by Sri Srimad Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami

jalaja nav ìaksàni
sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah
paksinam dasa-laksanam
trimsal-laksàni pasavah
catur-laksani mànusàh

“There are 900,000 species living in the water. There are 2,00,000 non-moving living entities [sthavara] such as trees and plants. There are 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles, and 1,000,000 species of birds. As far as quadrupeds are concerned there are 3,000,000 varieties, and there are 400,000 human species”.
[Padma Purana].

The Padma Purana very nicely gives the full description of the different species of living entities. The total species are 8,400,000 and out of this 400,000 are human species. The sastras enjoin that the human form of life is the most precious among all the forms of life. In the human form, because of its developed consciousness, one can end the miseries of material life. After an evolutionary process of transmigration of the soul under the influence and supervision of the material modes of nature, a living entity is awarded the human formof life, as a chance of getting out from the cycle of birth and death. These divisions are made on the level of consciousness developed through the association of the modes of material nature.
This description of the different species and the importance of human form of life amongst the living entities have also been confirmed by the Brahma Vaivarta Purana in the following verses:

asitim caturas caiva
laksàms tan jìva-jatisu
bhramadbhih purusaih prapyam
mànusyam janma-paryayat
tad apy abhalatam jatah
tesam àtmàbhimaninam
varakanam anastritya
govinda-carana-dvayam

“One attains the human form of life after transmigrating through 8,400,000 species by the process of gradual conscious evolution. That human life is spoiled for those conceited fools who do not take shelter of thè lotus feet of Govinda.”

In the footnote of the purport of Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 2, Chapter 3, Text 19, regarding the importance of human form of life Srila Prabhupada says, “The human life is so important that even the demigods in the higher planets sometimes aspire for a human body on this earth because in the human body only can one easily go back to Godhead. In spite of having obtained such an important body, if one does not re-establish his lost eternal relation with Govinda, Lord Krishna, he is certainly a fool who has forgotten his self-interest“.

There are two kinds of living entities – the eternally liberated and the eternally conditioned. The eternally conditioned living entities can be divided into two types: moving and non-moving (sthavara and jangama). The living entities who can move can be further divided into three categories: those that fly in the sky, those that swim in the water and those that walk on the land. Out of the millions and trillions of living entities on land, human beings comprise only a small portion. Out of that small number of human beings, most are totally ignorant of spiritual life, are unclean in their habits and have no faith in the existence of the Supreme Lord. In short, most human beings live like animals and always engage in the animal propensities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. As they are completely under the control of the modes of material nature, all their endeavours in any fìeld of activities will always end in frustration thus missing the real goal of life.
Human civilization begins when one accepts the principles of varnasrama dharma as enshrined in the Vedic literatures like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. Lord Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita – càtur-varnyam mayà srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah. The four divisions of human society namely, brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras are made by the Lord according to the quality and the nature of work performed. Moreover, there are four divisions of spiritual life namely, brahmachari, grihastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. The primary aim of the division of these four varnas and asramas is to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Hari as confirmed in the Srimad Bhagavatam (S.B. 1.2.13):

atah pumbhir dvija-sresthà
varnasrama-vibhagasah
svanusthitasya dharmasya
samsiddhir hari-tosanam

“The highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please Sri Hari the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

Pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the sole aim of human life. In order to please Him we have to know who He is. Therefore, the primary duty of a man is to enquire about the nature of the Absolute Truth – athàto brahma jijnasa. Human life is wasted if we don’t enquire about this most important question.
The nature of the Absolute Truth is very difficult to understand. It is so difficult that even Lord Brahma, the engineer of the universe who is the first created living being in this creation has to learn this science from Lord Sri Krishna – tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye. By the grace of Lord Sri Krishna, Brahma was able to receive the knowledge of the Absolute. So in order to learn such a difficult transcendental subject matter we have to take shelter at the lotus feet of a bonafide Spiritual Master. It is only through the grace of the spiritual master that one can learn about the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The process of acquiring transcendental knowledge is explained by Lord Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita:

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realised soul can impart knowledge to you because he has seen the truth.”
(Bg. 4.34)

