nama om visnu-padaya Krishna-presthaya bhu-tale
Srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

The Vyasa-puja celebration in honor of His Divine Grace Om Visna-pada Parama-hamsa Asotottara-sata Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is a splendid opportunity to remember the glories of the Lord’s most confidential servant in this world. Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita:

janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so ’rjuna

“One who thus knows in truth My divine birth and activities does not, upon giving up the body, come again to material birth, for he comes to Me, O Arjuna.”

The pure devotee of Lord Krishna is on the same spiritual platform as the Lord Himself, and thus surely by knowing in truth the transcendental birth and activities of Srila Prabhupada, the Lord’s eternally liberated associate, we will not come again to birth in the material world. To go back home, back to Srila Prabhupada, means to go back home, back to Godhead, for Prabhupada is the transparent via media of the Lord. Thus it is stated in Vedic sastra:

yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy artha prakasante mahatmanah

“If one who has transcendental devotion for God, and as much for the guru as for God, then surely to such a great soul all the declared meanings of the Vedas reveal themselves.”

Once Srila Prabhupada stated, “Do not try to see Krishna without the guru, and do not try to see the guru without Krishna.” Thus the holy appearance day of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada is a unique opportunity to remember Lord Krishna by remembering His pure devotee. The many offerings in this book provide us the best opportunity to remember Srila Prabhupada today by hearing from those who have given their lives to him and serve him directly, intimately, and with love.

Aspiring to become the servant of his servants,
Hridayananda Dasa Goswami
1995