True Islam is Vaishnavism

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Wednesday September 07 2005 19:14:06 PM BDT

 

Deepak Sarker
 

Devotees of Vishnu (Krsna) are called Vaishnavs.Only 500 years ago, Sri Krsna,
appeared as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (also known as Gouranga, because of His
golden complexion). At the time Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was playing the
pastime as a young man engaged in promulgating the congregational chanting
(sankirtan) of the Holy name ‘Hare Krsna’.The king of Bengal was Nawab Hussain
Shah (aka Allaudin Saiyyed Hussain)(1498-1511).Formerly he was the servant of
the cruel Nawab of Habsi dynasty named Mujapphar Khan, whom he assassinated and
became the king. In the book Riyaja us-salatina,the author Gulam Hussain says
that Nawab Hussain Shah belonged to the family of Mukka Seripha.The phaujdara
or City Magistrate was called Chand Kazi (aka Maulana Sirajuddin).It is said
that Chand Kazi was also the spiritual master of the Nawab Hussain
Shah.Desendents of Chand Kazi are still living in the vicinity of Mayapur,
dist.Nadia,West Bengal.Vaishnavs pay their obeisances to the samadhi of Chand
Kazi,underneath a champak tree,to this day.One day the Kazi approached one home
and spoke thus:krodhe sandhya-kale kaji eka ghareaila mrdanga bhangiya loke
kahite lagilaTRANSLATIONChand Kazi angrily came to one home in the evening, and
when he saw kirtana going on, he broke a mrdanga and spoke as followseta-kala
keha nahi kaila hinduyaniebe ye udyama calao kara bala jani'TRANSLATION"For so
long you did not follow the regulative principles of the Hindu religion, but
now you are following them with great enthusiasm. May I know by whose strength
you are doing so?PURPORTIt appears that from the aggression of Vaktiyara
Khiliji in Bengal until the time of Chand Kazi, Hindus, or the followers of the
Vedic principles, were greatly suppressed. Like the Hindus in present-day
Pakistan, practically no one could execute the Hindu religious principles
freely. Chand Kazi referred to this condition of Hindu society. Formerly the
Hindus had not been straightforward in executing their Hindu principles, but
now they were freely chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Therefore it must
have been by the strength of someone else that they were so daring. Actually,
that was the fact. Although the members of the so-called Hindu society had
followed the social customs and formulas, they had practically forgotten to
execute their religious principles strictly.But with the presence of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu they actually began following the regulative principles
according to His order. That order is still existing, and anywhere and
everywhere, in all parts of the world, one can execute it. That order is to
become a spiritual master under the direction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by
following the regulative principles, chanting daily at least sixteen rounds of
the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, and preaching the cult of Krsna consciousness all
over the world. If we adhere to the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we shall
get spiritual strength without a doubt, and we shall be free to preach this
cult of the Hare Krsna movement and not be hampered by anyone.keha kirtana na
kariha sakala nagareaji ami ksama kari' yaitechon ghareTRANSLATION"No one
should perform sankirtana on the streets of the city. Today I am excusing the
offense and returning home.PURPORTSuch orders stopping sankirtana in the
streets of the world's great cities have been imposed upon members of the Hare
Krsna movement. We have hundreds of centers all over the world, and we have
been specifically persecuted in Australia. In most cities of the western world
we have been arrested many times by the police, but we are nevertheless
executing the order of SriCaitanya Mahaprabhu by chanting on the streets of all
the important cities, like New York, London, Chicago, Sydney, Melbourne, Paris
and Hamburg. We must remember that such incidents took place in the past,five
hundred years ago, and the fact that they are still going on indicates that our
sankirtana movement is really authorized, for if sankirtana were an
insignificant material affair, demons would not object to it. The demons of the
time tried to obstruct the sankirtana movement started by Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. Similar demons are trying to obstruct the sankirtanamovement we are
executing all over the world, and this proves that our sankirtana movement is
still pure and genuine, following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu.ara yadi kirtana karite laga paimusarvasva dandiya tara jatl ye
la-imuTRANSLATION"The next time I see someone performing such sankirtana,
certainly I shall chastise him by not only confiscating all his property but
also converting him into a Mohammedan."PURPORTTo convert a Hindu into a
Mohammedan was an easy affair in those days. If a Mohammedan simply sprinkled
water on the body of a Hindu, it was supposed that the Hindu had already become
a Mohammedan. During the transition of the British in Bangladesh during the last
Hindu-Muslim riots, many Hindus were converted into Mohammedans by having cows'
flesh forcibly pushed into their mouths. Hindu society was so rigid at the time
of Lord Caitanya that if a Hindu were converted into a Mohammedan, there was no
chance of his being reformed. In this way the Mohammedan population in India
increased. None of the Mohammedans came from outside; social customs somehow or
other forced Hindus to become Mohammedans, with no chance of returning to Hindu
society. Emperor Aurangzeb also inaugurated a tax that Hindus had to pay
because of their being Hindus. Thus all the poor Hindus of the lower class
