Srīla Prabhupāda Describes the Principles and Purpose in Our Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement
Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks about the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in his own voice with the authority of its founder and the clarity of one who has shaped every aspect of its standards and vision. His descriptions cover the full range of the movement's life: the regulative principles that form its foundation, the worship and chanting that define its daily rhythm, the brahminical training that elevates its members, and the global preaching mission that gives it its ultimate purpose. Together these teachings present the movement as a complete spiritual civilization designed to raise human society to the platform of pure devotional service.
Regulative Principles and the Path of Initiation
Śrīla Prabhupāda describes a clear and progressive path of spiritual development within the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. The four regulative principles, prohibiting illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling, and intoxication, serve as the essential foundation of purified life. A candidate who sincerely follows them receives first initiation and is trained to chant at least sixteen rounds of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra daily. Further advancement brings the sacred thread, and for the most qualified, the sannyāsa order with the title svāmī or gosvāmī, meaning master of the senses.
- In our Krsna consciousness movement when one is found to be regularly following these principles (no illicit sex, gambling, meat-eating and intoxication), he is given the first initiation (hari-nama), and he regularly chants at least sixteen rounds a day.
- In our Krsna consciousness movement we have therefore limited our study of the Vedic literatures to the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta and Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. These four works are sufficient for preaching purposes.
- In our Krsna consciousness movement when he (who took second initiation) advances still further and is willing to give up this material world, he is given the sannyasa order. At that time he receives the title svami or gosvami, both of which mean - master of the senses.
- In offering initiation, our Krsna consciousness movement asks one to come to the conclusion of sastra by taking the advice of the supreme speaker of the sastra, Krsna, forgetting the principles of the materialistic way of life.
Worship, Chanting and the Purification of Daily Life
The daily life of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is structured around a continuous program of kīrtana, deity worship, mahā-mantra chanting, and the offering and distribution of prasādam. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that deity worship purifies the devotee externally while saṅkīrtana purifies internally, and that the distribution of Kṛṣṇa-prasādam is itself a scientific method for creating devotees. Chanting sixteen rounds daily on beads is described as absolutely necessary for anyone who wishes to remember Kṛṣṇa and not forget Him.
- In our Krishna Consciousness Movement, Deity worship helps to keep us externally purified and Sankirtana helps to keep us internally purified.
- In our Krsna consciousness movement God Visnu is worshiped in every temple according to a schedule of twenty-four hours of engagement in performing kirtana, chanting the Hrsna Krsna maha-mantra, offering palatable food to God Visnu & distributing this food to Vaisnavas and others.
- Our Krsna consciousness movement distributes krsna-prasadam, and those who eat such transcendental food are sure to become devotees of the Lord. This is a very scientific method.
- In our Krsna consciousness movement, we have recommended that the neophyte chant at least sixteen rounds. This chanting of sixteen rounds is absolutely necessary if one wants to remember Krsna and not forget Him.
Brahminical Training and Vedic Education
Śrīla Prabhupāda consistently identifies the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement as a program for developing genuine brahminical culture through qualification and training rather than birth. Students are educated in the qualities of a true brāhmaṇa, and the gurukula is given an extremely important role in this program, training children from their earliest years in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that they become steady at the core of their hearts. Śrīla Prabhupāda affirms that the great respect the movement receives throughout India and the world is a direct result of maintaining these high brahminical standards.
- In our Krsna consciousness movement we are simply teaching our students to become fit brahmanas and Vaisnavas.
- In our movement, the guru-kula plays an extremely important part in our activities because right from childhood the boys at the guru-kula are instructed about Krsna consciousness. Thus they become steady within the cores of their hearts.
- In our Krishna Consciousness Society we are training our students up to the standard of brahminical culture. So the great respect we are getting here in India and throughout the rest of the world is due to these restrictions.
- In our Krsna consciousness movement, fashionable persons are taught to adopt one fashion - the dress of a Vaisnava with a shaved head and tilaka. They are taught to be always clean in mind, dress and eating in order to be fixed in Krsna consciousness.
Universal Mission and Global Preaching
From its very conception, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is presented by Śrīla Prabhupāda as a universal mission with no restriction of race, caste, nation, or gender. The Bhagavad-gītā as it is forms its philosophical foundation, book distribution is its primary instrument of outreach, and the establishment of centers throughout the world is its practical expression of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's desire that His movement reach every town and village. Śrīla Prabhupāda affirms that the movement's solid philosophical ground, combined with its practical application to daily life, is what makes it genuinely transformative for all who encounter it.
- Our Krsna consciousness movement means that we are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is, and in a practical way. Just like we are recommending the members of the Society to chant Hare Krsna. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita.
- In our Krsna consciousness movement, all our activities are concentrated upon distributing Krsna literature. This is very important. One may approach any person and induce him to read Krsna literature so that in the future he also may become a devotee.
- Try to give this message to everyone, and the people will appreciate our Movement because we have got very solid ground of philosophy, and, more than that, our philosophy can be applied to our life and give good results.
- The blind man of the Western countries and the lame man of India should combine together in this Krsna consciousness movement.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda's descriptions of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement reveal a society of extraordinary coherence and depth. Its regulative principles provide the foundation of purified life, its daily program of worship and chanting provides the means of continuous purification, its brahminical educational standards elevate its members to the highest human qualities, and its global preaching mission gives it a scope as wide as humanity itself. The movement is not a human invention but the practical application of Kṛṣṇa's own instructions in the Bhagavad-gītā, carried forward through the paramparā and made accessible in the present age through the tireless effort and compassion of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Its ultimate purpose, as he repeatedly affirms, is simple and absolute: to raise every human being to the perfect platform of loving service to Kṛṣṇa.
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