EP. 15 | The 12th Disciple of Srila Prabhupada on WWIII, ISKCON & the Future of the Movement | Rupanuga Das
One of the earliest disciples of Srila Prabhupada joins the 8th Element Podcast for a powerful and deeply controversial conversation about spirituality, society, war, institutional corruption, and the future of Krishna consciousness. Rupanuga Prabhu shares firsthand stories from the early days of the Hare Krishna movement in New York City, his personal experiences with Srila Prabhupada, the Buffalo preaching movement, the rise of spiritual communities in America, and his concerns about modern institutionalism. This episode dives into: • The original mission of Srila Prabhupada • Book editing controversies • Spiritual movements and infiltration • World War predictions and karma • The danger of institutional ego • Why “Perfection at Home” may be the future • The power of chanting and spiritual practice inside the family unit Chapters 00:00 – Introduction to Rupanuga Prabhu 03:00 – Meeting Srila Prabhupada in New York City 07:00 – Early Krishna Consciousness in the East Village 10:00 – “You Are Not Your Body” Changed Everything 16:00 – Building the Buffalo Movement 25:00 – The David Susskind Show & Reaching Millions 31:00 – Why He Dedicated His Life to Preaching 34:00 – Prabhupada’s Warnings About World War 44:00 – “The Power Is in the People” 49:00 – Karma, Violence & The State of the World 57:00 – Why Society Is Spiraling Toward Crisis 1:01:00 – The Book Editing Controversy 1:08:00 – Envy, Leadership & Spiritual Institutions 1:13:00 – “Agents of Kali” Inside Spiritual Movements 1:20:00 – Infiltration, Intelligence Agencies & Narrative Control 1:23:00 – The Poisoning Discussion 1:25:00 – Initiation, Gurus & Prabhupada’s Books 1:35:00 – Why Prabhupada Has “No Equal” 1:42:00 – The Vision of “Perfection at Home” 1:49:00 – Spiritual Life Beyond Institutions 1:54:00 – Preparing Consciousness for Death & Crisis Whether you agree or disagree with every perspective shared, this conversation challenges listeners to think deeply about truth, consciousness, leadership, and personal spiritual responsibility. Subscribe to the 8th Element Podcast for more conversations exploring faith, identity, consciousness, culture, and the deeper realities shaping our world.
