ISKCON Foundation -- Giving ISKCON to the Indians 10-1-92

My great-grandfather Henry Ford performed a revolution in manufacturing for which he will always be remembered. I admire him for his vision, tenacity and courage. My spiritual master A.C. Bhaktivananda Swami Prabhupada also performed a spiritual revolution for which he will always be remembered.

In the past 25 years we've witnessed the founding and incredible growth of a worldwide spiritual movement, the Hare Krishna Movement, also known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and the next 25 years promise to bring about an even more impressive period of growth and service to humanity. But before we show you what lies ahead, let's look back at a brief history of the spiritual development of our movement during the past quarter century. In 1965, His Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, traveled on an Indian freighter to America.

Other than his devotion to Lord Krishna, his only possessions were $7 worth of rupees and a few volumes of Srimad Bhagavatam. A year later, Srila Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness at a small storefront in New York. Over the next 25 years, ISKCON miraculously grew into an international network of over 300 temples, ashrams, agrarian communities, institutes and schools ministering to the spiritual needs of people around the world. In the early days there were no temples except ISKCON temples.

There was no place to go and have darshan of the deities or have Krishna prasadam or celebration mass me or any other festival and many Indians were very grateful that they had very culture at that time and there was nowhere else to go. The spiritual purity and vision of Srila Prabhupada combined with the energy and enthusiasm of his young disciples and followers spurred on the expansion. The mood of the devotees and bhajans and worship was so nice that we became very attached to going to the temple every week And it became the temple, Hare Krishna temple became the center of my life and my children's and the family. There is a tremendous opportunity for our children to learn the Vedic science by associating and regularly visiting the ISKCON temples.

Another word that starts with C. Kimmy? Chandramukhi? But ISKCON's growth in those memorable 25 years, although rapid, was sometimes irregular.

Especially after the departure of Srila Prabhupada, leaders were tested and sometimes they fell short of the mark. The movement encountered difficulties and obstacles. Yet the sincerity and dedication of ISKCON's followers and the mercy of Lord Krishna have brought it through every crisis stronger and more vital than ever before. ISKCON has become the world's largest publisher of literature on Vedic teachings, with over 400 million books sold in over 60 languages.

1,000 Bhagavad Gitas are sold weekly in Russia, where over 1,500 devotees operate more than 100 temples and ashrams, where two years ago, all devotional activities were performed underground. While reading Srila Prabhupāda's books, hundreds of millions of people all over the world are getting enlightenment that enables them to lead more satisfying and fulfilling lives. The Bhaktivedanta Archives holds extensive collections of photographs, films, videos and other materials relevant to the history of ISKCON and India's ISKCON members. Through the Vaishnava Institute in partnership with the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., archive members have toured India, making microfilmed copies of thousands of rare Vedic manuscripts that are in danger of being lost.

ISKCON's Bhaktivedanta Institute studies various branches of modern science in the light of Vedic knowledge and attracts leading philosophers and scientists from all over the world, including Nobel laureates. At ISKCON's farming communities, devotees are given loving care to cows, bulls, and calves, Happy in the knowledge that they will not be harmed, the cows give abundant milk and the bulls are being trained to plow the fields. Simple living, high thinking. Over 900 million plates of spiritual, vegetarian food, prashadam, have been served through ISKCON's temples, festivals, restaurants, and food for life programs.

Devotees have worked closely with local government agencies in providing material and spiritual benefits to the less fortunate. I think the work they are doing is marvelous, particularly in view of the fact that there is total independence from government and absolutely no desire to develop any dependence upon government. And in this day and age, that's a singularly great achievement. At the same time, there's obviously a very profound spiritual element combined with that that I know very little about, but I can see a very deep faith there.

In India, ISKCON has constructed several major cultural complexes, such as Hare Krishna Land in Juhu Beach in Bombay, the Krishna Balaram Temple in Vrindavan, and the Chaitanya Chandradaya Mandir in Mayapur, West Bengal. I have visited this temple several times, it is beautiful, it is, the atmosphere is so peaceful, where you can sit and meditate, and it's very clean. I love to go whenever I get time from my shooting and dances. ISKCON HAS CELEBRATED OVER 500 RATHYATRAS IN THE WORLD'S MAJOR CITIES.

ONLY A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, DEVOTEES LANGUISHED IN HORRIBLE PRISONS IN THE SOVIET UNION FOR PRACTICING DEVOTIONAL ACTIVITIES AND PREACHING. I PRAYED TO KRISHNA THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS IN THAT AWFUL PLACE WHEREAS IT WAS AWAITING A TRIAL THAT NEVER HAPPENED. I WAS PREGNANT AND I LOST MY BABY. I COULDN'T PRAY OUT LOUD.

