ÿþSrila Prabhupada in Advaita Bhavan (English, Czech) Pujari from Sri Advaita Acarya's house in Santipura, West Bengal by Mulaprakrti devi dasi This story was heard in Mayapura in 1980. A man came to the ISKCON's Caitanya Candrodoya Mandira carrying with him a copy of the Back of Godhead article about Srila Prabhupada, entitled A Lifetime in Preparation. "Just recently an amazing realization occurred to me that I wanted to share with devotees everywhere. I have been the pujari and sevaite at the house of Advaita Acarya for many years. I was also there back in the 1940's and 50's. At that time, I noticed that one grhasta Bengali devotee used to come to the temple quite regularly. He was dressed in a white khadi dhoti and kurta and he always came alone. He would sit in the back of the Mandira without speaking, and would chant harinama on his mala very quietly and deeply. I noticed that he came on the weekends, usually once every month or two in regular way. After chanting there for many hours, he would always thank me when he left. His presence was profound and I became attracted to him. Since his devotions were solitary, I never spoke to disturb him. Sometimes I happened to notice that while he was chanting, his eyes would be full of tears and his voice would be choked up." "Then, for a very long time he did not come. However, I distinctly recall that in August of 1965, I saw a saffron-clothed sannyasi sitting in the back of the Mandira. In a moment I recognized him to be my old friend from before. Again he sat for a long time chanting Hare Krsna. I could see his beads moving, his eyes closed in concentrated devotion. He was weeping unabashedly even more than he used to while he took the Holy Name. Finally, as evening came, he paid his dandavat pranama for long time. When he arose he came up to me and again thanked me for my seva here at Advaita Bhavan. I asked him: ,Who are you? I remember you from so long ago.'" "He replied, 'My name is Abaya Caranaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. I am an unworthy disciple of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada, my divine master. I have been coming here for such a long time because my Gurudeva has given me an impossible mission. His desire was for me to go across the ocean to the Western countries and spread the sublime teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There are countless souls there who have never heard of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna and so they are suffering greatly. I have not known how this mission of his will be successful, so I have been coming here to this special house of Advaita Acarya, where he, Nityananda Prabhu, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would gather together to plan the sankirtana movement. It was here that they launched the inundation of love of God that swept India and continues to this day. Thus, I have been praying very earnestly here that they will all give me their mercy that somehow they will empower me and guide me. I want to satisfy my gurudeva's desire, but I am feeling unqualified to do this.'" "As he was speaking to me, I saw tears falling down on his cheeks again. Then he continued, 'Tomorrow I am leaving for Calcutta to go upon a ship across the ocean to America. I do not know what will befall me there, but I am praying most earnestly here for help.' Then he very humbly asked me for my blessings. I was indeed moved by this Vaisnava's sincerity and determination was I watched him depart upon his journey." "It was a few years later that I began noticing, for the first time, white Vaisnavas coming to Advaita Bhavan. They were wearing dhotis and saris and chanting on tulasi-mala. I never spoke to any of them but then one of them gave me this "Back to Godhead" magazine from America. As I looked at the photographs, suddenly I recognized a painting of the Founder-Acarya who had brought Krsna consciousness to the West. It was a picture of my friend, Bhaktivedanta Swami, who had come and prayed here so many times before. Then I realized that he has actually accomplished that impossible mission of his Gurudeva. I saw that it was indeed he, starting alone and without pretense, who had accomplished this glorious miracle against all