Friday 23 September 2011

The Sacred Oath

- By His Holiness Bhakti Raghava Swami


The Text of Sacred Oath
O most worshipable Mother Cow! You are our most affectionate Sacred Mother. You are the wish-fulfilling Kamadhenu who grants everyone’s desires. You are the manifestation of all sacred places of pilgrimage, the support of all living entities and the ocean of all auspiciousness.
O most revered Mother Cow! You are the purifying Mother Ganga and the Goddess of Sanctity. You are the healer of all diseases, the bestower of good health and the embodiment of Maharshi Dhanvantari. You are the Goddess of Fortune and the provider of nourishing agriculture products.
O most venerable Mother Cow! Today I take this solemn oath to always remember my Mother India and my ancestors’ noble heritage. With my mind, words and actions, I hereby pledge to always protect, preserve and serve you and all the wonderful gifts of nature such as water, earth, the forests, as well as all living entities and all sacred places of pilgrimages. I will actively strive to ensure that your glory spreads throughout the entire world.
O most honoured Mother Cow! In order that our villages become holy places of pilgrimage, I will endeavour with my mind, body and soul to protect the ancient wealth and beauty of traditional village life.
O most beloved Mother Cow! Please bless and empower this humble servant of yours with the necessary ability, strength, and courage to fulfill this solemn oath.
All glories, all glories, all glories to you, o eternally most Sacred Mother Cow! (Translated from Hindi)
Edited by HH Bhakti Raghava Swami

Om Surabhyai Namah


- By His Holiness Bhakti Raghava Swami

Om Surabhyai namah! Om Sri Gurave namah!
The recently launched Visva Mangala Gou Gram Yatra in Kurukshetra on September 30, 2009, heralds the momentous 108-day historical sacred pilgrimage around India to save our cows, to save our villages, and to save mother earth herself. With the continuous ten-minute shankhnad (blowing of the conch) by world-renowned shankhwadak Shri Shavantha, this unprecedented event is a  tribute as well as a pledge on the part of the organizers and the participants to bring about not only a revival but indeed a complete overhaul against the present misdirected policies of modern leaders towards restoration of the natural traditional village lifestyle upon which the protection of cows and the land is only made possible and for which a total ban on cow slaughter in India and around the word is an absolute must.
Many prominent dignitaries and saints representing different religions organizations from around India gathered at the historical site of Kurukshetra where Lord Krishna officially delivered the perennial teachings of the Bhagavad-gita 5,000 years ago before embarking in what the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada, referred to as the first World War in Kali Yuga.
The main inspirational force behind this event is Gokarna Peethadhishwar Shankaracharya Shri  Raghaveshwar Bharati Swamiji who had successfully sponsored the national Go-Sammelon two years ago at his Ramachandrapur Mutt in South Karnataka where he safely preserves the only remaining 33 species of indigenous cows in India. He appealed to the countrymen to protect the cow and the villages: “The Gou Gram Yatra is an attempt to create an army of dedicated people who can fight against the atrocities on the cow. In real sense, the First World War was fought for mother Sita. The second World War was fought for Draupadi and the mother earth and the third World War will be fought for the cow”.
Also present for the grand opening was the head of the Madhava Sampradaya Saint H.H. Pejawar Swami Shri Vishveshteertha who stressed the need to protect four things— Gou(Cow), Gram(Villages), Gita (Bhagavad Gita) and Gayatri (Gayatri Mantra symbolizing Brahminical Culture): “One of the reasons of growing terrorism in the country is that we have tiger as the national animal. The tiger symbolizes ‘terror’, while the cow symbolizes peace and prosperity. Therefore, we must declare the cow the national animal forthwith to restore peace and prosperity in the country.”
At the end of the auspicious ceremony, all the leaders present took a solemn oath whereby they pledged to restore peace and prosperity in India by protecting our mother cow and by rebuilding the traditional village life.

Srila Prabhupada on Cow Protection


…In this movement, our one program is to respect the cows. We chant this mantra, namo brahmanya
brahmana-hitaya ca. The brahminical culture and the cows…Why they have selected the cows? There are so many animals. Why cow protection is so important in Krishna Consciousness? Why Krsna personally Himself became a cowherd boy and was taking care of the cows and the calves? Oh, that is very essential.
And here also, we see that the Dharmaraja is inquiring about the comforts of the cow. Amba, kaccid bhadre,
anamayam atmanas te. Amayam means disease. So, “Whether you are quite comfortable by your health?” This is very essential to keep cows very comfortably. If they feel comfortable, then you get the most nourishing food, We are practically seeing in our New Vrindavan center, because the cows are feeling secure in our custody, they’re delivering milk up to eighty pounds daily. You’ll be surprised. So if you get milk products, milk, then you can prepare so many preparations full of vitamins, which will nourish your brain.
-Srimad Bhagavatam 1:16:19—Hawaii, January 15, 1974.

