DEVOTEE CARE: PRINCIPLES,

PRACTICES & PERSPECTIVES An effort to emphasise a culture of devotee care in ISKCON temples and communities

Vol. 1, 2021

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmi

Prabhupāda

Purport to the Śrimad Bhāgavatam 1.2.16

“The servants of God come to propagate God

consciousness, and Intelligent peopleshould

cooperate with them in every respect.”

“The Lord is more pleased when He sees that His

servants are properly respected because such

servants risk everything for the service of the Lord

and so are very dear to the Lord.”

PREFACE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------

The Devotee Care Education is an initiative of the ISKCON GBC Devotee Care Committee aimed at

systematically disseminating knowledge about devotee care through both online and offline means

across the length and breadth of ISKCON. From a humble beginning in 2011, the Devotee Care

Education Initiative has manifested into a multi-faceted platform covering periodic newsletters, 40+

online and on site training programs conduced globally, and formation of regional ambassodors of

Devotee Care.

ISKCON’s DEVOTEE CARE VISION STATEMENT

Every devotee is spiritually happy and

materially well-situated, positively identifying

with ISKCON as a caring society.

Each devotee :

a) responsibly looks after his or her diverse

needs

b) can easily and successfully seek qualified help

within the Society, and

c) wholeheartedly extends that care to others

And to facilitate this vision, as part of the

mission of Devotee Care initiative, we strive to:

a) Ensure that the Vaishnava virtue of care

pervades all aspects of the ISKCON Society.

b) Support and provide specific care services

that enhance the spiritual, emotional, physical

and social well-being of all ISKCON

members.

In line with this vision, the Devotee Care Directorate has identified the following 12 areas of devotee

care with each of the areas now taking shape in concrete manner.

1. Spiritual Life

2. Healthcare

3. Marriage, Sex & Relationships

4. Child-rearing and child-care

5. Education

6. Career and Employment

7. Financial Advice

8. Housing

9. Travel and Immigration

10. Consumer and Lifestyle

11. Legal and Civic

12. Mediation Advice

Continuing the momentum, the Global Devotee Care Directorate launched the Vaishnava Sevā

Initiative with the idea of capturing the best practices concerning various aspects of devotee care within

ISKCON. As part of this initiative, we invited senior leaders of our society to share their words of

wisdom on various subjects of devotee care. These discussions have been duly transcripted and are now

presented as part of this E-book. This is the first volume of transcriptions and further volumes will be

presented as a continuing effort to build the repository of knowledge on devotee care.

Through this humble attempt, we are endevouring to emphasise upon a culture of devotee care within

ISKCON so that those who have come to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Śrīla Prabhupāda may positively

identify themselves with ISKCON as a caring society and thus remain active in KṛṣṇaConsciousness

till the last movement of their lives.

Sincerely,

Gauranga Dāsa

On behalf of GLOBAL DEVOTEE CARE DIRECTORATE

INTRODUCTION ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“At the end of the day, all we have is each

other.”

--- HH Bhakti Tirtha Swāmi ---

This E-Book captures the experiences of several senior leaders of our society in the field of devotee

care. This book has been forumated out of the transcripts of several such discussions, wherein each

leader shared best practices concerning various aspects of devotee care within ISKCON.

In the first volume of this book, we have had the opportunity to draw inspiration from the following

key leaders of ISKCON Society:

❖ HH BHĀNU SWĀMI

❖ HH GIRIRĀJA SWĀMI

❖ HH GOPĀLA KṚṢṆA GOSWĀMI

❖ HH JAYAPATĀKA SWĀMI

❖ HH RĀDHĀNĀTH SWĀMI

❖ HH DEVĀMṚTA SWĀMI

❖ HH PRAHLĀDANANDA SWĀMI

❖ HH NIRAÑJANA SWĀMI

The discussions have spanned through multiple dimensions of devotee care throwing practical insights

on how to establish a culture of devotee care within ISKCON. Below mentioned are some of the key

areas covered in this book.

SCOPE OF DEVOTEE CARE E-Book (Vol. 1)

Themes covered Themes covered

❖ Devotee care by Śrīla Prabhupāda

❖ Devotee care by previous ācharyās

❖ Dealing with differences among devotees

❖ Maintaining spiritual standards

❖ Mental, emotional & financial care of

devotees

❖ Dealing with devotees having committed

serious offenses

❖ Dealing with devotees' material needs

❖ Care for Grihasthā families and children

❖ Perspectives on Education, care and

employment

❖ Care for devotees' parents

❖ Care for Senior Brahmacaris, Sannyāsis &

Experienced Preachers & leaders

❖ Balancing sādhana & organizational

responsibility

❖ Extending care to devotees of otherbranches

of Saraswat Gauḍīya family

❖ Building spiritual communities

❖ Counselor system for devotee care

❖ Medical care of devotees

❖ Special case study of Ukraine

The E-book concludes with the case study of Ukraine as a living example of how the culture of devotee

care can be established. We hope that this book will become a key component of knowledge respositiory

for devotee care and provide inspiration to current and future caretakers of devotees within the ISKCON

community.

EDITIORIAL TEAM

Devotee Caree-book

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

As they say, book is container of an idea. The journey of this compilation has been no different.I

would like to express my sincere thanks to the efforts of a lot of devotees within the ISKCON

society.

1. To begin with, I thank the ISKCON GBC for bestowing this service upon me and the

experience overall has been more rewarding than I could have ever imagined.

2. This book would not have been possible without the mercy and association given to me

by the sannyāsīswho shared their valuable time for the cause of educating devotees on

Devotee Care. Sincere thanks to the following disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda:HH

BHĀNU SWĀMI, HH GIRIRĀJA SWĀMI, HH GOPĀLA KṚṢṆA GOSWĀMI, HH

JAYAPATĀKA SWĀMI, HH RĀDHĀNĀTH SWĀMI, HH DEVĀMṚTA SWĀMI,

HH PRAHLĀDANANDA SWĀMI and HH NIRAÑJANA SWĀMI

3. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all websites and e-resources directly in the

service of ISKCON.These include the BBT, International, iskcondesiretree.com,

iskconleaders.com, vanipedia.org, vaniquotes.org, vedabase.io, iskconnews.org and

backtogodhead.in. Information and photos from the websites of many ISKCON temples

have been utilized in this service. Special thanks to them as they aided in collating

information on Śrīla Prabhupāda, his līla, letters to disciples and room conversations.

4. A lot of attractive photos beautify the contents of this book and enable us to relive some

of the glorious moments of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s pastimes, his shaping ofISKCON and

the legacy carried forward by his disciples. At various instances in the book, these

photos well complement the themes addressed in the respective sections. Gratitude to

the team of devotees that manage the official websites of the above leaders. A lot

ofanecdotes and photos were gathered from here.

5. A lot of photos were used from the following websites: iskconbookdistribution.com,

travelingmonk.com, krishna.com, harekrishnacalendar.com, iskconchennai.org and

iskconchowpatty.com. Sincere thanks to the team of devotees managing them.

Sincerely,

Gauranga Dāsa

ŚĀSTRIC PERSPECTIVES ON DEVOTEE CARE BY

HH BHĀNU SWĀMI

ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA AS THE EMBODIMENT OF DEVOTEE CARE BY

HH GIRIRĀJA SWĀMI

BALANCING SĀDHANA& ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY BY

HH GOPĀLA KṚṢṆA GOSWĀMI

DEVOTEE CARE FOR DEVOTEES INVOLVED IN OUTREACH BY

HH JAYAPATĀKA SWĀMI

DEVOTEE CARE & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BY

HH RĀDHĀNĀTH SWĀMI

DEVOTEE CARE FOR LEADERS BY

HH DEVĀMṚTA SWĀMI

CARE FOR MONKS BY

HH PRAHLĀDANANDA SWĀMI

A CASE STUDY OF DEVOTEE CAREIN THE UKRAINE BY

HH NIRAÑJANA SWĀMI

ŚĀSTRIC PERSPECTIVES

ON DEVOTEE CARE

- HH BHĀNUSWĀMI

BhānuSwāmi holds a BA in Oriental Fine Arts History from the University of

British Colombia. He joined the Hare Kṛṣṇamovement in India in 1970. He was

initiated by ŚrīlaPrabhupāda in 1971 and took sannyāsa vows in 1984. He is a

scholar in Sanskrit & Bengali and has written and translated more than 50

books. He is also an eminent authority on the art of deity worship and was

personally instructed ŚrīlaPrabhupāda. He has been a member of the Governing

Body Commission since 2003. He has served as the GBC Chair man in the past,

and his current zonal assignment include South India and Japan.

ŚrīlaPrabhupādaCares…

(Adopted from ŚrīlaPrabhupāda Nectar - SatsvarupaDāsaGosvāmi)

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda visited Geneva in 1974, and LilāvatiDāsi arrived there to type for

him, but she had contracted hepatitis and soon had to go into the hospital. Three

days after his arrival, Prabhupāda called for the temple president, Guru Gauranga,

and asked him where Lilāvati was. He was told that she was in the hospital.

Prabhupāda then asked if anyone had gone to see her and Guru Gauranga explained

that everyone had been so busy that no one had thought to go. “We shall go see

Lilāvati. Make all preparation”, Prabhupāda said.

Guru Gauranga immediately set about readying the car and the devotees, and he

made arrangements for prasādam. When everything was ready, he told Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda said, “very good”, and told them all to go see Lilāvati. Prabhupāda

himself stayed behind, but almost everyone else in the temple went to see Lilāvati,

who became very much enlivened by the care and concern which Prabhupāda had

shown her.

First Connection with ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

I had an interest in spiritual things but not exactly the Vedas. I was more into Buddhism and I

took a course in Philosophy at university. I was interested in practical realization; so, after I

graduated from university I went to Japan. I was there, staying for about six or seven months,

and I happened to meet some devotees on the street distributing Back to Godhead magazines.

It was wintertime, January the 1st if I recall right – the New Year's Day. Sudāma, his wife and

a few others were there and from them I took a Back to Godhead magazine. Then I went to

their very, very small temple which was approximately 10 ft X 15 ft. I used to go for the kīrtans

every week, every Sunday including Sunday feast. Just before Janmāṣṭamī, they said

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda was coming, and would stop in Japan on his way to India. Sudāma introduced

me to him and later on, ŚrīlaPrabhupāda invited me to come to India with the party. He had

about five or six devotees with him on his way to India, and so he invited me to come.

Demonstration of Devotee Care by ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

If we just go by the scriptures, we don't see so much about

devotee care specifically. Nevertheless, we can infer it by

seeing how ŚrīlaPrabhupāda related with his devotees.

Although ŚrīlaPrabhupāda established an organization,

and gradually implemented rules, he always acted very

personally with all the different devotees. Even though

there were rules, he was willing to bend them according to

the person involved.

In most cases, he had a very flexible and compassionate

attitude in dealing with devotees, even in disciplining

them. In other words, he was very compassionate and

considerate of all devotees, whether they were senior or

junior. He was always very concerned about them in terms

of devotee care.

It’s a big subject. We have spiritual care, material care and physical care. We have mental care

too. The spiritual level is taken care of in the scriptures. They describe the various ways in

which we associate with devotees, and by doing so we get spiritual encouragement and

knowledge. The other aspects, however, is not so much covered in the scriptures. So, as I said,

we must use our intuition and observe how Prabhupāda cared for the devotees and

circumstances. For example, if they were cold in the winter, because they didn't have a blanket,

he was worried about that. If they didn't have proper medicine when they got sick, he was

worried about that. In this way, he also cared about the physical well-being of the devotees.

Usually, when we read the scriptures and practice devotional service, at least in the beginning,

the devotees tend to be indifferent to the needs of the material body. They think that they have

to live very, very simple and renounce everything. They would often neglect their bodies, but

Prabhupāda was more practical and he encouraged us to take care of our body when necessary.

Spiritual Care: In the footsteps of the previous Ācharyās

One basic principle that our ācharyās practiced is humility. It is mentioned by

CaitanyaMahāprabhu Himself that we should be humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant

than the tree and not expect respect for ourselves, but rather show respect to others. If we can

do that then we can chant steadily. This quality is an indication of our core attitude in

performance of devotional service.

It's not just a bunch of activities we do,

which we call service; like washing the

floor or distributing books. Even a

person without any bhakti can do that.

We should have devotion, which

means being favorable towards Kṛṣṇa.

That will include this attitude of

understanding that we are like small

specks in front of the Supreme Lord.

Like the tree, we should tolerate the

inconveniences of this material world.

We should not let pride interfere with

our progress in devotional service at

all. At the same time, we should give

respect to all living entities, human beings and devotees. This is the very basic principle of

devotional service.

When we practice it, we advance, and another person can help us advance by his proper conduct

of respect and compassion if he also practices properly. This is a mutual process of cultivation.

Both parties, we and whoever we are dealing with, should cultivate these qualities. It helps us

to advance and it helps them in their progress too. In the Nectar of Instruction, RūpaGoswāmi

describes something similar. He names six factors in the exchange of affection when we have

proper saṅga(association). We should avoid the badsaṅga. What is the proper association of

devotees? The answer lies in these six items: giving items, receiving items, giving knowledge

and receiving knowledge, giving food and receiving food and eating it. We have different ways

in which we can exchange or express our affection for one another, and all parties involved

make advancement.

That type of exchange is prominent in the madhyama-adhikārī, a person who is beyond the

neophyte stage. When the person at the higher stage is dealing with the person at the lower

stage, it is not an equal exchange. The madhyama is doing all the giving. He is giving, he is

feeding, he is giving knowledge. Kaniṣṭha is on the receiving end. Similarly, higher than the

madhyama is the uttama. In relation to the uttama, the madhyama is on the receiving end and

the uttama is on the giving end. So, there are different ways in which these interactions take

place.

BhaktivinodaṬhākura states that the secret for

advancing in devotional service is to come to

a level on which we can properly interact with

all the different types of devotees, the

kaniṣṭha, the madhyama and the uttama. The

interactions between devotees are very

important to protect us and help us advance

beyond our present level of bhakti. These are

essential points all based upon saṅga. To

protect our devotional creeper and let it grow,

devotee association is very important. This, of

course, does not mean that we neglect everything else. Saṅga means that we're performing

these activities of hearing, chanting, remembering, deity worship etc. By having devotional

association, all these different processes are made more effective.

In other words, they help us avoid offenses and negative attitudes. We know that aparādhais

one of the big factors in preventing our advancement, and is disturbing to other devotees, so

we should avoid offense. In modern times, offense simply means negativity. Negativity

towards Kṛṣṇa, the devotees and the devotional process. That is, we are showing hatred,

repulsion, anger towards the Lord, the devotees and all jīvas. The devotional process itself is

the opposite – positive – meaning that we're trying to express affection and love towards Kṛṣṇa

and all other living entities.

If we have aparādha, what I call negativity, we refuse the Lord, we refuse the devotees, we

refuse the devotional process. In other words, we are encouraging materialism, violence against

living entities, etc. All offenses, in some form or other, are a reflection of that negativity, and

should be avoided at all cost. The way we avoid them is by replacing them with positive things

like devotee association. This refers to association with devotees in good standing, who are

very positive and fixed. That has a great influence upon us.

In the Nectar of Devotion,RūpaGoswāmi talks about

saṅgaquoting from Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya. He says that

people are likesphāṭika, or crystals. A quartz crystal is

clear. If we put it near a red flower it looks red, it looks

blue near a blue flower and it looks yellow near a yellow

flower. People are like that. They become like the people

that they associate with. Therefore, the wise man chooses

his association very mindfully. The devotee should choose

wisely to avoid the materialists and the demons. If he forms

friendly relationships with them based on giving and

receiving in those six ways; eating food, taking food,

giving gifts, receiving gifts, giving knowledge and

receiving knowledge, he develops affection for them and

that saṅgawill damage him. He will become materialistic

like them, because he's like a crystal. He goes near the dark

flower, he becomes dark, he goes near a tamasic person, he

becomes tamasic.

On the other hand, if he goes near a devotee who is shining brightly then he becomes like that

devotee. Those six interactions are very important. If we associate with the non-devotees, then

we become aparādhīs. Staying with the devotees and performing our devotional service

properly protects our devotional creeper.

On dealing with difference of opinions amongst Devotee Association

Much of this conflict is due to anarthās. This false ego, or pride, is not conducive for our own

devotional advancement. If we observe devotees who get into such conflicts, we can see that,

over time, they usually fail in their devotional service because of those anarthās. Therefore, we

must avoid such displays of pride and willingness to get into conflict. The true devotee, as I

said, practices humility. He is lower than the straw in the street and more tolerant than a tree.

We always have to keep that in mind in all of our services.

Anarthās are likely to arise due to getting

a high position in society. This is

described in MadhuryaKadambini as

“taraṅga-raṅgiṇī”, to play in the waves of

Maya. By the performance of devotional

service, we get advantages. We get a

position, we get control of properties and

money, we get control of people. This can

give rise to anarthās, which are very

dangerous for our own advancement. This

is one of the qualities which are manifest

in the person who's not come to the

niṣṭhaplatform. In other words, he's quite

a neophyte in his devotional service.

Thus, even though a devotee may be there

within the society for many years, he may

still be at that level. He could also go

down to that level from a higher level if he's not careful.

So, we could become attracted to the privileges of a position that we get through devotional

service and when we get attached to that, this can cause pride. When our position and our

desires are challenged, we show hostility and anger.

That is why conflict arises, but we should keep in mind this other principle of utter humility

and tolerance in any situation. That is the true nature of a Vaiṣṇava. If a person doesn't seem to

embody this humility, it indicates there’s something wrong with his performance of devotional

service. Cultivating devotional service and, at the same time, doing all these activities like

preaching can be a little bit dangerous, because we get involved with people and assets etc. and

this can cause conflict. It is less likely that there would be conflict if we were simply

progressing in spiritual life. The problem arises when our progress in spiritual life is linked to

material things and having to defend ourselves to keep our material things. How do we deal

with it when others are in that position? We should be observant. We could also consult the

rules of conduct that are being outlined in the GBC laws to see whether someone is going

beyond the proper rules of conduct. Accordingly, we may have to take some action.

We may find people that we think are not on the proper standard, in terms of scripture, but we

have a right to avoid them. We don't have to associate with them as that could be damaging for

our service. As I said, we're like sphāṭikas. If we associate with the person who has these types

of ideas and anarthās, we become similar to them. In simple terms, if we cannot correct the

situation then we have to avoid it as much as possible. It’s unfortunate because such an attitude

may affect other people as well, so they will have to be extremely careful.

Practical Guidance on maintaining spiritual standards

When I joined ISKCON in the 1970’s, ISKCON was primarily a temple-based society. Today,

however, congregational members are by far the majority. Yes, the society did begin with

everyone living in the temple.

Gradually, after about 10 years,

there was a mood of going outside

the temple because many of those

people who were in the temple

couldn't get proper support as

gṛhastās. Many of the brahmacārīs

also became gṛhastās and moved

out of the temple. Later, cultivation

of the congregation members from

outside the temple began, and they

had no experience of temple life, so

we saw a gradual shift away from

living in the temple.

The devotees who live in the

temple did get a certain advantage,

because they have regular

programs and regular class in the morning. Nevertheless, we shouldn't think that they're only

chanting or studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam all day long. Sometimes their lives were so filled up

(excerpt from ŚrīlaPrabhupādaLilāmrita)

Once in Tokyo, Shyamasundar was traveling with Prabhupāda, then Shyamasundar got sick for some time.

When Shyamasundar was better he complained to Prabhupāda that the devotees hadn't taken care of him

properly. Prabhupāda called an istagosthi and asked everybody, "Why didn't you take care of him? We've

given up everything to come to spiritual life. How can we neglect a devotee?" Then Prabhupāda feelingly

turned to Shyamasundar and said with intensity and emotion, "Why didn't you ask me? I would have come

and nursed you." That was Prabhupāda's mood. He was compassionate, and at the same time bold or strong

if necessary. We always got the feeling that he loved us and that he wasn't exploiting us in any way.

DID YOU KNOW?

with service that, in fact, many times they were not reading properly or chanting properly. It

was not a given that their situation was better than that of the gṛhastās living outside.

Even in Lord Caitanya's time, and

afterwards, most of the devotees were

not āśrama devotees. They were

gṛhastās. They would have their jobs

supporting their families and they

were practicing bhakti. Lord Caitanya

also emphasized this. He understood

that very few people were going to

renounce and live an āśrama life,

either as a sannyāsī or as a

brahmacārī. Rather, if they were

brahmacārīs, they would probably

become gṛhastās later. So, He always

emphasized the fact that whatever position we’re in, we do our duties properly together with

our devotional service. That becomes the challenge for everyone. This includes all Lord

Caitanya’s followers, previous as well as His present-day followers, as most of them are

gṛhastās. They have the duty of taking care of their family as well as developing their spiritual

life. Each devotee must strike an individual balance, because devotees have different jobs and

different obligations. It’s about making the necessary adjustments to meet the minimum

standards we require for advancement.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda also made things very simple for us. We attend maṅgalaārati, chant 16 rounds

a day, follow the regulative principles, have a Bhāgavatam class every day and take prasādam.

If we can do those things, that would be, in my opinion, a minimal standard for anyone to

follow, regardless of

being gṛhastā or

brahmacārī. The length

of the class or morning

program may vary. At

home, it may be

simpler and done in a

shorter time, but at least

some standard should

be kept up.

Somehow, everybody

has to adjust. We have

the minimum

standards, but within

these standards we

should go for the

quality. We could spend much more time in doing our devotional activities, but we could do

that inattentively. So, if we only have a limited amount of time, we should at least get the

maximum out of that. That means quality over quantity.

Maximizing on limited time is, I

think, very simple. The essential

element in whatever we do, be it

hearing, chanting or any other form

of worship, is to make it more

effective by expressing our

devotion. We know that we can offer

a leaf, a fruit or flower but we have

to offer them with devotion. The

quality of our limited service every

day should at least have that

devotional element in it. In

devotional service the very

foundational definition of bhakti is

ānukūlyenakṛṣṇānu-śīlanaṁ, cultivating a relationship with Kṛṣṇa with affection.

Our sādhana-bhakti definition is to engage the senses. If we just engage the senses, but we don't

try to cultivate the relationship with Kṛṣṇa favorably, then our bhakti is not very effective. So

often we get into the habit of just doing the activity but without the devotion. Therefore, the

proper quality is lacking. We try to get the quality out of our limited time by emphasizing the

devotional aspect. When we do that, we will be very satisfied, despite our limited time. We

become satisfied because that offering of devotion to Kṛṣṇa helps us advance nicely in the

world. We can advance more quickly by constantly concentrating on the quality rather than the

quantity of time.

Systematic study of books by other Ācharyās

Most devotees in ISKCON are familiar with the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and

ŚrīCaitanya-caritāmṛta, but there are also many other books from our Ācharyās, many of

which are translated in English today. Systematic study of these books can help devotees in

practicing their daily sādhana in the most effective way.

One would be

MadhuryaKadambini by

ViśvanāthaCakravartīṬhākura.

It is very short, and this covers

all the stages from śraddhā to

prema. We get the idea of where

we're going and what the

symptoms of each stage are. That

is helpful for our advancement.

The next one is

HarināmaCintāmaṇi, a work by

BhaktivinodaṬhākura which

covers the basic

tattva,sambandha-jñāna, in one

or two chapters and then it goes

on to discussing the aparādhas

which will cause nāmābhāsaor

nāmāparādha. In this work, he

identifies all the different aparādhas in quite a lot of detail. It's also a very short. More complex

works of BhaktivinodaṬhākura are Caitanya-śikṣāmṛtaand Jaiva Dharma. Prabhupāda was

actually more interested in these, apparently, than in HarināmaCintāmaṇi. When Pradyumna

Prabhu was helping Prabhupāda, he said, “Oh, that's very basic.” Prabhupāda showed more

interest in Jaiva Dharma, so I would also recommend that work and Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta as

companion work. They cover the same material in different ways, but they are all inclusive.

Jaiva Dharma presents bhakti from a more universal platform because within that work, a

Muslim enquires about our concept of God and why we apparently worship idols. Or a

smārtabrāhmaṇa attacks by asking the bābājī why he is rejecting all the rules and regulations

and renouncing everything? The bābājī answers these questions very eloquently. We don’t

worship idols and we don’t renounce in the way the brāhmaṇa thinks. People with different

qualifications do different things. In this way, he presents many of the challenges to bhakti

within different conversations with individuals from other groups. Thus, we receive thorough,

helpful answers from these conversations. Perhaps we don't meet the same type of people in

the modern day, but we do have challenges. People ask us different, challenging questions and

we have to present reasonable answers which also indicates the superior nature of bhakti over

all other processes. That is what Jaiva Dharma does and it is interesting for people to read.

Importance of knowledge of Sanskrit & Bengali in studying scriptures

Every language has its own way of presenting things; when one translates into another language

some of the nuances of the original language get lost in translation. But we compromise in that

and present something that is somewhat similar. That is what we do when we translate from

Sanskrit or Bengali into English. We may sacrifice a little, but we try to present the main idea.

Many people don't have the time to learn Bengali and Sanskrit, so in my translations, I try to

just present the main gist of what the author is saying, that which may be important for the

individual to advance in devotional service. Even if they don't know the original, at least they're

going to get the gist. If they want to get all the little details and subtleties, they would have to

go back to the original Bengali or Sanskrit. Bengali usually does not present so much

difficulties as Sanskrit does, because Sanskrit presents the “subtler” subtleties. That’s just in

the nature of the language. This we must sacrifice in favor of retaining at least the essence of

the statements.

Astrology: as a tool for improving Spiritual & Emotional Care

If the person, the devotee, is renounced, it doesn't matter. The material world has no effect on

him, no matter what happens, so astrology is of no use to him. Unfortunately, most people are

not that renounced. They do have material attachments, so they worry about their jobs, family,

and their future.

Astrology is an indication of our karma, meaning that we can predict our future karma: what's

going to happen next year, what is the best job, who is the best candidate for marriage, the list

goes on. From the material point of view, these are useful. This is useful information that can

help us in the material world. It doesn’t help directly spiritually, but if we do have a stable

material foundation for family life, then it is easier for us to practice bhakti. Therefore,

astrology is useful as a secondary source of knowledge for this purpose.

BhaktivinodaṬhākura doesn't mention astrology directly, but he mentions the rules of

varṇāśrama. Of course, we could say astrology falls under that as secondary rules of bhakti.

We have the primary rules by which we directly serve the Lord: hearing the Lord's pastimes,

chanting His names and serving the deity. That's direct bhakti – muktyavidhi, but then we have

gauṇavidhi – secondary rules. These are rules which don't really produce bhakti but are also

necessary as long as we have a material body and we are living in a material world. We need

rules for that, rules that are favorable to bhakti.

Visalini-devidasi: Visaladasa wanted to find an astrologer in Vṛndāvana. Without consulting ŚrīlaPrabhupāda, he

found one who was wearing tilaka and chanting Hare Krishna. Visala wanted to get something he had seen other

residents of Vṛndāvana wearing, a charm you wear around your neck that has on it all the mantras of the demigods.

It was supposed to counteract all the bad influence of the planets. The astrologer sold him one of these neckpieces,

and it all sounded very nice. He told Visala to dip it into the Yamuna and to have an arati at twelve noon. Soon

after this, BrahmānandaMahārāja noticed Visala's new ornament. "Visala," said BrahmānandaSwāmi, "what's that

you have around your neck?" When Visala told him, BrahmanandaSwāmi replied, "Prabhupāda says we don't

have to add anything to this process." At these words Visala became disturbed. He thought that

BrahmānandaSwāmi was right, and he also felt embarrassed. "Why are you wearing this?" BrahmānandaSwāmi

demanded. Visala replied that he would like to talk to Prabhupāda and he asked if he could have an appointment.

When Visala went to see Prabhupāda, ŚrīlaPrabhupāda asked him how much he had paid the astrologer and what

he had said. Visala said the astrologer had claimed the charm would ward off the ill effects of the planets. "Krishna

consciousness is beyond astrology," said Prabhupāda. "If you surrender to Krishna, with a slight kick, Krishna

can annihilate 100,000 Rahu planets." So Visala put aside his astrological neckpiece and just depended on

Prabhupāda and Krishna. Soon after, a Godbrother showed Visala a letter he had received from Prabhupāda about

the same subject matter: "Astrology will not save you at the time of death. My Guru Mahārāja was a great

astrologer and astronomer, but he gave it all up. It is meant for the karmīs. We have no interest in such things."

ANECDOTE: KṚṢṆACONSCIOUSNESS IS BEYOND ASTROLOGY

Therefore, we say the rules of varṇāśrama are largely favorable for stabilizing your life on all

levels, be it family life, professional life, or mental and emotional life. We put astrology in this

category of secondary rules that can support our bhakti as long as we have material bodies.

On the science of Vāstu to create positive energy

While designing the ISKCON

Chennai temple, we integrated

various principles of Vāstu into the

design that helps to create positive

energy. The science of Vāstu is quite

elaborate and complex, but there are

some basic principles. The whole

concept is that a space has energy. A

space has a harmonized form as well

as a disharmonized form. If we live

within a disharmonious space, we

could say that it is not conducive for

our mental, physical or spiritual

well-being. On the other hand, if we have a harmonious type of a space, it would be conducive

to our practices.

These are, however, not absolutes. You can chant the holy name in an unholy place, anywhere

in the world, or in hell. It doesn't matter. Nevertheless, if we're going to live somewhere, it's

better to have a sattvicenvironment than a tamasicenvironment. In the same way, it is better to

have a house that complies with Vāstu than a house that does not.

Space is very subtle, but we can divide it

up in two directions. The directions are

governed by the elements of earth, water,

fire, air, and ether and by different

planets. For example, we have Sun in the

east, Mercury in the north and Mars in the

south and connected to each planet is also

an avatar. With Mars, we have

Nṛsiṁhadeva, with the Sun we have

Rāmacandra, with the Moon we have

Kṛṣṇa, and with Jupiter we get

Vāmanadeva. These deities have their natural place in the different directions, so if we keep

those deities in their proper place with those planets, the result is harmonious.

That is, in essence, what the Chennai temple represents. We have the different avatars in the

different corners of the temple to create a harmonious space. We could also say that the

Supreme Lord Himself makes everything harmonious, so we don't need this. That’s true. But

from a preaching point of view, we present a form. We know that temples themselves are built

by sthāpatis and sthāpatis follow Vāstu principles very strictly.

Another point is that the temple mainly represents the abode of the Lord, so the center of all

the directions is the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa. All the other demigods and avatars are offshoots

of that one central point. This is similar to the structure of the universe with Mount Meru in the

middle. In Angkor Wat the temple is representing the universe and in the center of that temple

is a big spire, which was a form of Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu is the center of the universe. So Bhūmaṇḍala

and the dvīpasexpand from Mount Meru, which represents the expansion of Mahāviṣṇu.

Similarly, the temple is like that, everything is an expansion of the Supreme Lord. Space itself

is an expansion of the Supreme Lord. When you put Kṛṣṇa in the center of the house everything

becomes peaceful.

On developing Mental & Emotional Care

It has not been emphasized too

much in ISKCON, as far as I can

see. The best excuse we can give

is that if you advance spiritually,

your mind will be taken care of.

You’ll get rid of your anarthās, so

your mind is helped. Of course, in

some cases, we find serious

mental problems and it is very

difficult for them to execute

bhakti properly. Therefore, it is

very difficult for them to advance.

This is not a problem in just our

society but in the material world

at large. Even modern science and medical institutions cannot really deal with many of the

mental problems they encounter. They don't give a solution; they just give a pill to put the

person to sleep. If it is not a serious problem, the process of bhakti should, if practiced properly,

decrease those stresses or problems that devotees may have.

On dealing with Conflict while still serving ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

Sometimes, there are situations when deadlines have to be met, administrators find themselves

at loggerheads with the devotees to meet those deadlines. Sometimes it comes down to different

levels of commitment. Both administrators and subordinates have the goal of serving

Prabhupāda, but the level of commitment with which they do it may be different. In such cases,

we have to be on both sides and come to a middle ground. The person on top, who's applying

the pressure has to modify a little bit and the people at the bottom may have to increase their

enthusiasm a little. They have to meet each other halfway.

On dealing with Devotees who have committed serious offence

When it comes to dealing with devotees who have committed a serious offense, like abuse, it’s

important to protect ISKCON from bad reputation.

We have directives on how to handle these things. We have a child protection executive. There

are other subtler types of abuse. The first step is to follow these laws and directives. The second

step is to look at the individual case. It’s difficult to pass judgement without looking at the

individual case. We should also still avoid offenses. We know that Kṛṣṇa Himself says that

even if we committed the most abominable sinful activity, still we are his devotees. So, if the

person is a devotee then we should respect that. There may be discrepancies and we may have

to avoid that person, nevertheless, if that person continues his devotional service sincerely, we

should give some sort of respect to that devotee. On the other hand, it may look like the person

is a devotee, but they may not be a real devotee. He may be a dharma-dvajī, holding up the

flag of dharma. He pretends to be a devotee even after so many years. He has a lot of anarthās

and he's not at a very advanced level at all. He’s, at best, at the level of kaniṣṭha, and he covers

up his anarthās. It is best to avoid such a person, if possible.

We therefore need the power of discrimination in order to distinguish between the two types

of devotees; the serious person who may have committed a big mistake and the other who is

actually not following dharma. The first category person can be tolerated and given respect, at

least mentally, but the second category person must be avoided.

On helping to meet the material needs of Devotees

There is the question of to what extent can devotees and even authorities help other devotees

to get the material needs that pave the way to spiritual advancement. Now, if we are in the

āśrama or in the temple, the temple supplies those needs, but minimally. If we want more, we

must go outside to source our needs. The temple is willing to supply devotees if they are austere

and they can tolerate that. If not, we should look beyond the temple. I don't think there is any

temple in the world that is going to supply us everything that we want. They will set some limit

on how much we can spend and how much we can use on our families. If we want more than

the minimum, we have to live outside and find a job there, and not take shelter in the temple.

