Yesterday i was seating in Railway station, a church pastor priest kind of kept a pamphlet on my seat, i told priest your are trying to do conversions ? priest said love is available freely. i said is love so cheap ?. priest replied I love you? i was in a bit of shock. I dont know how to deal with them
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Nice..people have studied Bhagavad Gita and they are still caught up in dualities(pure/impure, known/unknown, God/No God etc etc), ego- your God, my God...
:)
Prabhuji, I think you jumped to a conclusion pretty quickly.
If we go by your logic, then Srila Prabhupada was a biggest converter for he preached to most of the western world (Christian people). I dont think Srila Prabhupada wanted to 'convert' people. He was just pleading them to love God (which they had forgotten). If you read his books and understand, you will see that he did not deride any other religion or beliefs. He was only critical on the interpretation of the people relating to the texts. Hence he emphasized on the parampara system where the instructions are handed down in perfect knowledge from guru to the disciples without any additional interpretation.
I second Rashmi mataji's views on this. In fact I would say you missed an opportunity to talk about Krsna with the pastor. To the pastor Jesus is his Krsna and to us its our Radha-Krsna. Krsna belongs to everyone with different forms and name and lets not forget that Srila Prabhupada says Krsna's name and form are not different.
Krsna himself says in the below verse from the Gita that he is the origin of everything, then how can one see that jesus or the pastor is an alien created by any other God. Krsna is the source of them too and we have to see Krsna in them. That is Krsna consciousness.
At our place, we regularly get visited by Jehovah Witness volunteers handing out booklets and I do tell them that I follow ISKCON but I also take the books they hand out. I read them too because the instruction from God can come in any form or from any representative. having an open mind is how we perceive God for what he is and it will allow us to serve him better.
Chapter 10: The Opulence of the Absolute
TEXT 8
aham sarvasya prabhavo
mattah sarvam pravartate
iti matva bhajante mam
budha bhava-samanvitah
TRANSLATION
I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
PURPORT
A learned scholar who has studied the Vedas perfectly and has information from authorities like Lord Caitanya and who knows how to apply these teachings can understand that Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything in both the material and spiritual worlds, and because he knows this perfectly he becomes firmly fixed in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord. He can never be deviated by any amount of nonsensical commentaries or by fools.
If any of my words came across as offensive to you/others, I apologise for it.
All glories to the devotees, guru and gouranga.
Hare Krsna.
Adding on, I found this reference where Srila Prabhupada answers this question:
Question 13: Why is it necessary to have religion?
Prabhupada: Why it is necessary that you should know the laws of the state?
Devotee (1): To know?
Prabhupada: Know the laws of the state. You are living in some state, under some government. So why it is necessary that you should know the government's laws?
Devotee (1): So you can live best under them.
Pusta-krsna: So we can live best under them.
Prabhupada: So you must have religion to have proper life.
Devotee (1): In other words, religion means...
Prabhupada: I have already explained. Religion means the law given by God. As you are... You must abide by the laws of the government. Similarly, the supreme government, God's, you must know what is His purpose. Otherwise you'll be misguided and you'll be punished. Just like if you violate the government laws, you are liable to be punished, similarly, if you violate the supreme government's law, then you will be punished.
Guest (2): Surely, if we live naturally we will be obeying God's law?
Prabhupada: Yes. God's law you must know. Just like in the Bhagavad-gita ultimately God says that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "You just become obedient to Me, surrendered to Me. I shall give you all protection." This is the law. So if you become a surrendered soul to God, then your position is very secure. Otherwise you will suffer.
Pusta-krsna: Are there any other questions?
Devotee (1): Prabhupada? If you follow the essence of any religion, is that the law of God?
Prabhupada: The essence I have already given: to surrender to God. What else, essence? What is else? The essence is that you surrender to God. You may follow any religious system, it doesn't matter, but whether you know God and whether you have surrendered to Him, that is essence. If you do not know God then what is the meaning of your religion? And if you do not surrender to God, if you surrender to your senses only, then what is religion? Simply by rubber-stamping religion... That has happened at the present moment. Nobody knows what is meant by religion. And this is the essence of religion, to surrender to God. So if you do not know who is God where you are going to surrender? You cannot surrender to the air. You must know what is God and what is surrender meaning gradually. But this is the essence of religion, to surrender to God.
sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
[SB 1.2.6]
If you want to be happy, atma, suprasanna, then you should be a lover, bhakti, devotee of God. This is the essence.
- Bhagavad-gita 4.13 -- Johannesburg, October 19, 1975
All glories to the devotees, guru and gouranga.
Hare Krsna.
Hare Krsna Andy Prabhu,
PAMHO.
So whats the problem? He is trying to convert people to Christianity - as that is the path he is aware of and convinced about. I feel only love and respect for this priest. In today's world, everyone is moving away from Godhead in all respects. So any attempts by anyone to move people towards Godhead is commendable. One should appreciate it. What you could do in that situation was to tell him that you believe in ISKCON and follow its philisophy and discuss the philosophy with him, saying there is no contradiction between the teachings of Jesus and Krsna Consciousness because the source is the same. If you are not convinced yourself or are not aware of the philosopy enough to discuss, you can simply say you follow ISKCON and leave it at that - get back to your chanting.
PLease do not get initimidated prabhu. There are all kinds of people in the world. Everyone cannot take to KC immediately. Its ok if they follow some other path initially and get evolved enough to move to KC eventually. Just be open.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Rashmi
Hare Krishna Mataji,
In our district also, there is a church. Recently two hindu maid servants who work in our society, got converted to Christianity. These are poor and uneducated people - it isi easy to brainwash them and convert.
Now i only knew these two cases, Krishna only knows how many other people are getting converted everyday.
Hare Krsna Pia Ji,
PAMHO.
In South India also, there is a substantial Christian population and conversions also happen continously. We have put the wrong form of caste system and refused entry to our temples to a large section of society on the pretext that they are shudras, whereas these missionaries give them money to convert. Everyone wants to pray to a higher authority and feel blessed. We have driven them to Christianity, in my opinion, because of the contrast in approaches I just mentioned. Christian conversion means that they can eat what they want, drink and make merry, whereas we say - na dhanam, na janam, na sundarim .... it will take philosophical background to be able to follow this and we have to accept that most people will not be able to follow it. Thats why Krsna says in Gita - Bahunam Janma Namante Gyanwan Maam Prapadyate, Vasudeva Sarvam Iti, Sa Mahatma Sudurlabha. It takes many lifetimes of sadhana to realise that Vasudev is the supreme. So we have to be humble, patient and loving towards them.
You can try to preach to these 2 maids. THey converted once means they can always convert again. Mostly it will not work. Better to concentrate on your own sadhana and feed them prasadam when you can and as per circumstances.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Rashmi
Jesus was educated in India and attempted to preach Vaisnavism (His teaching, Love God with all your heart), to them without causing too much disturbance, like without changing their existing religious principles.
Unfortunately He was nailed to the cross within 3 years by the infuriated Jews.
Once Veda Vyasa was asked to define Dharma in one sentence. I cannot recall the sanskrit text. If anyone can find it, please post. He said, in essence, what is not fair for others to do to you, don't do it to others.
Jesus took the message to the Jews in his own words,"Do unto others as you would want them do unto you"
A true Vaisnava, who loves Krishna with all his heart, is also loving to all fellow men/women. Especially most respectful of other practicing Vaishnavas.
Jesus said that if we love God, it is apparent in how much we love our neighbors, and his teachings, love your neighbor as yourself.
Unfortunately, Christians have moved away from Loving God with all our heart to salvationism, "Accept Jesus and get a free ticket to heaven. Reject Jesus and you will be in hell and brimstone, for ever"
Its very much like someone selling a face cream. Use this and you will look young for ever. Dont use it and your face will look like a prune.
Jesus never started a new religion to begin with. Simply changing labels to Christian from Hindu or any other, is what happening by giving them bread, clothes and other monitory benefits. They are not doing anyone any good.
We see the same in Vaishnavism. We are only as good as how we treat and serve other Vaishnavas.
Good book by Bhakti Vinod Thakur. Vaishnavism Real and Apparent.
Its only one chapter. All in a single webpage. Worth the read for anyone who aspires to be a Vaishnava.
http://www.bvml.org/SBSST/vraa.htm