Srila Prabhupada’s real MS Jaladuta

The MS Jaladuta slides off the yard towards the Elbe-Trave Canal for its first test runs.
60 years ago, on March 10, 1959 the MS Jaladuta was launched at the shipbuilding yard
of Flenderwerke AG in Lübeck, Germany. Unfortunately the Jaladuta was scrapped in 1983.

It is *this* vessel (above) that brought A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada from Calcutta, via Boston, to New York on a journey that started on August 13th 1965, in what did become an astonishing journey and the start of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

The launch was organized by the Lubecker-Flenderwerke AG yard in North Germany at the completion of the ship. This event is standard in the shipbuilding industry and is likened to a christening name giving ceremony. The vessel receives its name and blessings from all present guests for its future journeys. Interesting fact is that the ship company Scindia named the majority of their vessels starting with Jala, Jalakrishna, Jalagopal, Jalakanta etc.

Srila Prabhupada Never Travelled On The
Jaladuta We Have Been Shown by ISKCON!

–
The picture of the Jaladuta we have all been shown by IskCon and always accepted as the ship on which Srila Prabhupada travelled from India to the U.S.A. with his spiritual revolution is in fact not the ship he actually travelled on! Pictures of the REAL Jaladuta in Vancouver, Canada from 1960 and 1961 with details of the weight and the year built can be found on these links: Link 1 – Link 2 – Link 3

THE MS JALADUTA

The MS Jaladuta slides off the yard towards the Elbe-Trave Kanal for its first test run (picture above). Nice to see the auspicious Swastika in Germany in 1959, although it was outlawed after 1945. Evidently, Krishna made sure that the carrier for His confidential pure devotee was *Made in Germany* to ensure a safe voyage. (Thanks to Yugala Kishor Gour Prabhu for supplying the photo and the information Part One – Part 2)

A senior representative of the Lübecker Flenderwerke AG
with Śrī Patel from the Scindia shipping company.

Śrī Patel of Scindia and a representative of the
Flenderwerke shipyard preparing the ceremonial fire.

Śrī Patel painting (above) the Swastika on the bow of the vessel.

The name giving ceremony and breaking the coconut by Śrī Patel.

The procedure is that the yard invites a prominent figure to speak the name of the vessel while simultaneously breaking a bottle of champagne over the bow. In this case the shipbuilders invited members of the board of Scindia, and instead of a bottle of alcohol, a blessed coconut was used to inaugurate the name giving ceremony.

The menu card for the festive occasion – for the sake of completeness.This chart lists Mr. T. M. Goculdas as the ship’s godfather. So we cannot be entirely sure whether the above images are actually Śrī Patel or TM Goculdas – or whether the two are one and the same person.

Jaladuta Passenger List

Srila Prabhupada’s Jaladuta Ticket

“So my Guru Maharaja ordered me long, long ago, when I was twenty- five years old, my Guru Maharaja ordered me to go to the foreign countries and preach Lord Caitanya’s message. But somehow or other I could not assimilate his order until I was seventy years old.

But it was better late than never. So also I was trying how to make a successful tour for preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s message. So by the grace of my Guru Maharaja and by your blessings, I went to the Western countries and had such a very good response, very good response. I went there empty handed with forty rupees in my pocket and free ticket, return ticket, by the Scindia Steam Navigation Company. And for one year I had no place to live, I had no money to eat; still I was going here and there.

Then in 1966… I went in America in 1965. After struggling for one year, in 1966 I incorporated this Krishna consciousness, International Society for Krishna Consciousness. So some of our friends suggested, “Why not make ‘God Consciousness Society’?” and “No. ‘Krishna Consciousness.’ If I make ‘God Consciousness,’ that will be a big task.” Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. Therefore this distinctly should be the society for Krishna consciousness.

So these boys, when I started my class, 26 Second Avenue, some of these students were coming, and then I started my kirtana at the Thompkins Square Park, sitting on the ground floor. These boys and the girls were coming. That was the first publicity, make in the New York Times, about my kirtana, and gradually it developed.

Next branch was opened at San Francisco, then at Montreal, then at Boston, Buffalo. In this way now we have sixty-five branches all over the world, and each branch there are maximum two hundred devotees like these, and minimum twenty-five devotees at least.”

