Welcome to the Purely Prabhupada channel. This video series is called “Reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all.” My name is Kamra devi dasi, and I am a disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.
This is video number twenty-two of the series. It is called “Averting Heartbreak.” This is a very deep and emotional presentation for me. Srila Prabhupada saved me in every way. His disciples and literatures came into my life when I was in utmost desperation, looking for the meaning of my existence, the purpose of life, questioning what happens at the time of death, how I got this body, many things. I had not been able to get any meaningful answers from various clergy, from professors, from anyone, but Srila Prabhupada’s youthful disciples, being well versed in Vedic philosophy as presented by His Divine Grace, answered my many questions with brilliant insights, and their happiness in finding the goal of life and practicing devotional service to God was contagious. I know that many of my devotional peers had similar experiences, and the experiences and wisdom are still available to those who are sincere and innocent in heart, applying themselves to the devotional practices that Srila Prabhupada gave to us and studying his books.
When we address Srila Prabhupada, there are proper Sanskrit prayers, and the translations are as follows-
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Chaitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
Srila Prabhupada was no ordinary personality. He was sent by Lord Sri Krishna Himself to bring the most valuable and sublime teachings to all of mankind. Yet, he walked amongst us in great humility, with grace, strength, and awareness. He spoke exalted philosophy in words that the commoners could understand and implement in their lives, and set the topmost example of how to apply the teachings that he brought. He translated many, many volumes of transcendental literature.
Srila Prabhupada told us that everything we needed was in his books. He told us that he had given us everything, yet, in my observation, only he was able to apply that wisdom in a personal way for the encouragement of each and every student and inquirer. He wanted us to grow into that ability by taking seriously to the path of devotional service under his direction, but even at the time of his passing, I did not see anyone qualified to be able to do the same, and I was very fearful for the future of the Krishna Conscious preaching and the continuing enthusiasm of the devotees.
There are many things coming to a head in the world now. Different malefic dealings are being exposed that have been well hidden for decades. Many establishments have been involved in the most horrible of underhanded and evil activities, including organized religion.
There is a difference between organized religion and the pure spiritual essence, the pure spiritual teachings, upon which it may have been originally founded. There will be many broken hearts, in many denominations, when certain truths come to light. People’s faith will be tested. But those who are sincere and innocent in heart will be protected, nurtured, and guided by the Lord Himself.
In 2002, I met a very amazing personality named Reverend Jill Jackson. She lived near Orlando, Florida, and I came in contact with her by the will of the Lord. She was a prayer warrior and an expert exorcist, if you will. When I revealed to her that I had been with the Hare Krishnas since 1974, she looked at me very firmly and said, “I have prayed many people out of that group.” I looked at her just as firmly and told her, “Unfortunately, the organization and the pure spiritual essence have become separated.” She understood. She had been thrown out of the church and denied her pastorship for “praying over too many non-Christians.” We became the closest of sisters at that moment, and she went on to facilitate healing for many sincere devotees.
It was a difficult time for me, navigating what was my service to Srila Prabhupada while knowing that my desire to be of some use to him could not reach full potential if I acted within the organization. I had previously served as temple pujari (priest), in the educational system, as a main cook, as a book distributor, in cow protection, but I felt kind of rudderless.
In deep prayer and meditation many years ago, standing in front of a photograph of His Divine Grace, I was instructed by him, “Take no authority other than my own,” and “Clear my name from what has gone on in my name that does not represent my mood, my mission, and my teachings.”
In a similar moment of prayer and meditation, some years prior to that, Srila Prabhupada had instructed me that “Your service is the second generation.” For a long time, I took this to mean supporting the sons and daughters of his disciples, but, over many years of contemplation and observation, I understood that it actually meant the second generation of preachers, however they came to be part of Srila Prabhupada’s mission.
I spent many years praying to the Lord that I could do something pleasing for Srila Prabhupada in this lifetime. If nothing else, let his name be separated from what has transpired in his name that does not properly represent him. Let his lineage go on generationally with pure preachers who uphold what he really came to give to humankind. This is the yearning of my heart
I could not bear to see Srila Prabhupada’s name linked in with whatever exposures might be coming regarding the organization that he founded that has become irredeemably corrupted. It would be my greatest heartbreak. He is my dearmost friend and eternal spiritual guide. He departed this world in November of 1977, but I have never felt any separation from him.
