Why RVC?

Reach the Siddhanta.

“It is the sole purpose of the RVC to execute the will of Srila Prabhupada through the teachings and example of Srila Rupa Goswami. In particular, the literary works of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada constitute the final conclusion (siddhanta) on all subject matters.”

Rupanuga Vedic College Prospectus, p. 22

Find your course

It’s a journey. Start where you are.

Taught online, from wherever you are. Those who qualify may live at the temple for the duration of their studies. Contact us for more information.

The degrees are the college’s own, granted by RVC under its own standard. The Bhakti titles are examined and awarded by the ISKCON Board of Examinations (BOEX). The college is not externally accredited.

About Rupanuga Vedic College

Rupanuga Vedic College carries out Srila Prabhupada’s order — a school for educating brahmanas and Vaisnavas. The college was established in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1998, where devotees study Srila Prabhupada’s books systematically, with sadhana, Sanskrit, and pilgrimage — earning the college’s own degree and a Bhakti title at the same time.

What Makes RVC Different

Bhakta programme training. A rare and special offering: the AVC – Bhakta Programme — living the culture (3-month stay at the college), daily sadhana (spiritual practice), service and association — is available to men 18 and up who want it. It is a sound option providing an unforgettable experience. With room and board and all the prasadam you can eat, this program gives you full opportunity to advance on your spiritual path. Though not a requirement: a student may enter the Bhakti Shastri course through the AVC course, or through its equivalent. (See BOEX Standards for entry to Bhakti Shastri course)

Continued brahmacari training. Another rare offering: for those continuing on the brahmacari path, the college is a place to dedicate more time to spiritual advancement through the systematic study of Srila Prabhupada’s books with a full-time residency — with sadhana courses in japa, aratis and harinama, and the India pilgrimage practicum. Great opportunity to further one’s education with the Bhakti Sastri/Associate degree.

An educational structure envisioned by Srila Prabhupada. In January 1976 Prabhupada set out the system of examinations and titles — Bhakti-sastri, Bhakti-vaibhava, Bhakti-vedanta, Bhakti-sarvabhauma — corresponding to entrance, B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. RVC builds that structure into a full college ladder, with the college’s own degrees running alongside the titles. Here are his letters, in his own words:

The System — Letter to Svarupa Damodara, 10 January 1976

“Sometimes there is criticism that our men are not sufficiently learned, especially the brahmanas. Of course second initiation does not depend upon passing an examination. How one has molded his life chanting, attending arati, etc., these are essential. Still, Brahmana means pandita. Therefore I am suggesting examinations. Bhakti-sastri—(for all brahmanas) based on Bhagavad-gita, Sri Isopanisad, Nectar of Devotion, Nectar of Instruction, and all the small paper backs. Bhakti-vaibhava—the above plus first six cantos of S.B. Bhakti-vedanta—the above plus cantos 7-12 S.B. Bhakti-sarvabhauma—the above plus Caitanya-caritamrta. These titles can correspond to entrance, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.”

Srila Prabhupada, letter to Svarupa Damodara dasa, Bombay, 10 January 1976

Who Must Sit the Examinations — Letter to All Governing Body Commissioners, 6 January 1976

“Anyone wishing to be initiated as a brahmana will have to pass the Bhakti-sastri exam and anyone wishing to take sannyasa will have to pass the Bhakti-vaibhava examination as well… Any sannyasis or brahmanas already initiated who fail to pass the exams will be considered low class or less qualified.”

Srila Prabhupada, letter to all Governing Body Commissioners, Nellore, 6 January 1976.

Study, in Prabhupada’s vision, is not an extra for the scholarly. It is part of what it means to be a brahmana — and it sits alongside sadhana, not instead of it: chanting, attending arati, and molding one’s life remain essential.

Carried out by His Holiness Danavir Goswami — the college’s inaugural president, Who for over five decades built Srila Prabhupada’s training system for new students, and now he is widening it to college level.

Life at the College

This is a college, but it is not only a classroom. Study and sadhana, service and association, kirtan, prasadam feasts and festivals — the prospectus promises students will “enjoy life with a thrill at every moment.” The learning is stress-free, the living is simple, and the thinking is high.

The College Is for Everyone

If you find yourself outside the qualifications for our Bhakta Programme — no worries, Rupanuga Vedic College is for everyone. The courses are taught online, so you can study Srila Prabhupada’s books systematically from wherever you are, in your own time, with teachers, examinations, and good company along the way.

From the Prospectus

The college’s own prospectus says it best. Two passages we keep coming back to:

“The Western system of higher education, although well organized and sophisticated, is blind to spiritual necessity. On the other hand, although Eastern transcendentalism is highly esteemed, alone, it is lame to carry the world forward. As East and West embrace at the Rupanuga Vedic College, the world will become a place of peace and enlightenment.”

Rupanuga Vedic College Prospectus, pp. 7–8 — Srila Prabhupada’s andha-pangu-nyaya, the blind man and the lame man

“By synergizing the degree program and the title program, a brilliant chemistry is formed which, to use a Vedic analogy, is like mixing mercury and bell metal to produce gold.”

Rupanuga Vedic College Prospectus, p. 54 — on the degree and the title, earned together

Partnerships

RVC has asked three established centres to partner with it — Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education (VIHE), Mayapur Institute, and ISKCON Chowpatty BACE — offering them full credit, pointing students toward them, and using their course material at this early stage, if they agree. If they decide to reciprocate, the partnership will be a special one: the college’s own prospectus already provides for transfer credit for students who have taken VIHE courses, and the Bhakti Shastri course will be taught with partner lessons, clearly credited. Replies are awaited; no partner material is used here until the partner agrees.

Why Vedic Knowledge Matters in the West

The West has universities for almost everything — except the knowledge of the soul. Here, that knowledge is yours to study: systematically, in English, in your own time zone, with teachers, examinations, and good company along the way. Come as you are — the door is open.

RVC aims to set the standard for the theological and philosophical study of Gaudiya Vaishnavism — its own system, built on Srila Prabhupada’s books, earning recognition in time as a place of exemplary study. The college is not externally accredited. Accreditation would be welcome, but not at the price of what is taught: no mundane subjects, only the knowledge of the soul.

Queen Kunti prayed:

janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir edhamana-madah puman / naivarhaty abhidhatum vai tvam akincana-gocaram

“My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of material progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.”

Queen Kunti’s prayer, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.26, translation by Srila Prabhupada

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