Bhakti Te Mukti — Devotion is Real Freedom!
All Purpose Declaration
If you are in contact with devotee inmate(s), please download & print our General Purpose Declaration to help them get at least minimum facilities for practicing bhakti-yoga during incarceration:
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by Ali Krsna dd
Good Morning Everyone. All glories to your Service.
I just received an email from Bhadra dd (BTS-Atlanta) notifying me of our godsister, Shyamapriya dd in Alachua, who is in need of some help. Some of you may know her well, having maintained Srila Acaryadeva's tape ministry for years as well as working with the prison ministry program in Florida. As of late, she has had several surgeries for pancreatic cancer and has been undergoing chemo therapy and radiation. Not being able to work and with a 14-year-old daughter, Shyamapriya is struggling financially.
Bhadra Prabhu asked me if I could send out an email asking if anyone might be willing to help her financially. He writes:
Thank you so much for responding and being willing to let your godsisters and brothers know of Mother Shyamapriya' s need. I received an email from her this morning, saying that she is having trouble sleeping and worrying about her financial situation at a time when she is sick and needs to be healing.
I spoke to her this morning and let her know that I had contacted you asking for assistance and it eased her mind a bit.
Here is her phone number: 386-418-8149 . Her email is: Shyamapriya@aol.com.
She has a post office box where anyone can send a donation (and stress that any amount..even $5 could help) that is:
Marguerite Hull (Shyamapriya dd)
P.O. Box 2676
Alachua, Florida 32616
Hare Krishna.
YS, Ali Krsna dd
[Names have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty.]
Many years ago, I was on a Hare Krishna farm. One day, while working in Krishna's kitchen, I learned that there were maha sweets kept in the big fridge over night. The next day, I told my friend and Godbrother about this and we began to plan a caper. It was so easy—we simply went down to the kitchen about 2 am and slid open the window on the side of the building. We went inside and grabbed the sweets out of the fridge. Oh, if you've ever had milk sweets made from Krishna's whole milk that were offered with love then you may understand. If not, I can only tell you they are wonderful! We couldn't imagine how anyone, especially a devotee, could leave them in a fridge over night. So we began to hit the place about every couple of weeks. We felt not to would be offensive!
by Bhakta Mike, posted May 13, 2008
In response to a law suit citing obstruction of religious practice, the Arizona attorney general has requested the Tucson ISKCON temple and Govinda's Natural Foods Restaurant to provide three meals a day for inmate Jeff Walls, a Hare Krishna devotee in Federal Prison. Walls told the state that eating the prison food violated his religious practice of only eating sanctified food prepared in a clean, meat free kitchen by a brahmana with spiritual consciousness. The attorney generals office is negotiating with temple president Sandamini Mataji to provide those meals.
by bhakta Jason Matthews
It was 1973 when I first came into contact with Krishna’s pure devotees. I was five years old and traveling through the Frankfurt airport with my parents and older brother. In thinking back on the experience it’s really odd that I remember it so clearly now, especially as it has become covered by other experiences of conditional life and remained forgotten for thirty two years.
As a very inquisitive child, I liked to explore and ask many questions of my parents and others around me. Therefore, it was always necessary for either my mom or dad to hold my hand so I did not wander off into the environment. This occasion was no different. My eyes were darting around from one person to another. Looking up and down the airport corridors, I was indeed enarmoured by all of the activity.
I would like to mention that Syamapriya Mataji (ISKCON Prison Ministry) has been hospitalized on an emergency basis, and I would like to ask for your prayers and requests to the Lord for her prompt recuperation.
Mother Syamapriya has been doing tremendous amounts of selfless work with Krishna consciousness for many years. She had taken a leading role in the IPM ISKCON Prison Ministry. If at all possible, please say a prayer for her health and well-being. Apparently, she has taken to be very ill.
Your servant in Krishna consciousness,
Citraketu dasa
[Post ends here.]
 IPM Freedom Newsletter
January–March 2008
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,
founder-acarya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness Under the guidance of His Holiness Candramauli Swami bhakti te mukti: Devotion is real freedom!
by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
 The material existence of the living being is a diseased condition of actual life. Actual life is spiritual existence, or brahma-bhuta (SB 4.30.20) existence where life is eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge. Material existence is temporary, illusory, and full of miseries. There is no hap- piness at all. There is just the futile attempt to get rid of the miseries, and temporary cessa- tion of misery is falsely called happiness. Therefore, the path of progressive material enjoyment which is temporary, miserable, and illusory, is inferior.
[Part of IPM's Freedom Newsletter January–March 2008]
Bhakta Robert is in Century Correctional Institution in Century, Florida. He has been in touch with devotees of ISKCON Prison Ministry for many years and is dedicating himself nicely for devotional service. He regularly writes to devotees and shares his realizations.
 After having a substantial discourse with one of my favorite senior god brothers, friend, and disciple of srila Prabhupada, Chandra Shekar Prabhu and I labored over the future prospects of the IPM (ISKCON Prison Ministry). How do we meet the demands of a growing inmate populace with a fixed number of IPM volunteers?
Due to my great fortune I was honored to tackle this issue with one of the pioneers of IPM. Hence, we appropriated the slogan "We're looking for a few good men," and replaced "men" with the word "vaisnavas." Naturally, this slogan morphed into a mission statement which spawned our desire to meet the needs of the most fallen and often neglected, "the prisoners within the prison, within the prison."
 On 25 October, the day before Kartika started, we again went to do a preaching program in the Gwalior Central Jail. During his lecture HH Subhaga Maharaja convinced the Jail Superintendent to first offer all food to the Lord and then serve prasadam to the prisoners. In his thank-you speech, the Jail Superintendent announced to the three thousand prisoners that from now on they would be served prasadam.
According to an article published by american libraries on 8 September, 2007, all "appropriate" religious materials that had been removed earlier this year (No Intellectual Freedom in U.S. Prison Chapel Libraries) are being returned to the prisons' libraries.
Following an outcry from civil libertarians and religious groups, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has authorized the return to chapel libraries of all appropriate religious materials that it had ordered removed as part of its new Standardized Chapel Library Project, an effort to restrict prison reading lists to 150 titles per denomination. In an e-mail quoted by the September 26 New York Times, the bureau reported that the only exceptions would be “any publications that have been found to be inappropriate, such as material that could be radicalizing or incite violence.”
Every year for Janmastami we have a big program in Agra Central Jail with very enthusiastic participation from the prisoners who make Krishna Lila dioramas. Unfortunately this year there was civil unrest in Agra do to rioting by a certain community and there was curfew. But several days later after things were peaceful, the superintendent of the Jail invited us for doing a wonderful program.
The Prison in Atascadero, Calif is looking for a devotee to go into the prison twice a month and give classes to the inmates there. If anyone is interested please contact Mother Shyama Priya, ISKCON Prison Ministry shyamapriya@aol.com 352-870-5489
[Post ends here.]
By Giridhari Syam das,
CDM Office, Sri Mayapur
Tamil Nadu, India
Click to see a larger map.
The cult of Krishna consciousness is spreading to every corner of the world by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the compassion of Srila Prabhupada, and the hard labor of Sri Gaura-bhakta-vrnda.
When I visited my birthplace in South India recently to see my mother, I happened to join in prison preaching with Ananda Govinda Prabhu, a congregational preacher. Ananda Govinda Prabhu is balancing family duties and service to the Hare Krishna movement. As a business man, he knows how to convince people to purchase his product. Similarly, he is able to convince people to “purchase the product” of Caitanya Mahaprabhu: the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, which culminates in Krishna-prema. Indeed he has been very successful in the neighboring villages through the Nama-hatta preaching method.
By Jana Janmadi dasa
On July 11, 2006, I participated in oral arguments in the Texas First Court
of Appeals (Houston), Case 01-04- 00820-CV. This was an appeal proceeding the
lawsuit I filed based on the relatively new Texas Religious Freedom Restoration
Act (TRFRA), V.T.C.A. Civil Practice & Remedies Code @110.001 et sequentes.
The TRFRA prohibits the government from making any law or rule that substantially
burdens a person's free exercise of religion unless the law or rule is made
to further a compelling government interest and is the least restrictive means
to further that interest. Generalized security fears are not a compelling interest.
Arizona finds religions make good path to rehabilitation
Judi Villa, The Arizona Republic
Feb. 15, 2006 12:00 AM
Inmate Richard Webb talks to other prisoners last month during a meeting of Wiccan believers at the Meadows prison complex in Florence.
FLORENCE - Geoffrey Burbank knelt in the corner of a prison chow hall, a small
silver hammer medallion on his right shoulder.
Burbank, 32, has been in and out of prison in three states, but this time,
he says he has found something that just may change the course of his life:
faith. More specifically, Asatrú, an ancient Norse religion that espouses
family and nine "noble virtues" such as courage, honor, trust and
discipline.
"Every other time I got out, it was always get back involved with drugs.
Guns and drugs," said Burbank, who studied Asatrú for about a year
before he knelt to take his oath of allegiance at the Arizona State Prison
Complex-Eyman. The hammer on his shoulder represents the legendary magical
weapon of the god Thor.
"This changed my outlook on life," Burbank said. "I got something
else to look forward to when I get out. Maybe I can stay away from guns and
drugs this time."
ISKCON Prison Ministries
bhakti te mukti - Devotion is real freedom
(Submitted by Bhakta Jerry.)
The ISKCON Prison Ministries have been giving Krishna consciousness to inmates in prisons all over the world for over 18 years. Candrasekhara dasa heads these ministries, which started as a way for him to preach as a householder. Responding to hundreds of letters and inquiries every year, he has kept the ministries going all these years, through many difficulties and with very little help.
Many people are looking for Krishna while incarcerated. The ISKCON Prison Ministries are helping them find Him by sending books, tapes, Back To Godhead magazines, videos, japa beads. Some inmates, guided by the ministries, have been able to take shelter of a guru. Many prisoners never had association of devotees before meeting them through the ministries. Some have never visited a temple, but are looking forward to it after they are released. Somehow or other finding a book and writing to a temple or the BBT, they were at last connected to the ministries.
Dear Maharajas and Prabhus, Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
ISKCON New Delhi celebrated Gita Jayanti in Dasna Jail, Ghaziabad (U. P.), on 10 December, 2005. The Superintendent of the District Jail Ghaziabad, Mr. Kesharwani, and senior staff members were invited to join the program, which began with bhajan sandhya, followed by a discourse on Bhagavad-gita by His Grace Vrajendra Nandan Das, Vice President of ISKCON New Delhi. He highlighted the importance of Bhagavad-gita and requested all to follow the instructions of Lord Krishna contained therein, which can change the lives even of sinful prisoners. He also pointed out that by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra one can purify one's heart and become happy.
Reading some letters from jail will convince you that the prison environment can be a fertile ground to develop self realization and devotion to Krishna. To expand our preaching effort, we need help with the following tasks:
- Database Development
- Administrator for Correspondence Courses
- Book Donations
- Collecting Prison Addresses
IPM is actively arranging for leading preachers to visit prisons and lead prison preaching programs. We encourage inmates to organize these programs with at least five to ten people attending. Please give us sufficient notice and instructions on how to co-ordinate such a program and we will be delighted and eager to hold a Krishna consciousness sat-sanga program.
Param vijayate Sri Krishna sankirtanam
Contact bhakta Jerry with details. If any inmates need a copy of Tirtha Prabhu's The Definitive Guide to Practicing Krishna Consciousness in Prison, or, if you are in need of Srila Prabhupada's books in Spanish, or, if you are in need of CDs or cassette tapes of lectures and bhajans, please contact bhakta Jerry. IPM is now offering deity altar pictures for those inmates who are willing to take on the responsibility of deity worship within their facility. This nice altar set comes compliments of Candramauli Swami and has all the altar pictures necessary on a nice 8.5 by 11 inch cardstock paper. We are also providing descriptions and prayers to help inmates properly worship their deities. For an altar set please contact bhakta Jerry.
[You find the second part of this lecture here.]
by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
"By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world."
—Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.7
Those who consider devotional service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna to be something like material emotional affairs may argue that in the revealed scriptures, sacrifice, charity, austerity, knowledge, mystic powers, and similar other processes of transcendental realization are recommended. According to them, bhakti, or the devotional service of the Lord, is meant for those who cannot perform the high grade activities.
by Madhava Smullen
ISKCON's Prison Ministry traces its roots all the way back to 1962, when Srila Prabhupada visited Tihar Prison in New Delhi. "If you give me the chance to speak to all the members of the Jail," he wrote to superintendent Sri Puri, "It is quite possible for me to turn them into ideal characters."
