Avoiding a War with Iraq?

Some devotees have wanted pada to post some anti-war propaganda regarding US president George Bush’s idea to go to war with Iraq. Well, first of all, I believe that the only real way that war(s) can be prevented is to have have had mass harinma samkirtana [congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra] all over the planet, as was Srila Prabhupada’s wish and desire, and which he said would prevent

That samkirtana process is, he says, the only practical method to avert wars and calamities? Yet, that did not occur very well so: expect wars and calamities? Or so it seems?

Frankly we are surprised that the world has held together as well as it has over the past years considering all of the foolishness, back biting, major egos, if not madness, in some of the world’s “leaders”; all this being further heated up by: the frictions of mundane economic control, wars over dwindling resources; “our religion is better than yours: so you have to die”; wars over boundaries; frictions over who is stockpiling what kind of weapons; and impetus for war from the stockpiles of sinful acitivities of the masses, and so on ad infinitum, burdening the planet. As Srila Prabhupada says, bamboos in the forest rub together and start a fire, and while no one wants a fire in the forest, it occurs anyway, and in the same way wars will occur due to the frictions in the world.

Of course, Srila Prabhupada points out that the “oil” stockpile will deplete and get more scarce, and this is certainly in the back of the minds of many world leaders. So we think there will certainly be “wars” over these dwindling resources, especially oil, although this may take different guises. Jules Verne wrote I think around 1897 that the whole world was going to run on “hydrogen power,” and now George Bush says that is also his plan, he is recycling Jules Verne’s plan. Problem is, that it apparently takes more electrical power to extract hydrogen from water than the hydrogen itself produces, and so “oil” will maybe have to be used to power the hydrogen extraction process?

Then again, remember the hydrogen that exploded the Hindenburg? This hyrdrogen is apparently — not — a stable gas in any event? So this hydrogen thing — might not work as planned? So there will be wars for resources, duh, as has occured for the past ka-zillion years? Only Srila Prabhupada’s plan, “simple living and high thinking,” could have prevented that but, don’t hold yer breath waiting! Even many of our contemporary devotees have created huge time consuming complicated business scams that are not simple at all. When I see some of them I say, “What is happening prabhu”? They say, “Busy, very busy.” That’s it. So, with “petrol” running the whole Western society as is confirmed by Srila Prabhupada, this is going to be an increasing problem, again SAYS SRILA PRABHUPADA. He is right. We are just beginning to see some of the cracks that will evolve as this “war for control of resources” gets worse.

Now, as for George Bush’s plan to save the citizens of the USA, that we all should go out and buy a roll of duct tape, and plastic sheeting, and make a “safe room” in our house to protect against chemical, biological or nuclear attact, to protect our selves from war, this is again another thing Srila Prabhupada commented, the leaders are sitting in their underground bunkers while the soldiers have to fight on the battlefield and die, and worse nowadays, the citizens have to hide under a piece of plastic sheeting held together with tape? So nowadays, even he masses of public are also exposed to the “battlefield front lines” of war (sitting under a plastic sheet held together with duct tape), very sinful. As one doctor here said, the plastic sheet and duct tape plan means, your whole family will all die anyway of carbon monoxide poison due to breathing in the enclosed space?

Formerly the king would also be on the battlefield fighting, not sitting in a bunker. At the same time, we as devotees should not be fearful of ANY of these events, as Krishna dasa Kaviraja says, “do not be swept away by the whirlpool of unfortunate events.” We cannot stop the process of the material energy, it is rather relentless, rather we have to simply surrender to the creator of the material energy. “Dear Great Big Sir, Krishna, I do not honestly and really think that a roll of duct tape and plastic sheeting is going to be my savior. Maybe a hydrogen powered blimp might save me. But then again, maybe not. Perhaps I will have to surrender to You after all?”

“Any king who does not teach his citizens about their respective duties in terms of varnasrama but who simply exacts tolls and taxes from them is liable to suffer for the impious acitivities which have been performed by the citizens. In addition to such degradation, the king also loses his own fortune.” (SB 4.21.24)

Your servant,

Puranjana dasa