Devotee Care Series

The Bhakti Vriksha Modules

Krishna Sevaka

(mathuradesh BV training center logo)

 Contents

Week 10 - Purpose of the Human Form of Life...............................3

Week 11 - The Golden Avatara......................................................10

Week 12 - What Should we Eat?....................................................19

Week 13 - (Vyuha Program).......................................................... 27

Week 14 - Darwinism Extinct.........................................................29

Week 15 - The Teachimgs of the Acharyas.....................................39

Week 16 - Be Intelligent : Follow the Acharyas..............................47

Week 17 - We are not the Doers..................................................... 55

Week 18 - How to Please the Devatas.............................................62

Week 19 - (Krishna Sevaka Shiksha Seminar)...............................66

Checklist for Module 2 (Krishna Sevaka) .....................................72

Copyright Reserved 2010
 Week 10 – Leader's Section

Giving them home work for the entire week between is a good way of engaging them in
Krsna consciousness, so that when they do come after a week it is faster for them to relate
to the things being taught in the program. As most of them would not be reading Srila
Prabhupada’s books yet, request them to write down the points that they have learnt in the
previous week’s program. In the satsanga program too, by encouraging them to read Srila
Prabhupada’s books and sharing a point with everyone, you can engage them in the
home-work of reading.
You should continue to call them in between the program days to check what progress
they have made in their home- work. Till they have made it a regular habit, it may be
required of you to give them gentle reminders, otherwise you may become discouraged
of their forgetfulness, and they may feel afraid of attending the program in order not to
displease you!
Satsanga : 15 minutes
Share an interesting and inspiring point that you had read from the Srila Prabhupada’s
books, and your realization on that point. Ask if any one of them who had volunteered to
read Srila Prabhupada’s books the previous week would like to share some thing they had
read. Encourage and appreciate those who share, but do not comment on those who have
not read. They will soon grow to like doing it themselves.
After you have introduced any new visitor that may have come, you ask them this
question: “What has been the best moment or one of the best moments of your life?”
Don’t pass judgments on what people say, but encourage and be appreciative of
everybody’s participation. Remember that this is not a session meant for imparting
knowledge to them, though that can also happen naturally, but the primary motive is to
make people open up and relax, and get to know one another.
Kirtana : 15 minutes
Continue as in the previous weeks by distributing the sheet containing the pranama
mantras and the Hare Krsna mantra as well as the glorifications at the end of the kirtana.
Also continue with the offering of incense by every member to the Altar Deities or Deity
pictures.
Japa…. 15 minutes
Read out first, the following passage from The Nectar of the Holy Name.
Chant loudly together one mala on the beads. You can do a full round of japa with them.
Please chant the Pancatattva Mantra 3 times before chanting the japa and ask them to
follow you. While relishing the Holy Names yourself keep eye contact with the
members from time to time to encourage and enthuse them.

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Spiritual Edification - 45 minutes

Please read out the Passage for Discussion and start asking the questions. (Do not explain it to
them.) Let the people assembled find out the answers from the passage themselves. The Discovery
questions can be answered by reading from the passage, but the Understanding questions must be
answered in the Members' own words, but based on the Passage, while the Application questions
must be based on the Members' own experience.
The Application question has to be answered by everyone.
This is the most important part of the discussion, and so you must provide sufficient time of at least
15 to 20 minutes for it.
You should at last sum up all the points and give more points that you have
Preaching session : 15 minutes
Please read out first the passage from Preaching is the Essence.
Share with them your experiences of preaching for the week….small details about whom you
spoke to, visited, had a discussion with or encouraged in their Krsna consciousness.
If any of them have brought a new member, appreciate that. Also ask everyone to share their
attempts to get new people.
You can invite the most enthusiastic among them to accompany you in your visits to some new
member’s house, so that they see first hand how to deal with new people while inviting or
introducing them to Krsna consciousness.
Set a preaching home-work however small for everyone. Discuss what is possible for each one and
encourage them to do so. They must feel comfortable doing it and must enjoy the experience. So do
not push very hard. But be sensitive to the limits that they would like to keep for the moment. This
could include activities like book distribution, inviting friends or new contacts to the program, etc.
Reference: A Hand Book for Bhskti Vriksha members Part 2
Siksha Level: Krishna Sevaka
Things to Learn
Nrsimha Pranama song: Page 5.
Bhagavad Gita Slokas : B.G 9.22
Read Glories of the Holy Names: Page 6.
Srila Prabhupada Books To Read: Perfect Questions and Perfect Answers.
ISKCON Websites: Page 27.
Prasadam : 20 minutes
As you have done in the previous week, request them to chant the prasadam mantra.
You can ask for volunteers to distribute and serve prasadam to the other members. Engage them
gradually in service and they will begin to taste nectar and make spiritual advancement.

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 Week 10 – Leader's Section

While they are eating, go around and talk with them, encouraging, joking and being pleasant, and
making them relax. It is the loving atmosphere which is going to draw them to the program week
after week. It is a tiny glimpse of the love that they are hankering to experience with Krsna.
Gradually and spontaneously some of them will offer to help you clean up, as well. Encourage them
to participate, even if you want to taste the nectar of service yourself! It is good for members to do
service. So encourage it so that they will benefit spiritually. Do not do so in a mood of sharing a
burden.
Immediately after the members have left the program, kindly fill in the Attendance Sheet.

Vijay Venugopal dasa/Prema Padmini dd (veejayprema@[Link]) 7

 Week 10 – Members' Section

The Nectar of the Holy Name

We must chant Hare Krishna in order to cleanse the heart of lust and greed:
The whole world is revolving due to kama and lobha. Kama means lusty desire and
lobha means greed. People cannot have enough sex or money, and because of this
their hearts are filled with contaminations, which have to be cleansed by hearin,
repeating and chanting.
Human life is meant to get rid of anarthas, unwanted things, but where is the
university or college where the science of purification is taught?The only is this
Krishna conscious society. Krishna is within the heart, and the contaminations are
also there, but Krishna will help cleanse them.
Nasta-prayesu abhadresy nityam bhagavata sevaya (S.B. 1.2.18). We must regularly
hear Srimad Bhagavatam and chant Hare Krishna; these are the two processes
recommended by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Teachings of Lord Kapila, the son of Devahuti

Passage for Discussion

Purpose of the Human Form of Life
A poverty stricken man may be materialistic, and a wealthy man may be very
spiritual. Spiritual life does not depend on either poverty or wealth. Spiritual life is
transcendental. Consider Arjuna, for instance. Arjuna was a member of the royal
family, yet he was a pure devotee of God. And in the Bhagavad-gita (4.2) Sri Krishna
says, evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh: “ This supreme science was
received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it
in this way.” In the past, all kings who were saintly understood spiritual science.
Therefore, spiritual life does not depend on one's material condition. Whatever a
person's material condition may be – he may be a king or a pauper-he can still
understand spiritual life. Generally people do not know what spiritual life is.
Spiritual life begins when you understand that you are not your body. This is the real
beginning of spiritual life. By seeing the difference between your self and your body,
you come to understand that you are a spirit soul.
People should be first taught what they are. Are they their bodies or something else?
That is the beginning of education. Now every one is educated to think he is his body.
Because someone accidentally gets an American body, he thinks, “I am an

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American.”This is just like thinking , “I am a red shirt,” just because you wearing a red
[Link] are not a red shirt. You are a human being. Similarly this body is like a shirt or coat
over the real person- the spirit soul. If we recognize ourselves simply by our bodily “shirt” or
“coat”, then we have no spiritual education.
The Bhagavad- gita indicates what is real education. Real education is to inquire why, although
we do not want to die, death comes. That is real inquiry. We do not want to become old men..
why does old age come upon us? We have many problems, but this is the sum and substance
of all of them.
In order to solve this problem, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu prescribes the chanting of Hare
Krishna. As soon as our heart is cleansed by chanting this Hare Krishna mantra, the blazing fire
of our problematic material existence is extinguished. How is it extinguished? When we cleanse
our heart we will realize that we do not belong to this material world. We will realize that we
are not this material body. “I do not belong to this material body or this material world. I am a
spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme. I am eternally related with Him and I have nothing
to do with the material world.” This is called liberation, knowledge.
This human life is meant for understanding, not for wasting valuable life like animals by eating,
sleeping, mating and defending. That is not the advancement of civilization. The Bhagavatam
says that this body is not meant for working hard simply for sense gratification.
To work very hard and satisfy oneself by sense gratification is the business of hogs, not human
beings. The human being should learn tapasya. Especially, in India, so many great sages, so
many great kings, and so many brahmacharis and sannyasis have passed their lives in great
tapasya in order not to go further to sleep.
This human form of life is not meant for increasing artificial needs. We should be satisfied just
to maintain the body and soul together, and the rest of the time we should enhance our Krishna
consciousness so that after leaving this body we will not have to take another material body,
but will go back home, back to Godhead, That should be the motto of human life.
Material life means eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, and spiritual life means something
more than this. This is also the difference between animal life and human life. In animal life,
the common formula is eating, sleeping, mating and defending. A dog eats, and a man also eats.
A man sleeps and a dog also sleeps. A man has sex life and the dog also has sex life. The dog
defends in his own way, and man also defends in his own way, maybe by atomic bombs. These
four principles are common in human beings and animals and advancement of these four
principles is not human civilization, but animal civilization.
Human civilization means athato brahma jijnasa. This is the first aphorism in the vedanta ssutra.
“Now is the time for inquiry about Brahman.”As long as one is not spiritually inquisitive,
jijnasu sreyah uttamam he is an animal, because he lives according to these four principles,
that's [Link] must be inquisitive to know what he is and why he is put into the miseries of birth,
death, old age and disease. Is there any remedy? These matters should be questioned. That is
human life, that is spiritual life.

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 Week 10 – Members' Section

Unless one is liberated from the clutches of the three modes of material nature namely
goodness, passion and ignorance, and come to the transcendental platform, he cannot
understand God.
Science of self realization

Discovery:
1. Do we have to be poor to be spiritual?
2. What examples are there from the Bhagavad- gita to illustrate this?
3. What is the beginning of spiritual life?

Understanding:
1. What is wrong in thinking that we are these bodies?
2. What is the real education that we should be getting?
3. How does Lord Chaitanya help us in solving all our problems?
4. What is the purpose of this human life?
5. Why should we inquire about Brahman?

Application:

1. How important is spiritual life to you?

Preaching is the Essence

Krishna takes the preacher back home, back to Godhead.
For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and
at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he,
nor will there be one more dear.
Any one.... who tries sincerely to present Bhagavd-gita as it is will advance in devotional
activities and reach the pure devotional state of life. As a result of such pure devotion, he is sure
to go back home, back to Godhead.
BG 18.68- 69

Vijay Venugopal dasa/Prema Padmini dd (veejayprema@[Link]) 11

 Week 11 – Leader's Section

Giving them home work for the entire week between is a good way of engaging them in
Krsna consciousness, so that when they do come after a week it is faster for them to relate
to the things being taught in the program. As most of them would not be reading Srila
Prabhupada’s books yet, request them to write down the points that they have learnt in the
previous week’s program. In the satsanga program too, by encouraging them to read Srila
Prabhupada’s books and sharing a point with everyone, you can engage them in the
home-work of reading.
You should continue to call them in between the program days to check what progress
they have made in their home- work. Till they have made it a regular habit, it may be
required of you to give them gentle reminders, otherwise you may become discouraged
of their forgetfulness, and they may feel afraid of attending the program in order not to
displease you!
Satsanga : 15 minutes
Share an interesting and inspiring point that you had read from the Srila Prabhupada’s
books, and your realization on that point. Ask if any one of them who had volunteered to
read Srila Prabhupada’s books the previous week would like to share some thing they had
read. Encourage and appreciate those who share, but do not comment on those who have
not read. They will soon grow to like doing it themselves.
After you have introduced any new visitor that may have come, you ask them this
question: “If you had to take a 12 hour flight to somewhere, whom would you like to
have sitting next to you? Why?”
Don’t pass judgments on what people say, but encourage and be appreciative of
everybody’s participation. Remember that this is not a session meant for imparting
knowledge to them, though that can also happen naturally, but the primary motive is to
make people open up and relax, and get to know one another.
Kirtana : 15 minutes
Continue as in the previous weeks by distributing the sheet containing the pranama
mantras and the Hare Krsna mantra as well as the glorifications at the end of the kirtana.
Also continue with the offering of incense by every member to the Altar Deities or Deity
pictures.
Japa…. 15 minutes
Read out first, the passage from the Nectar of the Holy Name.
Chant loudly together one mala on the beads. You can do a full round of japa with them.
Please chant the Pancatattva Mantra 3 times before chanting the japa and ask them to
follow you. While relishing the Holy Names yourself keep eye contact with the
members from time to time to encourage and enthuse them.

