Public Figures( Are our priorities right?)--to all

[Guest guest]

Dear Mukunda,

 

> Now Ivar, some questions/concerns on your note to me. It was

> wonderful reading your note; however, you seem to tell me/us that the

> remedy to all our problems life in the chanting of "Hari

> bol/Govinda."

 

Not at all. It's not a remedy to all problems, but when done right it gives

sufficient bliss, even on the physical level, to not desire intoxicants such

as alcohol. Sorry for writing the Haribols and Govindas. When I write on

philosophical and religious issues, I tend to become a bit too exuberant.

Gauranga! It has no meaning. Just ignore it. Jaya Saci-nandana!

 

> Well Ivar, if I sat before the idol of Lord Krishna and began

> chanting his name day in and day out, how would I survive? How would

> I care for my old parents and my future wife and future children if I

> gave up performing my KARMA and dedicated my life the chanting of

> Krishna's name.

 

You have to perform your duties, just like Arjuna had to do. And just like I

do. I work, study, play with my children and (try to) listen to my wife. At

this phase in my life I do not sit down to sing or pray to the Murtis, nor

do I read Krsna katha on a daily basis. However, I do not drink or smoke

either, and I'm in good consciousness, in my opinion generating good karma

(materially) on a daily basis. I mainly help people remain or regain their

health (I'm an orthomolecular therapist). I pick up plastic bags and

batteries from the ground. I recently even tried to save an animal. I was a

vegetarian before learning about hinduism. As a child (8 years old) I

published a paper and thus collected money to donate to WWF, Greenpeace and

bird protection. I've been a supporter of women's rights, and a Vaisnavi

link can be found on my website. All the above "pious

activities" I perform because that's who I am, certainly not because Krishna

has stated somewhere that it will benefit me. I encourage everyone to serve

and protect humans and animals. But don't tell me that Krishna has said we

should do that.

 

> Well Ivar, in a private mail to me you mention that Krishna NEVER

> told us to perform GOOD KARMA, but only told us to worship him and go

> to him and take his name.-- Ivar, I'm very much distrubed by your

> attempts to LITERALLY/VERBATUM apply what Lord Krishna said.

 

I don't recall sending private emails to anyone. Maybe I clicked the wrong

button. But in any case, I'm not saying you should avoid good karma, I'm

just saying that Krishna speaks about transcending all sorts of karmas.

 

> Lord Krishna is GOD, GOD is GOOD; therefore, when Krishna asks us

> to "come to him," he is in fact telling us to DO GOOD KARMA TO FELLOW

> HUMANS AND ANIMALS.

 

Sure. But first things first: absorb your mind in thinking of Krsna and his

devotees. Then go into the world and be a servant to everyone.

 

> You also mention being a Brahmachari and having dedicated your life

> to chanting and worshipping and poverty and living in a temple, etc.

> etc.

 

I mentioned that I was a brahmacari, and would want to become one again.

 

> Do you realize that this is a form of "escapism" just like

> having a drink in the evening is a form of escapism for me.

 

It would be escapism if I did it at this point in my life. I simply stated

that this is my desire, and that when circumstances are favorable, I'll take

to that lifestyle again, because I love it. When I eventually do, it's not

escapism, it's a choice: status, fame, wealth, conveyances, even friendships

here, these things don't satisfy my heart. I have chanted the names of God

before, and I do not doubt that I have regularly tasted the ecstacy

described in the scriptures. And once you have tasted that, you don't forget

it. You yearn for it. It's nothing to feel superior about, or think I'm

escaping. That's just who I am, what I like.

 

> Does

> being a Brahmachari give you some kind of a moral superiority over

> the rest of us who enjoy sex with their spouses???

 

No, there's no superiority there, not in any way. It's easy to abstain from

sex when you're a brahmacari, though you need the right surroundings.

Looking back I've learned a lot about life and studied many books in both

the brahmacari and grihastha asrama, and I have not felt sexual intercourse

to be a great distraction from spiritual consciousness, although it does

make you identify more with the physical body. But that applies to eating

tasty food as well, and thus I do not consider a brahmacari any more

renounced than a grihastha.

 

> Ivar, if you really love Krishna and if you are a real man, go out in

> the world, get a job, interact with the mainstream of our society,

> marry a woman, have children and care for your wife and children,

 

Hey, I already did that, and man was it a struggle. It started with Rahu

transiting right over my Moon, and Saturn conjuncting my dasha lord!

 

> however, I have to speakup against your attempts to

> pontificate the literal/verbatum quotes from the Geeta.

 

I take the spirit of the Gita as a whole, and interpret it that way.

Altruism is not encouraged in Bhagavad-gita. That doesn't mean altruism is a

bad thing, just don't say the Gita preaches it.

 

> When you made VERBATUM quotes of Lord Krishna's words and suggested

> that we should "abandon the mundane service of men and surrender to

> him," you sounded like one of those Christian who go around

> converting other people or cursing them for practising other

> religions.

 

I'm not saying you should do that, or anyone for that matter, but that this

is the conclusion of Krsna's advice, in both the Bhagavad-gita and

Uddhava-gita.

 

> Well, living a hermit's life in a temple or sitting in some place in

> a jungle and chanting is MOST DEFINITELY NOT what Lord Krishna asked

> us to do.

 

It all depends on who you are. For some it is right, for others wrong.

Astrology can be of great help there, by the way.

 

> -- If all of us began following what you said, there won't

> be any place in the temples and the jungles, there won't be any

> donations to the temples to feed those who have "surrendered."

 

There you go "if../ if..." again.

 

> What Lord Krishna really said is have fun, have family, have sex,

> have luxury, BUT, do all these WHILE PERFORMING RIGHTEOUS KARMA

> TOWARD OTHER FELLOW HUMANS, ANIMALS AND SOCIETY IN GENERAL.

 

I suggest you read "An Unusual Conversation with God" and start quoting that

God instead. ;-)

 

Ivar