Prabhupada's Varnasrama does not mean oppression of women and sudras

[Guest guest]

On 08 Feb 1999, Janesvara Dasa wrote:

> Personally, I'd rather we speak about what varnasrama IS rather than what

it ISN'T. Could we try that for awhile, maybe, pretty please. We are forced to

dwell in so many negative things so often in this world. The Books and the way

Srila Prabhupada talks about VAD and Vedic culture are always so enlivening,

positive, dynamic and encouraging. Even just to speak about them and think

about them one gains the pious results.

 

We certainly have a wealth of bad experiences in ISKCON to establish a huge

"pillar of success" from all of our past failures (ie, "failure can become a

pillar of success") concerning VAD. In this respect, to ignore the past would

condemn ourselves to repeat it again and again (reference: another well-known

platitude).

 

We will continue to fester in our *impious* reactions, however, if we

otherwise dismiss all that "negativity" from the past and see things only

through rose-colored glasses. There's no utopia in sight within the near

future as far as I can tell. We have to first work through all this negative

"stuff" to arrive at the genuine thing (VAD). There is no way

*out* except *through.*

 

The absolute truth is only realized by those who understand it in terms of

both its positive and negative aspects (cf, Isopanishad).

 

Frankly,

Srila dasa