08/25/98 - 2070

Revolutionary Vyasa Puja Offering By Bangalore Temple President

Bangalore, India (VNN) - by Madhu Pandit dasa

(Vyasa-puja offering to Srila Prabhupada read on 16th August 1998 at Bangalore temple to about 800 devotees and congregational members.)

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my humble and respectful obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace-the savior of the world.

Srila Prabhupada, you pulled me out of this material world about 20 years ago. Just a single line in your Krishna Book that was in our institute library changed my life. That one line was "The Absolute truth is a Person, the Supreme Personality of Godhead full of all opulences" That one line in your book went deeper than all the philosophy that I had been reading both western and eastern for many years. It is such a simple statement but the phenomenon behind this is still unexplicable to me ie; as to why it struck me so much. I can only say that it is your causeless mercy acting on me to save me from this material world. Such is the potency of every word in your books. You live in your books to save the whole world next 10,000 years.

Krishna has his prakta lila and aprakata lila. Prakta lila is when Krishna's pastime is visible to our eyes and aprakata lila is his pastimes without being present before our eyes. In the same way, Srila Prabhupada, you have your prakata and aprakata lila. The world witnessed your prakata lila from 1896 to 1977. Your aprakta lila is continuing now. You are very much personally in control of your movement.

Srila Prabhupada you went to America declaring war against Maya. This war against illusion is the highest service to humanity. You fought this war with the most powerful weapon, your quality of absolute humility. But souls in this world are often less than thankful for what you have done because of being unaware of their own self-interest in their heart. Your Divine grace offered the realization of the true dignity of the soul. The dignity that everyone is an eternal servant of none other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna. This was the work of your Divine Grace ie; to bring dignity to all the souls, and you did so with all humility at your command. It has been said that what Islam achieved with sword, what Christianity did with wealth, you did with a humble heart- inundating the entire planet with Love of Godhead. One day, the whole world who are yet to realize your contribution to the world, irrespective of all races, countries, and creeds will sing your praise.

You have integrated the spiritual life which is absolute reality to diverse material circumstances which is a relative reality. Thus you have made spiritual life accessible to one and all. This is the work of an acarya who teaches both by precept and practice. You were always absorbed in love of Godhead. Your mercy flows without restriction of time and space to anyone and everyone who shows even slightest interest in pure devotion. This is the work of Your Divine Grace. You have left a legacy of love, not law, for any and all of your followers. You establish direct connection with all your followers through transcendental knowledge. My own life is a witness to this reality. There are countless realizations of devotees that bring about this fact. I would also like to read just one important story heard from His Holiness Sivaram Maharaj in his last years Vyasa Puja offering to Srila Prabhupada. (read the story o grandmother of Bhaktin Dora) We also just heard the story of Srila Prabhupada's shoes going away from New Vrindavan narrated by His Grace Badrinarayan Prabhu in this year Vyasa Puja offering.

Unfortunately certain belief system about gurus in ISKCON have distanced sincere devotees from cultivating a direct spiritual relationship with Your Divine Grace. The system makes devotees to distance away from Your Divine Grace or redefine their relationship with you especially after they take initiation in ISKCON. This is perpetrated by misapplying the principle of 'jumping the guru'. They are really missing your direct touch, the transcendental effect, which cannot be equaled by anyone else in ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada, I have realized, by your mercy, that the existence of this belief has been the biggest problem in our society today that does not actively promote its members the idea that one can cultivate a direct relationship with Your divine Grace, a relationship of eternal shelter and service. Unfortunately the present belief system makes one feel guilty of approaching you directly. This makes people distance away from you as if it is not proper etiquette. This only limits devotees from the unlimited benefit that they can transcendentally receive from Your Divine Grace.

Today on this most auspicious Vyasa Puja day, I beg forgiveness from Your Divine Grace, for being part of this system for eighteen years. Personally my only good fortune that has saved me from spiritual bankruptcy, inspite of being in this belief system, was that I did not allow anyone to eclipse my relationship with you as my sole savior and giver of transcendental knowledge, who picked me up from the horrible material world just by one line from your book. It is only when one of your senior disciples and guru of ISKCON told me, a few months back, that the idea of direct relationship for a grand disciple was offensive that a revolution started in my mind.

There are many occasions where you insisted to your disciples to specifically write, "Founder -Acarya of ISKCON" wherever they wrote your name. One can clearly make out from your desires that you wish to remain in the focus of everyone's life as the Acarya for ISKCON. We in ISKCON are not doing justice to this desire of yours after you ended your visible pastimes in November 1977.

Even before one meets a diksha guru in ISKCON you establish direct link with those who read and follow your books. You have made me realize that there is an urgent need to adjust everything in ISKCON in such a way that the most important person in the heart of everyone in ISKCON should be Your Divine Grace. Every other person should be seen only as assisting them in their prime relationship with the Founder-Acarya as the deliverer of everyone in ISKCON. All practices should be reformed in such a way that no one else but Your Divine Grace will take this primary place in devotees' heart, not leaving anything for chance. Once when one devotee told you, " There will be men who want to try and pose themselves as guru", you replied, "Very strong management required and vigilant observation."

Everyone else in ISKCON should only take a secondary place. I consider this as the prime duty of every senior devotee of ISKCON towards a newcomer. It is the duty to allow you, Srila Prabhupada, who is a pure devotee, mahabhagavata, the empowered acarya, to shape everyone's life in this society of yours and make them all feel that they first belong to you eternally to be engaged in your eternal lila with the Lord. I am begging you to give me strength to be a small instrument to bring about reforms in this movement to keep you in the center of everyone's life.

Srila Prabhupada you are both the confidential servitor of Srimati Radharani and also of Nityananada Prabhu. Everything that is required for performing loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna ie: jnana-bala-kriya, you are channeling into this world, the internal energy of the Lord, in order o give us all a chance to touch transcendence and experience devotional service as a reality. You are also transparently offering the services of so many souls from this world for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. Not realizing the glory of your aprakata lila some devotees foolishly freeze your active role to the time between 1896 and 1977 when you were physically present on the planet. They say that after 1977 you are passive. Srila Prabhupada how can anyone limit your pastimes to time and space especially because you have willed to remain with this movement directly, so clearly, in so many ways. You never mentioned that you will live with us only through the devotees who initiate after your leave. In a press conference in San Francisco some reporters asked you, "What will happen to the movement when you die? You replied " I will never die-I will live in my books and you will utilize." This is a clear statement that, Srila Prabhupada, you wish to continue to really live with those who live by your books in the most direct sense.

In a room conversation two weeks before you ended your visible pastimes you said "Only Lord Chaitanya can take my place. He will take care of the movement." So it is very clear that this movement cannot be hijacked by anyone who even unknowingly slightly imitate your position in the eternal disciplic succession. Over the past years after your departure, time has been revealing the truths even up to this day. With the faith that you are active, we are continuing to serve your cause. Srila Prabhupada, please manifest your will and give us strength to continue serving your will.

You are the ultimate shelter to everyone who wishes to absolutely surrender to Krishna. You are the perpetual link of the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya sampradaya at whose feet the whole humanity can take shelter and be delivered from this material world for the next ten thousand years.

Srila Prabhupada please give me spiritual strength to be part of these most urgent reforms needed to place Your Divine Grace in the center of ISKCON, not as a figure head but as the most active personality in everyone's life, just as when you were on this planet. Whether you are physically present or not, you would directly reciprocate compassionately with anyone according to their degree of faith in your teachings, instructions and constant guidance. Please use me, Srila Prabhupada, in this humble service

Your eternal servant
Madhu Pandit dasa