Articles by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda
Misuse of Money in the Name of Religion?
This article (originally in Hindi) by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, was first published in Bhāgavat Patrikā, Vol. 7, Issue 1 (June 1961). In it, Śrīla Prabhupāda reflects on a speech by the then prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru concerning misuse of money in the name of religion in āśramas and maṭhas. Prabhupāda proposes the establishment of a ‘Bhagavad-gītā Department’ within the government, and includes a personal letter to Nehru offering suggestions for guiding India toward a more spiritually grounded national direction. This article is as relevant today as it was sixty-four years ago - if not more so.
Śrī Bhāgavat Patrikā Begins Its Eighth Year
For many years, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda served as the editor-in-chief of Śrī Bhāgavat Patrikā, the Hindi journal published by the Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti under Śrīpāda B.P. Keśava Mahārāja. In this 1962 article from Volume 8, Issue 1, Śrīla Prabhupāda discusses the unique qualities of the magazine, critiques the shortcomings of contemporary politics and science, and offers guidance to readers who find the magazine’s language challenging.
Preaching Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Dharma Outside Bengal
The following preaching report was first published in Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā (Vol. 5, Issue 2) in 1953. It specifically details the activities of Śrī Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhaktivedānta (later, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda) in Allahabad, and includes an English letter written by him to the editors of two local newspapers complaining about the performance of līlā-kīrtanas on All India Radio.
The Divinity of Śrī Caitanyadeva
"The Divinity of Śrī Caitanyadeva' (Śrī Caitanyadevera Bhagavattā), written by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda, was first published in Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā (Vol.5, Issue 7) in 1953. In this article, Śrīla Prabhupāda presents evidence from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in relation to the divine position of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, summarises the symptoms of Kali-yuga, and also gives hope to the people of this age.
Śrī Caitanyadeva and Communism
This Bengali article, ‘Śrī Caitanyadeva and Communism’ by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda was first published in Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā, Vol.5, Issue 8 in 1953. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains how any man-made conception for the good of society is doomed to fail, and only the ‘Communism’ expounded by Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu will truly give benefit to society at large.
A Letter to the Editor of the Navbharat Times
In this letter from 1958, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda writes to the editor of the Navbharat Times newspaper complaining of certain philosophical mistakes in an article published on Janmāṣṭamī – in particular, he protests that the article states that Śrī Kṛṣṇa was a ‘human incarnation.’ This letter was published in Śrī Bhāgavat Patrikā (Vol.4 Issue 5), the Hindi journal of the Gauḍīya Samiti in October 1958, and has been translated here for the first time in English.
Vaiśiṣṭyāṣṭaka (Eight Stanzas of Significance)
We present this important Vyāsa Pūjā offering by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda on the 150th appearance anniversary of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda. Vaiśiṣṭyāṣṭaka (‘Eight Stanzas of Significance’) was Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Vyāsa Pūjā offering written at the Vaṁśī-Gopāla Temple, on the 86th appearance day of Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. It was first published in Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā, Vol. 12. Issues 1 & 2 in April 1961. As our readers will see, many points that Prabhupāda addresses in this poem are as relevant today as they were when he wrote it sixty-three years ago.
Vṛndāvane Bhajana (Worship in Vṛndāvana)
This Bengali poem, ‘Vṛndāvane Bhajana’ which was first published in Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā, Vol.10, issues 9&10 in 1958 was written by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda while residing as a vānaprastha at the Vaṁśi-Gopāla Temple in Vṛndāvana. Śrīla Prabhupāda talks about the futility of family life, the ineffectiveness of jñāna, karma and yoga, the position of a true Vaiṣṇava and the importance of preaching over solitary bhajana.
Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlā-smaraṇa-maṅgala Stotram
This book “In Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life” was probably the first literary work by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Prabhupāda after he accepted sannyāsa in 1959. It deals with the divine conversation between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Raya Ramananda on the banks of the Godavari River, and is considered by Gaudiya Vaisnavas to be the acme of all theistic conceptions.
In Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life
This book “In Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life” was probably the first literary work by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Prabhupāda after he accepted sannyāsa in 1959. It deals with the divine conversation between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Raya Ramananda on the banks of the Godavari River, and is considered by Gaudiya Vaisnavas to be the acme of all theistic conceptions.