Designing a raganuga-freebie - What'll it have?

I like Brian's mantra-kit program at Namahatta.Com, and I would like to start working on putting together some kind of free kit for those interested in our way of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. I am looking for feedback from our audience. Ideally, the package would be something that would appeal even to those with practically no background in Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

Rasaraja suggested bundling together Manjari-svarupa-nirupana, a snippet of Radha-kunda tilaka and a saree. Personally I don't think that's a good idea, unless we bundle in a bit of lipstick too.

But seriously, would you come up with ideas on some helpful introductory content that is both easy to assimilate for the receiver and cheap for us to produce and mail en masse. I am thinking along the lines of a softbound book of ca. 50 pages, an audio-CD and a video CD. The production cost would come to around $1 to $2 USD, the weight would be below 100g, and the bulk (with slim CD cases) would be about 6-8 mm, making it cheap to mail both inside US and abroad.

The book is still a bit open. The video CD would have some shots of Vraja and Navadvipa, and short clips of interviews with my Baba and possibly some other sadhus commenting on some basic questions. The audio CD would have some daily songs to sing, along with simple melodies of maha-mantra, and a small booklet with words for them. We need simpler melodies, though, than the current recordings at Raganuga.Com

What would you like to see in such a package?

Gorgeous idea!

Ananga is working on the recording of some bhajans with simple melodies. A CD with the daily songs+lyrics would be very useful. A beautiful set of pictures could also be part of the kit.

Maybe you should make a Gaudiya beginners kit and in it you could include video dvd questions and answers with Ananta Dasa Baba that you could interview him for when you go.

Then you could also make another kit for "refugees from other Gaudiya groups" with articles from Jagat's site, like introduction to controversial issues in Gaudiya Vaishnavism...

For kit one you could have ADB's siksastakam.
For kit two - Raga Vartma Candrika.

I like the picture idea. A little lipstick is always good just to freak people out!

Yes, I also thought of the picture idea. I wonder why I didn't write it in my initial post.

I agree that we should have two kits. Certainly there is great potential among those who have come in touch with the Gaudiya tradition through some modern groups and are seeking for something more or something different, but we cannot go on feeding off their remnants forever. We need to open a new market, for those interested in India, yoga and whatnot. There is a great potential there that goes practically untouched among us. I feel we should take steps to that direction, too.

At any rate, the audio and video CDs could go into both kits. The softbound book would be different. This book, in both cases I am thinking we may need to compile it from a scratch to make a good overview. Especially in the book for the brand new market, we need to have something very carefully thought out and specifically directed for them. Something informative and inspiring, yet not too detailed or confrontational. We should put these together as a joint effort, text we would go over and over until every sentence is ironed out into an optimal presentation, if such a thing exists.

And yes, we should give suggestions for further reading.

In the video CD, I would like to edit roughly an hour of content together, content I will be filming during my upcoming visit to Vraja. Perhaps Nabadip might come up with some interesting video content introducing Navadvipa-dhama. I fear going there might be a bit outside the scope of my upcoming trip, though I would also love to shoot some video of Q & A with Madan Gopal Goswami and others. In addition to Q & A, the video will contain footage of different holy places around Vraja as well as people engaged in various devotional practices.

This would also go together with a website from where people can order kits, and where we'd also have a small forum for questions and answers. Not a forum like Gaudiya Discussions, but a forum strictly for questions and answers, with a couple of editors who would take care of the answering aspect. Not for debates, not for creating communities, just for Q & A. For other discussions, we could just send people over here.

In regards to the question someone will inevitably come to ask, why not include a book already written by some sadhu or acarya, the response is that we want to put together a book specifically directed to our target audience, in which the entry threshold is minimized, and the content is presented in their terms so to say, not forcing them to adjust to a new genre of literature, but rather presenting something very easily digestable which will provoke them to seek out further literature (from our list of recommended books).

I don't think that "controversial issues" should really form any part of such a kit. We should try as far as possible to avoid defining ourselves in contrast to the Gaudiya Math, which is what tends to happen when we raise these controversial issues.

I agree. I believe it is possible to present the positive without commenting on the negative. I believe we could touch on the topic of initiation, and in fact we should present some history on diksha-paramparas and the vamsa-traditon, but I believe it is quite possible to do that without contrasting it with anything.

The book/(let) oriented towards those with prior contact and history with Gaudiya Vaishnavism should probably include adequate scriptural references, as I'm certain there is concern over authenticity. However, I believe it would be best done by adding the references (verse numbers etc.) as end notes, and offer the full references online on the website, as we should really not make that too bulky either.

Dandavats. All glories to the Vaisnavas.

I have been discussing with Madhava the idea of putting together a package in which can be sent to those interested in Raganuga-bhakti. We envision to distinct types of packages:

A. Newcomer to the precepts of Raganuga-bhakti – Highlights the texts, practices and histories for those interested specifically in the practices of Raganuga-bhakti as understood and practiced outside of ISKCON/GM. I would see a booklet explaining and highlighting what differentiates these precepts from the ISKCON/GM teachings with a focus on the positive aspects of the more traditional parivars. Then we would include one or two books in which best highlight the nuances and practices of Raganuga-bhakti.
B. Newcomer to Gaudiya Vaisnavism – This would be somewhat similar to the first package but with more background on Gaudiya thought, tradition and history. It would also possibly include mala, tilaka, pictures, etc.

My question would be what would the Vaisnavas here see as important additions to these packages. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Always aspiring to serve the Vaisnavas,
Rasaraja dasa

Rajarasa dasaji had started another thread asking for a book bundle (coming out of a desire to send some books to the esteemed Gopidustji & Bhakta David-ji) to be put together... one thought would be to seek premission from Gadadhara-prana dasa-ji to publish his appendix to Sri Sri Prema-bhakti-candrika. I think this is a pretty good introduction to raganuga bhakti, along with sastric quotes & vocabulary. And its pretty short to boot... anyone else agree?

In the book for existing Gaudiyas, I would envision the following topics covered:

• The descent of Caitanya, the inner reasons for this. (unnatojjvala-rasaM sva-bhakti zriyam ityAdi, rAga-mArga-bhakti loke korite pracharan ityAdi).
• The tradition that evolved in the post-Caitanya era, it's connection with modern-day lineages where rAgAnuga-sAdhana is practiced.
• The core theology of rAgAnugA-bhakti summarized (with references mentioned, without the Sanskrit itself put in to not increase the bulk of the book, with an online source for the complete references.
• An appendix with "recommended reading", one-paragraph introductions to some important titles.
• A brief glossary of new terminology introduced in the text.

I would imagine we could stuff all that into ca. 60 pages.

In the book for newcomers, I would envision the following themes covered:

• A little bit of history to give a context to the tradition, giving an idea of where the Gaudiyas fit in the grand scheme of Indian religions.
• A summary of our core theology, our ideas of God, the world and the living entities, and on the relevance of all that on our current human situation.
• Answers to common theological problems people are faced with.
• Something on the practice of bhakti, both the ideals and something one may take up immediately.
• An appendix with "recommended reading", one-paragraph introductions to some important titles.
• Glossary with some of the basic terminology.

Admittedly, my thoughts on this are more scattered than on the previous title.

Both texts would be worked on by a group of people who twist and turn around the text until it has precisely the message we wish to convey, expressed in a clear and appealing way.

These two booklets look like great ideas to me, and seem relatively easy to translate into reality. Could Madhavaji provide an update on progress?