Contents

VISION STATEMENT ...... 3

MISSION STATEMENT ...... 3

MASTHEAD ...... 3

Message from the General Editor...... 4

Message from the Acting Editor...... 4

ARTICLES...... 4

NIOS MEETS NANTES...... 5

Bhagavatam for Teens: Bridging the Gap for the Second Generation...... 9

The Deep Gaze...... 11

PROJECT REPORTS...... 10

Bhaktivedanta College, Belgium ...... 12

Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta, Italy...... 14

Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies, USA...... 16

ISKCON Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture...... 18

VedaBase.io...... 20

BOOK ANNOUNCEMENTS...... 21

Selected Bibliography...... 22

CALENDAR...... 23

NEXT ISSUE...... 23

2 VISION STATEMENT

To provide conscious education of high quality to everyone through temples, educational institutions and various global initiatives.

MISSION STATEMENT

To develop comprehensive educational systems globally, that foster higher spiritual values, fulfil the needs of ISKCON members and the larger society bringing about excellence in all areas of human life. We aim to fulfil this mission by

1. Empowering and supporting educational initiatives and collaborations among educators, educational institutions and professionals 2. Establishing and monitoring high standards of Vaisnava education 3. Supervising the development and execution of educational plans and ensuring they are delivered to high standards and 4. Understanding and fulfilling the educational needs of the Krsna conscious families 5. Making every temple as an educational centre and a centre of excellence.

MASTHEAD Viplavah is a Journal of the Ministry of Education of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Founder His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada. Minister of Education: H. G. Sesa Das Executive Director: Tapana-misra Das Core Committee: , Sesa Das, Atul-krsna Das, -giri-dhari Das, Tapan-misra Das, Champaka-lata Devi Dasi, Indira-sakhi Devi Dasi, Acting Editor: H. H. Hanumatpresaka Swami Editorial Board: • H. G. Indira-sakhi Devi Dasi • H. G. Rama-giridhari Das The first issue of the Journal was published Janmastami 2017 with plans to publish four issues each year. It is driven out of North American and the Western Hemisphere but is aimed at serving the educational needs of ISKCON globally. We hope it inspires many regional and topical journals, such as Jayam which is now being published in Spanish. Ministry Web Site: iskconeducation.org For Correspondences: Secretary, [email protected]

3 Message from the General Editor

as their profession and even passion can prog- ress on both lines in a kind of DNA spiral dance. The potential of the Vedic, , heritage for stimulating and feeding higher education is awesome. Just as one technical note we were hoping for in- put from the Ministry’s Executive Secretary, Ta- pan Misra Das, for this issue, but we received a note from him that he is in Malaysia with a sud- denly collapsed lung. We feel certain that he is an example of a person working to educate him- his is an interesting issue. It has been stim- self so that these inevitable calamities of life can Tulating working with “Professor Gupta” as always be mined as clouds with a silver lining. Editor for this issue and receiving his commit- ment to edit next year’s academic issue. We only Hanumatpresaka Swami (Prof. Huber H. Robin- hope that more people who hold positions in son) – ISKCON Ministry of Education, Ricardo ISKCON as their religion and university posts Palma University (, Peru)

Message from the Acting Editor

articles written by devotee-scholars who have dedicated much of their life’s work to higher education. They are a diverse group—among them, you will find professors, farmers, school- teachers, artists, sannyasis, and administrators. This is both encouraging and fitting, because education is something that permeates, or should permeate, every profession, institution, and age group of a society. How does a farm- er pass on his or her wisdom about climate and elcome to the second annual issue of Vi- crops to the next generation? How does an artist Wplavah focused on higher education! In ensure that the ability to create and appreciate this issue, you will find a variety of interesting art is perpetuated in society? And how does a

4 religious institution preserve and distribute its announcement of an exciting new book on cow values to a broader public? All of this happens care written by Krsna Ksetra Swami and pub- through education. Indeed, education cannot lished by the highly respected academic pub- be restricted to a single department or a single lisher, Palgrave Macmillan. We have also pro- profession. It should be part of the very fabric of vided a list of other recent scholarly books that a healthy society. might be of interest to our readers, including the first-ever academic study of Kavi Karnapura, as In this issue, you will find a wide spectrum of well as a book on the social impact of Caitanya educational approaches. The essays are grouped Mahaprabhu’s movement, written by the noted into three categories: Articles, Project Reports, scholar Joseph T. O’Connell. and Book Announcements. The first group in- I am deeply grateful to H.H. Hanumatpresaka cludes an article by H.H. Hanumatpresaka Swa- Swami (Prof. Huber H. Robinson) for his sig- mi on Carl Jung and Gaudiya Vaisnavism, an- nificant guidance and encouragement during other article by Gopika Kanta Dasi on helping the editorial process, including commissioning adolescents make the Bhagavatam relevant to articles. We wish to thank all the contributors their own lives, and a third article by Gandharva to this issue for producing such interesting and Dasa on the relationship between art, spiritual- useful articles, despite their busy writing and ity, and education. The second group includes travel schedules. Finally, we wish to thank you, reports from several different institutions of our learned readers, and apologize for the short- higher education connected to ISKCON around comings in this issue, which are entirely my own the world: in Belgium, responsibility. Nevertheless, we hope that you Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta in Italy, Bhaktive- will find this issue thought-provoking and use- danta Institute for Higher Studies in the United ful in your own work as an educator. States, Vedabase.io on the web, and the ISKCON Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture in Radhika Ramana Dasa (Professor Ravi M. Gupta Ecuador. The third group of essays includes an - Utah State University)

ARTICLES NIOS MEETS NANTES Hanumatpresaka Swami*

he door opened and out came a very conge- was lined with books and beautiful artifacts to Tnial scholar. We had some trepidation be- the ceiling. The fresh morning air of Buenos Ai- cause before we’ve met some powerful Jungian res came in through the window, cars hummed scholars but some have been chain smokers and by as they went to work. There were ourselves, others angry and arrogant. . . Hp Swami and three young students. Ooof! “Have you heard of E. T. Hall?” Quite a relief. Then Professor Nantes took us across the Baroque lobby into his office, which “Have you read Jung in ?”

* ISKCON Ministry of Education, Secretary General of the North American Institute of Oriental and Classical Studies NIOS, Traveling professor of the Ricardo Palma University (Lima, Peru).

5 We have been trying to meet Dr. Bernardo and you are motivated but don’t know how to Nantes, the founder of Fundacion Vocacion approach Prof. Jung and his followers in more Humano, Dean of Universidad del Salvador, depth. Of course books are the basis, so here is translator of C. G. Jung’s Redbook for three a suggested reading list. It’s interesting that ev- years ( and Shonu Shyamdasani of the Univer- eryone who I know who has read the books has sity of London, co-founder of the Philemon also found them challenging for their person- Foundation, for at least seven years). al spiritual development and mental hygiene. -0- They can all be found at Amazon: In Dialectical Spiritualism, Srila A. C. Bhaktive- • The Tavistock Lectures, danta Swami, Prabhupada, offers commentaries, • Memories, Dreams and Reflections on summaries, of the ideas of many, many West- (Auto-Biography), ern philosophers. These summaries were pre- • The Kundalini Lectures. sented by two of his educated students. The very • Carl Jung and the Making of Modern last philosopher presented was Dr. C. G. Jung: – The Dream of a Science (Take it slowly. It is a look at the de- Prof. Howard Wheeler: That ends our ses- velopment of all of Western thought on sion on Jung. psychology during Jung’s lifetime), Srila Prabhupada: So far, he seems the • Introduction to the Redbook by Prof. most sensible! Shonu Shamdasani (Buy the text only version of the Redbook) If we take our NIOS work as building bridges • . . .and now we are reading Jung in India. between the classical worlds of the Orient and Occident, then Prabhupada’s comment along Besides the books there are the people: Beverley with Jung’s that follows is simply compelling. Zabrieskii, Paticia Llosa, Maximilian Peralta. We have been able to meet so many, and then “... if you go to other races, to India or Chi- we attended a three day symposium on Art and na, for example, you discover that these the Creative Intelligence at U.C. Santa Barbara people are conscious of things for which and were swimming in an ocean of youth, old the psychoanalyst in our countries has to age, various nations, intense scholarship, social dig for months.” awareness and compassion, artistic creativity, “We Europeans are not the only people money. on the earth. We are just a peninsula of Maybe you are not like us. Maybe you are com- Asia, and on that continent there are old ing from the other side of The Bridge. Our pre- civilizations where people have trained ferred lecture title has been: Science, Psyche and their minds in introspective psychology Spirituality, the Encounter of Prof. C. G. Jung for thousands of years, whereas we began with the Mysticism of Ancient India. As soon as with our psychology not even yesterday you start talking about the mysticism, philoso- but only this morning. These people have phy, religion, of ancient India you are div- an insight that is simply fabulous...” ing into an ocean of traditions, practices, living Jung, C. G.; Analytical Psychology, Its examples. Theory & Practice; Vintage Books, 1970, If you want good food, go to Italy; romance, pages 48 & 74 France; machines, Germany; but if you want Please join this work. If you are like us you had Philosophy, India. some little contact with Carl Jung during your Sanskrit undergraduate university studies. It is enough to pique interest but seemingly superficially George L. Harte, University of California presented. If you continue to be like us then you A Rapid Sanskrit Method read the above quote in Dialectical Spiritualism Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1989

6 From the Preface of this book: navism. It is centered around the above men- tioned -purana and is based in tra- “It [sanskrita]is, like Chinese, Arabic, th Greek and Latin, one of the few languages dition upon Srila ’s 16 century which has been a carrier of a culture over a -rasamrta-sindhu of which Professor Da- long period of time. vid Haberman, Indiana University, has pro- duced an excellent translation. The Introduc- Thus, the variety of writings in it, and the tion to his translation is worth a million dollars, quantity of those writings are staggering. tracing the entire tradition from Bharata Muni, An incomplete list of subjects treated in before Christ, on up to even modern times. At Sanskrit, usually with great prolixity, is as Amazon.com it clocks in at around $101 but follows: maybe you can find it in your research library of • The four even try to contact us. It is 752-pages so if you • The Brahmanas and Aranyakas want a simpler path we would suggest: • The Upanisads • Light of the Bhagavata. • Grammar • The Nectar of Instruction, • Epic, puranic, literature - Including 18 • The Teachings of Lord Caitanya. major , 18 minor puranas, and hundred of sthalapuranas. These are all online at www.vedabase.com and • Works on Medicine can be purchased in hard-copy at www.Krishna. • Logic com . • Astronomy & Astrology Are you interested in crossing the Bridge to buy • Mathematics and sell? Are you interested in waking up. • Lawbooks An Englishman saw three people doing • Architecture the same thing. He asked the first one: • Music… “What are doing?” On most of these subjects, there is an im- mense literature still extant. Indeed, a rough The fellow answered, “Can’t you see, you estimate of the works which will be listed damn fool! I’m laying bricks. Leave me in The New Catalogus Catalogorum yields alone”. a total of about 160,000 works… many so “Sorry, please forgive me.” difficult that it would take years of study to Then he asked the second man, who was properly understand them.…Sanskrit does doing the same thing: have its share of great writers: Kalidasa ranks with the greatest poets, Panini is without “What are you doing?” question the greatest pre-modern grammar- The man paused and replied, “I’m making ian, the ranks with the Iliad money, take care of my family”. and the Odyssey, and the Bhagavata-purana is among the finest works of devotion every English man thanked him and asked the written, being equaled in my opinion only third Johnny, “I say old chap, what are you by other works in Indian languages.” doing?”, and the man looked up and said, “Oh, it’s very interesting. Today we are Of course, the Britannica article is a good place putting up the wall that goes behind the al- to start if you have no experience with India phi- tar, and after a couple of days when it is set, losophy and mysticism (which I doubt): https:// the marble masons will come and hang the www.britannica.com/topic/Indian-philosophy. marble. My children are very small now, Then if you have a little preliminary faith and but when they are bigger I will bring them can accept our advice we would recommend here and show them how I helped to build our own tradition of Bengali or Chaitanya Vais- this great Cathedral!”

