The facts are simple enough for those who have actually accepted HDG Srila Prabhupada's authority in the same way that Sri Arjuna accepted the authoritative words of Lord Krishna: Sarvam etad rtam manye — "I totally accept as true all that you have told me!" [Bhagavad-gita As It Is 10.14]
Any devotee who writes in – on any blog – using a Sanskrit name – signalling that they have been "initiated" as 1st or 2nd generation disciples of HDG Srila Prabhupada – are barred from challenging his statements whatsoever publically – unless they also clearly and without any ambiguity whatsoever declare that unless or until their inability to accept Srila Prabhupada's simple elaborations of this material world and its endlessly miserable conditions – in the same above mentioned manner (as Totally True) – they renounce their so-called discipleship and return to the status of one who is still seeking the Absolute Truth and His Pure Representative.
Anyone who has never had sex will simply not understand the mechanics involved in it; neither on the subtle or gross level. Sex is peculiar in that it is described as the highest pleasure in the world – but it is also the most animalistic of pursuits. In most ways it appears as closely resembling the basest of beastly actions – and in fact, the more so the better. This is a fact. Not to go too terribly deep into that – no pun intended – but Srila Prabhupada knew EXACTLY what he meant when he said – WHATEVER he said – about anything pertaining to this miserable world. I personally heard HDG say some very specific and descriptive things about this world, sex, women, marriage, modern cannibalism etc! That was when I was a mere lad of 22! Today – at 55 and infintely more schooled by study and experience – I have come to find that every single thing Srila Prabhupada said falls more within the category of "That's putting it mildly"! I heard him say things about WWII that all my study has proven to be TOTALLY TRUE. The "Moon Landing" – Totally True. Women – beyond Totally True and definitely within the category of "That is putting it mildly".
But why would anyone challenge the veracity of any of these minor details but to allow themselves the false sense that the demands of our Spiritual Master in terms of sadhana bhakti need not be embraced with the full faith of a disciple?
When I heard of all the dustup generated by one simple brahmachari's maintaining a website to discuss the perils of womanly association and sex life by citing Srila Prabhupada's counsel on all that – and that a segment of matajis actually objected to this – I could only think that all the statements Srila Prabhupada had made regarding the deficient long-term intelligence of the fair sex were once again being proven to be "Totally True" by a small but radically vocal group of women who assumed that their objections and complaints would be valued by women who were indeed valued as wives, daughters and mothers! They went public with their complaints – and openly decried the teachings and guidance of Srila Prabhupada on these particular matters – expecting the avid support of the above "protected" women. But all they have accomplished is to identify themselves as unfit for marriage and motherhood and will find themselves forced to find employement of some kind in the world – slaving in the service of profit seeking business owners – or they will become profit seeking businesswomen themselves – able perhaps to "make groceries" but will grow old without family about them.
Debating the veracity or relevance of Lord Krishna's referring to all of us — Kali Yuga Shudras, Women or Merchants – as "papa yoni" – Lower Born – instead of HEARING AS TOTALLY TRUE HIS most elegant and encouraging announcement – "O son of Pritha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—women, vaishyas [merchants], as well as shudras [workers]—can approach the supreme destination" [Bhagavad-gita As It Is 9.32] is just the most obvious demonstration of the ill-effects of that sinful birth — obscuring the true point of the Lord making the statement in the first place!
Anyone – woman or man – if they had ANY piety at all – would see EXACTLY what the Lord is glorifying in the above verse: the effect of devotional service and its universal availability to everyone — man – woman – child — "even a dog can take part".
Lord Krishna appears in this world once every 8,600,000,000 years! And once in a cycle of 28 such periods Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu likewise makes His transcendental appearance. He predicted the spreading of His mission to every town and village, and Srila Prabhupada's appearance in this world is every bit as rare and myseriously wonderful as the Lord's! We all have somehow or other come to find ourselves HEARING FROM HIM the Truth as it pertains to all the five important topics of the Bhagavad
Gita: Ishvara – the Lord, Atma – the Jiva, Prakriti – Nature, Kala – time and finally Karma. So "PRAKRITI" nature in all its endlessly immutable and perplexing mysterious ways is also to some degree explained by his Divine Grace. Those explanations included TOTALLY TRUE explanations of the confounding nature of women and sex.
Those instructions are in fact meant primarily – for men. Women can know what men are instructed, – but materialistic women will come to view the Truth about women that Lord Chaitanya taught us as interfering with their desire for all they dream for in this world. They will come to view His teachings – as ANTI WOMAN. And indeed – at their core – they are not anti woman; they are anti material world – BUT the door to this material world and all the ambition needed to succeed within it – TRULY commences through the door called "yosita sangi sangam" – the door to the hellish well of grhamedhi life – finding money, spending money, sleeping and occasionally delighting in a warm, wet woman – who appears so eager to please!
Lord Chaitanya had this counsel for his men:
Lord Chaitanya said, "For a sannyasi or anyone who is aspiring to get out of the clutches of material nature and trying to elevate himself to the spiritual nature and go back home, back to Godhead, for him, looking toward material possessions and women for sense gratification—not even enjoying them, but just looking toward them with such a propensity—is so condemned that he had better commit suicide before experiencing such illicit desires." [purport, Bhagavad-gita As It Is 16.1-3]
The most important part of this statement is this: "anyone who is aspiring to get out of the clutches of material nature and trying to elevate himself to the spiritual nature and go back home, back to Godhead, for him" – FOR HIM – if he wants to get out of the clutches of the material nature – he must heed the words of Lord Chaitanya.
Materialistic women take such statements as "hatred" of women. They are no such thing. They are merely the Lord's "setting the price" for our Liberation.
Anyone who professes to be a disciple of Srila Prabhupada – cannot challenge this. If they do – they are no longer disciples. They are once again "seekers" of guru, and we can only pray for their swift and complete restoration of their faith and gratitude to Lord Krishna for His mercifully sending us Srila Prabhupada to give us the Truth – no matter how difficult it is to accept.
Praghosa Das NYC