With many improvements and new quotes!! MUST READ !!
Mathias Sabji
The only type of bona fide diksa and siksa guru is an authorized maha-bhagavata!
"The (diksa and siksa ) guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service. There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from the topmost class."
(C.c. Madhya, 24.330, purport)
"When one has attained the topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshipped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru."
(C.c. Madhya, 24.330, purport)
"Therefore a disciple should be careful to accept an uttama-adhikari as a spiritual master."
Unqualified gurus are also warned:
"One should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of uttama-adhikari."
(The Nectar of Instruction, text 5, purport)
"Unless one is a resident of Krishna Loka, one cannot be a Spiritual Master. That is the first proposition. A layman cannot be a Spiritual Master, and if he becomes so then he will simply create disturbance. "
(SP Letter Mukunda 6/10/69)
The requirement for being a siksa , diksa, or initiating guru in ISKCON is not simply that one thinks they have acquired the requisite qualifications to act as guru, but that in addition Srila Prabhupada must also authorized such persons to specifically act in that capacity:
“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 diksa vidhana.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.54, purport)
The Main-Point is : "who is authorised by his predecessor spiritual master."!! ( NOT BY GBC)!!
This has put the GBC on the back foot, realizing that it’s not enough just to “assume” they were supposed to become gurus to “continue the parampara”, but that they also need to demonstrate authorization for the same.
“Our business is to point out who is not a saint.”
(Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk, April 10th, 1974)
"Mundane votes (GBC 2/3 hand-vote) have no jurisdiction to elect a Vaisnava acarya. A Vaisnava acarya is self effulgent, and there is no need for any court judgement. A false acarya may try to override a Vaisnava by a High Court decision, but Bhaktivinode Thakura says that he is nothing but a disciple of Kali-yuga. "
(CC (BBT 1975) Madhya 1.220)
NOTE:
"A false acarya may try to override a Vaisnava by a High Court decision, but Bhaktivinode Thakura says that he is nothing but A DISCIPLE OF KALI-YUGA. " !!!!!!
1978 - Guru-by-vote ridiculed:
"You cannot simply elect a person to the post of the most exalted sainthood"
('Notes from the Editor', Back to Godhead #13-01/02, 1978)
"Srila Jiva Gosvami advises that one not accept a spiritual master in terms of hereditary or customary social, and ecclesiastical conventions. "
(CC (BBT 1975) Adi 1.35)
BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT:
„The GBC is the highest ecclesiastical body guiding ISKCON.“
(Back To Godhead)!!
Conference
Thus the GBC has become an ecclesiastical conference that elects new members by means of a voting system. This system is strikingly similar to that adopted by the College of Cardinals within the Roman Catholic church.
It is therefore clear that the prevailing guru system functions and sustains itself by means of practices that cannot possibly be described as authorised.
1986 - Guru-by-vote implemented:
"…any GBC can present a diksa guru candidate before the GBC body. Unless the majority of voting members objects to the nomination, the candidate will be placed on a required one year waiting period…upon majority approval of the body, he may take up the responsibilities of an initiating guru in ISKCON."
(ISKCON GBC Resolution No. 3, March 30th, 1986)
Voting procedures [...] for guru candidate [...] who will be established by the voting members.
(GBC document.)
Voting for guru process [...] by a two third vote of the GBC [...] all GBCs are candidates for appointment as guru.
(GBC document.)
GBC: Still "electing people to the post of the most exalted sainthood"
According to these quotes and irrefutable evidence, it is also true that the GBC chooses actually diksa gurus!.
This is sadly, but also irrefutable proof that the GBC does not accept the disciplic conclusion !!!!
"...disciplic succession does not always mean that one has to be initiated officially. Disciplic succession means to accept the disciplic
conclusion."
(SP Letter to Dinesh, 31/10/69)
"Mundane votes ( GBC 2/3 hand-vote) have no jurisdiction to elect a Vaisnava acarya. A Vaisnava acarya is self effulgent, and there is no need for any court judgement. A false acarya may try to override a Vaisnava by a High Court decision, but Bhaktivinode Thakura says that he is nothing but A DISCIPLE OF KALI-YUGA. " !!
(CC (BBT 1975) Madhya 1.220)
“I am the initiator (diksa) guru, and you should be the instructor (siksa) guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you should actually come to this platform. This I want. “
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 4, 1975.)
NOTE: Prabhupada say: " and you should be the instructor (siksa) guru"! SHOULD means that now they are not! They are not siksa and not diksa guru. Next : "but you should actually come to this platform. This I want. “Prabhupada want that all of his disciples come to the platform of siksa-gurus, because siksa and diksa gurua are same liberated platform.
There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple's spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions.
(CC Adi, 1.47 )
Here Srila Prabhupada describes the two kinds of instructor gurus. The second describes a person who gives instructions based on the revealed scriptures. The first describes the siksa guru Srila Prabhupada wants us all to become. On this platform we will be fully qualified to preach the glories of the Lord.
“If everyone just initiates, then there will only be contradictory results. As long as it goes on there will only be failure.”
(Prabhupada From Phalguna Krishna Pancami, 1961.)
Iskcon-GBC says : Srila Prabhupada authorized the GBC to sanction and dismiss diksa-gurus in ISKCON ( MYTH)
“One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master coming in disciplic succession who is authorized by his predecessor spiritual master.( not by GBC !!) This is called diksa-vidhana.
(Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 4.8.54, Purport)
NOTE:
The main point in this vers is: " WHO IS AUTHORIZED BY HIS PREDECESSOR SPIRITUAL MASTER "!
“A (siksa and diksa) guru can become guru when he is ordered by his guru. That’s all. Otherwise nobody can become guru.”
(Conversation, Oct. 28, 1975, Nairobi)
“Vallabha Bhaṭṭa wanted to be initiated by Gadādhara Pandita, BUT GADADHARA PANDIT !!!!refused, saying, ‘The work of acting as a spiritual master is not possible for me. I am completely dependent. My Lord is Gauracandra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. I cannot do anything independently, without His order.’ ”
(Cc. Antya 7.150,151)
NOTE !!! GADADHARA PANDIT ( RADHA SELF) CAN'T GIVE DIKSA WITHOUT DIRECT ORDER FROM GURU !!!!
"Self-made guru (or GBC 2/3 hand-vote guru ) cannot be (siksa and diksa) 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." (not by GBC !!! )
(Srila Prabhupada - Lecture on Nectar of Devotion, October 31, 1972)
How many of these drowning disciples will wake up and realize that a drowning man cannot save another drowning man? How many will wake up and accept that a spiritual master or a guru in our Brahmā Madhva Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradaya is NOT someone who has been appointed by the institution like GBC !
"As for your next question, can only a few pure devotees deliver others, anyone, if he is a pure devotee he can deliver others, he can become spiritual master. But unless he on that platform he should not attempt it. Then both of them will to go to hell, like blind men leading the blind." !!!!!
[SP Letter to Tusta Kṛṣṇa: Ahmedabad 14 Dec 1972]
WHO FOLLOW DISCIPLES OF KALI YUGA...........
Iskcon-GBC says : A spiritual master may sometimes fall down and become demoniac.( MYTH)
“There is no possibility that a first-class devotee will fall down…”
(Cc. Madhya 22.71, Purport)
“The spiritual master is always considered either one of the confidential associates of Radharani or a manifested representation of Sri Nityananda.”
(Cc. Adi. 1.46, Purport)
“The spiritual master is not the question of [‘living’ or ‘dead’]… The spiritual master is eternal–the spiritual master is eternal.” (Lecture,
Oct. 2, 1968, Seattle, WA).
Those deviant gurus being described could never, by definition, have been members of the eternal disciplic succession. Rather, they were non-liberated, self-authorised or GBC rubberstamped 2/3 voted-in gurus and priests posing as initiating acaryas. Bona fide members of the disciplic succession never deviate:
"God is always God,( siksa and diksa) Guru is always Guru."
(The Science of Self Realisation, chapter 2)
"Well if he is bad, how can he become a (siksa and diksa) guru?"
(The Science of Self Realisation, chapter 2)
"The pure devotee is always free from the clutches of Maya and her influence."
(S.B. 5.3.14)
"There is no possibility that a first class devotee will fall down."
(C.c. Madhya, 22.71)
"A spiritual master is always liberated."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Tamal Krishna, 21/6/70)
There is not a single example in Srila Prabhupada's books of a formally authorised diksa guru, in our disciplic succession, ever deviating from the path of devotional service. The rejection of Sukracarya is sometimes used to validate the view that acaryas fall down, or can be rejected, but this example is highly misleading since he was never an authorised member of our disciplic succession. Lord Brahma's pastimes with his daughter are sometimes mentioned. Yet it is clearly stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that these incidents occurred before Lord Brahma became the head of our sampradaya. Indeed, when the disciple Nitai referred to the pastime as an example of an acarya falling down, Srila Prabhupada became most displeased.
Prabhupada:
Aksayananda: I was recently told by one devotee that the acarya does not have to be a pure devotee. [....]
Prabhupada: Who is that rascal? [...]
Aksayananda: He said it. Nitai said it. He said it in this context. He said that Lord Brahma is the acarya in the Brahma-sampradaya, but yet he is sometimes afflicted by passion. So therefore he is saying that it appears that the acarya does not have to be a pure devotee. So it does not seem right. [...]
Prabhupada: He manufactured his idea. Therefore he's a rascal. Therefore he's a rascal. Nitai has become an authority? [...] He thought something rascaldom, and he is expressing that. Therefore he is more rascal. These things are going on.
(Morning Walk, Vrindavan, December 10th, 1975)
"Prabhupada: "Then so siksa and diksa-guru... A siksa-guru who instructs against the instruction of spiritual, he is not a siksa guru. He is a demon. Siksa-guru, diksa-guru means... Sometimes a diksa-guru is not present always. Therefore one can take learning, instruction, from an advanced devotee. That is called the siksa-guru. Siksa-guru does not mean he is speaking something against the teachings of the diksa-guru/Acarya. He is not a siksa-guru. He is a rascal."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 17:1-3, 07-04-74, Honolulu )
"The bona fide spiritual master always engages in unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
(C.c. Adi, 1.46)
Srila Prabhupada taught that a guru will only fall down if he is not properly authorised to initiate:
"...sometimes a spiritual master is not properly authorised to initiate and only on his own initiative becomes a spiritual master, he may be carried away by an accumulation of wealth and a large number of disciples."
(Nectar Of Devotion, p116)
When a guru falls down it is conclusive proof that he was never properly authorised by his predecessor acarya.
"A spiritual master is always liberated."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter 21/6/70)
Aindra Prabhu:
"It is not that Srila Prabhupada‘s sankirtana mission precludes the prospects of pursuing the path of raga, nor is it that legitimate institutional leadership is the monopolized prerogative of the religio-corporate power elites and ecclesiastically rubberstamped guru figureheads.
We cannot rubberstamp paramahamsas!
Indeed, as only the maha-bhagavata truly has the fitness to bestow suddha-nama upon anyone, without receiving which a disciplic candidate could hardly hope to make much tangible spiritual progress in this age of Kali, it is the paramahamsa maha-bhagavata alone who viably stands as a comprehensive representative of all our Srila Prabhupada and the acarya-parampara have to offer.
We must always remember - It is not that authority constitutes truth. Truth constitutes authority. That is guru-parampara !
They who prefer to bend, water down, compromise, or obscure the truth to suit various inveigling materially conceived managerial agenda on the plea of propagating the Krishna consciousness movement are not truthful Brahmins, what then of being paramahamsa Vaishnavas."
(His Holiness Aindra Prabhu in his book : The heart of transcendental book distribution")
The instruction for everyone to become guru is found in the following verse in the Caitanya-Caritamrta, which was often quoted by Srila Prabhupada:
"Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Sri Krishna as they are given in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land."
(C.c. Madhya, 7.128)
However, the type of guru, which Lord Caitanya is encouraging everyone to become, is clearly established in the detailed purports following this verse:
"That is, one should stay at home, chant the Hare Krishna mantra and preach the instructions of Krishna as they are given in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam."
(C.c. Madhya, 7.128, purport)
"One may remain a householder, medical practitioner, an engineer or whatever. It doesn't matter. One only has to follow the instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and instruct relatives and friends in the teachings of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam [...] It is best not to accept any disciples."
(C.c. Madhya, 7.130, purport)
We can see that these instructions do not demand that the gurus in question first attain any particular level of realisation before they act. The request is immediate. From this it is clear everyone is simply encouraged to preach what they may know, and in so doing become siksa, or instructing, gurus. This is further clarified by the stipulation for the siksa guru to remain in that position, and not then go on to become a diksa guru:
"It is best not to accept any disciples."
(C.c. Madhya, 7.130, purport)
To accept disciples is the main business of a diksa guru, whereas a siksa guru simply needs to carry on his duties and preach Krishna Consciousness as best he can. It is clear from Srila Prabhupada's purports that in the above verse Lord Caitanya is actually authorising siksa gurus, not diksa gurus.
This is also made abundantly clear in the many other references where Srila Prabhupada encourages everyone to become guru:
"...'But I have no qualification. How can I become guru ?' There is no need of qualification...Whomever you meet, you simply instruct what Krishna has said. That's all. You become guru."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 21/5/76, Honolulu)
"yare dekha, tare kaha, Krishna-upadesa. You haven't got to manufacture anything. What Krishna has already said, you repeat. Finish. don't make addition, adulteration. Then you become guru [...] I may be fool, rascal [...] So we have to follow this path, that you become guru, deliver your neighbourhood men, associates, but speak the authoritative words of Krishna. Then it will act [...] Anyone can do. A child can do."
(Srila Prabhupada Evening darshan, 11/5/77, Hrsikesh)
"Because people are in darkness, we require many millions of gurus to enlighten them. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is, [...] He said that "Everyone of you become guru."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 21/5/76, Honolulu)
"Because people are in darkness, we require many millions of gurus to enlighten them. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is, [...] He said that "Everyone of you become guru."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 21/5/76, Honolulu)
"You simply say [...] "Just always think of Me", Krishna said, "And just become My devotee. Just worship Me and offer obeisances." Kindly do these things." So if you can induce one person to do these things, you become guru. Is there any difficulty?"
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, 2/8/76, New Mayapur)
"Real guru is he who instructs what Krishna has said....You have simply to say, 'This is this.' That's all. Is it very difficult task?"
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 21/5/76, Honolulu)
It is perfectly clear therefore that the above are actually invitations to become instructing spiritual masters, siksa gurus. We know this since Srila Prabhupada has already explained for us in his books the far more stringent requirements for becoming a diksa guru.
SIKSA-GURU is also REAL GURU!!
NOTE:
But in same time there are 2 kinds of instructions or siksa-gurus!!!
"There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple's spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions."
(CC Adi, 1.47 )
NOTE:
Here Srila Prabhupada describes the two kinds of instructor gurus. The second describes a person who gives instructions based on the revealed scriptures. He must be not full liberated !!! The first describes the siksa guru Srila Prabhupada wants us all to become. On this platform we will be fully qualified to preach the glories of the Lord !!
But that does not apply to diksa gurus:
“Vallabha Bhaṭṭa wanted to be initiated by Gadādhara Pandita, BUT GADADHARA PANDIT !!!!refused, saying, ‘The work of acting as a spiritual master is not possible for me. I am completely dependent. My Lord is Gauracandra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. I cannot do anything independently, without His order.’ ”
(Cc. Antya 7.150,151)
NOTE !!! GADADHARA PANDIT ( RADHA HERSELF) CAN'T GIVE DIKSA WITHOUT DIRECT
ORDER FROM GURU !!!!
"Unless one is a resident of Krishna Loka, one cannot be a Spiritual Master ( diksa and one of the 2 kind of siksa-guru). That is the first proposition. A layman cannot be a Spiritual Master, and if he becomes so then he will simply create disturbance. "
(SP Letter Mukunda 6/10/69)
NOTE:
A real siksa ( one of 2 kind ) and diksa-guru is a resident from Krishna-Loka means uttama-adhikari with eternal siddhi-svarupa-body and special authorization to act as Diksa-Guru but not from GBC!!!
(Astonishingly, some brainwashed devotees have used such quotes as those above as a justification for "minimally qualified diksa gurus", an entity never once mentioned in any of Srila Prabhupada's books, letters, lectures or conversations).
An example of a guru who has no qualification other than repeating what he has heard, could be found on any bhakta induction course in ISKCON.
Srila Prabhupada unequivocally stated that the diksa and one kind of the siksa-guru guru must be a mahabhagavata (most advanced stage of God-realisation) AND be specifically authorised by his own spiritual master. He had always strongly condemned the assumption of guruship by those who were not suitably qualified and authorised. We quote below from Srila Prabhupada's books where the qualifications of the diksa guru are stated.
Iskcon-GBC says : Persons who are not full self-realized souls or topmost Vaisnavas can be diksa-gurus if the GBC approves.( MYTH)
Maha-bhagavata-srestho brahmano vai gurur nrnam sarvesam eva lokanam asau pujyo yatha harih maha-kula-prasuto" pi sarva-yajnesu diksitah sahasra-sakhadhya yi ca na guruh syad avaisnavah
"The (siksa and diksa) guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service. There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from the topmost class."
(C.c. Madhya, 24.330, purport)
"When one has attained the topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshipped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru."
(C.c. Madhya, 24.330, purport)
NOTE:
Here it is meant the diksa guru AND one of 2 kinds of the siksa-gurus !
But especially the Diksa-Guru needs = QUALIFICATION AND AUTHORISATION !!
Aside from the qualification, Srila Prabhupada also taught that specific authorisation from the predecessor acarya was also essential before anyone could act as a diksa guru and one of 2 kind of the siksa-guru!
"On the whole, you may know that he (Bon Maharaja) is not a liberated person, and therefore, he cannot initiate any person to Krishna Consciousness. It requires special spiritual benediction from higher authorities." !!!!
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Janardana, 26/4/68)
The biggest obstacle to achieving this change of heart is to usurp the position of the bona fide Guru, and instead desire to be worshipped unauthorisedly as a “Good as God/sum total of the demi- Gods” Guru oneself. The biggest self-delusion is to think that one can be a self-made guru or better a so called GBC voted in rubber stamped Gurufigurehead without authorization from Srila Prabhupada:
“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 . 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's Lecture, February 27th 1977, Mayapur, India)
GBC’s actual function:
“The GBC should all be the instructor gurus. I am the initiator guru, and you should be the instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you must actually come to this platform. This I want.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 4th, 1975)
Please again:
"There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple's spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions."
(CC Adi, 1.47 )
NOTE:
Here Srila Prabhupada describes the two kinds of instructor gurus. The second describes a person who gives instructions based on the revealed scriptures. The first describes the siksa guru Srila Prabhupada wants us all to become. On this platform we will be fully qualified to preach the glories of the Lord.
If Srila Prabhupada provides us with the essential core of our transcendental knowledge, then we must therefore be receiving divya-Jnana from him.
This is stated in a recent GBC Resolution:
a) Srila Prabhupada is the foundational siksa guru for all ISKCON devotees because he has realised and presented the teachings of the previous acaryas of the Brahma Madhava Gaudiya sampradaya appropriately for the modern age.
b) Srila Prabhupada's instruction are the essential teachings for every ISKCON devotee.
c) Srila Prabhupada's books are the embodiment of his teachings and should be accepted as the standard by all future generations of ISKCON.
d) Every ISKCON spiritual master is responsible to guide his disciples to follow Srila Prabhupada's instructions.
(Resolution No. 35 GBC Minutes 1994)
It is clear that the Governing Body Commission states that it is Srila Prabhupada whose instructions we are to follow. It is the instructions of Srila Prabhupada that are the foundational and essential siksa for everyone.
If his instructions are not transmitting divya-jnana then whose are ?
It is clearly not the present 'spiritual masters' who are currently giving the essential divya-jnana. They are simply advising from where it may be obtained. They are assisting but not directly transmitting. As noted earlier, this has been admitted by the GBC themselves.
Diksa Guru:
If therefore, it is Srila Prabhupada who is giving us divya-jnana and thus enabling us to destroy our sinful reactions, then he cannot be none other than our diksa guru. The diksa guru is not the individual who provides the spiritual name or lights the sacrificial fire. The diksa guru is he who gives diksa, the transcendental knowledge that destroys all sinful reactions and takes us back to Godhead.
Knowledge
As stated earlier, anyone can act as a siksa guru, but a diksa guru, by definition, must possess full divya-jnana. Srila Prabhupada indicates this quite clearly:
"Then you can say 'Yes, I know everything' Diksa. Diksa, initiation, diksa, this Sanskrit word, diksa, means divya-jnanam ksipayati ask from spiritual master with service and surrender the transcendental knowledge. The more you ask, you become a man of knowledge. Then you can challenge, and then 'Yes, I know everything'. "
(Morning Walk 11th June 1974)
"Which explains the of divya-jnana, transcendental, that is diksa. Di divya diksanam. Diksa. Divya-jnana, transcendental knowledge. [...] if you don't accept a spiritual master how you'll get transcen...You'll be taught here and there, here and there, and waste time. Waste time for the teacher and waste your valuable time. Therefore you have to be guided by an expert Spiritual Master. "
(Room Conversation 27th January 1977)
This Divya-Jnana is extremely advanced knowledge:
"In the matter if of divya-jnana - [it comprises] knowledge of the original form [conveyed] within the divine mantra along with which is specific knowledge of [the individuals] relationship with the Supreme Lord. "
(Bhakti Sandarbha 243)
“Diksa actually means *initiating* a disciple *with transcendental knowledge* by which he becomes freed from all material contamination.”
(Madhya-lila, 4:112, Purport)
"Diksa is the process by which one can awaken his transcendental knowledge and vanquish all reactions caused by sinful activity. A person expert in the study of the revealed scriptures knows this process as diksa."
(C.C. Mad., 15-108)
"First He says the spiritual master awakens the sleeping living entity to his original consciousness so that he can worship Lord Visnu. This is the purpose of diksa or initiation. Initiation means receiving the pure knowledge of spiritual consciousness."
[Madhya-Lila 9.61,purport]
The choice is very simple:
Is the person who tells you to read Srila Prabhupada's books giving divya-jnana, or the person whose books you actually read ?
The answer is of course quite clear.
As dissatisfaction with ISKCON's unauthorised guru system has grown over the years, the Movement's GBC 2/3 voted in rubber stamped gurus and others have felt compelled to develop and espouse new myths to either prop up a failing guru system, or provide a non-ritvik alternative to it. These myths utilise the fact that Srila Prabhupada taught there are two types of spiritual master, siksa (the guru who instructs) and diksa (the guru who initiates). Here is the myth being legislated by the Governing Body Commission (GBC) for ISKCON:
"Whereas in their overemphasis on diksa gurus, Srila Prabhupada's disciples and followers failed in various ways to properly establish and sustain Srila Prabhupada's unique role and personal relationship with all ISKCON devotees as the Founder-Acarya and pre-eminent siksa guru in ISKCON; ISKCON leaders failed to also properly establish the importance and role of siksa gurus in ISKCON;"
(GBC resolutions 1999)
And below we paraphrase this in more blunt terms with little bit joking, but actually it is more to crying:
"There is no need to challenge our Great Guru Hoax and adopt the crazy idea that Srila Prabhupada is the sole diksa Guru for ISKCON, since the only justifiable complaint is that we may have given too much prominence to the diksa guru (the guru who initiates - namely us, the GBC gurus) over and above the siksa guru (the guru who instructs - namely Srila Prabhupada). Since Srila Prabhupada is everyone's siksa Guru, all devotees should be happy in the knowledge that while we (the guru hoaxers) carry on initiating everyone and receiving good-as-God worship as diksa gurus, our disciples can still have a nice siksa relationship with Srila Prabhupada."
In this article we shall finally put to rest the great siksa/diksa myth, along with all its offshoots, by defeating the arguments used in its defence.
What did Srila Prabhupada order?
