HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE 2 страница
Let the rather foppish, high-flying svamis, intent on compelling the purses of the prosperous prakrita-bhaktas, sublimate their zeal for lordly grandeur, affluence, and fanfare on the plea of yukta-vairagya – ostensibly in the interest of Lord Gauranga’s sankirtana movement. Hmm . . .
Let the weak-hearted, ill-advised, or reckless religio- institutional administrators, beguiled by the prospects of amplified economic might, sightlessly prostitute or inelegantly abandon all managerial scruples in deference to the non- devotional demands of spiritually indigent neophytes of monetary magnetism. So much for the brahminical culture of candor and simplicity; it shall faze us not.
Let multitudes of deceitful dharma-dhvajis, to conceal their actual reprehensible intents, masquerade as awesome mentors of the Bhagavata in order to furtively milk the petty gross and subtle material assets of the acarya’s institution under the pretext of acquiring “spiritual opulences” by the grace of God! Let them all “enjoy” and suffer according to the sweet will of providence. We shall be thrilled to pieces – at the same time much aggrieved.
Let the determinately shallow superficialists cosmetically manage to farcically project a prodigiously meretricious institutional semblance of forthright Krishna consciousness while duplicitously concealing the relentless tenacity of their own steel-framed hearts. Let them obsequiously buff the “golden cage” institutional body as they insensibly disregard the vital nourishment of the “songbird” institutional soul.
Let the respectability and trustworthiness of the institutional “leadership” go to hell. Our eternal constitutional personal loving relationship shall never be contingent upon nor thwarted by any of this.
He Radhe-Shyama! The plastic, put-on felicitous social niceties of polished cultural urbanity hardly constitute nor necessarily evince internally developed pure devotional excellence. Godless meat-eating demons also effectively train their utterly materialistic corporate personnel to politely or hospitably interrelate with forged, highly refined deferential suavity. Are they too to be lauded as being spiritually advanced? Animals are also seen to cordially welcome their friends and relatives – and ward off their adversaries.
Let the Grand High Exalted Mystic Institutional Control Monsters allege their high-handed, spuriously assumed, cliquish inheritance of the sampradaya’s material and spiritual legacy to patronizingly toss a scrap or two to the most servile of their pathetically ambitious bootlicking sycophants. Smiling mildly, we shall look on with casual indifference.
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What does it really matter that hundreds and thousands of exploitative neophyte religio-organizational opportunists jockey for positions, more or less fraudulently establishing themselves as “illustrious” “leaders” of the Hare Krishna movement on various levels to pursue their sundry ulterior motives while having not even the slightest genuine greed for the inestimable treasure of vraja-bhakti-rasa. I say, “Bravo!” if, as a result of having distributed millions of transcendental literatures all over the world, we can even hope to find just one unpretentious, truly elevated, fully enlightened rasika Vaishnava amidst the veritable mess we’ve made of everything.
He Radhe-Shyama! Let the brutish nama-aparadhis, goaded by a lingering appetite for the foul fruits of bhukti and mukti, even after so much graceful guidance, remain ever attached to whatever little labha, puja, and pratistha they can manage to eke out from their ostentatious show of allegiance to the cause of transcendental book distribution. We shall not be impressed.
Let the benighted, pushy, audaciously puffed-up, mischief- mongering egoistic vixens, wishing to spitefully dance on the heads of the brahmacaris and sannyasis to gratify their inflated personal and extended sense of self-importance, improvidently misconceive, abort, abandon, nay, even ever so much as vociferously revile the all-round salutary shelter of Vedic cultural ethics on the pretext of Vaisnavi social equality. Ugh!
Let thousands of unrelenting, materially anchored semi- bhaktas pursue their overwhelming concern for wholesale systematic institutional social development. The birds, beasts, and insects also cry for food, shelter, and sex satisfaction. Are they not provided for?
Let the sanctimonious religio-institutional organizationists treacherously robbed of their resolute faith in the all- attractiveness of Krishna-nama-sankirtana blunderingly adulterate the precepts of the Acaryas, on the plea of enhanced public appeal, by insisting on a watered-down outward display of sophistication in lieu of widespread ecstatic chanting and dancing. We doubt they will ever be very successful.
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Let the mundane, kali-cela pseudo kirtana-karis most irresponsibly exploit the sankirtana performances to purposefully augment their own name, fame, and sex appeal, like yowling cats bewailing the want of their mates. Ha! The joke’s on them.
