Jan 03, 2011 — USA — Dear Prabhus, HDG admits, see below, that ISKCON became something like a Hindu movement. Then concludes: “I learned this from Prabhupada himself: ISKCON should be a truly international society that presents Krishna consciousness as a non-sectarian, non-ethnic spiritual science.” Amazing realization by an ISKCON guru!
Hridayananda das Goswami’s New Year Greeting
This is the New Year Greeting written by Srila Hridayananda das Goswami on the 31st of december:
Dear Devotees,
Jaya Srila Prabhupada. On the last day of 2010, I wish you all a wonderful Krishna conscious 2011. For me, the greatest and most inspiring challenge in the coming year is to strengthen ISKCON in the western world.
When I joined the movement in 1969, ISKCON seemed like a North American movement with branches in Europe, Australia and East Asia.
In 1970 Srila Prabhupada dramatically established ISKCON in India. The movement also spread throughout East and Southeast Asia.
Prabhupada planted a transcendental seed in the Soviet Union which blossomed into a huge, powerful mission throughout Russia and other CIS countries.
I helped to expand the movement in Latin America in the mid 70′s and ISKCON is now well established throughout that region.
However it is ISKCON in India that has expanded beyond comparison. Of course, India has a huge, natural advantage. It is the land of Krishna. Even in America, ISKCON congregations in most large cities consist mainly of devotees from an Indian background. We find the same phenomenon in the UK and South Africa, and in most other countries that host a significant Indian diaspora.
This phenomenon is not so evident in most of Latin America, or in some parts of Europe, where there is a comparatively small Indian population.
Still, the massive expansion and unique wealth of many Indian devotees, both in India and other countries, presents an interesting challenge to the International Society for Krishna consciousness. Is ISKCON destined to be basically an Indian movement with branches in foreign countries? Or is it meant to be a truly international society that establishes the yuga dharma as a dominant spiritual process throughout the world?
In India, ISKCON’s influence at all levels of society is enormous. In America, and most European countries (England and Hungary might be exceptions) ISKCON’s national influence is insignificant.
Personally, I believe that ISKCON can fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s and Lord Caitanya’s vision only as a truly international society that presents Krishna consciousness as a non-sectarian, non-ethnic spiritual science. I learned this from Prabhupada hismelf. Thus it is the responsibility of those of us who serve Srila Prabhupada in the west to do all we can to reignite the fire of a powerful, relevant movement in our respective countries.
I find this vision, of reestablishing the full power and relevance of ISKCON in the west, to be a most inspiring challenge. It is to the fulfillment of this vision that I wish to dedicate myself in 2011. I invite all the devotees to share and serve this awesome vision.
Wishing you all a year of health, happiness and potent service in Lord Krishna’s divine mission, I invoke this blessing: Krishna-shaktir astu te! May the force of Krishna be with you!
With best wishes,
Hridayananda das Goswami
Dear Hridayananda das Goswami,
Please accept my most humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada. Bi accident I came across your posting. I usually dont visit the numerous contending Krishna devotee sites.
It’s hard for me to determine if you wrote this letter in all seriousness, or in jest, or spoof or tactful diplomacy, or intoxication, or as a sense of obligation to unknown agents…. I just cant understand why you would write such a letter under the present time, place and circumstances.
Your letter made me laugh , cry and angry all at one time. You and other leaders of ISKCON stand idly by as His Holiness- Jayadvaita swami ( The editor ) runs rough shod over and through Srila Prabhupada’s books ( Editing ) as an elephant runs through a garden after a female elephant..
The Berkeley Temple ( Where you joined and were trained up ) is as empty as a funeral home after a burial of the dead man. The only devotees keeping cows for milk in all of california cannot bring the Berkeley management to find enough money to help support the effort, thus finding themselves obliged to ship 20 gallons of milk weekly to The Los angeles temple ( via FED EX ) to realize a few dollars to help cover costs.
since stepping down from the Berkeley temple , over 25 Years ago, no one has ever asked me to Lead a Kirtan, or give a talk, or in any way tried to engage me in devotional service in some way. Even you, years ago, when I asked you How I might be able to participate in Devotional life in ISKCON again, your repose was ” Sign over your property ( Worth a million dollars or more ) to ISKCON “. Although to that point in time, not a single one of my godbrothers had ever communicated or visited me , or made any attempt to resolve the relationship amongst ourselves.
When I Visited Vrindaban India in 1991-2 looking for some way to associate with my Godbrothers, I received a cold, formal letter outlining 14 points ( Conditions ) to be met by me before anything might be considered.
There are many other things I could add to this letter, but I wont bore or burden you with them. I have always , and still have very warm and fond memories and affection for you. Still as your older Godbrother I feel obliged to say that you are certainly out of touch, out of focus, and out of place in your flippant, utopian suggestion of strengthening ISKCON in the west. Your letter is simply that, a lot of letters, one after the other strung together making words, ane after another which have no substance of Spiritual thought, understanding or feeling behind them.
Your humble servant
P.S. I am not in any camp , beating someone’s drum, or waving someone’s flag. I am simply Hansadutta, disciple of Prabhupada, your well wishing older Godbrother from the Berkely days.
Dear Hridayananda prabhu, please accept my pranam, all glories to Srila Prabhupada.
After reading a response to your letter by sriman Hansadutta prabhu,what more has to be said ,rather you should prove your status by atleast trying to stop Jayadvaita maharaj his idiotic editing,in karmi world it would never happen after the dimse of the author it is immoral and unethical ,why don’t you prove yourself by republishing Srila Prabhupada’s books AS IT ,or else talk is cheap another devious plan of yours,yes truly you have done a great service and equally ver truly DISSERVICE to iskcon.Do the needful most important restore Srila Prabhupada’s books ,may Krishna shakti be with you if you are sincere yes Krishna will reinstate your fallen and pitiable state.
Your humble servant.
Chandra Dasa
Just came across this in my search for articles on preaching in the west. So if anyone happens to see this by chance even though the thread is a couple years old, it should be mentioned that the above rant by the (in)famous Hansadutta prabhu, whom many devotees recall for his heroic pioneering efforts in the early years and who are also a bit shy about him due to his subsequent eccentric behavior and ideology that expelled him from the graces of ISKCON, aside from eliciting some degree of pathos and empathy – is it possible that devotees have been that cold hearted not to reach out to their prodigal brother who seems to express a sincere desire to reconnect – the bitterness is palpable, and he lashes out with no tangible or useful counterpoint to H.H. Hridayanada’s vision and message.
I’m sure prabhu has a myriad of issues with ISKCON, GBC, et al, but perhaps he could approach these matters in a different forum. My point is that H.H. Hridayananda, regardless of his stance on book editing, the story of which has various sides as all controversies must, here speaks of something of dire importance, that in my view is as significant if not more so than the sacred task of preserving the integrity of our traditions, and that is the effort to establish ISKCON’s and Lord Caitanya’s movement’s relevance in modern, Western culture.
At the moment Hridayananda to my knowledge is the only person intelligent enough, bold enough, educated enough, and dedicated enough to undertake this consideration seriously, and I for one urge anyone listening to hear what he has been crying into the wilderness for a decade or so. Vaishnavism’s standing in the minds of Westerners is at an all time low.
A new paradigm is urgently needed. Rather than bicker over this and that, let’s formulate a strategy to infiltrate the minds and hearts of the intelligent class of men and women by dynamic thinking, imaging makeover, alternative preaching styles, fresh packaging, etc. Let’s get behind innovative ideas that appeal to the modern and post modern psychology of an “enlightened”, free thinking, iconoclastic, and educated society. No one is fighting this fight but Hridayananda maharaja, and he deserves our attention in the worst way.