Religion, family and society

[Haribol]

Intro

 

Here I will attempt to write on the value of following a method in spiritual tradition, how it strengthen the family unit and how a strong family is the basis of a strong society. There are loads of aspects to consider, and I havent worked this all trough myself (which is part of the reason I am writing this), so it will be a little messy  from time to time. However, the dots are starting to connect, I feel, so leggo.

 

So, my experience is that there are loads of lost youths out there. I certainly was one. I could, and maybe should, look up stats, but I wont right now. I think the fact that I know several Norwegian teenagers who have taken suicide or are addicted to heroin, is (annecdotaly) proof enough. There are loads of factors to blame, I think: the school system, the poisonous food, various demoniac forces pushing their agendas, "new atheism" etc. etc... but instead of spending to much time on that, I want to look at the ROOT of all the rootlessness. So the question becomes, how has these more or less toxic ideas taken over and caused so much confusion? I belive that the sickness as well as the sympton is a weaking of family values and godlessness. 

 

Disclaimer

I would like to say that this is not a political post, but considering its nature, it is hard to deny that it is. I want to make it clear that I belive that the solution, however, is spirituality and dharma. And for the sake of God, I have no issue what so ever with gay people, people who want to be single, who follow or dont follow a certain faith or whatever. I am speaking in generalities, and everyone should ofc. be respected. 

 

Also, I am borderline scizophrenic and, thankfully, not all knowing  

Counterarguments, reflections and feedback is not only accepted, but wanted. 

 

King Purjani goes to the forrest to go hunting

(https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/4/26/)

 

Yesterday morning and today we went trough SB 4.26.16-17 respectivley. Before we take a look at the purport of the two, ill qoute a few of the previous verses:

 

 

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Text 13: After taking his dinner and having his thirst and hunger satisfied, King Purañjana felt some joy within his heart. Instead of being elevated to a higher consciousness, he became captivated by Cupid, and was moved by a desire to find his wife, who kept him satisfied in his household life.

Text 14: At that time King Purañjana was a little anxious, and he inquired from the household women: My dear beautiful women, are you and your mistress all very happy like before, or not?

Text 15: King Purañjana said: I do not understand why my household paraphernalia does not attract me as before. I think that if there is neither a mother nor devoted wife at home, the home is like a chariot without wheels. Where is the fool who will sit down on such an unworkable chariot?

 

 

 

 

Verse 16:

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Translation

Kindly let me know the whereabouts of that beautiful woman who always saves me when I am drowning in the ocean of danger. By giving me good intelligence at every step, she always saves me.

 

Purport

There is no difference between a good wife and good intelligence. One who possesses good intelligence can deliberate properly and save himself from many dangerous conditions. In material existence there is danger at every step. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.58) it is said, padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām: this material world is not actually a place of residence for an intelligent person or a devotee because here there is danger at every step. Vaikuṇṭha is the real home for the devotee, for there is no anxiety and no danger. Good intelligence means becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, kṛṣṇa ye bhaje se baḍa catura: unless one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he cannot be called an intelligent person.

Herein we see that King Purañjana was searching after his good wife, who always helped him out of the dangerous situations that always occur in material existence. As already explained, a real wife is dharma-patnī. That is, a woman accepted in marriage by ritualistic ceremony is called dharma-patnī, which signifies that she is accepted in terms of religious principles. Children born of a dharma-patnī inherit the property of the father, but children born of a woman who is not properly married do not inherit the father’s property. The word dharma-patnī also refers to a chaste wife. A chaste wife is one who never had any connection with men before her marriage. Once a woman is given the freedom to mingle with all kinds of men in her youth, it is very difficult for her to keep chaste. When butter is brought into the proximity of fire, it melts. The woman is like fire, and man is like the butter. But if one gets a chaste wife, accepted through a religious marriage ritual, she can be of great help when one is threatened by the many dangerous situations of life. Actually such a wife can become the source of all good intelligence. With such a good wife, the family’s engagement in the devotional service of the Lord actually makes a home a gṛhastha-āśrama, or household dedicated to spiritual cultivation.