That’s as far as living in the temple goes.

The temple can, however, still encourage everyone to advance. One way of living isn’t better

than the other. It is simply a matter of our personal needs. As I said, in Lord Caitanya's time,

people weren't living in temples. They were living in their houses and doing their devotional

service along with everything else. That was the mood at that time. So, the temple can help

guide those devotees and give them inspiration so that they can become steady in their service.

One Takeaway for ISKCON Leaders to facilitate a culture of Devotee Care

We should get back to the

principle of cultivating a

proper attitude of

tṛṇādapisunīcena.

Everything else should

follow that: devotee

character, compassion for

one another, tolerance of

outside situation & giving

respect to all living entities.

BhānuSwāmi speaks…

“As I said, ultimately after all of the intellectual convictions that

we need through scripture, the solution is very simple.

Prabhupāda said to chant and be happy. Simply chant the holy

name and you will get the highest bliss possible in the universe. Our

understanding should be that the name is not a material sound. It

is non different from Krishna. By the achintyasakti of the Lord, it is everything.”

ŚRĪLAPRABHUPĀDA

AS

THE EMBODIMENT OF DEVOTEE CARE

HH GIRIRĀJASWĀMI

GirirājaSwāmi met ŚrīlaPrabhupāda in 1969 while he was studying at Brandeis

University, Massachusetts. After graduation, he received initiation and became

involved in the Boston temple. He soon left for India and was appointed the

President of ISKCON Bombay in 1972. He has made many significant

contributions to ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s movement, including the development of

Hare Krishna Land in Juhu. He has served as the GBC Chairman and is well

known for his loyalty, dedication and caring nature. He is the author of

multiple books.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda Cares…

(Adopted from Yamuna Devi: A Life of Unalloyed Devotion: Part 1: Preparing an

Offering of Love.)

Yamuna: Due to the intense preparations for the pandal and the extremely long hours

of service over many days, I was taken down with a severe case of jaundice. It was the

only time I was extremely ill during my time in India.So after the Deities were installed,

and just as I came back to the tent side of the pandal, I became unconscious, and for

maybe two weeks or more I had a burning fever. So I ultimately attended very little of

the pandal itself.

We were staying at Dalmia Bhavan at the time, and it was a very crowded situation—

perhaps ten to fifteen of us in one room—and the only place free was the bottom shelf

in one of the walk-in closets. We had all of our paraphernalia piled up, and I was in a

sleeping bag down on the bottom shelf. So, somehow,ŚrīlaPrabhupādanoticed I was

missing, and I was later told he had inquired many times where I was. One day I

became aware of the door being opened and turned to see Prabhupāda’s lotus feet

walking into that closet room.

I offered my obeisance as best I could, and by then he is leaning down, all the while

chanting the mahāmantra. Then he placed his hand on my head and inquired,

“Yamuna? How you are doing?” Firstly, I said, “I am always thinking of you,

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda.”Then I gave him my symptoms, and he said, “I think this is jaundice;

I think you have got hepatitis-jaundice. Now I will take charge of your recovery. You

will never get well in these conditions on the floor.”

ŚrīlaPrabhupādahad a hospital bed brought in for me and moved me into a room right

next to his, with floor-to-ceiling windows, neem trees outside, and a fan. And I

remember being propped up in this bed, and he came in every day to check on my

progress. He also called in an Ayurvedic doctor and gave me a diet for jaundice.

He said I had to take something called pethā, a wax gourd or a white kind of pumpkin

that is taken raw. It’s covered in a thick layer of caramelized sugar, so to me it looked

like a ghastly thing to eat. ŚrīlaPrabhupādasaid, “This is your medicine, and you have

to eat it every day; and you also have to drink sugarcane juice.”

So, I remember the first time I took a bite of pethā; it tasted like the most bitter, horrible

thing because of the jaundice. ŚrīlaPrabhupādawould personally stand and watch me

eat the pethā, feeling miserable because of the taste, and he would actually smile and

chuckle about that.

So unfortunately, I was not able to engage in my services through the rest of the

program, as I was fully bedridden for over two weeks. Yet I was feeling great bliss and

happiness by the personal care and unfathomable kindness of ŚrīlaPrabhupāda.

He was so engaged, so busy, preaching to tens of thousands of people and taking care

of our entire Society, yet he personally took charge of my recovery. To this day I

become emotional just remembering this. For me it only increased my dedication to

see that this small insignificant soul Yamuna was so cared for and nurtured by

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s concern for devotee health

There are several instances where ŚrīlaPrabhupāda demonstrated care for the body or concern

for the devotees’ health; some involving me and some involving others.

Let me share an experience that I had.

We were in Juhu, and I used to go to

the city all day long and come back at

night and report to ŚrīlaPrabhupāda.

One evening after a long day in the

city, having, as usual, travelled there

and back in the crowded trains, and in

a crowded bus to and from the train

station, not having had anything to eat

since morning, I staggered up to

Prabhupāda’s room, exhausted.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda looked at me and

asked, “How are you feeling?” Only

then did I notice how weak and sick I

was. “Well, frankly speaking,

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda,” I replied, “I feel a

little tired.” ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

immediately ordered grapes for me

from his kitchen. He said that grapes

were good for strength and energy.

Then he insisted that I eat the grapes in

his presence. Soon he asked if I was

feeling stronger. And yes, I was.

Finally, he concluded, “To work very

hard for Kṛṣṇa for two days and then to

recuperate for three days, that is not a

very good proposal.”

Another time, he encouraged me to

dress better. He told me, “There is a

saying: ‘One who is known as a

brāhmaṇa doesn’t have to wear a

thread.’ People know you, and they

also like you, but still, you should dress more nicely.”

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda sent Tamal Krishna and me to Calcutta to arrange a similar pandal program, and eventually

Yamuna-devi also came, and soon she was engaged in the service of the Deities there, Sri Sri Radha-Govinda. Every

morning we would look forward to the darshan (viewing) of the Deities. The worship was so beautiful—so

devotional.

One day, at the pandal site, I approached Yamuna-devi and told her that I had some questions regarding my future

and the future of the movement that I just could not answer, but that I didn’t want to approach ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

with them directly. The whole mood then was, “Don’t disturb ŚrīlaPrabhupāda. He has to translate. He has

important things to do. Don’t go to ŚrīlaPrabhupāda.” When I told her my questions, however, she responded,

“No, you should go to him. You are just the type of devotee he would want to spend time with, and these are just

the types of questions he would want to answer.”

So, based on her advice, I approached ŚrīlaPrabhupāda in his room at the temple, and my meeting with him was

very significant. “Before joining the movement,” I said, “I was interested in making movies, and I even made one.

So, I was thinking maybe I should make movies about Krishna consciousness.” ŚrīlaPrabhupāda replied, “That,

others are doing. Our main medium is books.”

Then I said, “ŚrīlaPrabhupāda, now you are here, so everything is all right. But what if, in the course of time, when

you are not here, ISKCON falls from the standard? What should I do?” And ŚrīlaPrabhupāda replied, “You are

also one of the important members of the Society”—actually, I was very new at the time, but . . . “You are also one

of the important members of the society, so you work for the correction. But don’t leave.”

These instructions have been guiding me ever since. And it was Yamuna-devi who advised me to go and ask

Prabhupada directly.

ANECDOTE: THOSE GUIDING INSTRUCTIONS

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s emphasis on Spiritual Care

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda was constantly instructing us on the importance of sādhanā, and he set the

example, not only under ordinary circumstances, but also in extraordinary conditions. One

example was at the Kumbha-mela in 1971.

We were living in tents, and ŚrīlaPrabhupāda was also living in a tent. His was perhaps a little

bigger, with some furniture and probably a heater. It was so cold that we preferred to stay in

our sleeping bags rather than come out and face that biting cold air. Consequently, we were

missing maṅgala-ārati. There were handpumps that came out with cold water. That is what we

had to bathe in.

One morning, to encourage us to attend maṅgala-ārati, he came out into the common outdoor

area and bathed in the freezing water. Despite his age and frail health. When we heard that Śrīla

Prabhupāda was doing that,

we had to get out of our

sleeping bags and come out

and do what he was showing

by his example. We had to do

it, so that we could be there

for maṅgala-ārati and the

morning program in the

paṇḍāl. He really went out of

his way to encourage us to

attend the morning program.

At the paṇḍāl, it was also very

cold, and it could be windy

too. Nanda Kumāra Prabhu

was the pūjāri. The wind kept

blowing out the ghee lamp.