There are so many facilities afforded by cow protection, but people have forgotten these arts. The importance of protecting cows is therefore stressed by Krsna in Bhagavad Gita (krsi-go-rakshya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhavajam [BG.18.44]). Even now in the Indian villages surrounding Vrndavana, the villagers live happily simply by giving protection to the cow. They keep cow dung very carefully and dry it to use as fuel. They keep a sufficient stock of grains, and because of giving protection to the cows, they have sufficient milk and milk products to solve all economic problems. Simply by giving protection to the cow, the villagers live so peacefully. Even the urine and stool of cows have medicinal value. [Srimad-Bhagavatam. 10.6.19 Purport]

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Woman : Aham Brahma Asmi…


Woman : Aham Brahma Asmi…

-         By Vrndavanlila dd

Prabhupada: Not required. Caitanya Mahaprabhu denied, "I am not brahmana, I am not ksatriya, I am not this, I am not this." He rejected. But in the Bhagavad-gita, the catur-varnyam maya srstam. So we are Krsna..., preaching Krsna consciousness. It must be done.
Hari-sauri: But in Caitanya Mahaprabhu's practical preaching He only induced them to chant.
Prabhupada: That is not possible for ordinary man…The chanting will be there, but you cannot expect that people will chant like Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They cannot even chant sixteen rounds. (And) these rascals are going to be Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Satsvarupa: No. But if they at least will chant and take some prasada...
Prabhupada: Chanting will go on. That is not stopped. But at the same time the varnasrama-dharma must be established to make the way easy.
(Room conversation in Mayapur, February 14, 1977)
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu rejected varnasrama in conversation with Ramananda Raya
naham vipra na ca narapatir napi vaisyo na sudro                          
naham varni na ca grhapatir no vanastho yatir va
kintu prodyan nikhila paramananda-purnamrtabdher
gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanu-dasah (Cc, Madhya 13.8, Padyavali 74)
"I am not a brahmana, nor a ksatriya; I am not a vaisya nor a sudra, I am not a brahmacari, nor a householder, not a vanaprastha, not a sannyasi. But since Lord Sri Krsna , the maintainer of the gopis and the overflowing ocean of nectar, is the only source of universal, transcendental bliss, I claim to be a servant to the servant of the servant of His lotus feet."
Our real identity is the transcendental identity, “gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanu-dasah” as Gauranga Mahaprabhu would explain. It appears very attractive to us; just not because it states the ultimate truth, but surprisingly, also because it pampers our ego - we are ‘vaishnavas’, above brahmanas. We may derive pleasure in saying, “I am not this body, I am a spirit soul.” “My varna is not a woman, but a spirit soul.” 
Spiritually there is no distinction between a man and a woman, anybody can scale any height. The gopis of Vrindavan are personification of height of bhakti bhava. Vishakha devi, seeing the suffering of Srimati Radharani in the absence of Krsna (who was then with Chandravali) cursed Him to suffer the same emotion of separation and agony (You shall cry, cry, and cry!) as her prana-sakhi (Srimati Radharani) had. The Supreme Lord’s most merciful form of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, whose lotus eyes were always tearful in separation from the Lord, is the result of the curse (blessing in disguise for the devotees) of Vishakha devi.
Aham Brahma asmi. While it is the truth, it has to be understood in the right perspective lest it turns spiritually self-destructive - we are in the relative world after all. If we humbly and sincerely try to explore into our hearts we would realize that the said transcendence is very difficult to achieve. I do not rule out the possibility and even presence of great souls even amongst us who have achieved this perfection but they are very very rare.
bahūnāḿ janmanām ante jñānavān māḿ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ   [BG 7.19]
[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]
In general we are all on the path to that perfectional state, with different devotees serving from different planes of realization. Understanding of general conditioning or limitations imposed by our body will only help us fighting it successfully. Chanting or harinam is definitely the yuga-dharma and it should not stop under any circumstance. It is a great cleanser but how many of us are like Haridas Thakur?
Prabhupada: Because it will cleanse the mind. Chanting will not stop.
Hari-sauri: So therefore the chanting was introduced to replace all of the systems of varnasrama and like that.
Prabhupada: Yes, it can replace, but who is going to replace it? The... People are not so advanced.  If you imitate Haridasa Thakura to chant, it is not possible.
(Room conversation in Mayapura, February 14, 1977)
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s chanting could make even ferocious animals like tiger also forget their nature imposed by their material body and enjoy the Nama-sankirtana in the Jharikhanda forest. Haridas Thakur’s chanting was so pure that he could effortlessly bring a heart change even in the prostitute (he could achieve what great Vishwamitra could not). But are we on the same platform? Both qualitatively and quantitatively, we are a far cry from Haridas Thakur. His chanting had transformed the prostitute, but if we are simply able to continue with our chanting without offence even in her absence, it is an achievement. 
“Being gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanu-dasah is the true transcendental identity. But with layers of conditioning on our consciousness, encased in the material body we forget ourselves in different identities – “I am an Indian; I am a Hindu, I am a woman or a man, I have a Ph.d., I am the Senior Manager etc." These are all upadhis, the disguises of the soul and we have to aspire for
sarvopadhi vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam
hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate
"Bhakti is defined as the engagement of the senses in the service of the Proprietor of the senses. This service is to be free from any contamination by identity with the body, and pure through being exclusively fixed on Him." (Bhakti-rasamrta Sindhu quoting Narada Pancaratra )
But have we achieved that transcendental plane? The nature of soul is – sad+cit+ananda (eternal, full of knowledge and blissful). The animals around us, even the plants and trees have the same soul, same quality of the soul; but their consciousness is so low that it is very difficult for them to jump out of it. So much is the effect of this bahya (external) superfluous material body! Is this conditioning so easy to conquer? In human form we have an opportunity to chant and come out of it but is it so easy to break the conditioning that has been on us from millions and millions of lifetimes? We are full of bliss then why do we cry in pain when hurt (recall Bhakta Prahlad who was a vaishnava), we feel the pangs of hunger; we feel thirst and need water to quench the thirst, we treat when sick… We behave according to our gender, like a man or a woman, we dress like a man or a woman. Not just that, we even marry which is based on our identification with body.
Even Lord Siva was momentarily bewildered by the illusory potency of the Lord, who are we compared to Him?
ayi vyapaśyas tvam ajasya māyāḿ
parasya puḿsaḥ para-devatāyāḥ
ahaḿ kalānām ṛṣabho 'pi muhye
yayāvaśo 'nye kim utāsvatantrāḥ [SB 8.12.43]
[Lord Śiva said: O Goddess, you have now seen the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the unborn master of everyone. Although I am one of the principal expansions of His Lordship, even I was illusioned by His energy. What then is to be said of others, who are fully dependent on māyā?]
Our desire may be sincere, but our ambience is not so conducive. There are more than enough examples to show the wonderful working of maya, even within our own society. It is thus more effective to take a humbler and safer position in a daiva varnasrama and discharge our duties according to the Vedic injunctions.
Sadly in this age, the general mass is of varnasankaras. Further, the four regulatives that Srila Prabhupada gave us to protect the devotees from the attack of Kali and reinstate the four legs of dharma is very difficult to observe despite sincerity.  
“The basic principles of irreligiosity, such as pride, prostitution, intoxication and falsehood, counteract the four principles of religion, namely austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. The personality of Kali was given permission to live in four places particularly mentioned by the King, namely the place of gambling, the place of prostitution, the place of drinking and the place of animal slaughter.” [SB, Purp, 1.17.38]. In order to protect the devotees from the attack of Kali, Srila Prabhupada gave us the four regulatives (no meat eating as the basic principle of Krishna Consciousness.
·   No eating of meat, fish or eggs - [Principle of mercy or daya]
·   No illicit sex - [Principle of Austerity or tapas]
·   No gambling - [Principle of Truthfulness or satyam]
·   No intoxication (including alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and other recreational drugs) - [Principle of Cleanliness or Śaucam]
In this age, every pillar of spiritual growth has crumbled down. Unconsciously we are a part of civilization that thrives on slaughterhouse, total sense aggrandizement, gambling (stock market), and dirt (internally as well as externally). Sitting on the debris of violated vows what kind of liberating chanting will we be able to do? Isn’t it simpler to acknowledge the power of Kali and equip ourselves to safety by resorting to the structure of daiva varnasrama dharma? Its Krsna-centric living can only facilitate the chanting and one day lead everybody to the perfectional stage where we can actually relish His name.
Similarly, how can a woman be above the material conditioning? She also has to perform her dharma – stri dharma as given in the scriptures (Refer to HH Bhakti Raghva Swami’s article “Vedic View of Women” in the last issue of “The Eight Petals”). Simply serve the husband, who in turn serves the Guru, Guru ultimately serves the Lord in the disciplic succession. If there is a break in the service-chain anywhere, the person who fails to render the service is at the suffering end. So if we have to realize our selves, we need to serve according to our dharma.
Many women cite spiritual blindness of their husband as a sufficient reason to not to serve or worse (to divorce). Although at several places Srila Prabhupada said that a chaste woman need not serve a fallen husband (naradhama), but if we see practically this was advised only in extreme situations. He instructed even his own sister to serve her husband dedicatedly without any complaints, despite he having all the vices - a meat eater, drunkard, woman-hunter. She did, and it is a history how he turned around completely after a few years. This situation does not give license to men to do anything sinful, it only means that a woman’s path of liberation is much easier, it lies in her sincerely following and assisting her husband with reverence and intimacy. Indian history is replete with such examples; Queen Mandodari, wife of king Ravana, personification everything demoniac, is also one of the Satis; Gandhari devi was married to Dhratrashtra, about whom we all heard so much. Bhagavad-gita opens with his speech clearly displaying his material attachment, spiritual blindness, selfishness, irresponsibility, and adharmi nature. His wife, Gandhari never gave up on him and f ollowed her path of stri dharma. She was so chaste that she covered her eyes when she realized that she would be marrying a blind king, so is the case with Vrinda devi, who was married to demon king Jalandhar. This simple path of chastity and following the husband in itself endows the women with such spiritual power that even the Supreme Lord honors it. For instance, the Lord gracefully honored the curse of His devotee, Gandhari devi and of Vrinda devi. When they cursed, what did the Lord do? He gladly accepted it, even though it meant complete erasion of His dynasty and then because of Vrinda devi’s curse He later appeared as Shaligram shila in Gandaki river. Why should the Lord accept the curses and ‘undergo’ this ‘tribulation’? He is setting an example for us to show how He respects a person, man or a woman who respect His timeless injunctions. It is therefore important for every woman to not just know the stri-dharma but also follow it sincerely. Hare Krsna!!
[The article originally appeared in the 19th issue of the e-newsletter, The Eight Petals, in support of Daiva Varnasrama dharma] 
The author can be reached: vrindavanlila.brs@gmail.com
                  

