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EDITORIAL January 16, 2000 VNN5281 Related VNN Stories Response To Sri Adripada BY KUNDALI DASA EDITORIAL, Jan 16 (VNN) — I did not see whatever Adri wrote in response to my deconstructing ritivkism, because I was off line for several weeks. However, it was reported to me that he went ballistic over my piece. No surprise there. Prabhupada used to say that when we preach those who get hit scream the loudest. So this is par for the course. I love Adri as much as one can love his very own brother, but that don't mean I mistake him for a philosopher. I am really into the idea that every person should discover their strength and soar with it, after all, this is the "science" of self-realization, so this makes a heap of sense to me. And I have never for a moment fallen into the notion that philosophy is Adri's strength or calling in this life. And that goes double for Krishna Kantji, who it is clear to me would be an excellent lawyer, but as a philosopher, what can I say, words fail me. Basically, as far as I have seen, philosophy eludes him and so many others. Krsna says, naham prakasa sarvasya yogo maya samavritah mudho 'yam nabhijanati. . . I can't really add to that. So the gist of what I heard about Adri's tirade was that he questions how I can be a scholar and not read "The Final Order", which I prefer to call "The Final Dis-order" and even better "Pulp Philosophy"? He also accuses me of being offensive to Srila Prahbupada. My reply to the first point: It is precisely because I am a scholar I did not bother to waste my time reading it. One page told me that I need not go on to page two. A devotee does not like to waste his time. I want to say that I have already seen and still have in my possesion heaps of ritvik rhetoric going back since years, and while I admit that the presentation may have evolved from their side, as they seek to make the notion more broadly acceptable, my simple point is why don't we just follow the parampara philosophy of Srila Rupa Gosvami? So simple. I am unmoved when people foam at the mouth and accuse me of being offensive to Srila Prabhupada. I think it is the most pathetic line of defense one can adopt. Bald assertions or wild accusations is the strategy of irrational people. In no civil court of law can you make your case simply by leveling an accusation. You have to prove your case. My challenge is that ritiviks cannot show where ritvik is in the teachings of Srila Rupa Gosvami. Those who disagree have a very simple task: Show me where it is taught by him, or be considerate and zip it. Makes a heap of sense to me. Lastly, someone did forward to me the reply of Puranjana to my short essay. I did not see anything in there worthy of response. In fact it was incoherent. It did not even address the topic I put on the table. He simply ranted and raved. My sincere advice to this prabhu: Get help. Related VNN Stories  Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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