attaining the presence of srila prabhupad

When we chant Srila Prabhupada's pranama prayer, we are praying to him and offering our obeisances because he is very dear to Krishna. How dear Srila Prabhupada is... only Krishna can know. We can only, like a dwarf trying to touch the moon, aspire to understand the glories of Srila Prabhupada. And the more we can somehow or other try to understand, the more our lives will be enriched with the causeless mercy of Sri Sri Radha Krishna.

But how to understand Srila Prabhupada? He has given us the means by which we can do so. We can only understand Krishna by the mercy of the pure devotee and we can only understand the pure devotee by the mercy of Krishna. By purifying our hearts, Krishna will reveal the glories and beauty of Srila Prabhupada’s life. We can be purified by reading Prabhupada's books very carefully, with an attentive desire to learn what he is saying. Srila Prabhupada told us that when he was translating his books, he was individually, personally speaking to every devotee who sits at his lotus feet to read it. Srila Prabhupada’s books are non-different than his lotus feet. When we are reading his books, we are sitting in his divine presence.

And when we follow what is in the books, we get realisations - to associate with devotees, to chant our minimum 16 rounds very carefully everyday, to follow the 4 regulative principles, and to help in every way possible that we can, whoever we may be, in expanding the message of Lord Chaitanya throughout the entire world.