How does ISKCON differ from Mainstream Hinduism?

[Viraja]

I am on no one's side. I am just saying what works for one may not work for another. By the way I have a great reverence for Shrila PrabhupAd, but interestingly, he understands my point, many of his followers do not. (I am not talking about you Virajaji, you are wonderful, I mean it).

This wasn't about anything lacking in a sampraday at all - at least my post wasn't. If others are criticizing that was not my point.

We were speaking of the differences in various KRshNa devotees and just saying that there can actually be a gulf of a difference.
A lot of people do not even think and presume that if you are a devotee of KRshNa you must belong to ISKCON. Why? Can't there be "just" devotees of KRshNa ? The other Hindu VaishNav sampradayas understand this.
People wonder and keep asking why a devotee of KRshNa does not go to ISKCON. "If you like KRshNa so much why don't you join ISKCON?"
Why does such a question even arise?
As if the 2 words are synonymous.

Now I see what you are trying to convey, and I agree. Krishna devotees need not be in ISKCON. My argument was for ISKCON as an organization (or sampradhaya) that has both plusses and minuses, just as any other sampradhaya.

But truly, I am all for ISKCON only because of all the pain and effort its acharyas are taking to promote Krishna bakthi.

I follow the Youtube channel of Indradyumna Swami Maharaja ('Indradyumna Swami Official') and I am at awe seeing how much effort he takes to give those 1000's of discourses on Krishna bhakti free of cost for anyone interested! All from 'Vrindavan research institute' containing 32,000+ Sanskrit sources.

And then, Bakthi Vikas Swami too, in his Youtube channel, talks about various issues, and promotes Krishna prema.

Not saying, these and other reasons are why one should turn to Iskcon if he wants to be a krishna baktha, but just saying, despite some listed or well-known minuses, ISKCON is a good place to be, for those interested.

I truly appreciate your kind words for me.

Pranam.

 

[Aupmanyav]

But, that said, can you pinpoint an "ideal sampradaya" or the one that you are following, and I will come back with a said 'checklist' of all it lacks.

Starting a new thread in General Religious Debates forum on 'What does atheistic Advaita lacks'. I like challenges.

 

[Viraja]

Today I listened my manasika (my own mental) guruji Srila Indradyumna Swami Maharaja's discourse on 'Gopala Bhatta Goswami' (The Heartbeat Of Vrindavan - Gopal Bhatta Goswami - YouTube).

At 34:00 - 36:00 minutes in the above video, gurudeva clarifies about Srila Prabhupada's teaching on 'Vapu' and 'Vani' - whether one has to reside by and serve a saintly soul or just follow acharya's instructions.

Guruji says clearly that Srila Prabhupada instructs that 'Vani' or following the instructions is preferred over "Vapu" or serving the saintly soul.

I thought it is of interest to this discussion, since earlier it was stated that ISKCON teaches otherwise, that is, to serve the saintly soul always. From the video, it seems not to be the case.