Becoming Perfect

2006-09-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

Jesus taught Karma and Reincarnation

From an ancient Essene Christian text:

"The body that ye lay in the grave, or that is consumed by fire, is not the body that shall be, but they who come again shall receive other bodies, and as they have sown in one life, so shall they reap in another."

"As all creatures come from the unseen into this world, so they return to the unseen, and so will they come again till they be purified."

"Blessed are they who suffer many experiences, for they shall be made perfect through suffering; they shall be as the angels of God in heaven and die no more, neither shall they be born anymore, for death and birth have no more dominion over them."

From the New Testament, Revelation 3:12:

"He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and mine own new name."

Many ancient Christian texts speak of reincarnation, sadly, most of these did not make it in the canonized New Testament and the texts that did make it in the NT, were heavily edited! Still, we find references to reincarnation, like in Revelation 3:12.

Also, you might be interested to know reincarnation is a fundamental belief of Orthodox Judaism.. and I am sure most here know Christianity came out of Judaism. Thus if the parent faith teaches reincarnation, some knowledge must have been lost to the daughter faith somewhere down the line.

The Hebrew Zohar states:

All souls are subject to reincarnation; and people do not know the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He! They do not know that they are brought before the tribunal both before they enter into this world and after they leave it; they are ignorant of the many reincarnations and secret works which they have to undergo, and of the number of naked souls, and how many naked spirits roam about in the other world without being able to enter within the veil of the King's Palace. Men do not know how the souls revolve like a stone that is thrown from a sling. But the time is at hand when these mysteries will be disclosed. (Zohar II 99b)

Quote:

In the Talmud, "gilgul neshamot" (i.e., reincarnation) is constantly mentioned. The term literally means "the judgment of the revolutions of the souls." Rabbi Manasseh ben Israel (1604-1657), one of the most revered Rabbis in Israel, states in his book entitled Nishmat Hayyim:

"The belief or the doctrine of the transmigration of souls is a firm and infallible dogma accepted by the whole assemblage of our church with one accord, so that there is none to be found who would dare to deny it... Indeed, there is a great number of sages in Israel who hold firm to this doctrine so that they made it a dogma, a fundamental point of our religion. We are therefore in duty bound to obey and to accept this dogma with acclamation... as the truth of it has been incontestably demonstrated by the Zohar, and all books of the Kabalists." (Nishmat Hayyim)

If a fundamentalist Christian calls you a misguided eastern religionist or what not for believing in "reincarnation", you can tell them, that their religion originally had the doctrine of reincarnation and that Judaism still does. Make them read Revelation 3:12, if nothing else! Jesus says the soul has gone out and will continue to until it Overcomes this realm.

2006-08-26T09:50:00.000-07:00

"A Call For Unity"
By Bhakta anonymous .

Not counting the "Present ISKCON" which is a dead branch that cannot bear any fruit. I would like to point out a simple and reasonable solution to the disunity amoung us devotees. I will only name the groups which are more recognized in today's Hare Krishna world.

1.IRM (Iskcon Revival Movement)
2. Protect A Cow
3.The Hare Krishna Society

So why have I put this three very different groups together? You might say, "They are all against one another". Yes, you are right. They are separate entities one might say. Before going into the heart of this article lets first see the reasons "Prabhupada's ISKCON" was a success . ( Of course Prabhupada was the REASON) but we are not pure devotees so we must work abiding by Prabhupada's instructions.
So first of all Lets look at Prabhupada's Real ISKCON when he was physicaly present.

Here are the three categories

1. There was mass initiation, This is how unfortunate souls became fortunate, and also how the Society grew so gigantic; by taking initiation by a pure devotee, or by the ritvik priest. Same thing. ( I will not go into detail about what is ritvik or explain it. This article is for people who already know what's been going on all these years and know the terms and philosophy)

2. Not only were intiations going on, but there were many farm projects which includes cow protection in many places. like Gita-nagari, New Vrindavan and India, ect. it was highly encouraged by Srila Prabhupada. To live close to nature, Simple Living and High Thinking was one of the mottos. the varnashram projects were alive in the society.

3. Prabhupada and the devotees were very learned defending the opposition, (the atheist, mayavadies, falsely proud scientist, and also Prabhupada's envious God-brothers. ect. )

What does this have to do with the groups mentioned above?

Well, it's simple. Each of the groups I have mentioned above have one of the great qualities that made ISKCON into a succesful spiritual movement. But the sad thing is that each group is focusing on only ONE important principle, not all three. in other words there is no cooperation. Therefore it will never be successful.

The "IRM" would be under the category #3. They are expert in defeating the unauthorized "Gurus" in ISKCON by intelligently educating everyone about the ritvik issue.

The "Protect a cow" would be under category #2. They are expert at cow protection and simple living and high thinking. the varnashrama scheme.

"The Hare Krishna Society" would be under category #1. They are continuing the ritvik initiations which is a must for the society to grow.

Now all these groups are very expert at their field of work. But they all are excluding the other qualities that made ISKCON a success. They are all avoiding each-other because of little differences. And this differences can be resolved if we get together.
My humble attempt for a solution is simply to UNITE these three great groups to work cooperatively. There are many more groups that I have not mentioned but they also fall under one of the three categories, for example: PSS ( Prabhupada Sankirtan Society ) and (Sanatan prabhu's farm project) ect.

Now let's get into the heart of the issue.

The Cow protection/varnashrama projects like (Protect A Cow ) are great but without the cooperation of other devotees and without carrying on with initiations it will always remain, like it is now, very small very insignificant and with no chance of spreading. But with the other groups cooperating it can have all three great qualities. It would be a place for devotees who are more attached to cow protection, farm living and reviving the varnashrama projects. It would have initiations going on for new recruits and be educated with all the issues that we are faced with today regarding ISKCON.

Cooporation is the key here.

The IRM can remain doing it's job because that is also a part of being in Krishna Consciousness. People have to be educated on the current issues. They are the most expert at scrutinizing all the details concerning "Bogus" philosophy that has plagued the society with so much maya that one can hardly chant in peace. They must also adopt the other qualities if they want to really Revive anything. They must apoint a ritvik priest like the Hare Krishna Society is doing and also focus to help the farm projects.

Cooporation is the key here.

The Hare Krishna Society should also cooperate with the other two groups by financial help and providing man power from the new initiates.

We can start to finally grow into what ISKCON really was!

Other points to realize.

Imagine what we can do if we unite! Initiations will start; meaning new souls would get the mercy of Prabhupada. The society will again grow and become ONE. Always keeping Prabhupada in the center. With the help and cooperation of every group we can start printing the ORIGINAL books!!! This can be done with the fanancial help of every devotee. And we can also have Temples again! It can be done, but only with the COOPERATION of every sincere soldier.

Let's put our little differences aside for just this life-time, don't you think Prabhupada deserves just this little cooperation? He saved us all from hell!!!. Do you understand what that means? I hear Hell is not a walk in the park. We would have been slaves of Maya, eating obnoxious things and poisoning our minds with drugs, and at the time of death we would have met the yamadutas and be taken to be judged for our sinful ways. ( Im not saying that we are now saints and there is no chance in meeting the yamadutas), we are not helping Prabhupada in an honest way do to our egos. Lets face it. * All the groups* I have mentioned and the others I haven't mentioned have a special role to play in Prabhupada's/ Lord Caitanyas mission, and if we dont hurry up and use this little time we have left in this temporary bodies, we will lose the opportunity to help ourselves, and help anyone else who is sincere and mostly help The Lord and His pure devotee, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada!

There are so many devotees I know who are scattered here and there, with no actual temples to go to and no association do to this mentality of separation. We have to put aside our EGOs. I beg you all.

Please I am begging and Praying to Prabhupada so this Idea will be successful, we owe it to Srila Prabhupada!

It's a very easy solution if we put aside our pride and illusion. Can We do it or not?
Dont be fooled by maya thinking small, lets once again live in the spiritual world with Prabhupada in the center.

If we keep Prabhupada in the center and follow his instrutions cooperating with one another I bet the "present ISKCON" will very soon fade away like a nightmare that seemed to never end.

HARE KRISHNA
ALL GLORIES TO SRILA PRABHUPADA!!!
4/3/06
YS
Bhakta anonymous

2006-08-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

TODAY'S DEMONIC ISKCON: Their new ticket to hell is " selling intoxication." Please come by and join the many hells we have opened up!

All Prabhupadanugas around the world when preaching or selling books should warn the innocent to stay away from the Iskcon of today, it's only common-sense.

2006-07-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Prabhus:

PAMHO, AGTSP, and Hare Krishna.

This is a “Proposal for Starting a Preaching Center”.

Towards that end, I am presenting below “My Current Situation” for consideration by like minded devotees and for their valued input/suggestions.

(1) I have a paid up house and a well paying job in Dallas and I intend to stay here as long as I have a job. I am 60 and may not look for another job if this one is lost. We have a "Dollar Store" which we are in the process of closing.

(2) I would like to support a preaching center with focus on Book Distribution in Dallas if 4 or 5 devotees come together and want to do it.

(3) The reason I insist on staying here is that I have lot of friends in Indian Community and they may help me if I have some thing to show - in terms of devotees and facilities - some thing visible that they can grasp and relate to. They helped me in past and I hope they will do it again provided I have some thing to show. I can donate money on a monthly basis and I can help physically. That is what I can do now in regard to preaching center.

(4) In few years I will have income from Social Security and I am willing to use it to support preaching programs.

(5) So if 4 or 5 like minded devotees come together, I will be happy to have their association and I will try my best to provide as much help as I can in establishing such a preaching center.

That is my situation. I have tried to be as much open and forthcoming as possible in presenting above information. Please share your situation with me if you so desire. Please email your valued input/suggestions to gordhan.goyani@yahoo.com or contact me at 972-492-0188.

Please consider above points and see if we can come together and help each other in service to HDG Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna.

Wishing You All Well,

YS- Gadadhar Dasa

2006-07-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

The bottom line of the [ISKCON guru] issue is whether or not any guru is subjected to the dictates and discipline of the GBC. The fact that Prabhupāda established the GBC as the Governing Authority for ISKCON rules out the possibility of any diksha gurus in ISKCON except him. Prabhupāda ruled out the diksha guru system in ISKCON by saying that a bona-fide spiritual master is never subjected to the discipline or restrictions of a GBC or anyone else. The fact that the GBC is in the position of having to regulate and restrict the activities of the ISKCON gurus shows that indeed there can be no gurus in ISKCON except Prabhupāda. A real guru is never subjected to the control and discipline of any committee, Godbrother, disciple or anyone else. Śrī Guru is a free agent independent of committee regulation or control. ISKCON clearly has a whole set of rules and laws that regulate, discipline and restrict all the diksha gurus in ISKCON. This situation is clearly in violation of the teachings of Śrila Prabhupāda. We find his instructions in the matter in the Nectar of Instruction text 6 purport:

"It is also an offense to consider an empowered Vaishnava an object of disciplinary action. It is offensive to try to give him advice or to correct him...The spiritual master must not be subjected to the advice of a disciple, nor should a spiritual master be obliged to take instructions from those who are not his disciples. This is the sum and substance of Srila Rupa Goswami's advice in this sixth verse."

Śrila Prabhupāda is saying here that in the Rupanuga sampradaya a spiritual master should not be subjected to the discipline or regulations of any committee, individual or group of individuals. A real spiritual master is not subject to such regulation.

Therefore, by establishing the GBC as the managing authority of ISKCON, Śrila Prabhupāda ruled out the possibility of a multiplicity of gurus in ISKCON by making the GBC the functioning authority over all ISKCON affairs. In ISKCON today there is a class of spiritual masters who are all subjected to the regulation and discipline of the GBC. This is totally incongruent with the concept of a traditional spiritual master who is above and beyond all such committee regulation.

Prabhupāda said it is an offense to try and discipline or regulate a spiritual master. Therefore either the regulating of ISKCON spiritual masters by the GBC must stop or [the ISKCON] diksha guru system must stop. Refusing to do so results in offenses which will destroy devotional service and make [devotional service] fruitless and futile.

2006-06-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

Editorial: 82 Items of Comparison Between Conditions in ISKCON when Śrila Prabhupāda was Personally Present with Today’s Conditions

By Pratyatoṣa Dāsa (ACBSP), December 10, 1997

(pratyatosa.com/, pratyatosa@gmail.com)

“Very interesting. Maybe I will send it to the GBC conference. Or for starters...to [the] Temple President’s conference. There are many good points there.” Kavicandra Maharaj (GBC Japan)

“Well, I spend most of my time these days in India, and there what you say about ISKCON today isn’t always true, or is usually not true. For example, chapatis for lunch--in India you always get them.” Jayadvaita Maharaj (Editor in Chief, Back to Godhead Magazine)

“I can agree with you on all of the [points] that you have explained...” Śrutakīrti Dāsa (Śrila Prabhupāda’s favorite personal servant)

“I remember, happily, many of your points re: sleeping on the floor, not using toilet paper, etc. The healthy & peaceful diet, not wasting Laksmi and always honoring Laksmi, always wearing brahmin underwear, picking grains of rice off the floor and eating them with great relish, etc. I remember being always ready to sacrifice to avoid spending Kṛṣṇa’s Laksmi: begging our petrol, begging our foodstuffs, begging flowers, begging lodging, and if none were given, sleeping on the open ground.” Bhakta Dāsa (President of Spiritual Sky Incense, Thailand)

SIMPLE LIVING, THE ENVIRONMENT AND GENERAL KṚṢṆA CONSCIOUSNESS

1. Śrila Prabhupāda would sometimes tell a guest that his disciples live simply and sleep on the floor; now devotees often sleep in beds.

2. Devotees would never be given (with the possible exception of sannyāsīs) a private room. Everyone was expected to share their room with at least one other devotee; now sometimes a private room is provided based on “importance of service rendered” or “not making waves”.

3. All of the devotees used to follow Prabhupāda’s example of never using toilet paper, tissues, napkins or paper towels. They’d wash with water after passing stool, blow their noses in the sink, wash their hands and mouth after eating and, after washing their hands, let the air dry them; now all four of these “banned” products are used to a greater or lesser degree.

4. Extremely quick showers using cold or at least cool water, from start to finish, were taken in the morning, as Prabhupāda instructed; now rare.

5. Devotees were very conscious of saving Kṛṣṇa’s energy by turning out lights when leaving a room, not leaving water running and not leaving heaters or other appliances on unnecessarily; now unconsciousness seems to be the rule.

6. Devotees were very conscious of always protecting Laksmi Devi. If a coin was found on the floor, or on the ground, it was immediately picked up and touched to the forehead, and put in a safe place. Money was never left where anyone could see it, and when no one was around, every penny was kept locked up; now coins, especially pennies are left laying around in plain view. In the treasury office, money is left in unlocked drawers, or even in open view with no one in the room!

7. Śrila Prabhupāda’s standard of all brahmacārīs and all householders who were totally dependent upon the temple giving 100% of all of the money that came their way was strictly followed; now this is very often not followed.

[Opposing opinion: “Prabhupāda wanted devotees to set money aside for emergencies. He didn’t approve the 100% for grhasthas living in the temple thing. That was a concoction.” If anyone else has some input on this, please email me at , pratyatosa@gmail.com]

8. Prabhupāda’s standard of all of the grihasthas who were living completely independently of the temple giving 50% of their income was followed very frequently; now it is very rarely followed.

9. If a devotee was told that “Prabhupāda says...” or “Prabhupāda does...”, then he or she would take this instruction or example very seriously, and would usually start following Śrila Prabhupāda’s instruction or example immediately; now such words usually fall on “deaf ears”.

10. A male devotee either had a shaved head and a sikha or the short “hair of a perfect gentleman”. Prabhupāda said, “If you don’t shave your head every fortnight, you cannot have a sikha, and you must have hair like a perfect gentleman, like Ambarisa [Grandson of Henry Ford]."; now devotees often have both hair and sikha.

11. Devotees used to go everywhere dressed as devotees; now this is rarely the case.

[A case in point: One devotee was seen on a japa walk dressed in karmī clothes, even though he attended both mangal arati (before the japa walk) and greeting the Deities (after the japa walk) dressed in dohti and kurta.]

12. No devotee would wear clothing with pictures of Kṛṣṇa on his sweaty body, or into the stool room; now common.

13. Devotees would never engage in frivolous sports. Prabhupāda said that swimming and wrestling were the only vaisnava sports, and in addition the gurukula children could “kick the ball"; now frivolous sports such as basketball are sometimes engaged in.

14. Devotees used to follow Śrila Prabhupāda’s example and be very straightforward, and simple, in their way of dealing with others. Like Śrila Prabhupāda they would always get straight to the point, not being distracted by bodily considerations; now they often seem to try to psychoanalyze the person that they are talking to. They seem to have more faith in following karmī psychologists than they have in following Śrila Prabhupāda’s example, saying things like “I don’t like the words that you are using.”, “I don’t like your tone of voice.”, “I don’t like your attitude” or “If you say that, it means that you need counseling.”

15. All of the devotees used to know that they were supposed to sleep either on their backs or on their sides (never on their stomachs) with their heads pointing either East (preferable) or South; now many devotees don’t seem to know this.

16. There used to be a great deal of camaraderie among the ISKCON sannyāsīs; now that they are competing for disciples, much of this is gone. [I have personally heard the following words come out of the mouths of ISKCON sannyāsī/"gurus”, in reference to other ISKCON sannyāsī/"gurus":

a. “{Sannyāsī/’guru’ A} shouldn’t be on the GBC. He doesn’t even chant 16 rounds a day.”

b. “{Sannyāsī/’guru’ B} shouldn’t be on the GBC. He doesn’t even attend the morning program regularly.”

c. “{Sannyāsī/’guru’ C} initiates criminals.”

d. “A Sannyāsī doesn’t go to college.”

e. “Gurus shouldn’t be on the GBC. Then they don’t have time to do either service properly.”

f. “Gurus who believe that they know the inside story behind the ’UFOs’ are in maya."]

17. Devotees used to all chant japa pretty much in the same way, trying to follow in the footsteps of Śrila Prabhupāda; now some scream the Holy Name so loudly that they can be heard for blocks away, while others chant so quietly that all that can be heard is some faint whistling sound.

CHASTITY AND CELIBACY

18. All devotee men wore brahmin underwear, all of the time, as Prabhupāda always did; now a rarity.

19. No devotee man would ever bathe naked, but would always wear brahmin underwear or a gamcha, as Śrila Prabhupāda instructed; now it is quite common for a man to bathe naked, especially if he is alone.

