Autobiography of Srila Prabhupada (in his own words).

Autobiography of Srila Prabhupada (in his own words).

Letter to Mr. Nakano - Delhi 18 April, 1961.

Srila Prabhupada -"Regarding my personal history I beg to state it shortly as follows:

I was born 1st September 1896 in Calcutta as the third son of my father Late Gaura Mohon Dev and mother late Rajani Devi in the family of one of very respectable Gold merchant aristocracy of Calcutta.

I was educated in the Scottish Churches College (B.A. 1920) and Netaji Subhas Candra was my college mate.

I left education influenced by Mahatma Gandhi in 1921 and joined for some time in the national liberation and other social service movements.

I was secretary of the Social Union movement of which Late Mr. J. Choudhury Bar-at-law was the president.

In this movement there was a great stir for intercaste marriage in favor of Patel's (Vithalbhai) bill.

I was married during my student life in 1918 with Radharani Devi and she is in Calcutta with her sons and daughters five children and a few grand children also.

After my education I was appointed (1921) as the Asst. Manager of Dr. Bose's Laboratory Ltd of Calcutta and then engaged myself in my personal business in the chemical line.

I was a research student in chemical and medicinal composition and for the first time in India, I introduced Gadine preparation in the medical profession.

I met my spiritual master Late Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami in 1922 and he desired me to preach in the foreign countries the spiritual movement started by Lord Caitanya for enlightenment of all materialistic men all over the world.

He gradually turned my mind from matter to spirit and I was accepted as his disciple in 1933 after full association of ten years.

He left this world in 1936 and insisted to explain the mission in English.

I started my paper Back to Godhead in 1944 and left home for good entirely to execute the order of my spiritual master in 1954.

Since then my H.Q. is at Vrindaban and devote in literary work".

Interview on September 24, 1968, Seattle.

Interviewer - "Would you tell me something of your own background? That is, where you were educated, how you became a disciple of Kṛṣṇa".

Srila Prabhupāda - "I was born and educated in Calcutta. Calcutta is my home place.

I was born in 1896, and I was my father's pet child, so my education began a little late, and still, I was educated in higher secondary, high school for eight years.

In primary school four years, higher secondary school, eight years, in college, four years. Then I joined Gandhi's movement, national movement.

But by good chance I met my Guru Mahārāja, my spiritual master, in 1922. And since then, I was attracted in this line, and gradually I gave up my household life.

I was married in 1918 when I was still a third year student. And so I got my children. I was doing business. Then I retired from my family life in 1954.

For four years I was alone, without any family. Then I took regularly renounced order of life in 1959.

Then I devoted myself in writing books. My first publication came out in 1962, and when there were three books, then I started for your country in 1965 and I reached here in September, 1965.

Since then, I am trying to preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness in America, Canada, in European countries.

And gradually the centers are developing. The disciples are also increasing. Let me see what is going to be done.

Interviewer - "How did you become a disciple yourself? What were you, or what did you follow before you became a disciple?"

Srila Prabhupāda - "Same principle as I told you, faith. One of my friend, he dragged me forcibly to my spiritual master.

And when I talked with my spiritual master, I was induced. And since then, the seedling began.

Maha-Visnu is surrounded by millions of massive almost spherical material universes called Brahmandas.

Deep inside each Brahmanda universe there is a "secondary smaller universe" where Garbhodakashayi Visnu, Lord Brahma and many planetary systems exist.

From Maha-Visnu's pores and breathing, millions of massive almost spherical universes originate called Brahmandas.

As said above, deep inside each one of them is another smaller universe where Garbhodakashayi Visnu and Lord Brahma reside.

Also within each material universe, deep inside their surrounding Brahmanda, exists many planetary systems built by Lord Brahma and his demigod associates.

The size of each single material universe depends on how many heads Lord Brahma has.

Our single universe is called Bhu-Mandala and has 14 planetary systems, and our Brahma has only 4 heads.

Other universes, deep inside of their Brahmanda, Brahma ha many heads, some with 10, 20, 500, 1000, 100,000, a million, or even 10 million heads.

