The ISKCONoclast

Death to pedestrians?!?!

I learned today (with a degree of surprise, I admit) that, just in Italy,
from 1999 to today almost nine thousands (9,000) pedestrians got killed by
being ran over by cars and other motor vehicles.

9,000 deaths are more than the total combined military casualties suffered
in Iraq and Afghanistan by the US, UK and all the other countries of the
coalition.

Iraq (eight years of hostilities): 4747 dead; Afghanistan (10 years of
military operations): 2239 -- total 6986 dead.

Pedestrian in Italy, "peacefully" crossing the road (one third of them right
at the legitimate pedestrian crossing): 9,000 dead.

And let's not forget that there were more than 200,000 injured.

Imagine the thousands of broken bones, smashed organs, ruptured and bloody
skins... the millions spent in medical expenses... the millions of hours of
pain, for the victims and their families. Imagine the resentment, the anger,
the despair...

The article was accompanied by a cartoon (in Italian); a man talks with his
wife and little daughter: "Today I will cross the road," he says; the wife
replies: "Phone me when you reach the other side."

It's hard for me to grasp the import of this information: it almost sounds
like it's more dangerous to walk and cross the road in Italy than fighting
in Iraq and Afghanistan... (of course many more people cross the road in
Italy than foreign soldiers fight in Iraq and Afhganistan... still the
statistics don't make any real, rational sense.)

So, what is this "technological progress" people talk so proudly about?

Do you have any data on how many people died under a bullock-cart or a
horse-driven carriage in the last 5,000 years?

Stockholm harinam videos

By the way, you can see the joyous chanting and dancing (around the
innovative "wagon" of Gaura Nitai and Jagannath, Subhadra & Baladeva
described in the previous post) and the reaction of the crowd here:

Here:

And here:

Anti-prajalpa Sunday Harinam

OK, the title is a bit cheeky, but the idea is that it's a fact that after
the evening Sunday feast there might be a tendency to less-than-essential
talk and for the program to end in a bit of a slow way.

So Udaranga Mataji Prabhu from Stockholm devised and implemented an addition
to the Sunday program: after the prasadam everyone in harinam!

She created a "wagon" for her Gaura Nitai Deities (in the photo, she is
pushing it) by fitting a removable altar (originally bought from a
bathroom-furniture shop) on a wheeled baby stroller.

The whole thing smoothly goes around the large block in 30-40 minutes with
devotees surrounding it and chanting and the locals apparently have grown
familiar and even fond of the weekly procession.

Your servant, Kaunteya das

Bangalore - Raghavendra Swami Vyasa-puja & Balarama Jayanti

The first place we visited was Bangalore.

My wife is from there and her family (devoted Madhva brahmanas) invited us
to stay with them, especially as it was the time for celebrating the
appearance of Raghavendra Swami, a major acarya in the Madhvacarya line,
considered to be an avatara of Prahlada Maharaja.

The main Deity of the temple near their house, in the outskirts of
Bangalore, is Srinivasa Govinda (the same form worshipped in Tirupati as
Balaji Venkateswara). Three days of festivities brought the community
together and gave me the chance to get a glimpse of their festive
celebrations -- including the Madhva tradition of dressing and decorating
the main Deity as various other forms of the Lord: I've got to see the
Krishna form (with the flute) and the Ramacandra one (with bow and arrows).

We also went to the ISKCON Jagannath Mandir for Balarama Jayanti.

I had been invited to give the talk and I had prepared an extended
PowerPoint slide shows with plenty of images of Lord Balarama, some quite
rarely seen. I plan to upload the presentation here once I make it smaller
in size (it would take age to upload it), so that others can use it.

It seems that the devotees appreciated the talk/show. I choose to maintain a
relaxed mood. Considering that people had been working all day and had been
negotiating metropolitan traffic to get to the temple, I chose to keep the
theology to a minimum -- just enough to frame the topic -- and focus instead
of simply showing them the form of the Lord, sprinkled with (mostly) light
comments.

By the way, Srila Prabhupada writes in Teachings of Lord Caitanya:

"The incarnations of Rama and Dhanvantari displayed His fame, and Balarama,
Mohiné and Vamana exhibited His beauty."

The experience reminded me that with a little preparation and a little
technology, almost anyone can offer an effective, engaging presentation,
even to a large and tired audience.

Two and half months on the road

My wife, Sri Radha Govinda Dasi, and I have been traveling through India and
the Middle East and we recently came back to Mayapur.

I don't think anyone out there lost any sleep due to the lack of postings
from my side, but I think that it would be good at least for myself to "comb
my thoughts" about these experiences.

Some of the encounters and activities have been instructive and inspiring
for me.

Meeting a Madhva Pontiff

I am in Udupi, in South India, uniting pilgrimage, lecturing and health
treatments, and so I thought, "I am serving as co-chairman of the GBC
Organizational Development Committee; I should do some research on the
organizational structure and dynamics of the Madhva Sampradaya,
headquartered here."

This morning I went to see HH Sri Vishvapriya Tirtha Swamiji (in the photo),
the Matha-adhipati (acarya or pontiff) of the Admar Matha, one of the
traditional eight mathas (monasteries).
He kindly and patiently offered the information I requested. He appears very
scholarly and austere (every morning we see him energetically chanting on
japa and worshiping the main Deity, Krishna, with great intensity).
Obviously he is not accustomed to communicate in English but his terminology
is exact. When he couldn't understand my accent, my wife, Sri Radha Govinda
Dasi, whose mother-tongue is the local language, Kannada - supplied him with
translation.

Without getting into too many details, he offered some very interesting new
information and also confirmed and elaborated on other facts I already knew.
Organizationally, I found very relevant to hear that actually Madhvacarya
originally kept all his eight sannyasis in the Krishna Matha (even at
present the main temple in Udupi). Madhvacarya also established the that
each sannyasi would be entrusted with the worship of the main Krishna Deity
for two months, in a rotation system. It was only two-hundred years later
that Vadiraja Tirtha directed the disciplic descendants of those eight
sannyasis to establish eight different temples/monasteries around the main
temple. He also changed the length of the "paryaya" - the rotation of the
worship - from two months to two years.

Only an extremely empowered and respected acarya could engender such crucial
transformation in the sampradaya (a sampradaya not known for innovation and
adoption of new ideasi).

The day before I had seen a book (in English, almost a rarity here) on
Vadiraja Tirtha and after this conversation I went to buy it, to know more
about this outstanding personality. I just started reading the book and I
have already learned that Vadiraja Tirtha is considered to have been, in
Krishna lila, the brahmana to whom Rukmini Devi entrusted the letter in
which she requested Lord Krishna to come and rescue her from the marriage
with Sisupala.

Back to the conversation on the Madhva Sampradaya set-up; I also learned
that the jurisdiction of the various Mathas is not established along
territorial or "zonal" lines: each Matha's jurisdiction and authority is
restricted to its monasteries' and temples' premises; all sannyasis can
travel and preach in any area and can establish new temples wherever they
like.

The congregation (brahmacaris and grihasthas) are generally connected to a
particular matha, but there are not hard and fast rules, it seems, in terms
of practical engagement. My wife's family, for instance, although
'belonging' to the Uttaradi Matha, interfaces more actively with the Palimar
Matha, which runs a temple near their residence.

I asked the Swamiji if there was any organism overseeing all the eight
Mathas and I learned that the Mathas are largely self-determining, but that,
especially in emergency cases, the heads of all Mathas (Matha-adhipatis),
convened by the seniormost sannyasi, come together to discuss philosophy and
other matters. The majority decision is considered binding on the singles.
The Swamiji told me that that topmost gathering had recently taken place to
discuss what to do with a head of one Matha, a Swamiji that had broken the
rules. His fault? He had crossed the ocean to go to preach in America. "So,
we boycotted him" the Swamiji said with a gleeful smile.

The "glories" of Tamil Nadu

Today I went to Google images to find a map of Tamil Nadu, the Southern
India State. As I wrote "Tamil" Google automatically suggested more words,
based on the most popular searches. This is what I was offered, after just
typing "Tamil" - my comments in brackets:

Tamil actress hot

(Apparently not just your average Tamil actresses; this search will
specifically bring you to the certifiable hot ones)

Tamil actress blue film

(This actress or category of actresses is not only hot, she also generously
exhibits her hotness in indecent movies)

Tamil actress

(This one may not necessarily be particularly hot, but still apparently
qualifies as a very popular object of enquiry)

Tamil actress namitha breast

(Apparently this actress' claim to fame resides in the topography of her
chest region)

Tamil actress ranjitha

(Actually I had heard before about this one; lately there was a scandal
involving her friendly dealings with a "Swami" - dealings that most people
considered too friendly)

Tamil hot

(For those who don't need many words to get to the point )

Tamil actress bhuvaneswari

(Great name; but I can't guarantee her qualifications as a role-model or her
acting skills)

Tamil movies

(A generic entryi still in the realm of entertainment but, who knows, if you
are very lucky you might even get to some gorgeous 1950' Hindu Deity movie
by following this suggestioni)

Tamil actress ragasudha

(Back to the Southern constellation of local stars, starlets, asteroids,
meteors and meteoroids)

And so I sit here, in cynical amusement, thinking that Tamil Nadu is the
land of the Alvars and of Ramanujacarya, the land of astonishingly powerful
and beautiful Deities such as Ranganatha, Varadaraja and Partha-sarathi.
This is the land where Kartikeya resides in various shrines. This is the
land that saw the splendor of imperial dynasties such as the Chola and the
Vijayanagar. A land with a great tradition of architecture, music and
poetry; home of Siddha yogis and of the holy Kaveri Riveri Even its mundane
modern politics showcase colorful characters...

Tamil Nadu is one of the areas of the planet where cosmic and ultra-cosmic
dimensions intersect the human experience, but what people search most on
Google are its actresses; especially hot ones.

The temptation is to think that these people are gliding down to various
hells, especially hot ones.

Back Home, Back to Bhakti-vriksha

I am invited to present a Bhakti-vriksha seminar in the Middle East, at the
beginning of October, and so I am combing my thoughts and reconnecting to
the spirit, patterns and goals of the program. Somehow in doing so I am
infused with a sense of nostalgia; the mind savors the times when
introducing Bhakti-vriksha (BV) in the world was my main service and focus.

Why the sense of "past"? Isn't the BV still one of the best and most
innovative ideas in the field of Vaisnava community building? Yes, but my
experience in introducing the idea in various parts of the globe taught me
that most communities weren't ready for it. Most temples and centers lacked
the leadership to build a viable, progressive BV.

So I stopped pushing the idea - not because of anything wrong with the idea
itself - but because I observed that most places weren't ready. Why should
anyone try to enroll kindergarten students in university courses?

I won't get into the details (there is a lot of history, sociology and
psychology involved - and not all of it is pleasant, healthy, inspiring or
progressive). Let me just enjoy the thought that I am going back to present
a BV seminar, like in the "old times," and it feels good; it feels like
going back home, back to Bhakti-vriksha.

[For more on BV you can download the whole manual for free here:
http://namahatta.org/en/node/120]

Five facts and lessons on team dynamics from the flying geese

FACT 1
As each bird flaps its wings it creates an uplift for the bird following. by
fyling in a "V" formation the whole flock provides 71% better range than
flying alone.

LESSON
The power of the collective. People who share a common direction and sense
of community can reach their destination quicker and easier, travelling on
the thrust of each other.

FACT 2
Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it immediately feels the drag and
quickly gets back in to the draft of the nearest goose.

LESSON
If we had as much sense as a goose,we would stay in formation with those who
are heading where we want to go.

FACT 3
Sometimes the leading goose gets tired and rotates back into formation for
another to take over.

LESSON
Take turns in leadership. Share leadership. Be interpendent on each other's
skills, knowledge, and qualities. Participative/consultative leadership.

FACT 4
geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up
thie speed.

LESSON
make sure your honking from behind is encouraging, not discouraging.
ENCOURAGE - coeur means heart in french.

FACT 5
whenever a goose gets sick, wounded or shot, two geese fall out of the
formation to go with one to protect, help it and stay it until it can fly
again, or until it dies. They then launch out to join another formation or
rejoin their original flock

LESSON
SUPPORT/ CARING /LOVE

Is "devotee care" a bogus idea?

No, I am not drunk and I don't think that this morning I am more demoniac
than usual; I just suspect we might be establishing an inappropriate
terminology by using the expression 'devotee care.'

If you are not already too outraged with my raising the issue, kindly let me
explain.

It seems that you are still reading; thank you for giving me a chance.

First of all please keep in mind that I am simply challenging the
appropriateness of the expression 'devotee care.' The activities aimed at
helping devotees in the different dimensions of their experience (physical,
emotional, social, economic, intellectual, spiritual, etc.) are certainly
required within our community.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers some interesting definitions for
'care' as a noun, among which:

"Painstaking or watchful attention"

"Maintenance "

"Charge, supervision "

"A person or thing that is an object of attention, anxiety, or solicitude"

The dictionary also offers "regard coming from desire or esteem" but it's
obviously not the only or primary definition.

Used as a verb, 'care' may mean, among other things:

"To feel trouble or anxiety"

"To feel interest or concern "

"To give care "

"To have a liking, fondness, or taste"

"To be concerned about"

So, someone might ask, "What's wrong with 'devotee care' as commonly used in
ISKCON?"

Perhaps there is nothing too 'wrong' as such but it seems that the general
and primary connotation of 'care' is of a superior taking care of an
inferior; of someone more qualified taking care of one less qualified; of
one more senior taking care of a junior. It appears that there is a strong
vatsalya mood involved. And this implicitly indicates the caregiver as
higher than the care-receiver - could this be in contrast with standard
Vaisnava attitudes?

Srila Prabhupada was in Stockholm, lecturing on the four varnas, when a
young man challenged, "And I suppose you think you are a first-class man?"
Srila Prabhupada replied, "No, I am a fifth-class man. I am a servant of all
the other classes."

Care-giving is very much 'first-class.' "What is wrong with first-class?"
someone might ask; first-class is fine; it's great; but it's on top, not at
the bottom as we learn to consider ourselves from Srila Prabhupada and the
previous acaryas ; providing 'devotee care' appears to implicitly indicates
a position of superiority, incompatible with the trinda api sunicena mood.

Someone might argue that this is just semantics and word-jugglery; but I
would reply that words influence and shape our consciousness, in subtle but
powerful ways, and adopting a term instead of another shapes our culture,
our assumptions and our values - both at individual and collective level.

Therefore, I suggest, we should be very careful what expressions we use - we
should practice some 'devotee language care.'

Perhaps saying that the expression 'devotee care' is bogus is going too far;
after all many enlightened transcendentalists in our movement use it very
often - it's even become a buzzword, a politically-correct saying to jazz up
any talk and attract a favorable disposition from the audience ("He is
talking about 'devotee care'; he must be a good guy."). But I propose that
it would be better to use a different expression. "But Which one?" someone
may ask.

I will tell you later; now I want to continue to harp on this concept that
'devotee care' should not be our preferred expression.

Let me share with you the fact that searching the Folio, the Bhaktivedanta
Vedabase, for 'devotee care,' 'caring for devotees' and 'care for devotees'
reveals zero references among all of the recorded words, written and spoken,
of Srila Prabhupada.

"Does this prove anything?" someone may ask. No, in itself it doesn't prove
anything, but it should make us reflect: If 'devotee care' is so central to
the workings of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, if
'devotee care' is so crucial in sociological, interpersonal, intrapersonal
and spiritual matters, why Srila Prabhupada never mentioned it?

"How would Srila Prabhupada use the word 'care'?" could be the next
question.

It turns out that Srila Prabhupada wrote about "care of children" (Bg 2.7p
and 8.28p), students "under the care" of a guru (Bg 4.26p), that "the Lord
takes special care" of one who desires Him (Bg 5.15p), that Lord Krishna
declares that, "Whoever surrenders unto Me, proportionately I take care of
him" (Bg 9.29p), "the Supreme Godhead personally takes care of His pure
devotees" (Bg 9.34p), "Paramatma will take care of a soul surrendered to
Him" (Bg 16.1-3p), "An orphan is really poor because he has no one to take
care of him" (SB 1.5.19p). I could go on with examples, but I think it's
quite clear: In Srila Prabhupada vocabulary 'care' is for someone inferior,
a subordinate or a needy person (and it's very befitting for use by the Lord
Himselfi).

So, establishing the idea of 'devotee care' as a standard inner and outer
policy appears to contravene the fundamental sentiment a devotee should
cultivate, the feeling of being in a lower position to the ones he or she
serves.

After all who can really care for someone else in this world? Narada Muni
tells Yudhisthira Maharaja (a care-giver of humongous, legendary
proportions): "This gross material body made of five elements is already
under the control of eternal time [kala], action [karma] and the modes of
material nature [guna]. How, then, can it, being already in the jaws of the
serpent, protect others?" (SB 1.13.46)

"But we are talking about spiritual protection." Someone may say. Yes, Srila
Prabhupada did encourage his more senior disciples to protect the junior
devotees (letter of 3 December 1971):

"Now you must guide them very nicely in Krishna Consciousness, because you
are a veteran devotee and practically speaking the future of our Krishna
Conscious Society rests in the hands of my older disciples. Give them all
facility to perfect their lives by protecting them and instructing them
nicely, that is now the duty of my senior disciples."

This only reinforces my concerns about the indiscriminate use of the
expression 'devotee care.'

Notice the words Srila Prabhupada uses to indicate who should offer that
protection and instruction: "veteran devotee,""older disciples," "senior
disciples." What about the rest of us? And how will I decide that I have
become a veteran, older and senior devotee? Will it be by internal
realization of by a social, hierarchical (or even political) process?

'Devotee care' carries an intrinsic but unmistakable innuendo of
superiority. "I care for you Prabhu," "I will take care of this group." "I
take care of these devotees." Do you get the sense of the alleged caregiver
being a higher, benign elder?

Could 'devotee care' be a well-intentioned but inappropriate term?

I propose that it would be better to use something like 'serving devotees'
or 'service of the devotees.'

What about using 'Vaisnava seva,' which is the exact expression used by Lord
Caitanya Himself (CC Madhya 16.70):

prabhu kahe,-"vaisnava-seva, nama-sankirtana
dui kara, sighra pabe sri-krsna-carana"

The Lord said, "You should engage yourself in the service of the servants of
Krishna and always chant the holy name of Krishna. If you do these two
things, you will very soon attain shelter at Krishna's lotus feet."
Serving the servants of the Lord is universal and perfectly aligned with the
siddhanta; it's perfectly conducive to the development of the right internal
mood.

It does a much better job as a contemplation of one's real identity. Compare
"I am a servant of the servants of the Lord" to "I am a care-giver to the
servants of the Lord."

What do you think?

Service to devotees is applicable to superiors (gurus and other seniors),
peers (friends and coetaneous Godbrothers) and juniors (younger, less
experienced devotees).

Vritrasura (the great incognito devotee) prays in Srimad-Bhagavatam
(6.11.24): "O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, will I again be
able to be a servant of Your eternal servants who find shelter only at Your
lotus feet? O Lord of my life, may I again become their servant so that my
mind may always think of Your transcendental attributes, my words always
glorify those attributes, and my body always engage in the loving service of
Your Lordship?"

I quote this verse because Srila Prabhupada in the purport singles it out as
quintessential:

"This verse gives the sum and substance of devotional life. One must first
become a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord (dasanudasa). Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised, and He also showed by His own example, that a
living entity should always desire to be a servant of the servant of the
servant of Krishna."

Then Srila Prabhupada quotes the verse from Sri Caitanya Caritamrita (CC
Madhya 13.80), gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah, in which Lord
Caitanya says that He is not a brahmana, a ksatriya, a vaisya or a sudra;
and neither He is a brahmacari, a householder, a vanaprastha or a sannyasi:
"I identify Myself" Lord Caitanya says, "only as the servant of the servant
of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna."

Can you imagine changing that into: "I identify Myself only as the caretaker
of the caregiver of the servants of Krishna"? Nah.

If you think that I am wrong in thinking that we should substitute the use
of the expression 'devotee care' with something more in line with our
tradition, I would like to hear your reasoning; I look forward to hear your
comments, hopefully shared in a soft, kind, 'devotee care' mood.