How Prabhupāda Guides His Disciples to Establish Kṛṣṇa Conscious Schools
Modern academic institutions primarily train individuals to achieve temporary material success, completely neglecting the eternal nature of the soul. Recognizing this profound gap, Śrīla Prabhupāda instructs his followers to establish purely theistic schools that protect children from illusion and cultivate spotless spiritual character. By developing these educational centers and simultaneously preaching within public universities, devotees actively lay the foundation for a sane and spiritually advanced global society.
The Vision for Gurukula and Varṇāśrama Colleges
Establishing a comprehensive educational system is vital for the long-term success of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. When guiding his leaders, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while the gurukula provides essential primary training for young children, there must also be advanced varṇāśrama colleges to cultivate specialized duties. By providing free room and board alongside rigorous spiritual discipline, these institutions ensure that students are completely protected and expertly trained to execute devotional service throughout their lives.
- Gurukula is only for the small children. Preliminary, primary. And when the children are grown up, they should be sent to the varnasrama school or college for further developed training.
- As we are training a medical practitioner and an engineer or any particular type of line, similarly, there must be training school and college where a person or a boy may be educated as a brahmana or as a ksatriya.
- Along with our temple, we shall have to construct some residential quarters for the students. And the students will remain with us. There will be no charge for their fooding or lodging. They will remain as brahmacari and go to their schools, colleges.
- I wanted from the beginning that schoolhouse for teaching our children Krsna consciousness. Now it seems that Krishna has fulfilled our desire.
Training Perfect Brāhmaṇas
The modern world suffers deeply due to a severe lack of genuine, spiritually qualified leadership. To counteract this degradation, Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the primary purpose of the society's schools is to systematically train perfect brāhmaṇas. When young children are equipped with spotless character and deep philosophical knowledge, they naturally become first-class individuals who can effectively guide and protect the rest of society from rogue elements.
- We have got our school, Dallas. We are teaching the small children to make the boys first-class men, as it is enunciated in the Bhagavad-gita, and woman to become very faithful and chaste. That's all.
- If they are actually trained as perfect brahmanas, they can save society from rogues and ruffians; indeed, people can live happily under the protection of qualified brahmanas.
- The important members of ISKCON should give careful attention to our Dallas school, where children are being taught Sanskrit and English to become perfect brahmanas.
- In our school at Dallas, the students are learning English and Sanskrit, and through these two languages they are studying all our books, such as Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita As It Is and The Nectar of Devotion.
Developing Theistic Curriculum and Facilities
A successful spiritual academy requires careful organization, dedicated teachers, and authorized reading materials. Recognizing this need, Śrīla Prabhupāda encourages his disciples to write and compile specialized children's books that simultaneously meet academic standards and deliver pure transcendental philosophy. Whether establishing a nursery program to free mothers for devotional service or acquiring large properties for accredited facilities, the continuous development of these educational centers remains a top priority.
- Also it is good to note that you are writing these children's books to comply with the academic standards of the public schools. In this way you should seriously work to compile these books along with the help of Krishna Bhamini.
- Go on writing more books; we need many such books for distributing to the public schools as well as for our own schools and send me the draft copies as you make them up. I will be very glad to see to them.
- The nursery school program is very good. That is good that the mothers are being freed to increase their devotional service. It is not that women should only produce children, but they are meant for advancing in devotion.
- Another important thing is our theistic school in New Vrindaban. If you can establish a nice educational center, I know many parents of your country will be glad to send their children in New Vrindaban.
Preaching and Infiltrating Public Schools
While building independent educational communities is crucial, the movement must also actively rescue conditioned souls currently enrolled in mundane institutions. Instructing his traveling preachers, Śrīla Prabhupāda eagerly urges them to systematically infiltrate public schools and colleges with transcendental literature. By boldly presenting the absolute truth in these secular academic arenas, devotees successfully recruit highly intelligent youth to dedicate their lives to the spiritual mission.
- Always be thinking of how to spread this Sankirtana Movement by applying our basic principles according to time and place, and I especially want that my students enter into the schools and colleges and present our Krishna philosophy and sell our books.
- It is my desire that every American boy and girl receive a Krsna conscious education, so your program in the Buffalo area schools is very encouraging to me.
- Your school preaching is very much welcomed by me. We are in need of new recruits to carry out so many ambitious programs here in India, so if you can infiltrate the school system as you did in America that will be a great service.
- Now go on teaching in this school and distributing our literatures more and more, and try to recruit some local men for becoming our disciples and helping you there.
The Future of the Mission
The ultimate success and longevity of the society rest heavily upon the shoulders of the youth being trained today. Placing immense hope in the gurukula projects, Śrīla Prabhupāda declares that a thoroughly educated new generation of devotees will securely carry the mission forward. As long as the teachers and leaders remain strictly focused on the core purpose of returning to Godhead, these pure educational institutions will completely revise the degraded condition of the modern world.
- Our children in Dallas school should be trained because I want that a new generation of devotees shall carry on this great mission successfully.
- The importance of the school in Dallas cannot be overestimated, both for our ISKCON movement, and for the outsiders as well, indeed it is important for the whole world.
- I have very great hope for these travelling parties, our Gurukula school, and all our other projects, that by engaging ourselves in these ways, so long we do not forget the purpose of such activity then we shall very much revise the nasty situation.
- I am very glad to learn that the children at Gurukula school are making good progress in their Krishna consciousness education, that is very good news.
Conclusion
By instituting a robust network of theistic academies, Śrīla Prabhupāda provided a practical and eternal solution to the degrading effects of materialistic education. Whether instructing young children in the sheltered environment of the gurukula or profusely distributing transcendental literature in secular universities, devotees execute the highest welfare work by awakening dormant spiritual knowledge. Through these sustained educational efforts, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement guarantees that the torchlight of pure devotion will be securely passed down to all future generations.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Our Schools (Disciples of SP). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.