ISKCON

The Early Days

During the early days of the Hare Krishna movement, spiritual life was perceived as meaning to live in the temple as a full-time devotee. The word “devotee” referred to someone who was living in a temple and engaged in temple activities full time. Those who lived outside were referred to as “karmis”. That early phase of ISKCON was probably unavoidable. Srila Prabhupada had just started the movement in the West where practically no one had any idea about Krishna Consciousness or devotional service. Therefore, such commitment and involvement was essential.

When Charles asked his son and daughter-in-law a Hare Krishna couple to move in with him, he knew he’d have to adapt, but his reward was more than he could ever imagine.

“Shoot him,” said the man with the crowbar. Kshudhi felt the cold metal against his skull and chanted Hare Krishna like never before. His nimble nineteenyear old body was tucked under the bed. The other four men with guns hesitated. They attacked the house knowing that a Johannesburg vegetable merchant had kept cash there, but were they ready to kill for it?

The common understanding of an Advanced Civilization in today’s context is to be advanced in Technology, having a comfortable lifestyle, Earning Lots of money and having enough or rather lavish facilities to enjoy the senses to the fullest. This is the yard stick that is generally used to gauge the Advancement in Civilization. Owing to this yardstick Countries like United States of America, Great Britain etc are considered as First world Countries and more advanced in civilization then others.

How to immunize our minds against attacks by agents harmful to our spiritual life?

Many of us may sometimes feel fed up with the way things are going in our life. At such times, we feel mentally tired even when we are not physically tired. Because of mental exhaustion, many people seek relief in illusion through time-wasting entertainment at best and self-defeating addiction at worst.

After a groundswell of support from ISKCON devotees and leaders, a Samadhi (mausoleum) is being constructed in the sacred land of Vrindavana, India for Srila Prabhupada’s famous early disciple Yamuna Devi.

Yamuna is well-known for singing the Govindam song played at ISKCON temples around the world every morning, for writing the award-winning cookbook Lord Krishna’s Cuisine, and for being an ISKCON pioneer in the UK. She passed away on December 20th, 2011 at the age of 69 due to heart complications.

The two major car accidents this week (Iskcon devotees in serious car accident in Mayapur, and 5 Iskcon devotees of Mathuradesh leave their bodies in car accident ) have cast a cloud of sadness upon the entire ISKCON movement. I remember ISKCON’s first such car accident, two devotees, Vaidyanath and Maranda, were killed in Arizona in 1970 when a truck pushed their VW off a mountain slope in Arizona. Like the devotees in Mathuradesh, they passed from this world in Krishna’s service.

What is this? Oh my, Srila Prabhupada appearing with Allen Ginsberg? On the same stage? How is it possible?

This is a story about how Srila Prabhupad instructed his disciple about cocoa contained in chocolates and inspired that disciple to get higher taste.

Prabhupad took under his care a small orphan boy. Among other services, this boy was given one service of buying vegetables from the market for Srila Prabhupad’s kitchen.

Pain is a Stronger Motivator Than Pleasure

In the seminar I give on prayer, devotees look at their obstacles to bhakti and consider why it is important to overcome them. Then I ask devotees to focus on the pain they feel when they allow these obstacles to impede their spiritual progress. I ask this because if we do not associate significant pain to our anarthas, we may not be motivated to give them up. It is said that people don’t change when they see the light; they change when they feel the heat.