Mayapur Online Education is a new initiative from ISKCON Mayapur, producing online courses on the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. These courses have been designed to encourage devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to study Srila Prabhupada’s primary books–Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam and Chaitanya-charitamrita.
Corresponding to the study aptitude of the devotees, two types of courses will be provided on each of these books–basic study and advanced study.
- A basic study of a book will involve the students in studying its contents (primarily its purports), clarifying difficult passages through questions and answers, and working through assignments and tests.
- An advanced study of a book will involve the students in listening to audio recordings of a detailed analysis of its contents (primarily its purports) along with selections from the commentaries of the predecessor acharyas, clarifying detailed points of epistemology, philosophy and orthopraxis of shastra through questions and answers, and submitting detailed and well-referenced project papers on ten topics based on Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s dashamula framework.
Bhagavad-gita As It Is and each volume of the 18 volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam will have two courses: one involving a basic study and another involving an advanced study. So will the course on Chaitanya-charitamrita, which will deal with six essential philosophical sections of the text. Those taking up study of multi-volume Cantos will be additionally tested at the end of each Canto. Study of the Tenth Canto will include a study of Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Teachers
Vidvan Gauranga dasa and Radhika Jivana dasa will handle the first batch of students. Further teachers will then be enrolled.
- Vidvan Gauranga dasa: After reading the majority of Srila Prabhupada’s writings and associating with his followers in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Vidvan Gauranga dasa became convinced in 1987 that Srila Prabhupada authentically and powerfully represents the factual message of the Vedic scriptures. In 1989, he joined ISKCON as a temple resident and within a year, moved to Sri Mayapura-dhama where he received spiritual initiation from HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja and began his formal studies in Sanskrit, Bengali and the writings of the predecessor acharyas. From 1999, he taught the Bhagavad-gita thrice at the Mayapur Institute for Higher Education and Training. In 2005, with the approval and encouragement of his spiritual master, he joined HG Gopiparanadhana Prabhu’s Srimad-Bhagavata Vidyapitham to coordinate and teach Bhagavad-gita and Sanskrit at their onsite Bhagavata-pravesa study program in Mayapura. Apart from his teaching service, he also studies the writings of the predecessor acharyas and tries to serve Sri Mayapura-dhama in a variety of ways.
- Radhika Jivana dasa:
Credits
The team that has taken up the initiative to bring about Mayapur Online Education consists of Vidvan Gauranga dasa, Chaitanya Tirtha dasa and Radhika Jivana dasa. Radhika Jivana dasa and Vidvan Gauranga dasa prepared the section summaries. Chaitanya Tirtha dasa and Radhika Jivana dasa compiled the assignments. Gopijanaballabha Prabhu, his wife Shyama Gopika Mataji of Mayapur.com and Ashish Prabhu, their server administrator at Mumbai were very helpful in integrating this material under Mayapur.com. Sankarshan Nitai Prabhu was very kind and encouraging, and expressed his desire that Mayapur Online Education become a reality.
Vidvan Gauranga dasa is deeply indebted to Srila Jayapataka Maharaja and Sri Gopiparanadhana Prabhu for their kindness, advice and encouragement to study and teach Srila Prabhupada’s and the predecessor-acharyas’ writings.
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |
हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे ||
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada