Srila Prabhupada promises us in the Nectar of Devotion that even a neophyte can experience transcendental ecstasy and make rapid advancement by engaging in these five potent forms of devotional service: studying the Srimad Bhagavatam in Vaisnava sanga, associating with advanced devotees, living in the holy dhama, chanting the holy name of the Lord, and worshipping the Deity with love and devotion. In the Caitanya-caritamrta, Krishna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami describes that even a slight performance of this panca-anga bhakti awakens love for Krishna.

The Mayapur Institute for Higher Education and Training (MIHET) will provide an environment conducive for devotees to practice these five potent forms of devotional service to their hearts content. Participants in our courses will have easy access to serene places to study, potent places of pilgrimage, great association, gorgeous Deities to worship, an enlivening morning program, nice accommodations, and great prasadam.

There are now over 1900 ISKCON devotees throughout the world who have Bhakti-sastri degrees. This is undoubtedly very pleasing to Srila Prabhupada, who vigorously encouraged his leaders to establish the sastric degree program.

Now the Mayapur Institute for Higher Education and Training (MIHET) has developed a unique facility for Bhakti-sastri graduates to easily take the next step up the systematic sastric study ladder with the Bhaktivaibhava Course by reducing time away from their prabhu-datta-desas by 50%.

(If you have not completed Bhakti-sastri, please click here for an enlivening opportunity.)

(Appeared in Back to Godhead Magazine - September/October 2004)

By the shores of the Ganges in Mayapur, West Bengal, an educational institution is arising to fulfill a global prophesy of ISKCON's founder-acarya, Srila Prabhupada.

Although his friends in Melbourne, Australia, went to Krishna schools, Mahamantra Dasa always attended public schools and visited the local temple only on the weekends. But when he reached puberty, Mahamantra started to see what Srila Prabhupada meant when he referred to materialistic schools as "slaughterhouses."

"Sexual promiscuity was the norm," he says, "both inside and outside the classroom."

After he finished the ninth grade, his devotee parents gave him permission to leave school and move into the temple as a full-time brahmacari.

This is a paper presented at the Conference ‘30 Jahre ISKCON Deutschland’, Köln, Germany, 29 January 1999 by His Grace Ravindra Svarupa Dasa. Printed by permission of ISKCON Communication Journal.

Ravindra Svarupa Dasa (Dr William H. Deadwyler, III), an early disciple of Srila Prabhupada, here looks at one of Prabhupada’s more controversial directives; the need to establish varnasrama-dharma (the organization of society according to the quality and work of the members of the society). He looks at the internal logic of the varnasrama system and then describes some of the understandings of that system, which have arisen in ISKCON. The question of how to establish varnasrama-dharma in a modern context has been the source of a longstanding debate within ISKCON, and in this paper Ravindra Svarupa contributes to the debate with his analysis of the situation. This analysis focuses on the need to encourage a brahminical (intellectual) class within society — a brain for the social body.

article by Krishna-kripa dasa, illustrations by Sarvabhauma dasa

The Saturday parikramas to local pilgrimages sites are one of several great additions to this year's Bhakti Sastri and Bhaktivaibhava courses. Other new features this year include a great line-up of senior devotee teachers, especially for the Men's Bhakti Sastri course, regular thematic discussions led by senior devotees for the Bhaktivaibhava course, and sponsored lunch prasadam on weekdays for all students, teachers, and staff. On Saturday, November 11, MIHET students went on parikrama to the Dhamesvara Mahaprabhu temple in Navadvipa. Kadamba Kanana Swami led harinama sankirtana to Navadvipa for two hours with amazing enthusiasm. We started at the ISKCON main gate, walking to Hulor Ghat, continuing on the boat, and finally through the streets of Navadvipa to the temple. There we saw Vishnu-priya's tall, yellow Deity of Lord Caitanya. The kirtana continued and so many devotees danced for the Lord with such eagerness it was beautiful to see. Several devotees liberally purchased maha-prasadam from the temple and distributed it to the other devotees after the kirtana. Then Kadamba Kanana Swami spoke for half an hour or so on Lord Caitanya's pastimes: Ekendra dasa's blog Read more Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare