1974第一个中国奉献者：雅首玛缇苏塔
圣帕布帕德门下有弟子五千，但是华人寥寥无几，而他被称为“第一人”。
他就是香港的：雅首玛缇苏塔·达斯。一些相熟的人会叫他做：雅首帕布。
以下段落摘自圣者布利赞（Bhurijana）帕布的《我光荣的导师》一书。
与帕布帕德同行
第二天，杨柏熙和我去了玛亚普。
我们之前在遥远的远东，在香港传道，现在突然发现自己被来自世界各地的数百名热情洋溢的奉献者包围着。
第二天早上，在吉祥灯仪和佳帕念诵之后，我们第一次听到了觐见神像的赞歌，伴随着一盘雅沐娜·达西唱着高文达祈祷曲的磁带。
然后，我们也第一次听到每日的古茹普迦，这是一个由奉献者献给帕布帕德的灯仪，伴随着歌唱“灵师颂歌”。
记得我离开美国时，还没有正式的益世康早课，我开始明白，我已经离开了很长一段时间。
另外一天早上，我坐在玛亚普宾馆的台阶上，在一群奉献者中感到很孤独。帕布帕德突然出现在宾馆的楼梯上，托钵僧和益世康的领导们都围在他身边，准备早上散步。帕布帕德一看到我，就挥手邀请我一起去。
芬芳花朵的诞生
杨柏熙决定，他已准备好接受启迪。
当帕布帕德在“高茹阿·普尼玛”节日召唤杨柏熙来到维亚萨座旁边，指示用他的左边身体向他的灵性导师顶拜，用他的右边身体向茹阿达·玛达瓦神像顶拜。
杨柏熙念出四条戒律：不吃肉、不滥交、不赌博、不醉酒。
帕布帕德递给他珠子，要求他答应每天念诵16圈。
然后给他取名为：雅首玛缇苏塔·达斯（Yasomatisuta dasa）。
在雅首玛缇苏塔拜拜并回到座位后，帕布帕德通过麦克风宣布，“就像森林中的一棵檀香树让整个森林散发出芬芳一样，同样，因为这一个男孩，整个中华民族变得光荣。
帕布帕德在香港山顶散步时曾经向我吐露，他希望一个中国男孩能在玛亚普的“高茹阿·普尼玛”节日接受启迪。
甚至在那次指示之前，他就写信给我，并向我保证，香港至少有一个男孩会来到奎师那知觉。
帕布帕德的愿景和祝福在1974年的“高茹阿·普尼玛”节日实现了，当第一位华国奉献者雅首玛缇苏塔·达斯从圣帕布帕德那里接受了外士纳瓦的启迪仪式。
如果我有灵性的眼睛，我会看到半神人向灵性导师和弟子洒下祝贺之花。
雅首玛缇苏塔多年来一直在东南亚服务，尤其是在台湾和香港。他还把帕布帕德的许多书翻译成中文，目前他管理着中文BBT。
甜美的超然声音
就在他启迪之后，雅首玛缇苏塔翻译了《博伽梵歌》的导言。我们决定一旦完成一页就把它交给帕布帕德。我们两个手里拿着中文译文走进了帕布帕德的房间，说了雅首玛缇苏塔所做的一切。
“你想听吗，帕布帕德？”我问。
帕布帕德笑容满面地要求雅首玛缇苏塔向墙上的印尼木雕“茹阿达·奎师那”朗读。
雅首玛缇苏塔读了几分钟书后，帕布帕德转过身来，仍然笑逐颜开地对我们说：“这不甜美吗？”
然后，他转向满屋子来自加尔各答的贵族终身成员说：“在孟加拉，他们试图把其他人变成共产主义者，但我们要去中国，把共产主义者变成外士纳瓦。
广东话听起来是喉音和刺耳的，即使对说普通话的中国人来说也是如此，但在帕布帕德在场的情况下，在圣地玛亚普，以及以《博伽梵歌》为主题的情况下，在场的所有人都能感觉到雅首玛缇苏塔的广东话的演绎是甜美而特别的。
帕布帕德骄傲地对他的第一个中国弟子微笑。各位终身成员被帕布帕德的话的真实性所打动，他们对帕布帕德的一个传教成就——一个“中国人”外士纳瓦惊叹不已！
以下是圣帕布帕德写给雅首玛缇苏塔·达斯的两封信
1975年1月4日
香港
徒儿雅首玛缇苏塔·达斯：
请接受我的祝福。
我已收到你1974年12月19日的来信，并已读过信中的内容。
我很高兴得知你在那里的翻译工作。这是非常令人鼓舞的。请充满热情地继续下去。
布茹阿玛南达·斯瓦米告诉我，你已经完成了《梵歌》的三章。所以，我已经要求立即印刷出来，然后一旦你翻译3章以上，就可以印刷。这样整本书将分成六卷。
关于你的问题，你总是可以用一些相当于“至尊人格神首”的词。这就解决问题了。真正的事情是，你试图服务奎师那，祂会给你所有的智慧。
希望你身体健康。
你永远的祝福者，
A.C.巴克提韦丹塔·斯瓦米
印度孟买
1976年5月15日
香港
徒儿雅首玛缇苏塔·达斯，
请接受我的祝福。我谨此确认收到你的《博伽梵歌》前六章的中文译本。这是一个伟大的胜利，而且做得很好。
想方设法在中国人中间介绍它。不用担心印刷书籍的钱。如果你需要钱，就会有的。我在这方面通知了古茹绝帕和檀摩·奎师那两位玛哈茹阿佳。你只要找出市场，把这些书介绍给中国人就行了。
不要担心对中国人说教会有困难。奎师那指定你将他们提升到更高的层次。柴坦亚·玛哈帕布的使命是提升人们的境界。所以奎师那派你到中国人民中间去救他们。所以不要灰心，继续工作，你会得到力量的。无论你需要什么样的经济帮助，我都会提供的。
作为你的灵性导师，我衷心感谢你的服务。愿奎师那保佑你。奎师那已经认可你所做的伟大服务，继续这项工作吧。
祝你身体健康。
你永远的祝福者，
A.C.巴克提韦丹塔·斯瓦米
美国檀香山
随着新世纪的到来，这位先生逐渐归隐了，只能在老的片子找到他的身影，以及在早期的录音听到他的声音了。
January 04, 1975
Hong Kong
My dear Yasomatisuta das,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 19, 1974 and have noted the contents. I am very glad to hear of your translating work there. This is very encouraging. Please continue it with full enthusiasm. I was told by Brahmananda Svami that you have finished 3 chapters of Gita already. So, I have asked that it be immediately printed and then as soon as you translate 3 chapters more it can be printed. In this way the whole book will be done in six volumes.
Regarding your question, you can always use some equivalent to the words Supreme Personality of Godhead. That will save the situation. The real thing is that you are trying to serve Krishna, He will give you all intelligence.
I hope this meets you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
May 15, 1976
Hong Kong
My dear Yasomatisuta das,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your translation into Chinese of the first 6 chapters of the Bhagavad-gita. It is a great triumph and is very well done. Some how or another now push it amongst the Chinese. Don't worry about money for printing books. If you require money, it will be supplied; and I am informing Gurukrpa Maharaja and Tamala Krsna Maharaja in this connection. You simply have to find out the market and push these books amongst the Chinese.
Do not be concerned that there may be some difficulty in preaching to the Chinese. Krsna has designated you to raise them to the higher level. Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is to raise the degraded to the higher platform. So Krsna has sent you amongst the Chinese people to save them . . . so don't be disheartened and go on with the work, you'll get strength. Whatever financial help you require, I shall see that it is provided.
As your spiritual master, I have my whole-hearted thanks for your service. May Krsna bless you. You have done a great service for being recognized by Krsna, and continue with this work.
I hope that this meets you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Walk Along with Prabhupada
Yeung Pak Hei and I journeyed to Mayapur the following day. We had travelled from afar, our lonely Far-Eastern preaching outpost in Hong Kong, and suddenly found ourselves surrounded by hundreds of exuberant devotees from around the world. The following morning, after mangala-arati and japa, we for the first time heard of greeting the Deities, which was accompanied by a tape of Yamuna dasi singing the Govinda prayers. We then heard, also for the first time, of daily guru-puja, an arati which devotees now offered to Prabhupada as they sang sri-guru-carana-padma. Remembering that I had left the United States when no official ISKCON morning program had yet existed, I began to understand that I had been away for a long time.
One other morning, I sat on the steps of the Mayapur guest house feeling quite lonely amidst the crowds of devotees. Prabhupada suddenly appeared atop the guesthouse stairs with sannyasis and ISKCON leaders crowded around him for his morning walk. As soon as Prabhupada saw me, he waved his hand as an invitation for me to accompany him.
A Fragrant Flower is Born
Yeung Pak Hei decided that he was ready to take initiation. When Prabhupada called him to his vyasasana on Gaura-Purnima day, he instructed Yeung Pak Hei to offer his obeisances with his left side to his spiritual master and his right side to the Deities of Radha-Madhava. Yeung Pak Hei recited the four prerequisite prohibitions: no meat-eating, no illicit sex, no gambling, and no intoxication, and Prabhupada handed him his beads, requesting him to promise to chant sixteen rounds each day. He then gave him the name Yasomatisuta dasa. After Yasomatisuta offered his obeisances and was returning to his seat, Prabhupada announced into the microphone, “Just as one sandalwood tree in a forest makes the whole forest fragrant, similarly, because of this one boy, the whole Chinese race has become glorious.
* * *
Prabhupada had confided in me during a walk on the Hong Kong Peak that he wanted one Chinese boy to take initiation in Mayapur during Gaura-Purnima. Even before that instruction, he had written and assured me that there was at least one boy in Hong Kong who would come to Krishna consciousness. Prabhupada’s vision and blessing came to fruition on Gaura-Purnima day in 1974, when the first Chinese devotee, Yasomatisuta dasa, took Vaisnava initiation from Srila Prabhupada. Had I the vision, I would have seen demigods showering flowers of congratulations on both spiritual master and disciple.
Yasomatisuta has served steadily over the years in Southeast Asia, especially in Taiwan and Hong Kong. He has also translated many of Prabhupada’s books into Chinese and he currently manages the Chinese BBT.
Sweet Transcendental Sound
Just after his initiation, Yasomatisuta translated the Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is. We decided to bring it to Prabhupada as soon as one page had been completed. Both of us entered Prabhupada’s room with the Chinese translation in hand and told Prabhupada what Yasomatisuta had done. “Would you like to hear it, Prabhupada?” I asked. Beaming, Prabhupada asked Yasomatisuta to read to the Indonesian wood carving of Radha-Krishna on the wall. After Yasomatisuta had read for several minutes, Prabhupada turned to us, still beaming, “Is it not sweet?”
He then turned to the room full of aristocratic life members from Calcutta and said, “In Bengal, they are trying to turn others to become Communists, but we are going to China and making the Communists into Vaisnavas.
* * *
Cantonese sounds guttural and harsh, even to the Mandarin-speaking Chinese, but in Prabhupada’s presence, in Sridhama Mayapur, and with the Bhagavad-gita as the subject matter, all present could perceive Yasomatisuta’s Cantonese rendering as sweet and special.
Prabhupada smiled proudly at his first Chinese disciple. The life members were impressed by the truth of Prabhupada’s words and they gasped in amazement at one of Prabhupada’s preaching accomplishments - a “Chinese” Vaisnava!
(An extract from the book “My Glorious Master” by HG Bhurijana Prabhu)
