animal products in KRsna service-karma or not?

[Guest guest]

Dear Maharaja prabhu,

Hare Krsna! Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila

Prabhupada.

 

I found your letter (below) regarding mrdangas rather speculative at best.

The statement that, "karma is adjusted" is a rather strange (and non-Srila

Prabhupada) way of trying to explain things. Karma is never "adjusted".

Either someone suffers the reactions for sins or Krsna absorbs those

reactions. Saying that, "I remember hearing from devotees that SP had

authorized", is not an authoritative statement with which to substantiate

any point, especially to young devotees. Most old diksa-sisyas of His Divine

Grace are well aware of the ridiculous 'Srila-Prabhupada-saids' that

abounded, some of which still pervade Iskcon.

 

The statement,

"yet in Denver temple in 1972 I heard, (not verified by any authority I

knew-thus I add Hari sauri) That SP had mentioned that the animal products

were SO FAR COOKED DOWN",

 

is so obviously NOT attributable to Srila Prabhupada and any serious student

of Srila Prabhupada's teachings would know such. Any so-called hearsay

statement of His Divine Grace could be substantiated by studying Srila

Prabhupada's teachings. The idea that His Divine Grace would confirm that

animal products were "SO FAR COOKED DOWN" so as to be insignificant, is

patently absurd and possibly (I think) rather offensive to SRila Prabhupada.

This idea suggests that all the meat-eaters could just ensure that their

their meals were "SO FAR COOKED DOWN", that there would be no reactions???

How you, as a sannyasi, could spread such balderdash is worrying.

 

Even before the close of Srila Prabhupada's manifest lila here on earth,

mrdangas have been made with cowskin whose origin could not be verified. The

situation is that the cows-skin is generally cut-off by 'mucis' (untouchable

class of men) anyway, most of whom are definitely Muslims, who do not care

whether the cow died naturally or not. So there is no way that the

mrdanga-makers who buy the cow-hide from the mucis, can be sure that the cow

died of natural causes. Most of the mrdanga-makers also do not care anyway.

I personally knew one of the original mrdanga-makers for Iskcon (he has died

now). His name was Satish Candra and he verified such things.

 

Hoping this meets you well and that you will forgive my own impertinence and

offenses I remain,

 

ys

ganesa dasa

 

Ps. Hari sauri prabhu was in Australia in 1972 and did not serve as Srila

Prabhupada's personal servant until 1976, so how could he substantiate

something that Srila Prabhupada said in Denver in 1972?

 

 

 

 

SrI SrI Guru Gaurangau Jayatah

 

Camp: Sri Sri Krsna Balarama Mandir Farming Community, Mauritius

DaNDavats Dear Varaha Murti and syamacandra dasa's. Jaya Krishna BalarAma!

Please accept my respectful obeisances. All Glories to Sreela PrabhupAda..

 

Thank you for your letter.

 

> Members from our Congregation here in berlin raised some doubts regarding

> the use of Mridangas and Harmoniums.

> The cow leather which is used for the Mridanga and the goat skin which is

> used for the Harmoniums are nowadays ,in most of the cases ,not anymore

> from animals who died a natural death.

I think you should not be so worried, (see advise below) if you feel uneasy,

use plastic "balarama drums" they make good ones in Kiev Ukraine.

 

> -Are devotees free from the karmic reactions , because they use the

> Instruments for glorifying Krishna ????????

 

maybe if they got the instruments for free, but not after paying money for

it.

 

Don't worry about this. Devotees have tried their best. It's like asking if

there is karma for buying samosas off a Indian train platform (which SP

did-by explaining that when you pay for it, the karma is nutralized).

 

> -But what if we sell the instruments to non-devotees who use the

> instruments without glorifying Krishna.Are we then guilty according to

> Manu-Samhita

> ???????????????

 

no, the buyer and seller have bought it from the manufacturer, so the karma

is adjusted.

 

Although of course devotees should avoid as much as possible products that

contain Slaughterhouse by-products, I remember hearing from devotees that SP

had authorized us to use (usa Store bought vitamin D milk (cod liver oil),

because raw milk was practically nonexistant in the cities.

 

and He allowed NV devotees to use leather boots for the mud in heavy winter

New Vrndavana.

 

nowadays there is a lot of vegetable soaps, and in Usa in 1970's "Kirks

castile" was the prefered coconut devotee soap.

 

yet in Denver temple in 1972 I heard, (not verified by any authority I

knew-thus I add Hari sauri) That SP had mentioned that the animal products

were so far cooked down, that when put /used in "ivory" soap (which contains

animal slaughterhouse products in it,) it was not too sugnificant. comments/

clarifications.. Hari sauri?

 

TridaNDi BhikSu, Bhakti Visrambha MAdhava