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Discussion- 45 minutes
Please read out the Passage for Dicussion and start asking the questions.(Do not explain it to them.)
Let the people assembled find out the answers from the passage themselves. The Discovery
questions can be answered by reading from the passage, but the Understanding questions must be
answered in the Members' own words, but based on the Passage, while the Application questions
must be based on the Members' own experience.
Please engage everyone in answering, You can ask two, three people to add to the same answer.
Move from one person to the next and give them sufficient time to think. You could ask leading
questions for them to go deeper and clearer in understanding the subject matter and in giving
relevant replies.
The Application question must ideally by answered by everyone. This is the most important part of
the discussion, and so you must provide sufficient time of at least 15 to 20 minutes for it. This will
give you a good idea about how well each one has understood the philosophy, how serious they are
about spiritual life and any practical problems or obstacles that they may be facing.
You should at last sum up all the points and give more points that you have
Preaching session : 15 minutes
Please read out first the passage from Preaching is the Essence.
Share with them your experiences of preaching for the week….small details about whom you
spoke to, visited, had a discussion with or encouraged in their Krsna consciousness.
If any of them have brought a new member, appreciate that. Also ask everyone to share their
attempts to get new people.
You can invite the most enthusiastic among them to accompany you in your visits to some new
member’s house, so that they see first hand how to deal with new people while inviting or
introducing them to Krsna consciousness.
Set a preaching home-work however small for everyone. Discuss what is possible for each one and
encourage them to do so. They must feel comfortable doing it and must enjoy the experience. So do
not push very hard. But be sensitive to the limits that they would like to keep for the moment. This
could include activities like book distribution, inviting friends or new contacts to the program, etc.
Home- Work
Reference:
A Hand Book for Bhakti Vriksha members Part 2
(CD with BG slokas and Vaishnava songs enclosed)
Read:Vegetarian Cooking: Pages 7 to 20 andKnowledge about Devatas (demigods):
Page 21 To 24.
Bhagavad-gita sloka to learn : B.G 9.23
Srila Prabhupada Books To Read: “Raja Vidya”
ISKCON Websites: Page 27

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Prasadam : 20 minutes
As you have done in the previous week, request them to chant the prasadam mantra.
You can ask for volunteers to distribute and serve prasadam to the other members. Engage them
gradually in service and they will begin to taste nectar and make spiritual advancement.
While they are eating, go around and talk with them, encouraging, joking and being pleasant, and
making them relax. It is the loving atmosphere which is going to draw them to the program week
after week. It is a tiny glimpse of the love that they are hankering to experience with Krsna.
Gradually and spontaneously some of them will offer to help you clean up, as well. Encourage them
to participate, even if you want to taste the nectar of service yourself! It is good for members to do
service. So encourage it so that they will benefit spiritually. Do not do so in a mood of sharing a
burden.
Immediately after the members have left the program, kindly fill in the Weekly report form.

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 Week 11 – Members' Section

The Nectar of the Holy Name

In this age, sankirtana-yajna, chanting of the holy name of the lord, is more important
than Vedic ritualistic sacrifices:
Since one may easily achieve the highest success by chanting the holy name of the
Lord, one may ask why there are so many Vedic ritualistic ceremonies and why
people are attracted to them. This verse answers that question. As stated in Bhagavad-
gita (15.15), vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah: the real purpose of studying the
Vedas is to approach the lotus feet of Lord Krsna.
Unfortunately, unintelligent people bewildered by the grandeur of Vedic yajnas want
to see gorgeous sacrifices performed. They want Vedic mantras chanted and huge
amounts of money spent for such ceremonies. Sometimes we have to observe the
Vedic ritualistic ceremonies to please such unintelligent men. Recently, when we
established a large Krsna-Balaräma temple in Vrindavana, we were obliged to have
Vedic ceremonies enacted by brähmanas because the inhabitants of Vrindavana,
especially the smarta-brahmanas, would not accept Europeans and Americans as bona
fide brahmanas.
Thus we had to engage brahmanas to perform costly yajnas. In spite of these yajnas,
the members of our Society performed sankirtana loudly with mridangas and I
considered the sankirtana more important than the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. Both
the ceremonies and the sankirtana were going on simultaneously. The ceremonies
were meant for persons interested in Vedic rituals for elevation to heavenly planets
(jati-krta-matir madhu-puspitayam), whereas the sankirtana was meant for pure
devotees interested in pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We would
simply have performed saìkértana, but then the inhabitants of Vrindävana would not
have taken the installation ceremony seriously.
As explained here, the Vedic performances are meant for those whose intelligence
has been dulled by the flowery language of the Vedas, which describe fruitive
activities intended to elevate one to the higher planets.
Especially in this age of Kali, sankirtana alone is sufficient. If the members of our
temples in the different parts of the world simply continue sankirtana before the
Deity, especially before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, they will remain perfect. There is
no need of any other performances.
Srimad-Bhägavatam 6.3.25

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Passage for Discussion

The Golden Avatara
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Golden Avatara, appeared in India nearly five hundred years
ago. It is the custom in India that when a child is born, an astrologer is called for. When Lord
Krsna, the supreme personality of Godhead, appeared five thousand years ago, Gargamuni was
called by His father, and he said, “This child formerly incarnated in three complexions, such as
red and golden, and now He has appeared in blackish color.” Krsna’s color is described in the
scriptures as blackish, Just like the color of a cloud. Lord Caitanya is understood to be Krsna
appearing in golden complexion.
There is much evidence in Vedic literature that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is an incarnation of
Krsna, and this is confirmed by scholars and devotees. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is
confirmed that the incarnation of Krsna, or God, in this present age, Kali-yuga, will always
engage in describing Krsna, He is Krsna, but as a devotee of Krsna He describes Himself. And In
this age His bodily complexion will not be blackish.
Another feature of this avatara is that He is always accompanied by His associates. Krsna, or
God, comes with two missions: to give protection to the devotees and to destroy the demons. In
this age Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission is also like that: to deliver the devotees and to
annihilate the nondevotees, the demons. But in this age He has a different weapon, That
weapon is not a club or disc or lethal weapon- His weapon is the sankirtana movement. He
killed the demonic mentality of the people by introducing the sankirtana movement.
Therefore, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that this is the incarnation of God in this age.
And who worships Him? The process is very simple. Just keep a picture of Lord Chaitanya
with His associates. Lord Chaitanya is in the middle, accompanied by His principal associates-
Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara, and Srivasa.
Anyone can have His picture in his home, chant this Hare krsna mantra, and thus worship Lord
Chaitanya. That is the simple method. But who will capture this simple method? Those who
have good brains. Without much bother, if one simply keeps a picture of Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu at home and chants Hare Krishna, then one will realize God.
In this age, those who have sufficient intelligence take to this sankirtana movement, and they
advance very quickly.
Lord Chaitanya is called, “the golden avatara.” Avatara means “descending, coming down.” Just
as one may come down from the fifth story or the one–hundredth story of the building, an
avatara comes down from the spiritual planets in the spiritual sky.
The avatara for this age, Lord Chaitanya, is described in Vedic literature. We cannot accept
anyone as an avatara unless he has the symptoms described in the scriptures.
Krsna Himself came to teach us how to surrender. His last instruction in the Bhagavad-gita is to
surrender, but people – mudhas, rascals said, “Why should I surrender?” Therefore, although
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, this time He teaches us practically how to execute the
mission of the Bhagavad-gita.

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Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gives us the opportunity to reach God directly When Rupa Goswami,
the principal disciple of Lord Chaitanya, first saw Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he was a minister in
the government of Bengal but wanted to join Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s movements. So he gave
up his position as a minister, and after joining, when he surrendered, he offered a nice prayer to
Lord Chaitanya. This prayer says:
Namo maha-vadanyaya
Krsna-prema-pradaya te
Krsnaya krsna-caitanya-
Namne gaura-tvise namah
My dear Lord, You are the most munificent of all the incarnations.” Why? Krsna-prema-
pradaya te: “You are directly giving love to God. You have no other purpose. Your process is so
nice that one can immediately learn to love God. Therefore You are the most munificent of all
incarnations. And it is not possible for any personality other than Krishna Himself to deliver
this benediction; therefore I say that You are Krsna.” Krishnaya krsna-chaitanya-namne: “ You
are Krsna, but you have assumed the name Krsna Chaitanya. I surrender unto You.”

So this is the process. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna Himself, and He is teaching how to
develop love of God by a very simple method. He says simply to chant Hare Krsna.
Harer nama harer nama
Harer namaiva kevalam
Kalau nasty eva nasty eva
Nasty eva gatir anyatha
In this age, simple go on chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. There is no other alternative.”
The chanting process offered by Lord Chaitanya for achieving love of God is called sankirtana.
Sankirtana is a Sanskrit word. Sam means samyak-“complete.” And kirtana means “glorifying”
or “describing.” So complete description means complete glorification of the Supreme, or the
Supreme Complete Whole. It is not that one can describe anything or glorify anything and that
will be kirtana. From the grammatical point of view that may be kirtana, but according to Vedic
system, kirtana means describing the supreme authority, the Absolute Truth, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. That is called kirtana.
Science of Self realization

Discovery:
1. Compare the similarities and differences between Lord Krishna and Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu.

Understanding:
1. How can one worship Lord Chaitanya at home? Why does it require good intelligence to
take up this process of worship?
2. Why is Lord Chaitanya the best of all the incarnations?

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Bhakti Vriksha Module – Krishna Sevaka Edition September 2010

3. What exactly is Sankirtan? What does it give us?

Application:
1. Discuss what you find attractive in the process given by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? How is it
different from the standard processes of worshipping God?

Preaching is the Essence

The preacher is very dear to the Lord:
"Therefore, my dear young friends ... show mercy to all living entities by enlightening them in
devotional service, thus becoming their well-wishers."The Lord says in Bhagavad-gétä (18.55),
bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah: "One can understand the Supreme
Personality as He is only by devotional service."
Prahlada Maharaja ultimately instructed his class friends, the sons of the demons, to accept the
process of devotional service by preaching the science of Krishna consciousness to everyone.
Preaching is the best service to the Lord. The Lord will immediately be extremely satisfied with
one who engages in this service of preaching Krishna consciousness. This is confirmed by the
Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gétä (18.69). Na ca tasman manusyesu kascin me priya-krttamah:
"There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more
dear."
If one sincerely tries his best to spread Krishna consciousness by preaching the glories of the
Lord and His supremacy, even if he is imperfectly educated, he becomes the dearmost servant
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is bhakti. As one performs this service for
humanity, without discrimination between friends and enemies, the Lord becomes satisfied,
and the mission of one's life is fulfilled.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advised everyone to become a guru-devotee and preach
Krishna consciousness (yare dekha, tare kaha Krishna-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]). That is the
easiest way to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Çrémad-Bhägavatam 7.6.24

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Your visiting the members during the week in their homes will enthuse them to follow
Krsna consciousness more carefully. You will also know first hand something about their
home situation, obstacles if any in their pursuing Krsna consciousness etc.., so that you
can guide them better to make steady progress. Also it is a good opportunity to meet their
family members and befriend them, so that they may also be favorably inclined towards
Krishna consciousness and may also start attending the programs. Even if you visited just
one or two of them a week, you can gradually cover all of them. Start with those that need
the most attention. It may be that their enthusiasm needs more nurturing , or it could be
the one facing the most number of obstacles.
Also at the end of the program discuss with them about the Vyuha program which you
will be conducting the following week. The details of the program are given in Week-13.
Share with them how you are going to conduct it and what services they could do for the
program.
Ice breaker : 15 minutes
After you have introduced any new visitor that may have come, you ask them to draw
their most precious possession.
Materials: Colors and Paper (or at least pens and paper)
Ask people to draw their most precious possession. This may be a person or an object.
Then have each share with the rest of the group, sharing their most precious possession,
while others listen attentively without speaking. This can be a powerful exercise and often
brings up strong feelings for all participants. Particularly useful for family groups as
children usually enjoy it. You can play some music in the background while people draw.
Variation: You can do this activity without drawing, by having people just speak about
their most precious possession.
After this, you can share with them some interesting and important point that you read
during the week from Srila Prabhupada’s books. Ask the others who have taken Srila
Prabhupada’s books home to read, to also share something. Have the books of Srila
Prabhupada’s displayed prominently, so that the others will gradually be inspired to also
buy/borrow some books.
Kirtan : 15 minutes
Continue as in the previous weeks by distributing the sheet containing the pranama
mantras and the Hare Krsna mantra as well as the glorifications at the end of the kirtana.
Also continue with the offering of incense by every member to the Altar Deities or Deity
pictures.
Japa - 15 minutes
Read out first, the passage from The Nectar of the Holy Name.