Such knowledge is inconceivable for us to properly understand.

This means some inner material universes and their outer surrounding Brahmanda shell, are millions of times bigger than our Bhu-Mandala universe and its surrounding Brahmanda shell covering it.

All this knowledge is found in Srimad Bhagavatam 5th Canto translated by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

The association of Lord Krishna's devotees is the MOST important act one can do! Always avoid close association with non-devotees, they are poison to the soul.

The association of Lord Krishna's devotees is the MOST important act one can do!

Srila Prabhupada - "It is better to accept the miseries of being encaged within bars and surrounded by burning flames than to associate with those bereft of Krishna consciousness. Such an association is a very great hardship". (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 22.91)

I feel that way ever time I am with the family of my birth, from a Krishna Conscious standard, it was a really bad birth to be with them, all meat heads and even worse.

Being with them was the result of my own karma or how I led my life in previous births.

Being born with those lusty parents was really bad karma however, that misery of wasting my life with them, is what FORCED me to search for a way out.

So, on a more positive note, a search had begun in 1969 to become free from the horrible impersonal meat eating society of my birth.

So eventually I left Melbourne and went to live in Sydney.

While there in 1971, somehow I became aware Prabhupada was in Town, it was Prabhupada who found me, yes that's right, he found me!7

I never went to India looking for him, Prabhupada came to Sydney, arriving there in May 1971

It was there I eventually saw him on TV. He fascinated me as a man of God, I was immediately attracted.

At the time, I lived around the corner from the Paddington Temple in a Town house in Surry Hills while Prabhupada was personally in Sydney installing the Radha Gopinath Deities.

I did go to the Temple while he was there in the Temple, but did not go in, I felt unworthy, too fallen, and not ready to reach the mountain top as it was to me.

Fortunately though, a week after Prabhupada left Sydney, I built up enough strength and guts to go in and see for myself.

At the front door I was met by Upananda Dasa who was a very nice friendly devotee, very knowledgeable about Krishna I found.

At once all my fears were over come about the mystery of the unknown, I realized God's devotees CAN even be approached by a fallen wretch soul like me.

Upananda never judged me, never saw me as not good enough, he just saw me as another searching 18 year old soul who needs to begin their journey back home, back to Godhead.

He invited me in and preached to me for about an hour, then had to go and cook for the new Deities Radha and Gopinath.

So with Prabhupada came a new hard cover Book called KRSNA BOOK, so Upananda gave me a copy to read.

The large hard covered KRSNA book's printing was paid for by George Harrison from the Beatles which I found pretty amazing.

Then Upananda asked me to sit at the Kitchen door and continue reading KRSNA BOOK while he cooked

This was my first day with the devotees in May 1971.

Upananda Dasa today is known as Avadhoot Maharaj.

As the years went on, many street Sankirtans we went on together, especially in the early pioneering years when we chanted from 9.30 am to 4pm every week day.

We even got arrested by the Police together for chanting on the streets and distributing BTG Magazine and Books.

Today, not only are the devotees accepted by the Government, they support our Prasadam distribution by giving the devotees financial assistance (500 thousand dollars in 2016)

How things have changed since 1971.

Back then Avadhoot Maharaj (Upananda Dasa) also arranged daily plays we did inbetween street chanting, we did these plays on City streets and at the University every day.

Those early pioneering days from 1971 were really amazing.

Sadly today no devotees do these street and university plays any more.

I would love to see this 2020 generation of devotees bring Krishna plays brought back to the streets of all major cities.

In top photo that is me (Gauragopala Dasa) playing Mridangum drum next to Srila Prabhupada at the July Rathayatra festival in Melbourne Australia 1974.

The full potential and expression of the soul is as an eternal individual person as a spiritual anti-material body that is free from any material covering, dress or vessel. You ARE a person, you are a the soul that IS your eternal bodily form and who you really are perpetually.

Those who claim the soul has no eternal bodily form underneath its material covering, vessel or container, are totally wrong.

