INCARNATED DEMIGODS

It could be that deep down inside, almost all loving parents see their own children as incarnations of demigods, great souls or angels. However, people in ISKCON take this as a religious fact founded in their own scriptures. The Krishna Book says that when Krishna was about to take birth, the demigods descend as relatives in the Yadu dynasty. Srila Prabhupada said that demigods would take birth in ISKCON, which became a popular thing to talk about, and the children heard it hundreds of times by the time they were teenagers. In fact, they still hear it quite often if they go around the temples.

Even to the present day, adults in ISKCON tell members of the second generation that they are demigods who have taken birth in ISKCON. Many of them met Srila Prabhupada and heard him speak and this must have had a tremendous impression on them, but if they were demigods, then how could their lives become so miserable, to the point that they were tortured and treated like prisoners of war?

The demigods of Greece and Rome, and even some Hindu demigods, are overly involved in fighting, victimizing each other or the human race. The story of Krishna's birth is a frightening tale of child abuse. Just imagine seeing Kamsa smash a baby against a rock and kill it. Imagine seeing a seven year old being slapped until his ears bleed. Stories serve up the logical consequences of human nature and their message is lovingly subtle. Perhaps that's why people love stories. Why would people love a story about a man who kills babies? The answer is that it's part of a mosaic that reaches from the top of the human experience to the bottom. There are light and dark tiles, all forming a cohesive picture. If we deny the black tiles, such as the abusers that walked among the eleven gurus, we deny the black tiles.

An empowering metaphor for the demigod children of ISKCON may be found in the story of the Pandavas, who were half human and half god. When the Pandavas came back from exile the last time, Duryodhana refused to give them even a pin prick of land. That enmity set off the Great War. ISKCON risks everything by treating the children as enemies or outsiders. According to the organization, they have done a lot to ease the situation. Hopefully someday they will truly respect their children and make amends.