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Chant loudly together one mala on the beads. You can do a full round of japa with them. Please
chant the Pancatattva Mantra 3 times before chanting the japa and ask them to follow you. While
relishing the Holy Names yourself keep eye contact with the members from time to time to
encourage and enthuse them.
Discussion - 45 minutes
Please ask each member in turn to read out a few lines from the Passage for Discussion and start
asking the questions. (Do not explain it to them.) Let the people assembled find out the answers
from the passage themselves. The Discovery questions can be answered by reading from the
passage, but the Understanding questions must be answered in the Members' own words, but based
on the Passage, while the Application questions must be based on the Members' own experience.
Please engage everyone in answering, You can ask two, three people to add to the same answer.
Move from one person to the next and give them sufficient time to think. You could ask leading
questions for them to go deeper and get a clearer understanding of the subject matter for giving
relevant replies.
The Application question ideally has to be answered by everyone. This will give you a good idea
about how well each one has understood the philosophy, how serious they are about spiritual life
and any practical problems or obstacles that they may be facing. This is the most important part of
the discussion, and so you must provide sufficient time of at least 15 to 20 minutes for it.
You should at last sum up all the points and give more points that you have prepared..
Preaching session : 15 minutes
Please read out first the Preaching is the Essence passage.
Share with them your experiences of preaching for the week….with whom you spoke, visited, had a
discussion with or encouraged, etc.
If any of them have brought a new member, appreciate that. Also ask everyone to share their
attempts to get new people.
You can invite the most enthusiastic among them to accompany you in your visits to some new
member’s house, so that they see first hand how to deal with new people while inviting or
introducing them to Krsna consciousness.
Set a preaching home-work however small for everyone. Discuss what is possible for each one and
encourage them to do so. They must feel comfortable doing it and must enjoy the experience. So do
not push very hard. But be sensitive to the limits that are ready to do .This could include activities
like book distribution, inviting friends or new contacts to the program, etc.

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Home- Work
Things to Learn
Reference:
A Hand Book for Bhakti Vriksha members Part 2
(CD with BG slokas and Vaishnava songs enclosed)
Read:Vegetarian Cooking: Knowledge about Devatas (demigods): Pages 21 to 24
Bhagavad-gita sloka to learn : B.G 9.23
Srila Prabhupada Books To Read: “Krishna Consciousness The Top Most Yoga
System
Iskcon Web-Sites – Page 27
Prasadam : 20 minutes
As you have done in the previous week, request them to chant the mantra for honoring prasadam.
You can ask for volunteers to distribute and serve prasadam to the other members. Engage them
gradually in service and they will begin to taste nectar and make spiritual advancement.
While they are eating, go around and talk with them, encouraging, joking and being pleasant, and
making them relax. It is the loving atmosphere which is going to draw them to the program week
after week. It is a tiny glimpse of the love that they are hankering to experience with Krsna.
Gradually and spontaneously some of them will offer to help you clean up, as well. Encourage them
to participate, even if you want to taste the nectar of service yourself! It is good for members to do
service. So encourage it so that they will benefit spiritually. Do not do so in a mood of sharing a
burden.
Immediately after the members have left the program, kindly fill in the Weekly report form.

Vijay Venugopal dasa/Prema Padmini dd (veejayprema@[Link]) 23

 Week 12 – Members' Section

The Nectar of the Holy Name

Devotional service begins with hearing the holy name chanted by a pure Vaishnava:
Because the living entities are minute, atomic parts and parcels of the Lord,
devotional service is already present within them in a dormant condition. Devotional
service begins with sravanam kirtanam [SB 7.5.23], hearing and chanting. When a
man is sleeping, he can be awakened by sound vibration; therefore every conditioned
soul should be given the chance to hear the Hare Krishna mantra chanted by a pure
Vaishnava. One who hears the Hare Krishna mantra thus vibrated is awakened to
spiritual consciousness, or Krishna consciousness. In this way one's mind gradually
becomes purified, as stated by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (ceto-darpana-marjanam
[Cc. Antya 20.12]).

When the mind is purified, the senses are also purified. Instead of using the senses for
sense gratification, the awakened devotee employs the senses in the transcendental
loving service of the Lord. This is the process by which dormant love for Krishna is
awakened.
Sri Caitanya-caritämrta Madhya-lila 22.105

Passage for Discussion

What should we eat?
The laws of nature are very subtle and are very diligently administered, although
people do not know it. In the Manu-samhita the concept of a life for a life is
sanctioned, and it is actually observed throughout the world. Similarly, there are
other laws which state that one cannot even kill an ant without being responsible.
Since we cannot create, we have no right to kill any living entity, and therefore man-
made laws that distinguish between killing a man and killing an animal are imperfect.

Although there are imperfections in man-made laws, there cannot be defects in the
laws of God. According to the laws of God, killing an animal is as punishable as
killing a man. Those who draw distinctions between the two are concocting their own
laws. Even in the Ten Commandments it is prescribed, "Thou shall not kill." This is a
perfect law, but by discriminating and speculating men distort it. "I shall not kill
man, but I shall kill animals." In this way people cheat themselves and inflict

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suffering on themselves and others. In any case, however, God's laws will not excuse such
behavior.

Everyone is God's creature, although in different bodies or dresses. God is considered the one
Supreme Father. A father may have many children, and some may be intelligent and others not
very intelligent, but if an intelligent son tells his father, "My brother is not very intelligent; let
me kill him," will the father agree? Simply because one son is not very intelligent and the other
desires to kill him to avoid the burden, the father will never agree. Similarly, if God is the
Supreme Father, why should He sanction the killing of animals who are also His sons? In
Bhagavad-gita God declares to Arjuna that all I am their seed giving father," the Lord says. just
as in ordinary material procreation the father gives the seed and the mother develops the body
by supplying the necessary blood to the embryo, similarly, the living entities, parts and parcels
of the supreme father, are impregnated by the Lord in material nature.

The dimension of the spirit soul is very minute and is given in the scriptures as kesagra—one
ten thousandth the portion of the tip of a hair. We can hardly imagine a very small point
divided into thousands of parts. In other words, it is so minute that it cannot be perceived even
by the most powerful microscope. Thus the dimension of the spiritual spark is so minute that it
is invisible to mundane vision. All of this information is given in the scriptures, but because we
do not have the proper vision, we cannot see. Although our material eyes cannot perceive the
dimension of the soul, the soul is nonetheless within the body, and as soon as it departs, it
takes another body according to its work.

Spiritual life is not a question of vegetarianism but of understanding higher knowledge. When
one comes to the platform of elevated knowledge, he naturally becomes a vegetarian. Panditah
sama darsinah : one who is very highly learned, does not distinguish between a learned scholar,
a brahmana, an elephant, a dog and a cow. He is sama–darsi; his vision enables to see them all
equally. How is this? He does not see the body but the soul, the spiritual spark (Brahman). He
thinks: “Here is a dog, but it is also a living entity , although by his past karma, he has become
a dog. And his learned scholar is also a living spark, but he has taken good birth because of his
past karma” . When one comes to that position, he does not see the body, but the spiritual
spark, and he does not distinguish between one living entity and another.

Actually we do not make distinctions between carnivores and vegetarians, for the grass has life
just as the cows or the lamb. A guideline, however, should be the Vedic instructions given in
Isopanishad(mantra 1) : isavasyam idam sarvam yat kinca jagat yam jagat / tena tyaktyena
bhunjitha ma grdhah kasya svid dhanam . “Everything animate or inanimate that is within the
universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things
necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one must not accept other things,
knowing well to whom they belong.”

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Since everything is the property of the Supreme Lord, one can only enjoy what is allotted to
him by the Lord, and cannot touch another’s property. According to Vedic life and according to
all Vedic scriptures, a man should live on fruits and vegetables, for his teeth are made in such a
way that these can be very easily eaten and digested. Although it is nature’s law that one has to
live by eating other living entities (jivo jivasya jivanam), one must use discretion.

Fruits, flowers, vegetables, rice, grain and milk are made for human beings. Milk, for example,
is an animal product, the blood of an animal transformed, but the cow delivers more milk than
is needed by her calf because milk is intended by for man. Man should simply take the milk and
let the cows live, and thus following nature’s law, man will be happy. Tena tyaktena bhunjitha:
one should take whatever God allots to him and thus live comfortably.

We have to elevate our consciousness through this science of Krishna.

Krsna consciousness the Matchless Gift

Discovery:
1. How are God’s laws different from man-made laws? Explain with reference to the
punishment given for taking any life.
Understanding:
1. Why are God’s laws different?
2. Explain the dimensions of the spirit soul. When can we begin to understand the presence of
the soul in everyone?
3. What are the reasons for us to be vegetarian?
Application
1. Discuss why people like to eat meat. What arguments or reasons will you provide for them
to become vegetarian?

Preaching is the Essence

All devotees must preach:
When a person actually revives his consciousness with thoughts of Krsna by the mercy of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he revives his spiritual life and becomes addicted to the service of the
Lord. Only then can he act as an acharya. In other words, everyone should engage in preaching,
following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In this way one will be very much
appreciated by Lord Krsna and will quickly be recognized by Him. Actually a devotee of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu must engage in preaching in order to increase the followers of the Lord.
By thus preaching actual Vedic knowledge all over the world, one will benefit all mankind.

Vijay Venugopal dasa/Prema Padmini dd (veejayprema@[Link]) 27

Bhakti Vriksha Module – Krishna Sevaka Edition September 2010

Cc Madhya 7.153 (Madhya: 3, p. 77 )

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 Week 13 - Vyuha program

A vyuha program involves the participation of two or three Bhakti Vriksha groups
together in a combined program. It is a break from the regular Bhakti Vriksha program
and has a different format. A senior leader is invited to give a discourse/ lecture.
Before we start describing to you how the Vyuha program is conducted, let us see the
reasons for conducting it.
1) It is a break in format from the regular Bhakti Vriksha meetings. The members
need to have something different and relaxing periodically, so that a kind of
complacency or monotony does not set in, and their spirits are uplifted. This will
also inspire them to be more participative and involved in the Bhakti Vriksa
meetings.
2) It is a chance for them to come in touch with more senior devotees. If they have a
sector leader/ circle leader /greater circle leader, then it is an opportunity to listen
to their lecture and to associate closely with them.
3) It is an opportunity for the senior leaders to come and observe the progress of the
Bhakti Vriksha groups and to get to know the new devotees personally.
4) The members get to associate with other Bhakti Vriksha members and their
leaders, and this is very encouraging, inspiring, educative and enjoyable for them.
As they feel that they are part of a larger family and have common experiences,
this reinforces their strength and commitment to Krishna consciousness.
5) The members get to help in organizing the program, and so this is a great
opportunity for them to utilize their talents in serving Krishna. This also trains
them in organizing programs.
6) The cultural part of the program is entertaining as well. The audience is enlivened
and so are the participants. Members’ talents can be recognized and appreciated.
The parents are very enthusiastic if their children participate in a skit/song/ dance/
sloka recitation/ etc..This can reinforce their interest in the Bhakti Vriksha
program further.
7) It is a good opportunity for the members to invite their friends and acquaintances
for the program, as it is not a regular one. It would be an enjoyable evening for
them, as long kirtans, games, quiz, cultural programs, lecture, feast etc. would be
included in the program.
8) The Bhakti Vriksha members will get a wonderful opportunity to render different
services while organizing the program. This increases their service attitude, co-
operation with other devotees and an opportunity to learn different skills in the
service of Krsna.

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Vyuha program: (2 hours and 15 minutes).You can adjust the time to suit your convenience.

1. Have a more elaborate Arathi and Kirtan ……… 30 minutes.

2. When everyone is seated,introduce the guest of honour to the members , welcome him/her
as well as the [Link] of the Bhakti Vriksha leaders/ sector leader(if he is not the
special guest himself) can do this.

Introduce the different Bhakti Vriksha leaders to the audience. Let the leaders introduce their
members to the audience. They can invite a few of the volunteers within the group to come
and speak about their experiences of attending their Bhakti Vrikshas. Just 2 or 3 from each
group would suffice. The rest can be allowed to speak in future Vyuha programs.
This sets the mood for the crowd to be a little familiar with each other and thus
relax……………..25 minutes
3. Invite the senior devotee to speak to the guests…… 30 minutes
4. Have a quiz on the general information they have learnt in Krsna consciousness. You can
quiz them from the modules you have covered for them so far. You can divide them into
different Bhakti Vriksha teams…….20 minutes
5. Have a cultural presentation of a skit, Vaishnava song, dance, sloka recitation etc (you can
include one or more of them) …………20 minutes
6. If you have any siksha certificates to be handed out, you could request the senior leader do
so at this juncture.(If you have planned to distribute it else where, then skip this.)
7. Serve prasadam to the guests. ………..20 minutes
8. Do not forget to take the new visitor’s contact numbers and e-mail ids. If you have any
programs for children, this could also be announced. Also invite all the guests to join any of
the Bhakti Vriksha groups. If any of them are keen to do so, guide them to the suitable
Bhakti Vriksha leaders.

