A Summary of Srila Prabhupada’s Miraculous Accomplishments from 1965 to 1977
In reading many of the profiles of Srila Prabhupada, I’m saddened that a number of his important projects, programs and achievements are never mentioned. In the following summary I’ve tried to compile a more comprehensive list of his credits. Although this list is also incomplete, I hope it presents a fuller picture of Srila Prabhupada’s greatness.
In 1965, at seventy years of age, he ventured outside India for the first time to fulfill the order of his spiritual master. During his voyage at sea, he suffered two severe heart attacks. He reached the shores of America with virtually no money to his name.
He founded the International Society for Krsna Consciousness with a small group of disciples, after a year of struggling alone in New York City. This marked the only time in history that a Krsna devotee successfully trained non-Indians in the strict disciplines of Vaisnavism. Amazingly, this was achieved during the blossoming of America’s hedonistic counterculture movement.
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.
This month of Kartika or the month of Damodara, has always been very dear. It is probably because Radha Damodara were the first worshipable Radha Krishna deities I had the good fortune to serve. When I joined the Hare Krishna movement, I was assigned to the Radha Damodara Traveling Sankirtan Party (RDTSP). I traveled with the bus party for the first year of my devotional career, and when the bus party broke up, I was re-assigned to the Gita Nagari farm, where I was engaged for some time as a carpenter building the new temple for the Radha Damodara deities who reside there. I guess we always remember our first love. -V
Worship of Sri Sri Radha-Damodara
Radharani is especially keen to hear Krishna’s pastimes, but She is particularly attracted to the Damodara pastime. Charmed by Damodara’s mood of surrender in agreeing to be bound by Mother Yasoda’s love, Sri Radha longs to have that same exchange with Krishna. She desires to express such intense love for Krishna that He will also agree to be bound by Her love. Appreciating this mood of Mother Yasoda to enhance Her own feelings for Krishna, She resolves to experience this same reciprocation of love.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.9.20 Purport) Radha-Damodara thus refers to Radharani’s mood of intense attraction for this pastime between Damodara and Mother Yasoda.
Neither Lord Brahma, nor Lord Siva, nor even the goddess of fortune, who is always the better half of the Supreme Lord, can obtain from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the deliverer from this material world, such mercy as recieved by mother Yasoda. (Srimad Bhagavan 10.9.20)
“One may artificially repress the desires of the senses, although the taste for sensual enjoyment remains; but by ceasing such enjoyments, experiencing a higher taste, one is fixed in consciousness.” (Bhagavad-gita 2.59)
Visnujana Swami: “When one experiences ruci, which, means a taste for Spiritual life, he can rise above the attraction of the illusory energy by the mercy of the Lord. Then he is able to feel vairagya. Vairagya is the strength that protects us, even when we are neophytes in Krishna consciousness, from breaking the Krishna conscious regulative principles and being attracted to the flickering sensual enjoyments of the mundane world. Ruci, and vairagya-the taste for spiritual life and the strength to maintain it-are rarely achieved.
If you had a huge diamond and were carrying it around with you on the street, people might flock to see such a diamond. Ruci and vairagya, however, are much more valuable diamonds. But although you are all walking through the streets with these valuable gifts, unfortunately no one is interested, in following you to take advantage of them. Ruci and vairagya are such wonderful gems, however, that if you give them away to others, these gems will still stay with you.
With all the political discussion going on this election year, I have been paying attention to some of the language. There are some words being used that I think I know, you know, words, we heard before, think we understand, but never actually took the time to look up in dictionary. Words like tyrant, autocracy, totalitarianism, liberality, etc. So this morning I took some time to look up the definition of some of these words. I began with the word “Tyranny”.
Simple definition: a government in which all power is in the hands of a single ruler. 2. : harsh, cruel, and severe government or conduct. 3. : a tyrannical act.
The following interview with freelance reporter Sandy Nixon took place in July 1975, in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s quarters at the Kṛṣṇa center in Philadelphia. This discussion serves as a superb introduction to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and covers such basic topics as the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the relationship between the spiritual master and God, the difference between genuine and fake gurus, the role of women in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the Indian caste system, and the relationship between Christ consciousness and Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
What is Krsna Consciousness?
