Turn Your Home into a Temple
One of the regulative principles for those who want to advance on the self-realization place is that they must live in a holy place like Mathura or Vrindavan. So what to do if you are tied down to a job and family situation and cannot manage to pull up stakes and re-locate to one of India's holy places? How will you make spiritual advancement living in the middle of a materialistic city? The answer is quite simple. All you have to do is turn your home into a temple by establishing an altar for Lord Krishna and making it the center of your life.
We recently had the pleasure at staying in such a home temple in Russia. Every morning before sunrise we all rose before four am, took our morning showers, and chanted our japa. Then at five am we all assembled before the altar (pictured below) and sang the Guruvastakam prayers and the Hare Krishna mantra. Whatever meals were taken were first offered to Lord Krishna on the altar.
You can also do this in your home. Start off with a simple altar consisting of a photograph of Srila Prabhupada, Sri Panca Tattva, and Sri Sri Radha Krishna. Rise early and chant your japa before your altar. Offer all of your meals there. Such a system will make it very easy for you to keep your mind always where it is supposed to be, fixed in Krishna consciousness.
I offer to you my respectful obeisances!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
First I would like to thank you for being my lifeline out of the material confusion of this life. The lessons from your e-course, and the thoughtful words from your daily email with pictures, video and audio are very wonderful to me and quite precious.
I first became aware of Krishna Consciousness on the internet in religious chat rooms where a nice devotee introduced me to your e-course. Now I share the little that I know and tell others about your course as well. Now to my problem:
I encountered a devotee online who was speaking very nicely in a room and then when he discovered I also was a devotee he started sending me messages to meet me I suppose. He asked me if I knew what the most important thing is in Krishna Consciousness. I said to think always of Krishna. He said the most important thing was "guru tattva siddhanta", to find true spiritual master, as taught by Lord Caitanya in his 7 day discussion with Ramananda Raya. Then this devotee tells me to read a book "The Final Order". I told this devotee that I will ask my spiritual teacher about that book. Anyway, I then mentioned your name to him as being my teacher. Then he told me that only Prabhupada was spiritual master and that I should read the book before asking you about it. I then told this devotee that since "he" was not Prabhupada, that his opinion would be no better or worse than yours, and so why only listen to his suggestion, so I said I will ask you first about it.
This devotee was saying that if we get the wrong spiritual master that we will make no progress spiritually, so it is important to follow Prabhupada first. Then he tells me that Prabhupada's books have all been rewritten and changed without permission and so are not trustworthy and that his organization had to go to court to be able to print Prabhupada's original books unedited.
I only want to make nice spiritual progress, please Krishna with loving service, and be some time liberated from the cycle of birth and rebirth in this material illusion. This whole discussion he gave me about false gurus, etc made me most disturbed and not knowing how to answer. I even have some depression about it. In the past depression has lead to intoxication and I only desire to be situated in a nice place of spiritual understanding.
I don't want to put my head in the sand of ignorance but what to do? Even if he says you are false master what harm can be done from following your nice teachings which are full of only love for Krishna and chanting and regulative principles? You have proven yourself to me over and over to be good and true and nice and compassionate and caring so I go to you for answer first. I know that ISKCON has had some rascals in it but that doesn't mean all is bad. Please assist me, gracious Master.
Your servant,
David
My Dear David,
Please accept my blessings.
All glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
I have received your email and have noted the contents carefully.
This person who has advised you that only Srila Prabhupada is the guru is presenting a philosophy different from that which was taught by Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada instructed us that after his departure those of his disciples who are strictly following his instructions should also become spiritual masters and initiate disciples.
Srila Prabhupada personally encouraged me that I could become a spiritual master and trained me how to be properly qualified to do so. So now on his order and with the blessings of ISKCON's Governing Body Commission (GBC) I am initiating disciples all over the world.
Because you are sincerely trying to awaken your dormant Krishna consciousness, the Lord within your heart has given you to good intelligence to see through the misleading words of this person.
This person has advised you well that by getting the wrong spiritual master you will make no spiritual progress. This is why you should not listen to him. Anyone who presents a philosophy different from the previous acharyas (great spiritual masters) is not authorized to guide us how to become Krishna conscious.
Srila Prabhupada engaged his disciples from the very beginning in editing his books. English was not his native language, and he wanted to make sure his books would be grammatically correct. The editing that was done on his books was on his order. The disciple is supposed to obey the order of his spiritual master. If he orders the disciple to edit his books, the disciple is not supposed to refuse his order. He must surrender and edit his spiritual master's books to please his guru.
There have been some persons in ISKCON who have not properly executed their duties. When these things happen ISKCON's Governing Body Commission corrects the situation by a program of rectification or by removing them from their post. Just because there is sometimes a counterfeit note does mean that the entire currency should be rejected. That would be foolish and impractical.
Kindly continue progressing in Krishna consciousness under my guidance. I am guiding you 100% in line with the teachings of Srila Prabhupada. You can easily confirm this yourself by carefully studying his books and teachings either in their polished edited form or their unpolished unedited form. Srila Prabhupada has ordered you to take shelter of the bona fide spiritual master and you are surrendering to Srila Prabhupada's order. This makes you a first class follower of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
The person you encountered is a member of a devious sect known as "ritviks" who propound a bogus philosophy known as "ritvik" philosophy. In spite of the fact that they teach that only Srila Prabhupada can be the spiritual master, they fail miserably when it comes to following his instructions. The have a formed an organization they call IRM (ISKCON Reform Movement) which could be more appropriately understood as standing for "ISKCON Ruination Movement".
