​How to respond when devotees start campaigning against some mundane problem?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
See, sometimes devotees start campaigning against certain problems of this world. Say genetically modified crops or say political instability or whatever.
And they focus on solving this. Yes, see, it is much easier to fight against something than to fight for something. Why is it easier? Because there are three modes, goodness, passion and ignorance.
So, we all, as Prabhupada said, we are all covered by the modes of passion and ignorance. There is some goodness which is coming by the practice of bhakti. But still the effects of the lower modes are there.
And so, when the lower modes are there, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong. This has to be removed, this has to be removed, this has to be removed. So, sometimes there are some rebels, some people who are constantly in a rebellion mode.
They blame the government, they blame this, they blame that. And if somehow they grab power, they may destroy bridges for India. There are some people who are of certain groups, various parts of the world they are there.
They are basically disruptors. If somehow they may blow up a bridge and if they grab power, they may blame the government is not doing this, government is not doing that, government is not doing that. But if somehow they come to power, they don’t do much.
Because their mode is of pointing out what is wrong and destroying what is wrong. Actually to set something right, to do something right, that requires goodness. To start something new also requires good, but to maintain it requires goodness.
So, when we have actually not come sufficiently to the mode of goodness, then it is much easier to campaign against something than to campaign for something. So, this is the problem, this is the problem, this is the problem, yes, these are the problems. But what are the solutions? And where are we demonstrating the solutions? So, it’s very easy to criticize the modern and postmodern society.
That’s fine, but where has our movement offered working alternatives for that? So, we need to focus on, so there will be some devotees who will demonstrate very simple living, using everything natural entirely and that’s wonderful. But that may not be the way most of the world is going to go. And most of the devotees are going to be in the world, so they may also not go that way entirely.
Which is fine. So, in that case, those devotees are inspired in that direction, it’s up to them. They will go in that direction.
But other devotees have to focus on practicing Krishna Bhakti and doing whatever it takes. Now, Prabhupada personally preferred Ayurveda, but he was not a campaigner for Ayurveda. Once or twice he took allopathic procedures also and told devotees, whatever works, you take that.
So, quite often when we want, it’s the tendency of the human mind to want to have someone to blame. Something to blame. Now, this tendency, it can come within Bhakti.
Sometimes devotees go into conspiracy theories. Oh, you know, there is Illuminati which is taking over the world. All these sort of things come up.
Now, I am not talking about the truthfulness or the truthfulness or falsity of the conspiracy theories. I am simply making the point that this tendency to find out some object as a source of all evil, as a source of most evil and then concentrate on that. That is actually a tendency that doesn’t come from the mode of goodness.
Searching for the villain outside can’t help us to find the hero inside. You know, Krishna is the hero inside us and we want to find him. If we are looking for the villain outside, oh, this is to blame, this is to blame, this is to blame.
Fine. But what is the solution? So, if while practicing Bhakti, if we don’t practice Bhakti seriously enough, we don’t find within the activities of Bhakti a cause that we can give ourselves to, then we look for some cause that is on the fringes of Bhakti. And then it depends on us and the association that we have how much that cause will be spiritualized.
Sometimes that is on the fringes. We can attract people from the fringes towards Krishna. Or sometimes we may get towards, go away from it.
So, if we can find taste in the core activities of Bhakti, find within the core activities of Bhakti a cause that we can give our life for, that is the best. But if some people can’t, some people find some other cause, then, you know, that means that is the way they are choosing to live. So, that is the way they are choosing to live.
They are also contributing constructively to society by pointing out certain illusions, pointing out certain misconceptions. But that is not necessarily the highest level of Bhakti. If they feel that that is what they want to do, nigraha ki vinkarishyasi, Krishna says, what can depression accomplish? Somebody feels inspired, we can’t stop them.
But what we can do is that we can make it clear that this is not directly Bhakti. It can indirectly contribute to Bhakti. And as long as they don’t impose that on everyone else, like something that is happening on Facebook, if their devotees are serious, they will not get interested in that subject.
And others should not become campaigners and campaign in the devotee community for that. No, you have to join this, you have to join this, you have to join this. In India, for example, there is quite an aggressive nationalism coming up.
And that is there in the devotee community also, to some extent. Some people may feel, oh, this Christianity, this westernization, these Muslims, they are the problem. And we need to deal with this problem.
No, it is a serious problem and it needs to be dealt with. But that is on the fringes of Bhakti. And those who are inspired, they can do it.
But we don’t have to let that become the parameter of spiritual success, the parameter of spiritual growth. So, overall, the process of Bhakti is such that different people will practice Bhakti at different levels. And we can’t force people to rise from this level to that level.
But what we should do is, people should not be confused about what is at what level. So, from the transcendental perspective, the directly devotional activities are better than the indirectly devotional activities. If somebody is not at a level where they feel inspired for directly devotional activities, that is not necessarily, we don’t have to make a value judgment about them and say that you are not a serious devotee.
No, we can’t, people cannot be forced to do something which they don’t feel inspired to. But it should be clear what is a directly devotional activity and what is an indirectly devotional activity. Or what is a less devotional activity.
And then if people feel inspired to practice at this level, this level, this level, it’s up to them. Does that answer your question? Thank you. Thank you very much.