krsna katha

[Guest guest]

> Protection from attraction to the fare sex seems odd to me. 'Protection

> from' implies that someone is out to attack... I'm sorry to say but as

> 'mothers' in this movement, I don't think anyone is out to ruin a persons'

> spiritual life. Protecting oneself doesn't mean 'give the dog a bad name

> and then kill it' as the english expression goes. One can try to alter

> one's own consciousness though.

 

Again, the subject matter was women, not Vaisnavis. And as it has

already been mentioned, shastras are clear on that point. Noone was giving

the dog a bad name. But still, as some of us (Vaisnavas and Vaisnavis) may

not be on the absolute level yet and are still conditioned by the material

nature the distinction has to be made. A proof: read the letter that

followed the quote by Canakya Pandit.

 

 

> If one sees someone who may be attractive

> wouldn't it be healthier to see them as someone who is trying to serve

> Krishna with full attention too.

 

Noone said anything against that. That's nice. As long as it stays there.

But it all begins like that...

 

> And as far as advertisements, they are

> insulting for women too, wouldn't it also be healthier to feel compassion

> for those exploited for their bodies? Just a thought...

 

....and goes throught that phase as well. The next phase is the association.

And again, both men and women can be insulted by so many things in the

shastras. Men ans women, not Vaisnavas and Vaisnavis.

 

 

> Also I never said I'm a

> brahmacarini though... I happen to be a single mum, most probably due to

> my ex-husband who has never learned to treat women properly and to always

> put women down and so also doesn't know how to treat women one once he

> decided to get married. Resulting in a child growing up without father,

> and a father living without his family.

 

Yes, I completely understand you. I grew up without dad who left

when I was a kid. My mom was feeling quite bitter and from that time on she

tried to put down anything that was somehow or other connected with him.

Yes, I know and I've seen that being single mum is a tough job but what can

be done? Holding on to the feeling of bitternes and expressing it publicly

in the face of all the male devotees on a public conference won't make

things better. Trust me, I have more than two decades of directly percieved

example. It results in children growing up not only without the father but

with the feeling of growing up without the mother too. If the bitternes is

not given up.

 

 

> I goal is to point this out, since most brahmacaris (believe it or not)

> will get married as some point, and bring their mindset along. I just

> wouldn't want to see (as in 80% of Iskcon marriages) that more children

> have to grow up without their father and so further ruin many families,

> just because of a wrong mindset during brahmacari training.... Just my two

> cents.

 

Please don't think I don't trust you but I'd like to see the exact

statistics for those 80%. And brahmacari training doesn't mean wrong

mindset. Wrong mindset is the individual misunderstanding. Or misusing.

 

As I've heard it from the seminar on brahmacarya by HH Sacinandana

Swami, depending on a level of advancement of brahmacari he can have one of

the three following attitudes toward the women:

1. "Snake" attitiude (avoid women like snakes)

2. Respect (women are my mothers)

3. Women are spirit souls

 

 

> Respect is the key here. So please don't perceive this as an attack, it

> happens to be motherly care for brahmacari's spiritual life.

 

Respect is there, no doubt. And thanks for the motherly care. I

strongly believe that your children will be raised with a proper attitude

and won't be counted among those 80%. And I'm sorry if my words sounded

harsh to any of the readers. Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada...

 

Radhe Govinda dasa