Great Reformers Speak or Do Not Speak As Required

The urge to speak is one the six material urges (vegams): words, mind, anger, tongue, belly, and genitals. When the great spiritual authority, Srila Rupa Goswami, listed these six urges he placed the urge to speak first. This reminds us of the importance of not abusing, but properly using the urge to speak. When these six urges, begining with speaking, are uncontrolled one remains a slave of the material energy entrapped within the endless cycle of repeated birth and death. And when one properly utilizes these urges in the service of Lord Sri Krishna he becomes known as a goswami, a great conquering hero over the otherwise unsurmountable material energy.

Regarding the utilization of the power of speech His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhpada writes as follows in his book The Light of the Bhagavata, Verse 33:

"There are waterfalls flowing from the hills of the forest, but sometimes water does not flow from them. So the waterfalls are not like ordinary rainfall. They are compared to great reformers, who speak or do not speak, as the time requires."

Those who are actually powerful changers of history are the best listeners. Because of their mature listenative nature they deeply imbibe even the most subtle aspects of Vaisnava philosophy by submissively hearing from their spiritual master. Thus when the time comes for them to speak, they can speak in such dynamic and immensely profound ways that the entire world will become inspired to follow them.

Srila Prabhupada Launches the Hare Krishna Movement
Tompkins Square Park--New York City--1966

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Why Does God Punish Us?

God is merciful. So why does He punish us? Since God is omnipotent and can do anything why doesn't He God just destroy evil?

S.G.

Answer: God Does Not Punish Us. We Punish Ourselves.

God does not punish us. It we who punish ourselves by rejecting His loving kindness considering it to be not very important. It is our foolishness that we have inflicted this punishment upon ourselves of taking birth here in the miserable material world. But even if you take it is as God's punishment, it is still God's loving kindness to bring us back to our senses that this material world is not our real home, that we need to get back to our original position as His lovimg servants in that most wondrous spiritual sky.

Does a parent kill his child or chain him to his bed when he misbehaves? No. He lovingly instructs his child how to properly behave and gives the child the freedom to learn how to behave properly. Similarly Krishna or God does not destroy us when we stupidely act in evil ways. Because He loves us more than we can even begin to imagine, He is always trying to rectify us through His wonderful teachings and through the teachings of His pure devotees.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari