"Unfortunate Souls"
By Krishna Seva dasa

Sports activities are good. To have a healthy body is not a sin but a great achievement nowadays. And I will echo with other readers who are stating the plain truth- "Sport is good. ” A little exercise will not hurt anyone, especially if you never show up for kirtanas and harinams. Interesting, what next object for attack those "conservators" will pick up? Soya? Chocolate? Beards? Earrings? Tattoos? Eating bhoga?

The same goes for TV. As itself TV is not bad, if you are only watching authorized ITV videos. We call it yukta-vairagya sometimes.

But you see problems begin then we cross the line of not following the instructions of the Spiritual Master. And we all well know it is a namaparadha as well.

Madhava Ghosh Prabhu mentioned about having a coach to the reference of having a Spiritual Master. It is right. We all are one big team and we have one transcendental coach, Srila Prabhupada. So we should try and understand what will please him the most: our non-stop childish sports, TV watching or preaching the cult of Lord Caitanyadeva?

Don't be angry with some sadhus who are like Danavir Maharaja pointing to the faults in us. It is their first business. The sadhu or teacher shows no mercy in using sharp words to sever the student's mind from material attractions. By speaking the truth uncompromisingly, he is able to sever the bondage. For example, at the very beginning of Bhagavad-gita Krishna speaks sharply to Arjuna by telling him that although he speaks like a learned man, he is actually fool number one. If we actually want detachment from this material world, we should be prepared to accept such cutting words from the spiritual master. Compromise and flattery have no effect where strong words are required. Just like when a person cuts something, there is no mercy, similarly when a sadhu or a person saint, speaks to his student, he does not make, show any mercy. He speaks the truth so that his mind may be cut off from the unreal attachment.

Someone may wonder why sports? Why now? Why me? But it is our anartha, and if we don't admit it at least to ourselves, we never will find shelter with the Holy Name. We can say ISKCON has so many problems etc. Forget the problems, it is you who makes ISKCON. All major problems have the root in the small compromises. We loose our purity by not following guru-paramopara strictly. Don't forget what Lord Caitanya was very very strict. Start your day with following your Spiritual Master. Make your life successful by carefully reading and studying this priceless knowledge of Krishna Consciousness. Follow the set rules of sadhana bhakti and become the successful sadhaka. Beg, cry and be very greedy for the Holy Name.

Preach strongly based on the sastra. Don't become Unfortunate Soul. Become a great devotee who can be an example for others. And for the God's sake, please shave your heads. It is the order from the Spiritual Master. (See below). Eat healthily, stay fit, die anyway.

Thank you.

Your lowly, not-sporty servant,
Krishna Seva Dasa

"Now for our practical life we are known all over the world as shaven-headed. Is it not? Now we are becoming hair-headed. We are forgetting shaving because there is little leniency. Immediately faulty things are creeping in. So we should be known as shaven-headed, not long-hair-headed. This is discrepancy. At least once in a month you must be clearly shaven-headed. In the bright fortnight on the day of purnima, four days after ekadasi, once in a month in the bright fortnight, you must be shaved. It is not desirable that in grown-up ages also you should be chastised. That is not desirable. That is also difficult, because when the disciple or the son is grown up, if he is chastised, then he breaks. So before being chastised, you.. . , we should be conscious that "This is our rules and regulation. We must observe. " Therefore it is advised by Canakya Pandita, prapte tu sodase varse putram mitra-vad acaret: "After sixteenth year of the disciple or the son, he should be treated as friend. " Because if you chastise when he's grown-up, then he'll break up. That is also another risk. So our request is that instead of chastising, with folded hands I request you, don't you become hippies again by growing hair. Keep your head cleansed at least once in a month. That is my request. Neither I can chastise you. I am also old man; you are young men. "

Srila Prabhupada Lecture Srimad-Bhagavatam 5. 6. 3 -- Vrndavana, November 25, 1976

© CHAKRA 24-January-2001

Go to the “Letters Page”