It’s coming very soon. And ISKCON devotees in 75 countries across six continents are determined to make their guru and Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada proud.

In the UK, an avalanche of major, inspirational events for ISKCON’s 50th anniversary are being planned throughout the year 2016, including some that will be tied into international efforts by all ISKCON temples.

ISKCON 50 reps at the 13 temples across the UK and Ireland have already held several events in 2015 in honor of the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the US on the steamship Jaladuta.

They included a “Departing India” festival in which a book of Srila Prabhupada’s Markine Bhagavata Dharma poem written abord the Jaladuta was released; a Bhaktivedanta Players production about Prabhupada’s journey; and a kirtan tour of London’s most famous landmarks on open air double-decker buses with hundreds of devotees.

Devotees attend a national ISKCON 50 convention in Leicester

There was also a national convention in Leicester with International Communications Minister Anuttama Das, and GBC Bhakti Charu Swami, which offered information about plans for the 50th along with media training for devotees.

The official ISKCON 50 celebrations will kick off in January 2016 with an astonishing offering.

“We’re trying to get all 602 of ISKCON’s worldwide temples to read out their book scores from the December book distribution marathon to Srila Prabhupada on the same day,” says UK national coordinator Devaki Dasi. “We don’t yet have an exact date set, but it will be in January.”

After that, on the March bank holiday weekend before Gaura Purnima, second generation devotees at Bhaktivedanta Manor will organize a 50 hour kirtan of 12 hours a day over several days.

On April 23rd, an academic conference will be held at Bath University, which has sent its Hinduism students on annual trips to Bhaktivedanta Manor for the past decade. ISKCON devotees attending will include Bhakti Charu Swami, Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies Director Shaunaka Rishi Das, ISKCON Educational Services’ Rasamandala Das, and Professor Kim Knott, author of My Sweet Lord: The Hare Krishna Movement. 300 to 400 people are expected.

Professor Catherine Robinson (in red shirt) with devotees outside Bath University, where ISKCON will attend an academic conference in 2016

On July 13th, the date of ISKCON’s incorporation in New York in 1966 – which will be celebrated simultaneously by ISKCON centers around the world – UK devotees are organizing a prestigious event at either the House of Lords or the House of Commons in Westminster. The event will showcase Prabhupada’s and ISKCON’s achievements, and the plan is to invite some extremely distinguished guests.

“We’re trying to get the Prime Minister,” says Devaki. “That’s our ultimate goal. And it’s not an impossible task here in the UK – just this month, Bhaktivedanta Manor president Srutidharma Prabhu said the prayers at the Prime Minister’s Diwali celebration at Number 10 Downing St.”

Meanwhile renowned ISKCON chef Kurma Das will appear at several events to promote ISKCON’s culinary contributions. Possibilities include an event in London’s O2 Arena for Vegetarian and Vegan Week, which will showcase the Hare Krishnas’ 50 best cuisines for the 50th anniversary. Kurma may also do live demonstrations at Bhaktivedanta Manor’s Janmastami program, which draws 60,000 people.

In October, a massive ticketed event at Wembley Stadium is planned, which is expected to draw 10,000 people. It will feature some of ISKCON’s most prominent speakers, as well as a stunning cultural show including a rasa-lila performance by legendary Bollywood actress, Indian MP and ISKCON member Hema Malini.

Wembley Stadium, where a major ISKCON 50 event will be held

Other events don’t have any date or month assigned to them yet, but are just as exciting. Srila Prabhupada’s garden at Bhaktivedanta Manor, for instance, has been renovated and will receive an official opening. It features rose beds and pathway arches, a pergola and a variety of flowering shrubbery, while stones on either side of the garden will be inscribed with the qualities of the disciple and spiritual master as taught by Srila Prabhupada.

There will also be a screening of Yadubara’s film Acharya at a London cinema hall, and a concert at George Harrison’s garden at the Manor commemorating the Beatle’s relationship with Srila Prabhupada and spiritual contribution the world.

In Scotland, a national retreat will be held for all the devotees at the temple in Lesmahagow. In Wales, devotees are planning to open a new temple. In Manchester, there will be eight hour kirtans every month. And in Ireland, there will be a special “50 Years of Hare Krishna” event.

