BY: ROCANA DASA
Sep 13, CANADA (SUN) — Studying Srila Prabhupada's conversations with ISKCON leaders.
Today's "Talks With the Sampradaya Acarya" is inspired by Srila Prabhupada's Morning Walk of June 28, 1975 in Denver, Colorado. You can listen to the audio or read the transcript for this conversation here.
When listening to the recordings of Srila Prabhupada's morning walk conversations, it's interesting to note that those in attendance on the walk are often the same devotees, regardless of what the location is. Srila Prabhupada normally traveled with an entourage that included one GBC man. Each month of the year, a different GBC member took his turn spending a month with Srila Prabhupada. In this way, he trained up his men.
Srila Prabhupada's servant/cook was also part of the entourage, along with an editor who helped him to work on his books. When it came to the morning walks, these individuals would typically attend and actively participated in the conversations. Because they were strategically closer to Srila Prabhupada, they tended to be the ones engaged in conversation, although other individuals sometimes came along. Any GBC men or sannyasis who were in the vicinity would also join the morning walk party, as did local dignitaries and authorities, although they weren't as active in discussing philosophy with Srila Prabhupada.
Today's Morning Walk conversation from June 28, 1975, is the first of a series of conversations in Denver, where Srila Prabhupada stayed for four or five days. I find these Denver conversations to be very enlightening, on so many topics.
The local devotees informed Srila Prabhupada that there were many spiritual groups in the Denver area. In fact, Maharishi Mahesh Yoga had been planning a TM university there, but it never manifested. The devotees had gone there to talk to them and introduce Srila Prabhupada's books.
Satsvarupa dasa told Srila Prabhupada that Guru Maharaji had his world headquarters in Denver. Srila Prabhupada immediately became very heavy, as is his nature, when this subject was mentioned. He gave the most direct challenge to persons who call themselves God: "I shall kick on the face of this rascal, and if he is God, let him punish me. If he is God, let him punish me. I am prepared. So come on in the public. I kick on his face, and let him do whatever he likes. I am prepared. If it is God, let me (him) kill me by his mantra or by his will. Then I will accept him."
Repeating this challenge, Srila Prabhupada instructed the devotees how to confront imposters who introduced themselves as God. Srila Prabhupada always took advantage of these morning walks to enthuse his senior disciples and train them in how to challenge leaders in every field, whether they be yogis, scientists, politicians, educators, or Western culture in general.
Darwin's theory predictably comes up in the conversation. As I mentioned in a previous "Talks", it's a well known fact that Srila Prabhupada considered challenging Darwin's theory to be one of our topmost preaching focal points, especially on the part of educated disciples. In this morning walk, Srila Prabhupada brings up the fact that Darwin has no history, like we do. We have a history of the sun and the moon and the sky, and our history goes back millions and millions of years, but Darwin has no history.
Srila Prabhupada doesn't dwell long on Darwinism this day, but goes on to explain how a prostitute is compared to material nature. The prostitute is always changing her dress so as to attract other people.. In the same way, we're changing our dress, body after body, so we can become more attractive. But Srila Prabhupada says, "Nature, material nature, has been described as the prostitute, and we are trying to become the husband of the prostitute. Has anyone become happy by becoming husband of a prostitute?"
Srila Prabhupada goes on to quote Chanakya Pandit, who said a man with a hypocrite for a friend, a prostitute for a wife, and a snake in his room, his life will be spoiled.
He twice quotes another verse from Chanakya Pandit:
mata yasya grhe nasti
bharya capriya-vadini
aranyam tena gantavyam
yatharanyam tatha grham
”A man who hasn't affectionate mother at home, neither very good wife, so he should immediately give up that home and go to the forest because for him it is as good, either you remain in forest or in home." (chuckles) How intelligent.”
Because Chanakya Pandit mentions mothers, Srila Prabhupada goes on to say that many mothers of western culture are actually killing their children, either in the womb or after they've become grown-up, because they're attracted to a paramour. He had a Godbrother this happened to, and as a result of the wife killing their son, he himself committed suicide. Srila Prabhupada said this was a big scandal in Gujurat.
