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"To show them special mercy, I,
dwelling in their hearts, destroy
with
the shining lamp of knowledge the
darkness born of ignorance."
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Srila Prabhupada
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Child Abuse: Did Srila Prabhupada Know?Submitted by
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Thinking back to the late sixties and early seventies, I fondly remember how the Hare Krsna mantra had already infiltrated contemporary culture because of Srila Prabhupada's extraordinary efforts to spread the holy names throughout the world. A number of famous musicians and artists had begun to discover the chanting and were promoting it in their records and books.
For example, the Broadway musical Hair was a big hit and the accompanying record, which included the chanting of Hare Krsna, became a popular staple on the radio. George Harrison recorded the song "My Sweet Lord" with the melodious chanting of Krsna's names in the background, and prior to that, the words "Hare Krsna" could be found on one of the Beatles' albums.
In an article posted on Chakra.org, May 29, 2004, Ananda Das propounds some unusual and frankly unenlightened views on Srila Prabhupada, the Ganges, the brains of women, and astrology as well as the alleged moon landings. The author then expands his views as if they were already established scientific facts. The reality, of course, is that they are not.
While the author appears on the surface to be a reasonable person, his article says nothing meaningful about Srila Prabhupada's position or the relationship between a guru and his disciple but is simply an exposé of his own immature and strange understanding in these matters. Among devotees there is always room for differences of opinion about the application of details, but in the case of the author it is easy to spot a fundamental deviation in the method that he suggests we use for discerning reality.
[The following is a response to an article on Chakra.org entitled "Only the Unattainable Guru Makes No Mistakes," by Ananda dasa. I have not posted a link to the article because it is insulting to Srila Prabhupada and I don't want to encourage people to read it, but it is there if anyone wants to look for it.]
Here's a good riposte to Ananda dasa by Srila Prabhupada himself. Ananda repeatedly refers to sections of our teachings that he either doesn't like or understands as ancient, as if this is now left behind and modern times require something different. Not according to Prabhupada:
From a Lecture on SB 5.6.8, Nov. 30, 1976 Vrndavana:
We had to spend all of last week in Kolkata trying to get our computer fixed, so I went to the Sri Sri Radha-Govinda Temple to take darsan of Srila Prabhupada's early childhood pastime place and take photos.
Coming down Mahatma Gandhi Road towards the crossing with Ravindra Sarani, I saw an old gate leading into the courtyard of an old building. It was Mallik's Sri Sri Radha-Govinda temple. I went in and had a beautiful darsan of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda, to whom Srila Prabhupada is connected so intimately.
Some time ago, Brahmananda Prabhu told us that They are actually the root Deities of ISKCON, as Srila Prabhupada told him that it is by Their mercy his mission became successful and ISKCON came into being.
Hare Krishna,
Please accept my obeisances. All
glories to Srila Prabhupada.
As part of our historical preservation
in Srila Prabhupada’s room here in Los
Angeles, I am searching for Dr. Stillson
Judah’s book Hare Krishna and the
Counterculture. This book will be
kept as part of Srila Prabhupada’s
room library.
For the past two years, we have been collecting and displaying items of historical significance as part of Srila Prabhupada’s remembrance in New Dwaraka.
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November 14, 1977. Twenty-five years. A quarter century. The day our world stopped.
At the time, I had collected almost enough money to get to India from Vancouver. Srila Prabhupada's health had been deteriorating, and I was anxious to get to Vrindavan as soon as possible. Another week, and I'd be ready to go. But then the phone call came. Prabhupada had left his body.
Words can't describe the devastation that we all felt. Hearts broke and tears flowed everywhere. The universe was in sorrow. The pure devotee of Lord Krsna had left the planet. We had lost our master, our protector, and our ever well-wisher. Suddenly the universe became cold and dark, and all hope instantly fled from our lives. How could we go on without Prabhupada? It was inconceivable.
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Dear Respected Devotees and Friends,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Devotees in every Vaisnava group or association worldwide can all agree that Srila Prabhupada's service to both his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada, and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is extraordinary and of the highest caliber of pure devotion. Srila Prabhupada has made Vaisnava history by introducing the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra throughout the world, establishing over one hundred temples, and publishing over eighty books of transcendental knowledge for the benefit of humankind. His achievements and glories are unlimited due to his pure unalloyed love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna.
I was watching some Srila Prabhupada videos the other night, which is a very enlivening experience for me because I never personally met Srila Prabhupada but felt as if I had after imbibing his wonderful purports to Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam etc. these past 23 years.
I was never formally initiated because I was in household life but lived near the Los Angeles temple for 14 years (1980-1994), so it was as though I were "in" the movement although not living in the temple. I came to ISKCON and Krsna consciousness when I was 33 years old. Prior to that, I did a short stint in Muktananda’s ashram in New York City, so there were aspects of Indian religion that were not foreign to me.
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