15 Oct 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Book Distribution, Krishna Consciousness, Sriman George Harrison
Tags: Book Distribution, Krishna consciousness, Living in the Material World, Padmapani das, sankirtan, Sriman George Harrison
Living in the Material World
Salvation from the Material World
By Sriman Padmapani Prabhu
On November 2nd, 1974, ex-Beatle George Harrison launched his North American tour in Vancouver, Canada. Since George was a follower of Krishna consciousness, the Vancouver devotees were eager to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books and magazines to local fans attending the concert. George was expected to play a number of hits from his latest record (“Living in the Material World”), which contained many songs of devotion to the Lord:
“I’m living in the material world
Living in the material world
I hope to get out of this place
By the Lord Sri Krishna’s grace
My salvation from the material world.”
As we entered the Pacific Coliseum, Mahesh Prabhu and I headed for the floor, our saffron bags filled with books, magazines and incense. The crowd was obviously excited as we gradually walked to the front of the stage, distributing our spiritual goods along the way. “Hare Krishna” people shouted. Many of George’s fans knew that he had an affinity towards our movement, so they were very friendly and supportive. When the concert began, George appeared onstage wearing a number of buttons containing spiritual pictures and “om” signs. His neck was adorned with tulasi beads.
Mahesh Prabhu pulled out a large hardbound edition of Srila Prabhupada’s Krishna Book, which had been published with the help of a kind donation by George Harrison himself. When Mahesh got to the front row, he held the Krishna Book high in the air so that George could possibly see it from the stage. As he made his way towards Mahesh, George in fact noticed Srila Prabhupada’s book. His eyes lit up and a large smile beamed across his face as he bowed his head in respect. Since Mahesh was a big fan of the Beatles before joining ISKCON, he was thrilled to have this simple transcendental exchange with one of his old heroes. What an auspicious start to George Harrison’s 1974 tour.
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13 Oct 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Back to Godhead, Bhagavad-gita, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Brahmananda das
Tags: Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Brahmananda Swami, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Macmillan Company, original manuscript
Srila Prabhupada receiving Macmillan Bhagavad-gita As It Is
The Books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Originally published in Back to Godhead No. 52
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust 1973
By Brahmananda Swami ISKCON East Africa
Part 5
Bhagavad-gita As It Is stands as a challenge to all the mental speculators who depart from the Gita’s central teaching of devotional service to the Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna. Even Mahatma Gandhi stands accused, since his ingenious metaphorical interpretation is simply designed to support his mundane political movement of nonviolence. In India Srila Prabhupada personally requested Gandhi to preach the Gita for what it teaches, Krsna consciousness, just as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja had personally requested the most famous Indian poet of his time, Rabindranath Tagore.
In the Gita’s Ninth Chapter Lord Krsna categorically advises Arjuna to surrender to Him and to love and worship Him only. He specifically uses the Sanskrit word mam, meaning “unto Me.” Yet one commentator, a renowned Indian philosopher and political leader, begins his commentary on this crucial verse, “It is not to Krsna that we have to surrender…” It is very clear that Krsna and Arjuna are standing on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra and that Krsna is telling Arjuna to surrender unto Him. But this scholar wants to turn the reader away from Krsna by insidiously implying that Krsna actually means to surrender to the eternal unmanifested essence within Himself. But Krsna didn’t say this. Significantly, Srila Prabhupada entitles his comments “purports,” not interpretations. In his purports he gives the actual significance of the verses. Srila Prabhupada informs all deluded scholars that because Krsna is absolute, there is no qualitative difference between His within and His without as there is with conditioned living entities like ourselves.
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02 Oct 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Back to Godhead, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Brahmananda das, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: Back to Godhead Magazine, Brahmananda Swami, Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam, The Books of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
“The words of Srimad-Bhagavatam are Your incarnation, and if people repeatedly hear them in submissive aural reception, then they will be able to understand Your message.”
The Books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Originally published in Back to Godhead No. 52
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust 1973
By Brahmananda Swami ISKCON East Africa
Part 4
In the opening sentences of Srila Prabhupada’s introduction to the Srimad-Bhagavatam, he affirms that the word “God” refers to the supreme controller and that a controller cannot be impersonal. In the first sloka of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, obeisances are offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
om namo bhagavate vasudevaya
om—O my Lord; namah—my respectful obeisances unto You; bhagavate—unto the Personality of Godhead; vasudevaya—unto Lord Krsna, the son of Vasudeva.
O my Lord, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.
Whereas others have translated the Sanskrit scriptures conveniently to suit their interpretations, Srila Prabhupada always gives word-for-word English equivalents for each Sanskrit verse, and thus the translations cannot be disputed. This is a painstaking process, considering the length of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, but it is in keeping with the heritage of the Gosvamis to present the literature of devotional service authoritatively and scientifically. Furthermore, the English-reading public can easily learn the meanings to the Sanskrit words from this format.
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21 Sep 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Back to Godhead, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Brahmananda das
Tags: back to Godhead, bhagavad-gita, Books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Brahmananda Swami, Srimad Bhagavatam
The Books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Originally published in Back to Godhead No. 52
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust 1973
By Brahmananda Swami ISKCON East Africa
Part 3
Back to Godhead contained timely articles, essays, book reviews and selections from full-length works in progress such as the Sri Isopanisad. It should be noted that this paper was entirely the effort of Srila Prabhupada. He wrote all the material, edited it, typed it for the printer and checked the galley proofs. Then he sold the copies. Each fortnight he would take batches of Back to Godhead into Delhi. To save a few cents bus fare he sometimes had to walk for miles, and often he would sit in tea parlors until late at night, himself not even taking a glass of water there, preaching and distributing his paper and collecting one cent per copy.
At this time Srila Prabhupada also wrote outlines of his dream. It was a worldwide association of God conscious devotees who actively preached the eternal religion of love of God in all fields of society at large and who used all the modern means at their disposal. The League of Devotees, the forerunner of the now worldwide ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, was thus formally registered. From international sankirtana parties, to gosalas (cow protection reserves), to authorized teaching of Sanskrit, to a printing press solely for flooding the marketplace with Krsna conscious literature, ISKCON is today the reality of that dream.
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12 Sep 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Devotee's, Diksha, Iskcon Bangalore, Siksa
Tags: Bangalore devotees, GBC, ISKCON Bangalore, Iskcon Times, Madhu Pandit Das, Radhapran das, Srila Prabhupada
At this critical juncture of the tussle between ISKCON Mumbai and ISKCON Bangalore, I together with the devotees here in Malaysia, pledge support for His Grace Madhu Pandit Prabhu and the devotees of ISKCON Bangalore. Knowing only too well the many similar tribulations experienced in Malaysia over the last decade, it is obvious that the same demeaning tactics magnified manifold are at work to disrepute the good work accomplished by the devotees of ISKCON Bangalore.
Pledge of Support for ISKCON Bangalore
By: Radhapran Dasa, Malaysia
It gives me much grief to see what appears to be a concerted effort by the ISKCON GBC to smear the good name of His Grace Madhu Pandit Prabhu whom I have had the fortune to know personally since 1999. His association has been a stark contrast to that of the thuggish bogus gurus whom I have had the misfortune of encountering in my early association with ISKCON.
Having understood and accepted the authentic position of Srila Prabhupada as the sole diksha guru for ISKCON through contact with other like-minded devotees and evidence related to Srila Prabhupada’s books on Guru tattva and the principal documents pertaining to the process of initiation such as the May 28th conversation, July 9th letter and the Official Will, my team of devotees initially faced an uphill task of disengaging ourselves from the deviation-ridden GBC-led setup in Malaysia. We have faced both direct harassment and indirect plots to undermine our existence since 1999.
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10 Sep 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Hansadutta das, Nam Hatta, Practicing Krishna Consciousness at Home, Srila Prabhupada His Movement & You
Tags: chanting Hare Krishna, guru, hansadutta das, ISKCON GBC, Lord Caitanya, Nam Hatta, Sri Caitanya-caritmrta, Srila Prabhupada
Devotees keep asking themselves, “How will the Krishna consciousness movement spread under the present circumstances?”
They observe the lame leadership and feel personally helpless to make any change or contribution toward rectifying the situation or themselves. The answer to this debilitating state of thought is to see one’s self in the correct spiritual perspective. The devotees who helped Prabhupada spread his movement ISKCON are the same ones who can and will spread Krishna consciousness now and in the future. All that is required is that each individual devotee see himself as the servant of Prabhupada, now exactly as he was then (when Prabhupada was present)…
“The temple center is started just to present an example to the neighboring residents, how they can make a small temple in each and every home. It is not necessary that hundreds and thousands of people will live in our temple, but if we can make effective propaganda, then the neighboring residents, householders, will be inclined to be initiated and follow the modes of temple life. So you can encourage the visitors, boys and girls, as well as married couples, to understand the value of life and how they can peacefully and happily live if they follow the routine worship method in the temple and establish this in their home to be happy in all respects.” (Srila Prabhupada, letter to Tamal Krishna, June 1, 1969)
Nam Hatta: The Onus is On You
By Sriman Hansadutta Prabhu
Because of the circumstances under which most of Prabhupada’s early disciples joined the movement, a widespread misunderstanding has become a great obstacle for people in general to accept and practice Krishna consciousness in a realistic and progressive way under all circumstances. That misunderstanding is that a serious candidate for accepting and advancing in Krishna consciousness must abandon his worldly environment and responsibilities to join a temple ashram and live a communal or communistic life style under the rigid authority of an ISKCON GBC or guru. Nothing could be further from the truth, as we can plainly understand from the following descriptions of Lord Chaitanya’s preaching method and Prabhupada’s purports, which clearly support and obviously encourage the process introduced by Lord Chaitanya in His dealing with the Kurma brahmana and everyone He encountered throughout His two years of traveling and preaching in South India.
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07 Sep 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Devotee's, Locanananda das, Tribhuvanath das
Tags: chanting Hare Krishna, devotee of Krishna, festival program, Locanananda das, sankirtan movement, Thibhuvannatha das
In Glorification of His Grace Tribhuvannatha Prabhu
by Locanananda dasa 2001
At the 1970 London Rathayatra, more than thirty years ago, I met a young bhakta who, like myself, was trying to absorb the transcendental gift of Krishna consciousness. He was bright-faced, innocent, full of energy and obviously very dedicated to pleasing his spiritual master. I knew him as Tom, and I thought that if I could do just as he was doing— always joyfully chanting the Hare Krishna Mantra and studying Srila Prabhupada’s books — then everything about my life would turn out all right.
We remained friends all of those years, but our service rarely brought us together. Still, I always felt a close connection with His Grace Tribhuvannatha Prabhu. In 1976, we spent some time associating in the holy land of Vrndavana Dhama and I can still recall the kirtana he led after Srila Prabhupada performed a fire yajna in the courtyard of the Krishna-Balarama Mandira. There was great potency in his chanting, the potency that comes from being totally surrendered to the will of a pure devotee of Krishna. Tribhuvannatha Prabhu’s chanting sounded like a call to every jiva soul to rise up and begin to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead who resides in the hearts of all.
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07 Sep 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Bhaktisiddhanta das, Devotee's, Diksha, Guru & Disciple, Siksa
Tags: Acharya, Bhaktisiddhanta dasa, guru, initiates, ritvik, Ritvik initiation, spiritual name, Srila Prabhupada
Nearly Everyone Is Ritvik
Bhaktisiddhanta Dasa – Vrndavan:
Has everyone forgotten what happened in the past? In the early ‘70’s Srila Prabhupada started his own ritvik system, surprise! At some point it became too much to chant on everyone’s beads and give the new spiritual names so what to do? He appointed some of his senior men to cover these details so he could go on with his writing and management of a world organization.
My wife and I were initiated in 1975 in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada had left the day before to go to San Francisco, by this time he deputed his personal secretary and Sanskrit scholar to look up the names; and then he would approve or disapprove.
During the fire sacrifice it was Hridayananda Maharaja that was standing next to the Vyasasana and handed out the beads and asked for the four regulative principles. Each time a new name was given there was a loud HARIBOL and everyone applauded.
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05 Sep 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Devotee's, Mukunda das Goswami, Srila Prabhupada
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Hare Krishna, Indian Swami, Mukunda das, servant of God, Srila Prabhupada, The Science of Self Realization
The Science of Self Realization
Foreword By Mukunda Das
From the very start, I knew that His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda was the most extraordinary person I had ever met. The first meeting occurred in the summer of 1966, in New York City. A friend had invited me to hear a lecture by “an old Indian svāmī” on lower Manhattan’s Bowery. Overwhelmed with curiosity about a svāmī lecturing on skid row, I went there and felt my way up a pitch-black staircase. A bell-like, rhythmic sound got louder and clearer as I climbed higher. Finally I reached the fourth floor and opened the door, and there he was.
About fifty feet away from where I stood, at the other end of a long, dark room, he sat on a small dais, his face and saffron robes radiant under a small light. He was elderly, perhaps sixty or so, I thought, and he sat cross-legged in an erect, stately posture. His head was shaven, and his powerful face and reddish horn-rimmed glasses gave him the look of a monk who had spent most of his life absorbed in study. His eyes were closed, and he softly chanted a simple Sanskrit prayer while playing a hand drum. The small audience joined in at intervals, in call-and-response fashion. A few played hand cymbals, which accounted for the bell-like sounds I’d heard. Fascinated, I sat down quietly at the back, tried to participate in the chanting, and waited.
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02 Sep 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Devotee's, Rupanuga das, Srila Prabhupada
Tags: Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Hare Krishna Movement, Kali-yuga, Rupanuga dasa, World Acarya, Yuga Dharma
Recent history has demonstrated Srila Prabhupada to be by far the greatest exponent of Lord Caitanya’s teachings, who freed them, carried them from the Indian sub-continent to the rest of the world. It is said that Nityananda Prabhu plundered the storehouse of love of God when preaching in Bengal by the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. 477 years later Srila Prabhupada again plundered that storehouse, only to return with the treasure to India to distribute it once again! These feats are impossible to duplicate. They have already changed the course of history.
The World Acarya
By: Rupanuga Dasa (ACBSP 66)
Aug 21, 2011 — FLORIDA, USA (SUN)
Even though Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam were spoken and recorded in 3,000 B.C., it wasn’t until 1965 A.D., 5,000 years later, that these original sastras containing the Yuga Dharma were released from India by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Bhaktivinode Thakur had previously inaugurated the Hare Krsna Movement, the emblem of that Yuga Dharma, when he sent his Caitanya—His Life and Precepts to McGill University, Canada, in 1896. More copies of this sublime volume have been found in other countries, suggesting that the Thakur made an extensive mailing to the major English-speaking universities of his day.
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31 Aug 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Arjuna das, Devotee's, Srila Prabhupada, Vyas-puja
Tags: Arjuna das, By Your Mercy, Sampradaya sun, Srila Prabhupada, Vyasa-puja offering
By Your Mercy
By: Arjuna Das
Aug 29, 2011 — INDIA (SUN) —
An offering to Srila Prabhupada by Arjuna das.
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Someone explained to me once that ‘ by your mercy’ , we can speak something on this day even though there may be some literary flaws. Just like a loving father appreciates the incoherent stammering of his young child as the child tries to express his affections, by your mercy, you appreciate our outpourings and heartfelt appreciations reposed at your lotus feet.
Your Divine grace is the personification of the bliss of Krsna’s mercy. You are the storehouse of compassion for the poor and suffering souls. You reveal divine knowledge, pure devotion, and ecstatic love of God, and you are the savior of the fallen souls. Therefore I pray to offer this mind, body, and very life at your lotus feet and always hope to chant the divine names of Sri Hari.”
‘By your mercy’ I am getting to understand more and more that your Divine Grace is truly the only light and love in this very dark, temporary world. You are the Supreme Personality of the servitor of Godhead.
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30 Aug 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Guru & Disciple, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, Sriman George Harrison
Tags: Dhananjaya, Jai Hari, Krishna, Rebatinandana Swami, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, Srila Prabhupada, Sriman George Harrison
I can understand by your activities that you are making good spiritual progress, by Krishna’s grace. That is very good news to me. It is not by accident that you are coming gradually to the right point, neither it is very common thing,
Bombay
4th January, 1973
My Dear George,
Please accept my blessings. I was informed by some of my disciples at London, namely, Dhananjaya, Jai Hari, Rebatinandana Swami and others, that you so kindly have sent your car and drive to our place filled-up with fruits and flowers to offer to Radha and Krishna on the Disappearance day of my Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. I am so much pleased that you have thought of Him in that way, thank you very much. Surely you will become blessed by Him more and more.
Yes, if one simply comes to that platform of spontaneous love for the spiritual master, then very quickly he will get love of God, or Krishna, and his all hankerings and lamentations of life will be finished. That is the process. Just like when two friends meet and, if the friend is also with his dog, the gentleman pats his dog first, is it not? So the friend becomes automatically pleased, his dog being patted. I have seen it in your country sometimes when I used to walk in the Regents Park early mornings. So it is like that, the spiritual master is the pet dog of Krishna, and if he is pleased so Krishna is also pleased. That is the process.
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23 Aug 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Back to Godhead, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Brahmananda das, Radha Damodar Mandir
Tags: back to Godhead, books of His Divine Grace, Brahmananda Swami, Radha-Damodara, six goswami's, Srila Prabhupada, Vrndavan
The Books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Originally published in Back to Godhead No. 52
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust 1973
By Brahmananda Swami ISKCON East Africa
Part 2
The treasure of Radha-Damodara is the samadhi and bhajana(place for executing devotional service) of Srila Rupa Goswami. Of the six Goswami’s, he is the most importnt. Rupa Goswami constructed the largest temple in Vrndavana, Radha-Govindaji, and he wrote the most important book on the science of devotional service, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, which was completed in the year 1552. He and his elder brother Sanatana Goswami were among the chief government administrators of their time and were highly learned in Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit. Lord Caitanya personally instructed Rupa Goswami for ten consecutive days, and Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu codifies these teachings, with supporting evidence from scores of supplementary Vedic texts.
One great acarya (teacher) in the parampara (disciplic succession) has offered obeisances to the six Goswami’s in the following manner; “They are very expert in scrutinizingly studying all the revealed scriptures with the aim of establishing eternal religious principles for the benefit of all human beings. Thus they are honored all over the three worlds, and they are worth taking shelter of because they are absorbed in the mood of the gopis and are engaged in the transcendental loving service of Radha and Krsna.” In one of Srila Prabhupada’s rooms in the Radha Damodara temple there is a window thatoverlooks the shaded courtyard where the tow tomblike structures that honor Rupa Goswami stand. Just before this window is a bare wood asana (seat) where Srila Prabhupada sat to receive inspiration from the greatest of the Goswami’s From the other where he wrote his books, Srila Prabhupada could look out and see Jiva Goswami’s own worshipable Deities, Radha-Damodara.
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23 Aug 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Devotee's, Quotes by Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada, Virupaksha das
Tags: commander in chief of Lord Chatanya's army, humility, pure spiritual master, spiritual master of the whole world, Srila Prabhupada Epitome of Humility, Virupaksha dasa
Srila Prabhupada: Epitome of Humility
By: Excerpts from the teachings of Srila Prabhupada Compiled by Virupaksha Dasa
The manner in which Srila Prabhupada exhibited the opulence of modesty and humility is beyond compare. In spite of being the spiritual master of the whole world, the confidential associate of the Supreme Lord Krishna, the greatest personality on the surface of the earth, commander-in-chief of Lord Chaitanya’s army, and so much more… still Srila Prabhupada always showed us how humble a pure spiritual master is, even though he controls the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna. As an acharya Srila Prabhupada taught everything by his own example.
As Srila Prabhupada says, “The symptoms of a devotee are meekness and humility. Although spiritually very advanced, he will always remain meek and humble, as Kaviraja Gosvami and all the other Vaishnavas have taught us by personal example.” Prabhupada also says in another place, “The more one advances spiritually, the more humble one becomes.” The spiritual master is the most advanced devotee and thus the most humble.
