Sastra yonit vat

[Guest guest]

> > Since I quoted Manu Smriti so much in previous text find attached a copy

> > of Manu for those who don't have it.

>

> Thanks, it will take me time to read it. I appreciate how you back up your

> position with evidence.

>

> ys

>

> Antardwip das

 

 

Dear Antardvipa Prabhu,

 

Please accept my best wishes. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Bhaktivignavinasa Nrsimhadeva Bhagavan kijaya!

 

Thank you. Before I became a devotee I was studying pure mathematics. When I

first read Srila Prabhupada's books (after having read other "eastern"

philosophy books) I was very much impressed by the way Srila Prabhupada

wrote; it was just like the presentation of a mathematical theorem. In a

mathematical proof you don't give your opinion, rather you back up

everything with an already proven and universally accepted mathematical

theorem or axiom such as the Pythagorean theorem. In this way everything

rests on a firm bedrock of already known truths and is unassailable. And

that is exactly the way that Srila Prabhupada wrote and spoke, he always

supported all of his assertions with sastra. In this way he was a perfect

representative of the guru paramapara. In any case he convinced me that he

was not just giving his opinion by his solid presentation of sastra and

surrendered to him.

 

A guru is only a guru if he supports sastra, an acarya is only an acarya if

he supports sastra, and a sadhu is only a sadhu if he supports sastra

because everything comes from sastra. "Sastra yonit vat" (The existence of

Brahman cannot be inferred), because He is known only through sastra.

Vedanta Sutra 1.1.3. The sutra literally states that knowledge is born

(yonit) from sastra. And of course there is Rupa Goswami's

 

sruti-smrti-puranadi-

pancaratra-vidhim vina

aikantiki harer bhaktir

utpatayaiva kalpate

 

"Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic

literatures like the Upanisads, Puranas and Narada-pancaratra is simply an

unnecessary disturbance in society."

 

So it goes without saying that if we want to stay on track we have to be

kept in check by sastra otherwise we are liable to speculate and create a

disturbance. And we know how much Srila Prabhupada rightly abhorred

speculation, which is basically a form of gambling. See how Srila Prabhupada

explains the meaning of sastra as the means to be ruled:

 

So... "Kindly speak to me that.So why shall I speak to you?" Here says:

sisyas te 'ham [bg. 2.7]. "Now I am accepting You as my guru. I become Your

sisya." Sisya means: "Whatever you'll say, I'll accept." That is sisya. The

sisya word comes from sas-dhatu. Sas-dhatu. Sastra. Sastra. Sasana. Sisya.

These are from the same root. Sas-dhatu. Sas-dhatu means rule, ruling. So we

can rule in various ways. We can be ruled, becoming a sisya of a proper

guru. That is sas-dhatu. Or we can be ruled by sastra, weapon. Just like

king has got weapon. If you don't follow the king's instruction or

government's instruction, then there is police force, military force. That

is sastra. And there is sastra also. Sastra means book, scripture. Just like

Bhagavad-gita. Everything is there. So we must be ruled, either by sastra,

sastra or guru. Or becoming sisya. Therefore it is said: sisyas te 'ham [bg.

2.7]. "I become voluntarily... I surrender unto You.Now you become sisya.

What is the proof that you have become My sisya?" Sadhi mam tvam prapannam.

"Now I am fully surrender." Prapannam.

 

Bhagavad-gita 2.1, - Ahmedabad, December 6, 1972

 

Yours in the service of my eternal master Srila Prabhupada,

 

Shyamasundara Dasa

 

www.ShyamasundaraDasa.com

[Guest guest]

There are several challenges - though not insurmountable obstacles - to

ISKCON's implementation of a radical land-based economy.

 

1. We preach in the cities and attract mainly those who have become

acculturated to city life. Often devotees who dream of living in the

country as part of a Vedic community have only vague, somewhat

sentimental notions of what the life entails. When they realize that you

must work hard and get dirty for little immediate profit, the enthusiasm

tends to wane.

 

2. We attract new members through an intellectual approach; reasoning,

logic and philosophy and thereby often gain thoughtful - more

brahminical - members. They are not farmers. Farmers attract other

farmers.

 

3. We may have ISKCON owned farms, but most grihastas are looking for -

must look for - personal security, and that means land ownership. There

may be other ways of providing security of land tenure but given the

unstable nature of previous farm administration married devotees will be

looking for the ultimate financial security which means ownership.

 

4. We need to raise the level of vocal support and endorsement for the

family unit. If marriage and the family remain a poor substitute for

renunciation within our movement then we will continue to struggle with

the stability of this ashram.

 

5. I don't know any exact figures but I have a hunch that outside Russia

and Eastern Europe ISKCON's population hovers around 70% male 30%

female. This does not create marriages and it doesn't create varnashram.

 

Kripamoya das

 

 

Paradhyeya (das) ACBSP (USA) [Paradhyeya.ACBSP (AT) pamho (DOT) net]

12 October 2004 19:11

Shyamasundara (das) ACBSP (Vedic Astrologer) (USA); Antardwip (das)

JPS (UK); Vraj Eco Vill; Modern Culture in Relation to Varnashrama

Cc: ISKCON India (news & discussion)

Sastra yonit vat

 

> It seems to me that the only chance for varnasrama to be implemented

is by

> starting at the beginning, creating an independant economic system

based

> on the land and cow, and working up from there, a pretty long term

> program. That is where our beloved Srila Prabhupada chose to start, so

I

> would say that it is ISKCON's only chance to actualy become relevant

once

> again in the eyes of this world.

 

 

The Land and the cow are indeed the basis of the Vedic economic system,

but

also dont forget that the KC family is the basis of the social system

and

the means of producing ideal population, the prerequisite for peace and

prosperity in human society. With the vast majority of devotees being

Grhastas these days, so many different occupations are being performed

according to the training and skills of each individual. So I would

suggest

that we can "start" Varnashram either socially or economically from any

one

of a variety of situations by just practicing KC according to SP's

instructions, (not to minimise Samba's point about the land and the cow

which involves more management and planning by the Institution of

ISKCON,

but who these days is attracted to living on a farm without ISKCON

leaders

encouraging it?.)

 

In this sense SP introduced Varnashram from day one in ISKCON when he

initiated disciples, ie performed one of the samskaras, gave titles of

Sannyasi, Brahmacari, Adhikari and performed marriages etc and

encouraged

Brahminical life.

 

You could argue however that all of that is somewhat ephemeral if ISKCON

does not develop its own economic system based on the Vedic bedrock

principle of land and cows.

 

Perhaps, as an illustration of that last point, I have learned that the

Tennessee farm, once a thriving, rural community has only one couple

living

there, everyone else has gone. The husband works at night and the wife

has

one or more children, so deity service is occasional at best, farm

animals

are zero, and any other ISKCON presence there is zero. One initiated

Mataji

and her daughter recently left there and became Catholics. What to do?

 

YS PD