By Antardwip das
Some people hold that, having been prophesied by scripture, by Lord Chaitanya and by the previous acharyas, if Srila Prabhupada had not spread Krishna Consciousness, some other devotee, or some group of devotees, would have been empowered to do so in Srila Prabhupada’s place.
In other words, the prophecy to spread Krishna Consciousness around the world relied on empowerment, rather than an empowered individual, for its fulfillment. It is similar to saying that if we were empowered like Hanuman, we could also jump to Lanka. But is empowerment all that is needed? Can anyone by empowerment do any prophesied task as well as anyone else?
The first empowered entity of the universe was Lord Brahma. Certainly here we cannot say that if he hadn’t created the universe, someone else would have – there wasn’t anyone else around. This is perhaps the most definitive case where an enormous task by any stretch of the imagination relied solely on one individual for its fulfillment. He was empowered by Lord Visnu in the activity of creation. So – could you or I do that? The answer is given in scripture, and the answer is, “no.” To be empowered like Lord Brahma, scripture tells us, one has to be so qualified that sometimes Lord Visnu cannot find a suitable candidate, and takes the role on Himself.
So empowerment is essential – but having a qualified candidate to handle the empowerment is also needed. Lord Brahma is so qualified that he is capable of acting almost to the same level as Lord Visnu in the matter of creation when empowered to do so. Similarly, Srila Prabhupada was so qualified he was empowered to save the world. Such a great soul, as Bhagavad Gita says, is very rare. If Lord Krishna Himself recognizes the greatness in such a devotee, even though He is the source of empowerment, how much more should we do so? Empowerment does not make us all equally capable just as education does not make us all equally intelligent. We are still individuals with our personal qualities. We have our insignificant qualities, greatly empowered devotees have theirs. It is not all one.
So my response to the original proposal that “someone else would have done it because it was prophesied” is that, yes, what Srila Prabhupada achieved was prophesied – but he was the qualified individual sent to fulfil that prophecy.
Perhaps because we walked around with him, talked with him, there is sometimes not enough distance between us and him to appreciate who he was, while it is easier to extol more distant personalities like Ramanujacharya or Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. It is the North Korea syndrome where the populace worship Kim Jong-un- but it helps that they believe he does not defecate or urinate and also talks with dolphins. If we misunderstand Srila Prabhupada to be an ordinary man due to familiarity or envy, we will also consider another person could have done what he did, with empowerment.
Finally, we should mention that Srila Prabhupada was foretold at birth by an astrologer to open many temples, that Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur around that time said a great General would soon come from the spiritual world to spread the glories of Lord Chaitanya around the globe indicating the activities of one particular individual, and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati said about Srila Prabhupada “One day he will do everything”. So next time you happen to hear someone say something along the lines that because it was prophesied, what Srila Prabhupada achieved could have been done by someone else, remember these prophecies also.
Similarly, on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, Arjuna witnessed the conclusion of the war by the grace of Krishna, and so when he understood that the battle would take place by Krishna’s arrangement, and that Krishna was inviting Arjuna to be His instrument in the battle, then ultimately Arjuna accepted the role he would play as a service for Krishna. Yes, Srila Prabhupad will forever hold that place in Lord Chaitanya’s incarnation for this Kali yuga, as the instrument of the Lord to fulfill His mission of Sankirtan-yajna. Those who will try to digest the honor of Srila Prabhupad will choke. Rather, as Srila Prabhupad’s godbrother, Srila Sridhar Maharaj, proclaimed…”Srila Prabhupad is a saktyavesh avatar of Lord Nityananda Prabhu”. That is proper respect and honor for Srila Prabhupad, and it could not have come from a more revered person amongst his godbrothers. He further said that Srila Prabhupad blasted a great hole in the Western false-ego, so that other Gaudiya Vaishnavas could come to the West in the future for preaching. Srila Prabhupad welcomed the advent of other Gaudiya Vaishnavas to come and preach in the West. It is a delicate issue. Such preachers must not “fish” for followers among the mission of Srila Prabhupad’s followers, and ISKCON must also give encouragement to such future preachers. When such preachers declare themselves to be “unusually qualified” as “rasik-gurus” or gurus of ISKCON because of their Bengali birth…then beware! PUSTA KRISHNA DAS
“… what Srila Prabhupada achieved could have been done by someone else …” A very, very childish fantasy since nothing repeats itself in time and space. Apart from that the purpose of the human form of body is to become conscious of Krishna, the Supreme Absolute Truth. All the rest is “bad luck”.
