At War With Maya

[ancient_paztriot]

Syamasundara dasa: He claims that there is no higher body to judge the states, and that their differences must be settled by war.

 

Srila Prabhupada: There is higher authority if there is religion, philosophy and learned brahmanas.

Syamasundara dasa: He can see no potential world authority.

 

Srila Prabhupada: That is because the Vedic varnasrama-dharma has been rejected. According to that system, the brahminical culture was superior to the ksatriya culture. The brahmanas are to advise the kings. Because people have rejected the Vedic system, they say that there is no authority.

 

Syamasundara dasa: Well, there was no judge to settle the dispute between Rama and Ravana, and that resulted in war.

Srila Prabhupada: The judge was Lord Ramacandra Himself. He is God.

 

Syamasundara dasa: In a sense, hegel glorifies war. “War protects the people from the corruption which an everlasting peace would bring upon them,” he says.

 

Srila Prabhupada: At the conclusion of the battle of Kuruksetra, Sanjaya points out that wherever there is Krsna, there will be victory (Bg. 18.78). If there is a war, the party that is God conscious will be victorious. If neither side is God conscious, it is a demonic war. It is not justified; it is just like a cat and dog fight. If we fight, we should fight on behalf of the Supreme God. That is called dharma-yuddha. Arjuna did not want to fight, but Krsna told him, “I am on your side. Fight.” Arjuna was victorious because God was on his side.

 

Syamasundara dasa: For Hegel, because the conflict itself is purifying, it has some ethical value. He writes, “By war, the ethical health of the nation is preserved, and its finite aims uprooted.”

 

Srila Prabhupada: Then he wants continuous war? If that is the case, Hitler is a first-class man. But why is he condemned? Of course, in the material world, there are opposing elements, and therefore there must be war. It is not that war can be stopped. Rather, the party that has Krsna’s support will emerge victorious. We don’t say that you can stop war, but that if you fight, you should fight on behalf of Krsna.

 

Syamasundara dasa: But what of Hegel’s view that progress comes only through conflict, and that peace means stagnation?

 

Srila Prabhupada: We do not agree that peace is stagnation. Our peace is working for Krsna. That is real peace. We are educating people to understand that Krsna is our friend, and this is not stagnation. Telling people about Krsna is our peace.

 

Syamasundara dasa: Are we not in a state of war with material nature, maya?

 

Srila Prabhupada: We don’t fight with maya. Those who are under maya’s clutches and who are being kicked by maya are struggling with maya. We have nothing to do with maya.

 

daivi hy esa guna-mayi

mama maya duratyaya

mam eva ye prapadyante

mayam etam taranti te

 

SYNONYMS

“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” (Bg. 7.14) If maya does not disturb us, what is the point of fighting?