108 Glories
1st Set
Meditations on the Infinite Qualities and Pastimes
of
Om Visnu-pada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya
Astottara Sata Sri Srimad
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
by Paratrikananda dasa
___________________
73. Srila Prabhupada is my unshakable firefighter. The searing flames of rajas consume the banished. Prabhupada puts himself in harm’s way to retrieve the Lord’s jivas.
samsara-davanala-lidha-loka-
tranaya karunya-ghanaghanatvam
praptasya kalyana-gunarnavasya
vande guroh sri-caranaravindam
Thus the spiritual master is offered obeisances: "Sir, you have brought mercy from the Supreme Lord; therefore, we are much obliged to you. You have come to deliver us, so we offer our respectful obeisances." That is the meaning of this verse: the first qualification of the spiritual master, or guru, is that he brings you the message to stop the blazing fire in your heart. This is the test.
"The Qualifications of the Spiritual Master"
Back to Godhead magazine (Vol. 13, No. 1-2)
74. Srila Prabhupada is my obsession. I must do something to please him. It’s the only way to win his attention.
Devotee: Srila Prabhupada, if we think about our spiritual master, is that as good as thinking about Krsna?
Prabhupada: Hm?
Devotee: If we think about our spiritual master, is that as good as thinking of Krsna?
Prabhupada: Yes, because it is said, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah: "If you can please your guru, then you please Krsna." So if you make always this plan, "How to please my guru," then you'll please Krsna.
Bhagavad-gita 7.2
Nairobi, October 28, 1975
75. Srila Prabhupada is my purport. Without him, life would have no meaning. His teachings give me the opportunity to ascend from the animal kingdom.
Now, to inquire about God, this facility is given to the human being. So you must utilize it. Otherwise you are not human. Your business is, by nature's creation, your business is. The human being... Just like you dress yourself nicely, you comb your hair. That is possible by the human being. An animal may have big hair, but it cannot dress because he has no intelligence. So if you have got intelligence, if you utilize it, then life's profit is there. If you don't utilize it, then you remain lower-grade animal. So in the human form of life, the preliminary is that he can inquire about God, he can understand about God. So if he does not utilize his life for that purpose, then he is animal.
Evening Darsana
Tehran, August 11, 1976
76. Srila Prabhupada is my skilled social engineer. He disseminates knowledge of a personal theocentric society that divides mankind into two groups of four. His plan yields peace and prosperity.
Therefore there is the institution of varnasrama. Catur-varnyam maya... Krsna says, "I have made this varnasrama for the benefit of the whole human society, although I don't belong to any varna, asrama." Krsna has nothing to do, but to maintain the human society very peaceful, advancing in spiritual knowledge, this varnasrama is required. Therefore sometimes I become very eager to start a varnasrama college.
Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.12
Los Angeles, June 25, 1975
77. Srila Prabhupada is my deity installer. As Adwaita’s petition summons the advent of the Golden Avatar, Prabhupada’s petition summons the advent of the Arca Avatar. He displaces the imagery of a humbug civilization with the everlasting, blissful and cognizant form of the Lord.
I have introduced this system of Deity worship amongst the non-believers, the atheists, the mlecchas, the yavanas and I pray to Krsna that I am inviting You to come, so please, because You are seated in their hearts, please give them the intelligence how to serve you so that You may not be inconvenienced. I have introduced this system to the mlecchas, the yavanas and the lowest and the fallen, but still it is successful.
Srila Prabhupada letter
Bombay, November 10, 1975
78. Srila Prabhupada is my superexcellent pastime narrator. He offers the lowest of men a chance to enter the highest lila. He ushers us away from sahajiya pitfalls with his strict commentary.
This krsna-katha will also be very much appealing to the most materialistic persons because Krsna's pastimes with the gopis (cowherd girls) are exactly like the loving affairs between young girls and boys within this material world. Actually, the sex feeling found in human society is not unnatural because this same sex feeling is there in the original Personality of Godhead. The pleasure potency is called Srimati Radharani. The attraction of loving affairs on the basis of sex feeling is the original feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we, the conditioned souls, being part and parcel of the Supreme, have such feelings also, but they are experienced within a perverted, minute condition. Therefore, when those who are after sex life in this material world hear about Krsna's pastimes with the gopis, they will relish transcendental pleasure, although it appears to be materialistic. The advantage will be that they will gradually be elevated to the spiritual platform. In the Bhagavatam it is stated that if one hears the pastimes of Lord Krsna with the gopis, from authorities with submission, then he will be promoted to the platform of transcendental loving service to the Lord, and the material disease of lust within his heart will be completely vanquished. In other words, such hearing will counteract material sex life.
This book, Krsna, which is filled with krsna-katha, will thus appeal equally to the liberated souls and to persons who are trying to be liberated, as well as to the gross, conditioned materialist. According to the statement of Maharaja Pariksit, who heard about Krsna from Sukadeva Gosvami, krsna-katha is equally applicable to every human being, whatever condition of life he is in. Surely everyone will appreciate it to the highest magnitude.
Krsna Book Introduction
79. Srila Prabhupada is my paramahamsa. By extracting the milk from water, he teaches me to discriminate between matter and spirit. I’m still an ugly duckling but I hope to fly with him some day.
Why hamsa is taken, paramahamsa? Hamsa has the capacity... Hamsa means swan. He has got capacity. If you give to the hamsa milk mixed with water, the hamsa has got the capacity, so it will drink the milk and reject the water. Therefore hamsa. And paramahamsa, paramahamsa means although they are in the material world, they have kicked out the material things, but he has taken Krsna. That's all. Krsna is there. Everywhere is Krsna. Isavasyam idam sarvam. Even in this material world there is Krsna, but the hamsa can take it, not the crows. The crows cannot take it. Therefore difference between the crows and hamsas. So those who are in Krsna consciousness, they are being trained up to become hamsas, or they are hamsas. They don't care for anything, material thing. They are concerned with Krsna. Therefore paramahamsa. Krsna is everywhere.
Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.18
Mayapur, February 25, 1976
80. Srila Prabhupada is my loving guardian. Though his love for me is often unrequited, his affection for me does not wane. He shows me the meaning of unconditional love.
Su-hrda means one who is actually wanting your welfare. That is called suhrt. Just like father, mother. In spite of so many faults on the part of the son, still they are willing always, "How my sons will be happy." These are the examples of suhrdah. He's not ordinary friend. Ordinary friend, that is reciprocation: "If you do me, then I shall do to you. Otherwise not." But suhrdah means the other side does not do anything benefit, but one side is always willing. That is called suhrdah.
Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.3
Vrndavana, October 25, 1976
(Cont'd on next page.)
