Before Prabhupāda’s arrival in Seattle, Upendra had written the head of the Asian department at the University of Washington, requesting a speaking engagement. The professor wrote back entirely in Sanskrit, knowing well that the boys would not be able to read his letter. Upendra gave the letter to Prabhupāda, whoContinue Reading
A man or woman who indulges in sexual intercourse with an unworthy member of the opposite sex is punished after death by the assistants of Yamarāja in the hell known as Taptasūrmi. There such men and women are beaten with whips. The man is forced to embrace a red-hot ironContinue Reading
This past December’s Prabhupada Marathon proved to be amazing for many temples. Pune was the No. 1 temple in the world, with 663,371 book points. Who would have thought twenty years ago that Pune will be on top? Back then, the temple had just a little center in the city,Continue Reading
jñāna-niṣṭhāya deyāni kavyāny ānantyam icchatā daive ca tad-abhāve syād itarebhyo yathārhataḥ One involves jñāna-kāṇḍa and karma-kāṇḍa, and the other involves upāsanā-kāṇḍa. Vaiṣṇavas never want to merge into the existence of the Supreme; rather, they want to be everlastingly servants of the Lord to render loving service unto Him. In this verse, the words ānantyam icchatā refer to personsContinue Reading
Letter from Basu Ghosh Das Dear Godbrother Prabhu, Namonamaha. Jaya Srila Prabhupada! Received your message: Letter from Godbrother Dear Basu Ghosh Prabhu Ji, Why are there so many female TPs today, as well as Prime Ministers and Presidents of so many countries? First of all, thanks for being frank with yourContinue Reading
In 2001, Sripad Jayadavaita Swami gave a lecture series titled “Food for Death”, which is still available on his website at http://www.jswami.info/seminars#food and which examined how prasadam distribution seen by the public as ordinary welfare work affects ISKCON’s core values. Sripad Bhakti Vikasa Swami in his 2011 lectures titled “Some Concerns About ISKCON” and “Further Discussion on Concerns About ISKCON” addresses the same issue Jayadvaita Swami addressed but in a more generalized context that includes other welfare initiatives.[1] Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja in his lectures also addresses what he identifies as fundamental, philosophical differences that have emerged within our society.
As far as social welfare is concerned, the lectures of both Swamis make a common point: the time and resources devotees increasingly give to indirect preaching in the form of welfare work, at the expense of direct preaching, reflects ISKCON’s growing acceptance of karma-kanda as a part of its core mission and, hence, core values.Continue Reading
Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD-Disingenuous) HPD Definition: People with Histrionic Personality Disorder have a high need for attention, make loud and inappropriate appearances, exaggerate their behaviors and emotions, and crave stimulation. Disingenuous: Underhanded, double-dealing, scheming, contriving, plotting, crafty, false-hearted; egocentric, insincere, deceitful, calculating, guileful. Liar, liar, pants on fire? Besides being an extremely juvenileContinue Reading
Some Were Curious, Some Were Crazy! As the symptoms of Srila Prabhupada’s physical body began to impede on his ability to translate, all his disciples worldwide became more concerned about his longevity. We had become so dependent on his guidance, inspiration, and Krishna Conscious nurturing that the thought of HisContinue Reading
Group Think The most important thing one needs to establish quickly when whipping up a good conspiracy is to get as many people on board as fast as possible. Marketing specialists refer to those people who are the first to rush out and try something new as “Early Adopters”. SocialContinue Reading