The False King In Our Home: TV

[suchandra]

Since more and more Vaishnavas don't live in temples anymore, instructive lesson by Kesava Krsna dasa:

 

Keeping sacred books next to the TV set<!-- the main section of the post goes here -->

Jan 29, 2008

We all should have received some basic training on how to respectfully treat sastra. Knowing that none of Srila Prabhupada’s books should touch the ground or other inconsiderate place will make us consign the books to a decent position; but next to the TV! This is a bad idea.

By Kesava Krsna Dasa

If one uses the prajalpa box for no other reason than to watch Krishna related material, then it will be a worthy companion for whichever spiritual books compete for space on the wall unit. The constant visuals and sounds of Krishna katha should transform the TV into a spiritual teaching device.

One may think that simply watching current affairs, documentaries and news programmes are acceptable reasons to keep the square-eyed information loader upon the throne of a centrally prominent place in the lounge. So if, let’s say, the fascinating subject of the mating habits of a reclusive, endangered Madagascan sloth gets aired, will such informative prajalpa be as dignified as the presence of the Srimad Bhagavatam? Yes, even the Grantha-raja literary incarnation of Krishna is sometimes up there in the TV wall unit.

Inevitably, a commercial break will show up between programming, and it is not uncommon to see a roasting, sizzling piece of rotting flesh being paraded to the accompaniment of catchy musical scores to lure the gullible into eating the remains of slaughtered loss of life. With sanitized horror such as this, is it fitting the blabber box share equal kingly status as the Srimad Bhagavatam?

Then we have the case, as in some homes, where the TV more or less stays on, spewing out all manner of entertaining prajalpa, while the books are given 2nd or 3rd rate citizenship, serving as minions to the false king, the TV. If one were to place a functioning TV onto an altar where our worshipable deities reside, it would certainly be unthinkable.

Such an observance as this appears to be extremely high pontificatory summoning from the pulpit of self-proclaimed spiritual righteousness, which may cause one to sit rather uneasily in the sitting place, but there are reasons why this misplaced kingship should be usurped; if not, transferred elsewhere in the home.

A simple analysis will inform us that these situations happen because of ordinary perception, and ordinary chanting of japa. What does chanting have to do with keeping a TV next to Srila Prabhupada’s books? In fact, we should ask, how is it this has been allowed in the first place?

Healthy chanting engenders an awareness and respect for all things connected to Krishna, including sastra. If for some unknown reason some nagging or recurring problem occurs while chanting, it is a reaction to our violation of one, or all of the ten offences against the holy name. In this case, the fourth offence of blaspheming sastra may seem too unsympathetic and over the top. If we look at the third offence ‘ guror avajna ‘ the correlation becomes clearer.

If we take the fourth offence ‘ sruti sastra-nindanam ‘ to be just a verbal form of profanity then we reduce the severity of the wider definition of disrespect towards sastra. For instance, any sensitive devotee would be aghast to discover a pair of unclean shoes in the same bag as, let us say, a Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. Yet the untrained spiritual practitioner carrying the bag would fail to see the harm, because his chanting has not elevated him to this appreciation.

The third offence not only means to disobey the spiritual master, but to consider him an ordinary person. Therefore, when Srila Prabhupada’s and other sacred books are positioned near the TV, we plummet our perception down to the ordinary plane. The consequence of this is that our siksa guru and his life’s ambition to publish books are no better than the riveting and glamorous world of television. Then other devotees come to be seen as ordinary, and so on. ‘He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.’ (BG 16.23)

We have to ask, ‘How can one make spiritual progress’? while keeping sacred books in bad places. We can continue to chant, but it will be like pouring water onto the flames of our japa utterances. If we are serious enough to recognise this as a problem, we should move the bogus monarch away from such high-minded association.

We do not have to be feng shui or vastu experts to realize that warranted removal will have an immediate impact on raising the consciousness, and should help contribute towards a healthy and fruitful household. Srila Prabhupada’s books should have pride of place, rather, sanctity of place in the home, which will earn appreciation that is more respectful, leading to increased knowledge. ‘’. and knowledge is the ornament of everything.’ (Chanakya Pandit)

Having established a room for study and learning, our clearer conscience will enthrone the Srimad Bhagavatam in its rightful place. With a merciful king as this in the home, we can chant a little easier while trying to stop committing the rest of the ten offences. We need all the mercy we can get.

Ys, Kesava Krsna dasa.

[sanatan]

In my house, the computers are the reigning deities...even though we have the full-size TV-deity, a 42" flatscreen LCD, we watch it very little.

 

Yes, the computers and TV need to be away from the spiritually-dedicated area...on my list.

[Sarva gattah]

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The addicts of the 21st Century

 

 

Maya's weapon that test us to see if we really want Krishna?

 

Next time you visit a devotee's house, see what is the central point of that houshold - will it be Prabhupada's books, or the books of ones Gaudiya math Guru. Or will one find the all worshipable Television set, X-Box, Play-station, Nintendo?

[sopatel]

even our own homes central point is a flat panel. How sad? But I guess it depends on what you watch on the tv. You know, bhajans, kathas and then the religious serials we have. Its unavoidable, especially in this consumer culture to not have certain things...i.e. a computer but I guess it depend on what you use it for.

As far as books are concerned, I think they need a place of there own cause no way can you concetrate on your reading with tv, computer and so on.

Maya is good and bad depending on what you want to take from it.

 

 

Jai Shri Krishna

[CCC]

 

Since more and more Vaishnavas don't live in temples anymore, instructive lesson by Kesava Krsna dasa:

 

Keeping sacred books next to the TV set<!-- the main section of the post goes here -->

Jan 29, 2008

We all should have received some basic training on how to respectfully treat sastra. Knowing that none of Srila Prabhupada’s books should touch the ground or other inconsiderate place will make us consign the books to a decent position; but next to the TV! This is a bad idea.

By Kesava Krsna Dasa

If one uses the prajalpa box for no other reason than to watch Krishna related material, then it will be a worthy companion for whichever spiritual books compete for space on the wall unit. The constant visuals and sounds of Krishna katha should transform the TV into a spiritual teaching device.

One may think that simply watching current affairs, documentaries and news programmes are acceptable reasons to keep the square-eyed information loader upon the throne of a centrally prominent place in the lounge. So if, let’s say, the fascinating subject of the mating habits of a reclusive, endangered Madagascan sloth gets aired, will such informative prajalpa be as dignified as the presence of the Srimad Bhagavatam? Yes, even the Grantha-raja literary incarnation of Krishna is sometimes up there in the TV wall unit.

Inevitably, a commercial break will show up between programming, and it is not uncommon to see a roasting, sizzling piece of rotting flesh being paraded to the accompaniment of catchy musical scores to lure the gullible into eating the remains of slaughtered loss of life. With sanitized horror such as this, is it fitting the blabber box share equal kingly status as the Srimad Bhagavatam?

Then we have the case, as in some homes, where the TV more or less stays on, spewing out all manner of entertaining prajalpa, while the books are given 2nd or 3rd rate citizenship, serving as minions to the false king, the TV. If one were to place a functioning TV onto an altar where our worshipable deities reside, it would certainly be unthinkable.

Such an observance as this appears to be extremely high pontificatory summoning from the pulpit of self-proclaimed spiritual righteousness, which may cause one to sit rather uneasily in the sitting place, but there are reasons why this misplaced kingship should be usurped; if not, transferred elsewhere in the home.

A simple analysis will inform us that these situations happen because of ordinary perception, and ordinary chanting of japa. What does chanting have to do with keeping a TV next to Srila Prabhupada’s books? In fact, we should ask, how is it this has been allowed in the first place?

Healthy chanting engenders an awareness and respect for all things connected to Krishna, including sastra. If for some unknown reason some nagging or recurring problem occurs while chanting, it is a reaction to our violation of one, or all of the ten offences against the holy name. In this case, the fourth offence of blaspheming sastra may seem too unsympathetic and over the top. If we look at the third offence ‘ guror avajna ‘ the correlation becomes clearer.

If we take the fourth offence ‘ sruti sastra-nindanam ‘ to be just a verbal form of profanity then we reduce the severity of the wider definition of disrespect towards sastra. For instance, any sensitive devotee would be aghast to discover a pair of unclean shoes in the same bag as, let us say, a Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. Yet the untrained spiritual practitioner carrying the bag would fail to see the harm, because his chanting has not elevated him to this appreciation.

The third offence not only means to disobey the spiritual master, but to consider him an ordinary person. Therefore, when Srila Prabhupada’s and other sacred books are positioned near the TV, we plummet our perception down to the ordinary plane. The consequence of this is that our siksa guru and his life’s ambition to publish books are no better than the riveting and glamorous world of television. Then other devotees come to be seen as ordinary, and so on. ‘He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.’ (BG 16.23)

We have to ask, ‘How can one make spiritual progress’? while keeping sacred books in bad places. We can continue to chant, but it will be like pouring water onto the flames of our japa utterances. If we are serious enough to recognise this as a problem, we should move the bogus monarch away from such high-minded association.

We do not have to be feng shui or vastu experts to realize that warranted removal will have an immediate impact on raising the consciousness, and should help contribute towards a healthy and fruitful household. Srila Prabhupada’s books should have pride of place, rather, sanctity of place in the home, which will earn appreciation that is more respectful, leading to increased knowledge. ‘’. and knowledge is the ornament of everything.’ (Chanakya Pandit)

Having established a room for study and learning, our clearer conscience will enthrone the Srimad Bhagavatam in its rightful place. With a merciful king as this in the home, we can chant a little easier while trying to stop committing the rest of the ten offences. We need all the mercy we can get.

Ys, Kesava Krsna dasa.

 

My room is 3x2m and next to the computer are Sp books, it is sad because I am reading less and less:crying2:

[theist]

I I have been having a real war with TV over the last few years. Kinda like trying to give up a drug addiction. I have my cable turned off. Then turned back on with the minimum number of channels etc. (where I am now).

 

Hypno-Vision still has me in a trance.

[theist]

The training regimen of Maya's lap dogs.

 

"Relax now...deeper & deeper. You will want what you are told to want.....will buy what you are told to buy....will believe what you are told to believe....will do what you are told to do... you will think you are acting of your own free will. Deeper now..."

 

 

Just see what so many of us have to overcome. Is it any wonder we have so much trouble in sadhana bhakti?

[Kulapavana]

I think that far greater culprit than the TV is our outside job. Watching TV is passive, while the engagement in outside work is very active. We also spend much more time at work than in front of a TV. Working takes up so much of our energy and forces us to make a lot of compromises.

 

That is why devotees should develop their own companies and employ other devotees. That is a way of very successful religious groups these days. Their ranks are growing while we are barely holding our own ground.

[theist]

 

Watching TV is passive,

 

This is what makes it so dangerous. Becoming passive and relaxed is the preliminary stage to inducing hypnotic trance. After that come the hypnotic suggestions in the form of specifically designed ads plus the general content of the programs. The whole adverstising industry operates using these basic principles of hypnosis.

[sanatan]

 

This is what makes it so dangerous. Becoming passive and relaxed is the preliminary stage to inducing hypnotic trance. After that come the hypnotic suggestions in the form of specifically designed ads plus the general content of the programs. The whole adverstising industry operates using these basic principles of hypnosis.

 

Maybe computer games are better, since they involve active participation?

 

They're a much worse weakness for me than TV.

[Murali_Mohan_das]

Nice thread. The original article is well-written and even anticipates the unease that it generates in me.

 

I watch very little TV, though lately, I've been on a movie (home video) kick.

 

In fact, in college, I did an installation art piece (inspired by a "kill your TV" installation on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley) where I recorded a half-hour long monologue from the perspective of the TV--similar to the one theist wrote--about how people can let their TV's do the thinking for them, raise their children, etc. In the background were sound effects and TV show theme music. This sound played from behind a TV with a smashed screen and a "bouquet" of jagged metal (from a discarded window blind) justting out from the front of it.

 

On the other hand, as I was moving my father out of his L.A. apartment, one year after he had entered a period of deep depression, where he had been watching TV for up to 20 hours a day and hardly sleeping, I realized that there was a picture (a big poster, actually) of Sri Krishna up on the wall above the TV. I realized that, indirectly, my father had been meditating on the Lord while watching all of the horrors on the boob-tube. That thought was somewhat comforting.

[indulekhadasi]

I have been watching a some temple videos lately- different plays we performed for the pleasure of Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. One time is was Durga devi (I was only 8 years old) and I was screaming, "You rascal Kamsa, how dare you try to kill me! The child who will kill you has already been born before me somewhere else within this world. Don't be so cruel to your poor sister!

I was about half the size (not exaggerating) of the person playing Kamsa, so it was hilarious. It looked like a little midget was chastising a giant- it made my day to watch that.

I don't watch TV- only KC videos.