His
Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad

Founder-Acharya of the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness
Srila
Prabhupadas Beautiful Transcendental Qualities
By Ajitananda dasa
Tulasi Garden Books
Dedication
To my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada,
who is an ocean of love and compassion.
Introduction
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who successfully
distributed the message of Lord Krishna throughout the world, was not
an ordinary conditioned soul, governed by the harsh laws of material nature.
Although he always felt himself to be most insignificant, it is evident
through careful study of his life that Srila Prabhupada perfectly displayed
the twenty-six qualities of a pure devotee of Krishna, as given in Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita. The Vedic literature states that only one who is
free from material bondage can possess these qualities in full. Such a
great soul is rarely found within this material realm, and owing to his
unparalleled purity and exalted status as an intimate associate of the
Supreme Lord Krishna, he is worshipable by the entire world. Following
are the sublime qualities of a pure devotee so eminently exemplified by
Srila Prabhupada.
Merciful
The ultimate expression of mercy is to freely afford everyone the opportunity
to develop pure love of Godhead. This Srila Prabhupada did by opening
over one hundred temples, printing millions of books and sending his disciples
all over the world to teach the science of Krishna consciousness. His
distribution of mercy manifested naturally as a result of his heartfelt
compassion for the long-suffering conditioned souls. His mercy fell everywhere,
like pleasing rain upon the burning hearts of this age. When Srila Prabhupada
lectured during the early days of the Krishna consciousness movement in
America, he would often tell his listeners, "I have come to your
country not to take anything, but simply to give." Those who were
honest and sincere were able to sense Srila Prabhupada's unalloyed desire
to bestow upon them the highest form of mercy, and directed by Krishna
within their hearts, they voluntarily placed themselves under his guidance
and protection. Although Srila Prabhupada is now gone from our material
vision, his mercy is still available. a liberated soul is not bound by
time and space, and neither is his mercy. One only has to open up one's
heart to receive this benediction, which is being distributed freely to
everyone.
Truthful
During the 1960's, a generation of young men and women took part in a
mass rebellion against the untruths that had been perpetrated upon them
by governments, schools, media and big business. at that time Srila Prabhupada
arrived on the scene, boldly preaching the message of Lord Krishna. He
spoke truthfully, never altering the pure message in deference to the
time and circumstance to attract followers, fame and money. In an atmosphere
seething with the fumes of unrestricted sense gratification, Srila Prabhupada
presented a process of spiritual life based on personal sacrifice and
purification of the senses. In those days, with the peace movement in
vogue, it was extremely unpopular to speak out on behalf of any form of
military activity. But rather than cater to public opinion, Srila Prabhupada
spoke the truth about the Bhagavad-gita, explaining to his youthful audience
that Arjuna attained spiritual perfection by fighting a war under the
order of Lord Krishna. Because of Srila Prabhupada's own spiritual qualities
and his straightforward presentation of Lord Krishna's message, people
gradually began to understand the message and received it with great delight.
Such was the powerful effect of Srila Prabhupada's truthfulness.
Magnanimous
Srila Prabhupada's gifts to the world were filled with tremendous spiritual
value. He gave us a wonderful philosophy to live by, knowledge of our
true spiritual identities, beautiful Deities of Krishna to worship, the
all-auspicious holy name of Krishna and delicious Krishna-prasadam. Srila
Prabhupada also gave us the spiritually enlivening association of devotees
and the chance to attain love of Krishna and return to a life of eternity,
bliss and knowledge in the spiritual world. In return for all these blessings,
Srila Prabhupada asked nothing for himself. He simply asked that we refrain
from sinful activities, chant Hare Krishna and give Krishna consciousness
to others. In this way, selflessly giving of himself at every step, Srila
Prabhupada perfectly exhibited the magnanimous nature of a pure devotee
of Lord Krishna.
Desireless
One is said to be desireless when his only interest lies in satisfying
the transcendental senses of Lord Krishna. Desires are eternally flowing
like a river from the heart of the living entity, and the process of Krishna
consciousness can change the quality of those desires from material to
spiritual. although Srila Prabhupada began his preaching work very humbly,
his mission became enormously successful, and Krishna blessed him with
great opulence. When a person acquires great amounts of wealth and power,
he usually becomes thoroughly attached and polluted due to the strong
force of his material desires. Srila Prabhupada, however, remained aloof
from this contamination because of his complete absorption in the desire
to please Krishna.
Indifferent to Material acquisition
Because a pure devotee of Lord Krishna is desireless, he is naturally
indifferent to material acquisition. Material facilities may come and
go, but that does not concern him in the least. Srila Prabhupada once
pointed out that if he had simply sat beneath a tree and preached, very
few people would have come to listen. Therefore, to effectively deliver
the message of Lord Krishna, he constructed beautifully ornate temples.
at no time, however, was he desirous of settling in comfortably to enjoy
these facilities, choosing instead to follow a rigorous schedule of travelling
and preaching that even the youngest and healthiest of his disciples could
not keep pace with.
Without Material Possessions
A pure devotee of Lord Krishna is always diving and surfacing in the
ocean of spiritual happiness. The Vedas explain that one drop of this
happiness is millions of times greater than the paltry relish afforded
by material sense gratification or even the pleasure derived from liberation
from material existence. a pure devotee never depends on the accumulation
of material possessions for his happiness. He accepts only what is necessary
to perform devotional service and maintains full awareness that these
facilities are actually the property of the Lord. During Srila Prabhupada's
years spent in Vrindavana preparing for his eventual journey to the West,
he lived very simply in a tiny room in the courtyard of the Radha-Damodara
temple. After preaching vigorously in the West for a number of years,
Srila Prabhupada had access to much opulence, yet he never claimed any
of it as his own and used every penny in the service of Krishna.
Fixed
When Srila Prabhupada was instructed by his spiritual master to preach
Krishna consciousness in English, he took his order as his life and soul
and fixed his determination upon carrying it out diligently. Founding
the Back to Godhead magazine in 1944, Srila Prabhupada single-handedly
attended to its publication and distribution for many years, never once
deviating from his sincere effort to please his spiritual master. as a
result of Srila Prabhupada's fixed determination, all of his preaching
activities were crowned with glorious success, and even now, in his physical
absence, his followers carry on his work all over the world.
Without False Prestige
Srila Prabhupada's humility was inconceivably deep and heartfelt, and
it inspired a generation of young men and women, who had based their lives
on the rejection of authority, to willingly accept his authority. Srila
Prabhupada never took credit for his many successes, always preferring
to acknowledge his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta SarasvatiThakura,
and the assistance given to him by his disciples. During one lecture,
Srila Prabhupada touched the hearts of his disciples when he stated that
he considered them to be representatives of his spiritual master, sent
to assist him in his preaching mission. By this expression of sincere
gratitude, Srila Prabhupada displayed his mood of devout humility. anyone
pursuing the spiritual path should aspire to follow in his footsteps in
this regard.
Grave
Srila Prabhupada once explained to a group of his disciples that a devotee
of Lord Krishna is always grave. Upon hearing this, one devotee, a very
colourful and effusive person, decided to tone down his disposition and
became straight-faced in an attempt to please his spiritual master. after
a few days of this behaviour by his disciple, Srila Prabhupada looked
at him quizzically and asked what was the matter. The disciple replied
that he was trying to be grave. At that, Srila Prabhupada laughed and
explained to him that being grave means to be serious about Krishna consciousness.
It has nothing to do with artificially repressing one's individuality.
Srila Prabhupada himself was a most vibrant personality. His life abounded
with laughter and spiritual enjoyment, yet he was always serious about
Krishna consciousness. He never forgot Lord Krishna, not even for a moment,
and in this way displayed perfect gravity.
Not Defiant
When Srila Prabhupada first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
SarasvatiThakura, he was a supporter of Mahatma Gandhi's effort to free
India from the clutches of British rule. During that meeting, the two
engaged in a discussion, during which Srila Prabhupada expressed his view
that to be spiritually potent India first needed to be politically free.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta responded by using sound logic and scriptural evidence
to prove that Krishna consciousness alone could rid India, as well as
the rest of the world, from all forms of material suffering. Because Srila
Prabhupada was not defiant, being endowed with all humility and respect,
he graciously surrendered to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's infallible conclusion
and accepted him as his spiritual guide. From this transcendentally instructive
pastime we can see how a pure devotee of Lord Krishna is never defiant,
and also how we must conduct ourselves in the presence of genuinely advanced
Vaishnavas, if we wish to rise to the platform of spiritual consciousness.
although Srila Prabhupada was a personal associate of Lord Krishna, capable
of giving spiritual guidance to the entire world, he was always surrendered
to the lotus feet of his spiritual master and never evinced even a hint
of defiance in his character.