One Who is Embraced by Sri Krsna-(Krishna Lingita Vigraha) Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura then comments, âWithout being empowered by the direct potency of Lord Krsna to fulfill His desire and without being specifically favored by the Lord, no human being can become the spiritual master of the whole world. He certainly cannot succeed by mental concoction, which is not meant for devotees or religious people. Only an empowered personality can distribute the holy name of the Lord and enjoin all fallen souls to worship Krsna. By distributing the holy name of the Lord, he cleanses the hearts of the most fallen people; therefore he extinguishes the blazing fire of the material world. Not only that, he broadcasts the shining brightness of Krsnaâs effulgence throughout the world. Such an acarya, or spiritual master, should be considered nondifferent from Krsnaâthat is, he should be considered the incarnation of Lord Krsnaâs potency. Such a personality is krsnalingita-vigrahaâthat is, he is always embraced by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Such a person is above the considerations of the varnasrama institution. He is the guru, or spiritual master, for the entire world, a devotee on the topmost platform, the maha-bhagavata stage, and a paramahamsa-thakura, a spiritual form only fit to be addressed as paramahamsa or thakura.â (Cc. Madhya 25.9)
Hare Krishna.
There are negative effects on the guru for accepting an unqualified disciple and there are also negative effects on the disciple for taking an unqualified guru. Then, due to those malific effects, when the self-effulgent Acarya manifests again, neither are in a position to take advantage of Him and they lose out. Spend the dark night chanting and waiting for the rising sun, don’t accept the glow-fly or lantern as Sun. Guru is to be accepted as good as God. That means we must pray and wait for the One who is as good as God–not accept any unqualified person and make mental adjustments that he is as good as God because we have chosen him. Not that, eventually seeing the low condition of the guru we have chosen, we degrade the position of guru to mean just a teacher. Persons who have done this even consider Srila Prabhupada an ordinary guru who became self-realized by the mercy of His Guru, on the level with other India-born gurus. These attitudes bring about Sri Guru Vaisnava Aparada which is highly counter-productive to our real good. Even if we accept and later abandon such an unqualified guru, there will still be subtle negative effects. It is something like breaking the tie of marriage with divorce..still there are debts, children, family, possessions, identities (individually, jointly and socially), memories, and other results of karrma accrued jointly. By following Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and reading His books we will become purified and attract His divine guidance in our lives. By praying and crying for His real representative, we will get the Sri Guru who can give us Sri Krishna. Sriman Mahaprabhu’s movement is for those who are begging for Sri Krishna, so if a guru is not in possession of Sri Krishna, we had better not get involved with him.
Dear Nrsimhadeva Prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances. Al glories to Srila Prabhupada.
On the whole I appreciated your comment–especially the last six lines, which reminded me of the way I was able to select (or be selected by) my spiritual master after two failed attempts to link myself up to the parampara.
But I would like some clarification on your statement that “Persons who have done this [relegating the self-effulgent acarya to the position of a mere teacher] even consider Srila Prabhupada an ordinary guru who became self-realized by the mercy of His Guru, on the level with other India-born gurus.”
Why “India-born” gurus as opposed to “Western-born” gurus? Do we not all become self-realized by the mercy of Guru, no matter what kind of material background we come from? Is it not a fact that whether we are sadhana-siddha, krpa-siddha or nitya-siddha we end up at the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna?
Thank you. Hare Krsna.