He was really struggling with

it. Finally, ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

came up to help him, but even

then, the ghee lamp kept being blown out. Then ŚrīlaPrabhupāda, through the microphone,

said:

harernāmaharernāmaharernāmaivakevalam

kalaunāstyevanāstyevanāstyevagatiranyathā

He was reminding us that, although all the elements of the morning program were important,

ultimately harināma is everything. Even if we must struggle with the other elements, we always

have the holy name.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s care for the Deities: His Love for Sri SriRādhaRasbihāri

Before the Juhu temple could come up, we were living in a posh apartment called Akash Ganga

on Bhulabhai Desai Road (Warden Road then), overlooking the sea. When we got the Juhu

land, ŚrīlaPrabhupāda naturally wanted us to bring the deities. Although we had entered into

an agreement to purchase the land, it was owned by one Mr. A. B. Nair, who was a demon.

Once, in New Dvārakā, Los Angeles, I gave a class about what happened in Juhu, and

afterwards His Grace

VīrabāhuPrabhu told me, “I usually

don’t like it when devotees use the

word ‘demon’ to describe people,

but after hearing your description, I

agree. Nair was actually a demon.”

Mr. Nair was trying to cheat

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda, taking money

from him. Eventually, on some

pretext, he would cancel the

agreement and send us away, but he

would keep the money.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda understood that “possession is nine-tenths of the law” and how important it

would be for us to maintain possession by having the deities. He made a promise to Them, “My

dear Sir, You just come and sit here and I will build You a temple.”

In fact, I took that statement for the title of my forthcoming book: “I’ll Build You a Temple.”

Coming back, ŚrīlaPrabhupāda did build the temple as promised. But, all along he took great

care to see that the deities were worshipped properly. Before we had our semi-permanent

temple, we had a paṇḍāl. We had a little platform for the deities and a brahmacārī would sleep

there during the night. One night someone came in and stole the deities’ jewelry, despite the

brahmacārī being there. MālatīDāsī informed ŚrīlaPrabhupāda about what had happened.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda wrote

me such a disapproving

letter, “I have come to

understand that the

deities are being

neglected. This is a most

abominable affair.” I was

really stunned by that

letter and it took me a

while to recover from

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s heavy

statements. But he was so

protective of the deities,

and not just Them, but of

our spiritual lives. He

knew that if we were

neglectful of the deities, we would be committing offences, which would lead to suffering

spiritually. He was always concerned about the deities’ service. He was always checking with

us and I had to report what I was doing to protect the deities. He said that I should buy a safe

to keep the jewelry. It wasn’t real jewelry, but people might have thought it was. He gave many

detailed instructions on how to protect the deities and Their paraphernalia.

Demonstration of Emotional & Mental Care by ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

A lack of emotional care can make one feel discouraged. ŚrīlaPrabhupāda cared for us and

protected us from becoming discouraged. I’ll share an example.

There were a lot of

complications regarding

establishing the Juhu

temple, because of Nair

and his accomplices. So,

at one stage I would go to

the city almost every

day, which was quite far,

to work on getting the

permission to build the

temple. ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

was so concerned about

getting the permit that he

didn’t want to leave

Bombay until we got it.

So, he stayed in Bombay

for about three months,

speaking every evening about the teachings of Lord Kapila to Devahūti. These talks were

eventually compiled into a book.

Usually I would return just in time to take

some prasādam and attend the kirtan and class.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda was so concerned about the work that

sometimes he would call me to the vyāsāsana during the

program and ask for the news. At the same time, he wanted

us to be happy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So, one evening

during the program he announced from the vyāsāsana,

“You must always dance in kirtan, even if you don’t get the

permission.”

Another example; for some time, we didn’t have a proper

place for ŚrīlaPrabhupāda in Juhu, so he would stay at

different life members’ homes in the city. In 1973, when he

was staying in KārtikeyaMahadevia’s flat at Sea Face Park,

I would meet him every evening and give him a report about

my day’s activities.

I would always try to engage the people that I met. If someone didn’t want to become a life

member, I would ask him to place an advertisement in a publication. If he didn’t want to take

an ad, I would ask him to buy a set of books. If he didn’t buy a set of books, I would ask him

to give a donation, or at least buy one book. At least give something, anything, to help and do

some service. At the end of the day, I would report to Prabhupāda.

One day I met many people and not one contributed in any way. That evening I felt very

disappointed. ŚrīlaPrabhupāda instructed, “If you sincerely try your best to please Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa

will be satisfied – even if others are not.” I thought about Prabhupāda’s words a lot. He was

really reminding me of what bhakti is: to please Kṛṣṇa. We sincerely try our best to please

Kṛṣṇa, He would be satisfied even when others are not. Meaning, the people that I met, or even

when the other devotees weren’t satisfied because I didn’t achieve any desired results, Kṛṣṇa

would still be pleased.

So, I would say that a very important part of ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s spiritual protection was that he

always encouraged us, no matter what was happening. When there were so many complications

with the Juhu land and we weren’t getting the permission to build, ŚrīlaPrabhupāda said, “Ok,

we’ll turn Hare Kṛṣṇa land into a bus stop. We’ll have buses. We’ll fill them up with books

and devotees and send them out. When they need more books, they can come back.” He was

always encouraging.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s Care for Grihasthā Devotees

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda very much

emphasized that couples should

stay together. There was a Bengali

lady in Bombay who was having a

very difficult time with her

husband. She was a congregation

devotee. She asked

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s permission to

leave her husband. Actually, she

didn’t even mention divorce; she

just asked for his permission to

separate. And ŚrīlaPrabhupāda refused. He was adamant that she must stay with her husband.

In general, Prabhupāda insisted that there was no divorce in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and he was

concerned that the householders were able to maintain themselves. During ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s

time, pretty much all the devotees were temple devotees, meaning they lived in the temple and

were maintained by the temple, but ŚrīlaPrabhupāda didn’t want them to take advantage of the

temple. He wanted them to be responsible. He said that we could maintain householders if they

were doing essential service, which he defined as something for which we would have to pay

someone else to do if the devotees weren’t doing it. Under those circumstances, we could

maintain them. Otherwise, he wanted them to be responsible and maintain themselves; he

didn’t want them to take advantage of the temple facility. It is an odd way of looking at care.

He wasn’t caring for them physically, but he was caring for them spiritually in the sense that

he didn’t want them to take undue advantage of Kṛṣṇa’s property and facilities.

As a rule, on Hare Kṛṣṇa Land, Prabhupāda didn’t allow the couples to stay together. He said

that Hare Kṛṣṇa Land was really for renounced, maybe older, householders. He would regularly

check on how the space on the property was being used, and I would have to tell him one by

one who was staying in each room. So, in one room I had allowed a householder couple to stay

together, and ŚrīlaPrabhupāda asked me why I had done that.

I mentioned the devotee’s name

and said that I wanted to save him,

because otherwise he was drifting

further and further away.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda replied, “In that

way, if you are ready to give

householders a room with a fan,

and food and everything else, the

whole city of Bombay will come

to be saved, and then what will

you do?” Of course, Prabhupāda

wanted to save every disciple, but

he also wanted us to maintain

certain principles that governed

(excerpt from the book, Life’s Final Exam, HH Giriraj Swāmi)

One of my students, who was older than me, Arca-vigraha Devi Dasi, was diagnosed with cancer. She was a

renowned artist from South Africa who would travel all over the world to find subjects for painting. At one

point, she decided that she wanted to combine her spiritual interests with her artwork, and so she bought a

plot of land in the holy place, Vrindavan, to establish a studio, and she was kind enough to build a floor upstairs

for me, for when I would visit. Although the doctors had given her six months, she actually lived for three

years. For the last two or three months of her life, I was with her almost constantly, because the goal – not just

in the Vedic tradition but in others as well – is to think of God, to chant the name of God or at least hear the

name chanted, at the time of death, and I wanted to help her do that.

With my student, we followed the same practice that we had seen with our spiritual master, and devotees would

come and chant. The chanting can be done individually in a quiet, meditative way or communally and more

loudly, with musical instruments. The whole idea is to help the person fix his or her consciousness on the

Supreme and keep it fixed on the Supreme at the time of death. And along with the chanting is the reading

and talking about God consciousness.

DID YOU KNOW?

how we accommodated devotees and how we would engage them.

There were a few cases involving householders

where ŚrīlaPrabhupāda insisted on them being

responsible and not depend on temple. One

interesting case was AmbarīṣaDasa, Alfred

Ford. AmbarīṣaDasa came to Juhu and was my

preaching assistant for a while. I used to take

him to meet people. And before leaving Juhu, he

had a meeting with Prabhupāda about his future,

and I happened to be present.

