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The Prophecy by Prajyumna Posted August 2, 2010 I believed that investing my heart in the eternal message of the sampradaya could not be a mistake. I believed that absolutely. I believed it without question. I ironed that belief unto my heart like a tattoo artist paints a picture. I believed it and branded myself to that belief like a sheep herder brands the furry skin of the sheep with his red irons. It was a part of me and I was a part of it. It was in the context of that belief, that I transferred my attachments to Srila Prabhupada to another. As hindsight is 20:20, when I look back I can see that there were many hints that this relationship was not right even at that time. But my heart pulsated with the belief in the sampradaya and I told my doubts to shut up. I wont lie, there were very ecstatic times and I have great memories. Nevertheless, those who know the history of ISKCON, know the disappointment that followed. What this other guru took from me when our relationship ended was not my spiritual bliss, my service attitude or my enthusiasm. He took away my confidence to trust myself to make decisions on what was good for me. What he took away was my self-assurance in my ability to judge what was safe for me to pour my heart into. I hated him because what he stole from me was my self-respect. I felt ashamed. I had made him an authority on my heart and my life. I was ashamed that I had allowed someone unqualified to decide what was sacred for me, mistaking him for what he was not. And he had abused his position of power in the name of love of Krishna and respect of Prabhupada. It is unforgivable. An open heart reaching out for spiritual guidance is a terrible thing to betray. Yet many of us find ourselves on the receiving end of a sharp slamming of the door as someone decided to play it slick rather than to play it straight with us. It is an unnerving experience that leaves many of us jaded, hurt and unconfident in our own ability to trust ourselves to make another healthy spiritual alliance. Many of us move forward to make other relationships in Vaishnava community with one foot on the brakes, trying to avoid our previous relationship accident. Those hurt in this way have told themselves that we just couldnt repeat that incident again. Stung by the pain of opening up to an unsuitable authority we vow not to open our hearts to the same level of vulnerability. In trying to protect our shattered heart from being hurt again, many choose to see their tenderness, hope and willingness to open themselves to another healthy relationship as a weakness in themselves. We feel it is a weakness that we cannot afford to have. Our solution to making ourselves immune to vulnerability is to close the heart off from spiritually entwining itself with another for ever. Then I came in contact with another Maharaj. I found myself furtively studying this Maharaj the way I had not thought to study the previous. I found myself constantly asking myself whether he could be trusted. I questioned his every motive. I looked for signs of betrayal. I was not willing to open up to Maharaj the way I had with the other. I just could not allow myself to lose more confidence in myself as a person who couldnt spot a good guru. I didnt know how to earn my own confidence to find a spiritual authority that was inherently safe. I only knew I just couldnt go through with what I went through with the previous. I just didnt know where I could go to find strength to repair the damage to myself again. I didnt feel like I could survive another shattered spiritual heart. I genuinely liked Maharaj. As proper etiquette, I was open with Maharaj about my disappointment with my previous guru. Maharaj was sympathetic and nursed my pain with soothing sincere advice. He said he was open to any question or enquiry that I had. He would hide nothing. Empathizing with my need for trust, as I delivered my volley of questions, he opened up his heart and lay it on the carpet in front of me like a clock maker takes apart a mechanical clock and lays the parts on his table. He allowed himself open to inspection. He seemed committed to living up to my trust in a way that I had ever known a person, apart from Srila Prabhupada, could. But I was still jaded from my previous experience. No matter how minutely I studied Maharajs heart, it was not enough for me. Not only did I question his motives in general, but I specifically questioned his willingness to make himself this vulnerable to me. What did he really want? What hidden motives did this one have? Am I not seeing something that I should be seeing? Thousands of conflicting questions spirited through my mind. As strange as it sounds, I feel that in some ways, my identity as a devoteemy self-esteem-- had taken such a hit from my relationship with the first guru that, in some ways, I felt unworthy of being able to continue in spiritual life anymore. I did not feel myself worthy of respect. I saw myself as a fool who had naively succumbed to the wiles of a manipulative authority system. Burdened by the calloused scars from my previous relationship, I distrusted myself in entering into another authoritative Vaishnava relationship. But in doing so, I wondered how much I had also robbed myself of experiencing true spiritual bliss again. I realized that I was viewing my relationship with Maharaj through my previous guru spectacles. But I justified my own predicament. I repeated the slogan Cheat me once, shame on you. Cheat me twice, shame on me. I had become extremely cynical. I saw Vaishnava relationships as things that you use to fulfill your own self-interest. It was then that I realized that I had given my previous guru the power to define what was sacred for me. It was this shame that I could not handle. I had allowed someone else to define my sacred space. I realized that it was this question that echoed in my heart that I could not answer. My heart asked: what are you going to do to make sure that this never happens again? And I didnt know how to answer the question. I didnt know how to win my hearts trust and live up to its confidence again. And that was scary. I realized that the solution was to question the basis of my own thinking. The answer was to question the construct of my own thoughts and find out why I make decisions. Why do I trust who I trust? What is right? What is wrong? Who do I accept as my authority? Who do I not? Why? Why him? Why not her? Do I need to accept authority at all? I questioned to the pits. If Krishna consciousness is a science, it is like physics or chemistry. We have scientists like Einstein. We dont worship Einstein. We just follow the science. Why must we worship scientists who know the Krishna conscious science? Why must we accept that they have a monopoly of a vision of reality that others dont? Why put myself in a vulnerable position of doing that? Why take that risk, that chance? Does the risk of putting my heart in that vulnerable position out-weigh avoiding the raw pain that may come about if I didnt? Is there truly no alternative other than the two extremes of surrendering to those with perfect (Krishna) vision or on the other hand living a spiritually compromised life? Is there truly no middle path in Krishna consciousness? Is there truly no way to practice the science of Krishna consciousness without needing to surrender myself to the cult of a particular scientist? Some questions I answered to my hearts satisfaction. Others I have not. In going through that questioning process, I exercised a muscle, my integrity, in a way that I hadnt before. It was healthy for me. And done sufficiently, it gave me the confidence to allow me to ask other people to trust me in a way that I couldnt before. I became clearer about what I knew and believed and why. I didnt know everything, but now, I knew why I knew what I knew. I knew why I believed what I believed. I knew what I didnt and why. I have since learned that the heart, like other muscles, strengthens and matures the way other muscles do. If you want to make your biceps larger, you have to lift weights till the point that the muscle fibers tear a bit. Then 48 hours later, your muscle repairs itself and becomes stronger. Your heart is the same way. It takes the gentle tearing of trust through living life to become a more mature Vaishnava and human being. Disillusionment allows us to set our expectations to the nature of actual relationships different from our wishful ideals. I cannot change the world. I can hardly change myself according to how I should live. Today I focus on the source of what troubled me years agomy nave and too eager to trust heart. I recognize the nature of the crime that hurt me. It was my need for others to provide me a sense of existential security that I could not provide myself.
I still feel the pain of yesteryears and am on some days unsure of how to mollify it. But I know that my heart today is my sacred space to which I take those who have earned my trust. I have developed the skill by testing and spotting people that I feel are safe enough to take there. Today this confidence allows me to have intimate and respectful Vaishnava relationships with people that I couldnt yesterday. And that is why my life is blissful today. The self-fulfilling prophecy of the unforgivable betrayal, is just that, a self-fulfilling prophecy. You have no power over me.
Each year the BBT in North America publishes a Vaisnava calendar containing the dates of Ekadasis, appearance anniversaries of Lord Krsna and His expansions and incarnations, appearances and disappearances of our acaryas, and more. Because of the way the calendar is calculated, based on Vedic astronomy, the dates occasionally differ by one day according to your geographical location. The dates are calculated for Los Angeles, with alternate dates (if applicable) for Chicago, Toronto, and New York City. Generally, if you live in or near one of those cities, or roughly north or south of one of them, you can be confident of the date given on the BBT calendar. But the imminent Ekadasi coming up on the 10th or 11th in North America is an exception. In this case, devotees in Los Angeles and all devotees living in places due north or south of LA, or west of the city (including in Hawaii), should observe it as stated on the calendar, namely on the 10th. But those devotees living even a bit east of LA, including in San Diego, Boise, and, believe it or not, Laguna Beach, should observe Ekadasi on the 11th. To be absolutely certain of the Vaisnava dates in your area, please visit www.krishnadays.com/ and downloaded the free Gcal program.
Your servant, In the 1960s, literary and media critic Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase "global village" to describe the extension of people's frames of reference and sense of responsibility beyond their immediate surroundings, or "village." This growing sense of connectedness, McLuhan proposed, is the natural result of a world in which electronics enable our senses (at least the senses of sight and hearing — for now) to immediately experience that which is taking place across the globe, just as we would in our village. McLuhan had high hopes for such a global community: "The aspiration of our time for wholeness, empathy and depth of awareness is a natural adjunct of electric technology." Apparently not natural enough. McLuhan passed away in 1980 as the precursors to the Internet were being formulated, implemented and refined, but still nine years before the start-up of the first commercial Internet service provider. With the Internet now in full swing, it is apparent to all that the global village finds its most relevant discussion there. Indeed, in its most common usage, "global