There are two manifestations of our spiritual master one is vapu and the other Vani.
Vapu means personal association and Vani means through his words and instructions.
“He reasons ill that tells that Vaisnava die, when thou are living still live in sound. The Vaisnava dies to live and living tries to spread the holy name around.”
“He lives forever by his divine instructions and his followers live with him.”
Prabhupada often told us it was better to serve him in separation, to serve his mission and not as a domestic servant cooking, cleaning and carrying his luggage.
Those that did so, often fell down due to familiarity. There is a saying familiarity breeds contempt. To see your spiritual master as an ordinary human being is a great offence and destroys one’s devotional creeper, sending the offender into a life of illusion and mental speculation. The false ego is a tiger of deceit for the aspiring student of spiritual life.
The mouse becomes a tiger by the grace of the guru then he decides let me eat my guru and then the guru makes him a mouse again.
It is a rare soul that can understand the position of the bona fide spiritual master. Those born into demoniac families may have trouble overcoming their deficiencies for understanding the transcendental science of Krishna consciousness from a bona fide teacher.
Thus, so many devotees even though they had taken initiation have given up the process and position as surrendered disciples and therefore lost their spiritual connection with their guru.
Prabhupada was focused in producing a large volume of material and instructions for his disciples in the event of of his departure from this earthly plain.
He was always conscious of his mortality. He had suffered two heart attacks, severe heart attacks on his initial journey to the West on the steamer Jaladuta. He understood the frailties of human existence not like many of us. That is why he presented the Krishna books in the early seventies in case of an untimely departure. No one knows when we will die.
He went on a marathon with his disciples to present the Chaitanya Caritamrta for humanity. He never wasted his time in trivial matters but with great enthusiasm took up the order of his spiritual master to present Krishna consciousness to the western speaking countries.
We are extremely blessed because of modern technology which has made his Vani incarnation easily accessible to all of us who have the tools to gather his information, left to us by his divine mercy.
There is no difference between the guru and his instructions found in his books, lectures, letters and morning walks.
Buy assimilating his instructions and practicing them daily, a disciple becomes released from the bondage and bewilderment of material attachment and existence.
His work is a manifestation of his transcendental potency as the bona fide representative of Krishna he is our guru for all generations, for all time and place on this earth.
As soon as one accepts Prabhupada as the bona fide spiritual master he is at once given the opportunity to get out of the material confusion through his Vani incarnation.
His global preaching success is a further demonstration of his transcendental position and potency and reveals his transcendental non-dual message of Krishna consciousness.
His messages at once brings the aspiring disciple to the level of real knowledge.
As soon as the disciple follows his instructions carefully, he is delivered from the material ocean of repeated birth and death.
Through strict following, the disciple can realize his guru is actually present through sound vibration.
His vani incarnation in sound vibration will live on into the future by his transcendental mercy for anyone’s benefit who cares to listen.
Prabhupada told us anyone who reads my books and follows my instructions, he is initiated by me through transcendental mercy. Prabhupada never mentioned in any of his books or lectures the need for a living guru for initiation.
This is a spiritual science based on a transcendental connection with one’s guru, which is beyond time and space.
Therefore, the transcendental vani incarnation, lives on in the souls of his surrendered disciples eternally by his mercy. He is the greatest welfare worker to save one from repeated birth and death, which is the greatest problem we all face.
There is no question of attainment of Prabhupada’s association in his vapuh incarnation, but by the attainment of transcendental knowledge through his vani incarnation his personal association is achieved.
One can be in his personal association by simply hearing from him constantly and participating in his samkirtan work.
The doubts of misconception of oneself and thousands of illusionary contemplations will be erased by him.
Guru means also heavy. You may ask in what sense do you mean heavy?
The weight of his words of truth weigh heavy on the deluded minds of the conditioned souls pursuing the path of material sense gratification.
He has an uncompromising position declaring war on Maya for his disciples. This is a partial meaning of the term heavy in relation to one’s guru.
There is no compromise between serving Krishna and serving Maya.
When Prabhupada came to the West he did not compromise in any way to satisfy the western conception of living.
He always presented himself as a perfect Vaisnava in dress, mannerism and personal behaviour. This was the standard he set which attracted so many of us to take up his service.
One of my godbrothers has concocted an approach to Krishna Consciousness based on compromise. His movement is called Krishna West a complete concoction to justify his own spiritual position. Misery enjoys company they say. I dare say if he personally told Prabhupada his ideas he would have been severely chastised maybe even kicked out of the mission. Purity is the force and Prabhupada’s books are the basis of learning.
His books are the law books for his disciples.
One can feel the personal association of Prabhupada through daily focus on hearing from him chanting japa , listening to his lectures, bhajans and reading his books only. This is his instruction to his disciples.
I was blessed with personal association, on many occasions while he was here with us, but I still relish his association in his vani incarnation. He lives on yes in his sound incarnation but one has to apply himself to get that understanding day after day and this is the best use of time.
Lord Chaitanya has taught us that simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, one can wash off at once the dust of the mirror of the mind and then one can eventually understand Prabhupada’s transcendental presence in his Vani incarnation.
By the grace of the Lord‘s pure Devotee, one is raised to the platform of absolute knowledge and then there is no more chance to become once again entangled in the dense forest of material darkness and illusion.
After the disappearance of Lord Krishna, Arjuna felt great remorse but as soon as he remembered the instructions of the Bhagavad Gita he was once again reinstated in transcendental bliss.
This is the lesson we should all follow as aspiring disciples and servants a Jagat Guru Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada told us he will never die but live on in his books.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.