Srila Prabhupada Speaks about his Guru Maharaja!
HDG Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī’s Appearance Day Lecture by Srila Prabhupada, Feb 07, 1969, Los Angeles!
So in Calcutta, Guru Mahārāja (Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati) started in 1918. And, I think, in 1922, when I was young man, one of my friends, he took me to Guru Mahārāja. That was my first meeting. And, of course, he was speaking to everyone, but he found me as something. So immediately after my meeting, he said this, that “Why don’t you preach this Caitanya’s cult in the Western countries?” That is a memorable day. Of course, I did not know that I will have to do it. [laughter] You see? It is…
Boy: What?
Prabhupāda: [aside:] Stop. Whatever you do not understand, you will ask later on, not in the middle. I could not understand that time. You see? It was… I talked with him in so many ways: “Who will hear your Caitanya’s message? We are dependent country.” At that time I was Gandhi’s devotee. In 1920 I gave up my educational career and joined this Congress Movement. Because Gandhi’s program was to boycott the university education and the British law court, so we took this opportunity and gave up education. You see? [chuckles]
So then Dr. Bose, he was my father’s friend, so he asked, “What this Abhaya is doing?” So my sister told him, “Oh, he has appeared in the B.A. examination, but he is not doing anything.” So Dr. Bose was my father’s friend. So he appointed me the manager of his laboratory. I did not know anything; still, he appointed me. So that was in 1921. In 1920 I gave up my education. Of course, I was married in 1918, and I got my first child in 1921.
So in 1922, when I saw my Guru Mahārāja and when I was convinced about his argument and mode of presentation, I was so much struck with wonder. I could understand that “Here is the proper person who can give real religious idea.” That I appreciated at that time. And at that time I thought, “This great personality is asking me to preach. I would have immediately joined, but now I am married. It will be injustice.” Of course, I thought like that, in that way. Of course, Guru Mahārāja did not say anything that “You give up your family life.” No, never said. He simply gave the idea. So I thought that “It would have been better if I was not married.”
Anyway, then 1923 I left Calcutta on my business, and I established my headquarter at Allahabad. So all the days I was thinking of this, “Oh, I saw a very nice saintly person. But I am now off from Calcutta.” So I was thinking like that. Practically he initiated me, because I was thinking of…, always.
Then in 1928 there was a big fair which is called Kumbha-melā. At that time I was doing business in Allahabad. My business was very flourishing. It is well-known drug shop. So the persons who went to organize our Gauḍīya Maṭha’s camp in that fair, somebody has told that “Here is a Bengali gentleman’s business. You can go, and he is very religious man. He will help.” So all the disciples of Guru Mahārāja, they approached my shop, my store, drug store.
And I was…, because I was thinking of them, so I thought, “Oh, here is the men.” You see? You see? I was very glad—”So they have come again”—because I was separated from them in 1923, and again I saw them in 1928, after five years, and I was thinking of Guru Mahārāja simply in this way: “Oh, I met a very nice saintly person. Very nice saintly person. If I can see him again?” Like that. So in this way, with my help, the Allahabad center of Gauḍīya Maṭha was established.
Then I was initiated in 1933. In 1933. And in 1936 I was, at that time, in Bombay, and Guru Mahārāja was very much indisposed, and he was at Purī, Jagannātha Purī. We have got our temple there. Guru Mahārāja established sixty-four temples, small and big. Just like I am increasing, he increased. So most of the temples were in Bengal. In Bengal there were about fifty out of sixty-four, and one temple was at Allahabad, one was in Madras.
In this way, outside Bengal, about three, four, one Benares. And he sent Bon Mahārāja also in 1933 to London for preaching, but unfortunately, some way or other, he could not do anything, so Guru Mahārāja called him back in 1934. He was not satisfied and sent another Godbrother, gosvāmī.
In 1936, just on the 13th December, I wrote him one letter. Not 13th. I think by the beginning of December, 1936, I wrote one letter to Guru Mahārāja. I knew he was little kind upon me, so I wrote that “Guru Mahārāja, you have got many disciples. I am also one of them. But they are doing direct service to you. There some of them are brahmacārīs, some of them sannyāsīs, but I am a householder. I cannot…” Of course, I was giving sometimes some monetary help, but I could not give any direct service, so I asked him that “If there is any particular service I can do for you?”
So that letter was replied in 13th December, dated 13th December, from Purī. And he passed away on the 31st December. Just a fortnight before. So the reply was the same as he wanted me to do this preaching work in 1922, when I first met him, that “You try to preach whatever you have learned from me, the English-knowing people in English. That will do good to you and to the people to whom you shall preach. That is my instruction.” So I took up that… And then he passed away in 1936, 31st December. So I consulted some of my Godbrothers, senior Godbrothers, “Guru Mahārāja has told me like this. What can I do?”
So you have heard the name of Professor Sanyal, and there were other Godbrothers. They asked me to write on the Vaiṣṇava-siddhānta in English. So perhaps in 1935 I wrote one poetry. The part of it, somebody, you have got. He was very pleased. Since then he was insisting me that “You write on, preach in English.” At that time I was thinking, “What can I do?” So anyway, after his passing away, this Back to Godhead paper was started, as late in 1944, I think, because the expenditure was three hundred, four hundred rupees per month.
So somehow or other, it has begun, the blessings of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, as he wanted me, he desired me. So because he desired, my… I am not very expert or educated or nothing extraordinary, but only thing is that I believed in his word. That is… You can say that is my qualification. I believed cent percent in his word. So whatever success is there, it is just due to my firm faith in his instruction. So I am trying to follow. And by his grace, you are helping me.
So actually, the responsibility will now depend on you. I am also old man. I may pass away at any moment. This movement should go on, you see, this movement started by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then accelerated by Gosvāmīs, and then again Viśvanātha Cakravartī. And when… Just like whenever there is… Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati [Bg. 4.7].
[Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion-at that time I descend Myself.]
When there is some slowness, either Kṛṣṇa Himself or some representative comes to give it a push. So you should know it that this movement should be pushed on. This should not be neglected. And I am glad that you are catching the ideas very nicely, and try…
Simple thing: you chant sincerely and follow the rules and regulation. The rules and regulation are not very strict. They are very simple. But because you are trained in a different way… But I am so pleased and obliged to you that you have adopted. I never expected. When I came first in Boston, I was thinking, “Oh, who will accept these Vaiṣṇava rules and regulation? These people are after meat [chuckles] and wine and illicit sex, and how they will accept it?” I was hopeless: “How they will chant?” You see? So by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, at least, I am hopeful that this movement can be accepted by anyone. It is not so hopeless as I thought.
But apart from my calculation, you are realizing. This movement should be pushed on. Just like great souls always think of the poor souls, similarly, you should also feel. That is the way. Lord Jesus Christ, he also prayed for the sinful persons. So this is very good. If we struggle hard to push this movement, then, even we…, you don’t get any follower, Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied. And our business is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti.
(Position of Srila Prabhupada in ISKCON! READ HERE!)