Without surrendering to the lotus feet of a bonafide Spiritual Master no one can get the confidential knowledge of transcendence. If the disciple, with a sincere heart, approaches the Spiritual Master humbly and surrenders to him, inquires from him submissively and renders service to him, the master being pleased with him showers his blessings upon him. If the Spiritual Master is kind enough to the disciple, however unintelligent the disciple may be, then by the divine grace of the Spiritual Master everything is revealed. Yasya deve parà bhaktir yathà deve tathà gurau. When the disciple pleases the Spiritual Master, he can please the Supreme Lord. Yasya prasadad bhagavat prasado. By the blessing of the spiritual master even the lame man can cross over the mountain and a dumb man can speak nicely. mukam karoti vàcàlam pangur langhayate girim. Therefore, accepting a spiritual master and surrendering to him by taking initiation, inquiring from him how to progress on the path of self realization are very, very important to understand thè mission of life.
There are innumerable slokas which stress the importance of accepting and surrendering to the spiritual master for learning about the Supreme Personality of Godhead through submissive inquiry and service. Transcendental knowledge can be acquired only by those who have satisfied the Spiritual Master by rendering devotional services sincerely with dedication. By pleasing the Spiritual Master one gets the blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one displeases the Spiritual Master there is no question of advancing on the path of Krishna Consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada has written very clearly about the prime duty of a disciple in the purport of Srimad Bhagavatam:

“After being initiated and receiving the order of the spiritual master, the disciple should unhesitatingly think about the instructions or orders of the spiritual master and should not allow himself to be disturbed by anything else. This is also the verdict of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarty Thakura, who, while explaining a verse of Bhagavad Gita (vyavasàyatmikà buddhir ekeha kuru nandana – Bg.2.4l), points out that the order of the spiritual master is the life substance of  the disciple. The disciple should not consider whether he is going back home, back to Godhead; his first business should be to execute the order of the spiritual master.”
(S.B.4.24.15 purport)

The order of the Spiritual Master is the life and soul of a disciple. As a man cannot separate his life from his body, a disciple cannot separate the order of the spiritual master from his life. While executing the order of the spiritual master, whatever he has in his possession, pranair dhanair dhiya vaca – his life, his wealth, his intelligence and his words, – should be offered heart and soul to the Spiritual Master as a matter of duty. While doing this, he should not do anything artificially to gain material prestige. If the disciple executes the order of the Spiritual Master with this spirit, he is sure to gain perfection in life.
Therefore, the primary duty of a real disciple is to take the order of his Spiritual Master as his very life and soul. In this connection His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada can be cited as a concrete example of one who has accepted the order of his Spiritual Master as his life and soul. On the very first day of his meeting with his Spiritual Master in the year 1922, he received the order of his Spiritual Master Om Vishnupada Paramhamsa Parivrajakacharya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Gosvami Maharaja to preach the teachings of Bhagavata Dharma to the english speaking people of the west. He always remained concerned how to accomplish it and sought means to translate it into action. He took this instruction most seriously. Therefore even at an advanced age of 70 years Srila Prabhupada sailed to America in order to begin his life’s mission – fulfilling the order of the spiritual master. He established the historic International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON for distributing the message of Bhagavata Dharma in order to enlighten all the human beings on this planet. Thus Srila Prabhupada fulfilled the prediction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, prthivite ache yata nagaràdi-gràma sarvatra pracàra haibe mora nàma: “In as many towns and villages as there are on thè surface of thè earth, My Holy Name will be preached”.
ISKCON is a spiritual society in which every person in this planet regardless of religion, community, nationality and so on, can participate. It is a universal platform wherein people are to be educated in the science of the soul, consciousness and life’s mission. For the first time in the cultural and spiritual history of the world, everyone can be united under the banner of ISKCON. This is the greatest gift given by a saintly person in the twentieth century for the well being of everyone on this planet. Though Srila Prabhupada had accomplished so much within a short period, he always gave credit to his Spiritual Master and he never claimed any credit for what he had done. His inspiration came from reading the comments made by Srila Vishwanatha Chakravarti Thakur in connection with the explanation of the verse – vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana -  wherein he described the importance of taking the order of the Spiritual Master as one’s life and soul. Hence in order to fulfill the mission of one’s life one has to follow the order of the Spiritual Master, thus realizing the essence of Bhagavata Culture.

THE MEANING OF BHAGAVATA SEVARPANAM

Bhagavata Sevarpanam means an offering of service unto a Bhagavata. The Vedic literatures explain that there are two kinds of Bhagavatas, the book Bhagavata (Srimad-Bhagavatam) and the person Bhagavata (a pure devotee of God). They are both representatives of Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Srimad-Bhagavatam, the ripened fruit of the tree of all Vedic knowledge, states in verse 1.2.18:

nasta-pràyesv abhadresu
nityam bhàgavata-sevayà
bhagavaty uttama-sloke
bhaktir bhavati naisthiki
“By regalar hearing of the Srimad-Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, Who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact”.

