Dandavats to You, Parasuram Prabhu
BY: PRALAMBAHA DAS
May 30, 2012 — TANZANIA, AFRIA (SUN) — The misguided prediction of "Krishna das" in his article, "Speaking Out at the Manor", that "Sriman Parasuram Prabhu will not speak out" has gone far awry. And with that miscalculation, so has his statement flown out the window that Parasuram is "not the sharpest pencil in the pack." Parasuram's uncompromising assessment of today's Hare Krishna Movement in his article "ISKCON Has Changed", proves what a truthful and outspoken devotee he is. Parasuram is a sampradaya faithful whose interests lie in serving the order of the Founder-Acharya.
"Krishna das'" derogatory characterization of a great Vaishnava who has dedicated his every breath to Prabhupada's movement in this beittling manner amounts to the vilest form of Vaishnava aparadha. Of course as a Vaishnava, Parasurama has taken these words on his own head as the mercy of the Lord.
We have been assurred that devotees are the most intelligent persons on the planet and this was certainly Srila Prabhupada's promise to us. Among devotees, Sriman Parasuram is a tireless preacher who is ever finding new ways to instill the joy of Krishna consciousness through witty poems, magic shows, song, theater, video and other mediums. And even though these activities on the Internet or at Krishna Conscious festivals are are all superb as well as insightful, nonetheless they are only adjuncts to his tireless activities of sankirtan.
He is an active prasad distributor in one of the poorer section of London. Each year he accompanies a bullock cart sankirtan procession around Vrajabhumi, distributing books to the Vrajavasis. He is the innovator of Food For All (instead of the humanitarian-saturated Food For Life, which smacks of condescenscion in the form of 'poor feeding'). He is the inventor of a sort of Ricksha Sankirtan which never fails to attract smiles and plenty of attention. His form of comedy preaching is unique. To all the children in our congregation he is a hero, and a charming one at that.
Among devotees he is the most tireless of unsung servants of the lotus feet of the Founder-Acharya. That he has come out yesterday to state his trepidations about ISKCON's slide towards impersonal and materially profitable programmes demonstrates the character of this rare devotee, and his high intelligence. Intelligence, as Prabhupada so expertly showed the world, means keeping it simple. Simplcity should not be mistaken for not being a "sharpened pencil", which is a particularly cruel and un-Vaishnava charicterization certainly not befitting anyone who goes by the name "Krishna das." Rather, simplicity is one of the well-known qualifications of a devotee.
Some months back there was an article in the Sun called "Dark Days at Bhaktivedanta Manor", imploring the leaders and old timers from the Manor to speak out. That article asked each of the big swamis by name to be honest and open, and none of them bothered to raise their timid little voices. Well, Prabhavisnu Ex-swami was also asked to chime in, and we have all been disappointed as to his response, to say the least. As a last resort, that article finally requested Parasuram to speak up, since he is the genuine devotee of the lot who has not made a niche in ISKCON for himself to revel in the glory of living on Cloud 9 with an elite clique. Well, the fighting Irishman has spoken up, and this world of Prabhupada-seva now owes him a great debt of gratitude.
As far as the Irish are concerned—and Parasuram represents the best of that country—it is not surprising to learn that a huge number of "British" writers, inventors, thinkers and humorists have all been Irish. What the British did to the Irish by stealing their works by calling them "British" should not happen to Parasuram by casting him in a false light. He has shown us who is sharp and who is the dull, useless pencil with no point at all. I offer dandavats in the dust of the lotus feet of this servant of Lord Gauranga's sacred mission.
