Emergency relief conducted by devotees

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja,

 

PAMHO AGTSP!

 

I have never considered the instructions of Guru, Sadhu and Shasta

simplistically, as you suggest. Expanding prasadam distribution has been my

meditation and service for 22 years.

 

May I remind you that the Food for Life volunteers in Sri Lanka, including

H.H. Indradyumna Swami, were distributing Krishna prasadam and chanting the

holy name. In other words, we were performing the Sankirtan Yajna and were

NOT conducting mundane "social welfare," as you are implying!

 

Your reference to the dress code of brahmacaris as given in the Bhagavatam

is interesting. Yes, Srila Prabhupada applied these instructions according

to time, place and circumstance. Now 30 years after Srila Prabhupada

physical departure, what is wrong with applying the Bhagavatam's

instructions according ISKCON's current social and economic structure?

 

Food for Life is carrying out an important anga of the sankirtana movement -

Krishna prasadam distribtion. How we do that will vary according to time,

place and circumstance. As Vaisnava's, we may not be of this world, but we

are certainly living in this world, and millions of people are dying

everyday of starvation. Why not give them Krishna prasadam?

 

By Krishna's arrangment, calamities like the tsunami provide an opportunity

for the Vaisnava's to distribute mercy. Srila Prabhupada himself said that

"This activity [prasadam distribution] should be expanded UNIVERSALLY." Now

how are we to carry out that order? Obviously, in the mood of Yukta Vairagya

we should accept EVERY and ANY opportunity that there is to distribute

Krishna prasadam. Again, now 30 years later, ISKCON has much more facility

to do this. Vaisnava's are meant to be compassionate and PRASADAM by

definition means mercy.

 

Despite your reference to Srila Prabhupada's refusal to undertake mass

prasada distribution in drought-afflicted Andhra Pradesh, there are NUMEROUS

other quotes in the Shastra, letters to disciples and lectures where Srila

Prabhupada comments, clearly contradict this opinion. So which instruction

do we accept? Again, it is my understanding that the Bhagavatam is the last

word.

 

====

if (devotees) "do not do something to relieve the distressed condition of

human society...their spiritual knowledge diminishes."

===

 

ys Priyavrata das

 

-----------------------------

Bhakti Vikasa Swami wrote:

 

> We need to carefully rather than simplisticly consider the instructions of

> guru, sadhu, and sastra. That the Bhagavatam is topmost evidence does not

> invalidate other evidence. In some cases other pramanas are accepted over

> that of Bhagavatam. For instance, the dress code for brahmacaris given by

> Srila Prabhupada is quite different to that stated in Bhagavatam (7.12.4).

 

> Certainly we must accept Srila Prabhupada's words, that if (devotees) "do

> not do something to relieve the distressed condition of human society...

> their spiritual knowledge diminishes."

>

> But this in and of itself is not, as Priyavrata Prabhu claims, a

> prescription for "emergency relief" as conducted by Food for Life. Rather,

> as underscored in the previous posting re Srila Prabhupada's refusal to

> undertake mass prasada distribution in drought-afflicted Andhra Pradesh,

> there is considerable evidence that Srila Prabhupada did not want his

> followers to respond to natural disasters with Red Cross style relief.

> Certainly he could have gained much popularity and good will for ISKCON by

> doing so, and could have got the recipients of prasada to chant Hare

> Krishna. But he refused -- on principle -- to do so.

 

> So although Priyavrata Prabhu considers his point very valid, it seems

> that we need to ponder further, in the light of all available evidence,

> Srila Prabhupada's desires regarding devotees undertaking social welfare

> activities. Srila Prabhupada's wanted his unequivocal refusal to the

> drought appeal to be widely publicized, and thus had it published in BTG.

> So to overlook or brush aside this evidence could be equated with

> disregarding the instructions of the founder-acarya.