Vaikuntha Children

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Vaikuntha

ChildrenA Gurukula Classroom Guidebook

for the organization and instruction of

students from five to eighteen years of age

in asrama gurukulas, day schools, parent

cooperatives and home schools

"These are not ordinary children. They are Vaikuntha children, and we are very

fortunate that we can give them a chance to advance further in Kåñëa consciousness."

(Srila Prabhupada, letter to Arundati, July 30, 1972)

Written and Compiled By

Urmila Devi Dasi (Dr. Edith Best)

Major Contributors

Bhurijana Dasa

Sita Devi Dasi

Other Contributors

Sri Rama DasaJyotirmayi Devi Dasi

Chandrika Devi DasiVisvadhika Devi Dasi

Mahendrani Devi Dasi

Lakmi Moni Devi Dasi

Illustrations

Madhava Priya Devi Dasi

Cover Art

Dirgha Devi Dasi

Layout

Madhava Dasa


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Dedication

Dedicated to His Divine Grace AC. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, our beloved spiritualmaster and ISKCON's founder-acarya, and to our next generation of gurukula students.

Acknowledgments

Pratyatosa Dasa provided the physical facility, the financing, and the publishing and printingequipment needed to compile this guidebook. In addition to helping with the final editing, healso gave constant encouragement. Madhava Dasa spent countless hours on the computer,designing charts, scanning drawings, and entering revisions, what to speak of doing the entirelayout. Bir Kåñëa Swami allowed the use of his computer to search the entire database of SrilaPrabhupada's books, letters, lectures and conversations. Kåñëa Rupa Devi Dasi helped withdata entry. Prabhasa Dasa and Bisa Laksmi Devi Dasi, by their years of dedication

To gurukula, have been a great inspiration. Jyotirmayi Devi Dasi provided the initial idea forthis guidebook and the inspiration for working with Kåñëa's children in general.

The quotes from Srila Prabhupada are copyright © 1966-1977 by the Bhaktivedanta BookTrust and used with permission.

First Printing: May 1992; version 1.0Second Printing: Oct 2013; version 1.1

Reviewed and approved by the ISKCON book review board.Reviewer: Bir Kåñëa SwamiCopyright © 1992 by ISKCON Education of N.C., Inc.; All rights reserved.Copyright © 2013 by Padma, Inc.; All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.


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Contents at a Glance

Part OneChapter 1 First ConsiderationsChapter 2 Getting StartedChapter 3 ResourcesChapter 4 Managing: The Specifics

Part TwoChapter 5 Educational Views, Approaches, and MethodsChapter 6 Organizing Instruction: General Principles

Part Three Chapter 7 Older StudentsChapter 8 Influence Outside the Classroom

Part Four Chapter 9 Standards for Early Morning SädhanaChapter 10 Overview of Academics by Subject AreaChapters 11-14 Course Overview by Grade/Age: IntroductionChapter 11 Course Overview: Level One (grades K—2, ages 5 — 7)Chapter 12 Course Overview: Level Two (grades 3—5, ages 8—11)Chapter 13 Course Overview: Level Three (grades 6—8, ages 11—14)Chapter 14 Course Overview: Level Four (grades 9—12, ages 14—18)

Part Five

Appendix A Addresses of Suppliers: America and WorldwideAppendix B Creation InstructionAppendix C Story Selections from Çréla Prabhupäda BooksAppendix D Assorted ArticlesAppendix E SamplesAppendix F Supplementary Reading BooksAppendix G Preventing Child Abuse in ISKCON

Bibliography Selected References


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Table of Contents Contents

Please Read This First ......................................................................................................................... 3 C ONTENTS AT A GLANCE ............................................................................................................................... 4

T ABLE OF C ONTENTS .................................................................................................................................... 5

PART ONE ........................................................................................................................................ 11

CHAPTER 1 .............................................................................................................................................. 12

First Considerations .......................................................................................................................... 12 Drops of Nectar ...................................................................................................................................................... 12 What You Will Gain From This Book ..... ......... ........ ......... ......... ........ ......... ......... ........ ......... ......... ........ ......... ....... 13 How to Use This Guidebook .................................................................................................................................. 14 Prepare to Make a Commitment ............................................................................................................................. 15 A Few Small Requests ............................................................................................................................................ 16 Resources ............................................................................................................................................................... 16 Twelve Steps for Success ........................................................................................................................................ 16

CHAPTER 2 .............................................................................................................................................. 25

Getting Started.................................................................................................................................. 25 Drops of Nectar ...................................................................................................................................................... 25 Setting Goals and Priorities .................................................................................................................................... 28 Organizing and Deciding Areas of Responsibility ................................................................................................... 33 Money .................................................................................................................................................................... 36 Legalities ................................................................................................................................................................ 38 Legal Resources — United States ........................................................................................................................... 39

CHAPTER 3 .............................................................................................................................................. 40

Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 40 Drops of Nectar ...................................................................................................................................................... 40 Teachers - The Main Resource ............................................................................................................................... 41

Facilities ................................................................................................................................................................. 50 School Calendar Possibilities .................................................................................................................................. 51 Different Ideas for Semester Breaks ........................................................................................................................ 52

CHAPTER 4 .............................................................................................................................................. 54

Managing the Specifics...................................................................................................................... 54 Basic Structure Related to Administrative Needs .................................................................................................... 57 Admitting Students ................................................................................................................................................ 57 Staff ........................................................................................................................................................................ 63 Relationships with Parents and Community........................................................................................................... 68 Keeping Accurate and Helpful Records .................................................................................................................. 72 Placement and Testing ........................................................................................................................................... 72 Foundations of School Administration ................................................................................................................... 77 The Parent-Teacher Partnership ............................................................................................................................. 83 Nourishment for Parents and Teachers .................................................................................................................. 85

PART TWO ....................................................................................................................................... 87

CHAPTER 5 .............................................................................................................................................. 88

Philosophy of Education .................................................................................................................... 88 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................... 90 The Philosophy of Education ................................................................................................................................. 92 The purposes of education: benefits for individual learners.................................................................................... 92 The purposes of education: benefits for society ...................................................................................................... 93 The constitutional nature of the learner ................................................................................................................. 94


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Teens and Celibacy ...............................................................................................................................................216