Obviously the most crucial point that should first be considered is what type of guru did Srila Prabhupada establish himself as. Since it is just plain, historical fact that he left himself in place as the sole diksa Guru for ISKCON, as per his final directive on initiation sent to all GBCs and Temple Presidents on July 9th 1977, then what right or authority does the GBC have to in any way change, redefine or limit his Guru status? Since Srila Prabhupada left himself in place as ISKCON's sole diksa Guru and gave no authority to the GBC to ever change this, then clearly anyone claiming to be his follower must accept this. Anyone who teaches anything different from this is no type of guru at all. Thus, from the outset the myth is defeated, since Srila Prabhupada's position remains unchanged from that occupied before his departure.
"Either is sufficient"
The following verse is also sometimes used to argue that a siksa guru is equal to a diksa guru, and therefore we can just take shelter of Srila Prabhupada as a siksa guru, and this is enough:
"…on the absolute platform siksa and diksa gurus are identical, and it is offensive to try and discriminate between them".
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi -lila1:47, purport).
But by the same verse, since Srila Prabhupada is the diksa Guru of ISKCON, then to try and de-emphasise this on the plea of promoting his role as a siksa guru would be offensive, since one would be trying to discriminate between Srila Prabhupada's role as the diksa Guru, and Srila Prabhupada's role as the siksa Guru.
"Srila Prabhupada can only give siksa to newcomers, but not diksa" realy ?
If Srila Prabhupada can still give siksa to everyone as the GBC concede, and if "on the absolute platform siksa and diksa gurus are identical", then why can he not give diksa to everyone too? According to Srila Prabhupada, the siksa guru normally goes on to become the diksa guru anyway:
"Generally a spiritual master who constantly instructs a disciple in spiritual science becomes his initiating spiritual master later on."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 1.35, purport)
"It is the duty of the siksa guru or diksa guru to instruct the disciple in the right way, and it depends on the disciple to execute the process. According to sastric injunctions, there is no difference between siksa guru and diksa guru, and generally the siksa guru later on becomes the diksa guru."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.12.32, purport)
The GBC have violated the above principle every day of every year since 1977 since on the one hand they promote Srila Prabhupada as the main siksa Guru for anyone who joins ISKCON, but on the other they flatly deny that it is even possible that he "later on becomes the diksa guru". What happens normally "later on" in ISKCON is that all Srila Prabhupada's disciples are stolen by the GBC 2/3 voted in rubber stamped gurus!
Srila Prabhupada taught that we are permitted just one diksa Guru, who must be completely liberated, and unlimited siksa gurus who may or may not be liberated. The confusion between diksa and siksa gurus occurs because their titles are confused with their function. Thus it is sometimes assumed that only the siksa guru gives siksa, but not the diksa guru. However, as the last quote above clearly demonstrates, the diksa guru also instructs. This should be obvious, otherwise how else will he transmit divya-jnana (transcendental knowledge)?:
Pradyumna:
"Guru-padasrayah. "First one must take shelter of the lotus feet of a spiritual master." Tasmat Krsna- diksadi-siksanam. Tasmat, "from him", Krsna-diksadi-siksanam, "one should take Krsna- diksa, initiation, and siksa.""
Srila Prabhupada:
"Diksa means divya-jnanam ksapayati iti diksa. Which explains the divya-jnana, transcendental, that is diksa. Di, divya, diksanam. diksa. So divya-jnana, transcendental knowledge(...)"
Pradyumna:
"Krsna- diksadi-siksanam."
Srila Prabhupada:
"Siksanam. We have to learn. If you don't learn, how you'll make progress?"
(Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, 27/1/77)
That siksa is included in diksa is evident from the most well known verse on the guru-disciple relationship:
"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth."
(Bhagavad-gita, 4:34 [1972 ed.])
In this verse the word "upadeksyanti" is translated in the word-for-word translation as meaning to "initiate"; however, in the full translation this to "initiate" is rendered as requiring the Guru to "impart" (knowledge). Consequently the "Prabhupada is siksa not diksa" advocates are caught in a logistical trap of their own making. If Srila Prabhupada is capable of "imparting knowledge" or "divya-jnana" to newcomers, which the GBC concede in advocating him as the pre-eminent siksa Guru for ISKCON, then he must by definition be able to initiate or give diksa too. Transcendental knowledge is, after all, the main constituent of diksa:
"Diksa actually means initiating a disciple with transcendental knowledge by which he becomes freed from all material contamination."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 4:112, purport, emphasis added)
"Diksa is the process by which one can awaken his transcendental knowledge and vanquish all reactions caused by sinful activity. A person expert in the study of the revealed scriptures knows this process as diksa."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 15.108, purport, emphasis added)
It is obviously ludicrous to argue that Srila Prabhupada can impart transcendental knowledge when not on the planet if we call him a siksa Guru, but not do so if we call him a diksa Guru. Therefore, if Srila Prabhupada can impart transcendental knowledge to newcomers whilst not on this planet, and he is the latest or current link in the chain of disciplic succession, what prevents him from being their diksa Guru?
Thus since the GBC accept that Srila Prabhupada can impart "transcendental knowledge" to everyone via his "pre-eminent siksa", and since Srila Prabhupada has already agreed to accept as a disciple anyone who follows his teachings for a minimum of six months (via representational priests or ritviks), the GBC and others should stop inventing baseless myths and start following his pre-eminent instructions, beginning with the one issued on July 9th 1977, which continued his position as the sole diksa Guru of ISKCON.
“The initiating and instructing spiritual masters are equal and identical manifestations of Krsna, although they have different dealings.”
(Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.34, purport )
“Therefore, there is no difference between siksa-guru and diksa-guru . . .”
(Room conversation in Bhubanesva on Jan. 31, 1977)
“According to sastric injunctions, there is no difference between siksa-guru and diksa-guru, and generally the siksa-guru later on becomes the diksa-guru.”
(Srimad-bhagavatam, 4.12.32, purport)
"Ours is a siksa parampara (disciplic succession)"
This argument is used to comfort those who may find it hard to have absolute faith in the current ISKCON guru system, given its appalling track record, yet wish for whatever reason to remain within the institution. By teaching that our guru-disciple lineage has been primarily based on siksa, rather than diksa, the GBC clearly hopes to dupe doubtful newcomers into believing they can get all they need in the form of siksa from Srila Prabhupada, whilst still fully participating in, contributing towards and promoting the great diksa guru hoax. This is nothing more than another example of bait-and-switch: "Join our great lineage which is primarily based on siksa, wherein you can take full shelter of Srila Prabhupada as your pre-eminent siksa Guru without limitation, but please don't mind if we just humbly initiate everyone since we are just lowly, insignificant diksa gurus."
Yet Srila Prabhupada never taught anywhere that "ours is a siksa parampara". Surely he would have mentioned this at least once somewhere, if it was to be such an integral part of ISKCON preaching. Even if ours was "a siksa lineage", that would still not justify removing Srila Prabhupada as ISKCON's diksa Guru without authority. Indeed, it makes no sense to argue that Srila Prabhupada is everyone's instructing Guru, and then at the same time ruthlessly hound from the society anyone who wishes to follow Srila Prabhupada's instruction on how initiation was meant to proceed, which is precisely what the GBC now do.
"Diksa guru does not matter"
By extending the previous argument, it is argued that since it is siksa alone which matters, then who gives you diksa is not important. However, this begs the obvious question, that if who the diksa guru is so insignificant, why are the GBC and their supporters fighting tooth and nail to ensure that Srila Prabhupada is NOT the diksa Guru? As soon as Srila Prabhupada's name is in the frame for being diksa Guru, all of a sudden, who the diksa Guru is becomes a life and death question, to be resolved via banning and suppression.......?
So this alone exposes the hypocrisy and double standard of this argument. In addition, the very fact that some of these "unimportant diksa gurus" fell down proves none of ISKCON's gurus were ever properly authorised members of the infallible chain of spiritual masters descending sequentially from Lord Sri Krishna and hence unimportant or not, ISKCON post-'77 has never had any bona fide, authorised diksa gurus.
jive saksat nahi tate guru caittya-rupe
siksa-guru haya krsna-mahanta-svarupe
Transliteration: jive—by the living entity; saksat—direct experience; nahi—there is not; tate—therefore; guru—the spiritual master; caittya-rupe—in the form of the Supersoul; siksa-guru—the spiritual master who instructs; haya—appears; krsna—Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mahanta—the topmost devotee; sva-rupe—in the form of.
“Since one cannot visually experience the presence of the Supersoul, He appears before us as a liberated devotee. Such a spiritual master is none other than Krsna Himself.”
(Caitanya-caritamrita ADI LILA 1.58 )
Note :
here that “such a spiritual master” is referred to in the verse and transliteration as a siksa-guru, i.e., siksa-guru, in the true sense of the term, is an advanced, liberated devotee of the Lord. “He appears before us as a liberated devotee.” Anyone who says otherwise disqualifies himself immediately relative to any claim he has made to being siksa-guru.
“A siksa-guru who instructs against the instruction of spiritual, he is not a siksa guru. He is a demon. Siksa-guru, diksa-guru means . . . Sometimes a diksa-guru is not present always. Therefore, one can take learning, instruction, from an advanced devotee. That is called the siksa-guru. Siksa-guru does not mean he is speaking something against the teachings of the diksa-guru. He is not a siksa-guru. He is a rascal.”
(SPLecture in Honolulu, July 4, 1974)
"The GBC should all be the instructor gurus. I am the initiator guru, and you should be the instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you must actually come to this platform. This I want." !!
(SPL to Madhudvisa Swami, 4th August, 1975)
“The diksa-guru and the siksa-guru are both intimate servitors of Lord Krsna.”
(Harinama-cintamani of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur)
Again:
"There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple's spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions."
(CC Adi, 1.47 )
NOTE:
Here Srila Prabhupada describes the two kinds of instructor gurus. The second describes a person who gives instructions based on the revealed scriptures. The first describes the siksa guru Srila Prabhupada wants us all to become. On this platform we will be fully qualified to preach the glories of the Lord.
Iskcon -Sivaram Swami tells us:
"In this regards Srila Prabhupada clearly states that a devotee other than an uttama adhikari can initiate."
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p29)
The only thing Srila Prabhupada does indicate is that a person other than an uttama adhikari is forbidden to assume the position of diksa guru. His comments with regard to the possibility of lesser-qualified individuals accepting disciples are not a dispensation, but a warning:
"One should not become a Spiritual Master unless he has attained the platform of uttama-adhikari. [...] A neophyte Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance. Therefore a disciple should be careful to accept an uttama-adhikari as a Spiritual Master. "
NOI 5 (1975)
This is confirmed elsewhere:
"The guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service. There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from the topmost class. "
(CC (BBT 1975) Madhya 24.330)
Why not accept this advice ?
Srila Prabhupada comments:
"At the present moment it has become fashionable to disobey the unimpeachable directions given by the acaryas and liberated souls of the past."
(SB (BBT 1987) 4.18.5)
OPTIMISM
"In due course he will also reach the uttama stage and be able to give the highest realisations."
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p 30)
Speculation:
"There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from the topmost class. "
(CC (1975 Ed) Madhya 24.330)
Srila Prabhupada does clearly not support the peculiar proposal that one accept a lower grade of guru and hope he becomes an uttama-adhikari.
As the quote above and the many quotes given earlier prove, it is ludicrous to suggest, as the author does, that one abandon Srila Prabhupada on the speculative principle that one of the current Gurus may make it!
Srila Prabhupada only always urges us to accept a Bona-Fide Guru. He never urges us to accept a person who may end up being Bona-Fide, given enough time, and providing he does not fall down.
Qualification First
As the author Sivaram Swami asserts, one may certainly become an uttama-adhikari through the practice of Krishna Consciousness, but Srila Prabhupada indicates quite clearly that one should first attain the level of uttama-adhikari, and only then occupy the post of diksa guru.
The view that we need many gurus to fulfil the preaching mission is fully achieved through everyone acting as preacher, or siksa guru. That this is so has been fully explained in the purports to the Amara ajanana guru hana verse quoted earlier.
It is nonsense to suggest that one endeavour to find an individual senior to yourself and optimistically hope that he will prove able to provide liberation. Sastra indicates quite clearly that if one wants full divya-jnana, then one must go to the person who possesses it. Srila Prabhupada is such a person.
Iskcon Sivaram Swami says:
"Current link constitutes physical presence. To interpret it any other way changes the "law"."
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p28)
"A Spiritual Master is the principle, not the body."
(SPL 28/5/68)
"What we have heard from the Spiritual Master, that is living."
(Lecture, 15/1/69)
MADHUDVISA:
Is there any way for a Christian to, without the help of a Spiritual Master, to reach the spiritual sky through believing in the words of Jesus Christ and trying to follow his teachings?
SRILA PRABHUPADA:
I don't follow.
TAMALA KRISHNA:
Can a Christian in this age, without a Spiritual Master, but by reading the Bible, and following Jesus's words, reach the ...
SRILA PRABHUPADA:
When you read the Bible, you follow the Spiritual Master. How can you say without. As soon as you read the Bible, that means you are following the instruction of Lord Jesus Christ. That means that you are following the Spiritual Master. So where is the opportunity of being without Spiritual Master.
MADHUDVISA:
I was referring to a living Spiritual Master.
SRILA PRABHUPADA:
Spiritual Master is not question of ... Spiritual Master is eternal...so your question is 'without Spiritual Master'. Without Spiritual Master you cannot be at any stage of your life. You may accept this Spiritual master or that Spiritual master. That is a different thing. But you have to accept. As you say that "by reading Bible", when you read Bible that means you are following the Spiritual Master represented by some priest or some clergyman in the line of Lord Jesus Christ.
(Morning Walk, Seattle, 2/10/68)
"Only Lord Caitanya can take my place. He will take care of the Movement."
(Srila Prabhupada Room conversation - translated from Hindi, 2/11/77)
So we have clear, direct, irrefutable evidence from Srila Prabhupada's books and signed directives, proving that the system which was set up by Srila Prabhupada for initiation in his presence was the system set up for ISKCON's lifetime.
1.
"In our Krsna consciousness movement, the requirement is that one must be prepared to give up the four pillars of sinful life: illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication and gambling. In Western countries especially, we first observe whether a potential disciple is prepared to follow the regulative principles. Then he is given the name of a Vaisnava servant and initiated to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, at least sixteen rounds daily. In this way the disciple renders devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master==OR==! his representative ( RITVIK) for at least six months to a year. He is then recommended for a second initiation, during which a sacred thread is offered and the disciple is accepted as a bona fide brahmana."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 24:330, purport, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)
2.
"Due to the necessity of these activities, we do not immediately initiate disciples in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. For six months, a candidate for initiation must first attend arati and classes in the sastras, practice the regulative principles and associate with other devotees. When one is actually advanced in the purascarya-vidhi, he is recommended by the local temple president for initiation. It is not that anyone can be suddenly initiated without meeting the requirements. When one is further advanced by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra sixteen rounds daily, following the regulative principles and attending classes, he receives the sacred thread (brahminical recognition) after the second six months."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 15:108, purport, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)
3.
"Thus in the beginning the students of our Krsna consciousness movement agree to live with devotees, and gradually, having given up four prohibited activities illicit sex, gambling, meat-eating and intoxication they become advanced in the activities of spiritual life. When one is found to be regularly following these principles, he is given the first initiation (hari-nama), and he regularly chants at least sixteen rounds a day. Then, after six months or a year, he is initiated for the second time and given the sacred thread with the regular sacrifice and ritual."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 17:265, purport, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada).
"I am the Spiritual Master of this institution, and ALL the members of the Society, they’re supposed to be MY disciples. They follow the rules and regulations which I ask them to follow, and they are INITIATED BY ME spiritually" –
(Srila Prabhupada Radio Interview, 12 March 1968, San Francisco)
And if there is actually association of spiritually self-realized person, then he will give you some process of spiritual activities. That is called bhajana-kriya. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah atha bhajana-kriya tato anartha-nivrttih syat. And as you are more and more engaged in spiritual activities, so, proportionately, your material activities and affection for material activities will diminish. Counteraction. When you engage in the spiritual activities, your material activities diminishes.
(B.G. Lecture, 2.58-59, New York, 7th April, 1966)
Note: How Srila Prabhupada's association can be had is described as follows:
So we should associate by the vibration, and not by the physical presence. That is real association. Sabdad anavrtti. By sound. Just like we are touching Krsna immediately by sound. Sound vibration. So we should give more stress on the sound vibration, either of Krsna or of the spiritual master. Then we'll feel happy and no separation.
(S.P. Lecture, 18/8/68,Montreal.)
Note: So we should associate with Srila Prabhupada's by his vibration that is real association. His books are also his vibration, this is confirmed as follows:
Regarding Sankirtana and book distribution, book distribution is also chanting. Anyone who reads the books that is also chanting and hearing. Why distinguish between chanting and book distribution? These books I have recorded and chanted, and they are transcribed. It is spoken kirtanas. So book distribution is also chanting. These are not ordinary books. It is recorded chanting. Anyone who reads, he is hearing. Book distribution must not be neglected.
(S.P.L. to Rupanuga dasa, 19th October, 1974)
Note: Anyone who reads Srila Prabhupada's books is associating with Srila Prabhupada, this fact is accepted by everyone. So Srila Prabhupada says "And if there is actually association of spiritually self-realized person, then he will give you some process of spiritual activities. That is called bhajana-kriya."
This is confirmed again by the following quote:
And if you associate with sadhu, then bhajana-kriya. If we... Just like so many thousands of Europeans, Americans, they have joined us on account of sadhu-sanga. First of all they come in the temple and hear for some days. Then all of a sudden he becomes shaven-headed. We haven't to request. He takes a bead and bead bag, although he's not initiated. Then, after some days, he approaches, "Please get me initiated." The bhajana-kriya. This is called bhajana-kriya. So we initiate. "Yes, now you are interested, we initiate." We give him hari-nama: "Chant Hare Krsna mantra." This is the first initiation. "And chant sixteen rounds and observe these rules and regulations." Then, when I see, six months or one year, he's doing very nicely, then we accept him as my disciple, the second initiation. So this is bhajana-kriya. Then he's admitted to worship the Deity or cook for the Deity, so many things. Bhajana-kriya.
(Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture 1.2.18 Calcutta, September 26, 1974)
Note: So Srila Prabhupada is giving the process of spiritual activities (Bhajana-Kriya, Initation) in his original books, WHO CAN REFUTE THIS FACT ???
* Therefore Srila Prabhupada is the Initating Spiritual Master (Diksa Guru) for everyone in ISKCON.
Srila Prabhupada lives forever from his original books, we only need to preserve and utilise them. We can utilise them by reading and living them and also by distributing them to everyone on the planet so they can do the same.
Reporter: Who will succeed you when you die?
Srila Prabhupada: I will never die!
Devotee’s: Jaya! Haribol!
Srila Prabhupada: I will live forever from my books and you will utilise.
(S.P.interview, Berkley, 1975)
"My rules and regulations"
Please make sure that these new devotees (as well as the old ones) follow all of my rules and regulations strictly. They must chant 16 rounds, rise early, attend class, etc. Without these things, there is no spiritual life at all.
(S.P. Letter to: Bhrsakapi Bombay 16 January, 1975)
Note: So when a devotee takes formal initiation he makes a vow to follow the 4 regulations and chant 16 rounds a day. These are Srila Prabhupada's rules and regulations, therefore anyone who vows to follow them is actually accepting Srila Prabhupada as initiating spiritual master (diksa guru).
THIS IS CLEAR, WHO CAN REFUTE IT ???
Srila Prabhupada:
Who is my disciple? First of all let him follow strictly the disciplined rules.
Disciple:
As long as they are following, then he is...
Srila Prabhupada: Then he is all right.
(Srila Prabhupada Morning walk, 13/6/76, Detroit)
"...unless there is discipline, there is no question of disciple. Disciple means one who follows the discipline."
(Srila Prabhupada Morning walk, 8/3/76, Mayapur)
"If one does not observe the discipline, then he is not disciple." (Srila Prabhupada S.B. Lecture, 21/1/74)
Srila Prabhupada never authorised the GBC to change any of the systems of management he personally put in place:
"Resolved: The GBC (Governing Body Commission) has been established by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to represent Him in carrying out the responsibility of managing the International Society for Krishna Consciousness of which He is the Founder-Acarya and supreme authority. The GBC accepts as its life and soul His divine instructions and recognises that it is completely dependent on His mercy in all respects. The GBC has no other function or purpose other than to execute the instructions so kindly given by His Divine Grace and preserve and spread His Teachings to the world in their pure form."
(Definition of GBC, Resolution 1, GBC minutes 1975)
"The system of management will continue as it is now and there is no need of any change."
(Srila Prabhupada's Declaration of Will, 4th June, 1977)
The ritvik system was his chosen way of managing initiations within ISKCON. The job of the GBC is to ensure it runs smoothly, not disband it and start their own system, and in the process develop their own philosophy:
"The standards I have already given you, now try to maintain them at all times under standard procedure. Do not try to innovate or create anything or manufacture anything, that will ruin everything."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Bali Mardan and Pusta Krishna, 18/9/72)
"Now I have invested the GBC for maintaining the standard of our Krishna Consciousness Society, so keep the GBC very vigilant. I have already given you full directions in my books."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Satsvarupa, 13/9/70)
"I have appointed originally 12 GBC members and I have given them 12 zones for their administration and management, but simply by agreement you have changed everything, so what is this, I don't know."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Rupanuga, 4/4/72)
"Now you have a very good field. Now organize it and it will be a great credit. No one will disturb you there. Make your own field and continue to become ritvik and act on my behalf."
(Śrīla Prabhupāda to Hansadutta : July 31, 1977)
"What will happen when I am not here, shall everything be spoiled by GBC?"
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Hansadutta, 11/4/72)
The GBC body should act solely within the parameters it was set by Srila Prabhupada. It pains us to see Srila Prabhupada's representative body in any way compromised, since it was his desire that everyone cooperate under it's direction.
In addition to ISKCON’s current guru system not having any order from Srila Prabhupada to justify its existence, the GBC’s official “brain”, the “Sastric Advisory Council” (SAC), has said that the process by which it does authorise gurus, via voting them in, is not based on “guru, sadhu and sastra”:
“Our present system has institutionalized a process of senior devotees voting or offering no-objection to prospective gurus. But we do not find that this institutionalized blessingseeking process is mentioned by guru, sadhu or sastra as the way that one is authorized to become a guru.”
(Balancing the roles of the GBC and the disciple in Guru selection, SAC)
You can find this quote in the middle of this GBC Website:
http://gbc.iskcon.org/2012/01/
So from every angle, ISKCON’s current guru system is basically a big unauthorised hoax!
"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."
( Abraham Lincoln )
The GBC's most recent official handbook on initiation entitled.
"Gurus And Initiation In ISKCON" (to be referred to henceforward as GII) If we return once more to „GII“ we can see that the GBC is highly ambivalent towards the gurus it "authorises".
Whilst acknowledging the rubber-stamping of sampradaya acaryas is bogus (GII, point 6, p.15), the GBC nevertheless, in effect, performs precisely this function every Gaura-Purnima at Mayapur, year after year.
We now have close to a hundred initiating gurus, all anointed with the "no objection" stamp of approval. All these gurus are being worshipped as "saksad hari" ("as good as God") in accordance with the GBC's own directives for disciples (GII, point 8, p.15).
These initiating acaryas are heralded as "current links" to a disciplic succession of maha-bhagavatas stretching back thousands of years to the Supreme Lord Himself:
"Devotees should take shelter of the representatives of Srila Prabhupada who are the "current link" in the disciplic succession."
(GII, p. 34)
At the same time however the aspiring disciple is sternly warned that ISKCON approval..."...is not automatically to be taken as a statement about the degree of God-realisation of the approved guru."
(GII, section 2.2, p.9)
Elsewhere we are further cautioned:
"When a devotee is allowed to carry out the "order" of Srila Prabhupada to expand the disciplic succession by initiating new disciples it is not to be taken as a certification or endorsement of his being an "uttama adhikari", "pure devotee", or to having achieved any specific state of realisation." (GII, p.15)
These gurus are not to be worshipped by everyone in the temple, but only by their own disciples in a separate place.
(GII, p.7) - (Pradyumna's acaryadeva definition).
