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The Jaladuta diary, 1965.
April 1965: While approaching the Scindia Steam Navigation Company in Bombay to sponsor his passage to America, Śrīla Prabhupāda received one of their complimentary diaries. He used it at first as an appointment book. Once his voyage to America on the Jaladuta began in August of that year, he made regular entries in the diary to record the events of the journey. Subsequently, the diary was kept in the safe of the New York temple until 1972, when Śrīla Prabhupāda requested Bali-mardana dāsa, the temple president, to take personal care of it. Today it is still in the care of Bali-mardana dāsa, and he is arranging for its permanent display and preservation.
Excerpts from the diary were first published in 1980 in Volume 1 of the Śrīla Prabhupāda Līlāmṛta, the authorized biography of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Portions have also appeared in some of the annual Vyāsa-pūjā books. With the approach of the Śrīla Prabhupāda Centennial in 1996, we feel it is fitting that the diary be presented in its entirety. Śrīla Prabhupāda once wrote in a letter about the need to meticulously preserve the writings of the previous ācāryas, especially their handwriting, as follows:
"...we may take care of them by treating them against insects and storing them in a tight, dry storage place where they may be preserved for future generations of Vaiṣṇavas to see the actual handwriting and words of such great saintly persons. Treat this matter very seriously and thoroughly, and take all precautions to protect this wonderful boon of literatures forever.... These items are very, very priceless and are a great treasure house of Vaiṣṇava lore, so be very careful in the matter and take all precautions to guard them.
[Letter to Acyutānanda dāsa dated June 12, 1972]
Again, in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta there is a description of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu praising Rūpa Gosvāmī's fastidious handwriting (C.c. Antya 1.96-7). Thus, the handwriting specimens of pure devotees are intimate momentos of their spiritual lives, and we must therefore consider ourselves most fortunate to have the remnants of Śrīla Prabhupāda's handwriting.
This diary of the voyage of the Jaladuta is a personal account of the challenging journey that launched Śrīla Prabhupāda's life mission. Readers will find it to be a remarkable document in the history of religious movements. It reveals the full measure of Śrīla Prabhupāda's devotion, faith and self-abnegation, which qualify him as one of the world's few genuine spiritual leaders. We hope this book will inspire others to appreciate Śrīla Prabhupāda's triumph over adversity and to follow in his footsteps.