Hare Krsna dear Guru Maharaja <img alt="smiley" height="23" src="http://hps-d6.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/regular_smile.png" title="smiley" width="23" />. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!<img alt="heart" height="23" src="http://hps-d6.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/heart.png" title="heart" width="23" />
Chapters 4 to the end
Wow! I am impressed greatly by the given text. Such a nice summary of KC which although a summary is very profound – having and sharing intellectual penetration and emotional depth.
(In a way) it was an easier reading then starting chapter which was dealing with different studies of ISKCON. Maybe because the content was more familiar.
I could highlight all the text from these chapters. It would be a one big note of KC, about KC. It is nicely presented, I guess also scholarly (that I cannot comment as do not have much experience with academic texts). I was shaken to the bones (tears) by reading the explanation about Krsna’s love calling. This book gives a strong impetus to read, study and apply SP’s books in one’s own life. With respect I proclaim my gratitude to TKG and Garuda Prabhu for such a wonderful work.
As all this said let me share some points and questions:
- Paribhasa sutra of SB not only controls all other SB texts but also other Puranas (Does it for other Vedic texts?).
HpS - ASA - I would guess so. All the Vedas are looking for God and of all the incarnations the best one to find is Nanda nandanan! - Seva is said (by whom?) to be the meaning of bhaj, bhakti’s root.
I don't know. The Nirukti and Amara kosa are two dictionarys that Srila Prabhupada quotes. - TKG:”Srila Prabhupada, how many are there pure devotees in the world?”. SP: ”75 (which was number of ISKCON members [initiated or not] at the time)”.
- Followed the texts of two footnotes:
1. SP lecture :”Spiritual aesthetics”, where SP depreciates the need for musical expertise and knowledge of Sanskrit pronunciation to chant HK and kirtan,
and
2. Kesava Bharati Goswami’s story of his mother taking to bhakti yoga on the end of her life after a life of disapproval. - Question: What is SP's final order about association with his godbrothers and their organizations ? Can ISKCON devotees get inspiration from them or will get confused?
Of course, even in the NoI there is the comment that he was surrounded by neophyte Godbrothers who nothing about spreading Krsna consciousness and rather tried to pull the preachers down to their level. Besides that I don't remember anything very specific in his books that Prabhupada said. I think there is the general discrimination of identitfying people in any tradition according to their advancement, NOI 4-6, and then associating according to that principle, no?
I am going to recommend this book heartily to everyone (who is ready to deal with academic wordings).
Thank you Guru Maharaja.
Your servant Namacarya das
HpS - ASA - We are about half way through the book. It is hard for us to read because of the small type, but we also find it very delightful. I think the earlier parts are more stimulating to us becuase we lived through the cult-contoversy era and have personal experience of the academic things he cites. The thing that has been the most stimulating to us to far has been in the section on Pramana, evidential sources, where TKG lists all the specific books that Prabhupada was using to write his purports. Also, we are impressed with the volume of reading that he has done. Knowing Maharaja as I did a little bit I think that he may have had many research assitants reading and reporting for him also.
The book does seem essential to our academic preaching, establishing Prabhupada as a Theologian, not just a clever hippy cult leader.