voluntarily became Mohammedans to avoid the tax. In this way the Mohammedan
population in India increased. Chand Kazi threatened to convert the people into
Mohammedans by the simple process of sprinkling water on their bodies.eta bali'
kaji gela,--nagariya lokaprabhu-sthane nivedila pana bada sokaTRANSLATIONAfter
saying this, the Kazi returned home, and the devotees, greatly shocked that
they were forbidden to chant Hare Krsna, submitted their grief to Lord Caitanya
Mahaprabhu.prabhu ajna dila--yaha karaha kirtanamuni samharimu aji sakala
yavanaTRANSLATIONLord Caitanya ordered, "Go Peform sankirtana! Today I shall
kill all the Mohammedans!"PURPORTGandhi is known for having started the
movement of nonviolent civil disobedience in India, but about five hundred
years before him, SriCaitanya Mahaprabhu started His movement of nonviolent
civil disobedience to the order of Chand Kazi. It is not necessary to commit
violence to stop the opposition from hindering a movement, for one can kill
their demoniac behavior with reason and argument. Following in the footsteps of
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, whenever there are obstacles the Hare Krsna movement
should kill the opposition with reason and argument and thus stop their
demoniac behavior. If we became violent in every case, it would be difficult
for us to manage our affairs. We should therefore follow in the footsteps of
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who disobeyed the order of Chand Kazi but subdued him
with reason and argument.ghare giya saba loka karaye kirtanakajira bhaye
svacchanda nahe, camakita manaTRANSLATIONReturning home, all the citizens began
performing sankirtana, but because of the order of the Kazi, they were not
carefree but always full of anxiety.ta-sabhara antare bhaya prabhu mane
janikahite lagila loke sighra daki' ani'TRANSLATIONUnderstanding the anxiety
within the people's minds, the Lord called them together and spoke to them as
follows.nagare nagare aji karimu kirtanasandhya-kale kara sabhe
nagara-mandanaTRANSLATION"In the evening I shall perform sankirtana in each and
every town. Therefore you should all decorate the city in the evening.PURPORTAt
that time, Navadvipa was composed of nine small cities, so the words nagare
nagare are significant. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to perform kirtana in
each of these neighboring towns. He ordered the city decorated for the
function.sandhyate deuti sabe jvala ghare gharedekha, kona kaji asi' more mana
kareTRANSLATION"In the evening, burn torchlights in every home. I shall give
protection to everyone. Let us see what kind of Kazi comes to stop our
kirtana."ei mata kirtana kari' nagare bhramilabhramite bhramite sabhe
kaji-dvare gelaTRANSLATIONPeforming kirtana in this way, circumambulating
through every nook and corner of the city, they finilly reached the door of the
Kazi.tarja-garja kare loka, kare kolahalagauracandra-bale loka
prasraya-pagalaTRANSLATIONMurmuring in anger and making a roaring sound, the
people, under the protection of Lord Caitanya, became mad through such
indulgence.PURPORTThe Kazi had issued an order not to perform kirtana,
congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord. But when this was brought
up to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He ordered civil disobedience to the Kazi's
order. Lord Caitanya and all His devotees, naturally enthusiastic although
agitated, must have made a great noise with their loud cries.kirtanera dhvanite
kaji lukaila gharetarjana garjana suni' na haya bahireTRANSLATIONThe loud sound
of the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra certainly made the Kazi very much
afraid, and he hid himself within his room. Hearing the people thus protesting,
murmuring in great anger, the Kazi would not come out of his home.PURPORTThe
Kazi's order not to perform sankirtana could stand only as long as there was no
civil disobedience. Under the leadership of the Supreme Lord, Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, the chanters, increasing in number, disobeyed the order of the
Kazi. Thousands assembled together and formed parties, chanting the Hare Krsna
maha- mantra and making a tumultuous sound of protest. Thus the Kazi was very
much afraid, as naturally oneshould be under such circumstances. In the present
day also, people all over the world may join together in the Krsna consciousness
movement and protest against the present degraded governments of the world's
godless societies, which are based on all kinds of sinful activities. The
Srimad-Bhagavatam states that in the age of Kali, thieves, rogues and
fourth-class people who have neither education nor culture capture the seats of
governments to exploit the citizens. This is a symptom of Kali-yuga that has
alreadyappeared. People cannot feel secure about their lives and property, yet
the so-called governments continue, and its ministers get fat salaries,
although they are unable to do anything good for society. The only remedy for
such conditions is to enhance the sankirtana movement under the banner of Krsna
consciousness and protest against the sinful activities of all the world's
governments. The Krsna consciousness movement is not a sentimental religious
movement; it is a movement for the reformation of all the anomalies of human
society. If people take to it seriously, discharging this duty scientifically,
as ordered by SriCaitanya Mahaprabhu, the world will see peace and prosperity
instead of being confused and hopeless under useless governments. There are
always rogues and thieves in human society, and as soon as a weak government is
unable to execute its duties, these rogues and thieves come out to do their
business. Thus theentire society becomes a hell unfit for gentlemen to live in.
There is an immediate need for a good government--a government by the people,
with Krsna consciousness. Unless the masses of people become Krsna conscious,
they cannot be good men. The Krsna consciousness movement that Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu started by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-- mantra still has its
potency. Therefore people should understand it seriously and scientifically and
spread it all over the world. The sankirtana movement started by SriCaitanya
Mahaprabhu is described in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, Twenty-third
Chapter, beginning with verse 241,which states, “My dear Lord, let my mind be
fixed at your lotus feet”. Following Lord Chaitanya’s chanting, all thedevotees
reproduced the same sound He chanted. In this way the Lord proceeded, leading
the entire party on the strand roads by the bank of the Ganges. When the Lord
came to His own ghata, or bathing place, He danced more and more. Then He
proceeded to Madhai'sghata. In this way Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme
Lord, who was known as Visvambhara, danced all over the banks of the Ganges.
Then He proceeded to Barakonaghata, the Nagariya-ghata, and, traveling through
Ganganagara, reachedSimuliya, a quarter at one end of the town. All these
places surround Sri Mayapur. After reaching Simuliya, the Lord proceeded
towards the Kazi's house, and in this way He reached the door of Chand
Kazi.uddhata loka bhange kajira ghara-puspavanavistari' varnila iha
dasa-vrndavanaTRANSLATIONNaturally some of the people who were very much
agitated began to retaliate the Kazi's actions by wrecking his house and flower
garden. Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has elaborately described this
incident.tabe mahaprabhu tara dvarete vasilabhavya-loka pathaiya kajire
bolailaTRANSLATIONThereafter, when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu reached the Kazi's
house, He sat down by the doorway and sent some respectable persons to call for
the Kazi.dura ha-ite aila kaji matha noyaiyakajire vasaila prabhu sammana
kariyaTRANSLATIONWhen the Kazi came, his head bowed down, the Lord gave him
proper respect and a seat.PURPORTSome of the men in SriCaitanya Mahaprabhu's
civil disobedience movement were agitated because they could not control their
minds. But the Lord was thoroughly peaceful, sober and unagitated. Therefore
when the Kazi came down to see Him, the Lord offered him proper respect and a
seat because he was a respectable government officer. Thus the Lord taught us
by His personal behavior. In pushing on our sankirtanamovement of Krsna
consciousness, we might have to face difficult days, but we should always
follow in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and do the needful according
to the time and circumstances.prabhu balena,--ami tomara ailama abhyagataami
dekhi' lukaila,--e-dharma kemataTRANSLATIONIn a friendly way, the Lord said,
"Sir, I have come to your house as your guest, but upon seeing Me you hid
yourself in your room. What kind of etiquette is this?"kaji kahe-tumi aisa
kruddha ha-iyatoma santa karaite rahinu lukaiyaTRANSLATIONThe Kazi replied:
"You have come to my house in a very angry mood. To pacify You, I did not come
before You immediately but kept myself hidden.ebe tumi santo haile, asi,
mililanbhagya mora,--toma hena atithi pailanTRANSLATION"Now that You have
become pacified, I have come to You. It is my good fortune to receive a guest
like Your Honor.grama-sambandhe `cakravarti' haya mora cacadeha-sambandhe haite
haya grama-sambandha sancaTRANSLATION"In our villige relationship, Nilambara
Cakravarti Thakura was my uncle. Such a relationship is stronger than a bodily
relationship.PURPORTIn India, even in the interior villages, all the Hindu and
Muslim communities used to live very peacefully by establishing a relationship
between them. The young men called the elderly members of the village by the
name caca or kaka, "uncle," and men of the same age called each other dada,
"brother." The relationship was very friendly. There wereeven invitations from
Mohammedan houses to Hindu houses and from Hindu houses to Mohammedan houses.
Both the Hindus and the Mohammedans accepted the invitations to go to each
other's houses to attend ceremonial functions. Even until fifty or sixty years
ago, the relationship between Hindus and Muslims was very friendly, and there
were no disturbances. We do not find any Hindu-Muslim riots in the history of
India, even during the days of the Mohammedans' rule over the country. Conflict
between Hindus and Muslims was created by polluted politicians, especially
foreign rulers, and thus the situation gradually became so degraded that India
was divided into Hindustan and Pakistan. Fortunately, the remedy to unite not
only the Hindus and Muslims but allcommunities and all nations can still be
implemented by the Hare Krsna movement on the strong basic platform of love of
Godhead.nilambara cakravarti haya tomara nanase-sambandhe hao tumi amara
bhaginaTRANSLATION"Nilambara Cakravarti is Your maternal grandfather, and by
this relationship You are thus my nephew.bhaginara krodha mama avasya
sahayamatulera aparadha bhagina na layaTRANSLATION"When a nephew is very angry,
his maternal uncle is tolerant, and when the maternal uncle commits an offense,
the nephew does not take it very seriously."prabhu kahe,--prasna lagi' ailama
tomara sthanekaji kahe,--ajna kara, ye tomara maneTRANSLATIONThe Lord said, "My
dear uncle, I have come to your home just to ask you some questions.Yes," the
Kazi replied, "You are welcome. Just tell me what is inYour mind."prabhu
kahe,--go-dugdha khao, gabhi tomara matavrsa anna upajaya, tate tenho
pitaTRANSLATIONThe Lord said: "You drink cows' milk; therefore the cow is your
mother. And the bull produces grains for your maintenance; therefore he is your
father.pita-mata mari' khao--eba kon dharmakon bale kara tumi e-mata
vikarmaTRANSLATION"Since the bull and cow are your father and mother, how can
you kill and eat them? What kind of religious principle is this? On what
strength are you so daring that you commit such sinful
activities?"PURPORTEveryone can understand that we drink the milk of cows and
take the help of bulls in producing agricultural products. Therefore, since our
real father gives us food grains and our mother gives us milk with which to
live, the cow and bull are considered our father and mother. According to Vedic
civilization, there are seven mothers, of which the cow is one. Therefore Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu challenged the Mohammedan Kazi, "What kind of religious
principle do you follow by killing your father and mother to eat them?" In any
civilized human society, no one would dare kill his father and mother for the
purpose of eating them. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu challenged the system
of Mohammedan religion as patricide and matricide. In the Christian religion
also, a principal commandment is "Thou shalt not kill." Nevertheless,
Christians violate this rule; they are very expert in killing and in opening
slaughterhouses. In our Krsna consciousness movement, our first provision is
that no one should be allowed to eat any kind of flesh. It does not matter
whether it is cows' flesh or goats' flesh, but we especially stress the
prohibition against cows' flesh because according to sastra the cow is our
mother. Thus the Mohammedans' cow killing was challenged by SriCaitanya
Mahaprabhu.kaji kahe,--tomara yaiche veda-puranataiche amara sastra--ketava
`kora-na'TRANSLATIONThe Kazi replied: "As You have Your scriptures called the
Vedas and Puranas, we have our scripture, known as the holy Koran.PURPORTChand
Kazi agreed to talk with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu on the strength of the
scriptures. According to the Vedic scripture, if one can support his position
by quoting from the Vedas, his argument is perfect. Similarly, when the
Mohammedans support their position with quotations from the Koran, their
arguments are also authorized. When Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu raised the
question of the Mohammedans' cow killing and bull killing, Chand Kazi came to
the standard of understanding from his scriptures.sei sastre
kahe,--pravrtti-nivrtti-marga-bhedanivrtti-marge jiva-matra-vadhera
nisedhaTRANSLATION"According to the Koran, there are two ways of
advancement—through increasing the propensity to enjoy and decreasing the
propensity to enjoy. On the path of decreasing attachment [ nivrtti-marga], the
killing of animals is prohibited.pravrtti-marge go-vadha karite vidhi hayasastra
jnaya vadha kaile nahi papa-bhayaTRANSLATIONOn the path of material activities,
there is regulation for killing cows. If such killing is done under the
guidance of scripture, there is no sin.PURPORTThe word sastra is derived from
the dhatu, or verbal root, sas. Sas-dhatu pertains to controlling or ruling. A
government's ruling through force or weapons is called sastra. Thus whenever
there is ruling, either by weapons or by injunctions, the sas- dhatu is the
basic principle. Between sastra (ruling through weapons) and sastra
(rulingthrough the injunctions of the scriptures), the better is sastra. Our
Vedic scriptures are not ordinary law books of human common sense; they are the
statements of factually liberated persons unaffected by the imperfectness of the
senses. Sastra must be correct always, not sometimes correct and sometimes
incorrect. In the Vedic scriptures, the cow is described as a mother. Therefore
she is a mother for all time; it is not,as some rascals say, that in the Vedic
age she was a mother but she is not in this age. If sastra is an authority, the
cow is a mother always; she was a mother in the Vedic age, and she is a mother
in this age also. If one acts according to the injunctions of sastra, he is
freedfrom the reactions of sinful activity. For example, the propensities for
eating flesh, drinking wine and enjoying sex life are all natural to the
conditioned soul.The path of such enjoyment is called pravrtti-marga. The
sastra says,pravrttir esam bhutanam nivrttis tu maha--pha1am.- one should not
be carried away by the propensities of defective conditioned life; one should
be guided by the principles of the sastras. A child'spropensity is to play all
day long, but it is the injunction of the sastras that the parents should take
care to educate him. The sastras are there just to guide the activities of
human society. But because people do not refer to the instructions of sastras,
which are free fromdefects and imperfections, they are therefore misguided by
so-called educated teachers and leaders who are full of the deficiencies of
conditioned life.tomara vedete ache go-vadhera vaniataeva go-vadha kare bada
bada muniTRANSLATIONAs a learned scholar, the Kazi challenged Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, "In Your Vedic scriptures there is an injunction for killing a cow.
On the strength of this injunction, great sages peformed sacrifices involving
cow killing."prabhu kahe,--vede kahe go-vadha nisedhaataeva hindu-matra na kare
go-vadhaTRANSLATIONRefuting the Kazi's statement, the Lord immediately replied,
"The Vedas clearly enjoin that cows should not be killed. Therefore any Hindu,
whoever he may be, does not indulge in cow killing.PURPORTIn the Vedic
scriptures there are concessions for meat-eaters. It is said that if one wants
to eat meat, he should kill a goat before the goddess Kali and then eat its
meat. Meat-eaters are not allowed to purchase meat or flesh from a market or
slaughterhouse. There are nosanctions for maintaining regular slaughterhouses
to satisfy the tongues of meat-eaters. As far as cow killing is concerned, it
is completely forbidden. Since the cow is considered a mother, how could the
Vedas allow cow killing? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu pointed out that the Kazi's
statement was faulty. In Bhagavad-gita there is a clear injunction that cows
should be protected. Krsi- goraksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava jam.- "The
duty of vaisyas is to produce agricultural products, tradeand give protection
to cows." (Bg. 1 8.44) Therefore it is a false statement that the Vedic
scriptures contain injunctions permitting cow killing.jiyaite pare yadi, tabe
mare praniveda-purane ache hena ajna-vaniTRANSLATION"In the Vedas and Puranas
there are injunctions declaring that if one can revive a living being, be can
kill it for experimental Purposes.atae va jarad-gava mare muni-ganaveda-mantre
siddha kare tahara jivanaTRANSLATION"Therefore the great sages sometimes killed
old animals, and by chanting Vedic hymns they again brought them to life for
perfection.jarad-gava hana yuva haya ara-varatate tara vadha nahe, haya
upakaraTRANSLATION"The killing and rejuvenation of such old and invalid animals
was not truly killing but an act of great benefit.kali-kale taiche sakti nahika
brahmaneataeva go-vadha keha na kare ekhaneTRANSLATION"Formerly there were
Powerful brahmanas who could make such experiments using Vedic hymns, but now,
because of Kali-yuga, brahmanas are not so powerful. Therefore the killing of
cows and bulls for rejuvenation is forbidden.tomara ji yaite nara,--vadha-matra
saranaraka ha-ite tomara nahika nistaraTRANSLATION"Since you Mohammedans cannot
bring killed animals back to life,you are responsible for killing them.
Therefore you are going to hell; there is no way for your deliverance.go-ange
yata loma, tata sahasra vatsarago-vadhi raurava-madhye pace
nirantaraTRANSLATION"Cow killers are condemned to rot in hellish life for as
many thousands of years as there are hairs on the body of the cow.toma-sabara
sastra-karta--seha bhrnta hailana jani' sastrera marma aiche ajna
dilaTRANSLATION"There are many mistakes and illusions in your scriptures. Their
compilers, not knowing the essence of knowledge, gave orders that were against
reason and argument."suni' stabdha haila kaji, nahi sphure vanivicariya kahe
kaji parabhava mani'TRANSLATIONAfter hearing these statements by Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, the Kazi, his arguments stunned, could not put forward any more
words. Thus, after due consideration, the Kazi accepted defeat and spoke as
follows.PURPORTIn our practical preaching work we meet many Christians who talk
about statements of the Bible. When we question whether God is limited or
unlimited, Christian priests say that God is unlimited. But when we question
why the unlimited God should have only one son and not unlimited sons, they are
unable to answer. Similarly, from a scientificpoint of view, the answers of the
Old Testament, New Testament and Koran to many questions have changed. But a
sastra cannot change at a person's whim. All sastras must be free from the four
defects of human nature. The statements of sastras must be correct for all
time.tumi ye kahile, pandita, sei satya hayaadhunika amara sastra, vicara-saha
nayaTRANSLATION"My dear Nimai Pandita, what You have said is all true. Our
scriptures have developed only recently, and they are certainly not logical and
philosophical.PURPORTThe sastras of the yavanas, or meat-eaters, are not eternal
scriptures. They have been fashioned recently, and sometimes they contradict one
another. The scriptures of the yavanas are three: the Old Testament, the New
Testament and the Koran. Their compilation has a history; they are not eternal
like the Vedic knowledge. Thereforealthough they have their arguments and
reasonings, they are not very sound and transcendental. As such, modern people
advanced in science and philosophy deem these scriptures unacceptable.
Sometimes Christian priests come to us inquiring,"Why are ourfollowers
neglecting our scriptures and accepting yours?" But when we ask them, "Your
Bible says, `Do not kill.' Why then are you killing so many animals daily?"
they cannot answer. Some of them imperfectly answer that the animals have no
souls. But then we ask them, "How do you know that animals have no souls?
Animals and children are of the same nature. Does this mean that the children
of human society also have no souls?"According to the Vedic scriptures, within
the body is the owner of the body, the soul. In Bhagavad-gita it is said:dehino
'smin yatha dehekaumaram yauvanam jaratatha dehantara-praptirdhiras tatra na
muhyati"As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to
youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death.The
self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change." (Bg. 2.13) Because the
soul is within the body, the body changes through so many forms. There is a
soul within the body of every living entity,whether animal, tree, bird or human
being, and the soul is transmigrating from one type of body to another. When the
scriptures of the yavanas--namely, the Old Testament, New Testament and
Koran—cannot properly answer inquisitive followers, naturally those advanced in
scientific knowledge and philosophy lose faith in such scriptures. The Kazi
admitted this while talking with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Kazi was a very
intelligent person. He had full knowledge of his position, as stated in the
following verse.kalpita amara sastra,--ami saba janijati-anurodhe tabu sei
sastra maniTRANSLATION"I know that our scriptures are full of imagination and
mistaken ideas, yet because I am a Mohammedan I accept them for the sake of my
community, despite their insufficient support.sahaje yavana-sastre adrdha
vicarahasi' tahe mahaprabhu puchena ara-varaTRANSLATION"The reasoning and
arguments in the scriptures of the meat-eaters are not very sound," the Kazi
concluded. Upon hearing this statement, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu smiled and
inquired from him as follows.ara eka prasna kari, suna, tumi mamayathartha
kahibe, chale na vanchibe a-ma-'TRANSLATION“My dear maternal uncle,I wish to
ask you another questionPlease tell me the truth.. Do not try to cheat Me with
tricks.tomara nagare haya sada sankirtanavadya-gita-kolahala, sangita,
nartanaTRANSLATION"In your city there is always congregational chanting of the
holy name. A tumultuous uproar of music, singing and dancing is always going
on.tumi kaji--hindu-dharma-virodhe adhikariebe ye na kara mana bujhite na
pariTRANSLATION"As a Mohammedan magistrate, you have the right to oppose the
performance of Hindu ceremonies, but now you do not forbid them. I cannot
understand the reason why."kaji bale--sabhe tomaya bale `gaurhari'sei name ami
tomaya sambodhana kariTRANSLATIONThe Kazi said, "Everyone calls You Gaurhari.
