Text COM:1814525 (79 lines) [W1]

From:      Kaunteya (das) JPS (Mayapur - IN)

Date:      31-Oct-98 10:42

To:        Apocalypse 1999? (Are you ready?) [176]

Cc:        Nama Hatta (Congregational Dev.) Forum [1211]

Subject:   A Church Leader's Moral Obligation... - from Srutakirti ACBSP

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---------- Forwarded Message ----------

 

Letter COM:1813502 (63 lines) [W1]

From:      Srutakirti (das) ACBSP (Philadelphia, PA - USA)

Date:      30-Oct-98 22:32

For:       Apocalypse 1999? (Are you ready?)

For:       Nama Hatta (Congregational Dev.) Forum

Subject:   Re: A Church Leader's Moral Obligation to Move His Church

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In a message dated 10/30/98 1:20:22 PM Eastern Standard Time,

Kaunteya.JPS@com.bbt.se writes:

 

<<  I would like to stress this point: the first duty of a leader in regard

to Y2K and related issues is to thoroughly research the issue, not to avoid

the process and take shelter of *apparently* Krishna conscious platitudes

and cliches: "Just chant Hare Krishna" for example.  >>

 

I agree, but at the same time it must be balanced with a good KC

understanding. I love to read Srila Prabhupada's words in the following

passage.

 

Taken from a morning walk conversation (World War III) on April 4, 1975 in

Mayapur

 

Pancadravida: What will the devotees do while the war is going on?

Prabhupada: Chant Hare Krsna.

Devotees: Jaya! (laughter)

Prabhupada: You have got only business....

Pancadravida: Will we stay in the cities or will...?

Prabhupada: We can stay anywhere. We have got our Mayapur, Vrndavana.....

 

Ramesvara: ...that if there is a war between Russia and America, there would

be a nuclear war and they would pollute the whole atmosphere with

radioactive

particles which would kill everyone.

Prabhupada: It is already polluted.

Ramesvara: They say that this radioactive fall-out...

Prabhupada: The whole material world is polluted. Who will live here? A

little, say, twenty years before, dying. After all, you have to die, twenty

years after or twenty years before. So it is already polluted. That is

humbugism. They will die at the end, but still they are trying to live.

(kirtana in background growing progressively louder as Prabhupada approaches

temple)

Tamala Krsna: Like they’re creating their own...

Prabhupada: This is the difference between man of knowledge and without

knowledge. A man of knowledge will think, “After all, I have to die. So what

is the difficulty, dying a few days more or before?” That is knowledge. And

those who are not in knowledge, they are afraid of death. Best business is

before the death comes let us finish our Krsna consciousness perfectly. That

is wanted. Death will come. You cannot avoid it.

Ramesvara: They say that this radioactive fallout will pollute the air so

that

no crops can be grown.

Prabhupada: That’s all right. You shall die without food. Be(cause) after

all,

the death. In Bengal, it is called: more bhera ghalne (?): “The most

misfortunate thing is death.” That will come. Therefore the best

intelligence

is how to avoid death.

Rupanuga: Become immortal.

Prabhupada: Yes. That is real intelligence, not to be bothered by these

trifle

temporary things that “I am dying twenty years before. If the situation was

better, I would have lived more twenty years.” What is this mentality?

Devotee: Back to Godhead.

Ajata-satru: Yes, we can go back to Godhead. (Prabhupada enters temple,

kirtana very loud) (end)

 

 

 

Haàsadüta: So Prabhupäda, is there something we should do to prepare

ourselves

for this disaster?

Prabhupäda: What?

Haàsadüta: This coming war.

Prabhupäda: You should simply prepare for chanting Hare Kåñëa.

Haàsadüta: That’s all?

Prabhupäda: That’s all.

(Text COM:1813502) -----------------------------------------

(Text COM:1814525) -----------------------------------------

 

 

Text COM:1814526 (71 lines) [W1]

From:      Kaunteya (das) JPS (Mayapur - IN)

Date:      31-Oct-98 10:42

Cc:        Apocalypse 1999? (Are you ready?) [178]

Cc:        Nama Hatta (Congregational Dev.) Forum [1213]

Reference: Text COM:1813502 by Srutakirti (das) ACBSP (Philadelphia, PA - USA)

Subject:   A Church Leader's Moral Obligation... - from Kaunteya das

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> Kaunteya.JPS@com.bbt.se writes:

>

> <<  I would like to stress this point: the first duty of a leader in

> regard to Y2K and related issues is to thoroughly research the issue, not

> to avoid the process and take shelter of *apparently* Krishna conscious

> platitudes and cliches: "Just chant Hare Krishna" for example.  >>

 

 

Srutakirti Prabhu wrote:

 

> I agree, but at the same time it must be balanced with a good KC

> understanding. I love to read Srila Prabhupada's words in the following

> passage.

>

> Taken from a morning walk conversation (World War III) on April 4, 1975 in

> Mayapur

 

 

> Haàsadüta: So Prabhupäda, is there something we should do to prepare

> ourselves for this disaster?

> Prabhupäda: What?

> Haàsadüta: This coming war.

> Prabhupäda: You should simply prepare for chanting Hare Kåñëa.

> Haàsadüta: That’s all?

> Prabhupäda: That’s all.

 

The conversation continues, and, later on, we also find the following

exchanges:

 

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Tamala Krsna: Actually, if there was a war, a large-scale war, I think that

our farming projects...

Prabhupada: Hm?

Tamala Krsna: I think that the various farm projects that we have would be

very good because, as you said, the cities would be bombed, but the farms

would not be disturbed.

Prabhupada: Yes. The farm project... Even some hundreds of years, it was so

nice. Even there was war, they would not attack the farmers. Rather, they

would ask, "Where the other party has gone?" So they will say: "Oh, we have

seen some soldiers going this way." That's all. They were not affected. That

was the principle. Farmers were not attacked...

 

 

 

Prabhupada: Oh. (break) ...too much danger, you all come and sit down here.

Chant Hare Krsna. That's all.

Devotees: Jaya. Thank you, Srila Prabhupada.

Jayadvaita: Then men will be eager to come join our India project.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Tamala Krsna: We can go to Africa also. (laughter)

Prabhupada: Oh, anywhere we can go, so many places, yes.

Pancadravida: Hong Kong also.

Prabhupada: Hong Kong? (laughter)

Pusta Krsna: Bhavananda Maharaja can...

Ajata-satru: Means then some devotees has to stay in Europe or in America.

So...

Prabhupada: Yes, everything you stay. We have got place like this.

Rupanuga: Our farms are very nice because economically when everything is in

chaos, we can still provide food for our men.

Prabhupada: Yes.

 

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I just gave these quotations to show other aspects of the same conversation,

which--let's remember it--deals with nuclear war and not with Y2K. But

Srutakirti Prabhu's point is still very relevant:

 

> it must be balanced with a good KC understanding.

 

your servant, Kaunteya das

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