All the devotees in this movement are strictly following the Vedic principles, even though they are foreigners, mostly Europeans and Americans. They are strictly following these regulative principles, and they are authoritatively initiated by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a direct disciple of His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaj Prabhupada, the founder of the Gaudiya Math institution. This International Society for Krishna Consciousness has 100 branches all over the world, with bonafide worship of Radha-Krishna and Guru-Gouranga deities in almost every Temple. Recently, for example, we have established worship of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna in Melbourne, Australia, Auckland, New Zealand, and Tokyo, Japan, and the worship of Pancha Tattva (meaning Sri Chaitanya, Nityananda, Adwaita, Gadadhar, and Srivas) deities in Honolulu, Hawaii, which we call “New Nabadwip”, because these Hawaiian Islands are divided into so many islands, just like Lord Chaitanya’s birthplace in Nadia, West Bengal. The cult preached by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is not sentimental, it is most practical, He said:
- bharata-bhumite haila
- manusya-janma ya ‘ra
- janma sarthaka kari’ kara
- para-upakara
(Chaitanya Charitamrta, Adi 9.41)
This verse means that anyone who has taken birth as a human being in the land of Bharat Varsa must make his life a success by preaching this cult for the welfare activities of the human society. Chaitanya also preached that:
- prthivite ache yata
- nagaradi grama
- sarvatra pracara haibe
- mora nama.
As many towns and villages there are on the surface of the globe, the cult of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His Name will be spread over. That is actually happening under the able management of His Divine Grace, but what have the Gaudiya Math people done in this connection? Is the name of Gaudiya Math known anywhere except in Madras and Calcutta by a few people? But the ISKCON Hare Krishna Movement is going on all over the globe, and “Hare Krishna” is practically a household word in every corner of the world. Everyone is appreciating that the real Indian culture is being accepted in the foreign countries so nicely. During our program in Madras, all big men were attending and they will bear witness to what we are doing. The founder of the Gaudiya Math wanted that this movement be combinedly spread all over the world by his disciples, but, for the most part, they are fighting and dividing into smaller factions. Everywhere we have gone and got good reception and we have been honored everywhere. Simply this Gaudiya Math, they are pinching. Are they the only ones who know Lord Chaitanya’s philosophy, this so-called Gaudiya Math? In Vrindaban even, the followers of “Sadgoswamis” to whom they so reverently refer received us so nicely with three public receptions, and one of the leading citizens of Vrindaban donated us a huge plot of land in Raman Reti (where construction of the largest and most beautiful Temple in Vrindaban is going on), and the chairman of the municipality himself also donated us a piece of land. So I do not think these men are by any means foolish, that they have not understood the great importance and value of the Hare Krishna Movement! But what has Gaudiya Math got as credentials in this connection? What has this Chaitanya Math done for the last nearly 40 years? It was the desire of the Chaitanya Math, Bhaktivinode Thakur, that foreign devotees would come to dance in ecstasy with Indian devotees, singing together Jai Sachinanda! Now ISKCON has established a very big center at the birthplace of Lord Chaitanya. Why Gaudiya Math is engaged in High Court litigation for the last 40 years to take possession of some bricks and wood? His Divine Grace alone, without any help from the Gaudiya Math, is preaching all over the world. The Gaudiya Math, instead of doing some tangible work on the line of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is split up into so may divisions, and although it was the duty of Indians to preach this cult all over the world, on account of Gaudiya Math’s inability to do that, the Europeans, Americans, Canadians, and Japanese, they are doing the preaching work under the competent guidance of His Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.