Petition (Lectures, Conv. and Letters)

Expressions researched:
"petition" |"petitioned" |"petitioning" |"petitions"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.8.33 -- Los Angeles, April 25, 1972:

Mām upetya. "One who approaches Me or one who comes to Me, back to home, back to Godhead." So they have no knowledge what is God and whether one can go back to home, back to Godhead. It is a practical thing or not. No knowledge. Simply like animals. That's all. No knowledge. They pray: "O, God, give us our daily bread." Now ask him: "What is God?" Can he explain? No. Then whom we are asking? In the air? If I ask, if I submit some petition, there must be some person. So I do not know what is that person, where to submit this petition. Simply... They say that He's in the sky. The sky, there are so many birds also, but that is not God. You see. No knowledge, no knowledge. Imperfect knowledge, all.

Lecture on SB 1.8.34 -- Mayapur, October 14, 1974:

So Brahmā was approached by the earth, mother earth. She felt overburdened by the sinful activities of the demons. So Brahmā approaches Nārāyaṇa, er, Viṣṇu—not directly he can see, but he can stand on the bank of the ocean of milk, and from there he can submit his petition. And Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu gives His order. So once upon a time, when the whole world was overburdened—this is the history of Kṛṣṇa's birth—so the earthly planet approached Brahmā to appeal to Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu to have His incarnation to diminish the burden of the world.

Lecture on SB 1.15.34 -- Los Angeles, December 12, 1973:

You know that in the Kṛṣṇa book, how Kṛṣṇa appeared. There was an appeal by the earth, mother earth, that she is overburdened with demons, and it was unbearable for her what to do. So this petition was submitted to Viṣṇu by Brahmā, and Viṣṇu replied that "Kṛṣṇa is coming and He will do the needful." This was the beginning. So as soon as there is yadā yadā hi dharmasya glāniḥ (BG 4.7), the planet becomes overburdened by the sinful demons, so they require to be moved and the burden lessened. That was the function of Kṛṣṇa's coming. Whenever Kṛṣṇa comes in different incarnation, there is need. Glānir bhavati bhārata. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glāniḥ (BG 4.7).

Lecture on SB 1.15.45 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1973:

Suppose you are being harassed by the police. You are put into the prisonhouse. And in so many ways you are being harassed by the criminal department. How you can get out? You simply file a petition, "Sir I am now experienced. I will never commit this criminal act. Kindly excuse me and get me released." That is the only way. Similarly, you can be very proud that "I don't care for God. There is no God. I am God. You are God." You can go on talking nonsense like that, but the māyā will give you so much trouble. But if you are sane man, then you will admit that "This was a wrong thing. Please excuse me." And then it will be possible. But that is not possible. Especially in this age, in Kali-yuga, the age is very strong and deteriorated that in spite of our daily class, daily instruction, the Kali is so strong that capturing, "Please come under my control and be killed. Please come under my... Be killed." "Yes, I will go." This is going on.

Lecture on SB 5.5.31 -- Vrndavana, November 18, 1976:

Everything is going on systematically. You cannot change. That is called destiny. Destiny means that so long we are under the laws of nature, that is to happen. You cannot change it. That is not possible. Only... Such law can be changed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). You cannot. That is not possible. Nobody can do it. If you have done something wrong, sinful, you must suffer. There is no escape. But He can do that. Just like if you are condemned by the law court to be hanged, nobody can change it. Even the judge who has given you the punishment, even if you appeal to him, "Sir, excuse me," no, he cannot excuse you by law. But if you file petition to the president or the king—that is called king's mercy—he can change. Similarly, whatever we are doing, we must enjoy or suffer. There is no question of enjoyment. When there is birth, death, old age and disease, where is enjoyment? There is no enjoyment. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This is a world of suffering. Kṛṣṇa says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. You cannot There is no question of enjoyment. But because we are in māyā, suffering we are accepting as enjoyment. Suffering is accepted as enjoyment. This is called māyā.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Indian Ambassador -- September 5, 1973, Stockholm:

Prabhupāda: After full logic, and consideration, you accept, not blindly. But if you do that, you'll see it is wonderful. It is wonder... So why those who are advanced in education, they should not take this movement seriously and try to understand seriously and cooperate with us? It is not a blind thing. So... Actually, from government level, we are not getting any support. Not... I don't speak in India. Anywhere.

Ambassador: Yes, I am aware of the government problem.

Prabhupāda: Eh? Because they think, "Oh, it is religious." Not only they are... In America there are big, big foundation. As soon as we submit some petition, "Help us," "No, no, we don't help any religious movement." That's all. We don't get any help. Simply Kṛṣṇa has given us this chance of selling these books. That's all. Nobody's cooperating. Rather, when our people go to sell these literatures and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, they're arrested and harassed.

Ambassador: I see.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Ambassador: That is because of, I think, a lot of confusion with drug movement, hippies and all that...

Prabhupāda: Oh. But... It may be... You might have been cheated by counterfeit money in some place. Does it mean there is no good money? What is this reasoning? "Because I have been cheated by some man, he gave me some counterfeit money, therefore I'll not touch money any more. No. Any note, that's all. We don't like." What is this? He must judge whether it is counterfeit or real. That is required.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- March 20, 1974, Bombay:

Guest: ...jī? May I submit a matter?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest: This about propaganda and collecting the signatures in the lakhs will not only take a lot of energy of the devotees, but it will take more time also. It is, in the city of Bombay, it is not practicable. Because people are very busy, and around the clock everybody is counting every second which he spends and more so, it's difficult for people to devote time towards a sat-saṅga or to sign the letter that they had no objection and on the contrary, the action of the police commissioner is condemnable, undesirable. That will take a lot of time. And I think by writing them a letter, by of our reconsidering, we lose nothing.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Guest: By writing them a petition.

Prabhupāda: But if... It has no effect.

Guest: I don't say there is no effect. They can always reopen the case and reconsider because the two grounds there which they have mentioned. Number one, it is a nuisance. It is to be proved it's a nuisance. And always a practice...

Prabhupāda: Then, then you have to go, public should go. Those who are interested Hindus and Vaiṣṇavas, they should go to the court and prove in the court that it is not nuisance, essential.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with three Trappist Monks, Psychologists from the University of Georgia, and Atlanta Lawyer, Michael Green -- March 1, 1975, Atlanta:

Guest (4): It is wrong to petition God?

Prabhupāda: No, it is not wrong, but it is not pure devotion.

Guest (4): I see.

Prabhupāda: Some way or other, if you go to God, that is very good. With motive or without motive, you have come to God, that is piety. That is better than to become impious. Impious men, they do not go to God.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Evening Darsana -- August 11, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: Without God's sanction you cannot do anything, that's a fact. But what kind of sanction it is, that you have to understand. God is creator, God is giving sanction, everything is God. Otherwise how He is God? But He has to do. There is a story like that, that the thief is praying to God, "My Lord, give me the chance I can make some stealing in that house." And the householder also praying to God, "My Lord, please save my house, my things may not be stolen." Now God has to adjust, God has to please the thief and the householder. And both of them are prayers. So God has so intelligence, He can do that. He can give the sanction to the thief and He can give protection to the householder. That is God's position. Because both of them prayers, praying, "Give me the facility." And īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). And He is situated in everyone's heart and there are so many petitions, and He has to deal with them. That is God.

Room Conversation on New York court case -- November 2, 1976, Vrindaban:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I think the best thing is to mobilise all the Indians in America because every country...

Prabhupāda: Yes, that I have already suggested, that they should take signature from all Indians that this is genuine Indian cultural movement and it a great fortune for Indians. They were bereft of their own culture and now we have got this culture again. The Ratha-yātrā is going on, we are so much enlivened. In this way they should file petition.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Just like in England they would not let you do the Ratha-yātrā, the Indians...

Prabhupāda: Ah. This is discrimination against sect...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Against minority.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Against minority.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: And no government in the world wants to do that.

Prabhupāda: It is against American constitution. So they should file immediately a case.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: And America is very sensitive to...

Prabhupāda: So you note down, you are simply hearing. Note down and inform them. Yes. Ah, it is being recorded, that's alright. So give them this direction. Combine the Indian community. In Toronto and in..., there are many thousands of Indians, New York, Canada, London. These are very important places.

Room Conversation on New York court case -- November 2, 1976, Vrindaban:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Frankly Śrīla Prabhupāda, no member of parliament will give it either. I know because even when Tejas was applying for his citizenship, Krishna Modi would not even give a letter of recommendation because he said this is a Congress Party policy.

Prabhupāda: Then what can be done. Everything is nasty.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. So this is what we'll do. We'll be starting a...

Prabhupāda: You can give the names. There are so many members.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. We are starting a petition here also.

Prabhupāda: Not only petition. You can give the... Ask what is this (indistinct) this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: And also...

Prabhupāda: If there is... Now Brahmānanda has at least given this order that they should be given..., that they be allowed to stay two years. That letter is there.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I have that letter. That letter says they have come to study Vedic literature.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That letter is there. Also we have a lot of other letters from great...

Prabhupāda: The Indians should send a petition to the government that "We want this movement here. We are separated from our culture. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami has brought this..."

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They say mobilising the Indians in America...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: ...and that's the most important thing.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is a most important thing. That you cannot discriminate minority communities. That is against American constitution.

Room Conversation on New York court case -- November 2, 1976, Vrindaban:

Haṁsadūta: Prabhupāda, when this, when we had a similar situation in Germany, what we wanted to do is have all our centers in important cities in foreign countries all over the world make a letter and a delegation to visit the United States embassy in all these places. This will have an effect because if it's brought, if it comes in this way, international reaction...

Prabhupāda: Yes, arrange like this.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We can understand, Rāmeśvara suggested we send a big petition of telegrams to the American consulate. Because then American consulate will transmit these telegrams to the state department in Washington. We said that if our... We would pay for it but our life members will all sign if we send a telegram to the American...

Prabhupāda: Hm, Dr. Saligram taken a leading part?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Who?

Hari-śauri: Dr. Saligram Sukla.

Prabhupāda: Saligram Sukla.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: In America? Yes.

Prabhupāda: He is a learned scholar and he is influential man in educational circles. There are many Indians you'll find, they are...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So we can mobilise all the Indians, that's the best process.

Prabhupāda: Yes, Indian opinion. I have already given suggestion. The Indians should come forward. And from here also, similar if the member... Respectable Indian businessmen they should say that this Kṛṣṇa cult is very, very old, genuine and we are so enlightened that Swami Bhaktivedanta has taken this movement to the foreign countries. We are so proud, like that.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- October 12, 1977, Vrndavana:

Jayapatākā: Yes. The charges can't be dropped by us, but if the two parties make a type of compromise agreement and file a petition to the court...

Prabhupāda: But now the fight is not between them and us. The fight is between government and them.

Jayapatākā: Many barristers in Calcutta say that if due to political pressure, this or that, some people come and ask us to try to file a petition for dropping charges, that there's no need to do that, because the case is well in our favor.

Prabhupāda: Yes. If you drop, they get opportunity.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Pope Paul VI -- Montreal 3 August, 1968:

Therefore, in the matter of sex, the human society is gradually degrading even less decent than the animals. As a result of unrestricted sense gratification, even in ordinary dealing, a man cannot trust another man, because the cheating propensity of a man has increased beyond imagination. Attraction of young boys for young girls is no more as a matter of love, but such attraction is only on the basis of sexual potency. As soon as there is slackening of sex life, there is immediately the divorce petition.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Balai -- Los Angeles 21 July, 1969:

I thank you so much for your letter of July 15, 1969, and I think of you very often that you are a most ideal devotee wife. Your husband, Advaita, is working very hard and nicely in Krishna Consciousness, and when the husband is executing his activities very nicely it is credit not only to the husband himself, but it is a credit to his wife also. In materialistic marriages generally there are too many troubles and frustrations because the basic principle for both the husband and wife is their own personal sense gratification. Therefore there is inevitable conflict and divorce petition. But in a Krishna Conscious marriage the basic principle is for both husband and wife to serve Krishna nicely and to help the partner advance in spiritual life. In this way both the husband and wife are true benefactors for one another and there is no question of any serious conflicts or separation.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Karandhara, Tamala Krsna, Giriraja, Bhavananda -- Vrindaban 24 October, 1972:

In my opinion if you apply a petition before the magistrate that Nair has taken the money, that he is not giving the conveyance, playing tricks, and that now he is threatening by violence, such petition will clear everything. He is afraid of going to court, that is our favorable point. My clear-cut view is simply to present a petition to the magistrate. It costs only 12 annas. This complaint should be submitted, take a good criminal lawyer and file, then everything will be clear.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Tejiyas -- Calcutta 15 March, 1973:

This program of approaching MPs is very very important. If you can get this petition approved, that would be a great boon to our movement. Even if 15 or 20 MPs join our Society that will be a new chapter for us. And your petition is very attractively worded. Actually India is the spiritual leader of the world but the fools and rascals are trying to sabotage the position.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Los Angeles 11 May, 1973:

The deposit money of Rs. 700/. with the other Shebait has not yet been settled up. We shall file a petition to the rent controller court and fix up a standard rent for all the four rooms up and down. And the rent which will be fixed up for the upper two rooms, we will adjust for one years rent from the Rs. 700/. with interest. When you file the petition we shall bring in all the Shebaits names. In this way we have to deal with these men.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to B.R. Sridhara Maharaja -- Los Angeles 6 June, 1976:

From Mayapur we went to Vrindaban, then on to Bombay. Then from Bombay to Melbourne, Australia, then Auckland, New Zealand, and then to Fiji Island where we have observed the foundation stone laying ceremony for our temple there, Krishna-Kaliya Temple. This will be the first temple on that island. There are many Indians on that island but there was no systematic temple worship so we are constructing a temple at the cost of $200,000. In the meantime, I have received one letter from Jayapataka Maharaja in which it informs that Madhava Maharaja and also possibly Damodara Maharaja are making propaganda against our attempt to construct a township in Mayapur, with the centre of attraction being the "Vedic Planetarium." In this connection we have applied to the government for 350 acres of land and the matter is in the process. However, Damodara Maharaja and Madhava Maharaja are trying to frustrate our attempt. I shall quote the portion from Jayapataka's letter to me:

"After the report (request for land) was submitted, the District Magistrate sent some land officers to come here to our site to inspect the lands and their position, nature, etc. During this time the local people some how or other came to know about the acquisition. This was mainly transmitted through Damodara Maharaja initially, some persons say. Some local farmers raised a petition against the land acquisition, with about 90 signatures. Petitions for having the development plans go through are also being raised by the local people, the majority of whom support the ISKCON plan. About 2,000 should be raised in total in favor of this project. One supporter, while coming to show me his petition, with 500 signatures on it, was kidnapped and the petition was snatched away. He was taken to Madhava Maharaja's Math doorstep and some of the local cultivators and Prabhu's of the Math threatened him and demanded why he was supporting ISKCON. The supporter was now more determined to raise support in face of the rude behavior. Other persons have been also called to Madhava Maharaja's Math and chastised for helping us. They say our mission is political and we want only the downfall of India and political power. They are so envious." (end of quote). As a matter of fact, I am trying to develop a township in Mayapur spending crores of rupees to give protection against the occasional innundation (flood) and construct a tall planetarium estimated to be 300 feet high. So why they are obstructing this program? What is the harm to them? People are already coming from all parts of the world to see Mayapur and join in the Sankirtana Movement, so if something more attractive is done, more people will come from all parts of the world. So what is their tangible objection? Of course, they cannot do all these things, it is beyond their power, but if somebody else does it, why should they be envious and obstructive to this plan?

They are supposed to be very close associates of Your Holiness, so if you kindly ask them not to obstruct this program, it will be very kind of you.