20. Devotee men used to make a conscious effort to not talk to women, other than their wife, unnecessarily; now unnecessary association is common.

21. Married devotee women would be very careful not to touch or be flirtatious with even their husbands in public, especially if a devotee who was trying to be celibate was present; now they are sometimes not so strict.

22. Married devotee women used to always make sure that their heads were covered in the presence of a devotee man other than their husband; now this is not followed very strictly in many temples.

23. Devotee women used to part their hair in the middle of their heads, now sometimes there is no part at all.

[Devotee woman’s comment: “I don’t know if a woman has to have a part--it just shouldn’t be parted on the side. I think that hair pulled back is okay.” Is this true?]

PERSONAL CLEANLINESS & HYGIENE

24. The devotees would follow Śrila Prabhupāda’s example and never wear clothing in the temple room or while cooking that had been worn in the stool room; now rarely followed.

25. No devotee would put on tilok in the stool room or even get water from the stool room for the tilok; now common.

26. After bathing, tilok was always applied to twelve places on the body, while distinctly uttering the prescribed twelve mantras; now often not done.

27. The devotees used to also know that it is important to pass stool by placing their feet on the toilet seat and squatting, like they do in India, not sitting on the seat, like they do in the West. This is not only better for one’s health, but it saves time and is more natural; now many devotees don’t seem to know this.

[Comment: The old common sense seems to be lacking in some cases:

a. One devotee told me that it didn’t matter whether she brushed her teeth before or after she showered!

b. Another devotee told me that it didn’t matter whether he shaved before or after he showered, especially since he was using an electric razor!

c. Some devotees seem to think that all they have to do to be a brahmin, as far as cleanliness goes, is to take three showers a day, but they don’t even come up to the Western karmī, meat eater’s standards of cleanliness in other ways. What about having clean pajamas to sleep in at least twice a week? What about having clean sheets on the bed at least once a week? What about having a clean towel at least twice a week? (My standard is to dry off using a damp gamcha which has been thoroughly rinsed and wrung out by hand.) In 1971, the temple president of ISKCON Minneapolis, Goverdhan Dāsa, told me that he had just received a letter from Śrila Prabhupāda that said, “clean sleeping cloth every night”!]

DEITY WORSHIP AND DEVOTIONAL PRACTICES

28. Formerly only 2nd initiates were allowed to cook in the Deities’ kitchen; now, in some cases, they have bhaktas doing this.

29. Street shoes would never be worn in the Deities’ kitchen; now, in some temples, this is being done.

[I heard a report that this is even going on in a temple that has Radha-Kṛṣṇa Deity worship!]

30. It used to be that all leaders and devotees would attend the whole morning program; now devotees seem to think that the morning program is a buffet--some just choose mangal arati, some just japa, some just guru puja and class, some attend just a portion of mangal arati, etc.

31. Most of the devotees would try very hard to arrive on time for mangal arati so as not to offend the Deities; now devotees with this standard are rare.

32. Devotees would never wear karmī pants or yogī pants in the temple room during the morning or evening programs; now common.

33. Devotees used to know that the proper way to offer obeisances was with the left side towards the spiritual master or the Deities, as the case may be; now many don’t seem to know this.

34. The devotee men would never commit the offense of wearing red or blue in front of the Deities; now common.

35. Devotees would greet the Deities by being in a standing position with folded hands, until all of the Deities were revealed, like Prabhupāda always did; now often not done.

36. Śrila Prabhupāda would greet the Deities by meditating on Their Divine Forms with full, undivided attention, and his disciples would follow his example; now devotees sometimes talk, or have their hand in their beadbag, chanting japa, during greeting the Deities.

37. Devotees would follow Prabhupāda’s example, and let their bead bag do it’s job of keeping their sacred japa beads from touching the floor, while offering obeisances; now devotees seem to think that their bead bags are not supposed to touch the floor, and therefore commit the offense of not touching the floor with both hands, palms downward, while offering obeisances.

38. Devotees used to follow Prabhupāda’s example of putting down the musical instrument that they were playing, and touch the ghee lamp to their forehead with both hands; now seldom done.

39. Kirtans in the temple room used to consist mainly of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra as Prabhupāda instructed; now very often mostly other mantras are chanted.

40. Kartals used to be played the same way that Prabhupāda played them; now almost a lost art.

41. Almost everyone used to dance in step doing the “swami step” with vigor; now many devotees don’t even lift their feet off the floor during the kirtan.

42. Devotees used to know how to dance in time to the beat of the kirtan; now many devotees seem to have “two left feet”.

43. It was very rare to find a devotee who couldn’t sing “on key"; now common.

44. Sitting during arati was practically unheard of; now becoming more common.

45. Devotees used to very grateful to accept the ghee lamp or flower, which was offered to the Deities, as prasādam, and they knew that it was an offense to not honor prasādam immediately; now devotees sometimes refuse to accept these items when first offered to them, requesting that someone else who they apparently consider to be superior to them in some way be offered the item first, and thus possibly committing one or more of the following offenses: the offense of not accepting the Deities’ prasādam when first offered, the offense of talking in front of the Deities, the offense of chastising someone in front of the Deities, the offense of trying to be the “big controller” in front of the Deities, and the offense of trying to “impress the ladies” in front of the Deities.

46. Devotees would never wear clothing that they had slept in, or “taken a nap” in, in front of the Deities; now often done.

47. While attending morning or evening class, devotees would try to listen with undivided attention; now devotees sometimes do unrelated things during class, thus disrespecting the speaker, the holy śāstras, and the vaisnavas who are trying to hear class attentively.

48. Chanting japa on clickers instead of japa beads was unheard of; now common.

49. There use to be a votive candle on every arati tray; now the pujari’s are often seen having to put down the bell and light the ghee lamp with a lighter, thus contaminating everything, and then continuing with the offering without repurifying anything.

50. It used to be unheard of to chant japa in between mantras while on Hari Nama; now common.

PRASĀDAM

51. A breakfast consisting of simple farina cereal (optionally containing nuts and/or raisins), raw chick peas that had been soaked overnight, steaming hot milk (or devotee-made yogurt in the summer), raw ginger root and fruit such as oranges and/or apples was served in all of the temples, everyday, as Śrila Prabhupāda instructed; now non-existent.

52. There were chapatis for all of the devotees, for lunch prasādam, everyday, as Prabhupāda instructed; now rare.

53. Steaming hot milk was served every evening (except Sunday) at 9 p.m. as Prabhupāda instructed; now non-existent.

54. The devotees would be very conscious of eating all of the prasādam on their plates, and even the prasādam that may have fallen to the floor, down to the last grain of rice; now devotees sometimes throw prasādam in the trash.

55. The devotees would be very conscious of never touching prasad with their left hand; still practiced, but not as strictly.

56. Devotees would never even consider serving themselves, while taking prasad without washing their hands first; now devotees sometimes eat with their right hand, and at the same time, serve themselves with their left.

57. Devotees would be very strict about never offering and/or eating food, especially grains, cooked by non-devotees; now many are not so strict.

58. The cooks would cook for the pleasure of the Deities, therefore the prasādam was always sweetened or salted just right. It was never necessary to add any sugar or salt; now the cooking seems to be done to please the devotee who likes the least amount of salt or sugar, and it’s expected that the rest can add salt or sugar themselves, just like the karmīs do.

59. Cooks would never even think of going into the kitchen to cook wearing non-devotee clothing; now this is sometimes done.

60. The Sunday feasts used to be far more opulent than the regular devotee prasādam (20 preps was not uncommon); now it’s often the other way around.

GURUKULA

61. A devotee would never even consider sending his or her child to a non-devotee school; now a common practice.

62. There were no “day schools"; now common.

63. Male gurukula students were always “shaved up"; now sometimes they are not.

64. After puberty, gurukula students were not allowed to attend “coed” classes; now it’s being done more and more.

BHAKTA PROGRAM

65. Śrila Prabhupāda had a very effective bhakta program in place and it worked very well; now bhaktas sometimes have “nap time” in their schedule, and sometimes only certain designated devotees are allowed to instruct the bhaktas. These are not Śrila Prabhupāda’s instructions.

66. Bhaktas were expected to follow all of the rules, including chanting 16 rounds, from day one, and this technique was extremely effective; now almost forgotten.

TEMPLE ADMINISTRATION

67. Temple presidents used to consider it a privilege to have that position; now most of them seem to feel that it is simply a burden.

68. All temples would have an “istagosthi” once a week, as Prabhupāda instructed; now rare.

69. No temples were run by a board of directors, but by a temple president, temple treasurer, temple secretary and a temple commander, as Prabhupāda instructed; now rare.

70. All checks were signed by the temple president and the temple treasurer, as Śrila Prabhupāda emphatically instructed; now rare.

71. All devotee needs were provided for; now the devotees are given money and made to do their own shopping, an extremely inefficient arrangement, and against Śrila Prabhupāda’s instructions.

72. One brahmacārī used to do the laundry for all of the brahmacārīs and similarly for the brahmacāriṇīs, a very efficient system; now it’s “every man for himself”.

73. All temples were very clean and well maintained; now the exception, rather than the rule.

74. All temples used to follow Śrila Prabhupāda’s direct order that there be no carpeted floors; now carpets are common.

75. No temples used to have furnature such as plushly upolstered chairs, sofas or love seats, except, perhaps, for guests; now common, even in the brahmacārī quarters.

76. Everyone, including temple presidents and GBCs, used to go on Hari Nama Sankirtan at least once a week, if not everyday; now rare.

77. Funds were raised for the most part by distributing Śrila Prabhupāda’s books and “Back to Godhead” magazines; now the exception rather than the rule.

78. People used to be thrown out of temples for being lazy or crazy; now the lazies and crazies are allowed to live in the temples, and devotees are more often thrown out for political reasons.

79. Formerly a brahmacārī who insisted on having a private room, was made to get married; now he’s sometimes made the temple president, without getting married.

80. If a temple was short of money, the temple president would ask for volunteers among the grihastha men to go and get jobs; now temple authorities do a lot of complaining, put the temple into debt, and the temple president is eventually replaced by another one who also laments, and puts the temple even further into debt.

81. No ISKCON leader would even dream of renting a portion of an ISKCON owned temple building for the purpose of gambling; now a major portion of one ISKCON temple building is being rented out for a bingo hall.

82. No devotee running a “Govinda’s” restaurant would dare to serve beer and wine; for a brief time, in the mid ’90’s, in North Carolina, USA, this was done.

[Comment: Some temple administrations no longer have the old common sense either, it seems:

a. One temple makes the devotees wash their stainless steel plates in the stool room!

b. Another temple makes the devotees wash the metal plates that they’ve eaten off of, then passes these same plates out at random the next time that prasādam is taken, so that one has no idea who washed his plate. It might have been some bum off the street!

c. Just to add insult to injury, another temple has a coin operated washing machine which charges top rates, and which has no hot water going to it!

d. Another temple has a coin operated drier that has been made to work for free, but it never turns off automatically. It just keeps going and going, wasting tremendous amounts of Kṛṣṇa’s energy! The TP of this temple is constantly complaining that there’s not enough money!

e. Another temple does not allow the devotees to use any bleach when doing their laundry!

f. Another temple makes everyone who moves in, even devotees who have been members of ISKCON for 25 years or more, fill out a two page form containing such questions as, “Have you ever been convicted of sexually molesting a child?”! How many “yes” answers do they think that they are going to get? How many devotees are they offending with this questionnaire?

g. Another temple allows children to help serve prasādam at the Sunday feast who, as can be expected, do not have enough sense to avoid touching contaminated plates with the serving spoon.

h. Another temple, located in a rainy climate where it sometimes gets very cold, forced the devotees and guests to leave their shoes outside in the rain. This went on for 12 years before a vestibule was finally built.

i. Many temples, even ones that have a building with many stories, or more than one building, do not have a telephone system that allows all of the devotees to be easily reached by phone.

j. One temple has a buffet style restaurant, where the very low class customers were seen serving themselves with their right hand while tasting things with their left, using their finger to get the last little bit of prasādam off the serving spoon, and then sticking their finger in their mouth to “clean it off”, serving themselves seconds onto a plate that they had eaten off of by touching the serving spoon to their plate, etc.]

QUESTIONS

1. What are these unfortunate facts a symptom of?

2. How can we return to these high standards that Śrila Prabhupāda set for us?

My thanks to Bhakta Dāsa (ACBSP), Kurma Rupa Dāsa (ACBSP) and to my wife Urmila Devī Dāsī (ACBSP) for contributing to this list.

Your servant,
Pratyatoṣa Dāsa (ACBSP)

THIS WEB PAGE URL: http://pratyatosa.com/Oldvsnew.htm

2006-06-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

Bliss!
Bliss!
Bliss!

2006-06-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

Prabhupāda Said, but Not in the Vedabase?

57. “Don’t be surprised when someone dies; be surprised when someone lives!”

Source: Unknown.

56. “90% of the Rādhā Dāmodara brahmacārīs will end up getting married.”

Source: Dhṛṣṭadyumna Svāmī, Gītā Nāgarī Farm, Port Royal, PA, USA, 1976.

55. “A man should not work more than 8 hours a day to maintain his family.”

Source: Unknown.

54. “Any government which taxes it’s citizens more than 25% is punishable by Yamarāja.”

Source: Unknown.

53. “Kṛṣṇa consciousness is ‘kitchen religion.’”

Source: Unknown.

52. “When I hear Bharadvāja sing, I feel transcendental ecstacy.”

Source: I may have heard this from Kṛṣṇa Kānti in Los Angeles in ’72 or ’73.

Comment: I was told that Śrila Prabhupāda said this when someone played for him a copy of one of the recordings that I made in 1971 at ISKCON New York (Brooklyn) of Bharadvāja Dāsa leading a kirtan.

51. “Is it dead?”

Source: Danesh Dāsa, ISKCON Washington D.C., 1969.

Comment: Śrila Prabhupāda made this sarcastic remark at ISKCON 2nd Ave, NYC the first time he was served cereal containing raisins. Therefore, devotees, from that point on, only purchased golden raisins. Śrila Prabhupāda never complained when served cereal containing golden raisins.

50. “This was caused by the mayavadi psychic influence, creeping into ISKCON, of my very powerful, but very envious Gaudiya Math godbrothers.”

Source: I, along with all of the other residents of 1970 ISKCON Detroit, were told this by the then Detroit temple president, Bhagavān Dāsa.

Comment: Śrila Prabhupāda said something similar to the above when “ISKCON Press” published one of his books listing the author as “A. C. Bhaktivedanta”, Śrila Prabhupāda was furious with them for not using his whole title. He also said something similar when he was being held a virtual prisoner at ISKCON Los Angeles in 1970. His orders were being ignored by those “senior” disciples who were surrounding him, and his disciples messages to him were being censored. It was right after these two unfortunate events that Srila Prabhupāda formed ISKCON’s first “GBC”.

49. “New Vrindaban will someday become tropical.”

Source: Unknown.

48. “There should be cottages.”

Source: I may have been told this back in 1976, when I was living in the ISKCON Detroit “Fisher Mansion” temple. I was living in the married men’s quarters, which was the middle bedroom. My wife and infant son were living in the married women’s quarters, which was the servants’ quarters during Lawrence Fisher’s time. Later, the “servants’ quarters” were converted into offices for the temple administrators.

Comment: Śrila Prabhupāda reportedly made this comment in Detroit one of the first times that he saw the new “Fisher Mansion” temple property. This was his solution to the grhastha housing problem: one family per small cottage on the temple property.

47. “What will they do? Kill you?”

Source: Unknown

Comment: Śrila Prabhupāda reportedly made this sarcastic remark when one of his disciples was frantically trying to get ready to leave so that he wouldn’t be late for work.

46. “If you don’t bathe using oil, then it’s not a real bath.”

Source: Urmila Devī Dāsī (ACBSP)

45. “The adults should drink one cup of milk a day; the children two cups.”

Source: Unknown

44. “When purchasing spices imported from India, purchase whole spices and grind them yourself. Otherwise you will be cheated.”

Source: Urmila Devī Dāsī (ACBSP)

43. “It’s a sin to steal, but it’s not a sin to be stolen from.”

Source: Unknown. Possibly a quote from Lord Chaitanya?

42. “Every night you should have a clean sleeping cloth.”

Source: Govardhana Dāsa (ACBSP) and Sitarani Devī Dāsī (ACBSP) received this instruction in a letter from Śrila Prabhupāda in 1971, just after they had been married, and just before they started a new temple in Minneapolis.

41. “What is the need for such a system? Everything should simply be provided.”

Source: Śrī Govinda Dāsa (ACBSP), the temple treasurer of ISKCON Detroit in 1970, wrote to Śrila Prabhupāda describing a petty cash system involving little envelopes and slips of paper. The above was Śrila Prabhupāda’s reply.

40. “A brahmin always leaves a place cleaner than he found it.”

Source: Unknown.

39. “Motorcycles are for those who want to commit suicide.”

Source: Unknown.

38. In reference to the Vietnam War: “If a country engages in war, they should fight to win. They should not hold anything back.”

Source: Unknown.

Comment: IMHO, this means that, according to Srila Prabhupāda, the U.S. should have nuked China, who was assisting North Vietnam, back to the stone age, if they refused, after repeated warnings, to give up their involvement.

37. “My guru maharaja used to say, ‘He who chastises me is my friend; he who flatters me is my enemy’.“

Source: Aja Dāsa, Temple President of ISKCON Boston, 1975.

36. “Govinda Dasi is perfectly qualified to be on the GBC, except she is a woman.”

Source: Unknown.

35. “Puffed rice is too difficult for you to make. You should simply purchase.”

Source: Devotees from the original ISKCON Washington D.C. temple on Newport Place in 1969.

34. “If Kṛṣṇa likes you, He’ll give you everything; if He loves you He’ll take everything away.“

Source: Unknown.

33. “If you eat meat, then you must also drink wine in order to properly digest the meat.“

Source: Unknown.

32. “Meat eating destroys mercy, gambling destroys truthfulness, intoxication destroys austerity, and illicit sex destroys cleanliness.“

Source: Unknown.

31. “Vegetable oil is for external use only.”

Source: Unknown.

30. “Management is simple: you just keep everything very very clean.”

Source: Achyutananda Svāmī (ACBSP) at New York’s 55th street temple in 1977.

29. “The mouth is the dirtiest part of the body. It’s even dirtier than the anus.“

Source: Fellow brahmacari, probably in 1972 or 73.

28. “Perspiration means good health.“

Source: Unknown.

27. “They are killing mother cow in the slaughterhouse. They are killing babies in the womb. Therefore they will have to send their sons to the slaughterhouse of war.”

Source: Unknown.

26. “Just by reading my books they are initiated.”

Source: Kṛṣṇa Kumari Devī Dāsī (The original URL of the article, http://guru.krishna.org/Articles/2001/08/007.html, no longer works, but the following web page includes a portion of the article: http://istagosthi.org/archive/open-forum/000032-16.htm. After bringing up the page, do an Edit/Find (on This Page) for “Just by reading my books they are initiated").

25. “You can’t criticize a man for being dirty when he’s in the shower.”

Source: Unknown.

24. “Here is Kṛṣṇa coming to kill me.”

Comment: When Calcutta was being regularly bombed by the Japanese during World War II, most people left the city. Śrīla Prabhupāda, however, refused to leave. He once made this comment while the bombs were falling.

Source: Unknown.

23. “If someone does not know the date, it can be understood that he is insane.”

Source: Unknown.

22. “I do not trust any individual GBC man, but the whole GBC body I trust.”

Source: Unknown.

21. “Your son[-in-law] loves Kṛṣṇa, and you love your son. Things equal to the same thing are equal to each other.“

Source: Pratyatoṣa Dāsa (ACBSP) - Chicago - 1973

Comment: This statement was made by Śrila Prabhupāda to my father-in-law, Mr. Manischewitz. At the time, I noticed that Makhanlal Prabhu, the temple president of ISKCON St. Louis, was recording the conversation, but somehow or other, it never made it into the Vedabase.

20. “The men may not bathe naked.”

Source: Karāndhara Dāsa (ACBSP) - Los Angeles - 1972

Comment: The Los Angeles brahmachari quarters, at that time, had one large shower room with multiple shower heads, and the men would all bathe completely naked. After Śrila Prabhupāda made this statement, Karandhara Prabhu, the resident GBC man, instituted a rule that the men had to have their genital area covered while bathing.

19. “Do not distribute my song tapes without the purports.”

Source: Dinesh Dāsa (ACBSP) (Washington, DC, 1969)

Comment: At that time, Dinesh Prabhu was the official ISKCON “tapesvara”. His duties included distributing copies of Śrila Prabhupāda’s kirtan, bhajan, and lecture tapes to all of the temples. One thing that Dinesh Prabhu told me is that Prabhupāda said that his songs should never be distributed without the purports, because Prabhupāda wanted his disciples to learn the meanings of the songs.

18. “Distribute my lecture tapes in their entirety or NOT AT ALL”.

Source: Kṛṣṇa Kānti Dāsa (ACBSP) (Los Angeles -1973)

Comment: Kṛṣṇa Kānti Prabhu told me this within minutes of Śrila Prabhupāda having told it to him. Kṛṣṇa Kānti was a little disappointed, because the reason that he had asked Śrīla Prabhupāda this question is because he wanted to include excerpts from Śrila Prabhupāda lectures in his “The Krishna Show” series of weekly radio shows which were, at the time, being aired on several radio stations throughout the country.

17. “I do not know very much about these subject matters, but my Guru Maharāja: he knows!”

Source: Danesh Dāsa (ACBSP) (Washington D.C. - 1969).

Comment: In the early days of the movement, Śrīla Prabhupāda was once challenged by a guest at New York’s 2nd Ave. temple. The guest said something to the effect that, “How can the Moon be further away than the Sun?”. Śrila Prabhupāda humbly replied, “I do not know very much about these subject matters, but my Guru Maharāja: he knows!”

16. “Someday history will record that the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement saved the world.“

Source: Unknown.

15. “An intelligent person never gets bored. If he has nothing to do, he will count the beams in the ceiling.”

Source: Unknown.

14. “Hope for the best, plan for the worst.”

Source: COM: Mādhava Gosh Dāsa (ACBSP) (New Vrindavan - USA).

13. Śrila Prabhupāda once told us to pray for a devotee right after he or she (I can’t remember which) passed away. I was told that Śrila Prabhupāda said that it was like serving as a favorable witness at a trial.

Source: Unknown, but it was probably stated in Los Angeles in 1972 or 73 when I was living there in the temple, and Śrila Prabhupāda was visiting there.

12. “My books will be the lawbooks for the next 10,000 years.”

Source: Brahmānanda Dāsa (ACBSP): “I think this has been confirmed by Abhirama who personally heard it on a London morning walk.”

11. “Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta was very critical of his overweight sannyāsī disciples.“

Source: Brahmānanda Dāsa (ACBSP): “This I can also confirm. It may be in the books or lectures.”

10. “You can say anything, just don’t put it in writing.“

Source: Brahmānanda Dāsa (ACBSP) (Vrindaban - India)

9. “The women can go on the altar as long as their husbands are also there [on the altar with them].“

Source: Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Dāsa GoSvāmī (ACBSP) and Pratyatoṣa Dāsa (ACBSP)

Comment: I was on Śrila Prabhupāda’s last morning walk in New York in 1976. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks and I heard him tell Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Dāsa GoSvāmī, “The women can go on the altar as long as their husbands are also there [on the altar with them].” This was in responce to an earlier conversation wherein Śrila Prabhupāda was informed that the NY Temple brahmacaris were complaining that they were becoming sexually agitated because of the women on the altar with them. A couple of years ago I asked TKG, by email, whether or not he recalled this statement, and he confirmed that he did remember these exact words.

8. “My disciples should not make more than 10% profit off of each other.“

Source: Unknown.

Comment: In 1971, devotees were complaining to Śrīla Prabhupāda that ISKCON Press was charging high prices to devotees for their services, so Śrila Prabhupāda stated that his disciples should not make more than 10% profit off of each other.

7. “Everything is in my books.“

Source: Unknown.

6. “They can dance on the heads of the men. Then they will be satisfied!”

Source: Unknown.

Comment: When told that the women would be restricted to the balcony during the morning program in the new temple room in Los Angeles, Śrila Prabhupāda replied, “They can dance on the heads of the men. Then they will be satisfied!”

5. “The third generation will be a generation of pure devotees.“

Source: Unknown.

4. “We can use anything in Kṛṣṇa’s service.”

Source: Śrī Govinda Dāsa (ACBSP), temple president of ISKCON Chicago, who said that he personally witnessed this conversation.

Comment: In 1973, in New York, after being told by Bali Mardon Dāsa (GBC) that my father-in-law, Mr. Manischewitz, owned a big company that made wine, Śrila Prabhupāda said, “We can use anything in Kṛṣṇa’s service.”

3. “If you want education, then go to London; if you want culture, then go to Rome; if you want sense gratification, then go to Paris; if you want money, then go to New York.”

Source: Nabadvip Dāsa, Detroit, Mi, USA, 1980’s.

2. “Don’t be amazed when someones dies; be amazed when someone lives.”

Source: Brahmānanda Dāsa (ACBSP) (Vrindaban - India).

1. “Just see what he has done!”

Source: Unknown.

Comment: Whenever Śrila Prabhupāda would hear about some great accomplishment of one of his disciples, he would say, “Just see what he has done!” He wouldn’t say, “Ultimately Kṛṣṇa is doing everything.”, or “He is being used as Kṛṣṇa’s instrument.” or “His talent is on loan from Kṛṣṇa.”, but, just like a proud father speaking about a great accomplishment of his son, he would say, “Just see what he has done!”

2006-06-20T03:39:00.000-07:00

A Vaisnava Ācārya is Self-effulgent By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svāmī Prabhupāda

Madhya-līlā: Chapter One, Text 220:

“Unfortunately, in this Age of Kali there are many mundane persons in the dress of Vaiṣṇavas, and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has described them as disciples of Kali. He says, kali-celā. He indicates that there is another Vaiṣṇava, a pseudo Vaiṣṇava with tilaka on his nose and kaṇṭhī beads around his neck. Such a pseudo Vaiṣṇava associates with money and women and is jealous of successful Vaiṣṇavas. Although passing for a Vaiṣṇava, his only business is earning money in the dress of a Vaiṣṇava. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura therefore says that such a pseudo Vaiṣṇava is not a Vaiṣṇava at all but a disciple of Kali-yuga. A disciple of Kali cannot become an ācārya by the decision of some high court. Mundane votes have no jurisdiction to elect a Vaiṣṇava ācārya. A Vaiṣṇava ācārya is self-effulgent, and there is no need for any court judgment. A false ācārya may try to override a Vaiṣṇava by a high-court decision, but Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that he is nothing but a disciple of Kali-yuga.”

2006-06-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

- Chanting Hare Krishna

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the sublime method of reviving our Krsna consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by the material atmosphere. The material atmosphere, in which we are now living, is called Maya, or illusion. Maya means "that which is not." And what is this illusion? The illusion is that we are all trying to be lords of material nature, while actually we are under the grip of her stringent laws. When a servant artificially tries to imitate the all-powerful master, this is called illusion. In this polluted concept of life, we are all trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities. Therefore, although we are engaged in a hard struggle to conquer nature, we are ever more dependent on her. This illusory struggle against material nature can be stopped at once by the revival of our Krsna consciousness. Krsna consciousness is not an artificial imposition of the mind; this consciousness is the original energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived. And this is the process recommended for this age by authorities. By practical experience also, one can perceive that by chanting this maha-mantra or the Great Chanting for Deliverance, one can at once feel a transcendental ecstasy coming through from the spiritual stratum. And when one is factually on the plane of spiritual understanding-surpassing the stages of the senses, mind, and intelligence-one is situated on the transcendental plane.

This chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is directly enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness-namely sensual, mental, and intellectual. There is no need, therefore, to understand the language of the mantra, nor is there any need for mental speculation or any intellectual adjustment for chanting this maha-mantra. It springs automatically from the spiritual platform, and as such, anyone can take part in the chanting without any previous qualification, and dance in ecstasy.

We have seen this practically. Even a child can take part in the chanting, or even a dog can take part in it. Of course, for one who is too entangled in material life, it takes a little more time to come to the standard point, but even such a materially engrossed man is raised to the spiritual platform very quickly. When the mantra is chanted by a pure devotee of the Lord in love, it has the greatest efficacy on the hearers, and as such, this chanting should be heard from the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord, so that immediate effects can be achieved. As far as possible, chanting from the lips of non-devotees should be avoided. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects.

The word Hara is the form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Krsna and Rama are addressing the Lord Himself. Both Krsna and Rama mean "the supreme pleasure" and Hara is the supreme pleasure energy of the Lord, changed to hare in the vocative. The supreme pleasure energy of the Lord helps us to reach the Lord.

The material energy, called Maya, is also one of the multi energies of the Lord. And we, the living entities, are also the energy-marginal energy-of the Lord. The living entities are described as superior to material energy. When the superior energy is in contact with the inferior energy, an incompatible situation arises; but when the superior marginal energy is in contact with the superior energy, called Hara, the living entity is established in his happy, normal condition.

These three words, namely Hare, Krsna, and Rama, are transcendental seeds of the maha-mantra. The chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy, Hara, to give protection to the conditioned soul. This chanting is exactly like the genuine cry of a child for its mother. Mother Hara helps the devotee achieve the grace of the supreme Father, Hari, or Krsna, and the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely.

No other means of spiritual realization, therefore, is as effective in this age as chanting the maha-mantra:

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

How often and where should one chant?

Srila Prabhupada set the rule that one should chant at least sixteen rounds a day if one is initiated. The best time for chanting is in the morning hours. Though Lord Caitanya mentions that there are no hard or fast rules for chanting, it is still important to know that the chanting is accompanied by following the regulative principles. However, since there are no hard and fast rules one can chant anytime and at any place. The most recommended way to chant is in association of devotees. It is also advantageous to chant in front of Tulasi devi. One main point that Mahaprabhu stressed is the attitude while chanting:

trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniya sada hari
(Siksastaka 3)

"One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw on the street, being more tolerant than a tree and always ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly."

2006-06-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

I realized later on that he was much more incredible

than what you could see on the surface.

Mukunda: George, you and John Lennon met Srila Prabhupada together when he stayed at John's home, in September of 1969.

George: Yes, but when I met him at first, I underestimated him. I didn't realize it then, but I see now that because of him, the mantra has spread so far in the last sixteen years, more than it had in the last five centuries. Now that's pretty amazing, because he was getting older and older, yet he was writing his books all the time. I realized later on that he was much more incredible than what you could see on the surface.

The thing that always stays is his saying, "I am the servant

of the servant of the servant." I like that…. I liked

Prabhupada's humbleness. I always liked his humility

and his simplicity The servant of the servant of the

servant is really what it is, you know. None of

us are God--just His servants.

Mukunda: What about him stands out the most in your mind?

George: The thing that always stays is his saying, "I am the servant of the servant of the servant." I like that. A lot of people say, "I'm it. I'm the divine incarnation. I'm here and let me hip you." You know what I mean? But Prabhupada was never like that. I liked Prabhupada's humbleness. I always liked his humility and his simplicity The servant of the servant of the servant is really what it is, you know. None of us are God--just His servants. He just made me feel so comfortable. I always felt very relaxed with him, and I felt more like a friend. I felt that he was a good friend. Even though he was at the time seventy-nine years old, working practically all through the night, day after day, with very little sleep, he still didn't come through to me as though he was a very highly educated intellectual being, because he had a sort of childlike simplicity. Which is great, fantastic. Even though he was the greatest Sanskrit scholar and a saint, I appreciated the fact that he never made me feel uncomfortable. In fact, he always went out of his way to make me feel comfortable. I always thought of him as sort of a lovely friend, really, and now he's still a lovely friend.

Mukunda: In one of his books, Prabhupada said that your sincere service was better than some people who had delved more deeply into Krishna consciousness but could not maintain that level of commitment. How did you feel about this?

George: Very wonderful, really. I mean it really gave me hope, because as they say, even one moment in the company of a divine person, Krishna's pure devotee, can help a tremendous amount. And I think Prabhupada was really pleased at the idea that somebody from outside of the temple was helping to get the album made. Just the fact that he was pleased was encouraging to me. I knew he liked "The Hare Krishna Mantra" record, and he asked the devotees to play that song "Govinda." They still play it, don't they?

That was the thing about Prabhupada, you see.

He didn't just talk about loving Krishna and getting

out of this place, but he was the perfect example….

He was a perfect example of everything he preached.

Mukunda: Every temple has a recording of it, and we play it each morning when the devotees assemble before the altar, before kirtana. It's an ISKCON institution, you might say. George: And if I didn't get feedback from Prabhupada on my songs about Krishna or the philosophy, I'd get it from the devotees. That's all the encouragement I needed really. It just seemed that anything spiritual I did, either through songs, or helping with publishing the books, or whatever, really pleased him. The song I wrote, "Living in the Material World," as I wrote in I, Me, Mine, was influenced by Srila Prabhupada. He's the one who explained to me how we're not these physical bodies. We just happen to be in them.

Like I said in the song, this place's not really what's happening. We don't belong here, but in the spiritual sky: As l'm fated for the material world, Get frustrated in the material world, Senses never gratified, Only swelling like a tide, That could drown me in the material world. The whole point to being here, really, is to figure a way to get out. That was the thing about Prabhupada, you see. He didn't just talk about loving Krishna and getting out of this place, but he was the perfect example. He talked about always chanting, and he was always chanting. I think that that in itself was perhaps the most encouraging thing for me. It was enough to make me try harder, to be just a little bit better. He was a perfect example of everything he preached.

I think Prabhupada's accomplishments are very

significant; they're huge. Even compared to someone like

William Shakespeare, the amount of literature Prabhupada

produced is truly amazing. It boggles the mind.

He sometimes went for days with only a few hours sleep.

Mukunda: How would you describe Srila Prabhupada's achievements?

George: I think Prabhupada's accomplishments are very significant; they're huge. Even compared to someone like William Shakespeare, the amount of literature Prabhupada produced is truly amazing. It boggles the mind. He sometimes went for days with only a few hours sleep. I mean even a youthful, athletic young person couldn't keep the pace he kept himself at seventy-nine years of age.

Srila Prabhupada has already had an amazing effect

on the world. There's no way of measuring it.

One day I just realized, "God, this man is amazing!"

George: Srila Prabhupada has already had an amazing effect on the world. There's no way of measuring it. One day I just realized, "God, this man is amazing!" He would sit up all night translating Sanskrit into English, putting in glossaries to make sure everyone understands it, and yet he never came off as someone above you. He always had that childlike simplicity, and what's most amazing is the fact that he did all this translating in such a relatively short time--just a few years. And without having anything more than his own Krishna consciousness, he rounded up all these thousands of devotees, set the whole movement in motion, which became something so strong that it went on even after he left. And it's still escalating even now at an incredible rate. It will go on and on from the knowledge he gave. [Edititors note: Srila Prabhupada: “Even if they stop (the movement) externally, internally it will go on.”] It can only grow and grow. The more people wake up spiritually, the more they'll begin to realize the depth of what Prabhupada was saying--how much he gave.

His contribution has obviously been enormous

from the literary point of view, because he's brought

the Supreme Person, Krishna, more into focus.

Mukunda: Did you know that complete sets of Prabhupada's books are in all the major colleges and universities in the world, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, Cambridge, and the Sorbonne?

George: They should be! One of the greatest things I noticed about Prabhupada was the way he would be talking to you in English, and then all of a sudden he would say it to you in Sanskrit and then translate it back into English. It was clear that he really knew it well. His contribution has obviously been enormous from the literary point of view, because he's brought the Supreme Person, Krishna, more into focus. A lot of scholars and writers know the Gita, but only on an intellectual level. Even when they write "Krishna said...," they don't do it with the bhakti or love required. That's the secret, you know--Krishna is actually a person who is the Lord and who will also appear there in that book when there is that love, that bhakti. You can't understand the first thing about God unless you love Him. These big so-called Vedic scholars--they don't necessarily love Krishna, so they can't understand Him and give Him to us. But Prabhupada was different.

Well, Prabhupada's definitely affected the world in an absolute

way.What he was giving us was the highest literature, the

highest knowledge. I mean there just isn't anything higher.

Mukunda: The Vedic literatures predicted that after the advent of Lord Caitanya five hundred years ago, there would be a Golden Age of ten thousand years, when the chanting of the holy names of God would completely nullify all the degradations of the modern age, and real spiritual peace would come to this planet.

George: Well, Prabhupada's definitely affected the world in an absolute way. What he was giving us was the highest literature, the highest knowledge. I mean there just isn't anything higher.

Mukunda: You write in your autobiography that "No matter how good you are, you still need grace to get out of the material world. You can be a yogi or a monk or a nun, but without God's grace you still can't make it." And at the end of the song "Living in the Material World," the Iyrics say, "Got to get out of this place by the Lord Sri Krishna's grace, my salvation from the material world." If we're dependent on the grace of God, what does the expression "God helps those who help themselves" mean?

George: It's flexible, I think. In one way, I'm never going to get out of here unless it's by His grace but then again, His grace is relative to the amount of desire I can manifest in myself. The amount of grace I would expect from God should be equal to the amount of grace I can gather or earn. I get out what I put in. Like in the song I wrote about Prabhupada:

The Lord loves the one that loves the Lord
And the law says if you don't give,
then you don't get loving
Now the Lord helps those that help themselves
And the law says whatever you do
It comes right back on you

-"The Lord Loves the One that Loves the Lord"

from Living in the Material World Apple LP

Have you heard that song "That Which I Have Lost" from my new album, Somewhere in England? It's right out of the Bhagavad-gita. In it I talk about fighting the forces of darkness, limitations, falsehood, and mortality.

16 Points To Consider Regarding the Rtvik Issue

2006-06-15T03:58:00.000-07:00

Sixteen Points to Consider Regarding the Ṛtvik Issue

By Pratyatoṣa Dāsa (ACBSP), August 30, 1998 (Appearance Day of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī)

(Updated: August 12, 2005)

(pratyatosa.com, pratyatosa@gmail.com)

Dear Prabhus, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Śrila
Prabhupāda!

Concerning the “ṛtvik issue” (initiation on Śrila
Prabhupāda’s behalf by a ṛtvik
representative of the Ācārya), please consider the following
sixteen points:

1. Follow the Latest Order

From a lecture by Śrila Prabhupāda on the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Hyderabad, India, April 15, 1975:

I may say many things to you, but when I say something directly, "Do it", your first duty is to do that. You cannot argue, "Sir, you said me like this before." No, that is not your duty. What I say now, you do it. That is obedience.

If the captain of the ship says “5° starboard”
and the first mate replies, “But captain, before you told
me ‘10° port’.”, then it can be understood
that the first mate has gone insane.

2. The July 9th Letter (http://pratyatosa.com/July_9th_Letter.htm)

Letter by Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Gosvāmī to all GBC’s and temple
presidents, Vṛndāvana, India, July 9, 1977:

To All G.B.C. and Temple Presidents Dear Maharajas and Prabhus, Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet. Recently when all of the GBC members were with His Divine Grace in Vrndavana, Srila Prabhupada indicated that soon He would appoint some of His senior disciples to act as ritvik - representative of the acarya, for the purpose of performing initiations, both first initiation and second initiation. His Divine Grace has so far given a list of eleven disciples who will act in that capacity: His Holiness Kirtanananda Swami His Holiness Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami His Holiness Jayapataka Swami His Holiness Tamala Krsna Gosvami His Holiness Hrdayananda Gosvami His Holiness Bhavananda Gosvami His Holiness Hamsaduta Swami His Holiness Ramesvara Swami His Holiness Harikesa Swami His Grace Bhagavan dasa Adhikari His Grace Jayatirtha dasa Adhikari In the past Temple Presidents have written to Srila Prabhupada recommending a particular devotee's initiation. Now that Srila Prabhupāda has named these representatives, temple presidents may henceforward send recommendation for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their temple. After considering the recommendation, these representatives may accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of second initiation, by chanting on the Gayatri thread, just as Srila Prabhupada has done. The newly initiated devotees are disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the above eleven senior devotees acting as his representative. After the temple president receives a letter from these representatives giving the spiritual name or the thread, he can perform the fire yajna in the temple as was being done before. The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has accepted him or her to Srila Prabhupada, to be included in His Divine Grace's "Initiated Disciples" book. Approved: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami [signed]

Please note that the above is the last formal instruction that
Śrila Prabhupāda gave on initiations within his beloved ISKCON
before his physical departure on November 14, 1977. If someone
quotes Śrila Prabhupāda as having said, “My disciples
should become gurus.”, then this obviously does not mean
diksha (initiating) gurus within ISKCON, because his last
instruction (See point #1
above) for ISKCON was to have ṛtviks (priests) initiate on his
behalf “henceforward”. If you search the Vedabase
for “henceforward”, you will see that Śrila
Prabhupāda always meant “from this time forth; from now
on”, which, according to the dictionary, is the only
literal meaning that the word “henceforward” can
have.

3. Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Testifies

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Gosvāmī, one of the 11
original, ṛtvik -
representatives of the ācārya (See point #2 above) said on December 3, 1980
(Transcribed from a tape recording of the actual conversation):

Actually Prabhupada never appointed any gurus. He appointed eleven ritviks. He never appointed them gurus. Myself and the other GBC have done the greatest disservice to this movement the last three years because we [falsely] interpreted the appointment of ritviks as the appointment of gurus.

4. Haṁsadūta Testifies

Śrila Prabhupāda wrote in signed letters to
Haṁsadūta Dāsa, one
of the 11 original, ṛtvik - representatives of the
ācārya (See point #2 above):

July 10, 1977:

You are a suitable person and you can give initiation to those that are ready for it. I have selected you among eleven men as "Ritvik" representative of the Acharya, to give initiations, both first and second initiation, on my behalf.

July 31, 1977:

Make your own field and continue to be ritvik and act on my behalf.

Letter from Haṁsadūta to Veda Guhya Das:

...It was clear that Srila Prabhupada had officially introduced the concept of "Ritvik representative of the Acharya" as the arrangement for initiations by his disciples for the future of ISKCON. Had there been anything more to clarify certainly Srila Prabhupada would have written another letter to amend what was already so clear. But he never did, other than reinforce what he had already written: "Continue to act as ritvik representative of the Acharya."...

5. Śrila Prabhupāda’s Will (http://pratyatosa.com/Prabhupādas_Will.htm)

From Śrila Prabhupāda’s “DECLARATION OF WILL”,
June 5, 1977:

...The Governing Body Commission (GBC) will be the ultimate managing authority of the entire International Society for Krishna Consciousness... ...The system of management will continue as it is now and there is no need of any change... ...Each new executive director for the ISKCON properties must be my initiated disciple...

A person’s “will” is a legal document which
goes into effect after the person “dies”. What is to
prevent a lawsuit from being filed the second an attempt is made
to make someone such as a “grand disciple” a
“new executive director for the ISKCON properties”
because he is not Śrila Prabhupāda’s “initiated
disciple”? Śrila Prabhupāda said that his books would be
the “law books for the next 10,000 years”. How is
this possible unless Śrila Prabhupāda intended for initiations
“on my behalf” to continue for the next 10,000
years? If the Christian’s policy of “accepting Lord
Jesus in my heart” is not valid, and they cannot make any
spiritual advancement without the aid of a “living
guru”, as the GBC contends, then how did the follower of
Lord Jesus, St. Francis of Assisi, become such an incredibly
great saint?

6. Christian Example

The following morning walk conversation, recorded in Seattle on
10 February 1968, shows that Śrila Prabhupāda approved of the
highly successful Christian system of encouraging their
followers to accept Lord Jesus Christ as their spiritual
authority through the agency of a ṛtvik representative (priest
or minister):

Madhudviṣa: Is there any way for a Christian to, without the help of a spiritual master, to reach the spiritual sky through believing in the words of Jesus Christ and trying to follow his teachings? Prabhupāda: I don’t follow. Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Can a Christian in this age, without a spiritual master, but by reading the Bible and following Jesus’s words, reach the... Prabhupāda: When you read Bible, you follow spiritual master. How can you say without? As soon as you read Bible, that means you are following the instruction of Lord Jesus Christ, that means you are following spiritual master. So where is the opportunity of being without spiritual master? Madhudviṣa: I was referring to a living spiritual master. Prabhupāda: Spiritual master is not the question of... Spiritual master is eternal. Spiritual master is eternal. So your question is without spiritual master. Without spiritual master you cannot be, at any stage of your life. You may accept this spiritual master or that spiritual master. That is a different thing. But you have to accept. As you say that “by reading Bible,” when you read Bible that means you are following the spiritual master represented by some priest or some clergyman in the line of Lord Jesus Christ.

7. Ramakrishna Mission Example

Śrila Prabhupāda’s letter to Kīrtanānanda, February 11,
1967:

I wish that each and every Branch shall keep their independent identity and cooperate keeping the Acarya in the centre. On this principle we can open any number of Branches all over the world. The Ramakrishna mission works on this principle and thus as organization they have done wonderfully.

The Ramakrishna mission achieves “this principle”
that Śrila Prabhupāda wants to be followed in ISKCON through a
ṛtvik system.

8. Mistake in Our ISKCON Camp

Letter by Śrila Prabhupāda to Rūpānuga Dāsa, April 28, 1974:

[Srila Bhaktisiddhanta] never recommended anyone to be acarya of the Gaudiya Math. ... If Guru Maharaja could have seen someone who was qualified at that time to be acarya he would have mentioned. Because on the night before he passed away he talked of so many things, but never mentioned an acarya. ... Therefore we may not commit the same mistake in our ISKCON camp. ... [The members of the Gauḍīya Maṭha] cannot help us in our movement, but they are very competent to harm our natural progress. So we must be very careful about them.

9. “Ṛtvik. Yes.”

May, 1977: Śrila Prabhupāda Begins Discussing
Ṛtvik Initiations:

From: Gauridas <Gauridas@*******.com> Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 05:12:15 EDT To: Pratyatosa Dasa Subject: Re: Usenet Ritvik Discussion In a message dated 98-05-14 02:29:27 EDT, Pratyatosa Dasa writes: > ROOM CONVERSATION. Vrindavana, May 28, 1977: > > Satsvarupa Maharaja: "Then our next question concerns > initiations in the future, particularly at that time when you > are no longer with us. We want to know how first and second > initiations will be conducted." > > Srila Prabhupada: "Yes. I shall recommend some of you. After > this is settled up. I shall recommend some of you to act as > officiating acarya." > > Tamala Krishna Maharaja: "Is that called ritvik-acarya?" > > Srila Prabhupada: "Ritvik. Yes." > > > "Ritvik" is not a word which was part of the devotee lexicon > at that time. Therefore, it is obvious that Śrila Prabhupāda > had been talking about "ritviks" on previous occasions which > were never recorded, or the recordings were hidden or > destroyed, otherwise how would Tamal Krishna Goswami think to > ask this question? > > Here is a quote on this subject from "The Betrayal" by Puranjana > Prabhu: > > "MYSTERIOUS GAPS? There are still mysterious and unaccounted for > 'time gaps' (missing tapes?) in these conversations. There is no > small amount of suspicion that some of the 'new gurus' are > responsible for this. Additionally, GBC’s such as Tamal Krishna > Swami, Jayadvaita Swami and others sometimes refer to the 'pre- > May 28th ritvik guru discussions.' However, no public record or > indeed an existing scrap or trace of these conversations is > currently available. Where are they?" I would like to answer this question to the best of my ability. When Srila Prabhupada said we should be officiating acharyas, Tamal mentioned it because he heard Srila Prabhupada talk about it in the garden days before. I stood before Srila Prabhupada, serving him with the chamara [fan] during this time. Tamal also admitted to me in a letter that the guru issue was "fraught with errors". (TKG letter to GPD) If the "Final Order" is too intellectual for some of your readers, then I recommend that they read my historical account of the facts in chronological order. I compiled it recently, and I call it "On My Behalf". Your servant, Gauridasa Pandita Dasa

10. Unprecedented Technology

One thing that sets Śrila Prabhupāda apart from all of the other
great saints of history is the fact that he left us not only his
books, but also, audio and video recordings of his exact words.
All of these recordings have been carefully transcribed into
digital form. All of Śrila Prabhupāda’s books, lectures,
conversations, letters, etc. can be digitally copied in a few
minutes with no possibility of changes being made. This is
certainly a great boon for this planet for the next 10,000
years, which, Śrila Prabhupāda said, will be a “golden
age”.

11. Unprecedented Policies

If authorizing ṛtvik initiations on his behalf, after his
physical departure, are unprecedented in our line of Vaiṣṇavas
and cannot be supported by quotes from shastra (scriptures), so
what? Śrila Prabhupāda also did many other things that are
unprecedented in our Brahmā-Gauḍiya Vaiṣṇava line of disciplic
succession:

a. Crossing over the ocean as a sannyāsī.

b. Allowing his disciples to chant only 16 rounds a day
instead of
64.

c. Authorizing ṛtvik initiations on his behalf before his
physical departure.

d. Performing marriage ceremonies as a sannyāsī.

e. Giving Gāyatrī mantra initiation to women.

f. Traveling by air as a sannyāsī.

g. Allowing men and women to live together in the temple
building.

h. Allowing women to lead kīrtanas.

i. Allowing women to give the Bhagavatam class.

j. Allowing women to hold responsible positions of
leadership within the movement.

12. Witness Testimony

Date: 02/08/2000 Author: harinam <harinam@********.net Hare Krishna Pratyatosh, One more important piece of evidence that recently became public is Srila Puri Maharaja's video taped interview in which he confirms that Srila Prabhupada did explain to him his plan for ritvik representatives initiating on his behalf after his physical disappearance. The video is available for $19.95 at 1-800-310-video. Thanks for taking the time to explain to all the anti-ritvik vadis in the land of oz. I have done it on this board, VNN, and elsewhere many times. Now there is a respectable witness (SP's godbrother) to Srila Prabhupada's ritvik plan and we will see the deviants in ISKCON looking more and more stupid. No one can say we did not warn them as far back as 1978. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

13. It’s Offensive to Discipline a Real Guru

Posted on www.hindu-religion.net, September 17, 2003, by
“Guest”:

The bottom line of the [ISKCON guru] issue is whether or not any guru is subjected to the dictates and discipline of the GBC. The fact that Prabhupada established the GBC as the Governing Authority for ISKCON rules out the possibility of any diksha gurus in ISKCON except him. Prabhupada ruled out the diksha guru system in ISKCON by saying that a bona-fide spiritual master is never subjected to the discipline or restrictions of a GBC or anyone else. The fact that the GBC is in the position of having to regulate and restrict the activities of the ISKCON gurus shows that indeed there can be no gurus in ISKCON except Prabhupada. A real guru is never subjected to the control and discipline of any committee, Godbrother, disciple or anyone else. Śrī Guru is a free agent independent of committee regulation or control. ISKCON clearly has a whole set of rules and laws that regulate, discipline and restrict all the diksha gurus in ISKCON. This situation is clearly in violation of the teachings of Srila Prabhupada. We find his instructions in the matter in the Nectar of Instruction text 6 purport: "It is also an offense to consider an empowered Vaishnava an object of disciplinary action. It is offensive to try to give him advice or to correct him...The spiritual master must not be subjected to the advice of a disciple, nor should a spiritual master be obliged to take instructions from those who are not his disciples. This is the sum and substance of Srila Rupa Goswami's advice in this sixth verse." Srila Prabhupada is saying here that in the Rupanuga sampradaya a spiritual master should not be subjected to the discipline or regulations of any committee, individual or group of individuals. A real spiritual master is not subject to such regulation. Therefore, by establishing the GBC as the managing authority of ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada ruled out the possibility of a multiplicity of gurus in ISKCON by making the GBC the functioning authority over all ISKCON affairs. In ISKCON today there is a class of spiritual masters who are all subjected to the regulation and discipline of the GBC. This is totally incongruent with the concept of a traditional spiritual master who is above and beyond all such committee regulation. Prabhupada said it is an offense to try and discipline or regulate a spiritual master. Therefore either the regulating of ISKCON spiritual masters by the GBC must stop or [the ISKCON] diksha guru system must stop. Refusing to do so results in offenses which will destroy devotional service and make [devotional service] fruitless and futile.

14. It’s Offensive to Say that Prabhupāda Left Things
Unclear

“When Śrila Prabhupāda was here, if the temple president
recommended you to be initiated, then you got initiated. If he
didn’t, then you didn’t. It was as simple as that.
This is the way it should be today.” (“Śrila
Prabhupāda Left Things Unclear? No!!!” - http://www.pratyatosa.com/SrilaPrabhupādaLeftThings
UnclearNo.htm):

“...to say that Śrila Prabhupāda was negligent in regards
to making it extremely clear how initiations were to be
continued in post-samadhi ISKCON is a very great offense against
my Guru Mahārāja, Śrila Prabhupāda!” (“The GBC Can’t
Have It Both Ways” -http://www.pratyatosa.com/GbcCantHaveItBothWays.htm
)

15. I Shall Never Die

He reasons ill who tells that Vaiṣṇavas die, when thou are living still in sound.

Science of Self Realization Introduction by Mukunda Dāsa
Gosvāmī:

"I shall never die.", Śrila Prabhupāda’s once said. "I shall live forever in my books."

Anytime one of Śrila Prabhupāda’s disciples would ask him
for permission to initiate, Prabhupāda would tell him that as a
matter of etiquette, he should wait until Prabhupāda was no
longer present. Because Śrila Prabhupāda is never going to leave
us, I take this as a polite way of telling him “I
don’t want anyone else taking on disciples on his own
behalf in my institution.”

16. Self Motivation and Bad Association

Are the above fifteen points not obvious? Even an intelligent
karmi can understand, in a few minutes, that Śrila Prabhupāda
prescribed ṛtvik initiations for the future of ISKCON.
It’s crystal clear. It’s all there in signed,
written documents (See #2 and #5 above). After reading the
above fifteen points, if someone still tries to make Śrila
Prabhupāda’s own terminology (ṛtvik) into a dirty word,
or tries to say that Śrila Prabhupāda left things unclear or
subject to debate, or tries to vilify the proponents of Śrila
Prabhupāda’s own idea, the ṛtvik system of initiations,
then he can be understood to:

a. ...have the “I wanna be a guru” disease, or
he is influenced by those who have the disease. In other words,
he is self-motivated.

b. ...have disobeyed Śrila Prabhupāda by hearing from
members of the Gauḍīya Maṭha (http://pratyatosa.com/GaudiyaMath.htm), or by
associating with those who have heard from the Gauḍīya Maṭha.

Prabhupāda said in a signed, written document:

We shall be very careful about them and not mix with them. THIS IS MY INSTRUCTION TO YOU ALL. They cannot help us in our movement, but they are very competent to harm our natural progress. So we must be very careful about them.

What could be more clear than this? Prabhupāda made it very
clear that we should not hear from them in an way, shape, or
form, for fear that we might become contaminated/bewildered.
Brahmānanda Prabhu, former GBC man and ISKCON’s first
temple president, confirmed to me very recently that it’s
very important not to hear from them.

Conclusion

From an initiation lecture by Śrila Prabhupāda in Boston,
December 26, 1969:

[Kṛṣṇa consciousness] is simple for the simple, but it is very hard for the crooked.

I firmly believe that the simple, straightforward logic which I
have presented above will very easily stand up in any court of
law in the world, what to speak of the court of public
opinion.

If a disciple of Śrila Prabhupāda is actually qualified to be an
independent dīkṣā (initiating) guru, and he has that desire,
then he can start his own institution, like Śrila Prabhupāda
did, so what’s the problem?

Your servant, Pratyatoṣa Dāsa (ACBSP)

THIS WEB PAGE UR: http://pratyatosa.com/RitvikBashersAreDemons.htm

, pratyatosa@gmail.com

2006-06-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

"A Call For Unity"
By Bhakta anonymous .

Not counting the "Present ISKCON" which is a dead branch that cannot bear any fruit. I would like to point out a simple and reasonable solution to the disunity amoung us devotees. I will only name the groups which are more recognized in today's Hare Krishna world.

1.IRM (Iskcon Revival Movement)
2. Protect A Cow
3.The Hare Krishna Society

So why have I put this three very different groups together? You might say, "They are all against one another". Yes, you are right. They are separate entities one might say. Before going into the heart of this article lets first see the reasons "Prabhupada's ISKCON" was a success . ( Of course Prabhupada was the REASON) but we are not pure devotees so we must work abiding by Prabhupada's instructions.
So first of all Lets look at Prabhupada's Real ISKCON when he was physicaly present.

Here are the three categories

1. There was mass initiation, This is how unfortunate souls became fortunate, and also how the Society grew so gigantic; by taking initiation by a pure devotee, or by the ritvik priest. Same thing. ( I will not go into detail about what is ritvik or explain it. This article is for people who already know what's been going on all these years and know the terms and philosophy)

2. Not only were intiations going on, but there were many farm projects which includes cow protection in many places. like Gita-nagari, New Vrindavan and India, ect. it was highly encouraged by Srila Prabhupada. To live close to nature, Simple Living and High Thinking was one of the mottos. the varnashram projects were alive in the society.

3. Prabhupada and the devotees were very learned defending the opposition, (the atheist, mayavadies, falsely proud scientist, and also Prabhupada's envious God-brothers. ect. )

What does this have to do with the groups mentioned above?

Well, it's simple. Each of the groups I have mentioned above have one of the great qualities that made ISKCON into a succesful spiritual movement. But the sad thing is that each group is focusing on only ONE important principle, not all three. in other words there is no cooperation. Therefore it will never be successful.

The "IRM" would be under the category #3. They are expert in defeating the unauthorized "Gurus" in ISKCON by intelligently educating everyone about the ritvik issue.

The "Protect a cow" would be under category #2. They are expert at cow protection and simple living and high thinking. the varnashrama scheme.

"The Hare Krishna Society" would be under category #1. They are continuing the ritvik initiations which is a must for the society to grow.

Now all these groups are very expert at their field of work. But they all are excluding the other qualities that made ISKCON a success. They are all avoiding each-other because of little differences. And this differences can be resolved if we get together.
My humble attempt for a solution is simply to UNITE these three great groups to work cooperatively. There are many more groups that I have not mentioned but they also fall under one of the three categories, for example: PSS ( Prabhupada Sankirtan Society ) and (Sanatan prabhu's farm project) ect.

Now let's get into the heart of the issue.

The Cow protection/varnashrama projects like (Protect A Cow ) are great but without the cooperation of other devotees and without carrying on with initiations it will always remain, like it is now, very small very insignificant and with no chance of spreading. But with the other groups cooperating it can have all three great qualities. It would be a place for devotees who are more attached to cow protection, farm living and reviving the varnashrama projects. It would have initiations going on for new recruits and be educated with all the issues that we are faced with today regarding ISKCON.

Cooporation is the key here.

The IRM can remain doing it's job because that is also a part of being in Krishna Consciousness. People have to be educated on the current issues. They are the most expert at scrutinizing all the details concerning "Bogus" philosophy that has plagued the society with so much maya that one can hardly chant in peace. They must also adopt the other qualities if they want to really Revive anything. They must apoint a ritvik priest like the Hare Krishna Society is doing and also focus to help the farm projects.

Cooporation is the key here.

The Hare Krishna Society should also cooperate with the other two groups by financial help and providing man power from the new initiates.

We can start to finally grow into what ISKCON really was!

Other points to realize.

Imagine what we can do if we unite! Initiations will start; meaning new souls would get the mercy of Prabhupada. The society will again grow and become ONE. Always keeping Prabhupada in the center. With the help and cooperation of every group we can start printing the ORIGINAL books!!! This can be done with the fanancial help of every devotee. And we can also have Temples again! It can be done, but only with the COOPERATION of every sincere soldier.

Let's put our little differences aside for just this life-time, don't you think Prabhupada deserves just this little cooperation? He saved us all from hell!!!. Do you understand what that means? I hear Hell is not a walk in the park. We would have been slaves of Maya, eating obnoxious things and poisoning our minds with drugs, and at the time of death we would have met the yamadutas and be taken to be judged for our sinful ways. ( Im not saying that we are now saints and there is no chance in meeting the yamadutas), we are not helping Prabhupada in an honest way do to our egos. Lets face it. * All the groups* I have mentioned and the others I haven't mentioned have a special role to play in Prabhupada's/ Lord Caitanyas mission, and if we dont hurry up and use this little time we have left in this temporary bodies, we will lose the opportunity to help ourselves, and help anyone else who is sincere and mostly help The Lord and His pure devotee, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada!

There are so many devotees I know who are scattered here and there, with no actual temples to go to and no association do to this mentality of separation. We have to put aside our EGOs. I beg you all.

I am not a scholar or organizer, but I do have common sense. Which now adays is not common.

Please I am begging and Praying to Prabhupada so this Idea will be successful, we owe it to Srila Prabhupada!

I will start the ball rolling so we can contact each other, here are some key players that should cooporate fast.

From the HARE KRISHNA SOCIETY
Los Angeles, California
3722 Delmas Terrace #5 90034
and
3731 Watseka Ave #1
ph 310.559.4436
Contact: Jaya Nitai Dasa or Yasodanandana Dasa

The IRM
U.S.A.
IRM Radha-Govinda Temple
93 Saint Mark's Place
New York, NY 10009-5141
Tel: 212-979-0381 & 212-780-0686
Email: brahmabhuta@hotmail.com

PROTECT A COW
SRILA PRABHUPADA'S
"PROTECT A COW"
SANCTUARY & FARM TRUST
in Port Royal, Pennsylvania
Website: http://protectacow.typepad.com/ Location: United States (1717) 527-2683

I just browsed the internet for the info above. Im sure there are more numbers and names to look up. It's a start.

It's a very easy solution if we put aside our pride and illusion. Can We do it or not?
Dont be fooled by maya thinking small, lets once again live in the spiritual world with Prabhupada in the center.

Final note.

If we keep Prabhupada in the center and follow his instrutions cooperating with one another I bet the "present ISKCON" will very soon fade away like a nightmare that seemed to never end.

HARE KRISHNA
ALL GLORIES TO SRILA PRABHUPADA!!!
4/3/06
YS
Bhakta anonymous

2006-06-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

June 12, INDIA (SUN) —

Dear Devotees, I am from India and have an export business where I ship out handicrafts, garments and all material related to devotional purposes to several temples. Also, I supply mrdangas to temples situated in the west. I always wanted to know where the skin or the leather is procured from for the mrdanga manufacture.

This year my workers went personally to Mayapur and spoke to many mrdanga manufacturers and they were told that they procure it from a local Muslim agents who supplies cows' skin for making the mrdangas. They were also told that cows are slaughtered for making mrdanga skins. Calves are slaughtered for their skin as they gives excellent sound.

Devotees are supposed to protect cows but now we are indirectly involved in promoting cow slaughter in the name of manufacturing mrdangas for the promotion of Nama Sankirtana. According to the scriptures, mrdanga skin should be obtained from the skin of naturally dead cows and not by slaughtering them.

Every Gaudiya Vaishnava organization should see that their centers and followers get their mrdangas supplied in a proper way, otherwise society and devotees would be a party to sin of slaughtering the cows and calves. The Gaudiya societies should have tie up with goshalas in their places and procure the skin from naturally dead cows.

I have made this report after a serious survey and there is no ulterior motives.

Your servant,
Mahendra das

2006-06-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

This is a very nice Proposal! I wish I lived in Dallas now.

Dear Prabhus:

PAMHO, AGTSP, and Hare Krishna.

This is a “Proposal for Starting a Preaching Center”.

Towards that end, I am presenting below “My Current Situation” for consideration by like minded devotees and for their valued input/suggestions.

(1) I have a paid up house and a well paying job in Dallas and I intend to stay here as long as I have a job. I am 59 and may not look for another job if this one is lost. We have a "Dollar Store" which we are in the process of closing.

(2) I would like to support a preaching center with focus on Book Distribution in Dallas if 4 or 5 devotees come together and want to do it.

(3) The reason I insist on staying here is that I have lot of friends in Indian Community and they may help me if I have some thing to show - in terms of devotees and facilities - some thing visible that they can grasp and relate to. They helped me in past and I hope they will do it again provided I have some thing to show. I can donate money on a monthly basis and I can help physically. That is what I can do now in regard to preaching center.

(4) My wife can be of great help in this pursuit if the atmosphere is right and she wants to stay here. She used to cook Sunday Feast at Dallas ISKCON for 9 years for 250 to 300 guests.

(5) In few years I will have income from Social Security and I am willing to use it to support preaching programs.

(6) So if 4 or 5 like minded devotees come together, I will be happy to have their association and I will try my best to provide as much help as I can in establishing such a preaching center.

That is my situation. I have tried to be as much open and forthcoming as possible in presenting above information. Please share your situation with me if you so desire. Please email your valued input/suggestions to gordhan.goyani@yahoo.com or contact me at 972-492-0188.

Please consider above points and see if we can come together and help each other in service to HDG Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna.

Wishing You All Well,
YS- Gadadhar Dasa

2006-06-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

Haribol. Srila Prabhupada sits on the vyasasana, the chair of Vyasadeva. Everything that comes from an authorized occupant of the Vyasasana is understood to have come from from Vyasadeva Himself. There are no errors at all from Srila Prabhupada. Becayuse Vyasadeva Himself is also a disciple of a disciple, he has heard from the disciple of Lord Brahma, Srila Narada Muni, the guru maharaja of Lord Vyasadeva. Srila Narada Muni explains the potential for mistakes from a pure source, as follows, and must be understood by all Vaisnava commentators of works of pure and authorized occupants of the Vyasasana: (NOTE: I am adding purport, because it is so nectarian and humbly descriptive, please read entire citation, thanx.)

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.11

On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.

PURPORT
It is a qualification of the great thinkers to pick up the best even from the worst. It is said that the intelligent man should pick up nectar from a stock of poison, should accept gold even from a filthy place, should accept a good and qualified wife even from an obscure family and should accept a good lesson even from a man or from a teacher who comes from the untouchables. These are some of the ethical instructions for everyone in every place without exception. But a saint is far above the level of an ordinary man. He is always absorbed in glorifying the Supreme Lord because by broadcasting the holy name and fame of the Supreme Lord, the polluted atmosphere of the world will change, and as a result of propagating the transcendental literatures like Srimad-Bhagavatam, people will become sane in their transactions. While preparing this commentation on this particular stanza of Srimad-Bhagavatam we have a crisis before us. Our neighboring friend China has attacked the border of India with a militaristic spirit. We have practically no business in the political field, yet we see that previously there were both China and India, and they both lived peacefully for centuries without ill feeling. The reason is that they lived those days in an atmosphere of God consciousness, and every country, over the surface of the world, was God-fearing, pure-hearted and simple, and there was no question of political diplomacy. There is no cause of quarrel between the two countries China and India over land which is not very suitable for habitation, and certainly there is no cause for fighting on this issue. But due to the age of quarrel, Kali, which we have discussed, there is always a chance of quarrel on slight provocation. This is due not to the issue in question, but to the polluted atmosphere of this age: systematically there is propaganda by a section of people to stop glorification of the name and fame of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, there is a great need for disseminating the message of Srimad-Bhagavatam all over the world. It is the duty of every responsible Indian to broadcast the transcendental message of Srimad-Bhagavatam throughout the world to do all the supermost good as well as to bring about the desired peace in the world. Because India has failed in her duty by neglecting this responsible work, there is so much quarrel and trouble all over the world. We are confident that if the transcendental message of Srimad-Bhagavatam is received only by the leading men of the world, certainly there will be a change of heart, and naturally the people in general will follow them. The mass of people in general are tools in the hands of the modern politicians and leaders of the people. If there is a change of heart of the leaders only, certainly there will be a radical change in the atmosphere of the world. We know that our honest attempt to present this great literature conveying transcendental messages for reviving the God consciousness of the people in general and respiritualizing the world atmosphere is fraught with many difficulties. Our presenting this matter in adequate language, especially a foreign language, will certainly fail, and there will be so many literary discrepancies despite our honest attempt to present it in the proper way. But we are sure that with all our faults in this connection the seriousness of the subject matter will be taken into consideration, and the leaders of society will still accept this due to its being an honest attempt to glorify the Almighty God. When there is fire in a house, the inmates of the house go out to get help from the neighbors who may be foreigners, and yet without knowing the language the victims of the fire express themselves, and the neighbors understand the need, even though not expressed in the same language. The same spirit of cooperation is needed to broadcast this transcendental message of the Srimad-Bhagavatam throughout the polluted atmosphere of the world. After all, it is a technical science of spiritual values, and thus we are concerned with the techniques and not with the language. If the techniques of this great literature are understood by the people of the world, there will be success.
When there are too many materialistic activities by the people in general all over the world, there is no wonder that a person or a nation attacks another person or nation on slight provocation. That is the rule of this age of Kali or quarrel. The atmosphere is already polluted with corruption of all description, and everyone knows it well. There are so many unwanted literatures full of materialistic ideas of sense gratification. In many countries there are bodies appointed by the state to detect and censor obscene literature. This means that neither the government nor the responsible leaders of the public want such literature, yet it is in the marketplace because the people want it for sense gratification. The people in general want to read (that is a natural instinct), but because their minds are polluted they want such literatures. Under the circumstances, transcendental literature like Srimad-Bhagavatam will not only diminish the activities of the corrupt mind of the people in general, but also it will supply food for their hankering after reading some interesting literature. In the beginning they may not like it because one suffering from jaundice is reluctant to take sugar candy, but we should know that sugar candy is the only remedy for jaundice. Similarly, let there be systematic propaganda for popularizing reading of the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam, which will act like sugar candy for the jaundicelike condition of sense gratification. When men have a taste for this literature, the other literatures, which are catering poison to society, will then automatically cease.
We are sure, therefore, that everyone in human society will welcome Srimad-Bhagavatam, even though it is now presented with so many faults, for it is recommended by Sri Narada, who has very kindly appeared in this chapter.

mahaksadasa:
So, I am not criticizing the originator of this topic, because I see the possible imperfect composition. However, if we are purified and thoroughly honest, we hear, sing, and ACCEPT, ACCEPT, ACCEPT such transcendental literature. This is the difference in the sanskrit and english scholars and the personality of Srimad Bhagavatam, srila Prabhupada. If they would only read the very first chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam, they would understand that Srila Prabhupada possibly had little interest in making perfect composition. His desire is this: TO describe the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord. This is a different creation, (not just a perfect combination of words, grammer, and even chronology), full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization.

In fact, if one understandas rasa at all, they also understand that the description of the Rajasuya sacrifice above is spoken by Arjuna to Yudhisthira, while arjuna was trying to remain alive long enough having just experianced the disappearance of Lord Krsna. Maybe arjuna got it wrong, or maybe the whole world was choked up and mortified.

Leave the books alone. Srila Prabhupadas mistakes are the source of transcendental bliss for his devotees. Just as he spoke to Govinda dasi, concerning all the sketches in the original Teachings of Lord Chaitanya that were drawn by her and Goursundara das. He was upset that the new editions had these drawings removed, but he clearly stated that these drawings had bhakti yoga in them and were very potent for all the world to see.

I dont have any use for perfectly composed literature, but I am dead without Srila Prabhupadas transcendental vision and version.

hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

2006-06-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

The lotus feet of our Spiritual Master are the only way by which we can attain pure devotional service. I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and reverence. By his grace one can cross the ocean of material suffering and obtain the mercy of Krishna.

My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating from his lotus mouth. Attachment to his lotus feet is the perfection that fulfills all desires.

He opens my darkened eyes and fills my heart with transcendental knowledge. He is my Lord birth after birth. From him ecstatic prema emanates; by him ignorance is destroyed. The Vedic scriptures sing of his character.

Our Spiritual Master is the ocean of mercy, the friend of the poor, and the lord and master of the devotees. O master! Be merciful unto me. Give me the shade of your lotus feet. Your fame is spread all over the three worlds. Prabhupada!

"This is a wonderful description of the guru, that his fame is spread all over the three worlds. The planetary systems in this universe are divided into three divisions, according to the struggle for life. In the upper planetary systems the struggle for life is much less than here, they live for thousands, millions of years without the problems that we encounter, except for birth and death, that problem they also encounter, Then there's the middle planetary systems like this one, and then there's the lower planetary systems where the struggle is even harder, like in the animal kingdom, that hard a struggle. So, the benefit derived from traveling all over the three worlds and gaining knowledge from the greatest demigods, all over the universe, that gain is there at the lotus feet of a bonafide Spiritual Master. In other words, if you could develop mystic power after thousands of years of meditation, and then travel at the speed of mind all over the universe, you couldn't get anything more valuable than the lotus feet of a pure devotee of the Lord. You couldn't achieve a greater facility, even by mystic power.

You see, love for Krishna is the most valuable power, the most valuable miracle. And therefore that miracle can be had at the lotus feet of one who serves Krishna. Otherwise any amount of phenomenon or mystic power in this material world can never add up to that most valuable, miraculous nature. So the Spiritual Master is the sum total of all the demigods, all great mystics, all great rishis, all great teachers. He opens my eyes, and fills my heart with transcendental knowledge. The Spiritual Master is meant to awaken he disciple, that we are foolishly engaged, thinking that we're enjoying although we're stuck in the cycle of birth and death, he awakens us to this principle, that you're thinking yourself very righteous, very good, but actually you're like a thief because death comes and steals everything away from you and then sends you on to your next body. That's the way that a thief is treated, isn't it? When there's a thief, someone comes, a policeman, and grabs him, takes away the stolen property and puts him in jail. See, so similarly we are like that, we're living like thieves, saying that this is my car, it's my body, it's my wife, it's my country, it's my this, my that - and death comes, "All right rascal!" and takes it all away from you, and puts you in jail.

So we're thinking we're very nice people, very friendly, very community - but actually we're all rascals, thieves number one. You see, "wanted" number one, that's all. Death is coming to take us, therefore the Spiritual Master opens our darkened eyes and fills our hearts with transcendental knowledge. From him ecstatic prema emanates; prema means transcendental love, not the lust of this material world, but the transcendental love of the spiritual world, which is eternal - that is prema. From him prema emanates..."

Vishnujana Swami.

2006-06-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

ISKCON BANGALORE IS REAL BEAUTIFUL. GO TO THEIR SITE

Srila Prabhupada's Accomplishments

By New Talavan
Posted December 19, 2005

He sent his followers, chanting the names of God, into the streets of cities and towns everywhere and Hare Krsna became famous in every corner of the earth.

He sent his disciples to London, where they recorded the single, “Hare Krsna Mantra”, with George Harrison, in 1969. It became the fastest selling of all the Apple Corporation’s releases, including those of the Beatles. The record reached #3 in Czechoslovakia, #9 in Britain, and made the top ten in Germany, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Yugoslavia, and many other countries.

He formally initiated approximately five thousand disciples. These initiates represented a sweeping diversity of nationalities, races, ethnicity, and religious backgrounds.

He established 108 Krsna temples on six continents, installed the deity of Krsna in each center and trained his disciples in the process of deity worship. Thirty-two new temples (almost three a month) were opened in a single year, between 1970 and 1971.

He inaugurated the Rathayatra Festival of Lord Jagannatha in major cities around the globe, in effect, bringing the temple to the people.

He instituted the brahmacarini ashram, something previously unheard of in Vedic culture, to give shelter to single women wishing to practice Krsna consciousness.

He instructed his disciples in 1967 to start an incense business to provide financial support for the temples. Within four years the business, Spiritual Sky Incense, generated an annual revenue of one million dollars (equivalent to $4,600,000 in 2004).

He introduced the “Sunday Love Feast” and other prasadam (sanctified food) distribution programs that provided millions of free meals to the public.

He created the world’s first chain of vegetarian restaurants.

He spoke daily on the philosophy of Krsna consciousness, delivering thousands of formal lectures. Over 2,200 were recorded and archived.

He conducted many hundreds of informal conversations on the science of Krsna consciousness with disciples, guests and friends. Over 1,300 were recorded and archived.

He had scores of interviews and philosophical discussions with news reporters, scientists, religious leaders and politicians, as well as meetings with world-renowned dignitaries and celebrities like Indira Gandhi, Allen Ginsberg, Ravi Shankar, Alice Coltrane, John Lennon and George Harrison.

He recorded more than twenty albums of devotional music.

He published the monthly magazine, Back to Godhead, which he called the backbone of his movement. At the height of its circulation in the mid seventies, over a million copies per issue were sold.

He launched the ISKCON Life Membership Program that enrolled tens of thousands of members.

He built major temples in Bombay and Vrndavana, and founded a spiritual city at Mayapur. All became international sites of pilgrimage.

He established primary schools to provide education in the principles of devotional service.

He founded the Bhaktivedanta Institute to advance Krsna consciousness within the scientific community, engaging serious academics in the consideration of the science of self-realization.

He formed the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust to unearth and renovate the holy places of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes.

He set up farm communities to teach “simple living and high thinking”, emphasizing cow protection and dependence on God and nature.

He commissioned his artist disciples to produce hundreds of illustrations of Krsna’s pastimes based on his meticulous instructions and the descriptions in his books.

He directed some of his followers to learn the Indian art of “doll making” to present Vedic philosophy through dioramas. This project became the FATE Museums.

He counseled his disciples on complex managerial, philosophical and personal issues in more than 6,000 archived letters.

He was the subject of more than 30,000 archival photos and more than seventy hours of documentary film footage.

He wrote approximately seventy books on the science of Krsna consciousness, sleeping only a few hours per day. Dozens of prominent scholars and educators from leading universities praised his work. The Encyclopedia Britannica proclaimed that his voluminous translations from the original Sanskrit and his lucid commentaries “have astounded literary and academic communities worldwide.” This feat is even more astonishing considering the translations and commentaries were in English, which was a second language to the author.

He founded the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) in 1972, to produce his books. By 1976, over 55,000,000 literatures had been published in twenty-five languages and distributed in almost every country, making the BBT the world’s largest publisher of Indian religious and philosophical texts. One printing alone of Bhagavad-gita As It Is required seventy-six train cars to ship the paper needed to print it.

He completed the entire Caitanya-caritamrta manuscript (seventeen volumes) in eighteen months.

He ordered and supervised the BBT in publishing seventeen volumes of his books in only two months time, in 1974.

He circled the globe fourteen times, visiting twenty-four countries, preaching, inspiring his followers and making countless public appearances before multitudes of people.

He skillfully managed his international society simply through letters and personal meetings, virtually without the use of a telephone.,FAX, TELETYPE OR INTERNET. (NNV DAS)

2006-06-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

The following article was submitted by Kshamabuddhi prabhu:

No Prohibition Ever Given

Ritvik methodolgy has been sanctioned for the post-samadhi stage of ISKCON
by Srila Prabhupada by the fact that a prohibition to do so is conspicuous
by it's absence.

It is only a logical proposition that if Srila Prabhupada did not want the
rtvik system to continue in ISKCON after his departure he would have made a
clear and concise pronouncement to the ISKCON administration and devotees in
general to not try and continue the rtvik system after his departure.

After having the rtvik system in place for more than a decade in ISKCON,
surely Srila Prabhupada would have understood that if he did not explicitly
prohibit the ISKCON administration from continuing the rtvik system after
his departure that there would be a good number of disciples who would
expect and insist that the rtvik system stay in place after the
disappearance of Srila Prabhupada.

Without a clear directive to dismantle the rtvik system after his departure
it is only natural that many disciples would presume that the rtvik system
was to be continued after the departure of Srila Prabhupada. Surely, Srila
Prabhupada could foresee that if he did not mandate the dismantling of the
rtvik system after his departure that many disciples would feel there is no
precedent for stopping the rtvik system and that internal conflict would
plague ISKCON?

With one simple statement or one sentence Srila Prabhupada could have
completely averted any conflict or misunderstandings and totally disarmed
rtvik advocates of the post-samadhi period. If Srila Prabhupada would have
just made one recorded statement or one verifiable directive that "you
cannot continue the rtvik system after I am gone", the rtvik proponents
would not have had a leg to stand on and IRM could never have had one iota
of legitimacy. Instead, Srila Prabhupada conducted his affairs in a way that
very much lended fuel and support to the rtvik proponents. Just a few weeks
before his departure, in repsonse to the GBC's request for guidance as to
how the movement would go on after his departure, Srila Prabhupada appointed
the 11 rtviks who would perform the duties previously entrusted only to the
personal secretary who was in term service to Srila Prabhupada. Why would
Srila Prabhupada establish these 11 rtviks in this way if they were only to
serve in that capacity for a few weeks of Srila Prabhupada's last days.? Why
would he make so much trouble for something that would only be in effect for
a few weeks? He felt that his time to leave was coming soon and the GBC
members felt the same thing. Why would he transfer all this rtvik power to
these 11 men if he felt it was only going to be in effect for a few weeks?

The GBC sent Satsvarupa das Goswami to Srila Prabhupada to ask him how the
movement would go on after his departure. His response was that shortly
therefafter he appointed the 11 rtivks. How they can then come back and say
that this was not intended to be a permanent arrangement for ISKCON is
really beyond imagination.

The fact that Srila Prabhup[ada intended the rtvik system to continue after
his departure is quite evident by the fact that there is not one single
word, not one sentence or statement of Srila Prabhupada where he warns his
disicples not to try and continue the rtvik system after his departure.
Surely he could have foreseen problems if he did not make such a
pronouncement?

Without any mandate or directive to dismantle the rtvik system that Srila
Prabhupada very deliberatly installed in ISKCON, there is no authority or
justification to do so. Unless and until Srila Prabhupada says "you must
dismantle the rtvik system after I am gone", there is not sanction to do so.

Srila Prabhupada never authorized the GBC to dismantle the rtvik system at
any time or under any circumstances. He never mentioned any situation in
which there would be a necessity for dismantling the rtvik system.

In the absence of any sanction or authority from Srila Prabhupada for
dismantling the rtvik system, there is no one who has the right or the
authority to do so, even if prominent Vaishnavas of the Gaudiya Math or it's
offshoots say that there is.

If Srila Prabhupada would have wanted the rtvik system dismantled after his
departure he would surely have given instructions to do so. Otherwise, we
are indicating that Srila Prabhupada was being inattentive or negligent in
failing to give clear and concise directions about dismantling the rtvik
system. Without such orders and directions, a fratricidal war within ISKCON
was to be assured if anyone tried to dismantle the rtvik system without any
sanction or authority from Srila Prabhupada.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that without sanction or
authority nobody had any right to dismantle the rtvik system of Srila
Prabhupada.

To do something as important and monumental as dismantling the rtvik system
in ISKCON requires no less than a direct order and directive from Srila
Prabhupada. Such a directive does not exist. Not one word, not one
statement, not even a hint of a direct order from Srila Prabhupada that the
rtvik system could not be continued after his departure.

It's absolutely incredible that the GBC could possibly think they have any
right or authority to dismantle the rtvik system when in fact they have not
one word from Srila Prabhupada to support that action.

If, in the last days, the GBC and the 11 rtviks understood that Srila
Prabhupada was appointing gurus and not rtviks, then they could have easily
petitioned Srila Prabhupada to explain to all the ISKCON members that the
rtvik system could not be continued after his departure. They could have
asked him to issue a statement and directive to that effect. In truth, they
did not ask Srila Prabhupada to clear up this matter because they knew that
Srila Prabhupada was not intending or instructing any such thing. If they
could have gotten even one sentence from Srila Prabhupada to that effect
then the rtvik proponents would not have any crediblity whatsoever. They
never aksed Srila Prabhupada to make such a pronouncement because they knew
they could not get it because this was not at all what Srila Prabhupada was
trying to set-up for the future of ISKCON.

The prohibition against the post-samadhi rtvik system is very much
conspicuous by it's absence. In fact, it gives the rtvik proponents all the
sanction and authority they need to execute the actual will and mission of
Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada was no fool. If he would have wanted the rtvik system to be
dismantled after his departure he would have given clear instructions as
such.

Kshamabuddhi das
December 14, 2005

2006-06-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

There is much discussion nowadays about what constitutes diksha, the process of disciplic succession and the principles of srota parampara. Srota parampara is the process of passing on spiritual knowledge of the sruti, the authorized scriptures and teachings of the acharyas, from guru to disciple. We also know this srota parampara as the Bhagavat parampara. The Bhagavat parampara was revealed by the Goswamis of Vrindavan and established on the principles and authority of Srimad Bhagavatam.

What we don’t hear much about in the discussions is a less known form of srota pantha that occurs in the realm of thought. Ultimately, sounds convey a conception. The sound means something. The sound transfers a thought. The transferal of conception and thought via sound vibration and language is known as srota pantha - the process of hearing from authorities.

The ideal of srota parampara goes beyond the realm of mental speculation. Hearing from self-realized souls who have accepted the process of srota pantha and thus attained self-realization is the direct and perfect basis of Bhakti-yoga. When these self-realized souls speak their realizations and present sruti in different languages and cultures, their words and instructions become as good as sruti. After all, sruti is just the teachings and revelations of the Vedic sages. When modern self-realized sages formulate religious systems in new languages and modern societies, their instructions, principles and guidelines are then as good as sruti or any ancient religious system. The ancient sages had no monopoly on sruti. Modern sages and self-realized devotees who have also attained to the platform beyond mental speculation and have drunk the pure waters of the great wellspring of the absolute truth must then also preach, teach and establish religious systems that are practical for different cultures and different societies according to their own time in history.

The books of Srila Prabhupada and his purports, as well as his letters and other authorized documents are no less important or relevant than the Vedic scriptures and the Gaudiya canon. These words, teachings, principles and instructions of Srila Prabhupada are actually living sruti that have manifested in the English language and the whole western society. Because these teachings and instructions have been given by a contemporary acharya and adapted to modern time, place and circumstance, they are actually more relevant, more important and more effective than the sruti of ancient sages from thousands of years ago.

Now, this process of srota parampara is generally understood as direct aural reception of the sruti at the feet of the guru. However, there is another form of srota parampara in the form of written texts in various languages. As the spoken word is simply a verbal process for transmitting thought, so also is the written words formed by the Alphabet.

Ultimately, sound and text perform the same function of transmitting thoughts, ideas, instructions and conceptions. The spoken word is really no better or no different than the written word in that they both serve the same purpose of transmitting thought. The spoken word is no more powerful or effective than the written word. Otherwise, the sruti would never have been put down in the written form, nor would all the great acharyas have taken so much trouble to write the vast canon of spiritual literatures. 5000 years ago Srila Vyasadeva put the sruti down in writing in the form of text. If this were not a viable form of srota parampara, then he would not have taken the trouble.

Understanding this principle, Srila Prabhupada initiated many disciples via letter, tape recording and photocopy text of the mantras.

This is why the new devotees coming to Krishna consciousness through the books of Srila Prabhupada have all the same access and opportunity as the original members of ISKCON. The original members of ISKCON have no monopoly on Srila Prabhupada or his teachings, blessings and mercy. New devotees coming to Krishna consciousness can many times actually surpass some of the original members of ISKCON in spiritual realization depending on how deep and how serious they take to the books and teachings of Srila Prabhupada.

Sometimes we hear some of the original members of ISKCON refer to Srila Prabhupada as “my gurudeva” or “my spiritual master” as they preach their own message to their own disciples, as if to presume that Srila Prabhupada is not the gurudeva or spiritual master of new devotees coming to Krishna consciousness. It’s as if these original members of ISKCON are claiming to have some monopoly on access and service to Srila Prabhupada - that all the newcomers to Krishna consciousness cannot accept Srila Prabhupada as their Lord and Savior.

However, Srila Prabhupada explains in his own writings:

“Accepting the thoughts of exalted authorities through disciplic succession is certainly much easier than the method of mental speculation, by which one tries to invent some means to understand the absolute truth. The best process is to accept the instructions of the previous acharyas and follow them” [SB canto 7,ch. 9 text 18 purport]

The books of Srila Prabhupada are a vast compilation of the thoughts and instructions of Srila Prabhupada and so many great devotees, sages and acharyas. Through the written word, these great self-realized souls can impart their most intimate thoughts and instructions in a manner no less useful and effective than the spoken word.

The original members of ISKCON have no monopoly on hearing directly from Srila Prabhupada. We have his books, his tapes, his letters, his documents and videos that perform the function of srota pantha.

The attempt to deny the newcomers to Krishna consciousness the right to accept Srila Prabhupada as their Lord and Savior, if they so desire, is the greatest atrocity of the Krishna consciousness movement.

If aural reception were the only process and the only resource for acquiring spiritual knowledge through the srota parampara, then we would not have the books, tapes and videos of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada offered his books to the whole world and it is a shameless disgrace that the new devotees that Srila Prabhupada is still making all over the world through his books are now being told that Srila Prabhupada is not their guru and that they must accept some formal initiation from someone who claims to have a monopoly on discipleship to Srila Prabhupada.

By reading the books of Srila Prabhupada we are intimately associating with him in the realm of thought. That association is actually more intimate and more effective than the physical association that the original members of ISKCON shared.

Thus, this attempt to deprive newcomers to Krishna consciousness the same recognition as disciples of Srila Prabhupada that the original members of ISKCO had is most unfair and most deplorable. Srila Prabhupada set-up a process by which all the devotees that he was making around the world through his books could become initiated as his disciples in ISKCON. That really did not have to change after he left his body. Leaving his body did not mean that he was leaving ISKCON. Why does leaving his body have to equate with leaving ISKCON? He is still very much alive in ISKCON though his books, his murti, his disciples and his tapes and videos - even his spiritual presence.

With the written word, the books of Srila Prabhupada, you can still hear him loud and clear in your heart. This is where we want to meet him anyway. We want to associate with Srila Prabhupada in the realm of though with our heart and mind. There is no higher and no better way to have direct association with Srila Prabhupada.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

2006-06-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

By nature living entities have particular types of body and particular types of psychic and biological activities accordingly. There are four classes of men functioning in the three material modes of nature. Those who are purely in the mode of goodness are called brahmanas. Those who are purely in the mode of passion are called ksatriyas. Those who are in the modes of both passion and ignorance are called vaisyas. Those who are completely in ignorance are called sudras. And those who are less than that are animals or animal life. However, these designations are not permanent. I may either be a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya or whatever -- in any case, this life is temporary. But although life is temporary and we do not know what we are going to be in the next life, still, by the spell of this illusory energy, we consider ourselves in the light of this bodily conception of life, and we thus think that we are American, Indian, Russian or brahmana, Hindu, Muslim, etc. And if we become entangled with the modes of material nature, then we forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is behind all these modes. So Lord Krsna says that men, deluded by these three modes of nature, do not understand that behind the material background is the Supreme Godhead.

2006-05-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

: Who is the current Guru of the Hare Krishna Movement?

Ans 1: Srila Prabhupada, the founder is also the Guru for the whole of ISKCON as long as ISKCON exists.

Q2 : But Srila Prabhupada departed from the world in 1977 - how can he continue to be the Guru?

Ans2: Before Srila Prabhupada departed he set up an unique management system by which ISKCON would be managed.

As he prepared to depart he set up a system of using ritvik priests to manage the performance of the diksa ceremonies on his behalf. His signed final letter on this subject is given below:

Letter Begins

ISKCON INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada July 9th, 1977

To All G.B.C., and Temple Presidents Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet. Recently when all of the GBC members were with His Divine Grace in Vrndavana, Srila Prabhupada indicated that soon He would appoint some of His senior disciples to act as ritvik-representative of the acharya, for the purpose of performing initiations, both first initiation and second initiation. His Divine Grace has so far given a list of eleven disciples who will act in that capacity:

His Holiness Kirtanananda
Swami His Holiness Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami
His Holiness Jayapataka Swami
His Holiness Tamala Krsna Gosvami
His Holiness Hrdayananda Gosvami
His Holiness Bhavananda Gosvami
His Holiness Hamsaduta Swami
His Holiness Ramesvara Swami
His Holiness Harikesa Swami
His Grace Bhagavan dasa Adhikari
His Grace Jayatirtha dasa Adhikari

In the past Temple Presidents have written to Srila Prabhupada recommending a particular devotee's initiation. Now that Srila Prabhupada has named these representatives, Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendation for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their temple. After considering the recommendation, these representatives may accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of second initiation, by chanting on the Gayatri thread, just as Srila Prabhupada has done. The newly initiated devotees are disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the above eleven senior devotees acting as His representative. After the Temple President receives a letter from these representatives giving the spiritual name or the thread, he can perform the fire yajna in the temple as was being done before. The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has accepted him or her to Srila Prabhupada, to be included in His Divine Grace's "Initiated Disciples" book.

