HARE KRISHNA: THE KRISHNA TRILOGY

ISKCON or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness was created in the sixties by Abhay Charan De Prabhupada in New York.

Prabhupada wrote the three-volume work on Lord Krishna, called Krishna, which was financed by the Beatle George Harrison. It is supposed to give an authentic account of the life of Lord Krishna on earth.

The most shocking thing about the book is its matter of fact approach to Krishna’s stupendous super-miracles. Krishna allegedly lifted a hill. His expansion, another self, Lord Balarama, was going to pull a city into the River Ganges with his plough (Vol 2, page 132). There is no evidence for these obvious fairy-tales.

Krishna could decapitate enemies with his magic disc and he did that to a man he thought was in possession of the Syamantaka Jewel only to end up confessing to Balarama that this was a mistake for the man hadn’t got it (Vol 2, page 16). This was evidently murder and what kind of God would make a mistake? Krishna is unworthy of worship. But just a couple of pages later the silly Prabhupada inconsistently asserted that “Krishna is the Supersoul in everyone and knows everything going on in everyone’s heart” (page 18).

Krishna and Balarama were the same person but in different bodies at the same time and yet Krishna complained that Balarama did not believe him when he said that he jewel was with Akrura (Vol 2, page 18).

The Krishna scriptures claim that anybody who hears the story of the Jew will be freed from bad karma and reach perfect peace in salvation (page 19). That is like saying that anybody who hears the parable of Jesus about the pearl of great price will inevitably and certainly be saved! This is not religion but magic. What is more, the story is not even slightly edifying.

Krishna accepted the unscientific delusions of astrology for he used it to work out the best time to marry Kalindi (Vol 2, page 27). God would not have needed to go to the trouble. This Krishna is said to be self-sufficient because he is the wonder of the universe! (page 29).

Far from being concerned about the poor Krishna took a huge dowry that included 900,000 chariots and 9000 elephants when he wed the princess Satya (page 32).

Krishna confessed that a man should be content with one wife though he had 16,000 wives (page 49). He said he could not please all of them. Even though he was omnipotent and could divide himself into thousands of Krishnas! How impossible!

He said he didn't know how to be well mannered to women (Vol 2, page 50). He blamed his childhood in little village for that.

Krishna even told one of his wives that she could have marred better than him (page 51). And we are called upon to hail that fallible weak human being as God! He confessed that he could not help her for the next life at all and anther man could do so (page 52). Krishna then went back on this and said he was joking when he realised that his wife had taken him in earnest. But still he blackened himself – albeit temporarily. He gave the impression that he did not even realise that he was hurting her but he must have despite the subsequent disavowal. He said he was sorry (page 54). Some God! This is what the Krishnas rely on to get them into their Heaven.

Krishna did not really love his wives and had no need for even one wife (page 65).  He had sex with them for the production of children only (page 66). A God shouldn’t need to have sex at all to do this!

Krishna did not tell his brother Balarama that the killing of Rukmi was unfair and murderous in case he would upset him (page 71). This god has no principles and would preach morality with one eye on the opinion polls. He is a politically correct hypocrite. Worse, Balarama was Krishna’s full or plenary expansion (page 155). And a plenary expansion is as powerful and omniscient as the original Krishna (page 347).

Scandalously, the biggest disgrace to a family is a girl having sex outside marriage! (page 77). That is what the Vedic culture says and Krishna claimed that the Vedas were divinely inspired.

Krishna said that we should let evil brahmanas walk all over us (page 102). Yet he said he was the friend of all. And he boasted of his supreme power, his omnipotence, and of his unlimited causeless mercy (page 112). Then why can’t he forgive bad karma?

Siva, a manifestation of Krishna, led Sudaksina to believe that he could murder Krishna (page 116). Another manifestation, Balarama, was into drugs (page 120).

After we all have read it comes as a shock to read that “Krishna is always one, and for him there is no differentiation” (page 148). This is immediately after we are told that Krishna is Brahma and the other gods.

Then we are told that Krishna is his body and that his body is his soul and that he can smell with his hands and see with his feet. This is meaningless and confused. Why not simply say that Krishna is a partless spirit? A spirit cannot be a body.

The story of one half of Jarasandra being born from one woman and another from another and the two halves being put together by witchery and Krishna knowing this and using to for the reason to have him killed by ripping him in two is absurd beyond belief (page 179).

Krishna’s other self, Lord Balarama, killed Romaharsana by hitting him with a blade of grass because God can change physical laws (page 225). Needless miracles destroy reason and why don’t we see Krishna’s miracles now?

Krishna would be infinitely delighted when anybody offers him a morsel of rice out of a bundle (page 251). He is so stupid that he is impressed by measly and stingy offerings. It is not as if you can’t eat what food you offer yourself!

It is a lie to say that the Vedas are Krishna’s commands for they certainly do not recognise him as supreme personality of Godhead or give him any importance. Yet Prabhupada tells us that lie (page 264).

The water of the Ganges is alleged to have power to cleanse form sin (page 286). With the law of karma, it is hard to believe that anybody who steals can just wipe the slate clean by doing something so simple.

Telling the story of Krishna is Krishna (page 306). Even Krishna cannot be a human action.

Krishna wants his devotees worshiped (page 320). Unless they are adored like him he cannot accept any worship he gets.

Strangely “although everything is a transformation of the energy of Krishna, He is not present everywhere. He is simultaneously present and not present. By His energy He is present everywhere, but as the energetic He is not present everywhere” (page 334). So, he is present everywhere only in the sense that he acts everywhere and not because he is personally present everywhere. Spirit is without composition and is its own energy. This completely contradicts what Prabhupada said about Krishna being a spirit. Not surprisingly, it is letter stated that Krishna is present everywhere (page 342). This is said in such a way that what comes before is about disgestion and what comes after is on about Krishna being present in the body. He just says he is everywhere to introduce us to the idea of Krishna indwelling the body. So, they can’t say I am taking that statement out of context and that Prabhupada didn’t mean that Krishna was everywhere.

The spurious free will defence makes an appearance on page 368 as an excuse for Krishna permitting suffering.

Altruism which is nothing more than hypocrisy and impossible is encouraged in devotees when they are told to serve God for himself and not for themselves (page 427).

Lust is attachment to material delights which is in opposition to Krishna Consciousness. Yet the gopis lusted for Krishna which got them the highest salvation (page 476). Another tiresome contradiction! The Krishnas would probably say that it is bad to lust after people but it is good and right to lust after God. But lust is lust and one would have to think of Krishna as a man of flesh and blood to be able to do it and awaken the lust. Why not lust for God and people? They are afraid to lust for people and things are transient but God is permanent. Even Krishna himself did not lust for his wives for he is above and beyond materialism.