Put Krishna First
In this material world God is very much neglected. Even religious people who believe in God and who regularly worship Him take Him as their order-supplier, not as that Supreme Person to whom they should surrender themselves utterly. How much pathetic it is when even the religious people do not approach God properly. This actually encourages atheism. If the religionists were to approach God properly, their example would inspire the atheistic class to also pursue the science of God. So let's make a revolution in the world of religion to always put God first, instead of ourselves.
Practically speaking, how is a devotee expected to behave, when in the material world people keep abusing each other?
Thanks,
Your servant,
Sanjay
In Mayapur, dacoits would attack the temple. They would take some explosive, roll it into a ball along with scraps of iron, and wrap it up with jute twine. The completed bomb was the size of a baseball and could remove a limb or kill someone.
One night while Prabhupada was staying in the Mayapur temple, the dacoits attacked, throwing many homemade bombs. No one was hurt, but the next day Prabhupada wanted a report. Jayapataka Swami told Prabhupada that some shrapnel had been left by the bombs, and he explained the situation. Prabhupada told him to get some guns and he told a story about Narada Muni.
Narada Muni once had a cobra as his disciple. After the snake became Narada's disciple, he gave up his dangerous habits. Knowing this, the village children would harass him with sticks. The snake became distraught. Narada asked the snake what was wrong and the cobra explained his difficulty. Narada then told the snake that whenever the children came to harass him, he should expand his hood and raise his head up as if prepared to strike. He said the sight of this would scare the children away. Prabhupada then instructed Jayapataka Swami to take guns and frequently fire them into the air to scare off the dacoits.
The devotees acquired two guns and they divided themselves up into crews to stand guard at night. Sometimes Prabhupada would be up late at night translating, and he would go out with a flashlight to inspect the guards. One time Prabhupada shined his flashlight into Satadhanya Swami's face. Satadhanya Swami had been eating capatis with gur. Prabhupada asked him what he was doing and Satadhanya Swami explained that he had gone out all day and that the devotees had saved him something to eat. Prabhupada told him to be alert.
Later that night, Satadhanya Swami was patrolling with his flashlight. He somehow sensed that there was someone hiding under a stairway. He crouched down and shined his flashlight under the steps and there was Prabhupada. "Prabhupada!" Satadhanya Swami exclaimed, and offered his obeisances. "I was just checking on you," Prabhupada said.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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Answers by Citing the Vedic Version
Question: How to Deal With Exploitative People?
Gurudeva,Practically speaking, how is a devotee expected to behave, when in the material world people keep abusing each other?
Thanks,
Your servant,
Sanjay
Answer: Show Your Hoods, But Don't Bite
Here’s an example of how devotees deal with exploitative people:In Mayapur, dacoits would attack the temple. They would take some explosive, roll it into a ball along with scraps of iron, and wrap it up with jute twine. The completed bomb was the size of a baseball and could remove a limb or kill someone.
One night while Prabhupada was staying in the Mayapur temple, the dacoits attacked, throwing many homemade bombs. No one was hurt, but the next day Prabhupada wanted a report. Jayapataka Swami told Prabhupada that some shrapnel had been left by the bombs, and he explained the situation. Prabhupada told him to get some guns and he told a story about Narada Muni.
Narada Muni once had a cobra as his disciple. After the snake became Narada's disciple, he gave up his dangerous habits. Knowing this, the village children would harass him with sticks. The snake became distraught. Narada asked the snake what was wrong and the cobra explained his difficulty. Narada then told the snake that whenever the children came to harass him, he should expand his hood and raise his head up as if prepared to strike. He said the sight of this would scare the children away. Prabhupada then instructed Jayapataka Swami to take guns and frequently fire them into the air to scare off the dacoits.
The devotees acquired two guns and they divided themselves up into crews to stand guard at night. Sometimes Prabhupada would be up late at night translating, and he would go out with a flashlight to inspect the guards. One time Prabhupada shined his flashlight into Satadhanya Swami's face. Satadhanya Swami had been eating capatis with gur. Prabhupada asked him what he was doing and Satadhanya Swami explained that he had gone out all day and that the devotees had saved him something to eat. Prabhupada told him to be alert.
Later that night, Satadhanya Swami was patrolling with his flashlight. He somehow sensed that there was someone hiding under a stairway. He crouched down and shined his flashlight under the steps and there was Prabhupada. "Prabhupada!" Satadhanya Swami exclaimed, and offered his obeisances. "I was just checking on you," Prabhupada said.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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