Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

THE FAMILY OF MAHAPRABHU

(Caracas, Venuzuela, April 28, 1999, pm)

I'm so happy to come to Venuzuela Caracas. Especially so much thanks to Ramesh prabhu and Janardana prabhu, who made
all arrangements to come here. Especially I'm so happy that my siksa-guru, Nitya-lila Pravista Om Visnupada Sri Srimad
Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, he personally came here to this place, Caracas.

I wanted to visit and pay respects to all the places where Swamiji went and kept his lotus feetdust there. So I wanted to
touch the lotus dust of Swamiji, like a pilgrimage place. I also wonder that how he came in this very mountain place,
everywhere surrounded by so many mountains, up, down, and how he came here, and who invited him here. And he
preached here, so many disciples were here also.

Swamiji, especially he wanted that I should come with him in all his preaching, everywhere in this world. Because he took
sannyasa in Mathura matha, where I was, from our Gurudeva, Nitya-lila Pravista Om Visnupada Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana
Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. You know that he was very energetic, young boy, very learned boy. And he was the manager of
Bengal Chemical in Calcutta. He was initiated by Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami in 1922. But my
Gurudeva was more senior, he was initiated in 1916. But both were very bosom friends, Godbrothers.

I know Swamiji from 1946, when Swamiji came to meet our Gurudeva in Calcutta in 1946. In this very year I joined my
Gurudeva and now [by then] I was initiated.

So when he was taking renounced order by my Gurudeva in Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha, Mathura, I was like a priest. I had
taken sannyasa before him. I took sannyasa in 1954, and he took in perhaps 1959. So in the, in line of sannyasa I am so
much senior but yet he is my siksa-guru, because he was the Godbrother of my Gurudeva. When he took sannyasa he
requested me to come with him in Western countries. But I requested him that I'm serving my holy master, after sometime I
may come. But I helped him in sending karatals, mrdanga, Deities of Radha-Krishna and Mahaprabhu, so many things, all
his books I sent. I was with him in Mathura, in Vrindavana, in Delhi, so many months and years.

When he returned first time in India with Kirtanananda, in airport Delhi, I was [the] only [one] among there to receive him.

So he liked me and he used to send me letters, and he has sent me more than 300 letters in English, Bengali, Hindi, so many
things. We have printed some of his letters, because all letters were given to Satsvarupa Maharaja. He requested me to give
because he will use in his . . .

LM: Biography.

Srila Narayana Maharaja: . . . [Swami Prabhupada's] life and history. So in these letters he [Swami Prabhupada] has even
written that our relationship is transcendental. "As my relation was to Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami
Thakura, your relation is same with me." That is why in his last day, last days, he called me by Tamal Krishna, Bhavananda,
Jayapataka, Brahmananda, Hamsaduta, so many, about 20, more than 20 GBC's, and I went there.
When he met me he began to weep, and he took my hand in his hands, and he requested me that, "Oh, you should surely
help my all disciples because they don't know." Because all his prominent leaders, devotees, and GBC's, all, and he told
that, "Oh, listen [to] Narayana Maharaja, what he's telling."

He told [me] that, "I'm going to leave this world, so please I'm requesting you to give my samadhi with your own hands.
Also manage my whole mahotsava, disappearance mahotsava. In future you should help all."

I addressed the whole GBC and all others that, "Don't quarrel after his departure, be qualified, and try to preach in whole
world the mission of Swamiji, what he has left for you."

I told them that, "I know that after the departure of very prominent leaders, acarays, all the disciples quarrel for money, or
praise, or disciples and other things. Oh, you should not quarrel and try to give proper respect to all devotees. Don't try to
control all, otherwise you will be ruined."

I also told that, "Swamiji has never established a new thing, a new ISKCON, but it is old one from Brahma, Narada, Vyasa,
Sukadeva Gosvami, from there, only he has changed the name in English. Same wine in new bottle. Same doctrines and
theories, everything is same, only he has changed some name. So he has not established a new thing, it is old one from
Brahma, from Krishna."

ISKCON is not separate thing from Gaudiya Vaisnava, from Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We are all in Gaura family, Caitanya
Mahaprabhu's family. You know, tomorrow is Nrsimha caturdasi. Who is Nrsimhadeva, you know? The worshipable deity
of Prahlada Maharaja. Who is he [Prahlada Maharaja]? You should try to know. He is the disciple of Narada. Narada is
disciple of Brahma. Because Krishna Himself gave him [Brahma] Gopala-mantra and Kama-gayatri, both, and from
Brahma, Narada Rsi received [this] from Brahma, and from Narada, all, this very famous, prominent, this disciple Prahlada
Maharaja came. So he's also one of the ancient [members] of ISKCON. If you are thinking that Prahlada Maharaja is not
ISKCON, then really we are not ISKCON, he is in ISKCON. Also you should know that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the
founder of ISKCON. Swamiji, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja is one of the prominent acaryas in this line only. He is
not founder, he's one of the prominent acarays, who spread all these things [over] whole world, in a very short time.

Though Prabhupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati himself could not come here, and he sent Swami Bhaktivedanta Swami
Maharaja here. So Swamiji is one of the hands of Srila Prabhupada. It is not that Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja is
also father and forefather of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Thakura. We should try to realize all these things. He
was one hand, one hand, he was one hand, and that hand was so long that it traveled [over the] whole world, that long hand.
But for this you should not minimize all other acaryas who have not come here, but more qualified they were. Like parama
pujyapada Sridhara Maharaja, Gosvami Maharaja, my Guru Maharaja, to whom this Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja used
to make, used to honor like siksa-guru. So we honor Swamiji, that he used to honor all like our Mahaprabhu family. And
that is why his all Godbrothers were senior, even they used to honor Swamiji for this, that he very soon, in small time he
preached over whole world, the mission of Mahaprabhu, the mission of Rupa Gosvami, the mission of his Gurudeva.

And that is why to carry [the] order of my siksa-guru, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, [to] carry his order only, I
came to Western countries and Eastern countries, to help the devotees, his disciples.

We are feeling, and all are feeling nowadays, lacking of high-class of association, whole field is dry, no good association,
and that is why so many renounced order, sannyasis, and all others, they fell down, and all are now falling down.
If we will think that we are whole, as a, Caitanya Mahaprabhu one family, and with association, all together, if we will
preach again like Swamiji, then we can stand. Otherwise all will go down.

Nowadays it is very painful that all are quarreling, and they don't want that high-class of Vaisnavas should preach. They
think that, "Our disciples are our property." And that is why they want they only they should taste the property, not that they
should help their devotees that they should advance in Krishna consciousness.

We should try to be one family, one group, no caste and creed that 'He's of Swamiji line, he's of Sridhara Swami, he's Puri
Maharaja, he's Kesava Maharaja, he's all ????.' No. We are all, we should be assembled in one group in Caitanya
Mahaprabhu's family, helping each other. And then preaching [over] whole world in one line. Then we can be any success,
otherwise they will all ruin.
We know that, "Oh, these are disciples of Advaita Acarya, disciples of Nityananda Prabhu, disciples of Gadadhara Pandita,
disciples of Syamananda, Narottama Thakura." There were so many lines, but they were all one in Caitanya Mahaprabhu
group.

Ramesh Prabhu: Like in Kheturi festival.

Srila Narayana Maharaja: All were one, not in division. All used to honor all. And if you are not following that line, oh,
we are bound to go to hell. Gurus were different, no harm, but all used to honor all. They were free to be initiated by anyone
which they wanted, whom [they] wanted. No restriction, no division of, "Oh, you cannot go there, you cannot go there, you
cannot go there, you cannot preach." No.

Brajanath Prabhu: Don't listen to him, don't listen.

Srila Narayana Maharaja: Those who were qualified, they were honored. They used to honor all, those who were
qualified. The honor was only according to bhakti. Kanistha-bhakta was bound to give honor to madhyama-adhikari, and
madhyama-adhikari was bound to give respect to uttama-adhikari. So like this, all were very happy and preaching
everywhere in whole world.

So now a day has come that we should not be divided into fractions, that 'this is my group, this is my group, this is my
group.' Otherwise we will be sahajiya, sakhi-beti sahajiya, smarta, and mayavadi, and all, and we cannot be qualified.
Now I see that, I don't want to tell but even I am bound to tell. Now ISKCON leaders, they give so much honor to
prostitutes from Bombay cinemas, they give so much honor to mayavadis, or to smarta, but not proper respect to high-class
of devotees. Swamiji never wanted this.
No doctrine of bhakti, nothing bhakti, against bhakti. Mayavadi. Oh, very big, big rudraksi here, and like this.

Ramesh Prabhu: And they offering respect to Krishna vallabanti. But not to higher Vaisnavas.

Srila Narayana Maharaja: Yes. That is why they are falling down, some of them. So we should try to respect the
Vaisnavas who are really qualified. No need of grouping here and there. We are all in one Mahaprabhu family. And then we
can go, develop our Krishna consiousness.

I've not come to make disciples or making money. Never I came [for this]. I told ISKCON persons that, "I don't want to
make any disciples, not go to preaching," but they made, they bounded me to come, they forced me.
I told them that, "If you are in one group all, giving proper honor to all, I will not go to any place and I will not make a
single disciple. If you are giving proper respect to all." Thinking that if you can give respect to the disciple of Jayapataka,
Tamal Krishna, and they can be in one temple, why not mine or any Gaudiya Vaisnava can be there. What harm?

If our worshipable is Krishna, Radha-Krishna, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we are all chanting harinama, where is difference?
Where is the different in siddhanta, established truths? Pujyapada Sridhara Maharaja tells same thing, Puri Maharaja same
thing, we are telling same thing, ISKCON same thing. But where is difference, I want to know? If anyone is chanting,
remembering, in the same line, also worshiping Radha-Krishna and Mahaprabhu, where is the difference I want to know?
Why they are, we are untouchable?

Devotee: The difference is that you are better, Gurudeva.

Srila Narayana Maharaja: Why some are untouchable, why are, they are touchable only? Understand this?

Brajanath Prabhu: Why only associate with certain devotees and not with other devotees.

Srila Narayana Maharaja: Why anyone can tell that, "Oh, don't go to listen [to] Maharaja, Narayana Maharaja. Don't go
to listen [to] that Maharaja." Why all these things? We should hear what he's telling. At least we should hear that what he's
telling, whether good. . .

Brajanath Prabhu: Give a chance to hear.

Srila Narayana Maharaja: If they will invite me, I will go everywhere, everywhere, no caste and creed.

Navina Krishna Prabhu: Gaura premanande!

Devotees: Haribol!

Srila Narayana Maharaja: Why they fear I don't know. I want to go to the place where Swamiji came, but they don't want
that I should be there. Why? Because he's [Swamiji] also my guru. Gaura premanande!