Joe Walsh · “CHAPTER 77: IN DISGUISE (Cont.) -HOW CAN A DEVOTEE BE A “DEMON”?

[Tamohara dasa ADMIN.]

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Joe Walsh
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“CHAPTER 77: IN DISGUISE (Cont.) -HOW CAN A DEVOTEE BE A “DEMON”? Simply because someone has the dress of a devotee, wears tilak, knows the walk and the talk, does not mean he cannot be capable of the crime of killing the spiritual master for his own material benefit. Rather than being a fantasy, it is accepted by many that agents of Kali entered ISKCON and conspired to assassinate Srila Prabhupada by poison.

His poisoners should be criminally indicted and tried in courts of law. The suspects should in any case "honorably" resign their posts when such a cloud of doubt covers their reputation, like is done in the honorable Japanese culture. Lord Rama banished Sita simply because of one person’s criticism; to be suspected of poisoning Srila Prabhupada is not a good qualification for continued leadership.

The conditioned souls in this material world have a combination of divine and demoniac natures, and according to their association and their free will choices, their behavior can be divine or demoniac. A person may thus act as a devotee in the service of the Lord or at other times as a “demon” in the service of his own mundane desires, such as envy of the pure devotee’s status or assets. Thus devotees may appear externally as Vaishnavas but may have the consciousness of a fruitive worker, or of a demon who exploits others for sense gratification, even poisoning the Acharya and take his place. How can anyone think that the poisoners of Srila Prabhupada were anything other than “demons” in the disguise of devotees? “One who is conducted by false ego and thus always distressed, both mentally and sensually, cannot tolerate the opulence of self-realized persons. Being unable to rise to the standard of self-realization, he envies such persons as much as demons envy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (SBhag 4.3.21) Srila Prabhupada’s poisoners fit this description.

“Everything depends on the strength of the recipient. For example, due to the scorching sunshine many vegetables and flowers dry up, and many grow luxuriantly. Thus it is the recipient that causes growth and dwindling. Similarly, mahiyasam pada-rajo-’bhisekam: the dust of the lotus feet of great personalities offers all good to the recipient, but the same dust can also do harm. Those who are offenders at the lotus feet of a great personality dry up; their godly qualities diminish.

A great soul may forgive offenses, but Krishna does not excuse offenses to the dust of that great soul’s feet, just as one can tolerate the scorching sunshine on one’s head but cannot tolerate the scorching sunshine on one’s feet. An offender glides down more and more; therefore he naturally continues to commit offenses at the feet of the great soul...” (SBhag 4.4.13 Purport)” (Srila Prabhupada’s Hidden Glories 1.419)