Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/09-15%20QA/What%20is%20our%20approach%20to%20the%20theory%20of%20evolution.mp3
The post What is our approach to the theory of evolution? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/09-15%20QA/Are%20dreams%20about%20Krishna%20factual%20or%20just%20imaginary.mp3
The post Are dreams about Krishna factual or just imaginary? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/09-15%20QA/Why%20do%20Abrahamic%20religions%20call%20Deity%20Worship%20as%20Devil%20Worship.mp3
The post Why do Abrahamic religions call Deity Worship as Devil Worship? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/09-15%20QA/Do%20our%20dreams%20reflect%20our%20anarthas.mp3
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The post Do our dreams reflect our anarthas? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Congregation Program at Alachua
Lecture Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/09-15%20classes/MIND%20acronym%201%20-%20Magnifies%20the%20problem.mp3
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The post MIND acronym 1 – Magnifies the problem appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/09-15%20QA/How%20to%20respond%20when%20a%20devotee%20is%20criticized%20by%20a%20devotee%20or%20a%20nondevotee.mp3
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The post How to respond when a devotee is criticized by a devotee or a nondevotee? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Srimad Bhagavatam class (10.74.35-38) at New Ramana Reti, ISKCON, Alachua
Lecture Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/09-15%20classes/Deconstructing%20Shishupalas%20character%20assassination%20of%20Krishna.mp3
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Lecture Summary:
10.74.35
What we speak about others speaks more about us than about others
Criticism is phrased contextually, but the malicious intention is often intentional
Eg. Today racist
What we speak is not as defining as why we speak it
Eg. SP – rajas tamo gune era sabai acchana al
Shishupala – friendly to Pandavas, envious of Krishna
10.74.36
Std strategy: Dredge up old stories to denigrate others
Yayati’s curse
“He has been in good standing recently, but he had problems earlier”
VCT – vyaja-stuti
What is unknown soon becomes falsely known
Eg ISKCON devotees – cult members in US and drug users in India
10.74.37
Common mistake: equate geographical with cultural / spiritual
Eg. Area outside India – fallen
Pure devotee’s potency: yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah
Rumors don’t need facts – they just need feelings
Eg. People being exploited in Dwarka / Christians being exploited in India
Jiva G – Krishna shifted Mathura-vasis to Dwarka primarily to protect Vrajavasis
10.74.38
Different kinds of criticism require different kinds of responses:
Tiny – neglect will die out
Big – may need to be countered
It requires great strength to resist the natural human tendency to defend oneself by countering criticism
The harsh words of our enemies don’t hurt as much as the deafening silence of our friends
3 different responses:
Neglect
Let others respond
Respond yourself
The post Deconstructing Shishupala’s character assassination of Krishna appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
With this question, I prefaced a juicy tidbit of gossip that I was about to share in a recent conversation with someone. I looked around as if furtively, moved closer to my hearer and dropped my voice. I don’t think I did any of this intentionally – it just happened because of my decade-long habit of public speaking.
Predictably, my hearer nodded their head earnestly to assure me about their ability to keep a secret and leaned forward to ensure that they didn’t miss even one drop of the juice in the tidbit.
As I opened my mouth, suddenly I had an epiphany. I felt as if I was seeing myself from overhead, and my hypocrisy lay exposed in front of me. Here I was asking my hearer whether they could keep a secret and I was immediately showing them that I myself couldn’t keep a secret. How? By willingly, even eagerly, speaking what was supposed to be a secret.
A rhetorical question becomes literal
Epiphanies often occur when we somehow see the common in an uncommon light. The question “Can you keep a secret?” is almost always a rhetorical question – the hearer hardly ever gives a negative answer. Rare are the souls who go into a confessional mode, admitting their inability to keep secrets.
Somehow, while verbalizing this question, I took it not rhetorically but literally and thereafter emerged the epiphany. Seen from a devotional perspective, the “somehow” needs to be replaced by “Krishna’s mercy,” especially when the resulting insight helps us move closer to him. The Bhagavad-gita (15.15) states that Krishna resides in the hearts of each one of us and from that strategic vantage point offers guidance.
