Special Issue

Carry on the
Care legacy ...
su l
Sp ILS
Is ecia

Published by
e

“The Devotee Care Committee”

for ISKCON GBC
Published by the Devotee Care Committee for ISKCON GBC
Dear Vaishnavas / Vaishnavis,
Welcome to the special ILS issue of your Devotee Care magazine. As
you are aware, the Devotee Care Committee is creating guidelines,
best practices, and systems to help local agencies get a jumpstart on
implementing devotee care at the grass roots level. Subcommittees
have now been established to research the essential needs of different
sectors: Children & Youth, Vaisnavi, Grhastha/ Vanaprastha,
Brahmacari/Sannyasi, Elderly/Health, and Caregivers. They are at
work designing practical solutions that will be easy to employ and
adaptable to the particular demographics of the local yatras.
Some highlights of this edition: Learn how those in leadership
positions may become more spiritually nourished; achieve radiant
health by following the different facets of brahmacari care; and
explore ways of nurturing and strengthening our grhastha and
vanaprastha asramas. Discover some striking parallels between
book distribution and devotee care; see the amazing power of love
and trust through a suspenseful first-hand account; and find but how
the corporate world is using care culture.
We plan to launch pilot programs for interested temples, preaching
centers, congregations, and farm communities, under the guidance of
the divisional director and his team of devotee care regional
representatives. Quality control tools-including a certification
process, monitoring, and star ratings for each provider- will encourage
excellence in our programs and services.
Devotee Care is the best investment we can make for fulfilling the
purposes of our global Vaisnava family, ISKCON.
Tending to our physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being will yield
stable marriages and families, protected women and children, and a
steadfast renounced order-empowering all asramas to reach their
potential in Krishna consciousness. It will result in happier, healthier
devotees who are inspired to contribute their voluntary services for
the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. As we know, when Krishna is
pleased, all other resources follow in abundance.
Please join us as Devotee Care initiatives begin to take shape for the
pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and the benefit of all Vaisnavas.
Lets carry on the great care legacy that Srila Prabhupada has so kindly
left us with.
Hope this finds you in the best of health and caring blissfully for those
souls Lord Sri Krishna and Srila Prabhupada have sent you.
Your Servant,
Revati Raman Das
Chairman,
Devotee Care Committee.
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 Sometimes ISKCON members think about ISKCON as an institution, or as the
“leaders” of the temples, or the GBC, or someone else other than us. We expect
ISKCON to care for devotees, and we may feel hurt or disappointed when care is
not given as we would expect or as we would like.
ISKCON is a society made up of members. Each of us is ISKCON. When each
one of us feels that we have the responsibility to care for one another, then
ISKCON will be a caring organization, with a family atmosphere based on love
and trust, as Çréla Prabhupäda wrote. If, however, we wait for such a society to
come only from leadership, or from some vague idea of institution, it will be
very hard to achieve the real devotee care we desire.
So, let us look in the mirror, perceive that “I am ISKCON and I care”, and decide
today how each of us can exemplify devotee care in our own lives.

Vision continued progress in spiritual life.

Every devotee in ISKCON is to be We aim to have care that includes

provided with the spiritual,
mental/emotional and physical
care they deserve as parts and
parcels of Kåñëa, according to
Çréla Prabhupäda's instruction
and example. This should be done
on the personal and institutional
level.
Mission
We strive to care for the spiritual,
emotional, physical and social
well being of the devotees of
ISKCON. We want devotees to be
encouraged, inspired and
empowered to be happy and make
progress in Kåñëa consciousness,
and thus be enthused to expand
Çréla Prabhupäda's mission.
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personal attention to both
devotees' spiritual and material
lives.
We aim for care to be given in a
brotherly and sisterly mood of
compassion and love, sacrificing
some of our time and pride.
We aim to assist with the overall
management and facilitation of
the leaders of ISKCON in taking
care of devotees.
We aim to have a mood while
giving care that Kåñëa is the
provider of all we lack and the
preserver of all we have.
We aim to define real success as the
creation and maintenance of a happy,
loving Vaiñëava community.
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We aim to give life-long personal recognizes the real assets as being

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care to devotees so they can make
Actually, everyone is a leader. Five
years ago the GBC formed
committees to work on various
perceived needs of the Society.
When the “Preaching” committee
met we realized the most important
aspect of preaching is to have happy
devotees. Out of that the “Devotee
Care” committee was formed. It has
become a very strong and active
group. I am fortunate to be part of it.
When devotees are remembering
Srila Prabhupada, a main theme is
his personal attention and love. HH
Mukunda Goswami recalls how

‘
when he was in trouble and that created such a powerful preaching
abandoned by all his so-called force. Srila
friends, Srila Prabhupada phoned Prabhupada
HH Giriraja Swami recalls:
him, showing concern and inviting
him to visit. From that time he “One evening I came to Srila phoned him,
became fully serious about Prabhupada's room after a long day in
surrendering to Srila Prabhupada. Bombay. As usual, I had traveled to and showing concern
The results are well known. from Bombay in crowded trains, and to and inviting him
and from the train station in a crowded
Lord Caitanya stated: bus. I had not taken any prasadam from to visit. From
prabhu kahe, -- "vaisnava-seva, the morning until the time I returned. that time he
nama-sankirtana dui kara, sighra Srila Prabhupada looked at me and
pabe sri-krsna-carana" asked, 'How are you feeling?' I then became fully
noticed how weak and sick I was. 'Well,
TRANSLATION
frankly speaking, Srila Prabhupada, I serious about
The Lord replied, "You should feel a little tired.' Anyway, Srila surrendering to
engage yourself in the service of the
servants of Krsna and always chant
the holy name of Krsna. If you do
these two things, you will very soon
attain shelter at Krsna's lotus feet."
Prabhupada already knew.
Immediately Srila Prabhupada ordered
grapes for me. He said that grapes were
very good for strength and energy. Then
he insisted that I eat the grapes in his
Srila
Prabhupada.
The results are
‘
(CC Madhya-lila 16.70)
presence, and soon he asked if I was well known.
Service to devotees comes feeling stronger. And yes, I was.”
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 Krsna consciousness. We all want to
spread Krsna consciousness. HH
Radhanatha Swami spoke that the most
powerful preaching is happy devotees. The
Radha Gopinath temple in Mumbai surely
provesthat.
I have found many statements from
world leaders in various fields that
confirm that need for “caring”.

Mother Teresa
 The biggest disease today is not
leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather
the feeling of being unwanted.
 Loneliness and the feeling of
being unwanted is the most

‘
very good proposal.”
We want all terrible poverty.
From “Planting the Seed”, a
beautiful book that has many  Love begins at home, and it is not
the devotees to how much we do … but how
similar stories. Please read it.
feel that they much love we put in that action.
So our committee would like to be
belong and are able to inspire all devotees to have  Love begins by taking care of the
such loving concern for others. closest ones – the ones at home.
important. And When leaders exhibit that aspect of
Srila Prabhupada's management,
Albert Schweitzer
to feel that the In everyone's life, at some time, our
our movement will be very strong
leaders love and attract many to join. inner fire goes out. It is then burst
into flame by an encounter with
them and care As humans, certain “deficiency another human being. We should all
needs” have been noted: be thankful for those people who
for them as rekindle the inner spirit.
1. Safety and survival
individuals, not 2. Security We have seen many devotees leave our
3. Belongingness society saying that they were not
just for what
loved. Some efforts must be made to
IBM Corporation stressed
service they can some basic principles:
let devotees know they are loved.

do. Srila Every culture has the “GOLDEN

Prabhupada did
that and
inspired great
‘ 1. Respect for the individual
2. Customer service
3. Pursuit of excellence
Everyone knows that IBM is lauded as
a most successful company. Their
employees are very loyal.
RULE” - “Do to others what you would
like them to do for you.” Or, “Do not
do to others what you do not want
them to do to you.” That can be
considered the essence of the mood of
the Devotee Care committee.
results.
We want all the devotees to feel that I don't want to go on for a long
they belong and are important. And dissertation. Anyone who is
to feel that the leaders love them and interested can look on our website:
care for them as individuals, not just www.devoteecareiskcon.com.
for what service they can do. Srila We have seen that wherever we present
Prabhupada did that and inspired seminars on devotee care, the response
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the only shortage in the world is mood is there amongst the devotees,
they create many facilities.
We hope to have a society that truly
protects those needing it:
 Brahmanas
 Women
caring about people, caring about
purposes, caring about the quality of
what you do, caring about the society
as a whole. Think about it: Are you
going to trust someone who could really
care less about you…or about work, or

‘
 Children about principles, or values, or anyone or
 Old people anything else? Do to others
 Cows
"People just want to know that what you
Vaisnavas are the best of the somebody knows, and cares."
brahmanas. When they are cared Dennis P. Le Strange, former Senior would like
for they will care for all. Vice President, IKON Office them to do for
Solutions
We are often asked what we are doing
for old people. There are some "The only thing worse than a coach or
you.” Or, “Do
projects under way. You can learn CEO who doesn't care about his people not do to
about them from our web site. is one who pretends to care. People can
spot a phony every time. They know he others what
One thing is that if the children and
doesn't care about them, and worse, his
youth are properly cared for, they
act insults their intelligence.”
you do not
will take care of us when we get old.
- Jimmy Johnson, former coach want them to
This fear of being abandoned in old
Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins do to you. That
age is common:
“I feel that you have to be with your
Give me your answer, fill in a form
employees through all their difficulties,
can be
Mine for evermore Will you still
that you have to be interested in them considered the
need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?
- Beatles
Brian Tracy is a leading motivator,
writer and corporate advisor. Here
are a few of his ideas.
personally. I want them to know that
Southwest will always be there for
them."
- Herb Kelleher, Chairman
Southwest Airlines
essence of the
mood of the
Devotee Care
‘
I hope that this imperfect attempt committee.
“Successful people are always might inspire someone to be more
looking for opportunities to help caring.
others. Unsuccessful people are
Once upon a time I was lamenting to
always asking, "What's in it for me?"
my god brother HH Bhakti Tirtha
“The greatest gift that you can give Swami that I really had no skills. At
to others is the gift of unconditional the time he was expecting to leave his
love and acceptance.” body in two to three weeks. Even in
that condition he was only concerned
“If you raise your children to feel
about others, and he tried to cheer
that they can accomplish any goal
me.
or task they decide upon, you will Kavichandra
have succeeded as a parent and He said, “You are a caring person. That Swami, a Guru and
you will have given your children is what is needed.” Since then I have GBC, is a member
the greatest of all blessings.” tried to be “caring”. of the Devotee
Care Committee.
Devotees often feel that they cannot Thank you for reading this. If you
trust the leaders, and/or the leaders think that I can help you in any way,
do not trust them. We need to work please contact me.
on building trust. Everyone
trusted Srila Prabhupada. Kavicandra.swami@pamho.net vo
tee Care
Facebook and skype:
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"The motive that inspires the Kavicandraswami

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greatest trust is genuine caring--

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‘
When a
devotee is weak,
is having
difficulty, or in a
spiritual crisis,
the Vaisnava
family should be
there to uplift
and restore
their strength
‘
and enthusiasm.

durlabha manava janama sat-sange
taroho e bhava-sindhu
Human life is extraordinarily rare, and the
rarest, most precious blessing in life is the
association of devotees. Lord Caitanya revealed
his own heart when he exclaimed that all the
wealth in Brahma's creation cannot equal the
value of one sincere devotee.
Caring for devotees is perhaps the most
important responsibility we have. When we
create an atmosphere where devotees feel loved,
valued, and encouraged, we can empower them
to cross over the inevitable obstacles on the path
of bhakti and experience happiness on the
spiritual platform.
In relation to devotee care, Srila Prabhupada
said that he had shed buckets of blood to bring
each devotee to our movement. He expected our
leadership to recognize his sacrifice by creating a
Vaikuntha atmosphere, a family of
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behind all of our efforts. A movement that is so
satisfying that no one will want to be anywhere else.
We should ensure, as far as possible, that every devotee
is educated in the teachings and culture of Srila
Prabhupada and our parampara and given the tools to
follow the path through all phases of life. Our joy
should be to see each devotee developing Vaisnava
character while enthusiastic in devotional service.
When a devotee is weak, is having difficulty, or in a
spiritual crisis, the Vaisnava family should be there to
uplift and restore their strength and enthusiasm.
Selfless service to each other, with Krishna in the
center, creates trust. Trust nourishes love. Loving
relations in Srila Prabhupada's service is the string that
binds all of us together on the necklace of bhakti.
The Devotee Care sangam is dedicated to helping keep
our spiritual family focused on this sacred blessing. Let us
unite on this higher principle and attract the world to the
beauty of Krishna.

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each other is in the
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Why is devotee care some services can be taken up by
important in our society?
We have the most complete
philosophy, and Srila Prabhupada
has given us the wonderful process
of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Part
of that process is taking care of the
devotees. Actually, Krishna says
that He has nothing else to do but to
take care of His devotees. And since
His devotees are always thinking
about Him, He is also always
thinking about His devotees. So
actually, devotee care is one of the
primary angas or aspects of Krishna
consciousness.
However, I heard that there was a
study by some outsiders where they
said that of all the schools, ISKCON
has the best philosophy, but when
they talk about taking care of
devotees, then ISKCON is way down
the list. So serving the devotees and
taking care of the devotees should be
a part of our religion, and we should
be doing that as daily work instead of
feeling it is something that should be
forced.
What areas need care?
Of course, we should take care of
devotees in all aspects, but there are
some areas that deserve extra
attention, like the children, elderly,
ladies, the sick, those who are
entering into a new ashram – these
groups especially need to be helped.
People who are visiting and
becoming new members of the
congregation also need help.
Of course, not everything is to be
done by the devotee care ministry –
congrega-tional devotees or by the
temple – but at least some areas that are
not dealt with by others can be picked up
by the devotee care committee.
How can leaders show they
‘
care?
Sometimes it's the small things that count.
So serving the
In the year 2000, I did some devotees and
brainstorming to find out how the GBC
could consider this idea in all its aspects,
and what they were willing to do. I was
surprised to note that about 75% of what
was needed was local; the rest was divided
between 15% national and 10%
taking care of
the devotees
should be a part
‘
of our religion
international. So most of the dealings are
at the local level. If our leaders understand
this and take an interest in devotee care,
they can make a big difference.
Devotees believe that leaders should
care. For instance, someone said that
when an ISKCON leader arrives and
devotees offer obeisances, he might stop
only to acknowledge them, whereas if
the leader of a Christian or other
religious group sees someone offering
obeisances, they often stop and inquire,
“How are you”?
How will this help our
movement?
If devotees see that this movement
actually cares, they will be more
confident to give their lives to Krishna,
to give their lives to devotional service.
Some may have needs, which if
answered, make them feel much more
satisfied and willing to serve the
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 more empowered to help devotees.
Some people feel that caring for
devotees is more on the sentimental
platform and may spoil them.
Actually, those who think that taking
care of devotees is sentimental also
want to be appreciated and cared for.
Krishna wants us to take care of His
devotees.
If someone is leaving their body, we
lives to ISKCON. The various
should create a nice environment so
activities of devotee care will go a
they can think of Krishna at the time of

‘
long way toward making one feel
Sometimes death. This will go a long, long way in
that Krishna really cares, also.
benefiting the devotee. If someone
when Srila How did Srila Prabhupada desires to marry and we can help them
to find a devotee partner, the chances
Prabhupada show devotee care?
of them marrying a non-devotee are
saw that people I had the good fortune of being in much lower. In these simple ways we
Mayapur when Srila Prabhupada can make a big difference and avoid
were struggling would visit twice a year; once he would having devotees put in difficult
come in the summer, during the situations unnecessarily, due to not
to control their month of August, and in December he having a a care system in place.
senses, would stay a month and a half. During
This is not sentimental. It is
these times he would work on
something very much needed and
struggling to translations and oversee various
real.
projects. Then he would come for
become Krishna about two weeks during the Gaura Can you suggest some ways
conscious, he Purnima festival. Of course, Srila
in which we can make
Prabhupada coming here was very
actually was much necessary to unite the devotees. devotee care popular in

seen crying! He
really cared
about the
‘ He called this the United Nations of the
Spiritual World. Sometimes when
Srila Prabhupada saw that people were
struggling to control their senses,
struggling to become Krishna
conscious, he actually was seen crying!
ISKCON?
To start, we can make the temple of
Radha-Krishna a center of the
community, a place that is there to help
you.
devotees. He really cared about the devotees. When devotees get sick, sometimes
And he would give some instructions they are asked to go home to their
either to those devotees or those who parents. That's ridiculous. We don't
had already surrendered, how to hesitate to take them when they want
somehow help them. to do service, but when they become
ill, we send them home. In some
In what ways do you countries, devotees have health
suggest each devotee insurance; in others, at least some
engage in devotee care? medical needs could be supplied by
members of the congregation.
We should make it a major part of our
daily culture – Krishna consciousness These acts will go a long way toward
and caring. We need to learn how to healing wounds and proving that
tee Care take better care of each devotee, ISKCON cares.
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 Why is compassion important?
 Does material compassion help
in cultivating spiritual
compassion or not?
 What is the source of
compassion? Why Is Compassion
Important?
 What is the difference between
Compassion is the hallmark of Krishna
real compassion (whether consciousness. "A person who is unable
to bear another's distress is called
transcendental or material) and compassionate," states the Nectar of
mere sentimentality? Devotion. The greatest distress for
human beings is to be ignorant of their
 Why is it good to be empathic original position as Krishna's servants.
The living entities have been wandering
toward others? in the material world since time
 How do we develop compassion? immemorial and only by a devotee's
mercy can they be free. But if this mercy
 What is the preliminary requisite is not transmitted in a compassionate
for becoming compassionate? manner, people will not be able to accept
it, thinking that devotees judge them
 What are the situations in which and want to change their lives forcefully.
we should not be tolerant or Therefore it is useful for devotees to
acquire proper communication skills to
empathic? preach in a balanced way and also to
associate with other Vaisnavas without
 Who are the role models for hurting or offending one another. An
Vaisnava compassion? ideal Vaisnava society is based on the
principle of compassion. Under-
 Is it enough to have empathy only standing the important Vaisnava quality
for human beings? of compassion helps us to
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 Spiritual and Material helping people on a personal level
Compassion when we have the opportunity to do
“...the Supreme Personality of
Godhead walked on the bank of the
Yamuna, touching the leaves of the
trees and their fruits, flowers and twigs
and praising their glorious welfare
activities. Different people may accept
certain welfare activities to be
beneficial for human society,
according to their own views, but the
welfare activity that can be rendered to
people in general, for eternal benefit, is
the spreading of the Krishna
‘
consciousness movement. Everyone
Giving should be prepared to propagate this
movement.”
Krishna benefited. In short, a compassionate
consciousness Sri Krishna, while walking with His
friends on the banks of the Yamuna,
to others is our makes a comparison between the
generous trees and the noble-hearted
first priority. people who work for the welfare of
others. Srila Prabhupada emphasizes
However, it does assist someone who is old or sick.
in the above paragraph from the
not mean that Krishna book (and also in many
other places in his books) that as
we do not care Vaisnavas, our main duty is
preaching and distributing the holy
about the
material
sufferings of
‘ name to others. This is the way
devotees exhibit spiritual compa-
ssion for the fallen souls.
So the question may arise: Is it also
others. necessary to be compassionate or
empathic toward others in regard to
their material situation? It is
essential for us to be very clear about
our priorities. Giving Krishna
conscious-ness to others is our first
priority. However, it does not mean
that we do not care about the
material sufferings of others. At
times, devotees may have the
misconception that we need not be
concerned about the material
sufferings of people (such as disease,
starvation, poverty, natural disas-
ters, wars and so on.) We may think
that we want to give people only
Krishna consciousness, which is the
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We should show our compassion by
so. As human beings, we have the
capacity to understand others' pain in
a distressed situation, because we
might feel the same under similar
circumstances.
A person who has a pinprick in his body
does not wish others to be pricked by
pins; a considerate man in the life of
poverty does not wish others to be also
put into that condition. Generally it is
seen that one who has risen from a
poverty-stricken life and becomes
wealthy creates some charitable
institution at the end of his life so that
other poverty-stricken men might be
poor man may consider others' pains
and pleasures with empathy.
Devotees are happy to distribute
prasadam to hungry people or to just
show a simple act of kindness or to
When we see beggars, we may give
them a little prasadam or give them a
few small coins. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura corrected his
disciples who were not giving charity
to the beggars in Vrindavan, because
their refusal to give was based upon
false pride. They were thinking, "I am
a great devotee." He said to his
disciples, "If you do not give alms
thinking that you are better than the
beggars since you are devotees, it will
make you hard-hearted."
Srila Prabhupada explains comp-
assion in the Srimad Bhagavatam as
follows:
Therefore all the great sages assembled
together and, after observing cruel Vena's
atrocities, concluded that a great danger
and catastrophe was approaching the
people of the world. Thus out of
compassion they began to talk amongst
themselves, for they themselves were the
performers of the sacrifices.
Srila Prabhupada in the purport says:
Before King Vena was enthroned, all the
great sages were very much anxious to see
to the welfare of society. When they saw
that King Vena was most irresponsible, or empathy manifests through the
cruel and atrocious, they again began to act of giving others the treasure of
think of the welfare of the people. It love of Godhead and trying to
should be understood that sages, saintly minimize their material suffering.

‘
persons and devotees are not
As it is described in the Nectar of I am a great
unconcerned with the people's welfare.
Devotion, the original compassio-
Ordinary karmis are busy acquiring devotee." He
nate personality is Lord Krishna:
money for sense gratification, and
ordinary jnanis are socially aloof when Krishna's compassion was also said to his
they speculate on liberation, but actual exhibited when Grandfather Bhisma
devotees and saintly persons are always was lying on the bed of arrows, which disciples, "If
anxious to see how the people can be made had been shot through his body. While you do not give
happy both materially and spiritually. lying in this position, Bhisma was very
Therefore the great sages began to consult one anxious to see Krishna, and thus alms thinking
another on how to get out of the dangerous Krishna appeared there. Upon seeing
atmospherecreatedbyKingVena. the pitiable condition of Bhisma, that you are
Krishna began speaking with tears in better than the
We are concerned about the well-
His eyes. Not only was He shedding
being of others. That is the symptom
of someone who has a soft heart and
tears, but He also forgot Himself in His beggars since
compa-ssion. Therefore, instead of
does not like to see others in distress.
A devotee does not like to see any
type of suffering, whether it is
material or spiritual. We must not
change our priorities in terms of
offering obeisances to Krishna directly,
devotees offer obeisances to His
compassionate nature. Actually,
because Krishna is the Supreme
you are ‘
devotees, it will
make you hard-
Personality of Godhead, it is very
what our main interest is. In other hearted.
difficult to approach Him, but the
words, we must not become a
devotees, taking advantage of His
humanitarian organization instead
compassionate nature, which is
of an organization that spreads
represented by Radharani, always pray
bhakti. However when devotees are
to Radharani for Krishna's compassion.
falsely indifferent to the suffering of
others, their tendency is to become So the compassion of the Vaisnava is
hard-hearted, and the danger is that
the devotees may also become
insensitive to giving Krishna
consciousness to others. Thus,
when a devotee has the desire to ease
both the material and spiritual
suffering of others, then the devotee
is truly compassionate.
Compassion grows with becoming
eager to receive and give the mercy of
the holy name. As Bhaktivinoda
Thakura says, "jive doya, krsna-
nama ̶ sarva-dharma-sara."

What Is the Source of

Compassion?
Compassion is a product of the
internal potency of the Lord. When
one is in knowledge of the suffering
of others and possesses love for all
living entities, then one has the
capability to feel compassion. As I
have mentioned earlier, compassion
 not his own. The ocean of
unlimited compassion or mercy is
originally possessed by Radha-
Krishna and it is this mercy that we
receive through the agency of our
spiritual masters. The example is
given in the Gurv-astaka that the
spiritual master is just like the cloud
that pours water on a forest fire. The
water does not belong to the cloud,
‘
it comes from the ocean. But the
However cloud is the agency through which
the water reaches the forest.
when devotees between true compassion and
Because the compassion or mercy of
are falsely a devotee comes from an ocean of
mercy, a devotee also possesses an
indifferent to ocean of mercy. The word "ocean"
signifies something unlimited.
the suffering of once upon a time, there was a young
Devotees have unlimited compassion
others, their for the fallen conditioned souls.
tendency is to Compassion or empathy is origin-
ally present in every person's heart,
become hard- because it is a natural quality. Our
original spiritual nature is one
hearted, and hundred percent compassionate, and
the danger is we can develop compassion by
cultivating the mode of goodness.
that the Srila Prabhupada explains this in the
Krishna book in the following way:
devotees may and sentimental compassion means
When the demon was thus preparing
also become to cut off his head, Lord Siva became
insensitive to
giving Krishna
consciousness
‘ very compassionate. This compassion
is a symptom of the quality of
goodness. Lord Siva is called tri-
linga, “a mixture of the three material
qualities.” Therefore, his
to others. manifestation of the nature of
compassion is a sign of the quality of
goodness. This compassion, however,
is present in every living entity. The
compassion of Lord Siva was aroused
not because the demon was offering his
flesh into the sacrificial fire, but
because he was about to commit
suicide. This is natural compassion.
Even if a common man sees someone
preparing to commit suicide, he will try
to save him. He does so automatically.
There is no need to appeal to him.
vo
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from the fire to check the demon from
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Differentiating Between
Empathy and Sympathy
Is it possible to misuse compassion?
In other words, what is the difference
between real compassion (whether
transcendental or material) and mere
sentimentality? In this article, I refer
to real compassion as "empathy” or
"compassion" and I refer to
sentimental compassion as
"sympathy".
It is important for us to distinguish
sentimental compassion, because we
usually cause harm to other living
entities by sentimental compassion.
Prabhupada gives the example that,
boy with some sort of liver disease.
The boy's brother was sentimentally
sympathetic toward him, so he gave
him some fried food and sweets,
which are very bad for the liver. In
other words, without proper
understanding, acts of sympathy can
be violent and can hurt the living
entity both materially and spiritually.
So compassion is based on sastras,
one does what they think is best for
the other person without considering
the Vedic injunctions.
In everyday situations, if we are
sympathetic with someone instead
of being empathic, we are feeling
more of our own emotions with
regard to how that person's
experience affects us. We feel bad
for the person who is distressed,
which neither helps us nor the other
person. For example, you are
having some tooth pain. Someone
walks up to you and says, "I feel
really bad for you.” That does not
really do anything for you, does it?
You may even think about the other
person, "Just get out of here and
leave me alone!" Sympathy is simply
talking about yourself.
Empathy Contrasted with
Sympathy
Unlike sympathy (when one is more
concerned with their own emotions,) language as long as your
empathy is when one is really consciousness is empathic. Body
considering the other person's language and tone of voice are more
feelings to be important. Empathy is important than words.

‘
much more helpful to others than
sympathy. Some Other Aspects of Unlike
Empathy
How do you get to the point of being sympathy
empathic? Let's go back to the According to the following statement
example of the toothache. You have from the Srimad Bhagavatam, one (when one is
a toothache and it is really hurting becomes a self-realized soul by having more concerned
you and someone says to you in a the quality of compassion.
compassionate and reflective
Showing compassion to all living
with their own
fashion, "Are you in a lot of pain
entities, you will attain self- emotions,)
because of that toothache?” That is
realization. Giving assurance of safety
an expression of empathy. empathy is
to all, you will perceive your own self
Let's say someone is very sad and you as well as all the universes in Me, and
reflect that person's emotion by Myself in you.
when one is
asking, "Are you feeling extremely really
As self-realization is the goal of
unhappy today?" It will comfort the
human life, devotees consider considering the
person to know that you are
developing a compassionate attitude
concerned with how they are feeling.
You can reflect back that person's
to be the core of our spiritual other person's
practices.
feelings not only with words, but feelings to be
with the tone of your voice and with One of the main needs of a human
your body language too. Empathy is being is for connection; for someone important.
not the words spoken, but the to be empathic toward them. Often
intention to connect with someone. people go to astrologers because they
Empathy is
Some professional therapists say that
you have to sit in a certain position in
order to show empathy. I remember
a course that I took a long time ago,
in which I was taught that if you
want someone to listen to them and
talk about them. People may spend
so much money to go to a
psychologist because they need
someone to listen to them.
‘
much more
helpful to
others than
really want to be empathic with Once upon a time there was a sympathy.
people, you have to sit in a certain psychological study. Various
way, lean forward, show
interest and do not cross your
legs. But, empathy does not
work that way, because
empathy is a state of
consciousness. If you really
focus on the externals,
expression of empathy
becomes artificial and static.
Empathy means connecting
and being fully aware of
another person's feelings and
needs. If you have an empathic
state of mind, your body
language, choice of words, and
tone of voice will follow
naturally. Even without
verbalizing anything, you can
express empathy through body
 psychologists who followed
different theories went to a mental
institution where there were people
with different issues and challenges.
The psychologists tried their luck
with helping the people to see which
theory's representative would be
more successful. Some psychologists
were followers of Sigmund Freud,
some followed Jung, and others
followed B.F. Skinner. The members
of the fourth group were not
psychologists at all. They were just
people brought in from the street.
Finally, it turned out that everyone
had equally successful results. Their
success was actually dependant on
‘
how much empathy the people were
Empathy is giving ̶ success was not dependent
on their theories, education or
comprised of university degrees.
presence, focus, The word compassion means "with
feeling." It is not some theoretical
wonder, and Mayapur, he started crying and
knowledge or some calculation. It is
intention, as a bhava, an emotion that forces you to
well as caring
for people
without
‘ act in a certain way. It is one of the
bhavas of the pure devotees, who
have real compassion. Of course,
that is a very exalted platform, but we
can start to practice compassion on
our own level by first making an
judgment. effort to understand its meaning and
then acting upon this understanding.
First of all, empathy means
presence. Presence means being
there for someone else, being in
touch with someone's feelings and
needs, and also being in touch with
yourself in terms of your own
feelings and needs. Empathy is
comprised of presence, focus,
wonder, and intention, as well as
caring for people without judgment.
What is empathy not? Empathy is not
sympathy, as I have mentioned. Other
words that do not describe empathy
are advising, fixing, educating,
managing, counseling, interrogating
and analzzyzing. People do not
tee Care really want to be the recipients of
vo
these non-empathic actions. They
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How Do We Develop
Compassion?
The development of compassion is
essential for our own spiritual life.
We can develop tolerance and
compassion by associating with and
serving the Vaisnavas. We associate
with and serve devotees who are
compassionate, like His Divine
Grace Srila Prabhupada, and
gradually we acquire those qualities
by their association. When we act on
the order of the spiritual master,
compassion will manifest in our
hearts. If we engage in preaching,
book distribution, harinama,
prasadam distribution or any Krishna
conscious activity to help others, our
hearts will become softer.
When Prabhupada saw children
fighting with dogs for the remnants
of the devotees' prasadam in
immediately gave an order that no
one within a certain radius of the
temple should go hungry. That is a
soft heart. Devotees should be soft-
hearted like this. We have to
develop this sense of compassion
and empathy for others. This is
what makes a Vaisnava a Vaisnava.
To develop a compassionate nature,
the first step is to understand that all
living beings are parts and parcels of
Krishna and that Krishna is not
satisfied if we direct our love only
towards Him. Actually, it is a mis-
understanding of our philosophy
when devotees think that being kind,
loving and compassionate to others is
maya. The Bhagavad-gita says,
mamaivamso jiva-loke
jiva-bhutah sanatanah
manah-sasthanindriyani
prakrti-sthani karsati
The living entities in this conditioned
world are My eternal fragmental
parts. Due to conditioned life, they are
struggling very hard with the six
senses, which include the mind. Or as
it is similarly stated in the Sri
Isopanisad,
 yas tu sarvani bhutany
atmany evanupasyati
sarva-bhutesu catmanam
tato na vijugupsate
He who sees systematically everything
in relation to the Supreme Lord, who
sees all living entities as His parts and
parcels, and who sees the Supreme
Lord within everything, never hates
anything nor any being.
There are so many verses like this in
the Vedic literatures. When one sees
everyone in relationship with
Krishna, one understands the
relationship one has with everyone,
which is like a family relationship.
So the reason that we do not love
people or sometimes even hate
people is because we do not
experience the sambandha or
relationship with them.
How do we develop this relation-
ship? By developing our relationship

‘
with Krishna, by executing the like our brothers and sisters. Lord
processes of bhakti-yoga, and by Kapiladeva describes the saintly
The
meditating on and remembering the fact qualities of a devotee in a famous psychologists
that everyone is part and parcel of verse in the Srimad Bhagavatam. The
Krishna. This helps us develop the first trait he mentions is tolerance: tried their luck
vision to see others and ourselves in
connection with Krishna. Then we will titiksavah karunikah with helping the
not fall victim to the mentality suhrdah sarva-bhutanam people to see
condemned in the Srimad Bhagavatam ajata-satravah santah
by Lord Kapila: sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah which theory's
aham sarvesu bhutesu The symptoms of a sadhu are that he is representative
bhutatmavasthitau sada tolerant, merciful and friendly to all would be more
tam avajnaya mam martyah living entities. He has no enemies, he is
kurute 'rca-vidambanam peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, successful. Some
and all his characteristics are sublime. psychologists
One who worships the Deity of
Godhead in the temples but does not If you are not tolerant you are going
to hate some people and love other
were followers of
know that the Supreme Lord, as
people. But this is politics, just like Sigmund Freud,
Paramatma, is situated in every living
entity's heart, must be in ignorance
and is compared to one who offers
oblations into ashes.

Tolerance as a Preliminary
the politics that Prahlada Maharaja's
teachers were attempting to teach
him; the concept of friends and
enemies. Prahlada Maharaja rejected
this distinction as demoniac.
‘
some followed
Jung, and others
followed B.F.
Step to Compassion Unfortunately, we have not rejected Skinner.
this particular dichotomy yet. We
After understanding our relationship think that certain people who satisfy tee Care
with all living entities, we make a our senses are our friends and people
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tolerate. ...contd on page 38

  Principles give the essential foundation
 Guidelines help develop locally appropriate practices
 Practices are examples of guidelines in action
 Systems are examples of comprehensive practices

What’s the difference between principles, guidelines, practices and systems?

Definition Example
Principle Underlying, universal truth that The culture of care should permeate
serves as a basis for application all activities

Guideline General directive for practice Train caretakers; care for the dying

Practice Building blocks of systems, ways
of doing things, specific actions
Set of practices meant to achieve
System
principles
Home visits, kértana for dying devotees
Counseling or Mentoring Systems,
Bhakti Våkña, Hospice Care

Five Principles
1. Whatever we do, we do with care—the culture of care should permeate all
activities
 The success of a project is judged by the care it provides to devotees
 All forms of devotee care are acknowledged, appreciated, and awarded.
2. Principles are global and application of those principles is local
 Practices and systems of care are applied differently according to different circumstances
3. Practical applications of devotee care should uphold Çréla Prabhupäda's
teachings and mood
 All care should be favorable to the development of the spiritual life of the individual.
 Çréla Prabhupäda did not compromise with the teachings of the guru parampara, and he applied
them in such a way that everyone felt welcome and benefited.
4. To each according to his or her needs—devotee care is personal
 Care of devotees should be given in a mature way according to the needs, interests, and concerns
of the individual being helped.
 Communities may choose to give care in proportion to individuals' level of spiritual
commitment
5. Servant mood—we serve to care and care to serve
 Care is given in the mood of a servant
 All categories of ISKCON members are worthy of being respected and valued.
 An individual's choice of care should be honored.
1. Information on each devotee should be recorded and accessible
 Maintain a database of all devotees with information such as: Level of
commitment, Training Undergone, Services rendered Talents and capabilities
etc.
2. Each devotee should receive care and individual guidance
 Create groups of devotees at similar levels of advancement/commitment, and
assign them for care and guidance to a more advanced and committed devotee.
 Assign each devotee for care and guidance to a more advanced and committed
devotee ('buddy system').
3. Ensure spiritual growth through education and inspiration based on Çréla
Prabhupäda's books
 Provide systematic education of Çréla Prabhupäda's books, including practical
application, through groups, classes, mentor/counselor sessions etc.
 Acknowledge and recognize the advancement and increased commitment of
devotees through programs such as siksa levels etc
 Facilitate courses such as Bhakti Çästré for the devotees.
 Organize regular Japa retreats and japa seminars
 Engage more advanced devotees in mentoring less advanced ones, in preaching,
and in conducting classes etc. tee Care
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4. Nurture behaviors and attitudes to create a healthy Vaiñëava community with
'unity in diversity'.
 Train devotees in Vaiñëava etiquette, good conduct, and practical Vaiñëava life-
skills such as: gåhastha life, relationship with spouses, caring for children
 Arrange regular iñöagoñöhés and meetings – among senior devotees, between
senior devotees and newer devotees, between temple-dependent and other
devotees etc.

5. Engage both men and women in devotional service according to their interests and
abilities.
Women who are housewives and mothers of small children can have preaching
programs or other service that they do from their homes

6. One who is Krsna conscious is a perfect yogi; he is aware of everyone's happiness

and distress by dint of his own personal experience. The cause of the distress of a
living entity is forgetfulness of his relationship with God. And the cause of
happiness is knowing Krsna....(BG 6.32)

7. The process is simple. Follow the regulative principles of devotional life

undeviatingly, regularly chant 16 rounds of beads daily and without fail, read all
our literatures, attend classes and aratis, go for street Sankirtana. If there are any
questions, always refer them to your elder God brothers and sisters. So our method
is not so difficult. Rather it is joyful. So engage yourself enthusiastically in this way
and you will be happy and in the end go back to home, back to Godhead.
-- Letter to Sukhada - London, 4 August, 1971

8. The preacher of Krsna consciousness needs to be educated to be internally peaceful

by proper spiritual engagement. One can then turn one's attention to the welfare of
others.

9. Temples should have a trained “Devotee care committee” or trained “care givers”.

10. It is important to reach out and develop partnerships with a wide array of people
who can help – mature devotees, family members, friends, psychologists, health
practitioners, counselors, social workers, therapists, etc.