Respectful
Srila Prabhupada was respectful to all living beings because he saw them
as parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord Krishna, with whom he was fully
in love. During his extensive preaching tours, he was usually greeted
at temples by adoring throngs of devotees and guests. On one such visit
to the New York City temple in 1976, as he strode gracefully down the
center aisle amid a multitude of beaming devotees assembled in the front
lobby, they all paid obeisances to him, as is the custom when receiving
a worshipable guest. at that time a young gurukula boy, who had innocently
bowed down too far into the aisle, was eased backwards by the devotee
next to him, so as not to obstruct the path. When Srila Prabhupada reached
the boy, he stopped, placed his hand on his head and looked at him with
affection, as if to make sure that his feelings had not been hurt. In
this instance, and in all of his personal dealings, Srila Prabhupada treated
everyone he met with the utmost respect, thus softening their hearts and
rekindling their spiritual sentiments.
Equal to Everyone
A pure devotee of Krishna sees the spiritual nature of all beings, regardless
of their temporary material forms. He observes that all souls, in their
pure state, are qualitatively equal, though their individual spiritual
identities are unique. In addition, he is always trying to uplift them
and sees and treats everyone in that spirit. Srila Prabhupada perfectly
exhibited this sublime quality and was thus the ideal representative of
Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, who desired to flood the entire world
with love of Krishna. He was constantly immersed in distributing Their
mercy to everyone, and he humbly requested his disciples to assist him
in this effort. One evening in July 1966, while Srila Prabhupada was lecturing
at 26 Second avenue in New York City, an old derelict staggered into the
storefront, put two rolls of toilet tissue in the bathroom, set some paper
towels atop the sink, turned and staggered out. Being equal to everyone,
Srila Prabhupada was undisturbed by the man's odd behaviour and appreciated
the spark of devotion shining through. "Just see," said Prabhupada,
"he is not in order, but he thought that, 'Here is something. Let
me give some service.' Just see how automatically it comes. This is natural."
Clean
Srila Prabhupada exhibited summit cleanliness, both internally and externally.
His heart and mind were constantly submerged in the purifying waters of
love of Godhead, and his shining body was always engaged in Lord Krishna's
pure devotional service. Srila Prabhupada's cleanliness was so profound
and far-reaching that not only was he himself impeccable, but he also
purified the lives of thousands of young men and women who had previously
possessed no proper concept of spiritual or bodily cleanliness.
Peaceful
Srila Prabhupada once described the mind of a pure devotee as being very
peaceful, like a country pond filled with crystal-clear water, beautiful
lotus flowers and swans gliding happily across it. This much desired state
of mind is a natural quality of one who is situated in transcendence,
at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, far beyond the turbulent material world
and senses. Srila Prabhupada was very peaceful due to his own pure Krishna
consciousness. Shouldering the immense pressure and responsibility of
a worldwide spiritual family, with its concomitant problems, Srila Prabhupada
gracefully meted out love, guidance and practical instructions with full
composure, never once losing touch with his peaceful Lord Krishna.
Mild
Srila Prabhupada's mild demeanor was another very attractive feature
of his divine personality. In the material world, when a person attains
a position of high authority, he often becomes influenced by false pride
and loses the quality of gentleness in his behaviour. Thus he becomes
a source of anxiety for his subordinates. Srila Prabhupada, although the
world's greatest spiritual authority, never displayed even a drop of false
pride and always maintained a mildness around which everyone felt at ease.
The beautiful photograph on the cover of this book, in which Srila Prabhupada
appears as the most humble Vaishnava, does far more to depict his mild
nature than this insignificant writer can hope to express.
Poetic
Srila Prabhupada was poetic, not only in the literary sense, as evidenced
by his beautiful poems glorifying his spiritual master and Lord Krishna,
but in every aspect of his personality as well. His gesturing, walking,
talking, singing, smiling, dancing and worship were all done with a natural
poetic grace, as befitting a swanlike pure devotee of the Lord. For those
sensitive souls who had embarked on a pilgrim's progress, in search of
ultimate truth and beauty, attaining Srila Prabhupada's sublime association
marked their journey's end, and they happily gave up all mundane pursuits
to engage in his service. Such was the attractive power of Srila Prabhupada's
poetic nature, which manifested wonderfully due to his superexcellent
level of Krishna consciousness.
Sane
The living entity in the material world has become mad due to the influence
of maya. In reality, he is an eternal spiritual spark, part and parcel
of Krishna, but in illusion, he sees himself as a material body, forgets
his intimate relationship with the Lord and fails to see how everything
around him is emanating from the absolute Truth. Srila Prabhupada was
never under such misconceptions, however, as evidenced by his pure devotional
service. Out of natural humility, he never promoted his own elevated status,
but once, when pressed by his disciples for information concerning his
position, he modestly replied, "Never was there a moment when I have
not thought of Krishna in this life." Srila Prabhupada's unwavering
remembrance of Krishna provided the perfectly effulgent example of spiritual
sanity, and by faithfully serving his lotus feet we will soon become free
from our material illusion.
Faultless
Due to his being situated in the internal, spiritual energy of Lord Krishna,
Srila Prabhupada was faultless, free from the four material defects, namely,
the tendency to commit mistakes, to be in illusion, to cheat others and
to possess imperfect senses. Because Srila Prabhupada performed his devotional
activities in a mood of full surrender to Lord Krishna, he was guided
by the personal hand of the Lord and was consequently mistake-free. His
freedom from illusion was shown by the fact that, through his preaching
work, millions of souls were enlightened with spiritual knowledge. By
sacrificing his own bodily comforts for the service of mankind, he demonstrated
his complete freedom from the tendency to cheat others. and finally, his
eyes, being smeared with the ointment of love of God, were fully spiritual,
as were the rest of his senses, which were ever engaged in the transcendental
loving service of Sri Krishna.
Surrendered to Krishna
Srila Prabhupada's complete surrender to Lord Krishna was shown by his
constant engagement in devotional service with mind, body and words. Another
symptom of a soul fully surrendered to Krishna is absolute detachment
from the bodily concept of life. at the advanced age of seventy, despite
several heart attacks and many other ordeals, Srila Prabhupada single-handedly
penetrated Maya's formidable stronghold and planted the seed of devotional
service in the hearts of thousands of fallen souls. He was able to do
this because he was completely free from material attachment, owing to
his full surrender to Krishna.
Eats Only as Much as Required
Although Srila Prabhupada received the most opulent prasadam, presented
to him in grand amounts by loving disciples, he never indulged in luxury,
taking only modest portions and distributing the remainder to the devotees.
as a rule, one in the renounced order of life is forbidden to eat delicious
food, as this may drag him by the tongue into a whirlpool of material
desires and thus ruin his spiritual advancement. Srila Prabhupada, however,
was never victimized by these culinary delights. He always maintained
full spiritual potency and complete dedication to satisfying the transcendental
senses of Lord Krishna.
Completely Controls the Six Bad Qualities
An aspiring devotee of Lord Krishna, who is serious about spiritual life,
strives to control the six bad qualities, namely, lust, anger, greed,
illusion, madness and envy, which act like deadly poison upon his consciousness
if not subdued. His practical method for accomplishing this is to actively
engage his body, mind and words in the Lord's devotional service, which
has the potency to neutralize these vices, as a serpent is robbed of its
capacity to inject poison when its fangs are removed. Srila Prabhupada
did not need to control these vices, however, as they were completely
absent from his nature. He was like a vaidurya gem, manifesting many beautiful,
transcendental qualities at every moment, as he moved about in the brilliant
light of pure devotional service. Since we are still susceptible to the
onslaught of the six bad qualities, we should place our heads, in all
humility, at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada, engage enthusiastically
in his glorification and try to please him by serving his mission to the
best of our abilities. In this way, we are sure to become completely free
from material contamination and develop pure love of Krishna.
