Material Civilization Exploits Women

Devotee speaks: When a man gives a lot of attention to a woman, listens to her, nods his head, in this way expressing very friendly emotions towards her, this is considered ‘he’s a nice man’ but actually from our point of view that’s exploitation.
HH JAS: That’s exploitation, exploitation, the basic focal point of exploitation is sex enjoyment. The final pinnacle of exploitation is sexual intercourse: that’s exploitation, let me enjoy this woman.... and that the materialistic civilization, somehow or other by some arrangement by candy or liquor by this by that to win over a woman and make her an object of enjoyment,that’s the business and then this way that way or some other way so many things are expanded from that. But that’s the point, that this woman is meant for satisfying my senses and sense satisfaction culminates in sex life. So when you cut out that point, that sexual contact then your exploitation is practically not very much to be said about it...how much exploitation will there be?
From one point of view, we’re very heavy on women in Iskcon, we make them stand in the back during Arati or the Kirtan: horrors of life in Iskcon, "I had to stand in the back!" That same woman in the course of a year would be used by 50 men but that’s not

exploitation that’s just love!...that’s called Maya! One is being exploited and she’s thinking he loves me, the whole materialistic civilization is set up for that kind of cheating.
When they’re free they can be victimized, otherwise in Vedic civilization her father is there, her husband is there her grown son is there: no access. But materialistic civilization: free access. And the woman is so bewildered she’s thinking this is very nice, "I have free choice" "I have so much opportunity for enjoyment" "so many people are attracted to me" but nobody wants to accept any responsibility: When you’re pregnant they send you to the hospital for an abortion, clinic or when you’re a little old you’ve been married for 10 or 15 years or 5 years or something now you’re not as beautiful as you were when you were sweet sixteen...so we go and find some new cookie and throw you away...because your business was to satisfy my senses and now your not as interesting so we’ll find something else. That’s exploitation! Krishna Consciousness means to engage man and woman in the service of Krishna where’s the exploitation?
...Krishna Conscious person, a perfectly cultured person, so he knows how to be cultured how to be courteous how to be decent in dealings with others.

. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Women Should Be Respected As Mothers

HH JAS: Prabhupada said the defect with materialistic civilization especially western materialistic civilization is that they have friendship: men and women are like friends and they mix together freely. In a cultured civilization, Vedic culture, that mixing is not there, they know they are spirit soul but they know that the combination of these spirit souls in these two kinds of bodies kills spiritual realization. It doesn’t mean women are hated but it means that we know what’s what...(sanskrit)...every woman is respected as being like the mother. If the mother gives advice that’s taken as an affectionate gesture. The mother may also say something and that’s taken, mothers saying something but after all mothers may be a little sentimental. Women are considered less discriminating -so it's respected the mother is saying something - but not that that advice is always taken. First thing is that mother is not meant for my enjoyment, there’s no question any civilized society of enjoying one's own mother - that’s for the pigs! So that’s the first thing, mother is respected, she’s not meant for my enjoyment, that’s the most abominable degraded thing...(sanskrit)...she’s somebody else’s wife so she is to be respected, mothers are respected - given respect.
Krishna and Balaram how they are respecting Devaki and Yasoda, especially Krishna and Balaram they went to see Devaki and Vasudev - they are offering such respects, offering obeciences, so the women are respected...(sanskrit)...where the women are worshipped there the demigods enjoy: this is Vedic civilization this doesn’t mean we put the ladies on the altar and offer Arati, but it means they are treated with such respect- not exploited....respected.

. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Body Engaged In the Service Of Krishna

HH JAS: ...That’s what a human being is or a living entity is in this material world, a combination of matter and spirit. So a swan distinguishes between milk and water, so a self realized person distinguishes, he knows here’s two things: the spirit soul and the body and the spirit soul is constitutionally very nice, the servant of Krishna. Consciousness, that’s eternal and the bodies not very nice, so therefore the self realized person values the spirit soul. He values everything, he knows everything is Krishna’s energy. This body also is meant for the service of Krishna, it’s meant for the pleasure of Krishna therefore a Krishna Conscious person, Prabhupada said, he sees a nice woman and thinks this person could be engaged in the service of Krishna and a materialist thinks this person could be engaged in my service.
Everything has value, even the body has value when it's engaged in the service of Krishna, we have to see that, we’re taking care of the body, keeping body and soul together for the service of Krishna. So a devotee will see it that way, that this lady could be engaged for the service of Krishna. The materialistic Gṛhamedhi sees here is a wife who can cook for me who can satisfy my senses. The business for both man and woman is to be engaged in the service of this deity Krishna...so their attention becomes diverted from the material platform to the spiritual engagement so householder life becomes nice.
. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Temporary Beauty

HH JAS: Lord Chaitanya said that even if I see the wooden form of a woman my mind gets agitated. By nature's arrangement the form of woman is so made to agitate the mind of men. Beautiful or not beautiful doesn’t matter, the agitation is there, so a Krishna Consciousness person being situated on the spiritual platform he’s not attracted, he’s busy, just like you’re eating a big Sunday feast and somebody comes over with some left over dog biscuits, you’re not going to get all agitated about that because you have some better thing.
The more one becomes advanced in Krishna Consciousness the more this sex pleasure just seems ridiculous or nasty. The actual advancement Prabhupada said I can walk into a room of beautiful women and not be attracted, that’s the advanced stage of Krishna Consciousness. One is so much absorbed in the beauty of Krishna that the so called beauty of this material body appears nasty. After all what is it

some skin and bones, blood and guts all put together to appear as something nice...and if it does appear as something nice by natures arrangement for a brief time ....then it's not nice to anybody.
There was recently some horrible picture of Bridget Bardoux published in her old age, some news magazine published, nobody is going to get agitated because now she is finished, old lady...so briefly by nature's arrangement, Prabhupada quoted, by natures arrangement in her youth all women look beautiful, it's nature's arrangement, it lasts for some time and then it's over.
The Krishna Conscious person know that: it's beautiful today but it's not going to be beautiful tomorrow,so how is it beautiful? Krishna beautiful today, He’s beautiful tomorrow, He’s beautiful 100,000 years from now, He’s Beautiful always.
. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Because You've Decided

HH JAS: Today’s ekadasi...so suppose someone has decided to fast, not that you have to, but suppose you’ve decided today I won’t eat anything, so because you’ve decided even if during the day some thought comes to you: I wonder what they’re having for lunch today? Or you'er walking in the hallway and you notice that they’ve made such and such nice preparation, but you’ve already decided so you're not going to agitate your mind about it: alright today I’m not eating, the mind is peaceful, otherwise if you haven’t decided, you’re going this way and that way, should I, shouldn’t I, this...that...but once you know that today is my day for not eating food ,doesn’t matter,food doesn’t matter because you’ve decided : so then you're peaceful.
Let me chant Hare Krishna, that’s the idea, let me sit down chant Hare Krishna use my time. So a Krishna Conscious person some desires are coming, I want this, I want that, but he knows this is nonsense: I want illicit sex, I want to smoke, I want to gamble but he tolerates that. These desires are nonsense: "I’ve promised my spiritual master not to do these things to stay out of trouble" He becomes peaceful, not the person who goes chasing after desires.
. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

One Becomes Peaceful By Tolerance

Question from audience: I’ve heard Srila Prabhupada say that while the material body is there the attraction is there. Does a sober person feel the attraction and simply doesn’t act upon it or does he lose the attraction completely?

HH JAS: He loses the attraction and if somehow the attraction is there, some left over sexual thought or impulse, he thinks it’s so nasty. In the Bhagavad Gita, (sanskrit), the ocean is still even though so many rivers are running into it, similarly a person who is dhīraḥ, who is sober, (sanskrit) he’s also feeling sometimes some desires: "I’d like to do that...this is so nice.."
It may come to him but he controls that, he knows some desires come because I have the body so some thought has come, some desire has come but it’s nonsense so he’s not disturbed. (Sanskrit) therefore he’s peaceful, one becomes peaceful by tolerance.
. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Delhi Ladus...Suffering Guaranteed!

HH JAS: Prabhupad said that sex life is like the Delhi Ladu. The famous celebrated Ladus of Delhi and if you haven’t had one or if you don’t have one then you want one. So you're in anxiety: Can I get that Delhi Ladu? Where can I get that Ladu? And those who’ve gotten it are also suffering because it's so rich ....it just does you in! So those who don’t have it are lamenting and those that have it are lamenting: So those that are aspiring for sex enjoyment they are suffering and those who are getting sex enjoyment those are also suffering.
. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Make The Best Out Of The Bad Bargain

HH JAS: Here the danger is that one can be captivated by these false allurements and try to be happy and wind up dissatisfied and beset by so many troubles, so many troubles, therefore Krishna Consciousness means to become dhiraḥ, sober and self controlled.
We’re already in problems,everyone of us, because we have this material body and we are living in this material world, so there’s nobody who’s not in problematic existence. Prabhupada called it a bad bargain, and making the best use of the bad bargain is to dedicate ourselves to serving Krishna. That’s the only way to solve our problems is to be engaged in devotional service.
. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Material Desires Swept Away By Spiritual Pleasure

HH JAS: Just as a sober person doesn’t go chasing after mirages and go running away from illusionary tigers, so a sober person doesn’t become agitated by sex life and try to satisfy these desires one after another after another. Tolerates, so even in the Brahmacharya Ashram and also in the Grhasthas Ashram one has to tolerate that. If one expands the mental concoctions in the Householder Life one becomes a Grhamedhi, then he becomes like the materialistic person trying to satisfy so many desires. So many desires, so many desires and becoming disappointed and in the process losing ones Krishna Consciousness. So one has to learn this art of toleration either in the Brahmacharya Ashram or in the Grhastha Ashram. Therefore Brahmacharya training is there, the Brahmacharya learns how to tolerate so that he becomes a self controlled Grhastha and as a self controlled Grhastha he tolerates so many desires that may arise or as Srila Prabhupada points out here, engages himself in the service in such a way that these desires practically evaporate....they are products of the illusionary energy. So the more one engages himself in the service of Krishna the more these things come under control or they are swept away by the superior force of the spiritual energy: Spiritual pleasure. . EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Better to Be Sober And Tolerate

HH JAS: One is pushing the mind to get some concocted enjoyment, one is not enjoying... manasijamm or just like people are going to clubs sometimes, Prabhupada said naked sometimes half naked, sometimes bottomless sometimes topless, sometimes with high-heeled shoes: Sometimes this way and that way, just by some kind of mental concoction to try to put some enjoyment there, make some fantastic image of enjoyment and its just mental concoction: manasijamm vissaheta dhirah. Therefore one should become sober and tolerate, viṣaheta dhirahh,a sober person means rather than going through all of this trouble to scratch that itch, to agitate the mind and then try to satisfy that agitated mind, better to be sober and tolerate, all right, some itching is there, it wasn’t there before, later on it wont be there,(sanskrit),it comes it goes, let me tolerate.
. EXCERPTS FROM:
HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)