Srila Prabhupada never appointed acharyas

By: 

Yashodanandana Dasa

Srila Prabhupada explained that his Guru Maharaja never appointed anybody as acharya. 

“…They wanted to create artificially somebody acharya,"…

 

Note:  1) The ISKCON GBC artificially created 11 acharyas in March of 1978.

            2)  If Srila Prabhupada wanted to appoint 11 acharyas [diksha-gurus] for ISKCON, why did he not directly say?

 

"He said so many things, and this point He missed? The real point?" 

 

Note: Similarly Srila Prabhupada said so many things in the last few months of 1977, and the real point He missed? 

 

“…and they insist upon it. They declared some unfit person to become…"

 

- Srila Prabhupada, Conversation, August 16, 1976, Bombay

 

Note:  And the GBC misheard, misunderstood, and misrepresented to the body of ISKCON devotees that 11 had been “appointed” as acharyas.  And they insisted upon it.  And they declared some unfit persons to become acharyas. 

 

Note:  If His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada did not appoint anyone as acharya [or diksha guru] for His mission, what makes the leading secretaries of His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada think that He would appoint one acharya or a group of acharyas for his mission, in direct contradiction of his criticism of this whole concept in August of 1976.  

 

- Srila Prabhupada, Conversation, August 16, 1976, Bombay, India  

 

Srila Prabhupada explains that there is no record that His Divine Grace Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura nominated “any acharya” after him. 

“… I have also read specifically your articles on the matter of acharyas, wherein on the 14th paragraph I see the acharya shall be entitled to nominate in writing his successive acharya. 

 

But we do not find any record where our Srila Prabhupada nominated any acharya after Him. Different persons have interpreted on this point, and everyone of our God brothers are acting as acharya, so this is a controversial point which I do not wish to enter into while we are proposing for co-operation…”  

 

- Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Swami Bhagavata Maharaja, August 21, 1969, Los Angeles 

 

Note:  Where is the actual verifiable record that Srila Prabhupada [HDG ACBSP] “nominated any acharya after Him”? 

 

Srila Prabhupada defines obedience. 

 

Srila Prabhupada:   "I may say many things to you, but when I say something directly to you, you do it. Your first duty is to do that, you cannot argue -'Sir, you said to me do like this before', no that is not your duty, what I say to you now you do it, that is obedience you cannot argue." 

 

-  Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam Lecture, April 14, 1975, Hyderabad 

 

Guru cannot be self-made.  Guru must be authorized. 

 

"Guru cannot be self-made. No. There is no such single instance throughout the whole Vedic literature. And nowadays, so many rascals, they are becoming guru without any authority. That is not guru. You must be authorised. Evam parampara-praptam imam ra... As soon as the parampara is....kalena yogo nasta parantapa, immediately finished. The spiritual potency finished. You can dress like a guru, you can talk big, big words, but it will never be effective." 

 

-  Srila Prabhupada, Lecture, February 27th 1977, Mayapur, India 

 

Guru must be authorized by the bona fide guru. 

 

"Self-made guru cannot be guru. He must be authorized by the bona fide guru. Then he's guru. This is the fact...Similarly; bona fide guru means he must be authorized by the superior guru." 

 

- Srila Prabhupada, Lecture, Nectar of Devotion, October 31, 1972 

 

Guru must be authorized by his predecessor spiritual master. 

 

"One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master coming in the disciplic succession, who is authorised by his predecessor spiritual master. This is called diksha-vidhana." 

 

- Srimad Bhagavatam, 4.8.54, purport 

 

Guru must be ordered by his guru. 

 

Prabhupada: Try to understand. Don't go very speedily. A guru can become guru when he's ordered by his guru. That's all. Otherwise nobody. 

Result of Gaudiya Matha's attempt to become more than guru. 

 

"Why this Gaudiya Matha failed? Because they tried to become more than guru. [.] They declared some unfit person to become acharya. Then another man came, then another, acharya, another acharya." 

 

-  Srila Prabhupada, Conversation, August 16, 1976 

 

Position of the actual guru. 

 

"An actual guru always remains the servant of his own guru and the predecessor acharyas. Attempting to become a guru without one's own guru's order is a materialistic ambition. Accepting followers and circumventing one's own guru is offensive." 