Ms. Nixon: My first question is very basic. What is Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa means God. We are all intimately connected with Him because He is our original father. But we have forgotten this connection. When we become interested in knowing, “What is my connection with God? What is the aim of life?” then we are called Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Ms. Nixon: How does Kṛṣṇa consciousness develop in the practitioner?
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa consciousness is already there in the core of everyone’s heart. But because of our materially conditioned life, we have forgotten it. The process of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—revives the Kṛṣṇa consciousness we already have. For example, a few months ago these American and European boys and girls did not know about Kṛṣṇa, but just yesterday we saw how they were chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and dancing in ecstasy throughout the whole Ratha-yātrā procession [an annual festival sponsored by the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in cities around the world]. Do you think that was artificial? No. Artificially, nobody can chant and dance for hours together. They have actually awakened their Kṛṣṇa consciousness by following a bona fide process. This is explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 22. 107)
From time to time, I like to post some of the old photos from Gurudas Prabhu’s camera. He was one of the first ISKCON photographers and took many of the famous and beautiful pictures of Srila Prabhupada. The following were from Parikama with Srila Prabhupada in India.
Bhagavad-gita “As It Is” Original 1972 Edition
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
I built this site: Bhagavad-gita “As It Is” Original 1972 Edition some years ago as a supplement to this page. I have recently taken a closer look at it, upgraded it to eliminate the pop up adds, and changed the domain name.
Actually I remember being very excited years ago when I first created this page, as it made available Srila Prabhupada’s original Bhagavad-gita “As It Is” 1972 edition, with a very simple user friendly format, and all the original pictures. I never really promoted it, other than as a link from my site The Hare Krishna Movement. But in retrospect I think with a few minor changes to the domain name and a minor upgrade, I think it might possibly have some useful value for today’s cell phone, and tablet users.
I would welcome any visitors and appreciate any feedback or suggestions. You can contact me at vyasasan@gmail.com
“Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s Appearance Day”
Lecture given by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Given on March 2, 1975 in Atlanta
Prabhupada: Today is the most auspicious day, 101 years ago, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he appeared on this day. So Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is gaura-sakti. Gaura-sakti means empowered, empowered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He wanted His mission to be broadcast all over the world. He desired:
prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama
prthivite, all over the world, as many towns and villages are there, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu predicted that His mission will spread. This prediction was made by Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally five hundred years ago.
The following is from the first printing of “The Prominent Link” by Dhira Govinda dasa, which I read many years ago. I recently opened the book again just to refresh my memory, and be reminded again the prominent role Srila Prabhupada continues to play in our society. I have included a pfd link at bottom of post so anyone can have access to the entire new printing and supplementing articles. -V
Srila Prabhupada: The Prominent Link
by Dhira Govinda dasa
Many members of Srila Prabhupada’s movement who did not receive formal initiation from him experience Srila Prabhupada as the primary giver of direct transcendental knowledge. This empirical reality forms the basis of recognizing Srila Prabhupada as the prominent link to the parampara. Such a conception is supported by sastric descriptions of the essence of the initiation process, and by the delineation of the parampara described by Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.
Introduction
This paper presents a framework for understanding Srila Prabhupada’s position that is derived from a comprehension of Srila Prabhupada’s direct and personal relationship with the members of his movement. The central idea is that Srila Prabhupada is the prominent link to the parampara by virtue of being the prime deliverer of transcendental knowledge. We present these ideas in a mood of open-minded discussion and ask that the reader approach the material with a fresh perspective and a willingness to reexamine the issues.
(Srila Prabhupada and George Harrison, London, 1973)
“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.”
“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.”
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.
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)
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.
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.
My friend Padmapani Prabhu (the webmaster for Prabhupada Connect has been coming out with so many beautiful posts of late…we share another one with you here. Please visit his site if you get the chance.