7 The whole system of education is geared to sense grati- fication, and if a learned man thinks it over, he sees that the children of this age are being intentionally sent to the slaughterhouses of so-called education. Learned men, the- refore, must be cautious of this age, and if they at all want to cross over the dangerous ocean of Kali, they must follow the footsteps of the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya and accept Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī or his bona fide representative as the captain of the ship. The ship is the message of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the shape of Bhagavad-gītā or the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. (S.B. 1.1.22)

8 BHAGAVATAM FOR TEENS: BRIDGING THE GAP FOR THE SECOND GENERATION

By Gopika Kanta Dasi* (Gopika Sharma)

I asked my dad why Srimad Bhagavatam Knowing this, I embarked on a journey of dis- “was the ultimate authority of existence,” she covery: How can we do our part as educators to relayed. “What did he say?” I asked curiously. help our youth experience Krishna Conscious- “Nothing” she snapped back, “He had no an- ness in a way that allows them to become con- swer . . . like we have to follow it. That’s all.” With vinced of its power? I personally believe that sas- a slight roll of her eyes, she quickly changed the tric education for adolescents should prioritize conversation. personal application and complex real-world analysis. If adolescents are able to see sastra as Although this was a seemingly insignificant con- nuanced, it feels more authentic, because the versation between child and parent, it impacted real world is complex. me. This second generation youth was fluent in the philosophy, customs, and rituals of Krish- How can Srimad Bhagavatam become real for na Consciousness. Yet, although she was born our second generation students? One way is by into the movement, it seemed that she had not making the pastime come alive for ourselves. bought into it for herself. Could you blame her? For example, when teaching the story of Daksha, As a trained critical thinker, she sought person- I considered where envy had shown up in my al evidence as to why she should deeply believe own life. I reflected on a time where I felt envy in Krishna Conscious convictions we often take for another devotee in my life and how difficult for granted. Her quest seemed blocked. it was to manage that emotion. I also introspect- ed on how I overcame that envy by admitting As a second generation educator of adolescents my feelings honestly to this devotee. Sharing my myself, this incident fueled an internal desire own struggle with my students helped to create to change this phenomenon. Adolescence is a a safe space for them to reflect on where envy monumental period of growth in human devel- had shown up in their lives. We cannot expect opment. During this time, our youth develop adolescents to internalize Krishna Conscious- the ability to think critically, choose their values ness in an authentic way if we cannot model its and crystallize their personal identities. As edu- personal and genuine application ourselves. cators, we can either ignore their unique devel- opmental period or we can leverage it by creat- Along with reflection on the intersection be- ing a space to analyze sastra in complex ways. tween Srimad Bhagavatam and our own lives

* Gopika-kanta dasi is a second generation devotee passionate about spiritual education for youth, particularly adoles- cents. After graduating with a double degree in biology and psychology, Gopika pursued a career in education. She taught in a high needs school for two years after which she graduated from Columbia University with a Masters in Curriculum and Teaching. She currently teaches AP Psychology in a public high school. Gopika helps to facilitate the Sunday School and youth programs in New Jersey. She, along with her husband Aksh, strive to make Bhakti education relevant and engaging for youth.

9 Finally, challenging students to articulate per- sonal stories that embody sastric lessons provide a realness to bhakti that is often missed. When studying the story of Bharat Maharaja, students shared how his attachment to the deer related to their own personal attachments to body image and popularity. When discussing the story of Jaya and Vijaya, students relayed a time in life where they too made assumptions about other devotees based on their external appearance, just like Jaya and Vijaya made assumptions about the four Kumaras. When learning about the story of Murti, students connected ’s sav- ing the demigods to a time in their own life when they attempted to do a service project, encoun- tering numerous obstacles along the way, but persevered to success. Channeling our students’ critical thinking and reflection abilities create high levels of engagement with, and faith in, sas- tra. Our students live in a world of gray. There- as educators, another powerful practice is ex- fore, if sastra is presented as black and white and periential learning. For example, when teaching a series of straightforward aphorisms, it feels less the story of Pariksit Maharaja, I deceptively told real than when we help students personally un- students that the temple management canceled pack the depth and complexity that sastra offers. their monthly cooking classes. They immedi- ately expressed anger and sadness. Only after We believe in the words of Srimad Bhagavatam students experienced a personal loss, although and desperately want our youth to do the same. simply a ploy, were they ready to discuss the But we often get so caught up in our daily prac- complexity of how we could practically follow tices that we forget to thoughtfully articulate the in the footsteps of Pariksit Maharaja when we philosophy in a way that makes sense for our experience loss in life. The real time experience second generation youth. Our youth know the led to a genuine discussion which made learn- verses, the beliefs, pastimes and practices pre- ing both authentic and memorable. sented in Srimad Bhagavatam. However, they do not often understand why we do what we Students can also grapple with complexity and do or believe what we believe. This merely fuels authenticity through role playing. For example, their apathy and disinterest. when teaching the lesson of detachment and distractions in the story of Bharat Maharaja, Adolescence provides the perfect ingredients we asked students to create a skit that showed for faith and appreciation of Krishna Con- alternate strategies that Bharat Maharaja could sciousness. Our youth are bright thinkers, crit- utilize to protect his spiritual practice. Students ically engaged, self-reflective, and seeking real came up with a variety of alternate scenarios. reasons as to why they should choose Krishna They suggested that Bharat Maharaja limit how Consciousness. Srimad Bhagavatam brims with much he cared for the deer or else nurse the personal relevance and philosophical depth, and deer back to health and let it go. After analyzing it contains all that our youth seek. All that’s left Bharat Maharaja’s situation, the youth more eas- for us to do, as educators, is to bridge the gap. ily analyzed how they could apply detachment in their own lives.

