Being Srila Prabhupada-Anugas- A Handbook for Spiritual Leadership

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Dear Readers,

I was requested by the GBC College for Leadership Development to give a seminar to the inaugural batch in March 2015 at Govardhan Ecovillage, Wada, Mumbai.

I was sent a compilation of Srila Prabhupada's quotations on various aspects of Leadership and Management.

My first impression of that was a sense of relief that I wouldn't really have to collate the materials for the course to prepare for my presentation. And as I started to read it, I was extremely impressed with the meticulous research that went behind this compilation. His Grace Rasika Raman Prabhu from ISKCON Chowpatty has indeed done an excellent job.

While going through it, I felt that this should not be used just as course material or even something meant only for the students of this course rather, that every leader of ISKCON should have it and read it. And not only read it, but study it.

And therefore, I decided to publish it as a book. It was a big challenge, because I had only three weeks to get it ready. I immediately got in touch with Mayapur BBT and told them about the urgency and they assured me that not only would the books be printed, but that they would also deliver it to Govardhan Ecovillage before the start of the course. For their huge effort under such time pressure, I thank Mayapur BBT profusely.

When the Edinburgh's temple in Scotland, U.K. was closed without consulting Srila Prabhupada, three GBC representatives wrote in a memo to their GBC godbrothers, "No GBC man can whimsically do anything without consulting Srila Prabhupada... We must be the strict prototypes of Srila Prabhupada." The memo was approved by Srila Prabhupada in Vrindaban, September 14, 1974.

Fortunate were those who had access to His Divine Grace and his counsel. The misgivings and mistakes of Srila Prabhupada's direct disciples have in fact proved to be a blessing in disguise. For if it weren't for them, Srila Prabhupada would not have left behind such detailed instructions in the form of his letters and conversations dealing with myriad of issues-issues of personal sadhana and behavior, issues arising from working with others, and issues related to organizational effectiveness, among others.

Leadership has always been a topic of interest and discussion not only amongst modern political and corporate circles, but even amongst great sages and emperors of yore. Leadership permeates all spheres of human life-one can be a leader for a family, community, society, nation, and, of course, one's own mind and senses. Despite critical research and sociological experiments in universities and corporates throughout the world, leadership and its development still remains a mystery for most. ISKCON, being a spiritual society, runs within a worldwide organizational framework, which necessitates good leadership and management. We understand this from Srila Prabhupada's own words:

"We want a good administration-that is one side of our propaganda work." Letter to Umapati – Los Angeles July 19th, 1970

"But where are so many expert managers? All of us should become expert managers and preachers." Letter to Karandhara - Bombay 22 December, 1972. We are daunted with the challenge of expertly managing the operations of a worldwide organization and simultaneously preserving and presenting the pristine message of the Paramapara. Srila Prabhupada has very mercifully given us the way by which we can stand upto this challenge:

"Your task ahead is very huge, but it will be quite simple and easy if you simply do as I am doing." Letter to Hrdayananda - New York 9 July, 1972.