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Please note that Śrīla Prabhupāda seemed very concerned that the children were being physically punished for not chanting japa. His point was that this policy might cause the children to rebel against chanting japa when they got older.
Please also note that Śrīla Prabhupāda, after 1972, said things in favor of the corporal punishment of children by their parents and teachers, but didn’t say anything against it. “If the captain of the ship says ‘5 degrees starboard’ and the first mate replies, ‘But captain, before you told me 10 degrees port.’, then it can be understood that the first mate has gone insane.”
72-01-10.Ani (Letter to Aniruddha, January 10, 1972): “Encourage them to chant as much japa as possible, but there is no question of force or punishment. If there is need you may shake your finger at them but never physical punishment is allowed. Try as far as possible to discipline them with love and affection, so that they develop a taste for austerity of life and think it great fun to serve Kṛṣṇa in many ways. Rising early and mangal ārati, this is enough austerity.”
72-01-00.Sva (Letter to Svati, January, 1972): “Regarding your other questions: Children may be recommended for initiation when they are twelve years old. We should avoid as far as possible any physical punishment to train children. It is better to use sweet words or if it is absolutely necessary to punish then you may bind with ropes in one place or show the cane, but do not use--like that. I have recently explained to Aniruddha in Dallas school and you may write to him for details.
The most important thing however is to see that somehow or other the children are always engaged in some kind of Kṛṣṇa conscious activity, then they will naturally develop a taste for it and think it great fun even to work very hard for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure.”
72-11-18.Rup (Letter to Rūpa Vilāsa, November 11, 1972): “So I have heard that there as been some beating with sticks on the children. Of course I do not know, but that should not be. You may show the stick, threaten, but better art is to somehow or other, even by tricking them, avoid this matter of force and induce them to obey out of loving spirit. That is success of disciplinary method.”
72-11-18.Bha (Letter to Bhanutanya, November 11, 1972): “Now the thing is, children should not be beaten at all, that I have told. They should simply be shown the stick strongly. So if one cannot manage in that way then he is not fit as teacher. If a child is trained properly in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, he will never go away. That means he must have two things, love and education.
So if there is beating of child, that will be difficult for him to accept in loving spirit, and when he is old enough he may want to go away--that is the danger. So why these things are going on--marching and chanting japa, insufficient milk, too strict enforcement of time schedules, hitting the small children? Why these things are being imposed? Why they are inventing these such new things like marching and japa like army? What can I do from such a distant place? They should run and play when they are small children, not forced to chant japa, that is not the way.”
72-12-10.Bra (Letter to Brahmanya Tīrtha, December 10, 1972): “Regarding your question should force be used on children, no, there shall be no forcing the children to do anything. Child should not be forced. This is all nonsense. Who has devised these things? If we want them to become great devotees, then we must educate the children with love, not in a negative way. Of course, if they become naughty we may show the stick but we should never use it.
Child is nonsense, so you can trick him to obey you by making some little story and the child will become cheated in the proper behavior. But never apply force, especially to his chanting and other matters of spiritual training. That will spoil him and in the future he will not like to do it if he forced.”
750415SB.HYD (Srimad-Bhagavatam Class, April 15, 1975, Hyderabad, India): “I may say many things to you, but when I say something directly, ‘Do it,’ your first duty is to do that. You cannot argue, ‘Sir, you said me like this before.’ No, that is not your duty. What I say now, you do it. That is obedience. You cannot argue.”
760610iv.la (Magazine Interview - June 6, 1976, Los Angeles): “Child is not interested for education. But it is the duty of the father to make him educated, sometimes punish him. So a child may be foolish, but how the parents can be foolish?”
760811RC.TEH (Room Conversation - August 11, 1976, Tehran, Iran): “As the father gives slap to rogue child, that is also kindness.”
760920SB.VRN (Srimad-Bhagavatam Class, September 20, 1976, Vrndavanaa, India): “A devotee is never disturbed when the father gives slap or the master gives slap.”
761105rc.vrn (Room Conversation about Gurukula - November 5, 1976, Vrndavanaa, India):
Rupa-vilasa: Bhavānanda told me he did not want to see that boy again.
Pradyumna: In Māyāpura he had some girl…
Jagadīśa: In my opinion, the best thing is to make an example and beat him.
Prabhupāda: Yes, send him to farm, work in the field. If he does not work, beat him. Murkhasya laktausadhih. (?)(Hindi conversation)
Yaśodānandana: He was just in Hyderabad for that ceremony there, and he caused such disruption in the whole temple that I don’t think they’d want him there.
Jagadīśa: The thing is, if we beat him here and keep him here, then all the boys will straighten up because they will see that if they go bad, then this will be their punishment.
Prabhupāda: As you think, you can do. But I wanted to engage in farm work, in digging.
770218r2.may (Room Conversation - February 18, 1977, Māyāpura, India): “Yes, insult. The animals should be kicked with shoes and stick. Argumentum baculum. There is no argument for animals. Kick and stick. Beat him. That is the way of dealing with animal. You cannot request an animal very… ‘My dear dog, please do not bark. Sit down.’ Simply kick and give him stick. That is good.
They’re animals. Gentle behavior with gentleman, not with the animal. ‘You are so big, big animal, you are simply to be kicked and whipped. Then you’ll come to your senses.’”
SCHOPENHAUER.SYA (Discussion with Śyāmasundara Dāsa about Arthur Schopenhauer’s Philosophy): “The child loves also the parents. So without the basic principle of love, the more you love, the more the surrender is also perfect. Just like a small child, you slap the child, he’s crying, yet crying also with the words, ‘Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy’ because there is love.”
MILL.HAY (Discussion with Hayagrīva Dāsa about John Stuart Mill’s Philosophy): “Just like a small child is fighting with his strong father. So one slap by the strong father is sufficient to the small child.”
TQK 12 (Teachings of Queen Kuntī, Chapter 12 - Bewildering Pastimes): “The Lord is not envious. The killing of the demons is also a display of His affection. Sometimes we may punish our children by giving them a very strong slap because of love. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa kills a demon this killing is not on the platform of material jealousy or envy, but on the platform of affection.”
My thanks to Sañjaya Dāsa for helping me to find the above quotes.
Your servant, Pratyatoṣa Dāsa (ACBSP)
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