To go back home back to Godhead, one must try and find a pure devotee, then serve him by also being kind to other fallen souls by preaching to them.

This will help them eventually find their pathway back home back to Godhead.

By studying the painting below of Krishna and all his wonderful eternal friends in Vrindavan, one will understand that each of us also has an "eternal bodily anti-material form" just like all those boys in the painting.

The fact is, ALL jiva souls have a spiritual bodily relationship with Krishna in their full spiritual potential in the anti-material spiritual Sky.

The eternal nature of the jiva-soul (jivatma) is

sat,
cit,
ananda,
vigraha

Which means -

eternity,
Knowledge,
bliss,
ETERNAL BODILY FORM.

The Vedic Text Bhagavat Purana teaches this, also known as the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Those who deny the soul IS a bodily form in its full potential, are called impersonalists, Buddhist and mayavadis.

The soul has an eternal relation with God AS A PERSON, therefore Vaishnavas are called PERSONALIST.

Denying the "anti-material bodily form" of the soul, is like committing spiritual suicide!

This is because one denies their perpetual identity as a fully active individual person.

Impersonalists are committing spiritual suicide by denying their individual perpetual spiritual bodily form that is called "svarupa", and instead they foolishly attempt to merge into some nonsense "all one pervasive" light and become "all one with God".

All complete nonsense.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada teach Personalism, we are eternal persons AS bodily forms in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan the perpetual Kingdoms of God (Krishna).

This is the full potential of our eternal individual anti-material identity.

Sadly, there are so many bogus impersonal nonsense Mayavadi gurus out there who deny the individuality and perpertual form of all individual souls.

Each soul (jivatma) has a personal unique relationship with the Lord (Krishna) who is also an eternal Person and the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes.

The global planets in our material universe are seen in painting below where our Earth globe (Bhurloka), is a "round global sphere" and part of the 8th Planetary System in our universe. It is crazy to believe our planet is flat.

Srimad Bhagavatam does NOT say our Earth is flat as revealed in the below painting where Earth (Bhurloka) is a globe.

All planets throughout the14 Planetary Systems are all global spheres including the Moon and the Sun.

There is no such thing as ''two views of this Earth'', one from the mundane scientists, the other from the Puranas and the Demigods.

ALL see our Earth as a round global sphere and never flat.

Srila Prabhupada - "The planets are called dvīpas. Outer space is like an ocean of air. Just as there are islands in the watery ocean, these planets in the ocean of space are called dvīpas, or islands in outer space" (Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 20.218, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada - "On the ground our earth looks flat but when you go up you will see our Earth planet is a ball" (Lecture New York 1966.)

Although as we know there are subtle realities that are in other dimensional realms, like the inhabitants who live on the Moon, Sun and thousands of other planets.

The mundane material scientists cannot see or detect these subtle realms because they do not have the right material body or karma to enter theses realms.

The Sanskrit word "Dvīpa" has two meanings. 

1 - "Islands" or "continents" on a Planet.

 2 - "Globes or spheres" in outer space (as seen in painting below of Bhurloka).

(Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 20.218, Purport)

NONE of these planets within those systems are a flat! Even the view of this entire universe from the heavenly planets, our Earth is a globe and NOT flat.

Although as we know, there are subtle civilisations in other dimensional realms like the inhabitants on the Moon, Sun and thousands of other planets that the material scientists nor us can see because we do not have the right material body and karmic qualifications to enter their subtle realm.

However, from all those subtle realms, both heavenly and hellish, our Earth planet appears ALWAYS as a globe and NOT flat.

Bhu-Mandala takes up almost our entire universe with its 14 Planetary systems in it, and each planetary system is represented with many global spherical planets.

Bhu-Mandala is NOT the Earth globe!

It is all these planetary systems, spread out within this single universe, that have the appearance of a "vast flat disc of global planets".

This "flat disc" in outer space is made of thousands of planets from the 14 different planetary systems that are collectively called "Bhu-Mandala.

Bhu-Mandala is almost the diameter of our 4 billion mile single universe, it is NOT our small earth globe.

