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Dear Nayana-ranjana Prabhu,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

>I would personally rather to Bhaktivinoda Thakuras idea that

>the different hells do not exist and that they are rather poetic

>descriptions by the kings to make even the low class people follow

>religious principles.

>

>Where did such garbage come from? The different hells are described in

>SB 5th Canto. Why on earth will Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura say such a

>thing contradictory to Srimad Bhagavatam & all the Puranas. Please stop

>propogating your atheistic ideas in the name of Bhaktivinode Thakura.

 

 

There is indeed a statement by Bhaktivinoda Thakura about hells being

imaginary. It is from a book by Bhaktivinoda Thakura, The Bhagavata:

 

"In the common place books of the Hindu religion in which the raja and

tama-gunas have been described as the ways of religion, we have

descriptions of a local Heaven and a local Hell... These are certainly

poetical and were originally created by the rulers of countries in order

to check the evil deeds of ignorant people, who are not able to understand

the conlusions of philosophy. The religion of the Bhagavata is free from

such poetry.

 

"Indeed, in some of the chapters we meet with descriptions of these hells

and heavens, and accounts of curious tales, but we have been warned

somewhere in the book not to accept them as real facts, but as inventions

to overawe the wicked and to improve the simple and the ignorant. The

Bhagavata certainly tells us of a state of reward and punishment in the

future according to deeds in our present situation. All poetic inventions

besides this spiritual fact have been described as statements borrowed

from other works in the way of preservation of old traditions in the book

which superseded them and put an end to the necessity of their storage."

 

 

There are various ideas as to why Bhaktivinoda Thakura said that. One

would like to know, for example, WHERE in the Bhagavatam we are warned

not to accept these accounts as real facts.

 

In any case, by disbelieving Tattva-sandarbha Prabhu when he stated that

Bhaktivinoda Thakura said the hells were imaginary, and by calling this

idea "garbage," you have put yourself in danger. Let this be a comment

to your statement:

 

>Nobody can bear to hear such offensive statements. By speaking such a

>statement you are guilty of the fourth & fifth nama-aparadhas and we are

>becoming guilty of the same by reading it.

 

 

Regarding posting speculations: If a devotee admits his idea is a

speculation, if he submits it in the mood of sincere inquiry, and if it

is not downright offensive, then I tend to allow it here -- even though I

definitely prefer to reserve this conference for quotes and stories based

on sastra. Public conferences are not good places for this kind of

inquiries.

 

If you do not agree with this policy (you, Nayana-ranjana Prabhu, or any

other member), please write to me privately.

 

Your servant,

Dhyana-kunda dasi