50 ISKCON (1966 – 2016) celebrations
- Part 4 -

Radhamohan Das *

ISKCON Temple at Sangaiporou, Imphal in September 5 2015 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

Dr RE Asher, Professor of Linguistics, University of Edinburgh - "....For those who have no access to the Sanskrit language, these books convey, in superb manner, the message of the Bhagavatam . In addition to being a scholarly work, it directly reflects the spiritual aspirations of a religious commu- nity which has gained considerable popularity in modern America."

Dr Alaka Hejib, Department of Sanskrit and Indian Stud- ies, Harvard University - SRI CAITANYA-CARITAMRTA Scholars Praise Srila Prabhupada's Books "I am most happy to have these handsomely printed vol- umes which embody the work of so learned and sincere a believer in the message of the Caritamirta . I thank you."

Dr Daniel HH Ingalls, Chairman, Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Harvard University "It is a genuine joy to have this momentous biographical work on the life of Bengal's great saint Caitanya, prepared by his best-known modern interpreter, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada."

Dr Mark Jueregensmeyer, Associate Professor of Ethics' and the Phenomenology of Religions, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California - "Year by year, interest in East- ern religious thought and philosophy grows in America. The editing and translating of the important Sri Caitanya- caritamirta will make a substantial contribution to those who seek information about Indian concepts..."

Dr Gerald A Larue, Professor of Religion, University of Southern California - "I can recommend Sri Caitanya- caritamirta as a source of rich insights for every serious student of consciousness."

Dr Rory O'Day, Department of Human Relations, Univer- sity of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada - "His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is doing valuable work. His books are significant contributions to the salvation of mankind."

Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri, Late Prime Minister of India- Srila Prabhupada's views on other Religions and Tradi- tions.

His Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Swami took Moses, Je- sus, and Muhammad as the empowered representatives of the Supreme God, and they are the pioneers of the same essential message of dedication to God with love and devotion.

The name Krishna or Christ does not matter, the main focus is to follow the injunctions of the Vedic scriptures that recommend chanting the holy name of God (the real name of God) in this age of Kali Srila Prabhupada's message is that faith can be changed from one religion to another, say from Hinduism to Christianity or Islam and so on, but dharma-a natural occupation or a connection to God, cannot be changed, because it is permanent.

To be Krishna conscious is to offer the result of one's activity to Lord Krishna Who is residing in every living entity as a Witness. Srila Prabhupada taught a dualism of body and soul, i.e, body and soul are different and that of the genders. Similar to many traditional religions he considered sexual- ity and spirituality as conflicting opposites. He believed that the spirit of the law must be applied according to time, place, person and circumstance, rather than literal tracing of the traditions.

Creation of ISKCON in India

In 1971, Srila Prabhupada returned to India after establish- ing the temples and centres in the United State and Europe, and elsewhere. The Hare Krishna Movement has been spread throughout India with the impressive temple projects in Mumbai, Mayapur, Vrindavana and others. Gurukuls also were introduced in various parts of India and the Bhaktivedanta gurukuls and International schools were func- tioning successfully. The Govt. of India recognized Srila Prabhupada by issuing a commemorative stamp. The then India's Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated the ISKCON's Cultural Centre in New Delhi on 5th April, 1988 on the occasion of Ramnavmi, and gave his view on the Bhagavad – Gita; "If the Bhagavad-gita, the holy text of the Hindu traditions, is printed in millions of copies and scores of languages and distributed in all nooks and corners of the world, the credit for this great sacred service goes chiefly to ISKCON.

For this accomplishment alone, Indians should be eternally grateful to the devoted spiritual army of Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the Hare Krishna Movement and to his followers....... The arrival of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in the United States in 1965 and the particular popularity his movement gained in a very short span of twelve years must be regarded as one of the greatest spiritual events of the century.

In a conversation with historian Arnold J. Toynbee in London, Srila Prabhupada said, " I have started this Krishna consciousness movement among the Indians and American, and for the next 10,000 years it will increase".

Srila Prabhupada's Books on Vedic philosophy, Religion, Literature and Culture;

- Bhagavad-Gita As It Is (1968), Sri Isopanisad (1969), Srimad-Bhagavatam(1972-77),
- Caitanya Caritamrita (1974), The Nectar of Instruction (1975),
- Teachings of Lord Caitanya (1969), Krishna – the Supreme Personality of Godhead (1970),
- The Nectar of Devotion (1970), Easy Journey to Other Planets (1970),
– Krishna Consciousness : The Top most Yoga System(1970), Beyond Birth and Death (1972),
– The Perfection of Yoga (1972), Krishna, the Reservoir of Pleasure (1972),
– On the way to Krishna (1973), Raja-Vidya : The King of Knowledge (1973),
– Elevation to Krishna consciousness (1973), Krishna consciousness : The matchless Gift (1974),
– Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers (1977), Teachings of Lord Kapil, the son of Devahuti,
– Geetar-gan, Vairagya-Vidya
– Buddhi-yoga, In Bengali (Original)
– Bhakti-ratna-boli
– Published posthumously:
– Light of Bhagavata (1978), Teachings of Queen Kunti (1978), Life comes from Life (1978),
– Search for Liberation (1980), Chant and be Happy (1982),
– Coming back: The Science of reincarnation (1982), Dialectic spiritualism (1985),
– Path of Perfection (1989), Narada bhakti sutra (1991), Mukunda-mala-stotra (1989),
– The Hare Krishna Challenge (1990), A Second Chance (1991),
– The Journey of Self Discovery (1991), Laws of nature : an infallible justice (1991),
– Renunciation Through Wisdom (1992), Quest for Enlightenment (1993),
– The Nectar of Book Distribution (1993), The Path of Yoga (1995), Message of Godhead (1996),
– Civilization and Transcendence (1998), Dharma : The way of Transcendence(1998),
– Srila Prabhupada Slokas (1998), Beyond Illusion and Doubt (1999),
– Introduction to Bhagavad-gita(2005), A Shower of Divine compassion (2008),
– Collected Lectures on Bhagavad-gita As It Is (7 Vols),
– Collected Lectures on Srimad Bhagavatam (11 Vols),
– Collected Teachings of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami (7 Vols),
– Conversations with Srila Prabhupada (37 Vols), Srila Prabhupada Siksamrita (3 Vols),
– Srila Prabhupada's Letters (5 Vols), The Pioneer years: Back to Godhead (1944-1960),
– The Jaladuta Diary, The Spiritual master and the Disciple,
– The Beginning – The 1966 New York Journal, Sri Namamrita – The Nector of the Holy Name.

To be continued ....