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As the members have been coming for a few weeks and are familiar with you, you can
engage them gradually in different services to Krsna. As they come in for the program,
you can request them to help you in services like probably keeping the plates ready to
serve prasadam, washing utensils, or looking after new guests, etc. This takes them also
to the next level in their relationship with you… from one of being just a guest to that of
being a close friend. Also this will inspire them to serve Krsna more and advance in their
devotional service.
Ice breaker : 15 minutes
After you have introduced any new visitor that may have come, have a brief satsanga /
ice–breaker session.
Introduce Your Partner: Divide the whole group in pairs and have each pair interview
each other. Give a time limit. After that have everyone introduce the partner to the whole
group.
After this, you can share some interesting and important point that you read during the
week from Srila Prabhupada’s books, with them. Ask the others who have taken Srila
Prabhupada’s books home to read, to also share something. Have the books of Srila
Prabhupada’s displayed prominently, so that the others will gradually be inspired to also
buy/ borrow some books. As you progress from week to week, you will find their interest
in hearing people’s realizations about Srila Prabhupada’s books and also in sharing their
own realization with others, growing. More and more members should be becoming
active in reading due to this. Be encouraging and patient. Do not push them to do it, as
that can never produce the desired results. It will naturally happen if you remain
enthusiastic and patient.
Kirtana : 15 minutes
Continue as in the previous weeks by distributing the sheet containing the pranama
mantras and the Hare Krsna mantra as well as the glorifications at the end of the kirtana.
Also continue with the offering of incense by every member to the Altar Deities or Deity
pictures.
Japa…. 15 minutes
Read out first, the Nectar of the Holy Name passage.
Chant loudly together one mala on the beads after chanting the Panca tattva mantra 3
times.
Do keep a watch on how they are chanting, whether they are holding the beads properly
and if they are concentrating, etc You should encourage them with smiles and
instructions, if necessary, to do it rightly. At the end of the session, enquire if they enjoy

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chanting at home. Enquire about how many malas each one is chanting and encourage them gently
to add one more mala to their chanting for the week.
Discussion - 45 minutes
Please ask each member in turn to read out a few lines from the Passage for Discussion and start
asking the questions.(Do not explain it to them.) Let the people assembled find out the answers
from the passage themselves. The Discovery questions can be answered by reading from the
passage, but the Understanding questions must be answered in the Members' own words, but based
on the Passage, while the Application questions must be based on the Members' own experience.
Please engage everyone in answering, You can ask two, three people to add to the same answer.
Move from one person to the next and give them sufficient time to [Link] could ask leading
questions for them to go deeper and get a clearer understanding of the subject matter for giving
relevant replies.
The Application question ideally has to be answered by everyone. This will give you a good idea
about how well each one has understood the philosophy, how serious they are about spiritual life
and any practical problems or obstacles that they may be facing.
This is the most important part of the discussion, and so you must provide sufficient time of at least
15 to 20 minutes for it.
You should at last sum up all the points and give more points that you have prepared..
Preaching session : 15 minutes
Please read out first the Preaching is the Essence passage.
Developing compassion is the main purpose of the preaching session. Without the mood of
compassion, devotees will not find the need or desire to preach and bring new members, or to
cultivate them. So in your reports, mention your realizations on how people are suffering and about
how we need to show them mercy, how we ourselves are very fortunate to come across this valuable
knowledge by the mercy of devotees, etc.
Share with them your experiences of preaching for the week, who you spoke to, visited, had a
discussion with or encouraged, etc.
If any of them have brought a new member, appreciate that. Also ask everyone to share their
attempts to get new people.
You can invite the most enthusiastic among them to accompany you in your visits to some new
member’s house, so that they see first hand how to deal with new people while inviting or
introducing them to Krsna consciousness.
Set a preaching home-work however small for everyone. Discuss what is possible for each one and
encourage them to do so. They must feel comfortable doing it and must enjoy the experience. So do
not push very hard. But be sensitive to the limits that are ready to do .This could include activities
like book distribution, inviting friends or new contacts to the program, etc.

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Home- Work
Things to Learn
Reference:
A Hand Book for Bhakti Vriksha members Part 2
Siksha level: Krishna Sevaka
(CD with BG slokas and Vaishnava songs enclosed)
Read:Different Types Of Services One can offer to do for Devotees: Page 25.
Bhagavad-gita sloka to learn : B.G 7.8,BG 7.24
Srila Prabhupada Books To Read: “Easy Journey To Other Planets”
ISKCON Websites: Page 27.

Prasadam : 20 minutes
As you have done in the previous week, request them to chant the mantra for honouring prasadam.
You can ask for volunteers to distribute and serve prasadam to the other members. Engage them
gradually in service and they will begin to taste nectar and make spiritual advancement.
While they are eating, go around and talk with them, encouraging, joking and being pleasant, and
making them relax. It is the loving atmosphere which is going to draw them to the program week
after week. It is a tiny glimpse of the love that they are hankering to experience with Krsna.
Gradually and spontaneously some of them will offer to help you clean up, as well. Encourage them
to participate, even if you want to taste the nectar of service yourself! It is good for members to do
service. So encourage it so that they will benefit spiritually. Do not do so in a mood of sharing a
burden
Immediately after the devotees have left the program, kindly fill in the Weekly report form.

Vijay Venugopal dasa/Prema Padmini dd (veejayprema@[Link]) 33

 Week 14 – Members' Section

The Nectar of the Holy Name

Lord Caitanya introduced the maha-mantra to counteract the philosophy of
impersonalism
[Lord Caitanya to Prakasananda Sarasvati]: "The Mäyäväda philosophy is so degraded
that it has taken the insignificant living entities to be the Lord, the Supreme Truth,
thus covering the glory and supremacy of the Absolute Truth with monism."
Sripada Shankaracharya purposely claimed the jiva-tattva, or living entities, to be
equal to the Supreme God. Therefore his entire philosophy is based on a
misunderstanding, and it misguides people to become atheists whose mission in life is
unfulfilled. The mission of human life, as described in Bhagavad-gita, is to surrender
unto the Supreme Lord and become His devotee, but the Mayavada philosophy
misleads one to defy the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and pose
oneself as the Supreme Lord. Thus it has misguided hundreds and thousands of
innocent men....the Mayavada philosophy, misguiding people by claiming the living
entity to be the Lord, has created havoc throughout the entire world and led almost
everyone to godlessness. By thus covering the glories of the Supreme Lord, the
Mayavadi philosophers have done the greatest disservice to human society. It is to
counteract these most abominable activities of the Mayavadi philosophers that Lord
Caitanya has introduced the Hare Krishna mahä-mantra.
harer nama harer näma
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha
[Cc. Ädi 17.21]
"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the
holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no
other way."
People should simply engage in the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, for
thus they will gradually come to understand that they are not the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, as they have been taught by the Mayavadi philosophers, but
are eternal servants of the Lord. As soon as one engages himself in the transcendental
service of the Lord, he becomes free.
mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

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(Bg. 14.26)
"One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstances, at
once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman."
Therefore the Hare Krishna movement or Krishna consciousness movement is the only light for
the foolish living entities who think either that there is no God or that if God exists He is
formless and they themselves are also God. These misconceptions are very dangerous, and the
only way to counteract them is to spread the Hare Krishna movement.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 7.120

Passage for Discussion

Darwinism Extinct
Conversation:
Srila Prabhupada is accompanied by Dr. Singh, Karandhara dasa adhikari, Brahmananda
Svami and other students.
Recorded on April 19, 1973,
In Cheviot Hills Park, Los Angeles
Srila Prabhupäda: This material world is a composition of three qualities—sattva, rajas and
tamas (goodness, passion and ignorance)—which are working everywhere. These three
qualities are present in various proportions in all species of life. For example, some trees
produce nice fruit, while others are simply meant for fuel. This is due to the association of
particular qualities of nature. Among animals also, these three qualities are present. The cow is
in the quality of goodness, the lion in passion, and the monkey in ignorance. According to
Darwin, Darwin's father is a monkey. [Laughter.] He has theorized foolishly.
Dr. Singh. :Darwin has said that some species become extinct in the struggle for survival. Those
which are capable of surviving will survive, but those which are not will become extinct. So he
says survival and extinction go side by side.
Srila Prabhupäda. Nothing is extinct. The monkey is not extinct. Darwin's immediate
forefather, the monkey, is still existing.
Karandhara. Darwin said there must be a natural selection. But selection means choice. So who
is choosing?
Srila Prabhupäda. That must be a person. Who is allowing someone to survive and someone to
be killed? There must be some authority with discretion to give such an order. That is our first
proposition. Who that authority is, is explained in Bhagavad-gita Krishna says,
mayadhyakshena prakritih: "Nature is working under My supervision." (Bg. 9.10)
Dr. Singh. Darwin also says that the different species were not created simultaneously, but
evolved gradually.

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Srila Prabhupäda. Then what is his explanation for how the process of evolution began?
Karandhara. Modern proponents of Darwinism say that the first living organism was created
chemically.
Srila Prabhupäda. And I say to them, "If life originated from chemicals, and if your science is
so advanced, then why can't you create life bio chemically in your laboratories?"
In the Future
Karandhara. They say they will create life in the future.
Srila Prabhupäda. What future? When this crucial point is raised, they reply, "We shall do it in
the future." Why in the future? That is nonsense. "Trust no future, however pleasant." If they
are so advanced, they must demonstrate now how life can be created from chemicals.
Otherwise what is the meaning of their advancement? They are talking nonsense.
Karandhara. They say that they are right on the verge of creating life.
Srila Prabhupäda. That's only a different way of saying the same thing: "In the future." The
scientists must admit that they still do not know the origin of life. Their claim that they will
soon prove a chemical origin of life is something like paying someone with a postdated check.
Suppose I give you a postdated check for ten thousand dollars but I actually have no money.
What is the value of that check? Scientists are claiming that their science is wonderful, but
when a practical example is wanted, they say they will provide it in the future. Suppose I say
that I possess millions of dollars, and when you ask me for some money I say, "Yes, I will now
give you a big postdated check. Is that all right?" If you are intelligent, you will reply, "At
present give me at least five dollars in cash so I can see something tangible." Similarly, the
scientists cannot produce even a single blade of grass in their laboratories, yet they are claiming
that life is produced from chemicals. What is this nonsense? Is no one questioning this?
Karandhara. They say that life is produced by chemical laws.
Srila Prabhupäda. As soon as there is a law, we must take into consideration that someone
made the law. Despite all their so-called advancement, the scientists in their laboratories cannot
produce even a blade of grass. What kind of scientists are they?
Dr. Singh. They say that in the ultimate analysis, everything came from matter. Living matter
came from nonliving matter.
Srila Prabhupäda. Then where is this living matter coming from now? Do the scientists say that
life came from matter in the past but does not at the present? Where is the ant coming from
now—from the dirt?
The Missing Link
Dr. Singh. in fact, there are several theories explaining how life originated from matter, how
living matter came from the nonliving.
Srila Prabhupäda. [casting Dr. Singh in the role of a materialistic scientist]. All right, scientist,
why is life not coming from matter now? You rascal. Why isn't life coming from matter now?

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Bhakti Vriksha Module – Krishna Sevaka Edition September 2010

Actually such scientists are rascals. They childishly say that life came from matter, although
they are not at all able to prove it. Our Krishna consciousness movement should expose all
these rascals. They are only bluffing. Why don't they create life immediately? In the past, they
say, life arose from matter; and they say that this will happen again in the future. They even say
that they will create life from matter. What kind of theory is this? They have already
commented that life began from matter. This refers to the past—"began." Then why do they
now speak of the future? Is it not contradictory? They are expecting the past to occur in the
future. This is childish nonsense.
Karandhara. They say that life arose from matter in the past and that they will create life this
way in the future.
Çréla Prabhupäda. What is this nonsense? If they cannot prove that life arises from matter in
the present, how do they know life arose this way in the past?
Dr. Singh. They are assuming...
Srila Prabhupäda. Everyone can assume, but this is not science. Everyone can assume
something. You can assume something, I can assume something. But there must be proof. We
can prove that life arises from life. For example, a father begets a child. The father is living, and
the child is living. But where is their proof that a father can be a dead stone? Where is their
proof? We can easily prove that life begins from life. And the original life is Krishna. That also
can be proven. But what evidence exists that a child is born of stone? They cannot actually
prove that life comes from matter. They are leaving that aside for the future. [Laughter.]
Karandhara. The scientists say that they can now formulate acids, amino acids, that are almost
like one-celled living organisms. They say that because these acids so closely resemble living
beings, there must be just one missing link needed before they can create life.
Srila Prabhupäda. Nonsense! Missing link. I'll challenge them to their face! [Laughter.] They
are missing this challenge. The missing link is this challenge to their face.
Nobel Prize for an Ass
Dr. Singh. Some scientists hope that in the future they will be able to make babies in test tubes.
Srila Prabhupäda. Test tubes?
Dr. Singh. Yes, they intend to combine male and female elements in biological laboratories.
Srila Prabhupäda. If they begin with living entities, what is the purpose of the test tube? It is
only a place for combination, but so is the womb. Where is the credit for the scientists if this is
already being done in nature's test tube?
Karandhara. It is already being done by nature, but when some scientist does it, people will
give him the Nobel Prize.
Srila Prabhupäda. Yes, that is stated in Srimad-Bhägavatam: sva-vid-varahostra-kharaih
samstutah purusah pasuh.[4] This verse indicates that those who praise men who are like
animals are no better than dogs, hogs, camels and asses. Sva means "dog," vid-varäha means
"stool-eating hog," ustra means "camel," and khara means "ass." If the Nobel Prize is given to a

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scientist who is a rascal, the men on the committee who give him that prize are no better than
dogs, hogs, camels and asses. We don't accept them as human beings. One animal is praised by
another animal. Where is the credit in that? If the men on the committee are no better than
animals, anyone who receives the Nobel Prize in science is fool number one, because animals
are praising him, not human beings.
Dr. Singh. For some scientists, the Nobel Prize is the ultimate.
Srila Prabhupäda. They are rascals. They are speaking nonsense, and because they are juggling
words, others are being misled.
Brahmananda Swami. Nobel is the person who invented dynamite.
Srila Prabhupäda. He has created great misfortune, and he has left his money for creating
further misfortune. [Laughter.]
Brahmananda Swami. The Gita says that demoniac people perform acts meant to destroy the
world.
Life comes from Life

Discovery:
1. Mention the headings or topics on which Srila Prabhupada disagrees with Darwin.
Understanding:

1. Why is it wrong to assume that man has descended from the monkey?
2. What is Darwin’s explanation of the origin of life? Explain his “survival of the fittest”
theory from the passage.
3. What is Srila Prabhupada’s answers to these propositions?
4. How do scientists explain away their inability to create life from matter?
5. Why does Srila Prabhupada not accept these explanations?
6. Why is Srila Prabhupada unimpressed by the scientists making test tube babies?
7. What is Srila Prabhupada’s opinion on Nobel prizes?
8. Why do you think Srila Prabhupada is severely criticizing the scientists? What harm have
their theories done to humankind?
Application:
1. Are you convinced about the scientists’ limitations? Why or why not?

