The Emperor of Saints

Two weeks back, followers of Srila Prabhupada, celebrated his disappearance day - a man in my opinion who single handedly reached out to the world in genuine compassion and a desire to elevate people to a spiritual consciousness of life, specifically called Krishna consciousness. A man despite repeated failures, personal health problems and myriad obstacles did not stop till the goal was reached.

Prabhupada perfectly fits the famous quote of Swami Vivekananda - Arise, Awake and Stop not till the goal is reached. Of course Prabhupada was always transcendental and very much awake from mundane dualities. However the way he pursued his goal is what appeals to my psyche. His goal was to distribute the topmost spiritual treasure to the mundane masses for a very minimal fee. The highest spiritual treasure is love of God and the minimal fee is chanting 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Maha mantra. He tirelessly traveled around the globe 14 times at a ripe age of seventy, tirelessly wrote more than 80 volumes of transcendental literature and opened more than 100 temples across the globe.

In my opinion, the difference between Prabhupada and all the sadhus and swamis of India is that Prabhupada was not just satisfied that he become liberated but he was concerned more for the suffering of his fellow men that he wanted them also liberated. In India, there are many renunciates and sadhus who practice intense austerities such as no sleep or food and claim union with divine through contact with Brahman. They also claim to have the powers to heal the sick, see the past & future, solve material problems of their devotees etc. However, none of them have the power or capacity to liberate their sympathizers from birth and death through purification of material desires and cultivation of bhakti to Govinda. Unless one abandons material desires and cultivate devotional tendencies towards Mukunda, there is no question of mukti or liberation from material suffering.

There is no sadhu or swami now or in the past from India or anywhere who can parallel Prabhuada’s feat of converting so many hippies all over the world into genuine lovers of God completely free from intoxication, drugs, meat eating, gambling and illicit sex. One cannot genuinely love God unless one has the experience of the Divine and that experience was practically possible only by the mercy and purity of a divine saint such as Srila Prabhupada. This is not merely a sentiment but a fact.

So sadhus may come and sadhus may go (especially in India) but Prabhupada’s contribution and glory will go on forever. Any man who is serious to understand the science of God has to come under the umbrella of Prabhupada for he presents the highest principles of spiritual life in the most simplest form to the most common man of this world. It only takes the onlooker to accept with folded palms. No other saint, swami or sadhu can take such a credit.

Henceforth, in my humble opinion, His Divine Grace Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada stands out among saints as the Emperor of Saints and all other saints including their followers should prostrate at his lotus feet – the etymology of his name - at whose lotus feet (pada) all masters (prabhus) sit.

As far as I am concerned, I will bow down to his lotus feet now and forever!

Jai Srila Prabhupada!!

Hare Krishna