Please let me address You by that name.suna, gaurahari, ei prasnera
karananibhrta hao yadi, tabe kari nivedanaTRANSLATION"Kindly listen, O
Gaurahari! If You come to a private place, I shall then explain the
reason."prabhu bale,--e loka amara antaranga hayasphuta kari' kaha tumi, na
kariha bhayaTRANSLATIONThe Lord replied: "All these men are My confidential
associates.You may speak frankly. There is no reason to be afraid of them."kaji
kahe,--yabe ami hindura ghare giyakirtana karilun mana mrdanga bhangiyasei ratre
eka simha maha-bhayankaranara-deha, simha-mukha, garjaye vistaraTRANSLATIONThe
Kazi said: "When I went to the Hindu's house, broke the drum, and forbade the
performance of congregational chanting, in my dreams that very night I saw a
greatly fearful lion, roaring very loudly, His body like a human being's and
His face like a lion's.sayane amara upara lapha diya cadi'atta atta hase, kare
danta-kadamadiTRANSLATION"While I was asleep, the lion jumped on my chest,
laughing fiercely and gnashing His teeth.mora buke nakha diya ghora-svare
balephadimu tomara buka mrdanga badaleTRANSLATION"Placing its nails on my
chest, the lion said in a grave voice: `I shall immediately bifurcate your
chest as you broke the mrdanga drum!mora kirtana mana karis, karimu tora
ksayaankhi mudi' kanpi ami pana bada bhayaTRANSLATION" `You have forbidden the
performance of My congregational chanting. Therefore I must destroy you!' Being
very much afraid of Him, I closed my eyes and trembled.bhita dekhi ' simha bale
ha-iya sadayatore siksa dite kailu tora parajayaTRANSLATION"Seeing me so
afraid, the lion said, `I have defeated you just to teach you a lesson, but I
must be merciful to you.se dina bahuta nahi kaili utpatateni ksama kari' na
karinu pranaghataTRANSLATION" `On that day, you did not create a very great
disturbance. Therefore I have excused you and not taken your life”aiche yadi
punah kara, tabe na sahimusavamse tomare mari yavana nasimuTRANSLATION"`But if
you perform such activities again, I shall not be tolerant. At that time I
shall kill you, your entire family and all the meat-eaters.'eta kahi' simha
gela, amara haila bhayaei dekha, nakha-cihna amora hrdayaTRANSLATION"After
saying this, the lion left, but I was very much afraid of Him. Just see the
marks of His nails on my heart!"eta bali' kaji nija-buka dekhailasuni' dekhi'
sarva-loka ascarya manilaTRANSLATIONAfter this description, the Kazi showed his
chest. Having heard him and seen the marks, all the people there accepted the
wonderful incident.kaji kahe,--iha ami kare na kahilasei dina amara eka piyada
ailaTRANSLATIONThe Kazi continued: "I did not speak to anyone about this
incident, but on that very day one of my orderlies came to see me.asi'
kahe,--gelun muni kirtana nisedhiteagni ulka mora mukhe lage
acambiteTRANSLATION"After coming to me, the orderly said, `When I went to stop
the congregational chanting, suddenly flames struck my face.pudila sakala dadi,
mukhe haila vranayei peyada yaya, tara ei vivaranaTRANSLATION" `My beard was
burned, and there were blisters on my cheeks.' Every orderly who went gave the
same description.taha dekhi' rahmu muni maha-bhaya panakirtana na varjiha,
ghare rahon ta' vasi vaTRANSLATION"After seeing this, I was very much afraid. I
asked them not to stop the congregational chanting but to go sit down at
home.hindura isvara bada yei narayanasei tumi hao,--hena laya mora
manaTRANSLATION"I know that Narayana is the Supreme God of the Hindus, and I
think that You are the same Narayana. This I feel within my mind."eta suni'
mahaprabhu hasiya hasiyakahite Iagiia kichu kajire chuniyaTRANSLATIONAfter
hearing the Kazi speak so nicely, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu touched him and
smilingly spoke as follows.tomara mukhe Krsna-nama,--e bada vicitrapapa-ksaya
gela, haila parama pavitraTRANSLATION"The chanting of the holy name of Krsna
from your mouth has performed a wonder--it has nullified the reactions of all
your sinful activities. Now you have become supremely pure.PURPORTConfirming
the potency of the sankirtana movement, these words from the very mouth of Lord
