What is the Purpose
of ISKCON?

By David Greensberg

Posted Mar. 31, 2005

Kaveri Devi Dasi wrote:

"We are part of an already degraded society. We shouldn't forget this and act as if this has nothing to do with us. As devotees we don't want to water down the standards or principles, because we understand that the result won't be the same. But what's the object of all the rules and regulations we have? What's the purpose of ISKCON?"

I find this hits the spot. What is the purpose of ISKCON?

Is the purpose of ISKCON to be like the Christian right in America? Is ISKCON supposed to be the moral watchdog of society? Is ISKCON supposed to be the gateway to Vraja or the demagogic enforcer of morality?

If ISKCON takes the stand of being the morality police, then this will automatically curtail its effectiveness in being the gateway to Vraja. This is an axiomatic truth. What would happen is that spirituality would be replaced by moral ideology. Instead of ISKCON being about the distribution of kirtan and prasadam and the Bhagavata, its purpose would be to tell people what is wrong with their lives. It would change from being a purveyor of a positive into being a purveyor of a negative. Instead of embracing all people and sharing the gift of Sri Sri Radha Govinda, it would be about finding faults with people.

This is seen all the time. Some devotees preach about Krishna, some preach about Maya. Some preach about the positive message of the Gita, others preach about the negative moral situation in the present-day society.

There has to be a balance. If you want ISKCON to succeed, then any impediment to that success will be anathema. If you care more about the integrity of preaching a moral dogma, then you will not care about the impediments that will be created to the success of the overall mission by insisting on that.

Hrdayananda Maharaja clearly cares more about the success of the mission. In modern society we find a different social paradigm then the one during Srila Prabhupada's lila among us. The politically correct viewpoint is the respected viewpoint among the class of people who will be naturally attracted to ISKCON. This means the liberal class of society. In Europe that is the overwhelming majority of people. In America that is around 60 percent of the people. If ISKCON presents a politically incorrect attitude towards the gay issue, then it will alienate its natural audience.

This has to do with the success of ISKCON. One of the offenses to the holy name is considering the holy name to be equal to mundane morality or some kind of activity in the mode of goodness. If we take the mundane moral high ground on the basis of the moral unacceptability of gay marriage in the present social situation, then we commit an offense to the name. We deny access to the name by aligning ourselves with reactionary politics in the minds of the public, or non-Vaisnavas. By siding with mundane moral paradigms that are unpopular and insignificant to our purpose, we equate the chanting of the holy name with mundane morality.

The sankirtan movement is above mundane morality and to hold it hostage to it would be a mistake. Only good can come of taking the path shown by Hrdayananda Maharaja. ISKCON will be seen as the champion of liberty and human rights by our natural audience. I see his suggestion as the idea of a person who wants all facility for the spreading of the holy name to be opened up. I cheer his brave writing.

© dipika.org Mar. 31, 2005