Announcement of Prabhupad’s Departure in Gaudiya Magazine

Last Narayan 4, 450 of the Chaitanya era, at the end of the Thursday night, Paush 16, 1343 of the Bengali calendar, on Friday morning, January 1, 1937, Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Om VishnuViṣṇupada Śrīla Śrīmadla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupada, joined his eternal service in the predawn pastimes (niśānta-līlā), the first hour of the day’s eternal activities pastimes, of Sri Radha-Govinda. in the first hour of their eternal twenty-four cycle of activities. This is the same hour that his own gurudev, Om VishnuViṣṇupada Śrī Śrīla Gaura Kishor Das BabajiPrabhu entered into nitya-līlā. Prabhupada was the great acharya of the Gaudiya Vaiṣṇava sampradaya and its only protector, the ninth in descent from Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, and the best of the followers of Sri Svarupa Damodar and Śrī Rupa Gosvāmī.

The meaning of entering the lila into eternal pastimes (nitya-līlā) at this hour is understood clearly by those who are intimate with him for it is directly experienced in their hearts, but a hint, based on the words of realized souls, is being can be given here. At the end of the night, Sri Radha-Govind are locked in a divine unbreakable embrace, gāḍhāliṅgana-nirbhedam āptau. Jayadeva Gosvāmī has indicated this situation with the word naktam in the first verse of Gīta-govindam which begins meghair meduram ambaram. When Sri Radha-Govind are joined together like this, they take on their combined form of Sri Gaurasundar. It is this auspicious moment that Sri Vārṣabhānavī Dayita Das Prabhu chose to make his entry into their pastimes.

Śrīla Prabhupada is like the sun of the Gaudiya sampradaya, as he is identical with its acharyas Sri Rupa and Sri Svarupa Damodar. But now that this sun of Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu’s sampradaya has set, darkness has descended not only on the preachers in the sky of the Gaudiya sampraday Math lineage, but on the entire world. It seems that the direct light of guileless unadulterated devotion will once again be hidden from the view of the world’s people. Our only hope is that this luminary amongst spiritual teachers sufficiently inspired his sincere followers with such an unparalleled desire to serve the feet of the Lord Adhokshaja, with such ever-fresh enthusiasm, and instilled in them such paramount and rare ideals of practice and preaching, that the stream which passed through Sri Svarupa and Sri Rupa and then through Bhaktivinode Ṭhākura will only continue to gather more force and flow into the world. In our hearts, we consider nothing else to be possible even in our worst imaginings. From the blessings that he gave just before passing on entering into his eternal service, we know that by adhering faithfully to his teachings and propagating them, we will be able to get his direct, personal association and will be able to find all the strength we need. Furthermore, by preaching fearlessly, with an independent spirit without any expectation, and with the force of character that comes of sincere service and fidelity, we will be able to practice and preach the gospel of Sri Gaurasundar, our master’s master, throughout the world. By so doing, we are assured that his blessings will continue to rain down on us even more profusely. This faith is the sole lamppost illuminating the path of pure devotion, which is strewn with countless obstacles.

We, the Gaudiya’s writers, are today without any shelter, as we will no longer be able to show our articles to him who was the preserver of Swarupa Damodar and Rupa Goswami’s devotional doctrines and Raghunath‘s tradition. Śrīla Prabhupada would eagerly read every article which was to be published in the Gaudiya. He would give us blessings and show the deepest satisfaction with our efforts. Now, even though he we will no longer be able to do experience this directly, we will not be entirely devoid of his blessings nor of the spiritual strength arising from his mercy. We are not without succor, for he left us the gift of service to those who know the doctrines of pure devotion as taught by Bhaktivinode Ṭhākura, and hence we are not deprived of his eternal blessings and mercy through this service we shall gain the capacity to understand his most confidential desires and doctrines.