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EDITORIAL  Fifteen To One - 'Victorian India' BY PRADEEP SHARMA EDITORIAL, Jul 19 (VNN) — Within the first three days that my article "Victorian India" appeared on VNN last week, I received many emails favoring what I had written and one email in protest. Among the emails appreciating my article one person pointed out that Swami Tripurarji had written in a previous article. At some point public opinion could warrant either the need for woman sannyasis or no sannyasis at all? So by the same reasoning I think that it is only fare to assume that Swamiji would agree that if the 'public opinion' of the majority of Vaishnavas was not in favor of homosexuality then all homosexual relations could warrant being totally banned from Vaishnava society. Most of us seem to think that this would be a good idea. Possibly VNN could arrange for a poll on the topic so we could see what the percentages are (one vote per individual) '. Below are the responses that I have received as of today to my article "Victorian India" all in favor, one protest, starting with the one protest and then followed by the many appreciations. HARI OM SHANTI Dear Pradeep, You have thoroughly embarassed yourself with this article. You have just not realized it yet. You should try to understand the kindness involved in distributing and hopefully cultivating spiritual life. G...das -a homosexual...trying just as hard as you to become pure, rather then spouting some venom of criticism. Swamijii, as you called him, is a 31 year monk of Gaudiya Vaisnavism who took siksa from both Prabhupada and Sridhara Maharaja. He is also one of the biggest contributors to Western Gaudiya Vaisnavism. Your article is bordering on offensive. Do you know about Vaisnava aparadha? GK Das Dear Pradeep, I was sent your excellent VNN article rejecting "Vaisnava homosexuality." Thank you very much. B. Swami Dear Pradeep, Hare Krishna !! Pranam. Great article. Keep up the clear and dharmic preaching. Thanks a lot. With affectionate regards, G. Swami Hare Krishna. My name is R. Swami and someone sent me your article. I found it very good. Thank you for taking the time to write it. You must be associating with Vaisnavas or it sounds like you are yourself a Vaisnava. Thank you for your kind attention. Yours in service to Srila Prabhupada, R. Swami Dear Pradeep, Jai, Jai! Hare Krsna. Congratulations on your fine article "Victorian India." A job well done. You may be interested to know that Swamiji (Tripurari Swami) wrote in Sanga? At some point public opinion could warrant either the need for woman sannyasis or no sannyasis at all? So maybe we should put the homosexual issue to a vote in the Vaisnava community and end this issue once and for all. But would Swamiji accept the opinion of the Vaisnava community as he was ready to do on the issue of Women Sannyasa? Keep up the good work. Dasanudasa, B. dasa Hare Krsna Pranams. Mahalo for your nice explanations(s). I personally don't care what someone's sex life is, I hanker for the advanced Vaisnave who will help me on my path Back Home to Godhead. In the early days of the ISKCON movement we had homosexuals also, yet that was very incidental to the actual service they were allowed to perform (since all devotional service a blessing from Srimate Radharani), and in some cases they have left their bodies in a KC state of mind, so that is the important thing. I think that some of these homosexuals are unduly scorned or vilified by other devotees however, so I can understand why they feel they need some 'extra' recognition for protection. Homophobia does not stop at the gates of the devotee community. I hope this finds you well and absorbed in service of spreading the mercy of Lord Chaitanya's for the conditioned souls. Sincerely Yours J. Dasi Dear Pradeep, I very much appreciated your submission on VNN. Sadly, so many of the devotees, (my Godbrothers and Godsisters who took initiation from Srila Prabhupada) have been very much compromising the philosophy. When I argued FOUR regulative principles, one devotee called me a "fanatic." With the ongoing of Kali Yuga, even the devotees will compromise on the basics of the philosophy. I hope all is well. Thank you for your article. I had submitted something to VNN and Chakra over two months ago on this issue of homosexuality - devotees arguing in its favor, and my arguing against it - but neither of the websites posted my submission. The discussion was started on Chakra, and I sent in my article, but it seems that the webmistress in charge of Chakra supports homosexuality in the Vaisnava world. (Actually, her job in the "outside" world is working with gay men, even supplying condoms to them.) I agreed with most of your article, and I certainly do understand that the whole purpose of this life is to develop love for Krsna, and to TRY as BEST as possible to become ridded of these material afflictions, and NOT act on them, especially because acting on them will simply bind us MORE DEEPLY to our wanting to TRY to "enjoy" them. Thank you for your WELL THOUGHT OUT and presented article. I hope all is well. Your servant, M. Dasi Sadhu Sadhu!! You have written very nicely. By your writing I can tell that you aren't simply an outsider but are actively affiliated with ISKCON. (You are certainly reading Srila Prabhupada's books.) Where do you go to school? There is a need for such writing, and there is simultaneously a need for just plain-vanilla preaching. Have you written anything for the general public (and not for vaishnava controversies K.K. Dasa Dear Pradeep, I read your article Victorian India in VNN and liked it very much. It appears that you have historical knowledge of India that most of us lack. Hope this meets you well. Sincerely, L. Dasa My Dear Pradeep Sharma Prabhu..... Thank you so much for your lucid editorial published today on VNN. I for one, along with many others, agree with you completely on the state of affairs, and it is a great encouragement to see those facts so nicely organized, graphically presented, and published in a place where many devotees can see them. I beg to remain, yours in the humble service of the Lord and His devotees...... A. Dasa Dear Pradeep, I just read your well composed article and I thought that your insight is perfect. Thanks for taking the time to write it. K. Dasa Pradeep, I just read your article on homosexuality on VNN. Thank you so much for that. I share your sentiments exactly. To see them expressed in such a thoughtful and articulate manner was encouraging to me. To hear Srila Prabhupada's comments on this issue dismissed by his own disciples so easily with some condescending statements to the effect that he was just speaking the product of a past repressive age is very painful. I have raised the question that if those that attacked Brahmaji were considered as demons as far back as the beginning of this universe then what has happened in the last thirty years to so drastically change things? Was Brahmaji also living in a repressive Victorian age? Anyway thanks again and I hope to hear more from you on the net. Hare Krsna T. Dasa Dear Pradeep, Thank you for your correct Vedic response. I lived in India for 10 years (1973-1982) and was so happy to get away from the degradation of America. India is so blessed by the Avatars and the highest of culture and Spirituality. This Swamiji is not representative of the majority of Devotees who have lived in India and served Srila Prabhupada. Many think they can separate the philosophy from the culture. This is not possible. Your notes were very well explained and very much in line with the majority. Hoping this meets you well. S Dasa Dear Pradeep, Thank you for the courage to write that article. After reading it my hair was standing on end. May Lord Narasimhadeva bless you to write more things like this. Ignore those who are either bewlidered or just demonic who may angrily criticize you--the dogs will bark but the caravan moves on. We have to do our duty no matter what. This American "bacterial" culture is a blot in history. As one wit wrote: "The Americans are the only people in recorded history who had a rise and fall with no civilization in between." One very important reason that Srila Prabhupada came to the West was to fulfill the order of his own gurumaharaja who said: "The East is captured by the glamour of Western civilization, so Western civilization must first be crushed. Then, its glamour will vanish and the whole world will come to join the campaign of divine love of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu." The Romans, like many cultures didn't start out degraded but they became so as they became more powerful. In fact homosexuality was introduced to them after they conquored the Greeks. It was lameted by contemporaries at the time that the Romans allowed their slaves to become their tutors and hence they learned many degraded habits such as bathing nude in public baths what to speak of homosexuality and pedophilia. Again I most heartily thank you for writing that article and keep up the hard work. S. Dasa Dear Pradeep, Your response to Tripurari Maharaja's article was wonderful. Irrefutable facts and perfect logic. Unfortunately, the leaders in our Iskcon society have become impotent and for whatever reasons are not willing to speak out about all the deviant philosophies that are now plaguing Srila Prabhupada's movement. How else could a so-called Krsna website like Chakra have such a perverted agenda. It seems that many of our sanyasis are too worried about profit, adoration and distinction. Consequently, not wanting to rock the boat. I personally saw one of the most popular swamis in Iskcon stand by and do nothing to stop the nonsense that was going on in New Vrndavana. He even had knowledge of the murder that took place there. You should send your letter to the GBC members and all the temple presidents. Thank you again for your efforts. Hari bol! Your servant, D. Dasa Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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