CONTENTS:
- Krishna Consciousness spreads by Krishna’s mercy,
- Srila Prabhupada Appreciation; and
- Guru Maharaja’s instructions.
1. KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS SPREADS BY KRISHNA’S MERCY
There was very interesting news from Paris: yesterday there was a big concert of Boy George, are you all familiar with Bot George? He sang, “Bow down Mister”. Boy George had a concert where 2000 people came. Boy George is actually a devotee at heart. He sang Hare Krishna Maha Mantra and had very close association of devotees. Actually, one of our Godbrothers Nainabiram Prabhu was staying with him. He also did a tour with Harikesha Maharaja and Sacinandan Maharaja in Poland and I think he went to Russia also; he went to Moscow also last year. That was our Gauranga Bhajan band. With Gauranga Bhajan band he went to Russia and wherever he goes he actually invites the devotees. In London last year Janmastami, he gave a performance on the stage. In this way he calls the devotees asks them to come up on the stage and participate in the program. Last night he had a performance in Paris in one of the most famous auditoriums. There the gathering was about 2000 and he sang the first half was very heavy rock music then he went off stage but this time when he came back, he came back wearing kurta and turban and the show started with Govindam adi purusham playing in the background. Then he also started singing himself along with Govindam adi purusham and then he sang “Bow down Mister” then it came to the Hare Krishna Mantra then the light focused on the back of the stage where all the devotees were. The devotees of Paris were on the stage and they started to sing Hare Krishna Maha Mantra and all 2000 people sang with the devotees. Our devotees distributed Prasad and the Prasad and everything was so attractive that this morning one very big recording company called us up Nitai Gaursundar Prabhu and he said in a few days he is opening a new studio and in inauguration of the studio he wanted us to take up the catering part of it and distribute Prasad in dhoti, sari and kurta and also devotees chant Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. In those 350 invited guests will come, they all are from show business, big, big people in this karmi world, the most degraded world they are the most famous. These people are going to come and take Krishna’s mercy. This was a very good news. This is how Krishna can do all wonderful things in spreading Krishna Consciousness.
One thing I try to remind myself and also, I remind others that Krishna Consciousness spreads by Krishna’s mercy. Nothing else can actually make Krishna Consciousness spread. It’s only through Krishna’s mercy that Krishna Consciousness spreads. Krishna’s mercy flows when Krishna sees our sincere desire to spread Krishna Consciousness. The other day somebody asked me why doesn’t Krishna make the whole world Krishna Conscious? He is Almighty, All Powerful He can do it so why doesn’t He do that? The answer of course is very common and Prabhupada gave this answer also. The answer is yes, Krishna can do that but Krishna wants His devotees to desire that and as His devotees’ desire let Krishna Consciousness spread then Krishna makes the arrangement. Krishna’s devotees are actually Krishna’s agents, via medium, representatives.
Therefore, it is Krishna’s devotees who desire let Krishna Consciousness spread so we have to sincerely desire that let Krishna Consciousness spread for the sake of Krishna Consciousness. If we think let Krishna Consciousness spread so that I can become a big leader, so that I can get so many people to serve me then Krishna Consciousness won’t spread or I can get money or I can get name, NO. When we put ourselves in the center then its not Krishna Consciousness, we have to learn to put Krishna in the center. Let Krishna Consciousness spread so that everybody can benefit and go back to Godhead. As we desire that then only will Krishna Consciousness spread. As devotees we don’t have to worry about anything, when we become devotees then Krishna will provide us with everything and we don’t have to separately ask Krishna for anything, Krishna will give us everything. Krishna will send so many devotees that we will start wondering where to put them. Now we are thinking that New Mayapur is too big for a small community like us but a day may come when you may think that New Mayapur is so small, we have so many devotees, lets buy another place and build another guest house but this time when we build, we don’t build with 50 rooms we build with 500 rooms.
Actually, Krishna will make Krishna Consciousness spread and we can’t imagine what kind of people will come forward to help. We have seen when Prabhupada was here, Krishna sent different people, Krishna sent George Harrison who actually made Hare Krishna movement considerably popular because George Harrison at that time was so popular even, I remember him. I became familiar of the Beatles when they used to have that special Beatles haircut, later on they change and started to grow long hair, early 70’s, late 60’s. The Beatles were quite strict they used to wear suits and tie and that was also called Beatle haircut. Those days they were so famous it must have been in 60’s. George Harrison came forward; John Lennon also came quite close to Srila Prabhupada. Then Krishna send Ambarish, great grandson of Henry Ford. Not only now this is happening since time immemorial. When the followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu were preaching Krishna Consciousness many many rich people and kings came and started to patronize.
When Nityananda Prabhu was preaching in Bengal some very famous people started to patronize Nityananda Prabhu. Then when Srinivas Acharya Thakur and Narotama das Thakur and Syamananda das Thakur were preaching just a generation after that. During Caitanya Mahprabhu’s time when they were young men then they started to preach. Srinivas Acharya was patronized by one King Veerhambir and he initiated him and Veerhambir actually used to patronize him in a very big way. Narotama das Thakur himself was a son of a king. One king also became Narotama das Thakur’s disciple, then the king of Manipur became a disciple of Narotama das Thakur.
In this way Krishna Consciousness is spread but if we are not prepared then Krishna will not allow this movement to spread. Krishna can give us the whole world but if we get the whole world what will you do? We can’t even manage New Mayapur so if you get the whole world what will you do? First Krishna wants to see we become prepared, when we are ready then Krishna will say okay take it. As we become ready Krishna will give us more and more and more. On our part what should we expect and what should we desire? On our part we simply desire let me become the humble servant of the servant of the servant. We should never think, oh when this big king becomes my disciple then I will become so famous. No instead of Krishna then Maya will come and we will be in trouble. We should always think let me be the humble servant and this is the secret of success in Krishna Consciousness.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA APPRECIATION
Whenever Srila Prabhupada spoke to someone, especially someone important, he would remind him or her about the real solution to all our problems – acceptance of Krishna Consciousness, “Just surrender unto Krishna and try to serve Him,” he would say. “He will take care of you in all respects and provide for everything you need. Laksmi-devi will be so pleased with you that she will shower so much wealth with her four hands that you will not be able to receive it with your two”
(Excerpt from page 138 of Ocean of Mercy, a book written by HH Bhakti Charu Swami)
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
One thing I try to remind myself and also, I remind others that Krishna Consciousness spreads by Krishna’s mercy. Nothing else can actually make Krishna Consciousness spread;
Therefore, it is Krishna’s devotees who desire let Krishna Consciousness spread so we have to sincerely desire that let Krishna Consciousness spread for the sake of Krishna Consciousness;
As devotees we don’t have to worry about anything, when we become devotees then Krishna will provide us with everything and we don’t have to separately ask Krishna for anything, Krishna will give us everything;
On our part we simply desire let me become the humble servant of the servant of the servant; and
We should always think let me be the humble servant and this is the secret of success in Krishna Consciousness.
(The content of this E-Magazine was based on a Lecture given by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja on given at New Mayapur on 6 May 1994.)
(Compiled and edited by Hemavati Radhika das)