10 THE DEEP GAZE

Gandharva Dasa*

y relationship with art is old and intimate. cepted as a tool for image creation (and not MI grew up in a home where music, theater, only a means of capturing visible reality), a wide and sculpture, plastic arts, occupied my parents’ spectrum of photographers seem to be no lon- time and interest. They found in these expres- ger interested in the apprehension of reality, but sions the subjective sense they longed for in in what it represents. Beyond the iconic surface their lives. After time, that interest became mine that reveals the photographic image, in which too. I started teaching at universities and high- things seem to be what they appear, the photog- er education institutes, thanks to a combination rapher looks for the symbol in the object and of chance and need. Now 25 years have passed the archetype in the portrait. since I started my teaching career, and the mo- tivations that initially led me to this profession Teaching young people to recreate the world have become not only my main activity but also from its apparent nature, and then turning the intellectual and humanistic purpose of my those findings into photographic projects, has life. My interest in teaching the arts arises from been the foundation of my work. The liberal the understanding that behind the world of ar- arts are an effective way to confront reality and tistic objects, there is a person, an executor, with the complex natures that underlie it. Students intelligence and sensitivity. Being part of the are taught to think and observe critically, ques- creative process of my students has contributed tioning the stable position of certain concepts to my own understanding of the world. With the through observation, theoretical knowledge, intention of producing unique objects, the artist previous experience and subjective intuition. independently observes reality, sandwiched be- In this regard, John Berger, the famous British tween his subjective perception, his knowledge art critic, says: “We never look at just one thing; and experiences, and the influence of the cultur- we are always looking at the relation between al environment, in the form of time, place, and things and ourselves. Our vision is continually circumstance. active, continually moving, continually hold- ing things in a circle around itself, constituting Photography explores the relationship between what is present to us as we are.”1 Therefore, it is images and ideas, serving as an instrument of about knowing reality, not by decomposition, individual and collective identity. Photography but by interrelation. An image is appearance investigates the reality that underlies the world subtracted from the time and space in which it that it records. Since photography became ac- first arose. Functional perception, limited to the

* Gandharva dasa is a disciple of HH Hanumatpresaka Swami. He is a visual artist, professor and researcher of visual communication at San Ignacio de Loyola Institute, Centro de la Imagen Institute of Photography and the School of Architecture at the Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC) in Peru since 1996. He is currently preparing two art exhibitions, one of them about the landscape as collective construction and social symbol, and the other about the relationship between art, memory and archive. He also serves as the representative of the Ministry of Education of ISKCON in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.

1 John Berger, Ways of seeing. 1st Edition. London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books 1972 p. 10

11 recording of the visible, does not connect with tainty, the legitimate identity of the individual this significant appearance, keeping us confined is constructed. That first step is fundamental in the world of the known and the supposed. On for the progressive elevation of consciousness. the other hand, aesthetic perception takes criti- Without the proper reformulation of our par- cal distance from the simply operative, allowing adigms, personal realization is not possible. In us to observe the facts and objects of the world that sense, both attitudes (spiritual and artistic) as if we saw them for the first time, letting us to are similar in the act of contemplating, under- decide independently. In that sense, education stood as the resonance between both worlds, ex- in the field of photography and the arts empow- ternal and internal. In the Bhagavad-gita, Krish- ers the student to develop this perception, sup- na instructs by asking him to observe the ported by the plasticity of criteria that this per- facts beyond external forms, above conventions, spective allows. These questions can lead to the and in the search for higher truths. Consequent- formulation of new questions that lead them, in ly, Arjuna acts with a different perception of the turn, to a certain philosophical threshold. After world, resulting in equally different actions. The all, how we act is determined, in large part, by considerations of art as one of the highest hu- the type of questions we ask ourselves. man activities does not depend exclusively on the search for aesthetic ideals, translatable into Spiritual education has as its basic and initial precious objects. The arts are related to spiritual- premise the distinction of the sacred from the ity in the common interest of seeing beyond the profane and the identification of the individual obvious and, above all, in the need to transform with his transcendental nature. From that cer- it, or reveal its true nature and its hidden value.

PROJECT REPORTS Bhaktivedanta College, Belgium

by Anupama Dasi* (Ana Knez)

t the beginning of the 21st century, a ies. As early as 2003, a UK university accredit- Along-cherished vision for teaching Vaish- ed the three-year academic course, a Bachelor nava on the level of higher education of Theology degree in ‘Vaishnava Studies’ – the found its fulfilment amidst the sloping hills of first ever in the English-speaking world. the Belgian Ardennes. In 2002, a team of long- term Bhakti-yoga practitioners and scholars Aiming to make education even more accessible, founded Bhaktivedanta College and launched Bhaktivedanta College launched online courses a non-accredited certificate in Vaishnava Stud- in 2012. Our virtual classrooms are filled with

* Ana Knez (Anupama dasi) is the Principal of the Bhaktivedanta College. She is also the Programme Leader and a member of the Board of Trustees. She holds an M.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Zagreb, a B.A in Phi- losophy and Religious Studies from University of Zagreb and a B.A. in Theology from University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Ana oversees curriculum development and teaches a number of courses.