Hoping this finds you all well.

Your servant,

Signed Secretary to Srila Prabhupada

Approved
Signed by Srila Prabhupada

Letter ends

It states 3 times that Srila Prabhupada would continue to remain the initiating Guru. He also set up a system of using Governing Body Commissioners to manage the whole of ISKCON including the ritvik system that Srila Prabhupada set up. However these commissioners can ONLY carry out and maintain instructions that Srila Prabhupada has already given.

Q3 :How are people recruited in your movement?

Ans 3: We distribute books and people read them and start associating with us. Then gradually they learn and understand the entire philosophy, the goal of our life and when they are convinced they decide to live with us. But practicing Krishna consciousness in not just within the scope of a temple, you can practice the principles of bhakti yoga in your house also and associate with the temple as a congregation.

Q4 : Do you accept just anyone in your movement?

Ans 4: We accept everyone from any race, religion, economic situation or whatever. Only we ask that whoever lives in the temples as a full time devotee must follow our principles and attend the schedule of programs in the temple (like morning mangala arati, Bhagavatam Class etc). . Otherwise anyone can become a congregational member and live outside the temple and come for programs when he likes and follow as he can. Or one can, if he is stricter, make his home into a preaching center.

Q5 : Do you have enough money for medical care (dentist, doctor, etc.)?

Ans 5: Generally, devotees who live in our temples are cultivating renunciation and thus do not often have funds of their own. But all of their medical needs are taken care of by the temples in which they are serving.

Q6 : Where do you get the money from to support your movement?

Ans 6: The Lord maintains all living entities throughout the universe, so surely He will maintain His devotees. We are a world wide religious and cultural movement with over 350 centers in 76 countries, and not just a couple of weird "sect" members. We receive money mainly through donations from our working householder members, congregation, life members, and from the general public. We also receive money from sale of devotional paraphernalia, from our world famous restaurants. Besides that, many of our projects, like Food For Life Emergency Relief are sponsored by some corporate.

Q7: Is your movement not merely an attempt to escape reality?

Ans 7: History has made it ample clear that "reality" from a material point of view has always been a matter of time, place and circumstances. Cultural trends and general believes are the social facets that shape whatever a specific community of people will consider acceptable or rejectable, normal or abnormal, real or illusory. These norms are relative and subject to constant change. Moreover, they can be carefully controlled and manipulated by sophisticated propaganda techniques. The spiritual reality found in the ancient Vedic literatures is beyond time, place and circumstances as it deals with and originates from the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is always truth, and therefore actual reality. It is never subject to interpretation or speculation, cultural trends or opinions. It was reality millions of years ago, is reality now and will still be reality after millions of years. We follow these scriptures in affirming that reality is our eternal loving relationship with God, full of bliss and knowledge, and not our temporary stay in this material world full of suffering and misery. Material, cultural reality has no answers to the actual workings of nature, its past, present and future, life and its origin, the goal of existence and everything else beyond its narrow-minded little attempts to explain everything in terms of matter. In that sense its position is like that of an ant trying to explain the light at the end of a light post. All speculation. Spiritual reality is different. The temporary material world finds its origin in the spiritual realm. Spiritual reality is the only actual reality from which all relative realities sprout. It has all the answers. So from this angle of vision the answer is: no, it is a sincere attempt to get closer to reality.

Q8: Why does you movement criticize technology and at the same time make use of it?

Ans 8: We do not criticize or condemn technology. We criticize what it is used for and the attitude that science and technology are the only important things in the world. Science and technology are means to an end, tools which are helpful if properly used, harmful otherwise. Properly used means that they are used in the service of the Supreme Lord, Krishna. The material world and everything in it belongs to Krishna and everything should therefore be used for His pleasure. We think people would be happier if life were materially simpler, if they had fewer distractions from concentration on their relationship with Lord Krishna, but we take the world as we find it. Utility is the principle.

2006-05-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

Srila Prabhupada: What is the meaning of the word Christ?

Father Emmanuel: Christ comes from the Greek word Christos, meaning "the anointed one".

Srila Prabhupada: Christos is the Greek version of the word Krishna.

Father Emmanuel: This is very interesting.

Srila Prabhupada: When an Indian person calls on Krishna, he often says, "Krsta". Krsta is a Sanskrit word meaning "attraction". So when we address God as "Christ", "Krsta", or "Krishna" we indicate the same all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. When Jesus said, " Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be Thy name," the name of God was Krsta or Krishna. Do you agree?

Father Emmanuel: I think Jesus, as the son of God, has revealed to us the actual name of God: Christ. We can call God "Father", but if we want to address Him by His actual name, we have to say "Christ".

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. "Christ" is another way of saying Krsta and Krsta is another way of pronouncing Krishna, the name of God. Jesus said that one should glorify the name of God, but yesterday I heard one theologian say that God has no name -- that we can call Him only "Father". A son may call his father "Father", but the father also has a specific name. Similarly, God is the general name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose specific name is Krishna. Therefore whether you call God "Christ", "Krsta", or "Krishna", ultimately you are addressing the same Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Father Emmanuel: Yes, if we speak of God's actual name, then we must say, "Christos". In our religion we have the Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe we can know the name of God only by revelation from the son of God. Jesus Christ revealed the name of the Father, and therefore we take the name "Christ" as the revealed name of God.

Srila Prabhupada: Actually, it doesn't matter -- Krishna or Christ -- the name is the same. The main point is to follow the injunctions of the Vedic scriptures that recommend chanting the name of God in this age. The easiest way is to chant the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. Rama and Krishna are names of God and Hare is the energy of God. So when we chant the maha-mantra we address God along with His energy. This energy is of two kinds, the spiritual and the material. At present we are in the clutches of the material energy. Therefore we pray to Krishna that He may kindly deliver us from the service of the material energy and accept us into the service of the spiritual energy. This is our whole philosophy. Hare Krishna means, "O energy of God, O God (Krishna), please engage me in Your service." It is our nature to render service. Somehow or other we have come to the service of material things, but when this service is transformed into the service of the spiritual energy, then our life is perfect. To practice bhakti-yoga [loving service to God] means to become free from designations like Hindu, Muslim, Christian, this or that, and simply to serve God. We have created Christian, Hindu and Mohammedan religions, but when we come to a religion without designations, in which we don't think we are Hindus or Christians or Mohammedans, then we can speak of pure religion, or bhakti.

Father Emmanuel: Mukti? [liberation from material miseries]

Srila Prabhupada: No, bhakti. When we speak of bhakti, mukti is included. Without bhakti, there is no mukti, but if we act on the platform of bhakti, then mukti is included. We learn this from the Bhagavad-gita (14.26):

mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

"One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down under any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman."

Father Emmanuel: Is Brahman Krishna?

Srila Prabhupada: Krishna is Parabrahman. Brahman is realised in three aspects: as impersonal Brahman, as localised Paramatma and as personal Brahman. Krishna is personal and He is the Supreme Brahman, for God is ultimately a person. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.11), this is confirmed:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj-jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmati
bhagavan iti sabdyate

"Learned transcendentalists, who know the Absolute Truth, call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan." The feature of the Supreme Personality is the ultimate realisation of God. He has all six opulences in full: He is the strongest, the richest, the most beautiful, the most famous, the wisest and the most renounced.

Father Emmanuel: Yes, I agree.

Srila Prabhupada: Because God is absolute, His name, His form and His qualities are all absolute and they are nondifferent from Him. Therefore to chant God's holy name means to associate directly with Him. When one associates with God one acquires Godly qualities and when one is completely purified he becomes an associate of the Supreme Lord.

Father Emmanuel: But our understanding of the name of God is limited.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, we are limited, but God is unlimited. And because He is unlimited, or absolute, he has unlimited names, each if which is God. We can understand His names as much as our spiritual understanding is developed.

What is the difference between Krishna consciousness and Christianity?

Father Emmanuel: May I ask a question? We Christians also preach love of God, and we try to realise love of God and render service to Him with all our heart and all our soul. Now, what is the difference between your movement and ours? Why do you send your disciples to the Western countries to preach love of God when the gospel of Jesus Christ is propounding the same message?

Srila Prabhupada: The problem is that the Christians do not follow the commandments of God. Do you agree?

Father Emmanuel: Yes, to a large extent you're right.

Srila Prabhupada: Then what is the meaning of the Christians' love for God? If you do not follow the orders of God, then where is your love? Therefore we have come to teach what it means to love God. If you love Him you cannot be disobedient to His orders. And if you are disobedient your love is not real.

Srila Prabhupada: All over the world people don't love God. They love their dogs. The Krishna consciousness movement is therefore necessary to teach people how to revive their forgotten love for God. Not only the Christians, but also the Hindus, the Mohammedans and all others are guilty. They have rubber-stamped themselves as Christian, Hindu or Mohammedan, but they do not obey God. This is the problem

Visitor: Can we say in what way the Christians are disobedient?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. The first point is they violate the commandment "Thou shall not kill" by maintaining slaughterhouses. Do you agree that this commandment is being violated?

Father Emmanuel: Personally, I agree.

Srila Prabhupada: Good. So if the Christians want to love God, they must stop killing animals.

Father Emmanuel: But isn't the most important point...

Srila Prabhupada: If you miss one point there is a mistake in your calculation. Regardless of what you add or subtract after that the mistake is already in the calculation and everything that follows will also be faulty. We cannot simply accept the part of the scripture we like and reject what we don't like and still expect to get the result. For example, a hen lays eggs with it's back part and eats with it's beak. A farmer may consider, "The front part of the hen is very expensive because I have to feed it. Better to cut it off." But if the head is missing there will be no eggs any more because the body is dead. Similarly, if we reject the difficult part of the scriptures and obey the part we like, such an interpretation will not help us. We have to accept all the injunctions of the scriptures as they are given , not just those that suit us. If you do not follow the first order, "Thou shall not kill," then where is the question of love of God?

Visitor: Christians take this commandment to be applicable to human beings, not to animals.

Srila Prabhupada: That would mean Christ was not intelligent enough to use the right word: murder. There is killing, and there is murder, Murder refers to human beings. Do you think Jesus was not intelligent enough to use the right word. Killing means any kind of killing and especially animal killing. If Jesus had meant simply the killing of humans he would have used the word murder.

* Mathew:5:21: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
* Mark:10:19: Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
* Luke:18:20: Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
* Romans:13:9: For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
* James:2:11: For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

Father Emmanuel: But in the Old Testament the commandment "Thou shall not kill" does refer to murder. And when Jesus said, "Thou shall not kill," he extended the commandment to mean a human being should not only refrain from killing another human being, but should also treat him with love. He never spoke about man's relationship with other living entities but only about his relationship with other human beings. When he said, "thou shall not kill," he also meant in the mental and emotional sense -- that you should not insult anyone or hurt him, treat him badly and so on.

Srila Prabhupada: We are not concerned with this or that testament but only with the words used in the commandments. If you want to interpret these words, that is something else. We understand the direct meaning. "Thou shall not kill" means, "The Christians should not kill." You may put forward interpretations in order to continue the present way of action but we understand very clearly there is no need for interpretation. Interpretation is necessary if things are not clear. "Thou shall not kill" is a clear instruction. Why should we interpret it?

Father Emmanuel: Isn't the eating of plants also killing?

Srila Prabhupada: The Vaisnava philosophy teaches that we should not even kill plants unnecessarily. In the Bhagavad-gita (9.26) Krishna says:

patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah

"If someone offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water, I will accept it." We offer Krishna only the kind of food He demands, and then we eat the remnants. If offering vegetarian food to Krishna were sinful, then it would be Krishna's sin, not ours. But God is apapa-vijna -- sinful reactions are not applicable to Him. He is like the sun, which is so powerful that it can purify even urine -- something impossible for us to do. Krishna is also like a king, who may order a murderer to be hanged, but who himself is not subject to punishment because he is very powerful. Eating food first offered to the Lord is also something like a soldier's killing during wartime. In a war, when the commander orders a man to attack, the obedient soldier who kills the enemy will get a medal. But if the same soldier kills someone on his own he will be punished. Similarly when we eat only prasada [the remnants of food offered to Krishna], we do not commit any sin. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (3.13):

yajna-sistasinah santo
mucyante sarva-kilbisaih
bhunjate te tu agham papa
ye pacanty atma-karanat

"The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food that is first offered for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin."

Father Emmanuel: Krishna cannot give permission to eat animals?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes -- in the animal kingdom. But the civilized human being, the religious human being is not meant to kill and eat animals. If you stop killing animals and chant the holy name Christ, everything will be perfect. I have not come to teach you, but only to request you to please chant the name of God. The Bible also demands this of you. So let's kindly cooperate and chant, and if you have a prejudice about chanting the name Krishna then chant "Christos" or "Krsta" -- there is no difference. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said: namnam akari bahu-dha nija-sarva-saktis. "God has millions and millions of names, and because there is no difference between God's name and Himself, each one of these names has the same potency as God." Therefore even if you accept designations like Hindu, Christian or Mohammedan, if you simply chant the name of God found in your own scriptures, you will attain the spiritual platform. Human life is meant for self-realisation -- to learn how to love God. That is the actual beauty of man. Whether you discharge this duty as a Hindu, a Christian or a Mohammedan, it doesn't matter -- but do it?

Father Emmanuel: I agree.

Srila Prabhupada: [pointing to a string of 108 meditation beads] We always have these beads, just as you have your rosary. You are chanting, but why don't the other Christians also chant? Why should they miss this opportunity as human beings? Cats and dogs cannot chant, but we can because we have a human tongue. If we chant the holy names of God, we cannot loose anything; on the contrary, we gain greatly. My disciples practice chanting Hare Krishna constantly. They could also go to the cinema, or do so many other things, but they have given everything up. They eat neither fish nor meat nor eggs, they don't take intoxicants, they don't drink, they don't smoke, they don't partake in gambling, they don't speculate and they don't maintain illicit sexual connections. But they do chant the holy name of God. If you would like to cooperate with us then go to the other churches and chant, "Christ", "Krishna" or "Krsta". What could be the objection?

Instead of keeping the churches closed, why not give them to us?

Father Emmanuel: There is none. For my part I would be glad to join you.

Srila Prabhupada: No. We are speaking with you as a representative of the Christian church. Instead of keeping the churches closed why not give them to us? We would chant the holy name of God there twenty-four hours a day. In many places we have bought churches that were practically closed because no one was going there. In London I saw hundreds of churches that were closed or used for mundane purposes. We bought one such church in Los Angeles. It was sold because no one came there, but if you visit the same church today, you will see thousands of people. Any intelligent person can understand what God is in five minutes; it doesn't require five hours.

Father Emmanuel: I understand.

Srila Prabhupada: But the people do not. Their disease is that they don't want to understand.

Visitor: I think understanding God is not a question of intelligence but a question of humility.

Srila Prabhupada: Humility means intelligence. "The humble and meek own the kingdom of God." This is stated in the Bible, is it not? But the philosophy of the rascals is that everyone is God and today this idea has become popular. Therefore no one is humble and meek. If everybody thinks he is God, why should he be humble and meek? Therefore I teach my disciples how to become humble and meek. They always offer their respectful obeisances in the temple and to the spiritual master, and in this way they make advancement. The qualities of humbleness and meekness lead very quickly to spiritual realisation. In the Vedic scriptures it is said, "To those who have firm faith in God and the spiritual master, who is His representative, the meaning of the Vedic scriptures is revealed."

Father Emmanuel: But shouldn't this humility be offered to everyone else also?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, but there are two kinds of respect: special and ordinary. Sri Krishna Caitanya taught that we shouldn't expect honour for ourselves, but should always respect everyone else, even if he is disrespectful to us. But special respect should be given to God and His pure devotee.

Father Emmanuel: Yes, I agree.

Srila Prabhupada: I think the Christian priests should cooperate with the Krishna consciousness movement. They should chant the name of Christ or Christos and should stop condoning the slaughter of animals. This program follows the teachings of the Bible; it is not my philosophy. Please act accordingly and you will see how the world situation will change.

Father Emmanuel: Thank you very much

Srila Prabhupada: Hare Krishna!

2006-05-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

Simply our prayer should be, My dear Krishna, please remind me to always chant Your Holy Name, please do not put me into forgetfulness. You are sitting within me as Supersoul, so you can put me into forgetfulness or into remembering You. So please do not put me into forgetfulness. Please always remind me to chant, even You send me into the hell, it doesn't matter, just so long as I can always chant Hare Krishna.
- Letter to Devananda

What one should do is chant the Holy Name of the Lord with faith, enthusiasm, and firm conviction on the statement of Lord Caitanya that simply by chanting the Maha Mantra one can be gradually elevated to the highest platform of spiritual perfection.
- Letter to Kanupriya

your prayer of the Hare Krishna Mantra means addressing Radha and Krishna for being engaged in Their service. Hare Krishna means "Oh Hare, Oh Radharani! Oh Krishna! Please engage me in Your service so that I can get relief from the service of Maya.
- Letter to Subala

Compare what you were before to what you have become, now challenge any other mantra to produce such effect. You know it, now try to realize it yourself and convince others, that is Krishna Consciousness.
- Letter to Madhavananda

By offenseless chanting, when we associate with Krsna through His Holy Name, then all inauspicious things are cleared from the heart. So wherever you are you should always go on chanting, and that in itself will bring all perfection.
- Letter to Cintamani

2006-05-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hare Krishna prabhus;

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

As we listen to and read Srila Prabhupada's books etc, we hear him explain many things to us with analogies.

These analogies are not just colorful stories! They are actually preaching tools that help us to understand and explain to others, so that they can more easily understand the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness.

I would like to start this thread for posting Srila Prabhupada's analogies to help us in our preaching to others, particularly those who are not familiar with Krishna Consciousness.

Please post any analogies that you come across in your reading and listening.

