CONTENTS:
- The Sign Of Purity Is Surrender Continued,
- Srila Prabhupada Appreciation; and
- Guru Maharaja’s instructions.
1. THE SIGN OF PURITY IS SURRENDER CONTINUED
People are there, here is the proof. A few years ago you were also not Krishna Conscious like many of us. Practically most of us came from a non- Krishna Conscious background. If we look back then we can recall that many of us even in our remotest dream did not think of becoming a devotee of Krishna. At least for myself I can say that. Something happened, at least for myself I can say that it all happened just through one book, the Nectar of Devotion. I cam into contact with the devotees in 1970, I came back to India in 1975 to search for a Guru. I was searching for a Guru for over a year, travelling all over India, associating with the sadhus, living in ashrams, I couldn’t find any. When I practically gave up all hope of finding a Guru then I came across the Nectar of Devotion. When I started to read from the very first page it occurred to me that this is what I was looking for all this while. This is how the transformation; the change occurs in our lives. How many of you had such similar experiences, you never thought of becoming a devotee, sometimes you may even think that this Hare Krishna devotees, they are so strange. For myself I can tell you, I used to see the devotees, if I saw them on this side of the road I would take the other side of the road. Then something happened, coming across Srila Prabhupada’s books or Srila Prabhupada’s devotees and here we are. Our entire life has been totally transformed. We have become devotees with shaved up heads, we left home, we started to follow the four regulative principles, we have committed ourselves completely. Prabhupada himself said that devotees are waiting, devotees are there all over the world, we simply have to go and convey the message to them and they will come forward. How they are going to come we will not know because they are not going to become devotees because of us, they are going to become devotees by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we simply have to go out and give that mercy to them. They will come as all of you came as all of us came. This is how this movement is going to spread. All we need to do is make a sincere endeavor to carry the mercy of Srila Prabhupada to the world. In order to do that we need a very special qualification and that qualification is that we have to become pure. Purity is the force; it is our purity that will attract people to this movement. Just as Prabhupada’s purity attracted so many devotees to the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada’s purity went out in the form of his books. Srila Prabhupada’s purity went out in the form of his Prasad. Srila Prabhupada went out in the form of his devotees and the living entities became attracted.
Prabhupada often used to quote a line Krishna consciousness movement cannot possibly spread without the shakti or potency of Krishna. Now how does Krishna’s potency become manifest? Krishna’s potency becomes manifest through our purity, through his devotees purity. What is the sign of purity? The sign of purity is in surrender. The purer we become the more surrendered we become or the other way around, the more we surrender the purer we become. Our impurity is our false ego and what is the false ego? The false ego is the feeling that I am great, I don’t need anyone’s help, I am the greatest, I am the supreme which ultimately comes out in the form that I am the enjoyer. The more we become purified by coming in contact with Krishna Consciousness. Therefore Krishna Consciousness is the most purifying process. Other spiritualists try to purify themselves like the yogis and jnanis but they cannot possibly purify themselves. The only way to purify is through Krishna Consciousness because in Krishna Consciousness we learn to surrender. I am totally incapable of doing anything, it is Krishna who is the Supreme Controller, it is Krishna who is the Supreme Proprietor and it is Krishna who is the Supreme Maintainer. It is Krishna who is doing everything and I am simply a puppet in Krishna’s hands. That understanding and that endeavor to act with that understanding is what makes one into a devotee.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA APPRECIATION
Just as Prabhupada’s purity attracted so many devotees to the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada’s purity went out in the form of his books. Srila Prabhupada’s purity went out in the form of his Prasad. Srila Prabhupada went out in the form of his devotees and the living entities became attracted.
(The content of this E-Magazine was based on a Lecture given by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja on given at Pune in 2005.)
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
Purity is the force; it is our purity that will attract people to this movement;
Krishna Consciousness is the most purifying process; and
It is Krishna who is doing everything and I am simply a puppet in Krishna’s hands.
(Compiled and edited by Hemavati Radhika Dasi)