All glories to Sankirtana, Prasadam and Srimad-Bhagavatam
I think this policy of Sankirtana, Prasadam and Srimad-Bhagavatam has been successful in all the centers. Please therefore follow this transcendental policy with heart and soul and make your center as spiritually opulent as far as possible.
Los Angeles 2 January, 1970
My Dear Rupanuga,
Please accept my blessings. Your letter dated December 21 along with the picture of the new house was duly received by me while I was in Boston and we enjoyed the few days of meeting together in that Temple. It was a great transcendental pleasure to meet you all. Your statement in the letter, “All glories to Sankirtana, Prasadam and Srimad-Bhagavatam” is very welcome. Before coming to your country, when I was in India and I was planning to come here, I was thinking in the same way.
I was thinking that my preaching work in this country would be a difficult job for me on account of the country’s position being completely different from the principles of Bhakti cult. At that time I was also thinking of chanting and dancing in Sankirtana as well as distributing prasadam in the matter of my preaching Bhagavatam. So this planning has by the grace of my Guru Maharaja and Krishna become successful in the practical field. Forty years before when two of my eldest God-brothers came to London with this mission they simply devoted their time in lecturing in some renowned public place and inviting some leading politician to preside over the meeting. You know very well that when I began my preaching work in New York I never followed this policy of lecturing amongst the stereotyped politicians or elites of the society. And if I would have followed such a policy, I think I would also have gone back to India without any success. I think this policy of Sankirtana, Prasadam and Srimad-Bhagavatam has been successful in all the centers. Please therefore follow this transcendental policy with heart and soul and make your center as spiritually opulent as far as possible.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
About the Author
HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founded the Hare Krishna Movement in 1966 in New York. In only 11 years he spread the movement all over the world. He wrote more than 80 books including Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Sri Isopanisad. Prabhupada's books constitute a complete library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.
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Sir, I wanted to print the two essays” Krishna the reservoir of pleasure and who is crazy?” for Srila Prabhupada’s service but since the color print out costs a lot I thought I will print 2 or 4 of the pictures in one page. But then it flashed my mind whether there is some procedure that the pictures one below the other should be in the disciplic succession. I am confused. Rather than committing an offense I would obviously like to pay more but it is actually very costly and I would like to cover more pictures. Could you please let me know the etiquette “if I am allowed” to print 2 or more pictures in one page. ( like the one in chaitanya caritamrita with Radha Krishna on top and sankirtan party at bottom…)
And one more thing, since this magazine has no color pictures I thought I will remove the black and white ones and replace them with the color pictures in other books like the Radha Krishna one with the one on the front page of Krishna book and Srila Prabhupada picture with the smiling one in SB4. 2 and Krishna and Arjuna’s picture with that one on the front page of Bhagavad Gita, and so on so as to get people attracted to the pictures. More over can I replace Srila Prabhupada description with a better one in SB? Am I allowed to do so? But I shall definitely not change anything of what Srila Prabhupada told.
Please let me know about these two humble queries.
Hare Krishna
Yes. You can adjust the pictures according to the printing you are doing, yes you can print more than one picture on a page. I completely understand your concern printing the disciplic succession photos 4 on a page. I did this in the current “Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas” and I was also quite bewildered how to do it… So I printed them, 4 on a page with Srila Prabhupada top left, Srila Bhaktsiddhanta, top right, Srila Gaurakisor Das Babaji, bottom left and Srila Bhaktsiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, bottom right. So this is correct order the way you would read in English from left to right and top to bottom, but it ends up with Srila Prabhupada on top of Bhaktsiddhanta, etc., which I am sure some would say is wrong… So anyhow I printed them like that about 5 years ago and no one has complained so far… So I do not really know for sure, but when I had to print the 4 disciplic succession pictures on one page that is what I did…
So yes. You can adjust the things like this for the format you are printing and you can print 2 or 4 pictures on one page, etc.
So just chant Hare Krishna at least 16 rounds a day and read Srila Prabhupada’s books and pray to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna for guidance and inspiration on this and they will give you the idea how to do it nicely.
All glories to your service!
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krischna !
Dear devotees
There is another conspiracy in ISKCON in which the gbc, gurus and sanyasies knowingly and unknowingly take part.
It is the neglect of the street sankirtan.
