Prayer unto the Lotus Feet of Krsna
by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
on board the ship Jaladuta, September 13, 1965
By Balaram das
https://prabhupadabooks.com/diaries/jaladuta/8/jd_8.1_prayer_unto_the_lotus_feet_of_krsna
60 years ago, on March 10, 1959 the MS Jaladuta was launched
at the shipbuilding yard of Flenderwerke AG in Lübeck, Germany.
The MS Jaladuta
According to Yugala Kishor Gour dasa – who did some very serious research – it was *this* Jaladuta (of the three Jaladutas built) that brought Śrīla Prabhupāda to the West.
The MS Jaladuta slides off the yard towards the Elbe-Trave Kanal for its first test run.
Nice to see the auspicious Swastika in Germany in 1959, although it was outlawed after 1945.
Evidently, Krishna made sure that the carrier for His confidential pure devotee was *Made in Germany* to ensure a safe voyage.
(Thanks to Yugala Kishor Gour Prabhu for supplying the photo and the information)
1) The picture above displays Shri Patel of Scindia and a representative
of the Flenderwerke shipyard preparing the ceremonial fire.
2) Shri Patel painting (above) the Swastika on the bow of the vessel.
3) The procedure is that the yard invites a prominent figure to speak the name of the vessel while simultaneously breaking a bottle of champagne over the bow. In this case the shipbuilders invited members of the board of Scindia, and instead of a bottle of alcohol, a blessed coconut was used to inaugurate the name giving ceremony.
Srila Prabhupada’s Jaladuta Ticket
“So my Guru Maharaja ordered me long, long ago, when I was twenty- five years old, my Guru Maharaja ordered me to go to the foreign countries and preach Lord Caitanya’s message. But somehow or other I could not assimilate his order until I was seventy years old.
But it was better late than never. So also I was trying how to make a successful tour for preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s message. So by the grace of my Guru Maharaja and by your blessings, I went to the Western countries and had such a very good response, very good response. I went there empty handed with forty rupees in my pocket and free ticket, return ticket, by the Scindia Steam Navigation Company. And for one year I had no place to live, I had no money to eat; still I was going here and there.
Then in 1966… I went in America in 1965. After struggling for one year, in 1966 I incorporated this Krishna consciousness, International Society for Krishna Consciousness. So some of our friends suggested, “Why not make ‘God Consciousness Society’?” and “No. ‘Krishna Consciousness.’ If I make ‘God Consciousness,’ that will be a big task.” Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. Therefore this distinctly should be the society for Krishna consciousness.
So these boys, when I started my class, 26 Second Avenue, some of these students were coming, and then I started my kirtana at the Thompkins Square Park, sitting on the ground floor. These boys and the girls were coming. That was the first publicity, make in the New York Times, about my kirtana, and gradually it developed.
Next branch was opened at San Francisco, then at Montreal, then at Boston, Buffalo. In this way now we have sixty-five branches all over the world, and each branch there are maximum two hundred devotees like these, and minimum twenty-five devotees at least.”
Srila Prabhupada’s passport
Jaladuta Journal :: 1965
1965 August 20: “The ship is stranded on the Arabian Sea about four miles from the coast. On account of Janmastami day I spoke for an hour on the philosophy and teachings of Lord Sri Krishna. All the officers attended and there was distribution of Prasadam.” ( Jaladuta Journal :: 1965)