New courses for the upcoming semester:

– Bhakti-pravesa Course – a Bhakti-sastri primer course for ladies
– Revised Bhakti-sastri ladies and mens and course
– Gender Separate Bhaktivaibhava Course
– Portuguese Bhaktivaibhava Course
– Sanskrit Level I & II Course
– Caitanya Caritamrta workshops by Kadamba Kanana Swami
50% concession for Indian Temple devotees.

In June of 1975 Srila Prabhupada pleaded with his disciples in L.A., “I am writing these books for you. You have to know these books.” Over the years Srila Prabhupada made it clear to his followers that his books were his greatest offering of assistance to them because he knew that, if devotees carefully and sincerely study his books, their rapid advancement in spiritual life will be guaranteed.

Helping devotees carefully study Srila Prabhupada’s books is the essence of the Mayapur Institute’s mission.

Revised Men’s Bhakti-sastri Course

The Mayapur Institute (MI) Curriculum Development has worked to offer a fresh and powerful approach to our men’s Bhakti-sastri course. Coming to this year’s course (November 3 to February 3), Vaisnavas, whether from India or from abroad, will enter a powerful culture of devotional learning, guided by such ISKCON stalwarts as Kadamba Kanana Swami, Devamrita Swami, Bhakti Brihat Bhagavat Swami, BVV Narasimha Swami, Hanumat Prasaka Swami and Radheshyam Dasa.

In this action-packed course students will:
– substantially increase their capacity to quote sastra in their preaching,
– go much deeper in their understanding of Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy,
– greatly increase their capacity to apply Prabhupada’s teachings in their lives,
– develop dynamic preaching skills, and
– enter deeply into Srila Prabhupada’s mood and mission.

Women’s Introductory Sastric Courses

Spearheading the MI CDT’s revolutionary approach to our women’s introductory sastric training, Sugita Vani Devi Dasi and Shyamala Sakhi Devi Dasi have expertly entered into an in-depth understanding of the educational needs of ISKCON Vaisnavis by teaching and taking feedback from our students and teachers over the last six years. Then, after consulting with senior preachers and educators, such as Mahatma Dasa, Laxmimoni Devi Dasi and Devaki Devi Dasi, they have coordinated the development of two uniquely focused new course offerings:

The Bhakti-pravesa Course (November 3 – February 3), with such senior Vaisnavi facilitators as Laxmimoni Devi Dasi and Nanda Devi Dasi, introduces Vaisnavis to:

– the foundational principles enabling one to function within spiritual culture in contrast to materialistic culture, and, once understood, students can easily utilize these principles in their day-to-day living, thus deriving immense support in their devotional practices and development. For instance students will enter into an understanding of:
– the art of giving and accepting shelter, which provides a strong foundation for relationships and focuses on revealing one’s mind in confidence and inquiring confidentially.
– how to make a marriage in Krsna consciousness successful
– the subtle secrets of becoming an all auspicious source of energy within our families, our communities and within our society at large.
– deeper understanding of chanting the holy name, enabling students to enter into a deeper level of chanting in both japa and kirtan.
– overviews of: Bhagavad-gita, Nectar of Instruction, Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita, basic deity worship, Vaisnavi etiquette, Srila Prabhupada’s mood and mission, and preaching skills and effective preaching strategies

Revised Women’s Bhakti-sastri Course (November 3 – February 3)

This year’s facilitators, taking into account ISKCON Vaisnavis’ mindsets and varnashramic needs, will ingeniously blend systematic and thematic approaches enabling Vaisnavis to cherish Prabhupada’s teachings in the core of their hearts and apply them in all aspects of their lives.

In the morning sessions, facilitators will guide students verse by verse through the books. In the thematic sessions, meeting two afternoons weekly, facilitators will catalyze students to go much deeper with interactive and experiential learning exercises into the knowledge, understanding, and personal and preaching applications they acquired during the morning sessions. We are confident students will find this new approach more effective and stimulating than ever because it will provide them with a firm grasp of Srila Prabhupada’s mood and mission.