Moving from the source of the epiphany to its content, I have heard, read, spoken and written about why we shouldn’t gossip. This epiphany helped me realize that my use of “we” was an expression of not just courtesy but also honesty. As a writer whose content is often didactic, I have trained myself to use “we” instead of “you” to avoid coming off as pedantic. While such courtesy is important, it struck me that even more important is honestly admitting that the “we” reflects reality: I am actually in the same boat as they are, struggling against similar human weaknesses.
In fact, a more honest expression would be to replace the “we” with an “I” – I don’t know for sure that my readers have the tendency to gossip, but I do know for sure that I have that tendency.
Why I shouldn’t gossip – and why I still do
Gossip can be simply defined as speaking about a situation to someone who is a part of neither the problem, nor the solution. What do I as a spiritual practitioner gossip about? Usually, it’s about what has happened to whom or who did what. Being a part of a spiritual movement means that we get placed in a social circle where the slips of others from the expected moral and spiritual standards become fodder for gossip.
The […]
The post “Can you keep a secret?” appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/09-15%20classes/Bhagavatam-daily%20315%20–%2011.14.9%20–%20Spiritual%20universality%20accomodates%20material%20variety.mp3
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The post Bhagavatam-daily 315 – 11.14.9 – Spiritual universality accomodates material variety appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Chaitanya Charitamrita daily Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/09-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20211%20–%207.59-63%20–%20Our%20devotion%20is%20seen%20in%20our%20appreciation%20for%20others%20devotion.mp3
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The post CC daily 211 – 7.59-63 – Our devotion is seen in our appreciation for others devotion appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/09-15%20classes/Bhagavatam-daily%20314%20–%2011.14.8%20–%20We%20need%20the%20living%20tradition%20to%20protect%20us%20from%20deviation.mp3
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Our heart is capable of both noble and ignoble emotions. How we can cultivate higher emotions and curb lower emotions is demonstrated in the Ramayana through the interactions between the two pairs of inseparable brothers: Rama-Lakshmana who are together in exile, and Bharata-Shatrughna who are together in Ayodhya. Of course, these brothers are divine and are beyond lower emotions. Still, during their pastimes, for intensifying their loving reciprocations, they sometimes exhibit various emotions, some of which might seem like lower emotions. While remembering the transcendental position of such characters, we can also learn from their pastimes how we can channelize our emotions.
Anger triggered by suspicion
When Rama and Lakshmana are living in the forest of Chitrakuta, they hear the sounds of an approaching army. At Rama’s behest, Lakshmana climbs atop a tree to identify the visitors and recognizes Bharata at their forefront. Lakshmana, while serving Rama in the forest, is still angry to see that his brother, who should have been enjoying royal opulence, is instead enduring Spartan austerity in the forest. So when he sees Bharata coming with a huge army, he feels that his suspicion is confirmed: Bharata is in cahoots with his mother and has brought the army to eliminate Rama so that he can get the kingdom for not just fourteen years but for life. Enraged, he declares that he will singlehandedly kill Bharata and the whole army – everyone who dares threaten Rama.
But Rama remains calm and speaks of Bharata’s affection for him, which equals that of Lakshmana. Rama correctly surmises that Bharata, being mortified at his mother’s intrigues, has come to return the kingdom. Underscoring the unwarrantedness of Lakshmana’s anger, Rama asks him whether the forest austerities have made him irritable towards others such as Bharata who were enjoying the royal luxuries that he was missing. If that were the case, Rama assures that he will ask Bharata to exchange places with Lakshmana – Bharata will stay in the forest, while Lakshmana can enjoy Ayodhya’s royal comforts.
Thoroughly embarrassed on being so strongly reproached, Lakshmana falls silent. And his mortification at his misjudgment increases manifold when he sees how fervently Bharata beseeches Rama to take the kingdom and finally carries Rama’s sandals on his head.
Later, after the departure of the visitors from Ayodhya, Lakshmana introspectively asks Rama: “Why am I so short-tempered?” Rama attributes Lakshmana’s temper to his emotionality. Perplexed, Lakshmana asks whether emotions are undesirable. Rama answers in the negative, but cautions that we need to choose the emotions that bring out our higher side, not our lower side.
Anger triggered by cruelty
How to choose emotions thus is illustrated in an interaction between the other two brothers, Bharata and Shatrughna. This incident occurs before they go to the forest to meet Rama. The two brothers are returning to their palace after having performed the funeral rites for their deceased father. Bharata, being the de facto head of state, is accosted by a city official about some administrative work. Shatrughna moves on towards the palace and […]
The post Elevating our Emotions (Ramayana Reflections 5) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
A standard war strategy for defeating a strong enemy is divide and rule. The Bhagavad-gita (06.06) states that the mind can often act as our enemy. Acting inimically, it targets us with this strategy when we practice bhakti-yoga.
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to your divine lotus feet. All glories to the timeless bhakti legacy that you so tirelessly shared with us.
This year I gained a significantly deepened appreciation of how inconceivable your struggle was and how incredible your success was. I had the opportunity to write the text for a small photo-book about your life-story entitled “Prabhupada: The Moments that Made the Movement.” While I have read, heard and spoken about your remarkable life many times, writing enabled me to plumb unexplored depths in my appreciation of you.
Contemplating the defining moments of your life reminded me forcefully of the magnitude of the mountains that confronted you and the Everests that you still scaled. By trying to put in words how you took Krishna’s message of love to all the inhabited continents of the world, I felt myself coming closer to you – the saint who simply loved Krishna and who wanted the whole world to love Krishna.
In the early days of my bhakti practice, your biography Prabhupada Lilamrita was the book that inspired me the most. Each year as I practice bhakti, I on one hand appreciate more and more the spell-binding luminosity of spiritual love. But on the other hand I also realize more and more the desolate darkness of self-centered desires that crowd and cloud my heart. On many occasions of discouragement and disappointment, reading the last five chapters of the first volume of Lilamrita and the first five chapters of the second volume have provided me immense encouragement. Writing and thereby meditating on how much you struggled to give the bhakti legacy to us puts my small struggles in receiving and sharing that legacy in perspective.
In fact, it was after reading Lilamrita for the first time that my resolve to dedicate my life to your mission became solidified. I still remember how after reading it I prostrated myself in front of your picture in the book and begged for your mercy to overcome my many conditionings so that I could serve you lifelong. Writing about your amazing life brought intense memories of those honeymoon days in bhakti and kindled the flames of my devotional desires.
On this auspicious day, I seek your blessings to re-dedicate myself to sharing the message of love that you brought to me – and millions of fortunate souls before me and after me.
Your servant,
Chaitanya Charan das
The post Offering to Srila Prabhupada – Meditating on your life for dedicating my life appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Sankirtan Prabhu, who departed on the auspicious day of Janmashtami after a sustained battle against cancer, was a frontline fighter in Lord Chaitanya’s army. He was on the frontline in striving to share bhakti wisdom in China, despite the many restrictions and obstacles there. While that service is glorious, I, as an author, appreciated most his frontline outreach through writing.
I first had his association in a student-teacher relationship when he was one of my Bhakti-shastri teachers in Pune. Thereafter, when he started writing, he very kindly started treating me like a friend, sharing his plans and challenges in writing and seeking my inputs. Though English was not his first language (as it is not mine either) he strove vigorously to share the universal spiritual truths he had learnt in this contemporary lingua franca.
The feature that struck me most about his writing was what could be called its inter-disciplinary scope. He brought bhakti wisdom into a mature dialogue with the yoga tradition in his book Bhakti-Yoga Pilgrimage and with contemporary psychology in his other writings. Drawing pertinent points eclectically to address various current concerns, he then insightfully illumined the underlying issues with the light of aptly distilled devotional insights. Overall, he was one of the pioneers in our movement in striving to penetrate the huge and largely untapped self-help genre of writing.
With a heavy heart at the departure of a fellow author and friend, I seek his blessings for continuing in my own small way the literary legacy of our tradition.
