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There is no harm to pick up a low-class man and to elevate him to the position of harijana. There is no impediment. You can do. But if you keep him a low-class man and if you stamp him harijana, then what will be the benefit

Expressions researched:
"There is no harm to pick up a low-class man and to elevate him to the position of harijana. There is no impediment. You can do. But if you keep him a low-class man and if you stamp him harijana, then what will be the benefit"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Nārada is called harijana. Great devotee is called harijana, "the persons related with Hari." But if you select some bhangis and cāmāras and keep them as he is and rubberstamp it, "Here is a harijana," what will be the effect? There is no harm to pick up a low-class man and to elevate him to the position of harijana. There is no impediment. You can do. But if you keep him a low-class man and if you stamp him harijana, then what will be the benefit? Just like we are initiating selected men: "Are you ready to follow these rules and regulation?" When he says, then "Come on. Become harijana."

Prabhupāda: Benefit will be then the whole thing will go in order. That is already described many times, that there must be brain, there must be arms, there must be belly, there must be legs for the complete composition of the body. If there is no brain, there is no head, then what is the use of these arms and legs and belly? It is all dead. So in the society, human society, if there is not a class of selected truthful, honest, and so many brahminical qualification, then society is ruined. Therefore they are perplexed. Everyone is a śūdra. Go to the factory. That's all. Go to the factory and bring money. And he is getting twenty-five dollars or fifty dollars daily and immediately purchasing wine and flat on Bowery Street. You'll produce such men, useless men, disturbing in the human society. You cannot make classless. If you make classless, naturally they will be all śūdras, fourth-class men. Then there will be society chaos.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Another part of this question, same question: "If the harijanas, who constitute a sizable population amongst the Hindus, are made to feel that their very religion . . ."

Prabhupāda: These are all artificial. The harijana word was used by Gandhi unnecessarily for a class of men who are not fit for the position. Harijana means "the men of Hari." Just like Nārada. Nārada is called harijana. Great devotee is called harijana, "the persons related with Hari." But if you select some bhangis and cāmāras and keep them as he is and rubberstamp it, "Here is a harijana," what will be the effect? There is no harm to pick up a low-class man and to elevate him to the position of harijana. There is no impediment. You can do. But if you keep him a low-class man and if you stamp him harijana, then what will be the benefit? Just like we are initiating selected men: "Are you ready to follow these rules and regulation?" When he says, then "Come on. Become harijana." Not that "I'll keep myself in that same abominable condition of life and I shall become harijana." So this "harijana" word has come from Gandhi. He did not try to make him real harijana. He simply rubberstamped him. So what is the value of this harijana?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: There's another section to this question. "In other words, how can all sections of Hindus be made to take an equal interest and have the same sense of belonging to the Hindu religion?"

Prabhupāda: Why you sticking to the Hindu religion? Any Hindu will accept Bhagavad-gītā and Kṛṣṇa. So why not ask them to take Kṛṣṇa? Why so-called Hinduism? Who is a Hindu who will deny the authority of Kṛṣṇa? Is he a Hindu? Every Hindu observes Janmāṣṭamī, the birthday of Kṛṣṇa. So why do they not take Kṛṣṇa's advice and remain practically Hindu? They will not take advice of Kṛṣṇa, and they, how they can claim to be Hindu?

Page Title:There is no harm to pick up a low-class man and to elevate him to the position of harijana. There is no impediment. You can do. But if you keep him a low-class man and if you stamp him harijana, then what will be the benefit
Compiler:Nabakumar
Created:2023-03-04, 03:53:01
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1