I COULDN'T TALK TO ANYBODY. But now this miracle happened, and we are all free. I prayed to Krishna, and he answered my prayers. I would like to thank all of those in the world who prayed for us.

Hare Krishna devotee, Madonna Slaven Walford, was kidnapped in October of 1976 by deprogrammers whom her parents had hired to convince her that her religion was bogus. Mrs. Walford escaped and has been embroiled in a court battle ever since. Danger and lawsuits are part of the price ISKCON pays for following Lord Krishna's instruction to teach the message of the Gita in a sometimes unfriendly environment.

ISKCON has been fighting religious intolerance and bigotry in the nation's courts. Today, it may only be ISKCON's temples which are under attack from cases such as this Robin George lawsuit. We've been fighting that case for 15 years in the court system. And we continue to fight because we feel that a line must be drawn.

Religious freedom has always been something that has to be struggled for. If we give up the fight, if we succumb, then today it's ISKCON, tomorrow it's other Hindu organizations, the next day all other religions can come under the same type of bigoted attack. The American Psychiatric Association appointed a committee to study new religious movement in the United States. The committee never contacted ISKCON people, and without the knowledge and consent of ISKCON representatives, they published a report and blamed ISKCON as a cult.

So this year we did a special seminar and workshop on ISKCON at the annual conference in New Orleans. And the American Psychiatric Association has agreed that we made a mistake and we are going to remove that statement about ISKCON from the official statement issued by the American Psychiatric Association. The newly established ISKCON Foundation will set the national agenda for strategic planning, fundraising, and public relations. The primary goal of the ISKCON Foundation is to allow you to have a more satisfying and effective relationship with your local ISKCON temple.

In addition to this, advisory boards are being established which will allow you to have more of a voice in ISKCON's national and international policies. This foundation is very important to train the ISKCON temple president so they can work with the Indian community and congregation. Meeting members of the community have repeatedly expressed their enthusiasm to us for educational programs for children of all ages. We have responded.

We are assisting the Vedic College, an accredited correspondence school, and will continue to offer vigorous support for educational programs on all levels. The establishment of a Vedic Planetarium and Science Centre will be a source of pride for everybody associated with the Indian culture. There's no doubt that the hundreds and thousands and ultimately millions of people that will come and see Krishna consciousness presented in this very effective scientific and culturally oriented way will have a tremendous impact on the way they see the world and hopefully change their world view. A national touring program will expand all over the country, preserving Sanskrit texts on CD-ROM before these priceless documents are lost and which will benefit generations to come.

Acceleration of the construction of a model Vedic city in Mayapur and restoring and renovating holy places in and around Vrindavan and other places will continue. This is the first major environmentally damaged section of the Parakrama path, from here to the Madan Mohan temple. In the foreground you can see the Kaliyugat, very famous, and the Kadamba tree. This is the sacred footprints of Krishna when he climbed onto the tree to jump in the Jamuna.

So as Krishna jumped into the Jamuna and drove out the poison 5,000 years ago, now we have to follow his example, the lesson he taught us. And we should also drive out the poison which Krishna has placed here. So these children will actually have some trees to look forward to. And they will have a beautiful environment to look forward to when they grow up.

Hare Krishna. oh yeah gathering financial support through the expertise of professional fundraisers specializing in non-profit organizations has already begun the essence of a successful fundraising program is in the board of directors the iscon foundation has been able to surround itself with some of the most prominent indian and western devotees in the country they in fact will make the campaign work iscon's record of success so far has been achieved mostly by members with limited resources and background in vedic culture the iskcon communications ministry will spare no effort to ensure that india's great beta culture and the work of iskcon is always viewed with the greatest respect and appreciation by the media and the public to help achieve this goal we've employed a highly respected public relations firm wisconsin foundation board members will constantly review this national public education program and its results there are also three projects in india which require our urgent attention, and these projects the ISKCON Foundation is supporting. The first project is purchasing the birthplace of Srila Prabhupada in Calcutta.

The second project is to preserve the forests of Vrindavan, which are being threatened by developers at this time. And the third project is to buy the land directly adjacent to the temple in Vrindavan, which is also being threatened by developers. I feel very strongly about preserving these holy places of pilgrimage. We have relished visiting there ourselves and I feel obligated to offer the same opportunities to our future generations.

Srila Prabhupada said many times that India's great Vedic culture combined with the resources of the West could change the world to make it a truly peaceful and prosperous place for all. There is a great need for all of us to work together to carry out Lord Krishna's mission through the agency of ISKCON. The real hope for the world is to establish a God-centered society. With your participation and support, it will be possible to offer a better world to our children and grandchildren while ensuring our own spiritual advancement.