Encouraging celibacy

[Guest guest]

Dear Ajamila das,

Please accept my humble obeisances,

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 

I am always glad to hear from you for you are very dedicated in your

services.

There is a difference between open discussion and endorsement. Perhaps a

problem also here is my use of the term gay man or third gender.

I earlier said: "We should not lump all gays into the same category." I used

gay in a rather broad sense. I didn't say homosexuals.

I was thinking more of eunuchs and many who have a physical and chromosome

issue, man as well as woman. For instance, there are people who

are born with both genitals male and female. There are also those who are

assigned one gender at birth by the doctors, and later as they

mature find their body physically or biologically responding to different

gender. These and other complicated cases are more numerous than most

people are aware of, ask any gynecologist. I know of about ten cases. Never

have I advocated illicit sex or deviant behavior. But yes, I do

advocate trying to understand our as well as others particular body disease so

we can rise above them. I am sorry some who have their agenda

are trying to use me (I see this coming from two different opposite camps), put

words into my mouth, etc. Whatever is perceived, my conclusions were

honoring celibacy and following the 4 regs and compassionately encouraging

everyone to rise above any various challenges so we can be first class in

Srila Prabhupada's service. Some discussions can open up flood gates, but

avoiding certain issues can increase underlying conflicts or cover over

problems

that are already existing.

I hope these recent exchanges will help any of those who are in the

<homosexual> communities who are trying to push on the movement

anything that goes against dharma or sanatana dharma to stop. And I pray those

recent exchanges on these important days will encourage more

devotees to better understand various Vaisnavas suffering difficulties and

struggles so we can all be more able to protect each other from maya in her

gross and subtle forms. I pray all of us will do our part in protecting Srila

Prabhupada's house by avoiding making offences towards each other and being

more cautious in how we come to our conclusions. I will surely personally try

to be more precise and clear in the future.

 

Below are some references some of you asked for:

 

1. SB 10.1.69 - purport, a discussion on man woman or <in between>:

<To distinguish persons that are bereft of these transcendental pleasures,

Pariksit Maharaja has used the words <virajyeta puman>.

The word puman refers to any person, whether man, woman, or in-between>

 

2. Tape #67-002 San Francisco 04/05/67

Special attendent on Lord Caitanya's birth

 

SP: (Srila Prabhupada) Jagannatha Misra is father. He was. whatever

money and cloth and gold and silver. they were coming. he was also

distributing to poor man, some dancers. In India there is a system. what do

you call the eunuchs? Those who are neither male or female? What do you

call them? What is their name?

 

HD: (Hayagriva dasa) A combination of both?

SP: Yes.

 

HD: Male and female? Hermaphrodite.

SP: Eunuchs? What is the eunuch?

 

HD: Eunuch. A eunuch is a .

SP: Tell me that.

 

HD: Impotent. someone who's been castrated.

SP: Oh. That is called a eunuch.

HD: Eunuch.

SP: Rather, by nature, neither man nor woman.

HD: Oh. This is also called asexual. That is to say, no sex.

SP: No sex?

HD: Hermaphrodite means they have the physical characteristics of both

man and woman.

SP: Oh? At the same time?

HD: At the same time.

SP: I do not know exactly, but such people, they have their own

society, and their means of livelihood is, that whenever there is some good

occasion.marriage or childbirth, like that, so, they go there and pray

to God that this child may be very long-living. In this way they make

some prayer and get some.

HD: These people. Now, I don't understand.

SP: .Yes. Saci devi is the mother of Lord Caitanya. She is sitting with

the child. And everyone is greeting and visiting and everyone is

saying, "Oh! Look how nice a child He is!"

HD: And these "asexual" people?

SP: They are dancing.

HD: They are dancing.

SP: Yes. They are chanting Hare Krsna. Like that. So. Hare Krsna

dancing is going there and visitors are coming and presenting very nice

things. Yes.

