[Posted
March 11, 2010]Abortion's karmic toll
Law of action and reaction operates whether you believe or not; ignorance of the law is no excuse
The Economist Mar 4, 2010
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The worldwide war on baby girls
“Suddenly, I thought I heard a slight movement in the slops pail behind me,” Miss Xinran remembers. “To my absolute horror, I saw a tiny foot poking out of the pail. ... ‘That’s a living child,’ I said in a shaking voice, pointing at the slops pail. ‘It’s not a child,’ she corrected me. ‘It’s a girl baby, and we can’t keep it.'"
In January 2010 the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) showed what can happen to a country when girl babies don’t count. Within ten years, the academy said, one in five young men would be unable to find a bride because of the dearth of young women—a figure unprecedented in a country at peace.
The number is based on the sexual discrepancy among people aged 19 and below. According to CASS, China in 2020 will have 30m-40m more men of this age than young women. For comparison, there are 23m boys below the age of 20 in Germany, France and Britain combined and around 40m American boys and young men. So within ten years, China faces the prospect of having the equivalent of the whole young male population of America, or almost twice that of Europe’s three largest countries, with little prospect of marriage, untethered to a home of their own and without the stake in society that marriage and children provide.
Gendercide—to borrow the title of a 1985 book by Mary Anne Warren—is often seen as an unintended consequence of China’s one-child policy, or as a product of poverty or ignorance. But that cannot be the whole story. The surplus of bachelors—called in China guanggun, or “bare branches”— seems to have accelerated between 1990 and 2005, in ways not obviously linked to the one-child policy, which was introduced in 1979. And, as is becoming clear, the war against baby girls is not confined to China. go to story
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If you make some inconvenience to the soul, who has taken shelter in the womb, and you kill the body, then he'll have to search out another body. This is going on. Just see how the rascal civilization is going on. They're thinking they're killing. This way killed, that way killed. No. You, it is sinful because you create inconvenience to that particular soul. He was taking shelter, karmana daiva-netrena jantur dehopapattaye [Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.31.1]. By his karma he was given shelter to develop a body, and if you kill that body, that means you go against the order of the Supreme. Suppose you are destined to occupy some room, and somebody does not allow you to enter that room, is it not criminal? It is criminal, unlawful detention, unlawful... It is unlawful, even in the state. Similarly, a living entity is developing one body, and if you kill that, you become immediately criminal, punishable. And the living entity who is checked to develop the body, he's put into inconvenience, he's also sinful. He's also sinful. Therefore it may be simply he's wandering from one womb to another, one womb to another. Because he committed that sinful activity abortion. Now the man who causes his abortion, he also being punished, that "You'll never see the light of this world. You'll simply have to live one womb to another, one womb to another. Go on." more
Excepting those who surrender to the Supreme Lord, everyone is bound by the laws of nature
excerpt from lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.16, Vrindaban, Nov 4, 1976
If there is legal sex, one man and woman, married, and only for progeny they get into sex life, that is allowed in the shastra. But illegal, illicit sex is most abominable. But either illicit or legal, there are so many sufferings. So many sufferings. Illegal—now they are giving opportunity, abortion, killing the child, and so on, go to the hospital. That is also. And behind that, the killing the child, a very sinful, he has to suffer. He does not know. Ananta-duhkham cha na veda mudhah. He's taking the risk of suffering life after life. Those who are killing the child within the womb, they will be punished. They will also enter within the womb of the mother, and somebody will kill, and again he will enter another mother's womb; again he'll be killed. So as many children he has killed, he has to go to the womb of the mother to another womb, another. He will never see the light of the world. He'll be killed. This is the punishment. This is the punishment. But he does not know. Ananta-duhkham cha na veda mudhah. He does not know how the laws of nature is working, life for life. You have no right to kill any life. Even an ant you cannot kill even. You cannot kill even. If you kill, then you have to suffer.
These are not stories. These are not stories. There are many incidences in the shastra.... Now, one muni was brought in the court of Yamaraja, and he was to be punished by like punishment, ... piercing the lancet through the rectum. So the muni asked Yamaraja, "Why you have put me into this tribulation, this punishment? What is my fault?" Yamaraja explained, "In your childhood you pierced with a nail through the rectum of an ant. Therefore you must be punished like this." Just see. In childhood playing he pierced. Sometimes we have seen, the children do that. That is also counted. You cannot do any harm to any animal, any living being. You cannot do. But these rascals are regularly killing. Although they have got this human form of body, although they have got intelligence, scientific intelligence, so-called learning, but they do not know how nature's law is working. They do not care to know. They say these stories are all mythology. But it is not mythology. They do not know what is the law of nature.
So we should be very, very careful. We are implicated, step by step. Padam padam yad vipadam [SB 10.14.58]. They do not know. This material world means at every step we are creating another difficulty. Padam padam yad vipadam. Samashrita ye pada-pallava-plavam mahat-padam. For those who have surrendered at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, bhavambudhir vatsa-padam: for them the great ocean of nescience becomes just like vatsa-padam, the water contained in the hoofprints of calves. ...This material world, where there is danger in every step, it is not for them. It is not for them. Therefore Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has warned, nishkiñchanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. Anyone who is desirous of rendering service, dedicates life for the service of Bhagavan, Krishna... Krishna demands that. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja [Bhagavad-gita 18.66: "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear."]. For such person, one who has decided, "Yes, I shall fully surrender to Krishna," for such person, surrender means he has finished his all material business. No more. No more business. That is called nishkiñchana. Kiñchana means "something," and nishkiñchana means that something also nothing. Anyabhilashita-shunyam jñana-karmady-anavritam [Brahma-samhita 1.1.11: "One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Krishna favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service."]. There are so many achievements by karma-, jñana-yoga, and so many things. But bhakti [the path of devotional service to Lord Krishna] means finish this, all this nonsense business—karma-, jñana-yoga. Simply surrender to Krishna. Anukulyena krishnanu-shilanam [Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya 19.167: “‘When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Krishna favorably, as Krishna desires.’"].
...Krishna says that "If you do not come to Me, if you do not accept Me, then," nivartante mrityu-samsara-vartmani: "you will continue the cycle of birth and death." And that means ananta-duhkham, ananta-duhkham, one life after one life, one life after one life. This will go on.
So we should be very, very careful that this human form of life should not be wasted even for a moment. That is real life. There is, by, one shloka by Rupa Gosvami. Avyartha-kalatvam [Cc. Madhya 23.18-19]. A devotee should always be alert to see, "Whether this time, one moment passed, whether I have wasted it or I have utilized it?" That is, should be, the point. This is also material estimation, that one moment of our life cannot be returned in exchange of millions of dollars, even from material point of view. And those who are advancing in spiritual life, how much careful they should be. Therefore Rupa Gosvami has given the formula, avyartha-kalatvam. Not a single moment may be wasted without chanting Hare Krishna.
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