Friday, February 7

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 3 May 2013, Radhadesh, Belgium, Srimad Bhagavatam 5.19.20)

kks_dbn_25 July 2013Devotee: I have also heard that there is something called jiva apradha (offense to another living entity). Is that a speculation?

Kadamba Kanana Swami:  Well, udvege divasa (CC. Antya- Lila 20.40), there are such statements for example, that one should not cause any anxiety to any living being and if we do then there are also reactions; that we should know. We should be ready to offer respect to all others. It does not say to all other devotees but “to all others”. So, there are plenty of injunctions that we should not offend any living beings but the reactions are different when we start to offend vaisnavas. But we should not just stop at the vaisnavas and treat everyone else like dirt – no, we should be respectful to everyone.

Devotee: With vaisnava apradha, it is also by speech but with jiva apradha, we may speak badly of the karmis and so on?

Kadamba Kanana Swami: Sometimes a little bad is also all right. Narottama Das Thakur says that if we have anger that we can direct it towards the non-devotee, not towards the devotee. Sometimes you have to call a “spade a spade” and call people nonsense rascals which Prabhupada liked to do very much. And Prabhupada said things like, “I kick on their face,” and that was not offensive – that was appropriate.

However when we start imitating that, it may not be appropriate because we do not have the depth and vision. We start imitating left and right, “I kick this one on the face and that one is a rascal….”

So, especially in the beginning, we must be very careful and when we become more mature then we may be able to more clearly say who is at fault.

 

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