I am hoping this meets you in the best of health and in an ecstatic mood.
Always your well-wisher,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
We recently had the pleasure at staying in such a home temple in Russia. Every morning before sunrise we all rose before four am, took our morning showers, and chanted our japa. Then at five am we all assembled before the altar (pictured below) and sang the Guruvastakam prayers and the Hare Krishna mantra. Whatever meals were taken were first offered to Lord Krishna on the altar.
You can also do this in your home. Start off with a simple altar consisting of a photograph of Srila Prabhupada, Sri Panca Tattva, and Sri Sri Radha Krishna. Rise early and chant your japa before your altar. Offer all of your meals there. Such a system will make it very easy for you to keep your mind always where it is supposed to be, fixed in Krishna consciousness.
Home Altar in Kaliningrad, Russia
Answers According to the Vedic Version
Request: Please Dispel my Confusion...
Dear Srila Gurudeva,I offer to you my respectful obeisances!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
First I would like to thank you for being my lifeline out of the material confusion of this life. The lessons from your e-course, and the thoughtful words from your daily email with pictures, video and audio are very wonderful to me and quite precious.
I first became aware of Krishna Consciousness on the internet in religious chat rooms where a nice devotee introduced me to your e-course. Now I share the little that I know and tell others about your course as well. Now to my problem:
I encountered a devotee online who was speaking very nicely in a room and then when he discovered I also was a devotee he started sending me messages to meet me I suppose. He asked me if I knew what the most important thing is in Krishna Consciousness. I said to think always of Krishna. He said the most important thing was "guru tattva siddhanta", to find true spiritual master, as taught by Lord Caitanya in his 7 day discussion with Ramananda Raya. Then this devotee tells me to read a book "The Final Order". I told this devotee that I will ask my spiritual teacher about that book. Anyway, I then mentioned your name to him as being my teacher. Then he told me that only Prabhupada was spiritual master and that I should read the book before asking you about it. I then told this devotee that since "he" was not Prabhupada, that his opinion would be no better or worse than yours, and so why only listen to his suggestion, so I said I will ask you first about it.
This devotee was saying that if we get the wrong spiritual master that we will make no progress spiritually, so it is important to follow Prabhupada first. Then he tells me that Prabhupada's books have all been rewritten and changed without permission and so are not trustworthy and that his organization had to go to court to be able to print Prabhupada's original books unedited.
I only want to make nice spiritual progress, please Krishna with loving service, and be some time liberated from the cycle of birth and rebirth in this material illusion. This whole discussion he gave me about false gurus, etc made me most disturbed and not knowing how to answer. I even have some depression about it. In the past depression has lead to intoxication and I only desire to be situated in a nice place of spiritual understanding.
I don't want to put my head in the sand of ignorance but what to do? Even if he says you are false master what harm can be done from following your nice teachings which are full of only love for Krishna and chanting and regulative principles? You have proven yourself to me over and over to be good and true and nice and compassionate and caring so I go to you for answer first. I know that ISKCON has had some rascals in it but that doesn't mean all is bad. Please assist me, gracious Master.
Your servant,
David
Answer: I Teach According to Srila Prabhupada...
From: Kaunas, LithuaniaMy Dear David,
Please accept my blessings.
All glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
I have received your email and have noted the contents carefully.
This person who has advised you that only Srila Prabhupada is the guru is presenting a philosophy different from that which was taught by Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada instructed us that after his departure those of his disciples who are strictly following his instructions should also become spiritual masters and initiate disciples.
Srila Prabhupada personally encouraged me that I could become a spiritual master and trained me how to be properly qualified to do so. So now on his order and with the blessings of ISKCON's Governing Body Commission (GBC) I am initiating disciples all over the world.
Because you are sincerely trying to awaken your dormant Krishna consciousness, the Lord within your heart has given you to good intelligence to see through the misleading words of this person.
This person has advised you well that by getting the wrong spiritual master you will make no spiritual progress. This is why you should not listen to him. Anyone who presents a philosophy different from the previous acharyas (great spiritual masters) is not authorized to guide us how to become Krishna conscious.
Srila Prabhupada engaged his disciples from the very beginning in editing his books. English was not his native language, and he wanted to make sure his books would be grammatically correct. The editing that was done on his books was on his order. The disciple is supposed to obey the order of his spiritual master. If he orders the disciple to edit his books, the disciple is not supposed to refuse his order. He must surrender and edit his spiritual master's books to please his guru.
There have been some persons in ISKCON who have not properly executed their duties. When these things happen ISKCON's Governing Body Commission corrects the situation by a program of rectification or by removing them from their post. Just because there is sometimes a counterfeit note does mean that the entire currency should be rejected. That would be foolish and impractical.
Kindly continue progressing in Krishna consciousness under my guidance. I am guiding you 100% in line with the teachings of Srila Prabhupada. You can easily confirm this yourself by carefully studying his books and teachings either in their polished edited form or their unpolished unedited form. Srila Prabhupada has ordered you to take shelter of the bona fide spiritual master and you are surrendering to Srila Prabhupada's order. This makes you a first class follower of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
The person you encountered is a member of a devious sect known as "ritviks" who propound a bogus philosophy known as "ritvik" philosophy. In spite of the fact that they teach that only Srila Prabhupada can be the spiritual master, they fail miserably when it comes to following his instructions. The have a formed an organization they call IRM (ISKCON Reform Movement) which could be more appropriately understood as standing for "ISKCON Ruination Movement".
I am hoping this meets you in the best of health and in an ecstatic mood.
Always your well-wisher,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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