March/April 2008
The bulk of this issue focuses on the history and current status of the Hare Krishna movement in the former Soviet Union. In 1971, Srila Prabhupada spent only a few days in Moscow. But there he met a young Russian who would become his disciple and spearhead the rapid underground growth of Krishna consciousness in the U.S.S.R.
Despite persecution, the “Soviet Hare Krishnas” pressed on, and since the fall of Communist rule, the Hare Krishna movement in the Commonwealth of Independent States has grown exponentially. In “Checkmate: ISKCON’s Victory in Russia,” Satyaraja Dasa traces the history of ISKCON from Prabhupada’s visit up to the present-day breakthrough in Moscow, where Hare Krishna devotees have finally received land and permission to build a magnificent temple.
Two of the main driving forces behind the Moscow temple project are Bhakti Vijnana Goswami and Brahmananda Puri Dasa. Urmila Devi Dasi’s “Two Seeds that Grew in Iron” tells how each came to Krishna and flourished spiritually despite the oppressive atmosphere.
The book excerpt “A Taste of Salted Bread” reveals the courage and determination of Krishna devotees who risked everything to bring Krishna’s message to a land under atheistic rule.
Hare Krishna.—Nagaraja Dasa, Editor
Articles this month:
Checkmate: ISKCON’s Victory in Russia
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Two Seeds that Grew in Iron
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A Taste of Salted Bread
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