The Need

What is heard by the students in one-time program is to just generate an interest amongst the masses and identify the serious ones. This six-session program on Discover Your Self (previously called as Science of Self Discovery) gives them more understanding of what spiritual life is and how to apply it in our everyday life.  For better understanding and appreciation, we are presenting this course in a scientific manner. Today, the younger generation is not satisfied with ordinary religious rituals, and demands an explanation that can appeal to their scientific upbringing. Srila Prabhupada also desired his preachers explain the Krishna conscious philosophy in a systematic, logical and scientific way so that there is no doubt left with the audience. This course is primarily geared towards the engineering community, but can be suitably presented to any kind of audience, keeping in mind their background and needs. The six sessions presented here gradually elevate the audience from the most basic question "Does God exist?" to an understanding of love and service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna.

Benefits

1) Immediately after one-time program, if you announce an eternal (!!!) weekly program on Bhagavad gita nobody is interested as they have 1001 engagements. This 6-session program which is a time bound program can attract such sincere, but busy students.

2) Serious candidates in six sittings with color slide show grasp the Krishna conscious philosophy considerably and become fixed up devotees, prepared for attending a weekly program.

3) We enter a college with no acquaintances or support. But at the end of 6-session program, a wonderful relationship is developed between the preacher and the students so much so that the preacher can boldly ask, "Who would like to offer your room for a 10 sitting course on Your Best Friend?"  Certainly the most serious ones will offer their room for holding the weekly programs and another 20 will promise to regularly attend the same. Thus a 6-session program offers a venue for a weekly program.

Topics

IYF has published a standard text book entitled "Discovery Your Self" which covers the following topics elaborately with practical examples:

1. Does God exist?
2. Relative and Absolute knowledge
3. The infallible Vedic wisdom
4. The science of the Soul
5. Substance and Shadow
6. Sanatana Dharma - The art of Living

We have prepared Color slides for each session (15 to 20 slides per session) which makes the lecture very graphical and easy to grasp.  The complete set is available for sale to other temples. After one successfully completes this course, we have three more courses of ascending order: Your Best Friend, Pass the Final Exam and Yoga for the 21^st Century. These three courses need not be taught in a 6-session fashion, but can be taught in the weekly once program.

Venue & Audience

1) The course can be conducted in the college campus, say in a seminar hall (capacity of about 150 students). Both localites and hostelites can attend.

2) Can be conducted in the hostel, say in the common room or recreation room. Advantage is that all the hostelites can be invited to attend the course. The follow-up during the course days is very easy - most of the audience is staying in the hostel rooms.

3) If conducted outside, then preferably in a students room (for small audience) or terrace. A public hall may be taken on rent, in case of no other option.

4) If possible, the venue should not be close to places such as a library, where people may complain about the sound coming out from our program. In the six-session program, we include group chanting and kirtans.

Frequency

1. Program can be arranged for 6 continuous days (e.g. Monday to Saturday)

       Advantage

a) The 6-session course gets over in just a week's time, giving us many weeks ahead of their exams, for the weekly Your Best Friend course, where they can be exposed to deeper philosophy.

b) The boys are able to keep up the spirit of the course when they come day after day out of great enthusiasm to learn more and more.

      Disadvantage

Boys may not be able to come 6 continuous days at a stretch due to pressure of studies.

2. Can be arranged as 3 sessions in the first week (Monday to Wednesday) and next 3 sessions in the next week.
3. Or 1 session per week (weekly course) in 6 weeks.

      Disadvantage

Boys may come one week and may not attend next week, as the enthusiasm may go down.

Thus the frequency of the program is to be tried, tested and learned from experience and may vary from place to place.

Timing

Should be chosen very carefully according to area and students requirements.

1) In the modern times we have a great competition from various factors like tuitions of students, GRE, TOEFL, competitive exams, extra-curricular activities, etc. They return back at 8.00 PM and then have to go to the mess. So if in a particular place students are preoccupied in the evening, then the best time is between 9.00 and 11.00 PM where the students are not tied up and freely available in the evening.

2) The hours after college hours would be most ideal (say 6.00 - 7.30PM or 7.30 - 9.00PM)

3) We can also arrange for 2 programs on the same day - say one between 5.00 to 7.30PM and another between 9.00 to 11.00PM. So some can join in the evening and some in the night program. So two independent programs can go on and this will create 2 groups of students. The timing suitable for the weekly program for both these groups can be decided later.

While enrolling the students for the 6-session course, we can have an entry in the form asking the student to indicate his choice of timing and frequency (amongst above options). Then we can see what the majority of the students want and arrange accordingly.

Permission for organizing six-session program from college authority

The permission for holding 6-session program is to be taken along with the permission for 1-time program, as we have to announce during the 1-time about the details of the upcoming 6-session program such as the dates, venue, etc. If 1-time is in the college auditorium, then the 6-session can be organized in one of the classrooms, after college hours. If 6-session is to be held after 9.00PM then usually college authorities will not give permission to hold program in these late evening hours. Then it has to be in a held in a community/public hall very near to the college or in a temple, which has an adjunct (adjoining temple hall).

Propaganda

1) Readymade pamphlet available giving details about 6-session course. This pamphlet is a standard for various programs we may hold in the colleges. Only the preachers name, venue, timings, etc may change. This can be printed in quantities of 1000 or 2000 and freely distributed during 1-time to attract the attention of the students.

2) Some pamphlets can be distributed in the rooms of hostels or students flats for enrollment. Even before the 1-time program, we can begin enrolling students living in flats outside for 6-session through the pamphlets and DYS books.

Enclosure: 6-session pamphlet, entry form

Requirements

1) Prasad: It is best to provide full dinner prasad (as said in the pamphlet) so that once the students come for the program, they need not bother about going to mess for dinner. Also, they get a taste for prasad - a great relief from their boring mess food. Prasad can be prepared quantitatively and opulently - rice, dal, sabji, puris (if possible), 1 wet and/or 1 dry sweet with variations such as rice-sambar, some fruit juices (banana shake), seasonal delicacies, etc. Remember - prasad has attracted many people to our movement who have later become great devotees.

2) Mat, leaflets, drons, wastebasket, etc.

3) Mike system

4) Color slide projector and slides

5) 'nama om vishnupadaya...' prayer sheets, chanting beads, address slips

6) Attendance muster - to check regularity and identify the regular candidates

7) Follow-up team for getting/reminding the boys about the program

Enclosure: Checklist

Quiz and Prizes

Questions are given at the end of every session in the DYS book. Students can be encouraged to write answers and submit these within a couple of weeks after the course is over. Those who submit correct answers can be given prizes. All those who have been regularly attending the course can be given prizes. Free gifts for all those who took part in the course such as calendars or photos or new-year cards with deity photos. All those who promise to chant 1 round of Hare Krishna everyday can be given beads free of cost.

Screening and follow-up

Make list of

1) Those who are chanting regularly

2) Those who have agreed to come for the weekly Your Best Friend course

3) List of regular candidates

Groups of these boys can be allotted to devotee-volunteers who will stay in touch with them and ensure their participation in the weekly programs.

Announcements

1) Temple and IYF address, activities

2) Welcoming boys to temple/IYF programs such as the weekend IYF meetings

3) Asking some of the best/sincere boys for help in getting a venue for weekly program (one of the boys' rooms, a nearby flat, etc.).

4) Venue, timing, contents of weekly course - Your Best Friend.

5) Personal questions can be written down and passed to us, which will be answered by post later.

6) Encouraging all to take up chanting, reading of Srila Prabhupada's books, associating with devotees, etc.

Role of Co-ordination Committee

All the aforesaid activities are to be carried out by the CC committee. CC fixes up core group members for each program conducted in the city, so that the program can be very nicely coordinated and bring forth committed youth who will attend the weekly program regularly.

Conclusion

This type of program brings forth a fresh group of youth who are very inspired and enthused to know more about the philosophy of Krishna consciousness and to chant Hare Krishna regularly. It gives an opening to start with a fresh weekly program near the college which may flourish and produce strong committed student devotees in the future.