Rendering service to the person Bhagavata, or the pure servant of God is described throughout the Vedic literatures as being more effective and more pleasing to the Lord than rendering service to the Supreme Lord directly. God is so merciful upon His pure servant that He presents His beloved servant as more powerful than Himself. In the Adi Purana the Supreme Lord has Himself stated,

“Those who are my direct devotees are actually not my devotees, but those who are the devotees of my servants are factually my devotees.”
The person Bhagavata will always come in the line of a genuine disciplic succession from the Lord. It is through this disciplic succession that the divine principle is transmitted to the humble spiritual aspirant. Sripada Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja, by rendering his sincere and loving service to his spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, who comes through the spiritual lineage of the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya, is a perfect example of Bhagavata Sevarpanam.

SRILA PRABHUPADA

Srila Prabhupada appeared in this world to fulfill the prophecies of Srila Vyasadeva, Lord Chaitanya and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur by laying the foundation for the revitalization of Bhagavata Culture. Srila Vyasadeva wrote in the Padma Purana that Bhaktidevi after being rejuvenated in Vrindavan would be carried to the Western countries. In Chaitanya Mangala, it is stated that Lord Chaitanya while speaking to Narada Muni said: “Even if a sinful person tries to hide by going to a far off country, My devotee-general will go to that distant place, find him, and distribute love of God to him”. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, in the latter part of thè 19th century, in his book Navadwipa
Dham Mahatmya, also indicated that a great acharya (spiritual preceptor), who was going to appear very soon, would spread the chanting of the holy name all over the world. Fulfilling the prophecies of Srila Vyasadeva, Lord Chaitanya and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Srila Prabhupada appeared in this world on Nandotsava day, September Ist, 1896. He appeared at 151 Harrison Road (now known as Mahatma Gandhi Road) in Calcutta, India. His father, Sri Gour Mohan De, a pure devotee of the Lord, and his mother, Srimati Rajani Devi, named him Abhayacharan and raised him in the tradition of Bhagavata Culture.
Srila Prabhupada first met his spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, in Calcutta in 1922. At their very first meeting, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta asked Abhayacharan, “You are an educated young man, why don’t you present Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s message throughout the whole world? “Abhayacharan replied, “Who will hear your Chaitanya’s message? We are a dependent country. First, India must become independent. How can we spread Indian culture if we are under British rule?” Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur replied, in a very grave voice, that Krishna Consciousness did not have to wait for a change in Indian politics. Krishna Consciousness was so important, so exclusively important, that it could not wait for a political change. Whether one power or another ruled India was a temporary situation. However, the eternal reality of the true self, the spirit soul, was Krishna Consciousness and that shoutd be the ultimate goal of life. Therefore, no man-made political system could actually help humanity, only Krishna Consciousness could help. Abhayacharan was very impressed with these words. From that day he accepted Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur as his spiritual master. He was formally initiated by him eleven years later in Allahabad, and was given the name Abhayacharanaravinda Dasa.
Abhayacharanaravinda Dasa was very dear to his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, who could foresee his bright spiritual future. On one occasion, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur was so impressed by an article and poem written by Abhayacharanaravinda Dasa that he instructed the editor of The Harmonist (the Journal started by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur), “Whatever he (Abhayacharanaravinda Dasa) writes, publish it!”
On another occasion, when the disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur suggested that Abhayacharanaravinda Dasa move into the ashram in order to assist the Gaudiya Math’s preaching, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur commented: “Don’t worry about him, when the time Comes, he will do everything by himse” By studying the manifestation of  ISKCON and its worldwide activities one can realize how this prophecy of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur has come true.
In December 1936 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur wrote a letter to Abhayacharanaravinda Dasa stating: “I am fully confident that you can explain in English our thoughts and arguments to people who are not conversant with the languages Bengali and Hindi… This will do much good to yourself as well as to your audience. I have every hope that you can turn yourself into a very good English preacher if you serve the mission to inculcate the novel impressions of Lord Chaitanya’s teachings in the people in general as well as philosophers and religionists.” (compiled from Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita]
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur left this world on January Ist/ 1937.
