For several years I had been contemplating the idea of visiting the devotees in Mauritius - I had heard so many nice things about this little island with their dynamic communities of eager and sincere devotees. After all, Srila Prabhupada had stated on his visit that this island could be the first Krishna conscious country of the world...
Now, after Nrsimha Caturdasi I finally had the opportunity to embark on this journey to yet another unknown preaching territory. I spent two blissful and action-packed weeks there - the devotees had arranged one or two programs for every single day; and I rarely visited the same temple twice - that's how many temples and preaching centers this little island hosts! And I did not even manage to visit all the centers.
Now, after Nrsimha Caturdasi I finally had the opportunity to embark on this journey to yet another unknown preaching territory. I spent two blissful and action-packed weeks there - the devotees had arranged one or two programs for every single day; and I rarely visited the same temple twice - that's how many temples and preaching centers this little island hosts! And I did not even manage to visit all the centers.
The devotees have established two main temples - the Radha Golokananda Temple in Phoenix where they are in the process of constructing a big and beautiful temple, and the Krishna Balaram Mandir on the farm. As the island is rather small, it takes maximum 45 minutes to get anywhere from Phoenix being located in the middle.
For most of the days I was accommodated near the Phoenix temple and traveled out every evening to visit the different centers. I also stayed some days on the farm and visited the surrounding temples offering programs there. During the day I went for nice walks through the pineapple and sugarcane fields surrounded by the tropical nature with its unusual trees, colourful birds and flowers. Mauritius certainly has very tasty fruits - I had never tasted such delicious bananas and papayas before!
For most of the days I was accommodated near the Phoenix temple and traveled out every evening to visit the different centers. I also stayed some days on the farm and visited the surrounding temples offering programs there. During the day I went for nice walks through the pineapple and sugarcane fields surrounded by the tropical nature with its unusual trees, colourful birds and flowers. Mauritius certainly has very tasty fruits - I had never tasted such delicious bananas and papayas before!
Every evening, we churned deep and thought-provoking topics....
Krishna has given the female form a very powerful energy. He has to give it to somebody in order to make the material world go around and around. So He chose to give it to the women.
We can find nice examples in the shastra that illustrate the power of the feminine energy. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.2.5, Srila Prabhupada explains:
“Another example is Prince Agnidhra, whose attention was drawn to the movements of Purvacitti, the Apsara, simply because he heard the tinkling of her ankle bells. In the same way that Visvamitra Muni was attracted by the tinkling bangles of Menaka, Prince Agnidhra, upon hearing the tinkling bangles of Purvacitti, immediately opened his eyes to see her beautiful movements as she walked.”
We can find many stories of this kind, where a great sage or yogi falls down because of the tinkling ankle bells or bangles worn by a woman. However, it is not the mere tinkling noise that interrupts a yogi’s meditation and bewilders him. If a man takes a set of ankle bells and simply holds them in his hands and tinkles them, it will most likely not bewilder anybody. It is the feminine energy on which the tinkling sound is traveling, which makes a man lose his mind. I don't think we will find any example where a woman falls down due to hearing a man’s ankle bells tinkling, because his energy is not as powerful. Only Krishna playing His flute bewilders every living entity.
There is another very nice example explained in the purport to the Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.22.17 - the story of Visvavasu, when beautiful, young Devahuti was playing ball on the rooftop of the palace, in a very innocent way. Her movements and tinkling of her ankle bells was so attractive and bewildering to Visvavasu that he did not only fall down, but he literally fell out of the airplane. Most likely we would not find a similar story the other way around. Even if some handsome fellows only dressed in a gamcha were playing basketball on the rooftop, a woman would not lose her mind and fall out of an airplane. They would not have this effect on a woman, because their energy is not so powerful.
In the purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.26.15, Srila Prabhupada explains in all details how we women are meant to use this powerful shakti: “Actually a woman is supposed to be the energy of the man. Historically, in the background of every great man there is either a mother or a wife […]”
A woman is meant to be the energy and inspiration to man. This is, in a nutshell, the beautiful role we women are meant to play — such a great responsibility! Srila Prabhupada very nicely explains this in the purport to the Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.21.4:
“When thus protected, women as a class remain an always auspicious source of energy to man.” Women are very powerful. They have the power to bring the very best out of a man both spiritually and materially. A woman can empower a man to his best performance and heights, or she can disempower him and entirely block him, ultimately ruining his life. Such is the power of a woman.
In the purport to the Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.1.29 relating the story of Maharaja Priyavrata and his wife Barhismati, Srila Prabhupada gives us deep and fascinating insights into this topic of the man-woman dynamics. He makes a very interesting point by stating that only men who are very brahminical by nature and sannyasis do not need this feminine energy to be inspired. Therefore only very brahminically inclined men should take sannyasa. All other men do need this feminine energy to be inspired and motivated. This might give some explanation why so many sannyasis in the past could not maintain their ashrama — because they were not so brahminical and thus ultimately needed this feminine energy in their life.
It is Krishna’s perfect arrangement that most men need this feminine energy to be motivated, just to make sure that women receive the protection they need. Otherwise, which man would want to protect a woman if he did not also, on a subtle level, need this feminine energy to be encouraged and inspired?
There are statistics showing that most men who are involved in criminal activities such as illegal drugs, violence, etc. are not married. Sociologist George Gilder said it best in his book Sexual Suicide. He makes it clear that single men (as a class) are often a threat to society. Until they accept the responsibility for families, their sexual aggression is largely unbridled and potentially destructive.
This indicates that the male nature of a man who does not have this feminine energy in his life can very easily get misdirected into a violent and destructive way. But when he has the encouragement of a wife, it directs his male nature in a constructive and uplifting way.
Krishna’s system is indeed so deep and interesting: how man and woman are meant to perfectly complement each other. For a man, to be married or not is not merely a question whether or not he can control his senses and be celibate. It is a more subtle question of feminine energy: whether he is brahminical enough not to depend on it. Most men, however, need it. Therefore, if a man is not properly situated in his ashrama, he may find it difficult to be inspired and active, and develop himself to his best level. This may be a main reason why in Kali Yuga the men become weaker and more irresponsible - because they no longer receive the empowerment of the feminine energy.
The British writer and Nobel Prize Laureate for Literature, Sir William Golding, made the following statement: “I think women are foolish to pretend that they are equal to men, they are far superior and always have been. Whatever you give a woman, she will make it greater. If you give her sperm, she will give you a baby. If you give her a house, she will give you a home. If you give her groceries, she will give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she will give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any [rubbish], be ready to receive a ton of [garbage].”
In the Manu-samhita 3.56, we find the following statement:
“Where women are honored, there the gods are pleased; but where they are not honored, no sacred rite yields rewards.”
Even the sankirtana yajna will not have good results, and Lord Chaitanya’s sankirtana movement will not flourish unless we deeply understand the important role women are playing. Thus women as a class have to be highly respected, honored, protected, and cared for.
On the 29th of May I flew to Kenya....
Your servant, Devaki dd
Please visit www.theholynameretreat.net
www.therootsofspiritualculture.net
https://www.facebook.com/instituteforspiritualculture/
Krishna has given the female form a very powerful energy. He has to give it to somebody in order to make the material world go around and around. So He chose to give it to the women.
We can find nice examples in the shastra that illustrate the power of the feminine energy. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.2.5, Srila Prabhupada explains:
“Another example is Prince Agnidhra, whose attention was drawn to the movements of Purvacitti, the Apsara, simply because he heard the tinkling of her ankle bells. In the same way that Visvamitra Muni was attracted by the tinkling bangles of Menaka, Prince Agnidhra, upon hearing the tinkling bangles of Purvacitti, immediately opened his eyes to see her beautiful movements as she walked.”
We can find many stories of this kind, where a great sage or yogi falls down because of the tinkling ankle bells or bangles worn by a woman. However, it is not the mere tinkling noise that interrupts a yogi’s meditation and bewilders him. If a man takes a set of ankle bells and simply holds them in his hands and tinkles them, it will most likely not bewilder anybody. It is the feminine energy on which the tinkling sound is traveling, which makes a man lose his mind. I don't think we will find any example where a woman falls down due to hearing a man’s ankle bells tinkling, because his energy is not as powerful. Only Krishna playing His flute bewilders every living entity.