 

- My Glorious Master, by Bhurijana Dasa, 22-11: A Lost Son Visits Home 

 

Srila Prabhupada explains how he became the leader of the Krishna Consciousness movement. 

 

Guru must be ordered by His guru. 

 

Indian man: When did you become spiritual the leader of Krishna Consciousness? 

 

Srila Prabhupada: What is that? 

 

Brahmananda: He is asking when did you become the spiritual leader of Krishna Consciousness? 

 

Srila Prabhupada: When my Guru Maharaja ordered me. This is the guru parampara. 

 

Indian man: Did it... 

 

Srila Prabhupada: Try to understand. Don't go very speedily. A guru can become guru when he is ordered by his guru. That's all. Otherwise nobody can become guru. "     

 

- Srila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Lecture, October 28, 1975 

 

Guru must be authorized. Guru cannot be self-made.

 

Position of gurus without authority. 

 

"Guru cannot be self-made. No. There is no such single instance throughout the whole Vedic literature. And nowadays, so many rascals, they are becoming guru without any authority. That is not guru. You must be authorised. Evam parampara-praptam imam ra... As soon as the parampara is...kalena yogo nasta parantapa, immediately finished. The spiritual potency finished. You can dress like a guru, you can talk big, big words, but it will never be effective." 

 

- Srila Prabhupada, Lecture, February 27, 1977, Mayapur, India

 

Guru must be authorized by the bona fide guru. 

 

"Self-made guru cannot be guru. He must be authorized by the bona fide guru. Then he's guru. This is the fact...Similarly; bona fide guru means he must be authorized by the superior guru." 

 

- Srila Prabhupada, Nectar of Devotion lecture, October 31, 1972

 

Guru must be authorized person. 

 

"Therefore guru must be authorized person, not that bhumi-phala-guru. No. I am guru," no. You cannot become guru unless you are agent to draw out the mercy water from the ocean of mercy of Krishna. That is guru. And therefore a guru is not an ordinary person. He is the representative, bona fide representative of Krishna." 

 

- Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam lecture, November 30, 1976

 

Guru cannot impart instructions without being authorized.

 

"The schoolmasters in the modern days are paid agents for giving some information, but the spiritual master is not a paid agent. Nor can he impart instruction without being authorized." 

 

- Srimad Bhagavatam: 2.9.43, purport 

 

"A Guru can be Guru when he is ordered by his Guru. That's all. Otherwise nobody can become Guru." 

 

- Srila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita lecture, 28th October 1975 

 

Srila Prabhupada predicts what happens when the acharya disappears? 

 

Unfortunately, when the acharya disappears, rogues and nondevotees take advantage and immediately begin to introduce unauthorized principles in the name of so-called svamis, yogis, philanthropists, welfare workers and so on.   

 

- Srimad Bhagavatam: 4.28.48 

 

Do not make addition, alteration.

Results of making additions and alterations. 

 

Many times they give me very great credit that I have done wonderful. Yes, I have done wonderful. But what is the reason? Because I am not a rascal. I speak what Krishna has spoken. That's all. Very easy. Everyone can do that. Not only I. Any of you, you can do this. Simply speak what Krishna has said. That's all. Don't make addition, alteration. Then you become rascal.  Immediately you become rascal. 

 

- Srila Prabhupada, Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture, 1.5.29 Vrindavana, August 10, 1974

  

Danger of concocting 

 

Prabhupada: Ara na koriha mane asa. Don't concoct. Don't you sing daily? Ara na koriha mane asa. Don't manufacture ideas. That is dangerous. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu teaches by His example. Guru more murkha dekhi' karila sasana. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said to Prakashananda Sarasvati that "My spiritual master saw Me fool number one, so he has chastised Me, that 'Don't try to read Vedanta; chant Hare Krishna 

 

- Conversations, June 23, 1976, New Vrindavan 

 

Go to right person who has seen.  Do not make your own interpretation. 

 

Prabhupada: Therefore Krishna says, tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya: "One who knows, go and understand from them, from the guru." Don't make your interpretation, rascal. You shall remain always a rascal. Then what is the use of all these verses? If it is so easy to understand Krishna then why Krishna says, tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya: "Then you will understand. Go to the right person who has seen.”  

 

- Conversations, December 10, 1975, Vrindavana