As many of our readers know, I’m presently not living and serving within the institution of ISKCON. I believe, as do many of my Godbrothers and Godsisters, and for the reasons mentioned here by Srila Prabhupada, that it just became too painful to do so. If your mind is always disturbed, then you have every right to vacate a situation. It's not only common sense, but is for spiritual survival and peace of mind. Or course, the opposition will remind you that it’s Srila Prabhupada’s movement and we should tolerate all these things. That's debatable. Srila Prabhupada personally left 30 years ago, and whether or not what's happening today meets with Srila Prabhupada’s approval is something we either believe, or not. Of course, I don't believe it, but I continue to hope that things will change and I will be able one day to return to active service from within.
There are trade-off's, and one has to consider their personal circumstances when making such a decision. Ultimately, we want to arrange things so that our mind becomes peaceful enough so we can execute Krsna Consciousness. Obviously I wouldn't be able to say these things if I was part of the institution, which in itself is intolerable to me. The constant specter of censorship is like having a snake in the room. There is no peace of mind under such circumstances.
Next Satsvarupa dasa points out to Srila Prabhupada that the devotees visited Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's university, but there were no books. They accepted Srila Prabhupada’s books and were very glad to get them. Srila Prabhupada makes a joke of this, but the important message he gave is that if you don't understand our philosophy, or you're not into philosophy, then you'll definitely be cheated. Of course, many have been cheated by the Maharishi, but this is also good advice for the Vaisnavas, that we have to take this philosophy very seriously.
I'm discovering more and more how devotees are into the sadhana and cultural aspects of Krsna Consciousness, and into the management of the movement, but they're not much attracted to the philosophy. In fact, I recently had a GBC/guru, Bir Krishna das Goswami, tell me that he didn't want to talk philosophy with me. He said he wasn't so interested in philosophy, and that if I wanted to talk philosophy I 'd have to talk to Hridayananda. A lot of disciples of the ISKCON gurus today are not trained up in the philosophy. They can't and won't discuss philosophy, even though Srila Prabhupada states many times that every action we perform has a philosophical basis to it. Our philosophy is to uncover the truth, and the truth means philosophy.
Another interesting aspect of this morning walk conversation is the impression that Srila Prabhupada and the devotees were walking near a big horse racing facility. Srila Prabhupada refers to Western civilization, stating that "Their civilization is race, dog race, horse race, rat race. That's all. They do not know anything.” Of Maharishi’s yoga he says, “By this transcendental meditation you will keep your dog race very nice." Of the European aristocracy he says they “ride on the horse, and taking their dogs, they will go to the forest and kill some innocent birds. That is their heroic activities.”
Krsna Consciousness itself is the way to escape the rat race, to stop racing around in this material world by settling down to a life of goodness, which includes the devotional practices and studying our advanced philosophy.
Srila Prabhupada goes on to compares the material world to a slaughterhouse, where the animals are kept very peaceful and are treated very nicely just before they're sent off to be slaughtered. So this is very much like the material world. As soon as you commit so many sinful activities, then you get the reaction. Well known historical personalities like Napolean and Hitler come along to punish those who have committed sins. They're agents of the material world and they send many to the slaughterhouse. Srila Prabhupada noted that, “in India the God comes for killing. Lord Ramacandra came for killing the Ravanas and Krsna came for killing the Kauravas.”
Srila Prabhupada also mentions Ghandi in this passage. We know that after Ghandi was killed, India went through a period where thousands, if not millions of people were slaughtered on either side of the dispute between Pakistan and India. This was, in part, the result of Ghandi's pacifist movement. Srila Prabhupada said: “It is sure that all the animals will be slaughtered, and if the arrangement is "All right, before being slaughtered, let them live very comfortably," is that very good intelligence? The intelligence is "Why we shall be slaughtered?"
As they're walking along, Srila Prabhupada is looking through a park saying there's no mangoes. He also noticed a swan with all sorts of ducklings trailing behind it, and pointed out that there's no over-population. There's a dozen chicks, but they don’t' say that's over-population, because they want to eat them. But just look how the chicks are protected by the mother, and she's no in anxiety about whether there's food.
Although Srila Prabhupada touches on many, many subjects as he preaches and walks, he brings home the essential message, which is padam padam yad vipadam, this material world is a very dangerous place. There's danger at every step, so we should be extremely careful about how we act in this material world. We should learn to recognize all the dangers and be motivated to get out, once and for all.
