Every Indian Independence Day invites gratitude, pride, and sober reflection. For devotees, it also invites a distinctly Vaishnava lens. When the young Abhay Charan first met Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in the early 1920s, he was urged to dedicate his life to spreading Lord Caitanya’s message in English. Alongside that charge came a deeper caution, often summarized as, “Politicians will change, but politics will remain.” In other words, even legitimate victories in the civic sphere cannot heal the root disease of forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. That task requires a spiritual revolution.
This insight does not belittle the sacrifices of those who labored for freedom, nor does it deny the tangible goods that self-rule can deliver, such as dignity, representation, and cultural revival. It simply insists that material arrangements, however improved, remain material. They shift, they cycle, they disappoint. The field of politics, with its coalitions, incentives, posturing, and churn of outrage, persists under every flag. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s point was not quietism; it was prioritization. Do not trade the ultimate for the urgent. Do not let the vortex of public life steal the time, clarity, and compassion needed for hari-kīrtana.
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