Hare Krishna.

Recently, there has been tragic news about a religious stampede during a gathering in Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh, India. After a spiritual teacher gave a discourse, people rushed forward to take the dust from his feet or, according to some reports, the dust from the car in which he departed. In the rush, over a hundred people were killed, primarily women and children. Such a tragic loss of life raises disturbing questions, and I will attempt to make sense of this using the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita.

I will address this at two levels: individual and societal. At the individual level, we will discuss the importance of common sense and basic human consideration. At the societal level, we will look at civic responsibility.

On the individual level, devotion is a very strong emotion, and such emotions can easily override common sense, and sometimes even common decency. The mob mentality, fueled by religious or any righteous emotion—even if it comes from secular sources—can lead people to act without reason. In this particular case, if people rushed to take the dust from the feet of the spiritual teacher, the exact details of what happened and who is responsible will hopefully be clarified after a legal investigation. There are reports of negligence by the event organizers, particularly in allowing overcrowding and in the actions of the teacher’s security guards, who allegedly pushed back followers as they crushed forward towards him.

However, from the perspective of common sense, the purpose of devotion is to elevate human consciousness. How can the consciousness be elevated if we become so infatuated with one single expression of devotion—such as getting the dust that is considered sacred—that we neglect everything else that is sacred around us? The Bhakti tradition does emphasize the importance of receiving the dust of the lotus feet of great souls, but that same tradition also teaches us that God resides in every living being’s heart.

In the Mahabharata, for instance, it is described how Bhima, a powerful warrior and a great devotee, was racing up the Himalayas to find a flower for Draupadi. Along the way, he encountered an old, weak, and seemingly insignificant monkey who had stretched its tail across the path. Bhima, despite his immense strength, refused to trample over the tail, recognizing that even the body of a non-human being is a temple of the Lord, because the Lord, as the super soul, is present there.

The Bhagavad Gita states that the sign of true devotion is kindness, friendliness, and compassion toward all living beings. As it says in 12.13 of the Bhagavad Gita, “Adveshta Sarva Bhuta Nam, Mitra Karuna E Vacha”—we should be free from hatred and act with compassion toward all. If we are trampling over others, how can we claim to have devotion? How can we please God or gain His mercy if we are hurting or killing those who are His children? We need proper spiritual and philosophical education to guide our devotion in a way that is not disruptive or, worse still, destructive.

This is the example of education provided by the Bhagavad Gita, when Arjuna’s emotions began to take control of him. This type of education is what the rich religious tradition and culture of India need today. However, it is not fair to place all the blame on the people who, in their devotion, became part of a maddened rush. It is also the responsibility of the event organizers to exercise civic responsibility. The Bhagavad Gita stresses that Loka Samgraha—the maintenance of order in the world—is a responsibility that everyone, especially leaders, must fulfill through diligent action.

In 3.20, Krishna speaks about the duty of rulers: “Loka Samgraha Me Vapi Sampashyan Kartum Arhasi”—leaders must ensure that society functions smoothly. In this case, the organizers knew that the crowd far exceeded the safe limit, yet they did nothing to manage the situation. Instead, they resorted to pushing back those who overcrowded. Such tragic mismanagement of crowds does not only occur in Hindu religious gatherings. Every year, when millions of Muslims attend the Hajj pilgrimage, more than a thousand people have died at times due to overcrowding, negligence, and the lack of facilities—especially for those traveling illegally without access to the support provided by the authorities.

This year, the death toll was particularly high due to extreme heat. So, can the government not manage such crowds? Consider the example of when the Indian cricket team returned to India after winning the World Cup, especially in Mumbai, where people gathered in the thousands. However, due to proactive planning by the organizers and authorities, the event remained peaceful and celebratory, without any disruption or destruction.

We pray for the souls of those who have departed, and we also pray that the heads and hearts of both individual worshipers and event organizers be guided with wisdom and responsibility. This way, they can approach such situations with common sense and compassion at the individual level and a sense of social responsibility at the organizational level.

Thank you.