Art

Published on January 17th, 2023 | by HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

13

Krishna Conscious Art

Yes, I would ilke each and every one of our books to have pictures as many as possible. That is my desire. Our KRSNA book with pictures has been very much attractive.

Los Angeles 11 July, 1970

Boston

My Dear Jadurani,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 3rd July, 1970, and noted the contents. I am very satisfied to see how nicely you are rendering the transcendental subject matters of Srimad-Bhagavatam in the matter of painting pictures for our literatures. So I am very much pleased with your picture for the cover of The First Step in God Realization and if you continue to improve from this standard that will be very nice.

Yes, I would ilke each and every one of our books to have pictures as many as possible. That is my desire. Our KRSNA book with pictures has been very much attractive. Brahmananda took delivery of only 25 copies from Japan and immediately within two days all copies were sold.

It is simply to the pictures. People become attracted with these unusual transcendental pictures at first, ao even without reading the book they become inclined to purchase it.

This is one point. Another point is that picture gives the explanation of the passage very quickly. So try to insert as many pictures as possible in all our books and other publications.

Regarding the picture for the cover of Bhagavad-gita AS IT IS, revised and enlarged edition, yes, if the painting for the cover is similar to the picture which you sent from the Bhagavad-gita in Pictures that will be alright. Regarding further pictures for the Bhagavad-gita, if you want suggestions from me then I can give you hints with reference to important verses in the Gita; but whether you will be able to draw pictures simply by taking hints from me?

For example you may take some hints like this: Dhrtarastra sitting in the palace room and his secretary, Sanjaya, relaying the activities in the battlefield with a television-like picture within his heart. The idea is that he is looking within the reflection of the battlefield and explaining to Dhrtarastra. So if somebody tries for it, then I shall send similar hints with reference to some important verses.

You have inquired whether to illustrate Balaramaji’s Rasa Dancing with expansions of Balaramaji just like Krishna expanded Himself for Rasa Dancing.

No, we do not find such description in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. But He had His dancing pastime with the Gopis in a different place known as Ramaghata on the bank of the Yamuna.

Yes, you all must read Nectar of Devotion in your spare time. I am very glad to learn that your Boston Sankirtana Movement is very successful. If you are getting enough money now, you can send some extra money to me. I have given a loan to the BTG Department for $3000, so inform this matter to Satsvarupa and if he has got extra money he may return it. All books in soft cover which we have printed should be bound each one copy and sent to me for my library.

Hope this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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About the Author

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.



13 Responses to Krishna Conscious Art

  1. Lakshmi says:

    I would like to order the pic of radhe n krishna dancing with gopes n gopies pls help

  2. shivkumar goel says:

    I like Lord Krishna

  3. Gary Johnston says:

    Greetings,
    I’ve found so much information here, plus the free pdf books, which will definitely keep up at nights. The navigation is easy and well explained for downloads, links etc., what can one say, but thank you for a wonderful web site.
    Gary

  4. Sunil says:

    Hare Krishna Guru…

    I tried hard to Chant Maha – Mantra 4 X 108 times daily , but i could not make it. It should have been more , about 64 times as i have read it. Guruji, is there any other way , i could try to concentrate and count more on chanting Hare Krishna mahamantra .

    Hare Krishna Hare Krishna , Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram , Ram Ram Hare Hare…

    Sunil

    • Hare Krishna Sunil

      No. In Kali-yuga there is no other way to spritual enlightenment than chanting Hare Krishna. So you just have to do it. It is not difficult. You just have to concentrate on chanting:

      Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
      Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

      What could be easier? It is very, very simple…

      So you just chant this 108 x 16 times every day. It takes only 2-3 hours a day. It is the only way to real spiritual enlightenment. There is no other way.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  5. venkatesh says:

    hare krishna
    i have not understood your reply

  6. venkatesh says:

    hare krishna. i like krishna very much and iskcon painting too. my aim is to teach about krishna consciousness to everyone like prabhupada. i like prabhupad very much and his teaching. i want to become a krishna conscious person and i like to take this krishna movement forward i like chaitanya mahaprabhu and his teaching although he is krishna himself.there is no difference between chaitanya and krishna. throughout my life i want to render trasnscendental loving service to krishna just like gopis.i am 16 years old. i like iskcon very much i am from andaman.my name is venkatesh.i have appeared for class 10th aisse examination.my dream is to speard krishna’s teaching troughout the world throughout my life. pls.i am having a problem that i cannot arrange a statue of gaura-nitai in brass due to its high price.pls. give some suggestion. already i know that we can achieve krishna simply by loving him and worshipping him within our heart just like that south indian brahman story.but i am very attached to the painting and brass statue of krishna,chaitanya and prabhupada so pls help me…..and i like this chanting process and i also like to do sankirtan mainly nagara sankirtan.
    jai shree prabhupada.

    • Hare Krishna Venkatesh

      It is a very good aspiration that you have. But the important thing is to become a servant of Srila Prabhupada and a servant of Krishna. Many get hooked up in this idea of becoming a ‘big preacher’ like Prabhupada but that is a great trap. No devotee tries to be ‘big’. A devotee simply wants to be a humble servant of the servant of Krishna. Srila Prabhupada’s success is that he is a humble and submissive servant of his spiritual master and he accepted the orders of his spiritual master as his life and soul. So we have to be humble like that and surrender to Srila Prabhupada and that means we have to know what Prabhupada is teaching us which means we have to read all of Prabhupada’s books and strictly follow all the instructions Prabhupada is giving us in his books.

      As far as worshiping Lord Caitanya you can get a nice picture of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya and worship them in that form. Srila Prabhupada started many big temples with lots of devotees with only a painting of the Panca-Tattva, so you can start worshiping like that. And if Lord Caitanya wants to come in the deity form to you He will.

      You have to be very careful of not becoming a sahaja. It means taking things very cheaply. There are four regulative principles that followers of Srila Prabhupada must strictly follow: No illicit sex life, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication, and if we do not follow these principles we are not followers of Srila Prabhupada. Also followers of Srila Prabhupada must chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day without fail, if someone is not chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day without fail they are not following Srila Prabhupada. So you need to first become very solidly fixed in strictly following the four regulative principles and chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily, without being fixed up in these things there is no Krishna consciousness, it is not spiritual life it is just imagination. Then you have to concentrate on reading all of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Because if you don’t read Prabhupada’s books how will you know what the teachings of Srila Prabhupada are?

      So you have to become very serious and very humble…

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  7. curtis says:

    I’m thinking how to reach to true spirit soul, when you’re surrounded and condition to think that it don’t exist. My entire family and relatives are all Christians, and I learned about hare Krishna when I was in college in California, and when I return to nc I haven’t found anyone to share my belief and study with.
    My last question is what you think will come of me if I continue to allow my physical to ruin my spiritual, I have the gita I have self realization and journey to discover, I have several books pertaining to the gita, but its hard to learn from yourself bc you don’t know if I’m heading in the right direction or not.

    • Markus says:

      curtis,

      Visit temple regularly. Be in touch with the devotees. Chant some min fixed rounds of maha mantra regularly, follow 4 regulative principles, eat prasadam, discuss with your family members, tell them the concepts, always remember Krishna, pray for the mercy of Radha and Krishna, accept Prabhupad as your spiritual master. This is how one can make progress in Krishna consciousness..

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