Once a book distributor asked Srila Prabhupada about maintaining humility, when her engagement required her to be demandingly assertive. "Be aggressive for Krsna," Srila Prabhupada told her. As Srila Prabhupada often explained, a Vaisnava is humble and meek on his own account, but for Krsna he can be angry like fire. Those who say Vaisnavas should not become angry are talking nonsense. Was Hanuman not a Vaisnava? A Vaisnava should be "like a lamb at home, and a lion in the chase." (SB 1.12.22 purport)
Thus, Srila Prabhupada advocated both strong preaching and preaching with discretion. The experienced preacher, remaining strong both in his principles and his presentation, knows how and when to apply tact without compromising his position.
Straightly preach. Of course, you may say all these things in soft language just so as not to make any agitation. 741005SB.MAY
Neither of these directives -- to preach unpretentiously and to preach with tact -- can be given up. Cc. Antya 3.149 states:
prema-pracarana ara pasanda-dalana dui-karye avadhuta karena bhramana
For two purposes -- to spread the cult of bhakti and to defeat and subdue the atheists -- Lord Nityananda, the most dedicated devotee of the Lord, moved throughout the country.
In the purport, Srila Prabhupada writes:
Lord Krsna appears in every millennium for two purposes, namely to deliver the devotees and kill the nondevotees. His devotees also have two similar purposes -- to preach the bhakti cult of Krsna consciousness and defeat all kinds of agnostics and atheistic demons. Nityananda Prabhu carried out the order of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in this way, and those who strictly follow Nityananda Prabhu perform the same activities. There are two classes of devotees. One is called gosthyanandi, and the other is called bhajananandi. A devotee who does not preach but always engages in devotional activities is called a bhajananandi, whereas a devotee who not only is expert in devotional service but who also preaches the cult of bhakti and defeats all kinds of agnostics is called a gosthyanandi.
Prema-pracarana means preaching the cult of bhakti; pasanda-dalana means subduing atheists. Preaching is not just logic and argument, neither is it all love and prema. One must learn the art of administering medicine from an expert doctor. The doctor whom I have accepted as guru is Srila Prabhupada, who sometimes charmed and sometimes blasted.
- From the "My Memories of Srila Prabhupada" by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami
Comments