An Outpouring of Appreciation for Śrīla Prabhupāda
An Outpouring of Appreciation for Srila Prabhupada
During the eleven years of Srila Prabhupada's worldwide preaching, he touched the lives of millions through his personal presence, his books, his temples, and his disciples. With his passing, many people felt moved to express their remorse and sent notes of condolence to Vrndavana. Characteristic of the response from devotees' parents was the following letter:
Dear Satsvarūpa dasa Gosvami,
Hare Krsna. I have just returned from a visit to the Krsna center in New York. I went to attend the memorial service for His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
I was very emotionally overcome as I listened to each devotee express his love, devotion and extreme gratitude to Srila Prabhupada. Even in their sadness, there was such a strong expression of joy and thankfulness for having been blessed with Krsna consciousness.
I am writing at this time to express my sincere sympathy and deep understanding to you, to my son, and to all the devotees who have been so dear to His Divine Grace since the start of the Hare Krsna movement. I know that his physical presence will be greatly missed by all of you, but he has left behind a legacy of great wisdom and much love for all of you, his devoted disciples.
Most sincerely,
Polly C. Perlmutter
Bloomfield, Connecticut"
Hare Krsna. I have just returned from a visit to the Krsna center in New York. I went to attend the memorial service for His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
I was very emotionally overcome as I listened to each devotee express his love, devotion and extreme gratitude to Srila Prabhupada. Even in their sadness, there was such a strong expression of joy and thankfulness for having been blessed with Krsna consciousness.
I am writing at this time to express my sincere sympathy and deep understanding to you, to my son, and to all the devotees who have been so dear to His Divine Grace since the start of the Hare Krsna movement. I know that his physical presence will be greatly missed by all of you, but he has left behind a legacy of great wisdom and much love for all of you, his devoted disciples.
Most sincerely,
Polly C. Perlmutter
Bloomfield, Connecticut"
Nowhere more than in India was Srila Prabhupada's greatness appreciated by the leaders of society. The following letters from the Governor of Tamil Nadu and from one of India's foremost scholars evince Srila Prabhupada's broad following in his homeland:
"I was deeply shocked to hear of the demise of your beloved gurudeva, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The death of this great world teacher of God consciousness is a severe loss not only for you and for myself, but for all Indians and indeed the whole world.
"As an Indian and a devotee of Lord Krsna, I feel I must express my eternal gratitude to Swami Bhaktivedanta for spreading the Lord's message so far and wide throughout the world. His truly remarkable achievements have greatly deepened my own faith, and that of my countrymen, that traditional Indian culture and Western technology can indeed work hand in hand.
"Srila Prabhupada was not a flashy orator or a worker of cheap miracles. Yet large numbers of people were attracted by him because of his simplicity, openness, and genuine love for God.
"I spoke several times with Srila Prabhupada on the importance of spreading sanatana-dharma [eternal religious principles] throughout the world. Several times he quoted Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the divine fountainhead of Krsna consciousness, to the effect that especially those born in India should first perfect their lives by becoming Krsna conscious and then preach Krsna's message all over the world. His words deeply struck me then with their urgency and strength of purpose. Now with the demise of Srila Prabhupada who so perfectly fulfilled this order of Sri Caitanya, it remains for all of us-Indians, Americans, Europeans, etc.-to carry on His mission to the full extent of our abilities. Let us all cooperate to bring Krsna consciousness and true, lasting peace all over the world.
Prabhudas B. Patwari
Governor of Tamil Nadu"
"As an Indian and a devotee of Lord Krsna, I feel I must express my eternal gratitude to Swami Bhaktivedanta for spreading the Lord's message so far and wide throughout the world. His truly remarkable achievements have greatly deepened my own faith, and that of my countrymen, that traditional Indian culture and Western technology can indeed work hand in hand.
"Srila Prabhupada was not a flashy orator or a worker of cheap miracles. Yet large numbers of people were attracted by him because of his simplicity, openness, and genuine love for God.
"I spoke several times with Srila Prabhupada on the importance of spreading sanatana-dharma [eternal religious principles] throughout the world. Several times he quoted Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the divine fountainhead of Krsna consciousness, to the effect that especially those born in India should first perfect their lives by becoming Krsna conscious and then preach Krsna's message all over the world. His words deeply struck me then with their urgency and strength of purpose. Now with the demise of Srila Prabhupada who so perfectly fulfilled this order of Sri Caitanya, it remains for all of us-Indians, Americans, Europeans, etc.-to carry on His mission to the full extent of our abilities. Let us all cooperate to bring Krsna consciousness and true, lasting peace all over the world.
Prabhudas B. Patwari
Governor of Tamil Nadu"
"By his spotless example of service. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada showed us the way in which a true son of Bharata Mata (Mother India) should live. In his daily life, he never compromised the sacred principles held most dear to our ancients, the learned and holy guides of mankind. Rather, he fearlessly preached against the deadly mistakes Western society is making and never for a moment became overawed or illusioned by their scientific advancement. Yet because he saw the hand of God at work everywhere, he always held high his ideal that Western technology could be utilized in such a God-conscious way that all mankind could benefit. It is only through God consciousness, he taught us, that any form of permanent good could be done for the world.
"The effects of his supremely beneficial social work can be found all over the world. Tens of thousands of today's youth have adapted to the self-controls of yoga their master prescribed, and so they have made themselves into more fit young men and women, capable of leading an enlightened world of tomorrow. I have no doubt that those who follow the master's divine instructions live eternally with him and that the great Swamiji remains with his disciples as their eternal guide
S.D. Joshi
Director of the Center of Advanced Study in Sanskrit, University of Poona, India"
"The effects of his supremely beneficial social work can be found all over the world. Tens of thousands of today's youth have adapted to the self-controls of yoga their master prescribed, and so they have made themselves into more fit young men and women, capable of leading an enlightened world of tomorrow. I have no doubt that those who follow the master's divine instructions live eternally with him and that the great Swamiji remains with his disciples as their eternal guide
S.D. Joshi
Director of the Center of Advanced Study in Sanskrit, University of Poona, India"
|
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/9rs/back-to-godhead/every-town-and-village/an-outpouring-of
|