CHAPTER 8 ............................................................................................................................................ 218

Influence Outside the Classroom ..................................................................................................... 218 Drops of Nectar .....................................................................................................................................................218 Determining Standards ..........................................................................................................................................223 Books ....................................................................................................................................................................224 Reviewing Non-Vaiñëava Books ............................................................................................................................226 Video ....................................................................................................................................................................256

Your Kids And the One-Eyed Guru .......................................................................................................................257 Radio and Audio Recordings .................................................................................................................................265 Games and Sports..................................................................................................................................................265 The Company We Keep ........................................................................................................................................267 Dress .....................................................................................................................................................................269 Stepping Out .........................................................................................................................................................271 Prasädam...............................................................................................................................................................273 A Diet for Spiritual Health .....................................................................................................................................274 Enforcement .........................................................................................................................................................276 Observing Secular Holidays ...................................................................................................................................277

PART FOUR .................................................................................................................................... 279

CHAPTER 9 ............................................................................................................................................ 280

Standards for Early Morning Sãdhana ............................................................................................ 280

Drops of Nectar .....................................................................................................................................................280 Maìgala-äraté Kértana ............................................................................................................................................282 Japa Chanting ........ ........ ......... ......... ........ ......... ......... ........ ......... ......... ......... ........ ......... ......... ........ ......... ......... ....283 Bhägavatam Class ..................................................................................................................................................285 Guidelines for Breakfast Präsada ...........................................................................................................................286 The Need for an Äçrama Curriculum ....................................................................................................................287 Paying Attention in Bhãgavatam Class...................................................................................................................289 A Taste for the Lord's Name ..................................................................................................................................290 Accepting a Spiritual Master ..................................................................................................................................293 An Offering of Love...............................................................................................................................................294 Meditation— While Watching Children? ........ ......... ......... ........ ......... ......... ........ ......... ......... ........ ......... ......... .......296 Spiritual Holidays ..................................................................................................................................................298

CHAPTER 10 .......................................................................................................................................... 300

Overview of Academics by Subject Area .................................................................................... 300 Drops of Nectar .....................................................................................................................................................300 Kåñëa Consciousness - Jïäna .................................................................................................................................301 English (except Reading) ......................................................................................................................................304 Mastery Learning ..................................................................................................................................................308 Reading-Beginning Instruction (K-2 Best Programs) .............................................................................................309 Reading (excluding beginning decoding) ..............................................................................................................310 Reading (excluding beginning decoding) ..............................................................................................................311 Phonics .................................................................................................................................................................311 Mathematics ..........................................................................................................................................................314 Teaching Elementary Mathematics ........................................................................................................................316 Resources ..............................................................................................................................................................319 Social Studies – Logic ............................................................................................................................................320 Social Studies – Geography ...................................................................................................................................320 Social Studies – History .........................................................................................................................................321

Names and Dates ...................................................................................................................................................322 Social Studies ........................................................................................................................................................325 Social Studies ........................................................................................................................................................325 Science/Health ......................................................................................................................................................326 Science/Health.......................................................................................................................................................329 Art/Music/Enrichment ..........................................................................................................................................330 The Creative Urge .................................................................................................................................................331 Enrichment ...........................................................................................................................................................334

CHAPTERS 11-14 .................................................................................................................................... 335


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Course Overview by ........................................................................................................................ 335 Grade/Age: Introduction.................................................................................................................. 335

Multilevel ..............................................................................................................................................................335

CHAPTER 11 .......................................................................................................................................... 337

Course Overview: Level One (grades K — 2, ages 5 — 7) .................................................................. 337 Drops of Nectar .....................................................................................................................................................337 Kåñëa Consciousness.............................................................................................................................................338 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................338

TEACHING BHAGAVAD-GITA TO NONREADERS .............................................................................................. 339

Considerations for Each Grade, K—2/Whole Classroom.......................................................................................342 English ..................................................................................................................................................................343 Considerations for Each Grade, K—2/Whole Classroom.......................................................................................344 Grade I ..................................................................................................................................................................350 Mathematics ..........................................................................................................................................................354 Considerations for Each Grade; K—2/Whole Classroom.......................................................................................355 Grade I ..................................................................................................................................................................356 Social Studies........................................................................................................................................................359 Considerations for Each Grade, K—2/Whole Classroom.......................................................................................359 Science and Health ................................................................................................................................................361 Considerations for Each Grade, K-2/Whole Classroom .........................................................................................362 Considerations for Each Grade, K-2/Whole Classroom .........................................................................................364 The Playful Mood ..................................................................................................................................................367

CHAPTER 12 .......................................................................................................................................... 371

Course Overview: Level Two (grades 3 — 5, ages 8 — 11) ................................................................ 371 Drops of Nectar .....................................................................................................................................................371 Kåñëa Consciousness.............................................................................................................................................371 English ..................................................................................................................................................................374 Considerations for Each Grade, 3-5/Whole Classroom ..........................................................................................377 Computer Pros and Cons ......................................................................................................................................378 Grade 4 .................................................................................................................................................................380 Grade 5 .................................................................................................................................................................382 Mathematics ..........................................................................................................................................................384 Considerations for Each Grade, 3-5/Whole Classroom ..........................................................................................384 Grade 4 .................................................................................................................................................................385 Grade 5 .................................................................................................................................................................386

Social Studies ........................................................................................................................................................386 Considerations for Each Grade, 3—5/Whole Classroom .......................................................................................387 Grade 4 .................................................................................................................................................................388 Science/Health.......................................................................................................................................................389 Considerations for Each Grade, 3-5/Whole Classroom ..........................................................................................390 Grade 4 .................................................................................................................................................................390 Grade 5 .................................................................................................................................................................391 Second Language...................................................................................................................................................391 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................391 Enrichment ...........................................................................................................................................................392 Considerations for Each Grade, 3-5/Whole Classroom ..........................................................................................393 Grade 5 .................................................................................................................................................................393

CHAPTER 13 .......................................................................................................................................... 394

Course Overview: Level Three (grades 6-8, ages 11-14) ................................................................. 394

