Hare Krishna everyone. Before I start the discussion let me tell you all a story. There is a devotee who works as a vegetable seller in a Bazaar in Port Louis, Mauritius. He works there with his wife. The persons occupying the opposite stall are non devotees and are rogue people. They were jealous of the devotees because the latter would sell more vegetables and would make more profit. Then one day there occurred a heated discussion between them. Then one of the non devotees, in a fit of rage took a lathi and hit the devotee on his forearm, causing a fracture. The devotee couldnt work for 3 months as he was unable to drive his van. Since I am completely free and my internship for general practitioner hasnt yet started, I decided to help him by driving his van and transporting the vegetables to his place. But the devotee has incurred a great loss as he has not worked for 3 months.
So my question here is:
1) How should devotees respond to such a case? Should we just sit there and do nothing, hoping everything to calm on its own or we must fight back to protect ourselves
2) In this age of Kali where hypocrisy and violence is at its peak, should devotees learn the art of self defense in order to protect themselves?
Replies
Hare Krishna,
If time comes a vaishnav has to become a ksatriya.
Fight, Arjuna. Because even though you don't wish to fight, when the situation comes, you will act according to your nature.
Thank you very much prabhu Subash. When the right time comes, violence must be put into practice. Jay Radhe Shyam :)
HARE KRISHNA . IS THERE AN ACTIVE POLICE FORCE IN YOUR COUNTRY ?
Namaste and Hare Krishna Herakles Prabhu
This is an important question, I am not qualified to give an authoritative answer but I can only reflect on some very early days in my youth in the 1970s. At that time, we would go out on sankirtan and there were male devotees in charge who certainly knew how to defend devotees if that is what was required. Actually, one of the head sankirtan leaders showed us how to use the kartals as a defensive weapon. You have to understand, sometimes in those days there were motorcycle types and rogues who might harass devotees and matajis. So that is the way of life prabhu, though we need to use peace when possible. One of the greatest Swamis I knew was a student of Okinawan Karate (Hanumat Prashek). You must defend devotees.
Thank you very much prabhu Brian ji. This has cleared my doubt. I am aspiring to learn the Krav Maga and Pankration in order to save the devotees of the Lord and prevent them from being harmed. I will try my best to stay humble and use diplomacy as far as possible. I will never try to use it out of jealousy or to harm others unnecessarily. Jay Radhe Shyam :)