Your servant,
Visakha Priya dasi
This comment of mine is submitted for Visakha Priya dais who always has impressed me as a dedicated seeker of Krishna. Sri Krishna is the complete whole, He is the Summum Bonum, He is Param Brahma, as you know. Connection with Krishna is surely developed by Guru and Vaishnava, but it is Krishna that we are trying to reach. Fortunately, He is within our hearts, ever witnessing our sojourn, and He is our dearmost Friend. One must never be hopeless to reach Krishna. Helpless we are, but never hopeless. Krishna in His own dramatic fashion will happily surprise you when He desires. Do not have any fear that you have been forgotten. Certainly, for you and also for others, like our Keshava Krishna das, some may have been heartbroken by the flawed characters of some who may have portrayed them selves as guru. But, look at you! You have tenaciously remained steadfast in remaining openhearted to Him! You are very, very special, and very inspiring to me. Your grace has risen above the disappointments and heartbreaks of apparent lifeboats that themselves sank. You were nonetheless carried afloat by Krishna Himself, because you are very dear to Him. Your faith was tested once, twice, three times and more, and you never wavered. Your life example is thus beyond material circumstance. Your example is thus very much to be honored and remembered!
Krishna will carry you along through the days of this life and we shall pray for to be merciful unto us who do not measure up to your quality of faith, devotion, and love for Sri Sri Radha Krishna.
Pusta Krishna das
Dear Pusta Krsna Prabhu,
Please accept my respectful obeisances at your feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
âKrsna, in His own dramatic fashion, will happily surprise you when He so desires.â What a wonderful statement! Surely Krsna has inspired you to write this to help me out at this point where I need it. Thank , you very, very much for this.
âHelpless but not hopeless.â Yes. Pessimistic about the material world and hopeful about the spiritual world.
âYou have tenaciously remained steadfast in remaining open-hearted to Him.â Yes. And all the credit goes to Srila Prabhupadaâwho sits along with Sri Krsna (and many other nitya-siddhas) in our heartsâand to his books, who kept me on the path of devotion. And, after the second debacle, I got a lot of selfless support from His Holiness Giriraj Swami, who eventually gave me full shelter at his lotus feet.
Of course, I am grateful to many other devotees who, mostly within ISKCON but also occasionally without, encouraged me on the path of pure devotional service
So it is true that we get help at every step if we really want it.
Last but not least, I am also indebted to your grace, who always post deep, balanced, and realized comments on Dandavats. I do feel embarrassed about this last one, but I take it as Krsnaâs mercy to encourage me to persevere.
Again, please accept my humble obeisances. And kindly bless me to remain
Your eternal servant in the service of the Supreme Absolute Truth, Sri Krsna, the lotus-eyed One,
Visakha Priya dasi
The holy name is not a material sound, for it descends directly from the spiritual realm:
Golokera prema-dhana,
Hari-Nama-sankirtana.
The name is all spiritual – cinmaya. Thus He is beyond material contamination and can connect us to the highest reality, for the Holy Name is Krishna Himself.
Nama cintamanih Krishnas
caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah suddho nitya-mukto
‘bhinnatvan Nama-Naminoh
The Holy Name of Krishna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krishna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Krishna’s Name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Krishna Himself. Since Krishna’s Name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with maya. Krishna’s Name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the Name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are identical. (Padma Purana)
Yet the external sound of the letters alone is never the real Name:
namaksara bahiraya bate
tabu Name kabu naya
(Prema Vivarta 7.1).
So, it takes a pure devotee, a suddha bhakta, a premi bhakta, to chant suddha Nama, and thus make Krishna appear in the form of His Holy Name.
Hence, the Holy Name, suddha Nama, manifested in the West because Srila Prabhupada and other pure devotees in his line came to the West.
