Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Each year on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Vyāsa-pūjā day, we remember him, hear about him, and talk about him, and by doing so, we keep him present in our lives.
I first saw Śrīla Prabhupāda in the spring of 1969 at Brandeis University, in Boston, where he had just concluded a program. I had come too late to hear him, but the next day I visited the storefront ISKCON temple on Glenville Avenue, where he was scheduled to speak. When I arrived, the room was already packed, and when Śrīla Prabhupāda began speaking I had difficulty understanding him – I wasn’t used to his Bengali accent, and the philosophy was new to me. Still, I did hear him say that out of many thousands of men, one would seek perfection. And I thought, “That’s me!”
When Śrīla Prabhupāda asked for questions, I raised my hand. “There are so many swamis and gurus,” I began, “and each one recommends a different method of self-realization and says that his is the best. How do I know which is actually best?”
“What is your goal?” Śrīla Prabhupāda replied. “Do you want to serve God, or do you want to become God? If you want to become God, it means that you are not God now. And how can not-God become God? God is God. The real guru teaches that God is in your heart and that you can become godly – but that you cannot become God.”
As Śrīla Prabhupāda spoke, I got the distinct impression that he knew everything about me and was seeing right into my apartment, right to the sign on my wall, on which I had engraved in ornate lettering: “You are God.”
“What do you think?” he asked. “Do you want to serve God or do you want to become God?”
I said, “I want to serve God, but I realize that actually, I wanted to become God.”
Prabhupāda was emphatic in his affirmation: “Yes!”
I immediately offered my obeisances. I had found my spiritual master.
From that first meeting, my whole life’s purpose became bringing people to Śrīla Prabhupāda. I was able to do that for many years, but when Prabhupāda passed away, I wondered, “What will my service be now?”
Now I understand that Śrīla Prabhupāda is always present, and that by speaking of him, hearing about him, remembering him, and most significantly, by studying his books, we can experience his presence. So I can continue doing what I was doing when he was personally present – introducing souls to Śrīla Prabhupāda. That is what I feel natural doing. And I know that somehow or other, if someone comes in touch with Śrīla Prabhupāda, his or her life will be successful.
Praying to continue serving Śrīla Prabhupāda perpetually,
Giriraj Swami