Q&A session in Mayapur - 24th Feb., 2003, continued

[Guest guest]

7. AMRTA GOPAL DASI:

Q: Please explain how your disciples are linked to the parampara. In our

preaching efforts how can we access the great power of parampara. In

addition I would like to know how a preacher of kanistha adhikari level can

elevate herself to the appropriate platform of preaching.

 

A: Our disciples are linked to the Parampara through Srila Prabhupada &

Bhaktisiddhantha Sarasvati Thakur & previous acaryas in our Bhagavat

parampara. We are linked to Lord Caitanya and through Lord Caitanya to Lord

Himself, Vyasadeva and Krsna. We remember Guru and Prabhupada, previous

acaryas and that gives us access to parampara. We are linked by inititation

and by instructions.

Regarding the kanistha adhikari level, I mentioned in isthagosthi about

festival. The kanistha adhikari sees the Lord and the guru as a

representative of the Lord and that's about it. They generally don't know

how to deal with the Vaisnavas properly. Madhyama adhikari sees 4 levels.

The Lord and his representative guru, the devotees, the innocent people who

are not inimical to Krsna consciousness i.e. they don't know about it so

much, and then the envious people. So the madhyama adhikari surrenders to

Guru and Krsna. He is the friend to the Vaisnavas, he is merciful and kind

to innocent people trying to uplift them. So you want to come up to that

level. Here in Mayapur I was explaining to our devotees how we have great

opportunity because we get to serve all the Vaisnavas who come here. Many

temples don't get so many Vaisnavas visiting from different temples like we

do. So we have this wonderful opportunity because all Vaisnavas are dear to

Krsna and these are preachers and devotees from all over the world, many

Srila Prabhupada's disciples, sankirtan devotees, etc. So we get the

opportunity to serve all of them and whatever service you do in Mayapur, you

get 1000 times benefit. So we are all fortunate that we are able to serve

all the Vaisnavas and Vaisnavis who are visiting us here. I was explaining

those things.

 

8. AMRTA GOPAL DASI

 

Q: Please explain why taking a female birth by Bhagavan Sri Krsna is a low

birth. In what ways are women less intelligent than men? To what services

are women most suited? Also please explain why some women are inclined to

marriage while others are not. Is this a matter of karma?

 

A: Krsna mentions to Arjuna that striyas, vaisyas, etc, ladies, vaisyas,

sudras, and even people from sinful background can also get Vaisnava

shelter. In the next werse He says what to speak of brahmanas and kings. So

previously youwould see great priests, brahmanas and kings would become God

conscious and very religious. But, Krsna was open for everyone. On top of

the list come ladies. Ladies came before vaisyas, sudras, what to speak of

sinful people. In Kali yuga we are all sudras by birth. What was the

situation before? Prabhupada would sometime go to the West - Oh, here ladies

are just as capable as men, they are driving, doing everything. Kunti Devi

although she is a great queen, she humbles herself and says I am a woman, it

is difficult for me to understand all these philosophical things. Maybe the

great intelectual brahmanas, rajarsis, maharisis could have much greater

intelectual capacity then what generally women had. But today the men also

don't have that capacity. Maybe that was the standard - of men the brahmanas

and ksatriyas tend to be generally more intelectual and more intelligent,

then after that women, vaisyas, sudras. Right now everything is kind of a

topsy-turvy and in Krsna consciousness we just ask everybody to engage in

service they can perform. The tendency is of course to identify very

strongly with the body and to understand philosophicaly that we are beyond

the body, that is sometimes very difficult for some people to understand.

As far as why some women are inclined to marriage and others are not - in

generally it is recommended for women to be married. Prabhupada used to say

that they are happier if they are in a protected environment. Unfortunately

men have not succeeded in protecting women properly in many situations so

that changed a lot of situation. Maybe some people are not so much exposed.

How can I say why? Because of spiritual reasons they would like to simply

engage in Krsna's service and not have responsibilities of family. Sometimes

it is not for such altruistic reasons. Maybe they had a disturbed family

life in their childhood, they didn't have good role models so they have some

kind of prejudice, or they don't want to marry because they figure it is

going to be difficult but maybe they can be nicely situated if they find a

right person. But this is not only for women but equally I think it is also

for men. But generally we always feel that - like Prabhupada said a paradox

that we want all brahmacaris to remain brahmacaris and all the women to be

nicely married. So how do you solve this problem? Obviously not everybody

remains a brahmacari.

 

9. TEJA GAURANGI DD

 

Q: How can we distinguish between bhakti-lata creeper and the false creepers

in the heart since they can seem similar?

 

A: The bhakti-lata creeper and the other false creepers are called upasakas

or weeds and the weeds are inspired by such things like love, profit,

position, worship, respect, violence, harsh dealings, diplomatic dealings,

political dealings, attachment for breaking the principles... Some are quite

obvious and some are very subtle.

If someone is doing dev. service and is motivated only by getting respect,

then they will become unmotivated and they have to analyze. So somebody is

more sincere about their motives then they take out those weeds out of the

heart. Actually I am not serving because I want to get respect. I am just

doing this to please Guru and Krsna. I know when I was building mayapur, it

was very intense. Srila Prabhupada had us working from 6 in the morning till

midnight every day. Double shifts. At on point I thought I was going to

crack. Then I was just thinking that I would never do this for money or any

other reason. I am just doing this because I really want to please S.

Prabhupada and the previous acaryas who want to see my effort in all this.

And then, somehow when I thought like that I could just feel like as if

Bhaktivinoda Thakur was smiling at me. Suddenly things seem to feel a lot

better. It is important that we realign our thoughts. How we pull the weeds

is that when we let some other motives or some other things creep in, then

it becomes burdensome to do devotional service when it is not aligned with

other creepers. If we are properly doing things for right Krsna conscious

reason, then it is always blissful to do devotional service.

 

10: BHAKTA GARY, Pretoria, SA

 

Q: Today I was reading in the 5th Canto about helish planets whichi s

speacificaly for those who neglect dharma. In the purport SP mentions that

no matter what religion people follow, Christianity, Hinduism, ISKCON, they

should follow their religion. Can you explain what is the value of following

other religions and should we encourage and support people in their own

religion?

 

A: As Srila Prabhupada explained, different religions have developed in

different parts of the world for different kinds of people with different

values. So there are some religions which are primarily for meat eaters or

different kinds of religion for different time and places. Krsna

consciousness is preaching sanatana dharma which is a universal, which is

transcendental. It has no beginning, no end. If we can get somebody to adopt

Krsna conscious principles from any religion, obviously that is useful. But

at the same time, BG says that we shouldn't disturb the faith of people.

Because it is better if they are performing some religious codes and if we

just preach against some religion and then they may not take our process but

they stop their process. Then it is going to be worse for them. Like if

someone is worshipping the devas - at least they are in the mode of

goodness, they are avoiding some sinful activity. If we just preach against

deva worship and they stop that but then they don't have faith in Krsna and

they don't want to worship Krsna... Then what are we doing? Prabhupada's

method of preaching is much more positive. Don't just present negative side,

always give a positive alternative, always compare things. It is not just

some negative thing. Some religions preach in a very negative way. Turn or

burn - that type of a thing. In Los Angeles they have these big signs with a

human being and some kind of a barbicue stick and a says - turn or burn. We

have a little broader vision. Of course also whether the religion which

people are following is being true to their original doctrines. It is also a

big question. The Jesus was teaching reincarnation, he was vegetarian, but

today many Christians are not following that kind of understanding. Over the

years how much their parampara has maintained intact - but still their doing

something is better than nothing. One person came up to Srila Prabupada in a

park somewhere and said - I am believe in Jesus! What is wrong with that?

And Prabhupada said - God bless you. God bless you. You don't have to shove

our ideas down peoples' throats. If they want to hear, we are here to tell

them. Our process is not so much argumenting although we can do it but that

doesn't really convince people so much in Kali yuga. Rather we want people

who listen. This is a very subtle topic, very confidential. People have to

be open. If they really want to understand what is science of God

consciousness, they have to open up their mind a little bit and listen. And

then, if someone does that you can see that what it says in Bible or in the

Kuran, the Torah is also mentioned in Bhagavad Gita and in this way people

can achieve...Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam are teaching even more

like confidential things, more information about God which is otherwise not

so easily accessible. Prabhupad would encourage people. SOmeone would say -

I am Christian. SP - Oh yes, Jesus said that we should love God and we are

teaching love of God... Go with the flow, go with the positive thing. Lord

Caitanya when He was preaching to the Muslims in CC, He was telling them

from the Koran. The Koran says all is impersonal and also says that He is a

person. The most Muslims accept that Allah is impersonal but they don't

understand that He is also a person. One after another Lord Caitanya showed

how Koran gives all these concepts. In this way He convinced people with

their own scripture the conclusions of the BHagavad Gita. Once they realized

that that what He was teaching and their own religion was same, but that He

had a better hold of deeper understanding then they wanted to hear more. The

problem is that other scriptuers have a limit to what information they have

while BHagavad Gita and BHagavatam go much further. Upto limit that they

have we also have the same teaching and those people who are really

iterested to hear about the religion, about the purpose of religion, purpose

of God consciousness, they will be more open to hear. So we are trying to

preach in a more positive way.

 

Thank you very much!