Monthly Archives: December 2017

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by Damaghosa dasa

What can you offer to Krsna???

December 29, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

 “What can you Offer to Krishna?” 

 The real thing is bhakti. What can you offer to Krishna? Everything belongs to Krishna. What have you got? What is your value? And what is the value of your things? It is nothing. Therefore, the real thing is bhaktyā, the real thing is your feeling. “Krishna, kindly take it. I have no qualification. I am most rotten and fallen, but I have brought this thing for you. Please take it.” This will be accepted. Don’t be puffed up. Always be careful. You are dealing with Krishna. That is my request. Thank you very much. —
Excerpt from a lecture on the occasion of the installation of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkanath in Los Angeles on 16 July 1969.
 
June 23 1976 New Vrndavana
Devotee (4): The difficulty is that we cannot understand, we cannot feel what pleases Kṛṣṇa now, yet we can feel what pleases us, and that is the difficulty?
Prabhupāda: You have no feeling, that everyone knows. Therefore you have to carry out the order of spiritual master, that’s all.

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by Damaghosa dasa

Jesus and Caitanya Mahaprabhus teachings summarized

December 24, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

                  Jesus and Lord Caitanyas teachings summarized
Matthew 22:36-40-New International Version (NIV)
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
                                            
 Some of his basic teachings:
  • He was the Son of God, and belief and faith in him would lead to eternal life in Heaven.
  • The most important commandment, or rule, was to love God above all others, and secondly, love your neighbor as you love yourself.
  • Forgive others; Jesus specifically singled out the age-old wisdom “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” and basically said don’t follow it. Instead, Jesus said, do not take revenge on someone who has wronged you.
Below are 20 key teachings of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew; this is not a complete list.
The Christian life is marked by baptism (Matt. 3:13-17).
  1. God is available to help us not give in to temptation (Matt. 4:1-11).
  2. Jesus asks us to repent—turn away from wrong, confess wrong doing (Matt. 4:17).
  3. Jesus says, “Follow me” and you will help find other followers (Matt. 4:18-22).
  4. Jesus says, “Take up your cross and follow me”(Matt. 16:24-27).
  5. Repeatedly Jesus notes, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus seems to be telling us ways to experience heaven on earth now, and he also refers to a future realm where we will be in the presence of God and Jesus (Matt. 4:23; 13:18-52; 18:1-5).
  6. Jesus showed compassion for all and helped them: the poor, the despised, the outcasts, and wants us to do the same (Matt. 4:24-25;9:9-13).
  7. Jesus emphasizes, “Be sincere, not a hypocrite” (Matt. 6:1-6).
  8. Jesus and God are one (Matt. 10:40; 16:13-20).
  9. Jesus warns, “Don’t let family get in the way of following me” (Matt. 10:35-38; 12:46-50).
  10. Jesus has authority over the law and tradition (Matt. 12: 1-8; 15:1-9).
  11. Jesus fulfills Old Testament scriptures (Matt. 1:22-23; 17:9-13).
  12. Jesus preaches, “Love your enemies; do not hate, be reconciled” (Matt. 5:38-48; 5:21-24).
  13. Jesus reminds us, “You must become like a child to enter the kingdom” (Matt. 19:13-15)He adds, “I will be with you forever” (Matt. 28:20b).

Below is another way of summing up Jesus’ teachings in his own words, from his Sermon on the Mount:

Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt. 5:1-12)

                                  Sri Siksastakam-Teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu

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by Damaghosa dasa

City life, most unnatural–SP

December 20, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Hare Krsna-Below Srila Prabhupada in this short conversation hears about how millions of children in this age have never ever seen a cow or a horse, and for some, even a tree and then he says-yes this is most unnatural this so called modern “civilization” and city life.
Then he describes his daily life, how many hours he sleeps per day while writing his books and constantly traveling around the world.
———————————————————-
June 21 1974 Germany
Prabhupāda: Artificially they live in the city.
Professor Durckheim: Yes, there are now millions and millions of children who never have seen a cow, never seen a horse.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Professor Durckheim: They go and stand at the zoo to see an animal. Yes, It’s true. And I have just now in my center the visit of six Americans from Chicago who have their psychological center, and they wanted to know what we do, and they told me. They have a special little area where children are taken to see one cow, you see, or one horse just to know what it is because they never see it, never see an animal.
Prabhupāda: Most unnatural life. City life, most unnatural.
Professor Durckheim: Oh, there are many children, they have never seen a tree.
Below are 4 pictures of  some of the beans we grow here at Sri Sri Gaura Nitai Mandir

All living entities subsist on food grains–these are some which we grow

beans6.jpgbeans7.jpg
beasn3.jpgbeans8.jpg

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by Damaghosa dasa

“If you cannot increase it, then you should at least maintain what I have given you”-SP

December 20, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

                                                                OUR DEITIES SOME 20+ YEARS AGOpicture our original GN cropped.jpg
                                                                          OUR DEITIES TODAY
DSCN0013.JPG
                 DSCN0014.JPG                                              “It is a great responsibility you now have.”