Gender Separate Bhaktivaibhava Course, Module One

After years of success with our gender separate Bhakti-sastri Courses, we are introducing gender separation in our Bhaktivaibhava Course, Module One. We’ve found this natural separation gives our students more facility to access the mercy in Srila Prabhupada’s books.

What’s New with Our Gaura-purnima Courses:

ISKCON Disciples Training Course: Fortifying the Paramapara Connection (February 6 – 9, 2012)

Under the direction of the GBC Guru Services Committee, leading ISKCON educators have developed this much awaited values-based course that will enable devotees to deepen their understanding of guru tattva and guru padasraya within ISKCON’s multiple guru environment. ISKCON’s most experienced student-centered facilitators, Anuttama Dasa and Atul Krsna Dasa, will team up to launch this essential course for those about to take diksa. ISKCON leaders, preachers, counselors, educators, and devotees in general will also find this course to be very helpful in their respective services and in their devotional development.

The course developers have based the curriculum on Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, ISKCON Law and references from the broader Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition.

The 14 lessons include PowerPoint presentations, interactive workshops, assessment exercises.

Celebrating Srila Prabupada’s preeminent place in ISKCON, as well as every devotee’s unique relationship with him (February 29 – March 4)

In collaboration with the GBC Prabhupada Position Committee and the MI Curriculum Development Team, Suresvara Dasa has spearheaded the launch of this new interactive course. Based upon his 42 years of serving Srila Prabupada’s mission and the resulting deep realizations, Suresvara Dasa has not only written the curriculum for the course in consultation with other disciples of Srila Prabupada, but he will also facilitate it.

This seminar will flow from sambandha (deepening our awareness of Srila Prabupada’s preeminence in ISKCON), abhidheya (finding and developing our service to him and his mission), and prayojana (awakening pure love for Srila Prabupada by cooperating to share his mood of compassion with one another and everyone else).

Please go to www.mayapurinstitute.org for more details on this course and to register for it and the other Gaura-purnima Courses.

Sanskrit Level One: A practical introduction to Sanskrit

A one month certified course from 10 November 2011 to 9 December 2011 conducted by the Mayapur Institute.vThis course introduces the students to elements of Sanskrit:
– the Devanagari script
– pronunciation including training to pronounce a selection of verses from Bhagavad-gita
– fundamental Sanskrit grammar: sandhi operations, nouns, adjectives, verbs, compounds
– Training on how to use a Sanskrit-English dictionary
– Application of this knowledge to understand a selection of verses from Bhagavad-gita

ISKCON devotees who complete this course will be able to identify the basic components of a simple Sanskrit verses using a dictionary. This will be useful for those who are studying the Bhagavad-gita.

Sanskrit Level Two: Basic Sanskrit

A two month certified course from 15 December 2011 to 14 February 2012 conducted by the Mayapur Institute. This course teaches students the following:
– Parts of speech in Sanskrit
– Vibhaktis (cases) in declension
– Common declensions in nouns, adjectives and pronouns
– Avyayas (adverbs)

Exercises will consist of stories from the Ramayana. Students who complete this course will be able to read and understand simple Sanskrit prose sentences, and will be able to enlarge their vocabulary of nouns and adjectives. This course will be useful to deepen the students’ understanding of Sanskrit texts in Bhagavad-gita.

Each session will be for 90 minutes. There will be classes six days a week, Sundays being holidays. Class timings: 4:30 to 6:00 PM.

These two courses will be taught by Krsna-svarupa Dasa, a Sanskrit scholar and teacher, who has studied Sanskrit since his childhood. He has been teaching Sanskrit to ISKCON devotees and others since 1991.

For further details and registration, please contact Mayapur Institute office at Caitanya Bhavan, Ph +91 3472 245-748, E-mail: mayapur.institute@pamho.net