village" has come to refer to the Internet alone. Everybody has found their way to the Internet; practically every belief, interest, desire and product has some representation on the Web. It is therefore not surprising that Gaudiya Vaishnavas have also made their way into the online village. After all, with a spiritual aspiration culminating in a bucolic life, one would expect us to gravitate towards village settings, and in this case, for better or for worse, we have. The prospect of Gaudiya Vedanta circulating throughout the global village and thereby reaching people of every background is wonderful. Such an opportunity would no doubt make Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati's brhat-mrdanga reverberate with sounds of joy. But as with any medium one might employ in promoting spiritual life, the Internet is a double-edged sword, and unfortunately, many of those who have a hand on the hilt are swinging —and thinking — in the wrong direction. Fortunately, within the Gaudiya tradition one need not look hard for examples of how to properly conduct him or herself in a village (even a global one). Perhaps the most relevant example is that which took place as Caitanya Mahaprabhu was putting Raghunatha das Goswami under the care of Svarup Damodara, first leaving Raghunatha with a few practical instructions:
gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe "Don't indulge in village talk; don't hear village talk. Try your best to avoid mundane matters. Don't eat delicious dishes, but take whatever ordinary food may come of its own accord, and don't dress luxuriously." (Caitanya-Caritamrta, Antya-lila 6.237) Such seemingly unexceptional instructions are not to be overlooked, and their significance is magnified when we consider the person of Raghunatha das Goswami, who is considered the prayojana-tattva acarya of the entire Gaudiya tradition. That is to say, he is the foremost teacher (acarya) of the truths (tattva) regarding the ultimate goal (prayojana) of the prema-bhakti marga (the path of pure devotion). Furthermore, these instructions came as Raghunatha das was being handed into the care of Svarup Damodara, who is Lalita- sakhi herself, and is therefore privy to the most esoteric aspects of Mahaprabhu and Radha-Krishna. Thus Raghunatha das was fully qualified for a life in which such instructions are irrelevant. Nevertheless, the very first directive Mahaprabhu gave to Raghunatha das Goswami was that one should not partake in village talk (gramya-katha) nor by extension, one can safely assume, global- village talk. Obviously, the Internet did not introduce gossip, nor is it reasonable to expect exclusively spiritual discussions, but what is alarming is that via the Internet, devotees seem far more likely to advance the malicious, spiritually detrimental variety of gossip. Just how spiritually dangerous such behavior is depends on a number of factors, one of which being the environment in which one makes the attack. For better or worse, the global village has a liberal publishing policy. As such, every opinion, no matter how outlandish or downright tasteless, has the potential to reach everybody. The widespread dissemination of slanderous comments and malevolent attitudes, which are inevitably met with the support of some, is truly toxic, and the effects can be observed throughout the Internet community. A prime example is the overabundance of conjectured "siddhantas" appearing daily on the Web. A digital community is largely reflective of its physical counterpart, for people's natures manifest through whatever medium they use. Unfortunately, the present nature of the international Gaudiya community is that many are unable to interact with each other in a healthy, respectful manner, and as such there are many fractured factions. Much of the negative attitudes underlying these divisions are the direct results of years of one group or another espousing their exclusive validity and the simultaneous inferiority of people and groups who may actually be worthy of their adoration. This infighting has been notably amplified by the Internet, which instantly provides each user with a more public voice than was previously available to actual public figures. The virtual nature of relationships on the Internet lends itself to an environment wherein criticism, rumors, personal attacks and outright lies flourish. This is aided by the fact that the Internet provides the anonymity to both produce and digest these vitriolic discussions without being subject to any of the scrutiny which the participants themselves liberally employ in their assessment of everyone else. Such unaccountability and hypocrisy stands in the way of even basic morality, what to speak of the type of character by which one becomes attractive to those of spiritual substance. It would be naïve to think that fanatics and those with envious hearts will ever fall silent (especially on the Internet), but that fact merely underscores the responsibility of the rest of us to engage each other in thoughtful, substantial, humble and generous dialogue. It is the generosity and user-friendly nature of the bhakti-marga that not only acknowledges the positive contributions of worldly progress but enables us to actually use such contributions in the context of spiritual progress. Perhaps we should respond in kind.
Marshall McLuhan was able to see the potential of technology to
function as a source of positive change in the world, while Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati and other acaryas take technology's worth
even further: acknowledging its potential to take one beyond the
world. Just as McLuhan proposed, the internet can be a way to extend
our frame of reference and sense of responsibility, both materially
and spiritually. It is our duty to recognize the opportunity and
responsibility sitting on our desks, and strive to act accordingly.
Responding to a letter I sent seven years ago to H.G. Adipurusa das, president of the ISKCON temple in Telok Intan, Malaysia, my friend Senthil das wrote to suggest that even advanced devotees might not be able to understand the Radha-bhava mood of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Most of us, even devotees or so-called advanced devotees within the Hare Krishna movement, are only pretending, with grave consequences, to be devotees. Quoting shastra and acharyas, Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaj has warned us: “If you even think you are a devotee, you are definitely not.” It is my belief that all of ISKCON's problems result from the false belief that we are devotees or advanced devotees. To avoid Mahaprabhu's vipralambha mood being disturbed unintentionally by people of innocent ignorance and sentimental feelings, we require total faith in the fully realized words of our gurudevas, of Srila Prabhupada and and of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. Many of us, however, have so-called intelligent but actually muddled ideas about the ascending terms: [1] accept, [2] know, [3] understand, [4] experience, [5] realize, [6] taste, [7] truth, [8] absolute truth, and so on to higher and higher levels. Each step leads to the next, but the gaps between them are exceptionally wide and nearly insurmountable for most of us. If we are honest with ourselves, most of us are not ready even to take the first step of acceptance of what we hear from shastra and acharyas, except to the degree that it is easy or palatable. We pick and choose, but acceptance can only start with sraddha or total faith. The second step of knowing is even more difficult. Only through total faith can we start with superficial knowledge and slowly advance to deeper knowledge with deeper faith. With humility we'll be able to acknowledge that even getting to the second step is too big a leap for most of us. Almost no one can accomplish the third step of understanding; indeed, Gaura Govinda Maharaj used to emphasize this point: “Aare, baba, what can you understand? — nothing! You are all fallen souls — nitya-baddhas, mlecchas, yavanas, mudhas. You cannot understand. First accept, with total faith. Then only, with guru's mercy, you can slowly begin to understand — not otherwise; no, not otherwise.” It is a huge step, a quantum leap, to advance to the third step, especially when people in general, within and without ISKCON, are reluctant to take even the first step of simple acceptance. Yet our very own life-giving, life-sustaining ISKCON is, alas, full of people who choose to accept, ‘know’ and ‘understand’ whatever their minds dictate, without uniformity or conformity even among themselves. They trap themselves in whatever they prefer, according to the dictates of their own whims and fancies, trapped in Mahamaya's myths and meanderings, unmindful of Mahaprabhu's moods, magnanimity and mercies. We don't want to take the first step of accepting the statements of fully realized acharyas who know shastra to the hilt, so naturally we cannot take the second step of coming to know what they say; we have proudly and foolishly put it out of our reach. How, then, can anyone ever reach the third step of understanding their words? Even so-called advanced devotees or senior devotees etc, holding big posts, may come to think they know and understand anything and everything, although they do not. Many of ISKCON's problems result from unreined thinking, the activity of the wicked mind. The next progressive steps of experience, realization, etc. are not even within our scope of contemplation. Without the sad-guru's and Gauranga's merciful intervention, none of these super-transcendental steps is within our grasp for æons to come. The problem I have raised may seem petty, but mahajanas are telling us it is a grave matter. Our gurudevas are telling us the same thing with all seriousness, so is it a small matter to be ignored? Certainly not. Will our silence be of benefit to ourselves and to others? Should we be afraid to speak about such eye-openers, seemingly petty to most of us, if it can benefit all, some or even one? Should we sideline Srila Prabhupada's definition of truth? Satyam, he says, must be spoken, even if unpalatable, “for the benefit of others,” as he emphasized thrice in his commentary on Bhagavad-gita,10.4-5. Silence means complicity and represents cowardice. Though I may know nothing, I can accept my gurudeva's profound words and repeat them, in the hope that at least one person hears and benefits. If we minimize the gravity of our pranadhana gurudeva's words and think the topic too petty to concern ourselves with or to repeat to others, we fall prey to guru-ninda, vaisnava-aparadha, which is fatal to devotion. It is not my business to think of success or failure before I do what is needful. The result is entirely up to guru and Gauranga, and it belongs only to them. I suggest to Senthil prabhu that it is futile to wonder whether 'advanced devotees' can understand the philosophy of Mahaprabhu's mood. It's just a matter of different lengths of time. All will understand in the end, even if it takes countless lifetimes. A hundred thousand years of earthly time is only one second of Lord Brahma's time. We may require the patience to pass many tens or hundreds of Brahma's mere seconds before we can understand tattva-vichara and qualify to start real devotional service.
After hearing about the attacks on ISKCON Bangladesh that occurred on May 14,2009 (www.chakra.org/news2/newsMay27_09.html), I wonder if the Temple has closed as a result? Is there still an ISKCON Bangladesh? And if so, how do they intend to protect themselves?
I would encourage people who know about the situation to write directly to Chakra.org, so that the update can be shared with other readers.
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The Saving Grace of Krsna Consciousness by Bhakti-lata Dasi, ISKCON Prison Ministry Posted April 24, 2010 Hare Krsna, dear devotees, Every day, as I read inmates letters, I want to share with all of you the miracles Lord Caitanya works in the heart of the inmates, through Srila Prabhupada’s books and the chanting of the holy name. Each book and BTG that is sent to one inmate is passed along to many others, potentially to be read by dozens of inmates, shining the light of knowledge in the darkest of places. Below are some nectar quotes from recent letters testifying to the purifying power of Krsna consciousness.
“What a privilege to obtain these BTGs. I pour over the words avidly and I now put some of the illustrations on my wall. I am adorning a corner for an altar. Thank you.”
“Once I surrendered and did what the Lord told me to do in BG 18.66, I discovered Lord Krsna will take away whatever negative “feeling” I experience. And I continue to learn that I’m part and parcel of Him—that He is the enjoyer, that I’m actually His—Brahman, Paramatma, Bhagavan—and the more I understand this, the more equipoised I become which absolutely critical in an environment like this [in prison]. I just pray that Lord Caitanya will bless me, when I get to my “final” prison, with the presence of another prison Bhakta whom I may offer humble obeisances to. I’m still working on being “silent”—that is only speaking when I can lead the conversation to KC. Taming the tongue is a tough one—but I’m leaps and bounds better than I was 2 years ago.”
“I also study the books you were so kind to send me. In fact, I study and read a LOT. I admit, though, that some of the Lord’s pastimes are strange to my western mind. I try not to enter into speculation, and accept it as it is written, but it is difficult. My thought is that these things are not for me to understand at this time; more will be revealed to me as I progress on this path. For now, my work is to chant, read and study, pray, and keep to the Regs.”