At London’s Soho St temple, devotees are planning fifty special events for the 50ththroughout the year, including Srila Prabhupada remembrance classes, boat parties down the river Thames, interfaith weeks and kirtan weekends.

Srila Prabhupada's Garden at the Manor, which will be opened in 2016

Other “50 for 50” events that will run throughout the year will include 50 house programs, and a push to inspire devotees to contribute at least 50 hours of devotional service to their local temple, and distribute 50 books in the year – one every week. One of the most exciting such projects is “50 Harinamas in 50 Towns,” with UK devotees heading into a different new town that has never been publicly chanted in every single week.

All ISKCON temples will also be encouraged to “50th-ize” all their Vaishnava festivals throughout the year, as well as to organize participation in public events such as World Vegetarian Week, Multi-faith Week and National Yoga Week, and the ISKCON event World Holy Name Week.

A raft of publication, stationary and merchandise will keep ISKCON’s 50th at the forefront of everyone’s mind through all this, including a commemorative magazine entitled “The Hare Krishnas: Fifty Years On”; an ISKCON 50 calendar; and t-shirts, hoodies and notebooks featuring the ISKCON logo and the tag line “The Joy of Devotion.”

Double-decker bus harinama for the 50th anniversary of Prabhupada's arrival

Devaki hopes that all this will inspire every individual in ISKCON to do whatever they can for ISKCON’s 50th anniversary.

“Sometimes devotees stop me and say, ‘What should I do for the 50th?’” she says. “And I always tell them, ‘Well, what do you want to do for the 50th? What’s going to be your personal contribution to Srila Prabhupada’s movement?’ This is a once in a life time opportunity – so get involved, and don’t miss out!”

Source...http://iskconnews.org/iskcon-50-plans-ramp-up-in-the-uk-worldwide,5231/

The One Stop Solution for Bad Karma (5 min video)
How do you make up for wrong when you know you’ve done it and you feel bad for that?
Speaking from the wisdom of the yoga texts, that which is right is that which furthers your spiritual development and that which is wrong is that which interferes with your spiritual development. Who decides what is right and what is wrong? In terms of rectifying those wrongs we’ve done, it’s practically impossible to deal with all our ‘bad karma’ piece by piece. Rather the conclusion of Bhagavad Gita (the timeless yoga text) tells us that we can make a one stop solution to all the bad karma. Such methodology is the essence of the Bhagavad Gita as it is.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/3lReJe

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ioAbNNo87k&list=PL3mtxwuJqZM2TxXhmcenVXrk55vI3EZn5&index=1

TOVP UK Tour.
Final House Programme - highest Pledge!
Our stars in the highest pledged category for home programmes pledging a total of £60,000 by the assembled devotees tonight. Our final house programme with the highest score! Majority of the devotees are silver patron pledgers pledging £7000 each! The TOVP team would like to thank the hosts Bhavesh Prabhu and Kundalata mataji for a very successful evening and a grande finale of the house programmes.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17245

Source: https://www.kksblog.com/2015/11/whats-wrong-with-sex/

Ereyone assembled expressed their agreement with what the King had said. This put Pṛthu’s mind at ease, and he said, “Ah! All of you have given me a great, kind gift! You accept Hari as the ultimate goal of your efforts, the most important guide, and the supreme proprietor. And, you agree with my advice to carefully and reliably dedicate your own worldly responsibilities to his service.”

The great devotees and philosophers replied, “You are our king, of course we will follow your instructions.”

Pṛthu protested. “No. I do not give you ‘orders.’ No ruler should ever exert his power over philosophers who have fixed their consciousness upon glorifying the Supreme, and are thus enriched with a wealth of perfections such as forgiveness, forbearance, and learning.”

NOTE: Government and management should not extend itself to those who are self-governing and self-managing by dint of their knowledge and good qualities.

“Glorification of the Supreme” — in the opinion of Vyāsa, given in Bhāgavata and Mahābhārata, is to illuminate the supreme by focusing ones consciousness upon him via nāma-saṁkīrtan and bhāgavat-śravan.

The proof of sincere glorification of the supreme is that the glorifier becomes enriced with perfections like forgiveness, forbearance and learning.

The devotees replied, “You are empowered by Hari himself, you can certainly order us.”

Pṛthu refused, “Even Hari, the Original Person, constantly reveres and respects the feet of philosophers. This is why Goddess Lakṣmī constantly stays by his side, and this is why his fame has the power to purify the universe more powerfully than any other force.

NOTE: The most endearing quality of Hari is his humility. He is extremely respectful to philosophers, even though he is the most powerful ruler and authority in existence. This is the most attractive quality of Hari, and is the main thing that makes Lakṣmī fall in love with him.

It is the most purifying aspect of his fame, because it induces others to follow suit and respect the learned spiritual philosophers – and this respect for the devoted philosopher purifies society.

“He is the hidden root of every being, and is completely self-sufficient, but still he is enamored by the learned philosophers and constantly serves them by satiating their needs. Like Lakṣmī, I too greatly admire Hari’s natural humility, and want to emulate it, so I consider myself a servant of the learned, in every way.

NOTE: “If Hari and Lakṣmī are so enamored with philosophers and so attentive to their needs, why are they always so impoverished?”

Hari and Lakṣmī’s service to the brāhmaṇa/philosopher is not to give them things desired by those who have no philosophical depth – money, power, and so on. Rather, they serve the philosophers by “tuṣyati kāmam” – by satiating their needs, quelling their desires, removing their hunger for money and power, by giving them the desired end result (happiness) without the need for these complicated and entangling intermediaries (money, power, etc.)

“Anyone who stays in regular contact with philosophers, serving them humbly, will also soon find their own needs and desires satiated, and their consciousness filled with its own natural, peaceful satisfaction. There is no better way to perform sacrifice than to serve the philosophers.

“Do not use a fire-altar for sacrifices. Use the mouths of the philosophers. A fire has no life, what is the point of feeding it? Feed the mouths of philosophers who are experts in the subject of reality. The Limitless Supreme is far more satisfied by such sacrifice, because he is always concerned for the most civilized philosophers.

NOTE: This is the most practical advice! Philosophers do not have the instincts and time to earn money. Thus their families are needy, and this becomes a terrible distraction to the philosopher. Therefore everyone should give their

energy to feeding the philosophers. We must supply the dedicated philosopher with adequate shelter, clothing, food, and income – then society can progress, because philosophy can flourish. A society is only as good as the quality of its morals, and without sound philosophy that quality is not at all likely to be very high. Therefore donations to the educators and students on spiritual philosophy is the primary moral duty of every non-philosopher.

Unfortunately, this has been forgotten these days, and people prefer to give their money to building buildings, theme parks, hotels, and so on. Better to take care of the family of a person who can be a dedicated philosopher/brahmana. 

“Philosophers preserve the spiritual knowledge of the Veda, which is eternal, brilliant, ever-relevant. They realize this knowledge by the auspicious qualities of devotion, forbearance, silence, self-control and extreme concentration. These qualities make the philosophical mind into a mirror, upon which the true import of philosophy manifests clearly, for all to see.

“Oh honorable people,” Pṛthu concluded, “For as long as I live, I will always carry upon my crown the pollen-dust from the lotus-feet of philosophers. This will quickly destroy all my misdeeds and make me fully qualified to truly love Hari. When someone acquires such qualifications – having treasured manners, always feeling grateful, and always learning from superiors – he certainly achieves every goal conceivable, as a consequence.

“May I become satisfying to the philosophers, to the cows, and to the People’s Ultimate Refuge and his devotees.”

NOTE: How do cows come into this?

The cow is the greatest wealth. With cows alone, humanity can produce everything they need. So cows are the most essential animal for providing the basic necessities that philosophers and everyone require.

Source: https://vicd108.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/gods-humility-and-where-to-donate-for-good-karma/ 

Lecture on By Dint of our Bhajan A Particular form of Krishna Manifest by HG Madhavananda Prabhu on 26 July 2015 at Eger

(Madhavananda Das, joined ISKCON in Los Angeles in 1982. He moved to Bhubaneswar Orissa in 1993 where he has been living since. He was instructed by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaj to edit his lectures into publications.)

To Listen and Download - click here

Lecture on Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya Lila 18-08 by HG Suresvar Prabhu on 03 Nov 2015 at ISKCON Mayapur

(His Grace Suresvar Prabhu joined Srila Prabhupada's movement in 1970, serving as a preacher and book distributor across the U.S. He is currently teaching with MIHET in Sridham Mayapur. He is a contributor to Back to Godhead Magazine. )

To Listen and Download - click here

Lecture on Grihastha Ashrama in Bhakti-Shifting the focus from Grihastha to Ashrama by HH Chaitanya Charan Prabhu on Oct 2015

(HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu is a celibate spiritual teacher (brahmachari) at ISKCON, Pune. He has done his Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering from the Govt College of Engg, Pune. He is a member of ISKCON's topmost intellectual body)

To Listen and Download - click here

Lecture on Verse 04-Glories of Radha Kunda by HG Prema Manjari Mataji on 19 Oct 2015 at Washington

(HG Prema Manjari mataji joined ISKCON in 1992 during her MBBS days and received her first initiation from HH Radhanath Swami maharaj in 1996. She has set an example for others to follow by wonderfully balancing between her hectic professional life as a radiologist and spiritual life.)

To Listen and Download - click here

Henry Ford’s great-grandson was heading for ruin and then had a better idea: spiritual enlightenment. Now, 40 years later, Alfred Ford is spending millions to build a monument in India to the faith that brought him redemption.

Alfred Ford and Michael Glancy tour Europe in 1970.

By Jay Cheshes

Alfred Ford might have been any old corporate road warrior, in his pressed khakis and soft traveling shoes. He had come up from Calcutta, a three-hour drive along dusty roads clogged with mule-drawn carts, arriving in Mayapur, West Bengal, to look in on a big building project rising near a bend in the Ganges River.

In his VIP suite, across from the site, he slipped into a loose-fitting kurta and wraparound dhoti, a strand of beads creeping out from under his Indian shirt. A murmur of song began to rise in the distance. He caught the tune, barely moving his lips. “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare.”

For 40 years Ford has been repeating the mantra just as his guru instructed, 1,728 times daily, counting off under his breath while fingering beads tucked in a cloth bag around his neck. For all that time, Alfred Brush Ford—Motor City royalty, great-grandson of Henry, heir to a comfortable slice of his family’s $1.2 billion in Ford Motor stock—has been quietly living a double life. “I have kind of a split personality,” he says, “with one foot in one world and one in another.”

Source: http://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/news/a4350/alfred-ford-multi-million-dollar-monument-india/

Srimati Ananda Murti, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada left her body. Trai Das: Hare Krsna I want to inform all the devotees that just a while ago, today, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada her grace Anandamurti devi dasi left this world to continue her service to Srila Prabhupada. In the last year she made a pilgrimage to Mayapur then to the Prabhupada tirthas in the US and showed her love and respect for all the devotees she had contact with here in Italy. She was with her son Narayana das and Vaisnavi dasi. Please chant for them all.

Source...http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17209

ISKCON Youth Delegation at European Interfaith Conference 

November 2015 will be a month remembered in worry and fear for Muslims all over Europe, after the Paris attacks, yet again marked the tensions their religious community faces in Europe and the rest of the world.

Just a week before the attacks, from Oct. 26 – Nov 2nd, youth from all over Europe were building a network of peace and connection at the Religions for Peace Interfaith Youth Conference, in San Gandolfo Italy. 

The outcome of the event was simple and hopeful - friendships and knowledge can break any barriers. 

ISKCON-London was one of six other religious partners, sending five youth and one facilitator to the training conference entitled “Empowering Youth in Interfaith and Multicultural Peace Action” at the Focolare’s Mariopolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

Parabhakti das Villa Vrndavan Temple President leading a seminar about motivations for spiritual practices

The ISKCON delegation was all second generation youth from around London, took part in the seminars and forums in an active way, as well as lead a “moment of peace” for the entire assembly reciting the Mangalam Caranam prayers and the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, as well as held evening Damodarastakam prayers where many youth form other backgrounds took part. More than 50 youth were present, representing 15 EU countries and all major faith backgrounds.

