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EDITORIAL August 29, 2000 VNN6184 Comment on this story Imagine An Iskcon BY VISHOKA DASA EDITORIAL, Aug 29 (VNN) — Part 1 Dear Srila Prabhupada, Those who continually associate with you, by hearing your tapes and reading your books, throughout the day, are the most fortunate beings in the universe. The transcendental sound vibration from your lectures and kirtan tapes has the power to liberate even a casual bystander who hears only one word. Either understanding, or not understanding the purport of the Krishna prema emanating from your lotus lips on your tapes, every listener, whether casual or attentive, are all purified, knowingly or unknowingly. Even if we can't quite hear what you say, even if we are busy in the ashram and can't hear every word, or we're driving the car and the traffic noise drowns out what you say, still your transcendental sound vibration purifies everything, it purifies our hearts and the atmosphere around us, even the walls and furniture. Even if I'm spacing out and thinking about something else, still your transcendental words are purifying my soul.
Therefore, we shall always endeavor to hear your tapes in all circumstances, as they are always supremely auspicious for all living entities. Dear Srila Prabhupada, I love to hear your powerful voice as you smash the rascal scientists in your lectures. I love to hear your mock debates with your disciples, as they play the devil's advocate, and how you smash their atheistic arguments. Once, a disciple said, 'But you are the only person saying this!' And you immediately countered, 'Then I am the ONLY intelligent person!' Everyone roared with laughter. And then you said, 'This is a fact!' Yes, Srila Prabhupada, it is a fact, that you, and other Vaisnavas as well, are the only intelligent men in this material world. I only feel secure, I only feel safe and secure, only when I'm hearing your transcendental voice on my tape player. Whenever I start to feel insecure and fearful of this material existence, then I play your tapes, and then my fear will immediately fade away. I love to hear you tell the glories of Lord Sri Krishna in your original dictation tapes of the Krishna book. I love to hear your transcendental voice recite the prayers of Akura and King Mucukunda and Lord Brahma and others, as your transcendental voice surcharges the transcendental potency of the great devotee prayers of the Bhagavatam. The sweetness of the tenth canto becomes unlimitedly sweeter by your transcendental voice. I love to hear your transcendental comment about the ice cream truck outside the temple on La Cienega Blvd. You faintly hear a bell outside the window, coming up the street, and you stopped your lecture, and said, 'What is that sound'' One disciple said, 'Its an ice cream truck, Srila Prabhupada.' You paused for a moment, and then said, 'Just see, here is maya!' Everyone laughs. And then you said, 'Here is maya, come and take, come and take'' This is so transcendentally humorous, that I can listen to this tape over and over and laugh every time. I love to hear your classic vintage kirtans, especially the one where there is some bhakta baby who's crying, who accents your kirtan, as he cries out for Krishna right on beat, exactly when you chant the holy name of Lord Caitanya. I also love your kirtan where you play the gong so loud and transcendentally in time with the kirtan. And your harmonium playing is unparalleled in all the three worlds, and even the Gandarvas are swooning in ecstasy and amazement when you play the harmonium, as every note is divinely inspired by Supersoul. In all circumstances, may we always hear your tapes and read your books, and thus we will always feel safe and secure in this dangerous material world. Part 2 Disclaimer- Any resemblance of the following, to a Beatle song, is merely coincidental. The following may be wishful thinking, and yes, it is a wishful meditation on the successful execution of the mission of Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON, which is what the world really needs. This meditation is called, 'Imagine an ISKCON.' Imagine an ISKCON, where blissful hari-nama sankirtan goes on for the next 10,000 years or more, and untold billions of people are drowned in the flood of the oceanic mercy of Lord Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the all blissful holy names of Lord Sri Krishna. Imagine an ISKCON, where devotees execute the simple formula of chanting and dancing and taking of prasadam, and all living entities are eternally benefited by loud hari-nama, and sumptuous prasadam all over the world for the next 10,000 years. Imagine an ISKCON, where there's major traffic jams in every major city of the world, at 4 am, for mangala arotik, as throngs of people converge on every Radha Krishna temple with great eagerness to see Their Lordships. Imagine an ISKCON, where there's major traffic jams in every major city of the world at 7 pm, for blissful sundar arotik as people rush through the doors to see Sri Sri Radha Krishna after a long day at work. Imagine an ISKCON, where people line up for Srila Prabhupada's books in airports all over the world, and vans are constantly re-stocking the book distributors, 2 to 3 times a day, for the next 10,000 years. Imagine an ISKCON, where every Friday night in all big cities, there's huge hari-nama sankirtan, with hundreds of devotees dancing and chanting in wild abandon, and hundreds of people from all walks of life crowd around the devotees and smile and cheer and wag their heads, and chant and dance and clap their hands in joy. Imagine an ISKCON, where there are multiple huge Ratha-yatras every summer, in all major cities, and streets are closed off for blocks, and people are madly searching for parking spots for blocks around, and they hurry to go take Lord Jagannatha's darshan and honor the huge 10 course transcendental feast offered to the Lord. They may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. Dreams blessed by Lord Krishna have every possibility to become a reality, and the impossible becomes possible, merely by the rapt meditation upon the two divine pairs of lotus feet of the two transcendental brothers, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, and by faithfully executing the order of our divine spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. Imagine an ISKCON, where the devotee lawyers are all bored, because there's nothing for them to do. Imagine an ISKCON, where Janmastami is so big, that temples are renting civic centers and shea stadiums and Madison Square Gardens, and so on. Imagine an ISKCON, where dignitaries and presidents and prime ministers and heads of state step out of their limousines, and along with their retinue, they enter the local Sri Sri Radha Krishna temple on Janmastami night at 12pm, to pay prostrated obeisances to Their Lordships. Imagine an ISKCON with millions of happy children in Krishna Consciousness, who each and everyone of them, after ten years or so, become millions of happy teenagers in Krishna Consciousness, and then ten or twenty years later, or so, become happy adult devotees in Krishna Consciousness. Imagine an ISKCON, where Srila Prabhupada's lecture and bhajan and kirtan tapes are loudly heard from open windows all over the world, at all times, day and night. Imagine an ISKCON, where misogyny and wife and child abuses are just faint and horrible memories of the ancient past. Imagine an ISKCON, where Srila Prabhupada's teachings are universally understood without any change, or without any need or any desire anywhere for any change at all, for the next 10,000 years or so. They may say that I'm a dreamer, and sometimes, maybe I am the only one. But these kind of daydreams can be spiritual, and maybe someday become real, only if we just try to please Srila Prabhupada and Krishna. And my dear Srila Prabhupada, maybe this grandiose wishing is a little exaggerated sometimes, but, the size doesn't really matter in the ultimate sense. You always said that it is only our duty to deliver the message of Krishna conscious, and the people may accept or not accept, and in any case, we shall continue our duty of giving Krishna consciousness. You also said that your Guru Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja, had so many temples all over India, but he would say, 'If by selling all these temples I could turn one man to Krishna consciousness, my mission would be successful.' You also told us that your main desire for us was not so much the numbers of books sold, or number of big temples, but simply that we develop our love for Krishna. This was your foremost wish, that we simply love Krishna. Therefore, regardless if ISKCON becomes gigantic or not, may we always try to fulfill your main desire that we just simply learn to love Krishna, and that we work hard to make a transcendental atmosphere in ISKCON, so that all the people of the world may get the same opportunity to love Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Krishna . Jai, all glories to you Srila Prabhupada. Your servant, Visoka dasa. Comment on this story  Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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