The Choice is Yours

The New York Times sent two reporters to cover the event and to speak with Srila Prabhupada. Here, Srila Prabhupada is interviewed by Jon Nordheimer of the Times.

The New York Times sent two reporters to cover the event and to speak with Srila Prabhupada. Here, Srila Prabhupada is interviewed by Jon Nordheimer of the Times.

They have converted three Greyhound buses into mobile temples to bring the message of Krishna consciousness to every town and village in the United States and Canada.

Srila Prabhupada has been extensively traveling. Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami traveled with him and kept a personal diary. These are excerpts from that diary.

Prasadam means God’s mercy, and specifically refers to food that’s been offered to Krishna. Prasadam has been offered to Lord Krishna in love by one of His devotees, whereas ordinary food has not.

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.’

The Krishna consciousness movement is trying to establish this right system of human civilization, which is known as Krishna consciousness, or daiva-varnasrama—divine culture.

For a typical initiation, about one hundred devotees gather in the temple. The devotees to be initiated—perhaps a dozen of them—sit in two rows, facing the devotee designated to be the priest of the ceremony.

A study of material nature, for the purpose of distinguishing matter from spirit, is known as Sankhya philosophy.

Srila Prabhupada thought if he could get some of the Westerners to become devotees of Krishna, the Indians would then realize the importance of the spiritual culture they had given up.

In Bhagavad-gita Krishna says, Just surrender to Me, and I will give you all protection. Caitanya, in addition, explains the activities following surrender.
In New Vrindavan, the devotees find that by following the Lord’s example of living with what the land and cows provide, they can easily be free of all economic problems.

If a boy wants to know who his father is, the simple process is to ask his mother. The mother will then say, “This is your father.” This is the way of perfect knowledge.

The universal form is the form of the Supreme Lord in which one can see everything in the universe, all at once. In the universal form, one can see past, present and future. One can see all the demigods of the material creation, and all other living beings.

Those who do not like this Hare Krishna movement say we are “crazy.” Similarly, we see a person in material consciousness as a crazy person. Who, then, is actually crazy? Who decides?

The Hare Krishna temple in Paris in the elegant 16th district maintains sixty full-time devotees who teach a weekly course in Vedic Wisdom at Nanterre University, run a press and and hold a weekly festival that attracts some four hundred guests.

Gurukula, a school for children ages five to fifteen, was founded by ISKCON in 1971. It is the only school teaching one how to be eternal, blissful and full of knowledge.

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.

In the Bible it is said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” There is no difference between God and God’s form, His qualities and His word.

Vrindavan is a simple village unlike all other places in the world, for this is where Lord Krishna, the Supreme Godhead, comes to earth with His associates to display His pastimes.

We should not be surprised if Krishna had married sixteen million wives, for Krishna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is unlimited. Indeed, we may note with wonder that Krishna married only 16,108 wives.