Prabhupada is our Ultimate Shelter - Part 4

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev.

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Prabhupada is our Ultimate Shelter", which is transcription of the nectarean class by our beloved spiritual master HH Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj on Srimad Bhagavatam verse 2.8.4, in Hawaii in 1997. In the previous offering we heard from Maharaj

1. Read and Contemplate what you read.
2. Purpose of Bhagavatam.
3. Greatest Fortune

Now we shall hear further from Maharaj.

4. Tradition given by Prabhupada: 
One thing is that it was not our choice also to come to this place. We are just forced. Somehow or the other, we were kicked by outside, by so much maya and so many kicks and there was no other way so we just ended up into this position (devotees' laughter). Yes, don’t be in a cuckoo’s land that you have come here voluntarily. No, we will never come voluntarily. It was unbearable outside and that is why we wanted to save our skin. We had to come. Srila Prabhupada ki jai (Maharaj’s laughter). This is how please come to the correct understanding and don’t throw ourselves back then again into the same rut, that is the main thing to be understood here.

The whole thing is completely inconceivable. That is the topic we are discussing here. acintya is completely acintya; cintya means we can think about it. This Waikiki is cintya we can think about it, we see it. That is cintya. We can think about it. But this is acintya, it’s inconceivable. And inconceivable things cannot be conceived. Can never be conceived and if that cannot be conceived, then we should go to the authority who has a bit of conception about these inconceivable things. Hardly we can have full glimpse, it is not our capacity. And that is why where all our endeavours end, where all our intelligence is lost, where everything is exhausted, therein the devotional service starts. It is not that just we are chanting the names of Krishna or just we are having darshan or we are coming to this temple or we are eating prasadam. No...no, we have nearly exhausted all the directions and that is the main point to be discussed here. He is completely acintya. He is inconceivable. His activities are inconceivable. And that is why Vaishnavas have to go to some literature which gives you direction to these inconceivable Supreme Absolute Truth. And that is why we are daily, we are discussing this scripture. naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Everyday regularly we are coming to this. Otherwise if you don’t come to this, then it is very difficult.

This is a tradition established for us. Srila Prabhupada has given instruction that every day at 4:30 there must be mangal arati and we are somehow or the other, getting up by 3:30 or quarter to 4 or maybe 4:00, 4:15, or maybe 4:25 (Maharaj and devotees laughter) or maybe 35 minutes, but somehow or the other we are doing that regularly...this is a tradition. Very nice auspicious tradition, just to get up early in the morning. Early to bed, early to raise...you know this saying in English? Or you don't know?

(Maharaj interacts with the devotees)

Devotee: Early to raise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise

Maharaj: That’s right; see...that is why you are healthy, wealthy and wise (laughter). This is how...it’s a popular saying and Prabhupada has forced us to establish this tradition and that is why we are healthy, we are very happy and we are quite satisfied in this atmosphere because we are getting into bed early, getting up early.In Waikiki, you know better than me that 4:30 is their time to go to bed (laughter). I don’t know how Srila Prabhupada came here and how you people are forced to get up at 4 o’clock (devotees’ laughter); this is a great surprise for me, this is inconceivable (laughter) apart from Krishna inconceivable, Prabhupada’s activities are inconceivable. In this part of the world, these demons are sitting here hearing Bhagavatam. Can you imagine? (Maharaj and devotees’ laughter).

Krishna willing we shall try to hear further nectar from Maharaj in the subsequent offerings.

Hare Krishna.
Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Sriveda and Vaishnavi
Bangalore.