Date: Jan. 8, 2020

Dear Jagadananda dasa,

Please accept my blessings.

Try as I might, sometimes technology escapes me. My job requires it and I end up getting scolded quite frequently.

The four defects that characterize the conditioned souls:

Prabhupāda: Illusion, mistake, cheating, imperfectness [of the senses]. They are aware of the imperfectness of the senses. Still they are proud of their knowledge. This is illusion. [end]

technology escapes me

It escapes everyone. The great hoax of technology is that it will compensate for our four defects. It (technology) is a logical extension of science, which offers the same false hope. The plague of so-called science is confirmation bias, a subset of the cheating propensity that will never be eliminated from the supposed “scientific method.” Try as they might, the material scientists will never overcome the four defects which invalidate the “scientific method.”

The truth is, only Krishna consciousness can compensate for the problems associated with our four defects:

Bg. 9.22

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ
ye janāḥ paryupāsate
teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ
yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham

Synonyms

ananyāḥ — having no other object; cintayantaḥ — concentrating; mām — on Me; ye — those who; janāḥ — persons; paryupāsate — properly worship; teṣām — of them; nitya — always; abhiyuktānām — fixed in devotion; yoga — requirements; kṣemam — protection; vahāmi — carry; aham — I.

Translation

But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.

Every endeavor suffers from some fault:

Bg. 18.48

saha-jaṁ karma kaunteya
sa-doṣam api na tyajet
sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa
dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ

Translation
Every endeavor is covered by some fault, just as fire is covered by smoke. Therefore one should not give up the work born of his nature, O son of Kuntī, even if such work is full of fault.

We are pessimists with respect to the prospects offered by material life. But we are very optimistic about the future guaranteed to us by following the process of devotional service. We shall not be discouraged in any way by our shortcomings. We know that all things are possible by the grace of Sri Guru and Vaishnavas. By serving them we shall acquire all good fortune.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ
 paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande
 śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
[Bhavärtha Dipikä, maìgala stotram, 1]

By the mercy of Sri Gurudeva, a blind man can see the stars in the sky, a lame man can cross mountains, and a dumb man can recite beautiful poetry.

I pray this finds you well in all respects.

Your ever well-wisher,

Swami B.K. Giri