So it is up to you to learn it and be able to present it nicely. Now you have everything, respect, philosophy, money, temples, books, all these things I have given, but I am an old man and my notice is already there. Now it is up to you all how to manage it. If you cannot increase it, you should at least maintain what I have given you. You cannot accuse me that I have not given you anything. So it is a great responsibility you now have.” Letter to Jagannatha Suta – August 26, 1975

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by Damaghosa dasa

How the Deity will talk with You–SP

December 20, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Bombay Dec 4 1974 lecture-
Somebody was talking that “Your Deity is just like trying to talk with me.” Prasanna-vaktra. Yes. He is here to talk with you, but He is waiting whether you’re interested to talk with Him. That’s all. Kṛṣṇa says that teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁbhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam [Bg. 10.10]. He talks, but with whom? Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām. One who is twenty-four hours engaged with love and faith in the service of the Lord. To whom? Just like if you want to talk with some big man, then you must have qualification. Is it possible that if you want to talk with the big man here, immediately you like? No. You cannot talk. You must be fit to talk with him. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is ready to talk with you. He has come. He has descended in arcā-mūrti to talk with you, to be visible by you. Now you make yourself ready and fit to talk with Kṛṣṇa. Then He will exchange conversation. Santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. This is possible. This is a qualification.

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by Damaghosa dasa

How God is present in stone–SP

December 20, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

June 12 1974 Paris conversations.
Prabhupāda: Heat is also fire. But at the same time, heat is not fire. What is the difficulty to understand? If I say heat is also fire, but it is not fire, where is the wrong?
Devotee: Heat comes from the fire.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore the fire quality is there. Heat is the quality of the fire. Just like I taste sugar. The sweetness is also sugar. And the form is also sugar.
Yogeśvara: Well, they would say, “If stone is also Kṛṣṇa, then why aren’t we worshiping all stone?”
Prabhupāda: Eh?

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by Damaghosa dasa

Indian village system may hold key to beating dementia

December 16, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa
news.bbc.co.uk
BBC News health correspondent Jane Hughes went to Ballabgarh in northern India, an area with unusually low levels of Alzheimer’s disease, to see if they held the key …
Hare Krsna-here above is yet another  proof that living a rural lifestyle is better for your mental and physical health.
Srila Prabhupada who is our ever well wisher , wants nothing but the best for us and all the people of this world.
That is so because he is a pure devotee of the Lord and is unhappy to see others in such distress today.
Just a few days ago, I had a close friend of mine go to a hospital in an ambulance thinking it was a heart attack but he said it turns our to be just— STRESS…..Yes just stress, like that is not a killer- like cancer,diabetes, or any other serious disease.!!
So even if we cannot become 100% pure in this lifetime, with no material desires, still we should strive for a healthy  lifestyle in which we can pursue this ideal of becoming pure in body mind and soul. And one very easy way to accomplish this is by living outside the modern cities of this world, grow as much of our own food as we can, chant the Holy Names, and in this way be happy !! This is Srila Prabhupadas second phase of his establishment of the Yuga Dharma (chanting of the Holy names of God) or the Hare Krsna Movement.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8492918.stm
Check out this above link to this study done in a village in Northern India. It also states that 820,000 people in the UK are now “living” with dementia……that is almost a million people  !
Here is what Srila Prabhupada is telling us we should do-especially as those who are supposed to be his disciples and well wishers or followers, what to speak of the rest of the world.
►740527mw.rom                Conversations Prabhupada: Yes, it will go on, but when they will see that  your ideal community is better than city life, people will take to it.  Param drstva nivartate. When one gets a better standard of life,  naturally he will give up the lower standard of  life.

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by Damaghosa dasa

the general population of kali yuga explained by a cartoon and sloka

December 15, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa


SB 10.1.14-TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: O son of Bhṛgu [Śaunaka Ṛṣi], after Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the most respectable devotee, the son of Vyāsadeva, heard the pious questions of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he thanked the King with great respect. Then he began to discourse on topics concerning Kṛṣṇa, which are the remedy for all sufferings in this age of Kali.
PURPORT
In this verse the words kṛṣṇa-caritaṁ kali-kalmaṣa-ghnam indicate that the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa are certainly the greatest panacea for all miseries, especially in this age of Kali. It is said that in Kali-yuga people have only short lives, and they have no culture of spiritual consciousness. If anyone is at all interested in spiritual culture, he is misled by many bogus svāmīs and yogīs who do not refer to kṛṣṇa-kathā. Therefore most people are unfortunate and disturbed by many calamities. Śrīla Vyāsadeva prepared Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam at the request of Nārada Muni in order to give relief to the suffering people of this age (kali-kalmaṣa-ghnam). The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is seriously engaged in enlightening people through the pleasing topics of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. All over the world, the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā is being accepted in all spheres of life, especially in advanced, educated circles.Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī is described in this verse as bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ, whereas Mahārāja Parīkṣit is described as viṣṇu-rātam. Both words bear the same meaning; that is, Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī was also a great saintly person and a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Combined together to present kṛṣṇa-kathā, they give great relief to suffering humanity.
“The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyāsadeva compiled this Vedic literature, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth.” (Bhāg. 1.7.6) People in general are unaware that the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam can give all of human society relief from the pangs of Kali-yuga (kali-kalmaṣa-ghnam).

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by Damaghosa dasa

What is the devotee’s greatest enemy??

