root versus leaves

[Guest guest]

As always, whether the discussion is sannyasa, gurus, women,

gurukulis, what ever, I think we can spend a lot of time spinning our

wheels trying to think into existence some artificial socio- economic

paradigm, but ultimately it is like caring for individual leaves.

 

To deal with roots, we need to start at the earth. First a

foundation, then the rest of the building. IF we lack roots, lack a

proper foundation, then anything else is shaky and artificial, and it

would be easy to predict so many problems. For Srila Prabhupada,

ISKCON was a work in progress.

 

 

 

How can society be organized for the peace and well-being of all? Srila

Prabhupada discusses this question with Mr. C. Hennis of the U.N.’s

International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, in May of 1974.

 

 

 

"Srila Prabhupada: The social body should have a class of men who

act as the brain and guide everyone so that everyone can become happy.

That is the purpose of our movement.

 

Mr. Hennis: That’s a valid point, because it has always been affirmed

in every society that there is a need for a priestly class or a class of

 

philosophical leaders.

 

Srila Prabhupada: But now the so-called priestly class are amending

the Biblical injunctions according to their whims. For instance, the

Bible

enjoins, “Thou shalt not kill.” But the priestly class is like the other

 

classes—sanctioning slaughterhouses. So how can they guide?

 

Mr. Hennis: But the animal world is entirely composed of beings who

eat one another. I suppose that the justification that people have for

maintaining slaughterhouses is that it is just a cleaner way of killing

than for a lion to jump on the back of an antelope.

 

Srila Prabhupada: But as a human being you should have discrimination.

You should be guided by your brain, and society should be guided by the

“brain class” of priestly, thoughtful men. Nature has given human beings

 

the fruits, the vegetables, the grains, the milk, which all have great

nutritional value, and human beings should be satisfied with these

wholesome

foods. Why should they maintain slaughterhouses? And how can they think

they will be happy by being sinful, by disobeying God’s commandments?

This

means society has no brain.

 

Mr. Hennis: My organization isn’t directly concerned with giving people

brains.

 

Srila Prabhupada: Your organization may not be directly concerned.

But if human society is brainless, no matter how much you may try to

organize,

society can never be happy. That is my point.

 

Mr. Hennis: My organization is concerned with taking away the obstacles

that prevent people from attaining a proper brain. One of the obstacles

is just plain poverty.

 

Srila Prabhupada: No. The main thing is, society must learn to

discriminate between pious and sinful activities. Human beings must

engage

in pious activities, not sinful activities. Otherwise, they have no

brain.

They are no better than animals. And from the moral point of view, do

you

like sending your mother to the slaughterhouse? You are drinking the

milk

of the cow—so she is your mother—and after that you are sending her to

the slaughterhouse. That is why we ask. Where is society’s brain?

 

Mr. Hennis: Of course, when we speak of the distinctions that are made

between pious activities and sinful activities—

 

Srila Prabhupada Today practically no one is making this distinction.

We are making it, and we have introduced these ideas by establishing

farm

communities and protecting our cows. And our cows are winning awards for

 

giving the most milk, because they are so jubilant. They know, “These

people

will not kill me.” They know it, so they are very happy. Nor do we kill

their calves. At other farms, soon after the cow gives birth to a calf,

they pull her calf away for slaughter. You see? This means society has

no brain. You may create hundreds of organizations, but society will

never

be happy. That is the verdict."

 

So the goal is to move to a society based on consumption of milk where

the calf is not slaughtered, where the cow is not slaughtered when her

production falls off. If a society is based on consuming the milk from

exploited cows, it is not hard to imagine that their would be

exploitation and abuse of the other mothers as well.

 

We can say that sannyasis shouldn't manage men or money. But that was a

necesary compromise Srila Prabhupada made to push forward the movement.

Just like he allowed the use of blood milk.

 

So the first question is, how do we properly purify the blood milk we

are currently consuming, and then how to literally put protected milk

in front of every Deity and brahman in the movement. That will build

the foundation, will create the roots for a true brahminical society.

 

Hare Krsna