Browsing: Founder Acharya

A video produced by BhakTV, with at the request of the Srila Prabhupada Position Committee SPPC

Srila Prabhupada’s opinion on war focused specifically on the protection of innocent, women and children, and, of course, devotees of Krishna Consciousness movement. On February 24, 2022, a brutal war broke out in Ukraine. Cities were bombed, civilians killed, and millions of innocent — including several thousands of devotees — were forced to flee their homes. The following selection of quotes from Srila Prabhupada answer the question of how devotees should respond to such a crisis.

Our worship of Srila Prabhupada is not exaggerated. All Founder-Acaryas in the various sampradayas are accorded similar worship. In ISKCON’s case, although it is true that we are a branch of the Gaudiya Math through Prabhupada’s connection with his spiritual master, and as such, we are also part of one of the four basic lines descending from Krishna, Srila Prabhupada began something that was distinguished enough from the main branch that it became a sub-branch in itself. ISKCON is not the same as the Gaudiya Math and neither did Srila Prabhupada try to make it the same. His purpose was to apply the traditions of Gaudiya Vaishnavism to Westerners in a worldwide movement, and that included making adjustments for cultural disparities between traditional Indian Vaishnava cultural expressions and the lack of them in the West-and so many other adjustments that only a worldwide preacher such as Srila Prabhupada could understand. Those adaptations and adjustments form a part of Srila Prabhupada’s emphasis, and make those who accept and identify wholeheartedly with that emphasis his followers.

Interviewer: Devotees want to work and live in a devotee community and have financial stability. And these two things seem not very compatible. And that’s what causes the problem.

Urmila D.D.: That’s the problem because we haven’t trained devotees that you can go out into the world as a devotee and that your work can still be devotional service. We discouraged the devotees from doing that.
We’re okay if people who are already financially stable and successful in their careers become devotees and then stay in their careers and have influence in their careers somehow. We didn’t use to be—in the early days of ISKCON, we would tell them to drop everything and move into the asrama. I’d say, the last maybe 10–20 years, we’ve been fine to preach sthane sthitah. You can stay in your place and be a devotee.

While devotional spirituality is rooted in humility and surrender, the tradition of Gaudiya Vaisnavism as taught by Srila Prabhupada is not silent about the value of argument. In fact, reasoned debate has a meaningful role, particularly when used to protect and promote the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (gaura-vani), and to defend the minds and hearts of practicioners from philosophies such as sunyavada (voidism) and impersonal advaita speculations. In this context, argument becomes an act of fidelity—using the power of reason not only to refute what is false but to remain aligned with the mood and mission of Srila Prabhupada.

However, when argument is misused—driven by ego, position, politics, or manipulation—it damages the mission of gaura-vani-pracara…

Statement of the Governing Body Commission (GBC) of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). …

This prediction of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s is now actually coming to pass. The Krishna consciousness movement is being distributed all over the world through the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, and people who were leading confused, chaotic lives are now feeling transcendental happiness.