Saturday 30 July 2011

Breaking the Shackles of Kali......

King Yudhishtir, who is also known as dharamraj and was an ideal, one of the strongest, celebrated, and pious kings of the world was afraid of the sins incurred because of the mass killing at the battle of Kurukshetra and wished to purify himself of that sin through yajna. Relatively what would be the fate of the present rulers who are doing, breathing, talking, and living sin every moment?
Foundation of an ideal vedic civilization is laid on the preservation of three pillars of religiosity- brahminical culture, cow protection, and God-consciousness.
Brahminical culture is the defining feature which differentiates human society from animal society. 
Srila Prabhupada in a letter to Rupanuga, Dt. December 7, 1975.
Vedic civilization gives protection to all the living creatures, especially the cows, because they render such valuable service to the human society in the shape of milk, without which no one can become healthy and strong. In your country the dog is protected, and the cow is killed. The dog is passing stool and urine in the street, he is considered the best friend of man, and the cow is all pure, stool, urine, and milk, but they are taken to the slaughter house and killed for food. What kind of civilization is this? Therefore we have to preach against all this nonsense. 
ahaara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca.
samanyam etat pasubhih naranam .
dharmo hi tesam adhiko viseso .
dharmena hina pasubhih samanah . [Hitopadesa]

Eating, sleeping, mating, and defending are activities common to both human beings and animals. It is only the observance of ‘dharma’, following religious principles to become God conscious that makes the difference; lest we are reduced to in Srila Prabhupada’s words just “royal editions of animal.” Krsna, though beyond everything and anything still set the precept by His own example:
namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca
jagat-hitaya krishnaya govindaya namonamah

[Translation: I offer my respectful obeisances to the Supreme Absolute Truth, Krishna, Who is the well-wisher of the cows and the brahmanas as well as the living entities in general. I offer my repeated obeisances to Govinda, who is the resevoir of pleasure for all the senses.]

Krsna, the eternal primeval lord of the Universe who is complete in Himself and who is Sarva karana karanam humbly received His old Brahmin friend, Sudama, and personally chose to wash his feet. One who is always purna, lovingly took care of the cows and took them out to graze every day while growing in Braja. Both brahmanas and cows belong to the same family and are situated in mode of goodness. The brahmanas are qualified to chant the mantras and perform the sacrifices, while the cows provide material for the sacrifice in the form of panchgavya and other product-based preparations. Human prosperity depends on brahminical culture and cow protection [Based on Srila Prabhupada’s purport to SB 1.8.21]. Preservation of brahminical culture and cow protection in absence of God-consciousness is like a beautiful body without a soul- thus completely useless. It is Krsna-centric life which will help a person sustain even the other two. All three of them are intricately interwoven with one another and do not exist in singularity. So, it is king’s or administrator’s duty to help create a conducive atmosphere for vedic civilization to prosper by promoting brahminical culture, cow protection, and God-consciousness. It is king’s duty to protect his ‘praja’, which includes every living being born in his state and not just human beings.  Of the general protection that is extended primary of them are women, old, children, cow, and diseased as they cannot defend themselves. It is his duty to protect the brahminical culture or vedic civilization according to which:
Matrvat para daresu             
Para-dravyesu lostra-vat
Atma-vat sarva-bhutesu
Yah pasyati sa pandita
An intelligent man is he who sees every woman (other than his wife) as his mother, other’s property as a mere pebble, and accords respect to every living entity. This control over baser instincts of man, like sexual desire, greed, and humility is thus important to be a human being and not following the animal culture. How do we cultivate this? Education teaches this. Earlier brahmanas and kshatriyas were sent to Gurukulas to develop this and realize their original relationship to God. But now schools have become breeding ground of just the reverse value system. Teachers themselves are fallen, the political leaders or kings themselves are taking to all abominable ways- rakshak has turned to bhakshak. All the five that need to be given main protection are thrown at the mercy of ‘demoniac’ kings. Old or invalid people are just considered as burdens on the society as they are economically unviable and thus a liability to both the government and the family. Cow, which is one of the seven mothers is even legally slaughtered in the country of Vedas. The government itself has allowed and encouraged the policy of opening abattoirs and every day she is killed in lakhs. In the name of feminism, there is only more exploitation. Children too are not left unscathed. According to the latest statistics, about 50 million abortions or foeticides per year are taking place in our so called ‘modern’ or civilized society today. Still if a child is fortunate enough to be safe from being killed inside the womb and takes birth, then he is later sent to schools which are nothing but according to Srila Prabhupada “slaughter houses” of spirituality. Appallingly all this is happening with the sanction of government. According to Vedic civilization, at least three persons in the society need to be above suspicion- “the priest or the spiritual master, who are engaged in teaching people about religiosity, he must be perfect, above suspicion. Similarly, public leader, he must be also above suspicion. A brahmana... Brahmana means priest also. He must be above suspicion. And the king must be above suspicion.” Sri Rama ordered His wife, the pious Sita devi to take the agni pariksha in order to prove her purity not for Him, but for the subjects, to alleviate their suspicion. Srila Prabhupada though was fully satisfied with the services of his secretary, Govind dasi, yet in order to keep himself above suspicion later chose a brahmachari. King Parikshit, like a true kshatriya gave shelter to even Kaliyuga when he supplicated himself at his feet and to upkeep the desire of the Lord. At the same time in order to protect his kingdom from the downfall, “as soon as he heard that Kali, these four principles of Kali has already entered, he immediately took his bows and arrows and..."Who is that rascal, he is drinking? Kill him." That was king. "Kill him, that rascal." So if one is killed because he was drinking, then others will be very careful. That was king's duty. "Anyone who has got illicit sex, kill him. Anyone who is drunkard, kill him. Anyone who is eating meat, kill him. No other consideration. Directly kill him." Then all these things will stop within a few years. [Ref. VedaBase. Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.10 -- Los Angeles, January 7, 1974]. These are the real standards that we have to follow, how far have we departed from them? The government which is supposed to fortify and protect this culture is instrumental in letting it degenerate cannot be trusted. How can a spiritually invalid person lead? - Blind leading a blind the result is only destruction. Real brahmanas are like the brain of a society, they teach the young generation in gurukulas and even advise the king. This is why we need true Brahmins in a country. They will impart education which will restore the Vedic value system in a society and help the leaders imbibe discrimination between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. The next question comes how to create Brahmins in a country where there has been total delinking from the past and the structure has collapsed? While everything is happening just as prophesied in the scriptures, but still there is hope.
yada hy adharmena tamo-dhiyo nrpa
jivanti tatraisa hi sattvatah kila
dhatte bhagam satyam rtam dayam yaso
bhavaya rupani dadhad yuge yuge [ SB 1.10.25]
[Whenever there are kings and administrators living like animals in the lowest modes of existence, the Lord in His transcendental form manifests His supreme power, the Truth Positive, shows special mercy to the faithful, performs wonderful activities and manifests various transcendental forms as is necessary in different periods and ages.]
Hayagriva dasa: But if the people are basically wicked, … a strong prince is necessary to control them.
Srila Prabhupada: Why should the people remain wicked? 
It is the king’s duty to see that all the citizens become gentlemen…. The educational, social, and religious systems should be so perfect that the people become God conscious. At least a sector of the people, the brahmanas, should be perfect.
The lord mercifully advented Himself in the form of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and freely distributed the love of the Lord, giving the simple process of cleansing and spiritual evolution- chanting His holy name:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Further, by Divine Providence then appeared Srila Prabhupada. He not only spread the Holy name in all the four corners of the world structurally in a phased manner, but also created a society which by making the four regulative principles of no meat-eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex, and no gambling mandatory makes the person free from the attack of Kali and thus prepares real Brahmins for the society. However, foreseeing the impact of this age Srila Prabhupada also expressed his desire to establish daivi-varnasrma and have rural community projects. This would not only offer conducive setting for chanting and purification but also train and produce brahmanas, kshatriyas and other classes of people, letting everybody the necessary training and opportunity to follow their dharma. No wonder, ISKCON has now formally recognized its importance and created a Varnasrama Ministry, solely dedicated for the purpose.
abdhva su-durlabham idam bahu-sambhavante
manusyam artha-dam anityam apiha dhirah
turnam yateta na pated anu-mrtyu yavan
nihsreyasaya visayah khalu sarvatah syat     [SB 11.9.29]
“After many, many births one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life before his body, which is always subject to death, falls away. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Krsna consciousness is possible only for a human being.”
Let us make the most of this opportunity and help set up a model community which the world can follow, not only for their spiritual progress but also for material prosperity, for a devotee is the servant of Lord Govinda, who is served by thousands of Lakshmis.
Lakshmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
Govindam aadi-purusham tam aham bhajami [cf Brahma Samhita]
Hare Krishna! 
                                                                                                   - By Vrndavanlila dd

Animals are also Citizens of a State


A conversation with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Animals are also Citizens of a State
Hayagriva dasa: For Machiavelli, the only sin is not acting for the common good. First, the ruler must protect the citizens from physical harm. Citizens are happy when they obey the laws, follow customs, and pray to God.
Srila Prabhupada: If the ruler must first of all protect the citizens from physical harm, how can he advocate animal slaughter? Animals are also subjects because they are born in a country. A citizen is anyone who is born in a state. So how can a ruler discriminate between one type of citizen and another? If he discriminates, he cannot speak of common good. He can only say “man’s good.” According to the common good, animals as well as men are protected.
Hayagriva dasa: Machiavelli placed love of country and the common good above everything else. He rarely uses the word “God” or “Providence,” but prefers the word “fortune.” It is fortune that plays tricks on men and changes friends into enemies. 
Srila Prabhupada: If God is fortune, who is misfortune? Since God is the supreme controller, He is both fortune and misfortune. When you act wrongly, punishment comes from God, and when you act properly, the reward come from God.

Thursday 21 July 2011

Vedic Arts and Technology

-- HH Bhakti Raghava Swami

Srila Prabhupada on Technology
Srila Prabhupada speaks of the simple technology which existed prior to modern industrialization. From a very young age, young children would naturally and easily learn the trade of their father or elders. This kind of easy technology is called silpa-karma in the Vedic scriptures and does not require for one to attend formal school. Actually, when technology remains simple, the learning process is also not difficult. The following exchange took place on July 14, 1977 in Vrindavana, India.
Prabhupäda: In India the caste system was very good. From the very beginning the children would learn the technology of their paternal. Just like potter. You'll see the children of the potter, they are also making a small bird, a small fruit, and they would be sold. A small playing utensils-small glass, small plate—they're also sold. Other children would purchase. The whole family used to earn something. Nowadays they're sent to school, wasting time, and then unemployment and idle brain. What is the use of sending a potter's son to school?
Tamäla Kåñëa: No, everything he needs to know, he can learn at home.
Prabhupäda: That's what I... Similarly, weaver, that cloth weaving, "kat, kat." The wife is spinning, her husband is weaving, the children is weaving, and combinedly  at the end of the day there is a cloth. And people were satisfied with simple necessities. They would not charge very much for the labor. And one nice cloth requires half a pound cotton. Half a pound cotton means maybe one rupee. Another one rupee for the labor. So now they are paying twenty to thirty rupees. Unnecessarily he has to earn this money and pay to the millionaires, and he will keep three dozen motorcars, so another man will be engaged in motorcar industry. In this way time is being wasted without any search after spiritual realization. Time is wasted in such so-called technology advancement. And the real purpose of life, jévasya tattva-jijïäsä, that is missing. And when you present that "This is the most important business of life," they say, "It is brainwashing." And they fight to check us, Communists and others, that "It is useless, God consciousness." [break] (long pause) So... Jäniyä çuniyä biña khäinu. Because they are missing the aim of life, they are committing suicide. And this varëäçrama-dharma was planned in such a way that everyone would be spiritually advanced. The weaver will get, the potter will get, the blacksmith will get, the brähmaëa is already there, kñatriya will get—everyone.
What is Vedic Technology?
Before defining “Vedic Technology”, let us first understand the word “technology”. The Cambridge Dictionary defines technology as “(the study and knowledge of) the practical, especially industrial, use of scientific discoveries”. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines technology as the “(science of) practical or industrial art”. The same dictionary refers to the Greek root word “tekhnikos” as “art”.  We can thus understand technology as the way of doing something which yields practical results. The definitions above indicate there should be a certain “art”, “expertise”, “know-how” and “science” attached to the process or activity performed. It is not that before today’s industrialized “development” and “modern” inventions, there was no technology existing in the world. Technology, or the art of doing things intelligently, efficiently and in harmony with nature, in a variety of fields, has existed since a long time. Factually, technology can be traced to many of the ancient civilizations known to mankind, in particular to the oldest recorded of such civilization, the Vedic culture. Vedic technology, as we will come to understand, is that technology which has remained simplified and easily practiced without causing any ill effects to individuals or to the environment in which it has been practiced or applied. In the context of agriculture, for example, the simple process of ploughing the land has traditionally been done using the power of the oxen as opposed to our modern system of machines such as tractors. Tilling the land requires some kind of technology. In so many spheres of life, some technology is required. Vedic technology is that technology or know-how or art which has been the least expensive and the least harmful to both the user and his environment.
We would like to present an extract from an overview presented by editors of the website, Indian History of Science and Technology (The authors share some interesting information in relation to technology).
Overview
It is now recognized that western criteria are not the sole benchmark by which other cultural knowledge should be evaluated. While the term 'traditional' sometimes carries the connotation of 'pre-modern' in the sense of 'primitive' or 'outdated', many of the traditional sciences and technologies were in fact quite advanced even by western standards as well as better adapted to unique local conditions and needs than their later 'modern' substitutes. In countries with ancient cultural traditions, the folk and elite sciences were taken as part of the same unified legacy, without any hegemonic categorizations. However, modernization has homogenized various solutions, and this loss of ideas is similar to the destruction of biodiversity. Colonizers systematically derogated, exterminated or undermined the local traditional science, technology and crafts of the lands and people they plundered, because of their intellectual arrogance, and also to control and appropriate the economic means of production and the social means of organization. Modern societies created hegemonic categories of science verses magic, technology verses superstitions etc., which were arbitrary and contrived. But many anthropologists who have recently worked with so-called 'primitive' peoples have been surprised to learn of some of their highly evolved and sophisticated technologies. The term 'Traditional Knowledge System' was thus coined by anthropologists as a scientific system which has its own validity, in contradistinction to 'modern' science. (http://www.indianscience.org)
Soft-Technology as Ego-Friendly and Eco-Friendly
Today’s world of advanced technology has created an artificial, unstable and ever changing work force whereby one must continuously take up specialized training in order to meet the demands of a growing industrialized and technological society. Whereas previously one would generally learn a trade and maintain that one particular occupation throughout one’s entire life, today’s “modernized” world forces ordinary workers to learn new skills, many of which are sophisticated and time consuming to master and which often become obsolete within a few years, thus forcing that same individual to again learn yet another skill which will often end with the same result. To become an ordinary farmer in today’s world, one must study for many years at college and university, learning to operate all types of machinery based on computerized and high-level technologies, and only then will one become equipped to perform his task of farming.  
The Vedic way of life is based on a much more simplified system of “soft-technology” which is simultaneously both ego-friendly and eco-friendly. Ego-friendly means that the apprenticeship and performance of traditional skills are both pleasing and satisfying to the individual. One learns in a natural environment and with a person who generally enjoys his work and has practical experience. One does not face the kind of dangers modern machineries threaten the worker with all the time. The more traditional skills are also eco-friendly in that they do not cause harmful and destructive effects to the environment. The ox will only add opulence to the soil by emitting his urine and dung whereas the tractor kills the soil with its oil and petrol dripping on the land, not to speak of its spoiling the top soil with its heavy weight.
Both Gandhi and Economist E.V. Schumacher advocated the use of small-scale technology which centers on using both local manpower and local resources without causing damage to the environment. Such soft-energy technology is based on renewable energy and thus ideal for promoting and realizing the concept of self-sufficiency. There are many other advocates who support the need for a return to soft-technology and a more simplified way of life. In this way, Vedic Technology has much to offer our present day society. 

