Letter by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Regarding the MacMillan Company's printing Srimad-Bhagavatam, we may note herewith that the MacMillan's publication of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is and our publication of Teachings of Lord Caitanya is the difference between heaven and hell. In the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, we have cut short the pages under the instruction of the MacMillan Company, without explaining many important verses. Continue reading "Letter to Brahmananda → Dandavats"
Question: What is the difference between Arjuna fighting under Krishna and jehadis fighting under Allah?
Answer: Firstly, even when one is fighting under God’s guidance, there are certain codes of war prescribed by dharma that need to be followed. The war code generally is that you fight against a warrior who is your equal, who is equipped and alert. For example, an elephant warrior will fight with an elephant warrior; a chariot warrior will fight with a chariot warrior. It is not that you fight with a person who is looking somewhere else and you shoot at him.
When the jihadis launch terror attacks, it is completely the opposite. They are trained, well-equipped soldiers whereas their victims are civilians who are not their equal, neither alert nor armed with any weapons.
The jehadis attack civilians in their usual places of living. It is not a situation of war at all. This is against the war codes. Kshatriyas, when they fought, would always fight with war codes. There is no example in the Mahabharata or the Ramayana of Kshatriyas killing civilians. All the wars were fought in designated areas. The Pandavas and Kauravas designated Kurukshetra as the area for war. Even earlier in the Mahabharata, when the Kauravas attacked the Pandavas when they were staying in the kingdom of Virat, Kauravas did not go and disrupt the cities to injure civilians. To indicate that they had come to fight, they took possession of the grazing cows, not wounding them but simply possessing. When Virat got the news, he came out to fight and the war took place.
Another major difference between the two is from the Islamic perspective itself. Islam talks of a holy war which is primarily fought for protecting oneself. A war fought for attacking others is not considered a holy war. When the jihadis attack the civilians, they are not really following the Islamic codes of warfare. Theirs is not a sacred war even as per Islam.
Moreover, jihadis have no inclusive philosophical understanding. Their idea is that we are right because we are devoted to Allah and everyone else is a kafir (infidel) and they deserve to be killed. Their conception of religion is very sectarian. Krishna was on the battlefield and still he was saying – suhrdam sarva-bhutanam (BG 5.29) – I am the well-wisher of all living beings. He meant he is the well-wisher of the Kauravas also. He demonstrated this by himself going as a peace messenger. Krishna was the greatest warrior of his times and for him to go as a peace messenger was an extraordinary act. It is like say Pakistan is attacking India and the Indian prime minister himself goes as a peace messenger. Krishna tried everything for a peaceful resolution. Here, there is an inclusive understanding of spirituality where Krishna says that I am the well-wisher of even these people whom we are fighting against. Krishna does not differentiate that these are people who are hell bound and we have to send them to hell. Krishna says – na tv evaham jatu nasam, na tvam neme janadhipah (BG 2.12) – all these kings, they are all souls. This is an inclusive philosophical understanding.
There is the God of the transcendentalists that is revealed in the Gita. That is a God who loves everyone. In the extreme case, when some people are so corrupted by selfishness, ego or greed that they are incorrigible, then as the last resort, a war is declared.
For many of these jihadis, their God is not even the God who is described in the holy Quran. Their conception of God is simply a projection of their ego. Their God is a God who hates who the jihadis hate. Both the terrorists and the transcendentalists use the word God, but it is different in conception. This does not mean Allah and Krishna are different. It is just that Allah is conceived by the terrorists in a particular way and they are not actually worshipping God. They have simply created a conception of a God who licenses what they want to do.
In summary, there is a complete difference between the kshatriyas’ and jehadis’ conceptions of war, the conception of God, and the philosophical understanding of spirituality.
End of transcription.
Hindi translation:
प्रश्न: श्रीकृष्ण के लिए लड़ने वाले अर्जुन और अल्लाह के नाम पर लड़ने वाले जेहादियों में क्या अंतर है?