Yet it wasn't until 1988 Candrasekhara Dasa established the official ISKCON Prison Ministry in the USA, as an outlet for householders to preach without having to leave their homes; all they had to do was write letters. Shyama Priya Dasi, now an IPM volunteer for seventeen years, was gripped by the idea of such a personal service the moment she was first introduced to it in 1990. "Chandrasekhara showed me a photo album of all the inmates he was writing to," she says. "It was like they were family."
by Candra das  Do lotus flowers really blossom out of muddy waters? Or, can something pure really emerge out of a contaminated environment? The Vedas illustrate this analogy by citing the emergence of Prahlada Maharaja, a pure soul from birth, with respect to familial association with his first-class demon father Hiranyakasipu. Yet these and many historical facts from the Vedas are being covered, as similarly our natural habitats are being obscured by the expanding concrete jungles we call urban cities or metropolises.
 by Chandrasekar das
“The benediction moon of the mercy of Sri Caitanyacandra shone only in the courtyards of the professional brahmanas proficient in various rituals, and the prominent and wealthy vaisyas who were as laden with laksmi as the beehives overflowing with honey in Sri Vrindavana-dhama. Sri Gaurahari and his brother Sri Nityananda Rama never chanted the holy names amongst the contaminated masses, which included prisoners of state, students, women, the lowborn, sudras, simple villagers, the forlorn, the distressed, and the unsophisticated.” —Swami Bogananda’s Bogus Caitanya Upanisad
by Candra das  HH Hanumat Presaka Maharaja, lead navigator and the ship's captain for the “Hanuman Express Dispatch,” made a scheduled stop at Oregon’s largest prison, Snake River Correctional Institution, on 8 December 2007. Maharaja lectured and spellbound nine inmates with his express dispatch emanating from Bhagavad-gita As it Is.
Maharaja read verse 3:42: "The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.” After Maharaja read Srila Prabhupada's purport, many inmates expressed their realizations on how their working senses have misdirected them into being victims of prison culture.
Today I received the following email, asking for IPM contacts in Australia. Personally I don't know any, and have forwarded the letter to Bhakta Jerry, my main contact at IPM. But perhaps there are devotees in Australia who would like to establish a relationship with a newly imprisoned fellow-devotee? Here's the email:
Prabhu,
Do you know if any preaching in prisons such as you are participating in is happening in Australia? If so could you please provide some contact details for me. I know of a devotee who has just been imprisoned and would appreciate some guidance in how I can help him.
Hare Krsna!
YS
If you would like to get involved, or know somebody who might, please comment to this post, or write to me at: phani@namahatta.org.
your servant,
phanisvara das
SKCON Prison Ministries is in need of old 'Back to Godhead' magazines. We get many requests from inmates for these beautiful magazines which are like touchstones in the dull environment of prison. If you have old copies sitting aroudn collecting dust please help us out. We would be willing to purchase them as well.
Contact bhakta Jerry at 773 808 1438 or bhaktajerry@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Bhakta Jerry
IPM Freedom Newsletter
November–December 2007His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,
founder-acarya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness Under the guidance of His Holiness Candramauli Swami bhakti te mukti: Devotion is real freedom!In this online version, you find selected articles only; download the original pdf-version here, and see all online newsletters published at namahatta.org here. New articles included are:
 This letter was forwarded to me some two month ago; I dont' know when it was originally sent, or if it's been published anywhere else. It 'got lost in my inbox,' I'm afraid, and came back to my attention now only. It's a letter from Jivananda Prabhu, Oregon State Prison, to Srila Prabhupada ...
Another casualty in the "war on terror": the US Bureau of Prisons got some experts to compile a list of religious books that will be allowed in prison libraries. Neither the list of experts nor the list of books have been published yet, but prison chaplains are already busy sorting out unwanted literature across the country's jails.
The stated reason is that prisons should avoid becoming recruiting grounds for militant Islamic and other religious groups. To not allow inflammatory books calling for jihad against the infidels makes sense, of course, but to remove everything but 150 or so books that have been vetted by some obscure experts is a different thing altogether.
“It’s swatting a fly with a sledgehammer,” said Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship, a Christian group. “There’s no need to get rid of literally hundreds of thousands of books that are fine simply because you have a problem with an isolated book or piece of literature that presents extremism.”
Several prisoners have filed class-action lawsuits, claiming the bureau’s actions violate their rights to the free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. I don't know about these lawsuits' chances to succeed in the present political climate, and neither do I know if Srila Prabhupada's books are included in the list of sanctioned literatures. If not, we (the IPM) should make some urgent endeavors in this direction.
your servant, phanisvara das
(Read on for a blog-article by Rory Litwin,
LibraryJuicePress.com)
We receive over 300-400 letters per month writing us for inspiration and materials to be sent into the prisons. It is a very enlivening service and we appreciate the opportunity to serve and connect with these souls.
Dear Devotees,
Greetings of Love, Joy and Peace. Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Thanks for the nice letter and the story from Krishna Book ("Mother Yasoda binds Lord Krishna"). I really consider you to be a divine inspiration for me as I continue forward on my journey of self realization.
I have received a nice study course on the Bhagavad-Gita and japa mala beads. I have been chanting Hare Krishna on rosary beads. I enjoy chanting and I chant everyday. Chanting definitely connects me to the eternal source of enlightenment and bliss. This source is Krishna. Krishna is the supreme personality of Godhead. The essence and total foundation of all religion is to be found in Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness uplifts humanity and generations, true peace for everyone that becomes a part of it.
by Bhakta Bruce
As is often said in regard to alcoholics and drug abusers, a person is hardly ready to give up his addiction until he has hit rock bottom. It is when Maya kicks so hard that he is ready to give up his sense gratification.
When is the best time to preach to a person? Is it when he is enjoying
like a king, or when he has nothing or next to nothing? And in what circumstances
does the living entity become favorable to hear that what he has considered
pleasure is nothing but really pain?
Perhaps the best time to preach the miseries of birth, death, old age and disease is when the living entity finds himself behind bars, in a prison house within the prison house of this material world.
Anne Graham Lotz
Billy Graham’s daughter was being interviewed on the Early Show and
Jane Clayson asked her, "How could God have allowed such a horrible thing
to happen on September 11th?"
Anne Graham replied deep and wisely:
"I believe God must have gotten very
sad with what happened, just as much as any of us did. For so many years we
have told God not to poke His nose into our choices, get out of our government
and out of our lives. Being a gentleman as God is, I believe He calmly left
us. How can we expect God to give us blessings and protection when we ask him
to leave us alone?
Kaunteya prabhu sent me a description of an early prison-preaching event with HH Visnujana Maharaja, ISKCON's famous singer who disappeared mysteriously in 1976.
Information about HH Visnujana Maharaja, including audio files and devotees' memories of him, are available at vishnujana.com. Here is an excerpt:
Chaitanya dasi: What I always remembered most was he was very transcendental. He would lead for long periods of time. It seemed like he had endless energy. He would play mrdanga, and it looked as though his feet weren't even on the ground. It was so amazing to watch him play mrdanga and chant, and his eyes would always be closed. It was like he went into trance, into another world. And his feet, it was as if he was floating on the ground.
Letter to Candrasekhara from Sarva Laksmi Mayi, an inmate in Louisiana State Prison.
She had found one of Srila Prabhupada's books about 2 years ago, which had been sent out to the prison 15 years prior. This is a wonderful example of how Krsna, in the form of His books, goes where He wants to go, waiting for the person who will read the book and take advantage of the knowledge. After finding the book and contacting the Prison Ministry, Sarva Laksmi Mayi, (then Maureen), started chanting japa, reading everyday and preaching to other inmates. She desired initiation and Bir Krsna Maharaja gave her Hare Nama Initiation.
Source: www.chakra.org.
120 rounds every day—Bhakta Chote Lal in Agra Jail.
Dear Devotees, Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila Prabupada.
Recently we had a very nice preaching function in Agra jail, in which HH Radha Raman and HH Shubhag Maharajas were present as main co-ordinators of the program. Other devotees from Sri Sri Krsna-Balaram Mandir also attended.
Devotees from this temple perform preaching programs in Agra jail on a regular basis, lead by HG Jankinath Prabhu. Due to Lord Krishna's blessings and the effort of the devotees, many of the prisoners took up chanting. I would like to mention some who received the Appreciation Awards for their regular chanting of the Mahamantra. They are Bhakt Gupta, who chants 44 rounds, Bhakta Ajit, chanting 64 rounds, Bhakta Shiv Kumar, also chanting 64 rounds, and Bhakta Chote Lal, who manages to chant an astonishing 120 rounds every day, without fail.
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ISKCON Prison Ministries Freedom Newsletters
Selected articles & artwork from recent IPM Newsletters. Click here to read these newsletters as online-books.
Srila Prabhupada:
"We cannot make it copyrighted although I have brought this Sankirtana Movement to the Western World. It is not my invention. So don't be misled that the chanting of Hare Krishna or Lord Caitanya's Movement can be made copyrighted."
Essays from Devotees behind Bars
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