The Need for Manu Samhita

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> > Our acaryas do not accept Manu Samhita as an authoritative source for

> > instructions on the behavior of devotees.

>

> You're wrong here, Srila Prabhupada gave numerous instructions on

> behaviour to his disciples, quoting the laws of Manu.

 

This was also discussed earlier in this forum. Srila Prabhupada never

directly said or implied that the laws of Manu were applicable for devotees.

Krishna Kirti Prabhu did give one quote where at the beginning of the

paragraph Srila Prabhupada mentions the Manu Samhita and its applicability

to karmi society, then at the end adds in that such a result would also be

helpful in ISKCON. All other references to Manu Samhita he has contributed

have merely been where Srila Prabhupada was talking about Manu's importance

for karmi society.

 

> > They may accept it as a useful source of information for preaching, but

> > not for the conduct of our personal lives.

>

> Oh, I see that's the mood! We will preach to others something, which

> we will not accept ourselves, since we, devotees, are already

> transcendentally situated and above all laws.

 

It is a well established fact that those who are chanting the holy name and

have accepted a bona fide sampradaya have DIFFERENT rules which apply to

them. This is not a statement that such devotees are automatically

transcendental to the material nature. They may still be affected by maya.

But provided they have not given up the process they are not obligated to

follow Manu at all, but for their continued purification they must follow a

different set of smritis, headed by Hari Bhakti Vilas.

 

Srila Prabhupada preached many things to karmis which he did not accept

himself. In not accepting these things he was not "violating" sastra, but it

was because he was following the sastras applicable to him according to his

position. He was instructing the karmis to follow the rules applicable to

them. There is no harm in this.

 

In VAD a brahmana does not have to live like a sudra in order to instruct

the sudras how to act. He does not have to "practice what he preaches". So I

find no usefulness to your statement that, "we will preach to others

something which we will not accept ourselves..."

 

Your servant, Bhaktarupa Das