Are Devotees Fanatics?
Sometimes devotees of Krishna are accused of being fanatics. Is such an accusation valid or invalid? To answer this question we must first understand what is the meaning of the word "fanatic." A fanatic is defined as follows in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary:
"a person exhibiting excessive enthusiasm and intense uncritical devotion"
The first point is excessive enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is okay, but not excessive enthusiasm. To be excessively enthusiastic means to be more enthusiastic than is warranted. In Krishna consciousness there is no such thing as excessive enthusiasm because no matter how enthusiastic you are about Krishna consciousness, it is not enough. It is proper for a devotee to continue increasing his enthusiasm for Krishna consciousness unlimitedly for all of eternity. Therefore he can never be excessively enthusiastic.
The second point is intense uncritical devotion. Intense devotion is not ruled out as long as it falls with the realm of critical thinking. Critical thinking means to analyze a thing carefully with one's intelligence from as many different angles of vision as possible. In our Krishna consciousness movement we train our disciples how to think critically and thus avoid the fanatical, blind-follower pitfall.
If one practices Krishna consciousness blindly without cultivating philosophical vision, he is indeed a fanatic. But if one practices Krishna consciousness based on philosophical understanding, he is accepted as a broad-minded philosopher. Even though any type of Krishna consciousness is beneficial, fanatical practice of Krishna consciousness is discouraged because it will not last. The fanatical follower will eventually abandon his practice. But if one carefully hears and studies the profound Vedic wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam, he will quickly advance on the pathway of deep philosophical understanding and become very solidly, non-fanatically situated in Krishna consciousness. He will become eternally situated in pure prema-bhakti.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
"As it is said in the Isopanisad, 'The killer of the soul, whoever he may be, must enter into the planets known as the worlds of the faithless, full of darkness and ignorance.' So don't be the killer of your soul."
But then in the Bhagavad-gita we find the following verses:
BG 2.23: The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
BG 2.24: This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.
My doubt is that since, according to the Bhagavad-gita, no one can kill or harm the soul, how is it possible for the killer of the soul to exist?
Kindly enlighten me in this subject matter.
Your humble servant,
Venumkvanantham Krishna Das
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
"a person exhibiting excessive enthusiasm and intense uncritical devotion"
The first point is excessive enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is okay, but not excessive enthusiasm. To be excessively enthusiastic means to be more enthusiastic than is warranted. In Krishna consciousness there is no such thing as excessive enthusiasm because no matter how enthusiastic you are about Krishna consciousness, it is not enough. It is proper for a devotee to continue increasing his enthusiasm for Krishna consciousness unlimitedly for all of eternity. Therefore he can never be excessively enthusiastic.
The second point is intense uncritical devotion. Intense devotion is not ruled out as long as it falls with the realm of critical thinking. Critical thinking means to analyze a thing carefully with one's intelligence from as many different angles of vision as possible. In our Krishna consciousness movement we train our disciples how to think critically and thus avoid the fanatical, blind-follower pitfall.
If one practices Krishna consciousness blindly without cultivating philosophical vision, he is indeed a fanatic. But if one practices Krishna consciousness based on philosophical understanding, he is accepted as a broad-minded philosopher. Even though any type of Krishna consciousness is beneficial, fanatical practice of Krishna consciousness is discouraged because it will not last. The fanatical follower will eventually abandon his practice. But if one carefully hears and studies the profound Vedic wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam, he will quickly advance on the pathway of deep philosophical understanding and become very solidly, non-fanatically situated in Krishna consciousness. He will become eternally situated in pure prema-bhakti.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Answers According to the Vedic Version:
Question: The Killer of the Soul?
When I was reading "The Laws of Nature" book, I read the following:"As it is said in the Isopanisad, 'The killer of the soul, whoever he may be, must enter into the planets known as the worlds of the faithless, full of darkness and ignorance.' So don't be the killer of your soul."
But then in the Bhagavad-gita we find the following verses:
BG 2.23: The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
BG 2.24: This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.
My doubt is that since, according to the Bhagavad-gita, no one can kill or harm the soul, how is it possible for the killer of the soul to exist?
Kindly enlighten me in this subject matter.
Your humble servant,
Venumkvanantham Krishna Das
Answer: Virtual Death
"Killer of the soul" means one who gives himself a virtual death by abandoning the Lord's service and taking to the pathway of material sense gratification. What he kills is his spiritua consciousneeskSankarshan Das Adhikari
Comments
Post a Comment