12 Training Course is fortified with a 6-week on- line Yoga philosophy course. Both the and yoga courses attract students from various religious/spiritual backgrounds, and their presence further enhances the class dynamics and overall course experiences. The Kirtan Course prepares students for a genuine kirtan experience, giving them the opportuni- ty to enrich themselves in their chanting and to share their experience with others. students who, despite their busy schedules, Keeping in mind Srila Prabhupada’s dictum that make time for systematic education. Our online “we must know the present need of human soci- campus offers a variety of courses, from the in- ety,” the College is continuing to develop educa- troductory modules like Bhakti Yoga for Begin- tion that provides an alternative to what is being ners to advanced courses like Bhakti Sastri and offered by mainstream institutions. By com- Bhaktivaibhava. bining the latest management knowledge with ancient wisdom, our School of Currently, our campus education is focused on Management (https://aford.be) aims to devel- Bhakti Sastri Plus, Kirtan, and the Yoga Teach- op globally minded ethical leaders. The Alfred er training course. The Bhakti Sastri Plus course Ford School MBA degree is focused on meet- takes a personal approach to learning, encourag- ing the challenges of the contemporary business ing students to not only memorize and under- environment (e.g. globalization, the increasing stand the content of Srila Prabhupada’s books pace of change, and growing competition). The (knowledge) but to assimilate the philosophy program is tailored to meet the needs of aspiring (values) and practically apply it (skills). While executives and emphasizes the responsibility of remaining true to ISKCON’s heritage, the course leaders to not only care about the maximization explores application and dissemination of sas- of corporate value but to safeguard standards of tric knowledge in the context of contemporary moral and ethical conduct. society. The Plus component provides a broad- er Vaishnava context for the Bhakti Sastri books Currently, Bhaktivedanta College is working (e.g. a series of lectures on the , Ma- on developing an MA degree in Yoga Studies. habharata, Rupa Goswami, etc. delivered by dev- This degree will combine theoretical studies otee scholars from the Oxford Centre for Hin- in the classic and modern worldview of yoga du Studies), courses for personal development with a residential course modified to meet the and fostering one’s sadhana (such as Psychology needs of contemporary practitioners. Despite for Transcendence and Madhurya Kadambini), the vastness of the Yoga market, our project is as well as lectures on interfaith and some ISK- ground-breaking because of its uniqueness in CON hot button issues. The Plus component presenting the Yoga philosophy from the Vaish- aims to support and nourish the development of nava perspective. a sara-grahi (essence seeker) attitude. In line with our name, our heritage, and mis- Amidst the variety of yoga and kirtan styles sion, Bhaktivedanta College aims to increase the available on the market, our Yoga Teacher Train- number of educational programs that nurture ing courses provides a substantially different ap- students’ devotional, academic and vocational proach, which is highly appreciated by our stu- potential for the welfare of all – those who study dents. To foster and promote the understanding with us and those who will be in contact with our that yoga is much more than purely postural graduates. exercise, our Yoga Alliance certified Teacher

13 CENTRO STUDI BHAKTIVEDANTA, ITALY

By Balaradhya dasi* and Anantadeva dasa

entro Studi Bhaktivedanta (CSB) is recog- bridge between Indo-Vedic teachings and mod- Cnized in Italy as a Non-Profit Cultural As- ern studies in sociology, psychology, anthropol- sociation for Social Promotion. It is also recog- ogy and philosophy. nized and affiliated withUnieda (Italian Adult Education Union) as a “Popular University of We are committed to academic research, study, Indo-Vedic Studies.” CSB was founded by Mat- and conservation of Indo-Vedic ancient scrip- sya Avatara dasa (ACBSP) in 1995. Our Cam- tures, including the literary, philosophical and pus is based in Ponsacco (Pisa, Tuscany), from spiritual sources of this culture. The activities where we offer core programs by online edu- of Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta are many-fold: cation in “Traditional Sciences of India”. These publication of translations and commentaries, go throughout Italy and abroad. We also offer onsite and online courses (in English, Italian, onsite courses in counseling, Yoga teacher train- and Spanish), seminars, and lectures. Over the ing, Vegetarian and Ayurvedic cooking. Such past 25 years, we have recorded more than 8,000 programs are a distinctive example of higher hours of audio and video production, published education based on ancient Indian culture, a 75 books, conducted more than 3.000 training

* Barbara Frigerio serves as Coordinator of International Relations and Activities at Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta. She has completed a 3-year course in counseling, as well as a 4-Year Training Program as a Business Interpreter and Trans- lator. She has 25-years of experience as Export Manager and she is certified as a Bhakti Yoga Teacher in compliance with UNI 11661 Norm. She continues to deepen her knowledge of Yoga Psychology at CSB.

14 events, and participated in international confer- get to experience and appreciate first-hand the ences, exhibitions, and public events. The aim is main benefits of sadhana-bhakti by taking part to build a bridge of communication, a dialogue, in mangala-arati, -, , and between East and West. kirtan, Deity worship, eating prasada (sanctified food), and so on. Marco Ferrini ( Avatara dasa), the found- er and president of CSB, has focused his service The Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta organizes flex- to A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on ible courses to make them accessible to all, re- teaching primarily through cultural networks, gardless of age and cultural background. Topics with the desire to bring bhakti into major Ital- include harmonizing relationships, managing ian institutions (universities, hospitals, trade emotions, processing the idea of death, and associations). CSB has developed a language of awakening one’s talents. The courses strive to bhakti that allows it to reach an interested au- build strong relationships between students and dience that is otherwise not prepared to under- teachers, with the latter attempting to live what take a confessional approach. Through higher they teach. education, we focus on spreading universal wis- dom and values, to help people to gain a deeper Andrea Boni has served as Dean of Stud- knowledge of themselves, improve themselves, ies at Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta since 2010. and find solutions to existential, interpersonal, He coordinates the courses in Tradition- and professional problems. al Indovedic Sciences as well as the School of For the last twenty years, Centro Studi Bhaktive- Counseling. He graduated in Electronic Engi- danta has organized four intensive, week-long neering and pursued a PhD in Electronic Engi- residential seminars per year, each attended by neering and Computer Science at the Depart- approximately 150 participants. We explore Sri- ment of Biophysical and Electronic Engineering, la Prabhupada’s most important works and oth- University of Genoa, Italy. In 2005, he received er sastras, such as Upanisads and Mahabhara- a PhD In Indovedic Psychology from Centro ta. During these full-immersion events, people Studi Bhaktivedanta.

15 BHAKTIVEDANTA INSTITUTE FOR HIGHER STUDIES, USA

Dr. Jonathan Banks* (Pracarananda Dasa)

principles, and, by exposing the limitations of empiricism, inoculate the masses against mate- rialism and Godlessness. These goals were insti- tutionalized with the founding of the Bhaktive- danta Institute in 1976, which subsequently has grown into a global confederation of scientists, philosophers, and associated researchers. With the aim of creating fruitful sanga among this now widespread community, The Bhaktivedan- ta Institute for Higher Studies in Gainesville, Florida, USA recently hosted a 3-Day confer- ence at the historic Thomas Center in down- town Gainesville. The conference brought together over 100 Vais- nava scholars, theologians and scientists from over 20 countries, as well as several prominent secular scholars in the field of consciousness studies. On the opening night of the confer- ence, the keynote address, given by Stuart Ham- hroughout his life, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swa- eroff (M.D.; University of Arizona), had an Tmi Prabhupada expressed an abiding desire over-capacity attendance of nearly 400 people. to engage with the scientific community. He The next day was filled with a variety of talks sought both to establish the veracity of Krishna geared towards the general public. Topics in- Consciousness on the basis of modern scientific cluded mathematical models of the gunas, Deep

* Dr. Jonathan Banks (Pracaranada dasa) is a geo-scientist, educator, aspiring bhakta, and fledgling Okinawan martial artist. After spending most of his 20s distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books, Jonathan returned to college where he received a B.A. and an M.S.T (Master’s of Science Teaching) from the Department of Geological Sciences at the Uni- versity of Florida. During this time, he was also the President of the university’s Bhakti Yoga Club and a member of the Krishna House of Gainesville’s Board of Directors. Subsequently, he went on to receive a Doctorate in Natural Sciences (Dr. rer nat) from the Freie Universität Berlin in Berlin, Germany. His doctoral research involved field work, laboratory experiments and numerical modelling of the thermodynamics, hydrogeology, and geochemistry of fluid/ rock interactions in geothermal systems. Jonathan is currently employed as the Director of Geothermal Energy Re- search at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. In 2019, he accepted the service of Director of Operations for the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies in Gainesville, FL.

16 Time in modern geology and the Puranas, the tarium’s (ToVP) museum exhibits. In this correlation between material science and Ve- session, it became clear the that ToVP and the dic concepts of sound vibrations, the origins Bhaktivedanta Institute should collaborate to of transcendental experience, and more. Talks ensure that museum exhibits accurately pres- that were especially well received by the attend- ent modern scientific thought, while remain- ees (based on feedback forms) included Radhi- ing faithful to Gaudiya Vaisnava-siddhanta ka Raman Prabhu’s (Dr. Ravi Gupta, Utah State (conclusions). University) presentation on ’s engagement with scientific thought and Hr- An informal gathering was held at dayananda Goswami’s (Dr. Howard Resnick) Tirtha Prabhu’s house the day after the confer- discussion on the physic and metaphysics of ence. Over 70 people attended. Future activities empiricism. of the Bhaktivedanta Institute were discussed, and many of the attendees agreed to assist the The third day of the conference was focused institute’s mission with their own work and re- more on the internal Vaisnava community. A search. A major outcome of this meeting was series of workshops were held throughout the the strategic plan to host a series of smaller, day. Topics of the workshops included ecol- topical workshops throughout the coming 12 – ogy, science education in ISKCON, Puranic 18 months. Topics of these workshops include Cosmology, and the ‘Atma Paradigm’ of life evolution, cosmology, consciousness and ecol- and consciousness. At the end of the day, a ogy. Through August, 2019, we have facilitated forum was held, hosted by Drutakarma and (with help from the ToVP) two conferences on Ramesvara Prabhus, on the design and con- evolution. We are currently planning a cosmol- struction of the Temple of the Vedic Plane- ogy conference for Fall 2019.