Drops of Nectar .....................................................................................................................................................394 Kåñëa consciousness .............................................................................................................................................395 Considerations for Each Grade, 6-8/Whole Classroom ..........................................................................................396 English ..................................................................................................................................................................397 Considerations for Each Grade, 6-8/Whole Classroom ..........................................................................................398 Mathematics ..........................................................................................................................................................408 Considerations for Each Grade, 6-8/Whole Classroom ..........................................................................................408 Social Studies ........................................................................................................................................................410 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................410 Considerations for Each Grade, 6-8/Whole Classroom ..........................................................................................411


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Science/Health.......................................................................................................................................................413 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................413 Considerations for Each Grade, 6-8/Whole Classroom ..........................................................................................414 Second Language...................................................................................................................................................415 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................415 Enrichment ...........................................................................................................................................................416 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................416

CHAPTER 14 .......................................................................................................................................... 419

Course Overview: Level Four (Grades 9-12, ages 14-18) ................................................................ 419 Drops of Nectar .....................................................................................................................................................419 Kåñëa Consciousness.............................................................................................................................................420 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................420 Course-by-Course Description for Appropriate Grades, 9-12 ................................................................................422 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................423 Course-by-Course Description for Appropriate Grades, 9–12 ...............................................................................425 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................427 Course-by-Course Description for Appropriate Grades, 9-12 ................................................................................428 Social Studies ........................................................................................................................................................429 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................429 Course-by-Course Description for Appropriate Grades, 9-12 ................................................................................430 Science/Health.......................................................................................................................................................431 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................431

Course-by-Course Description for Appropriate Grades, 9—12 .............................................................................433 Foreign Language ..................................................................................................................................................435 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................435 Course-by-Course Description for Appropriate Grade, 9–12 .................................................................................435 Other Electives ......................................................................................................................................................437 Multilevel Organization ........................................................................................................................................437 Course-by-Course Description for Appropriate Grade, 9—12 ...............................................................................438

PART FIVE ...................................................................................................................................... 442

APPENDIX A ........................................................................................................................................... 443

Suppliers: America and Worldwide ................................................................................................. 443 APPENDIX B ........................................................................................................................................... 448

Creation Instruction ........................................................................................................................ 448 Notes for teaching .................................................................................................................................................451 Ideas for Class Structure........................................................................................................................................455 Kick Out Darwin ...................................................................................................................................................457

APPENDIX C ........................................................................................................................................... 460

Story Selections from Ś r ī la Prabhupāda Books ............................................................................... 460 List of Stories from the Śrī Caitanya-Carit āmṛta ..................................................................................................460 List of Stories from the Srimad-Bhagvatam ............................................................................................................462

APPENDIX D ........................................................................................................................................... 467

Assorted Articles ............................................................................................................................. 467 Conversation Between Šrila Prabhupãda and Teachers ..........................................................................................467 Fifteen Principles of the Gurukula System ............................................................................................................474 Some Advice on a Tricky Situation in Bombay ......................................................................................................475 What a Local Board of Education Can Be ......... ........ ......... ......... ........ ......... ......... ........ ......... ......... ......... ........ ......478 Overview of the Gurukula Elementary School Academic Program ........................................................................482

Becoming Gurus for Our Children ........................................................................................................................484 Šri Rãma Interview ................................................................................................................................................487 Teaching Writing ..................................................................................................................................................491 Training for the Soul .............................................................................................................................................496 Gurukula Mental Health .......................................................................................................................................501 Children and Pets..................................................................................................................................................504 Children as a Blessing ...........................................................................................................................................506 Crack in the Universe............................................................................................................................................508 Detachment from Children ...................................................................................................................................511 Divine Consciousness Of a Previous Life...............................................................................................................513


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How to Love Children ...........................................................................................................................................515 Is Experience the Best Teacher? ............................................................................................................................517 Nursery Nectar ......................................................................................................................................................519 Pay the Price .........................................................................................................................................................521 Prepared for Death ................................................................................................................................................522 Revolutionary Cleanliness .....................................................................................................................................524 The Test of Education ...........................................................................................................................................526 Thoughts at the Births of Grandchildren ...............................................................................................................528

"Your Children Are ... Different" ...........................................................................................................................529

Loving Our Children .............................................................................................................................................531

APPENDIX E – ........................................................................................................................................ 532

Samples .......................................................................................................................................... 532 Sample Classroom Schedules ................................................................................................................................533 Blank Class Schedule.............................................................................................................................................540 Sample Forms .......................................................................................................................................................541 Academic report card ............................................................................................................................................548 Parent book order form .........................................................................................................................................552 Calendar ...............................................................................................................................................................553 Permanent record ..................................................................................................................................................555 Enrolment form ....................................................................................................................................................557 Tuition ..................................................................................................................................................................563 Teacher questionnaire ...........................................................................................................................................565

Letters to Parents ..................................................................................................................................................568 Rules .....................................................................................................................................................................574 Miscellaneous........................................................................................................................................................579

APPENDIX F ........................................................................................................................................... 581

Supplementary Reading Books ........................................................................................................ 581 Grades K-1 ............................................................................................................................................................581 Grades 2—3 ..........................................................................................................................................................582 Grades 4-6.............................................................................................................................................................583 Grades 7—12 ........................................................................................................................................................585 Teaching the Harm of Meat-Eating, Intoxication, Illicit Sex, and Gambling ..........................................................586

APPENDIX G ........................................................................................................................................... 587

Child Protection .............................................................................................................................. 587 Policy and Procedures ...........................................................................................................................................587 Handbook .............................................................................................................................................................587

BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................................ 618

Selected References ......................................................................................................................... 618 Courses .................................................................................................................................................................618 Video ....................................................................................................................................................................619 Audio ....................................................................................................................................................................620 National Home School Convention .......................................................................................................................620 Bob Jones University .............................................................................................................................................620 Association of Christian Schools International ......................................................................................................621 Books ....................................................................................................................................................................622

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ............................................................................................................................... 624

END NOTES............................................................................................................................................ 625


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Part One


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of teachers. All his followers have the missionto instruct others in the theory and practice ofliving as devotees of Kåñëa. The duties ofparents in this regard are very serious, and noless weighty than the duty of the guru to hisdisciples:

“One who cannot deliver his

dependents from the path of repeatedbirth and death should never become aspiritual master, father, a husband, amother, or a worshipable demigod.” (SB 5.5.18)

While ISKCON as a society has a duty to buildthe educational system Çréla Prabhupãdaenvisioned, we must also recognize that it is ayoung movement - short on centralisedresources and experience. Parents, dedicated

teachers, and local ISKCON leaders who wantto see their communities grow, must take theinitiative now to see that every ISKCON childcan receive a proper Kåñëa consciouseducation from other devotees of Kåñëa.

Accomplishing this goal is clearly on theminds of our parents and teachers. TheISKCON board of education receives dozens ofletters a month from devotees around theworld, begging for all available information onhow to start and maintain Kåñëa conscious

schools. This guidebook is meant to satisfythat need by providing step-by-stepinstruction, resources, and guidance for anykind of Kåñëa conscious educational project.

Çréla Prabhupãda himself gave many generaland specific instructions for providing Kåñëaconsciousness education for our children andteenagers.

This present volume attempts to supplementthat information by providing specific details

on school organization , curriculum selection,subject organization , and other related topics.It will be especially helpful to those who arcfinding it difficult to implement a traditionalgurukula program, but still want to keep theessential mood of gurukula. We are humblyattempting to keep all suggestions strictly in

line with the guidelines established by ourbeloved spiritual master.

In general, if you are just starting, you will findvery specific instructions for operating varioustypes of educational programs. If you havebeen teaching or running a school for some

time, we hope you will discover ideas forimproving problem areas, confirmation ofsuccessful policies, and inspiration.

Future volumes in this series will deal withdetailed teaching methods and techniques,äçrama training, gurukula programs for self-sufficient varëäçrama communities, etc.

How to Use ThisGuidebook

You will notice that we refer to the materialin this book as “suggestions.” It is not possible(or desirable) to mandate a certain textbook orteaching method as being the “only way.” It isfor this reason, primarily, that this handbookwas so long in coming. No one wanted to saythat “such and such is the authorised programand everything else is mäyä.” Please do nottake the instructions here in that mood! Everycountry and community has different needs,and access to different resources. Individualschools and teachers have their own preferredways of doing things. Also, it isn’t evenpossible to know about all the availabletextbooks, teaching methods, enrichmentmaterials,

forms, schedules, and discipline techniques.Many items or ideas not mentioned in thisbook may be superior to what we havepresented.

This handbook is written mostly (though notcompletely) by Americans who haveexperience with the American educational


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system, and with American and Canadianresources. However, we have tried, to the bestof our ability, to give suggestions that can beapplied anywhere in the world. When lookingat specific textbooks and educational supplies,we have tried to find companies that areinternationally accessible. Of course, even that

is useful only for English-medium schools.Schools and parents who teach in otherlanguages can still use the general suggestionsin each area. The section entitled, “ChoosingTextbooks and Educational Materials” inChapter 6 was specifically designed for thosewho cannot use our recommendations.

The approach to academic subjects presentedhere is designed to ensure that students attaina level of academic proficiency that is at least

equivalent to what they would achieve from astandard public education. Since this is a legalprerequisite for having a school in mostcountries, we have outlined the program tomeet those requirements. Many parents andstudents also strongly desire this kind ofequivalency, because they perceive that in theabsence of a well-developed ISKCONvarëäçrama college program, it gives them awider range of options after graduation.Several of our schools in India however, havechosen to follow the more traditional gurukula

system and we strongly urge our readers toconsider that model also. Each parent mustultimately decide for himself how he will seekto fulfill his responsibility to his children andto Çréla Prabhupãda.

Prepare to Make aCommitment

It is an open secret that teaching Kåñëaconsciousness to favourably inclined childrenis a vast ocean of nectar. The transcendentalhappiness of seeing your students enthusiasticabout japa, kértana, philosophy, pastimes, andpreaching is unlimited and almost too sweet to

bear. Unfortunately, all valuable gems have ahigh price.

The austerity of creating and maintaining aschool in Kåñëa consciousness - whether youteach one child at home or 500 in a large,institutional ãçrama setting - is formidable.

Education, even if very simple, is expensive.Teaching is demanding, both of time andenergy. Supplies, rooms, buildings, books,etc., require constant maintenance. Proper prasädam must be provided. Local laws haveto be learned and complied with. Youngchildren need constant protection—physically,emotionally, and spiritually. Adolescentstudents require even more time and energy toinsure that they are happily engaged indevotional service. Great care is needed to

maintain harmony with parents, local ISKCONauthorities, and the local community ingeneral. All these concerns hardly touch onthe content of instruction! Planning,updating, evaluating, and reporting thespecifics of spiritual and academic instructionare time-consuming, full of confusing choices,and never-ending.

We could say, “Relax—this handbook will tellyou everything you need to know.” However,we are trying to warn you that putting these

into practice requires a serious commitment.Therefore, it is important to have a firm,philosophical determination. Decide that onceyou begin a school program, you will not stop.Then, you will have the strength to persevere.

It is certainly true that whatever is done forKåñëa has eternal benefit. It is surely better totry, than to take the apparently easy road andnever give our children a chance for Kåñëaconscious education. Yet it is self-defeating tostart an educational project as “an

experiment.” It takes about five years tobecome a master teacher or administrator. Italso takes time to fully understand theeducational needs and moods of yourcommunity. Expect the first year or two to bedifficult and challenging, though not withoutreward. As you gain experience, you will alsogain confidence in Kåñëa’s guidance and


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arrangements. After all, teaching in Kåñëaconsciousness is not different from japa, deityworship, or study. We need patience,confidence, and enthusiasm.

A Few Small RequestsPlease don’t consider this handbook as finalor comprehensive. We hope to revise it yearly,and we ask that you provide us with whateversuggestions, resources, etc., you feel wouldhelp our readers.

If you are looking for information aboutteaching a particular subject or grade level,please read Chapter 10, “Overview ofAcademics” before jumping to your specificsection. Seeing the complete picture isessential to becoming a good specialist. Also,be sure to at least glance through everysection—there are many teaching tips andshort special articles interspersed here andthere.

Resources

In Appendix D you will find several articleswhich answer in detail some of the questionsraised in this introduction:

1) Why do we need our owneducational system? See: “Training forthe Soul,” by Urmilã Devi Dãsi.

