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On Speaking Strongly in Srila Prabhupada's Service

Usually devotees lacking firm faith oppose strong preaching. Those influenced by worldly morality and public opinion think to measure the words of sastra with their mundane intelligence. Being inclined to compromise with maya, they want to avoid the fight that real preaching involves. Unless devotees are firmly committed to the principle of guru mukha padma vakya cittete koriya aikya ara na koriho mane asa -- accepting the words of the self-realized spiritual master as all-in-all, rejecting all other ideas -- they cannot continue to speak straightforwardly. Those whose faith is weak prefer to be accepted and respected by fools and rascals than to stick to their principles no matter what.

Such neophytes usually consider themselves very mature, and decry the struggles and staunchness of actually committed devotees as "fanaticism." But if "fanaticism" means firm faith in guru and Krsna, no compromise with karma, jnana, yoga, atheism and sense gratification and total commitment to serving in the sankirtana movement, then such so-called fanaticism is wanted.

That which is perceived of as a mood of fanaticism within our movement came from Srila Prabhupada himself. Srila Prabhupada's mood was military and his disciples naturally adopted it. Srila Prabhupada spoke regularly and disparagingly about the "karmis." He never tired of scorning their nonsense ideas and useless endeavors. (For evidence, read the Srila Prabhupada conversation books.) The black and white distinction made between karmis and devotees helped to keep devotees alert to the dangers of maya. "Godhead is light. Nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience." Painting Krsna consciousness as white (which it is) and maya as black (which it is) created an atmosphere conducive for accepting everything favorable for Krsna consciousness and rejecting everything unfavorable. The mood was, "Krsna consciousness is all there is. Everything else is madness. We have to surrender to Krsna and go out to preach to save the mudhas."

However, the combative mood sometimes led to haughtiness in devotees' dealings with karmis. Less militant devotees were disturbed by what they saw as the ranting of neophytes, who were themselves prone to fall at any time into the activities they so fiercely vociferated against. Soft-line devotees protested that the "holier-than-thou" approach is the opposite of the gentle, tolerant outlook expected of a brahmana. They complained that throwing around words like "karmis," "animals," "mudhas," "demons," "cats and dogs" was simply sloganeering. Some devotees were afraid that if we so vehemently rejected the karmis, they would reciprocally reject us as a cult of moronic, blinker-eyed zombies.

- From the "My Memories of Srila Prabhupada" by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami

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