Deconstructing Shishupala’s character assassination of Krishna
Srimad Bhagavatam class (10.74.35-38) at New Ramana Reti, ISKCON, Alachua
Lecture Summary:
10.74.35
What we speak about others speaks more about us than about others
Criticism is phrased contextually, but the malicious intention is often intentional
Eg. Today racist
What we speak is not as defining as why we speak it
Eg. SP – rajas tamo gune era sabai acchana al
Shishupala – friendly to Pandavas, envious of Krishna
10.74.36
Std strategy: Dredge up old stories to denigrate others
Yayati’s curse
“He has been in good standing recently, but he had problems earlier”
VCT – vyaja-stuti
What is unknown soon becomes falsely known
Eg ISKCON devotees – cult members in US and drug users in India
10.74.37
Common mistake: equate geographical with cultural / spiritual
Eg. Area outside India – fallen
Pure devotee’s potency: yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah
Rumors don’t need facts – they just need feelings
Eg. People being exploited in Dwarka / Christians being exploited in India
Jiva G – Krishna shifted Mathura-vasis to Dwarka primarily to protect Vrajavasis
10.74.38
Different kinds of criticism require different kinds of responses:
Tiny – neglect will die out
Big – may need to be countered
It requires great strength to resist the natural human tendency to defend oneself by countering criticism
The harsh words of our enemies don’t hurt as much as the deafening silence of our friends
3 different responses:
- Neglect
- Let others respond
- Respond yourself