Additional Knowledge For Vaishnava Preachers?

[suchandra 1]

Clarifying statement, "we are preaching to human being" - no exam/doctorate for Comparative Study of Religion at Bhaktivedanta University actually required to become a recognized preacher of Gaudiya-Vaishnavism.

 

Devotee: Srila Prabhupada, when we are preaching to Christian people or to Muslim people, is there advantage in being familiar with their scriptures or simply Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam?

 

Prabhupada: We are not preaching to Christian or Hindu or Muslim. We are preaching to human being. We do not see, “Here is a Christian. Here is a Muslim. Here is a Hindu. Here is a white man. Here is a black man.” No. Every living being, his duty is to understand God. This is our preaching. This is our preaching, that “You are living being. You are part and parcel of Krishna. This designation, that ‘You are Hindu,’ ‘You are Muslim,’ ‘You are Christian,’ ‘You are this’—these are all designations. Actually you are living being, part and parcel of Krishna. Therefore your main duty is to understand Krishna.” This is our preaching. We are not going to convert Hindu into Muslim, Muslim into Christian. No, that is not our… That is not our business. He may think that he is Christian, he is Hindu, he is Muslim, but we think that he is a spirit soul, part and parcel of God. That is stated in the…

 

vidya-vinaya-sampanne

brahmaṇe gavi hastini

suni caiva ava-pake ca

panditah sama-darsinah

[bg. 5.18]

 

If one is learned pandita, he does not see Hindu, Muslim, Christian. I went to America, I did not go there to turn the Christian to become Hindu. No, I never said that. Did I say, any, anyone, that “You are Christian. You become a Hindu”? No, never I said. That is not my business.

...................................................................

 

Bhagavad-gita 7.1

by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Nairobi, October 27, 1975

http://causelessmercy.com/t/t/751027BG.NAI.htm?i=1975

[Guruvani 0]

Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita to abandon all varieties of religion and surrender unto him.

 

How can Srila Prabhupada say that he comes to preach the message of Bhagavad Gita and not say the same thing as Lord Krishna?

 

 

<center>Chapter 18. Conclusion--The Perfection of Renunciation</center>

 

TEXT 66

 

 

sarva-dharman parityajya

mam ekam saranam vraja

aham tvam sarva-papebhyo

moksayisyami ma sucah

 

 

SYNONYMS

 

sarva-dharman--all varieties of religion; parityajya--abandoning; mam--unto Me; ekam--only; saranam--surrender; vraja--go; aham--I; tvam--you; sarva--all; papebhyah--from sinful reactions; moksayisyami--deliver; ma--not; sucah--worry.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.

 

Again, we have to understand how preaching tactics and the truth are sometimes not in perfect agreement.

[theist 1]

 

Clarifying statement, "we are preaching to human being" - no exam/doctorate for Comparative Study of Religion at Bhaktivedanta University actually required to become a recognized preacher of Gaudiya-Vaishnavism.

 

Devotee: Srila Prabhupada, when we are preaching to Christian people or to Muslim people, is there advantage in being familiar with their scriptures or simply Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam?

 

Prabhupada: We are not preaching to Christian or Hindu or Muslim. We are preaching to human being. We do not see, “Here is a Christian. Here is a Muslim. Here is a Hindu. Here is a white man. Here is a black man.” No. Every living being, his duty is to understand God. This is our preaching. This is our preaching, that “You are living being. You are part and parcel of Krishna. This designation, that ‘You are Hindu,’ ‘You are Muslim,’ ‘You are Christian,’ ‘You are this’—these are all designations. Actually you are living being, part and parcel of Krishna. Therefore your main duty is to understand Krishna.” This is our preaching. We are not going to convert Hindu into Muslim, Muslim into Christian. No, that is not our… That is not our business. He may think that he is Christian, he is Hindu, he is Muslim, but we think that he is a spirit soul, part and parcel of God. That is stated in the…

 

vidya-vinaya-sampanne

brahmaṇe gavi hastini

suni caiva ava-pake ca

panditah sama-darsinah

[bg. 5.18]

 

If one is learned pandita, he does not see Hindu, Muslim, Christian. I went to America, I did not go there to turn the Christian to become Hindu. No, I never said that. Did I say, any, anyone, that “You are Christian. You become a Hindu”? No, never I said. That is not my business.

...................................................................

 

Bhagavad-gita 7.1

by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Nairobi, October 27, 1975

http://causelessmercy.com/t/t/751027BG.NAI.htm?i=1975

 

Beautiful. The self realized soul sees only souls and carries the message from the Supreme Soul to other souls and not to their false designations. He leaves concerns and quarrelings about religious conversion to the kanishtas.

[suchandra 1]

 

Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita to abandon all varieties of religion and surrender unto him.

 

How can Srila Prabhupada say that he comes to preach the message of Bhagavad Gita and not say the same thing as Lord Krishna?

 

 

 

Again, we have to understand how preaching tactics and the truth are sometimes not in perfect agreement.

Thanks for this argument to be taken in consideration, so, it can be said that Prabhupada's lectures are "preaching tactics" according time, place and circumstance and shouldnt be taken as ultimate conclusion, whereas what is stated in Prabhupada's books should be taken as really authoritative and final?

[Guruvani 0]

 

Thanks for this argument to be taken in consideration, so, it can be said that Prabhupada's lectures are "preaching tactics" according time, place and circumstance and shouldnt be taken as ultimate conclusion, whereas what is stated in Prabhupada's books should be taken as really authoritative and final?

 

Well, there was some transcendental trickery I saw in the above statements of Srila Prabhupada.

 

He said:

 

 

Did I say, any, anyone, that “You are Christian. You become a Hindu”?

 

Hindu?

Of course not.

Srila Prabhupada didn't come to convert people to Hinduism.

He came to teach them Krishna consciousness.

 

I see some word jugglery.

No lies.

Just a little play on words.