If you are a Gaudiya Vaisnava preacher, or especially someone who may be the audience of such preaching. And even more significant, if you are a Vaisnava, who is according to Gaudiya Vaisnavas Siddhanta, is a neophyte Kanistha-adhikari, who desires to make advancement on to the Madhyama-adhikari state, and then on to the Madhyama-bhagavata platform; I highly recommend that you take the time to read this transcript of a lecture given by Srila Prabhupada in 1969.
I have had the VedaBase, since 1993, and I have never ever come across this letter, that was shared by a Vaisnava belonging to one of the Groups I am a member of. He is sending a lot of references, and I am just at this time, filing thing away for future review, to see if an essay can be produced from it.
However, this letter, I could not file away, because it was reference, that I was looking for, to back up what I wanted to write. Here, I will show you more of that letter; he only shared the top half. After reading it, I said to myself, that this letter, is so wonderful, that it becomes important, and significant, To a preacher, and the intendent-audience of such preaching; this essay, is of immense importance, to the future of spreading the Krishna-consciousness movement all over the world.
Srila Prabhupada’s Lecture on Srila Bhakti-siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada’s Appearance Day, Los Angeles February 7, 1969:
(Note that the following is Srila Prabhupada speaking English, at Age 73: And he is Speaking to His Disciples.)
He appeared in February. … When the Ratha-yatra takes place? In July. So, February, March, April, May, June, July. So, when he was six months old, the Ratha-yatra festival was held. And by chance the big cart stopped in front of that house. That is generally in the Jagannatha car stops. Just like our car also stops somewhere. And you have some difficulty to push it again? That’s nice. That also happens in Jagannatha Puri. It was stopped, and some people were… Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to push with His head. So that was wonderful.
So anyway, the car stopped, and mother of our Guru Maharaja, the child Guru Maharaja, so she took the opportunity, and because she was manager’s [1] wife, so everyone respected with the child. So, she put the child on the leg of Jaganath. And as there are so many garlands, one garland immediately fell on the child. Yes. Automatically. So, in this way Bhaktivinoda Thakura could understand that,
“This child is not ordinary child,” and he knew that.
“I prayed to Gaurasundara to send me somebody. So, this boy, this child, is sent by Him.”
So, he took care of him very carefully. And in this way his name was Bimala Prasada, Bimala Prasada Datta.
So, when he was three years or four years old, he took one mango from the Deity room and ate it. So Bhaktivinoda Thakura said,
“Oh, you have done a great wrong thing. You have taken the mango of the Deity before offering Him? It is a great offense.”
The child took it very seriously, and my Guru Maharaja never took mango throughout his whole life. Whenever mango was offered, he would say,
“Oh, I am an offender. I cannot take that.” You, see?
So, there was a big meeting. What is this sound? Somebody’s sleeping? All right. (laughter) In Midnapur district, when he was young man, he was holding meeting. He was a great astrologer, and he opened an astrological school when he was young man. And there are many big students still practicing. They are all students of my Guru Maharaja. And there was a meeting in Midnapur district.
The subject matter, “Brahmanas and Vaisnavas.”
So, in that meeting Bhaktivinoda Thakura was invited. At that time, he was not very in healthy condition, indisposed. So, he asked Sarasvati Thakura that,
“You go and speak there.”
So, he spoke on the distinction between brahmanas and Vaisnavas, and he defeated so many learned panditas. Then the whole audience began to take, touch his lotus feet, and touch with water and drink it, in this way, when he was young man. That book is also available in Bengali, “Brahmana-Vaisnava”.
Then, after disappearance of Bhaktivinoda Thakura in 1914… Bhaktivinoda Thakura organized this Krishna Caitanya’s movement in pure form from Mayapur. He published many books and papers, “Sajjana-tosani”. When he passed away in 1914, at that time, he entrusted the matter to Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, that,
“I am going, my work unfinished, about this Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement. You take charge of it.”
So, he took very seriously the word of Bhaktivinoda Thakura. So, since 1914 to ’18, he was simply thinking that,
“How I can expand this movement?”
So, in 1918 he started this movement with the help of some disciples. Krishna sent him. So, one of the disciples, he is now Tirtha Maharaja (Note, Srila Prabhupada once referred to him as a ‘black snake’). Perhaps he is… He belonged to Rama Krishna Mission Society. So, he is very ambitious. So, he took the opportunity of starting this movement, finding out the saintly person. So apart from that point of view, with his help this Gaudiya Mission was started, and gradually it developed.
[1] Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was manager of the Lord Jaganath Temple in Puri)