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Traditional Education

-- His Holiness Bhakti Raghava Swami 
Traditional education is practically a thing of the past, something most of us have never even seen, what to speak of having lived or experienced such a life-style. We are generally totally ignorant of what itmay be or what it might have been. Whatever little we have heard about traditional education has often left us with negative impressions and reservations about it, as we were likely exposed to the so called short-comings and even "backwardness" of such an educational system. 
In the university where I took up my post-graduate studies in education just a few years ago, the traditional gurukula system found in India and the traditional pondok pesantren system found in Indonesia were classified under "non-formal" education. The specific term used to describe the course in the Indonesian language was  Pendidikan Luar Sekolah - PLS", which literally translates as "Education Outside of 
School".  The irony is that, traditionally speaking, what is classified today as "Education Outside of School" (non-formal education) was previously the "only" education taught in school settings such as gurukula or pondok pesantren and that was considered then as "formal education". All other education was "outside of school" through the equivalent of what we call today "vocational training" and "apprenticeship" (non-formal education). We have basically done a full somersault here, accepting today what is non-formal education as formal and what is formal education as non-formal. Today's science and technology promote studies and research which deal primarily with advancement of vocational trades (computer and other machine oriented technology), and give less importance to the academic fields of philosophy and humanities. How has this come about and what kind of results can we expect? A good part of the answer lies in the following statemen- "The effects of the Sophists on education necessarily make one wonder whether it is wise to entrust education to the technicians rather than the philosophers." (Pratt, 1980: 18) 
We have indeed allowed the policies of education to be influenced and dictated by the interests of political leaders, powerful industrial magnets, technocrats and scientists, all of whom tend to lack in wisdom and depth. Due to a primarily materialistic training, such "leaders" are either prone to personal motivation, allured to ever increasing profits, lacking in philosophical insights or short-sighted by nature. The root of the problem in education lies in not knowing or not understanding the basic principles which are meant to govern any and all educational pursuits, beginning with the very definition and purpose of knowledge and education. Put simply and plainly, when education is used primarily to promote materialistic pursuits and ambitions, there must be shortcoming and failures because the very meaning and purpose of education are not understood or followed. In the name of so-called education only, teachers and students are simply playing a costly game. 
How we live and where we live also help shape our education. As mentioned in the Preface to VARNASRAMA EDUCATION, unless we understand the essence of what education is and the basics of what makes for an ideal society (varnasrama), any attempt to develop effective and meaningful educational systems will fail. It is of crucial and paramount importance to understand the intimate working relationships between education and society, not only in the early years of one's formation, but indeed throughout one's entire life. The ancient Vedic system of varnasrama dharma is the most ideal, most scientific and most fulfilling educational institution which can help make one vastly learned, well organized, productive and highly skilled, and above all, cultured and wise. 
[Source: From author’s ‘Preface’ to Traditional Education.]