I would like to read an essay that I wrote some years ago. It needs to come to the forefront again. Here is that essay-
If it All Crumbles:
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was a most extraordinary and unique person. He was kind and respectful to everyone, and worked for everyone’s benefit. He never desired respect or material possessions for himself. He was a person of purity, integrity, and compassion. He was always truthful, humble, sense controlled, and totally surrendered to the desire of the Lord.
He founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness as a society to provide uplifting association for those who wanted to progress on the path of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and to further the preaching mission that he had come to establish. But he also recognized that there were serious problems. In a letter to one disciple, he noted, “Regarding the poisonous effect in our Society, it is a fact and I know where from this poison tree has sprung up and how it affected practically the whole Society in a very dangerous form. … It is a fact however that the great sinister movement is within our Society.” In that letter, he instructed his leading disciples, “so all of you may try to save the Society from this dangerous position.” He told another of his disciples, “There are those in our movement who dress like devotees- sikha, tilaka, neck beads, and dhoti, but they are not devotees. They are agents of Kali. We must find them and weed them out.”
Srila Prabhupada passed from this world in November of 1977. It is now many years later. Presently, if one in the organization that Srila Prabhupada founded acts to try to expose or oust those who have committed, and still may be committing horrible acts, that person is the one who gets banned, weeded out. It is totally opposite what Srila Prabhupada desired. I have mentioned in a previous presentation that we at Purely Prabhupada are not concerned with trying to bring down any organization, but only to present Absolute Truth in the form of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings. But it needs to be repeated that any organization has the propensity to become its own worst enemy in the propagation of what it initially set out to accomplish.
There has been a lot of talk recently throughout the media about the uncovering of demoniac activity that has pervaded pretty well every aspect of modern society. Political, social, food, communications, entertainment, economic, educational, the medical and pharmaceutical industries, the religious institutions, it seems that no institution has been spared. There have been predictions about truths coming out, exposes, old infrastructures crumbling, mind-blowing events about to unfold, etc. These foretellings are coming from many fronts- political and economic analysts, lawyers and investigative journalists, miscellaneous whistleblowers, astrologers, and many other people who claim to be in the know.
We at Purely Prabhupada don’t put much energy into mundane predictions, but we do have an awareness how deeply the tentacles of evil have spread. As I discussed in our introductory video series for Purely Prabhupada, the goal of an aspiring transcendentalist is not to try to change the nature of this material world, but to aim to reawaken our dormant love of God, Krishna and return to our real home, the eternal and blissful kingdom of God. The challenges of this world must be used as stepping stones to the development of spiritual awareness. We have no personal agenda to try to fix anything of this world, but rather to utilize every opportunity for our spiritual advancement and to educate those who are willing in the process of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna.
Our team does have one especially big concern, though. We know, and it is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita As It Is, that many times a person of demoniac nature will pose as a religionist and grossly mislead and take advantage of others. If in fact there is to be some massive exposure of evil as some predict, and since it appears that no institution is free of “dark” influences, as they say, and since the religious institutions seem to be a favorite place for covert demoniac activity, if the possible upcoming disclosures involve the organization that Srila Prabhupada originally founded, we are concerned that Srila Prabhupada’s name will be linked to whatever atrocities might come to light. It needs to be known that many things that have gone on in the organization he originally founded have been in opposition to his mood, his teachings, his mission, his endearing humanness, his pure intention for the benefit of humanity. Srila Prabhupada’s name must be freed from what has transpired in his name that did not properly represent his mission, or even that served to sabotage it. His integrity must be broadcast. In this way, the interest in his pure teachings can become more widespread. His efforts, the hardships and austerities he underwent, his book translation and publication, his extensive traveling and teaching in his senior years, were only for the sake of the spiritual benefit and happiness of humanity. He had no personal agenda at all. His life was the instruction of his spiritual master to present these teachings in the English speaking world.
Srila Prabhupada’s books have been available for many years, and it is time for them to come to more prominence. If there is to be some great unfolding of truth in this world, then it is our prayer that whatever comes down lands the hearts of those who are sincere and pious on the pages of these great literatures. These books are like a star actor waiting in the wings of the stage for his brilliant entry amidst a great drama. Let the drama unfold, let the books of His Divine Grace come to center stage for their brilliant performance. They are predicted by transcendental seers to be the law books for mankind for the next 10,000 years. That prediction is one that we do totally trust.