We would venture that it is infelicitous to approve, or "not object" to, the creation of diksa gurus, and simultaneously disavow any blame or responsibility should they deviate. This is what's termed "living in denial" according to modern psychological parlance. We are sure Srila Prabhupada did not intend ISKCON to be a type of lottery, or Russian roulette, where the stake is someone's spiritual life. Perhaps the GBC should refrain from further rubberstamping until they can stand one hundred percent behind those they approve. After all, every one of us stands one hundred percent behind Srila Prabhupada as a bona fide spiritual master; so such consensual recognition of personal qualification is not impossible.
GBC guru ambivalence was recently summed up quite succinctly by Jayadvaita Swami:
"The word appointed is never used. But there are "candidates for initiating guru", votes are taken, and those who make it through the procedures become "ISKCON-approved" or "ISKCON-authorised" gurus. To boost your confidence: On one hand the GBC encourages you to be initiated by a bona fide, authorised ISKCON guru and worship him like God. On the other, it has an elaborate system of laws to invoke from time to time when your ISKCON-authorised guru falls down. One might perhaps be forgiven for thinking that for all the laws and resolutions the role of guru is still a perplexity even for the GBC."
("Where the ritvik People are Right", Jayadvaita Swami, 1996)
For Sivaram Swami it is only a "LITTLE THING" to become a real guru or diksa-guru:
"In either case the 'little thing' indicates that the completion of the training is not a monumental task that Srila Prabhupada envisaged spanning over decades."
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p13)
Not Explained
In order to prove that becoming qualified is a 'little thing', the author provides quotes in which it is stated how simple it is to become a guru. However, it is not explained that these quotes refer to the 'amara ajanana guru hana' verse, wherein Lord Caitanya encourages everyone to become a guru by simply repeating what he knows. As shown above already: that here Lord Caitanya is simply encouraging everyone to become one of the two kind of siksa guru or preacher. This kind of siksa-guru must not be full liberated . This is a position which all members of the sankirtan movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are obliged to assume.
Ultimately the key question is whether or not Srila Prabhupada did actually select individuals to become Diksa Gurus. We will see in the next section that he only selected Ritviks, and not Diksa Gurus.
EVIDENCE
"My proposal, which I shall show in the following section is that Srila Prabhupada did complete the training, at least to his satisfaction, and did choose some gurus. "
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara page 14)
No Evidence
Finally the much heralded 'evidence' for the selection of 11 Diksa Gurus is presented. Unfortunately if one anticipates conclusive evidence in the form of many recorded conversations and confirmatory written documents, one is immediately disappointed. Infact the only 'evidence' put forward by the author is the so-called 'Appointment Tape', which in any case, as we will show, points to a rather different claim.
Before proceeding further, one is immediately confronted by a number of pressing questions:
Why is there no written evidence ?
Why was the 'Appt Tape' initially concealed ?
No Documents
Srila Prabhupada invariably confirmed any major decision in writing. It is not unreasonable to consider a decision of this nature to be of considerable importance. One may therefore enquire why, if Srila Prabhupada had in fact appointed eleven diksa gurus, he never confirmed the decision in writing, or indeed, made any further reference to the appointments. It is impertinent to suggest that he acted in such a cavalier manner.
As Srila Prabhupada states, this is not the first time such a major decision has been proclaimed without any recorded proof:
"They wanted to create artificially somebody acarya, and everything failed. They did not consider even with common sense: that if guru Maharaja wanted to appoint somebody as acarya, why did he not say? He said so many things, and this point He missed? The real point? And they insist upon it. They declared some unfit person to become. "
(SPC (BBT 1991) 15.08.76)
"I have also read specifically your articles on the matter of acaryas, wherein on the 14th paragraph I see the acarya shall be entitled to nominate in writing his successive acarya. But we do not find any record where our Srila Prabhupada nominated any acarya after Him. Different persons have interpreted on this point, and everyone of our Godbrothers are acting as acarya, so this is a controversial point which I do not wish to enter into while we are proposing for co-operation. "
(SPL (VI 1987) 69.8.38)
Concealed
One may also justifiably wonder why such supposedly conclusive evidence for the appointment of diksa gurus was concealed until 1983. If the 'appointment tape' does indeed clearly indicate the appointment of diksa gurus, then one may reasonably question why it was not immediately presented as evidence in 1977. Why such secretive behaviour if the evidence actually indicated the appointment of Diksa Gurus?
Warnings
It is clear that Srila Prabhupada anticipated problems:
"So Sridhar Maharaja and his two associate gentlemen unauthorised selected one acarya and later it proved a failure. The result is now everyone is claiming to be acarya even though they may be kanistha adhikari with no ability to preach. In some of the camps the acarya is being changed three times a year. Therefore we may not commit the same mistake in our ISKCON camp. "
(SPL (VI 1987) 74.4.52)
The following conversation, held the day before the alleged appointment of eleven diksa gurus was made, is also worthy of consideration:
"Bhavananda:
There will be men, I know. There will be men who want to try and pose themselves a gurus.
Tamal Krishna:
That was going on many years ago. Your Godbrothers were thinking like that. Madhava Maharaja ...
Bhavananda:
Oh yes. Oh, ready to jump.
Srila Prabhupada:
Very strong management required and vigilant observation ... "
(Room Conversation May 27 1977)
The words 'Very strong management required and vigilant observation' are unlikely to be those of someone about appoint eleven diksa gurus. On the contrary, Srila Prabhupada indicates quite clearly that unqualified persons should be prevented from occupying the post of guru.
Rather surprisingly, the author requires that the reader accept that less than twenty-four hours later, Srila Prabhupada appointed eleven such individuals.
Miracle
Reflecting on the minimal qualifications necessary for assuming the position of diksa guru, the author assures the reader that Srila Prabhupada appointed eleven diksa gurus who were qualified, and yet immediately concedes their lack of qualifications:
"He did not give such 'high' information to his disciples in the 12 years that he was with them. No doubt it was due to the lack of qualification of the average disciple."
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p30)
(This presumably explains the current fashion for 'transcendental' discussions with representatives of the Gaudiya Math, an activity not recommended by Srila Prabhupada :
"We shall be very careful about them and not mix with them. This is my instruction to you all. They cannot help us in our movement, but they are very competent to harm our natural progress. So we must be very careful about them. "
(SPL (VI 1987) 74.4.52)
It is worth repeating that after 11 years, as his remarks on April 22nd 1977 demonstrate (quoted above ), Srila Prabhupada still did not perceive anyone qualified to be a Diksa Guru. Yet, thirty-six days later, eleven of them simultaneously became 'qualified'. One might reasonably wonder how, that if no one could achieve this qualification in eleven years, they managed to do so in such a short period.
Appointment Tape :
DIRECT EVIDENCE FOR CONTINUANCE OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OF ACARYA SYSTEM AFTER PHYSICAL DISAPPEARANCE :
A. Srila Prabhupada’s direct Ritvik Acarya appointment May 28, 1977 ISKCON Governing Board Commission (GBC) meeting. Notes enclosed in [ ]
Satsvarupa: By the votes of the present GBC. Then our next question concerns initiations in the future, particularly at that time when you’re no longer with us. We want to know how first and second initiation would be conducted.
Prabhupada: Yes. I shall recommend some of you. After this is settled up, I shall recommend some of you to act as officiating acaryas.
[Srila Prabhupada clearly did not state "diksa-guru" nor "acarya" which is a direct repudiation of the successor diksa-guru accepting their own disciples senario in ISKCON.]
Tamala Krsna Is that called ritvik-acarya?
Prabhupada: Ritvik, yes.
[Srila Prabhupada equates "officiating acarya" with "ritvik" which is the second direct repudiation of the successor diksa-guru senario in ISKCON.]
Satsvarupa: Then what is the relationship of that person who gives the initiation and the…
Prabhupada: He’s guru. He’s guru.
Satsvarupa: But he does it on your behalf.
Prabhupada: Yes. That is formality. Because in my presence one should not become guru, so on my behalf, on my order… Amara ajnaya guru haia. Be actually guru, but by my order.
[This is the third direct repudiation of Srila Prabhupada's disciples accepting their own disciples in ISKCON.]
Satsvarupa: So they may also be considered your disciples.
Prabhupada: Yes, they are disciples. Why consider? Who?
[This is the fourth direct repudiation of the successor diksa-guru senario in reply to Satsvarupa's question.]
Tamala Krsna: No, he’s asking that these ritvik-acaryas, they’re officiating, giving diksa. Their… The people who they give diksa to, whose disciple are they?
[Here Srila Prabhupada ends his conversation with Satvarupa and replies to Tamal's misunderstanding. Tamal's misunderstanding is clearly evident as he repeats Satvarupa's same question which was already clearly answered by Srila Prabhupada. Further, Tamal's misunderstanding is clear in his saying that ritviks and officiating acaryas give diksa which they clearly don't, as they merely are representing the uttama-adhikari diksa-guru. Tamal's misconception of "diksa" and "diksa-guru" is that both diksa-guru and disciple must be physically present for diksa which clearly contradicts Srila Prabhupada's teachings as i pointed out later .]
Prabhupada: They’re his disciple.
Tamala Krsna: They’re his disciple.
Prabhupada: Who is initiating. He is grand disciple.
Satsvarupa: Yes.
Tamala Krsna: That’s clear.
[Here Tamal draws his own conclusion and foolishly accepts only the sentence ("There're his disciple.") which he likes or understands. He ignores Srila Prabhupada's clear answers to Satvarupa's previous questions which repudiated the "disciples accepting their own disciples" senario in ISKCON four times and thus Tamal misses Prabhupada's concluding statement as follows.]
Satsvarupa: Then we have a question concer…
Prabhupada: When I order, "You become guru," he becomes regular guru. That’s all. He becomes disciple of my disciple. That’s it.
[Here Srila Prabhupada clearly concludes his reply to Tamal and says that his disciples can become regular guru and accept their own disciples only when, when, when when, when he orders them to. It was only an example ! This clearly indicates that he did not yet give the specific order for his disciples to become regular (diksa) gurus and accept their own disciples in ISKCON in this meeting.
He already repeatedly confirmed this fact with his prior repudiation (four times) in reply to Satsvarupa's original question on what the GBC were to do for 1st and 2nd initiations "when you no longer are with us" as already pointed out. So it is inconceivable that he changes his mind in replying to what is essentially the same question from Tamal vis-a vis, "Whose disciples are they?".
Tamal's misunderstanding of this crucial meeting was later confirmed in the 1980 Topanga Canyon guru meeting detailed in subsection II.A. Unfortunately as secretary, his deviation was also written into the minutes of the May 28, 1977 meeting.
Here on youtube for hearing :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
"Actually Prabhupada never appointed any gurus, he appointed eleven ritviks. He never appointed them gurus. Myself and the other GBC have done the greatest disservice to this movement for the last three years because we interpreted the appointment of ritviks as the appointment of gurus. [...] Srila Prabhupada said: 'All right. I will appoint so many ...' and he started to name them. He made it very clear that they are his disciples. At that point it was very clear in my mind that he were his disciples. [...] You cannot show me anything on tape or in writing were Prabhupada says: 'I appoint these eleven as gurus' it does not exist. Because he never appointed any gurus. This is a myth. "
(Tamala Krishna Goswami: Pyramid House Confession December 3rd 1980)
Now we can see what Iskcon Guru Sivaram Swami speak about this topic :
Here the author Iskcon Guru Sivaram Swami lists what he claims are 10 alleged defects in the explanation of the appointment tape given in 'Become Srila Prabhupada's Disciple'. Rather than deal with every one of these points separately, in the next section we will use the same analysis as used in Become to refute the author's interpretation of the appointment tape. We will therefore simultaneously highlight the errors that the author Sivaram Swami makes and defend the original analysis given in Become.
Not Appointed
The author Sivaram Swami asserts that the evidence for the appointment of the eleven-diksa gurus is contained in the opening lines. However, upon closer examination, one finds that the only functionaries that Srila Prabhupada appoints are not diksa gurus, but officiating acaryas, a term highlighted and approved by the author. It is significant that the author concedes that they were selected on the understanding that they would continue to function in this capacity after Srila Prabhupada's apparent departure.
Sivarama Swami wrote in his book :
1) There is one question. How will initiation be conducted, especially in Srila Prabhupada's absence ?
2) Prabhupada says he will 'recommend devotees to act as officiating acaryas.
7).This understanding of "ritvik acarya" is consistent with Srila Prabhupada's use of officiating acarya. In addition, it explains that upon his disappearance the devotees performing initiation are 'officiating gurus'.
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p20)
NOTE:
At this point it is clear that there is an admission that Srila Prabhupada selected officiating acaryas to act on his behalf, both before and after his departure. In making this startling admission, the author Sivaram Swami has chosen to diverge from the official GBC position that Srila Prabhupada did not select officiating acaryas for after his departure, but only for the duration of his physical presence.
EVASION
Sivaram Swami wrote:
"As a final point we would like to give a new definition of the word rtvik or rtvik acarya."
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p20)
Manoeuvres
Until this point, argument has revolved around whether or not Srila Prabhupada appointed ritviks or diksa gurus. However, choosing to approach the problem from a rather novel perspective, the author casually asserts that the officiating acarya and diksa guru are one and the same. It would appear that the author, unable to sustain an otherwise untenable position, has decided, by dint of some remarkable semantic manoeuvres, to evade the issue by redefining the question. Indeed, he provides for his unfortunate reader an entire section (section 3.4) in which the term ritvik is exhaustively redefined.
Honorific
The rationale for this amazing claim is as follows: 'Srila Prabhupada used the word acarya, which means guru, in conjunction with the word officiating, so he was really appointing diksa gurus'. However, the author omits to mention that in Vedic culture it is conventional to give any priest the honorific title of acarya.
The following excerpts from sastra demonstrate this quite clearly:
"Sri Raghunatha das was the son of Govardhana Majumdara. Their family priest was Balarama acarya. "
CC (BBT 1975) Madhya 16.217
"Candapura is just east of the house of the two brothers Hiranya and Govardhana, the father and uncle of Raghunatha das Goswami. In Candapura lived Balarama Acarya and Yadunandana Acarya, the priests of these two personalities. "
CC (BBT 1975) Antya 3.165
It is the custom that any person expert in a particular field is honoured by the title acarya. For example, Dronacarya was given this title for his expertise in military science. Thus the priest is also considered a type of guru, or teacher, The ritviks, being expert priests, would naturally be called acarya. For example, in the Krishna Book, a ritvik is described as a 'learned performer of sacrifices'.
ISKCON MYTH:
“There is a fundamental difference between the terms ‘spiritual master’ or ‘Guru’ and the term ‘acarya’.”
BUSTED:
According to Srila Prabhupada, the terms “Guru”, “acarya” and “spiritual master” are all interchangeable:
“A guru is called also an acarya…”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.43, purport).
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja wrote in his " ORGANIZED RELIGION " : The lexicographical interpretation is upheld by Kamsa..:
Sri Krsna’s manifest eternal birth is in the pure cognitive essence of the serving soul, located above all mundane limitations. King Kamsa is the typical aggressive empiricist, ever on the lookout for the appearance of the Truth for the purpose of suppressing Him before He has time to develop. This is no exaggeration of the real connotation of the consistent empiric position. The materialist has a natural repugnance for the transcendent. He is disposed to link faith in the incomprehensible to being the parent of dogmatism and hypocrisy (in the guise of religion). He is also equally under the delusion that there is no real dividing line between the material and the spiritual. He is strengthened in his delusion via the interpretation of scriptures by persons who are like-minded with himself. This includes all the lexicographic interpreters.
The lexicographical interpretation is upheld by Kamsa as the real scientific explanation of the scriptures, and this is perfectly in keeping with his dread of--and aversion for--the transcendental. These lexicographical interpreters are employed by Kamsa in order to put down the first suspected appearance of any genuine faith in the transcendental. King Kamsa knows very well that such faith in the transcendental, once allowed to grow, is sure to upset all his empiric prospects.
(ORGANIZED RELIGION AS WRITTEN BY SRILA BHAKTISIDDHANTA), can also be found under volume 29, number 7, of The Harmonist.)
We can see ONE of Iskcon's lexicographical interpreters by the work!!!
Some Devotees show us this verse or letter to Tusta Krishna Swami as a so called proof that Prabhupada appointed Diksa Gurus after his disappearance :
"Every student is expected to become Acarya. Acarya means one who knows the scriptural injunctions and follows them practically in life, and teaches them to his disciples (...)
Keep trained up very rigidly and then you are bona fide Guru, and you can accept disciples on the same principle. But as a matter of etiquette it is the custom that during the lifetime of your Spiritual master you bring the prospective disciples to him, and in his absence or disappearance you can accept disciples without any limitation. This is the law of disciplic succession. I want to see my disciples become bona fide Spiritual Master and spread Krishna consciousness very widely, that will make me and Krishna very happy."
(New Delhi 2 December, 1975 Letter to Tusta Krishna Swami)
Referring to the letter to Tusta Krishna quoted above where the “law” is mentioned, Jayadvaita Swami states:
“I accept that this quotation doesn’t “prove” that a departed acarya can’t initiate. I never said that it does.”
(Jayadvaita Swami, 4th June, 2004)
There was a time that he say this statement oppenly:
“Srila Prabhupada did not appoint anyone to be guru for the future, he appointed ritviks to continue in his presence. That much is accepted by everyone.”
(His Holiness Jayadvaita Swami Maharaja (San Diego 1990)
“Why do we hesitate to tell a newcomer who is searching for a guru that Srila Prabhupada, the best guru the world has ever seen, is still here, and one can surrender unto him and go back to Godhead very easily?”
(HH Bhakti Charu Swami, Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day, October 31st, 2000)
"Sometimes a diksa guru is not present always. Therefore one can take learning, instruction, from an advanced devotee. That is called the siksa guru."
(SP Bg. Lecture, 4/7/74, Honolulu)
„Regarding parampara system: there is nothing to wonder for big gaps. Just like we belong to the Brahma Sampradaya, so we accept it from Krishna to Brahma, Brahma to Narada, Narada to Vyasadeva, Vyasadeva to Madhva, and between Vyasadeva and Madhva there is a big gap. But it is sometimes said that Vyasadeva is still living, and Madhva was fortunate enough to meet him directly. In a similar way, we find in the Bhagavad-gita that the Gita was taught to the sungod, some millions of years ago, but Krishna has mentioned only three names in this parampara system—namely, Vivasvan, Manu, and Iksvaku; and so these gaps do not hamper from understanding the parampara system. We have to pick up the prominent acaryas, and follow from him. There are many branches also from the parampara system, and it is not possible to record all the branches and sub-branches in the disciplic succession. We have to pick up from the authority of the acharya in whatever sampradaya we belong to.”
(Letter to: Dayananda — San Francisco 12 April, 1968)
“…one has to associate with the liberated persons not directly, physically, but by understanding, through philosophy and logic…”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.31, Purport.)
4 years bevor Srila Prabhupada’s ritvik-appointment May 28, 1977 ISKCON Governing Board Commission (GBC) meeting. :
"My Dear [Disciple 1], Please accept my blessings. Just now I have received some more requests for giving first initiation… and now I am receiving weekly not less than ten to fifteen such requests from new students. So it is becoming very expensive to send so many sets of beads such a long distance, and it has become a little bothersome for me also, so I think now you may be appointed by me to give first initiations to new disciples by chanting on their beads on my behalf. In America [Disciple 2] is doing that. So now if there are two of you, that will give me great relief. [Disciple 2] will chant on the beads for new devotees in America, Canada, like that; you can chant on the beads for the European continent, new disciples. They shall, of course, still be considered as my disciples, not that they shall become your disciples, but you will be empowered by me to chant their beads and that is the same effect of binding master and disciple as if I were personally chanting."
(SP Letter, January 4, 1973)
“Yes, whoever you tell the chant to, it is effective. You have heard it from me and my disciples. Similarly, I have heard it from my Guru Maharaja, and so on and on. Because you have heard it from a pure devotee of the Lord, therefore it is transmitted from you to another. Just as an aerial message is transmitted from one place to another, similarly this Guru parampara system is working. My disciples are my agents, my representatives. So by hearing it from them, you are receiving it from me. And because you are a sincere soul, those who are hearing the Mantra from you are receiving it in disciplic succession from Lord Caitanya and from Lord Krishna.”
(Letter from L. A. to Bhaktin Andrea Temple in the Bahamas, dated 3-6-68)
"Prescription Takes Precedence Over Book Knowledge I am aware of the fact that devotees will bring so many quotations from Srila Prabhupada's books to support conclusions contrary to the rittvik representative system prescribed by Srila Prabhupada in the July 9, 1977 letter.
To such devotees we must point out that Prabhupada's books are the standard books for everyone in the Brahma Gaudiya Sampradaya, just as the law books or medical books are standard books in their field. Still, when the judge hands down a judgment or the physician writes a specific prescription for the patient, that takes precedence over the book knowledge. Although Prabhupada wrote so many books, his prescription for his immature disciples in the last days was "Act as rittvik representative of the ACHARYA, DEPUTIES and MONITOR of the ACHARYA."
Having run the full course of this race, this point is very clear by realisation born of the fire of ordeal. I am not philosophising theseare my realisations by the grace of Prabhupada and Krishna."
(Hansadutta dasa, June, 1993)
As a general point, later instructions from the guru will always supersede previous instructions; the final order is the final order, and must be followed:
"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 S.B. Lecture, 14/4/75, Hyderabad)
Just as in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna gave so many instructions to Arjuna, he spoke of all types of yoga from Dhyana to Jnana, but all this was superseded by the final order:
"Always think of Me and become My devotee"- should be taken as the final order of the Lord and should be followed."
(Teachings of Lord Caitanya, chapter 11)
The final order given by Sankaracarya,"bhaja Govinda", was also meant to supersede many of his earlier statements - all of them, in fact. As mentioned in the introduction, the GBC itself recognises this as an axiomatic principle of logic:
"In logic, later statements supersede earlier ones in importance." (GBC Handbook , p. 25)
It is not possible to have a "later" statement than the last one.
July 9, 1977 worldwide final order to all GBC and TP
July 9th, 1977
To All G.B.C., and Temple Presidents
Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet. Recently when all of the GBC members were with His Divine Grace in Vrndavana, Srila Prabhupada indicated that soon He would appoint some of His senior disciples to act as "rittik"-representative of the acarya, for the purpose of performing initiations, both first initiation and second initiation. His Divine Grace has so far given a list of eleven disciples who will act in that capacity:
• His Holiness Kirtanananda Swami
• His Holiness Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami
• His Holiness Jayapataka Swami
• His Holiness Tamala Krsna Gosvami
• His Holiness Hrdayananda Gosvami
• His Holiness Bhavananda Gosvami
• His Holiness Hamsaduta Swami
• His Holiness Ramesvara Swami
• His Holiness Harikesa Swami
• His Grace Bhagavan dasa Adhikari
• His Grace Jayatirtha dasa Adhikari
In the past Temple Presidents have written to Srila Prabhupada recommending a particular devotee’s initiation. Now that Srila Prabhupada has named these representatives, Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendation for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their temple.
After considering the recommendation, these representatives may accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of second initiation, by chanting on the Gayatri thread, just as Srila Prabhupada has done. The newly initiated devotees are disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, the above eleven senior devotees acting as His representative. After the Temple President receives a letter from these representatives giving the spiritual name or the thread, he can perform the fire yajna in the temple as was being done before. The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has accepted him or her to Srila Prabhupada, to be included in His Divine Grace’s "Initiated Disciples" book.
Hoping this finds you all well.
Your servant, Tamala Krsna Gosvami
Secretary to Srila Prabhupada
Approved: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
[Srila Prabhupada's signature appears on the original]
(Note: There is a reference to the May 28, 1977 meeting in Vrindavan in which Srila Prabhupada replied to a specific question from the GBC on what to do for iniitiations after his physical disappearance.
"Now you have a very good field. Now organize it and it will be a great credit. No one will disturb you there. Make your own field and continue to become ritvik and act on my behalf."
(Śrīla Prabhupāda to Hansadutta : July 31, 1977)
The July 9, 1977 worldwide final order to all GBC and Tempelpresidents and this Letter to Hansadutta Prabhu July 31, 1977 are the last and final orders/instructions from Prabhupada for Iskcon !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"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 S.B. Lecture, 14/4/75, Hyderabad)
"A devotee should have intelligence to know who is deviating. Surrender by your intelligence but don’t surrender your intelligence.”
(SP to Bali Mardana, 1974)
“Our business is to point out who is not a saint.”
(Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk, April 10th, 1974)
Iskcon GBC say:
"Since this instruction ( Ritvik-System) would lead to the setting up of a system that is unprecedented, and has no historical basis, it should be rejected."
This can not be a reason to reject the July 9th order since Srila Prabhupada set many precedents - reducing the number of required rounds of japa from sixty-four to sixteen, performing marriages, allowing women to live in the temples, giving gayatri mantra by tape, etc. Indeed, it is a distinguishing feature of acaryas in our line that, practically without exception, they set their own historical precedents. As acaryas, it is their prerogative to do this; albeit in accordance with sastric principles. As already stated, the use of ritviks without the guru's physical presence on the planet does not violate any sastric principle. Srila Prabhupada's books contain all essential sastric principles, and since there is no mention in his books of the guru needing to be on the planet at the time of initiation, it can not be a principle. Thus the historical precedent of continuing to use ritviks after his departure can only be a change in detail, not in principle.
Srila Prabhupada did many things, particularly connected with initiation, which were unprecedented, yet we do not reject them.
It may be argued that he explained some of these changes in his books. This is true, but there were many he did not explain in his books.MANY! Besides, there was no need to give detailed explanations of the ritvik system in his books since he had practically demonstrated prototypes of it for many years, with the final touches of how it was to continue fully elucidated in the July 9th order. Srila Prabhupada never taught us to just blindly follow tradition:
"Our only tradition is how to satisfy Visnu."
(Srila Prabhupada Bg. Lecture, 30/7/73, London)
"No. Tradition, religion, they are all material. They are also all designations."
(Srila Prabhupada Room conversation, 13/3/75, Teheran)
Whether precisely the same orders we received from Srila Prabhupada were ever issued by a previous acarya is utterly irrelevant. Our only duty is to follow the orders given to us by our own acarya.
NOTE:
If a system of initiation can be rejected solely on the grounds that it has no exact historical precedent, then we would certainly be forced to reject the current guru system within ISKCON by the same token.
Never before has a plethora of diksa gurus been subordinate to a committee, which could suspend or terminate their initiating activities. No previous initiating acarya in our line has ever been voted into office with a two-thirds majority vote, nor subsequently fallen prey to gross sinful activity and as a consequence been hastily withdrawn from the "disciplic succession". We reject such irregular practices, not on the grounds of historical precedent, but because they clash violently with many of the basic tenets of Vaisnava philosophy found in Srila Prabhupada's books, and are in blatant violation of Srila Prabhupada's final order.
The fact that the identical system to ritvik is not directly mentioned in sastra, or ancient Vedic texts, is also not pertinent. According to some Vedic rules, sudras and women should not even receive brahmana initiation at all:
" Diksa cannot be offered to a sudra [...] This initiation is offered not according to Vedic rules, because it is very difficult to find out a qualified brahmana."
(Srila Prabhupada Bg. Lecture, 29/3/71, Bombay)
Thus, strictly speaking, Srila Prabhupada should not have initiated any of his western disciples since they were all born lower than the lowest Vedic caste. Srila Prabhupada was able to over-rule such Vedic laws through the invocation of higher order sastric injunctions. He sometimes exercised these injunctions in ways that had never been applied before:
"As Hari is not subject to the criticism of mundane rules and regulations, the spiritual master empowered by Him is also not subjected."
(C.c. Madhya, 10.136, text and purport)
"Therefore the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Isvara Puri is not subjected to any Vedic rules and regulations"
(C.c. Madhya, 10.137)
ACARYA CREATES THE TRADITION NOT THAT TRADITION CREATES ACARYAS WAY TO PREACH !!!
Bhaktivinode Thakura writes:
"Devotees of the Supreme Lord are not controlled by the scriptures since their activities are congenial to Divine Wisdom. When self-realized devotees ordain any new arrangement, this should be accepted as religious code, even if such new arrangements are not found in the scriptural dictums of the previous sages."
(Sri Tattva- Sutra) .
“Every acarya has a specific means of propagating his spiritual movement with the aim of bringing men to Krishna consciousness. Therefore, the method of one acarya may be different from that of another, but the ultimate goal is never neglected.”
( Caitanya-caritamrta purports Adi 7.37)
“Except for God, no one can establish the principles of religion. Either He or a suitable person empowered by Him can dictate the codes of religion.”
(purport, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.43)
The important point is that although the ritvik system may be totally unique, (Ramanujacarya-sampradaya has also a permanent ritvik-system!!!), it does not violate higher order sastric principles. It is testament to Srila Prabhupada's genius that he was able to apply such sastric principles in new and novel ways according to time, place and circumstance.
Perhaps we have yet to fully grasp just how unique Srila Prabhupada is. There has never been a world acarya before. No previous acarya has ever stated that his books would be the law books for ten thousand years. Here there has never been anything like ISKCON before. Why should we be so surprised that such an unprecedented personality might decide to set a seemingly unusual initiation system?
Iskcon GBC say:
"Since there is no specific mention of the ritvik system prior to July 9th, 1977, it could not possibly have been intended to continue past Srila Prabhupada's disappearance."
This objection rests on the premise that Srila Prabhupada would never "spring" anything new on the Movement. Taken literally, this objection is absurd, for it means that any order from the guru can be rejected if it is new, or even just a bit different from ones issued previously. It infers that in his final months Srila Prabhupada should not have delivered far-reaching instructions regarding his Society, unless everyone was already familiar with them.
As i have explained, the ritvik system was not "new" anyway. Prior to the July 9th letter, the experience of diksa initiation in the Movement would have predominantly been through the use of representatives. Srila Prabhupada was the diksa guru in ISKCON, and most initiation ceremonies, particularly in the later years, were performed by a Temple President or some other representative or priest.
The most notable difference after July 9th, 1977 was that the acceptance of new disciples would now be done by representatives without recourse to Srila Prabhupada. The letter, which was sent out to new initiates, would no longer be signed by Srila Prabhupada, and the selection of all the initiates" names would be done by the ritviks. Also the procedure was now linked with the relatively unfamiliar word – "ritvik".
Now , in Iskcon it is politically incorrect, to be an so called " ritvik" . When you are labeled as "ritvik" in Iskcon then this is same or similar like " racist, antisemit, nazi etc." and you are banned or finished. The brainwash is very strong. The words like "ritvik" , "racist" , "antisemit" , " nazi " , " holocaust deniers" etc. are used as subtle psychological or mental weapon and it is working very well.
To get connected to the bona fide acarya through the use of representatives was the experience of initiation that was familiar for thousands of disciples. The July 9th letter defines the word "ritvik" as meaning: "representative of the acarya". Clearly the system of being initiated by Srila Prabhupada through the use of representatives was nothing "new" at all. It was merely the continuation of what Srila Prabhupada had taught and put in practice as soon as his Movement reached a state of rapid growth.
Why should it have come as such a great shock that this system would continue beyond November 14th, 1977?
Although unfamiliar to many, the word "ritvik" was not new either. The word and its derivatives had already been defined 31 times by Srila Prabhupada in his books!!! No joke! What was "new" was that the system which had already been in existence for many years was now put in writing with the necessary adjustments for the future. Hardly surprising, since Srila Prabhupada was at this time issuing many documents in writing regarding the future of his Movement. This arrangement was actually a re-endorsement of a system that everyone had already come to consider as standard practise.
Ironically what was really "new" was the curious metamorphosis of the ritviks into the "material and spiritual pure successor acaryas" to Srila Prabhupada. This particular innovation came as such a shock that many hundreds of disciples left the Movement shortly after its implementation, with thousands to follow them.
"I am the Spiritual Master of this institution, and ALL the members of the Society, they’re supposed to be MY disciples. They follow the rules and regulations which I ask them to follow, and they are INITIATED BY ME spiritually" –
(Srila Prabhupada Radio Interview, 12 March 1968, San Francisco)
"Unless one is initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, all his devotional activities are useless. A person who is not properly
initiated can descend again into the animal species."
(Madhya 15:108 (p), quoting Hari Bhakti Vilasa, 2.6)
“Yes, there is definitely a vast difference between initiated and non-initiated. One who is initiated is authorized, and one who is not initiated is not authorized. . . . One who becomes initiated is channelized to the authorities in the disciplic succession. One who isn't initiated may chant Hare Krishna (and should certainly be encouraged to do so) and serve in his own way. And gradually, by doing so, he may want to be initiated.”
(Letter to Satsvarupa, 11-14-68)
"...in order to receive the real message of Srimad Bhagavatam one should approach the current link, or spiritual master, in the chain of
disciplic succession. After being initiated by the proper spiritual master in that chain of succession, one should engage himself in the discharge of tapasya in the execution of devotional service"
(S.B. 2.9.7, purport)
Ritviks or Representatives of acarya are sastra confirmed but our Iskcon-Gurusystem now is not Guru,sadhu and Sastra-confirmed !
"In this way the disciple renders devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master >>"OR"<< his representatives for at least six months to a year."
(C.c. Madhya, 24.330, purport)
NOTE: OR HIS REPRESENTATIVES ( RITVIKS, SIKSA GURUS ETC.) !!
“Our present system has institutionalized a process of senior devotees voting or offering no-objection to prospective gurus. But we do not find that this institutionalized blessingseeking process is mentioned by guru, sadhu or sastra as the way that one is authorized to become a guru.”
(Balancing the roles of the GBC and the disciple in Guru selection, SAC)
NOTE: What is realy Guru, Sadhu and Sastra confirmed?? You have the choice !! We have all our free will, but please use it!
Excerpt from Srila Prabhupada's Declaration of last Will :
"The executive directors who have herein been designated are appointed for life. In the event of death or failure to act for any reason of any of the said directors, a successor director or directors may be appointed by the remaining directors, provided the new director IS MY initiated disciple following strictly all the rules and regulations of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness as detailed in my books, and provided that there are never less than three (3) or more than five (5) exeutive directors acting at one time."
Especially this point: ...." provided the new director is MY initiated disciple"....!!
“the will is signed by Srila Prabhupada, and it clearly says that each successor director should be Srila Prabhupada’s initiated disciple.”
(Where the Ritvik People are Wrong, Jayadvaita Swami, 1996)
This of course can only happen if the ritvik system is in place for all times in ISKCON, and therefore every future devotee becomes “Srila Prabhupada’s initiated disciple.”
Challenging this direct evidence for the ritvik system in ISKCON,Jayadvaita Swami Maharaja states the following:
“And ultimately one can become not only his disciple in spirit but his “initiated disciple” through the guru-parampara system.”
(Where the Ritvik People are Wrong, Jayadvaita Swami, 1996)
Jayadvaita Swami Maharaja states that one becomes Srila Prabhupada’s initiated disciple through the guru-parampara system.
In a subsequent paper Jayadvaita Swami Maharaja states the ritvik system brings:
“an end to the parampara system”
(Where the Ritvik People are Wrong Again, Jayadvaita Swami, 1998)
NOTE: His two different opinion is confusing many devotees , but actually it is very very clear ! Or?
This Prabhupada's final will can only work in the future after Prabhupada's physical departure, if these Ritvik-system instruction are followed and this instruction also:
“The GBC should all be the instructor gurus. I am the initiator guru, and you should be the instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you must actually come to this platform. This I want.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 4th, 1975)
"My books will be the law books for the next ten thousand years"
(Srila Prabhupada statement in Los Angeles, 1976).
"After me there will be no more Acarya"
(Statement by Srila Prabhupada in New York in 1968 )
"The order of the spiritual master is the active principle in spiritual life. Anyone who disobeys the order of the spiritual master immediately becomes useless."
PURPORT
"Here is the opinion of Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī. Persons who strictly follow the orders of the spiritual master are useful in executing the will of the Supreme, whereas persons who deviate from the strict order of the spiritual master are useless."
(Adi-Lila 12.10)
"Some of the disciples strictly accepted the orders of the ācārya, and others deviated, independently concocting their own opinions under the spell of daivī-māyā."
PURPORT
"This verse describes the beginning of a schism. When disciples do not stick to the principle of accepting the order of their spiritual master, immediately there are two opinions. Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual master is useless. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into spiritual advancement. That is deviation. There is no scope for adjusting spiritual advancement to material ideas."
(Adi-Lila 12.9)
„The whole situation has been spoiled by these so-called rascal gurus who gives his own opinion. This is our plain declaration: Let any rascal guru come. We can convince him that he is not guru, because he is speaking differently !!!!
So guru is one. Guru cannot be two. As soon as you find two opinions of guru, either both of them are rascals, or one is still at least rascal.“
(Lecture: What is a Guru? London, August 22, 1973)
The initiating and instructing spiritual masters are equal and identical manifestations of Krsna, although they have different dealings.
(Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.34, purport )
NOTE:
The issue of difference amongst and between gurus is not on the platform of their realizations; it is in connection to their functions or dealings. But to act as Diksa-Guru , the guru must have not only the qualification to be an uttama-adikari full liberated maha-bhagavata soul , he must have also in same time , has an authorization from his diksa guru, to act as initiating guru !
“Guror avajna. First offense is guror avajna: Defying the authority of guru. This is the first offense. So one who is offensive, how he can make advance in chanting? He cannot make. Then everything is finished in the beginning. Guror avajna. Everything is there. If one is disobeying the spiritual master, he cannot remain in the pure status of life. He cannot be siksa-guru or anything else.”
(SP Lecture in Honolulu, July 4,1974)
Diksa normally involves a ceremony, but it is not absolutely essential, more a formality:
"So anyway, from 1922 to 1933 practically I was not initiated, but I got the impression of preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu's cult. That I was thinking. And that was the initiation by my Guru Maharaja."
(SP Lecture, 10/12/76, Hyderabad)
"Initiation is a formality. If you are serious, that is real initiation. My touch is simply a formality. It is your determination, that is initiation."
(BTG, Search for the Divine)
“Diksa actually means *initiating* a disciple *with transcendental knowledge* by which he becomes freed from all material contamination.”
(Madhya-lila, 4:112, Purport)
"Diksa is the process by which one can awaken his transcendental knowledge and vanquish all reactions caused by sinful activity. A person expert in the study of the revealed scriptures knows this process as diksa."
(C.C. Mad., 15-108)
"First He says the spiritual master awakens the sleeping living entity to his original consciousness so that he can worship Lord Visnu. This is the purpose of diksa or initiation. Initiation means receiving the pure knowledge of spiritual consciousness."
[Madhya-Lila 9.61,purport]
"...disciplic succession does not always mean that one has to be initiated officially. Disciplic succession means to accept the disciplic conclusion."
(SP Letter to Dinesh, 31/10/69)
"If you have understood this Krsna philosophy and if you have decided that you will take Krsna consciousness seriously and preach the philosophy to others. That is your initiation, my touch is simply a formality. It is your determination that is initiation."
(B.T.G. Article "Search for the Divine")
Prabhupada: Well, initiation or no initiation, first thing is knowledge. (break) ...knowledge. Initiation is FORMALITY. Just like you go to a school for knowledge, and admission is FORMALITY. THAT IS NOT VERY IMPORTANT THING.
(Srila Prabhupada in an interview to the press on Oct 16th 1976 in Chandigarh)
"The chanting of Hare Krsna is our main business, that is real initiation. And as you are all following my instruction, in that matter, the initiator is already there."
(SP Letter to Tamal Krsna, 19/8/68)
“Yes, there is definitely a vast difference between initiated and non-initiated. One who is initiated is authorized, and one who is not initiated is not authorized. . . . One who becomes initiated is channelized to the authorities in the disciplic succession. One who isn't initiated may chant Hare Krishna (and should certainly be encouraged to do so) and serve in his own way. And gradually, by doing so, he may want to be initiated.”
( Letter to Satsvarupa, 11-14-68 )
„Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.“
(BG 4.34)
"Eternal bond between disciple and Spiritual Master begins from the day he hears."
(SP Letter to Jadurani, 4/9/72)
"These are not ordinary books. It is recorded chanting. Anyone who reads, he is hearing."
(Letter to Rupanuga Das, 19/10/74)
"The spiritual master by his words, can penetrate into the heart of the suffering person and inject knowledge transcendental which alone can extinguish the fire of material existence."
(S.B. 1.7.22, purport)
Devotee:
Srila Prabhupada when you're not present with us, how is it possible to receive instructions? For example in questions that may arise...
Srila Prabhupada:
Well the questions are answ...answers are there in my books.
(SP Morning Walk, Los Angeles, 13/5/73)
Srila Prabhupada:
Even a moments association with a pure devotee - all success!
Revatinanda:
Does that apply to reading the words of a pure devotee?
Srila Prabhupada:
Yes
Revatinanda:
Even a little association with your books has the same effect?
Srila Prabhupada:
Effect. Of course it requires both things. One must be very eager to take it.
(SP Room Conversation, 13/12/70)
Paramahamsa:
My question is, a pure devotee, when he comments on Bhagavad Gita, someone who never sees him physically, but he just comes in contact with the commentary, explanation, is this the same thing?
Srila Prabhupada:
Yes. You can associate with Krishna by reading Bhagavad-Gita. And these saintly persons, they have given their explanations, comments. So where is the difficulty?
(SP Morning Walk, Paris 11/6/74)
"So we should give more stress on the sound vibration, either of Krishna or Spiritual Master. Never think that I am absent from you, presence by message (or hearing) is the real touch."
(SP Letter to students, 2/8/67)
"Reception of spiritual knowledge is never checked by any material condition."
(S.B. 7.7.1. purport)
"The potency of transcendental sound is never minimised because the vibrator is apparently absent."
(S.B. 2.9.8. purport)
"There is nothing new to be said. Whatever I had to say, I have already said in my books. Now you must try to understand it and continue with your endeavours. Whether I am present or not does not matter. "
(Arrival Conversation, Vrindavan, 17/5/77)
"If I depart there is no cause for lamentation. I will always be with you through my books and orders. I will always remain with you in that way."
(Back To Godhead 13:1-2, December 1977)
"Every one of you must regularly read our books at least twice, in the morning and evening, and automatically all questions will be answered."
(SP Letter to Randhira, 24/01/70)
"So utilise whatever time you find to make a thorough study of my books. Then all your questions will be answered."
(SP Letter to Upendra, 7/1/76)
"In my books the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness is explained fully so if there is anything you do not understand, then you simply have to read again and again. By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you and by this process your spiritual life will develop."
(SP Letter to Brahmarupa Dasa, 22/11/74)
Narayana:
So those disciples who don't have the opportunity to see you or speak with you...
Srila Prabhupada:
That he was speaking, vani and vapuh. Even if you don't see his body, you take his words, vani.
Narayana:
But how do they know that they're pleasing you?
Srila Prabhupada:
If you actually follow the words of Guru, that means he is pleased. And if you do not follow, how can he be pleased?
Sudama:
Not only that, but your mercy is spread everywhere, and if we take advantage, you told us once, then we will feel the result.
Srila Prabhupada:
Yes.
Jayadvaita:
And if we have faith in what the Guru says, then automatically we'll do that.
Srila Prabhupada:
Yes. My Guru Maharaja passed away in 1936, and I started this movement in 1965, 30 years after. Then? I am getting mercy of Guru. This is vani. Even if Guru is not physically present, if you follow the vani, then you are getting help.
Sudama:
So there is no question of ever separation as long as the disciple follows the instructions of Guru.
Srila Prabhupada:
No. Cakhu-dano-dilo-jei. What is the next one?
Sudama:
Cakhu-dano-dilo-jei, janme janme prabhu sei.
Srila Prabhupada:
Janme janme prabhu sei. So where there is separation? Who has opened your eyes, he is birth after birth your prabhu.
(SP Morning Walk, 21/7/75, San Francisco)
“So Krishna is within as caitya-guru, and when we are serious, He comes out as the spiritual master. Siksa-guru, diksa-guru. So there is no difference between siksa-guru and diksa-guru and Krishna. Krishna manifests Himself externally as siksa-guru and diksa-guru.”
(SP Lecture in Vrindavan on Oct. 29, 1972)
"If there is no chance to serve the spiritual master directly, a devotee should serve him by remembering his instructions. There is no difference between the spiritual masters instructions and the spiritual master himself. In the absence therefore, his words of direction should be pride of the disciple."
(C.c. Adi 1.35, purport)
“The first manifestation described is the spiritual master, who appears in two plenary parts called the initiating spiritual master and instructing spiritual master. They are identical because both of them are phenomenal manifestations of the Supreme Truth.”
(Caitanya-caritamrita, Introduction to Adi Lila )
“He helps us from within as Caitya Guru, and He expands Himself externally as Siksa Guru (as instructor) and Diksa Guru (initiator). So, the principle is that whatever you are instructed by the Caitya Guru internally may be confirmed by the instructor or initiator externally. Then your progress will be complete.”
(SP Letter to Sivananda, May 21, 1969 )
NOTE: Siksa and diksa-guru must be externally there.......:
"There is no difference between the spiritual masters instructions and the spiritual master himself. In the absence therefore, his words of direction should be pride of the disciple."
(C.c. Adi 1.35, purport)
"He lives forever by his divine instructions, and the follower lives with him."
(S.B. Preface)
"Yes, the ecstacy of separation of Spiritual Master is even greater ecstasy than meeting with him."
(SP Letter to Jadurani, 13/1/68)
"Krishna and his representative are the same. Similarly, the spiritual master can be present wherever the disciple wants. A spiritual master is the principle, not the body. Just like a television can be seen in thousands of place by the principle of relay monitoring."
(SP Letter to Malati, 28/5/68)
Does the Guru have to be physically present?
"Physical presence is immaterial. Presence of the transcendental sound received from the Spiritual Master should be the guidance of life. That will make our spiritual life successful. If you feel very strongly about my absence you may place my pictures on my sitting places and this will be source of inspiration for you."
(SP Letter to Brahmananda and other students, 19/1/67)
"But always remember that I am always with you. As you are always thinking of me, I am always thinking of you also. Although physically we are not together, we are not separated spiritually. So we should be concerned only with this spiritual connection."
(SP Letter to Gaurasundara, 13/11/69)
"So we should associate by vibration, and not by the physical presence. That is real association."
(SP Lectures SB, 18/08/68)
“Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami states that the instructing spiritual master is a bona fide representative of Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna Himself teaches us as the instructing spiritual master from within and without. From within, He teaches as Paramatma, our constant companion, and from without He teaches from the Bhagavad-gita as the instructing spiritual master. There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple’s spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions. Thus the instructions in the science of devotion are differentiated in terms of the objective and subjective ways of understanding.”
(Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.47, purport)
"There are two conceptions, the physical conception and the vibrational conception. The physical conception is temporary. The vibrational conception is eternal.[...] When we feel separation from Krishna or the Spiritual Master, we should just try to remember their words or instructions, and we will no longer feel that separation. Such association with Krishna and the Spiritual Master should be association by vibration not physical presence. That is real association."
(Elevation to Krishna Consciousness, chapter 4)
"Although according to material vision His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarsavati Thakura Prabhupada passed away from this material world on the last day of December 1936, I still consider his Divine Grace to be always present with me by his vani, his words. There are two ways of association - by vani and by vapuh. Vani means words and vapuh means physical presence. Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but vani continues to exist eternally. Therefore, one must take advantage of the vani, not the physical presence."
(C.c. Antya, concluding words)
"Therefore we should take advantage of the vani, not the physical presence."
(SP Letter to Suci Devi Dasi, 4/11/75)
"I shall remain your personal guidance, physically present or not physically present, as I am getting guidance from my Guru Maharaja."
(SP Room Conversation, Vrindavan, 14/7/77)
"It is sometimes misunderstood that if one has to associate with persons engaged in devotional service, he will not be able to solve the economic problem. To answer this argument, it is described here that one has to associate with liberated persons not directly, physically, but by understanding, through philosophy and logic, the problems of life."
(SB 3:31:48 purport)
"I am always with you. Never mind if I am physically absent."
(SP Letter to Jayananda, 16/9/67)
"What we have heard from the Spiritual Master, that is living."
(Lecture, 15/1/69)
Statement by Srila Prabhupada in New York in 1968:
“After me there will be no more Acarya”
(recounted by Rohini Kumar Swami in July 1989, November 1991 and February 1993).
I wish that each and every Branch shall keep their independent identity and cooperate keeping the Acarya ( Srila Prabhupada) in the centre. On this principle we can open any number of Branches all over the world.
(Letter to Kirtanananda -- San Francisco 11 February, 1967)
"Srila Prabhupada has taught us that the disciplic succession is a living affair [...] The law of disciplic succession is that one approaches a living spiritual master - living in the sense of being physically present."
(Sivarama Swami ISKCON Journal, p.31, GBC 1990)
It is hard to reconcile the above assertion with statements such as:
"Physical presence is not important."
(Srila Prabhupada Room conversation, 6/10/77, Vrindavan)
or
"Physical presence is immaterial."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 19/1/67)
Of course, we must have a guru who is external, since in the conditioned stage pure reliance on the Supersoul is not possible, but nowhere does Srila Prabhupada teach that this physical guru must also be physically present:
"Therefore one must take advantage of the vani, not the physical presence."
(C.c. Antya, concluding words)
Srila Prabhupada practically demonstrated this principle by initiating large numbers of his disciples without ever meeting them physically at all. This fact in itself proves that diksa can be obtained without any physical involvement from the guru. There is nothing in sastra, or from Srila Prabhupada, linking diksa with physical presence.
Krsna has given you the ears. Therefore Vedic knowledge is called sruti. You go to a proper person, guru, and hear from him. Therefore this word is used. Sruyamanayam. If you hear from the right person, then krsne parama puruse bhaktir utpadyate. Then you develop your Krsna consciousness.
(S.B. Lecture, 1.7.7 Vrndavana 6th September, 1976)
Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental books are his loud chanting of the holy name. Such loud chanting is giving the people of the world Harinama diksa. The representative of acarya and siksa guru system should continue for the rest of the golden age to formalise such mass initiation. This is the verdict of Sadhu, Sastra and Guru !!!
Regarding Sankirtana and book distribution, book distribution is also chanting. Anyone who reads the books that is also chanting and hearing. Why distinguish between chanting and book distribution? These books I have recorded and chanted, and they are transcribed. It is spoken kirtanas. So book distribution is also chanting. These are not ordinary books. It is recorded chanting. Anyone who reads, he is hearing. Book distribution must not be neglected.
(S.P.L. to Rupanuga dasa, 19th October, 1974)
"When a devotee is perfectly qualified in chanting the transcendental vibration of the holy name, he is quite fit to become a spiritual master and to deliver all the people of the world. The chanting of the holy name is so powerful that it gradually establishes its supremacy above everything in the world. The devotee who chants it becomes transcendentally situated in ecstasy and sometimes laughs, cries and dances in his ecstasy. Sometimes the unintelligent put hindrances in the path of chanting this maha-mantra, but one who is situated on the platform of love of Godhead chants the holy name loudly for all concerned. As a result everyone becomes >>INITIATED<<< in the chanting of the holy names--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare."
(T.L.C. Chapter 18)
SRILA PRABHUPADA'S BOOK DISRIBUTION INITIATING THE WORLD WITH THE HOLY NAME !!
In this article we will be examining book distribution through the eyes of sadhu, sastra and guru. In doing so we shall understand a little more deeply the purpose of distributing Srila Prabhupada'a original and authorized books, and there importance to the unity of Srila Prabhupada's society. The quotes we have presented analyse what is actually happening when a conditioned soul receives one of Srila Prabhupada books, and clearly defines that souls relationship to Srila Prabhupada. Before we present these quotes let us hear from Srila Prabhupada on the importance of distributing his books.
Please try to popularize this book throughout England as much as possible. Because if these books are read, there is no doubt that many sincere souls shall be attracted and will join you in your work for Krishna. So please try for selling these books, it shall be considered as the greatest service.
(S.P.L. to Gurudasa 1/12/68)
One Krishna book sold means we go forward one step in our Krishna Consciousness. We should always remember this.
(S.P.L. to Visnujana Maharaja 4th April 1971)
But in my heart I want that KRSNA book in small or large form, should be distributed in every home who are English-speaking people.
(S.P.L. to Karandhara May 17th 1971)
I am glad to hear that you are distributing nicely books and magazines. The more we sell books, the more we advance in KC, and the more we help others to have solid information how they may take advantage of their human form of life and achieve the supreme perfection. So I want that you should now increase very greatly this selling of books and literatures.
(S.P.L. to Kulasekhara 20/1/72)
I am very glad to hear all the good news, especially that you want to sell books more and more. That is the best preaching work; each book sold means there is some practical effect of preaching, there is some tangible progress. So try to sell books as many as possible in your country, and in this way, so long you remain active but not for your personal sense-gratification, so long you remain active only satisfying Krishna's senses, then this movement will be successful without any doubt. As soon as someone wants to satisfy his own senses, then he fails at everything.
(S.P.L. to Kuruksetra 23/11/12)
Actually producing and distributing books is our most important engagement, all other engagements culminate in this one end--distribution of books.
(S.P.L. to Tamala Krsna 27th July 1973)
I understand from Karandhara that you are one of the most staunch supporters and workers for distributing our books and I assure you that it is the highest service to my Guru Maharaja. Thank you very much.
(S.P.L. to Trai dasa 8/12/73)
So I am always emphasizing book distribution. It is the better kirtana. It is better than chanting. Of course chanting should not stop, but book distribution is the best kirtana.
(S.P.L. to Srutadeva dasa 24/10/74)
I am especially pleased at how you are distributing our books, particularly to the schools and universities. This program is so important and should be increased more and more. We want to flood the world over with our books. So go on in this way and Krishna will surely bless you.
(S.P.L. to Sri Govinda 21/1/71)
Actually this book production is most important, and you have pleased me very much. Just go on and flood the whole world with these Krsna books.
(S.P.L. to Bali-mardana 8/873)
So I am very pleased with your activities. Now continue and increase. Everyone will want our books. We will always have customers. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mercy.
(S.P.L. to Ghanasyama 20/11/75)
Your report of the book distribution there is very encouraging. Make program to distribute our books all over the world. Our books are being appreciated by learned circles, so we should take advantage. Whatever progress we have made, it is simply to distributing these books. So go on, and do not divert your mind for a moment from this.
(S.P.L. to Ramesvara dasa 11/10/74)
So that is the real preaching, selling books. Who can speak better than the books? At least whoever buys, he will look over. If you have to sell books, do it by hook or by crook. The real preaching is selling books. You should know the tactic how to sell without irritating. What your lecture will do for three minutes, but if he reads one page his life may be turned.
(S.P.L. to Bali Marden 30th September 1972)
"Devotional service entails being initiated by a bona fide spiritual master and following his instruction in regard to hearing about the Lord. Such a bona fide spiritual master is accepted by regularly hearing from him about the Lord."
(S.B. 3.5.42)
Diksa Given to Madhyama-adhikari is Not a Formality
No disrespect intended to Shiva das Prabhu, but there is a philosophical misunderstanding and I have just compiled below a reply to prove the point. Shiva das wrote:
"Also contradicting his thesis is the numerous places where Srila Prabhupada said that madhyama and even kanistha devotees can act as diksa gurus"
This is a misunderstanding - you will not find ONE quote to say Kanistha or even a Madhyam devotee can act as DIKSA guru!
THE STUDENTS AND DISCIPLES ARE INITIATED ACCORDING TO AUTHORIZED PANCARATRIKI REGULATIONS
There are two aspects in initiation:
1) Formality (Pancaratriki) - name giving ceremony etc
2) Diksa (Knowledge= divja-jnana) - spiritual initiation received by Madhyama adhikari
So a question may be raised, why formality?
The answer is very simple: the Diksa given to Madhyama adhikari is NOT a formality. Initiation offered to neophyte/Kanistha IS a Formality. THIS is the BIG difference!!
In conformity with the establishment of the formality of a Ritvik System 9th July 1977, Srila Prabhupada’s signed directive to the society the Pancaratriki regulations were followed in this initiation. “THE STUDENTS AND DISCIPLES ARE INITIATED ACCORDING TO AUTHORIZED PANCARATRIKI REGULATIONS”
„This is a general principle. However, A person who is liberated acharya and guru cannot commit any mistake, but there are persons who are less qualified or not liberated, but still can act as 'guru' and 'acharya' by strictly following the disciplic succession.“
(Lecture 26th April, 1968. New York)
Whether one uses the terms OFFICIATING ACARYA OR RITVIK OR REPRESENTATIVE they mean the SAME ie to ACT ON BEHALF OF ACARYA. So this is act as “guru” and “Acarya”. They ACTING as OFFICIATING ACARYA OR RITVIK REPRESENTATIVE OF ACARYA. They are NOT acarya but acting as in capacity to OFFICIATE on behalf of the ACARYA. This is very clear. Srila Prabhupada has in all front cover of the Books:
Founder-Acarya His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The hypen means Srila Prabhupada IS the ACARYA of ISKCON not simply its Founder consequently, one who wants to accept the position of formality of initiating others can ONLY do so ON BELHALF of Srila Prabhupada the ACARYA. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. Srila Prabhupada’s Diksa giving position in ISKCON as long as it exists is IRREPLACEABLE.
"Whenever an acarya comes, following the superior orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His representative, he establishes the principles of religion, as enunciated in Bhagavad-gita.
Religion means abiding by the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Religious principles begin from the time one surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is the acarya's duty to spread a bona fide religious system and induce everyone to bow down before the Supreme Lord. One executes the religious principles by rendering devotional service, specifically the nine items like hearing, chanting and remembering.
Unfortunately, when the acarya 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….The acarya, the authorized representative of the Supreme Lord, establishes these principles, but when he disappears, things once again become disordered. The perfect disciples of the acarya try to relieve the situation by sincerely following the instructions of the spiritual master….Similarly, a devoted disciple of the spiritual master would rather die with the spiritual master than fail to execute the spiritual master's mission.
As the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes down upon this earth to re-establish the principles of religion, so His representative, the spiritual master, also comes to re-establish religious principles. It is the duty of the disciples to take charge of the mission of the spiritual master and execute it properly. Otherwise the disciple should decide to die along with the spiritual master. In other words, to execute the will of the spiritual master, the disciple should be prepared to lay down his life and abandon all personal considerations…. When one becomes serious to follow the mission of the spiritual master, his resolution is tantamount to seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead.“
(Srila Prabhupada from Srimad Bhagavatam 4.28.48,50,51)
Here Sripad Aindra Prabhus quotes :
"Let the over-intelligent, doggedly resorting to materially contrived managerial stratagems, injudiciously undermine the essential principle of keeping single-minded confidence in the lucid instructions of the institutional Founder-acarya; they’ll have to learn the hard way – as will the attendantly implicated!
Let hundreds of heedless sannyasis and guru-figureheads plunge from their pompous pedestals owing to their often sentimentally justified, inappropriately frequent, and overextended proximity in dealings with their female disciples and so on. Why should we lament or bother ourselves to in any way condemn or condone; these things are going on – and on – and will continue to go on and on and on . . . Trust no future however pleasant.
Let the upper-organizational----oligar
( His Holiness Sripad Aindra Prabhu in his book : "The heart of transcendental book distribution " )
Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja Prabhupada:
“Therefore having a bona fide spiritual master and serving him and pleasing him and getting his mercy is essential. Otherwise there can be no advancement in Krishna consciousness. And unless the spiritual master is a pure devotee of Krishna then he has no potency to give you Krishna. He is simply a cheating rascal.
So in fact above all the rules and regulations and offenses I have mentioned the most important thing, the essential thing, which is required if you want to come to the stage of purely chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is you must have a bona fide spiritual master who is a pure devotee of Krishna. Without having a bona fide spiritual master you can chant Hare Krishna forever but you will not be able to advance because Krishna does not reveal Himself in this way. He only reveals Himself to those devotees who surrender to and serve and please His pure devotees.”.
(SP Letter to his London disciples, July, 1969)
“And if you get a bona fide spiritual master, he will take you to Krsna.”
(The Laws of Nature, chapter 1, p. 43)
“This is the process of initiation. […] Then, the spiritual master takes care of him and elevates him to spiritual emancipation.”
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 24.256)
“It is not that after we become initiated we become perfect. No. It requires teaching. So if we take instruction from them, all senior godbrothers may be treated as guru, there is no harm.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 20th, 1971)
The class monitor never takes the place of the teacher, but assists him in his absence
“Sometimes a diksa guru is not present always. Therefore one can take learning, instruction, from an advanced devotee. That is called the siksa guru.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, July 4th, 1974)
AINDRA PRABHUs FINAL WORDS FOR A SANKIRTAN REVOLUTION !!!
RELIGIO-INSTITUTIONAL PSYWAR
[Principles of psychological disempowerment]
1. Convince the enemy [us, the laity] that there is no war so we see no cause for alarm.
2. Make us believe that they [the institutional power elite] are stronger than they really are, and make us believe that we [the grass roots contingency] are weaker than we really are.
3. Hide the truth cover-up, distort, lie, confuse, falsify . . . divert, pervert, put down, and demonize the truth . . . to manipulate the history, present, and future of society.
4. Quell the resistance before it has a chance to raise its ugly head. Slander, scorn, and/or eliminate dissenters [the audacious few who break the code of silence] to demoralize further potential protests.
5. Intimidation compel by unilateral communication of increasingly ever-constraining institutional law. Supplant multi-angular philosophical discussion with sophistical dogma.
The institutional power elites are small in number [potentially weak] but at present considerably organized and dominant though not very popular. We,the unvoiced majority, are potentially powerful but presently misinformed, under-educated, apathetic, obsequious, disarrayed, and disorganized too busy with our dumbed-down pursuit of our daily fare to think very deeply about anything.
The power elites, by exercising their political leverage, have quite a handle on the temporal institutional facilities [men, money, social and organizational infrastructure, media (spin control), etc.] They are parasitic in behavior, fat, corrupt, speculative, deceitful, increasingly sluggish, and paranoid. We the laity control very little of the institutional hardware. It will be very difficult for us to erect a power structure as they have to counter their political advantage within the context of their establishment. Yet those of us who are awake to the power elites misguided agenda to stealthily hijack, dysfunctionalize, and derail, from within, the Krishna consciousness movement by incremental trans-sectarian interfaith homogenization can and must assiduously acquaint ourselves and others with the true principles of sampradaya as per the gaudiya-siddhanta according to the statements of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the previous acaryas.
WAKE UP PRABHUS! EVERYONE WAKE UP!
Everything is not alright. We have been and are being purposely steered off course. Do not acquiesce to any so-called leader's [or any group of so-called leaders] deviant philosophical misconstructions. Understand the issues: errant material control systems, corporatization, centralization, bureaucratization, social liberalization, rubberstamped
guruship, psychologically coerced communal compliance, marginalization of nama-sankirtana, contractual institutional commitment, etc. Understand the ramifications: guru-avajna; crippling of individual striving, creativity, and expression; decline of pure devotional ethos into obscurity, vulnerability to broad-scope multi-level globalist
infiltration.
They rely on our ease-loving ignorance, our tendency to gravitate through the supposed path of least resistance, and our lazy disinclination to stand up against all odds to fight for truth on behalf of our predecessor acaryas. We cannot blame anyone except ourselves for our lack of Krishna consciousness. We must think with our own minds !!
not with theirs. Understand their tactics. Increased awareness of the truth brings with it increased spiritual power. Increased spiritual power puts time on our side. That is our strength.
Temporal institutional might does not make right. Even if the clandestine manipulators of institutional affairs are able to nefariously usurp the external institutional set-up, they can neither usurp our souls nor will they ever win our heartfelt comraderie. It is time for revolution a revolution of consciousness. Let the institutional power brokers beware.
The increasing numbers of we who are on to their antics will have revolution with or without their consent or cooperation. The biggest bubble of maya can doubtlessly be burst by the minutest pinprick of genuine Krishna consciousness. The critical mass of our spark-like grass-roots Krishna consciousness will ultimately prevail and
conflagrate their insinuative billowing-cotton-like mayic institutional tyranny.
A CALL TO ARMS
1. Intelligently fight institutional maya with the most powerful weapon of the Holy Name.
2. Form local daily nama-sankirtana cells world-wide.
3. Regularly congregate for prolonged mass hari-nama-sankirtan demonstrations.
4. Start chanting a minimum of one lac of Holy Names daily.
5. Confront local, regional, and zonal institutional authorities and convince them to do the same its either shape up or ship out.
6. Organize a grass roots signature campaign to express the general lack of confidence in the current institutional leadership.
7. Transition from the problem-think to the solution-think mind-set.
8. Be Krishna conscious in all circumstantial success or failure.
If we are not part of the solution we are part of the problem.
The solution is simple [for the simple]: Harer-namaiva-kevalam.
Take shelter of the Holy Name as your only business.
Nothing to lose everything to gain.
(His Holiness Sripad Aindra Prabhu)
Now, Canakya Pandita gives three things, formula, “If you want to be fortunate, then do these three things.” What is that? Murkha yatra na pujyante: “Do not give any credit to the rascal.” That is first qualification. Don’t be carried away by the rascal. Murkha yatra na pujyante. If you worship a rascal, then your life is spoiled. You must worship a really learned representative of God. That is very good.
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.31 San Francisco, July 16, 1975)
"So this movement is so important. Somehow or other if you can engage them in chanting and dancing, the whole world will be united. What the United Nations has failed, this movement can do–if it is not checked by the rascals. But the rascals are ready to check this movement. That is the difficulty. Otherwise, God, Krsna, is always ready to help us."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.18 Bombay, December 27, 1974)
The pseudo religionists have neither knowledge nor detachment from material affairs, for most of them want to live in the golden shackles of material bondage under the shadow of philanthropic activities disguised as religious principles. By a false display of religious sentiments, they present a show of devotional service while indulging in all sorts of immoral activities. In this way they pass as spiritual masters and devotees of God. Such violators of religious principles have no respect for the authoritative acaryas, the holy teachers in the strict disciplic succession.
THEY IGNORE THE VEDIC INJUNCTION ACARYOPASANA–”ONE MUST WORSHIP THE ACARYA”–and Krsna’s statement in the Bhagavad-gita (4.2) evam parampara-praptam, “This supreme science of God is received through the disciplic succession.” Instead, to mislead the people in general they themselves become so-called acaryas, but they do not even follow the principles of the acaryas. These rogues are the most dangerous elements in human society. Because there is no religious government, they escape punishment by the law of the state. They cannot, however, escape the law of the Supreme, who has clearly declared in the Bhagavad-gita that envious demons in the garb of religious propagandists shall be thrown into the darkest regions of hell
(Isopanisad 12)
SRI ISOPANISAD CONFIRMS THAT THESE PSEUDO RELIGIONISTS ARE HEADING TOWARD THE MOST OBNOXIOUS PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THEIR SPIRITUAL MASTER BUSINESS, WHICH THEY CONDUCT SIMPLY FOR SENSE GRATIFICATION.
(Bg.16.19-20)
“There are many jealous people in the dress of Vaishnavas in this Krishna Consciousness movement, and they should be completely neglected. A false acarya may try to override a vaishnava by a high-court decision,
(2/3 hand vote) but Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that he is nothing but a
disciple of Kali-yuga.”.
“Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, Kali-cela. He indicates that there are other Vaishnavas, pseudo-Vaishnavas, with tilaka on their nose and kunti beads around their neck. Such a pseudo-Vaishnava associates with money and
women and is jealous of successful Vaishnavas. Although passing for a Vaishnava, his only business is earning money in the dress of a Vaishnava”.
(CC.Madhy.,Ch.1, Text 218 / 220, purport)
"Satyam, truthfulness, means that facts should be presented as they are for the benefit of others. Facts should not be misrepresented. According to social conventions, it is said that one can speak the truth only when it is palatable to others. But that is not truthfulness. The truth should be spoken in a straight and forward way, so that others will understand actually what the facts are. If a man is a thief and if people are warned that he is a thief, that is truth. Although sometimes the truth is unpalatable, one should not refrain from speaking it. Truthfulness demands that the facts be presented as they are for the benefit of others. That is the definition of truth."
[Srila Prabhupada from Bhagavad-gita 10.4-5]
Prabhupada: (break) ...worm and the sun. When the sun is arisen, the glowworms, automatically finished. (break) ...motto, "Krsna is sun." You know it? Krsna surya-sama. So when Krsna sun is there, all these glowworms' lightening will be finished. (break) Keep this sun always shining. Then these glowworms will be finished.
( S.P.Morning Walk June 21, 1975, Los Angeles)
Prabhupada: Ah. So this is our one of the items, to vanquish all these rascals, so-called swamis. They say that "Why you criticize others also?" Because we have to vanquish them. Now these people cannot rise. When there is sunrise, there is no use of these glowworms. So this Krsna consciousness movement is Krsna Himself. Therefore they must be finished, all over the world. So-called religionists, so-called philosophers, so-called avataras, swamis, yogis--finished. Our program should be like that. (break) ...all these rascals, anymore to flourish.That is one of our program.
(S.P.Morning Walk Excerpts May 2, 1974, Bombay)
Prabhupada: Potency. Just like electricity. There is standard regulation: "This is negative; this is positive. You must act like this. You must fix like..." You cannot do whimsically: "No, why not this way? Why not that way?" Then it is lost. Then there will be no electricity. Similarly, there is standard method how to understand this philosophy, how to get it, I mean to say, what is called, authoritatively. Then it will act.
(S.P.Room Conversation with Bill Faill (reporter)October 8, 1975, Durban)
If you go on as you are doing now,then it will go on. But if you stop...
Ganesa: Srila Prabhupada, if the knowledge was handed down by the saintly kings, evam parampara-praptam, how is it that the knowledge was lost?
Prabhupada: When it was not handed down. Simply understood by speculation. Or if it is not handed down as it is. They might have made some changes.Or they did not hand it down. Suppose I handed it down to you, but if you do not do that, then it is lost. Now the Krsna consciousness movement is going on in my presence. Now after my deparature, if you do not do this, then it is lost. If you go on as you are doing now, then it will go on. But if you stop... (end)
( S.P.Room Conversation with Carol Cameron May 9, 1975, Perth)
Mathias Sabji
The only type of bona fide diksa and siksa guru is an authorized maha-bhagavata!
"The (diksa and siksa ) guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service. There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from the topmost class."
(C.c. Madhya, 24.330, purport)
"When one has attained the topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshipped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru."
(C.c. Madhya, 24.330, purport)
"Therefore a disciple should be careful to accept an uttama-adhikari as a spiritual master."
Unqualified gurus are also warned:
"One should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of uttama-adhikari."
(The Nectar of Instruction, text 5, purport)
"Unless one is a resident of Krishna Loka, one cannot be a Spiritual Master. That is the first proposition. A layman cannot be a Spiritual Master, and if he becomes so then he will simply create disturbance. "
(SP Letter Mukunda 6/10/69)
The requirement for being a siksa , diksa, or initiating guru in ISKCON is not simply that one thinks they have acquired the requisite qualifications to act as guru, but that in addition Srila Prabhupada must also authorized such persons to specifically act in that capacity:
“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 diksa vidhana.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.54, purport)
The Main-Point is : "who is authorised by his predecessor spiritual master."!! ( NOT BY GBC)!!
This has put the GBC on the back foot, realizing that it’s not enough just to “assume” they were supposed to become gurus to “continue the parampara”, but that they also need to demonstrate authorization for the same.
“Our business is to point out who is not a saint.”
(Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk, April 10th, 1974)
"Mundane votes (GBC 2/3 hand-vote) have no jurisdiction to elect a Vaisnava acarya. A Vaisnava acarya is self effulgent, and there is no need for any court judgement. A false acarya may try to override a Vaisnava by a High Court decision, but Bhaktivinode Thakura says that he is nothing but a disciple of Kali-yuga. "
(CC (BBT 1975) Madhya 1.220)
NOTE:
"A false acarya may try to override a Vaisnava by a High Court decision, but Bhaktivinode Thakura says that he is nothing but A DISCIPLE OF KALI-YUGA. " !!!!!!
1978 - Guru-by-vote ridiculed:
"You cannot simply elect a person to the post of the most exalted sainthood"
('Notes from the Editor', Back to Godhead #13-01/02, 1978)
"Srila Jiva Gosvami advises that one not accept a spiritual master in terms of hereditary or customary social, and ecclesiastical conventions. "
(CC (BBT 1975) Adi 1.35)
BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT:
„The GBC is the highest ecclesiastical body guiding ISKCON.“
(Back To Godhead)!!
Conference
Thus the GBC has become an ecclesiastical conference that elects new members by means of a voting system. This system is strikingly similar to that adopted by the College of Cardinals within the Roman Catholic church.
It is therefore clear that the prevailing guru system functions and sustains itself by means of practices that cannot possibly be described as authorised.
1986 - Guru-by-vote implemented:
"…any GBC can present a diksa guru candidate before the GBC body. Unless the majority of voting members objects to the nomination, the candidate will be placed on a required one year waiting period…upon majority approval of the body, he may take up the responsibilities of an initiating guru in ISKCON."
(ISKCON GBC Resolution No. 3, March 30th, 1986)
Voting procedures [...] for guru candidate [...] who will be established by the voting members.
(GBC document.)
Voting for guru process [...] by a two third vote of the GBC [...] all GBCs are candidates for appointment as guru.
(GBC document.)
GBC: Still "electing people to the post of the most exalted sainthood"
According to these quotes and irrefutable evidence, it is also true that the GBC chooses actually diksa gurus!.
This is sadly, but also irrefutable proof that the GBC does not accept the disciplic conclusion !!!!
"...disciplic succession does not always mean that one has to be initiated officially. Disciplic succession means to accept the disciplic
conclusion."
(SP Letter to Dinesh, 31/10/69)
"Mundane votes ( GBC 2/3 hand-vote) have no jurisdiction to elect a Vaisnava acarya. A Vaisnava acarya is self effulgent, and there is no need for any court judgement. A false acarya may try to override a Vaisnava by a High Court decision, but Bhaktivinode Thakura says that he is nothing but A DISCIPLE OF KALI-YUGA. " !!
(CC (BBT 1975) Madhya 1.220)
“I am the initiator (diksa) guru, and you should be the instructor (siksa) guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you should actually come to this platform. This I want. “
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 4, 1975.)
NOTE: Prabhupada say: " and you should be the instructor (siksa) guru"! SHOULD means that now they are not! They are not siksa and not diksa guru. Next : "but you should actually come to this platform. This I want. “Prabhupada want that all of his disciples come to the platform of siksa-gurus, because siksa and diksa gurua are same liberated platform.
There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple's spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions.
(CC Adi, 1.47 )
Here Srila Prabhupada describes the two kinds of instructor gurus. The second describes a person who gives instructions based on the revealed scriptures. The first describes the siksa guru Srila Prabhupada wants us all to become. On this platform we will be fully qualified to preach the glories of the Lord.
“If everyone just initiates, then there will only be contradictory results. As long as it goes on there will only be failure.”
(Prabhupada From Phalguna Krishna Pancami, 1961.)
Iskcon-GBC says : Srila Prabhupada authorized the GBC to sanction and dismiss diksa-gurus in ISKCON ( MYTH)
“One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master coming in disciplic succession who is authorized by his predecessor spiritual master.( not by GBC !!) This is called diksa-vidhana.
(Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 4.8.54, Purport)
NOTE:
The main point in this vers is: " WHO IS AUTHORIZED BY HIS PREDECESSOR SPIRITUAL MASTER "!
“A (siksa and diksa) guru can become guru when he is ordered by his guru. That’s all. Otherwise nobody can become guru.”
(Conversation, Oct. 28, 1975, Nairobi)
“Vallabha Bhaṭṭa wanted to be initiated by Gadādhara Pandita, BUT GADADHARA PANDIT !!!!refused, saying, ‘The work of acting as a spiritual master is not possible for me. I am completely dependent. My Lord is Gauracandra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. I cannot do anything independently, without His order.’ ”
(Cc. Antya 7.150,151)
NOTE !!! GADADHARA PANDIT ( RADHA SELF) CAN'T GIVE DIKSA WITHOUT DIRECT ORDER FROM GURU !!!!
"Self-made guru (or GBC 2/3 hand-vote guru ) cannot be (siksa and diksa) 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." (not by GBC !!! )
(Srila Prabhupada - Lecture on Nectar of Devotion, October 31, 1972)
How many of these drowning disciples will wake up and realize that a drowning man cannot save another drowning man? How many will wake up and accept that a spiritual master or a guru in our Brahmā Madhva Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradaya is NOT someone who has been appointed by the institution like GBC !
"As for your next question, can only a few pure devotees deliver others, anyone, if he is a pure devotee he can deliver others, he can become spiritual master. But unless he on that platform he should not attempt it. Then both of them will to go to hell, like blind men leading the blind." !!!!!
[SP Letter to Tusta Kṛṣṇa: Ahmedabad 14 Dec 1972]
WHO FOLLOW DISCIPLES OF KALI YUGA...........
Iskcon-GBC says : A spiritual master may sometimes fall down and become demoniac.( MYTH)
“There is no possibility that a first-class devotee will fall down…”
(Cc. Madhya 22.71, Purport)
“The spiritual master is always considered either one of the confidential associates of Radharani or a manifested representation of Sri Nityananda.”
(Cc. Adi. 1.46, Purport)
“The spiritual master is not the question of [‘living’ or ‘dead’]… The spiritual master is eternal–the spiritual master is eternal.” (Lecture,
Oct. 2, 1968, Seattle, WA).
Those deviant gurus being described could never, by definition, have been members of the eternal disciplic succession. Rather, they were non-liberated, self-authorised or GBC rubberstamped 2/3 voted-in gurus and priests posing as initiating acaryas. Bona fide members of the disciplic succession never deviate:
"God is always God,( siksa and diksa) Guru is always Guru."
(The Science of Self Realisation, chapter 2)
"Well if he is bad, how can he become a (siksa and diksa) guru?"
(The Science of Self Realisation, chapter 2)
"The pure devotee is always free from the clutches of Maya and her influence."
(S.B. 5.3.14)
"There is no possibility that a first class devotee will fall down."
(C.c. Madhya, 22.71)
"A spiritual master is always liberated."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Tamal Krishna, 21/6/70)
There is not a single example in Srila Prabhupada's books of a formally authorised diksa guru, in our disciplic succession, ever deviating from the path of devotional service. The rejection of Sukracarya is sometimes used to validate the view that acaryas fall down, or can be rejected, but this example is highly misleading since he was never an authorised member of our disciplic succession. Lord Brahma's pastimes with his daughter are sometimes mentioned. Yet it is clearly stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that these incidents occurred before Lord Brahma became the head of our sampradaya. Indeed, when the disciple Nitai referred to the pastime as an example of an acarya falling down, Srila Prabhupada became most displeased.
Prabhupada:
Aksayananda: I was recently told by one devotee that the acarya does not have to be a pure devotee. [....]
Prabhupada: Who is that rascal? [...]
Aksayananda: He said it. Nitai said it. He said it in this context. He said that Lord Brahma is the acarya in the Brahma-sampradaya, but yet he is sometimes afflicted by passion. So therefore he is saying that it appears that the acarya does not have to be a pure devotee. So it does not seem right. [...]
Prabhupada: He manufactured his idea. Therefore he's a rascal. Therefore he's a rascal. Nitai has become an authority? [...] He thought something rascaldom, and he is expressing that. Therefore he is more rascal. These things are going on.
(Morning Walk, Vrindavan, December 10th, 1975)
"Prabhupada: "Then so siksa and diksa-guru... A siksa-guru who instructs against the instruction of spiritual, he is not a siksa guru. He is a demon. Siksa-guru, diksa-guru means... Sometimes a diksa-guru is not present always. Therefore one can take learning, instruction, from an advanced devotee. That is called the siksa-guru. Siksa-guru does not mean he is speaking something against the teachings of the diksa-guru/Acarya. He is not a siksa-guru. He is a rascal."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 17:1-3, 07-04-74, Honolulu )
"The bona fide spiritual master always engages in unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
(C.c. Adi, 1.46)
Srila Prabhupada taught that a guru will only fall down if he is not properly authorised to initiate:
"...sometimes a spiritual master is not properly authorised to initiate and only on his own initiative becomes a spiritual master, he may be carried away by an accumulation of wealth and a large number of disciples."
(Nectar Of Devotion, p116)
When a guru falls down it is conclusive proof that he was never properly authorised by his predecessor acarya.
"A spiritual master is always liberated."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter 21/6/70)
Aindra Prabhu:
"It is not that Srila Prabhupada‘s sankirtana mission precludes the prospects of pursuing the path of raga, nor is it that legitimate institutional leadership is the monopolized prerogative of the religio-corporate power elites and ecclesiastically rubberstamped guru figureheads.
We cannot rubberstamp paramahamsas!
Indeed, as only the maha-bhagavata truly has the fitness to bestow suddha-nama upon anyone, without receiving which a disciplic candidate could hardly hope to make much tangible spiritual progress in this age of Kali, it is the paramahamsa maha-bhagavata alone who viably stands as a comprehensive representative of all our Srila Prabhupada and the acarya-parampara have to offer.
We must always remember - It is not that authority constitutes truth. Truth constitutes authority. That is guru-parampara !
They who prefer to bend, water down, compromise, or obscure the truth to suit various inveigling materially conceived managerial agenda on the plea of propagating the Krishna consciousness movement are not truthful Brahmins, what then of being paramahamsa Vaishnavas."
(His Holiness Aindra Prabhu in his book : The heart of transcendental book distribution")
The instruction for everyone to become guru is found in the following verse in the Caitanya-Caritamrta, which was often quoted by Srila Prabhupada:
"Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Sri Krishna as they are given in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land."
(C.c. Madhya, 7.128)
However, the type of guru, which Lord Caitanya is encouraging everyone to become, is clearly established in the detailed purports following this verse:
"That is, one should stay at home, chant the Hare Krishna mantra and preach the instructions of Krishna as they are given in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam."
(C.c. Madhya, 7.128, purport)
"One may remain a householder, medical practitioner, an engineer or whatever. It doesn't matter. One only has to follow the instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and instruct relatives and friends in the teachings of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam [...] It is best not to accept any disciples."
(C.c. Madhya, 7.130, purport)
We can see that these instructions do not demand that the gurus in question first attain any particular level of realisation before they act. The request is immediate. From this it is clear everyone is simply encouraged to preach what they may know, and in so doing become siksa, or instructing, gurus. This is further clarified by the stipulation for the siksa guru to remain in that position, and not then go on to become a diksa guru:
"It is best not to accept any disciples."
(C.c. Madhya, 7.130, purport)
To accept disciples is the main business of a diksa guru, whereas a siksa guru simply needs to carry on his duties and preach Krishna Consciousness as best he can. It is clear from Srila Prabhupada's purports that in the above verse Lord Caitanya is actually authorising siksa gurus, not diksa gurus.
This is also made abundantly clear in the many other references where Srila Prabhupada encourages everyone to become guru:
"...'But I have no qualification. How can I become guru ?' There is no need of qualification...Whomever you meet, you simply instruct what Krishna has said. That's all. You become guru."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 21/5/76, Honolulu)
"yare dekha, tare kaha, Krishna-upadesa. You haven't got to manufacture anything. What Krishna has already said, you repeat. Finish. don't make addition, adulteration. Then you become guru [...] I may be fool, rascal [...] So we have to follow this path, that you become guru, deliver your neighbourhood men, associates, but speak the authoritative words of Krishna. Then it will act [...] Anyone can do. A child can do."
(Srila Prabhupada Evening darshan, 11/5/77, Hrsikesh)
"Because people are in darkness, we require many millions of gurus to enlighten them. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is, [...] He said that "Everyone of you become guru."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 21/5/76, Honolulu)
"Because people are in darkness, we require many millions of gurus to enlighten them. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is, [...] He said that "Everyone of you become guru."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 21/5/76, Honolulu)
"You simply say [...] "Just always think of Me", Krishna said, "And just become My devotee. Just worship Me and offer obeisances." Kindly do these things." So if you can induce one person to do these things, you become guru. Is there any difficulty?"
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, 2/8/76, New Mayapur)
"Real guru is he who instructs what Krishna has said....You have simply to say, 'This is this.' That's all. Is it very difficult task?"
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 21/5/76, Honolulu)
It is perfectly clear therefore that the above are actually invitations to become instructing spiritual masters, siksa gurus. We know this since Srila Prabhupada has already explained for us in his books the far more stringent requirements for becoming a diksa guru.
SIKSA-GURU is also REAL GURU!!
NOTE:
But in same time there are 2 kinds of instructions or siksa-gurus!!!
"There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple's spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions."
(CC Adi, 1.47 )
NOTE:
Here Srila Prabhupada describes the two kinds of instructor gurus. The second describes a person who gives instructions based on the revealed scriptures. He must be not full liberated !!! The first describes the siksa guru Srila Prabhupada wants us all to become. On this platform we will be fully qualified to preach the glories of the Lord !!
But that does not apply to diksa gurus:
“Vallabha Bhaṭṭa wanted to be initiated by Gadādhara Pandita, BUT GADADHARA PANDIT !!!!refused, saying, ‘The work of acting as a spiritual master is not possible for me. I am completely dependent. My Lord is Gauracandra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. I cannot do anything independently, without His order.’ ”
(Cc. Antya 7.150,151)
NOTE !!! GADADHARA PANDIT ( RADHA HERSELF) CAN'T GIVE DIKSA WITHOUT DIRECT
ORDER FROM GURU !!!!
"Unless one is a resident of Krishna Loka, one cannot be a Spiritual Master ( diksa and one of the 2 kind of siksa-guru). That is the first proposition. A layman cannot be a Spiritual Master, and if he becomes so then he will simply create disturbance. "
(SP Letter Mukunda 6/10/69)
NOTE:
A real siksa ( one of 2 kind ) and diksa-guru is a resident from Krishna-Loka means uttama-adhikari with eternal siddhi-svarupa-body and special authorization to act as Diksa-Guru but not from GBC!!!
(Astonishingly, some brainwashed devotees have used such quotes as those above as a justification for "minimally qualified diksa gurus", an entity never once mentioned in any of Srila Prabhupada's books, letters, lectures or conversations).
An example of a guru who has no qualification other than repeating what he has heard, could be found on any bhakta induction course in ISKCON.
Srila Prabhupada unequivocally stated that the diksa and one kind of the siksa-guru guru must be a mahabhagavata (most advanced stage of God-realisation) AND be specifically authorised by his own spiritual master. He had always strongly condemned the assumption of guruship by those who were not suitably qualified and authorised. We quote below from Srila Prabhupada's books where the qualifications of the diksa guru are stated.
Iskcon-GBC says : Persons who are not full self-realized souls or topmost Vaisnavas can be diksa-gurus if the GBC approves.( MYTH)
Maha-bhagavata-srestho brahmano vai gurur nrnam sarvesam eva lokanam asau pujyo yatha harih maha-kula-prasuto" pi sarva-yajnesu diksitah sahasra-sakhadhya yi ca na guruh syad avaisnavah
"The (siksa and diksa) guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service. There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from the topmost class."
(C.c. Madhya, 24.330, purport)
"When one has attained the topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshipped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru."
(C.c. Madhya, 24.330, purport)
NOTE:
Here it is meant the diksa guru AND one of 2 kinds of the siksa-gurus !
But especially the Diksa-Guru needs = QUALIFICATION AND AUTHORISATION !!
Aside from the qualification, Srila Prabhupada also taught that specific authorisation from the predecessor acarya was also essential before anyone could act as a diksa guru and one of 2 kind of the siksa-guru!
"On the whole, you may know that he (Bon Maharaja) is not a liberated person, and therefore, he cannot initiate any person to Krishna Consciousness. It requires special spiritual benediction from higher authorities." !!!!
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Janardana, 26/4/68)
The biggest obstacle to achieving this change of heart is to usurp the position of the bona fide Guru, and instead desire to be worshipped unauthorisedly as a “Good as God/sum total of the demi- Gods” Guru oneself. The biggest self-delusion is to think that one can be a self-made guru or better a so called GBC voted in rubber stamped Gurufigurehead without authorization from Srila Prabhupada:
“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 . 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's Lecture, February 27th 1977, Mayapur, India)
GBC’s actual function:
“The GBC should all be the instructor gurus. I am the initiator guru, and you should be the instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you must actually come to this platform. This I want.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 4th, 1975)
Please again:
"There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple's spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions."
(CC Adi, 1.47 )
NOTE:
Here Srila Prabhupada describes the two kinds of instructor gurus. The second describes a person who gives instructions based on the revealed scriptures. The first describes the siksa guru Srila Prabhupada wants us all to become. On this platform we will be fully qualified to preach the glories of the Lord.
If Srila Prabhupada provides us with the essential core of our transcendental knowledge, then we must therefore be receiving divya-Jnana from him.
This is stated in a recent GBC Resolution:
a) Srila Prabhupada is the foundational siksa guru for all ISKCON devotees because he has realised and presented the teachings of the previous acaryas of the Brahma Madhava Gaudiya sampradaya appropriately for the modern age.
b) Srila Prabhupada's instruction are the essential teachings for every ISKCON devotee.
c) Srila Prabhupada's books are the embodiment of his teachings and should be accepted as the standard by all future generations of ISKCON.
d) Every ISKCON spiritual master is responsible to guide his disciples to follow Srila Prabhupada's instructions.
(Resolution No. 35 GBC Minutes 1994)
It is clear that the Governing Body Commission states that it is Srila Prabhupada whose instructions we are to follow. It is the instructions of Srila Prabhupada that are the foundational and essential siksa for everyone.
If his instructions are not transmitting divya-jnana then whose are ?
It is clearly not the present 'spiritual masters' who are currently giving the essential divya-jnana. They are simply advising from where it may be obtained. They are assisting but not directly transmitting. As noted earlier, this has been admitted by the GBC themselves.
Diksa Guru:
If therefore, it is Srila Prabhupada who is giving us divya-jnana and thus enabling us to destroy our sinful reactions, then he cannot be none other than our diksa guru. The diksa guru is not the individual who provides the spiritual name or lights the sacrificial fire. The diksa guru is he who gives diksa, the transcendental knowledge that destroys all sinful reactions and takes us back to Godhead.
Knowledge
As stated earlier, anyone can act as a siksa guru, but a diksa guru, by definition, must possess full divya-jnana. Srila Prabhupada indicates this quite clearly:
"Then you can say 'Yes, I know everything' Diksa. Diksa, initiation, diksa, this Sanskrit word, diksa, means divya-jnanam ksipayati ask from spiritual master with service and surrender the transcendental knowledge. The more you ask, you become a man of knowledge. Then you can challenge, and then 'Yes, I know everything'. "
(Morning Walk 11th June 1974)
"Which explains the of divya-jnana, transcendental, that is diksa. Di divya diksanam. Diksa. Divya-jnana, transcendental knowledge. [...] if you don't accept a spiritual master how you'll get transcen...You'll be taught here and there, here and there, and waste time. Waste time for the teacher and waste your valuable time. Therefore you have to be guided by an expert Spiritual Master. "
(Room Conversation 27th January 1977)
This Divya-Jnana is extremely advanced knowledge:
"In the matter if of divya-jnana - [it comprises] knowledge of the original form [conveyed] within the divine mantra along with which is specific knowledge of [the individuals] relationship with the Supreme Lord. "
(Bhakti Sandarbha 243)
“Diksa actually means *initiating* a disciple *with transcendental knowledge* by which he becomes freed from all material contamination.”
(Madhya-lila, 4:112, Purport)
"Diksa is the process by which one can awaken his transcendental knowledge and vanquish all reactions caused by sinful activity. A person expert in the study of the revealed scriptures knows this process as diksa."
(C.C. Mad., 15-108)
"First He says the spiritual master awakens the sleeping living entity to his original consciousness so that he can worship Lord Visnu. This is the purpose of diksa or initiation. Initiation means receiving the pure knowledge of spiritual consciousness."
[Madhya-Lila 9.61,purport]
The choice is very simple:
Is the person who tells you to read Srila Prabhupada's books giving divya-jnana, or the person whose books you actually read ?
The answer is of course quite clear.
As dissatisfaction with ISKCON's unauthorised guru system has grown over the years, the Movement's GBC 2/3 voted in rubber stamped gurus and others have felt compelled to develop and espouse new myths to either prop up a failing guru system, or provide a non-ritvik alternative to it. These myths utilise the fact that Srila Prabhupada taught there are two types of spiritual master, siksa (the guru who instructs) and diksa (the guru who initiates). Here is the myth being legislated by the Governing Body Commission (GBC) for ISKCON:
"Whereas in their overemphasis on diksa gurus, Srila Prabhupada's disciples and followers failed in various ways to properly establish and sustain Srila Prabhupada's unique role and personal relationship with all ISKCON devotees as the Founder-Acarya and pre-eminent siksa guru in ISKCON; ISKCON leaders failed to also properly establish the importance and role of siksa gurus in ISKCON;"
(GBC resolutions 1999)
And below we paraphrase this in more blunt terms with little bit joking, but actually it is more to crying:
"There is no need to challenge our Great Guru Hoax and adopt the crazy idea that Srila Prabhupada is the sole diksa Guru for ISKCON, since the only justifiable complaint is that we may have given too much prominence to the diksa guru (the guru who initiates - namely us, the GBC gurus) over and above the siksa guru (the guru who instructs - namely Srila Prabhupada). Since Srila Prabhupada is everyone's siksa Guru, all devotees should be happy in the knowledge that while we (the guru hoaxers) carry on initiating everyone and receiving good-as-God worship as diksa gurus, our disciples can still have a nice siksa relationship with Srila Prabhupada."
In this article we shall finally put to rest the great siksa/diksa myth, along with all its offshoots, by defeating the arguments used in its defence.
What did Srila Prabhupada order?
Obviously the most crucial point that should first be considered is what type of guru did Srila Prabhupada establish himself as. Since it is just plain, historical fact that he left himself in place as the sole diksa Guru for ISKCON, as per his final directive on initiation sent to all GBCs and Temple Presidents on July 9th 1977, then what right or authority does the GBC have to in any way change, redefine or limit his Guru status? Since Srila Prabhupada left himself in place as ISKCON's sole diksa Guru and gave no authority to the GBC to ever change this, then clearly anyone claiming to be his follower must accept this. Anyone who teaches anything different from this is no type of guru at all. Thus, from the outset the myth is defeated, since Srila Prabhupada's position remains unchanged from that occupied before his departure.
"Either is sufficient"
The following verse is also sometimes used to argue that a siksa guru is equal to a diksa guru, and therefore we can just take shelter of Srila Prabhupada as a siksa guru, and this is enough:
"…on the absolute platform siksa and diksa gurus are identical, and it is offensive to try and discriminate between them".
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi -lila1:47, purport).
But by the same verse, since Srila Prabhupada is the diksa Guru of ISKCON, then to try and de-emphasise this on the plea of promoting his role as a siksa guru would be offensive, since one would be trying to discriminate between Srila Prabhupada's role as the diksa Guru, and Srila Prabhupada's role as the siksa Guru.
"Srila Prabhupada can only give siksa to newcomers, but not diksa" realy ?
If Srila Prabhupada can still give siksa to everyone as the GBC concede, and if "on the absolute platform siksa and diksa gurus are identical", then why can he not give diksa to everyone too? According to Srila Prabhupada, the siksa guru normally goes on to become the diksa guru anyway:
"Generally a spiritual master who constantly instructs a disciple in spiritual science becomes his initiating spiritual master later on."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 1.35, purport)
"It is the duty of the siksa guru or diksa guru to instruct the disciple in the right way, and it depends on the disciple to execute the process. According to sastric injunctions, there is no difference between siksa guru and diksa guru, and generally the siksa guru later on becomes the diksa guru."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.12.32, purport)
The GBC have violated the above principle every day of every year since 1977 since on the one hand they promote Srila Prabhupada as the main siksa Guru for anyone who joins ISKCON, but on the other they flatly deny that it is even possible that he "later on becomes the diksa guru". What happens normally "later on" in ISKCON is that all Srila Prabhupada's disciples are stolen by the GBC 2/3 voted in rubber stamped gurus!
Srila Prabhupada taught that we are permitted just one diksa Guru, who must be completely liberated, and unlimited siksa gurus who may or may not be liberated. The confusion between diksa and siksa gurus occurs because their titles are confused with their function. Thus it is sometimes assumed that only the siksa guru gives siksa, but not the diksa guru. However, as the last quote above clearly demonstrates, the diksa guru also instructs. This should be obvious, otherwise how else will he transmit divya-jnana (transcendental knowledge)?:
Pradyumna:
"Guru-padasrayah. "First one must take shelter of the lotus feet of a spiritual master." Tasmat Krsna- diksadi-siksanam. Tasmat, "from him", Krsna-diksadi-siksanam, "one should take Krsna- diksa, initiation, and siksa.""
Srila Prabhupada:
"Diksa means divya-jnanam ksapayati iti diksa. Which explains the divya-jnana, transcendental, that is diksa. Di, divya, diksanam. diksa. So divya-jnana, transcendental knowledge(...)"
Pradyumna:
"Krsna- diksadi-siksanam."
Srila Prabhupada:
"Siksanam. We have to learn. If you don't learn, how you'll make progress?"
(Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, 27/1/77)
That siksa is included in diksa is evident from the most well known verse on the guru-disciple relationship:
"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth."
(Bhagavad-gita, 4:34 [1972 ed.])
In this verse the word "upadeksyanti" is translated in the word-for-word translation as meaning to "initiate"; however, in the full translation this to "initiate" is rendered as requiring the Guru to "impart" (knowledge). Consequently the "Prabhupada is siksa not diksa" advocates are caught in a logistical trap of their own making. If Srila Prabhupada is capable of "imparting knowledge" or "divya-jnana" to newcomers, which the GBC concede in advocating him as the pre-eminent siksa Guru for ISKCON, then he must by definition be able to initiate or give diksa too. Transcendental knowledge is, after all, the main constituent of diksa:
"Diksa actually means initiating a disciple with transcendental knowledge by which he becomes freed from all material contamination."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 4:112, purport, emphasis added)
"Diksa is the process by which one can awaken his transcendental knowledge and vanquish all reactions caused by sinful activity. A person expert in the study of the revealed scriptures knows this process as diksa."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 15.108, purport, emphasis added)
It is obviously ludicrous to argue that Srila Prabhupada can impart transcendental knowledge when not on the planet if we call him a siksa Guru, but not do so if we call him a diksa Guru. Therefore, if Srila Prabhupada can impart transcendental knowledge to newcomers whilst not on this planet, and he is the latest or current link in the chain of disciplic succession, what prevents him from being their diksa Guru?
Thus since the GBC accept that Srila Prabhupada can impart "transcendental knowledge" to everyone via his "pre-eminent siksa", and since Srila Prabhupada has already agreed to accept as a disciple anyone who follows his teachings for a minimum of six months (via representational priests or ritviks), the GBC and others should stop inventing baseless myths and start following his pre-eminent instructions, beginning with the one issued on July 9th 1977, which continued his position as the sole diksa Guru of ISKCON.
“The initiating and instructing spiritual masters are equal and identical manifestations of Krsna, although they have different dealings.”
(Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.34, purport )
“Therefore, there is no difference between siksa-guru and diksa-guru . . .”
(Room conversation in Bhubanesva on Jan. 31, 1977)
“According to sastric injunctions, there is no difference between siksa-guru and diksa-guru, and generally the siksa-guru later on becomes the diksa-guru.”
(Srimad-bhagavatam, 4.12.32, purport)
"Ours is a siksa parampara (disciplic succession)"
This argument is used to comfort those who may find it hard to have absolute faith in the current ISKCON guru system, given its appalling track record, yet wish for whatever reason to remain within the institution. By teaching that our guru-disciple lineage has been primarily based on siksa, rather than diksa, the GBC clearly hopes to dupe doubtful newcomers into believing they can get all they need in the form of siksa from Srila Prabhupada, whilst still fully participating in, contributing towards and promoting the great diksa guru hoax. This is nothing more than another example of bait-and-switch: "Join our great lineage which is primarily based on siksa, wherein you can take full shelter of Srila Prabhupada as your pre-eminent siksa Guru without limitation, but please don't mind if we just humbly initiate everyone since we are just lowly, insignificant diksa gurus."
Yet Srila Prabhupada never taught anywhere that "ours is a siksa parampara". Surely he would have mentioned this at least once somewhere, if it was to be such an integral part of ISKCON preaching. Even if ours was "a siksa lineage", that would still not justify removing Srila Prabhupada as ISKCON's diksa Guru without authority. Indeed, it makes no sense to argue that Srila Prabhupada is everyone's instructing Guru, and then at the same time ruthlessly hound from the society anyone who wishes to follow Srila Prabhupada's instruction on how initiation was meant to proceed, which is precisely what the GBC now do.
"Diksa guru does not matter"
By extending the previous argument, it is argued that since it is siksa alone which matters, then who gives you diksa is not important. However, this begs the obvious question, that if who the diksa guru is so insignificant, why are the GBC and their supporters fighting tooth and nail to ensure that Srila Prabhupada is NOT the diksa Guru? As soon as Srila Prabhupada's name is in the frame for being diksa Guru, all of a sudden, who the diksa Guru is becomes a life and death question, to be resolved via banning and suppression.......?
So this alone exposes the hypocrisy and double standard of this argument. In addition, the very fact that some of these "unimportant diksa gurus" fell down proves none of ISKCON's gurus were ever properly authorised members of the infallible chain of spiritual masters descending sequentially from Lord Sri Krishna and hence unimportant or not, ISKCON post-'77 has never had any bona fide, authorised diksa gurus.
jive saksat nahi tate guru caittya-rupe
siksa-guru haya krsna-mahanta-svarupe
Transliteration: jive—by the living entity; saksat—direct experience; nahi—there is not; tate—therefore; guru—the spiritual master; caittya-rupe—in the form of the Supersoul; siksa-guru—the spiritual master who instructs; haya—appears; krsna—Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mahanta—the topmost devotee; sva-rupe—in the form of.
“Since one cannot visually experience the presence of the Supersoul, He appears before us as a liberated devotee. Such a spiritual master is none other than Krsna Himself.”
(Caitanya-caritamrita ADI LILA 1.58 )
Note :
here that “such a spiritual master” is referred to in the verse and transliteration as a siksa-guru, i.e., siksa-guru, in the true sense of the term, is an advanced, liberated devotee of the Lord. “He appears before us as a liberated devotee.” Anyone who says otherwise disqualifies himself immediately relative to any claim he has made to being siksa-guru.
“A siksa-guru who instructs against the instruction of spiritual, he is not a siksa guru. He is a demon. Siksa-guru, diksa-guru means . . . Sometimes a diksa-guru is not present always. Therefore, one can take learning, instruction, from an advanced devotee. That is called the siksa-guru. Siksa-guru does not mean he is speaking something against the teachings of the diksa-guru. He is not a siksa-guru. He is a rascal.”
(SPLecture in Honolulu, July 4, 1974)
"The GBC should all be the instructor gurus. I am the initiator guru, and you should be the instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you must actually come to this platform. This I want." !!
(SPL to Madhudvisa Swami, 4th August, 1975)
“The diksa-guru and the siksa-guru are both intimate servitors of Lord Krsna.”
(Harinama-cintamani of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur)
Again:
"There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple's spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions."
(CC Adi, 1.47 )
NOTE:
Here Srila Prabhupada describes the two kinds of instructor gurus. The second describes a person who gives instructions based on the revealed scriptures. The first describes the siksa guru Srila Prabhupada wants us all to become. On this platform we will be fully qualified to preach the glories of the Lord.
Iskcon -Sivaram Swami tells us:
"In this regards Srila Prabhupada clearly states that a devotee other than an uttama adhikari can initiate."
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p29)
The only thing Srila Prabhupada does indicate is that a person other than an uttama adhikari is forbidden to assume the position of diksa guru. His comments with regard to the possibility of lesser-qualified individuals accepting disciples are not a dispensation, but a warning:
"One should not become a Spiritual Master unless he has attained the platform of uttama-adhikari. [...] A neophyte Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance. Therefore a disciple should be careful to accept an uttama-adhikari as a Spiritual Master. "
NOI 5 (1975)
This is confirmed elsewhere:
"The guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service. There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from the topmost class. "
(CC (BBT 1975) Madhya 24.330)
Why not accept this advice ?
Srila Prabhupada comments:
"At the present moment it has become fashionable to disobey the unimpeachable directions given by the acaryas and liberated souls of the past."
(SB (BBT 1987) 4.18.5)
OPTIMISM
"In due course he will also reach the uttama stage and be able to give the highest realisations."
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p 30)
Speculation:
"There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from the topmost class. "
(CC (1975 Ed) Madhya 24.330)
Srila Prabhupada does clearly not support the peculiar proposal that one accept a lower grade of guru and hope he becomes an uttama-adhikari.
As the quote above and the many quotes given earlier prove, it is ludicrous to suggest, as the author does, that one abandon Srila Prabhupada on the speculative principle that one of the current Gurus may make it!
Srila Prabhupada only always urges us to accept a Bona-Fide Guru. He never urges us to accept a person who may end up being Bona-Fide, given enough time, and providing he does not fall down.
Qualification First
As the author Sivaram Swami asserts, one may certainly become an uttama-adhikari through the practice of Krishna Consciousness, but Srila Prabhupada indicates quite clearly that one should first attain the level of uttama-adhikari, and only then occupy the post of diksa guru.
The view that we need many gurus to fulfil the preaching mission is fully achieved through everyone acting as preacher, or siksa guru. That this is so has been fully explained in the purports to the Amara ajanana guru hana verse quoted earlier.
It is nonsense to suggest that one endeavour to find an individual senior to yourself and optimistically hope that he will prove able to provide liberation. Sastra indicates quite clearly that if one wants full divya-jnana, then one must go to the person who possesses it. Srila Prabhupada is such a person.
Iskcon Sivaram Swami says:
"Current link constitutes physical presence. To interpret it any other way changes the "law"."
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p28)
"A Spiritual Master is the principle, not the body."
(SPL 28/5/68)
"What we have heard from the Spiritual Master, that is living."
(Lecture, 15/1/69)
MADHUDVISA:
Is there any way for a Christian to, without the help of a Spiritual Master, to reach the spiritual sky through believing in the words of Jesus Christ and trying to follow his teachings?
SRILA PRABHUPADA:
I don't follow.
TAMALA KRISHNA:
Can a Christian in this age, without a Spiritual Master, but by reading the Bible, and following Jesus's words, reach the ...
SRILA PRABHUPADA:
When you read the Bible, you follow the Spiritual Master. How can you say without. As soon as you read the Bible, that means you are following the instruction of Lord Jesus Christ. That means that you are following the Spiritual Master. So where is the opportunity of being without Spiritual Master.
MADHUDVISA:
I was referring to a living Spiritual Master.
SRILA PRABHUPADA:
Spiritual Master is not question of ... Spiritual Master is eternal...so your question is 'without Spiritual Master'. Without Spiritual Master you cannot be at any stage of your life. You may accept this Spiritual master or that Spiritual master. That is a different thing. But you have to accept. As you say that "by reading Bible", when you read Bible that means you are following the Spiritual Master represented by some priest or some clergyman in the line of Lord Jesus Christ.
(Morning Walk, Seattle, 2/10/68)
"Only Lord Caitanya can take my place. He will take care of the Movement."
(Srila Prabhupada Room conversation - translated from Hindi, 2/11/77)
So we have clear, direct, irrefutable evidence from Srila Prabhupada's books and signed directives, proving that the system which was set up by Srila Prabhupada for initiation in his presence was the system set up for ISKCON's lifetime.
1.
"In our Krsna consciousness movement, the requirement is that one must be prepared to give up the four pillars of sinful life: illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication and gambling. In Western countries especially, we first observe whether a potential disciple is prepared to follow the regulative principles. Then he is given the name of a Vaisnava servant and initiated to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, at least sixteen rounds daily. In this way the disciple renders devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master==OR==! his representative ( RITVIK) for at least six months to a year. He is then recommended for a second initiation, during which a sacred thread is offered and the disciple is accepted as a bona fide brahmana."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 24:330, purport, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)
2.
"Due to the necessity of these activities, we do not immediately initiate disciples in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. For six months, a candidate for initiation must first attend arati and classes in the sastras, practice the regulative principles and associate with other devotees. When one is actually advanced in the purascarya-vidhi, he is recommended by the local temple president for initiation. It is not that anyone can be suddenly initiated without meeting the requirements. When one is further advanced by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra sixteen rounds daily, following the regulative principles and attending classes, he receives the sacred thread (brahminical recognition) after the second six months."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 15:108, purport, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)
3.
"Thus in the beginning the students of our Krsna consciousness movement agree to live with devotees, and gradually, having given up four prohibited activities illicit sex, gambling, meat-eating and intoxication they become advanced in the activities of spiritual life. When one is found to be regularly following these principles, he is given the first initiation (hari-nama), and he regularly chants at least sixteen rounds a day. Then, after six months or a year, he is initiated for the second time and given the sacred thread with the regular sacrifice and ritual."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 17:265, purport, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada).
"I am the Spiritual Master of this institution, and ALL the members of the Society, they’re supposed to be MY disciples. They follow the rules and regulations which I ask them to follow, and they are INITIATED BY ME spiritually" –
(Srila Prabhupada Radio Interview, 12 March 1968, San Francisco)
And if there is actually association of spiritually self-realized person, then he will give you some process of spiritual activities. That is called bhajana-kriya. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah atha bhajana-kriya tato anartha-nivrttih syat. And as you are more and more engaged in spiritual activities, so, proportionately, your material activities and affection for material activities will diminish. Counteraction. When you engage in the spiritual activities, your material activities diminishes.
(B.G. Lecture, 2.58-59, New York, 7th April, 1966)
Note: How Srila Prabhupada's association can be had is described as follows:
So we should associate by the vibration, and not by the physical presence. That is real association. Sabdad anavrtti. By sound. Just like we are touching Krsna immediately by sound. Sound vibration. So we should give more stress on the sound vibration, either of Krsna or of the spiritual master. Then we'll feel happy and no separation.
(S.P. Lecture, 18/8/68,Montreal.)
Note: So we should associate with Srila Prabhupada's by his vibration that is real association. His books are also his vibration, this is confirmed as follows:
Regarding Sankirtana and book distribution, book distribution is also chanting. Anyone who reads the books that is also chanting and hearing. Why distinguish between chanting and book distribution? These books I have recorded and chanted, and they are transcribed. It is spoken kirtanas. So book distribution is also chanting. These are not ordinary books. It is recorded chanting. Anyone who reads, he is hearing. Book distribution must not be neglected.
(S.P.L. to Rupanuga dasa, 19th October, 1974)
Note: Anyone who reads Srila Prabhupada's books is associating with Srila Prabhupada, this fact is accepted by everyone. So Srila Prabhupada says "And if there is actually association of spiritually self-realized person, then he will give you some process of spiritual activities. That is called bhajana-kriya."
This is confirmed again by the following quote:
And if you associate with sadhu, then bhajana-kriya. If we... Just like so many thousands of Europeans, Americans, they have joined us on account of sadhu-sanga. First of all they come in the temple and hear for some days. Then all of a sudden he becomes shaven-headed. We haven't to request. He takes a bead and bead bag, although he's not initiated. Then, after some days, he approaches, "Please get me initiated." The bhajana-kriya. This is called bhajana-kriya. So we initiate. "Yes, now you are interested, we initiate." We give him hari-nama: "Chant Hare Krsna mantra." This is the first initiation. "And chant sixteen rounds and observe these rules and regulations." Then, when I see, six months or one year, he's doing very nicely, then we accept him as my disciple, the second initiation. So this is bhajana-kriya. Then he's admitted to worship the Deity or cook for the Deity, so many things. Bhajana-kriya.
(Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture 1.2.18 Calcutta, September 26, 1974)
Note: So Srila Prabhupada is giving the process of spiritual activities (Bhajana-Kriya, Initation) in his original books, WHO CAN REFUTE THIS FACT ???
* Therefore Srila Prabhupada is the Initating Spiritual Master (Diksa Guru) for everyone in ISKCON.
Srila Prabhupada lives forever from his original books, we only need to preserve and utilise them. We can utilise them by reading and living them and also by distributing them to everyone on the planet so they can do the same.
Reporter: Who will succeed you when you die?
Srila Prabhupada: I will never die!
Devotee’s: Jaya! Haribol!
Srila Prabhupada: I will live forever from my books and you will utilise.
(S.P.interview, Berkley, 1975)
"My rules and regulations"
Please make sure that these new devotees (as well as the old ones) follow all of my rules and regulations strictly. They must chant 16 rounds, rise early, attend class, etc. Without these things, there is no spiritual life at all.
(S.P. Letter to: Bhrsakapi Bombay 16 January, 1975)
Note: So when a devotee takes formal initiation he makes a vow to follow the 4 regulations and chant 16 rounds a day. These are Srila Prabhupada's rules and regulations, therefore anyone who vows to follow them is actually accepting Srila Prabhupada as initiating spiritual master (diksa guru).
THIS IS CLEAR, WHO CAN REFUTE IT ???
Srila Prabhupada:
Who is my disciple? First of all let him follow strictly the disciplined rules.
Disciple:
As long as they are following, then he is...
Srila Prabhupada: Then he is all right.
(Srila Prabhupada Morning walk, 13/6/76, Detroit)
"...unless there is discipline, there is no question of disciple. Disciple means one who follows the discipline."
(Srila Prabhupada Morning walk, 8/3/76, Mayapur)
"If one does not observe the discipline, then he is not disciple." (Srila Prabhupada S.B. Lecture, 21/1/74)
Srila Prabhupada never authorised the GBC to change any of the systems of management he personally put in place:
"Resolved: The GBC (Governing Body Commission) has been established by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to represent Him in carrying out the responsibility of managing the International Society for Krishna Consciousness of which He is the Founder-Acarya and supreme authority. The GBC accepts as its life and soul His divine instructions and recognises that it is completely dependent on His mercy in all respects. The GBC has no other function or purpose other than to execute the instructions so kindly given by His Divine Grace and preserve and spread His Teachings to the world in their pure form."
(Definition of GBC, Resolution 1, GBC minutes 1975)
"The system of management will continue as it is now and there is no need of any change."
(Srila Prabhupada's Declaration of Will, 4th June, 1977)
The ritvik system was his chosen way of managing initiations within ISKCON. The job of the GBC is to ensure it runs smoothly, not disband it and start their own system, and in the process develop their own philosophy:
"The standards I have already given you, now try to maintain them at all times under standard procedure. Do not try to innovate or create anything or manufacture anything, that will ruin everything."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Bali Mardan and Pusta Krishna, 18/9/72)
"Now I have invested the GBC for maintaining the standard of our Krishna Consciousness Society, so keep the GBC very vigilant. I have already given you full directions in my books."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Satsvarupa, 13/9/70)
"I have appointed originally 12 GBC members and I have given them 12 zones for their administration and management, but simply by agreement you have changed everything, so what is this, I don't know."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Rupanuga, 4/4/72)
"Now you have a very good field. Now organize it and it will be a great credit. No one will disturb you there. Make your own field and continue to become ritvik and act on my behalf."
(Śrīla Prabhupāda to Hansadutta : July 31, 1977)
"What will happen when I am not here, shall everything be spoiled by GBC?"
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Hansadutta, 11/4/72)
The GBC body should act solely within the parameters it was set by Srila Prabhupada. It pains us to see Srila Prabhupada's representative body in any way compromised, since it was his desire that everyone cooperate under it's direction.
In addition to ISKCON’s current guru system not having any order from Srila Prabhupada to justify its existence, the GBC’s official “brain”, the “Sastric Advisory Council” (SAC), has said that the process by which it does authorise gurus, via voting them in, is not based on “guru, sadhu and sastra”:
“Our present system has institutionalized a process of senior devotees voting or offering no-objection to prospective gurus. But we do not find that this institutionalized blessingseeking process is mentioned by guru, sadhu or sastra as the way that one is authorized to become a guru.”
(Balancing the roles of the GBC and the disciple in Guru selection, SAC)
You can find this quote in the middle of this GBC Website:
http://gbc.iskcon.org/2012/01/
So from every angle, ISKCON’s current guru system is basically a big unauthorised hoax!
"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."
( Abraham Lincoln )
The GBC's most recent official handbook on initiation entitled.
"Gurus And Initiation In ISKCON" (to be referred to henceforward as GII) If we return once more to „GII“ we can see that the GBC is highly ambivalent towards the gurus it "authorises".
Whilst acknowledging the rubber-stamping of sampradaya acaryas is bogus (GII, point 6, p.15), the GBC nevertheless, in effect, performs precisely this function every Gaura-Purnima at Mayapur, year after year.
We now have close to a hundred initiating gurus, all anointed with the "no objection" stamp of approval. All these gurus are being worshipped as "saksad hari" ("as good as God") in accordance with the GBC's own directives for disciples (GII, point 8, p.15).
These initiating acaryas are heralded as "current links" to a disciplic succession of maha-bhagavatas stretching back thousands of years to the Supreme Lord Himself:
"Devotees should take shelter of the representatives of Srila Prabhupada who are the "current link" in the disciplic succession."
(GII, p. 34)
At the same time however the aspiring disciple is sternly warned that ISKCON approval..."...is not automatically to be taken as a statement about the degree of God-realisation of the approved guru."
(GII, section 2.2, p.9)
Elsewhere we are further cautioned:
"When a devotee is allowed to carry out the "order" of Srila Prabhupada to expand the disciplic succession by initiating new disciples it is not to be taken as a certification or endorsement of his being an "uttama adhikari", "pure devotee", or to having achieved any specific state of realisation." (GII, p.15)
These gurus are not to be worshipped by everyone in the temple, but only by their own disciples in a separate place.
(GII, p.7) - (Pradyumna's acaryadeva definition).
We would venture that it is infelicitous to approve, or "not object" to, the creation of diksa gurus, and simultaneously disavow any blame or responsibility should they deviate. This is what's termed "living in denial" according to modern psychological parlance. We are sure Srila Prabhupada did not intend ISKCON to be a type of lottery, or Russian roulette, where the stake is someone's spiritual life. Perhaps the GBC should refrain from further rubberstamping until they can stand one hundred percent behind those they approve. After all, every one of us stands one hundred percent behind Srila Prabhupada as a bona fide spiritual master; so such consensual recognition of personal qualification is not impossible.
GBC guru ambivalence was recently summed up quite succinctly by Jayadvaita Swami:
"The word appointed is never used. But there are "candidates for initiating guru", votes are taken, and those who make it through the procedures become "ISKCON-approved" or "ISKCON-authorised" gurus. To boost your confidence: On one hand the GBC encourages you to be initiated by a bona fide, authorised ISKCON guru and worship him like God. On the other, it has an elaborate system of laws to invoke from time to time when your ISKCON-authorised guru falls down. One might perhaps be forgiven for thinking that for all the laws and resolutions the role of guru is still a perplexity even for the GBC."
("Where the ritvik People are Right", Jayadvaita Swami, 1996)
For Sivaram Swami it is only a "LITTLE THING" to become a real guru or diksa-guru:
"In either case the 'little thing' indicates that the completion of the training is not a monumental task that Srila Prabhupada envisaged spanning over decades."
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p13)
Not Explained
In order to prove that becoming qualified is a 'little thing', the author provides quotes in which it is stated how simple it is to become a guru. However, it is not explained that these quotes refer to the 'amara ajanana guru hana' verse, wherein Lord Caitanya encourages everyone to become a guru by simply repeating what he knows. As shown above already: that here Lord Caitanya is simply encouraging everyone to become one of the two kind of siksa guru or preacher. This kind of siksa-guru must not be full liberated . This is a position which all members of the sankirtan movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are obliged to assume.
Ultimately the key question is whether or not Srila Prabhupada did actually select individuals to become Diksa Gurus. We will see in the next section that he only selected Ritviks, and not Diksa Gurus.
EVIDENCE
"My proposal, which I shall show in the following section is that Srila Prabhupada did complete the training, at least to his satisfaction, and did choose some gurus. "
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara page 14)
No Evidence
Finally the much heralded 'evidence' for the selection of 11 Diksa Gurus is presented. Unfortunately if one anticipates conclusive evidence in the form of many recorded conversations and confirmatory written documents, one is immediately disappointed. Infact the only 'evidence' put forward by the author is the so-called 'Appointment Tape', which in any case, as we will show, points to a rather different claim.
