ISKCON Social Model

[Guest guest]

> > Also, how in this day and age would you ascertain this to be

> > the case?

>

> Dharma means the intrinsic nature of something. Dharmic laws are tailored

> according to this eternal nature and are thus eternally applicable.

 

Of course. But applying dharma, even sanatana dharma, according to time,

place and circumstance is another thing. That usually takes an empowered

person. Srila Prabhupada, for example, was able to expertly distinguish

between eternal principles and details, and thus he was able to present the

principles in a way appropriate to his preaching field, but without any

compromise. Not everyone can do that, and I think we need to be very

careful when we start talking about dharma sastras such as the Manu Smriti,

especially as we do not have an authorised version presented by a person

like Prabhupada. (And I do recognise that Srila Prabhupada wanted these

sastras to be applied)

 

I don't know what things are like in India these days, but here in the West

we are dealing with 99.9% naradhamas. Call them what you will --

varna-sankara, duskritina, antyaja -- the bottom line is that they can't

strictly follow anything. They first require purification and hence the

primary thrust of the acharyas has been to establish the sankirtana

movement. To try to immediately apply strict dharmic principles, even to

those coming to KC, is an endeavour doomed to failure, IMHO. We first need

to get them to hear and chant - seriously and regularly, nityam bhagavata

sevaya - and then perhaps we can start talking about the Manu Smriti and

other such texts, important as they are.

 

yhs

KDd