Cold War
For the last few months, BTG readers have been witnessing a cold war between Mr. Chandru and the BTG editorial team regarding the “Reincarnation” article published in April 2010. It appears that both the sides are trying to defend themselves with practically no conclusion coming out. This is creating not only a fruitless back and forth argumentative spirit but also confusion in the reader’s mind about the philosophical understanding among ISKCON devotees.
I support Chandru Prabhuji’s view. All the examples in the article at least suggest that the list of famous celebrities reincarnated as human beings. I doubt on the basis of the teachings of Srila Prabhupada how is it even possible for such materialists and sense gratifiers to get a human form of life? Hence BTG should not publish such articles which are not authorized by Guru, sadhu and Shastra. This is my opinion but not conclusion. I believe, “to err is human”.
I request the BTG editorial team to put this matter in front of any ISKCON Guru whose remarks will be accepted as conclusive by both the sides and the readers as well. – Mohan Krishna Dasa
Reply by Murari Gupta Dasa: In a personal letter to the editorial staff Mr. Chandru has expressed that his protest was in spirit of love and affection and that he did not want to continue the issue.
You have expressed doubts about how it is possible for materialists and sense gratifiers to get a human form of life. Well, according the biographies of Edwin Booth, (the past life match for Amitabh Bachchan) he was a vegetarian. His father Junius Brutus Booth was an international star who practiced Hinduism and vegetarianism, and opposed slavery. In his farm, no animal was slaughtered. Apparently they were quite pious.
The Bhagavad-gita (14.18) mentions, “Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the abominable mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.”
In the purport Srila Prabhupada writes: “The mode of passion is mixed. It is in the middle, between the modes of goodness and ignorance. A person is not always pure, but even if he should be purely in the mode of passion, he will simply remain on this earth as a king or a rich man.”
This may give a hint how a person living a passionate lifestyle but without heavy tamo guna, may still come to earth as a human.
Correction
Since World Cup cricket is scheduled for February 2011, I was translating Srila Prabhupada’s quotes about sports (BTG October 2010) for the February issue of Tamil BTG. Four out of six quotes in the section “The sporting tendency comes from Krishna”are not from Srila Prabhupada; they are from the later sections done by his disciples. I am not denying the works of his disciples, but that should not be promoted as Srila Prabhupada’s work. It shows a little carelessness on the part of the editor. – Sri Giridhari Dasa