Srila Prabhupada’s passport

Jaladuta – Voyage of compassion

Jaladuta: Jala means water and Duta means messenger, appropriately means “The Water Messenger”. So there was messenger travelling on that boat on the water, across the ocen. Srila Prabhupada is the spiritual ambassador who came to give us the message of Godhead and invite us to come back home – back to Godhead. Srila Prabhupada, the great emissary of Lord Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who kindly broadcasted the message of Lord Krsna on every surface of the globe.

Srila Prabhupada: “So my Guru Maharaja ordered me long, long ago, when I was twenty-five years old, my Guru Maharaja ordered me to go to the foreign countries and preach Lord Caitanya’s message. But somehow or other I could not assimilate his order until I was seventy years old.

But it was better late than never. So also I was trying how to make a successful tour for preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s message. So by the grace of my Guru Maharaja and by your blessings, I went to the Western countries and had a very good response. Very good response.

I went there empty-handed, with forty rupees in my pocket and free ticket, return ticket, by the Scindia Steam Navigation Company. And for one year I had no place to live, I had no money to eat; still, I was going here and there. Then in 1966… I went in America in 1965.

After struggling for one year, in 1966 I incorporated this Krsna consciousness, International Society for Krishna Consciousness.” (Arrival Lecture – November 10, 1971, Delhi)

– Jaladuta 1 — Jaladuta 2 –

 

Srila Prabhupada and Sumati Morarji

Srila Prabhupada Writes to Sumati Moraji-2

November 13, 1966
Madame Sumati Morarji Bai Saheba,

Please accept my greetings, and I hope everything is well with you.

Surely you will be very much pleased to know that my preaching work is getting ground in this country. The most important factor is that my followers and assistants are all young Americans. They are educated and possess an aptitude for grasping reality.

Under separate cover, I am dispatching the following publications which my Society has already published:

2 issues of Back to Godhead,
Who is Crazy?
Krishna the Reservoir of Pleasure, and
Introduction to Geetopanisad.

And I am enclosing herewith the prospectus of the Society and some press cuttings from which you will know how the movement is growing.

I am very much obliged to you for all your supports for me in my mission, and I shall be more glad if you enroll yourself as an honorary member in this great Society. Some of my Indian friends have already acceded to this request. I hope you will also do so. I want to make this movement actually international, and as a great devotee of Lord Krishna, not only yourself but all others should become members of this International Society. Tomorrow we are just going to celebrate Lord Krishna’s worship as Gridhari at Govardhana Puja, and we have invited many friends to partake of Prasadam. You will be glad to learn that I am distributing Prasadam to my followers (20) daily, and Krishna is arranging food for them. I wish to increase this number more and more, and my good boys are trying to purchase a bigger house for this purpose.

Sriman Choksi, your secretary, wanted to visit the States while I was coming. Now I am in a position to sponsor him.

If you so desire, please let me know and I shall send the sponsoring letters in this connection. My blessing for Choksi and all your staff members, and my good wishes for you. Awaiting your early reply,

Yours sincerely,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta, Swami
(enclosures: 3)

Prabhupada’s Testimonial to Sumati Moraji

August 23, 1976
Delhi
Sri G.L. Kapoor;

Please find below my testimonial in honor of Sumati Morarjee.

“Madame Sumati Morarjee is a great friend of our Krishna Consciousness Movement. I first met her in connection with the printing of my Srimad-Bhagavatam and she was so kind as to immediately pay me 500 Rupees for it. Later on, in 1965 when I wanted to go to the USA, I appealed to this benevolent lady again to carry me aboard one of her ships to New York, and she immediately arranged for it. I was able to start for the USA on account of her kindness and taking some books with me I safely reached on September 19th, 1965.

When I returned to INDIA in 1970, she gave me a good reception in her office building. Many nice gentlemen also met me at that time. I feel obliged to this benevolent lady in so many ways for her helping this Krishna Consciousness Movement. I wish that Lord Krishna may give her a long life fully engaged in the service of the Lord.”

Thanking you,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Jaladuta Journal :: 1965

1965 August 20: “The ship is stranded on the Arabian Sea about four miles from the coast. On account of Janmastami day I spoke for an hour on the philosophy and teachings of Lord Sri Krishna. All the officers attended and there was distribution of Prasadam.” ( Jaladuta Journal :: 1965)

–

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqiKWq7YStU
Video: Srila Prabhupada sings Gaura Pahou (song by Narottama das Thakura, 1466-1572 AD)

Arrival Lecture New Delhi, November 10, 1971
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada