Poem by Saradia Dasi
Our tears falling like rain
Come back to see You again.
You we have come to meet,
Bow down at Your Lotus Feet;
To hear Your nectarine words,
Praise of the Supreme Lord.
Your presence like morning dew,
You’re covered with golden hue.
So long waited for this time,
That again could bathe in Your shine.
Still, the whole truth is not in meeting,
But in separation; that’s Your teaching.
This is actually more sweet
Than touching Your Lotus Feet.
Because that is our life’s perfection:
Feeling love for You in separation.
Your humble daughter and servant,
Saradia Dasi (ISKCON—Boston)
Krishna is the heart of the spirit soul | Letter to Saradia
Los Angeles 12 December, 1968
My Dear Saradia,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your recent letter and I have noted the contents with pleasure. Your kind thoughts which you expressed are very nice and encouraging to me. Also you have asked some intelligent questions and I am answering them here.
You have asked how Krishna is with the spirit soul in the spiritual world and the answer is that Krishna is the heart of the spirit soul, or spiritual body. So Krishna is never apart from us. Either He remains in the heart of the material body, or He remains in the heart of the spiritual body. This is Krishna’s Causeless Mercy to all of His beloved children, or living entities.
To answer your second question, you should know that Arjuna and Kunti Devi are not in Krishna Loka. They are eternally associated with Krishna only in the material world. Just like Krishna is always in the spiritual world, so similarly He is always in the material world and His Pastimes are going on there also.
In the material world, Krishna also has eternal associates, such as Arjuna and Kunti Devi. There is a difference between the body and soul of Arjuna and Kunti Devi. But although Arjuna is with Krishna in innumerable different material universes at one time, still there is only one spirit soul who is Arjuna.
This spirit soul expands into many different bodies and thus you can understand that there are also incarnations of devotees as well as incarnations of Krishna. This is the power of the spirit soul, that it is unlimited. Such conception cannot be understood while one is still in the conditioned state.
Regarding your third question, both incidents are correct. I hope these shall answer your questions. Please convey my blessings to Satsvarupa, Jadurani, Devananda, Rukmini and all others. Hope you are all well.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Honoring Saradiya Devi Dasi – Padmapani
Honoring Saradiya Devi Dasi – Vaikunthanath
Saradia Dasi Memorial Page
Saradiya at Prabhupada’s Lotus-feet
Saradiya is at Srila Prabhupada’s Lotus-feet
A Day at ISKCON Boston – 1970
Note: Rocana Prabhu wrote:
“It’s a fact, as Kurma dasa writes, that this system of voted-in gurus is nonsense. Of course, Kurma prabhu is trying to make out that Srila Prabhupada’s original program, which he thinks is synonymous with the current Rtvik system, should be put in place now. That’s where he and I have a different understanding. I don’t think you can introduce a system that has no verification in sastra.”
Mahesh: Srila Prabhupada only changed the FORMALITES of Initiation. There is no new system.
http://www.prabhupadanugas.eu/news/?p=47256
Note: Srila Prabhupada had the WIFE (Saradia) of one disciple(Vaikunthanatha das) read Gayatri mantra to him. There is no verification in sastra of this.
“Ask your wife to chant this mantra and you hear it and if possible hold a fire ceremony as you have seen during your marriage and get this sacred thread on your body. Saradia, or any twice-initiated devotee, may perform the ceremony.”
Letter to: Vaikunthanatha, Saradia
—
Bombay
4 April, 1971
71-04-04
Georgetown, Guyana
My Dear Vaikunthanatha and Saradia,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your very encouraging letter dated 21st March, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. I am so glad and proud of you that you two young boy and girl have gone to Trinidad to preach the mission of Lord Caitanya and you have impressed the public so nicely by your preaching work. May Lord Caitanya bless you and bestow his benediction upon you always.
The news of your newly established temple in Trinidad, San Fernando, is so much encouraging and now Kanupriya and his wife are running that center in your absence. Long ago I was invited by the people of Trinidad but at that time I could not go, although I had great desire to go there. Now you are fulfilling my desire.