The post Appreciating Sankirtan Prabhu’s frontline literary outreach appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Lecture Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/09-15%20classes/Relevance%20of%20Krishnas%20descent%20-%20TEMPLE%20acronym%20-%20Janmashtami%20special.mp3
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Lecture Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/09-15%20classes/Comparing%20appearances%20of%20Krishna%20and%20Rama%20-%20Janmashtami%20special.mp3
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Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/Is%20bhakti%20as%20rasa%20a%20contemporary%20presentation%20at%20Lord%20Chaitanyas%20times%20or%20an%20eternal%20truth.mp3
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The post Is bhakti as rasa a contemporary presentation at Lord Chaitanya’s times or an eternal truth? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/Can%20a%20devotee%20do%20karma-kandi%20rituals%20for%20earning%20a%20living.mp3
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The post Can a devotee do karma-kandi rituals for earning a living? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/Did%20the%20presentation%20of%20bhakti%20evolve%20or%20even%20its%20definition%20evolve%20over%20time.mp3
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The post Did the presentation of bhakti evolve or even its definition evolve over time? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/How%20can%20we%20reconcile%20Krishna%20provides%20for%20devotees%20and%20Krishna%20takes%20everything%20from%20devotees.mp3
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The post How can we reconcile “act according to your nature” and “do what Krishna wants you to do, not what you want to do”? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Bhagavatam class at Radha Kunjabihari temple, Pune
Lecture Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/08-15%20classes/From%20the%20Mahabharata%20Krishna%20to%20the%20Bhagavatam%20Krishna.mp3
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The post From the Mahabharata Krishna to the Bhagavatam Krishna appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/How%20can%20we%20avoid%20comparing%20ourselves%20with%20others%20while%20living%20in%20a%20comparing%20culture.mp3
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The post How can we avoid comparing ourselves with others while living in a comparing culture? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/How%20can%20we%20avoid%20moroseness%20caused%20by%20repeatedly%20falling%20for%20sense%20gratification.mp3
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The post How can we avoid moroseness caused by repeatedly falling for sense gratification? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/How%20can%20we%20serve%20according%20to%20our%20nature%20within%20an%20institutional%20setup.mp3
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Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/Why%20did%20Vasudeva%20not%20allow%20Krishna%20to%20return%20to%20Vrindavana.mp3
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The post Why did Vasudeva not allow Krishna to return to Vrindavana? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Srimad Bhagavatam class at Radha Vrindavanchandra temple, Pune
Lecture Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/08-15%20classes/Appreciating%20Bhagavatam%20as%20rasa%20shastra.mp3
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Balaram Jayanti Lecture at ISKCON, Pune
Lecture Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/08-15%20classes/Balaram%20Jayanti%20-%20How%20Balaram%20helps%20Krishna%20remember%20Vrindavan%20outside%20Vrindavan.mp3
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The post Balaram Jayanti – How Balaram helps Krishna remember Vrindavan outside Vrindavan appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Youth Meeting at ISKCON, Pune
Lecture Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/08-15%20classes/Temptations%20may%20come,%20we%20don’t%20have%20to%20welcome.mp3
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The post Temptations may come, we don’t have to welcome appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Chaitanya Charitamrita daily Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/08-15%20classes/CC%20daily%20210%20%e2%80%93%207.54-58%20%e2%80%93%20The%20Lord%20adjusts%20his%20plans%20to%20accomodate%20his%20devotees.mp3
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From Ranjith A U Nair P
In our current state, can we understanding Lord’s transcendental (beyond material senses) body? What exactly does it mean: that his body is sat-cit-ananda vigraha (eternal, knowledge and bliss)?
When Krishna manifests himself in material world (eg. Krishna leela), was his body the original transcendental body? If yes, how to understand his growing up from a child and also getting bleeding in the Kurukshetra war?
When he does not have veins, he would also not have organs like us. So in spiritual world, we need not require food/prasadam for sustenance? Ref: 10 Mantra 8: How the Ishvara integrates inconceivable attributes
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/How%20can%20we%20understand%20that%20Krishnas%20form%20is%20transcendental.mp3
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It is difficult to see the correlation between the title of a canto and its content.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/How%20are%20the%20Bhagavatams%20cantos%20named.mp3
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From Promila Mataji
BG 9.22 But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.
SB 10.88.8: The Personality of Godhead said: If I especially favor someone, I gradually deprive him of his wealth. Then the relatives and friends of such a poverty-stricken man abandon him. In this way he suffers one distress after another.
How do we reconcile the two?
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/How%20can%20we%20reconcile%20Krishna%20provides%20for%20devotees%20and%20Krishna%20takes%20everything%20from%20devotees.mp3
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From Sundar Murari Prabhu
You were explaining bringing the altar from temple to home to Heart. We have set up altar at home and worship. What are the steps involved in bringing the altar to the heart?
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/How%20can%20we%20make%20our%20heart%20into%20a%20temple.mp3
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The post How can we make our heart into a temple? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
From Sundar Murari Prabhu
Comparing the analogy of animals defend and Humans defend:
Human worries about human in terrorist form – worry and defend human. The comparison of animal won’t get afraid within same community – I don’t understand, since Tiger eats its own cub / calf. Dog also tries to defend from other dog. isn’t it?? Please clarify.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/Animals%20threaten%20each%20other%20the%20way%20humans%20do%20-%20how%20are%20humans%20more%20threatened.mp3
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The post Animals threaten each other the way humans do – how are humans more threatened? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
From Vrindavaneshvari Mataji
While explaining types of Bhakti by different Vaishnav Acharayas; Vallabha acharaya explains that Bhakti is love, Maryada and PUSHTI. Please elaborate what is Pushti Bhakti or Pushti in Bhakti?
Also kindly throw light on the difference between Pushti and Tushti Bhakti.
Answer Podcast:
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/08-15%20QA/What%20is%20pushti-bhakti%20and%20pushti%20and%20tushti%20in%20bhakti.mp3
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1971, May: Visited Australia for the first time:
As a part of his vision to share spiritual love with the whole world, Srila Prabhupada had sent his disciples to Australia. They had initially faced suspicion and opposition, even being arrested for dancing on the streets. But gradually their spiritual sincerity shone through and they attracted many interested people. When Srila Prabhupada came to Sydney, Australia, at their invitation, he inspired both followers and visitors by his words and actions.
Given his age, he knew that he didn’t have much time for sharing the bhakti movement in Australia. Still, wanting to give it a strong fillip in the available time he came up with a transcendentally bold move. Though the devotees in Australia were young and not adequately trained, he still installed Radha-Krishna Deities and prayed to their Lordships to guide the novice devotees from within their hearts about how to render devotional service properly.
His faith in the devotee’s sincerity was well-placed, as he saw during his next annual visit. The devotees had learnt proper devotional principles and practices – and were maintaining high standards of Deity Worship, standards that are being continued even now.
1971 June: Visited Moscow: Having shared spirituality successfully in the Western super-power America, Srila Prabhupada had set his sights on the other superpower: Soviet Russia. But that country’s communist government and underlying atheistic ideology made it much more difficult to penetrate spiritually. But even the Iron Curtain couldn’t hold Srila Prabhupada back. Finally, through his correspondence with a respected Russian professor of religion, he was able to visit USSR for five days. But he wasn’t allowed to do any public programs, and he had to spend most of those days in a small hotel room. Nonetheless, his spiritual potency couldn’t be suppressed by anything material. Through a series of transcendental coincidences, one sincere Russian seeker, Anatoly Pinyayev, came to meet him in his hotel room. Anatoly heard from him like a starving man getting a feast. Srila Prabhupada blessed and empowered him, granting him the initiated name Ananta Shanti das.
Through this first Russian Krishna devotee, the message of spiritual love spread gradually but unstoppably to thousands. Unfortunately, the devotees faced severe persecution from the KGB. The devotees were nonviolent and tolerant – and wanted to do nothing more than simply follow their heart’s calling to love Krishna, and share that love with others. Yet the KGB deemed Hare Krishna one of the three main threats to the Soviet Union, the other two being pop music, Western culture, and Hare Krishna. Decades of persecution resulted, till finally communism fell. Thereafter, devotees were able to follow their heart’s calling much more freely and with amazing results – the Newsweek magazine (1994) noted that the Hare Krishna movement was the fastest growing religion in Russia.
1971, Nov: Visited Africa for the first time:
Srila Prabhupada had sent his followers to Africa, but they hadn’t been able to make much headway with the native African population. So they had focused on cultivating the Indian diaspora […]
The post Prabhupada: The moments that made his movement – Part 3 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
1966: Went to the land of the hippies: When A C Bhaktivedanta Swami first beheld the American shoreline with its impressive skyscrapers, he saw not material prosperity but spiritual bankruptcy. And he prayed fervently to be used as an instrument of divine compassion, beseeching the Lord to make him dance like a puppet. He had come to America not to enjoy its comforts, but to share the spiritual comfort of God’s love. So, as he initially explored the terrain for its spiritual receptivity, he stayed first with his sponsor in Butler and then with a yoga teacher in New York. But once he found a spiritually promising territory, he plunged deep into it, although it was materially inhospitable. That territory was Lower East Side, New York, where hippies from all over America had settled to pursue their experiment in counterculture.
