Chant:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare
Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Constitution
of Association
by His Divine
Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
July
1 — November 4, 1966
26 Second Avenue, Manhatta, New York
From entries in the personal diary of Srila Prabhupada,
July 1st marks the day Srila Prabhupada takes possession of the
storefront and one of the rear apartments at 26 Second Avenue. He
immediately conducts regular classes. Mr. Goldsmith finalizes the
incorporation of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
Entries in this section are abbreviated, as compared with the previous
sections. This perhaps results from Srila Prabhupada's being absorbed
with the active beginnings of his movement.--The Beginning, the
1966 New York Journal
The
name of the society is The International Society for Krishna
Consciousness.
The
headquarters of the Society are located at
Radhakrishna Temple, 26 Second Avenue, New York City, 10003, USA.
The
objectives for which the Society is being established are:
(A) To
educate the greater human society in the techniques of spiritual life
as the basis for a balanced psychic and biological development, and
thereby achieve for the first time in human society a real peace and
unity among the contending forces in the world today.
(B) To propagate
the Sense of Godhead, the all attractive Personality of primal and
eternal Form, as He Himself revealed in His own words in the Bhagavad
Gita, the Holy Scripture of the Lord Sri Krishna, the Godhead.
(C) To
bring together individuals in a Society, regardless of nationality and
irrespective of creed or caste, in order to develop a nearness to the
Godhead and thereby the idea that within the members and
humanity-at-large there is an infinitesimal soul-spirit that is part
and parcel in quality with the Godhead, and that all life is meant for
the satisfaction of said Godhead, the Supreme Soul.
(D) To encourage
the teachings of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who demonstrated
practically the transcendental process of approaching the absolute
Personality of Godhead by His acts of congregational chanting of the
holy name of God, a process known as Samkirtan.
(E) To prove by active
work and preaching that Lord Sri Krishna is the only enjoyer of all the
outcomes of individual and collective sacrifice, penance, meditation,
arts, culture, science, because He is the Supreme Proprietor of the
whole universe, eternally apart of Him everyone knows Him as a friend.
Real peace can be attained when this is realized, in fact.
(F) To
assist whenever and wherever possible in the building of a social
structure on the real foundation of spiritual progress and
establishment of peace and unity between men throughout the world.
(G)
To attempt to save men individually from the chain of victimization the
ongoing trend in modern civilization operates by, in the name of
ideologies of false sentiment, so that Man may again be a free soul, to
act and live freely with spiritual vision. This is possible by
individual spiritual initiation, Diksha, when a man can see everything
in Godhead and Godhead in everything.
(H) To further toward realization
this highest truth as revealed by Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the
six Goswamins headed by Srila Rupa and Sanatana Goswamins.
(I) To have
for its objectives amongst the others four principles which the
Goswamins had in view. They are the following:
To
erect a holy place
of transcendental pastimes as well as a place where members of the Lord
Sri Krishna can flourish.
To
propagate all over the world in the form
of missionaries the process of devotion, the transcendental service to
the Godhead, and to make known that this devotional service is the main
function of the human being.
In
order to accomplish this, to adopt
proselytizing methods of peaceful means and to establish a broader
society of association for all members, including scholars and
admirers, to engage in this service as put forth in the Srimad
Bhagwatam.
To
install, wherever it is possible, the worship and
temple of Radhakrishna and that of Sri Chaitanya, and to give facility
to everyone to become trained in the modes of Archan or preparatory
principles of devotional service.
(J) To
introduce to the members of
the Society and humanity-at-large a simpler and more natural purpose in
life by means suitable to the particular place and time, and as
enjoined in the Bhagavad Gita.
(K) To
organize educational programs,
such as classes and lecture tours, and to institute services, such as
mailing, for the benefit of the members of the Society and
humanity-at-large.
(L) To
publish periodicals, books and/or pamphlets
in all important languages in order to reach human society and give an
opportunity to same to communicate with the Society.
(M) To
invoke the
quality of goodness particularly in every member of the Society,
individually by the process of Diksha and by establishing one in the
status of a Brahmin (good and intelligent man) on the basis of
truthfulness, knowledge and faith in the transcendental service of the
Lord.
(N) Among
the secondary objectives of the Society, it shall
undertake the following activities:
To
revive the scientific system
of social orders of classification based on intelligence, martial
spirit, productivity and common assistance, generally known as the four
castes with reference to quality and worth for the common cause of
world society.
To
discharge as a matter of course the vitiated system
of supremacy of one man over another by false prestige of birthright or
vested interests.
To
popularize the vegetable-grain diet under
approved methods in order that full value of protein, carbohydrate, fat
and vitamin benefit may be derived therefrom.
To
discourage
intoxicating or addicting habits of all descriptions and dimensions and
to expose such persons thus afflicted to approved methods of spiritual
realization.
A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami,
Acharya
Raymond
Marais
Michael
A. Grant
Robert
Lefkowitz
James
S. Greene
Hansadutta das
Rittvik Representative of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada
Trustee, BHAKTIVEDANTA BOOK TRUST
WORLD SANKIRTAN PARTY