December 15, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

June 12 1974 Paris conversations
Devotee: Prabhupāda, what is the devotee’s greatest enemy? A devotee’s greatest enemy?
Prabhupāda: He, he himself. Because he’s a rascal, he’s his greatest enemy
 
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. He has given nice reference. A devotee, although sees God in His lion feature, and very ferocious, he knows He is God. “He’s my Lord.” But this so-called advancement of material civilization is the greatest enemy. That is not… Material civilization is very, very backward position. Māyā-mohita.He’ll be captivated by the so-called stones and bricks, and he’ll forget God. That is the disease of the western world. They are very much fond of these stones and bricks, and therefore they have no knowledge about God. This electricity, the electrons, the radio, this, everything machine and stones. They have got, forgotten God. Jaḍa-vidyā jato māyāra vaibhava.The more you materially advance, you forget God. So human life is meant for reviving our relationship with God, but if you forget God, then what kind of civilization it is? You are forgetting your real business.
Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Some people use the argument, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that by this advancement of technology, it will free us to think of philosophical.
Prabhupāda: They will free us. They will free us. Oh, that will never come. That will never come. Therefore they are called bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They are captivated by the external feature, and one who is leading them, he’s also blind, and one who is following, he’s also blind. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te ‘pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ [SB 7.5.31]. They do not know that material laws are so strong that they are not free to do anything.
Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: They are thinking that the technology will free them.
Prabhupāda: Eh? No. No.
Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: The technology cannot…?
Prabhupāda: It will bind them.

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by Damaghosa dasa

Will Death Wait?

December 12, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

                                                              Will Death Wait? 

                           Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati’s Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛtam 1.50 
bhrātas te kim u niścayena viditaḥ svasyānta-kālaḥ kim u tvaṁ jānāsi mahā-manuṁ balavato mṛtyor gati-stambhane mṛtyus tvat-karaṇaṁ pratīkṣata iti tvaṁ vetsi kiṁ vā yato vāraṁ vāram aśaṅka eva calase vṛndāvanād anyataḥ 
 
O Brother! Do you know for sure the exact time of your death? Or have you perfected some great mahā-mantra for the sake of preventing the advancement of powerful death? You think death will wait for you to finish all your tasks in life? [I think that the answer to all these questions is yes,] because you seem to confidently walk out of Vrindavan again and again to go elsewhere.  
Translated by Hari Parshad Das from the Sanskrit available at Gaudiya Grantha Mandira
SB 7.2.57 purport-
Yamarāja once asked Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, “What is the most wonderful thing within this world?” Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira replied (Mahābhārata, Vana–parva313.116):
Hundreds and thousands of living entities meet death at every moment, but a foolish living being nonetheless thinks himself deathless and does not prepare for death. This is the most wonderful thing in this world. Everyone has to die because everyone is fully under the control of material nature, yet everyone thinks that he is independent, that whatever he likes he can do, that he will never meet death but live forever, and so on. So-called scientists are making various plans by which living entities in the future can live forever, but while they are thus pursuing such scientific knowledge, Yamarāja, in due course of time, will take them away from their business of so-called research.

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by Damaghosa dasa

Prabhupada discusses various philosophies with Shyamasundar das

December 8, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Srila Prabhupada and Syamasundara das discusses various philosophers teachings-This one is about David Hume and  Immanuel Kant. Prabhupada explains the Krsna Conscious philosophy against these two men’s ideas, which we can see , some of which still permeate todays atheistic and impersonalistic society. These types of people just cannot and will not accept that their may be a Supreme Person causing everything to happen.
 
Śyāmasundara: This is just what he is saying, that whenever you try to speculate about the Absolute you will run into contradictions.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So contradiction mean imperfect knowledge. Perfect knowledge means who sticks to his principles. That is perfect knowledge. One who does not stick to his original proposal, his knowledge is imperfect.
Śyāmasundara: He says that by trying to apply their reason to the transcendental, that they naturally will run into trouble, that there will be contradictions in their thought. By trying to apply these empirical categories to the transcendental, naturally there will be these contradictions. They will not be able to discover the real nature of things because there is always some contradiction by using the reason.
Prabhupāda: Without fixed up conclusion, there is contradiction. Our fixed-up conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes. How, one after another, the categories are developed, that is in the Vedic literature. But it is summarized that Kṛṣṇa desired or He put His glance over the material nature and the material nature became impregnated, and then He delivered so many things. Matter and spirit have combined together, and the whole cosmic manifestation has come into being.
Śyāmasundara: To go back to this idea of cause and effect, Kant says that just as time and space are a priori concepts or mental creations—in other words, before we have any sense experience, we still have an idea of time and space—just as this is so, so also cause and effect is a priori category of human understanding.
Prabhupāda: So that a priori existence is there, time and space.
Śyāmasundara: Time and space, and cause and effect.
Prabhupāda: I take my birth and at a certain time time. So time was existing before my birth, and after my death time will continue to exist. Similarly, space. But, temporarily, I take some time. That is the duration of my life. Or I am occupying some space. This is temporary. Time and space are eternally there. At least time is eternally there, because space is also born in time.
Śyāmasundara: How is that?

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by Damaghosa dasa

Can a person go back to Godhead without initiation?

December 8, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

May 22 197 Melbourne
Devotee 7: Prabhupāda, can a person go back to a spiritual planet without initiation?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Devotee 7: Can a person go back to a spiritual planet…
Prabhupāda: No, there is no more init… Initiation here required when the living entity is in darkness. Just like uneducated person requires to go to school. One who is educated, in his full knowledge, he doesn’t go.
Madhudviṣa: The question was, Prabhupāda, is it possible for a person to return to the spiritual world without taking initiation from a bona fide spiritual master?
Prabhupāda: No, that is not possible. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī said, ā dau gurv-āśrayam. First business is to accept spiritual master. Ā dau gurv-āśrayam.

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by Damaghosa dasa

Srila Prabhupadas exhalted Status

December 8, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Srila Prabhupadas exhalted status-10 verses/purports showing it
1) Madhya 22.14-15 The Process of Devotional Service 142441/530501
Generally ever-liberated personalities live in the spiritual
world as associates of Lord Krsna, and they are known as
krsna-parisada, associates of the Lord. Their only business is
enjoying Lord Krsna’s company, and even though such eternally
liberated persons come within this material world to serve the Lord’s
purpose, they enjoy Lord Krsna’s company without stoppage.
 
2) SB 3.25.24 P The Glories of Devotional Service 27533/530501
Similarly, those who are sadhavah, or devotees engaged in Krsna
consciousness in the transcendental service of the Lord, do not feel the contamination of
material miseries, whereas those who are not devotees in Krsna
consciousness actually feel the miseries of material existence.
 
3) SB 1.13.55 P Dhrtarastra Quits Home 11938/530501
A pure devotee of the Lord does not live on any planet of the
material sky, nor does he feel any contact with material elements. His
so-called material body does not exist, being surcharged with the
spiritual current of the Lord’s identical interest, and thus he is
permanently freed from all contaminations of the sum total of the
mahat-tattva. He is always in the spiritual sky, which he attains by
being transcendental to the sevenfold material covering by the effect
of his devotional service.

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by Damaghosa dasa

We are after Love for God

December 8, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Srila Prabhupada” Don’t be stuck up in a system. The system is required provided if you make progress towards the realization of the Supreme. But if you simply follow a system but do not make advance in the matter of realizing the Supreme, then, according to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or according to the Vedic version, it is simply labor of love. It has no value. Therefore Bhāgavata says, “That is first-class religion system.” It doesn’t matter you call it Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Buddha. “That is first-class religion which helps you progressing in realization of the Adhokṣaja.”
Adhokṣaja, another name of Kṛṣṇa. Adhokṣaja means the subject matter which you cannot understand simply by mental speculation or by empiric knowledge, by exercising and empiric knowledge. That is called Adhokṣaja.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 3.26.35-36, Bombay, January 12, 1975)
compiled by vedaveda.com

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by Damaghosa dasa

Srila Prabhupadas unparalleled Achievements

December 6, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

His Unparalleled  Achievement
In reading many of the profiles of Srila Prabhupada, I’m saddened that a number of his important projects, programs and achievements are never mentioned. In the following summary I’ve tried to compile a more comprehensive list of his credits. Although this list is also incomplete, I hope it presents a fuller picture of Srila Prabhupada’s greatness. Paratrikananda dasa (10-05-04)

A Summary of Srila Prabhupada’s Miraculous Accomplishments from 1965 to 1977

In 1965, at seventy years of age, he ventured outside India for the first time to fulfill the order of his spiritual master. During his voyage at sea, he suffered two severe heart attacks. He reached the shores of America with the equivalent of seven dollars to his name.
He founded the International Society for Krsna Consciousness with a small group of disciples, after a year of struggling alone in New York City. This marked the only time in history that a Krsna devotee successfully trained non-Indians in the strict disciplines of Vaisnavism. Amazingly, this was achieved during the blossoming of America’s hedonistic counterculture movement.
He sent his followers, chanting the names of God, into the streets of cities and towns everywhere and Hare Krsnabecame famous in every corner of the earth.
He sent his disciples to London, where they recorded the single, “Hare Krsna Mantra”, with George Harrison, in 1969. It became the fastest selling of all the Apple Corporation’s releases, including those of the Beatles. The record reached #3 in Czechoslovakia, #9 in Britain, and made the top ten in Germany, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Yugoslavia, and many other countries.
He formally initiated approximately five thousand disciples. These initiates represented a sweeping diversity of nationalities, races, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds.
He established 108 Krsna temples on six continents, installed the deity of Krsna in each center and trained his disciples in the process of deity worship. Thirty-two new temples (almost three a month) were opened in a single year, between 1970 and 1971.
He inaugurated the Rathayatra Festival of Lord Jaganatha in major cities around the globe, in effect, bringing the temple to the people.
He instituted the brahmacarini asram, something previously unheard of in Vedic culture, to give shelter to single women wishing to practice Krsna consciousness.
He instructed his disciples in 1967 to start an incense business to provide financial support for the temples. Within four years the business, Spiritual Sky Incense, generated an annual revenue of one million dollars (equivalent to $4,600,000 in 2004).
He introduced the “Sunday Love Feast” and other prasadam (sanctified food) distribution programs that provided millions of free meals to the public.
He created the world’s first chain of vegetarian restaurants.
He spoke daily on the philosophy of Krsna consciousness, delivering thousands of formal lectures. Over 2,200 were recorded and archived.
He conducted many hundreds of informal conversations on the science of Krsna consciousness with disciples, guests and friends. Over 1,300 were recorded and archived.
He had scores of interviews and philosophical discussions with news reporters, scientists, religious leaders and politicians, as well as meetings with world-renowned dignitaries and celebrities like Indira Gandhi, Allen Ginsberg, Ravi Shankar, Alice Coltrane, John Lennon and George Harrison.
He recorded more than twenty albums of devotional music.
He published the monthly magazine, Back to Godhead, which he called the backbone of his movement. At the height of its circulation in the mid seventies, over a million copies per issue were sold.
He launched the ISKCON Life Membership Program that enrolled tens of thousands of members.
He built major temples in Bombay and Vrndavana, and founded a spiritual city at Mayapur. All became international sites of pilgrimage.
He established primary schools to provide education in the principles of devotional service.
He founded the Bhaktivedanta Institute to advance Krsna consciousness within the scientific community, engaging serious academics in the consideration of the science of self-realization.
He formed the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust to unearth and renovate the holy places of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes.
He set up farm communities to teach “simple living and high thinking”, emphasizing cow protection and dependence on God and nature.
He commissioned his artist disciples to produce hundreds of illustrations of Krsna’s pastimes based on his meticulous instructions and the descriptions in his books.
He directed some of his followers to learn the Indian art of “doll making” to present Vedic philosophy through dioramas. This project became the FATE Museums.
He counseled his disciples on complex managerial, philosophical and personal issues in more than 6,000 archived letters.
He was the subject of more than 30,000 archival photos and more than seventy hours of documentary film footage.
He wrote approximately seventy books on the science of Krsna consciousness, sleeping only a few hours per day. Dozens of prominent scholars and educators from leading universities praised his work (see appendix). TheEncyclopaedia Britannica proclaimed that his voluminous translations from the original Sanskrit and his lucid commentaries “have astounded literary and academic communities worldwide.” This feat is even more astonishing considering the translations and commentaries were in English, which was a second language to the author.
He founded the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) in 1972, to produce his books. By 1976, over 55,000,000 literatures had been published in twenty-five languages and distributed in almost every country, making the BBT the world’s largest publisher of Indian religious and philosophical texts. One printing alone of Bhagavad-gita As It Is required seventy-six train cars to ship the paper needed to print it.
He completed the entire Caitanya-caritamrta manuscript (seventeen volumes) in eighteen months.
He ordered and supervised the BBT in publishing seventeen volumes of his books in only two months time, in 1974.
He circled the globe fourteen times, visiting twenty-four countries, preaching, inspiring his followers and making countless public appearances before multitudes of people.
He skillfully managed his international society simply through letters and personal meetings, virtually without the use of a telephone.
In accomplishing all the above, he also fulfilled the following:
1.
idam sthanam parityajya videsam gamyate maya
I will leave this place [Vrndavana] and travel to foreign lands…
Bhakti Devi speaking to Narada,
Srimad Bhagavata Mahatmyam
(Padmapurana, Uttarakhanda)
translated by Sri Satyanarayana Dasa
[The Srimad Bhagavata Mahatmyam (The Glories of Srimad Bhagavatam) is a section of the Padmapurana. It tells the story of how Bhakti can be revived in Kali yuga through recital of Srimad Bhagavatam. When Srila Prabhupada left Vrndavana and came to America, it is significant that his only possession was a trunk containing the first volumes of his Srimad Bhagavatam, which he considered his most important work. It is also significant that he instituted daily recitation of the Bhagavatam as the foundation of the temple program, and that Srimad Bhagavatam (in the form of Krsna Book) was the first of Srila Prabhupada’s books to be distributed in large quantities. Until Srila Prabhupada came west, devotional service (Bhakti) had never been successfully introduced in foreign lands.]
 
2.
krsne sva-dhamopagate
dharma-jnanadibhih saha
kalau nasta-drsam esa
puranarko ‘dhunoditah
 
This Bhagavata Purana is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krsna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purana.Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.43
3.
 
(Lord Caitanya speaking of the reasons for His descent):
 
ebe nama sankirtana tikshna khadaga laiya

antara asura jivera phelibe katiya

 
Taking the sharp sword of the congregational chanting of the HareKrsna mantra, (nama-sankirtana) I will root out & destroy the demoniac 

mentality in the hearts of all the conditioned souls.

 
yadi papi chadi dharma dure dese yaya

mora senapati-bhakta yaibe tathaya

 
If some sinful people escape and giving up religious principles go to far off countries, then my Senapati Bhakta will come at that time to give them Krsna consciousness. (senapati – a military field commander, bhakta – a devotee. Lord Caitanya will empower His own devotee to spread Krsna Consciousness around the world.)
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Sri Caitanya Mangala, Sutra-Khanda by Locana das Thakura
 
4.
 
prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama

sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama

 
In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya 4.126
5.
 
Very soon the unparalleled path of hari-nama sankirtana will be propagated all over the world…Oh, for that day when the fortunate English, French, Russian, German, and American people will take up banners, mrdangas, and karatalas and raise kirtana through their streets and towns! When will that day come?
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Sajjana Tosani 4.3, ‘Nityadharma Suryodoy’ 1885
 
6.
 
Prabhupada: Just like Thakura Bhaktivinoda. In 1896 he sent the Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s message to McGill University. That book you have seen. The letter was there. And these are coincidence. Now, after so many years, a servant of that disciplic succession has come here again to preach. So these things are significant.  Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 7.149-171 San Francisco, March 18, 1967
 
Prabhupada: …in 1896. Bhaktivinoda Thakura was the first origin of this movement. But he simply thought of it. And he was expecting some others that willing to take up the work. Well, somebody says that I am the same man. And I was born in 1896.
Room Conversation with Canadian Ambassador to Iran Iran, March 13, 1975
 
7.
 
Anyway please try to save temple of Jiva Goswami because in very near future many people from all parts of the world will come to see the Temple and Samadhi of Jiva Goswami and Rupa Goswami.
Letter to Nripen Babu San Francisco, March 18, 1967
8. & 9.
 