Prabhupāda told Ambarīṣa that he wanted him

to work. Prabhupāda wanted people to see that

one could be a devotee of Kṛṣṇa and still be a

responsible member of society. Ambarīṣa asked

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda, “Do I have work with the Ford

Motor Company?”

Prabhupāda said, “No. Any work.” Then

Ambarīṣa asked, “What about association?

What will I do for association when I’m working?” ŚrīlaPrabhupāda said, “If you always think

that I am doing this for Kṛṣṇa, that will be your association.”

Of course, the association with devotees is essential, and as far as possible householders should

have a morning and evening program. As ŚrīlaPrabhupāda said, within context, first best is to

live in the temple, second best is to live near the temple and come to the temple every day, and

next best is to turn your home into a temple. He wanted the householders to have their spiritual

programs in the temple or at home.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s engagement with businessmen devotees

Prabhupāda encouraged them to come to temple, but mainly he

would encourage them to do service, and for many of the

householders that service meant giving lakṣmī. ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

didn’t often ask for money, but he would talk about the principle;

the principle of householders giving 50 percent. So, he would

encourage the householders to do service by contributing

financially, and according to their ability, he would ask them to

serve the mission.

In a way, one of ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s most prominent householder

devotees in Bombay was Mr. P. L. Sethi, who was a building

contractor by profession. ŚrīlaPrabhupāda really engaged him in

the construction in Juhu, first in building an additional floor on

top of the six tenement buildings at the back of Hare Kṛṣṇa Land.

This was part of Prabhupāda’s care for his disciples, that they

should have proper accommodation. ŚrīlaPrabhupāda told Mr. Sethi that it is one of the duties

of the spiritual master to see that his disciples have proper accommodation. Therefore, he

engaged Mr. Sethi in that building work.

When the first building was done, Mr. Sethi took ŚrīlaPrabhupāda on a tour. ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

wanted to see the facility, and he was so pleased with Mr. Sethi for creating this facility for his

disciples. He said, “Just as you are building these rooms for my disciples here, Kṛṣṇa will be

preparing your room for you in Vaikuṇṭha.” And Mr. Sethi said, “I’m a sinful man,” which he

wasn’t, “how can I go to Vaikuṇṭha?” And Prabhupāda said, “You don’t worry about that. I’ll

manage that.”

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s care for devotee children

Most of the devotees who joined

ISKCON during

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s time were

quite young and not many were

even married. The ones who did

get married didn’t have children

for a while. And then there were

many children, in the West.

One child that we had in India

was Sarasvatī, the daughter of

Śyāmasundara and Mālatī, and

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda was very

affectionate toward her. There

was one incident, not in Bombay,

when the devotees were making a

large quantity of chutney.

It was for a big feast with many guests. Somehow, Sarasvatī fell into the pot of chutney. All

the devotees were so worried about the chutney, but Prabhupāda was worried about Sarasvatī.

He was always very personal and caring.

In Los Angeles after deity greeting, he would have a plate of cookies brought for the children

and we can see many videos of him giving cookies to the children. In Juhu, we didn’t have

devotee children, but we had

tenants on the property, and they

had children. Madhudviṣa Prabhu,

later assisted by Gargamuni

Prabhu, would have informal

classes for the children of the

tenants, and ŚrīlaPrabhupāda was

very pleased with that program.

When Madhudviṣa went to

Australia and Gargamuni went to

travel in India, ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

said that this was a very important

program and that it should go on,

even when they weren’t there. That

was the beginning of gurukula in

India in an informal way. The establishment of gurukulas was a very important part of

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s program. That was one way in which he expressed his care for children.

He didn’t want

parents to neglect

their children for

the sake of service.

There was one lady

disciple who was

engaged in deity

worship, and

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

told her that her

child was her deity.

She had to take

care of her child. It’s good that devotees are enthusiastic to do service, but he was also very

concerned.

I believe that in New Vṛndāvana, ŚrīlaPrabhupāda suggested an arrangement by which one

mother could look after the children while the other mothers were engaged in service. It was

good that the mothers were engaged in service, but he didn’t want the children neglected in any

way. He took great care to make sure that the children were cared for.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s perspectives on Education, Career & Employment

In those days, it was quite common for young people, especially in the west, to drop out of

college and join various movements. Their families were, however, very concerned about

education and employment and career, and today’s society is still concerned about these things.

In my own case, I was toward the

end of my senior year in the

university when I met

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda and joined the

temple. I asked the devotees

whether I should continue my

studies and graduate or not, and the

devotees said, “You should

continue and get your degree. It

could be useful in the future.” I

never married and never had a

career, but I think it was good. It

didn’t take much extra effort to get

a degree.

There was a very interesting letter that I received from ŚrīlaPrabhupāda. My father had written

to ŚrīlaPrabhupāda, saying that I was a good student and that Prabhupāda should encourage

me to continue my studies. He mentioned Psychology, so ŚrīlaPrabhupāda wrote to me in

Boston, enclosing my father’s letter. He wrote to say that if I can focus on divinity and show

that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the postgraduate study of all theistic conceptions, it will be a great

service.

I didn’t know whether ŚrīlaPrabhupāda was instructing me to do that or giving me the choice.

I consulted my temple president, SatsvarūpaDāsa, and he also didn’t know, so he said that I

should clarify it with ŚrīlaPrabhupāda.

I wrote ŚrīlaPrabhupāda, “If you want me to go back to the university I will, but if you are

giving me the choice I would rather stay in the temple and worship the deities and go on

saṅkīrtana with the other devotees.” And ŚrīlaPrabhupāda wrote back that there was no need

for any further education. When Lord Caitanya was discussing with RāmānandaRāya ‘who is

the best educated person’, the answer was that a person who is Kṛṣṇa conscious is the best

educated man. Similarly, PrahlādaMahārāja’s father asked him what the best thing was that he

learned and Prahlāda replied that it was devotional service.

When I left from Boston to India, I happened to leave behind the earlier letter in which

Prabhupāda spoke about establishing Kṛṣṇa consciousness as the postgraduate study of all

theological conceptions. SatsvarūpaMahārāja shared that letter with Ravindra Svarūpa Prabhu,

who took it as an instruction to him and he did go back to the university and got his PhD. He’s

a brilliant person.

It’s quite an individual matter. Of course, the context now is quite different from when

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda was present. I hesitate to presume what ŚrīlaPrabhupāda would say in the

present context, but I would say that if one wants to, it is certainly a valid course of action to

pursue one’s studies and then a career as long as one is able to maintain Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

We shouldn’t get so carried away with our studies and our careers that we neglect our Kṛṣṇa

consciousness.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda on Financial Care

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda said that money is honey. There was a famous so-called religious figure in

India, and it was said that if people offered him money, his hand would curl and withdraw from

it. ŚrīlaPrabhupāda said that if someone offers us money, we’ll take it and use it for Kṛṣṇa. He

encouraged devotees to earn and contribute.

I was a brahmacārī, and so I didn’t have much personal facility. I wanted to approach the Birlas

for a donation, and the head Birla in Calcutta was Mr. B. M. Birla, who was in-charge of

manufacturing Ambassador cars. I knew I couldn’t just show up at his door in a rickshaw and

expect to get anywhere. Thus, I went to one of our life members and said, “I want to approach

B. M. Birla, but I want to arrive

there in a dignified manner.

Could I borrow your car and

driver?” He gave me his car and

driver, and I went to the Birla

mansion, and I looked pretty

respectable with my car and

chauffeur. The guards just let me

enter. The home had a circular

driveway that took you right up

to the entrance, and the entrance

was open. I just walked in with

my briefcase, and I really didn’t

know which way to turn. I took a chance and turned to the left, and Mr. Birla’s grandson was

there, a very sweet, polite young man. He said, “Can I help you?” And I replied, “I’ve come to

meet Mr. Brij Mohan Birla.” Mr. Birla gave a big donation, the biggest up until that time. But

there was a little delay and I wasn’t sure what was happening, so I phoned the Birla residence

and spoke to the grandson. I asked him, “Do you have any idea what’s happening with the

donation your grandfather promised?” So, we had a lot of good times and adventures in

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s service. Personally, we were poor, but we were in touch with a lot of wealthy

and aristocratic people in Calcutta.

Before the partition, the wealthiest man in what became Pakistan was BrijratanMohatta, who

was R. D. Birla’s son-in-law. R. D. Birla gave his daughter, Radhaben, in marriage to

BrijratanMohatta. Sometime after ŚrīlaPrabhupāda left, my parents came to visit me in

Bombay, and we had a program at Mr. Mohatta’s home, and as was the custom, Mrs. Mohatta,

perhaps with her husband, was at the door bidding the guests goodbye as they were leaving.