Preaching is the Essence

One Should preach to relieve Lord Caitanya’s anxiety for the fallen souls

Vijay Venugopal dasa/Prema Padmini dd (veejayprema@[Link]) 39

Bhakti Vriksha Module – Krishna Sevaka Edition September 2010

“How will these yavanas be delivered ? To My great unhappiness, I do not see any way.”
Haridasa Thankura replied, “My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety. Do not be unhappy to see the
condition of the yavanas in material existence.”
These words of Haridas ThakuraThakura are just befitting a devotee who has dedicated his life
and soul to the service of the Lord. When the Lord is unhappy because of the condition of the
fallen souls, the devotee consoles Him, saying, “ My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety.” This is
service. Everyone should adopt the cause of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to try to relieve Him
from the anxiety He feels. This is actually service to the Lord. One who tries to relieve Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s anxiety for the fallen souls is certainly a most dear and confidential
devotee of the Lord.
Cc. Antya 3.51-52 ( Antya: 1, pp. 231-232)

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 Week 15 – Leader's Section

As the devotees are given more responsibilities and services to do at the beginning of the
program, they will start looking forward to coming ahead of time for the program. This
will also enable the members to co-operate in doing services together, while having
pleasant exchanges amongst themselves about the week gone by. This creates a proper
setting for good devotee associations to flourish, and helps greatly in their spiritual
advancement, as they will feel like following those who have gone ahead of them in
Krishna consciousness.
So do encourage them to do services, like getting things ready for the altar, making
arrangements for prasadam distribution, cleaning up the place or getting the Members'
Section for distribution, etc.
Ice breaker : 15 minutes
After you have introduced any new visitor that may have come, ask them this question:
“In which specific way have you grown in Krishna consciousness during the last three
months?”
This question is especially valuable to you as you can make a note of each person’s
progress in Krsna consciousness, areas which you were not yet aware of. Also it is a very
rewarding experience for the members to think about and articulate about their spiritual
growth. This will help them to be reflective and introspective about their spiritual life,
rather than just carry on with it as a matter of ritual. Also they can learn from each other’s
realizations.
Share an interesting and inspiring point from what you have read from Srila Prabhupada’s
books during the week; many more should be now willing to borrow/ buy the books to
read them during the week. Encourage them to share their discoveries and realizations
from Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Your enthusiasm and appreciation, of their participation however small initially, is a
very important factor in gradually making all of them take up reading Srila Prabhupada’s
books seriously.
Kirtana : 15 minutes
Continue as in the previous weeks by distributing the sheet containing the pranama
mantras and the Hare Krsna mantra as well as the glorifications at the end of the kirtana.
Also continue with the offering of incense by every member to the Altar Deities or Deity
pictures.
Japa…. 15 minutes
Read out first, the passage from The Nectar of the Holy Name.

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Bhakti Vriksha Module – Krishna Sevaka Edition September 2010

Chant loudly together one mala on the beads after chanting the Panca tattva mantra 3 times.
At the end of chanting, you could ask them about their experience of chanting the maha mantra on
beads at home, whether they had increased the number of malas that they chanted. Encourage those
who are a little willing, to try increasing one more mala for the following week. Though nobody can
or should force anyone to chant, your kind enquiries about their progress and encouragement to
keep increasing in small steps will motivate them to try chanting more.
Discussion - 45 minutes
Please ask each member in turn to read out a few lines from the Passage for Discussion and start
asking the questions. (Do not explain it to them.) Let the people assembled find out the answers
from the passage themselves. The Discovery questions can be answered by reading from the
passage, but the Understanding questions must be answered in the Members' own words, but based
on the Passage, while the Application questions must be based on the Members' own experience.
Please engage everyone in answering, You can ask two, three people to add to the same answer.
Move from one person to the next and give them sufficient time to think. You could ask leading
questions for them to go deeper and get a clearer understanding of the subject matter for giving
relevant replies.
The Application question ideally has to be answered by everyone. This will give you a good idea
about how well each one has understood the philosophy, how serious they are about spiritual life
and any practical problems or obstacles that they may be facing.
This is the most important part of the discussion, and so you must provide sufficient time of at least
15 to 20 minutes for it.
You should at last sum up all the points and give more points that you have prepared.
Preaching session : 15 minutes
Please read out first the passage from Preaching is the Essence.
Share with the members about what preaching you have done during the week either to new people
or to the devotees themselves. Share your insights and realizations.
Let everyone also share what they have done during the week, however small. The phone calls they
have made or the people they have spoken to, or invited etc, the successes or the difficulties they
have encountered.
If they have experienced some success and they share it, find out how they did it . Not only will
others learn from their experiences, it is also very encouraging to them and will inspire them to do
more. If there are some mistakes in their approach, this too will get corrected.
Please give them assignments for preaching for the forthcoming week.

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Home- Work
Things to Learn
Reference:
A Hand Book for Bhakti Vriksha members Part 2
Siksha level: Krishna Sevaka
(CD with BG slokas and Vaishnava songs enclosed)
Read:Vegetarian Cooking: Pages 7 To 20
Bhagavad-gita sloka to learn : B.G 10.8,BG 10.9
Srila Prabhupada Books To Read: “Matchless Gift”
ISKCON Websites: Page 27
Prasadam : 20 minutes
After the prasadam has been distributed and everyone is busy honoring it after reciting the
prasadam mantra, go around and enquire how they like the prasadam, among other things. Hear
their realizations on how they are appreciating the taste of prasadam as a spiritual experience. It is
important for them to appreciate and have the right respectful attitude toward prasadam.

If any member has sponsored the prasadam, announce it and thank them for the service. If anybody
has any special occasion to celebrate that day like birthdays , wedding anniversaries, announce that
and sing a Krsna conscious greeting like “Hare Krsna to you”, and “May Krsna bless you, dear” etc,
set to the standard tune of wishing people on birthdays.
This will make them very happy and also give them the idea to celebrate these occasions in a nice
Krsna conscious way, which will also benefit them spiritually.
Immediately after the devotees have left the program, kindly fill in the Weekly Report form.

Vijay Venugopal dasa/Prema Padmini dd (veejayprema@[Link]) 43

 Week 15 – Members' Section

The Nectar of the Holy Name

The "harer näma" verse in the Brihan-naradiya Purana
After this incident the Lord ate raw rice given by Suklambara Brahmachari and
explained very elaborately the import of the "harer nama" [Cc. Ädi 17.21] sloka
mentioned in the Brihan-naradiya Purana: (harer näma harer näma/harer nämaiva
kevalam/kalau nästy eva nästy eva/ nästy eva gatir anyathä) "In this age of Kali there is
no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting
the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari."
In this age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, is the
incarnation of Lord Krishna. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with
the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered. This verse repeats the
word eva [certainly] three times for emphasis, and it also three times repeats harer
nama [the holy name of the Lord] just to make common people understand. The use
of the word kevalam [only] prohibits all other processes, such as cultivation of
knowledge, practice of mystic yoga, and performance of austerities and fruitive
activities. This verse clearly states that anyone who accepts any other path cannot be
delivered. This is the reason for the triple repetition "nothing else, nothing else,
nothing else," which emphasizes the real process of self-realization.
To emphasize something to an ordinary person, one may repeat it three times, just as
one might say, "You must do this! You must do this! You must do this!" Thus the
Brihan-naradiya Purana repeatedly emphasizes the chanting of the holy name so that
people may take it seriously and thus free themselves from the clutches of maya....
Our Krishna consciousness movement stresses the chanting of the Hare Krishna
mantra only, whereas those who do not know the secret of success for this age of Kali
unnecessarily indulge in the cultivation of knowledge, the practice of mystic yoga or
the performance of fruitive activities or useless austerities. They are simply wasting
their time and misleading their followers. When we point this out very plainly to an
audience, members of opposing groups become angry at us. But according to the
injunctions of the shastras, we cannot make compromises with these so-called jnanis,
yogis, karmis and tapasvis. When they say they are as good as we are, we must say
that only we are good and that they are not good. This is not our obstinacy; it is the
injunction of the shastras. We must not deviate from the injunctions of the shastras.
Sri Chaitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 17.20-25

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Passage for Discussion

The teachings of the Acharyas
An acharya is a teacher of Vedic knowledge. He imparts the teachings of the shastras and
himself lives by those teachings. The care of the Vedic parampara (the passing down of Vedic
knowledge) has always been assigned to the acharyas.; therefore they are personal
representatives of that knowledge.
Sankara
Sankara AD (788- 820) was a shaivite(follower of Shiva) born in an orthodox South Indian
brahmana family. When still a young boy, he became an ascetic, and it appears, compiled two
major works(Viveka –Chintamani and Sariraka –bhasya). He traveled widely in India and died
in the Himalayas at age 32.
At the time Shankara appeared, Buddhism had received the patronage of the Indian emperor
Ashoka and had thus spread throughout India. Shankara sought to reform and purify religious
life by reasserting the authority of Vedic scriptures, which Buddha had completely rejected.
Shankara’s interpretation of Vedic literature is known as advaita- Vedanta. He taught that the
jivas or living entities are themselves the Absolute Truth (Parabrahman) and ultimately there is
no variety, individuality, or personality in spiritual existence. He taught that the supposed
individuality of both the Supreme being and jiva, is false. Shankara’s philosophy is sometimes
considered a compromise between theism and atheism, since it would have been impossible to
restore the Vedic literature’s theistic conception just after the Buddhist’s complete atheism.
Ramanuja
Ramanuja AD (1017-1137) was a south Indian brahmana who taught and traveled widely. For a
time he was the chief priest of the Vaishnava temple of Sri Ranga, in southern India. He wrote 3
major commentaries: Vedanta Sangraha (on the Vedas), Sri Bhasya (on Vedanta sutra), and
Bhagavad-gita Bhasya (on the Bhagavad–gita). He is best known for his strong presentation of
Vaishnavism and for his opposition to the impersonal monism of Shankara.
Ramanuja expounded Visistadvaita, or qualified non–dualism. He taught that there is a
difference between Parabrahman (Supreme Brahman) and the jivas, and there is a loving
relationship between the Supreme and the jivas. His qualified oneness shows that the Absolute
includes both what is changing ( the material world and the jivas) and what is changeless( the
transcendental Lord.) Ramanuja taught that through God’s grace the jiva can transcend the
material world and attain the eternal abode of Vishnu.
Madhva
Like Ramanuja, Madhva(AD 12391319) belonged to the Vaishnava tradition and devoted
himself to combating Shankara’s impersonal philosophy.
Madhvacharya’s Purnaprajna- bhasya establishes a type of Vedanta philosophy called suddha-
dvaita (pure dualism).

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In his teachings, he describes three entities - the Supreme Lord, the jiva, and the material
world. Even more emphatically than Ramanuja , Madhva maintained that God and the jivas are
eternally distinct. He held that the Lord is transcendental to the material world, which is a
product of his inferior energy. At the same time, the jivas are also distinct from matter, for they
are superior, spiritual energy of the Lord.
Madhva maintained that although the jivas are superior to matter, they are distinct from the
Lord and are his servitors. Whereas the Lord is independent, the jivas are totally dependent on
him. Madhva taught that the Lord creates, maintains and annihilates the cosmos, and at the
same time, in His original eternal form as Bhagavan Krsna, the Lord remains superior to
manifest and un manifest matter. In addition Madhva explained that each person molds his
own karma. And through bhakti, one can eliminate all his karma and return to his original
position of serving the Lord in the eternal spiritual world.
Chaitanya
In the late sixteenth century, with the advent of Krsna Chaitanya, in Bengal, Ramanuja’s and
Madhva’s theistic philosophy of Vaishnavism(worship of Vishnu or Bhagavan) reached its
climax. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s philosophy of acintya beda abeda tattva completed the
progression to devotional thiesm. Ramanuja had agreed with Shankara that the Absolute is one
only, but disagreed by affirming individual variety within that oneness. Madhva had
underscored the eternal duality of the Supreme and the jiva: he had maintained that this duality
endures even after liberation. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in turn, specified that the Supreme and
the jiva are inconceivably simultaneously one and different (acintya bhedabheda).They were
equal in quality, but not in quantity.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (A.D. 1486 –1534) was born in Navadvipa, Bengal. He took the
renounced order at the age of twenty four. His spiritual master, Isvara Puri, was a disciple of
Madhavendra Puri, who came in the line of Madhva. His immediate follwers (the six Gosvamis:
Rupa, Sanatana, Jiva, Gopala Bhatta, Raghunatha Bhatta and Raghunatha Dasa) compiled
extensive literatures and thus documented Lord Chaitanya’s philosophical system according to
Vedic evidence. Himself, Lord Chaitanya wrote only 8 verses , on the ecstacy of devotion to
Krsna. His disciples understood Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to be Bhagavan Krishna Himself
in the form of a devotee.
Teachings in Vedic Literature

Discovery:
1. Who is an acharya? Name the four Acharyas mentioned as well as the period to which
they belonged.
2. Name the literary contributions of each of these Acharyas.

Understanding:
1. How is Shankara’s philosophy different from the others? Why did he expound such a
philosophy?

Vijay Venugopal dasa/Prema Padmini dd (veejayprema@[Link]) 47

Bhakti Vriksha Module – Krishna Sevaka Edition September 2010

2. How did Ramanujacharya modify Shankara’s theory?

3. What point did Madhava emphasize with regard to Bhagavan and the jiva?
4. How did Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu synthesize both Ramanujacharya’s and Madhva’s
conclusions?
Application:
1. Which of these philosophies appeals to you most? Why?

Preaching is the Essence

Devotees must humbly tolerate opponents while preaching:
Vaishnavas must meet many opponents while preaching the glories of the Lord, but Sri
Caitanya Mahäprabhu recommends that they not become angry while preaching. Lord Caitanya
Mahaprabhu has given this formula: ... "One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a
humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more
tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect
to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly." Those
engaged in preaching the glories of the Lord should be humbler than grass and more tolerant
than a tree; then they can preach the glories of the Lord without difficulty .
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.4.5

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Continue encouraging members to choose a service that they would like doing before the
program [Link] services may be as varied as picking up someone for the program,
helping in washing the arathi plates, arranging the ghee lamps, washing plates, cutting
fruits/ vegetables, making copies of the Members' Section, and preaching material for
distribution to the group members.
Being committed to do a service will give them great spiritual progress and spiritual
satisfaction.
Ice breaker : 15 minutes
After you have introduced any new visitor that may have come, you ask them to do as
follows:
Find the Identity : Have people write 4 or 5 adjectives or phrases to describe
themselves. Collect the sheets and hand them out randomly (but make sure that nobody
gets their own). Each person reads the sheet he/she gets and attempts to guess who wrote
it. If he/she can’t guess, ask the next person or the whole group to try to find the identity.
Krsna consciousness is very personal and if the devotees also know one another well, this
fosters a lot of intimate dealings with one another. It becomes easy then to overcome
one’s selfishness and self-centeredness, which is the main stumbling block in our
advancement in Krsna consciousness.
Share an interesting and inspiring point from what you have read from Srila Prabhupada’s
books during the week; many more should be now willing to borrow/buy the books to
read them during the week. Encourage them to share their discoveries and realizations
from Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Your enthusiasm and appreciation, of their participation however small initially, is a
very important factor in gradually making all of them take up reading Srila Prabhupada’s
books seriously.
Kirtana : 15 minutes
Continue as in the previous weeks by distributing the sheet containing the pranama
mantras and the Hare Krsna mantra as well as the glorifications at the end of the kirtana.
Also continue with the offering of incense by every member to the Altar Deities or Deity
pictures.
Japa…. 15 minutes
Read out first, the passage from The Nectar of the Holy Name.
Chant loudly together one mala on the beads after chanting the Pancatattva mantra three
times.

49 Edition – September 2010

Bhakti Vriksha Module – Krishna Sevaka Edition September 2010

At the end of chanting, you could ask them about their experience of chanting the maha mantra on
beads at home. .. whether they had increased the number of malas that they chanted. Encourage
those who are a little willing, to try increasing one more mala for the following week. Though
nobody can or should force anyone to chant, your kind enquiries about their progress and
encouragement to keep increasing in small steps will motivate them to try chanting more.
Discussion - 45 minutes
Please ask each member in turn to read out a few lines from the Passage for Discussion and start
asking the questions.(Do not explain it to them.) Let the people assembled find out the answers
from the passage themselves. The Discovery questions can be answered by reading from the
passage, but the Understanding questions must be answered in the Members' own words, but based
on the Passage, while the Application questions must be based on the Members' own experience.
Please engage everyone in answering, You can ask two, three people to add to the same answer.
Move from one person to the next and give them sufficient time to [Link] could ask leading
questions for them to go deeper and get a clearer understanding of the subject matter for giving
relevant replies.
The Application question ideally has to be answered by everyone. This will give you a good idea
about how well each one has understood the philosophy, how serious they are about spiritual life
and any practical problems or obstacles that they may be facing.
This is the most important part of the discussion, and so you must provide sufficient time of at least
15 to 20 minutes for it.
You should at last sum up all the points and give more points that you have prepared..
Preaching session : 15 minutes
Please read out first the passage from Preaching is the Essence.
Share with the members about what preaching you have done during the week either to new people
or to the devotees themselves. Share your insights and realizations.
Let everyone also share what they have done during the week, however small. The phone calls they
have made or the people they have spoken to, or invited etc, the successes or the difficulties they
have encountered.
If they have experienced some success and they share it, find out how they did it. Not only will
others learn from their experiences, it is also very encouraging to them and will inspire them to do
more. If there are some mistakes in their approach, this too will get corrected.
Please give them assignments for preaching for the forthcoming week .

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 Week 16 – Leader's Section

Home- Work
Things to Learn
Reference:
A Hand Book for Bhakti Vriksha members Part 2
Siksha level: Krishna Sevaka
(CD with BG slokas and Vaishnava songs enclosed)
Read:How To Behave With Family Members In Regard To KrishnaConsciousness:
Page 26.
Bhagavad-gita sloka to learn : B.G 10.10,BG 10.11
Srila Prabhupada Books To Read: “Hare Krishna Challenge”
ISKCON Websites: Page 27
Prasadam : 20 minutes
After the prasadam has been distributed and everyone is busy honoring it after reciting the
prasadam mantra, go around and enquire how they like the prasadam, among other things. Hear
their realizations on how they are appreciating the taste of prasadam as a spiritual experience. It is
important for them to appreciate and have the right respectful attitude toward prasadam.
If any member has sponsored the prasadam, announce it and thank them for the service. If anybody
has any special occasion to celebrate that day like birthdays , wedding anniversaries, announce that
and sing a Krsna conscious greeting like “Hare Krsna to you”, and “may Krsna bless you, dear” etc,
set to the standard tune of greeting people on birthdays.
This will make them very happy and also give them the idea to celebrate these occasions in a nice
Krsna conscious way, which will benefit them spiritually.
Immediately after the devotees have left the program, kindly fill in the Weekly report form.

Vijay Venugopal dasa/Prema Padmini dd (veejayprema@[Link]) 51

 Week 16 – Members' Section

The Nectar of the Holy Name

Maharaja Parikshit saved his citizens from the clutches of Kali by propagating the holy
name
Even though all nefarious activities of the personality of Kali are present, there is a
great advantage in the age of Kali. One can attain salvation simply by chanting the
holy name of the Lord. Thus Maharaja Parikshit made an organized effort to
propagate the chanting of the Lord's holy name, and thus he saved the citizens from
the clutches of Kali. It is for this advantage only that great sages sometimes wish all
good for the age of Kali.
Srimad-Bhägavatam 1.18.7

The constant chanting of the holy names will drive away the personality of Kali from
the world:
The Personality of Godhead and His holy name, qualities, etc., are all identical. The
personality of Kali was not able to enter the jurisdiction of the earth due to the
presence of the Personality of Godhead. And similarly, if there is an arrangement for
the constant chanting of the holy names, qualities, etc., of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, there is no chance at all for the personality of Kali to enter. That is the
technique of driving away the personality of Kali from the world. In modernized
human society there are great advancements of material science, and they have
invented the radio to distribute sound in the air. So instead of vibrating some
nuisance sound for sense enjoyment, if the state arranges to distribute transcendental
sound by resounding the holy name, fame and activities of the Lord, as they are
authorized in the Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam, then a favorable condition
will be created, the principles of religion in the world will be reestablished, and thus
the executive heads, who are so anxious to drive away corruption from the world,
will be successful.
Srimad-Bhägavatam 1.18.6

Passage for Discussion

Be Intelligent: Follow the Acharyas
If no one knows the Supreme Personality of Godhead, how can He be known? He can
be known when the Supreme Lord comes before you and reveals Himself to you.
Then you can know. Our senses are imperfect, and they cannot realize the Supreme

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Truth. When you adopt a submissive attitude and chant, realization begins from the tongue. To
eat and to vibrate sound is the business of the tongue. If you can control your tongue for
prasadam, spiritual food, and make the sound vibration of the holy name, then by surrender of
the tongue you can control all the other senses. If you cannot control your tongue, you cannot
control your senses. Taste prasädam and become spiritually advanced. You can have this
process at your home: offer vegetarian foods to Krishna, chant the Hare Krishna mantra and
offer obeisances:
namo brahmanya-devaya
go-brähmanya-hitaya ca
jagat-hitaya krishnaya
govindaya namo namah
Everyone can offer, and then take the food with friends. And chant before the picture of
Krishna, and lead a pure life. Just see the result—the whole world will become Vaikuntha,
where there is no anxiety. All is anxious with us because we have accepted this material life.
Just the opposite is so in the spiritual world. No one, however, knows how to get out of the
material concept. Taking an intoxicant doesn't help; the same anxieties are there when you are
finished being drunk. If you want to be free and want life eternal with bliss and knowledge,
take to Krishna. No one can know God, but there is this way:. the process of Krishna
consciousness.
In the Srimad-Bhägavatam it is stated that no one can conquer Him or approach Him, but He
becomes conquered. How? Let people remain in their own positions, but let them give up
nonsense speculation through volumes of books. Thousands of books are printed and read, and
after six months thrown away. This way and that—how can you know the Supreme by
speculation on the information supplied by your blunt senses? Give up research—throw it
away—just become submissive; acknowledge that you are limited and subordinate to material
nature and to God. No one can be equal to or greater than God. So be submissive. Try to hear
about the glories of the Supreme Lord from authorized sources. Such authority is handed over
by disciplic succession. If we can understand by the same authority as Arjuna, that is real
authority. God is always ready to reveal; you just become Krsna conscious. Follow the path
traversed by the great acharyas, the devoted teachers, and then everything will be known.
Although He is unconquerable and unknowable, He can be known in your home.
If you take to this process and follow the principles, what will be the result? As soon as you
understand, you will know that the Supreme Lord is the cause of all causes, but that He is not
caused by any other cause. And He is the master of all planets. This is not accepting blindly.
God has given you the power of reason, the power of arguing—but don't argue falsely. If you
want to know the transcendental science you must surrender. Surrender to authority and know
Him by signs. Don't surrender to a fool or a rascal. Find one who is coming in disciplic
succession, one who is fully convinced about the Supreme Absolute Truth. If you find such a
person, surrender and try to please him, serve him and question him. Surrender unto Him is
surrender to God. Question to learn, not to waste time.

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The process is there, but if we waste time by intoxication we will never see Him, the
unconquerable Lord. Follow the principles and slowly but surely, without doubt, you will
know. "Yes, I'm making progress," you'll say. And it is very easy, and you can execute it and be
in a happy mood. Study, take part with music, eat prasadam. And no one can cheat you by this
process. But if you want to be cheated—go to the cheaters.
Try to understand it from the authoritative source and apply it in your life. Amongst the dying
mortals, you will become the most intelligent because you are freed from sinful actions. If you
act only for Krsna, then you are freed from all reactions. You will have no anxiety over what is
auspicious or inauspicious because you will be in touch with the most auspicious. This is the
process. Ultimately, we can get in touch with Krishna. Life will be successful. Anyone can
adopt it, because it is very simple.
Krsna Consciousness: The topmost Yoga system

Discovery:
1. How can we know the Supreme Truth through the tongue?

Understanding:
1. Why are people in the material world anxious? How do they try to get rid of their misery?
Why don’t those things work for them?
2. What is the process of becoming happy?
3. Who should we be submissive to? Why should we be submissive?
4. How should we apply the principles of Krsna consciousness in our daily lives?
5. What will be the result of application of these principles in our lives? How will this make us
happy?

Application:
1. Share with everyone what different spiritual activities you are engaged in and what you are
experiencing by performing them.

Preaching is the Essence

Lord Chaitanya personally demonstrated the importance of preaching
To deliver all fallen souls, the Lord traveled from country to country. He personally tasted the
transcendental pleasure of devotional service, and He simultaneously spread the cult of
devotion everywhere.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally traveled to different regions of India to spread the bhakti
cult throughout the country….by His personal behavior He has given an example for devotees
to follow. That is, one should broadcast the cult of devotional service….A Vaisnava is especially

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interested in para-upakara, doing good to others. Prahlada Maharaja was also interested in this.
He did not want to be delivered alone; rather he wanted to deliver all fallen souls, who are
bereft of knowledge of bhakti and who misuse their intelligence for the temporary benefit of the
material body. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also wanted His mission spread all over the world.

Prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama

Sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama

“In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard.” Following in His footsteps,
we are trying to broadcast His message throughout the world. By His mercy, people are taking
this movement very seriously. Indeed, our books are extensively distributed in the Western
countries, especially in America and Europe…. The followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu may
therefore take this movement seriously and broadcast it throughout the world. From village to
village and from town to town, just as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself did.

Cc. Madhya 25.264 (Madhya: 9, p.438)

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If your members have brought along any new members, make them comfortable and
make pleasant enquiries about them, so you can introduce them during the Ice- breaker
session to all the members.
Ice-Breaker : 15 minutes
After you have introduced any new visitor that may have come, engage in the following
ice- breaker.
Save Me! : Ask them to imagine that they are all survivors of a shipwreck, swimming for
their lives in the ocean. There is only one life-belt, and you have to decide who gets it.
Only one survivor can receive it and be saved. Each person must give reasons why he/she
should be the one who gets the life-belt. Whoever comes up with the most convincing or
amusing case wins. For added effect you can stand on a chair (If possible holding a real
life-belt) and have everyone stand around you.
Variation: have everyone giving reasons why the person on their left (or their right) is
the most worthy of being saved. This version has the advantage of encouraging
selflessness and glorification of others.
After this ask them also to share a point that they were inspired by during the week from
Srila Prabhupada’s books. Start the discussion by relating your own… so it will set the
right trend.
Kirtana : 15 minutes
Continue as in the previous weeks by distributing the sheet containing the pranama
mantras and the Hare Krsna mantra as well as the glorifications at the end of the kirtana.
Also continue with the offering of incense by every member to the Altar Deities or Deity
pictures.
Japa…. 15 minutes
Read out first, the passage from The Nectar of the Holy Name.
Chant loudly together one mala on the beads after chanting the Pancatattva mantra 3
times.
Since we are nearing the end of Krishna Sevaka, most of the members should be chanting
a minimum of 4 rounds. Ask a few of the devotees to share their realizations on chanting
each time… and make sure that those who have been missed out in one week are covered
in the following week. This will inspire them to chant more and more.

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Discussion - 45 minutes
Please ask each member in turn to read out a few lines from the Passage for Discussion and start
asking the questions.(Do not explain it to them.) Let the people assembled find out the answers
from the passage themselves. The Discovery questions can be answered by reading from the
passage, but the Understanding questions must be answered in the Members' own words, but based
on the Passage, while the Application questions must be based on the Members' own experience.
Please engage everyone in answering, You can ask two, three people to add to the same answer.
Move from one person to the next and give them sufficient time to [Link] could ask leading
questions for them to go deeper and get a clearer understanding of the subject matter for giving
relevant replies.
The Application question ideally has to be answered by everyone. This will give you a good idea
about how well each one has understood the philosophy, how serious they are about spiritual life
and any practical problems or obstacles that they may be facing.
This is the most important part of the discussion, and so you must provide sufficient time of at least
15 to 20 minutes for it.
You should at last sum up all the points and give more points that you have prepared..
Preaching session : 15 minutes
Please read out first the passage from Preaching is the Essence.
Share your preaching for the week and start enquiring from them about how they have performed
their assignments for the week.
Appreciate all their genuine efforts however “small”, since all efforts in preaching are truly glorious
and will instill in them the firm faith and conviction to preach more.
Give them more tasks for the week: calling new members, visiting new members/ talking to them
over phone, distributing books, etc.
Home- Work
Things to Learn
Reference:
A Hand Book for Bhakti Vriksha members Part 2
Siksha level: Krishna Sevaka
(CD with BG slokas and Vaishnava songs enclosed)
Read:How To Behave With Family Members In Regard To KrishnaConsciousness:
Page 26.
Bhagavad-gita sloka to learn : B.G 12.2,BG 12.7
Srila Prabhupada Books To Read: “Krishna The Reservoir Of Pleasur”
ISKCON Websites: Page 27

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Prasadam : 20 minutes
Make sure that different sets of devotees get the opportunity to serve the prasadam to everyone each
week…… without forcing anyone… this will help everyone to develop a healthy attitude towards
service.
You can ask them informally how they enjoy taking prasadam, what their realization about its
glories are and how much of prasadam , as compared to non – offered food that they are eating
during the week etc…. so as to increase their appreciation of prasadam.
Immediately after the devotees have left the program, kindly fill in the Weekly report form.

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The Nectar of the Holy Name

Haridasa Thakura could defeat Maya ...

… because he was absorbed in thoughts of Krishna by constantly chanting His Holy

Name:
[Maya to Haridasa Thakura]: After offering obeisances to Haridasa Thakura, the
woman said: "I am the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I came
here to test you."
In Bhagavad-gétä (7.14) Lord Krishna says:
daivé hy esa guna-mayi
mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
mayam etam taranti te
"This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is
difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross
beyond it."
This was actually proved by the behavior of Haridasa Thakura. Maya enchants the
entire world. Indeed, people have forgotten the ultimate goal of life because of the
dazzling attractions of the material world. But this dazzling attraction, especially the
attractive beauty of a woman, is meant for persons who are not surrendered to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord says, mam eva ye prapadyante mayam
etam taranti te: [Bg. 7.14] "One who is surrendered unto Me cannot be conquered by
the illusory energy." The illusory energy personally came to test Haridasa Thakura,
but herein she admits her defeat, for she was unable to captivate him. How is this
possible? It was because Haridasa Thakura, fully surrendered to the lotus feet of
Krishna, was always absorbed in thoughts of Krishna by chanting the holy names of
the Lord 300,000 times daily as a vow.
Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta Antya-lila 3.250

Passage for Discussion

We are not the Doers

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In the Bhagavad-gita (3.27) Lord Krsna says :

Prakrteh kriyamanani
Gunaih karmani sarvasah
Ahankara-vimudhatma
Kartaham iti manyate

“The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of
activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature”.

Success in any activity depends on five essential factors: the place, the doer, the tools or senses,
the endeavor, and finally the sanction of the Supreme Lord. Of these, the Supreme Lord’s
blessing is the most important. This sanction is enacted through the supreme Lord’s favorable
supervision of His material energy, for it is by the Lord’s will that material nature acts. Material
nature acts according to one’s consciousness: when the living entity is under the influence of
the three modes of nature, his actions are conducted by the Lord’s external energy, the material
nature. But when he is in transcendental consciousness, the suddha-sattva state, his actions are
conducted by the Lord’s internal, spiritual potency. The living entity can choose to have his
activities conducted by either the Lord’s external energy or His internal energy. This is the
extent of the jiva’s minute independence.
The moment the spirit soul surrenders completely at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord and
prays to Him for engagements in His loving devotional service, the soul is freed from the
bondage of fruitive reactions. In this stage he proves the truth of the scriptural injunction jivera
svarupa haya krsnera nitya-dasa: “In his original spiritual identity, the spirit soul is an eternal
servant of Krishna.” This position gives the soul immense bliss. It is wrong to equate the
position of an eternal servant of Krishna with that of a slave of maya, the illusory potency of
Krishna. In other words, the feelings of power and pleasure gained by lording it over matter are
insignificant compared to the ecstasy one feels in the Lord’s service. Even the eight kinds of
mystic perfections are puny compared with the bliss of being an eternal servant of Krsna. And
surrender is the only means to attain this state; no artificial method can be applied. The
awakening of pure Krsna consciousness, which is the perfection of the living entity, is obtained
only by surrendering to the Lord, the propensity for which is eternally inherent in the jiva.
Hence Lord Caitanya says in the Caitanya-caritamrta ( Madhya 22.107):

Nitya-siddha-krsna-prema/ ‘sadhya’ kabhu naya

Sravanadi-suddha-citte/ karaye udaya

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“Pure love for Krishna is eternally established in the hearts of living entities. It is not something
to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, the
living entity naturally awakens”.
The Sword of Knowledge

Discovery:
1. What five factors determine the success of our activities?
2. Out of these five factors which is the most important factor? Why?

Understanding:
1. Explain the independence enjoyed by the jiva.
2. Why does a pure soul hanker to be a servant of Krishna? How can one attain to this state?
3. What happens to one’s karma when one becomes a servant of Krishna?

Application:
1. Share your experiences of how you feel when you engage in devotional service to the Lord
or His pure devotees.

Preaching is the Essence

The Krsna consciousness movement is based on becoming Krsna conscious and making others Krsna
conscious:
“My dear child, continue dancing, chanting and performing sankirtana in association with
devotees. Furthermore, go out and preach the value of chanting Krsna-nama for by this
process You will be able to deliver all fallen souls.”
It is another ambition of the spiritual master to see his disciples not only chant, dance and
follow the regulative principles but also preach the sankirtana movement to others in order to
deliver them, for the Krsna consciousness movement is based on the principle that one should
become as perfect as possible in devotional service oneself and also preach the cult for others’
benefit.
Cc. Adi 7.92 ( Adi: 2, pp.73-74)

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 Week 18 - Leader's Section

If your members have brought along any new members, make them comfortable and
make pleasant enquiries about them, so you can introduce them during the Ice- breaker
session to all the members.
Ice-Breaker : 15 minutes
After you have introduced any new visitor that may have come, engage in the following
ice- breaker.
Save Me! : Ask them to imagine that they are all survivors of a shipwreck, swimming for
their lives in the ocean. There is only one life-belt, and you have to decide who gets it.
Only one survivor can receive it and be saved. Each person must give reasons why he/she
should be the one who gets the life-belt. Whoever comes up with the most convincing or
amusing case wins. For added effect you can stand on a chair (If possible holding a real
life-belt) and have everyone stand around you.
Variation: have everyone giving reasons why the person on their left (or their right) is
the most worthy of being saved. This version has the advantage of encouraging
selflessness and glorification of others.
After this ask them also to share a point that they were inspired by during the week from
Srila Prabhupada’s books. Start the discussion by relating your own… so it will set the
right trend.
Kirtana : 15 minutes
Continue as in the previous weeks by distributing the sheet containing the pranama
mantras and the Hare Krsna mantra as well as the glorifications at the end of the kirtana.
Also continue with the offering of incense by every member to the Altar Deities or Deity
pictures.
Japa…. 15 minutes
Read out first, the passage from The Nectar of the Holy Name.
Chant loudly together one mala on the beads after chanting the Pancatattva mantra 3
times.
Since we are nearing the end of Krishna Sevaka, most of the members should be chanting
a minimum of 4 rounds. Ask a few of the devotees to share their realizations on chanting
each time… and make sure that those who have been missed out in one week are covered
in the following week. This will inspire them to chant more and more.
Discussion - 45 minutes
Please ask each member in turn to read out a few lines from the Passage for Discussion
and start asking the questions.(Do not explain it to them.) Let the people assembled find
out the answers from the passage themselves. The Discovery questions can be answered

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by reading from the passage, but the Understanding questions must be answered in the Members'
own words, but based on the Passage, while the Application questions must be based on the
Members' own experience.
Please engage everyone in answering, You can ask two, three people to add to the same answer.
Move from one person to the next and give them sufficient time to [Link] could ask leading
questions for them to go deeper and get a clearer understanding of the subject matter for giving
relevant replies.
The Application question ideally has to be answered by everyone. This will give you a good idea
about how well each one has understood the philosophy, how serious they are about spiritual life
and any practical problems or obstacles that they may be facing.
This is the most important part of the discussion, and so you must provide sufficient time of at least
15 to 20 minutes for it.
You should at last sum up all the points and give more points that you have prepared..
Preaching session : 15 minutes
Please read out first the passage from Preaching is the Essence.
Share your preaching for the week and start enquiring from them about how they have performed
their assignments for the week.
Appreciate all their genuine efforts however “small”, since all efforts in preaching are truly glorious
and will instill in them the firm faith and conviction to preach more.
Give them more tasks for the week: calling new members, visiting new members/ talking to them
over phone, distributing books, etc.
Home- Work
Things to Learn
Reference:
A Hand Book for Bhakti Vriksha members Part 2
Siksha level: Krishna Sevaka
(CD with BG slokas and Vaishnava songs enclosed)
Srila Prabhupada Books To Read: “Krishna The Reservoir Of Pleasure”
ISKCON Websites: Page 27

Prasadam : 20 minutes
Make sure that different sets of devotees get the opportunity to serve the prasadam to everyone each
week…… without forcing anyone… this will help everyone to develop a healthy attitude towards
service.

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You can ask them informally how they enjoy taking prasadam, what their realization about its
glories are and how much of prasadam , as compared to non – offered food that they are eating
during the week etc…. so as to increase their appreciation of prasada

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 Week 18 – Members' Section
The Nectar of the Holy Name
All processes of devotional service must be preceded and followed by kirtana, which is the
most important process

[Lord Caitanya to Satyaräja]: "... One can complete the nine processes of devotional
service simply by chanting the holy name."
The nine devotional processes such as sravana and kirtana can all be attained at once
if one simply chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly.
In this regard,Srila Jiva Gosvami states in his book Bhakti-sandarbha (173): yadyapy
anya bhaktim kalau kartavya, taa kirtanakhya-bhakti-saàyogenaiva. Out of the nine
processes of devotional service, kirtana is very important. Srila Jiva Gosvami therefore
instructs that the other processes, such as arcana, vandana, dasya and sakhya, should
be executed, but they must be preceded and followed by kirtana, the chanting of the
holy name. We have therefore introduced this system in all of our centers. Arcana,
arati, bhoga offering, Deity dressing and decoration are all preceded and followed by
the chanting of the holy name of the Lord—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna
Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta Madhya-lila 15.107

Discussion:
Passage for Discussion
How to please the devatas

devan bhavayatanena
te deva bhavayantu vah
parasparam bhavayantah
sreyah param avapsyatha

TRANSLATION
The demigods, being pleased by sacrifices, will also please you, and thus, by
cooperation between men and demigods, prosperity will reign for all.

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PURPORT
The demigods are empowered administrators of material affairs. The supply of air, light, water
and all other benedictions for maintaining the body and soul of every living entity is entrusted
to the demigods, who are innumerable assistants in different parts of the body of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Their pleasures and displeasures are dependent on the performance of
yajnas by the human being. Some of the yajnas are meant to satisfy particular demigods; but
even in so doing, Lord Vishnu is worshiped in all yajnas as the chief beneficiary. It is stated also
in the Bhagavad-gita that Krishna Himself is the beneficiary of all kinds of yajnas: bhoktaram
yajna-tapasam. Therefore, ultimate satisfaction of the yajna-pati is the chief purpose of all
yajnas. When these yajnas are perfectly performed, naturally the demigods in charge of the
different departments of supply are pleased, and there is no scarcity in the supply of natural
products.
Performance of yajnas has many side benefits, ultimately leading to liberation from material
bondage. By performance of yajnas, all activities become purified, as it is stated in the Vedas:
ahara-suddhau sattva-shuddhih sattva-suddhau dhruva smrtih smrti-lambhe sarvagranthinam
vipramoksah. By performance of yajna one's eatables become sanctified, and by eating sanctified
foodstuffs one's very existence becomes purified; by the purification of existence finer tissues in
the memory become sanctified, and when memory is sanctified one can think of the path of
liberation, and all these combined together lead to Krishna consciousness, the great necessity of
present-day society.
Bhagavad-gita As it is Ch 3 Text 11

Discovery:
1. What is the role of the Demigods or devatas in our lives?

Understanding:
1. Why is the worship of Vishnu always necessary in all sacrifices?
2. Why is it necessary to perform yagnas?
3. What is the ultimate benefit of performing yagnas?

Application:
1. Discuss the benefits of performing the sankirtana yagna in this age. Discuss also your own
realizations on how sankirtana has benefited you.

Preaching is the Essence

“One should preach; that is real non-violence”
Nonviolence is generally taken to mean not killing or destroying the body, but actually
nonviolence means not to put others into distress. People in general are trapped by ignorance

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in the material concept of life, and they perpetually suffer material pains. So, unless one
elevates people to spiritual knowledge, one is practicing violence. One should try his best to
distribute real knowledge to the people, so that they may become enlightened and leave this
material entanglement. That is nonviolence.
Bhagavad-gita As It Is 13.8-12

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 Week 19 – Krishna Sevaka Shiksha Seminar

Welcome all the members and guests. Make a change in the seating arrangement, as today
they would all have to sit in a crowd facing the speaker, rather than in a circle.
Have the black board / white board ready with chalk or marker as the case may be, for the
seminar. Have a chair and table arranged for the speaker. Discuss with your senior leader
about who could possibly enact the short skit which is part of the seminar given below.
Also show him / her the seminar material well in advance, so that they can be well
prepared. Prepare the handouts to be given at the end of the class.
Kirtana: 20 minutes
Request the senior to lead a kirtana for twenty minutes.
Seminar: 90 minutes - Module for Krishna Sevak
Aim:
➢ To motivate members to give up meat eating
➢ To make them commit to 4 rounds of chanting.
➢ To make them start reading Srila Prabhupada’s books seriously.
➢ To make them want to volunteer for services.

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson they will be able to:
➢ List 6 reasons to give up meat eating.
➢ To agree to start chanting 4 rounds
➢ To start doing more services in the Temple
➢ To start reading Srila Prabhupada’s books

Conditions:
They will do so voluntarily.
Criteria:
They will list at least four reasons for giving up meat eating, at least two reasons to start
chanting four rounds, to volunteer for at least one service and buy at least one book of
Srila Prabhupada. At least 50% of them should enroll their names for taking the Krishna
Sevak certificate.
Assessment:
By orally asking them at the end of the class.

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Preparation:
Make handouts about the reasons for man to be vegetarian.
Also keep some of Srila Prabhupada’s books for sale.
LESSON OUTLINE:

What Who Resources Time

Role Play Facilitator and a ----------------- 20 minutes
help
Group Discussion Audience ---------------- 15 minutes
and follow up
Brain storm & Audience B/W Board 10 minutes
follow up
Lecture Facilitator Flip Chart 15 minutes
Lecture Facilitator Flip Chart 10 minutes
Lecture Facilitator Flip Chart 10 minutes

Lesson Plan:
Welcome the students. Explain the aim of the course, namely to help them understand the reasons to
progress to the next step of the Siksa Program which is that of a Krishna Sevaka.

Role Play: A doctor and a patient

(You can have two people enact the skit. If enacting it is not possible, you can ask two people
to read out the skit dramatically. This will also have the required impact.)

Patient: “Doctor, I have a huge stomach ache! What do I do?”

Doctor: “What did you eat last?”
Patient: “Some lamb and fish”
Doctor: “Show me your claws”
Patient: “Claws? (Looks at his hand) Sorry, I did not understand.”
Doctor: “Oh well, what you use to tear the flesh with and eat!”
Patient: “You mean, my hands?”
Doctor: “How can you call them hands? Aren’t they doing the work of tigers and lions? Tigers
have claws! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
Doctor: “At least I hope you have some canine teeth like animals. I don’t see how else you can
manage to eat meat!”
Patient: “I have strong molar teeth!”

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Doctor: “That is only good for grinding grains! Let me check your tongue now. Open your
mouth.”
Patient: “Aaah! “ (Opens the mouth and puts out his tongue).
Doctor: “So many salivary glands! Well this is meant for pre-digesting grains! Are you sure you
eat meat?”
Patient (worried): “Yes doctor…”
Doctor: “When did you eat this last meal of lamb and fish?”
Patient: “Yesterday morning, doctor.”
Doctor: “Did you pay a visit to the lavatory yet?”
Patient: “I am afraid it is too early sir. How will all the food be digested so fast?”

Doctor: “My dear man how can you keep such rotten dead body inside your alimentary tract for
so long? Don’t you see how many toxins would have formed by now?”
Patient: “I can’t help if God gave me more than 6 metres of alimentary canal! He knows best,
doesn’t HE?”
Doctor: “He jolly well does! That is why He gave the animals short alimentary canal!”
Patient: “But sir, I can’t help eating meat, my tongue demands it.”
Doctor: “Well! You have hope sir. You will definitely get the body of a tiger or a lion in your
next birth and you can enjoy yourself then unlimitedly!”
Patient: “What about this life?”
Doctor: ‘Only you have a payment to make …”
Patient (eagerly) “What, what is it?”
Doctor: “Well just cancer, blood pressure, heart disease etc… You can decide…”
Patient: “Just faints and falls down on the floor.”
Doctor (sprinkling water on the patient and rubbing his chest): “Oh! If I only told him about all
the sufferings in his next life for the cruelty being done to the animals, I don’t know if he would
have survived the shock!”
“Also in this life the disturbing effects of meat eating on the mind is very much, driving one to
more and more passion and ignorance… to more and more lust and violence. What hope is
there for them to understand God?
Also the animals drink filthy water from the ditch. When you consume them you get all the
germs too… and so you are more vulnerable to diseases.

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Bhakti Vriksha Module – Krishna Sevaka Edition September 2010

They take it hoping to get a lot of protein, but protein is there in plenty in dairy products, nuts,
beans and grains. Flesh eating just gives excessive proteins that just is converted to
nitrogenuous wates and it burdens the kidneys.
And what about all the chemicals used to preserve meat… they are deadly… they lead to heart
diseases.”
(Looking at the audience): “If I were you I will take to vegetarian diet today, it is tasty, healthy
and good in every way!” (Laughs)

Group Discussion:
Divide the class into groups of 4 and ask them to discuss the reasons why meat eating is not
recommended for human beings. Ask each group to jot down their points. At the end of 10 minutes,
ask the leader of each group to give out a point. Ask the next group to give a different point. In this
way make them read out all the points that they have discussed against meat eating.
Brainstorm:
On the benefits they have experienced through chanting & on possible difficulties they could face if
they took up chanting 4 rounds.
Lecture:
Sum up the benefits of chanting that were discussed and explain how they can overcome the
obstacles to commit chanting 4 rounds.
You can make sure that the following points were added:
The Benefits of Chanting:
1. Gives us peace of mind.
2. Gives us faith in God.
3. Enables us to understand the scriptures better.
4. Gives us the desire and intelligence to render devotional service.
5. Enables us to understand that we are not this body. (Purifies our mind)
6. Gives us happiness.
7. Gives us protection.
8. Destroys our sins.
9. Keeps us in spiritual consciousness through out the day.
10. Gives us love for Krishna.
Lecture:
Explain the benefits of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books. Have a neat and attractive chart done with
the following points:
The Benefits of Reading Srila Prabhupada’s books:
1. They give us a very easy and good understanding about our life and the goal of life.

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2. They are very inspiring.

3. They help us to quickly develop faith in God.
4. They are very authentic with many quotations from the scriptures.
5. They are very interesting and highly informative.
6. They come in all sizes. So we can start reading small books.
7. They are very exciting to read and they open our vision of the world dramatically.
Show them an assortment of Srila Prabhupada’s books and request them to buy if they want.
Lecture:
On the benefits of doing some service in the Temple.
Write down the following points as you cover them in your lecture one by one
The Benefits of doing some Service in the Temple:

1. Easy to perform and gives immense spiritual benefits

2. Gets them the mercy of Lord Krishna very quickly

3. Gives them a taste to continue in Krishna consciousness.

4. Gives them the opportunity to come closer to devotees and become friends with them.

5. Is great fun and very interesting.

6. They will experience bliss in no time at all!

Assessment:
Ask them how many would like to volunteer to take up the Krishna Sevak certificate after
explaining to them the commitment it involves.
Distribute the Krsna Sevak application forms to those who agree to take up this level of
commitment. They will then qualify to receive a Krsna Sevak certificate, which can be handed to
them at a public ceremony at any of the Temple/ congregational programmes.

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 CHECK LIST for MODULE 2 (Krsna Sevaka)

The second module consists of eight sessions, which are covered in eight weeks. At the
end of this module, there are some questions / check list given below that you can answer
to see if the members have progressed along the expected lines up at least up to the
Krishna Sevaka level. (Krishna Sevaka: committed to chanting at least four rounds of
japa every day, being a vegetarian and rendering some regular service).
You should have been entering the details about your members in the BV report form
given at the end of each lesson, every week. This will help you fill up the check-list easily
and will make your assessment of your progress authentic. If there is any short fall, you
will know you have to give some special attention, or see if you have not given sufficient
attention to some particular aspect of the program. Please go through the introduction of
this book once again to help you in this.
In spite of our best efforts, it is still possible that our results may sometimes be less than
ideal as we are dealing with human beings who all have their independence to advance in
Krsna consciousness at the pace they want… but we can do our part to the best of our
ability, and that in most cases does inspire them to surrender faster. But there is no need to
feel depressed or dispirited if we are not always successful, because we are constantly
improving ourselves both in our level of Krsna conscious surrender as well as in our skills
to inspire people, so we can always keep improving..
Check list for Module Two
Write Yes/ No or the appropriate answer in the right hand side column

1 Do you have at least 10 members attending your program?

2 Are they all attending regularly? If not how many are irregular?
3 Are they all participating in all the sessions? If not, how many are not
participating?
In which sessions are they not participating?
4 Are they all chanting at least four rounds of japa? If not how many
are not chanting?
How many have not started reading Srila Prabhupada’s books yet?
5 Do they do the home – work that you assign them? If not, how many
are not doing it?
6 Do they all feel comfortable with you and are communicative with
you? If not, how many are not communicative?
7 Do they volunteer to do some services? How many of them don’t?
8 Are they all enthusiastic to take up the Krishna sevaka certificate? If
not, how many are not willing to take ?

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Bhakti Vriksha Module – Krishna Sevaka Edition September 2010

If you have just one or two that are not up to the mark, you can feel that you have done a good job,
but that you must still work at bringing everyone to the desired level. If there are around half the
group not advancing, then you must do a review of your program. You can discuss this with your
senior preachers, take their guidance and help as well. Remember you are the parent, and parents
will do everything to care for each one of their children!

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