This Harinama Sankirtan yagya is the yuga dharma, for achieving Krischna prema.
If we are not doing it as often as possible, we are not developing prema for Krischna.
We are not becoming full Krischna conscious ourselves.
Remaining kanistha for the next lives.
In ISKCON everything else has been given more importance.
Whit the most important to distribute the books.
Making a lot of many for the leaders.
The are you tube clips where a Prabhupada diciple speaks about the early days when Srila Prabhupada was still present.
Street sankirtan parties went out two times, three times daily chanting dancing in the streets.
Here one quote:
Sri Nama-sankirtana
by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada
In the very beginning of the Srimad Bhagavatam, in its middle and at its end, we have been repeatedly advised about the efficacy of sri nama-sankirtana. The principle of sri nama-bhajana (loving service to the holy name) is deeply set at the root of the limb of devotion called Mathura-vasa, or sri dhama-vasa – residence in the places of Sri Bhagavan’s pastimes – for these holy places are frequently visited by sadhus who are always engaged in sri nama-sankirtana. Furthermore, the principle of chanting the holy name accompanies the service of sri murti, the transcendental deity, for it is conducted with mantras (incantations) framed with Sri Bhagavan’s names. Thus sri nama-kirtana is glorified above all, and all success is available through it.
We also have the statement from Sri Caitanya-caritamrita (Antya-lila 4.70):
bhajanera madhye srestha nava-vidha bhakti
‘krsna-prema’, ‘krsna’ dite dhare maha-sakti
Among all forms of bhajana (loving service to Sri Krsna) the nine limbs of bhakti are best, for they have the great power to bestow both Krsna-prema and Krsna.
The foremost of these nine types of bhajana, again, is nama-sankirtana. One who chants the holy names without making spiritual offences (aparadhas) is sure to gain the wealth of transcendent love.
In the Bhakti-sandarbha (273) we find the following statement:
Even if, in Kali-yuga, there is some other form of devotion ordained as duty, that duty should be performed along with the limb of bhakti known as kirtana.
No kind of bhakti – such as residence in Mathura, association with holy saints, service to sri murti or hearing the message of Srimad-Bhagavatam – is complete without sri Krsna nama-kirtana. Only one who gives importance to sri Krsna nama-kirtana above everything else has access to the fruit it bears.
In Sri Hari Bhakti Vilasa (11.137), a verse from an ancient scripture is cited:
yena janma-sataih purvam vasudevah samarcitah
tan-mukhe hari-namani sada tisthanti bharata
The holy names of Sri Hari are always present on the lips of a person who has been properly worshipping Him – Sri Vasudeva Krsna – for hundreds of lives.
Indeed, among all spiritual practices, sankirtana is the best and foremost means of attaining the grace of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. Other types of sadhana, or devotional practices, are only worthy of being called sadhana if they favourably assist the performance of sankirtana; otherwise they should be known as obstructions to actual sadhana. Whether one is a child or an old or young man, male or female, learned or illiterate, rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, pious or sinful – regardless of the condition of life someone may be in – there is no spiritual practice for him other than sri Krsna nama-sankirtana.
Kirtana is called sankirtana when many people perform it together. But will it be worthy of the name sankirtana if some worthless people, without any ardour for Sri Bhagavan’s service, come together to shout in unison? It will be true hari-sankirtana when we join the sankirtana of true devotees who are serving Sri Bhagavan according to the principles established in the Vedas and allied sastras. Contrastingly, it is not hari-sankirtana when it is conducted for the prevention of the epidemics of cholera or pox, for prosperity in trade, for gain or for respect and fame. This kirtana is maya-kirtana – chanting within the jurisdiction of the illusory potency.
As long as we do not join the perfect Krsna-kirtana conducted by genuine devotees, maya will delude us in various ways. And if we join the kirtana of the blinded self-deceivers who are not anxious for their true well-being then surely we will not attain our own true well-being. If we follow people who never receive instructions from the true Vaisnavas but just imitate them by decorating their bodies with tulasi beads and other marks, and who shout out what appears to be names of God in external sound alone, we will not find sri hari-nama-sankirtana.
Adapted from The Gaudiya Volume 23, Issue 10
by the Rays of The Harmonist team
Hari Bol