Recently two people I know were locked in strong dissagreement. Finally the "straw that broke tha camel's back" appeared and one of them became so angry that he chose to act out his anger.
Later, when faulted for his action he responded by saying that it was Krishna acting through him. Thus he felt no remorse.
Sometimes religious people who firmly believe that God empowered the force of their anger see nothing they do as wrong.
Once Srila Prabhupad was asked a question by a visiting clergy. He wanted to understand how we can know to understand whether something we feel we must do is God asking us to act or not.
I sat listening as he placed his question, expecting from Prabhupada what I considered the standard answer : namely, instructing him to accept the guidance of a spiritual master as Arjuna had done in Bhagavad Gita.
But Srila Prabhupad spoke from another angle. He explained to the minister how there are many scriptures which informs us about what God desires.They also contain behavioural guidelines for religious people to follow.
Prabhupad also agreed with his guest, that certainly God can ask whatever He wants from us. Sometimes He may want someone to do something very extraordinary.However while performing the unusual duties [such as fighting] the test of how much it is actually God's hand acting, will be understood by how much our actions conform to sastra, even if it is something extraordinary.
As Srila Prabhupada spoke, I listened with special interest because Srila Prabhupada had given my husband and I , an unusual instruction. He wanted us to go and live incognito in Singapore and open a book shop. He suggested we live like other people and run the business for our livlihood. At that time devotees were banned in Singapore.
So the test of how well we were doing , and how much we were pleasing Krishna could be gauged not by our sucessful business, nor by our wealth, nor how nicely we dressed. Even our popularity was not the actual measure.Our sucess would be understood through our adherance to sastra within our specialized roles.
If I think I'm acting as an agent for God, I can test by seeing how much I am actually interested in trying to please Krishna. Usually I find my "score" is at very best 50%, with the other half, or a LOT more than half, simply selfishness acting.So both are present - selfishness and Krishna's pleasure. One has to be increased the other has to be reduced.
Can you guess which one is which?
Confusious expert at political science, gives some very wise advice.
Political revolutions are extremely grave matters. They should be undertaken only under stress of direst necissity,when there is no other way out. Not everyone is called to this task, but only a man who has the confidence of the people,and even he only when time is ripe. He must then proceed in the right way,so that he galddens the people and, by enlightening them prevents excess.
Furthermore he must be quite free of selfish aims and must really relieve the needs of the people. Only then does he have nothing to regret.
Again three requirements for a proper action
1. must await the right time
2 must proceed in the right way, with the sympathy of the people, to avoid excesses
3 one must be correct and entirely free from selfish motives
4 the change must answer a real need
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