acted as a tour guide for the tourists.

At that time, Subhaga dāsa’s mother came to Māyāpur. Śrīla Prabhupāda was there, Subhaga dāsa was there and a number of devotees were there. I was there and Subhaga Swami’s mother, she said, “I want my son, I want him to come home!” And she started to cry and roll on the ground. And Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “I am not holding him! Your son is free to go!” Then she said, “Really? Really?” Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Yes! If he wants to go, he is free to go!” So she was looking at Subhaga dāsa and Śrīla Prabhupāda asked Subhaga dāsa, “Do you want to go home?” And he said, “No! I want to stay with you!” Haribol! So that was an amazing situation! And Śrīla Prabhupāda showed how to handle different situations.

One time, some boys, they came and asked for donation for their pūjā pandal. I don’t remember Durgā-pūjā or Kālī-pūjā, what it was. In these situations, I have seen devotees argue with them saying we do kṛṣṇa-sevā, this that. But Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Give ten rupees! Bas! You have to give something!” He gave something and sent them away. So like that Śrīla Prabhupāda was expert in dealing with different situations.

I was told I have half an hour to speak, and I have already spoken more than half an hour! So I don’t know who is the next.

I arranged a three-man reading, writing, translating team for Bengali books. And I told this to Śrīla Prabhupāda. So he asked, does Tatpur have a degree? B.A. or something. The three-man team was Subhaga dāsa, Bhakta Kiśore (who was His Holiness Bhakti-cāru Swami later) and Tatpur dāsa. In India, the cricket players are very famous. And His Holiness Subhaga Swami’s uncle was a famous cricket player! So, all these things were told to Śrīla Prabhupāda. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, Subhaga dāsa is a very good boy! Haribol!

So, you all must be waiting for the cultural program!