A C Bhaktivedanta Swami had arrived in America at a turbulent phase in its cultural history – the phase of the counterculture when its youth were rejecting the materialism that was the fuel and the goal of the mainstream culture. Not knowing where to find a satisfactory alternative, many of these well-intentioned but uninformed youth were seeking spirituality through psychedelic drugs. And tragically they were ending up not as spiritualists but as drug-addicts.
Into this confusion and degradation, where thievery was commonplace, where trigger-happy kids roamed unfettered, where drug-induced babble was seen as spiritual revelation, came A C Bhaktivedanta Swami. A greater cultural mismatch would be difficult to imagine: an elderly, scholarly monk who had never drunk even tea during his life was living amidst college dropouts whose lives centered on sex and drugs. And yet the spiritual music and message he brought united hearts together in divine love, transcending the cultural incompatibility.
Fearlessly and compassionately, the Swami, as he came to be known in America, invited those troubled youths to replace the chemical high of drugs with the spiritual high of the holy names of God. Initially, the invitation seemed to boomerang. The first youth who showed some serious interest and who came to live with the Swami to learn from him turned violent under a drug-induced mania. When he charged to attack the Swami, the elderly teacher had to flee – and found himself homeless in a foreign land.
But his spirit was indomitable – he quickly regrouped and soon relocated to a storefront aptly titled “Matchless Gifts” and reissued his invitation to the hippies, who started coming regularly. Soon, he was conducting programs on three evenings every week. During the programs, he spoke on the Bhagavad-gita and sandwiched his talk between long kirtans. These kirtans featured dancing in tune with the responsive singing of the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. The hippies were into music and they came to love the Swami’s spiritual music.
1966: Did first public kirtan at Tompkins Square Park, New York:
Appreciating the positive response to the storefront kirtans, the Swami decided to take the kirtan […]
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The Man …
“It’s an astonishing story. If someone told you a story like this, you wouldn’t believe it. Here’s this person, he’s seventy years old, he’s going to a country where he’s never been before, he doesn’t know anybody there, he has no money, has no contacts. He has none of the things, you would say, that make for success. He’s going to recruit people not on any systematic basis, but just picking up whomever he comes across and he’s going to give them responsibility for organizing a worldwide movement. You’d say, ‘What kind of program is that?’ There are precedents perhaps. Jesus of Nazareth went around saying, ‘Come follow me. Drop your nets, or leave your tax collecting, and come with me and be my disciple.’ But in his case, he wasn’t an old man in a strange society dealing with people whose backgrounds were totally different from his own. He was dealing with his own community. Bhaktivedanta Swami’s achievement, then, must be seen as unique.”
– Thomas Hopkins in Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna: Five Distinguished Scholars on the Krishna Movement in the West
The Movement …
“Guess again if you think Bollywood, or Indian writing in English, is the country’s biggest cultural export. You may not come across any of these if you visit Cochabamba in Bolivia or Gaborone in Botswana; what you will find instead is a centre of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).”
– The Times of India, Editorial, Jan 6, 2006
The Moments …
Every life has its defining moments. And in the lives of great souls who have inspired millions, such moments become all the more consequential.
Here we will take a look at the defining moments in the life of a great modern-day saint, His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
1896: Birth: He was born in Kolkata on Sep 1, 1896. The day itself was significant, being the day of Nandotsava, the day when millennia ago Lord Krishna’s father, Nanda Maharaj, celebrated exuberantly the birth of his son, who had been born the previousmidnight. His appearance on that day was significant too: Just as the day was marked by devotional celebration, he too would bring devotional celebrations to various parts of the world. Named Abhay Charan by his parents Gaur Mohan De and Rajani, he was born in a devout family. One of his earliest childhood memories was waking up to the sound of bells being rung in worship. And he started learning to play mridanga, a kind of drum used in kirtans, in his early childhood when his hands were barely long enough to reach the two sides of the drum. Little did the observers of this gifted child know that he would play the mridanga all over the world – and inspire scores of people from various parts of the world to play it too.
1901: Childhood Ratha-Yatra: Children while playing often mimic their elders. Little Abhay played like other children, but he […]
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