Reflections on Sacred Teachings: Bhaktisiddhanta's Sixty-four Principles for Community (Volume- V)

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Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura founded his Gaudiya Matha on sixty-four principles that outline a perfect and complete foundation for a spiritual society. With unwavering dedication to the mission of his spiritual master, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada revived the spirit of that vision. In 1965, according to the instructions he received from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura forty-three years earlier, Srila Prabhupada traveled to the Western world to establish his International Society for Krishna Consciousness as the pure embodiment of the principles that were propounded by his beloved spiritual master.

Although they are not yet widely recognized in our society in their original form, our success lies in the implementation of these sacred instructions. They fully reveal the true essence and framework of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. As we progress and mature, we must realize that ISKCON carries the responsibility to epitomize the ideals on which Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura created the Gaudiya Matha. By remaining loyal to these principles, our society will surely prosper in spreading the message of Krishna consciousness and inspiring devotees in their spiritual growth. Therefore, in order to share these potent instructions with the community of devotees, I translated the original guidelines and printed them in Spiritual Connections, a magazine published for my disciples and friends.

Upon coming across the translation, His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja immediately recognized their profound value and eventually resolved to present them in book format. I experienced immense gratitude and joy when Maharaja asked me to contribute to this wonderful elaboration on these timeless principles. I was especially inspired because, despite his very critical state of physical health, Maharaja is continuing to write Krishna conscious literatures to inspire and uplift others. In a true display of disciplic succession, Maharaja has wholly imbibed the spirit of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's intense determination to spread Krishna consciousness.

This Krishna consciousness movement is the only hope for this world; it is the yuga-dharma, the only means of achieving spiritual success in this age. In order to effectively spread this glorious mission throughout the world, strong, active leaders such as Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja are absolutely essential. Maharaja has molded his life according to these sixty-four principles of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Therefore, he is able to expertly guide the world towards the ultimate goal of life, not only by elaborating on them, but by leading with his personal example. I wholeheartedly pray to Krishna that Maharaja will continue to inspire us with his profound insight, compassion, and enthusiasm for many, many years to come.

We want to thank one of our great predecessors in the line of disciplie succession, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who offers the sixty-four principles to the Vaisnaval community, which we reflect on in this book. I want to personally thank my wonderful and loving godbrother, His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami, for translating these sixty-four powerful statements into English from the Bengali.

All societies have criteria for people to live by so that each individual can understand what is expected of them, and what constitutes success versus failure. There can never be successful involvement in community without constant inventory. We might find that we rarely make evaluations of ourselves, but it will naturally happen as we associate with more quality. We want to focus on quality relationships, specifically relationships amongst the devotees of the Lord, because we want to maximize our ability to accelerate our devotion. Devotional service is a science. As with any science, if we do not follow the procedure, we will not only miss out on the full benefits, but we will risk creating harmful results. But if we follow the scientific procedures with great attentiveness and care, we will ultimately get the best results.

Devotee association is not just a matter of being together in the same environment. Actually, some devotees even avoid each other because they do not want to have to look at themselves honestly. Some find it more peaceful to avoid interacting with others. However, we do not just want peace. We want realization, and the unfoldment of realization is not always a peaceful process. It is peaceful to be in ignorance; it is peaceful to be in denial; it is peaceful to avoid dealing with issues by living a cloistered lifestyle, but the real challenge arises when we have to interact with people because it tests our genuine level of realization. Our associates give us the opportunity to look at ourselves in a mirror so that we get a clearer vision of our strengths and weaknesses. This reflection on ourselves allows us to introspect more authentically and evaluate our proficiency as we follow the process of devotional service.

In the Bhagavad-gita, we find that Krishna does not just give dharma or religion. Religion is about ethics and morality, and it gives a basic understanding of the existence of God. Although Krishna does in fact give religion, He also gives knowledge far beyond basic religiosity.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages