ThevisionoftheHareKrishnaMovement

ThesevenpurposesstatedwithinISKCON’sarticlesofincorporationrevealSrilaPrabhupada’svisionfortheSociety:

1.Tosystematicallypropagatespiritualknowledgetosocietyatlargeandtoeducateallpeoplesinthetechniquesofspirituallifeinordertochecktheimbalanceofvaluesinlifeandtoachieverealunityandpeaceintheworld.

2.TopropagateaconsciousnessofKrishna,asitisrevealedintheBhagavad-gitaandSrimadBhagavatam.

3.TobringthemembersofthesocietytogetherwitheachotherandnearertoKrishna,theprimeentity,thustodeveloptheideawithinthemembers,andhumanityatlarge,thateachsoulispartandparcelofthequalityofGodhead(Krishna).

4.Toteachandencouragethesankirtanmovement,congregationalchantingoftheholynameofGodasrevealedintheteachingsofLordChaitanyaMahaprabhu.

5.Toerectforthemembersandsocietyatlargeaholyplaceoftranscendentalpastimes,dedicatedtothePersonalityofKrishna.

6.Tobringthemembersclosertogetherforthepurposeofteachingasimplerandmorenaturalwayoflife.

7.Withaviewtowardsachievingtheaforementionedpurposes,topublishanddistributeperiodicals,magazines,booksandotherwritings.

WhendidtheHareKrishnaMovementstart?

TheHareKrishnalifestyleisonethathasbeenfollowedsincetimeimmemorial–rightfromthebeginningofmaterialcreationaccordingtoancientVedictexts.TheHareKrishnaphilosophyandlifestylethusoriginatesintheancientVediccivilisation,theteachingsandwritingsofwhichhavebeenpasseddownthroughthegenerations.Suchacivilisationisbasedonalifeofcompassion,tolerance,cleanlinessanddiscipline,allforonemainpurpose:tousethehumanformoflifeforthesakeofcultivatingknowledgeofGod,LordKrishna.ThecultivationofknowledgeandservicetoLordKrishna,theSupremePersonalityofGodhead,constitutethegoalofthisvaluablehumanformoflife.ItisLordKrishna’spromiseinBhagavad-gitathatwhenweachieveunalloyedpureservicetoHimwearethenliberatedfromthisworldofrepeatedbirthanddeathand,attheendofourlives,reachthespiritualrealm.

What’swrongwiththeworldinwhichweliveandwhatisthesolution?

Thematerialworldischaracterisedbythethree-foldmiseriesoflife–miseriescausedbybodyandmind,miseriescausedbyotherlivingentitiesandmiseriescausedbynatureanditsforces.Atanymomentintimewearetroubledbyatleastoneoracombinationofthesemiseries.LordKrishnaadvisesinBhagavad-gitathatweshouldlearntotoleratethesemiseriesaswecultivateourrealspiritualidentity.

Aslongasweareinthematerialworld,wecannotbepermanentlyhappybyvariousmaterialadjustmentsastheverynatureofmaterialenjoymentistemporary.Hence,thewiseteachersofthepasthaveadvisedthatallactivitiesinthismaterialworldbespiritualisedbyfollowingapurelifededicatedtoself-realisation.Thuswecangraduallybecomefreefromthebondsofmateriallife.

Fromthepointofcreation,thematerialworldgoesthroughfourdifferentstagesoftime.Wearenowinthefinalstageofthecycle,whichiscalled‘KaliYuga’.ThisKaliYugaageischaracterisedbygreed,quarrel,hypocrisyandcheating.AccordingtotheVedicscriptures,astimeprogressesinthisage,therewillbefurtherdegradationwithincreaseddiscrepanciesinhumanbehaviour,resultinginsocialdisruptionatalllevels.ThemajorityofthepopulationwillnotbelieveinspiritualityandGod.Fortheminoritywhodoseekalifeofspirituality,thesearchfortruereligionmayseemadistantreality.

ThegreatbenedictionofferedbyLordKrishnainthistroubledageofKaliYugaisthatsimplybychantingtheholynamesofGod.

TheActivitiesoftheHareKrishnas

TheHareKrishnaMovementismeanttofillthespiritualgapintheworldtoday.ItsaimistobuildasocietybasedontheteachingsofLordKrishna,theSupremePersonalityofGodhead.InourSociety,webelieveGodisapersonandHehasaname,hasHisownfamilyandfriends,performstranscendentallywonderfulactivitiesandischerishedasthelifeandsoulofHisdevotees.ThisSupremePersonisunimaginablybeautiful,wealthy,strong,famous,intelligentandatthesametimedetachedfromeverything.AlthoughHehasunlimitednames,HisoriginalnameisKrishna,meaning‘all-attractive’.

SpirituallifestartswhenonebeginstobuildarelationshipwithLordKrishnathroughHisname,HispastimesandHisdevotees.AttheHareKrishnacentresaroundtheworld,wechantHisname,educateourselvesonHispastimesandassociatewithHisdevotees.TheSupremePersonalityofGodheadisfullyspiritual,andafragmentofthisspirituality–the‘soul’–existswithinallofus.WearethusallindividualsoulsexistinginarelationshipwiththeSupremeSoul,LordKrishna.ThehappinessthateludesusinthismaterialworldcanbefoundwhenwereviveourlostrelationshipwithLordKrishna.

BychantingthenamesofLordKrishna,listeningtoHispastimesandassociatingwithHisdevotees,apersoncanreturnthesoultoitsoriginalpositionofeternality,blissandcompleteknowledgeinrelationshipwithKrishna–thisisthetruepurposeofallyogasystems.AsLordKrishnaisfullyspiritualwithoutatingeofmaterialcontamination,Hisname,activitiesandparaphernaliaareallspiritual.Hence,inthesystemofbhaktiyoga,ordevotiontoKrishna,youcaneasilyattainthehighestperfectionoflife.Ourdailyactivitiesinclude:

(1)DeityWorship–worshippingtheLordinanauthorisedformmadeofstone,earth,woodorpainting.

(2)Vegetarianism–theartofcookingsumptuousvegetarianpreparationsfilledwiththemercyofLordKrishnaanddevoidofanykarmicreactions.

(3)SpiritualEducation–studyofBhagavad-gita(spokenbyLordKrishna5,000yearsago),SrimadBhagavatam(aboutthelifeofLordKrishna,alsowritten5,000yearsago)andChaitanya-caritamrita(pastimesoftheLordwhenheappearedsome500yearsago).

(4)CommunityDistributionofKrishna’sname–popularlyknownwithinas‘Harinam’,asystemofsinginganddancingthenamesofKrishnaonthestreetsforalltohearandrelish.PassivehearingofKrishna’snameimmediatelystartsthespiritualprogressofthelistenertoo!

(5)Andfinallythemostimportantexerciseofall,themainpurposeofeverydevoteeandtheveryorderofKrishnaHimself–thechantingofHisnamesintheformoftheMahaMantra–thegreatestmethodofdeliverance:

HareKrishnaHareKrishna

KrishnaKrishnaHareHare

HareRamaHareRama

RamaRamaHareHare

Wewelcomeyou,andwehopeyouhavefoundaplacewhereyourspirituallifecanstart.Welookforwardtoseeingyouatourtemples,farmsorrestaurantssoon.

HareKrishna.