Welcome

ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE show the universal appeal and relevance of Kṛṣṅa consciousness, the essence of India’s great cultural tradition. “Bharata Culture on the Baltic Coast” takes us to the Festival of Indian Culture during its annual summer tour of Poland, where people get the chance to enjoy the art, dance, music, drama, cuisine, and philosophy of India. The festival stresses the spiritual aspects of the culture, giving people more than just a satisfying aesthetic experience; it helps draw out their devotion to the Lord, the innate quality of the soul in any culture.

In “What Do We Mean by Varṅāśrama?” Hare Kṛṣṅa Devī Dāsī, who has spent years researching the subject, explains what the original Indian, or Vedic, social organization is all about. She also shows adulterated forms of that system visible today, without the benefits of the original. Lord Kṛṣṅa designed varṅāśrama for the spiritual progress of every member of human society, and Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted his followers to revive it for everyone’s benefit.

Spiritual festivals and social organization are two ways in which the Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement works to raise the spiritual awareness of large numbers of people. Indian or Polish, American or Russian—all who come in touch with Kṛṣṅa advance toward perfection.

Hare Kṛṣṅa.

—Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor

Our Purposes

• To help all people discern reality from illusion, spirit from matter, the eternal from the temporary. • To expose the faults of materialism. • To offer guidance in the Vedic techniques of spiritual life. • To preserve and spread the Vedic culture. • To celebrate the chanting of the holy names of God as taught by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. • To help every living being remember and serve Śrī Kṛṣṅa, the Personality of Godhead.