उत्तर: क्षत्रियों और जेहादियों में बहुत बड़ा अंतर है। इसे तीन स्तर पर समझा जा सकता है – इन दोनों की (क) यद्ध की अवधारणा में अंतर (ख) ईश्वर की अवधारणा में अंतर तथा (ग) आध्यात्मिकता की दार्शनिक समझ में अंतर। आइए इन तीनों बिंदुओं पर एक-एक करके विचार करते हैं।
युद्ध की अवधारणा में अंतर
वैदिक काल में युद्ध लड़ने के नियम होते थे। ये नियम तब भी लागू होते हैं जब युद्ध स्वयं भगवान के मार्गदर्शन में लड़ा जा रहा हो। युद्ध संहिता के नियमों के अनुसार युद्ध बराबरी के योद्धा से किया जाता था, वह भी तब जब वह लड़ने के लिए अस्त्र-शस्त्र के साथ पूरी तरह तैयार हो, सतर्क हो। उदाहरण के लिए, हाथी पर सवार योद्धा हाथी पर सवार योद्धा से, एक रथ पर सवार योद्धा एक रथ पर सवार योद्धा से, एक पैदल सैनिक दूसरे पैदल सैनिक से लड़ सकता था। ऐसे व्यक्ति से युद्ध नहीं किया जाता था जो सतर्क न हो या फिर निहत्था हो।
जेहादियों की युद्ध शैली इसके बिल्कुल विपरीत है। जेहादी युद्ध कला में प्रशिक्षित होते हैं, अस्त्र-शस्त्र से लैस होते हैं, पूरी योजना करके आक्रमण करते हैं। किन्तु जिन साधारण नागरिकों को ये लोग मारते हैं वे न तो युद्ध कला में प्रशिक्षित होते हैं, न ही वे युद्ध के लिए सतर्क होते हैं और न ही किसी हथियार से लैस होते हैं।
जेहादी आम नागरिकों के रहने के ठिकानों पर हमला करते हैं। यह युद्ध की स्थिति से कोसों दूर है। क्षत्रिय, जब भी लड़ते थे तो युद्ध संहिता का पालन करते थे। महाभारत या रामायण में ऐसा कोई उदाहरण नहीं मिलता जहाँ क्षत्रियों ने सामान्य नागरिकों की हत्या की हो। सभी युद्ध निर्दिष्ट क्षेत्रों में लड़े जाते थे। पाण्डवों और कौरवों का युद्ध कुरुक्षेत्र की युद्धभूमि पर हुआ। महाभारत में कुरुक्षेत्र के युद्ध से पहले भी, जब कौरवों ने पाण्डवों पर आक्रमण किया था, तब वे विराट के राज्य में रह रहे थे। कौरवों ने नगर में प्रवेश कर नागरिकों को घायल नहीं किया था। यह जताने के लिए कि वे युद्ध करने आए हैं, उन्होंने चरती हुई गायों को पकड़ लिया। उन गायों को भी घायल नहीं किया, केवल अपने पास रखा। जब विराट को समाचार मिला तो वे युद्ध के लिए निकले और इस प्रकार युद्ध हुआ।
इस्लामी दृष्टिकोण के अनुसार भी इन दोनों परिस्थितियों में एक और बड़ा अंतर है। इस्लाम में एक पवित्र युद्ध की बात कही गई है जो मुख्य रूप से अपनी रक्षा के लिए लड़ा जाता है। दूसरों पर आक्रमण करने के लिए लड़ा गया युद्ध पवित्र नहीं माना जाता। जब जेहादी नागरिकों पर हमला करते हैं, तो वे वास्तव में युद्ध के इस्लामी नियमों का भी पालन नहीं करते। स्वयं उनके इस्लाम के अनुसार भी इस प्रकार का युद्ध पवित्र नहीं है।
ईश्वर की अवधारणा में अंतर
इसके अलावा, जेहादियों के पास कोई समावेशी दार्शनिक समझ नहीं होती है। उनकी विचारधारा होती है कि ईश्वर प्राप्ति के लिए केवल हमारा ही मार्ग सही है और बाकी अन्य सभी काफिर (पथभ्रष्ट) हैं जिन्हें मार दिया जाना चाहिए। उनकी धर्म की अवधारणा बहुत ही संकीर्ण एवं सांप्रदायिक होती है। इसके विपरीत गीता में श्रीकृष्ण की शिक्षाओं पर ध्यान दें। युद्धक्षेत्र में उपस्थित श्रीकृष्ण अर्जुन से कहते हैं – सुहृदं सर्वभूतानाम् (गीता 5.29) अर्थात् – मैं सभी जीवों का शुभचिंतक हूँ, उन कौरवों का भी जो वहाँ युद्ध करने के लिए आए हैं। उन्होंने केवल यह कहा ही नहीं किन्तु स्वयं शांति दूत के रूप में जाकर इस बात को सिद्ध भी किया। श्रीकृष्ण अपने समय के सबसे महान योद्धा थे और उनके लिए शांति दूत के रूप में जाना एक असाधारण कार्य था। यह बिल्कुल ऐसा था कि मानो पाकिस्तान भारत पर हमला करने वाला हो और भारत के प्रधान मंत्री स्वयं एक शांति दूत के रूप में जाने का निश्चय करें। श्रीकृष्ण ने शांतिपूर्ण समाधान के लिए हर सम्भव प्रयास किया।
गीता में जिस ईश्वर की व्याख्या हुई है वह सबके लिए चिंता करता है। उनके लिए भी जो उससे प्रेम करते हैं और उनके लिए भी जो उससे प्रेम नहीं करते, यहाँ तक कि नास्तिकों से भी जो ईश्वर के अस्तित्व को ही नकारते हैं। वही ईश्वर युद्ध का निर्देश भी ऐसी विषम परिस्थितियों में देता है, जब कुछ लोग स्वार्थ, अहंकार या लोभ से इतने भ्रष्ट हो जाते हैं कि उनके सुधरने की कोई आशा नहीं बचती। ऐसे में समाज में व्यवस्था स्थापित करने के लिए, अंतिम उपाय के रूप में, युद्ध घोषित किया जाता है।
इन जेहादियों में से कईयों के लिए, उनकी ईश्वर की अवधारणा स्वयं उनके अपने ग्रन्थ कुरान में वर्णित ईश्वर की अवधारणा के अनुसार नहीं है। उनकी ईश्वर की अवधारणा उनके अहंकार का एक विस्तार मात्र है। उनका ईश्वर एक ऐसा ईश्वर है जो उन सबसे घृणा करता है जिनसे जेहादी घृणा करते हैं। जेहादी और आध्यात्मवादी दोनों ही “ईश्वर” शब्द का प्रयोग करते हैं, किन्तु दोनों की अवधारणा बिल्कुल भिन्न है। जेहादियों की अल्लाह को लेकर बिल्कुल अलग अवधारणा है। उन्होंने एक ऐसे ईश्वर की अवधारणा बना रखी है जो उन सभी कार्यों को करने की अनुमति देता है जिन्हें वे करना चाहते हैं। इसके विपरीत आध्यात्मवादियों के अनुसार अल्लाह और श्रीकृष्ण एक ही भगवान के दो अलग-अलग नाम हैं।
आध्यात्मिकता की दार्शनिक समझ में अंतर
वैदिक दर्शन में आध्यात्मिक दर्शन समावेशी है जहाँ भगवान स्वयं कहते हैं कि मैं उन लोगों का भी शुभचिंतक हूँ जिनके विरुद्ध हम युद्ध कर रहे हैं। श्रीकृष्ण ऐसा कोई भेद नहीं करते कि ये तो वे लोग हैं जो नरक जाने वाले हैं और हम ही उन्हें नरक भेजेंगे। गीता में श्रीकृष्ण कहते हैं – न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं, न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः (गीता 2.12) अर्थात् – ये सभी उपस्थित राजागण, ये सभी आध्यात्मिक हैं, ये सभी आत्माऐं हैं, जो ईश्वर का अंश हैं। यह एक बड़ा समावेशी दर्शन है जिसमें सबके प्रति आध्यात्मिक समानता का भाव स्पष्ट दिखता है।
इस प्रकार, यदि गंभीरता से इन तीनों बिंदुओं पर विचार किया जाए तो क्षत्रियों तथा जेहादियों में अंतर स्पष्ट हो जाता है।
Shrimad Baladev Vidyabhusan Prabhu was a pure devotee of the highest order, who cared for nothing but the service of the Lord. He didn’t have a spot of desire for name and fame. He was the composer of many scriptures which are as priceless as precious gems, for the ultimate benefit of all those who have taken human birth.
The exact location of his birth, the names of his mother and father, and their family tree is not known. The exact circumstances of his birth and childhood are, therefore, unknown. Still, some are of the opinion that that he took birth in a place called Baleshvara, a village neighboring Remuna, in the early part of the 18th century A.D, as the son of a vaisya, an agriculturist.
At an early age he became learned in Sanskirt grammar, poetry, rhetoric, and logic. After becoming expert in all these subjects, he began wandering to different places of pilgrimage. After wandering about in this way for some time, and after visiting many holy places, he happened to stay at a temple of the Tattvavadi followers of Shri Madhvacharya.
There, he became fluent in his understanding of the tattvavada-siddhanta, that is, the philosophical and theological conclusions of the followers of Madhva. After this, he took sannyasa, and preached the tattvavada-siddhanta very vigorously throughout the length and breadth of India.
As he wandered from one place to the next, he gradually came to Jagannatha Puri. There he remained and preached for a few days. At that time, he chanced to meet one of the foremost disciples of Shri Rasikananda Deva, Pandit Shri Radha-Damodara, with whom he discussed devotional principles. At that time, Shrimad Radha-Damodara dev Goswami instructed Baladev on the subject of Shri Gourasundara’s pastimes of mercy and His teachings on Gaudiya Vaishanva siddhanta to Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya.
After hearing the divine wisdom spoken by Shri Radha-Damodara Goswami, Baladeva’s heart was deeply moved. After a few days of hearing from him, he accepted initiation into the Radha-Krishna mantra, and began studying the Sat-Sandarbhas of Jiva Goswami at the holy feet of his gurudeva, Radha-Damodara Goswami.
After a short time, Baladeva became expert in the Gaudiya Vaishanva siddhanta. After staying with Radha-Damodara Goswami for some time, he was ordered to further his studies in Gaudiya Vaishnavism by going to Vrindavan and taking shelter at the holy feet of Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. After first visiting Nabadwipa, he soon arrived in Vrindavan.
Shri Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakur (Shri Harivallabha dasa), was very happy to see Baladeva’s submission, modesty, learning, and renunciation. From that day forward, for some time, he kept Baladeva by his side and taught him the acintya-bheda-abheda philosophy of Shri Chaitanya and many other important siddhantas related to the Gaudiya Vaishnava conception of Krishna-bhakti.
Shri Baladeva Vidyabhusana had two superexcellent disciples who were perfected souls. Their names were Shri Uddhava Dasa and Shri Nandana Mishra.
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakshmis or gopis. (Sri Brahma-samhita 5.29, translation and purport by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami.Read More...
Ananta Purusottama das Why such a question you might ask? In one sense anyone can lead a kirtan, but let us consider a few things first. I write this as much for myself as others as I too am prone to egoism and a lack of proper attitude at times in my service. There areRead More...
Source: Beautiful Hare Krishna kirtan II Amsterdam Netherlands/iskcon amsterdam netherlands/Iskcon kirtan (This post has been viewed 1 times so far)Read More...
During the community sankirtan festival in March in NZ, Krishnaloka and I were both unable to go out because of some unfinished projects. However, Caitanya Vihar’s class in the morning was very inspiring. He stressed that we shouldn’t be unmotivated to distribute books just because we might not be able to do many hours inRead More...
Click below to start the player Source: A Magical Tour In Rishikesh | What We Love Most About Rishikesh | I Love Mayapur (This post has been viewed 23 times so far)Read More...
I was on sankirtana at Botafogo Beach in Rio de Janeiro. At a bar table, there were three fat old men. One told me, “We don’t want to buy anything! I’m an Evangelical. He’s a spiritualist, and he’s a Pai-de-Santo [a priest of Umbanda, an African-Brazilian religion].”
I continued the conversation, trying to find my point, until I said, “But look, this is one of Srila Prabhupada’s books!”
The Pai-de-Santo exclaimed, “Let me see this book of Prabhupada. Prabhupada is an enlightened person!”
I was impressed.
The spiritualist agreed, “Yeah! Prabhupada is really good.”
The Pai-de-Santo continued, speaking to his companions, “If you knew a third of Prabhupada’s life, you would see what he went through—it’s a lot of surrender.”
And looking to me, he added, “I have a picture of Prabhupada this size [showing a space of about 50 cm, or 20 inches, with his hands] in the center of my church. Prabhupada is illuminated! He is an exalted saintly personality.”
So, he took the book. And I realized again that Srila Prabhupada is worshipped by every sincere pious person from every religion.
Ryan and I couldn’t get into Kingsbrae Gardens. We were too early. After looking at and reading a bit about pirates, I thought it would be nice to offset and gain balance from seeing some flowers and llamas that the garden provides. As mentioned before, pirates were a gruesome bunch. And that’s the way Hollywood used to portray them. When I was a kid, pirates were scum and clowns made you happy. Today, pirates are romanticized and clowns are evil. I don’t get it.
With Kingsbrae’s gates closed, we decided to walk along the oceanfront. On the way a smiling resident with a beard (neater than a pirate’s) came out on his veranda to say, “I saw your documentary, ‘The Walking Monk.’ Welcome to town.”
Shortly after that, a woman in a smart car, on her way to Fredericton, pulled over. “Excuse me, but I was curious. Is something spiritual going on in town? I could really use it now. I am in grievance.” So, we spoke.
A portion of our day was occupied with whale watching. My good friend Rob has this business, so the four of our troupe donned these massive space-type suits to embark on a journey over the Bay of Fundy. Actually, it’s too early for whales, but during this ultra-relaxing plying over the water, we got close to eagles, seals, and lighthouses. Nice!
To complete a great day, we logged-in to our regular Thursday Gita Chat (open to all) to discuss Chapter 12, where Krishna outlines what pleases Him in the manner of how we behave. Check out the latter verses. We had a whale of a time.
It can’t get more peaceful than out here. St. Andrews is a coastal town with population of 1,700. “It’s grown,” said Jo Anne Carney, our host, while we were all in her guest house. She and her husband, Rob, run a business as well as the “Tall Ship Whale Watching” outfit at the wharf. I’ve known Rob before I undertook marathon walking. He lived as a monk in the Hare Krishna ashrams of New York and Toronto.
Ryan has become our able chef to the group. He’s putting together some good meals. He’s also a good walking companion. We ventured off to Water St., the tourist’s haven in the mini downtown. People are friendly. There are deer, maybe just as many as people, and they eat the lilacs. A moose came into town the other day. Eagles and wild turkey are making a comeback in the area. You will also see an occasional bear, according to Randy, the skipper who sails the ship that Rob and Jo Anne own.
Our evening was full of fun. Chanting in the guest house – I’m sure it has never seen before – and tales from trails occupied the attention of our gathering, including Susan, from Connecticut. She’s a runner and her mom, Betty, is a walker, so they could relate to the stories with all their glories.
Today I championed eight, that’s 8 or VIII kilometres on foot, and to me that’s just great considering my knee surgery was less than two months back. It’s all Krishna’s mercy.
There are always treasures that I stumble upon whenever I go for a walk. The treasures I’m referring to are human beings who show some inquisitiveness. This morning, while going for that stroll on Highfield St., I met a nurse by the name of Jocelyn.
“Excuse me, but I don’t mean to bother you, are you a monk?” she asked.
“Well, yes I am.”
“I just spent some time with a monk at a retreat, ‘La Solitude,’ and, now, here I meet another. He’s from Burma.”
I then went on to explain my adapted tradition from India. “I am from the Vaishnava order, better known as Hare Krishna. We concentrate on mantra meditation.
Jocelyn took my number and the mantracard. I wished her the best and asked her to contact me for any devotional service.
