The Age of Darkness & Only One Hope

In this age of darkness where everyone’s mind is agitated with anger-lust & envy, we can rejoice because we are under the shelter of Srila Prabhupada’s causeless mercy.  We thought that we know Krsna. We thought that we understand what is love, what is bhakti & what is selfless service. But in actuality, we knew nothing but the sense of gratification in the name of devotion and religion.  Srila Prabhupada has brought a treasure of transcendental knowledge coming straight from Brahma-Madhava Gudiya Sampradaya. Srila Prabhupada presented the message as it is without manufacturing anything new. So that we all can experience the same mellow as cherished by the previous Acharyas and great Vaishnavas in our Parampara.

In the introduction to the first chapter of Chaitanya Charitamrita Srila Prabhupada stated that “Since we belong to this chain of disciplic succession from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu this edition of Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita will contain nothing newly manufactured by our tiny brains, but only remnants of the foodstuff originally eaten by- the- Lord Himself… It is not the arrogant scholarship of a mental speculator but a sincere effort to serve the order of a superior authority whose service is the life and soul of this humble effort…” CC Adi Introduction Srila Prabhupada was not interested in creating anything new he wanted to establish the link between us and the great parampra and to accomplish this he preached without any compromised and sacrificed his life for the mission of his Shri Guru and Gauranga. 

 

Srila Prabhupada knew the importance of disciplic succession, he wanted his disciples to repeat and do as per the Guru Sadhu & Shashtra. Maybe one is not a strong or extraordinary preacher or contributor but because he is linked with the disciplic succession he is far better than one who may have fame, power, and followers but is devoid of authorized disciplic succession and its teachings. Srila Prabhupada will always apperciate preacher who may not have followers, youtube subscribers or TedX Shows but speaking following the disciplic succession   

Srimad-Bhagavatam confirms this ” One who is devoid of authorized devotional service, even if he is expert at the practice of mystic yoga, engaged in the honest endeavor of maintaining his family, and so on must be driven by his mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord’s external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man? SB 5.18.12 

Srila Prabhupada was always straightforward in his teachings. Doesn’t matter if he was giving the lecture or writing an article or attending a program his talks will always include Krsna and his teachings. For example, nowadays there are talks about how to be successful in life and the speaker never uses the name of Krsna although they are dressed like a devotee. But how does Srila Prabhupada defines success? In Srimad Bhagavatam, 10.1.5-7 Srila Prabhupada says ” If at the time of death one can remember Kṛṣṇa a, one’s life is successful.”   

That is the real contribution of a Vaishnava to infest the spark of Krishna consciousness to the people because he understands that all living beings are entrapped in material nature and suffering in the cycle of birth and death.  

sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’ — Sarva-śāstre kaya

lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge Sarva-siddhi haya – 22.54 Madhya CC 

“even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.” 

The above verses have manifested in the form of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupad brought many souls at the lotus feet of Chaitnya Mahaprabhu.  

He engaged all of them in devotional service all over the world. It is due to the mercy of Srila Prabhupad and his commitment to present the divine message as it is. That now the whole world knows who is Krsna. How to please him and what is our relationship with him? Srila Prabhupada did it without manufacturing anything new and by introducing the authentic Vedic system in the west and by reviving it in India.