Maitreya Posted August 13, 2001 Report Share Posted August 13, 2001 Today is the holy day of the blessed appearance of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada. A day for some extra reflection on the love and concern he showed for us, the inmates of Martya-loka,and how he worked tirelessly to bring us to the light of freedom in pure love for Krishna. The best present to offer him would be for his disciples to leave the past behind and move forward with renewed vigor in pushing on the distribution of the Holy Name and the bhakti sastra.And for the rest of us to aid them. Dear Sri Krishna, we bow down before your humble devotee and only ask that you grant us a true appreciation for the matchless gifts he has so kindly brought to us. Jaya Jagat Guru! Hare Krishna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted August 13, 2001 Report Share Posted August 13, 2001 Here are two very beautiful poems written by Srila Prabhupada as he was first coming to the U.S. on board the Jaladuta. I hope you enjoy Markine Bhagavata-Dharma by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, at Boston Harbor, September 18, 1965 baro-krpa kaile krsna adhamer prati ki lagiyanile hetha koro ebe gati My dear Lord Krsna, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me. ache kichu karja taba ei anumane nahe keno aniben ei ugra-stane But I guess You have some business here, otherwise why would You bring me to this terrible place? rajos tamos gune era sabai acchanna basudeb-katha ruci nahe se prasanna Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life, they think themselves very happy and satisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vasudeva. I do not know how they will be able to undertand it. tabe jadi taba krpa hoy ahaituki sakal-i sambhava hoy tumi se kautuki But I know Your causeless mercy can make everything possible because You are the most expert mystic. ki bhave bujhale tara bujhe sei rasa eta krpa koro prabhu kori nija-basa How will they understand the mellows of devotional service? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message. tomara icchaya saba hoy maya-basa tomara icchaya nasa mayar parasa All living entities have become under the control of the illusory energy by Your will, and therefore, if You like, by Your will they can also be release from the clutches of illusion. taba iccha hoy jadi tadera uddhar bujhibe niscai tabe katha se tomar I wish that You may deliver them. Therefore if You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message. bhagavater katha se taba avatar dhira haiya sune jadi kane bar bar The words of Srimad Bhagavatam are Your incarnation, and if a sober person repeatedly receives it with submissive aural reception, then he will be able to understand Your message. It is said in the Srimad Bhagavatam (1.2.17-21): srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana kirtanah hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani vidhunoti suhrt satam nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya bhagavaty uttama-sloke bhaktir bhavati naisthiki tada rajas-tamo-bhavah kama-lobhadayas ca ye ceta etair anaviddham sthitam sattve prasidati evam prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam mukta-sangasya jayate bhidyate hrdaya-granthis chidyante sarva-samsayah ksiyante casya karmani drsta evatmanisvare "Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted. By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact. As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature's modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy. Thus established in the mode of unalloyed goodness, the man whose mind has been enlivend by contact with devotional service to the Lord gains positive scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead in the stage of liberation from all material association. Thus the know in the heart is pierced, and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions is terminated when one sees the self as master" rajas tamo hate tabe paibe nistar hrdayer abhadra sab ghucibe tahar He will become liberated from the influence of the modes of ignorance and passion and thus all inauspicious things accumulated in the core of the heart will disappear. ki ko're bujhabo katha baro sei cahi khudra ami dina hina kono sakti nahi How will I make them understand this message of Krsna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own. athaca enecho prabhu katha bolibare je tomar iccha prabhu koro ei bare Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure as You like. akhila jagat-guru! bacana se amar alankrta koribar khamata tomar O spiritual master of all the worlds! I can simply repeat Your message, so if You like You can make my power of speaking suitable for their understanding. taba krpa ha'le mor katha suddha habe suniya sabara soka duhkha je ghucibe Only by Your causeless mercy will my words become pure. I am sure that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts they will certainly feel engladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions of life. aniyacho jadi prabhu amare nacate nacao nacao prabhu naca se-mate kasthera puttali jatha nacao se-mate O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought me here to dance, then make me dance, make me dance, O Lord, make me dance as You like. bhakti nai beda nai name khub daro "bhaktivedanta" nam ebe sarthak koro I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Krsna. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta (Devotion with Knowledge), and now, if You like, You can fulfill the real purport of Bhaktivedanta. Signed - the most unfortunate, insignificant beggar. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, on board the ship Jaladuta, Commonwealth Pier, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. dated 18th of September, 1965 [This message has been edited by Gauracandra (edited 08-13-2001).] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted August 13, 2001 Report Share Posted August 13, 2001 "Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Krsna" written by Srila Prabhupada on boad the ship Jaladuta, September 13, 1965. For this one I'll only type in the translation without the Bengali verses. Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Krsna I emphatically say to you, O brothers, you will obtain your good fortune from the Supreme Lord Krsna only when Srimati Radharani becomes pleased with you. Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, who is very dear to Lord Gauranga, the son of mother Saci, is unparalled in his service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. He is that great saintly spiritual master who bestows intense devotion to Krsna at different places throughout the world. By his strong desire, the holy name of Lord Gauranga will spread throughout all the countries of the Western world. In all the cities, towns, and villages on the earth, from all the oceans, seas, rivers, and streams, everyone will chant the holy name of Krsna. As the vast mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu conquers all directions, a flood of transcendental ecstasy will certainly cover the land. When all the sinful, miserable living entities become happy, the Vaisnavas's desire is then fulfilled. Although my Guru Maharaja ordered me to accomplish this mission, I am not worthy or fit to do it. I am very fallen and insignificant. Therefore, O Lord, now I am begging for Your mercy so that I may become worthy, for You are the wisest and most experienced of all. If You bestow Your power, by serving the spiritual master one attains the Absolute Truth -one's life becomes successful. If that service is obtained, then one becomes happy and gets Your association due to good fortune. My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service? (Prahlada Maharaja to Lord Nrsimhadeva, Bhag. 7.9.28) O Lord Krsna, You are my eternal companion. Forgetting You, I have suffered the kicks of maya birth after birth. If today the chance to meet You occurs again, then I will surely be able to rejoin You.[Note: Srila Prabhupada suffered several heart attacks during his journey on board the Jaladuta] O dear friend, in Your company I experience great joy once again. In the early morning I will wonder the cowherd pastures and fields. Running and frolicking in the many forests of Vraja, I will roll on the ground in spiritual ecstasy. Oh when will that day be mine? Today that remembrance of You came to me in a very nice way. Because I have a great longing I called to You. I am Your eternal servant and therefore I desire Your association so much. O Lord Krsna, except for You there is no other means of success. [This message has been edited by Gauracandra (edited 08-13-2001).] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted August 13, 2001 Report Share Posted August 13, 2001 If anyone has some of the earliest pictures on drive, it would be real nice to post them here. Just to see how it all began, a devotee sitting in the park chanting, as onlookers joined in Gauracandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amanpeter Posted August 13, 2001 Report Share Posted August 13, 2001 Thank you, prabhus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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