The following is a collection of Srila Prabhupada’s expressions on humility.
My dear Lord Krishna, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me. ”But I guess You have some business here, otherwise why would You bring me to this terrible place?… But I know Your causeless mercy can make everything possible because You are the most expert mystic. How will they understand the mellows of devotional service? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message.
(Markine Bhagavat-dharma)
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20 Aug 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Ajitananda das, Devotee's, Srila Prabhupada
Tags: 26 qualities of a pure devotee, Ajitananda das, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada, trancendental qualities, Vyasa Puja
Srila Prabhupada’s Trancendental Qualities
By Ajitananda dasa
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who successfully distributed the message of Lord Krsna throughout the world, was not an ordinary conditioned soul, governed by the harsh laws of material nature. Although to the unenlightened he may have appeared to exhibit commonplace characteristics, it is evident through the careful study of his life and activities, that Srila Prabhupada perfectly displayed the twenty-six qualities of a pure devotee of Lord Krsna. We learn from Vedic literature that one who possesses these qualities is necessarily free from material bondage, and enjoys an eternal position in the intimate association of the Supreme Lord. Such a great soul is very rarely found within this material realm, and owing to his unparalleled purity and exalted status, he is worshipable by the entire world. Individually, and as a collective society of aspiring devotees, we must always strive to appreciate Srila Prabhupada’s divine qualities, teach this application to others, and perform all of our devotional activities for his satisfaction. This treatise is an imperfect but hopeful attempt to please Srila Prabhupada by illustrating, in a practical way, how he perfectly displayed the twenty-six qualities of a pure devotee of Lord Krsna.
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17 Aug 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Back to Godhead, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Brahmananda das, Radha Damodar Mandir
Tags: back to Godhead, Brahmananda Swami, Jiva Goswami, Krsna consciousness movement, Radha-Damodara Temple, six goswimis, Srila Prabhupada's books, Vrndavan
Originally published in Back to Godhead No. 52 Bhaktivedanta Book Trust 1973
By Brahmananda Swami ISKCON East Africa
This will be an eleven part series, as it is a rather legenthy article, but very good source for historical information on Srila Prabhupada, Radha-Damodara Temple, and the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
The Books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
“My books are more important than myself.” This was Srila Prabhupada’s instruction to one of his disciples who was being sent from his personal service to open a temple in a distant place. When one considers how much time, energy and intelligence Srila Prabhupada has utilized to single-handedly begin and spread the Krsna Consciousness Movement to an international scale, it is even more astonishing that he has written a score of unique books. Despite his responsibilities in guiding thousands of disciples who operate almost a hundred different centers, that he has produced these books-at substantial sacrifice-proves that the most important factor to the Krsna Consciousness Movement is the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
While still in India, His Divine Grace inhabited two ordinary rooms in India’s most historic literary temple. This Radha-Damodara temple was built almost 500 hundred years ago by Srila Jiva Goswami in the holy site of Vrndavan, where Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appeared to display His transcendental pastimes 5,000 years ago. The Radha-Damodara temple, which has since fallen into disrepair, houses the samadhi (burial place) of Jiva Goswami, one of the six prime disciples of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Caitanya gave His disciples in Vrndavan three important instructions: first, to discover the exact locations where Krsna displayed His pastimes, as revealed in the sastras (scriptures); then, to build temples where the Lord could be suitably worshiped; and finally, to write books fully explaining the real science of devotional service to God. Lord Caitanya Himself wrote only eight slokas (stanzas), but the six goswamis of Vrndavan have left a vast body of literature for the inestimable benefit of all humanity.
When only ten years old, Jiva Goswami wanted to join Lord Caitanya’s sankirtan movement, but first he prepared himself by becoming fully versed in Sanskrit in Benares. He was then able to write volumes of books, which have prompted one Indian authority to declare Jiva Goswami the greatest philosopher that has ever lived. It is lamentable that due to the lack of qualified translators, the English-knowing world may never be able to take advantage of these books.
The Radha-Damodara temple is also the site of the Samadhi of Krsnadasa Kaviraja, the most important biographer of Lord Caitanya. Krsnadas Kaviraja appeared after Lord Caitanya but was contemporary to the six Goswamis. Directly inspired by Lord Nityananda, one of Lord Caitanya’s principal associates, he wrote his Caitanya-caritamrta at the age of ninety. This book recounts the teaching of Lord Caitanya more vividly than the biographical details which have been preserved by other authors.
…to be continued
10 Aug 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Devotee's, Gauridas Pandit das, Rupa Goswami, Six Goswamis
Tags: Gaudiya Vaisnava, Gauridas Pandita das, six goswami's, Sri Rupa Goswami, sri rupa manjari pada, Sri Rupa-manjari
Sri Rupa Goswami
By Gauridasa Pandita Prabhu
Today is the disapperance day of Sri Rupa Goswami and Gauridasa Pandita
Sri Rupa Goswami
Gaudiya Vaisnava’s, Devotees today and in the future are known as Rupanugas, followers of Sri Rupa Gosvami. Every devotee should aspire to become a servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Sri Rupa Gosvami. Sri Narottama Dasa Thakura sings, sri-rupa-manjari-pada, se more sampada, sei mor bhajana pujana: “The feet of Sri Rupa-manjari (Rupa Gosvami’s eternal form as Sri Radha’s maidservant in Vraja) are my only wealth. They are the only object of my service and worship.”
Srila Rupa Goswami was an incarnation of Rupa Manjari, the most important of the eight confidential maidservants of Srimati Radharani in the spiritual world. It is said that without taking shelter of Srila Rupa Goswami one cannot enter into the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya, and without taking shelter of Rupa Manjari one cannot enter into the confidential loving pastimes of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.
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03 Aug 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Devotee's, Guru & Disciple, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, Tamal Krishna Goswami
Tags: krpa siddha, Krsna, nitya siddha, sadhana siddha, spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, Tamala Krishna
Letter to: Tamala Krsna
Los Angeles
21 June, 1970
Paris
My Dear Tamala,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 18th June, 1970, sent by Special Delivery Air Mail.
Krsna philosophy is understood as it is stated in the Vedas:
Yasya deve para bhakti yatha deve tatha gurau
tasya ete kathitha hi artha prakasante mahatmanah
“One who has got unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord and similar faith in his Spiritual Master to him only the imports of Vedic knowledge become revealed.”
A Spiritual Master is always liberated. In any condition of His life He should not be mistaken as ordinary human being. This position of a Spiritual Master is achieved by three processes. One is called sadhana siddha. That means one who is liberated by executing the regulative principle of devotional service. Another is krpa siddha, one who is liberated by the mercy of Krsna or His devotee. And another is nitya siddha who is never forgetful of Krsna throughout his whole life. These are the three features of the perfection of life.
So far Narada Muni is concerned, in His previous life He was a maidservant’s son, but by the mercy of the devotees He later on became siddha and next life He appeared as Narada with complete freedom to move anywhere by the grace of the Lord. So even though He was in his previous life a maidservant’s son there was no impediment in the achievement of His perfect spiritual life. Similarly any living entity who is conditioned can achieve the perfectional stage of life by the above mentioned processes and the vivid example is Narada Muni.
So I do not know why you have asked about my previous life. Whether I was subjected to the laws of material nature? So, even though accepting that I was subjected to the laws of material nature, does it hamper in my becoming Spiritual Master? What is your opinion? From the life of Narada Muni it is distinct that although He was a conditioned soul in His previous life, there was no impediment of His becoming the Spiritual Master. This law is applicable not only to the Spiritual Master, but to every living entity.
There are thousands of examples explained in our books that the conditioned soul is never affected with the material body. It is said in the Vedas asamga ayam purusa which means the living entity is always unaffected with matter. Another example is given that the reflection of the moon on water appears to be moving, but actually the moon is not moving, it is fixed up. So any living entity is like that. His reflection on the material body appears to be changing, but the spirit soul is fixed up, therefore this movement is called illusion.
Liberation means liberation from this changing condition.
So far I am concerned, I cannot say what I was in my previous life, but one great astrologer calculated that I was previously a physician and my life was sinless. Besides that, to corroborate the statement of Bhagavad-gita “sucinam srimatam gehe yogabhrasta samyayate” [Bg. 6.41] which means an unfinished yogi takes birth in rich family or born of a suci or pious father. By the grace of Krsna I got these two opportunities in the present life to be born of a pious father and brought up in one of the richest, aristocratic families of Calcutta (Kasinath Mullick). The Radha Krsna Deity in this family called me to meet Him, and therefore last time when I was in Calcutta, I stayed in that temple along with my American disciples. Although I had immense opportunities to indulge in the four principles of sinful life because I was connected with a very aristocratic family, Krsna always saved me, and throughout my whole life I do not know what is illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating or gambling. So far my present life is concerned, I do not remember any part of my life when I was forgetful of Krsna.
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03 Aug 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Devotee's, Diksha, Guru & Disciple, Hansadutta das, Siksa, Srila Prabhupada His Movement & You
Tags: hansadutta das, initiated disciple, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada books
How to be linked up with Srila Prabhupada
Posted by Hansadutta das on October 22, 2010
A devotee in Texas wrote in, asking what to do, how to be properly connected with Srila Prabhupada. He is certainly not the only one. There are many devotees like him all over the world, so I hope this helps others who likewise want to understand their situation in relationship to Prabhupada.
Dear Bhakta Ronnie, obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Thank you for your nice letter (letter follows). You have asked, “What exactly is a devotee like me supposed to do? How do I get linked up with Srila Prabhupada?” This is the question that plagues you, right?
Vaikuntanath das, a good friend of mine from NY City in early 1968, was alone with Srila Prabhupada at the Radha Damodar temple in Vrindaban, India. He wanted to ask a question of Prabhupada that had haunted him for a long time. Finally he felt, “This is my chance.” He asked, “Srila Prabhupada, we are distributing millions of books, but in the future when you are not here, how will these people who read your books be INITIATED?” Srila Prabhupada looked at him approvingly and answered, “One who reads my books, he is initiated automatically.”
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31 Jul 2011
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Devotee's, Diksha, Guru & Disciple, Madhudvisa das, Siksa, The Hare Krishna Movement
Tags: acharyas, disciples, Evidence and Clarification, Iskcon, Madhuvisa dasa, prabhupada, ritvik, Rocan dasa, Sampradaya sun, Srila Prabhupada, Tamal Krishna Goswami
Srila Prabhupada is the Only Spiritual Master for ISKCON
Srila Prabhupada created ISKCON for his disciples and it is really only going to work for his disciples. There is no history of a group of gurus living together and having all their disciples together. Even the Goswamis in Vrindavan, they were coming together for kirtans but they all had their own separate temples and disciples.
A short while back I read an interesting article written by Madhuvisa Prabhu, and posted by Rochan Prabhu on his site Sampradaya Sun. The article was entitled Evidence and Clarification. We are posting some of it here.
“…But as far as the facts are concerned it is certainly a fact that Prabhupada established a ritvik initiation system in ISKCON in the early 70’s where he would appoint representatives to perform the fire yajnas for his disciples on his behalf. And it is a fact that he gave these “ritviks” more power as the years went on, and in the July 9th letter, he gave them complete power to accept disciples on his behalf and chant on their beads and give them a name, without having any physical involvement in the matter at all.
It is also a provable fact that Srila Prabhuapda did not consider that any of his disciples were qualified for the position of acharya. And therefore it is very reasonable to say that Srila Prabhupada did not appoint any successor acharyas. I was just listening to one of the 1977 conversation tapes a couple of days ago and Srila Prabhupada told Tamal that the problem is among his disciples there is no strong man. He said they are all like children and among all Ramesvara may be the best. The same thing is there in other places where Prabhupada is clearly stating that his disciples are immature and not qualified for the post of acharya.
So it is a fact that the system Srila Prabhupada used in ISKCON to accept disciples in him physical presence was ritvik, 100% ritvik in the later years. And we can say it is a fact that he did not appoint any successor acharyas. Even Tamal confirms this in his Topanga Canyon talks. He says clearly that Prabhupada only appointed ritviks.
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