Confronted with a civilization being deliberately misled into hell, devotees cannot but speak strongly. Out of devotional attachment to Lord Krsna, devotees cannot tolerate the deliberately misleading nonsense spoken by rogues. The devotee must speak out loudly to save the foolish rascals -- and to save the world.
Our leaders are simply misleading people, and the people in general are innocently following them to their ruin. So it is very much our duty to come to their aid and point out exactly how this sinful living, namely, slaughtering animals, intoxication, illicit sex life, and gambling, how these sinful activities are so much degrading to the humankind and how they are only producing hippies, wars, and endless suffering as a result. So we want to give the citizens the positive value of the Krsna consciousness way of life, so for that activity we must always be preaching very strongly in the public. Letter, 28 May 1972
We have to point out their foolishness. That is our business. 750510mw.per
The aggressive pronouncement of the concrete truth is the crying necessity of the moment for silencing the aggressive propaganda of specific untruths that is being carried on all over the world. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, from The Harmonist, December 1931.
Such "aggressive pronouncements" are not the hostility of an enemy, but the benevolent aggression that can only be bestowed by a true well-wisher. Only because a Vaisnava is genuinely concerned with the welfare of others does he take the trouble and risk to berate them for their own good. Those who only know the self-serving, artificial goodness of materialists can hardly understand the compassion of the Vaisnavas. Even in the material sphere, selfless love can be misunderstood, as explained by Srila Prabhupada in an incident from his personal experience.
- From the "My Memories of Srila Prabhupada" by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami
Comments