Ritviks must be expelled

[Guest guest]

Dear Devotees,

 

I know that I'm not the only one who is wondering why things are developing

the way they do, what the future of this movement will be and what kind of

Krishna conscious stand and action each of us should take.

 

An essay by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja for the 'Harmonist'

published some 70 years ago seems to be very relevant to the ongoing

discussions. Please permit my humble submission.

 

"Kaliya is the type of cunning and malice. He is the embodiment of

unrelenting cruelty. There is no place for Kaliya in the happy realm of

Vraja.

It is quiet conceivable for the confidential friends of Krishna not to

entertain any suspicion regarding the malicious intention of cruel and

deceitful persons whose purpose is to poison them against Krishna. They may

even unwittingly fall into the counsel of such evil persons. But Krishna is

sure to rescue His own from the wiles of His enemies.....

 

Nay Krishna has also a plan for curing the evil propensity of Kaliya

himself. The process consists in making him feel the touches of His dancing

feet. But Kaliya attempts to bear up against all curative chastisement.

Instead of feeling the joy of supporting the feet of Krishna on his hoods

the monster finds it impossible to bear his good fortune without undergoing

the pangs of actual death. Even the loyal wives of Kaliya who desire the

reformation of the monster and whose good wishes for his well-being are the

cause of Krishna's mercy towards him are at last forced to intercede by a

prayer for his banishment from the realm of Vraja. But the pride of Kaliya

had received a mortal check.

 

The banishment of Kaliya from the lake of the Yamuna has a most important

spiritual significance. Those who have a purpose to create troubles against

the pure devotees of Krishna by infecting the devotees with their own

malicious disposition meet with a certain degree of initial success in their

nefarious undertaking. This emboldens them to make a direct attack upon

Krishna Himself when He appears on the scene of their depraved activities in

order to restore the living faith of His own bonafide associates.

 

Those who are not exceedingly clever can never be servants of Sri Krishna.

But the service of Krishna is also never available to those whose cunning is

employed for depriving Krishna of the fullness of His enjoyment. Kaliya and

those who are actuated by a naturally malicious disposition are also styled

clever in the ordinary phraseology of this damned world. Such rascals may

also have the impudence of taking their stand upon the texts of the

scriptures and using their cunningness in the graceless attempt of depriving

Krishna of the service of His own. This kind of conduct may also pass

undetected and may even be regarded as possessing the perfect skill of

confidential service. But Krishna is sure to expose the real nature of the

villain just at the moment when it has been successful in misleading His

best loved ones.

 

It is indeed very difficult to understand the ways of Krishna. Krishna

apparently permits almost every form of offense to be perpetrated with

impunity against His beloved ones. This has the effect of providing an

opportunity to His own for proving their incomparable love for Him and by

the means of this unique exhibition of their love to defeat in the most

fruitful manner the machinations of His worst enemies. The friends of

Krishna are offered to the malice of cunning and relentless brutes in order

to bring out the difference between the two and thereby enable the latter to

desist from troubling the devotees of their own accord.

 

But the brutes are never allowed to associate with the servants of Krishna

even after they forego all their malice towards them. They are eternally

debarred from the service of Krishna in Vraja. But the touch of Krishna's

feet makes are real difference between the recipient of His mercy and the

other brutes. Kaliya is no longer regarded by Garuda as the enemy of

Krishna. Kaliya is, therefore, allowed a place among those who are protected

by Krishna.

 

It does not follow that it is a paying business to poison the hearts of His

servants against Krishna which is sure to be granted with the reward of His

protection. Yes, this is so after the pride of the miscreant is thoroughly

broken by being trod upon by Krishna Himself. He is thereby inspired with a

most wholesome dread which effectively prevents him from trying to breed

mischief among the bonafide devotees by owning a unwilling allegiance to

Krishna and assuming the badge of His servitude by wearing on his head the

pride of His lotus feet.

 

The mercy shown to Kaliya is so obviously and disproportionately great in

its magnitude in face of the extreme gravity of his offense that no

rationalistic explanation can do justice to its full beneficent

significance."