Here is an excerpt from a similar and very interesting letter buried deep in the 'Secretary Correspondence' section of the Vedabase. It was authored by Karandhar dasa and Shyamasundar dasa and read and approved by Srila Prabhupada.


Memo to all GBC Members and Temple Presidents
22 June 1972

"Srila Prabhupada has instructed that we issue a letter of direction to you all regarding the business of travelling road shows, electronic music, and drama presentation. His Divine Grace has instructed that these things should stop. Our process is kirtan, philosophy and prasadam, and nothing more. We do not need to glamorize or spectacularize beyond these simple methods at the risk of deviating from the Disciplic Line of presentation and diminshing the gravity of our message. All the new additions, i.e. electronic musical instrumentation, so-called dramas and plays, songs written by devotees (Prabhupada said that it is prohibited for a Vaisnava to write songs unless he is on the liberated platform; then they area as good as the Vedas), and public relation-promotion departments are unecessary and artifical. Granted, people may be entertained by the incorporation of such things, but they will not take us seriously nor understand the actual import of Krishna Consciousness. The conditioned souls will be attracted by the Holy Name sincerely chanted by pure devotees and the perfect knowledge of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam as rendered by the Acaryas. There is absolutley no need of anything more. Our presentation should not become a cheap flim flamery to attract mediocre and mundane mentalities."

Yeah, Kirtana is the best, with mridanga. And publishing is brihad-mridanga. I can not stand shows with indian dancing and all the boring theater or pantomime things. I do not know what they attract, certainly not me.

>Our standard is to have kirtana, start temples. What is this Road Show and Yoga Village? It will be another hippie edition. Gradually the Krishna Consciousness idea will >evaporate: another change, another change, every day another change.

Kirtan and prasadam with some simple philosophy - from my experience of 9 years travelling & preaching it's the most potent formula (after ditching our Hare Krsna Mantra Band for 1 year and going back to kirtan)

"By prasadam, by chanting, by drama, somehow or other bring them. That is our mission. Congregational chanting. Always festival, and we shall spend for that. Immediately arrange. If there is scarcity of money, I shall pay... I came here to see that, not to sit down in a room
peacefully. So there also we shall inform the meeting that we want to propagate this Krishna consciousness movement town to town, village to village, by attracting them with musical demonstration of sankirtana, dramatic play, movie, prasadam. Somehow or other they should come to the temple, to the pandal and congregationally chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra, hear Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavatam. For this purpose, whatever expenditure is required, that you should collect and spend. This is the scheme of Hare Krishna movement." –Room conversation, Hyderabad, December 10, 1976.

...in light of the different qoutes provided here, it seems to me that before we can answer the question 'Is Srila Prabhupada's formula for preaching enough?,' we first need to define what Srila Prabhupada's formula is, no?

rasa108, it's your question. Do you want to start by defining Srila Prabhupada's formula?

My dear rasa 108 prabhu ...i think deena deserves a reasonable answer please.Her question is very pertinent because having been invovled in iskcon preaching myself ,for quite awhile........including around your spiritual master. It has genuine relevance, because we do not share the same guru or infact his preaching mood and vision.Which i found to my eternal shock ,when Prabhuvishnu swami sold the temple my freinds and i had spent ten years to build..right from under us!Colo river....sydney Australia.Or are you just inclined to glibe one liners.....impersonal ....shallow ....but also with smiling faces !

The pañcarātrika Vaiṣṇava principles of medieval South India have to some extent entered within the current practices of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. Descendants of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas became more or less attached to the path of arcana, like the followers of the Pañcarātras, and spread subordination to Śrīman Mahāprabhu sometimes in its pure form but more often in a perverted form.... While preaching the pure path of bhāva explained in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Śrīman Mahāprabhu distinguished it from mundane formalities, but in due course of time His teachings have become distorted into a branch of the pañcarātrika system. This, however, is not the purpose of Śrīman Mahāprabhu's pure preaching.

BSST -- Brahmana or Vaisnava ch 2.

>Do you want to start by defining Srila Prabhupada's formula?

I think the formula is self-defined by Srila Prabhupada's words from the quote I posted at the very beginning of this thread:

"If we simply stick to this programme as I have done it since the beginning, namely, kirtana, preaching, kirtana, distribution of prasadam - if you do like this only that will be sufficient."