17 ISKCON MINISTRY FOR COW PROTECTION AND AGRICULTURE Report on Farm Conference in Ecuador

By Paramatma Dasa*

n June 17 – 19, 2019, ISKCON’s Minis- Syntropic farming represents a major paradigm Otry for Cow Protection and Agriculture shift from conventional farming, even typi- (IMCPA), in collaboration with the Latin Re- cal organic farming. It is the method of agricul- gional Governing Body, held a three-day Ag- ture whose strength comes from aligning with ricultural Conference at ISKCON’s New May- the power of natural succession, that is, the ten- apur rural farm in Ayampe, Ecuador. dency for nature to rehabilitate land, taking it from barren to fertile and densely vegetated. Presenters at the conference were Kalakantha Pra- bhu (Minister of IMCPA), Thiago Barbosa (Syn- With this perspective in mind, the farm is seen thropic Organic Farming Specialist) from Aus- as a unified, intelligent, living system. In the nat- tralia, and Paramatma das (who cultivates and ural setting there are always complex interac- subsists solely on his four-acre farm in Guyana). tions occurring between the plants and animals, including microbes. Every living being serves an Presentations and workshops held over the important purpose in the process. three days covered the following areas: The devotee farmer is certainly convinced about * Syntropic Farming, theory and practices— these cooperative relationships in the natural How growing vegetables organically using setting (Bhagavad-Gita 9:10 - Material nature is syntropic methods is healthy and fun, and one of ’s energies, working under His direc- maintains the fertility of the land, preventing tion). In this way, the farm develops into a strong, it from degenerating, as happens with mod- healthy, living system, and all forms of vegetation, ern commercial agriculture. even those which do not produce any usable crops, * Importance of biomass in organic farming. contribute positively to the farm. In Syntropic * Agriculture and living in the mode of good- farming both the target vegetation and biomass ness. are important, as they complement each other. * How in a small yard one can grow all their Syntropic farming relies on intelligent, biodi- vegetables. verse and dense planting schemes. If biomass is * The One Meter/Day initiative. allowed to degenerate naturally, with air, water, * How a well-managed farm can sustain a family. sunshine, etc., they will gradually add all the

* Paramatma Dasa was introduced to Krsna Consciousness in 1976, and he assisted in pioneering ISKCON in Guyana, serving in many capacities. He currently functions as head of the Ministry of Education, Communication, Agriculture, and Cow Protection in Guyana. He is also Zonal Supervisor for Suriname and a member of the Latin Regional Govern- ing Body, serving as Secretary on Executive Committee. He cultivates a 4-acre family farm, upon which he depends as a source of livelihood and sustenance.

18 necessary nutrients and trace minerals that our 2. Maximize photosynthesis. crops require for healthy growth. This method 3. Encourage natural succession—growing has the potential to gradually rehabilitate de- plants at different stages. graded “dead” land or make existing farmland 4. Promote stratification, i.e., layers in the system, more fertile. which helps keep water and cycle nutrients. 5. Manage the entire system properly. Part of the conference focused on the “one square meter a day initiative,” whereby everyone The Benefits of Syntropic Farming were re- engaged in preparing a plot of land 1.5 x 20 me- viewed: ters, applying all the aforementioned theories— 1. Crop yields are large. using mulch and bio degradable materials in the 2. Income is steady, increasing over the years as soil, and then planting varieties of crops like ba- trees start to mature. nanas, corn, fruit trees, etc. 3. Land space is optimized by the technique of One square meter daily is manageable, takes an inter-cropping. average of one hour to manage, and then at the 4. Costs are minimized. end of the week we have seven square meters. In 5. Soil quality improves. this way, in time, the farm expands and we get 6. Farm is less reliant on frequent rainfall be- all our required vegetables, fruits, and more. cause of improved water retention. 7. Pleasant work environment. Five principles of successful syntrophic farm- 8. Less weeding. ing were discussed: 9. Improved plant health. 1. Keep the ground covered (with mulch or bio- A demonstration showed how it is practical for mass), because bare soil drains energy. Trees one family to cultivate the land and be sustained and weeds keep nutrients in the soil. from the farm produce alone.

19 VEDABASE.IO

Prahlada-nrsmha Das (Petr Vacha)

ear Viplavah reader, allow me to in- For the whole existence of the project we have Dtroduce you to a research tool you served over 65 million page views and people may find useful. Vedabase.io website is a have spent over 100 years of reading there. free online multilingual library of publi- cations of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Right now we are working on a multiplatform There you can read some of the finest Indian (iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux) offline classics in nineteen languages. In the English reader where everybody will be able to build language there are also more than 3,500 audio their own libraries and distribute/exchange recordings with transcripts and over 6,500 let- them with the world. ters of correspondence by His Divine Grace There are various ways how you can help the Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. project: The whole library contains an excellent search engine which allows you to use various features • Use the website (it is free and accessible from like facets, wildcards, Boolean operators, prox- everywhere at https://vedabase.io). imity search, and more. • Report if you face any bugs or issues with the During the last 30 days we have had: site. • Give suggestions of what features you would - 84,700 unique users like to see. - 285,000 visits • Help with importing of the texts, timecoding - 1,455,000 page views (45% more than Sep- lectures, etc. tember last year) • Financially support development. There are 41% more people using the site in comparison to same period of the last year. • Volunteer skilled and unskilled labor.

20 Book Announcements Forthcoming Book COW CARE IN HINDU ANIMAL ETHICS

Krishna Kshetra Swami (Dr. Kenneth R. Valpey).