There is another very nice example explained in the purport to the Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.22.17 - the story of Visvavasu, when beautiful, young Devahuti was playing ball on the rooftop of the palace, in a very innocent way. Her movements and tinkling of her ankle bells was so attractive and bewildering to Visvavasu that he did not only fall down, but he literally fell out of the airplane. Most likely we would not find a similar story the other way around. Even if some handsome fellows only dressed in a gamcha were playing basketball on the rooftop, a woman would not lose her mind and fall out of an airplane. They would not have this effect on a woman, because their energy is not so powerful.
In the purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.26.15, Srila Prabhupada explains in all details how we women are meant to use this powerful shakti: “Actually a woman is supposed to be the energy of the man. Historically, in the background of every great man there is either a mother or a wife […]”
A woman is meant to be the energy and inspiration to man. This is, in a nutshell, the beautiful role we women are meant to play — such a great responsibility! Srila Prabhupada very nicely explains this in the purport to the Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.21.4:
“When thus protected, women as a class remain an always auspicious source of energy to man.” Women are very powerful. They have the power to bring the very best out of a man both spiritually and materially. A woman can empower a man to his best performance and heights, or she can disempower him and entirely block him, ultimately ruining his life. Such is the power of a woman.
In the purport to the Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.1.29 relating the story of Maharaja Priyavrata and his wife Barhismati, Srila Prabhupada gives us deep and fascinating insights into this topic of the man-woman dynamics. He makes a very interesting point by stating that only men who are very brahminical by nature and sannyasis do not need this feminine energy to be inspired. Therefore only very brahminically inclined men should take sannyasa. All other men do need this feminine energy to be inspired and motivated. This might give some explanation why so many sannyasis in the past could not maintain their ashrama — because they were not so brahminical and thus ultimately needed this feminine energy in their life.
It is Krishna’s perfect arrangement that most men need this feminine energy to be motivated, just to make sure that women receive the protection they need. Otherwise, which man would want to protect a woman if he did not also, on a subtle level, need this feminine energy to be encouraged and inspired?
There are statistics showing that most men who are involved in criminal activities such as illegal drugs, violence, etc. are not married. Sociologist George Gilder said it best in his book Sexual Suicide. He makes it clear that single men (as a class) are often a threat to society. Until they accept the responsibility for families, their sexual aggression is largely unbridled and potentially destructive.
This indicates that the male nature of a man who does not have this feminine energy in his life can very easily get misdirected into a violent and destructive way. But when he has the encouragement of a wife, it directs his male nature in a constructive and uplifting way.
Krishna’s system is indeed so deep and interesting: how man and woman are meant to perfectly complement each other. For a man, to be married or not is not merely a question whether or not he can control his senses and be celibate. It is a more subtle question of feminine energy: whether he is brahminical enough not to depend on it. Most men, however, need it. Therefore, if a man is not properly situated in his ashrama, he may find it difficult to be inspired and active, and develop himself to his best level. This may be a main reason why in Kali Yuga the men become weaker and more irresponsible - because they no longer receive the empowerment of the feminine energy.
The British writer and Nobel Prize Laureate for Literature, Sir William Golding, made the following statement: “I think women are foolish to pretend that they are equal to men, they are far superior and always have been. Whatever you give a woman, she will make it greater. If you give her sperm, she will give you a baby. If you give her a house, she will give you a home. If you give her groceries, she will give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she will give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any [rubbish], be ready to receive a ton of [garbage].”
In the Manu-samhita 3.56, we find the following statement:
“Where women are honored, there the gods are pleased; but where they are not honored, no sacred rite yields rewards.”
Even the sankirtana yajna will not have good results, and Lord Chaitanya’s sankirtana movement will not flourish unless we deeply understand the important role women are playing. Thus women as a class have to be highly respected, honored, protected, and cared for.
On the 29th of May I flew to Kenya....
Your servant, Devaki dd
Please visit www.theholynameretreat.net
www.therootsofspiritualculture.net
https://www.facebook.com/instituteforspiritualculture/
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