Prabhupada: And in my horoscope there was written there, “After seventieth year this man will go outside India and establish so many temples.”
Tamala Krsna: Really?
Prabhupada: I could not understand. “What is this, that I have to go outside India? That is not…” And Guru Maharaja foretold. He told my Godbrothers, Sridhara Maharaja and others, that “He’ll do the needful when time comes. Nobody requires to help him.” He told in 1935. And after all, this was true. Guru Maharaja told. And in the beginning, first sight, he told, “You have to do this.”
Room Conversation
Vrndavana, June 17, 1977
10.
He (Srila Prabhupada) seemed to know that he would have temples filled up with devotees. He would look out and say, “I am not a poor man, I am rich. There are temples and books, they are existing, they are there, but the time is separating us from them.”
Mr. Ruben, subway conductor who met Prabhupada in 1965
 
Fulfillment of these prophecies was also confirmed by Srila Prabhupada’s Godbrothers:
This return back to homeland of Srila Prabhupada, is particularly significant, because this time he comes back with a host of his western disciples. This signifies to me the meeting of the East and the West, or at least the beginning of such a meeting. This signifies the victory of spiritualism over materialism, of good over evil. This is really a rare moment in history, for the first time in the history of the world, for the first time at least living memory, Vaisnavism, the message of Vaisnavism, the message of Mahaprabhu, the message of devotion and of pure devotion has been carried to the west an d carried so successfully. I am sure that historians of the future will have a lot to say about Prabhupada and his movement, and they will be even envious of us for living in a time when this movement was begun and for participating in it.Introduction Speech By Dr. O.B.L. Kapoor Vrndavana, October 15, 1972
 
And what about the qualities he had? All devotional qualities he possess. And that we can know him that he is great only by preaching. Less than 10 years. There is no history, no recording anywhere. Preaching in 10 years he has established this divine name everywhere. As is told in Mahaprabhu’s future [prediction].His Holiness B.V. Puri Maharaj ITV, Memories of Srila Prabhupada
 
Sripada Sridhara Maharaja also appreciated my service. He said that Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s prediction: prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama/ sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama, would remain a dream only, but he congratulated me that I have done it practically.
Srila Prabhupada letter to Bon Maharaja Evanston, Illinois, July 7, 1975
 
Any one of the feats mentioned above would be a significant feather in anyone’s cap-even if it were the only thing a person accomplished in a lifetime. That Srila Prabhupada did all these things in just twelve years, and fulfilled so many predictions of sastra, great devotees, acaryas and astrologers, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, is patent validation of his inimitable role in Vaisnava history. By his efforts, uncountable millions have read about Krsna, honored Krsna prasadam, and heard and chanted the maha mantra. Through his teachings, he continues to relieve humanity from the maladies spawned by doctrines of monism and voidism, while holding open the door of Krsna bhakti for many generations to come. Let us recognize and remember his unprecedented contributions and strive to bring him honor throughout the world.
 
Devotee: Prabhupada, they said that if Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted Krsna consciousness in the Western countries, why didn’t He go there Himself? That’s what they told us.
Prabhupada: So He left the credit for me. (laughter)Morning Walk  Nellore, January 4, 1976
 
All glories to

Om Visnu-pada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astotarra-sata
Sri Srimad His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada!

                                                                                                        Appendix

Books by
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
.
Bhagavad-gita As It Is
Srimad-Bhagavatam, cantos 1-10, (29 vols.)
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (17 vols.)
Teachings of Lord Caitanya
The Nectar of Devotion
Sri Isopanisad
Easy Journey to Other Planets
Krsna Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System
Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (3 vols.)
Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers
Dialectical Spiritualism — A Vedic View of Western Philosophy
Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahuti
Transcendental Teachings of Prahlad Maharaja
Teachings of Queen Kunti
Krsna, the Reservoir of Pleasure
The Science of Self-Realization
The Path of Perfection
Life Comes From Life
The Perfection of Yoga
Beyond Birth and Death
On the Way to Krsna
Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge
Elevation to Krsna Consciousness
Krsna Consciousness: The Matchless Gift
Scholars Review Srila Prabhupada’s Books
Bhagavad-gita As It Is
 
“No work in all Indian literature is more quoted, because none is better loved, in the West, than the Bhagavad-gita. Translation of such a work demands not only knowledge of Sanskrit, but an inward sympathy with the theme and a verbal artistry. For the poem is a symphony in which God is seen in all things. The Swami does a real service for students by investing the beloved Indian epic with fresh meaning. Whatever our outlook may be, we should all be grateful for the labor that has lead to this illuminating work.”
Dr. Geddes MacGregor, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Philosophy
University of Southern California
 
“The Gita can be seen as the main literary support for the great religious civilization of India, the oldest surviving culture in the world. The present translation and commentary is another manifestation of the permanent living importance of the Gita.”
Thomas Merton, Theologian
 
“I am most impressed with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s scholarly and authoritative edition of Bhagavad-gita. It is a most valuable work for the scholar as well as the layman and is of great utility as a reference book as well as a textbook. I promptly recommend this edition to my students. It is a beautifully done book.”
Dr. Samuel D. Atkins, Professor of Sanskrit
Princeton University
 
“As a successor in direct line from Caitanya, the author of Bhagavad-gita As It Is is entitled, according to Indian custom, to the majestic title of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The great interest that his reading of the Bhagavad-gita holds for us is that it offers us an authorized interpretation according to the principles of the Caitanya tradition.”
Olivier Lacombe, Professor of Sanskrit and Indology
Sorbonne University, Paris
 
“I have had the opportunity of examining several volumes published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and have found them to be of excellent quality and of great value for use in college classes on Indian religions. This is particularly true of the BBT edition and translation of the Bhagavad-gita.”
Dr. Frederick B. Underwood, Professor of Religion
Columbia University
 
“If truth is what works, as Pierce and the pragmatists insist, there must be a kind of truth in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, since those who follow its teachings display a joyous serenity usually missing in the bleak and strident lives of contemporary people.”
Dr. Elwin H. Powell, Professor of Sociology
State University of New York, Buffalo
 
“There is little question that this edition is one of the best books available on the Gita and devotion. Prabhupada’s translation is an ideal blend of literal accuracy and religious insight.”
Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins, Professor of Religion
Franklin and Marshall College
 
“The Bhagavad-gita, one of the great spiritual texts, is not as yet a common part of our cultural milieu. This is probably less because it is alien per se than because we have lacked just the kind of close interpretative commentary upon it that Swami Bhaktivedanta has here provided, a commentary written from not only a scholar’s but a practitioner’s, a dedicated lifelong devotee’s point of view.”
Denise Levertov, Poet
 
“The increasing numbers of Western readers interested in classical Vedic thought have been done a service by Swami Bhaktivedanta. By bringing us a new and living interpretation of a text already known to many, he has increased our understanding manyfold.”
Dr. Edward C Dimock, Jr.
Department of South Asian Languages and Civilization
University of Chicago
 
“The scholarly world is again indebted to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Although Bhagavad-gita has been translated many times, Prabhupada adds a translation of singular importance with his commentary.”
Dr. J. Stillson Judah
Professor of the History of Religions and Director of Libraries
Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California
 
“Srila Prabhupada’s edition thus fills a sensitive gap in France, where many hope to become familiar with traditional Indian thought, beyond the commercial East-West hodgepodge that has arisen since the time Europeans first penetrated India.
 
“Whether the reader be an adept of Indian spiritualism or not, a reading of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is will be extremely profitable. For many this will be the first contact with the true India, the ancient India, the eternal India.”
Francois Chenique, Professor of Religious Sciences
Institute of Political Studies, Paris, France
 
“As a native of India now living in the West, it has given me much grief to see so many of my fellow countrymen coming to the West in the role of gurus and spiritual leaders. For this reason, I am very excited to see the publication of Bhagavad-gita As It Is by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It will help to stop the terrible cheating of false and unauthorized ‘gurus‘ and ‘yogis‘ and will give an opportunity to all people to understand the actual meaning of Oriental culture.”
Dr. Kailash Vajpeye, Director of Indian Studies
Center for Oriental Studies, The University of Mexico
 
“It is a deeply felt, powerfully conceived and beautifully explained work. I don’t know whether to praise more this translation of the Bhagavad-gita, its daring method of explanation, or the endless fertility of its ideas. I have never seen any other work on the Gita with such an important voice and style. It will occupy a significant place in the intellectual and ethical life of modern man for a long time to come.”
Dr. Shaligram Shukla, Professor of Linguistics
Georgetown University
 
“I can say that in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is I have found explanations and answers to questions I had always posed regarding the interpretations of this sacred work, whose spiritual discipline I greatly admire. If the aesceticism and ideal of the apostles which form the message of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is were more widespread and more respected, the world in which we live would be transformed into a better, more fraternal place.”
Dr. Paul Lesourd, Author
Professeur Honoraire, Catholic University of Paris
Srimad-Bhagavatam
 
“This is a work to be treasured. No one of whatever faith or philosophical persuasion who reads these books with an open mind can fail to be both moved and impressed.”
Dr. Garry Gelade, Professor of Psychology Oxford University
 
“It has been my great pleasure recently to have read the Srimad-Bhagavatam in the superb edition authorized by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. I am sure this monumental work will go far to bring the sublime message of the Bhagavatam to numerous Westerners who otherwise would miss this opportunity.”
Dr. Alex Wayman, Professor of Sanskrit Columbia University
 
“The Srimad-Bhagavatam is extremely useful for all those interested in ancient India, whether their interest be that of the philosopher, the student of religion, the historian, the linguist, the sociologist or the political scientist. I truly hope that Srila Prabhupada will complete his translation of the entire Bhagavata and continue to translate other eminent Sanskrit works as well. Undoubtedly, this work of Swamiji’s is a great contribution to the troubled human society of today’s world.”
Dr. Sooda L. Bhatt, Professor of Indian Language Boston University
 
“The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust editions of famous religious classics of India, with new translations and commentaries, are an important addition to our expanding knowledge of spiritual India. The new edition of the Srimad-Bhagavatam is particularly welcome.”
Dr. John L. Mish, Chief, Oriental Division New York Public Library
 
“A commentary on the Vedanta-sutra by Srila Vyasadeva divided into twelve ‘cantos’ of which four are presented here in eight beautifully produced volumes. These lavish volumes, obviously the product of devotional effort, contain many lovely full-color illustrations.”
Choice magazine, June, 1975
 
“In the diversity of religious approaches offered by the yogis of India, the most significant, of course, is the way of Krsna consciousness. It is amazing to see how Sri Bhaktivedanta Swami has in less than ten years succeeded, by his personal devotion, untiring energy and efficient direction, in organizing the International Society for Krsna Consciousness. Now, he has undertaken the stupendous project of rendering the entire Bhagavata, the great devotional classic of India, into English. His edition is learning blended with devotional feeling and inspired by a definite purpose of communicating the intense Iyrical and devotional quality of the Bhagavata. Srila Prabhupada has done an excellent service by his able rendition of ‘the abode of divine joy’ that the Bhagavata is.”
Dr. Mahesh Mehta, Professor of Asian Studies University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada
 
“It is axiomatic that no book can be expected entirely to satisfy all its potential readers. Here is one, however, which can be said to come remarkably close to that ideal… we have here the ideal of what an edition of a Sanskrit text for a Western audience should be.”
Dr. R. E. Asher, Professor of Linguistics University of Edinburgh
 
“For those who have no access to the Sanskrit language, these books convey, in superb manner, the message of the Bhagavatam. In addition to being a scholarly work, it directly reflects the spiritual aspirations of a religious community which has gained considerable popularity in modern America.”
Dr. Alaka Hejib, Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies Harvard University
 
“Srimad-Bhagavatam is a valuable source material and cannot but be attractive to serious students and scholars of religion and philosophy. I recommend this series, to anyone, as an important and useful reference work.”
Dr. C. P. Agrawal, Chairwoman
Department of Humanities, University of Michigan
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
 
“I am most happy to have these handsomely printed volumes which embody the work of so learned and sincere a believer in the message of the Caritamrta. I thank you.”
Dr. Daniel H. H. Ingalls, Chairman
Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies Harvard University
 
“The appearance of an English translation of Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami’s Sri Caitanya-caritamrta by A.C. Bhaktivedanta [Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness] is a cause for celebration among both scholars in Indian studies and lay-people seeking to enrich their knowledge of Indian spirituality. It will fill a most serious lacuna in our libraries and in our courses on the religious traditions of India.
 
“For the first time we possess a readily accessible edition for this great religious classic that will provide opportunity for scholars in Indian literature and followers of the Krsna consciousness tradition alike to compare the original text with a modern English translation and become acquainted with the deeper spiritual meaning of this work through the learned commentary of Sri Bhaktivedanta.
 
“Anyone who gives a close reading to the commentary will sense that here, as in his other works, Sri Bhaktivedanta has combined a healthy mixture of the fervent devotion and aesthetic sensitivity of a devotee and the intellectual rigor of a textual scholar. At no point does the author allow the intended meaning of the text to be eclipsed by the promotion of a particular doctrinal persuasion.
 
“These exquisitely wrought volumes will be a welcome addition to the libraries of all persons who are committed to the study of Indian spirituality and religious literature, whether their interests are sparked by the motivations of the scholar, the devotee or the general reader.”
Dr. J. Bruce Long, Department of Asian Studies
Cornell University
 
“It is a remarkable document of great historical and sociological importance, giving a picturesque presentation of the socio-religious climate in the India of Sri Caitanya’s times and the far-reaching social and religious changes wrought by him. As a literary piece, it is regarded as a work of great merit, having no parallel in the whole of Bengali literature. As a religious text, its sanctity is comparable to that of the Bhagavad-gita.
 
“This English edition translated by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is superb. It contains the original Sanskrit and Bengali verses with their English transliteration, synonyms, translation and elaborate purports, easily bearing testimony to the author’s profound knowledge of the subject.” 
Dr. O.B.L. Kapoor, Emeritus Chairman and Professor
Department of Philosophy
Government Postgraduate College, Gyanpur, India
 
“It is a genuine joy to have this momentous biographical work on the life of Bengal’s great saint Caitanya, prepared by his best-known modern interpreter, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.”
Dr. Mark Juergensmeyer
Associate Professor of Ethics and the Phenomenology of Religions Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California
 
“Year by year, interest in Eastern religious thought and philosophy grows in America. The editing and translating of the important Sri Caitanya-caritamrta will make a substantial contribution to those who seek information about Indian concepts.”
Dr. Gerald A. Larue, Professor of Religion  University of Southern California
 
“I can recommend Sri Caitanya-caritamrta as a source of rich insights for every serious student of consciousness.”
Dr. Rory O’Day, Department of Human Relations  University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
 
Other Major Writings by Srila Prabhupada
 
“Teachings of Lord Caitanya is an authentic and lucid account, in English, of the life and philosophy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The spiritual movement initiated by ‘the Great Master’ five hundred years ago has profoundly influenced millions of men and women in India ever since, and is presently making its mark throughout the world.
 
“Sri A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the present spiritual master of the movement in disciplic succession, has done a great service to the English-speaking world by making this spiritual treasure available in English.”
Dr. K. L. Seshagiri Rao, Professor of Religious Studies
University of Virginia
 
“Krsna is an important book both for the new student of the history of religions and for the professional scholar. It is a helpful and significant contribution to the growing phenomenon of interest in the religions of Asia.”
William A. Johnson, Professor of Philosophy  Brandeis University
 
“The book Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead should prove to be an important addition to materials available for college courses in religion. It is one of the best sources in English for gaining insight into the bhakti religious tradition.”
Louis Roberts, Executive Chairman
Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Syracuse University
 
“The Perfection of Yoga is most useful for anyone wishing to understand the meaning of yoga. It also introduces the student to the study of Bhagavad-gita and shows how direct and simple, yet in another sense, how profoundly complex is the path of spiritual growth through yoga practice. It is a scholarly book, yet has a direct personal meaning for all — a powerful combination.”
Dr. Frank Ledwith, Professor of Psychology
University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland
 
“I think the best feature of the Hare Krsna movement is that it is providing scholars with excellent translations of the rarest books on Krsna-bhakti.”
Dr. Lawrence Shinn, Professor of Religion
Oberlin College
 
“I have read Sri Bhaktivedanta Swami’s books with great care, attention and profound interest, and have found them to be of incalculable value to anyone who is curious about India’s spiritual and cultural heritage. The author of these books displays on every page an astounding scholarship in the subjects treated, and also an understanding and ease of exposition of abstruse ideas, which are rarest gifts.”
Dr. H. B. Kulkarni, Professor of English and Philosophy
Utah State University
 
“The publications of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust are very valuable documents and will no doubt become classics for the English reader of Indian religious literature.”
Dr. Jerry M. Chance, Chairman
Department of Philosophy and Religion, Florida A&M University
 
“These books are not only beautiful, but also relevant to our times, as we as a nation search for new cultural patterns for our way of life.”
Dr. C. L. Spreadbury, Professor of Sociology
Stephen F. Austin State University

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