If you visit the town of Puri on the Bay of Bengal, you will find, amid palm trees and small houses, a stone shrine marking the place where the great saint Haridasa Thakura sat alone or with a devotee companion and worshiped Krsna.
I can’t bear to think you are no longer here, But when I do I feel your hand upon me And your voice guiding me, as in the night the moon, Lights the wanderer’s way.
As long as all of his disciples constantly look to his instructions and remain faithful, there will not be any chaos. But if they look away from or neglect the teachings of their spiritual master, or if they fail to follow them, then there will be chaos.
Wherever Srila Prabhupada went, on fourteen journeys around the globe, he constantly spread the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, and when he finally departed he was surrounded by disciples from around the world, loudly chanting these names of God he had given them.
Although we do not want unhappiness, by our dealings we create enemies, and there is fighting and war. This forest fire of material existence goes on perpetually, and the authorized person who can deliver you from this fire is called guru, the spiritual master.
You have to surrender to the guru, but not blindly or sentimentally. First you should study him carefully to find out whether he has the qualifications spelled out in the Vedic literature.
Srila Prabhupada you are fulfilling Lord Gauranga’s wish. Without discrimination you distribute the contents of the storehouse of transcendental love.
If you want to be cheated, you will find cheating gurus. But if you are sincere, you will find a sincere guru. The genuine guru is God’s representative, and he speaks about God and nothing else.
ISKCON devotees chant Hare Krishna in New York City in 1976.
As Emerson said, “It is natural to believe in great men.” And in his book, The Hero, American Style, Marshall William Fishwick remarks that “people are ineffective without leaders.”
“I can remember being a young man, a boy, a baby. What was I before that—what will I be next?” Mike Robinson of London Broadcasting Company interviews Srila Prabhupada.
Anyone can chant the Hare Krishna mantra, anytime, anywhere. The main thing is to listen closely to the sound. Whether you sing it or say it, alone or with others, the Hare Krishna chant brings about joyful spiritual awareness.
The special design of the Hare Krishna chant makes it easy to repeat and pleasant to hear. Spoken or sung, by yourself or in a group, Hare Krishna invariably produces a joyful state of spiritual awareness—Krishna consciousness.
Devotees chanting Hare Krishna in New York’s Central Park.
The huge cars, with their towering canopies and colorful garlands, rumble along the city streets into the park. This is Ratha-yatra, the ancient Festival of the Chariots, glorifying Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the universe.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura (1838-1914) was a pioneer in the distribution of Krishna consciousness in English. He dedicated much of his life to this effort. His mission has been continued and greatly expanded by his son’s disciple, Srila Prabhupada.
God has an unlimited variety of names. Some of them—like Jehovah, Adonai, Buddha, and Allah—are familiar to us, while the names Krishna and Rama may be less so. However, whatever name of God we may accept, we are enjoined by all scriptures to chant it for spiritual purification.
Peace Corps veteran tells how on his first professional photo assignment he became interested in Krishna consciousness and started making films for Krishna.
Chant the holy name, chant the holy name, chant the holy name of the Lord. In this age of quarrel there is no other way, no other way, no other way to attain spiritual enlightenment
Introducing people to Krishna is a full-time job for the members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. They chant Hare Krishna on San Francisco Bay and on Parisian boulevards, give out free pineapples