Verse 17

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Translation

All the women addressed the King: O master of the citizens, we do not know why your dear wife has taken on this sort of existence. O killer of enemies, kindly look! She is lying on the ground without bedding. We cannot understand why she is acting this way.

 

Purport

When a person is devoid of devotional service, or viṣṇu-bhakti, he takes to many sinful activities. King Purañjana left home, neglected his own wife and engaged himself in killing animals. This is the position of all materialistic men. They do not care for a married chaste wife. They take the wife only as an instrument for sense enjoyment, not as a means for devotional service. To have unrestricted sex life, the karmīs work very hard. They have concluded that the best course is to have sex with any woman and simply pay the price for her, as though she were a mercantile commodity. Thus they engage their energy in working very hard for such material acquisitions. Such materialistic people have lost their good intelligence. They must search out their intelligence within the heart. A person who does not have a chaste wife accepted by religious principles always has a bewildered intelligence.

The wife of King Purañjana was lying on the ground because she was neglected by her husband. Actually the woman must always be protected by her husband. We always speak of the goddess of fortune as being placed on the chest of Nārāyaṇa. In other words, the wife must remain embraced by her husband. Thus she becomes beloved and well protected. Just as one saves his money and places it under his own personal protection, one should similarly protect his wife by his own personal supervision. Just as intelligence is always within the heart, so a beloved chaste wife should always have her place on the chest of a good husband. This is the proper relationship between husband and wife. A wife is therefore called ardhāṅganī, or half of the body. One cannot remain with only one leg, one hand or only one side of the body. He must have two sides. Similarly, according to nature’s way, husband and wife should live together. In the lower species of life, among birds and animals, it is seen that by nature’s arrangement the husband and wife live together. It is similarly ideal in human life for the husband and wife to live together. The home should be a place for devotional service, and the wife should be chaste and accepted by a ritualistic ceremony. In this way one can become happy at home.

 

Reflections

 

Alright, so Purajana goes to the forrest out of selfish desire, but ends up feeling unsatisfied. So he longs after his wife, who uplifts and supports him. The wife is nowhere to be found tho, due to having been broken by the lack of a man who takes responsibility. All though men and women, and every living entity, are equal in value, we have different roles. It is my belief that a culture that blurres the gender roles to much, makes men and women and children confused. The man should lead, women should support, and marriage and a spiritual upbrining is immensly important for the welfare of children and society. 

 

The latter day saints

So, ive been having quite a few convos with these wonderfull people. The maturity, wisdom and empathy these young individuals have at such a young age, is mindboggling. In addition to this, their strong family values are something I find truly admirable. Bless their hearts. 

We do share a lot of values and philosophy, I feel, allthough I am no expert in Vedic litterature and certainly not the mormon tradition. 

 

 

This evening 

 

Me and the temple president went to check out this plot of land that we are planning to start grow vegetables at. Coincidentially, or maybe not, it is only a stone throw away from the local mormon church. I asked if the temple president would come along visiting them afterwards, but he did not have the time. Before leaving, he told me that I could mention that the Krishna temple was filled with rainbowcolored flowers or something. I mentioned it to the saints. They said they would take it up with whoever they take such stuff up with. I tried to google, and there seems to be no ISKCON temple at salt lake, buuuuut... I think there is some symbolism taking place hear. We shall see. 

 

So, when I met them at the search we had a chat about family values, following the proccess etc, and I enquired why in their opinion they had managed to hold on to their strong family values when so much of society could not. They showed me the following docu: 

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The Family

A Proclamation to the World

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

 

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

 

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

 

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

 

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

 

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

 

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

 

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world/the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng

 

Leaders dharma (all glories to Amogha-Drkk)

 

Leaders Dharma - Amogha-drkk

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Introduction

 

The scope of the following offering called, "Leader's Guide to Dharma" is to present the subject of dharma in relation with leadership, as per the scriptures (śāstras) on the subject. The concept of a certain class of people (varṇa) qualifying themselves by means of training – not birthright – for handling the sacred duty of leadership, stands central. The varṇas of the brāhmaṇas [priests] and kṣatriyas [administrators] are generally given charge of leadership; the former in a more intellectual way, and the latter in a more physical way. One cannot, of course, do justice to leadership without deliberating on the spiritual foundation of dharma, especially since we are aspirants on the path of bhakti-yoga, also called sanātana-dharma1 or the eternal duty of the soul, which is devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.