The week-long event was a rigorous schedule including back-to-back seminars such as the “Role of Interfaith Youth in the Building of the Future of Europe: Dialogue with Katarina von Schnurbein European Commission”, and “Training Youth Citizen Reporters”, “Changing Our Way of Thinking-Towards a Holistic Approach for Contributing to Peace.” 

However, in between these lofty presentations was where the real learning took place. “How do deal with how people treat you in school?” Why do you think people in your country don’t understand your religion?” were some of the questions and discussions heard as one walked through the hallways and on the dining tables. The youth were setting deep set roots and making connections to the international community in ways that will last a lifetime. 

London and Findland participants' adventure in Rome

As Said Touhami‎, a 21 year-old Sufi Muslim participant from the Netherlands, put it on the Religions for Peace internal Facebook group: 

 “In Roma [Castel Gandolofo is near Rome] we tasted a peace of Heaven. And if we only can taste a peace of Heaven when we are together. That's only way to create one on earth. With eachothers differences, ambitions and qualities.” 

Source...http://iskconnews.org/fighting-ignorance-through-friendship,5232/

Warming up for the December marathon of book distribution!
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Balavanta, 23rd November 1976 “I am very glad to hear how the book distribution is increasing more and more. This is our greatest weapon. The more the books are distributed, the more the ignorance of the age of Kali will be smashed. The world is feeling the weight of this Hare Krsna movement, especially in your country. We have to increase this book distribution work more and more to firmly establish this movement, which is the only hope for the suffering living entities.”

Source...http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17205

We came across a wonderful list of guidelines for married couples, families and anyone trying to build a strong Krsna conscious lifestyle.  This list was written by Bhakti Rasamrita Swami, a senior sannyasi (monk) in our Hare Krishna movement.

Bhakti Rasamrita Swami completed his B.E. from M.S University Baroda, MBA from Bombay University & worked for some time in a multinational Bank. Inspired by the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, he decided to dedicate his life for propagating the message of Bhagavad Gita and joined International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He was initiated by the spiritual name His Grace Devamrita Dasa. Since then he has served in many important projects and has preached the message of Bhagavad gita very widely, especially to the student community. He served as temple president in Mumbai, Belgaum and Vrindavan- which is the spiritual hub of world wide ISKCON temples. He has been preaching in many prestigious educational institutions all over India. In the month of March, 2010, honoring his dedication and devotion, He was awarded the order of Sannyasa (renunciate monk) in ISKCON, with the title Bhakti Rasamrita Swami. In his more than 30 years of dedicated devotional life in ISKCON, he has rendered several important services, preached in many countries of America, Europe and USSR, and continues to do so.

The following are his "20 Guidelines for Married Devotees":

1. Remember that your house, money, family, etc. are all Krishna's property & that all these have to be engaged in His service.  He has very kindly given you all these out of His mercy, and He may take them away as He pleases. So be grateful for what you have & engage all these gifts in His service with devotion & detachment.
2. Keep the Holy name, Krishna katha & the Temple/home deities in the centre of your life. Attend devotional programmes in the Temple & at other devotee gatherings on a regular basis.  Especially, hearing discourses/classes live & participating in sankirtana is important.
3. Keep your sadhana strong. Please remember that the best chanting you can do is early in the morning. So avoid unnecessary late nights. It is best to retire early at night, so you can rise early in the morning & be fresh for your sadhana. Your japa is the most important activity of the day. Try to chant clearly & hear attentively. Be in a prayerful mood.
4. Read Srila Prabhupada's books regularly & seriously. This will strengthen faith, conviction & understanding, & help in keeping proper spiritual focus in your day to day life. Remember: guru, sadhu & shastra will show us our proper direction in life.
5. All the members of the family, young & old, should gather together at home at least once every day, to have arati, kirtana & some discussion/reading from the scriptures. Srila Prabhupada mentions this in his purports.
6. Engage yourself in some seva regularly. It is good to take some responsibility, small or big, according to one's situation. Serve with humility, enthusiasm, sincerity & eagerness, without seeking any gross or subtle reward from the service. Do not seek, or be attached to, position or prestige that may be associated with any service.
7. Associate with devotees as much as possible. Live together in the society of devotees with a feeling of friendship towards other devotees, & in a mood of service to them. Ensure that this friendship is not spoilt by ego, envy, self-interest, insensitivity or negligence. Keep Krishna in the centre of these relationships.
8. Avoid the association of non- devotees as much as possible. Where such association is not avoidable (at work, for example), perform your duty well & be socially pleasant. But be careful to not let their non-devotional consciousness rub off on you. Do not join them & take pleasure in the things that they take pleasure in mundane gossip, movies, sports... & violation of the four regulative principles. Set a good example as a devotee, & speak & act in a way that will make them feel positive about Krishna consciousness.
9. Similarly, whilst staying strong in your devotional principles personally, deal with family, in-laws, neighbours, friends, etc in a way that will increase their appreciation for Krishna consciousness.
10. Avoid distracting mundane entertainment offered through cinema, TV, internet & other means. Be careful that you are not overwhelmed by electronic gadgetry, communication devices & social media. Use them judiciously as tools, if you must; do not become helpless tools in their hands.
11. Take decisions (small or big) in life according to how your Krishna consciousness will be affected, directly or indirectly. Consider the short term & long term implications of your decision. Accept whatever is favourable for your Krishna consciousness & reject that which is unfavourable. This should be the ultimate criterion in decision making.
12. Purity (or impurity) of the source of your livelihood will also affect your life & consciousness. Hence choose professions that have minimum possible material contamination & spiritual risk. Avoid professions in which there is a clear violation of the four regulative principles e.g. working for a company that produces or sells liquor. Do not involve yourself in overly risky money earning ventures, being lured by the prospect of very quick & large profits. Avoid illegal business activities of any sort.
13. Spend wisely. Do not unnecessarily spend on things that may not be really required. Live reasonably simply. Follow the principle of "Simple Living, High Thinking”. Do not be tempted or attracted by, or become envious of, the wealth or position of others. Do not become a victim of the modern day consumerist culture with its emphasis on excessive consumption & flashy lifestyles.
14. Save money wisely for the future. Yet, take care to avoid a hoarding mentality.
15. Give something in charity in Krishna consciousness according to your means. Charity is recommended in the shastras as one of the dharmas of a grhastha.
16. Know that your life is meant as a service to others in Krishna consciousness & not only for yourself or your family. Keep this spirit of sacrifice in your heart & keep away any feelings of selfishness.
17. Preach the message of Krishna consciousness whenever you get the opportunity. Follow the advice that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave the Kurma brahmana: "Jaare dekho taare kaho Krishna upadesha...." - speak the message of Lord Krishna to whoever you meet. In this way cultivate the missionary spirit. Preaching is not the exclusive preserve of brahmacharis & sannyasis.  Grhasthas must also actively participate in it, according to their situation.
18. Do not be unduly absorbed in household & material matters.  Yet, do not be neglectful of your household & bonafide material duties. These must be performed with care, sensitivity & responsibility.
19. Bring up your children in Krishna consciousness, never considering it to be a burden. This is one of the most important services for a grhastha. Adjust other services according to the requirements of this service. For example, during pregnancy or when the child is very young, you may not be able to do many other services. But do not mind that. This service is also very pleasing to Krishna. When the time & opportunity are right, however, you may do those other services. Of course, the basic services of hearing & chanting must not be neglected at any time. And it is important to come to the Temple for your own spiritual nourishment as well as for that of the child.
20. Practice, preserve & teach the principles of traditional & devotional family life -faithfulness & life-long commitment in marriage, a culture of respect for all (including elders), sharing, caring, serving, cooking at home, & so on. In this regard, understand well the pitfalls of accepting modern day social norms & practices like unrestricted mingling of men & women, eating out in 'karmi' restaurants,’ living together' before marriage,& so on.