To honor his spiritual master for all the mercy and affection shown to him, Srila Prabhupada, the personification of Bhagavata Sevarpanam, took Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s instructions as his very life and soul. He meditated constantly on how to fulfill the instructions of his spiritual master. In fact, from his very first meeting with his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada always remembered the instruction to present Bhagavata Culture to the English-speaking people of the West. He always remained concerned how to fulfill this instruction and took it as his life’s mission. He sought every possible way to translate it into action. After numerous attempts and after overcoming many difficulties, at the advanced age of 70 years with a trunk full of books and only a few dollars to his name, Srila Prabhupada sailed to the United States aboard the ‘Jaladuta’ to begin his life’s mission – fulfilling the instruction of his spiritual master. In this regard Srila Prabhupada wrote: “After being initiated and receiving the orders of the spiritual master, the disciple should unhesitatingly think about the instructions or orders of the spiritual master and should not allow himself to be disturbed by anything else”. This is also the verdict of Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura, who, while explaining verse 2.41 of the Bhagavad-gita (vyavasàyàtmikà buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana), points out that the order of the spiritual master is the life substance of the disciple. In the purport of Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.15 Srila Prabhupada further asserts that the disciple should not consider whether he is going back home, back to Godhead; his first business should be to execute thE order of his spiritual master.
Srila Prabhupada traveled extensively from 1965 to 1977, meeting and inspiring many scientists, religious leaders, educationists, intellectuals and youths around the world. He presented the science of spirituality based on the conclusions of the Vedic teachings, specifically the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and Chaitanya Charitamrita. He wrote over sixty volumes of scholarly books and established a worldwide spiritual organization known as ‘The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)’-
ISKCON is unique in the history of civilization, especially due to the fact that it has manifested in the present age of quarrel and hypocrisy known as Kali Yuga. Its platform of unity, harmony and peaceful coexistence among all, irrespective of caste, creed, color, position or nationality is its uniqueness. This platform of commonality is only possible when everyone is educated to understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna is the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities as well as the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities.
Srila Prabhupada’s position is unparalleled in the history of spiritual traditions. Sripada Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja expressed the view that Srila Prabhupada is the representative of Vyasadeva, messenger of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and representative of Narada Muni in the 20th century. In his 1981 Vyasa Puja offering to Sri la Prabhupada, he wrote, “He was a champion in every aspect of transcendental activities. It was Srila Rupa Gosvami who said about Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: ‘namo maha vadanyaya krishna prema pradaya te krishnaya. krishna chaitanya namne, gauratvise namah’ – Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya is more magnanimous than any other avatara, even Krishna Himself, because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given – pure love of Krishna. I can very boldly proclaim that Srila Prabhupada is even more magnanimous than Lord Chaitanya because he was the one who picked up even the most rotten souls, like myself, and freely gave us golokera premadhana, which no one had done before. He gave us Krishna consciousness, the most sublime and confidential knowledge. It was he who crossed the oceans and mountains sacrificing all personal comforts at such an advanced age to distribute freely this golokera premadhana to everyone all over the globe for the welfare of all. He was compassion personified. It was he who followed in the footsteps of Narada Muni; it was he who followed in the footprints of Prahlada Maharaja; it was he who fulfilled the prophecies of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu; it was he who followed in the footsteps of the Six Gosvamis of Vrindavan; it was he who fulfilled the desires of Bhaktivinoda Thakura; it was he who held as his life and soul the orders of his Guru Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, and carried them out without the slightest tinge of personal motivation. His unlimited courage and glories cannot be described fully by any form of expression. By his own life, Srila Prabhupada demonstrated a perfect example of Bhagavata Sevarpanam in fulfilling the order of his spiritual master.

“Today the Bhagavad-gita is printed in millions copies in scores of languages and distributed in all nooks and corners of the world. The credit for this great, sacred service goes chiefly to ISKCON… For this one accomplishment alone, Indians should be eternally grateful
to the devoted spiritual army of Srila Prabhupada’s followers… Bhaktivedanta Swami went to the United States in 1965, The respect and popularity his movement gained in a very short span of 12 years must be regarded as one of the greatest spiritual events of the century.”
- Atal BihariVajpayee, Honorable Prime minister of India

“In the period from October 1968 to November 1975, His Divine Grace Abhayacharanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, astonished academic and literary communities worldwide by writing and publishing 52 books on the ancient Vedic culture… His philosophical journal ‘Back to Godhead’ had attained a monthly circulation of three million copies. These and other of his writings were being published throughout the world in 22 languages.”.
-  Encyclopedia Britannica, 1976

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