Srila Prabhupada and the Bhaktivedanta Institute
Srila Prabhupada and the Bhaktivedanta Institute
This article is to research Srila Prabhupada’s instructions on scientific preaching, and come up with a clear vision for the future of scientific preaching and the Bhaktivedanta Institute. And give a thorough research of Srila Prabhupada's instructions on scientific preaching and about the BI.
First I want to present, through quotes of Srila Prabhupada, what his ideas are concerning the Bhaktivedanta Instute:
We also want to point out the validity of the BI, and also that in some sense they hold a greater authority then Srila Prabhupada on certain so-called scientific matters, like the scientists, or so-called scientists opinion on the moon: Regarding the scientists' opinion on the moon, we have entrusted our own three scientists namely Svarupa Damodara, Sadaputa, and Madhva and we leave the matter to them, we do not say anything ourselves, but are leaving it to them
Further I will try to present quotes that describe the purpose of BI according to Srila Prabhupada: We have formed the Bhaktivedanta Institute for organizing scientific presentations of Krishna Consciousness. This party is our most important preaching arm with which we will be able to destroy the bogus speculation and cheating
Then we want to present the general way Srila Prabhupada preached himself to scientists. As he is our acarya in ISKCON, he expected us to follow him, and of course Srila Prabhupada also on numerous occasions, is instructing his disciples, not so much to cooperate with the scientists, or to build bridges etc, rather he instructed them to do a whole other thing: Challenge the scientists: Prabhupada Challenging the Scientists.
We also want to make a category where Prabhuapa instructs how scientists should behave themselves: By your knowledge. If you are scientist, you are chemist, through chemical challenge you try to glorify the Supreme Lord. If you are physicist, from physical point of view, try to explain
This does not mean that we should put all our efforts into changing the existing scientists. This is simply a recommendation. So one suggestion is that the BI can maintain their good relations and the they create a new entity who can challenge the scientists.
Srila Prabhupada felt the current scientists are challenging the established order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna: Ravana and Hiranyakasipu and many others become very famous due to advancing material civilization by the help of material science and other activities with a spirit of challenging the established order of the Lord. And thus he compared them with such characters as Ravana and Hiranyakasipu…
Personally I have not found any quotes where Prabhupada wants us to cooperate with the scientists, rather Srila Prabhupada wanted us to challenge the current establishment: Blind man leading other blind men. There is no sense. Whole civilization. It is, this Krsna con..., our movement is a challenge to everyone, a challenge, genuine challenge. After all, everyone wants happiness, but they do not know what is happiness
This is not just some incident to encourage a disciple, this is a general instruction, and it reflects Prabhupada's mood how to deal with Western, so called scientists: The Krsna consciousness movement is the only challenge to this devilish life of the human society
Prabhupada wanted especially Darwin's theory to be challenged:
The rascal Darwin's theory. So many, based on this foolish theory, wrong conception of life. So we have to challenge, protest. defeat. This will be our work
Prabhupada gave us different examples how to challenge Darwin: According to Darwin's theory, 5000 years ago, men were uncivilized. Now this literature is written by uncivilized men. Just see. So highly intellectual writings, they were uncivilized. Now they have become civilized. That is Darwin's theory
According to the foolish Darwinian theory of the anthropologists, it is said that forty thousand years ago Homo sapiens had not appeared on this planet because the process of evolution had not reached that point Here is another interesting example how to challenge Darwin's theory: Darwin's theory is a failure because he cannot explain that why there are different types humans, white men, black men, colored men, deformed men and no one's face is identical to anyone We leave it up to the Bhaktivedanta Institute to find the right way to present this, i.e. how to proof this particular statement, how to find and present the evidence, and how to formulate the conclusion. For more examples please see Examples How To Challenge Darwin
In fact we can challenge anyone, not just Darwin, but scientists, or so-called scientists and philosophers: There is no doubt about it that our philosophy is the supermost perfect presentation. We can challenge any other philosophy and establish that this Krishna Consciousness is the panacea for all material problems
From the following quotes we can see Srila Prabhupada wanted us to especially the challenge the universities, or rather its professors and students: All the universities and educational institutions are in darkness and still they are very much proud of advancement of knowledge. This we shall challenge everywhere and come out victorious
It seems university preaching requires a bit more tact though, because we want to cooperate with them as well. Still we should challenge the professors. More one this can be found in the following Vaniquotes category: University and Preaching
[[vaniquotes:All the universities and educational institutions are in darkness and still they are very much proud of advancement of knowledge. This we shall challenge everywhere and come out victorious |All the universities and educational institutions are in darkness and still they are very much proud of advancement of knowledge. This we shall challenge everywhere and come out victorious]]
And we don't need to have any College degrees either or "infiltrate", as Prabhupada explains from his own experience: I have never studied science, but I am challenging them. They may take me as crazy, but I am not crazy. I am right
For more quotes on Srila Prabhupada challenging the scientists, please go to Prabhupada Challinging the Scientists