The cause is noble, the methodology wrong

[Guest guest]

Dear Jivan Mukta Prabhu

 

> And how does he show his concern, by marrying another man's wife. This

> guy is pathetic.

 

Your comment on Harikesha Dasa's letter is very telling. Your intentions may

be good and the cause you are figthing for may be noble, but your

methodology is flawed. It will not bear fruit. As long as you maintain your

belligerent attitude, your brahminical arrogance, the mentality that you are

better than anyone else, and - above all -

 

YOUR LACK OF COMPASSIONATE UNDERSTANDING OF OTHER PEOPLE'S VIEW POINTS

 

you will not be successful on your self created battle field of dharma. You

will simply create more and more dissension, make more and more enemies and

ultimately you will give up the fight in frustration. Who told you to take

up this BATTLE against feminism in this radical manner anyway? Your Guru?

Who is your guru? Just curious.

 

As to Harikesha Das: You don't know him and evidently you are not aware of

the sacrifices he made for ISKCON and his disciples over the last 28 years.

First give several millions of dollars to ISKCON, translate, produce and

distribute millions of books in hundreds of countries, give thousands of

inspiring daily classes, then you can open your mouth, instruct the world

and pass sarcastic and condenscending comments. At least Harikesha was able

to inspire 3000 disciples to give their life for Krishna for 20 years. I

am/(was?) one of them and if I gave 20 years for ISKCON then I did it

because of him, not because of you, the GBC or anyone else. And to be frank,

if you were my GBC, I probably wouldn't be in ISKCON at all. You criticize

the GBC, the gurus and anyone else who does not share your viewpoint and you

are thus taking the position of acarya and jagat guru, world teacher. Just

like Prabhupada. But unlike Prabhupada, you are always like a thunderbolt.

Never like a rose.

 

The main symptoms of a Vaishnava are tolerance and compassion, not

belligerence and the conviction that "I am holier than thou". Take a leaf

out of your wife's book. She makes her points well but in a pleasing way. I

respect her for that. You are so eager to speak satyam, the truth, but you

do not follow Krishna's injunction that satyam should also be priya and

hita, that is pleasing and beneficial. Krishna also says that he who speaks

anudvega karam vakyam - that is words that do not agitate others - is dear

to him.

 

Your above comment was neither pleasing, nor was it beneficial. It is

probably agitating to more than one of those who took initiation from

Harikesha Das. And it is not even necessarily objectively true. It is just

your subjective perception. I perceive things in a different manner.

So you should learn to shut up sometimes. In Germany, they say: "speaking

is silver, silence is gold." You should learn that winning an argument and

proving one's intellectual superiority is not the goal of life. Loving

Krishna and helping and serving others is.

 

You seem obsessed with driving home your points and above all with winning.

But so far you have created much more opposition than you have won

followers. My advice: Cut a low profile. Focus on training your daughters to

become chaste wives. Give a good example of Krishna conscious family life in

your community and if you want to teach others,

make seminars and/or write a book on the greatness of chastity and

responsible householderlife. But stop getting on the case of matajis and

other devotees who are somehow or other not able to adopt your teachings.

 

ys Anantarupa das