The other obvious treasure for me today was seeing Ryan, our travelling companion, make amends with his brother Matt. Both of them are young, talented, etc., but they had issues with each other for years. Somehow or other Ryan (and Matt, a resident of Moncton) smoothed out their rocky relationship. They saw the higher cause and the benefit in putting differences to the side. Perhaps the presence of maturity, like that from Mahadeva, Anna Purna, myself and their very own mother, helped to create a moderating effect. Perhaps, also, the sharing of sacred sound helped. Matt pulled out his drum at Ryan’s request and out of that Matt sounded his song, addressing the earth, followed up by our rendering of “Radha Madhava,” a treasure of a song by luminary Bhaktivinoda Thakura.
We arrived at Irving Nature Park to meet up with Nakula, a devotee who’s very active on podcasting, with interviews from people who present the other side of perspectives; whether social, political, or spiritual. This park is complete with conifers, sweet-smelling trees, deer, squirrels, crows, and more “petit” creatures that fly. A side trail by the wayside, called Bayside, is a salt marsh with a boardwalk. Very invigorating it is. At the boardwalk’s end, Nakula and our foursome troupe took the liberty to just lay down, look at the sky and absorb the great oceanside dynamic before proceeding to a seven-kilometre hike.
At noon, we were present for our kirtanwith djembe and tambourine. That excited the students from the nearby high schools. They’ve got some good dancers out there. Corporate passersby are less fluid.
At 4 pm I received a call from TheCasket newspaper for a lengthy and fruitful interview. The media is taking interest in my life of walking, along with my book “The Saffron Path.”
A podcast with Nakula, always enthusiastic, brought out the best because of his questions on how Krishna Consciousness has socially contributed to the world. My answers delivered points on what our guru, Prabhupada, brought to the table – Eastern thought, clear self-identity, non-violence, plant-based eating habits, bhakti-yoga, reincarnation – a cutting edge of the mainstream culture.
At the home of Nakula’s parents, we rolled out a sangha, a chanting session, including a great eat of prasadamwith our favorite New Brunswick dish – fiddleheads once again.
After the mind is completely absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can enter the planet known as Goloka Vṛndāvana. To enter the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one has to understand Kṛṣṇa. The process of understanding Kṛṣṇa is devotional service. After understanding Kṛṣṇa as He is, one can become eligible to enter Kṛṣṇaloka andRead More...
Source: Focusing on the practical in the scriptural, The Monk’s Podcast 199 with Kaustubha Prabhu (This post has been viewed 9 times so far)Read More...
Hearing and chanting Krishna’s name, instruction, and pastimes is the mainstay of devotional service. Please join us here for spiritual rejuvenation. Source: Class for ISV Sunday school kids & Youth – Session 2 by H.G. Radheshyam Das | 2022-06-05 | ISV (This post has been viewed 10 times so far)Read More...
Source: Starve the Hiranyakasipu and Feed the Prahlad Within You: Glories of Narsimhadev – Part 12 (This post has been viewed 2 times so far)Read More...
Click below to start the player Source: Exploring the animal kingdom through Vaisnava literature – HH Krishna Kshetra Swami – 05.06.2022 (This post has been viewed 29 times so far)Read More...
Click below to start the player Source: Srimad Bhagavatam (1.6.19) Class by HG Tribhangananda Prabhu – 01 June 2022 (This post has been viewed 33 times so far)Read More...
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.18.24-25 by Badrinarayan Swami 6/5/2022 Seeing the benevolent hand of the Lord. Click below to start the player (This post has been viewed 25 times so far)Read More...
In this multi-episode discussion, Joshua Reid and David Whitehead (dwtruthwarrior) continue their journey exploring space, Mars and everything under the suns. One of the prominent themes introduced in Forbidden Archeology is the phenomenon of “knowledge filtration.” This is the process by which scientists & others routinely accept evidence that supports their preconceptions & theories whileRead More...
Letter by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
I was on sankirtana at Botafogo Beach in Rio de Janeiro. At a bar table, there were three fat old men. One told me, “We don’t want to buy anything! I’m an Evangelical. He’s a spiritualist, and he’s a Pai-de-Santo [a priest of Umbanda, an African-Brazilian religion].”