Let thousands and thousands of cripple-minded griha- medhis and grihasthas with their womenfolk have license for the sordid sex life. Let them beget tens of thousands of grossly misled, druggy, sense-gratifying “ex-gurukuli” ingrates and the likes of them. It is of no earth-shaking consequence.
We shall applaud their grand success if even one soul amidst all of these somehow or other finds the supreme shelter declared in all the bhakti-shastras – the succulently nectarous, ambrosial mellow sweetness of Your prema-nama-sankirtana- rasa.
Let thousands of novice – and also seasoned – book distributors priggishly presume themselves to be glorious gosthy-anandi evangelic angels. Let thousands of imitative, half- baked quasi-devotional sentimentalists conceitedly pose to impersonate highly elevated paramahamsa-nirjana- bhajananandis, while having neither depth of unalloyed devotional insight nor accomplished worldly disinterest. All would do well to understand that the best gosthy-anandi, and also the best bhajananandi, is the niskincana-bhajananandi who comes out from the depths of his profound rasika absorption in Krishna consciousness to share his realizations for the benefit of others, both by precept and by personal example.
Who cares whether or not anybody really went to the moon? What damn bit of difference does it make?
Who cares whether or not I said that he said that she said that they said that . . . who the hell knows what anyone actually said anyway? Human life is much too short for any of this.
Who cares for the skepticism of the skeptics?
Who cares whether or not any stool-passing creature of this world would be bothered to seriously understand or appreciate our heartfelt feelings about anything? Did we come to this world to win a popularity contest?
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Who cares who puts whose stick in whose hole? Ultimately, we must all fly our own airplane. Why waste our invaluable time on the absurdities of the materially engrossed?
Who the hell cares who becomes the next Ravana of institutional mismanagement? God will have to sort that out. The only perfect management is in Vaikuntha anyway.
Who the hell cares what designer color the bathroom tiles in our ritzy little “bhajana-kutiras” shall be? Is there anyone amongst us who is not on the verge of death? Better to sell off all the marble and classy bathroom tiles, and print books.
He Radhe-Shyama! What the hell do we care if the incorrigibly infantile, bigotedly authoritarian, ego-warring power mongers crassly arrogate to themselves, on the plea of autocratic disciplic prerogative, “indubitable” theocratic predominance? Let them, under the banner of Krishna consciousness, with their presumptuous, often unduly oppressive, superciliously inconsiderate unilateral sense of communication and cooperation, rather coercively, nay, even menacingly demand absolute, fear-based genuflection. They would really prefer to suffocate any atmosphere conducive to more genial, free flowing spontaneous devotional inspiration, than, on the basis of perceivable degrees of genuine spiritual illumination, reasonably evoke the actual love and trust required for advanced reciprocal interpersonal devotional dealings. Let them, scarcely conceding to the broader tenet of unity in diversity, at least hope to gradually, at long last, purify, in due course of the dovetailing process, their long-lingering ardor for imperial eminence and the intoxication of totalitarian controllership. This must eventuate, of course, at the expense of the subjected underdog’s salubrious exercise of self-confidence, self-reliance, self-fulfillment, self-expression, and individual initiative pertaining to the personally responsible prosecution of unconstrained preferential pure devotional service. All glories to the small-minded, hollow, politically absorbed, false-ego- gratifying, unjustifiably arrogant, boorishly cut-throat Machiavellian “Hare Krishna” overlords! Come what may, they are, no doubt, serious and “well intended” in their own persuasion that the iron-fisted “might” of skin-deep religio- institutional managerial “empowerment” in and of its own makes right.
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Anyway, Shri Shri Radhe-Shyama, no one is all bad. The path to hell is paved with good intentions. Be that as it may, all is well that ends well. Isn’t that nice! In truth, I have no intention to fault or flatter anyone.
Where quasi-Krishna-conscious sophistry supplants genuine pure devotional siddhanta, where the condescending disempowerment syndrome or roguish despotism masquerades as “authorized” Krishna conscious leadership, any array of personal calamity or socio-religious anomaly would anything but dissuade an earnest aspirant from the progressive current of internal devotional amelioration. We could hardly think to turn back the tide of Kali’s influence anymore than we could stop a thunderhead from storming during the rainy season. Simply hold up your umbrella, depend on Krishna, and sally forth.
It is natural to notice so many oppressive evils and perversities; after all, we’re in the material world. Moreover, Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults. What else could be expected? The threefold miseries are there. We will always be harassed in so many ways by so many problems. Even if we notice the problems and even if others deny their various idiosyncrasies or decline to address their problems realistically due to a lack of Krishna consciousness or whatever, what real difference does it make from the absolute perspective? Everyone and everything either directly or indirectly serves the absolute purpose of the Supreme. At some point in the course of eternity everyone will have his or her better day. Meanwhile, we hope for the best, expect the worst, and learn to transcendentally adjust our mind- set. We could hardly expect to reform all the ignoramuses of the world. Reformists who think there is scope for such should try to recognize the need to reform their very outlook which prompts them to think in such terms. At least we ourselves should not be ignoramuses and lose our own focus on the unalloyed devotional objective. Then we may hope to be of some substantial value, sadhu-sanga-wise.
We must certainly acknowledge any measure of spiritual progress achieved by individuals under the circumstances impressed upon them in the course of the current lifetime. That anyone is making any spiritual advancement at all in this Age of Kali is a miracle. Ultimately that is in the hands of Providence. How purely one responds to life’s situations will depend on one’s level of paramarthika-shraddha based on previously accumulated nitya-sukriti. Every conditioned soul under the influence of the modes of material nature is fallible, prone to fall- down and offense. Those who come forward on any level to help the Acaryas fight the war against maya are glorious. Even if they are lost in battle, temporarily falling away in various ways and for various reasons, they are nevertheless glorious, at least to some extent. Still, in all soberness, if we ourselves actually want to permanently solve the problems of life, if we seriously want to attain the goal of our bhajana, if we want to ascend to the terrace of prema and go back to Godhead by the end of this very lifetime, then we really have to focus, focus, and refocus. No one else is going to focus for us. If we’re not part of the solution, we’re part of the problem. If others are not willing to understand the great necessity of concentrating their energy on the aim of life, if they are not willing to recognize and follow the examples seen in the lives of those who do so, then what can be done? That is their problem. They will have to eventually muster up enough sincerity to realistically deal with it.
It’s not enough that we, as spiritual probationers, turn a blind eye toward our various individual and collective ungodly misconceptions, attachments, and lapses along the devotional path. Such apathy, though apparently convenient or accommodating in some ways, never really facilitates an enhanced internal devotional culture. Unless we are willing to admit that we have a disease, and are able to properly diagnose the degree of its infection, we could hardly hope to ascertain or apply the precise scientific therapy required for its proper treatment. In other words, unless we’re willing to admit that there are problems, something we can do only if we allow ourselves to notice them, we could hardly expect any viable solution to come to light. Recognizing or frankly voicing that there are problems (calling a spade a spade) does not necessarily constitute an antagonistic “faultfinding” tone or tendency. Moreover, such may provide the impetus to our seriously adopting the means by which the problems can actually be solved. For instance, a doctor may “hate” the disease without at all hating the patient. “Hating” the disease essentially recognizes and, in effect, alludes to the existence of a natural healthy or liberated state. No doubt, “problems” refers to two categorical effects, namely the observable “disobliging” phenomena before us and, far more notably, the cynical mind- set with which we see the phenomena, the cataracts on our own eyes, or in other words, our own lack of Krishna consciousness. No conditioned infinitesimal jiva can offer any solution to any of life’s maladies. Only Krishna can alleviate the living entity’s problematic state of conditional consciousness, the root cause of all egocentricity, when the latter is somehow induced by Divine Grace to take shelter of His merciful instructions.
