The Perfection of Education

NUS University Preaching

Compiled by Lila Sundari Devi Dasi

"If you can induce some intelligent students in the universities and colleges to take up this preaching work, that is as good as yourself converting hundreds of common men, because two or three good men, if you can catch hold of them, they can do the work of many other men."

"So, try to impress this intelligent class of men, give them nice debate, answer all questions nicely, distribute profuse prasadam, chant and dance nicely, and invite them to join us to get the perfection of their education, the Supreme knowledge."

My first encounter with Gita Reading Society was at the National University of Singapore (NUS). It was around two decades ago and I was still a university student. A classmate had invited me to a spiritual lecture at the university. Devakinandan Prabhu gave a talk on the story of Puranjana (SB 4.29). I had found the analogies in this story to be interesting. As I saw the speaker entering his vehicle with several other devotees, I had mistaken Prabhu to be a celibate monk and the other devotees his entourage of brahmacharis. It was a one-off program, after which I went about my regular life. There were no follow-up programs at the university.

Today the scenario is very different. Regular programs have been conducted for over a decade. Most students who attend the program are Indian with religious backgrounds. The lectures are mostly based on Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita. Prior to COVID, there were no online sessions. After COVID, both online and in-person sessions are held. Currently the schedule is as follows: the program begins with a five-minute japa session. Then there is a 45-minute interactive lecture. This is followed by questions and answers and a discussion. Finally, there is a 10-minute kirtan. If the program is face to face, then prasadam is served at the end.

Singapore is home to several of the best universities in the world. National University of Singapore tops the chart, attracting the best students and faculty in Singapore and worldwide. Singapore's strong commitment to attracting foreign talent has resulted in an exchange of students from the best universities worldwide. This productive exchange has only increased the reputation of Singapore as a research and educational hub, and increased the worldwide standing of its universities.

For this reason, H. H. B.V.V. Narasimha Maharaj instructed Brajahari Prabhu, who was then studying in NUS, to start programs at the university. Started in 2009, the then bi-weekly program was organized by the NUS Hindu Society. From 2010 to 2018, it became a weekly program called Gita Youth Motivational Services (GYMS). Now the program is a sub-committee of the NUS Hindu Society and is called NUS Bhakti Yoga Club (NUS-BYC). Around 3000 students have been reached in the duration of these programs. NUS students have taken up various temple services such as cooking for regular programs, helping Ratha Yatra festivals, performance such as drama, and temple decoration for festivals. Around 40 attendees have gone on to take up devotional service seriously. NUS has attracted prominent speakers like Gaur Gopal Prabhu and Chaitanya Charan Prabhu.

During this period, NUS programs have gone through different phases in their leadership. In this article we will not go through all these phases, but highlight some important phases in this program.

Table 1: Devotees in-charge of the NUS Programs (Most devotees were prior NUS students who slowly started managing the programs.)

Devotee Name	In Service Till
Sriram Gopal Prabhu	2014
Premamanjari Mataji	2018
Hridaychaitanya Prabhu	2018
Rajshekar Prabhu	2019
Paramananda Prabhu	2020
Vishal Prabhu	2023
Ananta Acharya Prabhu	Current
Brajahari Prabhu	2009-2010, 2012-Current

Back in 2009, Brajahari Prabhu started small. He used to book small classrooms and seminar rooms in the university. Prasadam was cooked by his good friend Sriram Gopal Prabhu's wife. Devakinandan Prabhu came to deliver the first few lectures. The NUS university program was already in motion.

Several years later, Sriram Gopal Prabhu took over the programs at NUS and the programs saw their heyday. Prabhu and his wife Nayanmanjari Mataji were a very dynamic couple. Sriram Gopal Prabhu was extremely creative and came up with so many activities to engage the students. Nayanmanjari Mataji was very hardworking and resourceful. For example, during some retreats, the students used to stay over at a chalet in the East of Singapore. Flanked by the idyllic settings, they got up early to participate in Mangala aarti. They heard spiritual lectures, participated in games and activities, and of course, had melodious kirtan and mouth-watering prasadam.

During mega-events or large-scale events which were widely publicized, there were quizzes, a lecture, and many other cultural activities.

Another amazingly productive and highly-educated devotee who was helping Sriram Gopal Prabhu was Premamanjari Mataji. Premamanjari Mataji's efforts provided ample fuel to the raging fire. Premamanjari Mataji was a medical doctor by profession. She delivered highly thoughtful lectures that catered to an intelligent group of students. However, her unique selling point was the deep personal relationships that she developed with all students, particularly the female students. Young ladies used to frequent her small apartment where she used to personally teach them the art of devotional service. She also visited NUS dormitories to talk and bond with the ladies. The students were highly inspired by her intellectual lectures and her strict spiritual practices. Due to her association, many enthusiastically took up devotional service and are still seriously practicing devotees.

Some people understand the gravity of the Lords' message much more strongly than others. During this time, a young lad who was attending the programs was one such. He was an undergraduate student and a regular in the programs. In a very short period of time, he could be seen delivering very profound lectures, and took many by surprise. He swiftly took up many services at the Gita Reading Society and could be seen literally everywhere. This student has been one of the successors of Sriram Gopal Prabhu. Vishal Ladha Prabhu, a product of the NUS programmes, has been conducting the programs for the past few years. Another devotee, Ananta Acharya Prabhu, also took up devotional service very quickly, "like dry wood that catches fire" (quote by Devakinandan Prabhu). He quickly became highly well-versed in both Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. When he delivers a lecture, he dissects, connects, analyzes and examines the Bhagavad Gita in scrutinizing detail. His scholarly lectures encourage every listener to study the scriptures deeply, as he clearly has. As Devakinandan Prabhu mentioned, the name "Acharya" befits his character greatly.

