Page 42 - Powerful Feminine Qualities

“Due to the contamination of material association, through many, many millions of births, one's heart is always
covered with the dust of materialism, but when one engages in devotional service and constantly chants Hare Krishna,
the dust quickly clears, and one is elevated to the platform of pure knowledge. The ultimate goal, Vishnu, can be
attained only by this chant and by devotional and not by mental speculation or argument. The ultimate goal, Vishnu
(Krishna), can be attained only by this chant (Hare Krishna Hare Rama) and by devotional service, and not by mental
speculation or argument. The pure devotee does not have to worry about the material necessities of life; he need not
be anxious, because when he removes the darkness from his heart, everything is provided automatically by the
Supreme Lord, who is pleased by the loving devotional service of the devotee. This is the essence of the teachings of
the Bhagavad-gita.” (Bg 10.11)
Pure knowledge is ‘I am part and parcel of Krishna, qualitatively one and quantitatively different. I can never be equal
to or greater than the Lord. Therefore, my duty is to serve the Lord with devotion, determination, and continually act
with empathy and compassion for others to share my love for the Lord with them. All living entities have fallen from
the spiritual world into this material universe because of lust (kama) to dominate and control nature for our selfish
purpose of sense gratification. It is, however, possible to transform this lust back to pure love (prema), by engaging in
Krishna consciousness. Only then will I be able to be good to others and myself. By chanting the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra and praising the Lord by reciting the divine poetry of the Vedic literatures, I can perform devotional
service in the association of devotees and offer the result to Krishna by following the instruction of my guru.’

The teaching of Bhagavad-gita in the university as compared to in the temple
There is a difference between Bhagavad-gita taught in the university and the same taught at the Vedic Cultural Center.
A young lady I know took the Bhagavad-gita course at the University of Washington as part of her Sanskrit studies. She
became convinced that Krishna was a historical character in the mythology of ancient India. Along with the
misconception that Krishna is a mundane person who somehow became a god, this lady also garnered the idea that
women are considered second class citizens in the Vedic culture relegated to being a mother and a subservient wife.
She did not agree with the Vedic world-view of women. Through her liberal arts education, she was convinced that
women should be independent and on an equal level with men. This belief is the antithesis of the Vedic conception,
which maintains that the auspicious psychology of relationship between spouses predicates that the husband treats
his wife with utmost respect and gentle kindness, and the wife serves her husband submissively. If the husband is a
genuine devotee, then naturally the wife will follow his spiritual guidance and cooperate with him to care for the
children and home and hearth.
The Vedic culture propounds that everyone, whether man or woman, is born in a fallen state in this material world,
which is compared to a prison. All the inmates are shackled by the chains of sex desire, and are forced to work hard for
maintenance with fleeting glimpses of happiness and frequent periods of suffering. Unless a person is introduced to
the means by which he can attain his eternal spiritual destiny, he remains shrouded by ignorance and unnecessarily
suffers repeated birth, death, old age, and disease through many lifetimes. Krishna has provided a saving grace for all.
He has exempted surrender to Him from the law of karma. If a person is fortunate enough to meet a genuine devotee
of the Lord and becomes convinced that surrender to the Lord is a necessary step to take in life, his or her previous
karma can either be put on hold or eradicated, so that he can take up Krishna consciousness without any obstacle.
They have to be in the same sort of tradition as Rama, who had complete control of His mind and senses, and He
followed the principles of dharma happily and strictly. So did Yudhisthira and Arjuna. Even during the war, they did not
violate the principles of dharma. Arjuna captured Ashvatthama who had killed his five children. Previously Asvatthama
tried to kill Arjuna, Uttara and Pariksit who was still in the womb of Uttara. Arjuna asked Krishna what he should do
with Asvatthama. Krishna said, “Kill him!” However, Draupadi interjected, “No, do not kill him because he has a
mother. As a mother, I am suffering terribly because he killed my innocent children. I cannot cause the same suffering
to his mother.” This is Vedic culture.

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