Now you have gone to Guyana. Dr. Balwant Singh has written me how well you are being received there also. So take advantage and immediately open a center. It is a good field for selling our literature (5000 BTG per month to start is very encouraging) and the inhabitants are cooperative, so it is the ideal opportunity to open a center. So Trinidad or Guyana, one center should be established very nicely. Just like we have got our L.A. center and so many smaller centers. Similarly, in that quarter of the world there must be one very nice center. So concentrate your efforts in that way and when things are ready I shall send you Deities. And when the situation is favorable, I shall go there also.
Even though you have had no gayatri mantra, still you are more than brahmana. I am enclosing herewith your sacred thread, duly chanted on by me. Gayatri mantra is as follows:
[TAKEN OUT]
Ask your wife to chant this mantra and you hear it and if possible hold a fire ceremony as you have seen during your marriage and get this sacred thread on your body. Saradia, or any twice-initiated devotee, may perform the ceremony.
I remember the days when Saradia expressed to marry you and I immediately reserved you for marriage to Saradia. Later on in Boston you were married and since then you are working so nicely. I am very pleased upon you. Simply use this marital life for spreading the glories of Lord Krishna and in this very lifetime you will be promoted to associate with Krishna in Goloka Vrindaban. So please stay on the purity platform; chant 16 rounds daily and without fail, follow all the regulative principles, and read all our books and your life is sure to be successful. Unless one is sufficiently empowered, one cannot preach Krishna Consciousness. So the fact that you are preaching so nicely is proof that you are already benedicted by Krishna. So preach Krishna Consciousness and be happy.
Here in India we are having one massive Sankirtana Festival called “Bhagavata Dharma Discourses, a Hare Krishna Festival” where 20,000 to 30,000 people are attending daily for chanting, lecture kirtana and prasadam distribution. So here in Bombay preaching work is also very successful. Many important men are becoming interested. Most probably we will have our permanent center here soon.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
P.S. Please hand over the enclosed letter to Dr. Singh
ACBS/adb
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/letters/bombay/april/04/1971/vaikunthanatha/saradia
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Note: “The formalities may be slightly changed here and there to make them Vaisnavas.”
Srimad Bhagavatam 4.8.54 Purport – Dhruva Maharaja Leaves Home for the Forest:
“Those who are not actually in the line of acaryas, or who personally have no knowledge of how to act in the role of acarya, unnecessarily criticize the activities of the ISKCON movement in countries outside of India. The fact is that such critics cannot do anything personally to spread Krsna consciousness. If someone does go and preach, taking all risks and allowing all considerations for time and place, it might be that there are changes in the manner of worship, but that is not at all faulty according to sastra. Srimad Viraraghava Acarya, an acarya in the disciplic succession of the Ramanuja-sampradaya, has remarked in his commentary that candalas, or conditioned souls who are born in lower than sudra families, can also be initiated according to circumstances. The formalities may be slightly changed here and there to make them Vaisnavas.”
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In 1972, when Srila Prabhupada gave a series of lectures on The Nectar of Devotion for one month in Vrindavana, a thought was plaguing me. When I first joined, I’d been taught that the parampara system is like a chain, and if you’re not initiated, if you’re not initiated, if you’re not linked up to this chain, then you can’t go back to Godhead. I thought, “We’re distributing so many books, but if the people who read them are not initiated, then they can’t go back to Godhead”. So one day I followed Srila Prabhupada from Rupa Goswami’s samadhi, where he lectured, and just before Srila Prabhupada stepped onto his courtyard, I said, “Srila Prabhupada, we’re distributing so many books but if people aren’t initiated, then they can’t go back to Godhead”. Srila Prabhupada turned, looked me right in the eyes and said, “Just by reading my books they are initiated”. I thought, “That is an incredible example of compassion”.(Vaikunthanatha Das ACBSP)
“One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master coming
in the disciplic succession, who is authorised by his predecessor
spiritual master. This is called diksa -vidhana.”
(S.B. 4.8.54, purport)
Further readings:
Disciplic Succession
http://www.prabhupadanugas.eu/news/?p=47210
SB 3.13.8 P The Appearance of Lord Varaha
Brahma is the direct recipient of Vedic knowledge from the Personality of Godhead, and anyone discharging his entrusted duties in disciplic succession from Brahma is sure to gain fame in this life and salvation in the next. The disciplic succession from Brahma is called the Brahma-sampradaya, and it descends as follows: Brahma, Narada, Vyasa, Madhva Muni (Purnaprajna), Padmanabha, Nrhari, Madhava, Aksobhya, Jayatirtha, Jnanasindhu, Dayanidhi, Vidyanidhi, Rajendra, Jayadharma, Purusottama, Brahmanyatirtha, Vyasatirtha, Laksmipati, Madhavendra Puri, Isvara Puri, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Svarupa Damodara and Sri Rupa Gosvami and others, Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Krsnadasa Gosvami, Narottama dasa Thakura, Visvanatha Cakravarti, Jagannatha dasa Babaji, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Gaurakisora dasa Babaji, Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.
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Note: DISCIPLIC SUCCESSION OF ACARYAS
SB 3.29.17 P Explanation of Devotional Service by Lord Kapila
In Bhagavad-gita, Thirteenth Chapter, it is clearly stated that one should execute devotional service and advance on the path of spiritual knowledge by accepting the acarya. Acaryopasanam: one should worship an acarya, a spiritual master who knows things as they are. THE SPIRITUAL MASTER MUST BE IN THE DISCIPLIC SUCCESSION FROM KRSNA. THE PREDECESSORS OF THE SPIRITUAL MASTER ARE HIS SPIRITUAL MASTER, HIS GRAND SPIRITUAL MASTER, HIS GREAT-GRAND SPIRITUAL MASTER AND SO ON, WHO FORM THE DISCIPLIC SUCCESSION OF ACARYAS.
It is recommended herewith that all the acaryas be given the highest respect. It is stated, gurusu nara-matih. Gurusu means “unto the acaryas,” and nara-matih means “thinking like a common man.” To think of the Vaisnavas, the devotees, as belonging to a particular caste or community, to think of the acaryas as ordinary men or to think of the Deity in the temple as being made of stone, wood or metal, is condemned. Niyamena: one should offer the greatest respect to the acaryas according to the standard regulations. A devotee should also be compassionate to the poor. This does not refer to those who are poverty-stricken materially. According to devotional vision, a man is poor if he is not in Krsna consciousness. A man may be very rich materially, but if he is not Krsna conscious, he is considered poor. On the other hand, many acaryas, such as Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami, used to live beneath trees every night. Superficially it appeared that they were poverty-stricken, but from their writings we can understand that in spiritual life they were the richest personalities.
My comment is on the Poem by Saradia Dasi and the letter to her from Srila Prabhupada
This is most heart felt and wonderfully written. A warm sincere gift to Srila Prabhupada. I want to thank her for sharing this.
As for Srila Prabhupada’s response to her letter from all those years ago I am most thankful to her for sharing. What is missing from all of the Srila Prabhupada letters are the letters written to him that he responds to. My mother and grandmother kept their letters to each other. Once compiled they formed a most full landscape of a life true to their times. Perhaps someone may one day locate those original letters and compile them with the response letter from Srila Prabhupada.
The information in this letter from Srila Prabhupada’s is very informative, for me anyway. The positions of Kunti Devi and Arjuna as well as Krsna being in the heart of the spirit soul in the spiritual world.bring me joy.
I wish more devotees and followers would write poems like Saradia Dasi.prabhu or essays and true articles straight from the heart.
Srila Prabhupada talked about devotees writing. At The Hare Krsna Movement site you can find the complete information. Below.
Every one thanks you again Saradia Dasi.prabhu
Ys Hasti Gopala dasa
https://theharekrishnamovement.org/2013/02/27/all-devotees-should-write/