Суд над Бхагавад-гитой / Attempt to ban Bhagavad-gita

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.

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?

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.

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.