Our Objectives

Spreading the Holy Name

It is our first and foremost objective to inspire people to chant the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. Chanting the holy name is the Yuga-dharma; the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna descended as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to inaugurate this dharma and propagate the Sankirtana Movement. He desired that the entire world be inundated with the chanting of the holy name. Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of ISKCON, accepted this as the mission of his life and established the worldwide Hare Krishna Movement to spread the holy names. Following in his footsteps, we, the disciples of Srila Prabhupada, have initiated various programs like Chanters Club, Harinam Festival, and Hare Krishna Flash Mobs, to spread the holy names and inspire as many people as possible to chant the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra.

Gorgeous Deity Worship and Opulent Festivals

The second objective is to maintain opulent and gorgeous Deity worship along with festivals on a grand scale throughout the year. The Supreme Lord Krishna has appeared before us in the form of a Deity to accept our services. Srila Prabhupada established Deity worship as an important part of the Krishna consciousness movement. He set up temples around the world so that his disciples could serve the Deities every day, and he emphasized decorating the Deities and celebrating festivals in an exuberant manner throughout the year. By serving the Deity, we can purify ourselves from material contamination; by engaging all our senses directly in His service, we get rid of our non-devotional tendencies, and it brings steadiness to our materially agitated mind.

Create Awareness about Srila Prabhupada

The third objective is to increase awareness and appreciation of Srila Prabhupada — his message, his saintly personality, his character, his mission, and his institution. Srila Prabhupada is the spiritual ambassador who visited this mortal world to show us the path back to Godhead, and as his disciples it is our duty to create awareness about him. He is a bona fide spiritual master in the disciplic succession originating from Brahma. Just as an ambassador is an authorized representative of his country, a spiritual master who comes in the disciplic succession, parampara, is an empowered representative of God. Ordered by his own spiritual master, he embarked on his life's mission to spread the message of Krishna to the English-speaking world, building a house in which the whole world could live. Read his biography to know more about him.

Distribution of Scriptures

Our spiritual master's mission was to spread the transcendental message of Krishna as recorded in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam through his books. He founded the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in 1972 and wrote more than 70 books, which have been translated into 57 languages. To understand any philosophy, reading books is an important tool of comprehension for a reader, and Srila Prabhupada encouraged his devotees to circulate books among different communities — reading them forms the basis of understanding the Hare Krishna movement. You can access the catalog of his books; some are also available for download. We encourage devotees to read and distribute these books — Srila Prabhupada said that this service of book distribution makes him happy.

Missionary Development

The fifth objective is to maintain and nourish a vibrant, inspired, and committed community of missionaries with a mature understanding of Srila Prabhupada's instructions for his Krishna consciousness movement. Aspiring devotees who want to dedicate their lives to serving Srila Prabhupada's mission are given basic facilities to be part of the community, trained in a disciplined way of life, and engaged in serving the mission for the greater good of society.

Offer for Donors

Support for the mission comes from donors and patrons, who are among our major stakeholders — it is due to their support that we are able to render our services to society. We provide our donors and patrons opportunities to advance in their spiritual life, educating them on the principles of spiritual life through the books written by Srila Prabhupada. Patrons are also invited on special occasions, like their birthday or marriage anniversary, to visit the temple and take the blessings of the Lord, and are invited for major festivals at the temple. You too can be a part of Nandgram Dham by helping us through donating.

To Increase Krishna Consciousness

People from all walks of life, irrespective of caste, creed, and gender, are encouraged to participate in our programs to develop their understanding of the spiritual practices that help lead a peaceful life filled with happiness and prosperity. To increase God consciousness in society, Nandgram Dham conducts specific programs for children (Cultural Education), youth (FOLK Programs), families (Bhagavad-gita Based Introductory), and other members of society (Krishnashraya) — all conducted free of cost. Next time you visit the temple, ask at the Temple Reception to know more about these programs and how you can be part of them.

Prasadam Distribution

Food distribution is considered the supreme of all charities. Srila Prabhupada wanted everyone to taste the nectar of devotion — the food offered to Krishna is considered divine nectar that can alleviate our suffering by freeing us from sins. Srila Prabhupada insisted that everyone who visits the temple must receive some prasadam, and we have been distributing khichdi prasadam to every visitor since the temple's inception. Every Saturday (Youth) and Sunday (Family), we distribute mahaprasadam to all after aarti and katha, starting from 8:30.

Conclusion of Our Purpose

• If we sincerely follow an authentic spiritual discipline, it helps us attain a state of blissful being — one that is free of all worries and gives us complete self-control.
• None of us are our physical bodies. Instead, we are all souls that live forever and are part of a common God — Krishna. Knowing that we are all children of a common father helps us see one another as members of one united family spread across the world.
• Krishna is eternal, omnipresent, all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-attractive. He is the source of all life and the sustaining energy of the universe.
• To know and love God is the goal of Vedic knowledge, and the Bhagavad Gita, spoken by Lord Krishna Himself over 5,000 years ago, contains the essence of the Vedas.
• To successfully tread the path of spiritual discipline and attain the goal of self-realization, it is imperative that we are led by a genuine guru or spiritual teacher. The Bhagavad Gita and other sacred texts list many criteria essential in a guru, but what is most crucial is that a guru follows and reiterates the message of Krishna, without changing it or having any selfish motive — the thoughts and actions of the guru should always be concentrated on Krishna.
• We must acknowledge and reciprocate the selfless love radiated by Krishna, by offering Him our food and a prayer before eating. Though Krishna Himself has provided that food to us, He is pleased like a parent receiving a gift from their child — this act of offering food to our Lord cleanses our consciousness and brings us closer to Him.
• We should stay away from self-centeredness and act in a way that gives joy to Krishna. This path of loving devotion toward God can be followed by people of any age or faith, and is known as bhakti-yoga — connecting to the Supreme through loving devotional service.
• The most effective means for today's spiritual seeker to reach the blissful, worry-free state, and to become closer to God, is to chant His holy names — the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra: