Narada Muni das Remembers Srila Prabhupada

Narada Muni: Another beautiful lesson and pastime with Srila Prabhupada that I was fortunate enough to witness was at the La Cienega temple in Los Angeles. I remember once we put a play on for Srila Prabhupada. It was the drama from Caitanya-caritamrta where Lord Chaitanya is floating in the ocean in ecstasy remembering the pastimes of Radha and Krishna. The devotees didn’t know where Lord Chaitanya was but when they saw a fisherman, played by Visnujana, running around chanting like a madman, they knew that he must have come in contact with Lord Chaitanya. Prabhupada was laughing and laughing and totally enjoyed the play. It was enlivening just to watch him. Prabhupada was not dry. Prabhupada always enjoyed the ecstasy of Krishna consciousness. In one lecture Prabhupada said, “You cannot advance in Krishna consciousness unless you’re joyful.” That’s why Prabhupada told us to chant Hare Krishna and be happy. Krishna consciousness is a joyful process and Prabhupada always exemplified that. This was an example of Prabhupada encouraging the devotees. It wasn’t a professional play. It was the early days. There wasn’t a lot of paraphernalia that was professionally made but Prabhupada enjoyed it so much. After the play we had a darshan with Prabhupada and he was saying how nice the play was and how we should do plays like this all the time. Nowadays you don’t see so many dramas at the temples. But Prabhupada greatly enjoyed the plays and seeing his devotees where he could engage in reciprocation with them. Prabhupada relished that personal relationship that we all had with Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada had that aspect as Jagat Guru, greater than the greatest yet he would relate to us on an individual level and reciprocate with us in love. That personal quality of Srila Prabhupada is a very beautiful characteristic.

I remember Srila Prabhupada once was asked what is the process for the disciple going back to Godhead. Srila Prabhupada said that the spiritual master had purchased your ticket. It’s like if you want to get on a train you have to show your ticket. Srila Prabhupada said, “I have purchased your ticket. You simply have to get on board and you have to stay on the train till we get to the destination.” So this is the meaning of Jagat Guru. Srila Prabhupada actually has the ability to purchase the ticket for everyone because he’s the full manifestation of Krishna in the form of the spiritual master, speaking only what Krishna says.

Srila Prabhupada is always with us reciprocating. I remember in Los Angeles when Prabhupada was not well and he was going back to India. He was thinking that he may never come back to America and that’s when Srila Prabhupada first told us about vani and vapu. Srila Prabhupada explained about vani and the presence of the spiritual master through the transcendental media of sound vibration. Prabhupada explained how vani is much more intimate than vapu or the physical form. Prabhupada was giving us this realization because we were all on the bodily concept, but the relationship with the spiritual master and with Krishna has nothing to do with the bodily concept. So for all of us and all of the generations who come after who didn’t have Srila Prabhupada’s physical association, it’s not as important as having Prabhupada’s association through his vibrations in his books, in his lectures, in his remembrances. Everyone for the next ten thousand years can have the exact same sense of intimacy of Srila Prabhupada as his closest disciples that were near him physically. Prabhupada explained that even when Lord Krishna was here on this planet, the vast majority of 17 people didn’t understand who Krishna was. It’s on a transcendental platform. In the same way, how many understood who Srila Prabhupada was and is? If we understand who Srila Prabhupada is, Srila Prabhupada will be there for us in a very intimate, loving, transcendental reciprocating way.

To view the entire unedited video go to Memories 53 - The Alachua Clan 2

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