The Funny Side of Money

Although Laksmidevi has been good to me throughout my life, I've grown to respect Her by watching and hearing how Srila Prabhupada dealt with Her. One time Tamal Krsna Maharaj told me a funny story. At least, we found it funny, it being so typical of Prabhupada, that we laughed in love and admiration for a long time. Tamal and I were old India hands and he could be the sweetest cowherd boy when he was away from management; and he knew so much history of our movement's early days in India, especially the funny side of it. Anyhow, once when he was sitting in front of Prabhupada's desk he noticed some coins on the table. When Prabhupada noticed him looking at the coins he unlocked the drawer, swept the coins inside, re-locked the drawer and put the key away!

Never give money without getting a receipt and anything collected in the name of Iskcon, or any charitable organization, should be deposited in the bank before any expenditure is made. Those were Prabhupada's edicts to us in India.

Laksmidevi = Indian goddess of wealth. Synonymous with money.

Again, Some Truth

pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca

janā na vidur āsurāḥ

na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro

na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate

Translation: "Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in them. (Bhagavad-gita, 16.7)

According to the great whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, a military coup has taken place in the United States, with the Pentagon now ascendant in every aspect of foreign policy.

It doesn't matter who is president - George Bush or Barack Obama. Indeed, Obama has stepped up Bush's wars and started his own war in Pakistan. Like Bush, he is threatening Iran, a country Hillary Clinton said she was prepared to "annihilate". Iran's crime is its independence. Having thrown out America's favourite dictator, the Shah, Iran is the only resource-rich Muslim country beyond American control. It doesn't occupy anyone else's land and hasn't attacked any country -- unlike Israel, which is nuclear-armed and dominates and divides the Middle East on America's behalf.

In Australia, we are not told this. It's taboo. Instead, we dutifully celebrate the illusion of Obama, the global celebrity, the marketing dream. Like Calvin Klein, brand Obama offers the thrill of a new image attractive to liberal sensibilities, if not to the Afghan children he bombs.

This is modern propaganda in action, using a kind of reverse racism - the same way it deploys gender and class as seductive tools. In Barack Obama's case, what matters is not his race or his fine words, but the power he serves. (Breaking The Great Australian Silence, John Pilger, 7 November 2009)