03/12/98 - 1687

When The Gods Make War

USA (VNN) - by Dasanudas Vanacari

Hare Krsna.

This is in response to the recent astrological posts and Narasimha Prabhu's post about the world political situation on VNN.

The ancient Greeks visualized in the violent thunderstorms of their semitropical country the sparring of the immortal gods in heaven. They reasoned that since the planets control everyone, when there is tension between celestial bodies, there is war among men. So it seems we too will soon go through a time of great astrological peril. There will be wars and many other problems.

All these things and more have been the subject of predictions by seers and astrologers for centuries. The whole momentum of western civilization has built up to this point. We live in pivotal times. Suffering is always the result of passion. The world seems to be spinning out of control. Devastation seems inevitable.

Why would Krsna do such bad things to people, even to His devotees?

Let's for a moment just assume that Krsna is in control and is the moving force behind everything. Sure, the present situation is critical. But whenever Lord Krsna sets up a situation, He achieves many ends with each act. What could Krsna be up to here?

What would have to happen to transform the world from Kali's playground to Lord Caitanya's Golden Age? All the world's materialistic human institutions would have to be destroyed, broken down, and a great need arise for spiritual understanding and community. Everyone, or at least a majority of people would have to practically be convinced of the absolute futility of a civilization based on material advancement.

Powerful spiritual movements historically arise in times of overwhelming chaos and influence society for centuries to come. Christianity in its present form came from a scheme to resolve a sociopolitical crisis in the Roman Empire. Ironic isn't it that 'Roma' is one of the names of Laxmi. The Roman Empire worshipped wealth and greed and so does its successor, the present materialistic world order, a bloody (check your history book) passionate civilization based on economic exploitation and control.

Since wealth and control of its distribution have suborned all other forms of societal organization, education and management, including (especially) religion, a poetically likely place for the unraveling of this corrupt civilization to begin would be the international financial system. War over 'scarce resources' like oil would be one likely result. War in the Midle East seems inevitable on several counts.

China has the world's greatest standing army (WWII style). Any glitch in the technological readiness of the western nations (as for example the 'Y2K bug', a war or a serious virus attack, either data-processing or bacteriological) would render them vastly superior to their perceived enemies, at least on the ground.

But the greatest precursor to chaos and war is the fact that the Vaisnavas are fighting so bitterly among themselves over the disciplic succession. When Lord Krsna appears the demigods appear with, and sometimes before, the Lord to act as His associates. Similarly when Krsna's pure representative appears in human society his disciples are supposed to represent the demigods.

The actual demigods are always glorious because they are supported by Krsna. Instead of success and glory, we must bear witness to the total failure of those who assumed positions of power to accomplish the mission of ISKCON. Our current 'demigods' cannot agree even on such a simple matter as who's supposed to be in charge! And when I say 'we' I point the finger at all of us for allowing so much nonsense to go on.

You cannot have a varnasrama family when the vaisya and ksatriya brothers conspire among themselves against their father the guru, run their brothers the brahmanas off and fail to take care of old people, the children, the sudras and their mothers the cows. That is a very sick body, the arms and belly rejecting the head and legs and trying to keep everything for themselves, even against the children. It exactly mirrors the situation in society at large.

At some point in ISKCON the manipulators took over and gradually forced out the intelligent, faithful and simple. They wanted to control and monopolize the body of ISKCON, its temples, followers and wealth. Well, they won the battle and lost the war. They may even get ISKCON, but then having rejected the head and legs, and made enemies all around, they won't be able to do anything with it!

Directly because of the factions battling over Srila Prabhupada's opulence, including so many 'big sannyasis' and 'big-big gurus' who ought to know better, so many people (including myself) have been denied the opportunity to peacefully practice devotional service at our chosen level of dedication.

Surely this is inauspicious for the people in general, since due to the years of infighting we have missed the opportunity to bring peace to the world by spiritual means. Prabhupada himself said that this movement was the only means to achieve peace in the world. In the absence of the widespread chanting of the holy name, nuclear war would be inevitable.

Strange, this legacy of struggle and denial from a movement that was supposed to lead the world to a golden age of truth and peace! But when those entrusted with power abuse it, the results are inauspicious for everyone except those whose hearts are already so immersed in the nectar of the holy name they fear nothing from the disruption of their material existence.

Alas, I am not among them, and thus I fear the coming chaos and want to make my tiny plans to avoid it. But didn't Prabhupada tell us so long ago that this would happen, and to prepare? And did not Jesus also say that he came not with peace, but with a sword? Centuries of chaos and terror followed the crash of the 'Holy Roman Empire.'

People seem doomed not to learn from history. Is it not ever thus when the Lord's representative appears? We set ourselves, and the world, up for decades or even centuries of chaos and suffering by our stupid offenses. By failing to follow his instructions, we the so-called disciples loose destruction upon the world.

The pure devotee is God's greatest weapon against the injustice that rules the world. The effect of Srila Prabhupada's weight upon history has yet to be determined, just as Jesus' true importance was not discernable for decades or even centuries after his holy appearance. Part of this influence, which is directly manifested by Krsna through the pure devotee, is a supernatural arrangement by Krsna to keep His pure devotee's sacred word.

Whatever was foretold by Prabhupada will certainly occur. No one in this world can avoid suffering, travail and ultimately, death. It is our responsibility to be as prepared as our qualification and destiny permit, and by applying what Srila Prabhupada taught us, turn these trying circumstances into an opportunity for spiritual victory.