Solution for Drought

There is a great increasing concern nowadays about the impending petroleum crisis, how we as a global society are quickly running out of petroleum, even though the world civilization functioned successfully without petroleum for thousands of years. But when it comes to water shortage we are dealing with something far more dangerous indeed. A human being can survive without petroleum, but he cannot survive without water. Food crops can grown and harvested without petroleum, but they cannot survive without water.

When we landed at the Brisbane, Australia airport I was warned by a prominent sign not to use much water because Brisbane is experiencing a drought. This is not the most encouraging way to be welcomed to a city. And even here at the ISKCON temple there is a government mandated warning sign posted in the bathroom limiting us to four minute showers.

But since I've arrived and we've had some enthusiastic kirtans, as I write this, it is raining like anything. In fact it is raining so nicely that are happily being forced to dry our clothes inside instead of outdoors.

Krishna assures us in the Bhagavad-gita that if we simply perform yajna or sacrifice we surely will get rain. And the prescribed yajna for this age is the congregationally chanting of the Lord's sweeter-than-honey holy names:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

So if the people here are really serious about putting a permanent end to their drought, they should regularly perform sankirtan, the congregational chanting of the Lord's holy names.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Australian Drought Devastation

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Why Such a Sole Purpose in Life?

Dear Gurudeva,

Why is our sole purpose in life to love and serve Krishna? I find it demeaning because it's like giving birth to a child and telling the child that his/her only purpose in life is to serve the parents.

Peter

Answer: Choose Your Own Purpose

Krishna does not tell us we have to love and serve him. He gives us the free choice, to love him or leave him. We can choose whatever option suits us the best. He showers us with His loving affection and then allows to decide whether we want to reciprocate His love or reject it.

Similarly, a child can remain at home with his loving parents or he can run away and become a hippy sleeping in the bushes. That is his free choice. The parents do not force the child to love them. They simply try to inspire the child to love them by showering him with loving affection.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari