“My books are more important than myself.” This was Srila Prabhupada’s instruction to one of his disciples who was being sent from his personal service to open a temple in a distant place.
The Krishna consciousness movement can help Africa develop in an atmosphere of peaceful cooperation and harmony, beyond racial or territorial conflicts caused by lack of true spiritual understanding.
The Sankirtana Safari is on. Chanting and dancing to the hypnotic beats of Hare Krsna, a few American sadhus are daily seen on the main streets of Nairobi and other towns in Kenya, East Africa.
For the disciple the advent of the spiritual master is the most blessed event in the world. It is even more important than Krsna’s advent, because the spiritual master gives us Krsna. Without the spiritual master there would not be any Krsna consciousness.
The story of how the Hare Krishna movement came to Africa starts in 1971 in the United States when I received a letter from my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, instructing me to go immediately to West Pakistan for preaching work.
One morning we suddenly came upon a particularly beautiful spot. The cool sands were thick with foliage; the tall trees full of singing birds. As the sun brightened the clear morning sky, peacocks filled the air with their peculiar call.
Vrindavan is bounded on three sides by the Yamuna River. The slow-moving cows look like ancient sages silently meditating as they chew. Parrots decorate the trees, cascading pleasant songs into your ears, while peacocks in great abundance strut impressively and display their train of regal feathers.
Lord Caitanya did not advent Himself to liberate only a few men of India. He says in the Caitanya-bhagavata: ‘In every town, country and village, My name will be sung.’
In Calcutta in 1896, the teachings of Lord Caitanya began their journey to the West. In Bengali-speaking Calcutta on August 20th of that year, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura published a small English treatise entitled Lord Caitanya—His Life and Precepts.
After the disappearance of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, his son, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, a great scholar and pure devotee, continued to expand the mission of Lord Caitanya.
Those who relish Srimad-Bhagavatam are compared to swans that enjoy pleasant ponds of water, scenic and natural, whereas materialists are compared to the crows who prefer to enjoy the garbage of refuse heaps.
Nectar of Devotion–especially intended for those who are engaged in the Krsna consciousness movement. The text is flooded with nactarian stories, philosophy and poetic verses about Krsna and His pure devotees—all taken directly from the Vedic literatures.
The Sanskrit language is rich in words to communicate ideas about spiritual life, yoga, and God realization. This dictionary, appearing by installments in BACK TO GODHEAD, focuses upon the most important of these words.
There are many ways you can practice bhakti-yoga but the basic rule behind every practice is simply this: Always remember Krsna and never forget Him. All the other rules and regulations are servants of this one principle.
The neophyte devotee has no capacity to approach the Absolute Personality of Godhead. By submissively serving the bona fide spiritual master who is a bridge between the Lord and the neophyte, he is automatically fixed up into the transcendental service of the Lord.