Srila Prabhupada's Life Story

INTRODUCTION

oday is the auspicious disappearance day of our revered spiritual master, Sri Srimad A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-acharya of ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. He is not a mortal being like we of this material world. He is a most dear and intimate associate of Krishna from Goloka Vrindavan. Out of mercy he descended here on 1 September 1896 in Calcutta. He first met his revered spiritual master, Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada Maharaja, in 1922. At their first darçana Srila Prabhupada accepted him in his heart as guru. It was also at that meeting that he received the instruction to go to the Western world and preach the science of Krishna consciousness in English. He took that order to heart with much seriousness. After eleven years, in 1933, he took formal initiation from his spiritual master in Allahabad.

Prior to Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada Maharaja’s disappearance in 1936, Srimad Bhaktivedanta Swami wrote a letter to his spiritual master asking, “What service can I render to you?” He was given the same order again, “Go to the Western world and preach in English.” Then it was just a question of how to prepare himself. He started his service to his spiritual master without anyone else’s help in 1944, publishing a magazine in English — Back to Godhead. His disciples have continued to publish it. Then he began his translations of Çrémad Bhagavad-gétä and Çrémad Bhägavatam. Before going to America he published three volumes of Çrémad Bhägavatam. Seeing his great learning, his enthusiasm for preaching, and his capabilities, the Gauòéya Vaiñëava saìgha awarded him the honorable title “Bhaktivedanta” in 1947. He was a

MY REVERED SPIRITUAL MASTER I first met him in 1974 in Vrindavan Dham. Immediately he told me that he would give me sannyäsa. So I received harinäma initiation and then became a sannyäsa very quickly. He was so merciful to accept me, a most fallen, degraded soul, as one of his disciples. He came to Bhubaneswar for sixteen days until the appearance day of Lord Nityananda which fell on 2 February 1977. He arrived on 19 January and left on 3 February. He told me, “Gour Govinda, I will lay the foundation stone on the appearance day of Lord Nityananda.” Actually, he is a manifestation of Lord Nityananda. Lord Nityananda is so wonderfully merciful, even more so than Gauranga Mahaprabhu. nitäiyer karuëä habe braje rädhä-kåñëa päbe — If you receive the mercy of Nitai then you will be able to attain Radha Krishna in Vrajabhumi. Otherwise how is it possible? He poured all his mercy, karuëä, into his last founded project — Bhubaneswar’s Krishna Balaram Mandir. It is all nitäiyer karuëä.

gåhastha until 1954, when he left that ashram at the age of fifty-eight to become a vänaprasthé. He traveled alone to many places in India until 1958. At last he came to Vrindavan and stayed in the Radha Damodar temple for a few years. He entered a period of intense preparation there, becoming fully absorbed in his sädhana, bhajana, studying, and translating. In 1959 he took sannyasa from his godbrother Keshava Maharaja. To carry out the order of his revered spiritual master, he set out for the West at the advance d age o f 69. O n 17 September 1965 he arrived in America. In 1966 he established the International S o ciety for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON. In 1968 he began his New Vrindavan Project. In 1972 he opened ISKCON’s first gurukula in Texas. At that time there were only three students. In just three years there were one hundred and thirty-five enrolled. Then, he started the Vaishnava City project in Mayapur Dham, the appearance place of Sriman Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He spent more than one hundred crores * of rupees to keep that work going. He established the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in 1972. On 14 November 1977 he disappeared from this world. During this period he traveled twelve times around the world and preached the science of Krishna consciousness. This is a precise life history. Still, his pastimes are unlimited and unending. * One hundred crores is one billion.

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