[GHHF] Bala Samskar Kendras – Teachers talked about Swami Prabhupada and propagation of Bhagavad Gita and Krishna Consciousness across the Globe.
Sri Aurobindi
“Indian polytheism is not the popular polytheism of ancient Europe, for here the worshipper of many Gods still knows that all his divinities are forms, names, personalities and powers of the One; his gods proceed from the one Purusha, his goddess are energies of the one divine Force.”
Global Hindu Heritage is very happy to inform that we started about 150 Bala Samskar Kendras in five States in India – Assam, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu - to teach about the richness of Hinduism, Hindu festivals, Hindu ethos, Hindu History, and culture and traditions. Sri Rajesh is a very active member in the community championing the Hindu Values not only to the children but also actively involved in making the Hindus proud of their culture.
Our Children are taught about the richness of our culture by teaching about various scriptures and the timeless wisdom found in them. Our students will learn how Hindus conceive the abstract concept of God, their features, physical features and the divine qualities. We talk about the characteristics of Lord Rama, the attributes and his behavior and the qualities that we can emulate. Many of our Gods are incarnated at different times and we try to explain about different Avataras and the purpose of incarnating at a particular time.
Remembered Sri Prabhupada’s Contribution
Prabhupada sailed to the USA in 1965. His trip to the United States was not sponsored by any religious organization, nor was he met upon arrival by a group of loyal followers.[33] As he neared his destination on the ship, the Indian freighter Jaladuta, the enormity of his intended task weighed on him. On September 13 he wrote in his diary, "Today I have disclosed my mind to my companion, Lord Sri Krishna." On this occasion and on a number of others, Prabhupada, called on Krishna for help in his native Bengali. Examining these compositions, academics regard them as "intimate records of his prayerful preparation for what lay ahead" and a view on "how Bhaktivedanta Swami understood his own identity and mission.”
I do not know why You have brought me here. Now you can do whatever You like with me. But I guess You have some business here, otherwise why would You bring me to this terrible place? How will I make them understand this message of Krishna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified and most fallen. Therefore, I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own.
By journeying to America, he was attempting to fulfill the wish of his guru, possible only by the grace of "his dear Lord Krishna".[35] It is in July 1966 "global missionary Vaishnavism" was brought to the West by Prabhupada, "the soul agent", founding the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in New York City. Prabhupada spent much of the last decade of his life setting up the institution of ISKCON. Since he was the Society's leader, his personality and management were responsible for much of ISKCON's growth and the reach of his mission.
When it was suggested to Bhaktivedanta Swami at the time of founding the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in 1966 that a broader term "God Consciousness" would be preferable to "Krishna Consciousness" in the title, he rejected this recommendation, suggesting that name Krishna includes all other forms and concepts of God.
After a group of devotees and a temple had been established in New York another center was started in San Francisco in 1967.[19][37] From here Prabhupada traveled throughout America with his disciples, popularizing the movement through street chanting (sankirtana), book distribution and public speeches.
One of 108 worldwide temples opened by Prabhupada by 1977, was dedicated to Krishna-Balarama (pictured above) in Vrindavana, India. Once ISKCON was more established in America a small number of devotees from the San Francisco temple were sent to London, England. After a short time of being in London they came into contact with The Beatles, of whom George Harrison took the greatest interest, spending a significant time speaking with Prabhupada and producing a record with members of the later London Radha Krsna Temple. Over the following years Prabhupada's continuing leadership role took him around the world some several times setting up temples and communities in all of the major continents.[17] By the time of his death in Vrindavan eleven years later in 1977, ISKCON became a widely known expression of Vaishnavism on an international basis.
In the twelve years from his arrival in New York until his final days he circled the globe fourteen times on lecture tours that took him to six continents initiated many disciples, awarding sannyasa and babaji initiations. introduced Vedic gurukul education to a Western audience[ directed the founding of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, which claims to be the world's
largest publisher of ancient and classical Vaishnava religious texts, founded the religious colony New Vrindavan in West Virginia, authored more than eighty books (with many available online on Vedantic philosophy, religion, literature and culture (including four published originally in Bengali) introduced international celebrations in the capitals of the world like that of Jagannatha processions watched ISKCON grow to a confederation of more than 108 temples, various institutes and farm communities
The original ISKCON logo designed by Prabhupada before his death in 1977.
Through his mission, Prabhupada followed and communicated the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and introduced bhakti yoga to an international audience. Within Gaudiya Vaishnavism this was viewed as the fulfillment of a long time mission to introduce Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's teachings to the world.
A Summary of Srila Prabhupada’s Miraculous Accomplishments from 1965 to 1977
• In 1965, at seventy years of age, he ventured outside India for the first time to fulfill the order of his spiritual master. During his voyage at sea, he suffered two severe heart attacks. He reached the shores of America with the equivalent of seven dollars to his name.
• He founded the International Society for Krsna Consciousness with a small group of disciples, after a year of struggling alone in New York City. This marked the only time in history that a Krsna devotee successfully trained non-Indians in the strict disciplines of Vaisnavism. Amazingly, this was achieved during the blossoming of America’s hedonistic counterculture movement.
• He sent his followers, chanting the names of God, into the streets of cities and towns everywhere and Hare Krsna became famous in every corner of the earth.
• He sent his disciples to London, where they recorded the single, “Hare Krsna Mantra”, with George Harrison, in 1969. It became the fastest selling of all the Apple Corporation’s releases, including those of the Beatles. The record reached #3 in Czechoslovakia, #9 in Britain, and made the top ten in Germany, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Yugoslavia, and many other countries.
• He formally initiated approximately five thousand disciples. These initiates represented a sweeping diversity of nationalities, races, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds.
• He established 108 Krsna temples on six continents, installed the deity of Krsna in each center and trained his disciples in the process of deity worship. Thirty-two new temples (almost three a month) were opened in a single year, between 1970 and 1971.
• He inaugurated the Rathayatra Festival of Lord Jaganatha in major cities around the globe, in effect, bringing the temple to the people.
• He instituted the brahmacarini asram, something previously unheard of in Vedic culture, to give shelter to single women wishing to practice Krsna consciousness.
• He instructed his disciples in 1967 to start an incense business to provide financial support for the temples. Within four years the business, Spiritual Sky Incense, generated an annual revenue of one million dollars (equivalent to $4,600,000 in 2004).
• He introduced the “Sunday Love Feast” and other prasadam (sanctified food) distribution programs that provided millions of free meals to the public.
• He created the world’s first chain of vegetarian restaurants.
• He spoke daily on the philosophy of Krsna consciousness, delivering thousands of formal lectures. Over 2,200 were recorded and archived.
• He conducted many hundreds of informal conversations on the science of Krsna consciousness with disciples, guests and friends. Over 1,300 were recorded and archived.
• He had scores of interviews and philosophical discussions with news reporters, scientists, religious leaders and politicians, as well as meetings with world-renowned dignitaries and celebrities like Indira Gandhi, Allen Ginsberg, Ravi Shankar, Alice Coltrane, John Lennon and George Harrison.
• He recorded more than twenty albums of devotional music.
• He founded the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) in 1972, to produce his books. By 1976, over 55,000,000 literatures had been published in twenty-five languages and distributed in almost every country, making the BBT the world’s largest publisher of Indian religious and philosophical texts. One printing alone of Bhagavad-gita As It Is required seventy-six train cars to ship the paper needed to print it.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Ghar Waapasi is going on unimpeded. We appreciate it if you can help in hiring more people who can go to these villages to do Ghar Waapasi. We have employed 20 Pracharaks working at the ground level. More people we hire, more villages can cover to welcome them back and also create Chaitanya (Awareness) among the students and villagers.
1) Sponsor one Bala Samskar Kendra for $1000.00
2) Sponsor one Pracharak: In order to expand our base and hire one Pracharak, it would cost approximately $3000.00 per year. We have five anonymous donors who sponsored Assistants.
DONATIONS
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For more information, call Prakasarao Velagapudi at ; Email: ghhfusaorg@gmail.com