Being Srila Prabhupada - Anugas: A Handbook for Spiritual Leadership

Leadership has always been a topic of interest and discussion not only amongst modern political and corporate circles, but even amongst great sages and emperors of yore. Leadership finds its relevance in spiritual circles too - spiritual leaders since ages have galvanized people for individual salvation and social transformation. In today’s times, when materialism and atheism have become super-organized, spiritual leaders also need to get their act together to organize mass movements for spiritual enlightenment. One such leader in the modern times, who has displayed a powerful combination of spiritual purity and organizational acumen is H.D.G. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada, as his followers fondly call him, established a worldwide spiritual movement called- The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) which presents the pristine teachings of the ancient Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition in a way which is relevant and relatable to the post-modern world today.

This book is a handy compilation of Srila Prabhupada’s quotes on 51 leadership themes, sourced from his books, lectures, conversations, letters, biographies, etc. The book will especially be relevant for the followers of ISKCON who wish to understand the mood, message and methods of Srila Prabhupada, especially in the context of leadership. The quotes presented in this book give insights into the sublime principles of spiritual leadership by which Srila Prabhupada was able to expand Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the world, cutting across all cultures, ethnicities, political leanings, geographies, races etc. - inspiring and training his fledgling disciples in culture and philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, teaching them to cooperate and surrender, invigilating the spiritual standards of his centers throughout the world, standing upto and fighting with challenges & threats—both external and internal—and, at the same time, writing spotless literatures, which would form the basis of his movement for posterity. When carefully studied, these quotes reveal a very striking model and pattern of leadership that Srila Prabhupada demonstrates with respect to each of these leadership themes. Even scholars who are interested in study of rise and growth of spiritual movements would find the book quite an interesting read.