Hare Krishna Society

Below is a very telling conversation with Srila Prabhupada about the Indians who come to America and other western countries. They have lost their own culture and instead, end up eating hot dogs and hamburgers . Srila Prabhupada once told us, the Indians are ten steps from Krsna going the wrong direction, and the westerners are a hundred steps from Krsna, going towards Him.

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NY July 11 1976

Indian man (2): Remember when we were building our altar? Remember last year when I talked to you? We were building altar, and actually I went to every Indian, and myself and the president of that temple, we begged everything we can do possible… And we wanted to collect almost ten thousand dollars, we couldn’t even collect five thousand dollars, and most of them were making between fifteen and thirty thousand dollars. Some of them in fact gave us pennies.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Indian man (2): And they took from us one Bhagavad-gītā. We gave them Bhagavad-gītā and they gave us some pennies.

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Today, some 38 years after Srila Prabhupada’s physical departure from our vision, we have seen countless changes by the leaders of Iskcon and others who say they are following Srila Prabhupada, their spiritual master.

Below we have one letter where Prabhupada explains there is nothing else we need to do – BUT we should just follow what he already has given to us and that alone is sufficient to change anybody’s character into a sane man or woman..

Seems the “American disease” he mentioned several times of always wanting to change something is not just located only in America.

Bombay 11 April, 1971

Toronto

My Dear Jagadisa,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letters dated 12th February, 5th and 25th March, 1971, respectively and have noted the contents carefully. So far as the “rehabilitation center” is concerned, such work can be taken up, but to have any separate institution apart from the temple is not possible. I have written Rupanuga in this regard as follows:

“Youth work can be taken up, but our process must be followed strictly. Anyone may come but our process must remain the same. The men are expected to shave their heads and wear robes; they must attend classes, read our books, chant 16 rounds, attend arati, go for street sankirtana, take prasadam only, etc. To have any institution apart from the temple, that we cannot do. Everything must be in the scope of our activities, then this ‘youth problem’ can be solved. Our process is proven as the only effective means. If the government or any other organization gives us a place, then we can train up such youth in our own way and surely they will come out sane. That place given will be a temple. So the process remains the same, except on a larger scale. Not that there is a separate division of ISKCON to handle youth problem, but that we have a bigger temple to accommodate them, is all. And then the people will see practically how we are doing the highest welfare work.”

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SB vol 11 part 2

mayapur feb 25 1976

Any literature, very nicely written, just like Shakespeare writing or some other, big, big mundane writers, their writing, it is very nicely written, grammatically very correct, and metaphorically very nicely meant… Na tad vacaś citra–padam. Citra–padam means very artistically written. There are literatures very artistical. Na tadvacaś citra–padaṁ harer yaśo pragṛṇīta karhicit. But there is no glorification of the Lord; simply literary presentation. Such kind of literature is described, tad vāyasa–tīrtham: “This kind of literature is preferred by the class of men who are like crows.” Crows. But the Vedic literature, which is sung by Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva or a devotee, even that is broken language presented, tad gṛṇanti śṛṇvanti sādhavaḥ: ”They’ll be accepted by saintly person. They’ll sing it and they’ll accept it.” That is the secret of success. If your literature is exactlyfollowingthe mahājano yena sa gataḥ, then it will be liked by highly advanced saintly person. And if it is a presentation of mundane literary career… Therefore that gentleman has rejected even Aurobindo and Dr… Others he has rejected: “They are useless.”  Continue reading →

SB classes vol 10

710110SB.CAL Lectures 229576/530501

aksara-dvayam. If anyone simply chants these two alphabets, ha,

ri–hari–then baddha-parikaras tena moksaya gamanam pratiti:

“Although he is a conditioned soul, his path for liberation is open.”

Yasya smrtya ca namoktva tapa-yajna-kriyadisu, nunam tam purnakam yati

sadyah vande acyutam ity adi-vacanam.(?) There is another quotation,

that yasya smrtya ca moktva tapo-yajna-kriyadisu. These are pious

activities: austerity and sacrifice, tapas, yajna, and kriya, pious

activities. Everything is done simply by chanting this Hare Krsna

mantra. There is no need of doing anything. Simply by chanting, one

can achieve the result of japa, yajna, and other ritualistic

performances prescribed in the Vedas. And this is specially advised to

the karma-kandiyas, those who are very much fond of performing

ritualistic ceremony. For them this instruction is specially meant,

that if you chant simply Hare Krsna mantra without any offense, then

you’ll get all the results of japa, yajna, and other ritualistic

performances.