Why Save Inmates?

by Chandrasekar das

“The benediction moon of the mercy of Sri Caitanyacandra shone only in the courtyards of the professional brahmanas proficient in various rituals, and the prominent and wealthy vaisyas who were as laden with lakshmi as the beehives overflowing with honey in Sri Vrindavana-dhama. Sri Gaurahari and his brother Sri Nityananda Rama never chanted the holy names amongst the contaminated masses, which included prisoners of state, students, women, the lowborn, sudras, simple villagers, the forlorn, the distressed, and the unsophisticated.”

—Swami Bogananda’s Bogus Caitanya Upanisad

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu selective in His distribution of Krishna consciousness? Nonsense!

“In distributing his love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of the Panca-tattva distributed Love of Godhead.” (Caitanya-caritamrta 1.7.23)

Now, does that sound more like it? Yes.

And yet, His Holiness Candramauli Maharaja has told me that he is hearing more and more: “Why are you spending this type of energy on prisoners when you get very little result?”

Srila Prabhupada’s godbrothers had the same mentality: “Why waste energy on teaching hippies who are so fallen, filthy, and degraded?”

Thank God for Srila Prabhupada!

Had Srila Prabhupada not been so merciful, kind, and compassionate, the world would not be as we know it today, with Radha-Krishna temples, Ratha-yatra festivals, prasadam distribution, and Prabhupada’s books spreading enlightenment everywhere.

“The Krishna consciousness movement should be spread wherever possible.” These are Srila Prabhupada’s words.

A Gaudiya Vaisnava preacher selective in his distribution of Krishna consciousness? Nonsense!

“The flood of love of Godhead swelled in all directions, and thus young men, old men, women, and children were all immersed in that inundation.” (Caitanya-caritamrta 1.7.25)

Srila Prabhupada says in his purport:

“The Krishna consciousness movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so powerful that it can inundate the entire world and interest all classes of men in the subject of love of Godhead.”

It is Srila Prabhupada’s glory that he can attract both the gentle and the ruffians, the innocent and the rogues. Why save inmates? That’s easy: “The Krishna consciousness movement should be spread wherever possible.”

Here is a letter from an inmate, which I have chosen to title “Fearless”:

Does this individual deserve the mercy of Sri Gauranga? Does this jiva deserve access to the tools of self-realization? For those who ask the question “Why save inmates?” we have this question: Who cannot be redeemed?

Jagai and Madhai? The hippies that Srila Prabhupada magically converted to "happies" chanting the holy names in full surrender? Who? Who is not eligible for the mercy of Sri Gauracandra, the golden moon of munificence? No, the moon does not withhold it’s light and soothing rays from the courtyards of any man, woman, or invalid, or of one of low birth, or of the poverty stricken, or of anyone elseanyone.

Selectivity in distributing the fruits of love of God? This concept is foreign to all who have actually embraced the mood of Sri Nityananda Rama, whose power of forgiveness has no limits.

Selectivity? Who, then, decides who is qualified and who is unqualified? And what are his symptoms? Who decides who is qualified to receive Srila Prabhupada’s books? Should we require resumes? Verifiable references? Should a college degree be one of the prerequisites for obtaining access to the science of bhakti?

Who are these fellows who consider some eligible for liberation and others beyond the jurisdiction of the unlimited mercy and forgiveness of Sri Nityananda Rama? Have they not read Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Padyavali?

“The holy name of Lord Krishna is so powerful. It is readily available to everyone, including the lowest type of man, the candala.”

Srila Prabhupada told Lt. Mozee in Chicago:

Srila Prabhupada: Our treatment is for the spiritually diseased person. When a person is afflicted with a disease, there are no distinctions between a poor man and a rich man. They are both admitted to the same hospital. Just as the hospital should be in a place where both the poor man and the rich man can easily come, the location of the sankirtana facility should be easily accessible to all. Since everyone is materially infected, everyone should be able to take advantage.

The difficulty is that the rich man thinks he’s perfectly healthy, although he is the most diseased of all. But as a policeman, you well know that there’s criminality among rich men and poor men alike. So our chanting process is for everyone, because it cleanses the heart, regardless of the man’s opulence or poverty.

The only way to permanently change the criminal habit is to change the heart of the criminal. As you well know, many thieves are arrested numerous times and put into jail. Although they know that if they commit theft they will go to jail, still they are forced to steal, because of their unclean hearts. Therefore without cleansing the heart of the criminal, you cannot stop crime simply by more stringent law enforcement. The thief and the murderer already know the law, yet they still commit violent crimes, due to their unclean hearts. So our process is to cleanse the heart. Then all the troubles of this material world will be solved."

Lieutenant Mozee: That’s a very difficult task, sir.

Srila Prabhupada: It is not difficult. Simply invite everyone: "Come, chant Hare Krishna, dance, and take sumptuous prasada." What is the difficulty? We are doing this at our centers, and people are coming. But because we have very little money, we can hold sankirtana only on a small scale. We invite everyone, and gradually people are coming to our centers and becoming devotees. If the government would give us a large facility, however, we could expand unlimitedly. And the problem is big; otherwise why are there national news articles, asking what to do? No civil state wants this criminality. That’s a fact. But the leaders do not know how to stop it. If they listen to us, however, we can give them an answer. Why crime? Because people are godless! And what to do?

Chant Hare Krishna and take prasada. If you like, you can adopt this process of sankirtana. Otherwise, we will continue conducting it on a small scale. We are just like a poor medical man with a small private practice who could open a big hospital if he were given the facility. The government is the executor. If they take our advice and adopt the process of sankirtana, then the problem of crime will be solved. (Science of Self-Realization: "Finding The Cure For Today’s Social Ills," pp. 162-63)

Why save anyone? Because he's a fallen conditioned soul. Prabhupada had Govinda dasi chant to a slug: “Chant to the poor thing.” If we are to chant to bugs and slugs, then why not to humans?

It is a contamination by Kali as predicted in Srimad Bhagavatam. Anadhyataiva sadhu tve: “A person will be judged unholy if he does not have any money.”

Rectification is the acceptance of the purificatory process. Liberation is found in acts of pure devotion. Everyone is eligible.

It is Srila Prabhupada’s eternal legacy as maha-patitapavanadeva that he allows every living entity within the universe the chance for redemption.

Hare Krishna! Gaurahari Bol!