The planets themselves within each system are round globes, they are NOT flat in anyway.

In this way the 14 planetary systems, collectively known as Bhu-Mandala, is almost the size of our 4 billion mile diameter universe.

Bhu-Mandala is not to be confused with our round global spherical earth we live on.

The 14 different Planetary systems, along with Garbhodakashayi Vishnu and Lord Brahma, are all situate very deep inside of our surrounding outer Brahmanda shell, (almost spherical shaped) greater universe that originates from the Body of Maha Vishnu.

The global planets in our universe are seen in painting below where the Earth globe (Bhurloka), is part of the 8th Planetary System. 

The planets in outer space are called dvīpas.

Our massive Brahmanda, that our smaller single universe, known as Bhu-Mandala with its 14 planetary systems, is deep within, originates from the pores of Maha Vishnu along with billions of other Brahmandas that also have a secondary universe deep within it.

The Earth planet is a "round global sphere" in the ocean of outer space, it is NOT flat, Srila Prabhupada tells us this.

So to repeat again in these early pioneering years that many leading Gurus, Sannyasis and devotee scholars have not properly understood -

Srila Prabhupada - "On the ground our earth looks flat but when you go up you will see our Earth planet is a ball" (Lecture New York 1966.)

The Sanskrit word "Dvīpa" has two meanings. 

1 - "Islands" or "continents" on a Planet.

 2 - "Globes or spheres" in outer space (as seen in painting below of Bhurloka).

Srila Prabhupada - "The planets are called dvīpas. Outer space is like an ocean of air. Just as there are islands in the watery ocean, these planets in the ocean of space are called dvīpas, or islands in outer space" (Chaitanya Caritamrita Madhya 20.218, Purport)

Srila Prabhupada emphasizes the point to his disciple - "You have already promised to follow the rules and regulations of our ISKCON Society, so therefore there is NO choice, you MUST follow otherwise you are carving you way to hell!" How do we understand this apparent contradictory comment?

Srila Prabhupada emphasizes the point to his disciple -

"You have already promised to follow the rules and regulations of our ISKCON Society, so therefore there is NO choice, you MUST follow, otherwise you are carving you way to hell!"

I now understand Prabhupada's letter to a disciple about him "having no choice" once he had promised to follow the basic principles of Krishna Consciousness.

Prabhupada's words were -

"You have already promised to follow our teachings, therefore you have NO choice, you must follow, you have promised!"

But then Prabhupada says -

"Otherwise if you do not follow our teachings of chanting 16 rounds a day and following the 4 regulated principles, then you are only carving your way to hell!"

So technically if one does not follow, then "he IS making a choice" which is entering hellish life.

So, even though Prabhupada said you have no choice, actually there IS always a choice -

1 - The Krishna Consciousness path.

or

2 - The path of Hellish life.

Therefore what Prabhupada really means is a choice has already been made, and a promise to follow given, so now one is obliged to live by that promise and honor that promise as a decent human being.

This is Prabhupada's main point.

Therefore, one should keep their promise to the Spiritual Master and follow our ISKCON Society principles.

Prabhupada emphasizes the point-

"You have already promised, so therefore there is NO choice".

However, Prabhupada's point is very clear and that is one should keep their promise because it will lead to the only positive outcome, going back home, back to Godhead.

So in other words, as Prabhupada says, if you reject your previous comittment to surrender to our Krishna Conscious principles, then by making that choice of rejecting your previous promise to follow the instructions of the Spiritual Master.

Then that act of NOT honoring your promise IS really "choosing" to foolishly carve your pathway to hellish life in the material world of repeated birth and death.

So there is ALWAYS a choice for the jiva soul.

It is the same when Krishna says-

"Those who enter My eternal Abode (Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan) NEVER again fall down to the material World".

Yes, Krishna will ALWAYS keep that promise however, the jiva may choose to reject Krishna's offer and come to the material creation anyway.