Mrs. Mohatta told my parents, “If I tell my husband to do something, he may or may not do it,

but if your son tells him to do something, he’ll always do it.” What can I say? It’s just

Prabhupāda’s mercy that he engaged us and empowered or inspired us.

ŚrīlaPrabhupda’s interaction with Devotees’ Parents

My parents came to Calcutta to visit me, and I was a little apprehensive because I just didn’t

know how I would deal with the situation. The first thing Prabhupāda told me was that I should

spend time with them. I didn’t even know if I should, beyond the bare minimum. He said, “You

should spend time with them.” And he said, “You should not ask them for anything, otherwise

they will think that we don’t take care of our devotees.” And factually I was being taken care

of and didn’t need to ask them for anything.

When they came, I took them to meet ŚrīlaPrabhupāda. He dealt with them so expertly. He

spoke in such a way as to break my father’s prejudices against India or Indians.

I was quite thin then; my mother was concerned about my

health. In those days, people in the West thought that if we

didn’t eat meat, we wouldn’t get enough protein. So, my

mother brought this up. ŚrīlaPrabhupāda would always

have sweets on his table to give to people and being in

Calcutta especially, he had sandeśa. So, ŚrīlaPrabhupāda

distributed some sandeśa after my mother expressed her

concern. He said that these were made of cheese and they’re

very high in protein. Then, he turned to me and said that I

should eat two dozen sandeśa and rasagula every day. I’m

still working on it. There are many details to the visit, but

the result was that my parents were charmed by

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda.

As they were leaving his room, and I was accompanying

them, my father said to me, “I can say two things about your master: he really knows how to

deal with people, and he is a brilliant organizer.” In my father’s value system, those were the

two highest compliments that he could pay to anyone.

After Calcutta, I went to Madras. I was the first ISKCON devotee to go to Madras and there I

was living at different people’s homes. We had no temple or center. I was eating lots of

good idlis, dosas and sambar, and I put on weight. Eventually, I arranged a program for

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda. When he came, he saw that I had gained weight, and he said, “You should

take a picture of yourself and send it to your mother.” He hadn’t forgotten her concern about

my health, and he wanted me to reassure her by me sending her a picture of myself a little more

healthy-looking.

Care for Senior Brahmacāris, Sannyāsīs& Experienced Preachers

Now, at Govardhan – we became aware of the importance as Dhāma, not only from scriptures,

but especially because in his last

days, ŚrīlaPrabhupāda wanted

to go there on parīkramā for

Govardhana-pūjā. His health

did not allow him to do that, but

it was in our minds that he

wanted to do so. There was a

palace – it was a king’s – and

was not in use; I found out about

the owner. He was the Mahārāja

of Chhatarpur, in Madhya

Pradesh, and he had two bases,

one at Chhatarpur and one at

Khajuraho, which is a tourist

destination.

I heard that he was favorable to ISKCON, so I went to meet him. I asked the Mahārāja to donate

the palace, and he said, “If you had asked me earlier, I would have been happy to donate it, but

times are bad for kings nowadays, so I can’t donate. But I will give it to you for a very

reasonable price,” which he did. It was indeed reasonable. His panda at Govardhana was very

upset that he was giving it to us for so little, and some of his family members were upset too.

But he stuck to his word. That is how we acquired that palace at Govardhana.

TamālaKṛṣṇaGoswāmi and I acquired it; TamālaKṛṣṇaGoswāmi engaged

KeśavaBhāratīDāsaGoswāmi in overseeing the refurbishment of the palace.

TamālaKṛṣṇaGoswāmi and I paid for most of it, but he oversaw the refurbishment of the palace.

We wanted it to be a place for men to come and deepen themselves in sadhana. It’s a facility,

especially for experienced preachers, sannyāsīs and senior brahmacārīs where they could visit

for retreats and reenergize themselves again for preaching. We had a rule that women could

come, but they could not spend the night there. That policy was good for our devotees, and it

was very much appreciated by people in the area. They were pleased and impressed. Otherwise

they might have had some doubts about how strict we were, what our principles were.

For example, we have had Ravindra Svarūpa Prabhu, who was at that time, to be elected GBC

chairman, come and spend a month there. He used to chant sixty-four rounds a day to prepare

himself for the responsibility. Many devotees still come. Vaiśeṣika Prabhu comes, and he and

KeśavaBhāratīDāsaGoswāmi have readings there during Kārtika. So, it has served a purpose

especially for the brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs to come and go deep in bhajana at the foot of the

holy Govardhana Hill.

Memories of HH Bhakti CāruSwāmiMahārāj

His Holiness Bhakti

CāruSwāmiMahārāja took

very good care of

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda when he

was ill during his last months

and weeks in Vṛndāvana. I

feel eternally indebted to him

for the way he took care of

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda. And there

were many pastimes of

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s toward

the end in which Bhakti

CāruSwāmi was involved. It

was Prabhupāda’s desire to

go to Govardhana Hill by

bullock cart. LokanāthaSwāmi had come to Vṛndāvana after traveling around India by bullock

cart and going to holy places and holding programs and festivals and distributing books.

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda was very encouraged by that program, and he also wanted to further

encourage LokanāthaSwāmi, so he said he would go by bullock cart to Govardhana Hill on the

occasion ofGovardhana-pūjā.

Bhakti CāruSwāmi and the other devotees personally serving ŚrīlaPrabhupāda, including

TamālaKṛṣṇaGoswāmi, understood that ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s health would not sustain that

journey. LokanāthaSwāmi’s group was saying that they could put a mattress on the bullock

cart, but even then, the roads were so bumpy with potholes that Prabhupāda wouldn’t have

been able to sustain the journey. ŚrīlaPrabhupāda had had a dream about a

Rāmānuja kavirāja taking care of him, and Adri Dhāraṇa Prabhu from Calcutta had found a

Rāmānuja kavirāja who came to Vṛndāvana, and he was good. He was really helping

Prabhupāda, and said that Prabhupāda was making progress, but that he would not be able to

sustain that journey by bullock cart to Govardhana Hill. In the end, Bhakti CāruSwāmi was

instrumental in getting ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s godbrother, AkiñcanāKṛṣṇadāsaBābājī to appeal to

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda not to go; and, ŚrīlaPrabhupāda immediately agreed.

Later in Māyāpura, Bhakti CāruSwāmi had very large quarters upstairs at the very top of the

Conch building. He was such a wonderful Vaiṣṇava and a gracious host; he had space there to

accommodate many devotees. So, especially during the time of the Gaura-Pūrṇimā festival and

the GBC meetings, many devotees would stay upstairs in his area.

One year he gave a room toward the end to His Holiness Gaura Govinda SwāmiMahārāja, and

Gaura Govinda Mahārāja would have darśanas there and speak to devotees. There was a lot of

space. RadhānāthSwāmi and I stayed there for more than one year. He was a great cook too,

and he could organize good cooking. He would arrange grand feasts and served us there. In

addition, he would arrange feasts for the GBC members that would be carried over to the Lotus

building, where they take prasādam regularly.

He was such a loving and caring person. He would help with projects. There are so many

projects he helped. Recently, a devotee from South Africa wrote to me in the mood of

appreciation for Bhakti

CāruSwāmiMahārāja

and feeling of separation

from him. Her

grandparents, wonderful

devotees, lived in a town

called Pietermaritzburg,

not far from Durban.

The community wanted

to build a temple, but

they just couldn’t

muster the resources.

Somehow, one of the

devotees mentioned it to

Bhakti CāruSwāmi and

he immediately swung into action. He was a man of action. He quickly arranged the resources

to build that temple. Now, that temple is standing there and the deities are bestowing their

blessings.

Bhakti CāruSwāmi would go to places and arrange for gold leafing. I don’t know all the places,

but I know that in New Dvārakā, Los Angeles, he arranged for gold leafing for the siṁhāsanas

of the deities and at Gītā Nagari, he arranged for gold leafing for ŚrīlaPrabhupāda’s vyāsāsana.

He was so generous that Kṛṣṇa gave him a lot of facility, and he used that facility to serve

ŚrīlaPrabhupāda and the devotees. He was so personal with everyone, and so approachable.

Today, he is missed sorely, and he will be missed. He was really a very, very loving and caring

person.

The remaining interviews are coming out soon in the form of a book …

Giriraj Swāmi speaks…

“Chanting before Tulasi today, I recalled an incident with

ŚrīlaPrabhupada in his garden in New Dvaraka, Los

Angeles, in 1973. I was looking at him, and suddenly his face

lit up, his eyes opened wide, and he smiled broadly, as if he were

seeing a long-lost dear friend.

When I turned around to see who had come, I saw that it was

Tulasi, being carried by a devotee. “Just by her presence,”

Prabhupada said, “Tulasi purifies the whole atmosphere.”