Srila Prabhupada's Disappearance Day

Today is the disappearance day of our most beloved ISKCON Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He left this world on 14 November 1977 from his room at the Krishna-Balarama Mandir in Vrindavana, India surrounding by his loving disciples. The date is different from today's date on the solar calendar, but is the same date on the lunar calendar, the calendar by which we observe the various holy days throughout the year.

On this fateful day in 1977 when the devotees throughout the ISKCON world got the shocking news that their dear Srila Prabhupada had departed they wept bitter tears of separation from their beloved spiritual master. By their intense tears of love they were connected with their dearmost Guru Maharaja within their hearts and thus solidly sheltered under his protection even while suffering his physical separation. I was engaged in devotional service in the kitchen of our ISKCON temple in Houston, Texas USA when my temple president, Laxmi Narayan Prabhu, gave me the devastating news of Srila Prabhupada's passing. I immediately went to the temple room, bowed down before the deity of Srila Prabhupada, and sang the famous "Ye Anilo Prema Dhana" bhajan of Narottama Das Thakur in lamentation of being separated from the Lord and the great Vaisnava acharyas.

Srila Prabhupada was a true acharya or one who teaches by example even up to the last moment of his life. Even though he was in an extremely painful condition practically reduced to a skeleton, he remained fully alive and vibrant in Krishna consciousness uttering the name of Krishna as he left his body to rejoin his beloved Lord Krishna in His transcendental pastimes in the most wondrous spiritual sky.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Srila Prabhupada With His Loving DisciplesSrila Prabhupada With His Loving Disciples

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Is ISKCON the Only Way to Reach Krishna?

Respected Gurudeva,

Is ISKCON the only organization via which one can reach Krishna? Are ISKCON and the Sri sampradaya the only existing pathways to the Lord of the universe?

Kindly enlighten me in this matter.

Your humble servant,

Udayabhanu

Answer: ISKCON Gives the Best Facility for Spiritual Perfection

You don't reach Krishna via an organization. You can only reach Krishna by developing pure love for Him within your heart. 

Because our consciousness is developed according to the company that we keep, if we want to develop pure love for Krishna, we need to associate regularly with others who have the same goal. ISKCON is one such organization which will facilitate very nicely one who desires to awaken pure love of God within His heart. But still the responsibility remains with you to purify your own heart by full surrender at the lotus feet of Guru and Krishna. The organization will not do this for you. You have to do it yourself.

There are four bona fide sampradayas or lines of disciplic succession for achieving spiritual perfection. The Sri sampradaya is one of them. Another is the Brahma sampradaya, the sampradaya that ISKCON is part of. This Brahma sampradaya is the most powerful and potent of the four sampradayas at the present time because the Supreme Lord Himself personally appeared in this Brahma sampradaya a mere 500 years ago in His most merciful form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

We never say that associating with ISKCON is the only way to reach Krishna. But due to the impeccable, expert teachings and unparalelled spiritual potency of ISKCON Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, anyone from any of the four sampradayas who takes advantage of Srila Prabhupada's teachings and the society he founded will have the best opportunity for awakening the dormant love of Krishna within their heart.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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