1.

List three aspects of Prabhupada's mood and/or mission as revealed in the Preface to
Bhagavad-gita and comment, in own words, on the importance of these aspects for
ISKCON. (Mood and Mission)

Answer
Srila Prabhupada, who is the pioneer of the Hare Krishna Movement, definitely had higher
mission and carried certain mood. It is very important for an aspiring devotee to know these
elements very closely, that he can become a sincere and honest instrument in the hands of
spiritual master and other acharyas in the disciplic succession. Srila Prabhupada wanted all
his followers to practice and preach Krishna consciousness with one goal in mind, to serve
Krishna.

Mission
Srila Prabhupada’s fundamental mission was to preach Krishna consciousness to the western
world in English. To fulfill this desire of the previous acharyas and personally his own
spiritual master, he translated Bhagavad Gita as it is in English. Srila Prabhupada claimed
that even though there were many editions of Bhagavad Gita (adulterated with personal
motives) in English by many so-called scholars and thinkers but none produced any pure
devotee of the Lord. ISKCON, therefore, has always been a preaching movement to
propagate the Will of the Lord and attract His mercy to the conditioned souls. It is our
duty to carry forward this mission with the invaluable assets (BG As It Is and other
books), Srila Prabhupada has given.

Another facet of Srila Prabhupada’s mission was to teach the central theme of Bhagavad
Gita. People in general are seeking happiness by sense gratification which is temporary and
binds to the material world. However, real satisfaction can only be obtained by rendering
service to the Lord, which means to satisfy the senses of the Lord. One will benefit
deliberately if one adapts to this central point of Gita, as Krishna is demanding. A devotee
must stick to this theme and by following the four regulative principles, one will
gradually serve the Lord’s senses.

Srila Prabhupada also wanted to publish how God or Krishna is great, and bring to light the
constitutional position of the living entities, as to be the servant of Krishna. In ISKCON,
Devotees should always hear and discuss the glories and pastimes of the Lord and by
doing so gradually a natural tendency to serve Him will be developed.

Mood
Srila Prabhupada never took credits for his works rather he offered them to his guru and the
Lord. This is the mood of a Vaisnava in absolute knowledge. He never takes
credit. It is very important for a devotee to remain in devotional life that he passes
credits to his superiors and think Krishna’s will is functional.

Srila Prabhupada established Krishna Conscious Society in great humility and compassion
for the conditioned soul. His tone in the preface of Bhagavad Gita also lights on this: “Such
understanding of Bhagavad-Gita is really profitable and authorized for the welfare of human
society in fulfilling the mission of life.” These qualities are essential in devotees and must
for one in ISKCON preaching.

Srila Prabhupada’s mood and mission is to be always stern on impersonalists and so-called
sadhus who gives offensive presentation of God or mislead innocent people. In his
commentary on Bhagavad Gita, Srila Prabhupada always stressed that God is a person and
has form and qualities. He at the same time gave counter arguments for mayavad philosophy
and misinterpretation of the Vedas. ISKCON being a preaching movement, a devotee
must equip himself with strong arguments for any such misleading philosophy.

2. Discuss, in your own words, the following, with reference to verses, analogies, and
statements from Prabhupada's purports. (Bhagavad-gita 2.21, 27) 
When is violence justified? 
Why did Krishna, who is all-loving, incite Arjuna to war? 
Is terrorism in the name of religion appropriate or inappropriate? (Preaching
Application)

Answer
Nobody likes violence. However, violence has been used for certain cause since history. Such
act brings death to loved ones. In this connection, Krishna speaks about soul elaborately in
the second chapter of Bhagavad-Gita. He says [BG 2.17] “That which pervades the entire
body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.”
Therefore, we understand that the eternal soul is actually not subject to death when the body
dies and death for the body is inevitable.

a) Violence is justified only if it is for the supreme justice keeping law and order in
human society. Therefore, it has to be according to the will of the Lord, and the
person carrying out violence should be in knowledge. An example is given of a judge
who awards capital punishment to a person committing murder. Srila Prabhupada
draws reference from Manu-saàhitä in purport of BG 2.21 that it is advantageous for
the murderer to be killed because all the reactions for his sin would be forgiven at
once in his next birth. Also the judge would not incur any sinful reactions as he is in
knowledge. An analogy is mentioned of a surgical operation which is meant to cure
the patient, but not to kill him. Violence cannot hamper the immortality of the soul.

b) Arjuna was grief-stricken to see all his cousins, grandfather and teacher standing
before him to fight. Even though he argued of compassion, sinful reactions,
enjoyment and destruction of dynasty, he did not consider the ultimate benefit of war
dovetailed with the will of the Lord.

Krishna, therefore, instructed Arjuna to fight telling him that there is no death for the
indestructible soul. This would make him knowledgeable in the real term. Knowing
this and understanding the will of the Lord, he will not incur sinful reaction.

Secondly, Krishna reminded Arjuna of his prescribed duty – to fight in the battlefield
of Kurukñetra, being a kñatriya. There was no real reason for him to withdraw from
the battlefield.

c) Terrorism technically invites mass murder of humans, irrespective of whether real

justice is achieved. Also, nowadays, groups that perform terrorism have no
information about the indestructible soul and their actions are completely on the
bodily platform. Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport BG 2.27 that “one has to take
birth according to one's activities of life. And after finishing one term of
activities, one has to die to take birth for the next. In this way one is going
through one cycle of birth and death after another without liberation.” However,
Srila Prabhupada clarifies that such cycle of repeated birth and death is disrupted on
the occasion of unnecessary murder, slaughter and war. Therefore, such interruptive
actions are against the supreme law, which only permits violence for the purpose of
good administration and upholding religious principles. Hence, immoral and illegal
terrorism in the name of religion is not appropriate.