“I’ve searched deeply within many religions for the ancient wisdom that lies within their scriptures and traditions, looking for the answers that many fear to know; “Who is the true creator?”, “What is our true purpose?”, “How did we come into existence?”, “What happens after the body dies?, etc. I am one of the seekers of truth. Here I can feel my place in Krsna consciousness. I can feel my full potential coming to the fullness of its purpose. But I know I will need study and experience to complete my balance.” “I have discovered, quite by accident (or Krsna’s kindness) a guard who is a devotee, but I am not permitted to discuss personal matters with staff. She will occasionally tell me, “Hare Krsna,” very quietly in the hall as we pass, and for that much, I am grateful to the Lord. But, other than that, I suppose I am the sole devotee here. That makes your association even more valuable to me.
In your letter you included a picture of Lord Nrsimhadeva. Your timing could not be more perfect. I have been increasingly interested in this incarnation of the Lord lately. I feel drawn to Him. Perhaps it is His strength. I do not know.”
“I am find it easier to talk about Lord Sri Krsna to people. It used to be hard but after reading my Bhagavad Gita over and over, it’s made it easier.”
Krishna Is
“I’m currently in a maximum security prison. My name is Casey Adams. I am housed in a special management unit where no books or magazines are allowed but the guy next door to my cell as a subscription to “Back to Godhead” magazine. I don’t know where or how he got them, but I’ve never been moved by words in my life. I’m currently not eating meat and chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. Some of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s words have inspired me in a special way.” Please consider becoming a transcendental pen-pal for one inmate. Preaching to others keeps our own realizations fresh and it transforms their lives. HELP! This month, we do not have enough laksmi to send the BTGs to the inmates. I have 70 BTGs in envelopes, with the addresses on, sitting there, and I am praying that you may be inspired to help me send them out; we need $130 to do so. Will you be the fortunate one to reach out and get the spiritual benefit for sending the BTGs this month? Please contact Bhakti-lata Dasi at:
ISKCON Prison Ministry This question has been on my mind for quite some time. I was wondering why ISKCON temples don't celebrate Lakshman's appearance day? We celebrate lord Ramachandra's and Sita devi's days because they are non-different from Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani.
Lakshman is ananta sesh aka Lord Balarama aka Lord Nityananda, so why don't we celebrate the appearance day of one of Ramayan's most powerful and glorious character? I hope someone can answer this [editor's note: please submit your response to Chakra]
Some temple managers or presidents may believe that the more land and buildings the temple property contains, the more successful the temple is. Of course, this is nonsense. As Srila Prabhupada stated, the purpose of temples is to give spiritual knowledge, not to serve as a show of concrete, cement and stones. There are many opulent temples, but if after visiting a temple a visitor does not change his or her consciousness for the better, then what is the benefit of going to temples?
Only learning the teachings from the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita can change a person's consciousness for the better.
From the Bhagavad-gita it is clear that Arjuna does not just bow down to Lord Krishna and then it's all finished. Lord Krishna instructs the science of self-realization, the Bhagavad-gita, to Arjuna. This is what helped Arjuna overcome his confused state. At the present time, people are much more confused than Arjuna and also much less intelligent than Arjuna, so the message of the Bhagavad-gita is more important now than ever before. Many temples have daily Bhagavad-gita and/or Srimad Bhagavatam discourses in the mornings, which is certainly good but how much understanding is conveyed by theoretical preaching? I recently visited the ISKCON temple in Mayapur. While it's supposed to be a world headquarters for spiritual knowledge and thousands of people visit the temple everyday, in my view the devotees there are wasting an opportunity to preach. If that temple were to place signage with Bhagavad-gita verses aboutr the temple property, it might well encourage more visitors to get some spiritual knowledge.
Having verses from the Bhagavad-gita outside and inside the temples is a preaching concept which I am hoping all temples will take advantage of, following in the footsteps of the Vallabh Vidyanagar temple.
