Ramsden Park, Toronto
Fanaticism is a Tragedy
“Let us trust God and our better judgment
to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split
into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs,”
said Patrick Henry at his last public speech in 1799.
Such also was the sentiment expressed by
former Congresswoman, Tulsi Gabbard over the tragedy on Hindu/Vaishnava
minorities in Bangladesh. In her words, “It broke my heart to see such hate and
violence directed towards devotees of God in their temples in Bangladesh.” Her
address questions the nature of the secular government boasted of in that
country of 9% minorities. Furthermore, she points out a hypocritical tendency:
“For these jihadists to believe it’s pleasing to God to burn and destroy
temples, and the murti of such a saintly person as His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, this just shows how far away from God they
really are.”
Gabbard’s message went clear across the
cyber world with deep concern over human conduct by fanatics. Whether Muslim
extremism or Hindu, or Christian and Buddhist, the “holier than thou” is so far
removed from the gentle side of saintliness.
I was walking through the park and then sat
out on a bench and viewed not only her broadcast but also perused my Instagram
post of the ceremony I attended in Cleveland. It was glorious, and the views of
that day are phenomenal (over 130, 000).
However, the remarks by some Hindu viewers are quite surprising, expressing the same kind of fanaticism; the likes of smarta-brahmans. Many viewers miss the point of bhakti and become stuck in puny details. Woe is me!
May the Source be with you!
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