Every Town and Village
A look at the worldwide activities of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
Devotees Bring Temple to New York Sidewalks
An Indian-style temple at the foot of a Manhattan skyscraper? Not for long. Aindra dāsa's van, transformed into an ornate temple, appears at different places in New York City every day. To the accompaniment of instruments, Aindra and his group chant the holy name of Kṛṣṅa, distribute hooks on Kṛṣṅa consciousness, and offer free refreshments to passersby.
Books by Leading Devotees Receive Favorable Reviews
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—Two books written by senior members of ISKCON recently received favorable reviews. The September issue of Choice magazine carried the following review of Prabhupāda, the abridgment of the six-volume biography of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the founder-ācārya of ISKCON. Śrīla Satsvarūpa dāsa Goswami, one of the present spiritual masters in the Hare Kṛṣṅa movement, wrote Prabhupāda.
The review said. "This biography of the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (the 'Hare Krishna' movement) belongs in all academic and public libraries. It is a very satisfactory abridgment of the multivolume 'authorized' biography of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, from the same publisher, that is appearing under the title Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta (1980-83). The author . . . writes with both sympathy and balance, and even in this abridged form there is a rich attention to detail, plus engaging excerpts from interviews with both 'insiders' and 'outsiders.' This volume should be paired with the essays in Steven Gelberg's Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna (Grove Press, 1983). Together they provide a remarkably comprehensive account, accessible to all levels of readership, of one of the important religious movements in and between contemporary America and India. . . . Highly recommended."
In the Religious Studies Review (April 1984), Dr. Mark Juergensmeyer praised Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, a book containing five dialogues with noted scholars. The book's editor, Steven Gelberg, also known as Śubhānanda dāsa, is ISKCON's director of interreligious affairs.
The review said, "[These] interviews show skeptics that the Hare Krishna movement is not the odd aberration it may appear to be but has roots in Indian tradition and should also have a place in America's own multicultural soil. The dialogues are intelligent, well edited, and make for interesting reading. Moreover, the publication of the book is a significant event in itself. It marks a new phase in the movement's efforts to routinize itself and find an acceptable niche in the global terrain of religious culture."
Memoirs About Śrīla Prabhupāda Published
Los Angeles—The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust here recently announced a new publication, Servant of the Servant, written by Śrīla Tamāl Krishna Goswami Gurudeva, one of the present spiritual masters in the Hare Kṛṣṅa movement. Śrīla Gurudeva writes intimately of his extensive association with his spiritual master, ISKCON's founder-ācārya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. In a simple, entertaining style, Śrīla Gurudeva recalls his first meeting with Śrīla Prabhupāda and takes us on a journey through the United States, England, Europe, and India as he helps Śrīla Prabhupāda establish ISKCON centers around the world.
The reader shares in the intimacy of one disciple's relationship with his spiritual master, while also getting an inside look at ISKCON in its infancy. Śrīla Gurudeva effectively blends his personal memoirs with excerpts from the many letters he received from Śrīla Prabhupāda, showing how the founder-ācārya of ISKCON practically applied the teachings of India's ancient Vedic literature to the management and propagation of a dynamic spiritual movement in the modern world.
The six-hundred-page volume, complete with thirty-two pages of photographs, is a must for anyone interested in understanding the development and inner workings of the Hare Kṛṣṅa movement.
The book may be obtained from Dallas ISKCON, 5430 Gurley Ave., 75223.