The other quotes in this thread also point towards KC dramas and presenting things in a way that is attractive to the masses (but not distractive from the message).

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada gave a perfect formula, we do not have to change it. We should not even think in terms of changing anything He has given us. We do have to change ourselves though, through prayer, chanting, introspection, service and association.

The formula given by Yuga Dharma Acarya Srila Prabhupada to us is perfect Acarya Lila of chanting and dancing, following the Original Source of this movement, Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Sri Navadwip dhama lila. The second part of Lord Caitanya's Lila takes place in Sri Jagannath Puri, where He spent the later years, teaching the formula to cry for Lord Krishna in separation. To this end Srila Gour Govinda Swami Srila Gurudeva opened a 'crying school' in Sridham Bhubaneswara. Aspiring devotees can avail themselves of both the harinam, preaching, prasadam distribution formula, and the internal crying formula: absolute surrender and service in separation, following the residents of Vraja.

Srimad Bhagavad Gita As It Is, 1972 Edition Chapter 18, text 66:

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja (here, vraja refers to the Vrajabasis)
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah

Lord Caitanya's Sri Siksastakam is a progressive description of His entire formula.
We can see where we are at and where we need to go.

1. Glory to the Sri Krishna Samkirtan which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years together and thus the fire of conditional life of repeated birth and death, is extinguished. Such Samkirtan movement is the prime benediction for the humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction Moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge, it increases the ocean of transcendental bliss and it helps to have a taste of the full nectarine for which always anxious we are.

2. Oh my Lord your holy name can alone render all benediction upon the living being and therefore you have hundreds and millions of names like Krishna, Govinda etc. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies and there is no hard and fast rules for chanting these holy names. Oh my Lord You have so kindly made easy approach to You by Your holy name but unfortunate as I am, I have no attraction for them.

3. One can chant the holy name of the Lord in an humble state of mind thinking himself as lower than the straw in the street, tolerant more than the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and being ready to offer all kinds of respect to others. In such state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

4. Oh the almighty Lord! I have no desire for accumulating wealth nor I have any desire to enjoy beautiful woman neither I want any number of followers of mine. What I want only is that I may have Your causeless devotional service in my life birth after birth.

5. Oh the son of Maharaj Nanda, I am Your eternal servitor and although I am so, some how or other I have fallen in the ocean of birth and death. Please therefore pick me up from this ocean of death and fix me up as one of the atoms of Your lotus feet.

6. Oh my Lord when shall my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly by chanting Your holy name? When my words will be choked up when uttering the holy name? And when all the holes of hair on my body will have eruptions by the recitation of Your name?

7. Oh Govinda! Feeling Your separation I am considering a moment as twelve years or more than that and tears flowing from my eyes like the torrents of rains I am feeling all vacant in the world in the absence of your presence.

8. I do not know anyone except Krishna as my Lord and He shall always remain as such even if He handles me roughly by his embrace or he may make me broken hearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything but he is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally.

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krishna!

"Sankirtan is congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord and distributing the books of Srila Prabhupada. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu introduced the sankirtan movement 500 years ago and it is the spiritual process recommended in the Vedas for the age of Kali, the age we now find ourselves in. From the beginning of the Krishna consciousness movement in the West, Srila Prabhupada directed the devotees to chant congregationally in the temple as well as in the parks and streets of the towns and cities. Soon, devotees began selling Back To Godhead magazines alongside the chanting party, and when book distribution started, it was also called "going out on sankirtan." Srila Prabhupada said that book distribution is the most important form of sankirtan, because it spreads transcendental knowledge and engages people in devotional service. It is the Brhat Mrdanga "the big drum". Therefore the production and distribution of transcendental literature is very pleasing to Srila Prabhupada and the entire disciplic succession." harekrishnatemple.com

"Here Lord Krishna describes the activities within the golden age that will purify the Kali yuga. First and foremost is the chanting of Lord Krishna's name, indicated by the words harernamani. This is further confirmed in the Brihad-naradiya Purana as follows:

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nastyeva nastyeva nastyeva gatir anyata

"In the age of Kali there is no other way to achieve the supreme destination of life other than by chanting the names of Lord Hari (Krishna). There is no other way, no other way, no other way."

