Besides so many of Srila Prabhupada’s books being distributed, why are so few actively joining his movement?
Question:
Besides so many of Srila Prabhupada’s books being distributed in the past and still being distributed today, why are so few—especially in the Western countries—actively joining his movement?
Answer:
While distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books, I never bothered with this kind of question. Book distribution was Srila Prabhupada’s topmost ecstasy, and that was good enough for me to keep going. Like spreading seeds of bhakti, a gardener has no control over which ones will fructify. But he knows that, by Supreme Will, when the right time and circumstances arrive, any potent seed can suddenly turn into a plant. He also knows that weeds are always present, ready to choke any valuable plant, so he is vigilant to keep them away.
Even though devotional service doesn’t depend on material circumstances and cannot be stopped by them, the willingness to accept it is entirely up to us. Ajnata-sukriti—unconscious participation in Krishna consciousness—has its long-term effect, but it may not be instantly visible.
What else do we encounter while planting the seeds of bhakti?
1. The prevailing hope among conditioned souls for a prosperous future in this material world.
The youth of today is largely covered by the illusion of passive, internet-provided consumption of pre-cooked data being fed to them, lie after lie.
When I joined Srila Prabhupada’s movement in 1972, the revolutionary mood of the sixties was still prominent, especially among the young. In the USA, the Vietnam War fuelled opposition to mainstream propaganda even more, and the fear of “atomic war,” a result of the ongoing Cold War between East and West, was all-pervading. I personally experienced the sudden military invasion of Czechoslovakia, where I was born, in 1968, when the armies of the Warsaw Pact rolled in.
In one night, all dreams of freedom and resultant enjoyment were crushed by tanks standing in front of our doors. I saw, for the first time, dead bodies lying on the streets. It wasn’t death itself that left an impression on me; it was the sudden loss of so many illusions that made me aware such events can happen again and again.
Unfortunately, the youth of today, growing up without direct experience of extreme violence, are mostly surrounded by intensified mainstream media campaigns enabled by the ever-present internet. They seem largely raised in a mood of totally passive consumption of whatever is fed to them, even under the guise of “alternative” channels.
Previously, people gathered around radios and TV sets to consume the daily dose of illusion. Today, we hold these devices in our hands as phones, always close, so we don’t miss what we don’t need to know. We seem more united than ever, yet we couldn’t be more estranged from one another. Instead of talking and looking into each other’s eyes, we stare into the dead screens of our little gizmos, silent and unaware of our surroundings.
Totally victimised by this regime of passive consumption, the youth are addicted to bizarre forms of “enjoyment,” which are mostly agitating. This is the demon’s strategy: keeping everyone’s mind occupied with irrelevant information to obscure their agenda. By making the unimportant appear important, they keep the victimised public busy. Instead of contemplating the true meaning of life, people play endless illusory games, from parliamentary discussions that no one believes to virtual war games played on screens day and night.
In our youth, we speculated about the world around us in various ways. Today’s youth, however, do not even speculate. They are hypnotised, consuming whatever is fed to them.
With such an attitude, it becomes very difficult to open one’s mind to the alternative of Krishna consciousness. Real Krishna consciousness requires the investment of one’s mental energy and, above all, is based on tapo-divyam—knowledge derived from renunciation of harmful habits like meat-eating, illicit sex, gambling, and intoxication. Changing one’s mindset requires a change in lifestyle. Deprived of vitality due to junk food and junk information, many young people simply float in an ocean of illusion, utterly dissatisfied.
Srila Prabhupada described such a state as “loitering in the streets without any shelter.”
The news of wars and violent conflicts seems distant to them as they walk down the street, either aimlessly or still hoping—through academic education—to secure a “good job” in a collapsing economy. They haven’t lived through Vietnam or witnessed their father’s suicide after a stock market crash. They are pacified with illusory wealth to keep quiet, even as doubts about a “prosperous future” creep into their minds.
For a conditioned soul, it takes many lifetimes of material exhaustion to enquire about spiritual life, as Krishna confirms in the Bhagavad Gita. For many, Krishna consciousness has become just another way to “spice up life with some exotic curry” in these days of Kali Yuga, where superficiality prevails. Serious, consequential thinking is unwelcome among the lazy.
Indeed, many may attend colourful festivals like Ratha Yatra, complete with flashy Bharatanatyam performances, but few will dedicate their lives to Srila Prabhupada’s mission. The message of his books advocates radical change in one’s life and warns of the omnipresence of death—unpopular news for spiritually lazy, conditioned souls.
After all, the term “conditioned soul” already indicates that its conditioning is based on numerous conditions it places before surrendering to anything, let alone surrendering to God. As long as this mentality prevails, one will remain subject to the uncompromising conditions imposed by material nature in the form of demoniac governments, natural disasters, and the miseries arising from one’s own material body.
Unwilling to accept this reality, young people migrate from one country to another in search of heightened sense gratification, only to encounter the same miseries they tried to leave behind.
Youth is an ideal phase for accumulating sinful reactions in minimal time, and today’s youth seem eager to go to hell faster than their forefathers. Surely, there are exceptions—those who strive for the mode of goodness, sentimentally embracing ideals like love, peace, and veganism while protesting oil consumption that they themselves depend on. Unfortunately, without Krishna consciousness, these ideals are compromised again and again by material nature.
Pride opens the gates to hell. Without Krishna consciousness, even noble causes become entangled in material complexities.
There is no material solution to material problems. In fact, these so-called “solutions” often become sources of more intricate complications, making life increasingly hellish. Srila Prabhupada’s alternative of simple living and high thinking remains as relevant as ever. Those few who strive to disentangle themselves from the illusory network embrace the Krishna consciousness alternative and go “off the grid,” abstaining from the mainstream propaganda of demoniac leaders.
We cannot expect such individuals to be too numerous. Even in ISKCON’s history, Srila Prabhupada spread his movement around the globe with the help of very few compared to the number who “joined.” Many joined but later left, and some, even worse, perverted the original message of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings into “another Krishna consciousness.”
2. The state of ISKCON: A dark past and compromised leadership
It doesn’t take long for a prospective new devotee to be horrified by ISKCON’s history when they delve into the world of the internet. Indeed, it is horrifying to see the kind of criminal activity introduced into Srila Prabhupada’s movement under the guise of mercy and “preaching.”
For those who are serious, such ghastly revelations serve as an impetus to become more sincere in their search for truth. However, the weak-hearted may be discouraged even before entering the temple. Krishna consciousness, as Srila Prabhupada stated, is for the intelligent. Heightened intelligence drives a pious soul to seek positive alternatives and abstain from hypocrisy and deceit.
For any serious seeker, actions speak louder than words. Such seekers are rare. Many prefer to be “honestly hedonistic” rather than “hypocritical renunciates.” Lazy critics, pointing to the hypocrisy of some ISKCON leaders, refrain from creating a positive alternative and settle for lives of sensual mediocrity.
The so-called “alternative” of retreating to a holy dham to escape the horrors of Kali Yuga is misguided. Srila Prabhupada’s way of life was not about hiding. His policy was that “the best defence is a good offence.” Active preaching is the ultimate solution, beneficial both for ourselves and for others.
Srila Prabhupada came from India to the West to save the most fallen Western souls. This mission, entrusted to him by his guru, remains paramount. The preaching of some ISKCON leaders today, urging people to flee to India for salvation, is contrary to Srila Prabhupada’s vision. His temples in India were meant to protect devotees from sahajiya (pseudo-devotional) association in the holy dham—not as places to hide or as money machines for luxurious lifestyles. Money is not the honey unless it is immediately used for preaching, book production, distribution, or supporting those dedicated to the mission. Otherwise, it becomes pure poison.
3. The shift from brahmacharya to grihastha
When I joined Srila Prabhupada’s movement in Europe in 1972, the grihastha ashrama (householder life) was largely unknown. We knew that Srila Prabhupada arranged marriages for his disciples in America, but what did that have to do with us? Fifteen brahmacharis and fifteen brahmacharinis created a national sensation, constantly on the road distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books. No one guessed we were so few. It’s amazing what a small number of dedicated individuals can achieve.
Today’s ISKCON is predominantly defined by grihasthas—family men and women. Naturally, this has brought about a different modus operandi, as was evident even in Srila Prabhupada’s time. Grihastha life, when conducted dutifully, is a challenging balance between material and spiritual needs. Determining what compromises are too much or too little is an ongoing struggle for any grihastha.
In the absence of community support, many grihasthas find themselves isolated. At best, they may have a supportive grandmother or grandfather for their children or a loyal and understanding spouse. With the near-total loss of Vedic society, grihastha life often resembles a lonely journey through a desert. There are occasional oases, but survival often depends on one’s determination to press on, hoping for better times to rejuvenate one’s spiritual aspirations.
The examples of prematurely fallen renunciates have only strengthened the resolve of serious devotees to remain in the comparatively stable grihastha ashrama. Ideally, grihastha life culminates in vanaprastha (retirement) and mutual support between husband and wife to successfully prepare for the end of life.
Srila Prabhupada stopped the sannyasa experiment in 1977, shortly before his departure. Although a few genuine sannyasis remain, many in ISKCON today live like retired industrial tycoons, surrounded by female servants and luxury. While they may still impress naive beginners, their lifestyle is uninspiring for serious followers of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings.
Being alone, however, is dangerous, even from a material point of view. Therefore, it is hoped that young devotees, with the guidance of experienced elders, can create communities where spiritual life and a morally centred existence attract more individuals to join. Alongside the increasing pressure from material energy, such efforts may help rejuvenate the Hare Krishna movement.
History tends to repeat itself not only negatively but also positively. We see examples of good ideas being compromised by speculation and vice versa. Degradation in the material world happens automatically. However, progress requires conscious endeavour. Falling down is easy, aided by the pull of gravity, but rising requires effort.
Before leaving this body, it is the hope of any idealist following Srila Prabhupada that they may be part of his movement, life after life, as it is ananda-budhi-vardhanam—ever-expanding bliss and knowledge. To become part of such a movement, we must first change ourselves before attempting to change others. Ideally, this transformation happens simultaneously: as we grow spiritually, we become more qualified to inspire and assist others in their growth.
Examples are needed in every respect. Let us spend more time distributing Krishna consciousness and less time consuming illusory “news.” Let us be part of Srila Prabhupada’s mission.
Concluding Thoughts
Srila Prabhupada emphasised that his movement is not about increasing numbers but about increasing the quality of devotees. Krishna consciousness is not a social movement but a transcendental revolution meant to uproot the deep-seated materialistic tendencies in the hearts of conditioned souls. This is not an easy task, especially in today’s world, which is dominated by distractions and passive consumption of information.
However, Srila Prabhupada’s books hold the power to transform lives. They plant the seeds of bhakti, and while not all seeds will immediately bear fruit, some will grow when the right time and circumstances arise. The gardener, or book distributor, does not control which seeds will sprout but continues to sow with faith and determination, trusting in Krishna’s will.
As Srila Prabhupada often said, even if only one soul becomes a pure devotee, the effort is worth it. Each of us has the opportunity to contribute to this mission by dedicating our lives to the process of Krishna consciousness and sharing it with others.
Let us carry forward Srila Prabhupada’s vision with sincerity, dedication, and integrity, remembering that true success lies not in numbers but in the depth of our spiritual practice and the sincerity of our preaching.
Hare Krishna!