During a recent world tour from Florida, Texas, California, Hong Kong, Malaysia and India to Italy, England and France, I have been able to participate in festivals, kirtans and classes with various Gaudiya Vaishnava associations, including ISKCON. In Malaysia disciples of Srila B.V. Narayan Maharaj in Johur Baru carried Deities of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva and Lady Subhadra on a cart for the Sobha Yatra festival. Devotees from the nearby ISKCON center brought a full-size Srila Prabhupada murti on another cart, together with a portrait of Srila Narayan Maharaja. We went all around the neighborhood with the colorful and exciting carts, accompanied by a Chinese Dragon team (it was close to the day of the Chinese New Year). Malaysians of all cultures came out and greeted us, gave gifts, performed aratik, and in general had a wonderful time in spite of the rain. Both Vaishnava parties were completely happy, and we celebrated our unity in diversity as two branches of the same Gaudiya Vaishnava family. In the ashram he founded in Sridham Mayapura I glorified my dear godbrother Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaja on his disappearance day. I sang Guru-puja and talked for an hour on the pastimes and glories of the great saint that I had been so fortunately allowed to intimately associate with for three years. In Vrndavana I sang Guru-puja for Srila Prabhupada and glorified the purports of his Bhagavad-gita As It Is that evening in class. At Bhaktivedanta Manor my friend Ananta-shakti prabhu arranged a plate of Mahaprasad from the noon aratik, and I reconnected with old friends like Krpamoya and Tattvavit prabhus. In Soho Street I had a nice Lunch at the Govinda's Restaurant, where they asked me to lead the noon aratik. In Rome I stayed at Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja's temple with his disciples. Srila Prabhupada had told me and Gaura Govinda Maharaja in 1977 to preach together with his godbrother Srila Puri Maharaja, and we did. I went to Berhampur and did programs with him, and he came to Bhubaneshwara and did programs with us. He was a great friend of Srila Prabhupada's, and I felt honored to stay with his disciples. I was asked to lead the morning mangal aratik and Guru- puja and to give class. They added a picture of Srila Narayana Maharaja beside Srila Prabhupada's murti and Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja's picture. This temple sang different songs then we sing in either Narayana Maharaja's sanga or in ISKCON for Mangal Aratik, so I sang their songs. After I sang Sri Guru Carana-padma, I sang the pranam-mantras and glories of Srila Prabhupada, of Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja and of Srila Narayana Maharaja. In Hong Kong an independently wealthy lady sponsored a Rathayatra parade and festival in a theater on Rathayatra day. At the request of Chandrashekhar prabhu, the ISKCON GBC for Hong Kong, ISKCON's Narasimha Maharaja and I took turns leading kirtan, after which we shared lunch (prepared by one of Narayan Maharaja's disciples) and caught up on old times from London and Calcutta. After other devotees had spoken, Chandrashekhar das spoke clearly and simply for the entire audience about the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and on the inner meanings of the Rathayatra pastimes. Nanda prabhu, the temple president of Narayan Maharaja's local sanga, spoke in Chinese and then gave the microphone to me. I spoke about how Srila Prabhupada was responsible for spreading the glories of Rathayatra all over the world and glorified Sriman Jayananda prabhu who had assisted him in this pastime. Then I led the concluding kirtan, which everyone joined in. Presently I am at the ISKCON Juhu Beach temple, where my old godbrother Bhima prabhu is zonal secretary. This place is especially dear to me because most of my association with Srila Prabhupada was in this temple as it was being developed. I have been giving classes, leading kirtans and having a wonderful time. The devotees all have an enthusiastic service attitude that is refreshing and enlivening. Wherever I go to I honor the particular way in which the founder- acharya of that branch of our Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya has established worship. I do not impose anything from another branch of the sampradaya. Each branch has its own flavor; I honor that flavor and savor it. After all, variety is the spice of life. To me this is the beauty of our sampradaya; it has so many variations on a theme; and we can celebrate the unity of our Gaudiya Vaishnava family while honoring the diversity it manifests. The Caitanya-Caritamrta explains that the devotees from Bengal were different from those in Orissa and that both were glorified and glorious. When I was at Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja's temple his disciples asked me what they should do now that their Guru Maharaja had departed. I said you can take siksha from any sadhu, but you should continue in the mood of your Guru Maharaja and take shelter of his successors. A devotee from an ISKCON temple said he could not decide, among many devotees, whom to take initiation from. He asked me whether to look outside ISKCON for initiation. I told him there were many qualified persons in ISKCON who can give Hari-nama and diksha. I named a few and told him to take diksha from one of them; he could also take siksha from any other sadhu he was attracted to. Siksha is as powerful as diksha and is very valuable for our spiritual life's advancement. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur took diksha from Bipin Bihari Goswami but accepted siksha from Jagannatha das Babaji, whom he revered equally to his diksha guru. I believe Srila Prabhupada, Srila Narayan Maharaja and all their predecessor acharyas share this sentiment of celebrating the unity in diversity of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Unfortunately, not all of their followers do, and there is friction when there need be none. This is not the first time there have been groups of Gaudiya Vaishnavas separated from each other over misunderstandings and a failure to celebrate unity in diversity. During the time of Srila Narottam Das Thakura several branches disputed the real siddhanta and legacy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Some even argued about who constituted the Pancha Tattva. Srila Narottam das Thakura wanted to resolve the disagreements so that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission could be spread unrestrictedly and unlimitedly. He called a meeting of all the Vaishnavas in Kheturi to discuss everything and do kirtan together. At the commencement of the festival Narottam das Thakura led a beautiful and ecstatic Hari-nama Sankirtana. Although the members of the Pancha Tattava had already departed this world, They began to manifest Themselves in front of all the Vaishnavas by dancing and chanting in ecstasy. You can imagine what Jahnavi Mata and Birbhadra, the wife and son of Lord Nityananda, felt like when they saw Him, when Acyutananda saw his father Advaita Acarya and when others saw their siksha- and diksha-gurus in the different members of the Pancha Tattva. The festival was a complete success, uniting all the Gaudiya Vaishnavas in purpose and siddhanta and establishing the Caitanya- Caritamrta as the authorized biography of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Unfortunately, things gradually dissolved, and it fell to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur to resurrect and re-establish a unified Gaudiya Vaishnava siddhanta. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur had firm faith that the prediction of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would come to fruition: “My name will be preached in all the countries and towns throughout the world.” To accomplish this he engaged himself tirelessly praying, writing, preaching and organizing Hari-nama sankirtan and other preaching activities. One of his most important achievements was finding the original holy birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur made this a rallying point for the Gaudiya Vaishnavas of his day and for future sankirtan missions from all over the world. Remembering that Narottam das Thakur had organized the Kheturi festival to unify Gaudiya Vaishnavas, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur brought together all the followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at the Lord's birthplace on Gaura Purnima, March 21, 1895, installing Deities of Lord Sri Caitanya and His consort Srimati Vishnupriya with a ceremony and festival at the newly constructed temple. Thousands of devotees were at this festival from various Gaudiya Vaisnava groups, and many remarked that such a gathering had not taken place in the 450 years since Narottam das Thakur's famous Kheturi festival. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur had brought them all together to remind them that their real purpose was to cooperatively preach Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission and spread the sankirtan movement worldwide. The next year, 1896, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur began planting the seeds of preaching in the western world by responding to the entreaties of the famous poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, who had lamented that he could not read the Thakur's Sri Krishna Samhita in Sanskrit. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur sent him his newly completed Sri Gauranga-lila-smarana-stotram. This book contained 104 Sanskrit verses but was prefaced by an introduction in English called “Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts.” This introduction summarized the Sanskrit verses, explaining in concise, nectarean terms the life and teachings of the Lord as found in Sri Caitanya-Bhagavata and Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta. It was sent to universities and intellectuals in different parts of the world, including McGill University in Montreal, Canada, with the conviction that this English introduction was something that Westerners could read and benefit from. Having begun the preaching of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission in the western world, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur continued praying for the day when this preaching would develop into a worldwide movement that would embrace and liberate everyone in the world. These prayers of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur were predictions in which he had boldly unfolded his vision of the future in a Sajjana-Tosani article more than ten years earlier, in 1885: “Lord Caitanya did not advent Himself to liberate only a few men of India. Rather, His main objective was to emancipate all living entities of all countries throughout the entire universe and preach the Eternal Religion. Lord Caitanya says in the Caitanya- Bhagavata: ‘In every town, country and village, My name will be sung.’ There is no doubt that this unquestionable order will come to pass.... Very soon the unparalleled path of Harinama- sankirtan will be propagated all over the world. Already we are seeing the symptoms....” (He goes on to describe the Salvation Army band marching through the streets of the western world as the first strains of sankirtan in the west.) The article continues: “Oh for that day when the fortunate English, French, Russian, German and American people will take up banners, mrdangas and kartalas and raise kirtana through their streets and towns. When will that day come? Oh for the day when the fair-skinned men from their side will raise up the chanting of jaya sacinandana, jaya sacinandana, kijaya and join with the Bengali devotees. When will that day be?” Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur continued with his prediction: “On such a day they will say, ‘Our dear brothers, we have taken shelter of the ocean of Lord Caitanya's love; kindly embrace us’.” Some will say that this has already happened, but if you read the rest of the prediction you will see that it may have happened on the surface but has not taken place deep within our hearts and souls. He continues: “That day will witness the holy transcendental ecstasy of the Vaisnava dharma to be the only dharma, and all sects and religions will flow like rivers into the ocean of Vaisnava dharma. Oh when will that day come?” Elsewhere he repeats the same prediction a little differently: “Oh when will that day come, when pure and transcendental Vaisnava prema will be the only religion of all souls and all tiny, sectarian religions will meet in the unlimited and universal religion of Vaishnavism, as rivers merge into the great ocean? O when will that day come?” Another prediction by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur on the future unity of the world's religions is given in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts, pages 68-69, as follows: “The dharma preached by Caitanya Mahaprabhu is universal and not exclusive.... The principle of kirtan as the future church of the world invites all classes of men, without distinction of caste or clan, to the highest cultivation of the spirit. This church, it appears, will spread worldwide and replace all sectarian churches, which exclude outsiders from the precincts of the mosque, church, or temple.” Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur once wrote an article which announces with absolute conviction the unquestioned manifestation of the final prophecy just mentioned, while admonishing those who would not participate in its fulfilment: “Thakur Bhaktivinoda has predicted the consummation of religious unity of the world by the appearance of the only universal church which bears the eternal designation of the Brahma Sampradaya. He has given mankind the blessed assurance that all Theistic churches will shortly merge in the one eternal spiritual community by the grace of the Supreme Lord Shree Krishna Chaitanya. The spiritual community is not circumscribed by the conditions of time and space, race and nationality. “Mankind had been looking forward to this far-off Divine Event through the long ages. Thakur Bhaktivinoda has made the conception available in its practicable spiritual form to the open-minded empiricist who is prepared to undergo the process of enlightenment. The keystone of the arch has been laid, which will afford the needed shelter to all awakened animation under its ample, encircling arms. Those who would thoughtlessly allow their hollow pride of race, pseudo-knowledge or pseudo-virtue to stand in the way of this long- hoped-for consummation, would have to thank only themselves for not being incorporated in the spiritual society of all pure souls.” On the last day of his manifest pastimes on this planet Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, among other things: “The stream which flows from Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur will never be dammed up. Remember this, and vow to double your efforts to fulfill Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur's desires.” When Srila Prabhupada was asked about Bhaktivinoda Thakur's statement that he had not finished his work, Srila Prabhupada replied: “Then let us finish it. He is Vaishnava; he is all-powerful. He could have done it, but he left it for us to finish, so we should finish it.” Unfortunately, many devotees from different sangas do not share this vision of unity in diversity. They insist that their particular guru or institution is the only authorized avenue for spiritual advancement. Due to hollow pride, insecurities and weaknesses in their practice of bhakti they feel good about themselves when they criticize others who lack the association of their particular gurudeva or institution. This attitude does not finish the work of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur; it obstructs it. We disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada have a responsibility to fulfill the order of our spiritual master and finish the work that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur started: to bring about the fulfilment of the prophecy that all Gaudiya Vaishnavas will embrace in Vaishnava Prema, creating a Vaishnava Dharma that is so attractive that all other religions will flow into it like rivers into the ocean. Failure to do so will place us among those who would thoughtlessly let hollow pride obstruct the consummation of society for all pure souls, and hence we will forfeit a place in it. Some may say that we need another Srila Narottam das Thakura or Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur to make this manifest. However, I feel that we already have the order from Srila Prabhupada: if we work together to fulfil the order, it will happen. We disciples of Srila Prabhupada have been empowered by him to make this manifest by his order. Just like everything else he accomplished, he did so by empowering his disciples. Srila Prabhupada himself was empowered to fulfil the order of his Guru Maharaja long after his Guru Maharaja departed form this manifest plane. Now it is up to us to build a consensus amongst all Gaudiya Vaishnavas to fulfil this prophecy. Once Srila Prabhupada wrote a letter saying that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu predicted: “In every town and village My name will be heard” “Now,” Srila Prabhupada said, “i have started this worldwide mission, and some of you are helping me, so you will also get some credit. However, even if all of you were to leave me tomorrow, still it would happen; only someone else would get the credit.” Based on Tattva-siddhanta I am certain that Srila Bhaktivinoda's predictions must be fulfilled. However, who will get the credit? Srila Prabhupada has made the arrangements. He has placed his disciples everywhere. They are serving in or connected to just about every Gaudiya Sanga. Srila Prabhupada's books are influencing everyone. The present Acharyas of two different Gaudiya Mathas started with and still regularly study Srila Prabhupada's books. Acharyas and Vaishnavas in all the other Gaudiya Mathas read Srila Prabhupada's books. He has given us the order and has spread his influence everywhere; we need only take up the order with the same conviction, determination, patience, humility and love that he himself displayed in fulfilling the order of his Guru Maharaja. Can we become humble enough to celebrate the unity in diversity of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, see all the sangas as different limbs of Lord Caitanya's body, embrace each other in Vaishnava Prema and, by doing so, create a Vaishnava dharma so attractive that all will enter into it? Will we go down in history as the generation that passed up the golden opportunity to fulfil this order of Srila Prabhupada and these prophecies of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, or will future generations mark this time as the beginning of a new era in Gaudiya Vaishnava history inspired by the tireless, humble, patient and loving efforts of the disciples of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada? Will future generations remember us as the ones who kept everyone apart or as those who built the consensus that brought everyone together?
I ask all who are Srila Prabhupada's disciples and followers: how do
you want to be remembered in the annals of Gaudiya
Vaishnavism? This prophecy will be fulfilled. Will we as Srila
Prabhupada's disciples let the opportunity pass to another
generation, or will we follow in his footsteps and fulfil the order?
I agree with Chakra, and I don't think that ISKCON should release the proposed GBC statement against evolution. There is no doubt that the statement represents Srila Prabhupada's view. However, it should be very carefully crafted for the general public. I really like the proposition that a materialistic view of the origin of life results in a disrespect for life and a materialistic outlook on everything. However, the statement is generally too long, goes too far, and is not convincing. The theory of evolution has two components: 1) life comes from matter, and 2) species develop over time. Unfortunately, the author mixes both together when discussing Forbidden Archaeology and as a result, his point is hard to understand. Some of the language is odd, which also makes some points difficult to accept. For example: a "marked element of public thinking" — What are the marked elements of public thinking? Does the public think one way? I believe that many readers may be offended by the argument that the integration of the theory of evolution into religious doctrine is an "unscrupulous compromise", especially without explaining why God could not have created species that develop over time. Similarly, it is way too big a leap to say that Darwin's theory has led to the current economic, environmental and food crises, as well as the moral decline of modern culture. Given that the causes are numerous and complex, such a statement makes the Krsna-conscious philosophy appear naïve and simplistic. The questions of where life comes from and whether species have changed are difficult to explain, which is why there are several theories. If the theory of evolution is indeed one of many interpretations, then it is worth arguing instead of just saying it has not been proven. It is very bold for ISKCON to make a pronouncement that it rejects the theory of evolution. As such, it should be done very carefully. The 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth lasts all year, and so there is no a reason to rush.
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