And the Communist philosophy also, there are so many defects. They also think of equal rights for everyone but why not for the animals? What right you have got to kill the animals? Similarly, the animal also kill you. So this is not organized society. The organized society should be that there should be first-class men, brāhmaṇa. They would give advice to the second-class men, the administrators. And the administrator class of men, they will see that everyone is following the religious principles. And the third class men or the mercantile class of men, they should produce food. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). You'll find here, I'll read it. So, in this way, there must be classification. Not that everyone is one. No, that cannot be. By nature's division... Just you try to understand from your body.
Equal rights
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Adi-lila
It is the concern of the ācārya to show mercy to the fallen souls. In this connection, deśa-kāla-pātra (the place, the time and the object) should be taken into consideration. Since the European and American boys and girls in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement preach together, less intelligent men criticize that they are mingling without restriction. In Europe and America boys and girls mingle unrestrictedly and have equal rights; therefore it is not possible to completely separate the men from the women. However, we are thoroughly instructing both men and women how to preach, and actually they are preaching wonderfully. Of course, we very strictly prohibit illicit sex. Boys and girls who are not married are not allowed to sleep together or live together, and there are separate arrangements for boys and girls in every temple. Gṛhasthas live outside the temple, for in the temple we do not allow even husband and wife to live together. The results of this are wonderful. Both men and women are preaching the gospel of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Kṛṣṇa with redoubled strength.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
The description of mukti is given in the Bhagavad..., Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: muktir hitvā anyathā-rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). That is mukti. Mukti means if you give up the artificial endeavor to become predominator and become situated in your original position, being predominated. Artificially... Suppose a woman is trying to become man artificially, how long it will go on? How she can be happy? That is not possible. Actually, in the Western countries at least we see that the woman class, they want equal rights with men. And there is. There is no distinction. But it is my experience, the woman class, they are not happy in the Western countries. And still in our country, although we are so fallen, still our woman class remains satisfied. Being predominated, they are happy. They are happy. That is my practical experience. So I do not wish to discuss this point very much, but according to our Manu-saṁhitā, it is said that women should not be free. Na strī svātantryam arhati: "Svātantryam is not allowed to the woman class." Actually, we have seen, and by experience, those who are under the domination of the father when they, still they are not married, they are happy. Those who are under the domination of the husband after being married, they're happy. And those who are under the domination of elderly children, they are happy. So this statement of Manu-saṁhitā... Just like children should not be given freedom, similarly, woman should not be given freedom. They should be given all protection. That is our Vedic culture.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So children, brāhmaṇa, and here it is said strī, woman. According to Vedic politics, the children and brāhmaṇa, old men and woman, they have no fault. They are out of all laws of the state. Their fault will never be taken as seriously. They are innocent. They require protection. Now the agitation is that woman should have equal rights with man. So that is not Vedic idea. Vedic idea is that woman should be always protected. She is not independent. Just like child. All these children, their mother is always attentive. Child is going here; she is taking care. So that dependence is required. If the child says, "I am independent," that is not for his profit. The child must be taken care of. That is good. Similarly, woman also. Just like old man like us, I am always taken care of. Similarly, a brāhmaṇa also should be taken care of, first consideration. First protection, brāhmaṇa, saintly person. That is civilization. That is human society. Not that the children, women and the brāhmaṇas should be treated like cats and dogs. No, that is not civilization.
So these desires... This is the root cause of our coming to this material world, to enjoy. Enjoyment is there in the spiritual world, but there, in the spiritual world, the enjoyer is Kṛṣṇa, and everyone is enjoyed. That is the position. Just like in the Western countries, the women declare that "Why we should not have equal rights with the man?" But by nature it is different. The man is the enjoyer, and the woman is the enjoyed. That is the position. Bhoktā and bhogya. There are many social problems in your country—I do not wish to discuss—but it is very grave problems. But they do not know how to systematize the human form of life because they do not know what is the aim of life. That they do not know. So aim of life is to stop this repetition of birth and death. That is the aim of life. The so-called scientists, they do not know it, and neither they work for it. They do not know it.
But besides that, there is another prakṛti. Prakṛti means, who is that prakṛti? Jīva-bhūta, the living entities. The living entity's prakṛti. He is not puruṣa. Constitutionally, prakṛti means the things which are enjoyed. That is called prakṛti. And the enjoyer is called puruṣa. So nobody of us, either men or women. We are not puruṣa. We are all prakṛti constitutionally. That is called hitvānyathā rūpaṁ sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. When you live as prakṛti, not as puruṣa, that is called mukti. This is the definition of mukti. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2), every one of us, we are thinking as puruṣa, enjoyer. That is the fight between, going on. Just like in Western countries, the prakṛti, the woman, they're also fighting, "We have equal rights with the man." So this is going on.
Striya means woman. So there is no restriction for going back to home, back to Godhead, for anyone, and what to speak of man, woman, anyone. If he wants to go back, there is no restriction. Te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ. This is the difference. For God there is no discrimination. Women, men have equal rights to become godly and back to home, back to Godhead.
But what is this nonsense nationalism? Because it is not perfect. Simply taking care of some human being. Otherwise there is no question of nationalism. Even according to their definition of nationalism, there are so many discriminations. Nowadays in your country, now the white and the black have been given the equal rights. But formerly, although the blacks were born, they were treated like animals. But one of your president has given them the right. But there are so many defects. Unless you become mahātmā. So unless you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this so-called nationalism, philanthropism, altruism, this "ism"—that is all rascaldom.
Although we are prakṛti, we are thinking that we are puruṣa. But actually we are not puruṣa. We are also prakṛti. So this living entity, on the false understanding of becoming a puruṣa, they have come to this material world to enjoy the material nature.
- kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare
- pāsate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare
Just like a male and female. That movement is very strong now in America. The female wants to become male, or equal rights. This is māyā. How woman can become in equal with man? Of course, we are not going to study the social welfare activities or something like that, but puruṣa and prakṛti, they are different. Purusa means enjoyer, and prakṛti means enjoyed. So here the prakṛti, this material nature—earth, water, air, fire, sky, mind, intelligence, and ego, egotism—these are eight material things.
So the number of gṛhasthas are greater than the brahmacārīs, but they are mahājanas. It doesn't matter whether he is a gṛhastha or brahmacārī. Just like we are practically following. We are giving equal rights to everyone. Either gṛhastha or brahmacārī or sannyāsī, the main center is Kṛṣṇa. One who is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is all right. It doesn't matter what he is. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's recommendation.
This is ideal of human civilization. The every woman should try to become maidservant of her husband, and every man should try to become the hundred times servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is Indian civilization, not that "Husband and wife, we are equal rights." That, in Europe, America, the movement is going on, "Equal rights." That is not Vedic civilization. Vedic civilization is the husband should be a sincere servant of Kṛṣṇa, and the wife should be a sincere maidservant of the husband.
In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is mentioned, prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā, bhinnā prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā. This material nature is separated energy, divided into eight elements: earth, water, air, and fire, then ether, mind, intelligence and ego. These are all prakṛti, material. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. Bhinnā. Bhinnā means separated. There is not direct connection, but another prakṛti, that is... Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parā (BG 7.5). This is inferior energy, material elements, and there is superior element, prakṛti. That is also prakṛti. We are prakṛti. Prakṛti means under the control of the puruṣa. That is natural. We cannot conceive equal rights of puruṣa and prakṛti. That is not Vedic conception. Vedic conception is puruṣa, the superior, Supreme, and prakṛti means subordinate. Puruṣa is predominator, and prakṛti is predominated. So we living entities, we are prakṛti. Falsely if we try to become puruṣa, that is māyā. We should remain prakṛti, subservient, predominated. That is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
So in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find different statement by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In one place He says that vidyā-vindaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini. In another place Kṛṣṇa says, strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya, varṇa-saṅkaraḥ abhibhavāte. No, strīṣu dustasu: "When woman becomes polluted, then there is unwanted population." So if in one place it is stated that paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18), man and woman is equal, or paṇḍita, or learned, dog and brāhmaṇa, in another place He says, strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya, so the fact is that, in order to make progress towards the end of spiritual realization, that we must make distinction, but the aim should be one. If you artificially do not make distinction, that will not stay. Just like in your country the black and white, they have got equal rights, but why they fight sometimes, racial fight? Because it is on the material platform. So our point is that you come to the spiritual platform, then this equality will be possible. If you keep yourself on the material platform, then artificially you may say, "We are equal," but at last we shall fight. This is our proposition. Therefore we request everyone that you come to the spiritual platform. Then everything will be very nice. There will be no distinction, because brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. When one is spiritually realized, then he becomes happy.
General Lectures
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is little difficult for ordinary persons who are interested with the material gross and subtle elements. For them it is little difficult. But Kṛṣṇa says apareyam, "This is inferior, these energies." They are energies, prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā. Prakṛti means energy, just like prakṛti means woman, naturally a woman is under the control of the man. That is our Vedic system, and natural system also. However, the woman may claim equal rights, they are under the control of the man. That is natural. So similarly prakṛti means which is under the control of the Supreme Lord. That is prakṛti.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: The man and woman in your country, they have got equal rights. Why not here? (laughter) In the lavatory? Why this discrimination, "woman," "man," why? Equal rights, must be equal rights. (pause) What is the basic philosophy for contraceptive action? Why do they prefer contraceptive method?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Their point being to reduce the population, not to increase.
Prabhupāda: But population is reducing, it is increasing. You take the statistics, the world population is increasing, it is not decreasing.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: It is increasing, but not as fast as the...
Prabhupāda: Anyway it is increasing; it is not decreasing. And besides that, there is no such restriction among the birds and beasts. How you can make more for... A cat, a dog, a hog, this birth—one dozen children at a time. And twice in a year. So increasing population is more there, they have got more capacity. So they are not fasting.
Prabhupāda: Why the poor animals should be killed? They have got equal rights. But these rascals, they will not give equal rights. (break)... National means one who is born in that land. The animals are born in that land. Man is also born in that land. Trees are also born in that land. But they are not national. Only human beings national. Imperfect knowledge.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Everything will be satisfied. Just like our women, Kṛṣṇa conscious, they are working. They don't want equal rights with men. It is due to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are cleansing the temple, they are cooking very nicely. They are satisfied. They never say that "I have to go to Japan for preaching like Prabhupāda." They never say. This is artificial. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means work in his constitutional position.
Prabhupāda: So where is equal rights? Even in Russia, there is managerial class and laborer class. Where are equal rights? Why there are managers? Yes. I have seen it. The managerial class and the laborer class. So where is equality? Why the managerial class? You know that? There must be required. The old women, they are sweeping the street. Why not Mr. Lenin come and sweep the street? Why he is sitting in a big palace and the poor woman has been engaged to sweep the street? Where is equality? What advancement they have made? We are following opiate. They are following opiate, Lenin's rascal's philosophy. That's all. That is also opiate. But where is equality? That is also opiate. You are advocating equality, but where there is a man manager and another man is working. So why you are accepting this nonsense philosophy being opiated by rascal Lenin?
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: I shall see that equal rights. As a woman is giving birth to a child, the man will also will give child." These things are foolishness. This is not intelligence. The women are claiming equal rights. So, stop giving birth to a child? Then equal rights. Can it be possible? The man and woman unite, but the woman becomes pregnant, not the man. And if somebody says, now the man will become pregnant, is it not foolishness?
Prabhupāda: Oh. And this path is not dangerous? (laughter) Everything is dangerous in the material world. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). In every step there is danger. That is material life. (break) ...they claim equal rights man and woman. Why in the lavatory they are different?
Prabhupāda: And these rascals giving equal rights. Just see. And Vedic civilization: "No, they should be protected." The woman should be protected by the father, by the husband, and by elderly sons. No independence. (break) ...she is my sister. She is old, about three years less than me, but she has got sons. She is very happy moving, protected by the sons. Even Kuntī, such intelligent woman, such educated and..., she also kept herself under her sons, the Pāṇḍavas. The Pāṇḍavas lost the game. They were banished, but Kuntī was not banished. But she said, "Then how shall I...? I must go with my sons." Sītā, wife of Lord Rāmacandra. So Rāmacandra was ordered by His father, "My dear son, You have to go forest for fourteen years." Sītā was not ordered. But she voluntarily followed. "Where shall I go? You are my husband. You are going to the forest? I shall go to the forest." This is Vedic civilization.
Woman Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda is liberating everybody who chants Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: They have given. In your country, they have given you liberty. Liberty means equal rights, is it not? Man and woman has got equal rights.
Sandy Nixon: They're trying in this country.
Prabhupāda: All right, trying. But you women, you cannot see that this so-called equal right means cheating the woman. Now I say more clearly that a woman and man meets. Now they become lover. Then they have sex, and the woman becomes pregnant, and the man goes away. The simple woman, she has to take charge of the child and beg from government alms, "Please give me money." This is your independence. Do you admit this is independence, that the man makes the woman pregnant and he goes away without any responsibility, and the woman cannot give up the child, she maintains, begging from the government or she tries to kill the child? Do you think it is very good independence? What is your answer?
Prabhupāda: The cause is lusty desires, anger, greediness. So we are thinking we are master of this material world, but actually you are servant of these desires, kāma, krodha, lobha, mohaḥ. And that is māyā. He is acting as servant, but he's thinking, "I am master." That is māyā, which is not the fact. Just like yesterday we were discussing that the women, they are acting as instrument of men, and they are thinking, "We have equal rights." A man is utilizing her for his own purpose, and she is thinking "I am equal."
Ravīndra-svarūpa: I think you really surprised them when you told them that this women's liberation is just a trick by the men just to increase the class of prostitutes, available prostitutes.
Prabhupāda: Free prostitutes. You go to a prostitute; you have to pay. Here they have arranged in such a way that free prostitute loitering on the street, and you can enjoy any one. This is their plan. They are rendered into beggar, and they are thinking equal rights.
Prabhupāda: Now these rascal Westerners, there the women claiming equal rights. Change that the man will give birth to a child and not the woman.
Kartikeya: Equal right.
Prabhupāda: Equal rights. Make agreement. "Once you beget; once I shall." (laughs) Make this contract. Then it is equal right. If the woman has to give birth of a child and she has to suffer all the pains thereof, then where is the equal right? Where is equal right? Nature has said, "You must suffer." The husband, the so-called husband, will give birth, er, will utilize you for sex satisfaction, and you will be pregnant, and he will go away and you will suffer the whole life to maintain the child, welfare—"Give me some money"—or this or that. Where is equal right? He is free. He has gone away. Huh? This is general experience in the Western countries.
Prabhupāda: (break) How to kill child. This is education. Huh? Educated girl means how to divorce husband, how to kill child. Is it not? Educated, modern educated girl means how to become unfaithful to the husband, how to divorce and how to kill child.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: How to get equal rights.
Prabhupāda: No, equal rights, that's all right. This is the education. The uneducated girls do not do this.
Prabhupāda: It may require... No, I said that "If you are equal rights, then make some arrangement: sometimes you become pregnant; sometimes he becomes pregnant. Why there is not right, equal right?"
Prabhupāda: No, no, I don't say that I don't like women, but I cannot say that equal rights. How can I say? First of all show that you equal rights—your husband becomes sometimes pregnant and then you become pregnant, alternately.
Prabhupāda: Where is equal right? Even in Russia there is no equal rights. They have created some of them are managers, and some of them are workers. Why? If equal rights, then everyone should be manager.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: You talk on reasonable ground, that "You are in favor of giving everyone the same facility. So what do you mean by 'everyone'? Why you are selecting only your countrymen? Why? 'Everyone' means every living being." So what is their answer?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, we agree to spread communism all over the world, and we'll give everyone equal rights.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. So equal rights, why not to the animals?
Rāmeśvara: The women argue, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that they can be given.... If they are given a good chance, they can make equal contribution in business, in science. So they are demanding equal rights, equal employment.
Prabhupāda: So why.... Why not equal rights that you stop producing children like the man? The man does not produce. Why you are obliged to produce?
Rāmeśvara: That is their special qualification.
Prabhupāda: That is.... Similarly, everything is special. You are a different entity. You must have different engagements. That is your perfection.
Reporter (5): Do you have women followers also in this movement?
Prabhupāda: Yes. America, men and women have got equal rights.
Reporter (1): Sir, whom do you find more responsive to your movement, women or men?
Prabhupāda: Everyone. Everyone. They are very fortunate. And I am very much indebted to them because they have helped me. Yes.
Prabhupāda: Just see, in all there are so many husbandless girls, and the children have not gone with the husbands, to the man. They are after the mother. How you'll have equal rights? They cannot. At this your heart will cry, "Oh, I have left my children, I am unhappy." That is... Just like our Hari-śauri's grandmother's advice to his mother to kill him. He said. And she refused. This is natural inclination. How... Artificially they are thinking like that, violating nature's law. Therefore they must suffer.
You are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, so you desire only how to serve Him. Why you are desiring otherwise? They will suffer. We are desiring, "I shall become God," "I shall become one with God," "I shall become this, I shall become..." So many hundreds and thousands. So that you have to stop. Because you are servant, you should desire how to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is your natural... Eh? Just like in your country the women, they are thinking of equal rights. Eh? And how you can equal rights? You have to become pregnant. So you become pregnant and take care of the child; that is your duty. In India still, you'll find they are happy. And now they are, "No, we shall be equal with the men." And how you'll stop your pregnancy? And that they do not think. So they're thinking that "We shall not be pregnant, and if we become pregnant we shall kill, and we shall have equal rights with the men." This is going on.
Prabhupāda: Equal rights. The rascal father has left, and poor mother is carrying the burden.
Rāmeśvara: She chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa just by seeing us.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. There is no other way. We are the only shelter for these forlorn women.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We have to give them shelter.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, certainly.
Ambarīṣa: Yes. About a month ago there was a black lawyer, and he was walking out of the City Hall in Boston, and some white people beat him with an American flag. They beat him with an American flag and hurt him very badly, and this caused very much...
Prabhupāda: Commotion.
Ambarīṣa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: There is hatred within. Artificially they have given equal rights.
Prabhupāda: You see this black men. They earn sufficient money, but see their home. See their home. You America, you have given them equal rights, they are getting money, but they have no culture. Therefore you may pay them as much as you like, but still poverty-stricken. In Africa also I have seen that they have got their own kingdom, independence, but if we go to the African slums, they are poverty-stricken, wretched. So this civilization will not endure. If there is no culture, simply by money you cannot maintain a standard of civilization. That is not possible. Now the American leaders they are thinking, "Let us have money, then everything..." Of course, by money you are covering all the defects of the social culture. But this will not endure. Day will come and everything will be exposed. Therefore culture required.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Government means a set of rascals. But practical point of view the woman wants equal right. Equal rights they enjoy, and the woman becomes pregnant, and he goes away, the boy. And she has to kill the child or beg from the government. This is her freedom. And still, equal rights. Where equal right? The boy has gone away. You also go away? No. You'll have to carry the child. To get freedom you have to kill or you have to beg. And still she thinks, "I am free."
Prabhupāda: I denied, "No, you cannot have." I told them. One girl in the airship, she was seeing like (makes some gesture-laughter). I asked her, "Give me 7-Up." "It is locked now." So I frankly said that "No, no. You cannot have equal rights because your brain is thirty-four ounce." Actually that's a fact. Where is woman philosopher, mathematician, scientist? Not a single.
Dr. Patel: Apart from that, I mean, they are made for a particular mission.
Prabhupāda: How they can have equal rights? Up to date in the history there is not a single woman who is a great scientist or great philosopher or great...
Dr. Patel: Madame Curie was a...
Prabhupāda: All bogus. (laughter)
Dr. Patel: You are getting too harsh on them because...
Prabhupāda: No, no. How can I give you equal rights, because your brain is less substance.
Prabhupāda: Śūdra is to be controlled only. They are never given to be freedom. Just like in America. The blacks were slaves. They were under control. And since you have given them equal rights they are disturbing, most disturbing, always creating a fearful situation, uncultured and drunkards. What training they have got? They have got equal right? That is best, to keep them under control as slaves but give them sufficient food, sufficient cloth, not more than that. Then they will be satisfied.
Correspondence
1973 Correspondence
Regarding the black lady in Cleveland, if she is actually serious about Krsna consciousness, give her a little freedom. Just behave with her a little gently, so she may be encouraged to spread Krsna consciousness amongst the blacks. Actually if she preaches the importance of this movement amongst the blacks, it will be more effective. This racial color distinction may continue, but when a devotee is actually advanced these things will disappear. Therefore we have to be a little tactful how to induce people to take to Krsna consciousness seriously. That should be our main object. Encourage her to sell books. If black men read our books, it will be a great achievement. As your President Lincoln gave the blacks equal rights, let us cooperate with them.
| Page Title: | Equal rights |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, Caitanyadev, Alakananda |
| Created: | 31 of Jan, 2009 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=1, OB=0, Lec=13, Con=25, Let=1 |
| No. of Quotes: | 40 |