Haribol
your servant,
Rukmini-Devi dasi

Devotee and Cat's Kitten (Srimad Bhagavatam; 9:13:9)

For a devotee there is no pain, pleasure or material perfection. One may argue that at the time of death a devotee also suffers because of giving up his material body. But in this connection the example may be given that a cat carries a mouse in its mouth and also carries a kitten in its mouth. Both the mouse and the kitten are carried in the same mouth, but the perception of the mouse is different from that of the kitten. When a devotee gives up his body tyaktva deham, he is ready to go back home, back to Godhead. Thus his perception is certainly different from that of a person being taken away by Yamaraja for punishment.
Demigod Worship and Travel Ticket (SB 2:3:9)

One should not desire any sort of material enjoyment, being sensible enough to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The leaders of nonsensical persons are still more nonsensical because they preach openly and foolishly that one can worship any form of demigod and get the same result. This sort of preaching is not only against the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita, or those of Srimad-Bhagavatam, but is also foolish, just as it is foolish to claim that with the purchase of any travel ticket one may reach the same destination. No one can reach Bombay from Delhi by purchasing a ticket for Baroda.

Demigods and Sun (SB 2:10:8)

Each and every individual in the material world is controlled by the higher demigods. For example, we have our senses, but the senses are controlled by superior controlling deities. We cannot see without light, and the supreme controller of light is the sun. The sun-god is in the sun planet, and we, the individual human beings or any other being on this earth, are all controlled by the sun-god as far as our eyes are concerned. Similarly, all the senses we have are controller by the superior demigods, who are also as much living entities as we are, but one is empowered while the other is controlled.

Demigods and Prison Trustees (SB 3:5:51)

The demigods are amongst the conditioned souls who have developed the pure cosciousness of service to the Lord but who at the same time continue to desire to lord it over the material energy. Such mixed consciousness puts a conditioned soul in the position of managingg the affairs of this cration. The demigods are entrusted leaders of the conditioned souls. As some of the old prisoners in government jails are entrusted with some responsible work of prison managament, so the demigods are improved conditioned souls acting as representatives of the Lord in the material creation.

These are great to remember!

2006-05-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

RADHA-DAMODARA Temple

This brief article will hopefully serve as a guide in helping devotees to understand how to detect Srila Prabhupada's original books. We may just say that in the past on different websites certain books have been advertised as being original when in fact on closer observation they have proven to be changed. Whether this was deliberate or done unintentionally is a subject matter for debate but the fact remains that there is still considerable confusion on the matter. We were fortunate to have a full set of Srila Prabhupada's originals(first printings) and thus started making a comparison. Random checks were done just as a simple test and on every single one of those checks changes were found. The fact that changes were found leaves sufficient room for doubting that entire volumes may well be riddled with changes.

This is a great Krishna Conscious site that offers Prabhupada as he is! Go to their web-site and forum. If you want to help these honest devotees or if you live in the Montreal Canada area please E-mail radhadamodar@gmail.com.

2006-05-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

"The Final Order"

READ IT HERE —

Since the July 9^th letter really is the final instruction on initiation within ISKCON, addressed as it was to the entire Movement, it must be viewed in a category of its own. It will be shown that the full acceptance and implementation of this order does not in any way clash with the teachings of Srila Prabhupada.

2006-05-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

Mantra Meditation

"For some of you who haven’t heard of this type of meditation before, this is called mantra meditation. The word man means mind, and tra means to free. So the sounds we are singing from the ancient Sanskrit language of India are actually very powerful sound formulas which are meant to free the mind of all anxieties and all misconceptions of our self and everything around us. This mantra meditation actually is very easily practiced; even a child can allow his body to sway and allow this sound vibration to swim around his being.

This sound vibration is so wonderful that if you allow your mind to absorb in it then automatically you can reach the reservoir of pleasure. That’s what the name Hare means; Hare means the reservoir of pleasure, Krishna means all-attractive, and Rama means the enjoyer. So these three words – Hare, Krishna, and Rama – are put into this formula: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. And this formula will stop the wandering of the mind and will stop the mind from accepting one thing and then rejecting it for another: accepting-rejecting. This is usually what are mind does. It accepts something for pleasure, then it rejects it and goes on to something else for pleasure. In this way the mind is always kept wandering and it never finds that reservoir of pleasure.

So in yoga the whole idea is to come in touch with this reservoir of pleasure. Then the mind no longer has to reject it and go on to something else, but can remain ever expanding in this ecstasy. And this is what we experience from this chanting. The proof of the pudding is in tasting it. We invite everyone to dive into this pudding, dive into this nectarean flow of this manrta – Hare, Krishna, and Rama. So we’re going to chant some more songs along with Hare Krishna, then there’ll be a lecture on this science of yoga and a lecture about this festival, what we’re celebrating here today with this little castle we’re building out of flowers. And then after that we’ll serve a beautiful vegetarian feast. You’re all going to be invited to help us decorate this house, by the way. Right after the lecture we’ll invite everyone to chant around this house and decorate it with us..."

Vishnujana Swami

2006-05-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Jayananda goes back to Godhead-

Letter to Jayananda 77-05-05

My Dear Jayananda,

Please accept my blessings.

I am feeling very intensely your separation. In 1967 you joined me in San Francisco. You were driving my car and chanting Hare Krishna. You were the first man to give me some contribution ($5,000) for printing my Bhagavad-Gita. After that, you have rendered very favorable service to Krishna in different ways. I so hope at the time of your death you were remembering Krishna and as such, you have been promoted to the eternal association of Krishna. If not, if you had any tinge of material desire, you have gone to the celestial kingdom to live with the demigods for many thousands of years and enjoy the most opulent life of material existence. From there you can promote yourself to the spiritual world. But even if one fails to promote himself to the spiritual world, at that time he comes down again on the surface of this globe and takes birth in a big family like a yogi's or a brahmana's or an aristocratic family, where there is again chance of reviving Krishna Consciousness. But as you were hearing Krishna-kirtan, I am sure that you were directly promoted to Krishna-loka.

janma karma ca me divyam

evam yo vetti tattvatah

tyaktva deham punar janma

naiti man eti so' rjuna

Krishna has done a great favor to you, not to continue your diseased body, and has given you a suitable place for your service. Thank you very much.

Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

note- in this regards, Gauridasa Pandit Dasa was there when Srila Prabhupada first heard the news that Jayananda left his body, and heard Prabhupada say that Jayananda went back to Godhead -

What a great soul Jayananda is!

2006-05-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

SRILA PRABHUPADA'S
"PROTECT A COW"
SANCTUARY & FARM TRUST
in Port Royal, Pennsylvania

This is a great site for cow protection!
http://protectacow.typepad.com/goshalla/

We should all help and contribute for this great service.

In the first canto of the Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada refers to cow protection as one of the two "pillars of spiritual advancement." Prabhupada is not making a concoction when he emphasizes the importance of cow protection in Krsna consciousness. On the contrary, the importance of cow protection to Krsna is actually the very first word of spiritual instruction that we obtain from Lord Brahma, who is the founder of our sampradaya millions of years ago: "Govindam adi purusam" meaning "Lord Krsna, the Pleaser of the Cows, is the Original Person." Therefore we sing this prayer to the Deities every day. Also, Srila Prabhupada is practically the only swami to point out the fact that real cow protection must include working the oxen.

2006-05-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

Prabhupada was convinced the problems within ISKCON could not be solved until every devotee was chanting sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily, rising early to attend the 4:30am Mangal Arati ceremony, following strictly the four regulative principles and being fully engaged 24 hours a day in serving Krishna. He was so convinced of this that he made it the prime duty of all GBC members to see in their respective zones all devotees in all temples came to this standard.

"As GBC you must see to it that the highest standards of routine work are maintained throughout all the centres, and that chanting, rising early, cleansing, and all other aspects of our regular program may not be neglected. That is our first business. GBC man should not dictate very much, simply supervise and see that the standards are maintained." (to Hansadutta, 14 Feb,1972)

Srila Prabhupada sometimes used an analogy common in Bengal; it is said that it is better to maintain an empty barn than to keep many cows who are not giving milk. He said, therefore, that it is far better to have a few serious devotees than to have many neophyte devotees.

The GBC members, for one reason or another, didn't make a serious attempt to encourage devotees to come to the standard Srila Prabhupada required and, as a result, the problems within ISKCON were never solved. They just became worse.

Currently ISKCON is not presenting Krishna consciousness in a pure way, and it is certainly not representing Srila Prabhupada's dynamic preaching mood and great compassion for the fallen conditioned souls. The movement has been contaminated with the poison of Mayavadi philosophy introduced in 1970 to such an extent that most ISKCON devotees today have either never tasted the transcendental ecstasy of serving Krishna or they have forgotten what it is like. ISKCON has become an organization of the cheaters and the cheated who are trying to exploit each other for sense gratification, both gross and subtle. Still, a few sincere young people join the movement after reading Srila Prabhupada's books, but they are soon contaminated by the poisonous atmosphere and generally either leave or become materialists within ISKCON hankering after position, fame, power, profit, etc.

ISKCON is misrepresenting Srila Prabhupada and Krishna and it is doing great damage. ISKCON has become a mundane organization exploiting the public and the devotees by collecting funds and utilizing them for eating and sleeping under the plea of serving Srila Prabhupada and Krishna. This is a great pity as everybody is suffering and rotting in this world simply due to a lack of Krishna consciousness. Because ISKCON is currently unable to deliver Krishna consciousness there is little hope for the suffering world at the moment.

"I do not wish to discuss about the activities of my godbrothers, but it is a fact that they have no life for preaching work. All are satisfied with a place for residence in the name of a temple, they engage disciples to get foodstuffs by transcendental devices and eat and sleep.

"They have no idea or brain how to broadcast the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. My Guru Maharaja used to lament many times for this reason and he thought that if one man at least had understood the principle of preaching then his mission would achieve success. In the later days of my Guru Maharaja he was very disturbed. Actually, he left this world earlier, otherwise he would have continued to live for many years.

"Still he requested his disciples to form a strong governing body for preaching the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He never recommended anyone to be acarya of the Gaudiya Math. But Sridhara Maharaja is responsible for disobeying this order of Guru Ma- haraja, and he and two others who are already dead unnecessarily thought there must be one acarya. If Guru Maharaja could have seen someone who was qualified at that time to be acarya he would have mentioned. Because on the night before he passed away he talked of so many things, but never mentioned an acarya.

"His idea was that acarya was not to be nominated amongst the governing body. He said openly that you make a GBC and conduct the mission. So his idea was that amongst the members of the GBC who would be successful a self-effulgent acarya would be automatically selected.

"So Sridhara Maharaja and his two associate gentlemen unauthorizedly selected one acarya and later on it proved to be a failure. The result is that now everyone is claiming to be acarya even though they may be kanistha adihikary with no ability to preach. In some of the camps the acarya is being changed three times a year. Therefore we may not commit the same mistake in our ISKCON camp.

"Actually amongst my godbrothers no one is qualified to become acarya. So it is better not to mix with my godbrothers very intimately because instead of inspiring our students and disciples they may sometimes pollute them...They cannot help us in our movement, but they are very competent to harm our natural progress." (to Rupanuga 28 Apr, 1974)

Srila Prabhupada said we need devotees like Prahlada Maharaja to defeat the demonic, Mayavadi mentality in ISKCON. Therefore it is our responsibility to Srila Prabhupada to take Krishna consciousness very seriously, avoid poisonous association, chant the Hare Krishna maha mantra and read Srila Prabhupada's books incessantly and simultaneously distribute Srila Prabhupada's books and preach Krishna consciousness loudly all over the world. If we do this to the best of our ability we will please Srila Prabhupada and get his mercy.

All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who has come to the Western countries to defeat the philosophies of impersonalism and voidism and in their place establish pure devotional service to Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

2006-05-20T18:06:00.000-07:00

Our objective is not the temporary peace and happiness available in the material world. As living entities we are eternal, and hence the desire for permanent happiness should be our prime motive. Yet we souls change millions of bodies, going up and down the fourteen material planetary systems, chasing after illusory peace and pleasures, expending huge amounts of blood and energy. The permanent peace and happiness we demonically run after eludes us constantly; we do not know where real peace and happiness are available. As Prahlada Maharaja says in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.9.25),

In this material world, every living entity desires some future happiness, which is exactly like a mirage in the desert. Where is water in the desert, or, in other words, where is happiness in this material world?

In search of truth we become deviated and, taking shelter of the boat of the material body and mind, travel aimlessly in the ocean of material existence, with no land in sight. Mercilessly tossed about, we brood, “In the dispensation of providence, man cannot have any rest.” If only we knew that our ultimate destination is Lord Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead! Then we could end our suffering. To dispel our ignorance about this fact, Lord Krsna has informed us that we must perform all activities as a sacrifice for Lord Visnu’s satisfaction. The Rg Veda confirms this: “Lord Visnu is the Supreme shelter of everything. All the demigods are constantly meditating on Him.” Thus we see that the demigods also consider Lord Visnu’s lotus feet their supreme destination, and they become liberated simply by performing all activities for His pleasure. One who wants release from the vicious karmic cycle must have Lord Visnu’s lotus feet as his final objective. Otherwise, he will have to become demoniac.

The followers of the varnasrama way of life, or sanatana-dharma, are now being called Hindus. Their forefathers, especially those who belonged to the upper castes—the brahmanas, ksatriyas, and vaisyas—centered their lives on Lord Visnu. In every stage of life, especially in the householder stage, people worshiped Lord Visnu in their homes, performing devotional service for His satisfaction. A few very devoted souls continue to do so even today. They collect money only for the Lord’s service. The money buys grains and vegetables, which they cook with devotion and then offer to Lord Visnu. Later the devotees honor this prasadam, the Lord’s mercy in the form of food, by eating it. In all these activities Lord Visnu is the enjoyer, and one seeks to please Him. In the past, the times were conducive to such activities, and even now they are practiced in many places. Actually, such devotional service is applicable to everyone, to all places, and to all times.

Lord Visnu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the goal of everything. Performing all works for His satisfaction is the only way to open up the path of liberation from the cycle of fruitive action, or karma. It is recommended that all progressive and beneficial activities be executed for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, Visnu. Echoing the words of the scriptures, the learned sages proclaim “the attainment of Lord Visnu’s lotus feet is the same as becoming liberated.” The final step in the karma-yoga process is to satisfy Lord Visnu, at which point one’s own desires are automatically fulfilled. While delineating this point, Lord Krsna says that if work is not performed for His satisfaction, then all activities are tainted with sin and result in sinful reactions, which created havoc in society. In the Bhagavad-gita (3.13), Lord Krsna says, “The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is first offered for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.”

2006-05-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

2006-05-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

What is the Maha-Mantra?
Before we understand why we should chant "Hare Krishna," we should probably know what it is that we are chanting.

The maha-mantra is actually two things. First, it is a prayer. We are praying to God and to the energy of God to engage us in devotional service. Basically, to help us reconnect to the spiritual and disconnect from the material. Secondly, it is made up of three names of God.

The word "Hara" is the form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words "Krishna" and "Rama" are forms of addressing the Lord Himself. Both "Krishna" and "Rama" mean "the supreme pleasure," and "Hara" is the supreme pleasure energy of the Lord, changed to Hare in the vocative. The supreme pleasure energy of the Lord helps us to reach the Lord.
-Srila Prabhupada

These words are different from material words. While material words represent things, the names of God are God. Since God is absolute, He is nondifferent from His names. When you chant "Krishna," that sound vibration is Krishna, God. If this were not so, God would not be absolute, and thus not God. So by very definition, this chanting is God. When you chant, you are associating with God. It's that simple.

Waxing Philosophical
We're going to delve a little bit into the philosphy of Krishna consciousness here. The first thing we need to understand is that we are not our bodies. We are spirit souls. That little "divine spark" that we all think is inside of us is actually us! The soul, meaning the true "us," is eternal. Our bodies are not.

It is simple to see that we are not the body. If we chop off an arm or a leg, we are essentially still the same person. That "essential" part that remains, that which makes us, us, is the soul.

The soul is (and thus, we are) eternally full of knowledge and full of bliss. But due to coming into contact with material nature (basically, anything that is not spiritual), we have forgotten this. Since we are the soul and the soul is unchangable, we still possess these qualities. However, since we are in this material world, we have to deal with material nature.

This material nature is called maya, literally "that which is not" or "illusion." The illusion that we're living under is that we are somehow controlling this material nature. We believe that by giving ourselves so many conveniences, short cuts and escapes, we are actually bettering our lives. But this just isn't so. The more we try to make our lives "easier" by these material arrangements, the more entagled we get in the material nature, maya. The more entangled we are, the more in illusion we are. We believe all of these things will make us happy, but truthfully, how can they?

The soul is full of bliss. Bliss isn't just happiness that you got a new car or a promotion. Bliss is an eternal spiritual happines. It's a happiness where there is no return to sadness. It's a happiness that has always been within us, but is covered by this maya, this illusion.

That is our situation. We're trying like crazy to be happy through the process of "bettering" ourselves materially and aquiring more stuff. The more we do this, the more separated from the spiritual we become. The more we cover our spirituality with materialism, the more we need to undo it. Simply, the more we need to clean away this illusury covering and realize the true nature of ourselves: that we are spirit souls, eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss.

Becoming Perfect

Editorial: 82 Items of Comparison Between Conditions in ISKCON when Śrila Prabhupāda was Personally Present with Today’s Conditions

By Pratyatoṣa Dāsa (ACBSP), December 10, 1997

(pratyatosa.com/temp1="pratyatosa";temp2="gmail";document.write(", <a ef="ma">"+temp1+"\x40"+temp2+".com</a>"), pratyatosa@gmail.com)

SIMPLE LIVING, THE ENVIRONMENT AND GENERAL KṚṢṆA CONSCIOUSNESS

CHASTITY AND CELIBACY

PERSONAL CLEANLINESS & HYGIENE

DEITY WORSHIP AND DEVOTIONAL PRACTICES

PRASĀDAM

GURUKULA

BHAKTA PROGRAM

TEMPLE ADMINISTRATION

QUESTIONS

THIS WEB PAGE URL: http://pratyatosa.com/Oldvsnew.htm

Prabhupāda Said, but Not in the Vedabase?

- Chanting Hare Krishna

16 Points To Consider Regarding the Rtvik Issue

Sixteen Points to Consider Regarding the Ṛtvik Issue

By Pratyatoṣa Dāsa (ACBSP), August 30, 1998 (Appearance Day of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī)

(Updated: August 12, 2005)

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THIS WEB PAGE UR: http://pratyatosa.com/RitvikBashersAreDemons.htm

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