If we hear blasphemy of devotees, scripture recommends extreme measures – how are these measures to be understood?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
He said that when somebody is, when a devotee is offended at that time if a brahmana should block their ears and view a kshatriya should retaliate and cut off the tongue of the offender and Vaishyas and Shudras should give up their body.
So, how is this to be explained, especially to children and should we all act like brahmanas? In scripture there are specific sometimes instructions given Now the specifics are given in a particular context for a particular purpose and we need to acknowledge that purpose at the same time we need to know that that purpose is to be fulfilled in different ways at different times. For example, in Kali Yuga or for that matter we look at the Daksha pastime itself. So, at one level the followers of Lord Shiva were right when Lord Shiva was disrespected and insulted and they started cursing and then they were cursing and counter cursing and things became eventually horrible.
So, what can we learn from that? The point is that every instruction has a particular purpose and the overarching purpose of all instructions is to always help us focus our consciousness on Krishna always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna. Now specifically how did we go about doing that? That will vary from situation to situation. In the case of the Daksha pastime the cursing and counter cursing actually made things worse.
following there is Niyamagraha where we follow a particular principle and following that principle makes things worse. So, if it is making things worse then we can’t be blind followers. Niyamagraha means sticking to the rule of the law without understanding its purpose.
So, what is the purpose of this particular rule that we should always be careful and conscious when we associate with when we are here, when we hear the blasphemy of devotees. So, the point is that there is something which is injurious to our devotion and we need to be duly cautious in a way that doesn’t make things worse. Say, somebody is already blaspheming devotees and then that makes us agitated and angry or that damages our faith.
A devotee needs to always be choosing things which are favorable for devotion. Accept that which is favorable and avoid that which is unfavorable. That means we have to use our intelligence to know what is favorable when and in some situations it may well be that we need to just be calm and recognize what is to be done when.
So, we see that there are occasions when devotees have been criticized. For example, when at the time of Bhaktivinod Thakur or Bhaktisansur Thakur, even there were other Gaudiya Vaishnavas, there were other spiritual teachers who criticized sometimes these Acharyas or those whom these Acharyas respected and worshipped and what did they do? They responded rationally to it. So, Bhaktisansur Thakur was sometimes criticized and many of his disciples, they responded rationally to those criticisms by explaining, by contextualizing, by countering, by refuting whatever was appropriate at that time.
And when Prabhupada was for example, it was accused that Prabhupada and his con are brainwashing people in America and there was a whole case against them. And they said this is a cult and this is these are, this Guru is simply, they said so many things about Prabhupada that they are making these devotees work so hard so that the Guru can live in wealth. It is not true.
Prabhupada was living tirelessly working for Krishna and Prabhupada didn’t have any personal possessions. So, so, there is no big property in his name or anything like that. But the point was Prabhupada did not just advocate any of these responses to his disciples at that time.
He did not say that you go to the court and cut off the tongue of the blasphemers. No. Prabhupada told that the devotees should make a rational case and respond.
And that’s what devotees did and devotees eventually won the case. So the point here is that we can’t absolutize those statements. We need to understand their purpose and see how that purpose can be served in our situations.
So, this is the whole subject in hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the art of studying or understanding scripture. But three quick principles you could say is what did this particular rule mean in its original context? Now, what does that rule what is the universal principle underlying that rule? So, rules are specific, principles are universal.
What is the context independent principle that this rule conveys? And how can that principle be applied in today’s context? So, if we apply this three-level analysis then the principle over here is that we protect our own fate and we as much as possible protect other people’s fate. We don’t allow the blasphemy that goes on unchallenged. So, brahmanas if they can refute, they are told to refute or they walk away because some people are so adamant they are not going to refute it.
They are not going to listen. A person convinced against their will is of the same opinion still. Then we just allow them to continue what they want to do because we go away from there.
So, we don’t become a part of that offence. Kshatriyas, they are meant to take, they are meant to teach by Shastra. So, they should punish for speaking falsehoods, for blasphemies.
And that’s what is, so the idea is Dharma has to be protected. Now, Vaishyas and Shudras, they don’t have the military power they don’t have the intellectual power. So, when they need to recognize, the point here is they should end their body.
The point being said over there is that protecting our soul is more important than protecting our body. And if the soul is going to get wounded by hearing blasphemy of devotees, then that is so serious that even the loss of the body is a worthwhile price to pay. That doesn’t mean it has to be literally done.
Even Vaishyas and Shudras can also walk away from there. But the point is, it’s a grave thing. So, and we need to ensure that such grave misrepresentations, caricatures and blasphemies are not widely indiscriminately propagated.
So, that is, we don’t become a part of such propagation. But how, so the time independent principle is that do what it takes to protect our devotion and protect others devotion. And in our context today, with the internet having so much nonsense about devotees half-truths and full lies, what can we do? We focus on making sure that our bhakti is protected and the bhakti of those around us is protected.
And sometimes if we have to confront such people, we do it rationally, the way Prabhupada did with the brainwashing case, so that the things are made better and things improve and overall the opportunity for devotees to focus on Krishna increases, doesn’t decrease. The brainwashing people didn’t give up their K, they didn’t change their ideas about us but at least they couldn’t terrorize devotees and torment devotees in the name of deprogramming and devotees got the scope to remember Krishna and move on. So, that is the universal principle that we need to pursue in today’s world.
We do what it takes to help us and others focus on Krishna and move towards Krishna. Thank you.