In recent years, both Vishal Prabhu and Ananta Acharya Prabhu saw the programmes through the COVID pandemic and recently organized both online and offline programmes. Vishal Prabhu is now moving away from Singapore, as the NUS Bhakti Yoga Club wonders what Krishna has in store for the future.

Vishal Prabhu talks of his experience with the NUS programs as follows:

"I got introduced to Krishna consciousness through an NUS Janmashtami program with Devakinandan Prabhu. The loving association of devotees like Devakinandan Prabhu, Premamanjari Mataji, Soumya Mataji, Brajahari Prabhu, CAVE (another initiative by Sriram Gopal Prabhu for bachelors) devotees, etc. inspired me to take up different devotional activities and services which helped grow in my bhakti. As a teenager who was away from home for the first time, devotees offered me a home away from home where I felt a family atmosphere with Krishna in the centre. Will be forever grateful to the NUS program for giving me the matchless gift!"

Vyshnavi, another regular attendee and medical doctor, shares her experience and the lessons she has learnt from the NUS programs as follows:

"In 2020, many of us collectively went through an existential life crisis as we were forced to pivot from our usual lifestyle and go into a lockdown, both physically and mentally as well. In my line of work, we had no respite from this global pandemic as healthcare professionals and essential workers were on the frontlines. With each passing day, the COVID-19 crisis was further eroding our patience, enthusiasm, and grit, rendering us vulnerable to more mental health issues, bit by bit.

Despite this, I found it very curious and astonishing to observe that every healthcare professional, regardless of where they were, the access to resources or their experience in witnessing the most vulnerable moments of humanity, every single one of them focused solely on doing their duty.

Like many, I went into a mode of self-inquiry and found that I had many more questions that Googling or reading books on philosophy, religion and theology could answer (or at least, that approach would have taken a relatively longer time). Fortunately, right about the same time, my mother had forwarded a sign-up form for NUS BYC's 2-year course on the Bhagavad Gita, and this association was a game-changer. Coming from a traditional Hindu family that has always placed importance on Sanatana Dharma, I assumed that I was familiar enough with the itihasas like Ramayana and Mahabharata, I had even "read" the Gita a couple of times but I realised that while my eyes were reading the verses, the essence of it had not penetrated my brain.

It is through the NUS BYC that I had the wonderful association of devotees and friends who acted as spiritual windshield wipers in this learning journey. As we met on a weekly basis to dissect chapter by chapter and discuss realisations, there were many takeaways that we were able to glean as a group. One of the most essential principles that I now apply to my daily life is:

• A – Association

• B – Books

• C – Chant

• D – Diet

• E – Engagement in spiritual activities

  
  

Association with like-minded devotees is a sure-fire way of ensuring that we follow the Navavidha Bhakti. As stated in SB 3.25.25,

satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvidobhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥtaj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmaniśraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati

Books, like I've mentioned, was something that I've always actively sought out as a resource when trying to look for answers. However, after the Bhagavad Gita course with NUS BYC, I realised a very important caveat is which books to read, who is the author, and what is the guru parampara of the author. Our minds are extremely fickle as Krishna says multiple times in the Gita, and hence it is essential to read authorized sources that have been vetted and verified by gurus when on this spiritual journey.

Chanting: harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. The holy name of Sri Hari is enough to purify us. This is emphasized again and again in every session conducted by BYC as we start it by chanting together, and even end the session in a unique style of kirtan where every student is given the opportunity to sing in their preferred tune. This allows us the opportunity to chant together every Friday evening when we meet.

Diet: Many are attracted to ISKCON temples for the sumptuous prasadam, but something I learnt is that we must honour prasadam through all of our senses — ghranam ca tad pada saroja saurabhe. There's a reason why after aarathi, we smell the flowers taken from the deity, why great care is taken to prepare the prasadam with a sattvik mode. Prasadam means Krishna's mercy, and prasadam is the remnants of something that has been prepared for the pleasure of Krishna with love and offered to Him for His enjoyment. Because Krishna has tasted it or enjoyed it, prasadam is not a material thing. Once Krishna tastes something it becomes transcendental.

Engagement in spiritual activities: The NUS Bhakti Yoga Club has served as a platform to engage in seva for NUS programmes, or in the temple for the weekly programmes and festivals. This has allowed us to constantly be in association with devotees, and allowed us the opportunity to not only serve Krishna, but also dāsa-dāsānudāsa. Srila Vishvanatha Cakravarthi Thakura therefore says, 'yasya prasaada d bhagavat-prasaa do' — if one very sincerely serves the spiritual master, Krishna certainly becomes favorable to such a devotee.

All in all, the Bhagavad Gita is a mental mirror that NUS Bhakti Yoga Club has held to me, and all the fellow spiritual aspirants in this club. I offer my dandavat pranams to everyone who has made this learning journey one that I will always cherish and hold close to my heart."