2) Who is really responsible for

educating ISKCON’s children? See:“Becoming Gurus for Our Children,”by Bhürijana Dãsa.

3) What kind of academic training didÇréla Prabhupäda think was necessary?See: “Overview of the Gurukula

Elementary School AcademicProgram,” by Bhürijana Dãsa.

4) How do we put together aneducational system in ISKCON’s present circumstances withoutwatering down Çréla Prabhupãda’s

vision and instructions? See: “IsGurukula Obsolete?” by Çré RämaDãsa.

Twelve Steps for Successby Çré Räma Dãsa

When I first started working with gurukulain 1979, the atmosphere was full of optimismand confidence about the gurukula system andthe future of our educational programs. Therewere twelve established or fledgling schoolsand the number of gurukulas and studentsincreased steadily over the next few years. Butby 1983, things were declining. Lack of visionand bad judgment, combined with externalevents in the ISKCON society, took their tollon the gurukulas and on the faith andenthusiasm of the parents, students and

teachers.

In spite of everything, I still haven’t lost myoptimism and confidence. After all, organizingschools for transcendental education is not amundane effort, but is governed by spiritualprinciples of success and failure. By followingthe order of the spiritual master and workinghard to please him, success will come in courseof time. Complete fulfillment of the desire ofthe guru cannot always be achieved overnight,as we know from the personal example of Çréla

Prabhupãda. Sometimes we have to make aplan to get from where we are now to wherewe know we should be in the end. Intelligenceand endeavor are required to find the ways andmeans of fulfilling the order of the spiritualmaster - not just expecting that things willautomatically move along in the rightdirection.


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For the time being, the best emphasis isprobably on local development, even thoughthat process is sometimes limited by the smallnumber of children and lack of facilities in agiven community.

5. Develop Unity of Purpose

The Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula inVåndãvana was founded by Çréla Prabhupädain 1974 to function as the main school for boysin ISKCON. More or less all the boys wereexpected to go there. After some time, thepolicy devolved into that all boys shouldattend school there at least for a year or two in

order to get the “Våndävana experience.” Asproblems arose, devotees developed differingconceptions of what purpose the school shouldserve in the Society. These conceptions wereoften at odds with each other. The school triedfor some time to be “everything to everybody,”but without a clear vision of what it was tryingto achieve, enthusiasm waned. Under suchcircumstances, the movement-wide supportwhich is required for such an internationalproject was lacking and problems multiplied.

That is, of course, an over-simplification of theVåndãvana situation, but it does serve toillustrate some of the difficulty which cancome when the goals of an institution aremuddled, for whatever reason. Now theVåndãvana gurukula has redefined its short-term aspirations and policies and isencouraging students to come there who sharethose goals and can benefit most by itsprogram. The result is happier students and amore successful course of study.

The Mäyäpura gurukula has evolved into atraditional Vedic-style school which is muchdifferent than Våndãvana or any other ISKCONinstitution. The program there wouldundoubtedly not satisfy everyone in thesociety, but within the scope of its self-definedpurpose, it is successful and those who have

enthusiastically participated in it have beenquite pleased with the results.

My experience is that if the students sense thatthe parents and teachers want the same thing,then they are satisfied, even if the program isvery simple. But if they think the parents and

teachers have contradictory opinions about thestandards, the children are never happy, nomatter how nice it may really be.

Therefore, it is important that there beagreement between parents, teachers,administrators and local leaders on what thegoals and program of a particular school willbe. If separate groups have vastly differingexpectations, the results will surely be thatnone will be satisfied. If in a community there

is a wide divergence of opinion on the goalsand program of the local school, it might bewiser to start several schools, rather thancripple a single one by failing to give it a clearmandate in a specific educational direction.

In Jagadéça Goswãmé’s 1986 proposals to theGBC on secondary education, herecommended that a community or region firstdecide what kind of Kåñëa conscious socialenvironment it was expecting the students tolive in when they graduated, then proceed to

design the educational program accordingly.

6. Realize the Influence of

Culture

Did you ever notice when you visiteddifferent temples, how much the atmosphereof the temple is influenced by the culture

around it? The devotees in New York seem totake on some of the city’s intensity and senseof urgency, while those on the west coastappear a bit more laid-back and easy-going.The point is, never underestimate theinfluence of the surrounding culture, even inan apparently transcendental place.


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We shouldn’t expect that the same culturalresults can be achieved in a gurukula in the

West as in one located in India. We would alsoexpect some difference of atmosphere in arural gurukula compared to one in a city.

As Sukavaka Däsa pointed out in his paper,

“What Will the Second Generation Do? — TheProblem of Apostasy in Kåñëa Consciousness”(ISKCON Education, Winter 1987), we can’texpect our children to live in a cultural void.Until we have established a full Kåñëaconscious culture that satisfies all the needs ofour devotees, the influence of the culture thatsurrounds us will seep in.

It would be a mistake to think that we live inVedic culture. Presently, we live in ISKCON

culture, which is a unique blend of traditionalVedic culture, modern Indian culture, the all-pervasive Western culture, and whatever ourlocal culture happens to be. And what we areheading for is also not Vedic culture - whichcan never be perfectly revived in the Kali-yuga- but our own special saìkértana culture.

While we are in the process of developing andmaturing our own culture, we should notexpect our children to come out like perfectVedic progeny and automatically accept all the

standards of Vedic society, even as we are somuch compromised by what is going onaround us.

Often when a man and woman get married inKåñëa consciousness, the man expects his wifeto be Devahuté and the wife is expectingKardama Muni. The marriage doesn’t matureuntil each accepts the other as they really are,not as they imagined they would like them tobe. Likewise, we must set reasonableexpectations for our children, taking into

account the environment they are actuallygrowing up in, not the one we wish they weregrowing up in.

7. Aim for the Top of the

Culture

Even though the adults in the Kåñëaconsciousness movement are far from perfectexamples, we can still do a pretty good job ofstaying above the material muck if we followthe rules and regulations of the scriptures withdiligence. While we cannot expect ourgurukula students to perform miraculouslybetter than we do, we should set a standard forthe students which at least aim for the top ofour present spiritual achievement.

