The so-called Sports (including soccer) are GAMBLING

[Guest guest]

At 11:58 AM 12/19/99 -0500, COM: Kanti (dd) ACBSP (Florida - USA) wrote:

>[Text 2870271 from COM]

>

>In a message dated 12/18/1999 9:20:20 PM Eastern Standard Time,

>Guru-Krsna.HDG (AT) bbt (DOT) se writes:

>

>> You're probably right. After all, Nero fiddled while Rome burned, so I guess

>> we can play soccer while the rest of the world goes to hell.

>>

>Aren't you getting a bit defensive and carried away here? Most of these guys

>discussing soccer in a positive light are fathers and if you have kids, you

>can't possibly be advocating that parents spend every free moment studying

>books and not take some time out for the kids.

 

Not actually defensive, Mataji--just replying in kind to apparent extreme

forms of personal COMdemnation, which seems to be all too COMmonly the way

in which devotees respond to anyone who dares suggest that devotees should

ever be striving to be more serious than we presently are in our practices

of Krsna consciousness. (I mean, how serious are any of us anyway?)

 

As for engaging children, that is every parent's right and duty, and each of

us will get our just reward from Krsna, according to how well we train our

children--right? Personally, I *appreciate* being reminded of my duty as a

parent to somehow or other instill pure devotion into the heart of my child.

And in that regard, one purport of Bg comes to my mind, in which Srila

Prabhupada says that once begetting children it is then the "duty of every

parent to make his children Krsna conscious." And in SB Fourth Canto he says

that it is the duty of the parent to ensure that this is the *last* birth

that his children take in this material world. Last birth. Anyway, perhaps

an essential aspect of making one child Krsna conscious will be to engage

him in sports, while making another child Krsna conscious will be done by

growing a garden, reading Mahabharata, or even (the *revolutionary* prospect

of) going door to door to distrubute books. (Are our mighty-legged soccer

heros somehow not capable to walk door to door carrying a few of Srila

Prabhupada's books? Of course we don't expect them to do it spontaneously.

That's where we parents are expected to be inspirational and exemplary.)

 

Since this thread is also running on the Varnasrama Development conference,

I'll honestly say that I'm rather surprised that senior devotees are so

adamant to defend a game like soccer *as opposed to* discussing the many

other ways that our children could be practically and happily engaged in the

direct devotional service of helping to establish varnasrama-dharma. In that

regard--before possibly being totally driven out of from this forum--I'll

offer just one humble seed of an idea (which is not mine, but Srila

Prabhhupada's) with regard to a sporting engagement for our kids:

 

Srila Prabhupada said that we should train ksatriyas to fight and kill. So

we *could* be training our children to spar with various weapons, the

martial arts, etc., instead of bringing them to the soccer fields. After

all, it's well understood that the main so-called "thrill" of sports is the

sense of contesting in a battle with the hope for victory. Well, one day it

might again be a *real* battle to defend Krsna's temple, His devotees, Their

Lordships (as it has been in the past). Srila Prabhupada told HH Satsavarupa

M that the day would come when we would be "fired upon." Will our

mighty-legged soccer champions be brave enough to fight back? I hope so. But

if not, will we then regret that we didn't train our young, strong, and

robust offspring in this way? Will us aging "heros" be capable to defend

even ourselves, what to speak of others?

 

But my dear prabhus and matajis, please be merciful and do not fire upon

*me* for what I have written above. I'm just a typical Kali-yuga

weak-hearted and cowardly man who will not be able to meet the challenge of

your attack. Therefore please throw either laksmi or blessings down upon me!

 

--gkd