Iskonist Ontology

[Caitanyachandra 0]

WHY?

WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE IN BRAHMAN.

 

cc.

[Caitanyachandra 0]

EVEN BIGGER. WHAT IS GV'S PURPOSE IN BRAHMAN?

 

WHAT IS BRAHMAN? IS IT GOD? THE UNIVERSE? A PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD? A SHINING LIGHT OF CONSCIOUSNESS? UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS? NON-EXISTENCE? EXISTENCE? OR ATHMAN.

[Caitanyachandra 0]

What is the purpose and meaning of ISKCON? Why does it exist? Who created it...

 

It is common knowledge that ISKCON does not have a bona-fide disciplic parampara. What's next for this maze of mirrors and fire?

[Caitanyachandra 0]

http://www.iskcon.org/main/twohk/prabhu.htm

 

Srila Prabhupada took birth in this world on the day

after Krishna's appearance day, in Calcutta, 1896.

His life history from his earliest days to his passing

away in 1977 is vividly described in his authorized

biography, the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta.

 

In Calcutta, 1922, Srila Prabhupada first met his

spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

Thakur, who immediately asked him, "You are an

intelligent young man. Why don't you preach the

message of Lord Caitanya in English?" This request

was to be the driving force in Srila Prabhupada's life.

 

Although Srila Prabhupada then

accepted his spiritual master within

his heart, it was in 1932 that he

became Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's

officially initiated disciple.

Meanwhile, Srila Prabhupada had

started a successful pharmaceutical

business to maintain his family.

 

In 1936, Srila Prabhupada wrote to his spiritual

master, who was then passing his last days on the

planet. In the letter Prabhupada asked, "Is there any

particular service I can do?" Srila Bhaktisiddhanta

said in his reply, "I am fully confident that you can

explain in English our thoughts and arguments. ...I

have every hope that you can turn yourself into a very

good English preacher." Srila Prabhupada knew this

was to be his life's mission, and he began to prepare

himself.

 

In 1944, during the Second World War, when paper

was scarce and people were not very wealthy

materially or spiritually, Srila Prabhupada began his

magazine, Back to Godhead, which is still being

published today. To pay for the printing, he would

collect donations. To publish the issues (then in

newspaper format), he would write, edit, and do the

layout. To sell them, he would go out himself.

 

In 1950, he left his home and family and dedicated

his life to preaching. In 1959, he took the order of

sannyasa -- full renunciation from material life. Soon

afterward he wrote three volumes of the

Srimad-Bhagavatam, finishing the first of twelve

cantos. Again he wrote, edited, proofread, bought the

paper, and got the books printed and bound. After

delivery, he sold the books through bookstores and

agents in the larger cities of India.

 

Now he had these three books in English. Feeling

the weight of his spiritual master's order and knowing

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's assurance that His holy

name would be heard in every town and village

throughout the world, Srila Prabhupada was

determined to go to America somehow or other and

preach. He was convinced that if the Americans

would take up Krishna consciousness, all the other

countries in the world would follow.

 

Begging passage on the Jaladuta, a cargo carrier of

the Scindia Steamship Corporation, and traveling 35

painful days across the ocean (he had two heart

attacks on the journey), Srila Prabhupada arrived in

New York City. He later related, "I didn't know where

to turn, left or right." After a difficult six months, living

here and there, he rented a small storefront on 26

Second Avenue in New York's Lower East Side, not

the best neighborhood by any estimation. It was here

that some sincere searchers for spiritual knowledge

gathered and gradually found shelter at the lotus feet

of Srila Prabhupada, whom they affectionately called,

"Swamiji."

 

Soon Srila Prabhupada gathered

the most interested of these

searchers and brought them to

Tompkins Square Park, where they

held the first outdoor chanting

session (sankirtan) outside India.

Onlookers were amazed, and the

boys who had gone with him were feeling the ecstasy

of chanting. Soon there were regular chanting

parties, and the first devotees became initiated by

Srila Prabhupada. In July of 1966, Srila Prabhupada

officially incorporated The International Society for

Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and began to

develop his infrastructure for spreading the message

of Krishna throughout the world. Srila Prabhupada

revived his Back to Godhead magazine, which the

newly-initiated devotees distributed on the streets.

 

Regularly Srila Prabhupada would hold chanting

sessions and give lectures to the eager groups of

people who would come to his storefront. Always he

would distribute prasadam, and soon he started the

first Sunday feasts.

 

After the New York devotees became more steady in

their spiritual practice, Srila Prabhupada went to San

Francisco to establish ISKCON on the West Coast of

the USA. Many hippies joined his movement and

spread spiritual love and peace throughout the

community. Srila Prabhupada sent his disciples to

preach in other parts of the world and establish

Krishna Conscious centers. They first started

preaching in London, then later in Berlin, India, and

many cities throughout the USA.

 

Srila Prabhupada passed away from this world in

1977. After preaching for 11 years in the West, he

had created 108 centers worldwide, written 51

volumes of transcendental literature (described

below), traveled around the world eight times and

initiated 5,000 disciples. He had created the world's

largest publisher of Vedic literature (The

Bhaktivedanta Book Trust), a scientific preaching

academy (The Bhaktivedanta Institute), and many

other trusts to insure the continuity of ISKCON.

[Tarun 6]

Common Knowledge? Common as in street talk? Knowledge as in opinion?

You mean diksa-paramparA. What about ziksa-paramparA?

That's certainly intact.

[Caitanyachandra 0]

a

 

[This message has been edited by Caitanyachandra (edited 10-03-2001).]