Using material knowledge to serve Srila Prabhupada

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"COM: Madhava Gosh (das) ACBSP (New Vrindavan - USA)" wrote:

 

> [Text 2799766 from COM]

>

> >

> >

> > Nice analogy, if the terms are all unrelated.

> > Ok, now back to the topic under discussion. Prove that it can be applied to

> > show how "a sincere Vaishnava on the path of transcendental knowledge" is

> > not mutually exclusive (as you claim) with "so-called education of the

> > demoniac society."

>

> Certainly. For instance, there is no example of computer useage in

> traditional literature. Computers are the product of "demoniac" society,

> and the education of how to use them is "so -called education". It is not

> directly Vaisnava literature. Yet we can see that Vaisnavas are using

> computers, and availing themselves of that education. so it follow that

they

> are not mutually exclusive.

 

This is such an important point. If it our BBT devotees had not been willing

to

learn computer processing from the non-devotees, it is doubtful that most of us

could ever have read Srila Prabhupada's books. So much of the architecture for

our temples was also learned from non-devotees. Yet our devotees took

knowledge

that they gathered from them and used it to build beautiful temples to glorify

the

Lord.

 

But when it comes to social development and economics, we think there is

nothing

we can learn from the non-devotees.

 

I personally feel that the so-called "non-devotees" (actually they are just

covered devotees) have opened my eyes to vast new perspectives of Srila

Prabhupada

that I could not have guessed on my own. *Essays on Gandhian Economics* by

Romesh

Diwan and Marc Lutz; *Principles of Economics* by Baumol and Blinder; the

writings

of Marx and Engles; *The Modern World System* by Immanuel Wallerstein; *The

Great

Transformation* by Karl Polanyi.

 

If one studies Srila Prabhupada first, and then studies -- for example -- these

other authors, he will find that he has a deeper understanding of what they are

talking about than they themselves know, and he will find his understanding of

Srila Prabhupada is simultaneously broadened.

 

Just reading one article of the Gandhian Economics book gave me a completely

new

perspective on Srila Prabhupada's Gita-nagari Prophecy.

 

We handicap our opportunities for devotional service greatly when we arrogantly

insist that we have nothing to learn from the so-called non-devotees.

 

your servant,

 

Hare Krsna dasi