We do not consider anyone's past sinful actions as disqualifying them from commencing their eternal devotional service.

Michael Jackson reported to have visited Bhaktivedanta Manor

On 2009/7/2 Pratyatosa Dasa ACBSP wrote:

..."Michael [Jackson] later reportedly visited Bhaktivedanta Manor, run by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) near Watford (United Kingdom)." (Web News Wire)

--- On Thu, 7/2/09, gaurakishor@gmail.com wrote:
>From: gaurakishor@gmail.com
>Subject: Re: Michael Jackson visited Bhaktivedanta Manor
>To: istagosthi@googlegroups.com
>Date: Thursday, July 2, 2009, 11:41 AM

>Dear Prabhus, Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Problem with Michael is, true or not, there were too many rumors of him being a pedophile. This is not acceptable for followers of Prabhupada. People who didn't even become disciples of Prabhupada should at least have a clean record.

>ys,
>gd

Date: Thurs, Jul 2 2009 10:39 am
From: pdhedemark@yahoo.com

When Srila Prabhupada  came to NYC in 1976 - many of us were blessed with the opportunity to sit with him in his quarters and take in very wonderful "moments" (lava matras).

In one of these magical sessions - after a long silence - one devotee asked Srila Prabhupada, "If someone had the opportunity to chant or take a little prasadam - were they guaranteed  a human birth in their next life?"

Srila Prabhupada was very quiet for a few minutes. Then he looked over us all and said: "Not necessarily. Krishna is not obliged in that way. He does however promise in Bhagavad Gita that if someone gets the chance to contact Lord Krishna in any way - He will grant that person another chance to again come into such contact. Even if he does not get human birth - he will get again the chance to honor Krishna's prasadam or hear the Holy Name. In this way - he is guaranteed to make some progress. Then some time in the future he can get human birth and the opportunity to end the cycle of birth and death."

Not one who came or will come to Srila Prabhupada came to his shelter and guidance "with a clean record". The idea is itself without any reference to reality.

We should just be happy for anyone who gets ANY opportunity to associate with Lord Krishna - the object of His aspiring devotees' devotion. These three Features of the Lord - made their appearance in the West with the arrival of Srila Prabhupada in 1965 in Boston Harbor.

If this tortured soul received some opportunity to hear about, see or otherwise contact Srila Prabhupada and His Lord Sri Krishna in London or anywhere else - then he is - LIKE EACH OF US - wonderfully blessed.

In the Srimad Bhagavatam 7th Canto, [Chapter 1], Srila Prabhupada offers this most delightful comment in his purport to Text 25 - which incidentally is contained within the chapter entitled "The Supreme Lord is Equal to Everyone":

TRANSLATION
Because of the bodily conception of life, the conditioned soul thinks that when the body is annihilated the living being is annihilated. Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the supreme controller, the Supersoul of all living entities. Because He has no material body, He has no false conception of "I and mine." It is therefore incorrect to think that He feels pleasure or pain when blasphemed or offered prayers. This is impossible for Him. Thus He has no enemy and no friend. When He chastises the demons it is for their good, and when He accepts the prayers of the devotees it is for their good. He is affected neither by prayers nor by blasphemy.

PURPORT
Because of being covered by material bodies, the conditioned souls, including even greatly learned scholars and falsely educated professors, all think that as soon as the body is finished, everything is finished. This is due to their bodily conception of life. Krishna has no such bodily conception, nor is His body different from His self. Therefore, since Krishna has no material conception of life, how can He be affected by material prayers and accusations? Krishna's body is described herewith as kaivalya, nondifferent from Himself. Since everyone has a material bodily conception of life, if Krishna had such a conception what would be the difference between Krishna and the conditioned soul? Krishna's instructions in Bhagavad-gita are accepted as final because He does not possess a material body. As soon as one has a material body he has four deficiencies, but since Krishna does not possess a material body, He has no deficiencies. He is always spiritually conscious and blissful. Ishvarah paramah krishnah sach-chid-ananda-vigrahah [Brahma-samhita 5.1]: His form is eternal, blissful knowledge. Sach-chid-ananda-vigrahah, ananda-chinmaya-rasa and kaivalya are the same.

Krishna can expand Himself as Paramatma in the core of everyone's heart. In Bhagavad-gita (13.3) this is confirmed. Kshetrajñam chapi mam viddhi sama-kshetreshu bharata: the Lord is the Paramatma – the atma or Superself of all individual souls. Therefore it must naturally be concluded that He has no defective bodily conceptions. Although situated in everyone's body, He has no bodily conception of life. He is always free from such conceptions, and thus He cannot be affected by anything in relation to the material body of the jiva.

Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita (16.19):

tan aham dvishatah kruran
samsareshu naradhaman
kshipamy ajasram ashubhan
asurishv eva yonishu

"Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life."

Whenever the Lord punishes persons like demons, however, such punishment is meant for the good of the conditioned soul. The conditioned soul, being envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, may accuse Him, saying, "Krishna is bad, Krishna is a thief" and so on, but Krishna, being kind to all living entities, does not consider such accusations. Instead, He takes account of the conditioned soul's chanting of "Krishna, Krishna" so many times. He sometimes punishes such demons for one life by putting them in a lower species, but then, when they have stopped accusing Him, they are liberated in the next life because of chanting Krishna's name constantly. Blaspheming the Supreme Lord or His devotee is not at all good for the conditioned soul, but Krishna, being very kind, punishes the conditioned soul in one life for such sinful activities and then takes him back home, back to Godhead. The vivid example for this is Vritrasura, who was formerly Chitraketu Maharaja, a great devotee. Because he derided Lord Shiva, the foremost of all devotees, he had to accept the body of a demon called Vritra, but then he was taken back to Godhead. Thus when Krishna punishes a demon or conditioned soul, He stops that soul's habit of blaspheming Him, and when the soul becomes completely pure, the Lord takes him back to Godhead.

So our task is to act as simple instruments in the hands of our Spiritual Master - and help him to provide everyone - to come under the Equal Protection of Lord Krishna - via the simple sankirtan mission of Lord Chaitanya - who is Himself - THE MOST MUNIFICENT INCARNATON OF LORD KRISHNA: otherwise known as "Patita Pavana" - the saviour of the most fallen.

If it is true that Michael Jackson was in fact given the opportunity to visit Srila Prabhupada's temple in Bhaktivedanta Manor in England - I applaud his most wonderful good fortune.

Even a cursory reading of Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 9, "Further Consideration of Devotional Principles" will cause one to ponder the wonderful opportunity ANYONE receives in being allowed darshan of the Lord in His transcendental form as Sri Vigraha.

The third stanza of Sri Gurvastaka offers firm assertion of the purpose and methods endorsed by the Spiritual Master in the matter of engaging as many as possible in offering any service possible - even if only respectfully viewing - this beautiful form of the Lord.

We do not consider anyone's past sinful actions as disqualifying them from commencing their eternal devotional service. We inform that such service is in fact  - their duty - and we urge them - as His Divine Grace did us - to begin immediately!

So let us all ponder the kindness of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna - and how they have conspired - together - to trick each and everyone of us fallen souls - to delight in the Truth of Lord Krishna's eternal existence and His position as true enjoyer and controller and our eternal Best Friend!

Just some thoughts,
Praghosa