Otherwise, we would have remained stuck with apasiddantha and namaparadha, and at best with namabhasa, a shadow of the Holy Name…
Please note that in regards to the position of Brahma, Srila Prabhupada declares:
“The Lord possesses unlimited potency for pleasure, and the living entities have a limited pleasure potency. Änandamayo ‘bhyÄsÄt (VedÄnta-sĆ«tra 1.1.12). Both the Lord and the living entity, being qualitatively spirit soul, have the tendency for peaceful enjoyment, but when the part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead unfortunately wants to enjoy independently, without Krishna, he is put into the material world, where he begins his life as BrahmÄ and is gradually degraded to the status of an ant or a worm in stool.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.24.58, purport)
One time Prabhupdada was giving an example that some godbrothers were saying to him, âoh what you did, anyone could have doneâ…
so Prabhupada was saying its like Columbus when he discovered America, so many other navigators or explorers said ‘oh we could have done that’.
And he got this egg out and said âokay make this egg stand upâ. Now you know an egg is round, if you try to make it stand up it rolls. So these other guys that were having a talk with him then they were trying for ages to make it stand up. So in the end they gave up and said âokay you make it stand upâ so he got the egg and tapped it just enough on the table so that the point went flat, the egg stood up. So they all said âoh we could have done that!â you see, âyeah you could have done, but you didnât doâ.
So similarly krishna consciousness is very simple, and anyone can do it, but who is doing it. Who is following Narada Muni, who is following Dhruva Maharaja? So the point is, is that we can do it but we have to be one thing is we have to be sincere, otherwise without sincerity then Krishna doesnât, he’s not attracted to it. Some showy rituals. Prabhupada used to call it âringing bellsâ.
Lecture Excerpt – ISKCON Birmingham, 12 June 2000.
Envy is a characteristic of the conditioned soul. One wants to think of one’s self as the center, the enjoyer (envy of God), and one is similarly envious of great empowered devotees of the Lord. The example of the mosquito on the lap of the king is appropriate.
A mosquito comes to sit on the lap of the king and is thinking, “Oh, these are all my subjects!” Such envy is very common and easy to see by others. We must always strive to avoid envy from arising within our selves. This is only possible if we cultivate the advice of Lord Chaitanya, trinadapi sunicena…cultivate humility, tolerance and practice giving honor to others while not expecting any honor for one’s self. Then we may have the proper predisposition to remember the Holy Names “constantly”.
We who are so fortunate to have received a drop of mercy from Srila Prabhupad understand sufficient knowledge about spiritual life to proceed peacefully and confident that Krishna’s mercy is omnipresent for the bhakta, one dependent upon Krishna.
Srila Prabhupad was not contented that we might mechanically chant Hare Krishna in every town and village throughout the world, he wanted us to develop local programs to facilitate the awakening of millions upon millions of conditioned souls. He was and is concerned about each individual because we are part of Krishna. He always would say when asked what he wanted of us: “that you should love Krishna!” He understood that we are like pinpricks to the Lord, and he desired that we could become a source of pleasure for Krishna.
Envious souls affiliated with Krishna consciousness in some “religious manner” rather than a spiritual manner, are like so many mosquitos on the lap of the king. Success in spiritual life is realized by those who have cultivated humility ultimately for the pleasure of Sri Krishna.
Pusta Krishna das
Lord Caitanya said He would send His Senapati Bhakta to spread the message. Srila Prabhupada single handily founded a movement that spread it around the world. Only a person of unfathomable purity could fulfill this prophecy. Saying others " could have" is counterfactual. They didnt, he did! The intent of the counterfactual statement is ambiguous; at any rate, Srila Prabhupada's glory is an eternal, undiminished fact.
Paraphrasing the statement:
It was foretold by the scriptures, Lord Caitanya, and previous Acharyas; therefore, some other devotee, or group of devotees would have done it if Srila Prabhupada hadn't.
Comment:. It was already determined that Srila Prabhupada would be the one. We just were not given the name.
From the facts, it does not logically follow that any other devotee, or group of devotees had the ability to do what Srila Prabhupada did. Nor will anyone ever have the chance to show they had the ability.
There may have been perfect devotees who fully experienced their relationship with Krishna. If so, we can say they were equal to Srila Prabhupada, in that regard. But no one is equal in spreading the Holy Name all over the world. This is observable fact, not opinion.
That someone else would have, if he didn't , is a peculiar and counterfactual statement. He did it. He is glorius beyond description. That is the fact.