Friday, January 9, 2009

Religion - lord krishna

By Ali Rashid

Many Hindus are taking to Krsna consciousness, and this is great. However, there is a misconception that politicians like Dave Cameron visiting Bhaktivedanta Manor or holding a Diwali festival with 20,000 Hindus attending is good publicity for Krishna consciousness. Such activities support the belief that the Hare Krishnas are part of the Hindu religion. In some countries, it may be beneficial to align with the local Hindus for preaching purposes; this is not so in Britain where there is a large Hindu population and Hinduism is just another minority religion. I appreciate the effort of the present leadership, and their intentions are commendable.

The activities at the Manor should continue, so as not to cause a disturbance. The situation can be beneficial if the devotees there were encouraged to co-operate with financial and utilititarian support for broader preaching. Something needs to be done separately, to address the lack of preaching amongst other groups, mainly the populations whose ancestors' heritage is from the British Isles.

London is getting much degraded, in my opinion. Young men in their late teens and early twenties take drugs, join gangs, drink alcohol and commit crimes. Even some ten- and 11-year-olds are drifting into delinquency. Their limited vocabulary seems almost an emblem of their limited potential. With little of no parental guidance in some cases, the children look only to each other. Family values seem to be breaking down. I see little hope for these future leaders of Britain except to give them Krsna consciousness. Amazingly, most of these youngsters have not even heard of the Hare Krishnas. Hare Krishna should be a household name. Even in third-world countries in Africa, Hare Krishna is known by the common people.

No material education is necessary to understand the language of Bhakti. Dynamic preaching is needed. I propose a dynamic resurgence of preaching, as during the days of Srila Prabhupada. To the east, west, north and south of London are many boroughs, districts and towns and villages with thousands of streets and millions of people. All are searching for happiness.

Partha Sarathi Maharaj -- formerly from England, but little-known there, unfortunately -- was instrumental in spreading KC through mass distribution to people using innovative methods, such as his tent campaigns in South Africa. His experience is valuable. To inspire the younger devotees of this country, I propose that the GBC of the UK invite all stalwart, experienced and enthusiastic homegrown devotees -- such as Janananda Prabhu, Mahavisnu Swami, Bhakti Vikas Swami, Prabhavisnu Swami, Partha Sarathi das Goswami and others -- to head a resurgence in preaching on a huge scale.

However, it is counterproductive to get tied down with unnecessary meetings, wasting hours of valuable time speaking of strategies, getting anxious and all fired up, but without action. Just reach out and preach. This will surely please Srila Prabhupada. Some planning is required. - 16459

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