Therefore it is NOT just Krishna's promise of eternal deliverance for the jiva soul of going back home back to Godhead that automatically means the jiva soul will ALSO agree and accept that promise to NEVER again fall down to the material creation.

No, the jiva souls also have THEIR free will too and may reject Krishna's offer to NEVER again fall down from Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan and choose to enter the material creation.

The point of this comment is only mutual  "reciprication between the jiva soul and the Lord",  can their be true love, pure genuine personel devotional service and selfless dedication between the jiva soul and Krishna.

It is NOT a one way street where ONLY Krishna dictates EVERYTHING and squashes the individuality, sense of self, and unique character the jiva soul has.

The jiva-soul ALSO has THEIR say in where they want to spend their existence too.

Krishna, like the Guru, can NEVER force one to surrender to Him because that "choice to surrender" to the Lord is also up to the individual jiva.

Otherwise if there is force, where one's individuality and a sense of an independent self is squashed, then how can there be genuine love?

Krishna NEVER forces the jiva soul to love Him. And Krishna NEVER forces the jivas to surrender to Him. 

He does not want a mindless slave as a servant.

The relationship MUST always be one of reciprocation between the Lord and the jiva-soul (His devotees and aspiring devotee.)

Only then can "real" love exist.

We are all eternally independent living entities and that "sense of self" and individuality that allows each individual jiva soul to have their own unique characteristics, abilities and talents, is NEVER lost in the Spiritual World.

The photo of chanting Hare Krishna is the formula to help one always think of Krishna as your dearest friend, or reciprocal master, so always chant Hare Krishna and perform Sankirtan (chanting on the streets of all major world Cities and Towns)

We are all unique individual jiva souls (persons).

Therefore there is ALWAYS the choice of the jiva soul to be with Krishna or leave His association in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan, even if the some tell you, you have no choice, no, there is ALWAYS a choice!

Krishna also promises in Bhagavad Gita that once you enter Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavan, you NEVER again fall down. 

No! You CAN fall down if YOU choose.

But by doing so you are carving your way to the hellish material creation of repeated birth and death Prabhupada has told us.

And there is NO material cause to one's fall down, it is simply due to free will.

The 4th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam tells the story of one devotee who chose to go to the material world and after many, many lives again meets up with Krishna.

The following Conversation took place in Melbourne, Australia June 25, 1974 between Srila Prabhupada and his disciples.

Devotee – “When we are in the spiritual sky and serving Krishna, we have a perfect relationship with Krishna, what causes us to fall down in the material world, because we’re already serving Krishna?”

Srila Prabhupada – “Because you desire to fall down. Here it is explained that “Don’t fall down.”

Devotee – “Srila Prabhupada, I can’t understand why we should have an impure desire when we are already serving…”

Srila Prabhupada – “Because you have got little freedom. Why one is not coming here and going to the liquor shop? It is his desire.

Devotee – “In the Srimad-
Bhagavatam, it says that Krishna did not want us to come to this material world. If Krishna did not want us to come, why are we here?”

Srila Prabhupada – “Yes. You forced Krishna to allow you to come. Just like sometimes a child forces his father. Father says, “My dear son, do not do this. Do not go there.” But he insists, “Oh, I must go. I must go.” “All right, you go at your risk. That’s all. And you suffer. What can be done?” Because you are Son of God you have got independence, full independence, almighty—therefore you have acquired the quality of your father. You have got little independence. So God does not interfere with your little independence. If you persist that “I must go and enjoy independently,” so God says, “All right, you can go.” This is the position. You have to take sanction. That is a fact. But when you persist, God sanctions. And you come and enjoy”. (End of quote)

The photo of chanting Hare Krishna below is the formula to help one always think of Krishna as your dearest friend, or reciprocal master.

So always chant Hare Krishna and perform Sankirtan (chanting on the streets of all major world Cities and Towns)

Conclusion 

Krishna NEVER forces the jiva soul to love Him. And Krishna NEVER forces the jivas to surrender to Him. He does not want a mindless slave as a servant. The relationship MUST always be one of reciprocation between Krishna and the jiva-soul, only then can there be true love.