odds." "As soon as I saw this, I came here to his temple in Mayapura to tell you this information. I know that he has gone from this world now, but I thought perhaps you might want to know this story about your and my beloved Srila Prabhupada." ==== (Múlaprakriti déví dásí: Our Srila Prabhupada, A Friend To All. Vypráví púd~árí z domu `rí Advaity Á árji v `ántipuru, Západní Bengálsko.) Tento pYíbh byl vyslechnut v Májápuru v roce 1980. Do ISKCONského aitanja androdaja Mandiru pYiael jeden mu~, který s sebou pYinesl výtisk asopisu Zpátky k Bohu s lánkem o `rílovi Prabhupádovi nazvaný }ivot v pYípravách. "Zrovna nedávno jsem ml ú~asnou realizaci, se kterou bych se chtl podlit s oddanými vaude. Mnoho let jsem byl púd~árím a sevaitem v dom Advaity Á árji. Byl jsem tam i ve 40. a 50. letech. Tehdy jsem si vaiml, ~e chrám docela pravideln navatvuje jeden bengálský oddaný, grihasta. Byl oble ený v bílém khadi dhótí a kurt a v~dycky pYicházel sám. Sedával v zadní ásti mandiru, nemluvil a jen velmi klidn a hluboce pronáael harinám na své mále. Vaiml jsem si, ~e chodil o víkendech, obvykle jednou za msíc nebo dva, v pravidelných intervalech. Po mnohahodinové d~ap mi pYi odchodu v~dy podkoval. Jeho pYítomnost byla hluboká a za al m pYitahovat. Své oddané innosti provádl osamle, tak jsem na nho nikdy nemluvil, abych ho neruail. Nkdy jsem si vaiml, ~e zatímco d~apoval, jeho o i byly plné slz a zalykal se mu hlas." "Pak po velmi dlouhou dobu nepYiael. Nicmén si jasn vzpomínám, ~e v srpnu 1965 jsem uvidl v zadní ásti mandiru sedt v aafránu oble eného sannjásího. Okam~it jsem v nm poznal svého starého pYítele z minulosti. Znovu tam sedl a dlouhou dobu pronáael Hare Kriana. Vidl jsem, jak se jeho korálky pohybují a o i ml zavYené v soustYedné oddanosti. NaYíkal beze studu jeat více ne~ pYedtím. Nakonec, kdy~ pYiael ve er, slo~il dandavat pranám a zostal dlouhou dobu le~et na zemi. Kdy~ vstal, pYiael ke mn a znovu mi podkoval za moji sévu tady v Advaita Bhavanu. Zeptal jsem se ho: ,Kdo jste? Pamatuji si vás ji~ odedávna.'" "Odpovdl: ,Jmenuji se Abhaja aranáravinda Bhaktivédánta Svámí Mahárád~a. Jsem nehodný ~ák Jeho Bo~ské Milosti `ríly Bhaktisiddhánty Sarasvatího Thákura, `ríly Prabhupády, mého bo~ského pána. Chodil jsem sem tak dlouho, proto~e moj gurudéva mi dal nemo~ný úkol. Tou~il, abych odeael pYes oceán do západních zemí a aíYil vzneaené u ení `rí aitanji Maháprabhua. Je tam bezpo et duaí, které nikdy neslyaely o `rí `rí Rád-Krianovi a tak tito lidé velmi trpí. Nevdl jsem, jak se tento úkol v podob jeho vole stane úspaným, a tak jsem asto chodil sem, do tohoto zvláatního domu Advaity Á árji, kde se On, Nitjánanda Prabhu a `rí aitanja Maháprabhu scházeli, aby plánovali sankírtanové hnutí. To tady zahájili záplavu lásky k Bohu, která se rozaíYila po Indii a pokra uje dodnes. Tak jsem se tu velmi vroucn modlil, aby mi vaichni dali svoji milost, ~e m njakým zposobem zmocní a povedou. Chci potait svého gurudéva splnním jeho pYání, ale cítím se k tomu nekvalifikovaný.'" "Kdy~ se mnou mluvil, vidl jsem opt slzy stékající mu po tváYích. Pak pokra oval: 'Zítra jedu do Kolkaty, abych odjel na lodi pYes oceán do Ameriky. Nevím, co m tam eká, ale velmi vroucn se modlím o pomoc.' Pak m velmi pokorn po~ádal o po~ehnání. Byl jsem opravdu dojat upYímností a odhodláním tohoto vaianavy, kdy~ jsem ho sledoval, jak se vydává na svoji cestu." "O nkolik let pozdji jsem si vaiml bílých vaianavo, kteYí za ali vobec poprvé pYicházet do Advaita Bhavanu. Mli na sob dhótí a sárí a d~apovali na tulasí-mále. Nikdy jsem se ~ádným z nich nemluvil, ale pak mi jeden dal tento asopis Zpátky k Bohu z Ameriky. Kdy~ jsem se díval na fotografie, najednou jsem poznal malbu zakladatele-á árji, který vdomí Kriany pYinesl na Západ. Byl to obraz mého pYítele Bhaktivédánty Svámího, který sem v minulosti tolikrát chodil a modlil se tu. Pak jsem si uvdomil, ~e skute n dosáhl cíle nemo~né mise svého gurudéva. Vidl jsem, ~e to je opravdu on, jen~ za al sám a bez pYetváYky a uskute nil tento slavný zázrak navzdory vaem pYeká~kám." "Jakmile jsem ten obraz vidl, pYiael jsem sem do tohoto chrámu v Májápuru sdlit vám tuto informaci. Já vím, ~e odeael z tohoto svta, ale myslel jsem si, ~e mo~ná budete chtít znát tento pYíbh o vaaem a mém milovaném `rílovi Prabhupádovi."