The idea of always seeing the “good” in something or someone doesn’t necessarily have to mean seeing the relative good as opposed to seeing the relative bad. The principle can and in certain respects must take on higher-dimensional features. When we happen to see adversities, discrepancies, or non-devotional elements, which are conventionally considered to be “bad,” we should always endeavor to see good in the bad by bearing in mind the “unseen” all-good hand of Krishna. Any agent that in any way reminds us of Krishna, prompts us to take shelter of Krishna, catalyzes our deeper sense of devotional responsibility, or teaches us important and valuable lessons concerning the culture of self-effacement in full surrender to the will of Krishna should be seen as a manifestation of the all- merciful guru principle. Shri Guru is never bad. An elevated devotee always gratefully acknowledges the presence of Shri Guru and Krishna in everything. At least for us, the all-goodness of the guru principle seen in our own mistakes as well as in the faults of others may well mercifully teach us how not to be, how not to behave, and the like. Seeing in this way, we, feeling ourselves blessed by the grace of Shri Guru, should profusely praise all such indirect manifestations of guru-tattva as our ever well-wishers, in spite of their negative exterior. The environment is ever propitious even if fraught with apparent adversity or hostility. Yet, we would certainly have to notice and rightly respond to the blatantly abounding environmental improprieties to realize the beauty in Krishna’s having placed the nonsense before the purview of our eyes. Right response does not necessitate retaliation against the environment. Adversity and various observable transgressions and imperfections, in fact, afford us an excellent opportunity to exercise our culture of sadhu-bhusana – tolerance, mercy, friendliness toward all living entities, humility, forgiveness, patience, determination, et al. We should understand that the sight of others’ misdemeanors and various other calamities are shown to us by Krishna for the purpose of dynamically educing our own pure devotional qualities, to enhance our devotional adhikara. The degree to which we are able to perfect this understanding is the degree to which we are actually sadhus and sadhvis. To the extent that we are able to recognize this all-good background purpose behind all events of the world, to that extent we are seeing things in proper perspective, and to that extent we may be endowed with first-class Krishna consciousness and remain undisturbed in all circumstances, recognizing Krishna as the cause of all causes, the ultimate doer.
Relative environmental negativities simply serve to indirectly indicate, laud, and help us appreciate the all- beauteous positivity of the Absolute. The all-merciful hand of God is always behind every major and minor happening of the world. Sometimes Krishna gives trouble to the youthful gopis by pinching them or harassing them along the way, toppling their head- or hip-held pots of milk, yogurt, and ghee. At other times He sends them gunja-malas or love messages tremulously inscribed with the juice of red roses by His own hand. Whatever He does, He simply wants to increase their affection for Him, to somehow draw their attention toward Him. Similarly, all tribulation as well as all jubilation experienced in the course of life’s sojourn is but Krishna’s attempt to get our attention, to elicit our reciprocation in various ways. In His childhood, Krishna would often break the motherly gopis’ carefully kept pots of yogurt, butter, and ghee, pinch their babies to make them cry, or mischievously urinate on their freshly cleansed floors before escaping; and the gopis, though not catching Him in the act, would easily surmise that it was all His handiwork. Yet, when they, perturbed and frustrated, would gang up on Mother Yashoda to angrily lodge complaints against Him, they would become charmed and pleased to see Him hiding behind His mother’s dress, pretending to be innocent, His face looking so sweet and adorable. At that time their hearts would melt and they would immediately become overwhelmed with motherly affection, dispossessed of their affected anger and annoyance toward Him and happy to have a good excuse to come to His home to see Him in such a state.
A contemporary example: A prankish young school-boy, sitting behind a sweet young girl in his class, secretly dips the ends of her braids in the ink-pot on his desk. Unknown to the girl, the backside of her nice new dress becomes totally blotched with ink and spoiled when she stands up to go home. Only at home, when she changes dress, does she come to know, and she at once ascertains the culprit and complains about him to her mother. The next day, following her mother’s advice, she sits across the classroom from him in order to escape his further mischief. But do you think that stops him? Hell no! Desiring her crooked glance, he hurls spitballs across the classroom, bouncing them off the back of her head. At first she pretends not to notice. But after two or three incidents, she becomes annoyed and turns to see from whence the spit-balls came. And who does she see – the prankish boy, hiding his smile while pretending to know nothing of it. At this point she begins to gather that he must have an interest in her, and she becomes inwardly enchanted and pleased at heart. At recess, when all the boys are playing ball, she, standing on the side, searches and searches among them to find him out in order to witness her prankster’s sportsmanship, but she doesn’t see him anywhere. Does that mean he’s not around? Hell no! Deftly sneaking up from behind, our prankish boy quietly catches a single strand of loose hair from the base of her braid and . . . ping! . . . “Oww! That hurt!” as she whirls around and spontaneously slaps his face screaming, “Oh, you nonsense!” Sprightly sprinting away, feeling very satisfied with himself, and considering all his endeavors a success, having caught her notice and achieved her reciprocation, he elatedly muses again and again, “She loves me! She touched me! She actually touched me!” Later, he sends her a box of sweets; still later, he personally hands her a beautiful bouquet of fantastically fragrant flowers . . . and the rest is history. Whether the boy pesters her in this way or that, or gives her a flower or blows her a kiss, in any case, his intention is to somehow get her attention and occupy her thoughts.
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