Cow Care in Hindu Animal Ethics aims to bring discussion of the challenges and opportunities of cow care to an educated readership—both en- gaged academics and a wider public. At present, the idea of caring for cows for life, rather than killing them for meat and leather (a fate met sooner or later by practically all dairy cows as well as all bovines bred for meat), is almost en- tirely unknown in the West. In India, where the practice of cow care is widely known and prac- ticed, there are complex historical and political conditions that have largely eclipsed the tradi- tion of cow care, raising the question of how this trend might be reversed. The book’s first chapter examines India’s rich lit- erary tradition of celebrating what I call “bovini- ty” (bovine divinity) through hymns, narratives, poetry and injunctive texts, such as Dharmaśās- book on cow care, or “cow protection,” is tra. In Chapter 2 I examine the development of Asoon to be published by the academic pub- controversy and conflict in India, from the late lisher, Palgrave Macmillan, in its Animal Ethics nineteenth century to the present day, over the book series -- https://www.palgrave.com/gp/se- increasing killing of cows by non-Hindus, par- ries/14421. This has been my primary research alleled by a controversy among scholars over and writing project for the last two-plus years. the practice—or lack of practice—of ritual an- The book is now in the production process, and it imal sacrifice in ancient times and the rise of will be soon be available free for download on the as an ideology sparing animals in gen- publisher’s website. Furthermore, printed copies eral from such practices. In the third chapter will be available for purchase at subsidized rates. I focus on present cow care practices in India,

Krishna Kshetra Swami (Dr. Kenneth R. Valpey), a disciple of Srila Prabhupada since 1972, completed his PhD in 2004 at the University of Oxford with a dissertation on Vaishnava-arcana practice and theology, available as Attending Krishna’s Image: Caitanya Vaishnava Murti-seva as Devotional Truth, from Bhaktivedanta Library Service, Radhadesh: https://bls- ervices.com/product/attending-krsnas-image/. Since 2007 he is a research fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, and since 2015 he is also a research fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics.

21 especially in goshalas (cow sanctuaries), several them as “anticipatory communities,” namely, of which I visited in north India and conducted Sridham Mayapur in India, and New Vraja Dha- interviews with caretakers, managers, and activ- ma in Hungary. I also include a subsection titled ists. Then, with Chapter 4, I shift into a more “Cow Care in Three Modes” which concludes analytical mode, to consider more broadly how with a series of six “affirmations” that serve to Indic ethical thought--as articulated in terms of sketch cow care in sattva-guna. , yoga, and bhakti--may be brought to bear on contemporary Western animal ethics As an academic publisher, Palgrave Macmil- discourse (especially animal welfare and animal lan, normally prints a relatively small number rights theories). My main focus here is to show of copies for any given title, aiming mainly for how Bhakti, as a cultivation of care for all crea- the university library market that is willing to tures, can complement the currently developing pay the rather high prices for such books. For- branch of Western ethical thought called the tunately, this publisher also has an Open Access “ethics of care”. I also address the issue raised by option, by which a book can be made available vegans regarding use or non-use of cows’ milk in electronic format for free, legal download for by humans. one and all. Thanks to the generosity of many devotees, I have been able to raise the neces- In the fifth and final chapter, returning to the sary funds to make the book available for free focus on cows, I ask the question how a posi- download, along with the regular printed ver- tive future for cows might look. Here I offer sion. Interested persons can check the Palgrave brief portraits of two ISKCON projects, framing Macmillan website for availability later this year.

Selected Bibliography

Recent books on Caitanya Vaisnava Themes Released by Academic Publishers • Frazier, Jessica. 2009. Reality, Religion, and Passion: Indian and Western Approach- es in Hans-Georg Gadamer and Rupa Gosvami. Lexington Books. • Gupta, Ravi M., ed. 2014. Caitanya Vaisnava Philosophy: Tradition, Reason, and Devotion. Ashgate. • Haberman, David L. 2006. River of Love in an Age of Pollution: The Yamuna River of Northern India. University of California Press. • Lutjeharms, Rembert. 2018. A Vaisnava Poet in Early Modern Bengal: Kavikarna- pura’s Splendour of Speech. Oxford University Press. • O’Connell, Joseph T. 2018. Caitanya Vaisnavism in Bengal: Social Impact and His- torical Implications. Routledge Press. • Rosen, Steven J. 2019. Sri Chaitanya’s Life and Teachings: The Golden Avatara of Divine Love. Lexington Books.

22 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October 15th – 30th - Education and the Sacred, Lima, Peru, North American Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies and San Marcos University. www.NiosNimbus.org . Jan 17-20th 2020 - Bhaktivedanta Medical Association 6th Annual Conference, ISKCON , Texas. Please visit https://www.facebook.com/ISKCONBMA/ for updates. Feb 7-11th 2020 – MOE Annual Meeting Mayapura, Tentative Date pending much planning.

NEXT ISSUE

In our next issue (December 2019), we will discuss Education and Sankirtan. Srila Prabhu- pada established this movement as an educational institution, where we teach how to lead a Krishna Conscious way of life, not just limiting Krishna Consciousness to a portion of our daily routine. Caitanya Caritamrta, Adi 9.42: etāvaj janma-sāphalyaṁ dehinām iha dehiṣu prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā śreya-ācaraṇaṁ sadā

‘It is the duty of every living being to perform welfare activities for the benefit of others with his life, wealth, intelligence and words.’ In the purport Srila Prabhupada writes “There are two kinds of general activities — śreyas, or activities which are ultimately beneficial and auspicious, and preyas, or those which are im- mediately beneficial and auspicious … In this verse it is said that one should be interested in śreyas. To achieve the ultimate goal of śreyas, or good fortune, one should engage everything, including his life, wealth and words, not only for himself but for others also. However, unless one is interested in śreyas in his own life, he cannot preach of śreyas for the benefit of others”. There are various educational initiatives within ISKCON - Sunday schools, Sastric education, Tertiary education, etc. – that are established to take us towards “śreyas”. These initiatives are also Sankirtan. As Srila Prabhupada calls book distribution the brhad mrdanga, our family business, so education is our family duty. In our next issue we will look at a few education projects from around the world and discuss how these are spreading our Sankirtan movement and training enthusiastic Sankirtan devo- tees. Stay tuned.

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