Mishandled

Expressions researched:
"mishandled" |"mishandles" |"mishandling"

SB Canto 3

In the Upaniṣads it is stated, that the path of spiritual realization is just like the sharp edge of a razor. The example is very appropriate. One shaves his cheeks with a sharp razor very nicely, but as soon as his attention is diverted from the activity, he immediately cuts his cheek because he mishandles the razor.

SB 3.26.23-24, Purport:

In the beginning, from clear consciousness, or the pure state of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the first contamination sprang up. This is called false ego, or identification of the body as self. The living entity exists in the natural state of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but he has marginal independence, and this allows him to forget Kṛṣṇa. Originally, pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness exists, but because of misuse of marginal independence there is a chance of forgetting Kṛṣṇa. This is exhibited in actual life; there are many instances in which someone acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness suddenly changes. In the Upaniṣads it is stated, therefore, that the path of spiritual realization is just like the sharp edge of a razor. The example is very appropriate. One shaves his cheeks with a sharp razor very nicely, but as soon as his attention is diverted from the activity, he immediately cuts his cheek because he mishandles the razor.

Not only must one come to the stage of pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but one must also be very careful. Any inattentiveness or carelessness may cause falldown. This falldown is due to false ego. From the status of pure consciousness, the false ego is born because of misuse of independence. We cannot argue about why false ego arises from pure consciousness. Factually, there is always the chance that this will happen, and therefore one has to be very careful. False ego is the basic principle for all material activities, which are executed in the modes of material nature. As soon as one deviates from pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he increases his entanglement in material reaction. The entanglement of materialism is the material mind, and from this material mind, the senses and material organs become manifest.

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Dr. Radhakrishnan's writing lacked spiritual insight: in many places he had mishandled and misinterpreted the text, and thus he had made his book unacceptable to spiritualists in the line of pure devotion.

Renunciation Through Wisdom 4.1: Once one of the brahmacārīs of our āśrama met Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, who is a spiritualist of sorts and an erudite scholar. Dr. Radhakrishnan is the vice-president of India as I write this essay. On meeting him, our brahmacārī received from him a copy of his Bhagavad-gītā as a gift. Dr. Radhakrishnan had translated this Gītā into English and written a commentary on it, and it sold well in the market for ten rupees in those days [1954]. The brahmacārī read the book and came to us a little dissatisfied, though the book itself was deeply esoteric. The reason for his dissatisfaction was that Dr. Radhakrishnan's writing lacked spiritual insight: in many places he had mishandled and misinterpreted the text, and thus he had made his book unacceptable to spiritualists in the line of pure devotion. This is a perfect example of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam's statement (1.1.1) that "by Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion" (muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ). When the Lord so easily bewilders Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Lord Indra, and other great universal controllers, it is not at all surprising that Dr. Radhakrishnan is placed into illusion.

General Lectures

Just like a peon, he is also representative of the postal department, ordinary peon. How he becomes representative of the whole postal system? If he delivers your letter or money order without mishandling it, as it is.

Town Hall Lecture -- Auckland, April 14, 1972: So this paramparā system, the subject I was discussing, that how I become the representative of Kṛṣṇa, it is not very difficult. Everyone can become a representative of Kṛṣṇa provided he exactly presents what Kṛṣṇa says. That's all. Just like a peon, he is also representative of the postal department, ordinary peon. How he becomes representative of the whole postal system? If he delivers your letter or money order without mishandling it, as it is. You have... Some friend has sent you some money order. He gives you the paper, you sign, and he pays you. But if he pilfers the method(?), then he is no longer representative. He becomes thief, rogue. So representative of Kṛṣṇa is also in the same way. If you present Kṛṣṇa's word as it is, without pilfering, without any adulteration, then you become Kṛṣṇa's representative. There is no difficulty.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

There is enough food. Punjab still produces food grains. Bengal still produces rice, but they are stocked by government men, and they are mishandling. They are lying on the station for dispatch, but they will not be dispatched. They are rotting.

Room Conversation with Richard Webster, chairman, Societa Filosofica Italiana -- May 24, 1974, Rome: Prabhupāda: There was a cartoon. When I... One leader is approached for food, that "We are in scarcity of food." The leader says, "Of course, it is very difficult to assure you for food grains. But from next week you will have television." (laughter) Next week you will have television. So these improvements are going on, television, but they are starving. This is going on. Advancement of knowledge and learning is going on in discovering television, but there is no food. This is the mismanagement of the leaders. Dishonest. There is enough food. Punjab still produces food grains. Bengal still produces rice, but they are stocked by government men, and they are mishandling. They are lying on the station for dispatch, but they will not be dispatched. They are rotting. Rainy season spoiled the whole stock; still, they are not dispatched. Official: "There is no dispatch order. There is no wagons available." Simply mismanagement or bribe. This is going on. And people are suffering. How it is possible to purchase? Suppose India's income, the average income, is very poor. Suppose one man earns ten rupees a day, and if he has to purchase ten rupees simply rice for the family, ten..., what for others? Then he becomes dishonest. He wants to earn money by taking bribe in his own capacity. So bribing has become a custom. Anywhere you go, unless you bribe, you cannot get release. And they say that "Whatever salary we are getting, that is not sufficient. Our extra earning is by taking bribe."

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Our one Godbrother he did, simply he printed. It was not sold, and then it was mishandled; distributed like anything.

Room Conversation -- January 24, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Satsvarūpa: So far, though, we have not learned a way to sell standing orders to the common man.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Satsvarūpa: You say now the standing orders, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, after the universities, should be sold in every home. So far, no one has learned how to do that.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Satsvarūpa: That remains to be done.

Prabhupāda: Every gentleman should have a valuable library of these. That we want. Then our preaching is successful.

Hari-śauri: Once people recognize the worth of spiritual literature, then they'll purchase. Just like they sell these Encyclopedia Brittanicas from house to house.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri:...on the basis, "You've got so many children. They need this knowledge and education for when they go to school." So they purchase whole volumes.

Prabhupāda: Introducing as study book in higher colleges, universities, text book, then it will be... What is the use, a so-called scholar having a Ṣaṭ-sandarbha? And this has been failure... Our one Godbrother, he did. Simply he printed. It was not sold, and then it was mishandled, distributed like anything.

Hari-śauri: What was that?

Prabhupāda: That Ananta Vāsudeva, my Godbrother, he printed so many Gosvāmī literatures, but it was not successful.

Satsvarūpa: Even when I went to the convention in America, one convention, this woman professor, they were all excited. She has just translated Vidagdha-mādhava. But she had no understanding. She was talking about what the rasa is and Rādhārāṇī, but it's all like psychology or sex literature.

Prabhupāda: That's all. They say, "Sex religion. Religious perfection through sex." That is their idea. That Rajneesh is doing that. Rajneesh?

Hari-śauri: Yeah.

Satsvarūpa: Oh, yeah.

Prabhupāda: And Freud also.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

This Vedanta Sutra is now mishandled in India by unauthorized persons of different camps and as such the people are being misguided.

Letter to Ved Prakash -- Bombay 7 July, 1958: In India, even after the attainment of Swaraj, the mentality is predominant by "Made in London" ideas. It is a long story. But in nutshell the Leaders of India in the name of secular Government they have engaged themselves in everything foreign. They have carefully set aside the treasure house of India's spiritual asset and they are imitating the westernised material way of life constantly engaged in the acts of error of judgement, misgivings, imperfectness and duplicity.

India's vedic knowledge is above all the conditional defects mentioned above but we Indians at the present moment have neglected such wonderful vedic knowledge. It is due to its improper handling now. The whole vedic literatures namely Vedas and Upanisads are summarized in the Vedanta Sutra which includes the purport of the six Indian philosophical thesises of Kanda, Gautama, Kapila, Patanjali, Astavedya and Vedic Rsis.

This Vedanta Sutra was compiled by Srila Vyasadeva and by the advice of His Spiritual master Srila Narada—Vyasadeva wrote a commentation of the Vedanta Sutra by compiling Srimad-Bhagavatam. So Srimad-Bhagavatam is the last gift of Srila Vyasadeva to represent an authorized commentation of the Vedanta Sutra and Lord Caitanya's mission is to preach this cult in every corner of the world in order to make the people really happy. This Vedanta Sutra is now mishandled in India by unauthorized persons of different camps and as such the people are being misguided. Newly sprung up national enthusiasm of the Indian leaders, Industrialists and plan makers, has no time neither desire to understand the message of Vedanta Sutra or even the Bhagavad-gita. You cannot do acts of humanity without proper guidance. The Vedanta Sutra is the proper guidance because the sastra "Athata Brahmajijnasa" is the beginning of an inquiry in the essence of our different engagements.

1967 Correspondence

Regarding the house and the money which you have foolishly mishandled, I can give you still good counsel.

Letter to Rayarama, Satsvarupa -- San Francisco 30 March, 1967: Regarding the house and the money which you have foolishly mishandled, I can give you still good counsel as follows:

I do not know what is the agreement you have entered into and paid the check for $5000.00 but I can guess it that the agreement is drawn on the understanding that Mr. Hill is the financier who is going to purchase the house on our behalf from Mr. Taylor and the check is received by Mr. Hill as earnest money with provision that further $5000.00 shall be paid by 31st March 1967. Mr. Payne knew it very well that you have not got further $5000.00 to pay by the 31st March and he thought that on your failure to pay further $5000.00 dollar the first $5000.00 dollars can be usurped by the gang.

But actually this Mr. Hill has no sufficient money to pay Mr. Taylor. Mr. Taylor may know this fact and therefore he was not present when you all foolish boys assisted by similar lawyers signed the agreement without the presence of Mr. Taylor. I repeatedly warned you even at the last point that we should not pay the check unless there was agreement between Mr. Taylor and Hill. The agreement was signed like marriage ceremony without the presence of the bridegroom. The mistake was there and now you are repenting.

1971 Correspondence

And actually there is no harm in her playing with Jagannatha but how the Deity will be kept from being mishandled or kept in a dirty place or even thrown away at the whim of the child?

Letter to Saradia -- Nairobi 25 September, 1971: Krishna has blessed you with a very nice child, Ananga dasi, and I am very much pleased to note how she has got some affection for Lord Jagannatha. That is very nice. And actually there is no harm in her playing with Jagannatha but how the Deity will be kept from being mishandled or kept in a dirty place or even thrown away at the whim of the child? You cannot always check her. Therefore to such a small child the Deity of Lord Jagannatha should not be given. Let her grow up a little so that she can follow some instruction in this connection and then you can give her.

I am sorry that your dealing with the draft board has been mishandled and therefore you are in difficulty.

Letter to Bali-mardana -- Calcutta 1 November, 1971: I am sorry that your dealing with the draft board has been mishandled and therefore you are in difficulty. Anyway if need be you can go back and face trial as advised by your father's lawyer. I am enclosing herewith a certificate as founder-acarya of ISKCON movement. That is already recognized all over the world. So when you stand for trial you can show them all our books, newspaper cuttings, my certificate and you can plea freely that you are no longer interested in material activities, but you are completely engaged in Krsna's service. Many of our students have been accepted as ordained ministers of religion and in NY the draft board has recognized our institution as a religious establishment. I hope if the things are presented rightly by your lawyer, everything will be all right by Krsna's grace. There was a similar case with Vamanadeva and he was given the right to remain as ordained minister.