 

3. SB 10.62.25-26

Srila Visvanath Chakravati has defined the word bhatah as <female guards>,

whereas Jiva Goswami defines

them <eunuchs and others>. Grammatically the word can function both ways. As

there are professional singers, dancers

and reciters of prayers in the heavenly planets, so in India still are

professional dancers, blessers and singers, all of whom assembled

together during householder ceremonies, especially marriages and birth

ceremonies. These professional men earn their livelihood by

taking charity on such occasions from the home of the Hindus.

Eunuchs also take advantage of such ceremonies to receive charity. That is

their means of livelihood. Such men never become servants or engage themselves

in agriculture or business occupation; they simply take charity from

neighborhood friends to maintain themselves peacefully. The bhatah are a class

of

brahmana who goes trough such ceremonies to offer blessings by composing poems

with references to the Vedic scriptures.

 

4. (a) Here are two inserts from my own Spiritual Warrior II book pg 15:

<.Society itself encourages a wide variety of self-indulgent boundaries

violations, so that today's culture is replete with signs of serious imbalance:

pornography,

promiscuity, abortion, incest, homosexuality and sexually transmitted

disease.>

 

(b) <Another manifestation of misdirect sexuality in modern society is the

growing number of homosexuals and bisexuals> (SW II pg 18)

Krishna's dharma and Isvara's submission are very clear.

 

I hope you had a wonderful festival period. I think it is so wonderful there

are devotees like Bhakti Vikasa Swami to keep in check devotees like myself who

 

with good intention may appear by some to be too inclusive and sentimental and

I think it is good to have devotees like myself who can help check devotees

like Bhakti Vikasa who may appear to some to be a fundamentalist and too

harsh. What a wonderful society His Devine Grace Srila Prabhupada has given us!

 

So not to be sentimental (smile) let me address another issue.

 

Srila Prabhupada's first book was "Easy journey to other planets". He tried to

capture people by using this contemporary theme. I have one very unusual book:

Spiritual Warrior I, which was a series of lectures to professionals who are

metaphysics. I made a few wild statements. I have several disclaimers in the

book however,

clarifying that the real goal is not these passages of secondary knowledge but

primary knowledge which brings one to full surrender to the Supreme.

I have even included in the new edition at the beginning that the author is

purposely using the language of the psychics to attract them to bhakti and not

to influence

the devotees to embrace secondary knowledge. In rare cases some of our acaryas

like Bhaktivinoda have done this, so it is not unique.

The beauty of the book really is how it shows how these professionals become

devotees now serving in ISKCON, following all four principles and

giving up their past gurus, impersonalism, etc. All of my books target

different audiences and are selling up to 1/4 million very soon. This book was

discussed in

Mayapura and the settlement is with Kalakantha, so there is no problem here

when things are understood in the proper prospective. Srila Prabhupada often

quotes Canakya Pandit, but he is only a secondary source used to enhance a

primary consideration, he even quoted the Aquarian gospel which is offensive to

Krishna.

 

If this book is too disturbing with all these clarifications, then maybe it is

best to withdraw it. For some will say I do not have the spiritual potency to

do such

things as Bhaktivinoda, as he used the language of Bauls, sahajiyas to convert

them or as Srila Prabhupada. The same ones will say you must do more as our

acharyas have done. So, what to do? Many know when Srila Prabhupada was on the

planet this was my kind of service i.e. sneak in like a needle and came

out like a plow - spiritual espionage. So I still find ways to do this from

time to time, sometimes even as an African king or etc. Now I am praying every

day

very hard to Srila Prabhupada to help me to assist more in minimizing the

suffering of devotees and to reach so many more pious karmis. I am sometimes

creative and radical, so please watch me closely. Read my other books, if

anyone feels my behavior is getting too radical, please tell me. I not only

want

constant feedback but I celebrate it! How blessed I was to have several of you

thinking of me during these auspicious days. I see it as a wonderful omen.

Let us keep checking in on each other as a family seeing how to protect Srila

Prabhupad's house. After all, all we have is each other.

I look forward to this being my best year in devotional service. I hope you are

feeling the same.

 

Srila Prabhupada ki jay!

 

Yours in Srila Prabhupada's service,

with love,

Bhakti-Tirtha Swami