By Kesava Krsna Dasa
When young minds get crammed with religious bigotry or extreme ideology interpreted to induce hatred in others, whom they see as hell-bound heathens, pagans and infidels, but is cordially disguised with social niceties; does this not have the potential to desensitize? To whip up frenzied protests and cause such fiery intolerance!
Later on, these same mindsets feel totally besieged, because the democratic process allows everyone to disagree with each other without going to war about it. Their prejudice causes them to move more to the fringes of society to form non-conformist allegiances which are zealously blood red or chillingly blue on the political threatening scale.
They are coldly capable of utilizing heathen, pagan and infidel tools of society such as capital, communications, technology and timing, through power, rank and file, to unleash spectacularly dreadful 911’s, Arkansas, Bali, Cheznya, and Mombasa outrages, which cause the governments of the world to close ranks and trade freedom for security.
They claim to be genuine freedom fighters, religious reformers, martyrs, liberation icons or revolutionaries. Do they have indisputable grievances?
To begin with, they are – as all of us – born into – sammoham – delusion, bewildered by dualities like – iccha-dvesa – desire and hate (BG 7.27) Such radicals are prone to what Srimad Bhagavatam says: “O learned one, in this age of kali, men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided and above all, always disturbed.” (SB 1.1.10)
Clearly they have legitimate concerns as does everybody else who are weighed down mightily by these negatives which produce – bhayam – fear. People are surrounded by fear stalking as disturbed intolerance.
Whereas normal highly disturbed persons are confined to institutions of the mental kind, those adept at making their disturbances acceptable to sympathizers become despots through vox-populi, and make life intolerable for others. “Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who have no intelligence, engage in horrible unbeneficial works meant to destroy the world.”(BG 16.9)
An objection may be raised here. “This is an unfair analysis. Why should I lump in asuras with those who fight, or who have fought against oppressive systems such as apartheid, communism, ruthless military regimes, mogul and British occupation in India and so forth? Surely, these were legitimate struggles?”
Lord Krishna says, abhayam sattva-samsuddhar jnana-yoga-vyavasthitih…., fearlessness, purification of ones existence, cultivation of spiritual knowledge….(BG 16.1-3) in other words, regardless of external circumstances, oppressive or otherwise, Krsna consciousness is practiced independently.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur worked for the detested British system in court, but did not let this hinder his spiritual life. Srila Prabhupada as Abhay Charan was allied to the Gandhi cause when he first met his spiritual master Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. He conjectured that perhaps the British should first leave India so that her spiritual glories can bask in independence. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta however reasoned that Krsna consciousness was so urgent as not to wait for any material precedence. He certainly did not advocate political agitation.
Another question may be raised. What about Lord Chaitanya’s civil disobedience march to the house of Chand Kazi? Was that not political?
The rally itself was a fully-fledge Hari Nama sankirtana party. The objective was a non-violent protest aimed at nullifying restrictions through reason and argument. Devotees also do this when uncalled for hardship befalls other devotees. The worldwide coordinated protests against Soviet persecution, amendments to the American constitution, Kazakhstan and others, stand out as examples.
Srila Prabhupada states, “It is not necessary to commit violence to stop the opposition from hindering a movement, for one can kill their demoniac behavior with reason and argument.” (CC Adi. 17.130)
To repulse an oppressor by violent methods requires – krodah parusyam – anger, harshness (BG 16.4) which is not to be confused with the necessary force essential for maintenance of law and order. But still, aren’t ksatriyas like Arjuna possessed of demoniac behavior if such qualities belong to those of asuric-demoniac nature? Furthermore, this extremely passionate activity is – rajas tu phalam dukham – results in misery (BG 14.16).
The simple answer is found in (SB 10.29.15) “Persons who constantly direct their lust, anger, fear, protective affection, feeling of impersonal oneness or friendship toward Lord Hari are sure to become absorbed on thought of Him.”
We can surely expect atrocities to occur in the future, for it is a perennial clash of interest between proverbial good and evil. History tells how Kamsa committed mass infanticide. Salva indiscriminately bombed Dvaraka with his mystical flying object. Dvivida was a dam buster, arsonist, kidnapper and general nuisance terrorist! Hiranyakasipu sent his supercharged maddened and disturbed cronies to planet earth to destroy the environment and all things connected with Vishnu. Are thing really any different today?
Interestingly, the same Hiranyakasipu, whose mere movement of his eyebrow sent shockwaves of fear into the hearts of the demigods, would break into a trembling, fearful rage at the slightest mention of the holy name – Krishna. What does this mean? It means that Krishna and His loving devotees are the absolute nemesis for a demon. Little wonder that such envious minds – pravisanto bhyasuyakah – blaspheme the real religion. (BG 16.18)
The exponents of the real religion, the sadhus, vaisnavas and acaryas are in fact the real revolutionaries and liberators. Revolutionary because as person Bhagavats – representatives of the Srimad Bhagavatam they – namany anantasya yaso = preach the glories of the name, fame, forms and pastimes etc. of the Supreme Lord with a view – janatagha-viplavo – towards bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of the world’s misdirected civilization. (SB 1.5.11) They are liberators, because they – tranaya karunya – mercifully deliver the people from – samsara-davanala-lida-loka – from the blazing fire of material existence.
Though despised by the envious, the merciful devotees are – nirmatsarau – not envious of anyone. In fact they are the nicest revolutionaries one could ever meet. “The symptoms of a sadhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime.”(SB 3.25.21)
Our revolutionary quest is not fought in trenches of death and filth, or with weapons of mass destruction, but with ‘Iskcon bullets’ like gulabs. Our samosas are grenades bursting with flavor. The cluster bombs are our puffed rice, chevda and other savories. Our puris and chapattis are the cylindrical stealth bombers. Such prasadam can reach even where the brahmastra weapon cannot do so – the soul proper, and help disintegrate all falsehoods.
The ticking time bombs of Srila Prabhupada’s books sit patiently on bookshelves, in hiding places and attics, free from universal time – Vaikuntha time – to await timely detonation, and reveal sound truths into the hearts of fortunate victims, and expose the whole sham of nasty rebellious workings of the world.
Just as Arjuna saw all his opponents get crushed in the mouths of the multifarious features within the Universal form prior to the Kuruksetra war, someone with an acute sense of deja vu will recognize that the revolutionary efforts of the devotees in manifesting the golden age, is separated only by time, for whatever the Lord predicts has already come to pass.
Yet another question could be raised; the trading of freedom for security by world governments seem to be indicative of a unified attempt to usher in a new world order which many fear – will become intolerably regimented and godless, even to the point of prohibiting religious freedom altogether. Would such an extreme condition warrant the use of violence?
I would rather think that we become embroiled in our own little self revolutions – attaining Krishna-prema – while revolutionizing the world through the book-Bhagavat way. A tremendous force is required to enable this – the force of purity.
Ys, Kesava Krsna dasa.