The second activity that Lord Krishna describes is the reading of the Bhagavata Purana, or Srimad Bhagavatam. The reading of Srimad Bhagavatam is especially recommended by the great sage Vyasadeva for purification of the heart:

srinvatam sva kathah krishnah
punya-sravana-kirtanah
hridy antah stho hy abhadrani
vidhunoti suhrit satam

"By hearing and reciting the sacred narrations of the pastimes of Lord Krishna (within the Srimad Bhagavatam), all the bad qualities within one's heart are cleansed." from the Brahma-vaivarta Purana

"You are asking what should your preaching work be now that you are attending the university. So the first preaching work is that yourself should become an ideal devotee. Lord Caitanya said that one should first make himself perfect and then attempt to instruct others." Srila Pabhupada

Sudama: I've been asked a question by some devotees; sometimes that they don't feel happy. So even if they are unhappy, mentally, should, they still should continue in Krsna consciousness. I tell them, even if one is unhappy...

Prabhupada: But you should show example. If you show example different way, how they will follow you?

Sudama: Yeah.

Prabhupada: Example is better than precept.


Siksastakam as Preaching

1. Harinama, book distribution, spreading transcendental knowledge and gaining taste for these things.
2. Maintaining, despite lack of attraction to these things, and introspection as to our lowly condition.
3. Developing humility: essential for reforming nama aparadha into nambas.
4. Having a taste for service and chanting, Giving up all other things. Preaching by example.
5. Crying
6. Begging
7. Suffering in separation
8. Absolute unconditional surrender. Highest example. Capable of purifying without even using words.

S B 11 .2 .30
Therefore, O completely sinless ones, I ask you to kindly tell me what the supreme good is. After all, even half a moment's association with pure devotees within this world of birth and death is a priceless treasure for any man.

"A moments glimpse of a pure devotee is enough to purify the heart of a sinful man in this age of Kali. Even mother Ganga is blessed and purified by the association of the Lords devotees, so what to speak of fallen souls like ourselves. We must take every opportunity to associate with the Lord's pure devotees. This is the process of sadhu-sanga, or sat-sanga. Through association with the saints, we come in contact directly with the Supreme Lord. If we have such a great fortune to associate with the saintly devotees of the Lord, our heart will be purified of all the sinful reactions accumulated from countless lifetimes." from the Brahma-vaivarta Purana

manasi_seva:

The mistake would be to only do a Krishna Rock and Roll band and expect that to make devotees, of course it wont.

Have to agree with you there....I personally travelled for 9 years in a Hare Krsna rock band, one year we abandoned the band and we found that kirtan was 1 million times more effective - people would dance and chant instead of just sitting and watching a performance. The reason is that people in general hear rock music all the time and want something different....and of course the obvious, kirtan uses vedic instruments and ragas that invoke a more mode of goodness atmosphere and of course the Maha mantra, when chanted in this way, is very powerful.

During his massage ,which took place upstairs on his veranda,srila Prabhupada glanced across the feilds towards the gosala.So our siddha swarupa and sudama vipra like to stay at the banana plantation?....he asked.I took his enquiry as a prompt to ask some questions of my own.I wanted to hear Prabhupada's response to some specific points of contention between siddha swarupa 's followers and our iskcon devotees.Srila Prabhupada ,when siddha swarupa first surrendered.....''Srila Prabhupada cut me off.He never surrendered!Then he chuckled.Seeing my surprised look,he explained that they had come and made some offering of men and assets.Therefore he was trying to engage them in devotional service.
I [hari sauri das]asked wether our devotees should read siddha swarupa's books,because ISKCON devotees have been told that they are not bonifide.Srila Prabhupada laughed and replied good humouredly.''We don't take notice of what they say.We just take their money!.....Of course i have some affection for them.I don't send them away,and they are coming to see me.Just like there are so many animals,some are a little more feircer than others''.He also pionted out that they are coming to us,not us to them.Srila Prabhupada refers to ISKCON ''as us!''He said that their are differences,just as there are between him and his godbrothers,but that we share a common platform of chanting hare krishna and taking prasadam......page 409 A Transcendental diary...by hari sari das....march ,1976

feburary 22nd ,1976....Before his walk Prabhupada suggested that Dayananda and i write to the devotees in London and New zealand to find out wether we can sell indian clothes and brassware there.He said that he has some capital in Lloyds Bank,and if we start exporting indian cloth and other items,the government will think well of us.At the same time we shall make a useful profit.Actually from mayapura the devotees are already supplying many ISKCON temples with cloth that has been made on our own handlooms......page 373 A Transcendental diary...by hari sari das

Sankirtan means congregational chanting of the holy name SDG, selling brass and cloth is laxmi or money collection which is very necessary but one should not confuse money collection with Sankirtan.