 

Leadership is inseparable from dharma. Any leader is expected to be treading the path of saintly life; otherwise he is not, positively speaking, leading the way. So the leader then ought to acquaint himself with the teachings of dharma, which are provided by the brāhmaṇas, or those who are advanced (vṛddha). What is the meaning of being advanced? The meanings given in śāstras are: 1) advanced in age; 2) advanced in piety; and 3) advanced in knowledge, either material or spiritual. At least according to the tenets of sanātana-dharma, our advancement is measured according to how well it is going for us in uplifting our consciousness from material to spiritual, or from the depths of death, ignorance and suffering (asat, acit and nirānanda) to the heights of eternality, knowledge and bliss (sat, cit and ānanda).

Alright, so main take aways:

1. Leaders lead, by definition, by... leading the way (in a saintly manner).

2. This uplifts society

3. This might not be written explicity, but it is not wrong, I think: dharma is whatever upholds life.

 

Here I also want to throw in BG 3.22-23 (https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/3/22/):

 

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Translation

O son of Pṛthā, there is no work prescribed for Me within all the three planetary systems. Nor am I in want of anything, nor have I a need to obtain anything – and yet I am engaged in prescribed duties.

Purport

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in the Vedic literatures as follows:

tam īśvarāṇāṁ paramaṁ maheśvaraṁ
taṁ devatānāṁ paramaṁ ca daivatam
patiṁ patīnāṁ paramaṁ parastād
vidāma devaṁ bhuvaneśam īḍyam

na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate
na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate
parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate
svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca

“The Supreme Lord is the controller of all other controllers, and He is the greatest of all the diverse planetary leaders. Everyone is under His control. All entities are delegated with particular power only by the Supreme Lord; they are not supreme themselves. He is also worshipable by all demigods and is the supreme director of all directors. Therefore, He is transcendental to all kinds of material leaders and controllers and is worshipable by all. There is no one greater than Him, and He is the supreme cause of all causes.

“He does not possess a bodily form like that of an ordinary living entity. There is no difference between His body and His soul. He is absolute. All His senses are transcendental. Any one of His senses can perform the action of any other sense. Therefore, no one is greater than Him or equal to Him. His potencies are multifarious, and thus His deeds are automatically performed as a natural sequence.” (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.7–8)

Since everything is in full opulence in the Personality of Godhead and is existing in full truth, there is no duty for the Supreme Personality of Godhead to perform. One who must receive the results of work has some designated duty, but one who has nothing to achieve within the three planetary systems certainly has no duty. And yet Lord Kṛṣṇa is engaged on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra as the leader of the kṣatriyas because the kṣatriyas are duty-bound to give protection to the distressed. Although He is above all the regulations of the revealed scriptures, He does not do anything that violates the revealed scriptures.

 

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Translation

For if I ever failed to engage in carefully performing prescribed duties, O Pārtha, certainly all men would follow My path.

Purport

In order to keep the balance of social tranquillity for progress in spiritual life, there are traditional family usages meant for every civilized man. Although such rules and regulations are for the conditioned souls and not Lord Kṛṣṇa, because He descended to establish the principles of religion He followed the prescribed rules. Otherwise, common men would follow in His footsteps, because He is the greatest authority. From the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is understood that Lord Kṛṣṇa was performing all the religious duties at home and out of home, as required of a householder.

 

So in conclusion...

 

Perhaps it is time to drop the amphetamines, follow the process, awaken snow-white and perhaps father some saintly Krishnas.

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 09:21 PM by Haribol