by Devaki dd

Chowpatty is becoming more and more an example for ideal community development within ISKCON. However, sometimes it is not easy to convince senior devotees of the value of the much discussed and glorified Counselor System. And without full and active support from senior devotees it is rather difficult to put into practise. Often we hear the opinion, "the Bhakti-vriksha Program does the same thing." Some devotees conclude, therefore: "No need for any new systems!"

There are basic differences between these two programs; it is not that one is better than the other. If we analyze them more deeply we discover that they have fundamentally different goals, and that there is plenty of room for both programs to run side by side in a yatra.

by Devaki dd

After arriving in Australia, I was eagerly anticipating the first Sunday Feast, hoping to meet well-known faces. However, to my surprise and disappointment I could hardly discover any. I thought to myself, "Let's wait until visiting sannyasis and gurus will come—surely devotees would then attend the temple programs." But I was to be disappointed again. My last hope was for Janmastami and Srila Prabhupada's Vyasa-puja, but again, not many of the older devotees turned up.

The situation made me wonder; I couldn't stop contemplating why it was so difficult in the Western world to keep devotees active in their spiritual life. I had been truly shocked how few of the "old faces" were still coming to the temple. It seemed that many devotees had stopped chanting, and quite a few marriages had broken up. This was not just a phenomenon in Australia, but all over the Western world—something which indeed pained me. As we are always proclaiming, "Srila Prabhupada has built a house in which the whole world can live." With pain in the heart we have to admit that although so many conditioned souls do enter the front door of this house very eagerly, many also leave again through the back door.

HH Niranjana Maharaja writes about the implementation of the Counselor System as introduced by HH Radhanath Maharaja at Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir in Chowpatti, Mumbai. Using quotes from Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura, Srila Prabhupada, and parts of his own lectures and presentations, including letters and istha-gosthis with devotees in and around Russia, Maharaja shows the importance of the Counselor System. If properly implemented, it provides counseling, care, and shelter for all members of a Krishna conscious community—necessary for spiritual growth and mental well-being, but often not available.

HH Devamrita Maharaja about this book :

"This concise book is a wonderfully brilliant mix of bhakti ethos and praxis - a milestone in ISKCON transcendental sociology. I am happy to say that nectar lovers will indeed splash and swim, in the ocean of astute compassion and selflessness that is your heart. For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and the Vaishnavas, you have given us fascinating insight into how a mature ISKCON leader can superbly balance sensitivity to the personal feelings of the individual with attentiveness to the necessary structures of the organization.

"By the way, I did relish your special spiritual knack for an accomplishment that eludes many who have tried: drawing upon the treasured wisdom of Srila haktivinode Thakura for appropriate application in the contemporary twenty-first century context."

Devamrita Swami

You can read this book online, download the pdf-version, or purchase hardcopies in our online bookshop.

The Need to Care for Devotees

The Counselor program stresses the need to provide care and education to all members of our society. Why are devotees leaving ISKCON? Not because they find a higher philosophy, as there is no higher philosophy than Krishna consciousness. The main reason is that many devotees don’t feel cared for by the society they serve. They feel neglected and are often treated impersonally. His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja presented a plan to solve such problems in a booklet entitled "Simple Steps for a Simple Temple":

The Siksa Program is a system for encouraging the congregation (especially those who are enthusiastic about the Bhakti-vriksha program) by recognizing their chanting and spiritual standards. It is a great way to help congregational devotees consolidate and increase their spiritual practices. It also offers a system to identify those who are serious about advancing in Krishna consciousness. The Siksa Program has five levels, gradually leading to initiation. The levels, in brief, are:

Often we see that there are groups of devotees who live in locations far away from temples, Nama-hattas or any other standard type of preaching program. Due to their family or employment situation, devotees sometimes have to stay in isolated places. But if they are following the regulative principles, chanting a prescribed number of rounds, regularly reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and accepting all other aspects of Vaisnava culture like Ekadasi fasting, they can be recognized as part of ISKCON’s congregation. Such households are termed Sraddha Kutirs. The members of the Sraddha Kutirs are expected to be active preachers. They may later create Nama-hatta or Bhakti-vriksha groups.

Searching the internet for material related to the counselor system, i came across this lecture HH Niranjana Maharaja gave more than three years ago to devotees in the Ukraine. This lecture has been transcribed by one Bhaktin Lena, and published by disciples of HH Niranjana Maharaja at a web site called Gauranga Press, which provides material for Maharaja's disciples in transcribing and publishing his lectures and talks.

Maharaja very nicely describes the substance of any Krishna conscious undertaking, as opposed to the structure. The latter is also needed, of course, but without our own Krishna consciousness, and the desire to give Krishna counsciousness to others as demonstrated by Srila Prabhupada, any structure will be hollow at the center and eventually collapse. Two weeks prior to giving this lecture Maharaj had been visiting the Chowpatti Temple and he was very impresssed by the mood of the devotees there, the deep caring for each other and their Krishna conscious association.

From a series of lectures by HH Radhanath Maharaja, introducing the Spiritual Counselor System that has been successfully deployed at Sri Sri Radha-Gopinath Temple in Mumbai, Chowpatti.