‘My great grandfather Henry Ford would have been very happy with the lifestyle I am leading and the things I believe in.’

He’s a servant of God. A temple builder. Manu Shah meets the Ford who spreads word about the glories of Krishna.

Alfred B Ford during a ceremony to commence the construction of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness temple in Kolkata.

Alfred B Ford, right, during a ceremony to commence the construction of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness temple in Kolkata, December 29, 2002. Photograph: Sucheta Das/Reuters

Ambarish Das may not have been born Indian. His soul is Indian though. Before he adopted his new name, he was Alfred Brush Ford. His mother is the daughter of Edsel Ford, Henry Ford’s son. That makes him a fourth-generation Ford from his mother’s side and a part of one of America’s most iconic families.

His father Walter B Ford II, though unrelated, coincidentally shared the same last name as the legendary Fords.

But this Ford has more on his mind than cars.

While studying at Tulane University, he saw The Radha Krsna Temple, an album by George Harrison at the campus record store, which had “two little beautiful people on it.”

He broke down on hearing the record. It touched something deep in him. Thus began his involvement with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

In 1975, he was initiated and given the name Ambarish Das or servant of god.

He married a Bengali girl and has since used his fame and wealth to spread the word of the Hare Krishna movement. He travelled all over the world with his wife, also a devotee, to spread Krishna consciousness because he says “It is a spiritual science not just for Indians, but for everybody around the world.”

Manu Shah caught up with Ford on the sidelines of Houston’s Janmashtami celebrations where he was the chief guest for an event hosted by the Indian-American community and followed up with this two-part interview for Rediff.com on the telephone:

I’m curious. Which car do you drive?

(Laughs heartily) I recently bought a Lincoln MKC. I like that car.

You were born in one of the richest families of America. What was your upbringing like?

Well, of course, I was brought up in a lot of opulence. My parents had a lot of houses around the country and private airplanes. We went on many trips abroad to Europe, so it was a very privileged upbringing.

Was it easy being a Ford and having to live up to the family name?

When I was young that was easy, but then it became a little more problematic as I grew older.

Why?

You don’t know really where you fit in, especially when you have five other cousins who are working to get involved with the company. My brother and I, because we were the sons of the daughter, were in a little different position than my other cousins.

By any standards you had it all. Why were you unhappy?

It wasn’t that I was unhappy. But there was unhappiness around me and people working very hard to accomplish or do things that often didn’t really bring them happiness.

Also, I always had the idea that life is very temporary and that even if you are able to achieve a great deal, you can’t hold onto it for very long.

And these were thoughts that ran through you mind even before you met the guru and acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Srila A C Prabhupada?

I had a lot of questions when I was growing up. When I was young, I used to wonder how big the universe was, what’s on the other side of the sky, who was God, what was He like — those kind of questions and things.

Alfred Brush Ford, second from right, on Juhu beach, Mumbai, with Srila A C Prabhupada in 1975 on his first trip to India.

Do you think your great grandfather Henry Ford would have been happy to see your lifestyle today?

I think so, because he was very interested in spiritual life, in Eastern philosophy.

He believed in reincarnation and was a vegetarian.

So he would have been very happy with the lifestyle I am leading and the things I believe in.

I know from one of the books that was written about him that a Sufi saint also came to Detroit and they discussed reincarnation and other topics.

In the 1960s you became a hippie. What were you seeking in life? Did you find it?

I was looking for meaning in life and hadn’t found it in the faith I grew up in.

I experimented with being a hippie and read several religious systems.

But as soon as I read the Bhagwad Gita by Srila Prabhupada, it was like a bell went off. He said all the things that I was looking for: God is a personality. We have a relationship with God and by restoring that relationship we can go back to the spiritual world.

Alfred Brush Ford becomes Ambarish Das after his initiation in Honolulu in 1975.

How did your involvement with ISKCON begin?

I had an American friend, Atul Ananda, who became a devotee.

When I was living as a recluse in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, he would visit me, bring me books, beads.

I started reading, chanting and cooking vegetarian food. So I was totally into the lifestyle even before I was initiated.