11. Locate professionals who can offer their expertise and experience in improving the
care of the ISKCON members.
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In the ancient ayurvedic textbook,
Charak Samhita, it mentions that
there are two important fundamental
principles to obtain good health. One
is to chant the names of God and the
other is to eat food with devotion that
is offered to the Supreme Lord.
Therefore, even those aspiring for
physical and mental health must
understand that the basis of all health
is spiritual consciousness. This
spiritual consciousness can be
developed when one performs
regulated sadhana that helps the
practitioner to become absorbed in
spiritual values and awareness.
We find in the Srimad Bhagavatam
that Kardama Muni, although he was
engaged in fasting for an extended
period of time, was able to keep
excellent health because of his
advanced Krishna consciousness:
“Entering that most sacred spot with
his daughter and going near the sage,
the first monarch, Svayambhuva
Manu, saw the sage sitting in his
hermitage, having just propitiated
the sacred fire by pouring oblations
into it. His body shone most
brilliantly; though he had engaged in
austere penance for a long time, he
was not emaciated, for the Lord had
cast His affectionate sidelong glance
upon him and he had also heard the
nectar flowing from the moonlike
words of the Lord.
The sage was tall, his eyes were large,
like the petals of a lotus, and he had
matted locks on his head. He was clad in
rags. Svayambhuva Manu approached
and saw him to be somewhat soiled,
like an unpolished gem.”
By Prahladanandan Swami
PURPORT: Here are
some descriptions of a
brahmacari-yogi. In the
morning, the first duty of
a brahmacari seeking
spiritual elevation is
huta-hutasana, to offer
sacrificial oblations to the
Supreme Lord.
Those engaged in
brahmacarya cannot sleep
until seven or nine o'clock
in the morning. They must
rise early in the morning, at least one
and a half hours before the sun rises,
‘
and offer oblations, or in this age, they
must chant the holy name of the Lord,
There are
Hare Krsna. As referred to by Lord two important
Caitanya, kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha: there is no fundamental
other alternative, no other alternative,
no other alternative, in this age, to
principles to
chanting the holy name of the Lord. obtain good
The brahmacari must rise early in the
health. One is
morning and, after placing himself,
should chant the holy name of the Lord.
From the very features of the sage, it
to chant the
appeared that he had undergone great names of God
austerities; that is the sign of one
and the other is
observing brahmacarya, the vow of
celibacy. If one lives otherwise, it will be
manifest in the lust visible in his face and
body. The word vidyotamanam
indicates that the brahmacari feature
showed in his body.
to eat food with
devotion that is
offered to the
‘
That is the certificate that one has Supreme Lord.
undergone great austerity in yoga. A
drunkard or smoker or sex-monger
can never be eligible to practice yoga. tee Care
vo
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 S ometimes we
see the night sky
by education and training
in maintaining good health

‘
What will it temporarily lit along with a healthy and
by a meteor, called a wholesome diet. In
take for each shooting star, addition, a facility for care
catching the eye of during acute/chronic
and every everyone and then sickness can give a sense of
particular disappearing within a security for the future.
short time. But then Regular help and guidance
devotee to be the same night sky is may be required from
also lit by the pole senior and mature devotees
enlivened star, which is not only steady and in the ashram to balance health,
(emotionally fixed in its place but also a guide to sadhana and service. Lord Krishna in
those who want proper direction in the Bhagavad-gita gives the most
and socially), the course of their journey. How nice it profound yet simple advice in
would be if the sincere seekers, who maintaining good health in the long
inspired decide to take shelter of the Supreme run, to achieve the ultimate goal of
(spiritually), Personality of Godhead after coming life. He asks us to lead a regulated life
in contact with devotees, are cared for by giving up “ati” or extremism and
and protected in such a nice way in our institution accept “yukta” or the path of the
that each of them eventually becomes golden mean. He says, “There is no
(physically) so a pole star rather than a shooting star. possibility of one's becoming a yogi,
that they could O Arjuna, if one eats too much or eats
Specifically I am considering the
too little, sleeps too much or does not
care of the brahmacharis in the
practice krishna ashrams (the topic I am supposed to
sleep enough. He who is regulated in
his habits of eating, sleeping,
consciousness, cover in this article). It is better, in
recreation and work can mitigate all
the first place, to be selective during
actively serving material pains by practicing the yoga
admission of the newcomers into
system.” (BG 6.16-17)
the ashram and take time to
srila
prabhupada's
movement till
the day they
‘ understand their motives for
joining and their sincerity of
purpose. But once having done that,
the leadership can ask,
“What will it take for each and every
On the emotional and social level,
every devotee needs to feel
encouraged and appreciated for their
unique contribution to the
movement, which they are serving to
the best of their ability and capacity.
die? particular devotee to be enlivened
This attitude, on the part of the
(emotionally and socially), inspired
leaders, develops a healthy sense of
(spiritually), and protected
self-worth in the inmates of the
(physically) so that they could
ashram. But if a material competitive
practice krishna consciousness,
spirit is present, then the devotees
actively serving srila prabhupada's
vo
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movement till the day they die?”
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needs protection. This can be done loneliness, even after many years of
 By Radha Gopinath Dasa

practicing devotional service. A
system whereby the devotees can
get balanced and mature guidance
from senior brahmacharis on a
regular basis would be very helpful
for providing proper emotional
care. The worst that a leader can do
to the people under him is to make
them feel that their presence or
absence makes no difference
whatsoever to the ashram or the
movement; in other words, to let
them feel that they are useless and
worthless, and are in fact a burden
to the society. On the other hand, to
care for them and thus give them
the feeling that they are truly
valuable assets to the society,
accepted for what they are and
respected for their unique
contribution, can give them
tremendous inspiration to offer
their best for the service of Guru
and Krishna.
Sri Chaitanya Maha-prabhu would
take pleasure in using every
opportunity to glorify the
wonderful qualities of his devotees,
though the devotees themselves felt
absolutely useless because of their
humility. For example, when Srila
Haridas Thakur was passing away
from this world, Lord Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu glorified him as if He
had five mouths, and genuinely
expressed that whatever happiness
He had was due to the association of
Haridas. But Srila Haridas Thakur
‘
appreciation and respect of devotees Such a
towards Srila Haridas Thakur. What an
emotionally enlivening vaishnava thoughtful and
interaction!
meticulous
On the spiritual level, the brahmacharis
need to be trained and educated on the
system of care
importance of sadhana, i.e., hearing and has the
chanting, systematic study of the
scriptures, simplicity in their lifestyle
potential to
and in their dealings, developing deep transform each
and loving relationships with other
inmates, and carefully avoiding and every
frivolous association with both devotee who
materialistically-minded people and
has sincerely
the opposite sex. And of course, as an
instrument of compassion of the come to
previous acharyas, to fearlessly preach
dedicate his life
the siddhanta as enunciated in Srila
Prabhupada's books. to Srila
Such a thoughtful and meticulous Prabhupada's
system of care has the potential to
transform each and every devotee who mission, from a
has sincerely come to dedicate his life shooting star
to Srila Prabhupada's mission, from a
into a pole star.
shooting star into a pole star. Such
“pole stars” can serve as sturdy and Such “pole
steady lighthouses to guide
stars” can serve
innumerable ships of human beings –
who are tossed around incessantly by as sturdy and
the stormy and rocky sea of material
existence – to land safely on the soft, steady
sandy shore at the lotus feet of His
lighthouses to
Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.

Radhagopinath Das serves as

guide ‘
innumerable
ships of human
brushed it aside saying that he was temple president of ISKCON beings.
insignificant like an ant and his loss Chowpatty and is an active
would make no difference to the member of the Devotee Care tee Care
vo
material world. At the same time, Committee.
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Lord Chaitanya increased the
 We all know the analogy of watering
the root of a tree – how the water is
automatically distributed to the
branches, leaves, twigs, fruits, and
flowers – everywhere. Or, if we put
describes faith to be the most
valuable currency to purchase pure
devotional service.
When we protect this faith from

‘
dangerous elements and nourish it
Giving food into the stomach, the energy is
so it can nicely grow and develop,
distributed all over the body.
then we give true care to a devotee.
spiritual care Similarly, giving spiritual care and
When devotees receive such care
and nourishment to devotees can be
they can undergo any difficulties –
compared to watering the root of the
nourishment to they can accept austerities, and they
tree of care: all the various twigs,
can accept inconveniences that
branches and leaves of care will be
devotees can be flourishing.
material energy will always throw
along our path.
compared to When spiritual care and nourish-
All other care is automatically fulfilled
watering the ment is given, then devotees are
by caring for a devotee's faith.
enlivened to serve to their best
root of the tree capacity, according to their nature Of course, this does not mean we
and capabilities. don't care for their bodies and their
of care: all the emotions as well. A Vaisnava always
And as a result they want to care for
various twigs, cares for another person's sufferings;
others.
branches and
leaves of care
will be
‘ Giving spiritual care means to
nourish and protect a devotee's
faith. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
gives the following example: he
compares the awakening of faith in
he is never indifferent.
But protecting and nourishing a
devotee's faith is like watering the
root of the tree of care, and it is of
eternal benefit.
flourishing the heart of a living entity to a Giving care has to begin from the
newborn baby girl. Once faith is top – if the leaders receive care, then
awakened it needs to be protected – they will be able to care for those
from karma, jnana and mystic yogic who are serving under their
perfections. guidance.
Srila Rupa Gosvami says: "bhukti- We can only give to others what we
mukti-sprha yavat pisaci hrdi are receiving ourselves.
vartate". Bhukti and mukti are like
And since spiritual development is
two witches that haunt one like a
never ending and ever increasing,
ghost. As long as these two witches
the need for spiritual care and
are within our heart, we will never
tee Care nourishment is an ongoing process –
vo be able to taste the sweetness of pure
no matter on which level of
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advancement a devotee is.

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22 Thus Bhaktivinoda Thakura

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There are always higher levels to

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move forward to.
If the leaders of our movement don't
receive such ongoing nourishment,
then their spiritual advancement will
be choked and become stagnant. As a
result there will be attachment to
power, position, money and control.
There will be conflicts and
disturbances on various levels of
leadership, and there will be lack of
spiritual care for those serving under
their guidance.
As Srila Prabhupada always stated,
"The main danger for ISKCON
comes from within, and not from
outside."
Leaders are carrying a vast
responsibility and burden on their
shoulders: according to the Manu
Samhita, a leader is 50% responsible for
the activities his dependents perform.
So leaders deserve all the care and
nourishment they can get in order to
serve their dependents nicely.
What are the practical has been hosting for more than ten
elements of spiritual care –
especially for leaders?
Leaders are in a precarious position.
Their large responsibilities often
bring along immense pressure, which
can further lead to compromised
sadhana and reduced sravanam
kirtanam. As a result, the leadership
and organization often tends to be
more on a material level and the
spiritual dimension and vision can be
neglected.
Thus for leaders it is of extreme
importance to regularly take time
out in order to recharge their
spiritual batteries. Leaders need time
for solitude and personal life – time
away from the internet and mobile
phone, which are always distractions
from our absorption in chanting the
holy name. Leaders need time for
increased sravanam kirtanam –
opportunities to turn to sources of
deep inspiration and spiritual
nourishment. This can be in the form
of attending parikramas to various
holy places, or attending festivals,
seminars, retreats, kirtan melas and
holy name retreats.
Some years ago I had introduced the
Bhakti Sangam festival in my
preaching zones of Nepal and
‘
Bangladesh, and recently also in
Scandinavia. My inspiration for this is If the leaders
the wonderful annual Bhakti Sangam in
Ukraine, which HH Niranjana Swami of our
years.
movement
For three to five days hundreds and don't receive
thousands of devotees come together, such ongoing
and sannyasis and preachers are
giving their association in the form of nourishment,
seminars during the day and kirtans
in the evenings. then their
In this regard Srila Prabhupada gives a spiritual
very clear instruction to us in the
purport to Caitanya Caritamrita
Madhya 3.203: "If one has the proper
means and wealth, he should
occasionally invite the devotees of
advancement
will be choked
and become
‘
Lord Caitanya who are engaged in
preaching all over the world and hold
stagnant.
a festival at home simply by
distributing prasadam and talking
about Krsna during the day and
holding congregational chanting for
at least three hours in the evening.
This procedure MUST be adopted in
all centers of the Krsna consciousness
movement." tee Care
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regular source of inspiration and
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nourishment for devotees' bhakti lata I e
 to healthily develop and flourish,
and they help us to come to deeper
levels of spiritual understanding
and practice.
For leaders it might be nice to also
‘
attend such festivals in other yatras,
Long term where they will not be burdened
they gain with managerial and organizational
matters, but simply can sit back and
immensely by Leaders sometimes tend to believe
peacefully attend all programs and
associate with devotees and other
putting such leaders.
regular breaks With this vision Srila Prabhupada
into their lives, also started the annual Mayapur
festival, and he always encouraged
and the the leaders and devotees alike to
attend it regularly, comparing it to
devotees the importance of eating. Without
serving under taking regular food we cannot be
nourished, healthy and strong.
their guidance I have also introduced regular Holy
will be better Name Retreats in Ukraine, the
cared for and
thus happily
serving with
‘ Baltics, Bangladesh and Nepal. Holy
Name Retreats can have a very deep
and life-changing effect on our heart,
and participating devotees are given
an opportunity to reform their
chanting habits and are thus brought
heart and soul.
to deeper levels of chanting the holy
name.
Ultimately here lies the source of all
spiritual strength: the holy name! If
we develop our relationship with the
holy name, then everything else will
follow.
Nevertheless, this will not come
automatically – we have to sincerely
endeavor for it: "yatantas ca drdha-
vratah" (Gita 9.14).
they don't have time to attend such
nourishing events, thinking that
their duties and responsibilities are
so pressing and thus more important.
This is a very short-term vision. Long
term they gain immensely by putting
such regular breaks into their lives,
and the devotees serving under their
guidance will be better cared for and
thus happily serving with heart and
soul.
Another immensely important
element of care for leaders is the need
for confidential relationships with
equals and seniors.
Leaders often find themselves in the
situation where they are only
surrounded by juniors who look up to
them. As a result they are somewhat
alone at the top of the pyramid, which
is always a dangerous and unprotected
situation.
The bigger a weight a leader is
carrying, the easier he can be thrown
off balance, especially if he does not
have the spiritual support through
confidential and trusting friendships
with equals and seniors.
Jiva Goswami explains in Madhava
Mahotsava the importance of deep
relationships: "Though one usually
ignores others in attaining one's
goals, those aspiring for prema
accept dependence on others with
similar goals and tastes. Thus,
cooperating with each other, they
worked together keeping in mind the
goal of prema."
Within spiritual culture, deep and
meaningful relationships lead to
internal dependence on one another,
which is of great support and
inspiration and adds a special
sweetness to one's internal life. It is a
loving exchange.
In this regard we have the example in
Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, where
Mahaprabhu requests Raghunath Das
Goswami to serve under the care of
Svarupa Damodara. This clearly
illustrates how even eternal associates
of the Lord seek and relish such
relationships.
Furthermore, as long as we have
material attachments and desires in
our heart, our vision of ourselves and
others is easily clouded, and we
cannot really assess ourselves
objectively. Having to meet certain
managerial goals can further cloud
our vision of a situation.
Therefore it is a very important
principle of brahminical culture to
have an aloof brahminical advisor, a
mentor and guide who is our best
friend and well-wisher and helps us to
see things clearly and thus to act for
the true benefit of everyone.
Srila Prabhupada expresses this very
wonderfully in the purport to Srimad
Bhagavatam 2.7.9: "The brahmanas,
by their ‘learned labor of love’, would
instruct the administrator kings how to
rule the country in complete righteous-
ness, and thus the process would go on
as a ‘perfect welfare state’."
Prabhupada chooses an unusual
combination of words describing the
service of the brahmanas: "learned
labor of love". It shows how such an
aloof advisor has to be experienced,
learned and wise, willing to work
hard by sacrificing himself, and how
the foundation of his service is pure
love.
No matter on which level of spiritual
advancement a devotee may be, such
aloof brahminical advisors are of the
greatest importance in providing
ongoing nourishment and care.
To receive the mercy of a Vaisnava
means to attract his interest in our
spiritual development – that he is
willing to sacrifice himself in order to
assist us in our spiritual progress.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
expressed his desire as follows: "I
wish that every selfless, tender-
‘
hearted person of the Gaudiya Matha The bigger a
will be prepared to shed two hundred
gallons of blood for the nourishment weight a leader
of the spiritual corpus of every
individual of this world." is carrying, the
Furthermore, in the Garuda Purana it easier he can be
is stated: "One cannot be liberated
without association of a pure devotee
thrown off
of the Lord. And unless one shows balance,
mercy to those in an inferior position,
one's life will be superficial." especially if he
Thus we can understand that giving does not have
and accepting shelter and guidance is
the foundation of Vaisnava relation- the spiritual
ships and the basis of spiritual care. support
And if our leaders are able to apply
this most important aspect of
through
brahminical culture by accepting the confidential
guidance of an aloof brahminical
advisor, then we will have a chance
for ISKCON to be organized in
complete righteousness, and thus the
process will go on as a perfect
spiritual organization based on the
‘
and trusting
friendships
with equals and
topmost welfare. seniors.
Devaki Devi Dasi is serving as
Co-Manager in ISKCON Dhaka/ vo
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Committee. I e
‘
It is very
natural for us
to remain
humble and
respectful
towards our
It is very easy to become a “sage on
the stage” but difficult to become a
“guide by the side”. We go in the
“sage on the stage” mode when it
comes to guiding our “humble
junior” devotees who look up to us as
explained that he had sown seeds in
the field before leaving for
pilgrimage. The thieves, with their
wrong motives to get the treasure at
the bottom of the well, kept on
drawing water, which watered the
spiritual an advanced Vaisnava, but many seeds. At the end, they were
times these “humble junior” frustrated that there was no treasure
masters and devotees, because of their strong in the well and in the bargain they
seniors. We can previous lifetime advancement and benefited the farmer, as his field was
sincerity, go past us and we find very well irrigated with the well
very well put on
ourselves in the mesh and mess of our water.
a show of previous conditioning—but are still Many times we end up in the similar
“advanced forced to act as “sage on the stage”, predicament like that of the thieves.
putting up a Paundraka-like façade of We keep on nourishing others
devotee” in advancement. without any real tangible progress in
front of junior How long can we go on with this our situation. Others whom we guide
devotees. The artificial show of advancement? make significant progress but we
remain “as it is”. What goes wrong?
real challenge Once one rich farmer was about to
leave for pilgrimage. The thieves Are we not humble before our
of our spiritual spiritual master? Yes, we are . . . Are
were waiting for the farmer to leave
practices is how we not respectful towards our senior

keen and
enthusiastic we
associate with
‘ so that they could rob his wealth. One
day while the farmer was speaking
with his wife, he saw from the corner
of his eyes that the thieves were
listening to what he was speaking, so
devotees? Of course, we are! Then
where is the problem? It is very
natural for us to remain humble and
respectful towards our spiritual
masters and seniors. We can very well
our equals. purposefully he spoke very loudly, " I
am putting all our wealth at the put on a show of “advanced devotee”
bottom of the well which is in our in front of junior devotees. The real
field". challenge of our spiritual practices is
tee Care how keen and enthusiastic we
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crops around the well. The farmer What are the challenges of
equal association? drowning in the turbulent waters of
material existence.
1) Challenge of getting exposed:
We all have a dark side to our How to associate with
personality. It is very difficult to have equals?
our weak areas exposed in front of There are two activities amongst
our equals. We start thinking, what equals:
will they think of me? Will I lose all
respect? Bhagavad-gita says, “For 1) Activities of bonding: Based on
one who is respected, getting Srila Rupa Goswami's principle of
disrespected is worse than death”! dadati pratigrihnati
2) Challenge of humility: guhyam akhyati pricchati

Our humility is challenged when it
comes to seeking guidance from our
equals. The false ego creates a
challenge. How can I submit and take
guidance from my equals?!
3) Challenge of familiarity:
Familiarity breeds contempt. It is
difficult to respect someone when
you know too much about him/her. It
is challenging to still respect equals
in spite of hearing their revelations of
deep material conditioning.
There are many more
challenges, but the benedictions
are far more fascinating than
these challenges.
1) Benediction of support: By
associating with the equals, we
develop a sheltering support system.
We can always depend and fall back
on this support system in times of
physical, mental, social, and spiritual
challenges.
2) Benediction of advice: As equals
reveal their hearts to each other and
seek solutions, they get a lot of
practical advice and understanding
on how others dealt with a similar
situation.
3) Benediction of bonding: If we
have strong bonds with devotees, we
will not leave devotional life in spite
‘
bhunkte bhojayate caiva Familiarity
shad-vidham priti-lakshanam.
breeds
Sharing of the heart, sharing of maha-
contempt. It is
prasada, giving and receiving gifts and
advice—these activities make the difficult to
bond of friendship stronger. respect
2) Activities for advancement: As per someone when
the Bhagavad-gita 10.9, devotees
derive great satisfaction and bliss from you know too
always enlightening one another and much about
conversing about Krishna. This
includes sharing the nectar of krsna- him/her. It is
katha and Srimad Bhagavat with each
challenging to
other. These are and should be the
activities amongst equals. There is no still respect
room for prajalpa and loose talks.
equals in spite
Importance of equal association
shown by HH Sridhar Swami
Maharaja:
While Maharaja was very sick and in
his last days staying at Sridhama
of hearing their
revelations of
deep material
‘
Mayapur, there was a notice at his conditioning.
entrance door that said, “Devotees are
requested to come to meet between 4
p.m. and 6 p.m. only. Godbrothers and
Godsisters allowed anytime”. This was
the importance he gave to equal
association.
Sridama Das is a senior grhastha
tee Care
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saving rope” to save us from I e


...contd. from page 19 situated, but Kardama
Muni was not emaciated, for he had seen the
Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face.
Here the word snigdhapangavalokanat means
that he was fortunate enough to see the Supreme
Lord face to face. He looked healthy because he
had directly received the nectarean sound
vibrations from the lotus lips of the Personality of
Godhead. Similarly, one who hears the
transcendental sound vibration of the holy name
of the Lord, Hare Krsna, also improves in health.
We have actually seen that many brahmacaris and
grhasthas connected with the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness have
improved in health, and a luster has come to their
faces. (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.21.45-47)
From the ayurvedic point of view, the essence of
the body's immune system is called ojas. Ojas is
perceivable in a healthy body as the body's glow.
It is depicted in as a “halo” in some religious
traditions. Our immune system supports the
body's ability to maintain its necessary
physiological functions and adapt to the stresses
of an ever-changing world and environment. Ojas
is created from the essence of the reproductive
system, which is formed by proper digestion of
food by the other dhatus or physiological
systems. Ojas maintains the subtle energies
within the body such as tejas and prana.
These energies support the vital functions of the
body. Ojas is dissipated from the body by mental
anxiety and discharge of the body's reproductive
fluids. The dissipation of ojas from the body
results in, amongst other things, a lack of
concentration, poor digestion, and
v o tee Care poor immune response. The food
that we eat generally takes about
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Sadhana and Health
bodily forms to finally ojas. However, there is
one food, milk, which if properly digested
within a day is transformed into ojas.
There is another way that ojas can be
replenished, that is by meditation. The best
meditation is on the names, forms, qualities,
associates, and pastimes of the Supreme Lord.
By proper sadhana one can fix the mind with
devotion on Lord Sri Krishna and come under
the internal potency of the Lord. A side
benefit of such concentration on the Supreme
is the formation of the energy of ojas, which if
maintained by a regulated life, assures proper
health.
On the other hand, if one is not inclined to perform
regulated sadhana in Krishna consciousness, it will
be extremely difficult to avoid the influence of
worldly association. Such worldly association tends
to draw out and bring to the surface of our
consciousness our dominant memories and desires
from our previous activities, both in this life and in
previous lives. Without the higher taste of Krishna
consciousness it is likely that we will become
attached to ideas of material enjoyment or the
anxieties of material suffering. Such attachment to
material ideas and desires leads us to material
activities and the loss of spiritual discrimination.
These in turn lead to irregular habits that decrease
our health.
Srila Prabhupada writes in the Srimad
Bhagavatam: “In Kali-yuga, the duration of life is
shortened not so much because of insufficient food
but because of irregular habits. By keeping regular
habits and eating simple food, any man can
maintain his health. Overeating, over-sense
gratification, overdependence on another's mercy,
and artificial standards of living, sap the very
vitality of human energy. Therefore the duration of
life is shortened.” (SB 1.1.10)
The conclusion is that the more we engage in
regulated spiritual activities in Krishna
consciousness, the more we become purified of the
tendency to want to control and enjoy material
nature.
Such purification helps us come to the spiritual level
of consciousness where everything necessary for our
devotional service is provided for us by the Supreme
Lord, including material health.
Prahladanandan Swami, a Guru and GBC, heads
the ISKCON Health ministry.
 Social
(Community)

Physical
(Body)

Emotional
(Mind
Intelligence & Ego)

Spiritual
(Soul)

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 Guidelines & Best Practices
1. Care givers should be available to every devotee
 At a certain level of community size, create a team of care-givers. Train them in
psychological care, emotional intelligence, empathic listening, conflict resolution,
identifying nature required for engaging in each varëa/äçrama etc
 Arrange for the care-givers to receive training from devotee specialists.
 Arrange for all devotees to attend seminars on aspects of emotional care
 Arrange for specialists to give counseling for difficult cases.

