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Devotees’ Concern with and Approach to
Social Issues
Why should devotees be at all concerned with social issues?
Shouldn’t we just speak about Kṛṣṇa and topics directly
related to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Certainly, devotional service
is ultimately a purely spiritual process, yet within this world
psychological and social factors undeniably influence persons
who are trying to cultivate spiritual consciousness. The
outlook and attitudes of an aspiring transcendentalist will
necessarily be af fected by his previous impressions and by
how he lives and acts within society.* In that regard, within
the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Vedic social
organization is discussed, along with the direct delineation
of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For instance, the Seventh Canto of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam features an extended section wherein
Nārada, who is famous as a brahmacārī, explains the various
duties of the four social orders, and also the duties of women
and related matters. And various śāstras (Brahma-vaivarta
Purāṇa, Mahābhārata, Śiva Purāṇa) record graphic dialogs
wherein Nārada inquires about and is instructed on the nature
of women. Śrīla Prabhupāda also often discussed such subjects
and gave many insights and directions pertaining to them. †
Śrīla Prabhupāda made it clear that a major objective of
ISKCON’s is to reform human society, so that the general
populace may more easily take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. To
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achieve this stated goal of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s, the members
of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must be clear about
* Lecture: Issues or Nāma-bhajana, or Both? <www.bvks.com/20053>
† Lecture: Social Direction Needed in a Misled Age <www.bvks.com/2210>
1. As outlined in the “Seven Purposes of the International Society for
Krishna Consciousness” and in many places elsewhere within the corpus
of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings.
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