In other words, we should try to train gurukulastudents to be as good as (or a little better

than) the best devotees they have as examplesin the local environment. There is no need topermit unnecessary influences from mundanesociety to enter our schools in the name ofgiving students a well-rounded culturalexperience.

Sometimes ISKCON parents say, “I wentthrough all these experiences, and I became adevotee. If it was okay for me, it’s okay forthem.” But look at all the problems we have.Shouldn’t we try to give our children a better

chance than we had, letting them be free fromthe many varieties of miçra-bhakti we areattached to? Çréla Prabhupäda once said thatwe should try to prolong our lives as long aspossible so that we have the best chance to goback to Godhead without taking another birth.Birth in the material world is so dangerous. Soeven birth as a devotee shouldn’t be takenlightly or considered an automatic ticket to thespiritual world. The duty of the parent is togive the child the best chance to become asperfect as he can possibly be.


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8. Get the Teachers Trained

Training teachers isn’t just for the benefit ofthe students. Training is essential if one wantsto keep good teachers on the staff. Teaching is

a demanding job, and if a teacher isn’tconfident in what he’s doing, it becomesimpossible.

Ideally, teachers should get training beforetaking their own classes. ISKCON doesn’t havemuch of a centralized program for teachertraining yet, so the best procedure is to spendbetween three months and a year working withan experienced teacher.

In practice it is seen, however, that teaching

candidates are often put in the classroom withlittle or no training and expected to figure outon their own what to do. Only the most self-reliant and motivated people survive thisapproach. Still, the headmaster who findshimself with such a staffing situation can do alot to facilitate what is called in-service trainingor training that takes place while the classroomteaching continues.

First, the headmaster should require thatteachers be thoroughly familiar with thetextbooks they are using. Teachers shouldcarefully read through textbooks, make surethey themselves can do all the work requiredof the students, and study teacher’s editions ifthey are available. Headmasters should alsorequire teachers to develop and provide lessonplans for each semester. This will forceteachers to get an overview of their materialand give them a standard by which they can

judge the performance of themselves and theirstudents.

Instructors should read other books aboutteaching their particular subjects. A readingteacher can study the theory of readinginstruction. Math teachers should know whythe material is presented in the order it is andwhat the important concepts are that studentsmust understand in order to master a skill.

Appropriate books are available from collegebookstores and the teacher libraries that arefound at most universities.

Another valuable resource is educationalseminars. Seminars and workshops forteachers are often arranged by school districts

or private institutions which specialize inencouraging teacher competence. Costs areusually reasonable and many are free.

The ISKCON board of education is alsobeginning to organize teacher trainingprograms. Bhürijana Dãsa has conducted anumber of successful workshops on writingand discipline and plans to have some on-going facilities established within the next fewyears. Everyone should take advantage of these

highly-praised and economical seminars.Lastly, give teachers a chance to associate withother teachers. Invite instructors from othergurukulas to visit your institution and let yourteachers travel when there is an opportunity.

9. Organize the Program

around the Personnel

When putting together an educationalprogram, the question naturally comes up as towhat skills to teach. Of course, in many places,government requirements will make somethings mandatory and there’s nothing that canbe done about that. But outside the basicsubjects there are a tremendous number ofpossibilities.

One will probably be tempted to sit down and

draw up an ideal list: “Let’s have music,sewing, cooking, art, gardening, swimming,deity worship, etc., etc., etc.” But who’s goingto teach all that?Figuring out the program and then trying tofind the teachers to fulfill it can be a veryexhausting exercise, especially if the school issmall or just starting out. Usually, we don’t


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have the advantage of being able to hire peopleto fill a particular vacancy in our curriculum,but have to work with what we have.

So let’s work with what we have. Find outfrom the teachers and other communitymembers what skills they have and what they

might be interested in teaching. Plan thecurriculum around the already existing talent.If one organizes the curriculum around thepersonnel, there is much stronger chance thatthe individual projects will be successes andcontinue for a long time. The teachers will alsoappreciate that they can share their previouslylearned skills with others and that they aren’tforced to teach subjects that they have little orno proficiency or interest in.

10. Don’t Take On More Than

You Can Handle

There was a time when ISKCON educationwas more or less compulsory on all sides.Parents were required by their authorities toput their children in the local gurukula,whether or not they had any faith in the

teachers or administrators. And the schoolswere expected to accept all students, whetheror not they had qualified teachers and facilitiesor felt that a student would actually benefitfrom the gurukula experience.

The result of these policies, especially seen inlight of the lack of qualified teachers, has beena string of gurukula failures and a consequentloss of faith in the whole gurukula process.

A sense of voluntary participation must be

introduced. It is not exactly the responsibilityof gurukula administrators to try to forcefullyinduce everyone to enroll their children ingurukula. Çréla Prabhupäda’s instructions onthe matter are available for everyone’s study.

Whether or not an individual elects to followthe orders of the spiritual master is ultimatelyhis own affair. Gurukula personnel need to

concentrate on perfecting their own devotionalservice, not worrying too much about whatothers are doing or not doing.

Parents must want to voluntarily surrendertheir children to their teachers. And theteachers must feel inspired by the attitude of

the parents to want to take responsible care ofthe students. The element of forcedparticipation on both sides must be eliminatedin order to build a foundation for genuinetrust.A responsible administrator should carefullyevaluate the resources that are available to himand plan to accept those children whom he canaccommodate successfully. Undoubtedly, sucha policy will mean that some potential studentswill not be able to find a place in gurukula at

the present. But it is more important that thereare no more failures and that every ISKCONeducational project becomes a success withinthe scope of its own aspirations.

If a program is successfully established, even ifit is only for a few grades, it can graduallyexpand and turn into a first-class institutioncovering a full range. A gurukula with a provenrecord of competence and achievement willhave no difficulty attracting good students andteachers. But an over-extended school,

especially where sufficient qualified teachersare lacking, is bound to be an unpleasantexperience for all involved and result in deep-rooted frustration and loss of faith. Once therehas been a serious gurukula failure in acommunity, it is hard to do anything positivein that area for a long time.

One scheme which is becoming popular is tostart a school for five-year-olds and expand itone grade at a time, year-by-year as theoriginal group gets older.


