Srila Prabhupada

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Srila Prabhupada

At various times people have called him a scholar, a philosopher, a cultural ambassador, a prolific author, a religious leader, a spiritual teacher, a social critic, and a holy man. In truth, he was all these things and more.

Over five hundred years ago, Lord Sri Krishna appeared as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Navadvipa, a village in West Bengal. The purpose of His appearance was to inaugurate the Sankirtana Movement, the Yuga Dharma for this age of Kali. He declared that the chanting of His holy names would spread beyond the shores of India to every town and village in the world. He predicted that His commander-in-chief would appear to accomplish this mission.

Yes… Srila Prabhupada appeared to fulfill this prophecy.

On September 01, 1896, the day after Janmashtami (the auspicious appearance day of Lord Sri Krishna) in a little house in the Tollygunge suburb of Calcutta, a male child was born. His father, Gour Mohan De, and his mother Rajani, named him Abhay Charan (one who is fearless – having taken shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna).

An astrologer prepared the horoscope for the baby and revealed: When this child reaches the age of seventy, he will cross the ocean, become a great teacher of religion and establish 108 Krishna temples.

And this is exactly what happened.

Srila Prabhupada set out to America in 1965 and established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness at the age of sixty-nine. He travelled around the world fourteen times, established more than 100 temples of Krishna and initiated more than 10000 disciples into Krishna consciousness.

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Who is the Jagad-Guru?

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Who is the Jagad-Guru?

Compilation of Quotes

by Prabhupada Connection

“The acaryadeva to whom we have assembled tonight to offer our humble homage is not the guru of a sectarian institution or one out of many differing exponents of the truth. On the contrary, he is the jagad-guru, or the guru of all of us, the only difference is that some obey him wholeheartedly, while others do not obey him directly.”

 

(Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-Puja Speech, Bombay, 1935)

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Initiations After 1977 Position Paper

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Initiations After 1977 Position Paper

The following link is a Position Paper PDF on “Initiations After 1977” that you can open or save to your computer. This is a short 54 page booklet which describes Srila Prabhupada’s final instructions on initiations after his departure based on his instructions with śāstric and historical references. I have only had a chance to briefly preview it, but it appears to be well put together and backed up with many quotes and references.

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Excerpted from “Initiations After 1977”

The instructions of Śrīla Prabhupāda are the thread that holds the beautiful pearl necklace of our movement. If they are disobeyed, the thread would snap and the necklace would be lost. That is exactly what happened especially with regards to
initiations after Śrīla Prabhupāda’s departure.

The scope of this book is

1. To study Śrīla Prabhupāda’s final instructions on how initiations should takeplace after his departure;

2. To fortify the authenticity of his instructions with śāstric and historical references;

3. To present śāstric references that explain the root cause of all problems within our worldwide Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, its effects and how to solve it.

This book is entirely based on the official documents of Śrīla Prabhupāda and supported by scriptural quotations from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s translations of Bhagavadgītā, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and other related literature. We have just attempted to compile it in order to serve his mission and the devotees who are true to his mission.

“The main business of human society is to think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead at all times, to become His devotees, to worship the Supreme Lord and to bow down before Him. The ācārya, the authorized representative of the Supreme Lord, establishes these principles, but when he disappears, things once again become disordered. The perfect disciples of the ācārya try to relieve the situation by sincerely following the instructions of the spiritual master.”  (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.28.48, Purport)

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The Cause of Confusion and Dissension in the Krishna Consciousness Movement

The Hare Krishna Movement

Here is another fine article compiled by Vidura Mahatma Prabhu, which appeared in my mailbox some time back. Some very nice quotes.

The Cause of Confusion and Dissension in the Krishna Consciousness Movement
by Vidura Mahatma Das

“When disciples do not stick to the principle of accepting the order of their spiritual master, immediately there are two opinions. Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual master is useless. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into spiritual advancement. That is deviation. There is no scope for adjusting spiritual advancement to material ideas.” (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 12.9 purport)

“All the devotees connected with this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must read all the books that have been translated (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā and others); otherwise, after some time, they will simply eat, sleep and fall down from their position. Thus they will miss the opportunity to attain an eternal, blissful life of transcendental pleasure.”
(Chaitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 25.278 : Purport by Srila Prabhupada)