Caitanya Mahaprabhu express how people can be purified simply by chanting the
holy name of Lord Krsna. The Kazi was a Mohammedan mleccha, or meat-eater, but
because he several times uttered the holy name of Lord Krsna,automatically the
reactions of his sinful life were vanquished, and he was fully purified of all
material contamination. We do not know why the pasandis of the present day
protest that we are deteriorating the Hindu religion by spreading Krsna
consciousness all over the world and claiming all classes of men to the highest
standard of Vaisnavism. But these rascals disagree with us so vehemently that
some of them do not allow European and American Vaisnavas to enter into the
temples of Visnu. Thinking religion to be meant for material benefit, these
so-called Hindus have actually become vicious by worshiping the numerous forms
of the demigods. In the next verse Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms the Kazi's
purification.`hari' `krsna' `narayana'--laile tina namabada bhgyavan tumi, bada
punyavanTRANSLATION"Because you have chanted three holy names of the Lord--Hari,
Krsna and Narayana--you are undoubtedly the most fortunate and
pious."PURPORTHere the Supreme Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, confirms that
anyone who chants the holy names Hari, Krsna and Narayana without offense is
certainly extremely fortunate, and whether Indian or non- Indian, Hindu or
non-Hindu, he immediately comes to the level of the most pious personality. We
therefore do not care about the statements ofpasandis who protest against our
movement's making the members of other cities or countries into Vaisnavas. We
have to follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, executing our
mission peacefully, or, if necessary, kicking the heads of such protestors.eta
suni' kajira dui cakse pade paniprabhura carana chuni' bale
priya-vaniTRANSLATIONAfter the Kazi heard this, tears flowed down from his
eyes. He immediately touched the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke the following
sweet words.tomara prasade mora ghucila kumatiei krpa kara,--yena tomate rahu
bhaktiTRANSLATION"Only by Your mercy have my bad intentions vanished. Kindly
favor me so that my devotion may always be fixed upon You."prabhu kahe,--eka
dana magiye tomayasankirtana vada yaiche nahe nadiyayaTRANSLATIONThe Lord said,
"I wish to beg you for one favor in charity. You must pledge that this
sankirtana movement will not be checked, at least in the district of
Nadia."kaji kahe,--mora vamse yata upajibetahake `talaka' diba,--kirtana na
badhibeTRANSLATIONThe Kazi said: "To as many descendants as take birth in my
dynasty in the future, I give this grave admonition: no one should check the
sankirtana movement."PURPORTAs a resultof this grave injunction by the Kazi,
even at present the descendants of the Kazi's family do not oppose the
sankirtana movement under any circumstances. Even during the great Hindu-Muslim
riots in neighboring places, the descendants of the Kazi honestly preserved the
assurance given by their forefather.suni' prabhu `hari' bali' uthila
apaniuthila vaisnava saba kari' hari-dhvaniTRANSLATIONHearing this, the Lord
got up, chanting "Hari! Hari!" Following Him, all the other Vaisnavas also got
up, chanting the vibration of the holy name.kirtana karite prabhu karila
gamanasange cali' aise kaji ullasita manaTRANSLATIONSri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
went back to perform kirtana, and the Kazi, his mind jubilant, went with
Him.kaiire vidaya dija sacira nandananacite nacite aila apana
bhavanaTRANSLATIONThe Lord asked the Kazi to go back home. Then the son of
mother Saci came back to His own home, dancing and dancing.ei mate kajire
prabhu karila prasadaiha yei sune tara khande aparadhaTRANSLATIONThis is the
incident concerning the Kazi and the Lord's mercy upon him. Anyone who hears
this is also freed from all offenses.(Excerpt from Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta,Adi
lila.of Krsnadas Kaviraj Goswami By His Divine Grace A.C.BhaktiVedanta Swami
Srila Prabhupada)

 

D.Sarkar