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11. Establish Sound

Economic Policies

In this age, nothing keeps running very longwithout sufficient money. I remember somefairly nice gurukulas that suffered for lack offunds. Things went on by sheer determinationfor some time, but eventually the teachersbecame worn out from lack of facility andcould no longer give their full attention totheir real business of teaching.

We are finding that education is an expensivebusiness. Just how expensive, often eludes uswhen we start out. It doesn’t seem to be a bigthing to find some space and a teacher for afew five-year-olds. But as we expand and haveto finance buildings, provide for moreteachers, meet government regulations, etc.,the costs start to pile up.

Developing projects are often also plagued byinefficiency. When the 5 and 6-year olds turnseven and can no longer be taught with theyounger ones, a new teacher may be needed,even though in absolute terms the number ofstudents doesn’t justify a second teacher.

Äçramas and classrooms that could beoccupied by ten or twenty students are oftenused by only five.

When the number of students increasesbeyond eight or ten, the school starts to be astrain on the community resources, and thetemple authorities start pushing the gurukulato get its own facilities. The gurukula alsobegins to be more conspicuous, andgovernment requirements must be considered.All these things have to be calculated and

planned for in advance. It may be a fact thatnot every community can afford its ownschool. This must be realistically evaluated.

Don’t expect all expenses to be covered bytuition. That may be possible for a fully-developed and efficient school, but under anyother circumstances tuitions alone will not be

sufficient. If the full burden for developing theschool is placed on the shoulders of thecurrent group of parents, the result is that thecurrent group is paying for the facilities whichwill be enjoyed by students who come in thefuture. In this circumstance, the tuition costbecomes too high, discouraging all but the

most well-off from enrolling their children.This has the unfortunate effect of delayinggurukula self-sufficiency by limiting thenumber of potential tuition-paying studentsand making it more difficult to reach anefficient teacher-student ratio.

In fact, most public and private schools aresubsidized in one way or another, either bywealthy individuals, endowments, or taxcollections. The point is that the local

community must find a way to spread out thecosts of developing a Kåñëa conscious schoolin a fair and efficient manner and see that ithas both the personnel and finances to developuntil it reaches self-sufficiency. In many cases,total self-sufficiency may never be attained.

12. Do Something!

Perhaps the most important thing is to notbecome discouraged by the complexities ofestablishing a Kåñëa conscious educationalsystem. Lord Caitanya warned that devoteesshould strictly avoid the association of non-devotees. How then could we think of sendingour children to be educated by them? Parentsand leaders of ISKCON must realize that theyhave a solemn responsibility to give thechildren of this movement a fair opportunityto achieve the perfection of life.

The vision of a system of successful Kåñëaconscious schools, giving training to devoteesfrom the primary through the varnäçamacollege level, seems far off. Even one suchschool would be a great accomplishment.

But success is often measured in a series ofsmall steps. We must be brave enough to take


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nicely, English, little Sanskrit, that’s all.Gurukula organise like that. We don’t wantbig, big scholars. Unnecessarily. There are somany scholars in the universities, drinking andwoman-hunting, that’s all. (Morning Walk,New York, July 13, 1976)From the very beginning of life our Kåñëa

conscious children are getting the opportunityto learn how to chant and dance, so when theyare grown up they will not change, but insteadwill automatically make progress. They arevery fortunate. Regardless of whether he isborn in America or Europe, a child willadvance if his father and mother are devotees.He gets this opportunity. If a child takes birthin a family of devotees, this means that in hislast life he had already taken to the yogaprocess, but somehow or other he could not

finish it. Therefore the child is given anotheropportunity to make progress under the care ofa good father and mother so that he will againadvance. In this way, as soon as one completeshis development of God consciousness, thenhe no longer has to take birth in this materialworld, but returns to the spiritual world.(Science of Self Realization, Chapter Five)

In Vedic civilization , boys were trained fromthe very beginning of life as first-classbrahmacärés (celibate students). They went to

the gurukula, the school of the spiritual master,and learned self-control, cleanliness,truthfulness, and many other saintly qualities.The best of them were later fit to rule thecountry. (Science of Self Realization, ChapterSix)

In the system of varnãçrama-dharma, which isthe beginning of actual human life, small boysafter five years of age are sent to becomebrahmacäré at the guru’s ãçrama, where thesethings are systematically taught to boys, be

they king’s sons or sons of ordinary citizens.The training was compulsory not only tocreate good citizens of the state, but also toprepare the boy’s future life for spiritualrealization. The irresponsible life of senseenjoyment was unknown to the children of thefollowers of the varnãçrama system. The boywas even injected with spiritual acumen before

being placed by the father in the womb of themother. Both the father and the mother wereresponsible for the boy’s success in beingliberated from the material bondage. That isthe process of successful family planning. It isto beget children for complete perfection.

Without being self-controlled, without being

disciplined and without being fully obedient,no one can become successful in following theinstructions of the spiritual master, andwithout doing so, no one is able to go back togodhead. ( Çrémad-Bhägavatam, 1.5.24,purport)

Please accept my blessings. I beg toacknowledge receipt of your very niceÉçopaniñad papers, with Sanskrit,transliteration, translation and purport. You

are all very nice devotees. You are very, veryfortunate to have the opportunity to be goingto this gurukula. It is the only one of its kindin the world. You are the first students andyou must set a good example for the others,always being very enthusiastic to learn fromyour teachers, offering all respects to yourteachers, leading the kértanas with exuberance.In future you will be the leaders of this Kåñëaconsciousness movement, so now you musttake this training preparation very seriously.(Letter to Ekendra, Shawn, Christina, May 21,

1973)

Humility; pridelessness; nonviolence;tolerance; simplicity; approaching a bona fidespiritual master; cleanliness; steadiness; self-control; renunciation of the objects of sensegratification; absence of false ego; theperception of the evil of birth, death, old ageand disease; detachment; freedom fromentanglement with children, wife, home andthe rest; even-mindedness amid pleasant andunpleasant events; constant and unalloyed

devotion to Me; aspiring to live in a solitaryplace; detachment from the general mass ofpeople; accepting the importance of self-realization; and philosophical search for theAbsolute Truth - all these I declare to beknowledge, and besides this whatever theremay be is ignorance. (Bhagavad-gétä As It Is,Chapter Thirteen, Text 8-12)


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The international board of education hasdefined some general types of Kåñëa consciouseducational programs. These include publiclyaccessible gurukulas with ãçramas, communitygurukulas with ãçramas, day schools, parentcooperatives, and home schools. The goals,

needs, and resources of the devotees involveddetermine what structure will work best. Thischapter gives details for deciding or redefiningyour structure.

