AcyutanandaDas

You definitely need to do your research. Look around, don't be afraid to ask questions and put yourself out there. See what the Guru and His disciples are like and ask yourself, "Is this what I want to become?" Prabhupada is not confined to an organization, and sometimes those that have a true understanding of Him and His mood may be well outside such an organization. Revisit any assumptions about Gurus you've considered in the past and see if they actually hold. Most importantly, listen to your heart. Are you prepared to offer all your love, faith and sincerity unto this person and do you know what that involves? This is no joke and the consequences will last your entire life. It is not a thing to be taken lightly.

Just some thoughts.

what do people think about that movie clip, is it correct or what?

mad bhakta shunya prithivi, kali grasta bhavishyati;

eta smin namtare tatra, krishna dehad vinirgatah. [12]“After these 10,000* years, completely devoid of My devotees, the earth will be shackled again by Kali’s strong influence (as described in the 12th Canto of the Bhagavata Purana).” Saying this, Lord Krishna departed.

 

(*Kali-yuga total duration is 432,000 years. So after 5,000 years of sinful degradation and the next 10,000 years of the Golden Age (1486 AD to 11486 AD) of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu as described above, the balance 417,000 years of Kali-yuga will be the most sinful period for the earth planet due to the complete domination by the personality of Kali. At the end, i.e. 427,000 years from now, the Lord will appear on a white horse in his partial incarnation of Kalki to annihilate the demons and restablish the Satya-yuga. So we are extremely fortunate to have taken birth in this Golden Age and not waste this most rare opportunity.)

There is too much commentary (which may or may not be what the passage was getting at), but those with even a rudimentary knowledge of sanskrit can pick out what is really being said here. My point though is on the last paragraph. Agreed, kali yuga is 432,000 years but Surya Siddhanta says it begins on 3102 BCE, if we subtract that from 5000, we get something around 1898. Meaning the golden age is SUPPOSED to have begun on 1898 around the time Swami Bhaktivedanta was born (2 years after roundabout, not looking at the months here..) This is also around the time Prabhupada Siddhanta Saraswati was gaining momentum in his divinity and preaching. Though personally not a follower of ISKCON, there really isn't any organization that has left an impression on the world as they have (w.r.t. vaisnava preaching). One can only hope that it will grow and prosper as time goes forward. There are many bonafide Vaisnava preachers around the world these days, Swami BV Narayana, Swami BB Tirtha, Swami BV Puri, Swami BB Bodhayana, etc. preaching incessantly the vani of Srimad Bhagavatam Mahapurana around the globe.

Rupa Goswami says to chant naam in the direct association of those unto whom the lord has already revealed himself -- tadanurAgi janAnugAmi, kAlam nayed akhilam ityupadeshSa sAram!

This is the essence of all advice.

Gradually, you will progress from sraddha, sadhu sanga, bhajan kriya, and eventually reach prema. But the key is to associate as much as possible as sincerely as possible, with one who has all these things. How much you receive that opportunity of course, depends on how much sukrti you have. It may take several lifetimes but stay strong.

Just to be clear, sannyasa isn't completely forbidden in Kali Yuga. Why would Mahaprabhu take sannyasa if it were so? What IS forbidden is ekadandi sannyasa. Ever read Jaiva Dharma? Furthermore, the practice of Sannyasa is quite prevalent not only amongst the Saraswat Parampara, but within the traditional four Vaisnava Sampradayas as well as the Shankara sampradaya.

--adas