When were you initiated?

In 1974, the devotees in Hawaii asked me to help them purchase a temple in Honolulu.

I purchased the temple there. Whenever Srila Prabhupada would come to Hawaii, he would write to me to come and stay there and I would go.

It was during my third visit that I was initiated and given the name Ambarish Das (servant of God) by Srila Prabhupada. I knew he was my spiritual master even before I took my initiation.

Can you share memories of your first meeting with Srila Prabhupada?

I went to Dallas when he was at the gurukul (residential school where pupils stay with the guru) there. I had been reading his books. When I went into his room I was very awestruck. I offered my obeisance. He was sitting behind his desk and before I got up, he said: ‘So you are Henry Ford’s great grandson.’

I said yes and then he asked me: ‘Where is he now?’

This immediately put me on the spiritual path as I realised that I didn’t know where he was. Also that everything he had achieved, he had to leave behind — all the money, all the fame everything, because everything in the material world is temporary.

How would you define happiness?

You are Indian — you know the concept of ananda — unlimited happiness. Happiness is not something that has a beginning and an end — it is endless.

Some people get happy if they go shopping. Or have a good meal. But how long does the happiness last? It doesn’t last very long.

Happiness cannot come from sensory objects. It comes from self-realisation. It comes from realising who we are, what is our dharma, what are we supposed to be doing, who are we supposed to be serving.

Once we find that and feel comfortable in that position, then we realise that that position cannot end. No one can take it away. There is no fear involved. That is the beginning of happiness because it is not temporary.

Ambarish Das aka Alfred B Ford and Lisa Reuther Dickmeyer bought the mansion on the Detroit river that once belonged to automobile tycoon Lawrence Fisher and converted it into Detroit’s Bhaktivedanta Cultural Center.

What does Krishna mean to you?

Well, he’ the Supreme Personality of Godhead — so he’s supreme. He is the beginning and the end of everything. I am working on my spiritual life so that I can come closer to him. Right now I am in the service mode, where I show my love and dedication through service to him.

But I would like to have Krishna as my friend eventually. I would like to tend cows and eat kachoris (laughs).

How did your family, the social circle, react to you becoming a Krishna devotee?

Well, it was different. This was the 1960s and 1970s, so people were doing different things. There was a great interest in India. I think my parents thought maybe it is a passing fad and that I would snap out of it.

(Laughs) I never did and when I married Sharmila that was a milestone for them. They were very impressed with her, she had a PhD, very well educated, accomplished woman and, of course, they love my children too.

What were the challenges you faced?

Back in the 1960s and 1970s Hare Krishna was considered to be a cult. There were a lot of people who thought it was a crazy thing to do — it wasn’t legitimate, it wasn’t authorised, it was another cult like the Moonies.

People didn’t understand that it is a very ancient religious tradition, based on ancient scriptures like the Bhagwad Gita. You had to constantly explain that to people. That was the challenge: Trying to differentiate us, Hare Krishnas, from the rest of the crazy things that were going on in the 1960s and 1970s.

Ambarish Das/Alfred B Ford’s parents, Edsel and Walter Ford, at the opening of the Detroit ISKCON Temple at the Fisher Mansion in 1983.

Your parents were initially not very happy when you started the Bhaktivedanta centre in a 1920s mansion in Detroit with Elisabeth Reuther (daughter of Detroit labor leader Walter P Reuther) in the 1970s and even threw you out of the house. What changed them?

My grandmother read the article in the papers about the opening of the centre and didn’t seem very upset with it. She talked to my mother and calmed my mother down. After several years, they even came to the temple.

Source: http://m.rediff.com/business/interview/this-ford-has-more-on-his-mind-than-cars/20151126.htm

Raval - The Birth Place of Radharani (8 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Srimati Radharani appeared in Raval and later moved to Varsana when she was a young girl. The beautiful pastoral setting in Raval was a perfect place for our parikrama party to hear and meditate on the transcendental pastimes that took place there 5,000 years ago.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/VbWuUp

Source..https://www.facebook.com/indradyumna/videos/10205142963276652/?l=1246207130260337490