Week 15
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 spiritual
edification sheets, etc 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 3
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 following passage from :
The Nectar of the Holy Name
Explanation of 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: "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
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 read out the passage below and start asking the questions.(Do not explain it to
them.) Let the people assembled find out the answers from the passage themselves.
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..
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(A.D. 1239-1319) 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).
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 bheda bheda ).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 4 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?
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:
Which of these philosophies appeals to you most? Why?
Preaching session : 15 minutes
Please read out first the passage given below:
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
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.
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 following form:
Please enter the details about your members attending this week:
Names Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Remarks
A S A S A S A S A S
EFFORTS
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week5 Total
1 No. of Mails
2 No. of Telephone Calls
3 No. of Home Visits
4 No. of Service Donors
5 No. of Money Donors
Abbreviations: A= Attendance, S= Siksha level