Setting Goals andPriorities

Once you’ve determined to start a Kåñëaconscious school, the first step is to decidewhat kind of school you will have, and tomake sure that all the devotees involved sharea common vision of the school’s purpose andgeneral operation. The devotees who want tostart a school, or the ones already so involved,must meet and establish primary andsecondary goals. These should be generalprinciples. They must be establishedaccording to the desire and realization of theabove devotees, as well as the specific externalsituation.

Failure to take this first step properly has oftenbeen a cause of serious problems. On thesurface, the purpose and goals of an ISKCONschool would seem to be clear, because ourfounder-äcärya himself laid down the basicstandards and principles. However, experiencehas shown that devotees sometimes havegreatly varying ideas as to how Çréla

Prabhupäda’s instructions should beimplemented, and also differing impressions ofthe application of the “time, place andcircumstance” principle.

Unity of purpose and method in a project is ofthe utmost importance. Without clearagreement from all involved parties, the school

will constantly be torn, as participants withdiffering goals attempt to pull the schooltoward their own preferred visions. At best,this results in a schizophrenic, ineffectiveprogram - and at worst, a totally dysfunctionaloperation.

It is also important to recognize who is entitledto participate in this goal-setting process.Basically, there are two kinds of schools:

A truly private institution which hasbeen conceptualized, planned,financed, organized and operated byone individual, or a small, tightly-knitgroup. Such an institution typicallyhas a clear educational philosophy andmethodology, and tries to attract only

those teachers, parents and studentswho share an identical, or nearlyidentical vision. Standards are rigidand exceptions to policy are rarelymade.

A community school which attempts toprovide an acceptable education for allchildren of the community. Manypeople are involved, and compromisesmust often be made in order to geteveryone participating.

Which kind of school you have depends onwho is providing the money, facilities andmanpower. Sometimes teachers oradministrators wish they had the first kind ofschool, where they would have absolutefreedom in setting policy. But more often wefind our schools are community-based, anddecision-making must involve all participants.Therefore, the ISKCON board of educationgenerally recommends that school goals andpolicies be made by a local board of education- comprised of representatives from the school,the parents, and the local ISKCONadministration.

The goals and purpose of your school shouldbe clear enough that they can be stated in twoor three short paragraphs and easilyunderstood by any parent or teacher. Below is


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a sample of such a statement from one schoolin the United States. By reading it (and theschool rules), a perspective parent couldquickly evaluate whether or not it is the rightschool for his children:

The purpose of a gurukula education is

to enliven and enthuse the studentwith faith and love for Kåñëa and abona fide spiritual master throughregular attendance of the devotionalprograms and spiritually exemplaryteachers. The school also aims toprovide the child with the necessaryphilosophical background intranscendental science, and sufficientknowledge of standard academics toallow him or her to pursue his

devotional service without difficulty.This academic proficiency shouldmatch or exceed that offered by most

Western educational institutions,without molding the vulnerable child’smind to the temporary, bodily goals setby such establishments.

The scope of our educational directiongoes beyond faith and academics. Thetraditional relationship of master anddisciple enables students to easily

realize all good qualities. The studentsare expected to develop discipline,respect for authority, humility,tolerance, control of the mind andsenses, detachment, simplicity,honesty, cleanliness, obedience,patience, and freedom from the bodilyconcept of life.

Achieving the above goals, the studentwill be equipped to work fully withinISKCON as a preacher, contribute his

special abilities to the creation of aGod- centered society, or live as anexemplary Vaiñnava within the largersociety. For the serious student,gurukula provides an idealenvironment for attaining the completepurity that will enable him to live inthe spiritual kingdom of God.”

(Although this school has no ãçramas,it requires strict attendance at the fullmorning program, and forbids karmételevision watching.)

After putting the general purposes of theschool in writing, the devotees who are (or will

be) involved in taking the primarilyresponsibility should now write down thegeneral elements required to fulfill thosepurposes. Again, we must stress that eachsituation is different. Although we can statethat particular goals are best on an absoluteplatform, each situation has its best solution.Therefore please understand that the followingexamples are provided simply to clarify theprocess, not to suggest what is better or worse.

Example 1

School goals: Strict practice of brähminicallife; extensive preaching experience; academictraining sufficient to satisfy minimumrequirements.

Specifics and priorities: Facilities that encourage

celibacy and chastity. Fixed-up, serious ãçrama

teachers. A system of supervision and

evaluation of ãçramas. An ãçrama director who is

responsible for arrangingsaëkértana programs, etc.

An academic system which isefficient, but easy to administerand supervise.


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Steps to Start or Reorganise a School

create local board of education

set immediate and long range goals

set priorities

decide what people (positions) are needed

describe responsibilities organise structure

find people and money

decide spiritual structure decide academic structure Decide on physical facilities

schedules andprogramme

rules andstandards

classroomorganisation

educationalphilosophies

get training make it suitable

purchase educational materials purchase educational supplies

write a description of your school’s•purpose•spiritual programme•academic programme•admission procedure•calendar

•tuition•rules•discipline programme

admit students

Figure 2.1


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Example 2

School goals: Intensive academic training;basic exposure to Kåñëa conscious practice andphilosophy; varied opportunities for vocational

training.

Specifics and priorities: An academic program that

follows the best local schools. Trained, steady academic

teachers. Teachers who can supervise

the children for the morningprogram.

Arrangements with devotees,members, or outside

institutions for vocationaltraining.

Example 3

School goals: Academic training equivalent tothe materialistic schools in the country orregion; exposure to the entire morning

program and all Vaiñnava practices andphilosophy; experience of a simple, austere lifein a rural setting.

Specifics and priorities: An academic program that is

standard for the locality. Steady, trained teachers. Adults in the community who

are willing to let the studentsparticipate with them invarious community activities.

A vibrant community wherestudents feel a place forthemselves when they grow up.

This kind of forethought, goal and prioritysetting, and sharing of common vision, needs

to be accomplished no matt

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