Yes Kirtan is like an instant transcendental mosh pit, it is interesting how people really take to it.

Interesting comments rasa108... yes there is nothing like the true realization of having done one thing vs another and seen what is superior and what is inferior.

Kirtan is from the spiritual world, music, song and dance (kirtan/bhajan) is so important in the practice of Gaudia Vaisnava culture and philosophy, I was once invited to some talks by a buddhist monk, his talks were very logical and he was very honest and sincere but vs Bhakti yoga with Kirtan, prasadam and the deities Buddhism seems so dry.

Kula- pavana : Your comment above.

May i ask, what sort of " criminal methods " was used by the devotees to collect money and how
certain are you that HDG Sirla Prabhupada knew of this but did not do anything.

Thank you, Kula-pavana prabhu.

VEDA:

Remember Tirumangai Alvar.

I would venture to say that for every Tirumangai Alvar in Vaishnava history there were thousands of Kirtananandas and Hansaduttas, disgracing Vaishnavism not only with their criminality, but with their abominable personal behavior as well. Thus the rule should never be replaced with rare exceptions. The motto "End justifies the means" is not Vedic, is not Aryan, is not approved by the shastra. Invariably those who adopt that motto even with good intentions pave the way for grand abuses of power in the name of serving their cause.

So my dear kula-pavanna das how do you deal with the instance of srila Prabhupada telling Guru-kripa swami that he and krishna had prepared a house for maharaja in the spiritual sky after he provided the laxsmi for the Vrindavan project to build ''Krishna -balarama''...,while he was traveling in New Zealand?

Yes veda prabhu ...i do understand your valid piont and sound reasoning.However these inexperienced blasphemers should first attempt to fly!They cannot appreciate collecting literally millions of dollars for srila Prabhupada,like guru-kripa swami did during his wonderful earlier years!
They are submerged within their mode of ignorance and merely vomit forth putrid envious pioson.Unable to even go and submit to a ISKCON authority they simply dwell on the mental platform.Hence they are unable to progress in their spiritual lives.
Srila Prabhupada deliniates how we should act.....he was dealing with his own envious godbrothers.Page 279...A Transcendental diary...january 19 1976.
Srila Prabhupada felt the problems were due to a lack of understanding of proper Vaisnava dealings.
''What bothers me is their dictating mood.Why they should dictate?First of all let them become like me.Equality brings freindship.Who ever is older he will dictate;and whoever is younger,he will respect the superior.This is the rule.Neither they are equal nor senior,then why they should dictate?Who is superior,he will dictate;and who is equal,he should live like freind;and who is junior,they should follow and obey.This is the Vaisnava rule.Those who are neither equal nor higher,now they can dictate?That is a mistake.Either,first of all become higher than him,then dictate;or become equal with him,then you suggest.You are lower,and you want to dictate.What is this nonsense?.....
Simply put ''kula pavanna ''you have no status to try and use your ''frog in the well''mentality to cast aspirtions against senior devotees.Who was so totally surrendered to our founder Archarya.Have you paid for a Krishna- balarama temple like guru-kripa das?........Has srila Prabhupada personally pulled you aside to travel with him,then told you that he and krishna have built a house in the spiritual sky especially for you?Like Srila Prabhupada told gurukripa when they travelled together in new Zealand?Since you are not his equal why must we listen ....we do not,You are lower......you do not have the agnata-sukriti to even cast insidious innuendos like you attempt to do!

sri_govinda_das:

So my dear kula-pavanna das how do you deal with the instance of srila Prabhupada telling Guru-kripa swami that he and krishna had prepared a house for maharaja in the spiritual sky after he provided the laxsmi for the Vrindavan project to build ''Krishna -balarama''...,while he was traveling in New Zealand?

That is between the parties in this sentence.

Dharmasastras deal with the material society. However, Krsna seva is another league. This doesn't mean that I agree with crimes done by Vaisnavas but the perpetrators may get absolved sooner than we think - see HBV 11 (e.g. 326, 332-333) - and to criticize them later isn't good for us. Imho, this vicious circle of criticism is one of the main obstacles of ISKCON's progress.

>This doesn't mean that I agree with crimes done by Vaisnavas but the perpetrators may get absolved sooner than we think - see HBV 11 (e.g. 326, 332-333)

Being a Vaishnava does not give one license to commit crime. This is the second nama aparadha which is "Namno balad hi yasya papa budhi" To commit sinful activities on the strength of holy name. Out of ten nama aparadhas this is the most dangerous one. One can not make spiritual progress if he is committing this nama aparadha.

Sorry kula-pavanna.....are you calling what guru-kripa did on sankirtan as being the activities of a ''mundane theif and a robber''?And if so kindly explain how such activities were ''so displeasing to srila Prabhupada'' that he blessed guru-kripa das with a ''cintamani house in the spiritual sky''!Could you please show us how srila Prabhupada got it ''so wrong'' on this occasion!What faults have you personally being able to perceive within the character of the Founder-archarya of ISKCON?Sorry were you present with srila Prabhupada...like hari-sauri ,bhavananda,or Tamala-krishna goswami when he personally instructed ypou how guru-kripa das was just a theif and a robber?Then why did he and krishna build a house within the spiritual sky for him?Please explain the serious deficency which our srila Prabhupada was unable to comprehend......unlike you!This is a wonderful opportunity to show us how you know more than srila Prabhupada....please enlighten us prabhu?Otherwise accept the obvious limitations of your sankirtan experience ,realisation and lack of surrender to srila Prabhupada's preaching mission......face facts you are just simply floating on the mental plane!!

SGD you are digging yourself into an embarrassing hole, give it up and stop trying to convince sane people that committing crimes in the name of Krishna is fine, no wonder you are so gullible if you believe that trash. It is possible Srila Prabhupada did not fully understand what some of his disciples were up to, he should be given the benefit of the doubt. A lot went on in Iskcon while Srila Prabhupada was alive without his knowledge.

Guru Krpa lives in Thailand what does that tell you? He lives in the sex and drug capital of the world..why didn't he go live in India? I am not saying he is mixed up in the drugs and sex there, but why to live in the middle of that? I would rather live in India. I have never been to Thailand, it simply doesn't interest me. I have been to India many times ( Mayapur, Vrndavan, Rishikesh, Benares ) those places interest me and I would like to live there.

Bhavananda is the creative director, thats like the title with no meaning...he can float around and lay claim that it was all his work. Ambarisha is obviously putting up the finance but real architects, engineers and labourers will build it. Building a bunch of massive stone buildings in the poorest area of India will guarantee you a place in godhead? Wow what are we waiting for boys! lets build our way back to godhead! Reminds me of the tower of babel story...LMHO

Sri-govinda-das ... were you born with your foot in your mouth? Do you stand in front of a mirror and practice looking and sounding stupid? You just might be the most ignorant fool I have ever come into contact with -- on or off the Internet. You really do take the cake. It's amazing. Every single thing you post here --- when I finally wade through all the idiotic spelling and grammatical mistakes and try to figure out what the hell you are saying - I gain new insight into your ignorance. This is not a personal attack. This is just an objective observation. I have never had the occasion to say this to anybody else in all my years and experiences and travels which are very extensive. So actually you are quite unique. You win first prize. I can't even think of anyone who comes in a close second. You are way ahead of the pack. What makes you especially irksome is that you embarrass any and all sober, intelligent and mature individuals who have some respect and appreciation for the teachings and mission of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Every time I see his exalted name mentioned in one of your posts I cringe. That is why I have pleaded with you over and over to refrain from participating in this or any other public forum. Thankfully this tiny little website isn't very well known nor popular. That might be one of the reasons you have found a home here. I suppose the admins are so desperate for any participation and patronage that they're happy to have you and Veda fill up the empty spaces day after day .. hour after hour ... thread after thread after post after post. This is your schoolyard as it were and anybody who comes to play has to deal with one or both of you blockheads.