prabhupada/017

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) is a nitya-siddha Vaisnava (eternally liberated devotee of Krishna) sent by Lord Caitanya and Krishna to revive the mission of nama-sankirtana and save the world from the dangerous atheistic doctrines of impersonalism (nirvisesa) and voidism (sunyavada). All his activities are eternal and purely transcendental. In fact, the Vedic literature, Lord Caitanya, and predecessor acaryas have predicted this great personality, Srila Prabhupada, who preaches Krishna consciousness all over the world. Having fulfilled these predictions by founding the global Krishna conscious-ness movement and Hare Krishna Society single-handedly, he is worshiped by all bona fide Gaudiya Vaisnavas with the name "Srila Prabhupada" (the master at whose feet all others bow). Srila Prabhupada's form (vapu) and instructions (vani) offer the full mercy of Lord Caitanya to all conditioned souls for the duration of Lord Caitanya's ten-thousand year Golden Age.

"In the Vedic literatures it is recommended that in Kali-yuga people engage in glorifying the Lord by chanting the holy name of Krishna (kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet)…" (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.12.34, Purport)

"Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet:
simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, one can be freed from the contamination of Kali-yuga and, in his original spiritual body, can return home, back to Godhead… When Krishna appeared, He gave His orders, and when Krishna Himself appeared as a devotee, as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He showed us the path by which to cross the ocean of Kali-yuga. That is the path of the Hare Krishna movement." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.5.23, Purport)

"The Kali-santarana Upanisad states, ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare--these sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. In all the Vedas it is seen that to cross the ocean of nescience, there is no alternative to the chanting of the holy name." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 7.76, Purport)

"So, my dear boys and girls, about six years ago I came to your country single-handed, with this pair of cymbals. Now you are so many chanting Hare Krishna. That is my success. It was the prediction of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu: prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama, sarvatra pracara hoibe mora nama. Lord Caitanya desired that ‘In all the towns--in as many towns and villages as there are on the surface of the globe--My name will be broadcast.' He is Krishna Himself—svayam krsna, krsna caitanya-namine—simply changing His name as Krishna Caitanya. So His prediction will never go in vain. That's a fact. So my plan was that ‘I shall go to America... If I can convince the younger generation of America, they will take it up.' If you kindly take this Krishna consciousness movement seriously, your country will be saved, and the whole world will be saved." (Lecture, May 18, 1972, Los Angeles)

"He [Bhaktivinoda Thakura] sent his first book in 1896. Bhaktivinoda Thakura was the origin of this movement. But he simply thought of it. And he was expecting some others willing to take up the work. Well, somebody says that I am the same man. And I was born in 1896." (Conversation, March 13, 1975, Tehran)

"Thakura Bhaktivinoda... in 1896 he sent Caitanya Mahaprabhu's message to McGill University. That book you have seen. The letter was there… Now, after so many years, a servant of that disciplic succession has come here again to preach. So these things are significant." (Lecture, March 18, 1967, San Francisco)

"Soon there will appear a personality who will preach the holy name all over the world." (Prediction of Bhaktivinoda Thakura in the nineteenth century, as cited in Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas, Introduction, Prabhupada-approved 1974 edition)

"Without being empowered by the direct potency of Lord Krishna to fulfill His desire and without being specifically favored by the Lord, no human being can become the spiritual master of the whole world... Only an empowered personality can distribute the holy name of the Lord and enjoin all fallen souls to worship Krishna. By distributing the holy name of the Lord, he cleanses the hearts of the most fallen people; therefore he extinguishes the blazing fire of the material world. Not only that, he broadcasts the shining brightness of Krishna's effulgence throughout the world. Such an acarya or spiritual master should be considered non-different from Krishna--that is, he should be considered the incarnation of Lord Krishna's potency. Such a personality is krsna-lingita-vigraha--that is, he is always embraced by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. Such a person is… the guru or spiritual master for the entire world, a devotee on the topmost platform, the maha-bhagavata stage." (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Anubhasya, cited in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 25.9, Purport)

"By the grace of Lord Sri Krishna, we had the chance of being born in a Vaisnava family, and in our childhood we imitated the worship of Lord Krishna by imitating our father... Our spiritual master, who also took his birth in a Vaisnava family, got all inspirations from his great Vaisnava father, Thakura Bhaktivinoda… There is always symmetry between the early lives of all great devotees of the Lord... Such maha-bhagavatas are called nitya-siddhas, souls liberated from birth." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.15, Purport)

"The Krishna consciousness movement is spreading to enlighten people about their real position, their original relationship with Krishna. One requires Krishna's special power in order to be able to do this... The Lord empowers a special devotee to teach people their constitutional position." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 19.114, Purport)