My Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble, prostrated obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace, to your selfless mercy and priceless philosophy. All glories to Your Divine Grace on your auspicious 127th Vyasa Puja.
In initiating five thousand disciples globally, Srila Prabhupada, you had already begun this vision for unity in diversity. These disciples represent a sweeping diversity of nationalities, races, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds. Through your books Srila Prabhupada, people of all races and nationalities around the globe had begun to perform devotional service in Krsna consciousness, as one united family.
There is ancient verse from Maho Upanishad 6.71–75 which states:
aya? nijaḥ paro veti gaṇanā laghucetasām?
udāracaritānā? tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam?
Only men who think small, discriminate saying that one person is a relative and the other is a stranger. But those people who live magnanimously know that the entire world constitutes their family.
The essential implication of the above statement is that considerations such as “he is mine or another’s” occur only in the low minded. To the intellectual minds, the entire world is one family. Given the number of continents and countries, Srila Prabhupada you frequently discussed how this boundless world became artificially divided and continues to be superficially maintained by a “disunited” United Nations.
Srila Prabhupada, your vision of ISKCON was one of a United Nations of the spiritual world. As I write this dedication, the so called United Nations, or rather the ‘Disunited’ United Nations has failed to unite the people of the world. I recall you noting that whenever you passed the United Nation Organisation’s headquarters in New York, you would say, ‘Another flag.’ After a few months, again `Another flag’, `Oh! Another flag’. Yet, inspite of the many flags, Srila Prabhupada, you said that this was a symbol of disunited nations, that were constantly “splitting, splitting, splitting.” The present ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, or the Israel-Palestine crisis, and the many other conflicts around the world are evidence of this disunity, this splitting, this breach of espoused unity.
The Vedic point of view which you propagated is that everybody on this planet is certainly part of our family – vasudhaiva kutumbakam. This is clearly evident in your fourteen global travels, during which you nurtured and guided ‘the world tendency of going towards one state or one human society’. You knew there was a need to instil a kinship that engendered world human brotherhood wherein the world would be united as one family.
In the preface of Srimad-Bhagavatam you wrote: “We must know the present need of human society which is no longer bounded by geographical limits to particular countries or communities. It is broader than in the middle ages, and the world tendency is towards one state or one human society. The ideals of spiritual communism, according to Srimad-Bhagavatam, are based more or less on the oneness of the entire energy of living beings.” Those who are Krsna conscious, they are broad minded people. They could accommodate the whole world in their heart, accept everybody, as part of their family.
In the early 1960’s there was a war between India and China. However, India being friendly and broadminded encouraged its school children to chant this slogan – “Hindi Chini bhai bhai.” I was from a village so what I understood was, Hindi is a language and chini is sugar. I was left wondering how a language and sugar could possibly be brothers? When I was older, I realised that the people of Hindustan (India) are called Hindi and Chinese people are called Chini. It dawned on me that this slogan, hindi-chini bhai bhai was a call for a brotherhood alliance between the Hindustanis and the Chinese. Without a common father, children cannot be brothers. I further wondered about the common father which you, Srila Prabhupada, clarified for me. In your Bhagavad-gita As It Is, I finally learnt the underlying truth and fully understood the meaning of hindi-chini bhai bhai. I finally comprehended how the people of India and China are all brothers. It is because Krsna says: ‘aham bija-pradah pita (BG 14.4), – I am the seed-giving father.’ Krsna is the seed-giving father, not the government heads around the world. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the common and Supreme Father of humanity and all creatures who inhabit this world. You advocated that we are one world, one family having one Father.
The concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam which you instilled as one of the foundational principles of our movement has seen the devotees of war-torn countries helping and supporting each other. These two nations are quarrelling and killing each other daily, exchanging bullets and missiles, yet ISKCON devotees are exchanging gifts and obeisances, and exhibiting a “Ukraine Russian Bhai Bhai” ethos in spite of the raging war. This Srila Prabhupada, is the result of your philosophy of interconnectedness of mankind through true knowledge:
Srila Prabhupada, you have made us understand that Krsna is our common father and head of the family.
vidya-vinaya-sampanne
brahmane gavi hastini
suni caiva sva-pake ca
panditah sama-darsinah
The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste] (BG 5.18)
The true meaning of equal vision extends to all living entities, which reminds me of a song written by St. Francis of Assisi who refers to Brother Sun, Sister Moon and the stars, Brothers Wind and Air, Sister Water, Brother Fire and Mother Earth whom he says, “sustains and governs us, producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.”
In your 1974 lecture you mentioned the following about St. Francis; “This is real God consciousness, yes, not that “I am God conscious, and I kill the animals.” That is not God conscious. To accept the trees, plants, lower animals, insignificant ants even, as brothers… Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Samaḥ means equal to all living entities, to see the spirit soul, anyone… It doesn’t matter whether he is man or cat or dog or tree or ant or insect or big man. They are all parts and parcel of God. They are simply dressed differently.”
‘Aam Aadmi Party’ is a political party is India that supposedly cares and fights for the common man, the aadmi. There are many political parties like this one worldwide, who care only for humans who vote for them. Sadly, they continue with their atrocities on other living entities. They encourage slaughterhouses and consuming meat which unforgivingly includes the cow. They strip the forests which has led to serious environmental concerns for all living on this planet. But, Srila Prabhupada, your International Society for Krishna Consciousness is the ‘Aam Atma Party’. It is a party which cares and is concerned about the welfare of all living entities.
ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam
eko devo devaki-putra eva
eko mantras tasya namani yani
karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva
And that one world, one family has one common scripture – ekam sastram devaki-putragitam – Bhagavad-gita; we worship one God, eko devo devaki-putra eva – the son of Devaki, Krsna; chant one mantra – eko mantras tasya namani yani– Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama , Rama Rama Hare Hare. Universally we all have the one and the only occupation – karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva – and that is devotional service unto the Supreme worshipable Lord, Sri Krsna. (Bhagavad Gita Mahatmya, Text 7)
The original world was one village, Bharat, but marauding invaders came and burnt universities and libraries and tried to annihilate the ancient Vedic culture. Nalanda was an acclaimed fifth century university in the ancient kingdom in Bihar. The knowledge at this university was so colossal that out of jealousy, in 1200 CE Sultan Khilji set fire to the university’s entire library burning millions of books. It took more than three months to burn down this priceless home of knowledge. Then the British came to India with Governor-General Macaulay “wanted to break the very backbone of this nation which is her heritage and culture.” He minimised the study of Samskrta and made English the medium of instruction for higher education in India and shut down all colleges where only eastern philosophy and subjects were taught. This is how they splintered and shrunk the original Bharat.
Srila Prabhupada, when you were asked why you had come to England you had replied “Your country, England, ruled over India for many generations, and in the span of that time you took so much of our wealth to London, but you forgot to take our greatest wealth, our spiritual culture. I have come to give you freely what you forgot to take from us.”
Because of your mercy, even after the burning and the shrinking by the invaders all members and followers of your Krishna Conscious movement are united, worldwide.
Your Divine Grace made a home delivery of Vedic knowledge worldwide. Today all your followers are equipped with the swords of knowledge , your books, uniting the world once again. From the ‘disunited nations in New York ’ to the ‘united spiritual nations in Mayapur’ you have revived that trend and spirit again. The whole world is reading your books and Vedic culture and that is a cultural conquest.
This worldwide knowledge is available at the Mayapur and Vrndavana Institutes for Higher Education that have now become sought after institutions. Apart from designated educational institutions globally, every ISKCON mandir is a Vidya mandir where the study of Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita is regularly undertaken. The Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture offers certificated course like the Bhakti-sastri, Bhakti-vaibhava, Bhakti-vedanta and Bhakti-sarvabhauma. The curriculum is guided by your books and are studied with much enthusiasm globally.
This access to knowledge and higher thinking is all we need to inspire this brotherhood, fraternity and the spirit of co-operation of all nations across the globe.
Srila Prabhupada, you built a house that the whole world can live in, a sacred shelter that accommodates all, irrespective of their race, language or nationality. You have advised that, ‘The material advancement of the Western countries and the spiritual assets of India should combine for the elevation of all human society.’
Your eternal, grateful servant,
Lokanath Swami
