World Vaisnava Association In Cape Town

[Guest guest]

The World Vaisnava Association In Cape town on the occasion of the third meeting of the Parliament of World religion. 1-8 of December 1999.

 

The World Parliament of Religion invited all the religions of the world to come and present their plans for making this world a better place. I had the opportunity to participate in many meetings of different Vaisnava missions which have their own problems to work closely together. It was remarkable that the World Parliament of religion was able to create such a friendly and positive atmosphere, disregarding the fact that over material issues some of the participants are virtually at war or have hostile relationships going back hundreds or even thousands of years.

 

Most of the talks and concerns of the speakers addressed material issues with the hope that spirituality could shed light on them and help resolve the problems related to them. Generally, the speakers preferred to relate to God in their speeches as the divine truth or other general terms. In the particular lectures though of which over 700 were presented plus a host of cultural programs, movies and symposiums, the different teachers offered insights into their opinions and traditions.

 

The World Vaisnava association was represented by myself, Swami B.A. Paramadvaiti in as much as I had the opportunity to present a lecture on the first day with the title:

 

The World Vaisnava Association and Monotheism in Hinduism.

 

I presented a interactive presentation of the WVA on the screen and explained what are the plans of the WVA. Then I explained the importance of the contribution of the Vaisnava Acaryas to the Hindu tradition which is more precisely known as Sanatan Dharma. On the other side different members of the WVA presented different projects on the World Parliament. Srila Bhakti Svarup Damodar Director of the Bhaktivedanta Institute, Iskcon GBC and Spiritual Master as well as founding member of the WVA presented a lecture on...Srila Bhakti Srirup Tirtha Maharaj, founder of the Gaudiya Vaisnava association and founding member of WVA presented two lectures. Anything done on the bodily platform of life cannot be selfless. The first day a huge parade was held with a big Kirtan which was organized by Iskcon Capetown and joined by the other Vaisnava delegates of the WVA.

 

Many other Vaisnavas also presented their missions in Capetown such as Sri Amogha Lila das the founder of the ..And to remember our dear Srila Prabhupada thousands of delegates from all over the world from all types of faith ate Sri Krishna Prasadam from the Govinda Restaurants situated in the main hall the Good hope center which was coordinated by the Capetown Iskcon temple under the care of Sripad Sikhi Mahiti das.

 

The WVA held several Vaisnava gatherings on different occasions on the premise of the World Parliament of Religion with the different members present in South Africa. Also present was Sripad Pradyumna, the Sanskrit editor and for many years travel companion of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He is a pioneer in the interfaith relationship and always promotes that Vaisnavas should have sweet relationships amongst themselves and very good relationships with peoples of other faith as well.

 

This is the spirit of WVA and we pray that this historic event will give us strength to celebrate more Vaisnava cooperation so that we will be able to give a more dignified presentation of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas to the world. In the days of a rapidly growing Vaisnava presence, due to the hard work of Vaisnavas in many missions it is very important that we give the people of this world the understanding that we are one and different at the same time. One - in order to defend the divine interest of our sampradayas and all Vaisnavas. Different- in order to nurture and care for every individual who seeks shelter in the different Ashrams of different spiritual masters around the world. After all, whether one or different, we are always servants of all, depending on the time place and circumstance.

 

It cannot be denied that the participants of the Parliament of World Religion made a strong effort to develop tolerance and search for new strength to encounter the challenges of life. We can only hope that this spirit will prevail and that finally the movement of Lord Chaitanya will be able to give further help to them to achieve the cherished love for God which alone can give lasting peace and happiness to all of us. It was very happy to note that the parliament closed with another Kirtan done by the youth of the Vaisnavas present. No doubt Srila Prabhupada and all other Acaryas are happy to see so many people from the world coming in contact with the holy names of Lord Krishna.