I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was longing for the day when he would see the Eastern and Western people united, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and dancing together in ecstasy. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura took up this mission and spread the saṅkīrtana movement throughout India, and he requested some of his disciples to travel to England to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That was Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s first attempt. He was very anxious about spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the Western countries.

Swami Sadānanda and Baron von Koeth (both from Germany) came together with Swami Bon to India. Bhakti Bhūṣaṇa Mahārāja and I visited Baron von Koeth in Munich in the early days. He told us some stories about his travels with Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Each night on the campus Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī preached to his German disciples and guests and expressed his desire to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the West.

Finally, Śrīla Prabhupāda fulfilled that desire and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. He brought devotees from America, Europe, and other continents to Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, Vṛndāvana, Jagannātha Purī, and other holy places in India, chanting the holy name with local Vaiṣṇavas and dancing in ecstasy.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: One of my friend, he dragged me. [laughing] [laughter] I was at that time Nationalist, and manager in a big chemical factory. My age was about twenty-four years. So one of my friend, he asked me that “There is a nice sādhu, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. He has come in Calcutta. So let us go and see.” So I was reluctant. I thought just like so, “There are so many sādhus. So I am not very much...” Because I had very bad experience; not very good. So I said, “Oh, these kind of sādhus,there are many.” You’ll be glad to know that even my in young age or early age – it was Kṛṣṇa’s grace – even amongst my young friends, I was considered the leader. [laughing] [laughter] In my school days, in my college days, in my private friendship, some way or other I became their leader. And one astrologer, sometimes he read my hands. He said in Hindi,hukum calega na. Hukum calega na means “Your hand speaks that your order will be executed.”

Govinda Dāsī found some old Indian newspapers from the 1970s in her attic, in boxes, and one had an article about Śrīla Prabhupāda, written by a well-known astrologer: “Nobody can read this chart; if they say they can, they are simply lying. This personality comes and goes at his own sweet will; he is not bound by anybody or anything. The stars are lined up perfectly – there is no question of karma. He is working directly under the will of God. And when he writes, his pen does not have in it ink. His pen has in it fire which will burn the ignorance of the whole world.”

Prabhupāda: So anyway, it was Kṛṣṇa’s grace. I would not go, but their point of view was that unless I certified that sādhu, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he’ll not be accepted. Therefore he dragged me. So I went to see Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura on that day. On the first meeting, just we offer our obeisances. It is the practice. So immediately he began his talking that “You are all educated young men. Why don’t you take up Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s cult and preach all over the English-knowing public? Why don’t you take up this matter?” So I argued with him in so many... At that time I was Nationalist. So I told that “Who will accept our message? We are dependent nation. Nobody will care.” In this way, in my own way, in these younger days... But we belonged to the Vaiṣṇava family, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda, Rādhā-Govinda. That is our worshipable duty..., er, worshipable Deity. So I was very glad that “Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa cult, Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s..., this sādhu is trying to preach. It is very nice.”

So at that time we had some talks, and of course I was defeated by his argument, my argument. [laughter] And then, when we came out, we were offered prasādam, very nice treatment, the Gauḍīya Maṭha. And when I came out on the street, this my friend asked me, “What is your opinion of this sādhu?” Then I said that “Here is the right person who has taken up Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s message, and now it will be distributed.”

So I was at that time a fool, but I opined like this. And I accepted him as my spiritual master immediately. Not officially, but in my heart. That was in 1922. Then, in 1923, I left Calcutta on my business tour, and I made my headquarter at Allahabad. Allahabad is about five hundred miles from Calcutta. So I was thinking that “I met a very nice saintly person.” That was my thinking always. So in this way, in 1928, there was a Kumbha-melā. At that time, these Gauḍīya Maṭha people came to Allahabad to establish a center there, and somebody else said, somebody informed them that “You go to that Prayag Pharmacy.” My drug shop was named as Prayag Pharmacy. My name was also there. “You go and see Abhay Babu. He is religiously... He will help you.” These Gauḍīya Maṭha people, they came to see me. So, “Sir, we have come to you. We have heard your good name. So we want to start a temple here. Please try to help us.” So because I was thinking of these Gauḍīya Maṭha people, that “I met a very nice, saintly persons,” then as soon as I saw them, I was very much engladdened: “Oh, here are these persons. They have come again.”

So in this way, gradually, I became attached to these Gauḍīya Maṭha activities, and by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, my business also was not going very well. [laughter] [laughs] Yes. Kṛṣṇa says, yasyāham anughṛṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ [SB 10.88.8], means if somebody wants to be actually devotee of Kṛṣṇa, at the same time keeps his material attachment, then Kṛṣṇa’s business is He takes away everything material, so that cent percent he becomes, I mean to say, dependent on Kṛṣṇa. So that actually happened to my life. I was obliged to come to this movement to take up this very seriously. And I was dreaming that “Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura is calling me, ‘Please come out with me!’ ” [break]

So I was sometimes horrified, “Oh, what is this? I have give up my family life? Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura is calling me? I have to take sannyāsa?” Oh, I was horrified. But I saw several times, calling me. So anyway, it is by his grace I was forced to give up my family life and so-called business life. And he brought me some way or other in preaching his gospel. (Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Disappearance Day lecture, December 13, 1973, Los Angeles)

Now, Śrīla Prabhupāda is calling all of us to let go of wasting our time in useless sense gratification and assist him in continuing to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness to every nook and corner of this planet. The whole world will eternally be indebted to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s servant,
Bhaktivaibhava Swami