Krishna Consciousness--Hindu Cult or Divine Culture?

On Sunday 19 July 2015 I was requested to give a lecture at ISKCON London's Bhaktivedanta Manor on the topic "Krishna Consciousness: Hindu cult or Divine Culture?". It was an interesting opportunity to dive deeply into our philosophy, especially because the audience was composed mostly of Hindus. Strictly speaking according to scripture, the word Hindu is practically meaningless. It is a term coined by the Muslims to describe those persons living east of the Sindhu River. So there is no such one thing as Hindu religion. The term Hindu, in a sociological sense, can be applied to any of the various type of practitioners of different aspects of Vedic culture, of which there are many. There is Vaisnavism, devotion to Krishna or Vishnu. There are also yogis, devotees of Lord Shiva, devotees of Durga, Sankarites, and so many other sects, all with their different philosophies and practices. These are all lumped together under the term Hinduism, even though their teachings and practices often vary greatly.

So how does Krishna consciousness relate to all of this? When we come to the pure essence of religion, Krishna instructs us to give up all of these other practices and simply fully surrender ourselves unto Him. The conclusion is that just as God is one, religion is also one, to become a pure lover of that Supreme Person who is the source of all existence. So while from the sociological viewpoint the Krishna consciousness movement can be described as a Hindu cult, strictly speaking from the scriptural and philosophical viewpoint, Krishna consciousness is the very essence of existence itself and those who follow it purely are transcending all the designations of this material world such as black, white, male, female, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, etc. Krishna consciousness has nothing to do with any one particular sect or religion, and it has everything to do with all sects, religions, and philosophies because all living beings are already inherently Krishna conscious. It is simply a matter of them waking up and realizing who they are. This is the mission of our Krishna consciousness movement. We are not trying to convert people to Hinduism. That would be ridiculously just the opposite of what we are trying to do. We want to teach everyone how to become free from all material designations and come the position of pure love of God. This is the real meaning of the divine culture of Krishna consciousness.

Hindu Cult or Divine Culture Lecture
Bhaktivedanta Manor--London, England--19 July 2015

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: What Quantity of Krishna's Expression Can I Absorb?

What quantity of Krishna's unlimited transcendental expression could I be able to absorb in the next moment?

Your servant,
Gabriele

Answer: That Depends on Your Degree of Surrender

That depends of how much you are surrendered to Him. The more you are surrendered, the more you will realize Krishna and thus be qualified to absorb his unlimited transcendental expansion, manifested at every moment as His unlimited qualities, teachings, and pastimes.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari