ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> <html><head><title>The Sampradaya Sun - Independent Vaisnava News - Editorial Stories - December 2011</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=EmulateIE7"> </head> <body bgcolor="white" width=800 link="#990000" alink="#990000" vlink="#000088"> <table width=750 border=1 bordercolor="#CC9933" bordercolordark="990000" bordercolorlight="CC9933" cellpadding=10 cellspacing=0 bgcolor="white"> <tr> <td valign=top><font size=2><font face="Verdana"><font size=2> <center><P> <img src="../head1.gif" width=605 height=99 border=0 usemap="#nav1"></center> <center><table width=700 border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 bgcolor="white"> <tr> <td valign=top colspan=2><font size=2><font face="Verdana"><font size=2> <MAP NAME="nav1"> <AREA COORDS="23,17,110,82" SHAPE="rect" HREF="../../index.htm"> <AREA COORDS="1,87,46,98" SHAPE="rect" HREF="../../../media/mantra.wav" target="_blank"> <AREA COORDS="76,86,111,97" SHAPE="rect" HREF="../../news/news.htm"> <AREA COORDS="121,86,189,97" SHAPE="rect" HREF="../../editorials/editorials.htm"> <AREA COORDS="199,86,256,97" SHAPE="rect" HREF="../../features/features.htm"> <AREA COORDS="266,86,329,97" SHAPE="rect" HREF="../../sunblogs/sunblogs.htm"> <AREA COORDS="339,86,412,97" SHAPE="rect" HREF="../../classifieds/classifieds.htm"> <AREA COORDS="421,86,466,97" SHAPE="rect" HREF="../../events/events.htm"> <AREA COORDS="476,86,539,97" SHAPE="rect" HREF="../../recipes/recipes.htm"> <AREA COORDS="549,86,796,604" SHAPE="rect" HREF="../../podcasts/podcasts.htm"> </MAP> <P><BR> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width=700> <P><BR> <blockquote> <font face="verdana"><FONT SIZE=+2><p style='text-align:justify'> The Crest Jewel of All Swans in the Ocean <BR>of Radha-Krishna Prema <P> <font face="verdana"><font size=2><p style='text-align:justify'> BY: ANIRUDDHA DAS </font></font> <P><center><img src="jewel2.jpg" width=436 height=379 border=1></center> </FONT></FONT><P><BR><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2><B>Dec 31, 2011 &#151; GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA (SUN) &#151; </b> I have an old Mexican Godbrother that had the great fortune of personally meeting Srila Prabhupada during his first visit to Mexico in 1972. This Godbrother is an inveterate cybernaut. He sends me the coolest messages circulating on the Internet, as well as links, pictures, etc. that he considers informative, constructive, inspirational or simply humorous. But a couple of months ago he sent me a magnificent, superb link. Although I remember having watched parts of this footage (Srila Prabhupada preaching, and Panchadravida Swami and Bhagavat Prabhu hearing) in the early 1980's, I completely forgot about it. This time, after watching spellbound its content, I concluded that this Godbrother definitely sent me a present that I would never be able to repay him. He sent me indeed a <I>matchless gift</i>  just to purposely use the name of the storefront where Srila Prabhupada opened his first preaching center in New York. To pay back just a little bit the debt I owe my Godbrother, now I want to share the above-mentioned link with the Vaisnava and Vaisnavi readers of the Sampradaya Sun, but not without first begging their kind acquiescence to make a personal digression. </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>In the video (by the way, of an exceptional quality) you will see how Srila Prabhupada exits walking from his residential quarters, located at one of the apartment buildings of the old complex built in ISKCON Juhu Beach, Bombay (now Mumbai). Just watch how Srila Prabhupada walks! His gait, unhurried and brisk simultaneously, not only denotes nobility and gallantry, but unrivalled class. What class? -- the class of a <I>paramahamsa</i>. The class of a swan-like man. Or a swan amidst men. And not only one <I>more</i> swan amongst the swan specimens, but the prototype of all swans placidly swimming in the ocean of transcendence, in the bottomless sea of endless width of Radha-Krishna <I>prema</i>. </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Arjuna asks Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita (2.54): <font color="red"><B>"Arjuna said: What are the symptoms of one whose consciousness is thus merged in Transcendence? How does he speak, and what is his language? How does he sit, and how does he walk?"</b></font> </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>When Arjuna inquired "<B>what is his language</b>", he also included what in modern days is called 'body language' -- the art of interpreting the non-verbal communications a person sends through body postures, limbs motions, gestures, facial expressions, and especially, eye movements. <I>The History is in Your Eyes</i> is the eloquent title of many songs and poems composed in the English language. </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>The first thing to spring to mind is that Srila Prabhupada looks fresh and radiant, like a full blown lotus flower, after having taken his midday bath. Since crossing the threshold, Srila Prabhupada begins to perform a series of motions and gestures befitting a regal white swan: the manner in which he lordly cleanses his nose using the thumb and index fingers of his right hand; the indication he makes immediately afterwards with the same hand (palm upward) to the <I>brahmacari</i> standing next to the door; the swift movement downward he makes with both his right hand and arm to mandate his audience to seat down, and lastly, the carefree way he scratches the right side of his lotus face with his left hand, and again wipes his nose with the tips of the abovementioned fingers. </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>While walking towards the <I>asana</i>, Srila Prabhupada is serenely and gracefully interacting with all devotees and guests around him. Just after sitting cross-legged (in a semi-lotus position), Srila Prabhupada gives to the whole world the gift (since we are all watching it <I><U>right now</u></i>) of a most pleasing, beautiful smile -- an "oceanic" smile, as Sally Agarwal put it. While smiling, Srila Prabhupada delightfully moves his head sideways, like a Vrindavan <I>khanjarita</i> bird. <P><BR><center><img src="jewel3.jpg" width=435 height=357 border=1></center> </font></font><p><BR><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Walking meekly and respectfully behind Srila Prabhupada is Caitya-guru dasa, (ex-Bhakti Caitanya Swami), who solicitously carries a clay jug full of drinking water and then gently puts it on the floor. The <I>asana</i> is modest but spotlessly white and clean. Please note: all the way Srila Prabhupada carries his <I>japamala</i> in his right hand. After accommodating himself on the<I> asana</i>, he gently places it in the rear right side. </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Srila Prabhupada was in love with the pure chanting of the Holy Names! Indeed, he's <B><I>eternally</b></i> enamored of the Names of Radha and Krishna. Anywhere and everywhere you would see His Divine Grace, the <I>yuga-acarya</i> and current Sampradaya-<I>acarya</i>, either softly chanting on his beads <I>Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare</I>, or teaching this <I>maha-yugala-mantra</i> to all persons attending his preaching programs, or singing it  feelingly and aloud in a most melodious, entrancing, deep voice, or broadcasting the glories of the Holy Names during his public allocutions, or while writing his "devotional ecstasies' in his <B>Bhaktivedanta</b> Purports. </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Please take notice of a most curious and noteworthy detail: Srila Prabhupada walks just like a swan! First His Divine Grace rests all the weight of his body on the right foot, displacing it to that particular side, and then, in the next step, his body sways to the other side, where he sets his left foot down. </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>While walking Srila Prabhupada moves along with his back totally straight and his head tilted a little upwards. Past or future, no aristocrat, no British Lord, no king, no pasha, no demigod, can ever surpass Srila Prabhupada's swan-like style! </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>At the beginning, Srila Prabhupada is wearing fabric slippers, which he then removed and placed at the side of the <I>asana</i>. </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Srila Prabhupada's appearance is impeccable: He has just shaved up, and the <I>tilaka</i> marks on his broad forehead as well as in the upper and lower parts of both arms, are clearly visible, although you can see in full detail the Vaisnava spots on his left arm. Srila Prabhupada is wearing his sannyasa <I>dhoti </i>and <I>uttariya</i>. The two light saffron pieces of cloth look strikingly clean. </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Three rounds of <I>tulasi</i> beads tighten Srila Prabhupada's neck (although it appears that a separate fourth round of <I>tulasi</i> is there, right over the main set), and a thick <I>upavita</i>, sacred tread, transversely falls from his left shoulder. A beautiful necklace made of intercalated <I>tulasi</i> beads and minute gold balls adorns my Spiritual Master's chest. His Divine Grace dutifully and proudly bears the <I>tridandi-sannyasa</i> attire and all the Vaisnava external symbols. </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Srila Prabhupada's face shows exceptional features. According to the Vedic science related with the interpretation of physiognomy, big ears are indicative of a person who has the power of retaining and actually <I><u>putting into practice</u></i> all the teachings of his spiritual master. Dilated nasal openings are a sign of a very deep intuition -- In Srila Prabhupada's case, infinite common sense and practical wisdom! Of course, besides of being a Sampradaya <I>acarya</i> who perfectly knew and realized "all the imports" of the Krishna consciousness philosophy, Srila Prabhupada was also a connoisseur of all branches of knowledge. Not in vain, a Japanese gentleman waiting at a Tokyo International Airport terminal asked him amazed: "Wherefrom you have learned <I><U>all</u></i> the vast knowledge penned down in your books!" <P><BR><center><img src="jewel4.jpg" width=433 height=328 border=1></center> </font></font><p><BR><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Srila Prabhupada's lips are plump. His mouth is a major element on his face. Thorough his lotus mouth, <I>paramahamsa</i> Srila Prabhupada bountifully inundated the whole world, n the present Kali-yuga, with the purest presentation of Krishna consciousness, strictly obeying the order of his <I>gurudeva</i>; accepting the words of his Spiritual Master as his life and soul (<I>vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana</i>). </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Several of Srila Prabhupada's teeth have full gold crowns: a millenary fashion not only in India but in all the major civilizations of the planet. In conformity with Vedic <I>jyotish</i>, wearing golden pieces on the body ensures good health. It is also a beautiful decoration. </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Once seated on the <I>asana</i>, the cameraman makes a close-up of Srila Prabhupada's lotus face. You can behold the fine features of his face and also perceive the smoothness of his dark-golden skin. Srila Prabhupada avoids looking directly at the camera, but these two oculi are sharply capturing all that's happening around him. His seventy-plus years and the titanic efforts he has made so far have produced an evident tumefaction in the muscular walls around his eyes. His Divine Grace's glance is crystal-clear and deep. The glance of the paramount mystic! </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>If you watch carefully, the first thing Srila Prabhupada does is ask the devotees to chant <I>Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare</i>. The mission of his life! </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Another peculiarity: note Srila Prabhupada's heavy and paused breathing -- a clear symptom of tachycardia. Srila Prabhupada sacrificed his food [<I>prasadam</i>] intake, his sleep, & his very <I>life</i>! to perfectly and triumphantly carry out the specific <I>but</i> colossal order his Spiritual Master imparted him! Srila Prabhupada worked himself to death in order to <I>save us! </i> Srila Prabhupada labored so hard, served so selflessly and tirelessly, and adored Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga with such a peerless zeal and intensity, that he reduced his bodily necessities to a mere ascetic expression! </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Here is Srila Prabhupada's daily routine, as recorded in Hari Sauri's <I>A Transcendental Diary</i>: </font></font><p><ul><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>6:00 a.m.  Wash, brush teeth, and take Ayurvedic medicine. <BR> 6:30  7:30 a.m.  Morning walk. <BR> 7:30  8:30 a.m.  Greet the Deities, <I>guru-puja</i>, then Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture. <BR> 9:00  9:30 a.m.  Breakfast of fruits and <I>chira</i>.<BR> 9:45  11:15 a.m.  Rest on roof for an hour and then meet people (usually by appointment). <BR> 11:45  1:15 p.m.  Massage with oil. <BR> 1:15  1:45 p.m.  Bathe. <BR> 1:45  2:30 p.m.  Lunch <I>prasadam</i>.<BR> 2:30  3:00 p.m.  Sit in room or chant <I>japa</i>.<BR> 3:00  4:00 p.m.  Rest. <BR> 4:00  5:00 p.m.  Meet with specific people or devotees, or chant. <BR> 5:00  6:30 p.m.  Give public <I>darsana</i>.<BR> 6:30  9:30 p.m.  Meet public or senior devotees, GBC business or just preach. <BR> 9:30  0:00  Take hot milk, massage and rest. <BR> 0:00  5:00 a.m.  Rise and translate. <BR> 5:00  6:00 a.m.  