2. Acknowledge good service

 During the Sunday programs make announcements appreciating the special
services of devotees, in particular those that do behind the scenes work, those who
give devotee care, and those who exhibit specific Vaiñëava qualities
 Announce any preaching news or events of the week

3. All members are worthy of being respected and honored

 Welcome newcomers in public, wish and pray for those celebrating birthdays or other
anniversaries, ask for prayers or assistance for the sick devotees

4. Emotional care is being provided in the existing systems of spiritual development:

 Counseling system
 Bhakti Vriksa
 Nama-hatta
 Different sat-sanga groups

5. Emotional care (care about mind) can be given through, relationship, sadacar and
counseling.

6. Emotional care expands when it comes to congregation.

Example: taking care of oppressed / beaten wives

7. Organize regular spiritual tours.

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Recently I witnessed a dramatic story
that illustrates the importance of
caring for devotees and cultivating
trusting relationships.
It so happened that in one ISKCON
temple some money (which had been
donated to the Deities) and gold was
stolen from the head pujari's locker. It
was not a small amount, and devotees
were somewhat shocked and puzzled
as to who could have taken it.
On the following day, some of the gold and cash
reappeared in the same room where it had
disappeared, and announcements were made
requesting the offender to return the rest of the
Lakshmi.
We were reminded that even Lord Brahma
sometimes gets bewildered and steals Krishna's
calves and cowherd friends, and the way to rectify
the offence is by returning the stolen property and
humbly begging for forgiveness at the feet of the
Vaisnavas.
Some days went by, but the missing Lakshmi did
not appear.
Thus one senior devotee from another yatra was
requested to come and help detect the thief. He
knows the mysterious art of chanting mantras to
some fine raw rice grains. Then everybody has to
chew this raw rice into a liquid paste, and the
person who is the thief will not be able to do it.
Everybody participating in the test will have to spit
the chewed rice on a plate, and the judges will
examine the result. The thief's rice will be hard and
very dry – it will not be possible for him to turn it
into a liquid paste.
One morning at 6 a.m., we assembled in a room
He tried a second time, and
when spitting out the
chewed rice on a plate it was
completely hard and dry,
whereas all the other
devotees made a liquid
paste.
The devotees present were
asked to leave the room,
and one senior devotee
requested the suspected offender to hand over the
rest of the money.
And upon leaving the room, the suspect went to the
bathroom and drank a little bottle of poison, determined to
end his life.
He returned to his room, and within minutes some
devotees could detect a strong smell of poison
coming from his mouth . . . We immediately rushed
him to the hospital . . .
Some boys stayed with him 24 hours a day.
During the first night at around 2 a.m., the
offender turned to his devotee companion and said:
"I think I will leave within the next one or two
hours. Please chant the Nrsimhadev prayers for
me."
And they both chanted the prayers, followed by
harinam kirtan, in the middle of the night . .
After a couple of days the devotee was released
from the hospital and returned to the temple. He
was still in a weak condition – the doctors stated
that the poison he took was extremely dangerous,
and if he had been admitted thirty minutes later he
would not have survived.
For the following days we simply took
nice care of him, not even addressing vo
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designated for the detective experiment, and we the incident. We prepared special
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started doing the test with the pujaris first. prasadam for him, and spent time
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in his room chanting japa. I e

And indeed, one of the pujaris could not chew it!
Iarranged for one of those little boxes that plays helped him chant the holy name, which protected
Prabhupada chanting japa nonstop to be placed in him from the Yamadhutas.
his room.
Krishna had given him a second chance.
When I visited him for the first time, he broke out
And we made plans for how he could become more
in tears upon seeing me, begging for forgiveness
absorbed in remembering Krishna – arranging for
and mercy – it was indeed a heart-moving
spiritually nourishing activities, giving him fresh
exchange.
challenges in his service, and opportunities for
I gave him a beautiful laminated picture of Srila further training.
Prabhupada as a gift, which he gratefully accepted,
Absorption in remembering Krishna always drives
picking up his beadbag and starting to chant japa.
maya away. . .
Gradually he recovered. For some days he was
Later he shared how the care and affection he
still on heavy medications and slept a lot, allowing
received throughout these testing times was helping
his body and mind to detoxify.
him so much and inspiring him to conquer his
I spent time chanting japa in his room, and he difficulties.
would gratefully reciprocate by sitting up in his
He became enlivened and determined to use the
bed and chanting as well.
whole experience in order to become a more serious
We gave him a copy of “Prabhupada Lilamrta”, and he and stronger devotee.
happily started to read.
He returned all the Lakshmi and gold, and one
We made tasty oat porridges for him, which he morning after the mangal artik announcements he
gratefully accepted. asked for forgiveness from all the assembled
devotees, begging for the mercy and support of
We placed the beautiful book "Krishna Darshan" at
the Vaisnavas.
his bedside, and he would absorb his mind while
looking at all the beautiful pictures of various Trusting and sheltering relationships
Deities from all around the world. can protect us from so much danger
and suffering.
After some days, when I felt we had created a
trusting atmosphere and environment, we talked And true care is always
in confidence and he admitted his mistake and uplifting and helps a
confessed his reasoning and motives for his devotee to overcome
actions. We met over several days, revealing our any difficulty that
minds and sharing thoughts and realizations. maya might put
along his
And he shared what had happened during the first
path.
night in the hospital: two black creatures with
horns on their heads had come, trying to pick him
up. One was standing at his foot end, and one near
his head. They were very angry and ferocious
looking, and three times they were trying to touch
him in order to take him.
And upon chanting the Nrsimhadev prayers
they had left him alone, not being able to
take him away. . .
How fortunate that he managed to
remember the Lord at this crucial
moment, and how fortunate
that he had a devotee next to
him who
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ISKCON is a spiritual family where all devotees
need to be tied up to each other in different loving
relationships. Without relationships, there is no
Krishna consciousness. In the spiritual world,
relationships with Krishna determine our very
form, and in the material world, relationships
with Krishna and His devotees give us our
different services. Service and care in turn
nourishes our relationships with 'love'- the goal of
Krishna consciousness.
This love for the devotees in its pure form is inclusive
and not exclusive – inclusive of all the devotees
irrespective of our material differences. In the Seven
Purposes of ISKCON, the third purpose is “To bring
the members of the Society together with each other
and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus
developing the idea within the members, and
humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of
the quality of Godhead (Krishna).”
This love should be for all and not just for those
whom we consider close to us due to some external
reason – like belonging to the same varna or
ashrama; sharing the same residence; having similar
talents, education, or inclinations for the same
services; having similar moods, attitudes, positions;
having the same diksha/siksha guru, etc., – but must
include all devotees.
Srila Prabhupada: “Any man who has genuine
devotion to the Lord has all the good qualities which
are found in godly persons or in the demigods. . . . as
such, Arjuna, after seeing his kinsmen, friends and
relatives on the battle-field, was at once overwhelmed
with compassion for them who had so decided to
fight among themselves. As far as his soldiers were
concerned, he was sympathetic from the beginning,
but he felt compassion even for the soldiers of the
opposite party, foreseeing their imminent death. . . .
this overwhelmed a kind devotee like Arjuna. . . .
Arjuna's limbs were quivering and his mouth drying
up, but he was also crying out of compassion. Such
symptoms in Arjuna were not due to weakness but
due to softheartedness, a characte-ristic
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The above-mentioned measures
1) Smile/greet/acknowledge all devotees. Also
ensure that somebody is there all the time to
welcome and take care of all visiting devotees.
2) Introduce the system of devotees wearing name
tags, so we can address everyone by their names.
3) Acknowledge the devotees when they pay their
obeisances or render services.
4) Enquire from devotees about their spiritual and
material well being.
5) Extend help to those who are in need or put
them in touch with those who can.
6) Appreciate all levels of devotees – both
personally as well as publicly, and as an ongoing
feature – for their commitments and services.
7) Have special awards for those who display true
Vaishnava qualities of selflessness, service
attitude, humility, care giving, commitment,
integrity, etc.
are not only very easy to implement, but will go
a long way towards creating a mood of
acceptance and love for all the devotees.
Devotees will feel very grateful to ISKCON and
the GBC. This example of care from the leaders
will make them take care of each other as well.
The selfless love from the leaders will touch,
move and inspire them to give themselves more
and more to the service of Krishna.
As a natural outcome, more and more people will
automatically want to join ISKCON, seeing the
loving atmosphere prevalent here.
If more emphasis is given to the love, care and
nurturing of devotees, this will foster wonderful
Vaishnava qualities of humility and will easily
replace the passionate mood of doing things for
one's own glory, which is the root cause of lack of
cooperation among all levels of devotees.
What will unite all the leaders in ISKCON is the
common concern of mitigating the distress of
people all around the world. Our services within
ISKCON are not about ourselves or about proving
our worth, but about being part of our
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this vision of succeeding as a
8) Ensure that there are caregivers for every devotee.
9) Have special prayers for those having some
difficulty or obstacle.
10) Regularly visit grihastha homes and give
association and encouragement – even to those who
are not hosting some program or giving donations.
11) Train and set up counselors to counsel
grihasthas, children and youth.
12) Set up a cell where devotees can give their
complaints as well as suggestions, which will be
addressed.
13) Have regular ishtagoshtis among devotees to
gain inspiration as well as for settling differences
among devotees, however small or insignificant,
immediately.
14) Have regular workshops/ seminars on improving
spiritual life and on Vaishnava etiquette.
whole family or community and not as an individual
or as a separate group, we will have the real mood of
Krishna consciousness, which will make us really
succeed in our mission.
There will be fewer fall-downs as devotees will be
open about themselves, and if they have any emotional
problems, they will feel free to take counseling from each
other without any fear of being rejected or losing position
and power.
All devotees will feel much protected in an
environment where all their concerns are addressed
by the leaders and where their spiritual well-being is
given so much importance.
The leaders' transparency and integrity in giving
selfless service to the movement will evoke full trust
in the leadership, and devotees will voluntarily
surrender, becoming submissive in rendering all
kinds of services for the propagation of Krishna
consciousness.
In such an environment, there will be no shortage of
funds, manpower or any kind of support for all kinds
of undertakings and projects to further the mission of
Srila Prabhupada!
Everybody will be tolerant of each others' anarthas
and help each other to render selfless services for the
pleasure of Guru and Gauranga.
We have made a humble effort to
implement these ideas in a
community in the Middle East, code-
named Mathuradesh. The
community spans the whole country
and there are many centers across
the country, but everyone is united
as one yatra, in following the leaders
voluntarily and cooperating and
helping each other out of love and
appreciation, based on the principles
of Krishna consciousness.
There are more than 4500 devotees
in the country at any given time,
even though people keep moving out
as contracts for jobs are renewable
every two years; also the present
recession has sent many devotees
back to their home countries.
There is a hierarchical structure in
place to take care of every one's
needs. That hierarchy is an inverted
pyramid, where the top most leaders
consider themselves as the servant of
all. The leaders, through their
example, are able to inspire everyone
to voluntarily cooperate. All
categories of devotees are taken care
of: men, women, children, and the
elderly; and all classes of people—
from construction workers to
general managers, businessmen,
doctors, etc.— intermingle closely
and respectfully as Vaishnavas.
Each devotee is personally cared for.
Administration is transparent, and
the leaders are open, devotees are
given the freedom to express
themselves, and everyone is ensured
and guaranteed devotional services.
Any devotee who may develop a
non-submissive or independent
attitude is dealt with using love and
compassion. Over the last twenty-
one years, the devotees have
coexisted together and the
community keeps expanding. The
devotees' problems are immediately
addressed, so they are peaceful and
happy.
Any fundraising for the yatra's
necessities or for other causes in
ISKCON is immediately catered to by
all the devotees. Also, the community
helps members in need — whether the
problems are financial, marital,
medical, etc.
Visiting senior devotees and
sannyasis are treated with utmost
love, care and respect and all of them
reciprocate with deep felt
appreciation and love.
If the members of ISKCON do not
receive emotional care, then the
principles of Krishna consciousness
will remain theoretical – an
intellectual exercise with no practical
‘
application. We cannot truly realize
the depth and mellows of love that As a natural
can satisfy and please all the devotees.
outcome, more
As individuals we have so many
talented men and women devotees,
but if we work united as an
and more
organization, we will have unlimited people will
spiritual strength and blessings from
Krishna to be extremely successful. automatically
Devotees need to accept one another want to join
on the spiritual platform, overlooking
all differences arising from varna,
ashrama, gender and class.
Our best investment is in the people
who join our movement. The
ISKCON, seeing
the loving
atmosphere
‘
properties are there for the benefit of prevalent here.
the devotees and will arise
automatically when we have
devotees. If our goal is simply to love
and take care of devotees and keep
expanding the numbers of devotees,
we will simply be in Vaikuntha and all
our needs will very naturally be
fulfilled, and we will taste complete
nectar as we sail through success after
success in ushering the golden
age.
Vijaya-venugopala dasa and
Prema-padmini Devi Dasi are
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the Devotee Care Committee I e

In the Gita, Krishna warns us about
our innate conditioning of
attachment and aversion: O scion
of Bharata, O conqueror of the foe,
vo
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all living entities are born into
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The Isopanisad, a beautiful Vedic text,
speaks of one being overcome by hate
due to not seeing everything as
belonging to God or Krishna.
Outwardly one can hate others, and
inwardly one can hate oneself due to a
psychological aberration. I once
witnessed an Oprah Winfrey show
focusing on teenagers who were
regularly cutting their arms with blades
and knives, due to extreme emotional
strain. Self-hate!
But what about a spiritualist hating
himself? A sincere practitioner of real
love of God can immaturely and
prematurely feel so humbled and lose
self-esteem, because of not attaining
perfection. He can extrapolate that
feeling to self-hate! Is our humility
breeding hatred of ourselves, or
satisfaction in being a servant of the
Supreme? Srila Prabhupada asked us to
be proud of being a devotee of Krishna!
Can we be “proud” of being humble
devotees? Is “humble pride” legitimate?
In Srila Prabhupada's life we can see he
was a lion in the chase and a lamb at
home. He was proud of being a devotee
when faced by the materialists and the
impersonalists of this world. At home
amidst Vaisnavas, devotees, he
remained humble and subdued.
In spiritual life we tend to hate
ourselves for not being successful in our
attempt to have realizations. Fear of
failure overwhelms the sadhaka. An

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arisen from desire and hate. Krishna consciousness often heard in

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(Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 7.27) classes and in lectures and in books puts
us into a deep sense of shame for non-
conformity, non-performance and
ill-achieved goals. We hate ourselves
for not coming up to the mark of
expectation. This feeling of
inadequateness fosters hate towards
oneself and others. Self-hatred
lover of oneself and all others. More
than that, Krishna loves his pure
devotees. This is God's very special
quality.
The pure devotee is always within the
core of My heart, and I am always in
the heart of the pure devotee. My
‘
The mutual
self-hate
society thus
formed
becomes anti-
establishment
manifests in hatred of fellow
devotees do not know anything else and
practitioners who may also be on the
but Me, and I do not know anyone
same platform. The mutual self-hate
society thus formed becomes anti-
else but them. (Srimad Bhagavatam antiauthority,
9.4.68)
establishment and antiauthority, resorting to
resorting to faultfinding so that the
self-hate can be adjusted within.
Faultfinding and hence aparadha
come naturally for one whose false
ego is struggling to find an identity in
a new situational challenge of
“Loving yourself” as advocated by so-
called modern spiritual mentors has
no connection with God, Krishna,
and hence no full meaning, and is a
very difficult path as mentioned by
Krishna in the Gita.
faultfinding so
that the self-
hate can be
‘
standards that one is not able to meet adjusted within
So . . .
internally. One finds faults so that he
can feel superior, or so he can Overcome love of your false self,
exercise control from a platform of “I Overcome love of yourself sans God,
am better than you and faultless”. Overcome self-hate. Love Krishna
and just wait, with firm faith that love
Be kind to yourself. You are a part and
will be bestowed on the lovable and
parcel of Krishna—mamaivamsa jiva Bhaktivinod
those who love out of kindred
loke jiva bhuta sanatana . . . A very Swami is a deputy
connection with Krishna. Just love
valuable personality. Your self- GBC and serves as
Krishna and everything falls into
esteem is naturally high, though the Temple
place.
through humility you may realize President of
that gradually! This is why Krishna Chant Hare Krsna, fall in love with ISKCON centers at
assures us, “My devotee will never be Krishna safely, and love yourself. Try it. Coimbatore and
a failure”. Loving oneself because Guruvayur.
I love Krishna.
one is a part and parcel of Krishna,
I love you.
the supreme object of your love,
I love me.
makes a lot of sense. It's safe, as even
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being a lover of Krishna and hence a

I e
 Compassion - As a main element .....
...contd. from page 15 We think
that certain people are objects of our
comp-assion, our empathy, and
certain people are not because they
do not please our senses. This is not
Krishna conscious empathy. It is
based on sense gratification and is
simply another version of pleasing
ourselves.
vidadhan namas te
jiveta yo mukti-
pade sa daya-bhak
My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for
You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon
him, all the while patiently suffering the
reactions of his past misdeeds and offering
You respectful obeisances with his heart,
words and body, is surely eligible for

