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The Greater Krishna Consciousness Movement Part 2 of 4
by Nitya Krsna dasa The Circular Firing Squad Schism, Factions and Sectarianism Initiation in Vaishnavism means, among other things, that one agrees to follow the direction of their spiritual master for the rest of their life. It is by this submission to a pure personality that sincere initiates are delivered from the burden of the past karma of many lifetimes, both sinful and otherwise. Genuine deliverance is, however, dependent on the guru being genuine and the disciple being sincere. Initiated people are commonly called disciples and receive a spiritual Sanskrit name when they take their initiation vows. Uninitiated devotees are called bhakta John or bhaktin Mary, etc.…
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The Greater Krishna Consciousness Movement Part 1 of 4
by Nitya Krsna dasa Sects & How the Swanlike Condemn Pretenders While Remaining Strictly Non-Sectarian The greater Krishna consciousness movement always exists in the spiritual sky, and to the extent that we connect to those pure representatives of Krishna that are fully devoted to Him, we can also participate. This movement was most recently shown to the world by the last widely accepted pure devotee of Krishna, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta swami Prabhupada (Srila Prabhupada). He was acting on behalf of the previous spiritual masters of the Brahma-Madhava-Gaudiya Vaishnava disciplic succession, or sampradaya, going back to Lord Krishna Himself. Those unalloyed servants of Krishna have taught us…
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The Hard to Hide Incarnation
Jaya Sacinandana! Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat, Antya Kanda, Chapter 9, English translation by Bhumipati dasa, Commentary by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada Text 157 eka-dina advaita sakala bhakta-prati balila paramanande matta hai’ ati//CB, Antya 9.157// TRANSLATION One day when Advaita Prabhu was intoxicated with ecstasy, He spoke to all the devotees. Text 158 “suna bhai-saba, eka kara samavaya mukha bhari’ gai’ aji sri-caitanya-raya//CB, Antya 9.158// TRANSLATION “Please listen, My dear brothers. Let us all together glorify Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. COMMENTARY The word samavaya means “together.” Text 159 aji ara kona avatara gaoya nai sarva-avatara-maya—caitanya-gosani//CB, Antya 9.159// TRANSLATION “Today we will not glorify any incarnation other than Lord Caitanya, who is the source…
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An Honest ISKCON Part 4 of 4
By bhakta Eric Johanson Part 4 – “From Which Even the Worst of Non-Ecclesiastical Criminals are Found to Recoil” Amplifying Nescience The GBC’s overall pattern of allowing the most powerful leaders free reign thus only served to expand and propagate these people’s pretence, deviations and polluted intelligence. Their rubber-stamping the zonal acarya’s ambition and deception established a number of the zonal’s deviations as official ISKCON institution policy. “Polluted intelligence has been compared to a prostitute. One who has not purified his intelligence is said to be controlled by that prostitute. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.41), vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana: those who are actually serious are conducted…
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An Honest ISKCON Part 3 of 4
By bhakta Eric Johanson Part 3 – Caricatures What Changed? For the average devotee not much changed with Srila Prabhupada’s departure from the physical plane. They still went to the morning program and spent the day engaged in the services laid out by the temple leaders they were accountable to. However, for the leaders, especially the GBCs at the top of the above described military-like hierarchy, something very big had changed in regard to accountability. Suddenly the person who had kept them in line for years was no longer there. And it was these GBCs that had the most temptation to enjoy the movement’s facilities. For all…
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An Honest ISKCON Part 2 of 4
By bhakta Eric Johanson What Really Happened!?!? – A Very Tangled Web The General Pattern By now many devotees know the events that followed Srila Prabhupada’s departure. Rather than implementing just some of his common-sense guidance above (see part 1), the GBC established a dangerous pattern of merely reacting after the fact to the independent actions of the most powerful (and often most audacious) movement leaders. In many regards this has continued into the present. And by independent we very much mean that the actions were (are) often dictated by false ego ambition and desire for distinction. Because these actions sometimes do not concur with Srila Prabhupada’s…
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An Honest ISKCON Part 1 of 4
By bhakta Eric Johanson What Should Have Been Done? It’s easy to complain, but the question remains, “What should have been done by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) after the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada, especially in regard to initiating new devotees?” He certainly left instructions, some detailed, and there were the examples in the scriptures and of the previous acaryas (gurus). The greater context, however, was his desire to have what he developed maintained: “Our philosophy is perfect, and we cannot be defeated by anyone. So it is up to you to learn it and be able to present it nicely. Now you have everything,…
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Only Experts in Forming Initiation Machines
by Kailāsa Candra dāsa HARIḤ OṀ NAMAḤ If you are attracted to Kṛṣṇa consciousnessand have begun research into it,that is most commendable; however, you are only at the beginning of your search into achieving perfection. Specific manifestations of what appear to be Kṛṣṇa conscious institutions require more than general knowledge of Vaiṣṇavism. As you actually enter into this next and difficult layer, to merely know about the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement will be seen to be not good enough. The primary manifestation (or the first manifestation of the movement, so to speak), has changed from what it once was . . . and, after that, it has changed in other ways.…
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Have You Come To Krishna To Disturb Him?
Prabhupāda: Hm, go on. Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, (audio start) Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (leads chanting of verse, etc.) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ munīnām amalātmanām bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaṁ kathaṁ paśyema hi striyaḥ (SB 1.8.20) (video – 18:58) Prabhupāda: Next anyone. Devotees: (Repeating the verse in turn) tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ munīnām amalātmanām bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaṁ kathaṁ paśyema hi striyaḥ (SB 1.8.20) (Video – 21:52) Prabhupāda: That’s alright, word meaning. Devotees: (repeating) tathā—besides that; paramahaṁsānām—of the advanced transcendentalists; munīnām—of the great philosophers or mental speculators; amala-ātmanām—those whose minds are competent to discern between spirit and matter; bhakti–yoga—the science of devotional service; vidhāna-artham—for executing; katham—why; paśyema—can observe; hi—certainly; striyaḥ—women. (audio 01:44)…
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Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Glorification of Srimad Bhagavatam
Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat, Antya Kanda, Chapter 3, English translation by Bhumipati dasa, Commentary by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada Devananda Pandita’s request to the Lord as to how to preach Srimad Bhagavatam Text 501 eka nivedana prabhu tomara carane ki kari upaya prabhu, balaha apane//CB, Antya 3.501// TRANSLATION “O Lord, I have one request at Your lotus feet. Please instruct me. Text 502 muni asarvajna-sarvajnera grantha laiya bhagavata padana apane ajna haiya//CB, Antya 3.502// TRANSLATION “I am an ignorant person yet I teach Srimad Bhagavatam, which is a book meant for the most intelligent persons. COMMENTARY Sarvajna Visnusvami has accepted Srimad Bhagavatam as the commentary on Vedanta. Devananda Pandita said, “It…
