Utopianism and impersonalism

[Guest guest]

--

"So we shall not expect that anywhere there is any Utopia.

Rather, that is impersonalism. People should not expect that even

in the Krishna Consciousness Society there will be Utopia.

Because devotees are persons, therefore there will always be some

lacking..."

--

 

(...)

 

It is not so much that because there may be some faults in our

godbrothers and godsisters, or because there may be some

mismanagement or lack of cooperation, that this is due to being

impersonalists, no. It is the nature of the living condition to

always have some fault. Even in the Spiritual World there is some

fault and envy----sometimes the Gopis will quarrel over Krishna's

favor, and once Krishna was so much attracted to Radharani that

by mistake he tried to milk the bull instead of the cow, and

sometimes when the Gopis used to put on their dress and make-up

for seeing Krishna, they would be too much hasty and smear kumkum

and mascara in the wrong places and their ornaments and dresses

would appear as if small children had been trying to dress

themselves and they were not very expert, like that. There are so

many examples. But it is not the same as material fault or

material envy, it is transcendental because it is all based on

Krishna. Sometimes when one Gopi would serve Krishna very nicely,

the others would say, "Oh, she has done so nicely, now let me do

better for pleasing Krishna." That is envy, but it is

transcendental, without malice.

 

So we shall not expect that anywhere there is any Utopia. Rather,

that is impersonalism. People should not expect that even in the

Krishna Consciousness Society there will be Utopia. Because

devotees are persons, therefore there will always be some

lacking. But the difference is that their lacking, because they

have given up everything to serve Krishna --- money, jobs,

reputation, wealth, big educations, everything --- their lackings

have become transcendental because, despite everything they may

do, their topmost intention is to serve Krishna. "One who is

engaged in devotional service, despite the most abominable

action, is to be considered saintly because he is rightly

situated."

 

The devotees of Krishna are the most exalted persons on this

planet, better than kings, all of them, so we should always

remember that and, like the bumblebee, always look for the nectar

or the best qualities of a person. Not like the utopians, who are

like the flies who always go to the open sores or find the faults

in a person, and because they cannot find any utopia, or because

they cannot find anyone without faults, they want to become void,

merge, nothing-they think that is utopia, to become void of

personality.

 

So if there is sometimes slight disagreements between devotees,

it is not due to impersonalism, but it is because they are

persons, and such disagreements should not be taken very

seriously. The devotee is always pessimistic about the material

world, but he is very optimistic about the spiritual life; so in

this way, you should consider that anyone engaged in Krishna's

service is always the best person.

 

I am very pleased that you are assisting your godbrothers so

nicely. Yes, this is our real position, to be servants of the

servants of the servants. And by your quiet and humble attitude,

you shall set the example of Vaisnava so that all may learn from

you, and very soon their puffed-up attitude will disappear and

they will come to you and seek your advice in matters.

 

(...)

 

---- Letter to: Atreya Rsi, Bombay, 4 February, 1972

 

 

[utopia: Greek 'ou', not, no + Greek 'topos', place]