‘
Why does So how does one develop tolerance? liberation, for it has become his rightful
One story that illustrates how to claim.
blaming the develop tolerance is the story of
One should tolerate everything that
Dharma, the bull. He was being
perpertrator happens to oneself. Sometimes it is
beaten by Kali and he was standing
easier to tolerate bad things than good
make the victim on one leg and urinating. Then
things. Good things sometimes
Maharaja Pariksit came along and
bewilder us more than bad things. But
culpable? asked, "Who did this to you? Who is
devotees see them as reactions to their
responsible?" What did Dharma,
Because the past activities and they tolerate them by
the bull say? Did he say, "Kali did it!
seeing them as coming from Krishna.
victim is taking Get him, kill him, wipe him out,
Good and bad things that happen to
Pariksit Maharaja, Jaya! Haribol! Let
devotees are not karma, but rather
an atheistic me see him suffer!" Did he say that?
token reactions directly administered
No. What did he say? He said, "It is
viewpoint. But by Krishna. If we learn to think like
very difficult to ascertain." In other
that, it can help us develop tolerance,
as we know, not words, he saw the Lord behind these
which is a prerequisite for compassion.
difficult circumstances.
a blade of grass Dharma, the bull said that anyone What Are the Situations in
moves without who blames the immediate Which We Should Not Be
the will of the
Supreme
Personality of
‘ perpertrator who appears to be the
cause of one's suffering becomes just as
culpable as the person
who is causing the
difficulty. Why does
Tolerant or Empathic?
`When we hear blasphemy of a devotee

blaming the perpertrator

Godhead. make the victim
culpable? Because the
victim is taking an
atheistic viewpoint. But
as we know, not a blade
of grass moves without
the will of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
There is a nice verse
spoken by Lord Brahma
that teaches us how to
become tolerant:
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bhunjana evatma-
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hrd-vag-vapurbhir
or Krishna, we should not tolerate it.
We should become angry. That is
spiritual anger. But that anger does
not come from frustrated lust, it is
shown out of love.
A Vaisnava may become angry out of
love for Krishna. For example,
impersonalists often criticize
Vaisnavas for being so heavy with
them. They even criticized
Prabhupada for getting angry. What
to speak of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura, who was known as simha-
guru because he would confront the
impersonalists.
Why should we become angry with
the impersonalists or people
blaspheming devotees? Because
there is love there. People ask, "Why
are you so angry with these imper-
sonalists? They are so wonderful."
But what are the impersonalists
saying? "God has no senses, He has
no arms, no legs. I am God, you are
God, we are all God . . . "Why do I get
angry? Because I love Krishna.
If you approach a mother and her
child and say to her, "What an ugly
child you have!" get ready to have
your eyes scratched out.
It is alright if anger comes from love, real
love. If you love Krishna and someone
says something nasty about Krishna, you
become angry. Of course, you express
the anger properly, philosophically.
That type of anger comes from love for
Krishna. That is love, just like the love
between a mother and her child. That is
how I explain it. If a devotee asks me,
"Maharaja, why are you getting so angry
at the impersonalists?" I say, "I am sorry,
I apologize, I love Krishna, I cannot help
it. Do not blame me for my emotions."
Examples of Compassion
Srila Prabhupada
In the purport of the afore-
mentioned verse from the Srimad
Bhagavatam regarding the sadhu's
qualities, Srila Prabhupada says:
A sadhu, as described above, is a devotee
of the Lord. His concern, therefore, is to
enlighten people in devotional service to
the Lord. That is his mercy. He knows
that without devotional service to the
Lord, human life is spoiled. A devotee
travels all over the country, from door to
door, preaching, "Be Krishna conscious.
‘
Be a devotee of Lord Krishna. Don't spoil
your life in simply fulfilling your animal We have not
propensities. Human life is meant for self-
realization, or Krishna consciousness." learned to
These are the preachings of a sadhu. He is tolerate. We
not satisfied with his own liberation. He
always thinks about others. He is the think that
most compassionate personality towards
all the fallen souls. One of his certain people
qualifications, therefore, is karunika, are objects of
great mercy to the fallen souls. While
engaged in preaching work, he has to our
meet with so many opposing elements,
and therefore the sadhu, or devotee of the compassion,
Lord, has to be very tolerant. Someone our empathy,
may ill-treat him because the conditioned
souls are not prepared to receive the and certain
transcendental knowledge of devotional
service. They do not like it; that is their
disease. The sadhu has the thankless task
of impressing upon them the importance
of devotional service. Sometimes devotees
‘
people are not
because they do
not please our
are personally attacked with violence.
Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, Haridasa senses.
Thakura was caned in twenty-two
marketplaces, and Lord Caitanya's
principal assistant, Nityananda, was
violently attacked by Jagai and Madhai.
But still they were tolerant because their vo
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he is very tolerant and is merciful to all
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fallen souls. He is merciful because he is the well-wisher
of all living entities.
We see these qualities, tolerance and compassion,
perfectly demonstrated by Srila Prabhupada. One of
the main reasons that His Divine Grace Srila
Prabhupada, the founder-acarya of this Krishna
consciousness movement, our spiritual master, was
able to be so successful was that he was very tolerant.
Who can imagine the tolerance he had! He came from
Vrindavan, being absorbed in Krishna's pastimes, yet
had to tolerate so much to give us Krishna.
Prabhupada exhibited the topmost aspect, the
topmost manifestation of empathy and tolerance.
Prabhupada was successful because as a nitya-
siddha (pure devotee), he had Krishna's sakti and
he was tolerant.
Srila Prabhupada perfectly describes the over-
whelming compassion of a pure devotee in the
Srimad-Bhaga-vatam with the following words:
Pure devotees, out of compassion for the fallen
souls, are kripalu, very kind to people in general;
they distribute this Bhagavata knowledge all over
the world. A kindhearted devotee is called dina-
natha, protector of the poor, ignorant mass of
people. Lord Krishna is also known as dina-natha
or dina-bandhu, the master or actual friend of the Prahlada Maharaja
poor living entities, and His pure devotee also takes
the same position of dina-natha. In our scriptures we find many nice examples of
tolerance. One of my favorite tolerant personalities
"Overwhelming compassion" means that the is Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja never
person who experiences this emotion or bhava of prayed for the Lord to kill His father. He never said
compassion has so much love for the objects of to Lord Nrsimhadeva while being tortured, "Smash
his compassion, the poor conditioned souls, that my father; teach him a lesson!"
his actions are controlled by that love. Once,
Prabhu-pada said, "When I think of how In contrast, the whole time that his father was
everyone in the world is suffering, it makes me attempting to torture him, Prahlada Maharaja was
cry. I actually cry.” chanting Hare Krishna and felt no animosity toward
his father and never got angry with anyone who
When I first met His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada attacked him. He never considered any of his
in person, in 1971, what impressed me the most was attackers to be his enemies. That is truly amazing. His
his loving mood of compassion. He did not even prayers were for pure devotional service and
have to say anything for those around him to feel or surprisingly enough, for the welfare of those who
experience his compassionate mood. attempted to torture him.
We know that the pure devotee loves the Supreme After the Lord had destroyed Hiranyakasipu,
Personality of Godhead in an unconditional way, Prahlada did not say, "Boy, I am glad my father was
ahaituki apratihata. Because the pure devotee loves killed. Let him suffer. We live, and the creep has
Krishna, he also loves Krishna's parts and parcels in gone!" He did not tell the Lord, "You did a good
an unalloyed, unmotivated way. So this is what job. Send the guy to hell to suffer!"
convinced me to join the Krishna
te e C ar e consciousness movement. It was not Prahlada was not like that. He asked Lord
vo
the dress or the hairstyle; it was not Nrsimhadeva, "Please save him!" After
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and love. when the Lord offered him anything that he

wanted, Prahlada first declined, stating that he
was not a merchant that is someone who does
service in exchange for something. Finally,
Prahlada asked for some-thing, but not for
himself. Prahlada was so overwhelmed with
compassion for the fallen conditioned souls,
especially for his father, that he asked the Lord to
give them His mercy. Because of all this, I look on
Prahlada as a perfect example of Vaisnava
tolerance, mercy and purity, and he is a great
source of inspiration for me in my spiritual life.
Other Compassionate Personalities in Lord Caitanya, gave liberation to a dog by treating the
the Sastra
A compassionate person is ready to make
sacrifices for the welfare of others. We cannot
come to that platform overnight, but we can see it
as one of our goals in spiritual life and pray to
those who are on that platform.
Lord Caitanya is the embodiment of compassion.
Lord Nityananda showed even more compassion
than Lord Caitanya in the pastime of Jagai and
Madhai when He tolerated the hitting of the pot
and prayed for Jagai's and Madhai's welfare.
Srila Advaita Acarya was thinking of the welfare
of everybody out of his great compassion and
because of his prayers Caitanya Mahaprabhu has
appeared.
Haridas Thakura was whipped in twenty-two market
places. He prayed for the people who were whipping
him. To prevent them from getting in trouble he
made believe that he was dead.
Vasudeva Datta prayed to Lord Caitanya, "Let me
stay in this material world forever and suffer for
everyone's sins so that all can go back to the spiritual
world.” Lord Caitanya said that Vasudeva Datta was
compassion personified.
Srila Narada Muni, out of compassion, cursed
Manigriva and Nalakuvara so that later they would
be able to see Lord Krishna.
Ambarisa Maharaja was cursed by Durvasa Muni.
Durvasa Muni was offended because Ambarisa took a
little water before he fed Durvasa. Durvasa Muni was
chased by Krishna's Sudarsana Cakra. Ambarisa
Maharaja fasted for one year and prayed for Durvasa
Muni's welfare; finally, Durvasa Muni was saved by
Ambarisa Maharaja.
Giving Milk to the Tigers
Is it enough to have compassion only for human
beings? No, as all living entities are Krishna's parts
and parcels. Srila Prabhupada emphasizes this point
in the following purport in the Srimad Bhagavatam:
He [the sadhu] is not only a well-wisher of human society,
but a well-wisher of animal society as well. It is said here,
sarva-dehinam, which indicates all living entities who
have accepted material bodies. Not only does the human
being have a material body, but other living entities, such
as cats and dogs, also have material bodies. The devotee of
the Lord is merciful to everyone ̶ the cats, dogs, trees, etc.
He treats all living entities in such a way that they can
ultiksmately get salvation from this material
entanglement. Sivananda Sena, one of the disciples of
dog transcendentally. There are many instances where a
dog got salvation by association with a sadhu, because a
sadhu engages in the highest philanthropic activities for
the benediction of all living entities.
None of the devotees went to the cave to meet
Haridas Thakura because there was a big serpent
there. Haridas Thakura was getting ready to leave the
cave because he did not want the devotees to be
disturbed and he did not want to disturb the serpent
either. The serpent, being empathic toward Haridas
Thakura, left because the Supersoul was dictating to it
from within the heart. Ca tee re
vo
Srila Prabhupada: "Yes. If you have a
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come on. ...contd. on page 74
Family Oriented Social Care

1. Provide pre- and post-marital counseling either done by trained devotees or through
recommending specific people or organizations
 At a certain level of community size, create a team of mature, successful gåhastha
trained to give premarital and post marital counseling as well as giving help
in finding spouses for devotees. Arrange for the counselors to receive training from
devotee specialists and/or non-devotee specialists.
 Have regular seminars available and promoted on the above topics.
 Arrange for specialists to give counseling for difficult cases.
  Only perform temple fire sacrifices for couples who have completed pre-marital
counseling.

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2. Give vocational guidance
 Set up a team of devotees experienced in business, who can counsel devotees in
finding suitable jobs/ businesses to earn a living with as much job satisfaction as
possible. Also they should counsel them on how to solve workplace problems so
that their spiritual life is not disturbed.
 Care-givers discuss individually with devotees how to manage their time so that
their family obligations and spiritual life can be balanced.

Renunciation Oriented Social Care

3. Provide a supportive community for maintaining renunciation
 Have a mentor or counselor program where seasoned renunciates guide beginners
 Provide for regular saìgas of hearing and chanting for renunciates only

4. Create a family atmosphere of love and trust among the renunciates

 Have celebrations for milestones such as anniversary among the renunciate
community
 Arrange for pilgrimages or preaching programs that renunciates can do together

General Social Care

5. Understand each devotee's individual situation

 Care-givers can regularly visit the homes or äçramas of devotees to build
relationships

6. Elderly devotees flourish with appropriate attention

 Make a system to give priority in darçana, prasädam service etc for elderly devotees,
as a mark of respect for their age.
 Make older devotees feel more useful by engaging them in giving classes,
counseling etc

7. Children should be valued members

 At a certain level of community size, create different programs for: small children
up to age 7, pre-teen children of age 8 – 12, adolescent boys, adolescent girls, and
youth, suitable for their stage of emotional and physical development. These pro-
grams should engage children and youth in practical, meaningful service alongside
the adult members

8. Create opportunities for devotees to engage in service with others who are in similar
situations
 Have service projects where devotees can work in groups where they can serve with
others of the same gender, age range, äçrama status, or nature of
occupation (service projects where teenaged girls work together, votee Care
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service projects where devotees who are doctors work together, etc.)
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9. Create opportunities for devotees to engage in service with others who are in different
situations
 Celebrate festivals such as the appearance and disappearance days of our äcäryas
(i.e. Rüpa Gosvämé, Narottama däsa Öhäkura) on a small scale, where devotees
from various äçramas, ages, and interests work together
10. Nurture behaviors and attitudes to create a healthy Vaiñëava community with 'unity
in diversity'.
 Train devotees in Vaiñëava etiquette and good conduct, devotee relationships and
other practical Vaiñëava life-skills
 Arrange regular iñöagoñöhés and meetings – between senior devotees, between
senior devotees and newer devotees, between temple-dependent and other devotees
etc.

11. Encourage devotees to care for Mother Earth, who is protected by Lord Kåñëa
 In accordance with local conditions, sensitize devotees on their obligations to live
in a sustainable way, caring for the environment (Mother Nature) e.g. use of cloth
bags for shopping, environmentally friendly disposable plates, or re-useable steel
plates, recycling garbage, rainwater harvesting, solar and wind power

12. Help devotees to be ladies and gentlemen in behavior and attitudes

 Sensitize devotees on living as good neighbors and citizens, in order that Kåñëa
Consciousness may be better understood and accepted by local society due to the
exemplary behavior of devotees, while living in accordance with our spiritual
principles

13. Kåñëa consciousness can solve the problems of society

 Engage with the outside society to help solve local problems like malnutrition,
alcoholism, drug abuse, crime, stress etc in a manner compatible with our spiritual
vision.
 Promote cow protection by setting up and supporting goçäläs and exposing
people to the special nature of cows and our relationship with them.
 Engage in promoting vegetarianism and spiritual food, through prasädam
restaurants, cookery classes, and sale of prasädam like baked and ready-to-eat items
through food outlets

14. Aim towards creating alternate social arrangements

 Give classes and hands-on workshops on gardening, cow-protection and other
agrarian means of living
 Develop farm projects where devotees can live in close proximity
 Encourage devotees to buy, sell, and trade with each other rather than the outside
society

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Letter to Bhagavan, Los Angeles, 7 devotional service and living as an ideal grihastha.
July 1971
The two marriages recommended by you may be
performed at that time as well, but only after
having sufficiently counseled the respective
devotees. This marriage business should not be
taken as a farce, but is a very serious matter.
Recently so many couples have been cast adrift by
the waves of maya's influence. That is hard to
check, but still the devotees must realize the
responsibilities of household life. And there is no
question of separation. Too much this has been
happening and I am very much displeased. So if
they are promising not to separate under any
circumstances, but to work cooperatively in the
service of the Lord, then my sanction is there for
their marriage, and my blessings as well.
Otherwise not.
Letter to James Doody, 10 July 1969
Our Krishna is a great family personality. Krishna
is never a mendicant, and our ambition is to enter
into Krishna's family and to associate with Him
personally. So to marry and to become an
exemplary householder is the ideal life of Krishna
consciousness.
Letter to Susan Beckman, 20 September
1972
Actually there is no difference between devotees
living inside the temple and devotees living outside
the temple. You are right that the important thing is
to remember Krishna, whatever is your activities.
Letter to Shankara Pyne, 15 November 1973
You can still advance in Krishna consciousness even
in the office by chanting and giving some percentage
to the Mandira. Our philosophy is that all the fruits of
our activity go to Krishna for His enjoyment. It does not
matter what our position may be.
Letter to Krishna Dasa, 9 June 1974
It is pleasing to me to hear you are happily engaged in
Please go on as you are doing; keep your business
separate and wherever you remain keep your family
in Krishna consciousness always chanting Hare
Krishna and observing the regulative principles.
Cultivate your business for Krishna, remain happy in
Krishna consciousness and always serve Krishna.
Letter to Shilavati Devi Dasi, 14 June
1969
The actual system is that the husband is spiritual
master to his wife, but if the wife can bring her
husband into practicing this process then it is
all right that the husband accepts the wife
as spiritual master.
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Most devotees are married
‘
(grhastha), and further, the
One of the grhastha asrama is the basis of all
lady devotees, other asramas—and of the lives of
our children. So we want the
Balai Dasi, grhastha asrama to be as strong as
possible. Recently, from December
had recently 18 to 20, we held a Couples'
gotten Weekend in Durban, facilitated by
Arcana-siddhi and her husband
married and Karnamrita. All the participants felt
enlivened by the experience. Here is
wasn't sure my address on the opening day:
what her Through the process of Krishna
relationship
with her
husband
‘ When I first joined the Boston temple
in 1969, we all were quite young and
not many of us were married. And we
were so new to Krishna conscious-
ness and so dependent on Srila
Prabhupada that we asked him for
guidance in every area. One of the
should be.
lady devotees, Balai Dasi, had
recently gotten married and wasn't
sure what her relationship with her
vo
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Sp
Prabhupada, and he replied, “Just as
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the right hand has a relationship with
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the left hand through the body, so
you have a relationship with your
husband through Krishna, with
Krishna in the center.” There is the right
hand, and there is the left hand, but
what connects them is the body. In this
example, the right and left hands are the
husband and wife, and the body is
Krishna.
We had to change our consciousness,
Prabhupada told us, and put Krishna at
the center. That, he said, would make all
the difference. When our false ego is at
the center, we have so many problems,
but when Krishna is at the center, our
relationships become harmonious.
We come into the material world out
of envy of Krishna. We want to take the
position of Krishna and be the enjoyer,
the controller, the proprietor. This is
our mood in conditioned existence.
And when we come into the material
world, we end up competing not only
with Krishna but also with so many
other competitors of Krishna. And that
egoistic mood can enter the home. We
compete to be the enjoyers, the
zcontrollers, and the proprietors, and
that leads to conflict—so many
imitation gods fighting for supremacy.
consciousness, our false, bodily
identification is replaced by the
realization of our true identity as gopi-
bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-
dasanudasah—the servant of the
servant of the servant of the servant of
Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis.
When a disciple asked Srila
Prabhupada, “What should we do when
there are conflicts among the
devotees?” he replied, “If each devotee
thinks, 'I am the servant of the servant of
the servant of Krishna,' then there will
be no more conflict.” The same
principle applies in the home. If each
family member thinks and feels, “I am
the servant of the servant of the servant
of Krishna,” the relationships will be
very congenial. But that requires a
revolution in consciousness. We are in
the material world because we want to
be the master of the master of the
masters, and that mentality leads to
frustration, disappointment, and
death—repeated birth and death.
Becoming the servant of the servant of
the servants of Krishna leads to
happiness and ultimate liberation.
Soon after I first met Srila Prabhupada
and the devotees, as a university
student in Boston, I heard that Srila
Prabhupada's spiritual master, Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura,
had said that when you come to
Krishna consciousness you become
relieved of the burden of enjoyment. I
was actually feeling that burden,