“The order of the spiritual master is the active principle in spiritual life. Anyone who disobeys the order of the spiritual master immediately becomes useless.” (CC Adi 12.10)

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The Vaisnava Journal Free PDF Download

The Vaisnava Journal

Recently my good friend Padmapani Prabhu, sent me this link to his page Prabhupada Connect where he has just posted the Vaisnava Journal in a pdf format. We will be posting all five issues here as well, for our readers, so you can download and save to your computer or just read online. Today we are posting Vol. 1, No. 2 as a free pdf download.

click on link to veiw or save; Vaisnava Journal Vol 1, No. 2

The Vaisnava Journal
by Padmapani das

The Vaisnava Journal was created to help devotees work through our differences in a respectful and co-operative manner with the aim of preserving the loving mood in our spiritual family after the physical departure of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. Although only five issues were printed and distributed over the next two-and-a-half years, the magazine was popular and well received by many leaders, members and friends of ISKCON.

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Srila Prabhupada: The Prominent Link

Srila Prabhupada the Prominent Link

Srila Prabhupada: The Prominent Link

Recently I had the good fortune to meet one of my God brothers, Dhira Govinda Prabhu. It was on the appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. I had heard of him, and in the past, had posted some of his writings, and had read his book “Srila Prabhupada; The Prominent Link”, but had not yet meet him. I found him to be a very nice devotee of good character. And just to give his voice a broader range we decided to post his book Srila Prabhupada The Prominent Link as well as the Prominent Link Supplementary Articles here.

Click on either of the above underlined links to read or save the pdf files.

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The Absolute Necessity of a Spiritual Master—The Universal Teacher

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The Absolute Necessity of a Spiritual Master—The Universal Teacher
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder-Acharya of the world-wide Hare Krishna Movement

In February 1936, in Bombay, India, the members of a reputed religious society, the Gaudiya Matha, were astonished by the powerful and eloquent words of a young member who spoke in honor of his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami. Three decades later, the young speaker would become the world-renowned founder and spiritual master of the Krishna consciousness movement. Srila Prabhupada’s presentation is a memorable statement on the importance of the guru in spiritual life.

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Srila Prabhupada The Founder-Acarya of ISKCON

Srila Prabhupada The Founder-Acarya of ISKCON

There is a nice book that was published recently entitled ““Srila Prabhupada: The Founder-Acarya of ISKCON”, written by Ravindra Svarupa Das and published by ISKCON GBC Press.

In our Mission Statement on our About Us Page we have stated;

…”to put it rather simply, we are promoting Srila Prabhupada; The Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, his Original writtings, his teachings, and his instructions for the world.”

So it is with this mind, we share with you this nice publication

click on link to openSrila Prabhupada the FounderAcharya to read or save

The Krsna Consciousness Movement

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 077_-_BTG_Year-1970-1973_Volume-01_Number-48_Page_02

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The Krsna Consciousness Movement
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine Vol. 1, No. 48

The Krsna consciousness movement is now being increasingly recognized throughout the world as a spiritual force of great potency, purity and importance to human society. With the simultaneous publication of the first two cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam and the complete 1,000-page edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, the public is becoming increasingly aware that the boys and girls whom they see chanting and dancing on their city streets are students of a most serious discipline of God consciousness which is established on the basis of a philosophical system of considerable completeness, consistency and depth.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

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Devotion – The Highest Yoga

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Devotion – The Highest Yoga
A lecture given by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
1968

The word yoga has become synonymous in Western vernacular with a lithe figure, radiant health, peace of mind, and other material benefits. But the original meaning of the Sanskrit term carries a different, higher import: linking with the Supreme. In this lecture from 1968, Srila Prabhupada distinguishes the true goal of yoga—loving devotion to the Supreme Lord—from the physical and psychological elements of yoga practice.

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Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival in the USA

Srila Prabhupada on the Jaladuta

Today we celebrate the Arrival of Srila Prabhupada in the U.S.A. 1965 with this poem written aboard the ship the Jaladuta and with a free pdf download the Jaladuta Diary. Just click on link at bottom of post to read or save the pdf file.

