Ian Kensy 2009

He recommends reading CC and SB. There are others of those available in english now though not as widespread as ISKCON's versions. The devottees in UK read those. I don't have a taste for Prabhupada's purports. I will stop writing here because I don't want to offend anyone. I received information about some direct disciples of SNM in America. A few ladies and ex-sanyasis who are supposed to be very learned and advanced and wonderful speakers so I will try to contact them. That is all I wanted. I did not want to turn it into a debate on the merits or demerits of a particular commentator of devotional literature. Please forgive me for unintended offense. I want to bow to all devottees, big and small. Haribol.

The style of writing does not appeal to me and some of the things written in the purports as well. SNM does not read his books for his own personal reading. He sometimes reads from them when he is on world tour giving a class because there is no other version in English that he knows of and the majority of the audience is from ISKCON anyway and that is what they want and expect, I guess. That I saw when I went to the festival in UK. None of the Indian devottees read his books for their own reading, so I was told by the UK devottees. They all read books in their own languages. This is one of the differences between the Indians and the western devottees in his sanga. As well as between his direct disciples and those who are from ISKCON. The UK devottees feel it is a natural split. Nobody should be hurt. Everybody has different style, mood, thinking. You like some books I don't and probably will not like some books that I do. It's normal. I did not mean this to become about ISKCON or Prabhupada or his books. I just asked if anyone knew some direct disciples not from ISKCON. Sorry.

Thankyou everybody for the instructions. I did not mean my simple question to turn into a conversation about institutionalism but that seems to be something that is on everybody's mind. I thought that this was a website that was not from ISKCON and therefore asked how to find Narayan Maharaja followers in America who were not followers of Prabhupada, like the devottees I met in UK who's classes were very inspiring. Since my question I have been given the contacts of some people who are direct disciples of Narayan Maharaja in America. I have heard that there are more and will look into that. This was the only website I found that I thought could answer me that.

Do you see Beggar what I am talking about now? Theist's comment is the perfect example. Complete with a link to Prabhupada's books.

Do you know where I can reach her?

But I was told there were devottees like that here and that they tell very good Krishna katha and that I should find them. I was given email addresses too, so please find out for me. I was told that the early direct disciples of Narayan Maharaja avoid the sanga now because it is too much like ISKCON but that they are out there. I have nothing against seniors but just don't want to be forced to read books I don't like and they try to do that alot. Otherwise I have no problem respecting them.

The difference in mood means when I was in UK and going to the devottees' houses. They were not from ISKCON ever. Their classes were very different from the classes I attended both in ISKCON and at the big Narayan Maharaja festival where followers of Prabhupada were also giving classes. I would never have known that Narayan Maharaja has followers from ISKCON from the UK devottees that I met. But then at the festival I found it out. No brahmacari pestered me. I only said that during a conversation I had with a disciple of Narayan Maharaja, a Prabhupada disciple wanted us to hear Prabhupada's view on the topic, neither of us expressed interest because neither of us were from ISKCON. So I am just here asking one thing and that is are there any disciples of Narayan Maharaja on this website who had no previous ISKCON experience like the devottees I met in UK? Or is there someone who can give me the contacts of someone like that? Nothing against anybody, it's just what I'm asking, and only because the emails of such devottees were not working otherwise I would not have to ask here.

He did not tell the UK devottees whom I was with that. They said he only started saying that when Prabhupada's disciples starting pushing that. This is part of the rift. I was having a feast with them and talking about something and a disciple of Prabhupada butted in and started giving Prabhupada's view on the matter which was different than those devottees' view. They requested that she not confuse me because I was new and never been in ISKCON. She said they were offensive. I corrected her vision and said, "it is I who am not interested in that view, don't blame them". They like his books because they are from ISKCON but I have not come to Krishna consciousness in ISKCON and I just don't like those books. They need to learn to leave me alone. It's a matter of preference. The UK devottees told me to stick with Indian devottees because they do not lecture from ISKCON books at all. But I am in America and don't think I will find Indian devottees here. There must be some devottees in America who have not come to Krishna consciousness through ISKCON, devottees like me who are not interested in ISKCON books. Where are they? That is all I'm asking. If you like to read ISKCON books I have nothing against you.

Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu was one book I took from the UK devottees but have only read first 20 pages or so. I will return to it tonight reminded by you. But are there any Narayan Mahraja disciples in America like the UK devottees who do not rely at all on Prabhupada's books because I just don't like them.

Thankyou Beggar. The devottees I met in UK had not been disciples in ISKCON before Narayan Maharaja and I definetly saw a difference in mood. A few of them had stayed briefly with ISKCON or had programs in their homes but severed all ties with ISKCON when they came to Narayan Maharaja. I also observed that disciples of someone named Srivas Maharaja (?maybe the name is wrong?) are also now with Narayan Maharaja but their mood is also not like ISKCON. The UK devottees definetly perceive a split coming. They gave me the names and emails of 2 devottees in America who were early disciples of Narayan Maharaja not from ISKCON and told me to only correspond with them but when I wrote, both of the emails had been disabled. If you know any disciples of Narayan Maharaja who have never been connected with ISKCON or who have severed their ties with it completely, can you please give me their emails? Or can you find out for me. I am alone and want only good Krishna katha. The devottees in UK had told me to be very careful in who I associate with.

Hare Krishna My story goes like this. A few years ago while travelling in UK and Europe I got introduced to Krishna consciousness by a disciple of Narayan Maharaja and was very interested in it. I saw references in some of the books to Srila Prabhupada and when I arrived in cities with ISKCON temples I would go to the Sunday Feast. I read some ISKCON books and was not at all attracted. When back in the UK I hooked up again with those disciples of Narayan Maharaja and felt happy. They invited me to the next festival when Narayan Maharaja would be there. I came and was disappointed to find it much like when I went to ISKCON and they even read from some ISKCON books during classes. I explained my disappointment to my original friends who said that they too were disappointed at the ISKCONIZATION of their sanga and that it didn't use to be like this. They said that there will be a split in the sanga between the disciples of Narayan Maharaja who want to make things the way they used to be and the followers of Narayan Maharaja who are from ISKCON. In the meantime I was encouraged to attend some classes by direct disciples of Narayan Maharaja but not the classes given by his followers who were from ISKCON. They were good. But out of curiosity I attended one class by an ex ISKCON follower and he was taking everything from Prabhupada's books and I didn't feel it was right because I had already decided that I did not like the ISKCON approach to Krishna consciousness when I had attended the Sunday Feasts and read their books in Europe. Now I don't know what to do because I'm back in America and want to be a Narayan Maharaja follower but not an ISKCON apologist and it seems that many of his followers in America are ex ISKCON devottees and still have attachment to it or force you to read ISKCON books. Are there any devottees on here who can guide me as to what to do or guide me to any original disciples of Narayan Maharaja in America?