Hare Krishna to all
I am getting some doubts regarding KC practice, kindly enlight me.
Q1- What is Dharma?
Q2- What is the dharma of human as a being? And what is the dharma of human as a soul?
Q3- What dharma Krishna taught to this world?
Q4- What is actual liberation?
Q5- If a person gets liberated through his spiritual practice and he gets himself free from the cycle and death and birth? Then who will free those remaining people who are suffering in this world? Will it not be selflish on that liberated person's account, to not think about others ?
Q6- Does Sanatan Dharma accepts reformation if needed according to today's situation? Is Change of law is necessary? What Krishna says about it in Bhagavad Gita?
Q7- Why do some people become rigid in the name of religion and spirituality? Even I have seen some devotees in KC movement becoming so rigid? Why it is so.
Please provide me authenthic and simple answer, which I can easily understand.
Replies
Hare Krsna
Q1- What is Dharma?
The highest most sublime and simple understanding is given by Yama Dharmaraja himself in Srimad Bhagavatam.
dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ
Real religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.(SB 6.3.19)
Q2- What is the dharma of human as a being?
There could be many dharmas for one human being based on the role one plays. Every individual can be a child, sibling, friend, citizen, parent, spouse, employee, student etc. Depending on their role they will have their conditional dharma, which is connected to their role that obtained due to their human body.
But all these roles and the associated dharma are temporary. Beyond all these, there is eternal dharma of the living entity which is true in all the births. This dharma is constitutional dharma or Nitya Dharma. This is same as Bhagavata Dharma in all time, place and situations.
And what is the dharma of human as a soul?
This is the highest dharma also known as eternal(Nitya), Constitutional, Bhagavata Dharma. It is described as follows
sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati
The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self. ( SB 1.2.6)
Q3- What dharma Krishna taught to this world?
Lord Sri Krsna has described many aspects of Dharma to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita. Important ones are as follows
Q4- What is actual liberation?
Freedom from clutches of three modes of nature could be understood as liberation.
Q5- If a person gets liberated through his spiritual practice and he gets himself free from the cycle and death and birth? Then who will free those remaining people who are suffering in this world?
There is only one personality who can free anyone and everyone - Sri Vishnu, Sri Rama, Sri Krsna - They are the same person.
Will it not be selflish on that liberated person's account, to not think about others ?
Great Vaishnavas consider being liberated alone to be selfish. But that is out of their compassion for the suffering of ignorant souls. The scriptures or even the lord would not consider it as selfishness. As long as one is not envious or harmful to any other living creature and progressing towards their own self realization, it is considered glorious. This is so because there is no direct relationship between any two living entity at a spiritual level outside of Krsna, hence there is no obligation to liberate others. However great acaryas like Lord Ramanujacarya, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu out of compassion make it their personal mission to deliver suffering souls by inspiring, guiding and engaging them in Bhagavata Dharma
Q6- Does Sanatan Dharma accepts reformation if needed according to today's situation?
Sanatana Dharma is not a person. Sanatana Dharma is eternal dharma of a living being. Reformation is for living beings. Sanatana Dharma provides details of how living beings can be reformed to attain higher consciousness. Sanata Dharma is not circumstantial, it is eternal and is applicable in all times - current, past & future.
If someone wants to reform/change Sanatana Dharma itself, then they will not succeed. Hiranyakashipu, Ravana and such powerful personalities have tried to change Sanatana Dharma and failed. Even when time or world will end, Sanatana Dharma will not end.
Is Change of law is necessary? What Krishna says about it in Bhagavad Gita?
Which Law is being talked about ?
Q7- Why do some people become rigid in the name of religion and spirituality? Even I have seen some devotees in KC movement becoming so rigid? Why it is so.
The question is too generic. But it doesn't matter why someone does what. Whoever does whatever, it is due to the combined influence of time, material nature, material desire, daiva etc. We should focus on our duty, rather than changing things outside of us.
Hare Krsna
Thanks for your answers.
The last two questions I asked was:-
Q6- We all know "Change is the law of the nature". All big organizations in the world do change their laws if needed according to the time, place and circumstances, right? My question is that if their needs to done any reformation or changes in future according to the time, place and circumstances. Will Sanatan Dharma will accept it or not. Sometimes sticking to traditional or old ways won't be acceptable by new generation because the current audience can't accept it. Even, we have seen that Krishna himself broke my rules during the time of Mahabharata for the sake of establishing Dharma, because for him Dharma was more important than anything else. So, Krishna himself showed us that change was important if needed to establish dharma. So, currently what Bhagavad Gita says about it? What is better sticking to old ways or can we accept new changes as per the time.
Q7- my next question is somehow related to the previous one. What is the place of rigidness in Sanatan Dharma or may be at ISKCON? Some devotees I feel become rigid after joining Hare Krishna movement, because they are being taught that if you will not follow this or that regulation then, you may incur sin. So, out of fear for going to hell, some devotees may be neophyte or experienced they do follow rules and regulations very strictly. Sometimes, devotees try to detach themselves from non devotees or try to forcibly try to renunciate themselves from this world and they end up being alone or become more hollow from inside.
I do understand that rules and regulations are also very important for any spiritual organisation to keep their decorum.
Even I was becoming rigid and till now I do sometimes become rigid when someone says wrong about my faith or about God, although I am an open minded person.
I think Krishna never taught us to be rigid. What's your viewpoint on it?
Hare Krsna
My question is that if there needs to done any reformation or changes in future according to the time, place and circumstances. Will Sanatan Dharma will accept it or not ?
Like mentioned above, the definition of Dharma is that which is enacted by the supreme personality of Godhead. Sanatana Dharma is the eternal dharma of living entity. There are many principles within Sanatana Dharma. There are many practices within Sanatana Dharma. There are many interpretations of Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma is most accomodative in the sense that it doesn't exclude anyone irrespective of their background, education, race, gender, species etc. But Sanatana Dharma is one dharma, eternal dharma of the living entity centered on the core truth that living entity is part and parcel of Sri Krsna. So Sanatana Dharma itself doesn't change. No person can change it. Forget changing it, there are very few people who even understand it. This is the full Shloka which Yamaraj says
dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ
na vai vidur ṛṣayo nāpi devāḥ
na siddha-mukhyā asurā manuṣyāḥ
kuto nu vidyādhara-cāraṇādayaḥ
Real religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although fully situated in the mode of goodness, even the great ṛṣis who occupy the topmost planets cannot ascertain the real religious principles, nor can the demigods or the leaders of Siddhaloka, to say nothing of the asuras, ordinary human beings, Vidyādharas and Cāraṇas. ( SB 6.3.19)
So as stated above even powerful people in higher planetary systems cannot ascertain dharma,what to speak of changing it.
Sanatana Dharma is the most practical of all. It never forces anyone to perform something they cannot do. There is always something a person is capable of doing as a human and Sanatana Dharma can guide them on how they could contribute to society and to their own spiritual development by engaging in theirduties. If a person is deaf, expecting them to recite mantra is stupidity. If a person is poor, expecting them to perfom great charities would be cruel. The practices of Sanatana Dharma are not absolute in the sense that they do not dictate how a person must lead their life. They are accomodative, but there are principles which when broken will lead to consequences. For example killing a cow is a great sin. It will lead the killer to great suffering. This truth cannot be reformed. But if a person accidentally commits such a sin , there are ways to mitigate it.
We have seen that Krishna himself broke my rules during the time of Mahabharata for the sake of establishing Dharma
Lord Sri Krsna broke the rules of battle to establish dharma. Lord Sri Krsna did not break rules of Sanatana Dharma to establish Dharma. This was to teach that Sanatana Dharma is the highest. As mentioned above there are many practices, principles, rules within Sanatana Dharma. This is where it gets complex.
If a butcher with a sword in hand is chasing a cow and asks a brahmana which way did the cow go ? If the brahmana truthfully shows the butcher the way in which cow went, then the brahmana has performed adharma. If the brahmana lies to save the cow,then it is dharma even though he lied.
So certainly there are principles whose importance vary, but under any given circumstance Sanatana Dharma is never ambiguous on what dharma is and how it is to be performed. No jiva conditioned or liberated can change what Sanatana Dharma is. The application,understanding and practices could vary, but that does not mean Sanatana Dharmais reforming or changing.
What is better sticking to old ways or can we accept new changes as per the time ?
smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur
vismartavyo na jātucit
sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur
etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ
Lord Sri Vishnu should always be remembered. Lord Sri Vishnu should never forgotten at any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned in the śāstras should be the servants of these two principles. (Padma Purana)
Whichever way the older or newer helps in following the above, is better.
I think Krishna never taught us to be rigid.
Everything has its importance. Rigidity and flexibility. They both have their applications. This is the perrenial conservative vs liberal debate. No matter how much is said, it will never end.
they are being taught that if you will not follow this or that regulation then, you may incur sin.
If what they are being taught is as per scriptures, other's should not have problem in that.
So, out of fear for going to hell, some devotees may be neophyte or experienced they do follow rules and regulations very strictly.
Nobody can force anyone to anything against their will. The real question is not what they are being taught or following is appropriate or not. The real question are those who are following it, doing it on their own free will. In most cases thye are following it on theirown will. So what problems should other's have.
Sometimes, devotees try to detach themselves from non devotees or try to forcibly try to renunciate themselves from this world and they end up being alone or become more hollow from inside.
Nothing happens without the will of Sri Krsna. Krsna will take appropriate care of everyone. Unless we are responsible for someone in the position of guru or parent or being specifically consulted, it may not be our duty to go around changing things.
Hare Krsna