How do we not see the Faults of others?

[Pankaja_Dasa]

?????

 

[Guest guest]

If you want to have krsna-prema – such wonderful prema – then do not criticize anyone, even if that person is wretched. Let him be what he is – do not criticize him, otherwise that bad quality will come in you. Even if a person has a loose character and is lusty, don't keep this idea in your heart; otherwise lust will come in your heart. Especially do not criticize Vaisnavas. A Vaisnava who is still conditioned may somehow be derailed, but he will again come in line. We should forget his faults. Moreover, regarding the pure devotee it is stated in Upadesamrta:

 

<blockquote>

drstaih svabhava-janitair vapusas ca dosair

 

na prakrtatvam iha bhakta janasya pasyet

 

gangambhasam na khalu budbuda-phena-pankair

 

brahma-dravatvam apagacchati nira-dharmaih

 

 

["Devotees situated in this material world should not be viewed with material vision; in other words one should not consider them to be ordinary conditioned souls. The imperfections visible in their natures, such as birth in a low caste, harshness, lethargy, and so forth, and the imperfections visible in their bodies, such as ugly features, disease deformities and so on, are precisely like the appearance of bubbles, foam and mud in the Ganges. Despite such apparent pollution in the water of the Ganges, she retains her nature as liquefied transcendence. Similarly, the self-realized Vaisnavas always exist on the transcendental plane and one should not attribute defects to them."

 

(Upadeshamrta, verse 6)]</blockquote>

 

Whoever is giving a lecture – either myself or yourself – must totally follow the principles of devotion. Simply speaking will not do; your learning and theoretical knowledge will do nothing if you are not following.

 

 

 

--- Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj Lecture at the Sri Sri Radha-Govinda Gaudiya Matha in Los Angeles, California on June 12, 2005. Complete lecture here.

[stonehearted]

I would suggest two things from the top of my head. First, we should focus our main energy on discerning and correcting our own faults. That should keep most of us quite busy for a long time. The second would be to try to see others in terms of the service they have given to the Lord and His devotees, as well as that which they give now and may give in the future. Let me tell a story to illustrate this:

 

Once, in the spring of 1974, I was at the Honolulu airport with Srila Prabhupada and a couple of other devotees from the Honolulu temple, as he waited to depart. As Satsvarupa Maharaja read newspaper clippings about Krishna consciousness from around the world, Prabhupada looked up and said, "I hear Aniruddha is here in Hawaii, but he has not come to see me."

 

(Aniruddha was an old devotee from New York, a little cranky, and someone of whom Prabhupada was quite fond. He had been living in Honolulu, apparently not following very strictly, and would come to the temple to hang out with the devotees. My wife and I became friends with him.)

 

We were sitting in the terminal with Prabhupada, but there was a party outside on the sidewalk, keeping a kirtan going. Aniruddha was out there with them, and it took a little coaxing to get him to come see Srila Prabhupada. He finally came in, blushing, wearing cut-off jeans, a T-shirt, earring, and flip-flops. He folded his hands in pranams, and Srila Prabhupada asked, "So, Aniruddha, how are you?"

 

"Actually, Prabhupada, not so well."

 

Prabhupada coaxed him to sit on a chair next to him (the rest of us were on the floor), and they exchanged small talk for a couple of minutes. Then Srila Prabhupada turned, looked at us, and said, "In Los Angleles temple, he is the beginning." So whereas the rest of us may have been judging or pitying Aniruddha for his temporary falldown, or whatever was going on, Srila Prabhupada showed us how we should see each other: in terms of service. The service is eternal; everything else is ephemeral.

 

And I have a quick quotation from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada:

 

"Srimad-Bhagavatam has instructed us not to praise or criticize others' nature or activities. It is said also in Sri Chaitanya Bhagavata that one goes to hell by criticizing others. My instruction to you is not to criticize others, but to correct and purify yourself.

 

I am forced to criticize my own disciples and those who have come to me for instruction. I do not understand why you would go out of your way to try to perform such a difficult task."

[Pankaja_Dasa]

 

Thankyou, that article by BV Narayana Maharaja was wonderful, should be called 'Gauranga's ' like the articile by BP Puri Maharaja called 'Krishna's Heart'.

 

Babhru Prabhu you point about correcting myself [and that will take some time] made me smile. And Prabhupada was so nice to that devotee, yet nobody could see it. I also have a point to add if I can that, maybe we should think of the character of great Mahajanas, or even great Vaishnavas like Prabhupada and think 'how would they act?' what character would they show?. I think that is ok to do.

 

I am going to make something of that article by BV Narayana Maharaja, or write it down and memorize it. Dandavats.

 

[vijay]

Haribol Babhru prabhu can I repost that memory on our youth mailing list?

 

YS

Vijay