“This Krishna consciousness movement is not something new, something that we have introduced or manufactured. It is authorized on the Vedic principles, authorized by acaryas like Caitanya Mahaprabhu and others. And the method is very simple; there is no loss. We are not charging anything, we are not asking for fees and giving the people some secret mantra and promising them that they will become God. No. This is open for everyone — children, women, girls, boys, old people — everyone can chant and see the results.” (Science of Self-Realization, Chapter 5)
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)
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. 1 as a free pdf download.
click on link to veiw or save; Vaisnava Journal Vol 1, No. 1 VJ-1
Note: this may take a few moments to load.
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.
Read more…
Over the years, I’ve been approached by numerous devotees requesting copies of The Vaisnava Journal. Since I have only one set available, I was unable to comply until now. Please have a look at our humble attempt to serve Srila Prabhupada and his great mission during a time of change in our movement’s history.
In particular, I’d like to draw your attention to the Vaisnava Forum (letters section) which was launched to help facilitate a healthy dialogue among all participants. The mood was friendly and hopeful to which the devotees responded in kind. Writers and contributors read like a who’s who list of ISKCON members at the time. If anything, the journal proved that devotees of all persuasions can relate to one another with respect and godbrotherly love. This was Srila Prabhupada’s instruction and desire for us all.
“Perhaps you may know that there are many political parties in a country but when the country’s total responsibility has to be executed, they become combined. To have some little disagreements among yourselves is not very unnatural because we are all individual beings. But as we are working on behalf of Krishna, we should always forget our personal interests and see to the prime cause.” (Srila Prabhupada letter, January 21, 1969)
A friend sent me this youtube this morning. A dedication to all Krishna Kids of ISKCON. Very sweet! I used to think these children who took birth in our movement, were the most fortunate people on the planet, and this video seems to indicate that this was so. With the Kuli Mela reunion about to be held at New Vrindaban, just a few short weeks away, it seems it is timely, to focus on the children.
“Our Children are the gift given by the mercy of the Lord, they are delicate. Take care of them with love and devotion by giving them Krishna Consciousness.” (Srila Prabhupada)
With the advent of the Gaura Purnima, or the Appearance day of Lord Caitanya, rapidly approaching, I thought it would be nice to again offer the free pdf file of the Teachings of Lord Chaitanya. Just click on link to read it online or save it to your computer. Hare Krishna!
Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, The Matchless Gift
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter One
Spiritual Knowledge Through Kṛṣṇa
The aim of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to bring all living entities back to their original consciousness. All living entities within the material world are, to varying degrees, afflicted with a type of madness. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement aims at curing man of his material disease and reestablishing his original consciousness. In a Bengali poem a great Vaiṣṇava poet has written, “When a man is haunted by ghosts, he can only speak nonsense. Similarly, anyone who is under the influence of material nature should be considered haunted, and whatever he speaks should be considered nonsense.” One may be considered a great philosopher or great scientist, but if he is haunted by the ghost of māyā, illusion, whatever he theorizes and whatever he speaks is more or less nonsensical. Today we are given the example of a psychiatrist who, when requested to examine a murderer, proclaimed that since all the patients with whom he had come in contact were more or less crazy, the court could excuse the murderer on those grounds if it so desired. The point is that in the material world it is very difficult to find a sane living entity. The prevailing atmosphere of insanity in this world is all caused by the infection of material consciousness.
Deity Installation Ceremony of Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar & Grand Opening of the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple & Cultrual Center
It was my good fortune and privilege to be in attendance at the Grand Opening of Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple & Cultural Center and witness the Deity Installation Ceremony of Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar. The three day event took place August 28 – 30th. The new center is located at 1020 W 7th St., Plainfield, New Jersey in a residential neighborhood, and is very easy to find. I would encourage everyone to make it a point to visit there and have darshan with the beautiful Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar.
Krishna appeared as Lord Chaitanya 500 years ago in India to bring the medicine for the diseased human society in the form of this movement. He brought the chanting of Hare Krishna.
The Hare Krishna Movement 