‘
because every weekend there would
mamata prema-sangata Soon after I first
be a very strong competition for who
bhaktir ity ucyate bhisma-
would enjoy the most. Leading up to met Srila
prahladoddhava-naradaih
the weekend, the students—and Prabhupada and
perhaps the faculty too—were “When one develops an unflinching
making plans how to enjoy. These
the devotees, as a
sense of ownership or possessiveness
plans included going to restaurants, in relation to Lord Visnu, or, in other university student
going to movies, going to shows, words, when one thinks Visnu and no in Boston, I heard
going to parties, going to clubs—so one else to be the only object of love,
that Srila
many plans. I didn't really like any of such an awakening is called bhakti
those activities, and it was a burden for [devotion] by exalted persons like Prabhupada's
me to have to enjoy like the others. And Bhisma, Prahlada, Uddhava, and spiritual master,
then the students would ask each other, Narada.” (Brs 1.4.2, Cc Madhya 23.8) Srila
“What did you do? Where did you go?”
There are some beautiful prayers by Bhaktisiddhanta
“Oh, I went a party. We all got high and .
Queen Kunti to Lord Krishna:
. .” “Oh, I went out on a date and . . .” Sarasvati Thakura,
atha visvesa visvatman
The statement that when you become a visva-murte svakesu me had said that when
devotee you become relieved of the
burden of enjoying resonated with me.
It was artificial for me to try to enjoy
like that. It was artificial because as
souls our real pleasure comes in
relationship with the Supreme Soul.
sneha-pasam imam chindhi
drdham pandusu vrsnisu
“O Lord of the universe, soul of the
universe, O personality of the form of
the universe, please, therefore, sever my
‘
you come to Krishna
consciousness you
become relieved of
the burden of
tie of affection for my kinsmen, the enjoyment.
True love exists only in relation to
Pandavas and the Vrsnis.” (SB 1.8.40)
Krishna. The Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu
defines pure love (prema) as the tvayi me 'nanya-visaya
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focusing of all one's loving propensities matir madhu-pate 'sakrt vo
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gangevaugham udanvati
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‘
“O Lord of Madhu, as the Ganges
We want the forever flows to the sea without
material aspect, hindrance, let my attraction be
constantly drawn unto You without
which is based being diverted to anyone else.” (SB
1.8.41)
on the body, to body or the mind are due to the
As we become serious in Krishna
be become less consciousness, this really becomes
and less our prayer: “Let my love flow to
Krishna without any hindrance, just
prominent and as the Ganges flows to the ocean.”
the spiritual These statements—“Please sever my
attachments for my family members.
aspect, which is Let my love flow exclusively unto
You without being diverted to
based on the anyone else”—raise some questions:
soul, through What about other relationships?
What happens to my relationships
the medium of with my friends and family?
the Supreme
Soul, to become
more and more
‘ In his purport, Srila Prabhupada
makes a very interesting point. He
says that Kunti's family members
were devotees of Krishna. Her
paternal family members, the Vrsnis,
prominent. were devotees, and her sons, the
Pandavas, were devotees. And
affection for devotees is not outside
the pale of Krishna consciousness, of
pure devotional service. So when Kunti
prays, “Please sever my ties of affection for
my kinsmen,” she means that she wants
the affection based on the body to be cut.
“Her affection for the Pandavas and
the Vrsnis is not out of the range of
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devotional service because the
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service of the Lord and the service of
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the devotees are identical.
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48 Sometimes service to the devotee is
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more valuable than service to the
Lord. But here the affection of
Kuntidevi for the Pandavas and the
Vrsnis was due to family relation.
This tie of affection in terms of
material relation is the relation of
maya because the relations of the
influence of the external energy.
Relations of the soul, established in
relation with the Supreme Soul, are
factual relations. When Kuntidevi
wanted to cut off the family relation,
she meant to cut off the relation of
the skin. The skin relation is the
cause of material bondage, but the
relation of the soul is the cause of
freedom. This relation of the soul to
the soul can be established by the via
media of the relation with the
Supersoul.” (SB 1.8.41 purport)
There are two categories of
affection—one based on the body
and one based on the soul, soul-to-
soul, through the medium of the
Supersoul, the Supreme Soul. When
Kunti prays, “Please sever my ties of
affection for my kinsmen,” she means
the affection that is based on the
body—so that only the affection based
on the soul remains. Affection based on
the body leads to bondage and death,
whereas affection based on the soul
leads to liberation and eternal life.
So, we don't have to give up our
family relationships, but we want to
purify them. We want the material
aspect, which is based on the body,
to be become less and less prominent
and the spiritual aspect, which is
based on the soul, through the
medium of the Supreme Soul, to
become more and more prominent.
And the more the spiritual
dimension of our relationships
become prominent, the more they
become congenial to our happiness
and ultimate success in life.
One authority on marriage said,
“Marriage is not supposed to make
you happy. It's supposed to make
you married, and once you are
safely and totally married you have
a structure of security and support
from which you can find your own
happiness.” So we are here to work
on our marriages. We are not in any
illusion that marriage per se will
bring us happiness, but we want to
work on our marriages so that we
can function well as parts of a unit,
the family unit, and within the
relative peace and mutual support
in that unit find our own inner
happiness, which is the only real
happiness there is.
The marital relationship also
provides the basis for the couple's
children to develop Krishna
consciousness and be happy. Some
time later, Srila Prabhupada wrote to
Balai, “In materialistic marriages
generally there are too many
troubles and frustrations because the
basic principle for both the husband
and wife is their own personal sense
gratification. Therefore there is
inevitable conflict and divorce
petition. But in a Krishna conscious
marriage the basic principle is for
both husband and wife to serve
Krishna nicely and to help the
partner advance in spiritual life. In
this way both the husband and wife
are true benefactors for one another
and there is no question of any
serious conflicts or separation. So I am
sure that to have such nice parents
who are devotees of Lord Krishna,
your child Nandini is very, very
fortunate. In the Bhagavad-gita
Krishna instructs us that for one to be
born in the family of devotees means
that such person was the most pious
of all living entities. So raise Nandini
very carefully in Krishna consciousness,
and surely Krishna will bestow all
blessings upon you and your family.”
So I am happy for all of you who have
come to the Couples' Weekend. Here
we have older couples and newer
couples. We often hear at japa retreats,
“I wish I had heard these things thirty
years ago,” but better late than never.
‘
Some of the older couples here may
leave thinking, “I wish I had heard
But in a
these things thirty years ago,” but krishna
better late than never. And some of the
younger ones may think, “I am so glad I conscious
attended this workshop so early in my ‘
marriage, for I am being guided from
marriage the
the very beginning about what basic
possibilities to expect and how to deal
with them.” But the soul is eternal, and principle is
Krishna consciousness is eternal, and
our relationships based on Krishna
for both
consciousness are also eternal. So even husband and
if in a relative, material sense we are
starting late, it is never too late, and in wife to serve
relation to eternal time we are just
krishna nicely
developing the proper mood of loving
service that will continue into eternity.
These material bodies are just dresses
for the soul. Our identities based on the
body and mind are temporary and
and to help
the partner
advance in
‘ ‘
illusory. Our real identities are as
loving servants of Krishna and His spiritual life.
devotees, and whatever we are doing
here in the material world is practice
for our eternal life in the spiritual
world, where we will serve Krishna and
His devotees in ecstatic love. As Srila
Prabhupada said, if a high school
student is doing college-level work, he
can be promoted to college. So if we are
in the material world but are engaged
in the activities of the spiritual world, Giriraja Swami, a
we can be promoted to the spiritual Guru and GBC is
world. The basic activity of the actively involved in
spiritual world, which includes many Devotee Care
chanting the holy names and glories of Projects.
Sri Krishna, is to render loving service
to Krishna and the other servants of
Krishna. And the grhastha asrama is a
suitable situation for practicing loving
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eternal loving service in the spiritual
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 For a devotee, choosing a partner
seems difficult from various angles.
The foremost one is of finding
someone equally interested in
spiritual life. The second one is to
make sure that both are materially
compatible to some extent at least.
‘
The third is the fact that we have so
We normally few devotees to choose from.
think that we Finally, the fourth is the
apprehension whether it will work
should “fall in out and whether we will be satisfied
in our marriage.
love” in order to We certainly should look around with
There are a few marriage bureaus
marry someone. run by ISKCON devotees who
However, that maintain a data-base of matrimonial
seekers, but we still may not be able
love is to make up our mind from that list or
may not be able to find the right
dependent on partner.
some physical involved in choosing a life partner.
The first step in choosing a partner is
and mental
attractions that
normally do not
‘ to take shelter of Krishna and pray to
Him, that if He is favorable to the
idea of our getting married, then may
He kindly help us in finding the right
person. Taking this step requires
that we have faith first in Krishna as a
last for long person who is willing to help us. We
must have to have faith that the
person Krishna helps us find will
certainly be the best for us. We
should be ready to accept the person
as partner for life.
We normally think that we should
“fall in love” in order to marry
someone. However, that love is
dependent on some physical and
mental attractions that normally do
not last for long, at least not in the
same its intensity as in the beginning.
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likely encounter many difficulties if
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that is not the person sanctioned by
Krishna for us. Love is not just a heady
romance. It is the deep commitment we
have for someone through all
circumstances— – good or bad. It can
unite two people in such a deep bond
when the as a shared goal is to reach
Krishna. Appreciating each other's'
good qualities, helping one another to
overcome one's weaknesses, and
serving one another is what deepens,
their love.
the help of senior and trusted devotees
in ISKCON, for a suitable person. If
we do come across an eligible person
on our own, we should consult with
devotees to find out more about the
person's background, if it is a devotee.
In India, the family members get
We may consult with devotee
astrologers to match the horoscopes
to ensure compatibility and success in
our marriage. The guru may, as a
representative of Krishna, overlook
some astrological forecasts if that is
what Krishna wants. However,
generally, we should avoid the risks of
marrying an incompatible person,
which may not be evident to us in our
superficial acquaintance with them.
The first is that, aAfter marriage, our
behavior towards our spouse may
change when we are no longer trying
to put on our best behavior. The
second is that, astrologically, our
karmas get inter-connected due to
marriage. So it would be wise to see if
our karmas together will help each
other to go through life or not.
“Man and woman should not be
united simply on the consideration of
sex life. There are many other
considerations, especially character and taste. If
the taste and character differ between man and
woman, their combination will be unhappy. Even
about forty years ago, in Indian marriages, the taste
and character of the boy were first of all matched,
and then they were allowed to marry . . .
…According to astrological calculation, a person is
classified according to whether he belongs to the
godly or demoniac quality. In that way the spouse
was selected. A girl of godly quality should be
handed over to a boy of godly quality. A girl of
demoniac quality should be handed over to a boy of
demoniac quality. Then they will be happy. But if
the girl is demoniac and the boy is godly, then the
combination is incompatible; they cannot be happy
in such a marriage. At the present moment, because
boys and girls are not married according to quality
and character, most marriages are unhappy, and
there is divorce.” (SB 3..24.15 purport).
We may find a very new devotee to marry, in
which case we should certainly ienquire and be
certain that they are serious about progressing in
Krishna consciousness. If the person we have
chosen happens to be a non- devotee (as a last and
unavoidable resort), we should certainly explain
to him/her our serious commitment to Krishna
consciousness. We should invite him/her to
associate with devotees. Only if he/she shows
genuine interest in progressing in Krishna
consciousness, we should we consider marrying
the person, after getting the blessings of the
gGuru, or senior Vaishnavas in case we haves not
yet found our guru.
What values are important to consider whenile
choosing a partner?
Men normally look toforward to the physical
attractiveness of a woman, and women to to the
economic and educational status of a man. There
is nothing wrong with this, except that this should
certainly not be the top-most priority.
Srila Prabhupada comments, “The girl Devahuti
did not personally see Kardama Mmuni, nor did
she personally experience his character or
qualities, since there was no social intercourse by
which she could gain such understanding. But she
heard about Kardama Mmuni from the authority
of Narada Mmuni. Hearing from an authority is
better than gaining personal understanding. She
heard from Narada Mmuni that Kardama Mmuni
was just fit to be her husband; therefore she
became fixed in her heart that she would marry
him, and she expressed her desire to her father,
who therefore brought her before him.”
The top-most priority for Devahuti infor choosing
Kardama Mmuni was his noble character, then
learning, and then beautiful appearance, and last of
all, youth and other virtues. She did not even think
of his economic status, for she recognized that was
not the important thing for a happy marriage. The
other great qualities would more than compensate
for wealth, even though she had every right to
expect a wealthy husband, as she was a princess and
used to luxurious living.
Kardama Mmuni first of all considered Devahuti's
character, steadfastness, and chastity, which are the
most important virtues of a woman. Only after that
did he consider her beauty. He also gives importance
to having children through their marriage and
reveals his great desire to do devotional service. He
was ready to accept her in marriage only on the
condition that she would accept and cooperate with
him to advance in Krishna consciousness.
We should have our priorities in life right. Our main
goal should be to attain the Lotus Feet of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead in this life itself.
Only then will we make the right choices. Krishna
will also aid us in the regulated fulfillment of our
material desires, so that we can overcome them and
be able to fix our minds on Him. Whatever Krishna
provides for us will be the very best for us. This faith
a devotee must have. Even if there seems to be some
discrepancies in what Krishna has given us, we
should understand that the Lord knows what is best
for us, and will make us happy. Unless we trust the
Lord and accept His judgment, we will never be
satisfied with our spouses. The materialistic mind is
such that it is always hankering for more and more
sense gratification. That is the reason for divorces
and multiple marriages in non-Vedic communities.
We accept the families into which we are born, and
do not try to find some other family to join, no
matter what our personal differences with them may
be. We do not try to change our parents, or siblings,
or even children. We accept them as God-given and
live with them through mutual adjustments. Then
why can we not accept our spouse also as God-given
and try to remain together without break-ups?
Let us get a head start in our marriageSo by receiving
getting the assistance, sanction, and blessings of guru
or trusted senior devotees in choosing our life partner.
(Rewritten from the chapter titled “Choosing
a Partner”, which appears in the book tee Care
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Third Partner. For more details on the
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 naham ninde na ca staumi
sva-bhava-visamam janam
etesam sreya asase
utaikatmyam mahatmani
Different people are of different mentalities. Therefore
it is not mybusiness either to praise them or to
blaspheme them. I only desire their welfare, hoping
that they will agree to become one with theSupersoul,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. SB
7.13.42
From Srila Prabhupada's Purport: Therefore a
saintly person does not discriminate between that
which is supposedly good and supposedly bad;
rather, he desires for everyone to be happy in Krsna
consciousness, which is the ultimate goal of life.
The basic rule with youth, and with anyone, is that
we have a genuine humble service attitude, offering
respect and not expecting any in return. Some of the
basic areas concerning caring for youth, based on
my limited experience, are as follows:
1. We should recognize that this phase of growing
up is the most volatile and unstable—most youths
(boys and girls) are dealing with insecurities. Many
of them want to find a way to either assert their
individuality or simply convince
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phase of life but do not know
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how to channel it. They challenge norms and habits
that their parents forced on them when they were
younger, especially in the field of religion and
spiritual thinking, so they can be rebellious or just
questioning in nature. By understanding these
traits, it becomes easier to understand their needs,
especially the need to feel cared for and respected.
2. Against such a background, youth can be
successful if we try doing the following as devotees
reaching out to them:
(a) Establish a simple and easy-going friendship with
them. Don't be in a hurry to dictate or command or
establish clear lines of authority—they get that from
their parents and they don't want that when they
meet us.
(b) What youths really want is someone they can
speak to and confide in without the formalities of an
elder-younger relationship, so it's better to start by
being friends with them. We should hear them
more in the beginning rather than make them hear
us; if we become too preachy they will walk away.
What youths really want, and often don't realize,
is to eventually repose trust in a figure of loving
authority—but they are too individualistic in the
beginning to admit it. So youth leaders must open
up clear lines of communication, be good listeners,
and be patient in hearing many mundane things
initially from youths.
(d) Very often, I find that constant communication
with youths, outside programs, is critical to
establishing loving dealings and increasing faith
and trust. So, youth care involves plenty of
outreach, starting with regular phone calls,
meetings, and outings. When they see that you are
genuinely interested in forming a strong and
sincere friendship, they become more trusting and
therefore more committed.
(e) Spiritual activities that are popular with youth
tend to be energy oriented. Kirtans and music are
wonderful, and when youths are comfortable,
giving them menial service is good. But the key is to
work with them, and not just give them work and
run away. I find washing pots and plates, cleaning
side by side, really inspires them as they see a
leader being an example and walking the talk.
(f) Youth care is successful when the youths feel
that they BELONG. Make them feel that the
temple they visit and the programs they attend are
part of their lives, i.e., "It's your program, please
take care of it and serve Krishna.”
The young devotees love that because it makes
them feel grown up and more like adults. Give
them responsibilities slowly and gradually, and by
doing that and treating them like adults, albeit
cautiously, their confidence and faith in Krishna
and devotees will grow very nicely. Fan the fire of
enthusiasm in them, and when they face challenges
in helping out in the activities, make them feel
courageous—that this service to Krishna is the
highest, the sweetest, and most satisfying.
(g) I find that many youths get fried when we are
too preachy, but caring for them intrinsically
involves giving them Srila Prabhupada's
wonderful message of Krishna consciousness. So
we tailor philosophy by being practical about the
approach—regular simple discussions on how
the Gita can help them in school, relationships,
homework, problems, etc.—that is what attracts
youths. Once they are convinced that chanting,
reading, and the Gita can deliver them peace and
happiness, they become sold out.
Conclusion
Caring for youths is a holistic journey. They are very
fragile at this stage of their lives, but like all of us,
they seek some loving dealings, trust, faith in them,
and of course, they seek Krishna without realizing it.
We need to be consistent in communicating with
them; we need to find and train leaders who are
almost their contemporaries, who can be
friends—someone who will look out for them, whom
they can respect.
Youth care also involves bending the rules of Krishna
consciousness, not breaking them. Sometimes we
have to tolerate their misgivings, funny ideas,
concoctions, and even bad habits like smoking and
drinking, if their company has been bad—but being
loving, urging them to chant, and giving them
prasadam in any form will purify them and us. Many
of the youths that form the core of our programs had
bad habits at the start, but continuing our loving
dealings with them, never giving up, being in
constant communication, and giving them nice
service really helped. I find SB 7.13.42 very, very
useful in being broad-minded and broad-hearted
when dealing with and caring for youths . . . for that
matter, when dealing with anyone!
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Devakinandan das preaches in vo
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bringing youth to Krishna
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Consciousness.
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1. Alignment with Srila Prabhupada
 Krishna Conscious family life is consistent
with the teachings and example of Srila
Prabhupada, which must be ap-plied with
consideration of time, place and
circumstance.
 In the field of grihastha life, one should take
into account the local culture with-out
compromising Srila Prabhupada's teachings.
One should not attempt to simply transpose
practices from one culture to another without
understanding the principles and values
underpinning them.
2. Spiritual Growth and Progress
 Family life as well as the home itself
v o tee Care should be an asrama of spiritual
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 Personal growth and
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character formation are
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integral to spiritual development.
 Though Vaishnava theology values ultimate
renunciation, such renunciation has to be
internal and mature. Other wise, it is
inappropriate and may be
3. Spiritual Equality/Material Difference
 The Gaudiya Vaishnava theology offers a clear
conceptual model to address issues of unity and
diversity.
 Men and women exhibit general physical and
psychological differ-ences that need to be
acknowledged as practical realities while
simultan-eously avoiding rigid and/or unhealthy
stereotypes.
 Husband and wife best negotiate their respective
roles with consideration of Krishna Conscious-
ness and their own personal and cultural
backgrounds.
 Men and women have equal rights to practice
spiritual life and to develop their individual
 Krishna. Householders are advised to integrate as
far as possible, their material and spiritual
identities. Even though the latter is ultimately
more important, a devotee should not neglect
self-understanding on the material level
4. Positive and Realistic Vision
 One should enter the grihastha ashram with the
correct attitudes and expectations, especially
being careful to avoid misinterpretation of
scriptural truths and/or being influenced by
inappropriate personal and social paradigms.
 One should, as far as possible, avoid both
negative attitudes and unrealistic expectations
towards married life as both may dampen one's
enthusiasm. It is also essential to hold before
 oneself suitable criteria for a successful mar-
riage.
 Support from elders, as far as possible and
practical, is important in entering into any
marriage arrangement.
5. Mutual Respect and Appreciation
 Respect for all others in a basic Vaishnava
value.
 Without mutual appreciation, it is not
possible to develop more intimate
relationships. A decline in appreciation will
lead to a deteriorating relationship
 One should learn to develop without
familiarity.
6. Commitment and Dedication
 With determination and unshakable
commitment, inevitable hard times that come
in married life.
 Affection and love don't happen automatically,
as in the popularized concepts of romantic
love, but are developed through service.
7. Open and Honest Communications
 One should set aside quality time for heart-to-
heart communications with one's spouse and
children.
 One should maintain open dialogues with
appropriate others, and avoid denial, es-
pecially on sensitive issues, e.g. intimacy and
sex-life.
8. Personal and Social Responsibility
 Entering the grihastha ashram is an
opportunity to take on more KC responsibility.
 Devotees can preach effectively by demonst-
rating responsibility, integrity and other
exemplary qualities.
9. Economic Development & Prosperity
 An important householder duty is to ethically
generate wealth and prosperity.
 A devotee should avoid an unhealthy
poverty-mentality, understanding the
benefits of prosperity, both individually and
to promote Krishna consciousness.
 Charity is an essential duty for grihasthas.
10. Focus on Children's Welfare
 Nurturing spiritually qualified children is the
main purpose of married life.
 Children should not be neglected for any
reason, e.g. in the name of spiritual life.
 Financial stability is nefulfill children's needs.
 Proactive steps must be taken to avoid all forms
of child abuse.
 Parents should develop affection, a sense of
protection and responsibility towards all
children in the community, not just their own
offspring. Krishna Conscious should be made
relevant and accessible to children
 Parents should accept appropriate support and
training in regards to rearing children.
11. Family Love and Affection
 It is natural to have affection for others, and
especially other Vaisnavas. Krishna Con-sciousness
does not accrue from simply ne-gating or stifling
worldly-affection; nor are family ties necessarily, e.g.
at every stage of life, an impediment to Krishna
Conscious-ness.
 A stable emotional background, where fam-ily
members feel wanted and appreciated, is
essential for children's personal and spiritual
growth.
 There is great value in a strong sense of
community, as traditionally expressed through
the extended family.
12. Regulated, Balanced and Exemplary Lifestyle
 Regulation is an important feature of devotee life,
especially for householders who have to juggle
many different types of responsi-bilities.
 Devotees moving to the second ashram should
anticipate significant changes in life-style. Some
difficulties in establishing a balanced and
regulated lifestyle are to be ex-pected, and one
should seek suitable support and guidance.
 House-holders should maintain their spiritual
priorities, e.g. sadhana, as well as uphold in their
more-worldly obligations.
 Preaching without practical example is not
effective. Devotee householders should
demonstrate such exemplary life styles that other
become inquisitive as to what under-lies their
success.
The Grihasta Training Course is a four-day
interactive seminar teaching such topics as values,
perceptions, and expectations of married life,
communication skills, conflict resolution skills,
financial responsi-bility, and parenting skills to
name a few. This course is designed for those
devotees considering marriage, those
engaged to be married, newly married tee Care
vo
Sp
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couples, and mature married
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couples wishing to enhance their
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relationship. I e
 We sit in the Calcutta Airport
waiting for an announcement, the

‘
flight three hours late. The many
I don't like the ceiling fans do little to refresh the
air, polluted by cigarette smoke and
word force," I hundreds of bodies. My ten-year-old
say at last. son and I sit by a door, opened a
crack but with negligible effect. I
"Don't parents talk with a blue-sareed nun from
Pune who wishes us the best in our
'force' their spiritual journey. Then I talk with a
children to couple who supervise testing for
students seeking admission to
brush their European and American schools.
teeth and wear Then, from an Indian gentleman, Hare Krishna mantra. But how can
the inevitable questions. one require willing participation?
clean clothes? I've explained it countless times, and
"Is this your son?"
Yet neither again I beg the Lord to give me
"Yes, and we have a seventeen-year- intelligence and the ability to ignore
parents nor old son and a thirteen-year-old the second-hand tobacco smoke.
children
generally see
this as force.
‘ daughter."
"Are they also practicing Hare
Krishna?"
"Oh, yes."
"I don't like the word force," I say at
last. "Don't parents 'force' their
children to brush their teeth and
wear clean clothes? Yet neither
parents nor children generally see
Why? "Do you force them?" this as force. Why?"
I take one of the last drinks from my "Well, we try to explain the reasons."
bottle of mineral water and lean
forward. "Yes, and we set an example."

Force. Everyone wants to know if we "And habit?"

force. The devotees at our project in
Mayapur discussed this with me at
length, and here it is again. Our
three children certainly do not feel
tee Care
vo forced. Yet we expect, and to some
Sp
ON D e
"Yes, we try to develop spiritual
habits in the children. Of course,
spiritual life and a love for Krishna's
name are natural for the soul, so these
things are not externally imposed by

degree require, their active and

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habit. But developing habits in

willing participation in our spiritual children brings them to take as
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life, especially the chanting of the
I
natural what is actually natural."
"Like—you wake up early, right?"
"Yes, three-thirty. So to our children
that's simply a normal time to wake up.
They see six o'clock as late. In the same
way, a normal person likes clean air and
clean lungs. Not like this room."
We both lean back, and my son
Kesava continues to chant on his
beads.
"Mata," he asks me, "I want to see if I
can leave this area and walk around
the airport."
"Sure."
I turn to the gentleman. "It may
sometimes appear that we demand
things of the children, but the point
is to awaken their natural attraction
for Krishna. It's like training children
to brush their teeth regularly so
they'll come to feel uncomfortable
with an unclean mouth."
My acquaintance is satisfied and
turns to his newspaper.
Just how do we instill in our children
love for spiritual life? First, we should
surround them with spiritual
activities, especially the chanting of
the Hare Krishna mantra, and protect
them from all opportunities to grow
fond of the modes of passion and
ignorance. These precautions won't
narrow children. Doing these things is
as reasonable as surrounding children
with a clean house and getting rid of
dirt from clothes, floors, and
furniture. Letting children live with
dirt won't broaden them.
We sit our children by us when we
chant, and we expect them to chant
too, just as we put clean clothes in
their drawers and expect them to wear
them. We teach our children the Hare
Krishna mantra, show them how to
finger the beads and play musical
instruments, and guide them daily, as
much as we check every day to see if
they're dressed for the weather or have
finished their chores.
It's easy to understand how to teach
the mechanical, external aspects, but
is it even possible to teach the internal,
the feelings?
Just by teaching the
externals, of course, we give a
powerful yet subtle message:
"This is important." For
example, when a mother,
during her japa chanting
time, always insists that her
young child play quietly, the
child realizes the seriousness
with which his mother
approaches her chanting. So
the child will naturally
imitate.
Beyond that, one can set the
example of a deep
commitment to spiritual
perfection throughout
one's life. The children
should see that this is a
joyful commitment, free
from hypocrisy and self-
righteousness. The children
need to be inspired by
regularly hearing the
philosophy of Krishna consciousness.
And, finally, we can pray to Krishna,
who is in the heart of our children, to
reveal His glories to them.
‘
With this program and the mercy of
Lord Krishna, as our children mature The children
they will voluntarily choose to work should see that
for the ultimate treasure, love of God.
Urmila Devi Dasi was initiated by Srila
this is a joyful
Prabhupada in 1973, has been involved commitment,
in ISKCON education since 1983, and
has a Masters of School Administration
and a Doctor of Education in Educational
Leadership from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned a
Master Practitioner certification in
free from
hypocrisy and
self-
‘
Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a righteousness.
counseling and teaching system, and is
also certified in the Prepare system of pre-
marital counseling.
(reprinted from Back to Godhead
Magazine, Volume 26 Number 06, 1992)
Urmila Devi Dasi is a regular
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contributor to our journal and the vo
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major author and compiler of
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Vaikuntha Children, a guide to Krsna
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conscious education for children.
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 1. Recognition of God – The Supreme
Owner
Act with the understanding that
everything belongs to God. At best, we
are careful stewards of God's resources,
energies and talents. At worst, we are
deluded and become cheaters and
thieves who claim another's property as
our own.
2. Careful Stewardship
Since everything belongs to God,
shouldn't we use God's resources in His
service? Prosperous people consciously
perform their duties taking care of self,
family and community as an act of
worship. Realize you've been entrusted
with family, talents, wealth, etc., that
are really not your own. Prosperous
people “plan their work and work their
plan,” through budgeting, keeping
good financial records, and reacting a
vision of their prosperity through goal
setting.
3. Thriftiness - “Waste not, want
not”
Consider that everything you waste has
consequences, such as producing
scarcity. Sometimes just a little care or
thoughtfulness will prevent great waste.
We get information from scriptures and
saints that there is no waste in the
eternal spiritual world. Increasing
prosperity requires reducing waste.
4. Give and you may receive
e Care This is perhaps the most misunderstood
vo
te
principle of prosperity. Tithing or
Sp
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and assist the needy is a fundamental
principle. This tithing is an investment in
the divine bank of the universe.
Sometimes when we feel scarcity, there is a
tendency to hoard. This is really the time
to give. Giving of your time is also
important.
5.Live a regulated, disciplined life
“Early to bed, early to rise makes a person
healthy, wealthy and wise” (Benjamin
Franklin). Organize regular prayer, time
for the family and donation to charity.
6. Simple living high thinking
Live simply, but think highly Adopting a
simple lifestyle, give up the tendency to
over-collect, to buy things we don't need
and to hanker for what others have.
Simplicity leaves room for more important
things.
7. Cultivate a “prosperity
consciousness”; eliminate the
“poverty consciousness”
Realize that God, our Creator, our best
well-wisher, wants us to prosper. It is
directly the will of Providence that we
have abundant health and the capacity to
care for ourselves and fulfill our
responsibilities. Prosperity consciousness
means practicing all these eight
principles consistently and regularly,
without neglecting any.
8. Share your success with others
Be an example for another. Teach
someone how to do what you have done.

Share the benefit of your successful

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regularly and consistently giving of

techniques and skills with others.
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  This body, O son of Kunté, is called the field, and one who knows this
body is called the knower of the field.”
—Bhagavad-Gita 13.1-2

 The human body is most rarely achieved, and although temporary like
other bodies, it is meaningful because in human life one can perform
devotional service.”
—Çrémad-Bhägavatam 7.6.1

 Hope this will find you in good health and right Kåñëa Consciousness.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Guidelines & Best Practices

Health Care - General

1. Ensure that Devotees learn how to take good care of their health
Arrange Seminars on
 Parameters to measure good health
 Healthy eating/ healthy cooking/ Organic food
 Exercise/ yoga/ ayurveda/use of cow product medicines from ISKCON farms
 Precautions to be taken when traveling
 Create a model of natural living in farm communities
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2. Emphasize importance of exercise
 Arrange a specific time when devotees can learn and practice yoga and other simple
forms of exercise.

Health for Temple-Dependent devotees

3. Ensure good quality Health-care is available to temple dependent devotees
Arrange annual health checks and low cost health care for temple dependent devotees

 Either set up a temple clinic and engage a visiting doctor, or fix outside clinic with
favorable rates. Costs could be reduced further if even non-resident devotees
participate in the plan.
 If there are doctors who are devotees, inspire them to offer their services at no cost or
low rates to temple-dependent devotees.
 Take out health insurance for major contingencies.

4. Provide a healthy diet and optimum sleep time for temple resident
devotees, including a special diet during illness and convalescence
 Work out a healthy diet for temple-resident devotees (e.g. more green leafy vegetables,
less oil, less white sugar, less white salt, less refined flour, milk from protected (goçälä)
cows, organic vegetables, fruits, and grains). Use filtered water and store prasädam in
hygienic keep-warm containers.
 Ensure devotees take meals at fixed times every day. Preferably served at 8:30 am, 1:30
pm, and 7:30 pm, in accordance with Ayurvedic recommendations.
 Minimum of six hours sleep per day
 Importance of dental hygiene (flossing teeth daily etc)
 Don't allow devotees to overwork
 In a large enough community, make a list of volunteers to care for devotees during
illness/ convalescence (this is easy in centers where the congregation is well developed
using systems like Bhakti våkña or Counselor System)
 During illness/ convalescence, provide special diet as per doctor's recommendations

Living Conditions of temple residents

5. Ensure clean and adequate living quarters
 Temple residents should be provided healthy living space with adequate light,
ventilation, sleeping and storage facilities.
 Toilets should also be clean and well equipped.
Premises should be kept free of rats, insects, etc

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Maintenance of Temple-dependent devotees
6. Provide adequate housing, medical care, and education for children, as
well as reasonable subsistence allowance for temple-dependent mahatmas
 Depending on family size, pay a standard allowance (or provide housing) to allow for a
living room, one bedroom for parents, and one for children.
 Subsistence allowance should provide for food, travel, utilities, clothing, and sundry
expenses.

7. Older devotees to be given special attention

 Provide old-age residences for temple-dependent devotees (brahmacärés, grihastha,
vänaprasthas, sannyäsés). Arrange for team of volunteers to provide personal care and
companionship for them. Arrange for their spiritual engagement.
 Subscribe to a pension scheme for temple-dependent gåhasthas.
 Provide health insurance if necessary

8. Create a facility for financial guidance

 To help temple-dependent gåhasthas in augmenting their income through book-
distribution and devotee-needs related businesses like travel, paraphernalia etc.
 Help should be given based on need and ability.

Specialized Needs
9. Give special attention to the needs of the ill, the differently abled, women
and children
 Provide chairs in the temple room for devotees unable to sit on the ground.
 Provide access to temple facilities for physically handicapped as per international
standards
 Designate a resting room for elderly visiting devotees to be used between programs on
festival days.
 Arrange for specialized dietary needs of residents/ invited guests
 Provide hospice facilities for residents with terminal diseases. Temples with large
organized congregations like CS/BV can develop their own, while others would use
regional shared facilities.
 Develop an äçrama for Vaiñëavés wherever there are ladies who wish to join the temple,.
 Provide facilities to engage children in activities if they are too young to participate in some
of the temple programs. Creche facilities for infants. Toys for the very young. Games,
stories, kértana, verse recitations etc for small children.
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 Provide a room where mothers with young children can hear the temple
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 More examples
 The Indian RGB has made it mandatory for all temples in India to have health

insurance for residential devotees.

 Bhaktivedanta Hospital in Mumbai
 Hospice in Vrindavana
 Senior brahmacari and single ladies asramas in Mayapur
 ISKCON Tirupati is planning to set up a project “Hare Krishna Care Home”,
which will be for the elderly devotees of ISKCON and will include a temple,
hospital and an asrama for the elderly. It will be located on fifty acres of land near
ISKCON temple.

Visitor Care
Have comfortable facility for guests that aids devotional practices
 Invited Guests - Receive at point of arrival; provide adequate room & prasädam in
accordance with dietary requirements; prepare itinerary with adequate provision
for sädhana and rest; Internet/email facilities; local transport with guide; for guests
from overseas – local mobile SIM card and plug adapters for electrical gadgets;
 Casual Visitors - Ensure all devotees are trained to meet 'new faces', greet them, help
them with the purpose of their visit to the temple, encourage them to join in kértana/
dance/ japa/ discourses, and then give them introduction to mahämantra, deity
worship, and Çréla Prabhupäda books, as well as the local congregation
development programs.
 Provide separate space where preaching to individuals or groups of visitors can take
place.
 Provide facility for overnight stay for enthusiastic devotees who stay far away but
wish to attend morning program sometimes
 Sufficient facilities for special programs (seminars, istagosthis etc) – room, seating
arrangement, projector and screen, flip chart boards, pens, microphone and sound
systems
Some important qualifications for care givers:

Sacrificing Spirit: Should be willing to extend themselves to help others in a

spirit of sacrifice.
Genuine concern : Should be compassionate and have a genuine concern for the
(Sincerity) welfare of all.
Empathy : Should be good listeners.
Maturity : Should be mature and sober.
Friendly : Care takers should be a Krishna conscious friend and guide.
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“In the glorious days, or before the advent of the
Age of Kali, the brähmaëas, the cows, the women,
the children and the old men were properly given
protection…. The protection of the old men gives
them a chance to prepare themselves for better life
after death.” (Çrémad-Bhägavatam 1.8.5, purport)
The leaders of ISKCON have a sacred duty to
provide shelter for devotees who have given their
lives in service to the Society. After serving
honorably and with deep dedication for many
years, devotees who have become elderly should
be able to finish out the last years of their lives in
dignity and easy remembrance of Kåñëa. Devotees
serving faithfully in ISKCON should have the
security of knowing that when they no longer have
the physical strength to perform significant daily
seva in their local temple, there is a quality facility
waiting where they can find shelter.
The first such “Elderly Enclave” is now included as
part of the Master Plan for ISKCON Mäyäpur. It will
be an international GBC project, open to devotees
from around the world. The plan is to fund the
construction and maintenance of the enclave by
including a section of the project that will have flats
(apartments) for sale. The profit from this part of the
enclave will cover the cost of the construction and
long-term maintenance of the enclave. The plan is to
create an atmosphere similar to that in the private
flats at the MVT in Våndävana. As the project
develops, it will include facilities for independent
living, assisted living, and hospice care.
We're starting in Mäyäpur because we already own
land there and it is such an attractive spiritual
atmosphere to live in. The long-term vision is to
develop similar elderly enclaves in Puré and
Våndävana. National or regional yäträs should be
thinking about what they can do to provide shelter for
elderly devotees in their own part of the world, but
whatever may happen elsewhere and in the future, let
us at least create one such facility in Mäyäpur now.
There are many details to be worked out: “How to
get the Indian government to grant long-term visas
for these elderly devotees so that they do not have to
leave and return to India frequently?” “How to
work out a solid business model so that we can
maintain a quality facility?” “How many elderly
devotees will actually need and use such a facility?”
We will keep you posted as the project takes shape.
Let me close with the instruction of Lord Åñabhadeva:
“Everyone should be very responsible and take charge
of his dependents.” (Çrémad-Bhägavatam 5.5.18)
This is the mood of the GBC. ISKCON is going on
by the devotion and dedication of so many saintly
devotees. Let us do our best to provide this shelter
for them in their senior years.
Badrinarayana Das, a GBC, is
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The Ayurvedic Wellness Center at the
Govardhana Ashram offers an extensive menu
of personalized treatments based on the
traditional Indian system of Ayurveda.
Overlooking Mt. Kohoj and adjoining the
Govardhana Eco Village, the Ayurvedic building
occupies an area of 2,400 sq. ft. between the
Yogashala and the swimming pool. Compressed
Stabilized Earth Block (CSEB) walls, Mangalore
tile roof, traditional Indian architecture, and
high ceilings that facilitate the circulation of
prana (air) are the laudable attractions of this
beautiful building.
The deity of the incarnation of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the inaugurator of
medical science, Dhanvantari, welcomes you at
the entrance lobby as you step into the building.
Brought from the surroundings of Udipi, this
black deity of Lord Dhanvantari is a special
attraction of the wellness center. The entrance lobby
also features a reception table, sitting lounge, and a
medicine shelf. The building houses a doctor
consultation room, and two therapy rooms, each
consisting of a pathy (Ayurvedic massage table) with
shirodhara stand, a steam bath facility, and attached
toilets and showers.
The wellness center has one Ayurvedic doctor and two
therapists trained in the traditional Kerala Ayurvedic
treatment.
Drawing its concepts and practices from the Vedas,
Ayurveda is age-old wisdom distilled into a system of
practice, time tested for effectiveness and safety.
Ayurveda is a comprehensive system of natural
medicine that treats the body and mind as a whole,
treating the causes of the disease rather than the
symptoms.
For the healthy, Ayurveda helps in the maintenance of

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health and prevention of disease; for the patients,
it helps cure the diseases and increase immunity.
The Ayurvedic Wellness Center at Govardhana
Ashram offers authentic Ayurvedic therapies,
treating diseases such as hypertension, diabetes,
backache, migraines, insomnia, arthritis,
paralysis, and neurological disorders, as well as
many other chronic ailments. The therapies are
completely personalized and are offered based
on the unique mind-body constitution of each
individual.
The therapies offered by the Ayurvedic Wellness
Center at Govardhana Ashram are broadly
classified into two categories, namely curative
therapies and wellness therapies. Both of these
categories include oil-based therapies and powder-
based therapies. The curative therapies involve curing
the disease with medicines through which the doshas
are dissolved. They include pre-operative procedures,
panchakarma, and post-operative procedures
supplemented by medicines. The wellness therapies
remove the doshas from the body and include stress
relief, revitalization, anti-aging, beauty care, etc. This
wide range of therapies is totally customized, right
from the diagnosis to the selection of the therapy,
herbs, and oils. The wellness center also offers simple
dispensary services (shaman) with no treatments
involved.
Come and experience traditional treatment in a
rejuvenating health retreat at the Govardhana Ashram.
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In 1988, His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja,
sent me a quote from Srila Prabhupada's letter to
Rupanuga Prabhu:
"Women are looking for husbands because they
feel unprotected so it is up to the senior members
to give all protection to the women.”
I wasn't sure why my spiritual master had sent me
the quote. I had been a devotee for only ten years
and I was in a woman's body myself. Yet I could
perceive that I was expected to do something.
Around the same time, he wrote me that an
American devotee woman had asked him whether
ISKCON was making provisions for the elderly
women who had served throughout their lives.
"What should I tell her?" he asked me. I really had
no idea. Yet, his question seemed to imply that I
should be part of the answer.
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In 1991, which coincidentally is
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ISKCON bought the property known as “Kirtan
Ashram” on the Parikrama Marg in Vrindavan.
The purchase, however, was not done as part of a
fully concerted effort from the ISKCON
authorities to care for the older women of
ISKCON. Thus for some years the ashram was
used to suit other agendas. By the time the
Vaisnavi Ministry requested that it be put under
their supervision in 2002, I was living there, in
that close-to-collapsing building, because the rent
was the cheapest. When requested, I agreed to
temporarily hold the fort until the person in
charge came back from her fundraising tour in
America. Somehow she didn't make it.
I had long forgotten the letter His Holiness
Giriraj Swami had written me almost fifteen years
earlier, and I had no intention of getting involved
in the Kirtan Ashram venture. However, when a

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use in my guru maharaja's service, Giriraj
Maharaja confirmed that I should get involved in
the reconstruction and management of what he
later called “the Kirtan Ashram for renounced
women.” And he pledged to help in whatever way
he could—which he did, first by requesting his
godbrother Abhirama Prabhu to oversee the
project; and then by supplying funds to complete
the project. On behalf of the Vaisnavi Ministry,
Sudharma devi dasi gave her full blessings and
approval. Yamuna Devi and Dinatarine, Visakha,
Malati, Yasodamayi, and Prasanta gave their ideas
on the concept of an ashram for senior women,
Karta devi dasi revised the architectural blueprint,
and Nanda devi dasi gave the first donation toward
the building fund. Gaurangi from France valiantly
set out on a fundraising campaign. Locally, it was
Trnad Api Sunicena from the MVT and I who did
the legwork.
Construction started in October of 2003. We went
through some crises, but by Krsna's mercy
everything was completed in December of 2004.
And then, here I was, alone in an empty building,
fighting off the locals' requests for a brand new
room at the lowest rate, wondering what I had
gotten myself into. The building had to be
maintained, and there were bills to pay. What could
I do but ask for contributions from the visiting
devotees? Did doing so mean that I was turning the
place into a commercial enterprise? It might have
looked like it, but it wasn't what I was aiming for.
It is obvious that the Kirtan Ashram, which only
has ten residential rooms, will be able to
accommodate “only a fraction of the Vaisnavis who
may eventually want to retire in Vrindavan,” wrote
His Holiness Giriraj Maharaja. “Thus, the best use
of the Kirtan Ashram will be to host the most senior
preachers for limited periods of time--preachers
who can give their association to other ladies who
come to visit or stay in Vrindavan. And if we are
fortunate enough to have some senior preachers
who want to stay here for good, so much the
better.” The Kirtan Ashram can serve as a model for
other ashrams for senior and other women
committed to the preaching mission, and can offer
senior association and programs for the spiritual
benefit of the ladies who stay elsewhere as well.
We are still struggling to see it all happen, but over
the past two years, despite the bulldozing rampage
on the Parikrama Marg and the loss of ten feet of
frontage without compensation, not only have we
hosted more devotees than ever, but most of them
were senior ISKCON women in their fifties and
sixties. Many of them have expressed their
appreciation, gratitude and happiness upon staying
at the ashram. This auspicious situation is largely
due to the input of one wonderful second-
generation devotee from Juhu, Dayarupa Gopi devi
dasi, who is handling most of the day-to-day
management and hosting. I hope and pray that she
may eventually take full charge and continue to
develop the project for the pleasure of Srila
Prabhupada and his followers. Hare Krsna.
Visakha Priva Dasi serves at the Kirtan Ashram,
Vrindavan.
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 Hari Om Tat Sat for fifteen years. So, we also have
small groups of other styles like
I'm glad to see all of you for the
counselee groups, but in the future
bhakti vrksa seminar. Bhakti vrksa
we see that most of the devotees will
and congregational development,
continue to live in their homes, and
w e s t ar t ed in 1996 a t t h e

‘
the bhakti vrksa gives a good chance
It brings Prabhupada centennial. Maybe a
to do service. It brings Krishna
year or two ahead of that. Maybe a
consciousness to the devotees and
Krishna year ahead. So, at first we faced a lot
makes it easy for them to participate.
of cultural difficulties. The culture
consciousness to Also, the more responsible devotees,
in ISKCON didn't recognize
they can take more responsibility and
the devotees and congregational devotees. But we saw
be the servant-leader or intern of a
that most of the devotees were
bhakti vrksa group. And this includes
makes it easy for technically in the congregation. And
man, woman, everybody. So it is a
Prabhupada had told me in 1970
them to very great opportunity to empower
that in the future most devotees will
the devotees. We are very happy to
participate. Also, live in the house and sometimes
see that now there are thousands of
they'll come to the temple for
bhakti vrksas, thousands of nama
the more festivals or Sunday feast. So, I don't
hatta. In fact there are more bhakti
know why he had told me that. I
responsible vrksas than any other groups. So, this
didn't know that time but now I see.
is a very big advancement. Some
devotees, they The GBC made me the minister for
leaders told, “Well, you do it, if it's
congregational development. And
successful, we'll also do it”. But now
can take more now Kaunteya das is the co-
everybody is doing it. At least most of
minister. Now the nama hatta is
responsibility everybody. So, in this way we are also
existing for thirty years and bhakti
very happy to see how the temples,
and be the vrksa, which is a special kind of
they are extending their activities
servant-leader
or intern of a
bhakti vrksa
‘ nama hatta for the cities, is existing
through the bhakti vrksa. Some

group.

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places where there's no temple or
possibility to live in a temple, bhakti
vrksa exists. So, in this way it is a
very, you can say adaptable, system
and the idea is that people should
regularly associate with devotees
and they should also try to care for
the devotees. So the front line of care
is done by bhakti vrksas, nama
hattas. So in this way devotees, they
have a better quality of life because
they will get more attention, more
training, and they can associate with
like- minded people. So this is a very
great opportunity. They are also able
to share their own realizations.
There's no other program which
allows you to share to the whole
group your realizations. So in this
way, the groups are like little
families. In Hyderabad, the president
there, he was saying that how now
when he does a festival, his temple
uses bhakti vrksas to take different
responsi-bilities of the festival. He
told that he doesn't see how he can
run the temple without them. So as a
result, different temples in India,
they decided to take it up. And so the
system is in Delhi and Bombay and
Pune. In Pune they have the
counselor groups for the more senior
devotees and bhakti vrksa for the
students. Somehow they utilized all
the different systems. So, the idea is,
we like to see every devotee engaged.
We see the house devotees, our
congregational devotees, they are
also DEVOTEES. And before, the
culture was that you have to live in a
temple to be considered a devotee.
But in the time of Lord Caitanya,
there were no temples. There were
just houses, and Lord Caitanya, and
all his . . . Srivas Thakur, Advaita . . .
they're all pure devotees, they are all
transcendental devotees. So they
were also grhasthas and they also did
various programs in their houses.
They had classes. Advaita Gosai's
classes were famous. So like this, we
see that our culture should be
adjusted. And it should include
engaging everyone to chant hare
krsna. So we have the siksa program
where the different steps of
devotional service from the
sraddhavan to the sat-sanga . . . rather
‘
the krsna sadhaka and prabhupada
asraya and guru asraya. So this formed We are
as a very useful tool to train devotees, trying to
to take care of devotees. So, like this
we are trying to simultaneously take simultaneously
care of devotees while we are training
and also extending the outreach. So, take care of
we are very grateful that Prema
Padmini and Vijay Venugopal, they
devotees while
are going all over the world and they
are sharing their experiences. We are
very grateful that Angira Muni has
established bhakti vrksa in Moscow
and also the surrounding areas; and
we are training
and also
extending the
‘
now they are also using nama hatta outreach.
and bhakti vrksa all over Russia and
CIS; and also Kala Suddha, she gave a
presentation how in Houston it's
being extended. At first there was
some resistance but now they
appreciate. So, we are very grateful
that we have our leaders like Caitanya
Candra prabhu who is also utilizing
this system in his preaching ...because
the. . . also in Muslim countries this is
useful because it's basically invisible.
They have some difficulties in some
countries because officially they don't
like to recognize ISKCON but they
can do the bhakti vrksa in the houses
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Hare Krishna. ...contd. on page 74
The history of ISKCON is testimony to the
spiritual power of inspiration; devotees when
inspired have achieved the impossible in
Krishna's service, as is especially evident in the
incredible scores and records of book
distribution.
As book distribution has been one of ISKCON's
most successful projects – both extensively and
intensively, let us try to seek guidelines for
devotee care based on the model of book
distribution. Srila Prabhupada's emphasis on
For book distribution, the awareness of its
importance was created by Srila Prabhupada
himself through his numerous talks and letters and
sustained and expanded by ISKCON leaders.
2. Inspiration: Wanting to do it
For book distribution, the inspiration came from Srila
Prabhupada's personal example of sacrificing his night's
sleep and working tirelessly to write the books, his
consistent and visible encouragement, emphasis,
insistence and appreciation of book distribution, as well
as the living examples of ISKCON leaders themselves
doing book distribution and guiding and encouraging
thousands of devotees in distributing books.
3. Facilitation : Getting the facilities to do it
For book distribution, the facilitation by the book
distribution ministry is primarily in the form of
training in effective distribution principles and
techniques, information about available facilities
such as new books published or the availability of
the Bhagavad-gita at concessional rates, etc. – not
in the form of providing funds to purchase books.
GLOBAL CONNECTION-LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION
The implementation of these principles will be more widespread if
leadership in the worldwide temples decides to make devotee care a
priority and execute devotee care projects locally.
book distribution is well known in ISKCON, and he
also strongly emphasized devotee care. It is our
responsibility to execute those instructions of Srila
Prabhupada on devotee care and create a family of
happy devotees. The success of any project involves the
below broadphases:
1. Awareness: Knowing its importance
2. Inspiration: Wanting to do it
3. Facilitation: Getting the facilities to do it
By analyzing how these three phases have been
implemented for book distribution, let us consider
how they can be implemented for devotee care.
Similarly, for devotee care, the awareness of its importance
can be created by circulating Srila Prabhupada's many quotes
about it and expanded by the talks and writings of ISKCON
leaders based on those quotes and themes.
Similarly, for devotee care, the inspiration can be
generated by the living examples of ISKCON leaders
investing
- Time,
- Energy and
- Finances,
- Visibly and consistently.
Similarly, for devotee care, the facilitation by the devotee
care ministry can be primarily in the form of training in
effective care principles and techniques, information
about available facilities like hospitals and hospices,
counselors and counseling systems, etc. The
implementation of these principles will be more
widespread if leadership in the worldwide temples
decides to make devotee care a priority and execute
devotee care projects locally.

1. Record-keeping: Book distri-
bution has been enormously
successful till now, due to our
consistent emphasis on it. Have we
emphasized devotee care similarly?
One telling indication that we have
not done so is our record-keeping:
we have systematic and extensive
records of the books that have been
distributed at each temple, whereas
we have only random and scant
records of the devotees who have
come to our movement at each
temple.
2. Revenues: One understandable
reason why we have carefully
recorded book distribution is that it
generates Lakshmi. There doesn't
seem to be any similar record kept for
devotees. There is no proper record of
how many devotees got initiated in
ISKCON from the time of Srila
Prabhupada to date, and what the
status of their spiritual life is. There is
no way we can help anyone till there
are systems in place by which we get to
know that someone needs help.
Devotee care may at first sight seem
to be far from generating revenues; in
fact, it may appear to be draining
revenues. However, it is a massive
illusion and tragic error to consider
that devotee care doesn't bring in
resources, for devotees are our
greatest resource. In fact, our
movement can survive and go on
even without other resources, but it
just cannot go on or even exist if
there are no devotees. That's why
devotees are our only indispensable
resource. Srila Prabhupada famously
‘
said that devotees are the real jewels
of his temples as they would Not only are
illuminate and attract the whole
world. devotees a
Not only are devotees a precious precious
resource, but also they are the only
resource, but
resource that can generate other
resources. If our devotee care helps also they are
devotees become happy, then they
will offer their greatest resource: their the only
hearts. That will ensure the spiritual
resource that
success of our movement, for Srila
Prabhupada said that he would be can generate
most pleased if we loved Krishna.
Moreover, when devotees offer their other resources.
hearts to Krishna, they will offer all . . . . . . .
their resources with it, thus
contributing financially too. And Thus devotee
lastly and most importantly, when
devotees are happy, their outreach care is not a
will attract more and more people and drain of our
resources to our movement, thus
creating a glorious cycle: happy resources, but a
devotees leading to increased inflow
of resources, leading to better devotee sensible, indeed
care, leading to happier devotees, the most
leading to a still greater inflow of
resources, leading to still better sensible,
devotee care. Thus devotee care is not
investment of
a drain of our resources, but a
sensible, indeed the most sensible,
investment of resources that will
bring huge future returns.
Of course, our devotee care should
not be motivated by the hope for future
resources that
will bring huge
future returns.
‘
financial gains, but by the desire to
please Lord Krishna and Srila
Prabhupada through Vaishnava-seva. tee Care
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Vaisnavism has been manifested in its purest and
most wonderful form through the love and
teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His
associates. The most beautiful aspect of Lord
Caitanya's pastimes is the loving interaction
between Him and His devotees, and among the
devotees themselves. Although He is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya played the
role of the devotee just to teach us how to conduct
our lives as devotees. In Navadvipa sometimes Lord
Caitanya would bow down to His devotees and take
the dust from their lotus feet. Sometimes He would
wash their clothes with His own hands. Sometimes,
on the bank of the Ganges, He would fold their
clothes. Sometimes He would bring them clay from
the Ganges to use as tilaka. Sometimes He would see serve them, how should we then see the devotees
devotees carrying loads and He would take the load and desire to serve them?
upon Himself and would carry it. In these and many
other ways, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught by His This is the essence of our culture: to learn how to
own example that the highest of all religious be the servant of the servant of the Vaisnavas.
principles is the service to the Vaisnavas. This is the basic spirit of the scientific process of
daivi-varnasrama-dharma. The conclusion of
After taking sannyasa Lord Caitanya made His varnasrama is Lord Caitanya's sloka, "I am not a
home in Jagannatha Puri. Every year the devotees of brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, or sudra. Nor am I a
Bengal would come to meet Him during brahmacari, grihastha, vanaprastha, or
Caturmasya, and Lord Caitanya would personally sannyasi—these are all temporary
meet them on the outskirts of Puri. Lord Caitanya, designations—my only true identity is to be the
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, would put a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord of
fragrant garland on each devotee. The master of all the gopis, Lord Krishna." This is the conclusion.
creation would personally decorate the limbs of This is the spirit. Still, when Lord Caitanya was a
each devotee with sandal pulp. He would embrace brahmacari, He acted as a perfect brahmacari.
the Vaisnavas and would praise them, filling their When He married, He behaved as a perfect
heart with love. When He saw their wives bowing grihastha. And when He took sannyasa He strictly
down to Him at a distance, He would praise them followed all the regulative principles of the
also by saying: "Whatever knowledge, whatever sannyasi. So He taught us the importance of
devotion, whatever saintliness these devotees have, following the principles of varnasrama, but
their wives possess the same". Thus He would understanding that the goal is to utilize these
completely satisfy all devotees by His personal different positions to express our devotion to
embrace and by glorifying their good qualities. He Krishna. Daivi-varnasrama-dharma in essence is
would also make sure that the devotees had proper to educate people—according to their nature and
accommodations—clean rooms with water and propensity—to utilize their talents in the service
servants—and prasadam. In this way Lord Caitanya of God to develop pure love of God. In the society
personally served His devotees, and this of devotees all the different segments should
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The North American Grihastha Vision Team, help provide married or prospective couples with
composed of dedicated, Vaisnava professionals, has resources and counseling. Along with sharing
worked together by the grace of Srila Prabhupada to Krishna conscious and practical insights, this is one
formulate a five-year plan to strengthen, support way to help lesson the number of Vaisnava
and enliven the grihastha ashrama. One of the marriages that are struggling or ending in divorce
strategies we're implementing is to first identify and separation. In addition, prospective mentor
potential mentor couples and see if they would be couples should be interested to be a part of
willing to serve as mentors. If you are leader in a changing the way marriage and family is perceived
devotee community and know of possible mentor and lived in our movement. Mentor couples fit the
candidates or if you would personally like to be a following criteria:
mentor in your community, then the GVT will train 1. Married at least 8-10 years in
you or the proposed mentor to work with engaged 2. A healthy marriage
and already married couples. 3. Committed to Krishna and each other
If you are interested in becoming a mentor, we 4. Desire to help other couples
would like the recommendation of a Temple 5. Willing to be trained as a mentor couple
President or senior Vaisnavas in your communities. 6. Devotees in good standing
Being a mentor couple means having a desire to 7. Recommendations of senior Vaisnavas
The Grihastha
Vision Team in
Want to become a mentor... collaboration with
If you are interest in becoming a certified mentor couple in your the Dasi-Ziyad
area, please contact gvisionteam108@yahoo.com Family Institute and
By participating in this training, you will: ISKCON
 Become a part of a growing network of grihastha support Communications
 Experience a one day couple retreat for you and your arranged the first
spouse 10-12 hour Mentor
 Realize the enhancement of your own relationship Couple Training
Session in New
 Become skillful in strengthening Vaisnava families and
Vrindavana on May
thus play an extremely important role in Lord Caitanya's
10, 2004.
mission.
 Be certified to assist other devotees by your example and Since then Mentor
through your ability to provide communication, conflict Trainings have been
resolution and other skills. held in Alachua, FL,
and in Canada.

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 ... contd. from page 71 Steps for practical application
1. Arrange seminars on devotee care regularly -
preferably having the seminars delivered by those
who have actually implemented devotee care.
2. Increase awareness of devotee care by wider
circulation of the devotee care newsletter.
3. Display quotes about devotee care on temple
notice boards - just as quotes about book
distribution are prominently displayed.
4. Set up a dedicated team for devotee care with a
caring and competent devotee at the helm.
5. Send team members to centers where devotee
care is being implemented so that they can learn
not only through theory but also through
practice, by observing and experiencing how
Bhakti Vriksa An easily adaptable
contd. from page 69
Listen or read the arrival address of 1965 in
Calcutta. Prabhupada had visited Iraq so he
said that he had some discussion with the
Muslim priest or Mulas, Imams. He said that
Allah Akbar, means Param Brahma. So, like
this, see, he said many amazing things. So
actually Muslims, Christians, they can all
take up but some countries their government
doesn't allow. So the bhakti vrksa is a very
useful tool to spread Krishna consciousness.
Anyway, I think you have discussed this topic
Compassion - As a main element of Vaishnava Culture
...contd. from page 41 Take as much fruit as you
like." But he should not gather up more than he can eat
and take it away. Any number of men can come and eat to
their satisfaction. The farmers do not even prohibit the
monkeys ̶ "All right, let them come in. After all, it is
God's property." This is the Krishna conscious system:
If an animal, say a monkey, comes to your garden to eat,
don't prohibit him. He is also part and parcel of Krishna. If
you prohibit him, where will he eat?
"I have another story; this one was told by my
father. My father's elder brother was
v o tee Care running a cloth shop. Before closing
the shop my uncle would put out a
Sp
ON D e
ecial Issu
basin filled with rice. Of course, as
C
74 in any village, there were rats. But
SK
I e
the rats would take the rice and
devotee care is actually being implemented.
6. Share inspiring instances of devotee care, in
whichever parts of the world, during classes and
ishtagoshti.
7. Conduct informal inquiries and formal surveys
as required, to find out from the devotee
community areas in which devotee care seems to
be lacking, and direct the focus of the devotee
care team to those areas.
8. Keep track of the activities of the devotee care
team, take inventory periodically and publicize
the report regularly, at least among the concerned
authorities, so that devotee care doesn't remain a
talked-about ethereal subject, but becomes an
acted-upon tangible reality.
System of Care
inside and out so I just like to hope that your
visit to Mayapur is successful to give you all
charge, the spiritual charge to spread bhakti
vrksa, to spread Krishna consciousness. Thank
you for participating. Haribol.
Transcription of Jayapataka Swami's Bhakti
Vrksa Seminar on 18th March 2011 at Sri
Mayapur Dham
Transcription of You Tube 110418- Bhakti
Vrksa Seminar - with Russian Translation
not cut even a single cloth. Cloth is very costly. If even
one cloth had been cut by a rat, then it would have
been a great loss. So with a few pennies' worth of
rice, he saved many dollars' worth of cloth. This
Krishna culture is practical. They are also part and
parcel of God. Give them food. They'll not create
any disturbance. Give them food.
„Everyone has an obligation to feed whoever is
hungry ̶ even if it is a tiger. Once a certain spiritual
teacher was living in the jungle. His disciples knew,
"The tigers will never come and disturb us, because our
teacher keeps some milk a little distance from the
asrama, and the tigers come and drink and go away. "
Bir Krishna Goswami, a Guru and GBC, is a
member of the Devotee Care Committee.