Light rest or <I>japa</i>. </ul> <P><BR><center><img src="jewel5.jpg" width=437 height=324 border=1></center> </font></font><p><BR><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Finally, I want to call the attention of the viewers of this video to a particularly enlightening event. A most didactic, exemplary event. When the video comes to the point where the little dancing girls begin their simple, almost paltry dance in front of Srila Prabhupada & he turns away his eyes from looking at them! Not once or twice, but thrice. Srila Prabhupada <I><U>deliberately, purposely</u></i>, chooses to glance in a different direction! </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Srila Prabhupada was fully aware that his disciples were intently watching his every move. And he was also keenly conscious that his behavior would be not only be recorded, it would be emulated. </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>As a topmost <I>paramahamsa</i>, Srila Prabhupada was above the influence of the three modes of material nature, beyond any mundane temptation. What is more, by Providence's arrangement, this formidable lesson was forever recorded in celluloid for the benefit of all present and future generations of<I> sannyasis</i> in the disciplic line of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Prabhupada was the perfect, self-realized Spiritual Master: he always preached by his own example! </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Srila Prabhupada's heart is the repository of pure love for Radha and Krishna, nothing more. From his sacred heart only ecstatic <I>prema</i> emanates. He assumed the <I>bhava</i>, the mood of a universal Spiritual Master only for our welfare (<I>sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje</i>). As a <I>jagat-guru</i> and Sampradaya Acarya, I repeat, he set the ideal example for all his followers (by extension, for <I>all </i>true followers of Sri Chaitanyadeva headed by Srila Rupa Goswami) in the next ten-thousand years and beyond. He personally taught the meaning of a saying he quoted very often in his divine teachings: "Ceasar's wife must be above any suspicion." <P><BR><center><img src="jewel6.jpg" width=436 height=316 border=1></center> </font></font><p><BR><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>The last thing I want to say is that at the moment I'm finishing these lines, this video of Srila Prabhupada only has 2,986 hits, probably corresponding to a similar number of viewers. It's a rarity! Indeed, & what a wonderful gift my Mexican Godbrother sent me! </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>All glories to <I>yuga-acarya </i>and current Sampradaya-<I>acarya</i>, Srila Prabhupada! All glories to the crown-jewel swan swimming in the ocean of Radha-Krishna <I>prema</i>! All glories to the glorious <I>paramahamsa </i>who turned into reality (i) the dearmost desire (<I>namo bhistam</i>) of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, (ii) the wondrous prophecies forecasted by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and (iii) the very words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, to the effect that the Holy Names of Lord Krishna would be chanted in every town and village of the Earth, Om Vishnu Pada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad His Divine Loving Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada! </font></font><p><p style='text-align:justify'><font face="verdana"><font size=2>Here is the link: <p><br><CENTER> <object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hw-sX3Pmync" /> <param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hw-sX3Pmync" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350" /> </object> </CENTER> </blockquote> <P><br><p style='text-align:justify'><p><p> <center><a href="../../index.htm"><img src="../../leftarrow.gif" width=20 height=15 border=0 alt="Homepage"></a></center> <P><BR> <!-- ========================END NOTES===================== --> <blockquote> <font size=2><font face="Verdana"><font size=-2><center> <b> | <a href="../../index.htm">The Sun</a> | <a href="../../news/news.htm">News</a> | <a href="../../editorials/editorials.htm">Editorials</a> | <a href="../../features/features.htm">Features</a> | <a href="../../sunblogs/sunblogs.htm">Sun Blogs</a> | <a href="../../classifieds/classifieds.htm">Classifieds</a> | <a href="../../events/events.htm">Events</a> | <a href="../../recipes/recipes.htm">Recipes</a> | <a href="../../podcasts/podcasts.htm">PodCasts</a> | <P> | <a href="../../about.htm">About</a> | <a href="../../submit.htm">Submit an Article</a> | <a href="mailto:sun@harekrsna.com">Contact Us</a> | <a href="../../ads/advertise.htm">Advertise</a> | <a href="../../../index.htm">HareKrsna.com</a> | </center> </blockquote> <P> <center></i>Copyright 2005,2011, HareKrsna.com. 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