Poem by Srila Prabhupada on His First Arrival in the USA
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine 1970, Vol. 1, No 34

The spiritual master and founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is now engaging thousands of men and women in America and throughout the world in the science of bhakti-yoga, transcendental loving service to God. Prabhupada had no personal motive in first beginning ISKCON; he so vigorously preaches the philosophy of God consciousness simply because he has been ordered to do so by his own spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada first arrived in the United States in 1965 with seven dollars, a letter of introduction to an Indian family in Pennsylvania, and a suitcase with some volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the following poem, written in Bengali on the day of his arrival in the USA, Srila Prabhupada addresses the Supreme Lord Krsna, asking Him His purpose in sending His servant to America. The translation from Bengali was done by Srila Prabhupada himself.

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Hare Krishna!

Lord Sri Krishna with Cows

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We will be away for a couple of weeks, but leave you with this beautiful image of Lord Sri Krishna and a short book entitled “Prabhupada”

click on link to veiw or save Prabhupada

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Vyasa Puja 2014

Srila Prabhupada on the  Vyasasana

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For most devotees of The Hare Krishna Movement, Vyasa-puja is the most important festival of the year.  It is the day we honor the appearance day of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness  (ISKCON – The Hare Krishna Movement).

Srila Prabhupada, was born on the day of Nandotsava (the day after Janmastami, the Birth day of Lord Sri Krishna), in 1896.

I ran across this nice offering book of last years homages, from the ISKCON Bangalor devotees. This is a nice example of Vyasa-puja offerings.  Click on link below to view or save.  

Vyasapuja Book 2013

ISKCON

iskcon incorporated

Today (July 30th) marks the auspicious anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s incorporation of ISKCON New York, in 1966. We thank Sampradaya Sun for posting this very nice homage in honor of the occasion.

Incorporation of ISKCON New York
July 29, 2013 — CANADA (SUN)

Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

In 1966, Srila Prabhupada began chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra under a tree in New York’s Tompkins Square Park, thereby inaugurating the western advance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s glorious Sankirtana movement. On July 13th, 1966 Srila Prabhupada incorporated ISKCON New York, and in Autumn of 1966 he established the ISKCON Press, which clearly demonstrated his emphasis on the importance of publishing and distributing his authorized books. Since that time, many millions of his books have been distributed throughout the world, translated into many different languages.

“We shall call our society I.S.K.C.O.N.”, Srila Prabhupada said with great pleasure when he first coined the acronym for the International Society of Krishna Consciousness. ‘Krishna Consciousness’ was Srila Prabhupada’s rendering of a phrase from Srila Rupa Goswami’s Padyavali:

krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita

“To be absorbed in the mellow taste of executing devotional service to Krsna’.”

“He had initiated the legal work of incorporation that spring, while still living on the Bowery, but even before its legal beginning, he had been talking about his “International Society for Krishna Consciousness”, and so it had appeared in letters to India and in “The Village Voice” (newspaper). A friend had suggested a title that would sound more familiar to Westerners “International society for God Consciousness”. But ‘God’ was a vague term, whereas ‘Krishna’ was exact and scientific; ‘God Consciousness’ was spiritually weaker, less personal. And if Westerners didn’t know or understand that Krishna was God, then the ‘International Society for Krishna Consciousness’ would tell them, by spreading His glories ‘in every town and village’. (“Your Ever Well-wisher”, page 45-47)

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Respecting Srila Prabhupada

Drawing of Srila Prabhupada

From time to time I like to visit the web site The Prabhupada Connection just to drink in the nectar. If you haven’t visited this site yet, I recommend that you visit the underlined link above and bookmark it to your favorites.
The site was created by Padmapani Prabhu who is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, and is well loved by the devotee community. The following is some nectar I found in the Editorial Notes category.

Respecting Srila Prabhupada
by Padmapani dasa

As disciples and followers of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness, we all have an eternal debt to Srila Prabhupada for his unprecedented sacrifice in freely distributing the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu all over the world.

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108 Imporant Slokas from the 1972 Bhagavad-gita As It Is

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The Hare Krishna Cookbook

Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 1972 Edition “Online”

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Srimad Bhagavatam Online

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Raja-Vidya the King of Knowledge

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Important Slokas from the Brahma-samhita

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Slokas from the Sri Isopanisad

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Prayers By Queen Kunti (Slokas)

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Gajendra’s Prayers of Surrender (Slokas)

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A Short Statement of the Philosophy of Krishna Consciousness

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July 9th Letter

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The Hare Krishna Explosion

Reference Material/Study Guide

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