Performs Welfare Work for Everyone
It is stated in the Krishna book story of Sudama Brahmana that when loving
service is rendered to Lord Krishna, the entire creation benefits. Thus,
a pure devotee of the Lord, who always engages in devotional service,
performs welfare work for everyone. This welfare work is nothing like
mundane philanthropy, which provides unfortunate persons with material
facilities to temporarily offset their suffering condition; rather, it
is meant to completely extricate them from material existence and award
them an eternal blissful life in the spiritual realm. Srila Prabhupada
served Lord Krishna wholeheartedly and without deviation during his Lila
among us. In this way he benefited the entire world, indirectly, by his
own pure devotional service, and directly, by offering a potent spiritual
program, capable of eradicating the material existence of anyone who takes
to it seriously. His welfare work did not stop with his physical disappearance;
however, as the preaching force he set in motion will continue to spiritually
uplift the inhabitants of this planet for the next ten thousand years,
far exceeding the meagre philanthropy performed by those absorbed in the
bodily concept of life.
Expert
When Srila Prabhupada arrived in America in 1965, he faced the tremendous
challenge of attracting gross materialists to the sublime spiritual process
of Krishna consciousness. although such a feat seemed impossible, Srila
Prabhupada miraculously ignited a spiritual explosion, whose vibrations
are still resonating throughout the world. He demonstrated unprecedented
preaching skill by presenting Krishna consciousness perfectly according
to time and circumstance, offering such an attractive and palatable spiritual
program that any sincere soul could easily follow. Today, at Ratha-yatra
festivals all over the world, millions of people chant, dance, wave and
cheer in a universal expression of appreciation, as Lord Jagannatha's
colorful chariots float through the city streets. From this it is clear
that Srila Prabhupada was so expert that, even in his physical absence,
Krishna consciousness is being spread far and wide by the faithful application
of his instructions.
Silent
According to Vaishnava philosophy, being silent means to engage the tongue
in speaking only about topics related to Lord Krishna. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
SarasvatiThakura used to encourage silence in his disciples, telling them,
"Nonsense talk breeds nonsense thought, breeds nonsense action, breeds
birth, death, old age and disease." Srila Prabhupada, being the foremost
disciple of his spiritual master, was the chief exponent of this adage
in the modern age, single-handedly spreading Krishna-katha all over the
world through his lectures, discussions and translating work. His words
are a river of nectar flowing mercifully into the hearts of the devotees,
and in due course of time this mighty river will silence the nonsense
of all souls suffering in this world.
Compassionate
A pure devotee of Krishna is always compassionate upon the fallen souls,
who are suffering greatly in the blazing fire of material life. He is
ever busy making arrangements to relieve their distress and is pleased
when he sees them advancing on the path of spiritual happiness. Srila
Prabhupada, compassion personified, dedicated his every breath to spreading
Krishna consciousness, resting only a few hours every night to keep body
and soul together. as his body dwindled during his last days with us,
many doctors visited Srila Prabhupada to offer their advice and treatment,
but with little or no result. Finally one day, a physician suggested that
his condition arose from his grave anxiety over the tribulations that
would beset his disciples after his physical disappearance. at that, Srila
Prabhupada looked up and told the man, "Yes, you have diagnosed my
condition correctly." With these words, Srila Prabhupada demonstrated
his utter selflessness and his extraordinarily profound compassionate
nature.
A Friend
In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna states that He is the friend of all
living beings. as the Lord's intimate associate, Srila Prabhupada also
displayed friendship to all by dint of his constant engagement in spiritual
welfare activities. In the material world friendships are formed on the
basis of mutual sense gratification, and when sense gratification is disturbed,
the relationship is either damaged or discontinued. Srila Prabhupada was
a true friend to all, however, because he formed relationships with others
motivated by his unalloyed desire to assist everyone in achieving the
highest goal of life. He never desired to exploit anyone, and if there
was ever an offense committed against him or some difficulty caused by
others, he never took it seriously. Because Srila Prabhupada accepted
the karma of five thousand disciples, he had to undergo what appeared
to be suffering. In spite of this, he never withdrew his mercy and friendship.
Significantly, he always closed his letters to his disciples with the
words, "Your ever well-wisher." The spiritual friendship of
a pure devotee like Srila Prabhupada is the rarest of gems, and intelligent
persons will certainly appreciate, revere and guard it as life's dearest
treasure.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Hridayagovinda dasa, Narmada devi dasi and Bhakta
John Paulick for their friendship, encouragement and financial help in
producing this humble offering to Srila Prabhupada.
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