Forum

I just wanted to make a point that we should not post things against personalities or anyone who is not 100% Krishna Conscious. We would create enemies as mention by Srila Prabhupada on the room conversation below. First of all, we are not Srila Prabhupada, so putting things that Srila Prabhupada had said for his disciples to understand, it doesn’t give you the right to publish it on the internet. We can criticize with the mouth as said by Prabhupada himself.

Once he told a senior devotee in Mayapur that was criticizing a Guru in Bengal, he was a foreign devotee and after criticizing that particular person, in a class the crow wanted to attack him. So Srila Prabhupada told him “I can criticize him but you cannot. We can say so many things but when you put it into writing that would be a serious thing

Srila Prabhupada has mention to the devotees that the best way to criticize a person is to ignore him. “Do you know about this Guru ““I don’t know who he is “. Today on the internet, everyone is saying, “Srila Prabhupada said this and that “. We should be more tactful and careful what we post in the internet and everywhere else. We have to preach the right philosophy but without  attacking  people and put it into writing  

Room Convertation  Vrindavan  India  July 5  with devotees and his son Vrindavan De 

Tamäla Krishna: He says, "Actually in America, when you criticize someone who is highly regarded, people are very interested to read it. That is the American spirit. So I think by purposely singling out historical figures who are considered good welfare workers and showing that actually their welfare platform failed, it will make interesting reading and will help to establish the real platform of welfare in Krishna consciousness. I also want very much to write this book on men..." And then it says here, he says, "I... We decided on a number of historical figures.

Because they lacked Krishna in their philosophy and activities, their program for welfare failed. I want to deal with the figure of Mahatma Gandhi and also with the daridra-narayana philosophy which was taught before his time by Ramakrishna and Vivekananda." He says, "When viewed in the light of Bhagavata philosophy, these personalities will have to be criticized for their failure to put Krishna in their teachings. My question is whether there is any objection on your part to a book which will criticize Ramakrishna and Vivekananda."

Prabhupäda: I think that is not good. You should go positively instead of attacking some particular person. They will never admit that they have been failure.

Tamäla Krishna: Yeah, but we can prove that they are. See, his whole point of his book is that he wants to attack others.

Prabhupäda: No. That will not be good. That will create a section of enemy.

Tamäla Krishna: That's what he's asking. He thought it would...

Prabhupäda: Satyaà vada mä likha. You can criticize them with your mouth, but don't put into writing. That will create a section of enemy. Then we'll have to fight with the enemy one after another. That will be wasting of time and energy. What is the use of criticizing them? They are failure. Failure. Finish. Let us prove by action that all others are failures. And they will be automatically. Just like the Bala-yogi is failure now. (chuckles) Whatever it is. The Transcendental Meditation is going to be failure. And so many others. To criticize them means to give them some importance, that "the rival to Hare Krishna." We don't care for them. We go on positively, and automatically they are failure.

Tamäla Krishna: Yeah, every time I've seen a reporter say, "Swamiji, what do you think about so and so?" you said, "I do not know about such persons."

Prabhupäda: That's all.

Tamäla Krishna: And immediately that person becomes very unimportant. You don't even know about him.

Satyadana: And then you'd begin to preach.

Prabhupäda: Yes.

Tamäla Krishna: Yeah. He... Actually he already thought of what you're saying. He says, "I think there is no harm in writing about Gandhi..."

Prabhupäda: No, no, it is waste of time. Don't write such book.

Tamäla Krishna: Okay. He says, "In addition, I plan to write on other highly regarded welfare workers such as the American Civil Rights worker Martin Luther King." Boy, if he does that, every black person in America will hate us. It'll create many enemies. This book will be the biggest enemy-creator. We already have enough enemies.

Prabhupäda: That will be embarrassment. Yes, I said, "I do not know this." Bas. Finished. And that means it is not so important that I should know it.

Tamäla Krishna: Right.

Prabhupäda: Unless something is important, why shall I try to understand it? It is all useless. Actually that is. Our criterion is, as soon as we see one is not Krishna conscious, he is rejected. He is nothing. He has no value. That is our criterion. Just like the other day he was opening that book of geography.

Çatadhanya: Oh, yes. When you opened the book of maps.

Upendra: World Atlas.

Prabhupäda: I rejected immediately. What is this nonsense? Why shall I refer to it? "Probably." Finished, one word. Tävac ca çobhate mürkho yävat kiïcin na bhäñate:(?) "A mürkha, a rascal, is beautiful so long he does not speak. As soon as he speaks, we understand where he is." Bas. Just like you're cooking rice. You take one rice and press it. If it is not soft, oh, whole rice is not. If it is not soft, it is not yet cooked. Similarly, one word will give his identity. As soon as he says "Probably," finished. Why shall I take trouble?

Upendra: In all of your books there's not that word.

Satyadana: That way we avoid wasting time.

Prabhupäda: Yes. "Probably," "maybe," "in millions of years."

Tamäla Krishna: We call that "closet talk." That means when you start talking like that, we advise him to go into the closet and close the door. Then only they will have to hear it.

Prabhupäda: We take Kåñëa's word. Na mäà duñkåtino müòhäù prapadyante... [Bg. 7.15]. [break]

Tamäla Krishna: Very positive. He says, "One additional note. Our Library Party in America recently attended the annual convention of the largest organization of libraries." That's called the American Library Association. It's made up of all of the libraries in the US, and it's the most prestigious library association. "At this convention, the booth of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust won the first prize..."

Prabhupäda: Just see. This is our triumph.

Tamäla Krishna: "...for the most attractive booth. And a plaque was awarded to our representative, Sesa däsa." He was called up in front of all of the gathering of librarians. They awarded him a plaque. "He had the booth arranged with a portable movie projector showing one of the ISKCON films. Incense was burning, Indian sweets were distributed, and all your books were displayed as well as tapes. So it was nice that such a big organization recognized Krishna was all-attractive."

Prabhupäda: That's the kind of propaganda.