Before proceeding further, one is immediately confronted by a number of pressing questions:
Why is there no written evidence ?
Why was the 'Appt Tape' initially concealed ?
No Documents
Srila Prabhupada invariably confirmed any major decision in writing. It is not unreasonable to consider a decision of this nature to be of considerable importance. One may therefore enquire why, if Srila Prabhupada had in fact appointed eleven diksa gurus, he never confirmed the decision in writing, or indeed, made any further reference to the appointments. It is impertinent to suggest that he acted in such a cavalier manner.
As Srila Prabhupada states, this is not the first time such a major decision has been proclaimed without any recorded proof:
"They wanted to create artificially somebody acarya, and everything failed. They did not consider even with common sense: that if guru Maharaja wanted to appoint somebody as acarya, why did he not say? He said so many things, and this point He missed? The real point? And they insist upon it. They declared some unfit person to become. "
(SPC (BBT 1991) 15.08.76)
"I have also read specifically your articles on the matter of acaryas, wherein on the 14th paragraph I see the acarya shall be entitled to nominate in writing his successive acarya. But we do not find any record where our Srila Prabhupada nominated any acarya after Him. Different persons have interpreted on this point, and everyone of our Godbrothers are acting as acarya, so this is a controversial point which I do not wish to enter into while we are proposing for co-operation. "
(SPL (VI 1987) 69.8.38)
Concealed
One may also justifiably wonder why such supposedly conclusive evidence for the appointment of diksa gurus was concealed until 1983. If the 'appointment tape' does indeed clearly indicate the appointment of diksa gurus, then one may reasonably question why it was not immediately presented as evidence in 1977. Why such secretive behaviour if the evidence actually indicated the appointment of Diksa Gurus?
Warnings
It is clear that Srila Prabhupada anticipated problems:
"So Sridhar Maharaja and his two associate gentlemen unauthorised selected one acarya and later it proved a failure. The result is now everyone is claiming to be acarya even though they may be kanistha adhikari with no ability to preach. In some of the camps the acarya is being changed three times a year. Therefore we may not commit the same mistake in our ISKCON camp. "
(SPL (VI 1987) 74.4.52)
The following conversation, held the day before the alleged appointment of eleven diksa gurus was made, is also worthy of consideration:
"Bhavananda:
There will be men, I know. There will be men who want to try and pose themselves a gurus.
Tamal Krishna:
That was going on many years ago. Your Godbrothers were thinking like that. Madhava Maharaja ...
Bhavananda:
Oh yes. Oh, ready to jump.
Srila Prabhupada:
Very strong management required and vigilant observation ... "
(Room Conversation May 27 1977)
The words 'Very strong management required and vigilant observation' are unlikely to be those of someone about appoint eleven diksa gurus. On the contrary, Srila Prabhupada indicates quite clearly that unqualified persons should be prevented from occupying the post of guru.
Rather surprisingly, the author requires that the reader accept that less than twenty-four hours later, Srila Prabhupada appointed eleven such individuals.
Miracle
Reflecting on the minimal qualifications necessary for assuming the position of diksa guru, the author assures the reader that Srila Prabhupada appointed eleven diksa gurus who were qualified, and yet immediately concedes their lack of qualifications:
"He did not give such 'high' information to his disciples in the 12 years that he was with them. No doubt it was due to the lack of qualification of the average disciple."
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p30)
(This presumably explains the current fashion for 'transcendental' discussions with representatives of the Gaudiya Math, an activity not recommended by Srila Prabhupada :
"We shall be very careful about them and not mix with them. This is my instruction to you all. They cannot help us in our movement, but they are very competent to harm our natural progress. So we must be very careful about them. "
(SPL (VI 1987) 74.4.52)
It is worth repeating that after 11 years, as his remarks on April 22nd 1977 demonstrate (quoted above ), Srila Prabhupada still did not perceive anyone qualified to be a Diksa Guru. Yet, thirty-six days later, eleven of them simultaneously became 'qualified'. One might reasonably wonder how, that if no one could achieve this qualification in eleven years, they managed to do so in such a short period.
Appointment Tape :
DIRECT EVIDENCE FOR CONTINUANCE OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OF ACARYA SYSTEM AFTER PHYSICAL DISAPPEARANCE :
A. Srila Prabhupada’s direct Ritvik Acarya appointment May 28, 1977 ISKCON Governing Board Commission (GBC) meeting. Notes enclosed in [ ]
Satsvarupa: By the votes of the present GBC. Then our next question concerns initiations in the future, particularly at that time when you’re no longer with us. We want to know how first and second initiation would be conducted.
Prabhupada: Yes. I shall recommend some of you. After this is settled up, I shall recommend some of you to act as officiating acaryas.
[Srila Prabhupada clearly did not state "diksa-guru" nor "acarya" which is a direct repudiation of the successor diksa-guru accepting their own disciples senario in ISKCON.]
Tamala Krsna Is that called ritvik-acarya?
Prabhupada: Ritvik, yes.
[Srila Prabhupada equates "officiating acarya" with "ritvik" which is the second direct repudiation of the successor diksa-guru senario in ISKCON.]
Satsvarupa: Then what is the relationship of that person who gives the initiation and the…
Prabhupada: He’s guru. He’s guru.
Satsvarupa: But he does it on your behalf.
Prabhupada: Yes. That is formality. Because in my presence one should not become guru, so on my behalf, on my order… Amara ajnaya guru haia. Be actually guru, but by my order.
[This is the third direct repudiation of Srila Prabhupada's disciples accepting their own disciples in ISKCON.]
Satsvarupa: So they may also be considered your disciples.
Prabhupada: Yes, they are disciples. Why consider? Who?
[This is the fourth direct repudiation of the successor diksa-guru senario in reply to Satsvarupa's question.]
Tamala Krsna: No, he’s asking that these ritvik-acaryas, they’re officiating, giving diksa. Their… The people who they give diksa to, whose disciple are they?
[Here Srila Prabhupada ends his conversation with Satvarupa and replies to Tamal's misunderstanding. Tamal's misunderstanding is clearly evident as he repeats Satvarupa's same question which was already clearly answered by Srila Prabhupada. Further, Tamal's misunderstanding is clear in his saying that ritviks and officiating acaryas give diksa which they clearly don't, as they merely are representing the uttama-adhikari diksa-guru. Tamal's misconception of "diksa" and "diksa-guru" is that both diksa-guru and disciple must be physically present for diksa which clearly contradicts Srila Prabhupada's teachings as i pointed out later .]
Prabhupada: They’re his disciple.
Tamala Krsna: They’re his disciple.
Prabhupada: Who is initiating. He is grand disciple.
Satsvarupa: Yes.
Tamala Krsna: That’s clear.
[Here Tamal draws his own conclusion and foolishly accepts only the sentence ("There're his disciple.") which he likes or understands. He ignores Srila Prabhupada's clear answers to Satvarupa's previous questions which repudiated the "disciples accepting their own disciples" senario in ISKCON four times and thus Tamal misses Prabhupada's concluding statement as follows.]
Satsvarupa: Then we have a question concer…
Prabhupada: When I order, "You become guru," he becomes regular guru. That’s all. He becomes disciple of my disciple. That’s it.
[Here Srila Prabhupada clearly concludes his reply to Tamal and says that his disciples can become regular guru and accept their own disciples only when, when, when when, when he orders them to. It was only an example ! This clearly indicates that he did not yet give the specific order for his disciples to become regular (diksa) gurus and accept their own disciples in ISKCON in this meeting.
He already repeatedly confirmed this fact with his prior repudiation (four times) in reply to Satsvarupa's original question on what the GBC were to do for 1st and 2nd initiations "when you no longer are with us" as already pointed out. So it is inconceivable that he changes his mind in replying to what is essentially the same question from Tamal vis-a vis, "Whose disciples are they?".
Tamal's misunderstanding of this crucial meeting was later confirmed in the 1980 Topanga Canyon guru meeting detailed in subsection II.A. Unfortunately as secretary, his deviation was also written into the minutes of the May 28, 1977 meeting.
Here on youtube for hearing :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
"Actually Prabhupada never appointed any gurus, he appointed eleven ritviks. He never appointed them gurus. Myself and the other GBC have done the greatest disservice to this movement for the last three years because we interpreted the appointment of ritviks as the appointment of gurus. [...] Srila Prabhupada said: 'All right. I will appoint so many ...' and he started to name them. He made it very clear that they are his disciples. At that point it was very clear in my mind that he were his disciples. [...] You cannot show me anything on tape or in writing were Prabhupada says: 'I appoint these eleven as gurus' it does not exist. Because he never appointed any gurus. This is a myth. "
(Tamala Krishna Goswami: Pyramid House Confession December 3rd 1980)
Now we can see what Iskcon Guru Sivaram Swami speak about this topic :
Here the author Iskcon Guru Sivaram Swami lists what he claims are 10 alleged defects in the explanation of the appointment tape given in 'Become Srila Prabhupada's Disciple'. Rather than deal with every one of these points separately, in the next section we will use the same analysis as used in Become to refute the author's interpretation of the appointment tape. We will therefore simultaneously highlight the errors that the author Sivaram Swami makes and defend the original analysis given in Become.
Not Appointed
The author Sivaram Swami asserts that the evidence for the appointment of the eleven-diksa gurus is contained in the opening lines. However, upon closer examination, one finds that the only functionaries that Srila Prabhupada appoints are not diksa gurus, but officiating acaryas, a term highlighted and approved by the author. It is significant that the author concedes that they were selected on the understanding that they would continue to function in this capacity after Srila Prabhupada's apparent departure.
Sivarama Swami wrote in his book :
1) There is one question. How will initiation be conducted, especially in Srila Prabhupada's absence ?
2) Prabhupada says he will 'recommend devotees to act as officiating acaryas.
7).This understanding of "ritvik acarya" is consistent with Srila Prabhupada's use of officiating acarya. In addition, it explains that upon his disappearance the devotees performing initiation are 'officiating gurus'.
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p20)
NOTE:
At this point it is clear that there is an admission that Srila Prabhupada selected officiating acaryas to act on his behalf, both before and after his departure. In making this startling admission, the author Sivaram Swami has chosen to diverge from the official GBC position that Srila Prabhupada did not select officiating acaryas for after his departure, but only for the duration of his physical presence.
EVASION
Sivaram Swami wrote:
"As a final point we would like to give a new definition of the word rtvik or rtvik acarya."
(Sivarama Swami - Continuing the Parampara p20)
Manoeuvres
Until this point, argument has revolved around whether or not Srila Prabhupada appointed ritviks or diksa gurus. However, choosing to approach the problem from a rather novel perspective, the author casually asserts that the officiating acarya and diksa guru are one and the same. It would appear that the author, unable to sustain an otherwise untenable position, has decided, by dint of some remarkable semantic manoeuvres, to evade the issue by redefining the question. Indeed, he provides for his unfortunate reader an entire section (section 3.4) in which the term ritvik is exhaustively redefined.
Honorific
The rationale for this amazing claim is as follows: 'Srila Prabhupada used the word acarya, which means guru, in conjunction with the word officiating, so he was really appointing diksa gurus'. However, the author omits to mention that in Vedic culture it is conventional to give any priest the honorific title of acarya.
The following excerpts from sastra demonstrate this quite clearly:
"Sri Raghunatha das was the son of Govardhana Majumdara. Their family priest was Balarama acarya. "
CC (BBT 1975) Madhya 16.217
"Candapura is just east of the house of the two brothers Hiranya and Govardhana, the father and uncle of Raghunatha das Goswami. In Candapura lived Balarama Acarya and Yadunandana Acarya, the priests of these two personalities. "
CC (BBT 1975) Antya 3.165
It is the custom that any person expert in a particular field is honoured by the title acarya. For example, Dronacarya was given this title for his expertise in military science. Thus the priest is also considered a type of guru, or teacher, The ritviks, being expert priests, would naturally be called acarya. For example, in the Krishna Book, a ritvik is described as a 'learned performer of sacrifices'.
ISKCON MYTH:
“There is a fundamental difference between the terms ‘spiritual master’ or ‘Guru’ and the term ‘acarya’.”
BUSTED:
According to Srila Prabhupada, the terms “Guru”, “acarya” and “spiritual master” are all interchangeable:
“A guru is called also an acarya…”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.43, purport).
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja wrote in his " ORGANIZED RELIGION " : The lexicographical interpretation is upheld by Kamsa..:
Sri Krsna’s manifest eternal birth is in the pure cognitive essence of the serving soul, located above all mundane limitations. King Kamsa is the typical aggressive empiricist, ever on the lookout for the appearance of the Truth for the purpose of suppressing Him before He has time to develop. This is no exaggeration of the real connotation of the consistent empiric position. The materialist has a natural repugnance for the transcendent. He is disposed to link faith in the incomprehensible to being the parent of dogmatism and hypocrisy (in the guise of religion). He is also equally under the delusion that there is no real dividing line between the material and the spiritual. He is strengthened in his delusion via the interpretation of scriptures by persons who are like-minded with himself. This includes all the lexicographic interpreters.
The lexicographical interpretation is upheld by Kamsa as the real scientific explanation of the scriptures, and this is perfectly in keeping with his dread of--and aversion for--the transcendental. These lexicographical interpreters are employed by Kamsa in order to put down the first suspected appearance of any genuine faith in the transcendental. King Kamsa knows very well that such faith in the transcendental, once allowed to grow, is sure to upset all his empiric prospects.
(ORGANIZED RELIGION AS WRITTEN BY SRILA BHAKTISIDDHANTA), can also be found under volume 29, number 7, of The Harmonist.)
We can see ONE of Iskcon's lexicographical interpreters by the work!!!
Some Devotees show us this verse or letter to Tusta Krishna Swami as a so called proof that Prabhupada appointed Diksa Gurus after his disappearance :
"Every student is expected to become Acarya. Acarya means one who knows the scriptural injunctions and follows them practically in life, and teaches them to his disciples (...)
Keep trained up very rigidly and then you are bona fide Guru, and you can accept disciples on the same principle. But as a matter of etiquette it is the custom that during the lifetime of your Spiritual master you bring the prospective disciples to him, and in his absence or disappearance you can accept disciples without any limitation. This is the law of disciplic succession. I want to see my disciples become bona fide Spiritual Master and spread Krishna consciousness very widely, that will make me and Krishna very happy."
(New Delhi 2 December, 1975 Letter to Tusta Krishna Swami)
Referring to the letter to Tusta Krishna quoted above where the “law” is mentioned, Jayadvaita Swami states:
“I accept that this quotation doesn’t “prove” that a departed acarya can’t initiate. I never said that it does.”
(Jayadvaita Swami, 4th June, 2004)
There was a time that he say this statement oppenly:
“Srila Prabhupada did not appoint anyone to be guru for the future, he appointed ritviks to continue in his presence. That much is accepted by everyone.”
(His Holiness Jayadvaita Swami Maharaja (San Diego 1990)
“Why do we hesitate to tell a newcomer who is searching for a guru that Srila Prabhupada, the best guru the world has ever seen, is still here, and one can surrender unto him and go back to Godhead very easily?”
(HH Bhakti Charu Swami, Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day, October 31st, 2000)
"Sometimes a diksa guru is not present always. Therefore one can take learning, instruction, from an advanced devotee. That is called the siksa guru."
(SP Bg. Lecture, 4/7/74, Honolulu)
„Regarding parampara system: there is nothing to wonder for big gaps. Just like we belong to the Brahma Sampradaya, so we accept it from Krishna to Brahma, Brahma to Narada, Narada to Vyasadeva, Vyasadeva to Madhva, and between Vyasadeva and Madhva there is a big gap. But it is sometimes said that Vyasadeva is still living, and Madhva was fortunate enough to meet him directly. In a similar way, we find in the Bhagavad-gita that the Gita was taught to the sungod, some millions of years ago, but Krishna has mentioned only three names in this parampara system—namely, Vivasvan, Manu, and Iksvaku; and so these gaps do not hamper from understanding the parampara system. We have to pick up the prominent acaryas, and follow from him. There are many branches also from the parampara system, and it is not possible to record all the branches and sub-branches in the disciplic succession. We have to pick up from the authority of the acharya in whatever sampradaya we belong to.”
(Letter to: Dayananda — San Francisco 12 April, 1968)
“…one has to associate with the liberated persons not directly, physically, but by understanding, through philosophy and logic…”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.31, Purport.)
4 years bevor Srila Prabhupada’s ritvik-appointment May 28, 1977 ISKCON Governing Board Commission (GBC) meeting. :
"My Dear [Disciple 1], Please accept my blessings. Just now I have received some more requests for giving first initiation… and now I am receiving weekly not less than ten to fifteen such requests from new students. So it is becoming very expensive to send so many sets of beads such a long distance, and it has become a little bothersome for me also, so I think now you may be appointed by me to give first initiations to new disciples by chanting on their beads on my behalf. In America [Disciple 2] is doing that. So now if there are two of you, that will give me great relief. [Disciple 2] will chant on the beads for new devotees in America, Canada, like that; you can chant on the beads for the European continent, new disciples. They shall, of course, still be considered as my disciples, not that they shall become your disciples, but you will be empowered by me to chant their beads and that is the same effect of binding master and disciple as if I were personally chanting."
(SP Letter, January 4, 1973)
“Yes, whoever you tell the chant to, it is effective. You have heard it from me and my disciples. Similarly, I have heard it from my Guru Maharaja, and so on and on. Because you have heard it from a pure devotee of the Lord, therefore it is transmitted from you to another. Just as an aerial message is transmitted from one place to another, similarly this Guru parampara system is working. My disciples are my agents, my representatives. So by hearing it from them, you are receiving it from me. And because you are a sincere soul, those who are hearing the Mantra from you are receiving it in disciplic succession from Lord Caitanya and from Lord Krishna.”
(Letter from L. A. to Bhaktin Andrea Temple in the Bahamas, dated 3-6-68)
"Prescription Takes Precedence Over Book Knowledge I am aware of the fact that devotees will bring so many quotations from Srila Prabhupada's books to support conclusions contrary to the rittvik representative system prescribed by Srila Prabhupada in the July 9, 1977 letter.
To such devotees we must point out that Prabhupada's books are the standard books for everyone in the Brahma Gaudiya Sampradaya, just as the law books or medical books are standard books in their field. Still, when the judge hands down a judgment or the physician writes a specific prescription for the patient, that takes precedence over the book knowledge. Although Prabhupada wrote so many books, his prescription for his immature disciples in the last days was "Act as rittvik representative of the ACHARYA, DEPUTIES and MONITOR of the ACHARYA."
Having run the full course of this race, this point is very clear by realisation born of the fire of ordeal. I am not philosophising theseare my realisations by the grace of Prabhupada and Krishna."
(Hansadutta dasa, June, 1993)
As a general point, later instructions from the guru will always supersede previous instructions; the final order is the final order, and must be followed:
"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 S.B. Lecture, 14/4/75, Hyderabad)
Just as in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna gave so many instructions to Arjuna, he spoke of all types of yoga from Dhyana to Jnana, but all this was superseded by the final order:
"Always think of Me and become My devotee"- should be taken as the final order of the Lord and should be followed."
(Teachings of Lord Caitanya, chapter 11)
The final order given by Sankaracarya,"bhaja Govinda", was also meant to supersede many of his earlier statements - all of them, in fact. As mentioned in the introduction, the GBC itself recognises this as an axiomatic principle of logic:
"In logic, later statements supersede earlier ones in importance." (GBC Handbook , p. 25)
It is not possible to have a "later" statement than the last one.
July 9, 1977 worldwide final order to all GBC and TP
July 9th, 1977
To All G.B.C., and Temple Presidents
Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet. Recently when all of the GBC members were with His Divine Grace in Vrndavana, Srila Prabhupada indicated that soon He would appoint some of His senior disciples to act as "rittik"-representative of the acarya, for the purpose of performing initiations, both first initiation and second initiation. His Divine Grace has so far given a list of eleven disciples who will act in that capacity:
• His Holiness Kirtanananda Swami
• His Holiness Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami
• His Holiness Jayapataka Swami
• His Holiness Tamala Krsna Gosvami
• His Holiness Hrdayananda Gosvami
• His Holiness Bhavananda Gosvami
• His Holiness Hamsaduta Swami
• His Holiness Ramesvara Swami
• His Holiness Harikesa Swami
• His Grace Bhagavan dasa Adhikari
• His Grace Jayatirtha dasa Adhikari
In the past Temple Presidents have written to Srila Prabhupada recommending a particular devotee’s initiation. Now that Srila Prabhupada has named these representatives, Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendation for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their temple.
After considering the recommendation, these representatives may accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of second initiation, by chanting on the Gayatri thread, just as Srila Prabhupada has done. The newly initiated devotees are disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, the above eleven senior devotees acting as His representative. After the Temple President receives a letter from these representatives giving the spiritual name or the thread, he can perform the fire yajna in the temple as was being done before. The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has accepted him or her to Srila Prabhupada, to be included in His Divine Grace’s "Initiated Disciples" book.
Hoping this finds you all well.
Your servant, Tamala Krsna Gosvami
Secretary to Srila Prabhupada
Approved: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
[Srila Prabhupada's signature appears on the original]
(Note: There is a reference to the May 28, 1977 meeting in Vrindavan in which Srila Prabhupada replied to a specific question from the GBC on what to do for iniitiations after his physical disappearance.
"Now you have a very good field. Now organize it and it will be a great credit. No one will disturb you there. Make your own field and continue to become ritvik and act on my behalf."
(Śrīla Prabhupāda to Hansadutta : July 31, 1977)
The July 9, 1977 worldwide final order to all GBC and Tempelpresidents and this Letter to Hansadutta Prabhu July 31, 1977 are the last and final orders/instructions from Prabhupada for Iskcon !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"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 S.B. Lecture, 14/4/75, Hyderabad)
"A devotee should have intelligence to know who is deviating. Surrender by your intelligence but don’t surrender your intelligence.”
(SP to Bali Mardana, 1974)
“Our business is to point out who is not a saint.”
(Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk, April 10th, 1974)
Iskcon GBC say:
"Since this instruction ( Ritvik-System) would lead to the setting up of a system that is unprecedented, and has no historical basis, it should be rejected."
This can not be a reason to reject the July 9th order since Srila Prabhupada set many precedents - reducing the number of required rounds of japa from sixty-four to sixteen, performing marriages, allowing women to live in the temples, giving gayatri mantra by tape, etc. Indeed, it is a distinguishing feature of acaryas in our line that, practically without exception, they set their own historical precedents. As acaryas, it is their prerogative to do this; albeit in accordance with sastric principles. As already stated, the use of ritviks without the guru's physical presence on the planet does not violate any sastric principle. Srila Prabhupada's books contain all essential sastric principles, and since there is no mention in his books of the guru needing to be on the planet at the time of initiation, it can not be a principle. Thus the historical precedent of continuing to use ritviks after his departure can only be a change in detail, not in principle.
Srila Prabhupada did many things, particularly connected with initiation, which were unprecedented, yet we do not reject them.
It may be argued that he explained some of these changes in his books. This is true, but there were many he did not explain in his books.MANY! Besides, there was no need to give detailed explanations of the ritvik system in his books since he had practically demonstrated prototypes of it for many years, with the final touches of how it was to continue fully elucidated in the July 9th order. Srila Prabhupada never taught us to just blindly follow tradition:
"Our only tradition is how to satisfy Visnu."
(Srila Prabhupada Bg. Lecture, 30/7/73, London)
"No. Tradition, religion, they are all material. They are also all designations."
(Srila Prabhupada Room conversation, 13/3/75, Teheran)
Whether precisely the same orders we received from Srila Prabhupada were ever issued by a previous acarya is utterly irrelevant. Our only duty is to follow the orders given to us by our own acarya.
NOTE:
If a system of initiation can be rejected solely on the grounds that it has no exact historical precedent, then we would certainly be forced to reject the current guru system within ISKCON by the same token.
Never before has a plethora of diksa gurus been subordinate to a committee, which could suspend or terminate their initiating activities. No previous initiating acarya in our line has ever been voted into office with a two-thirds majority vote, nor subsequently fallen prey to gross sinful activity and as a consequence been hastily withdrawn from the "disciplic succession". We reject such irregular practices, not on the grounds of historical precedent, but because they clash violently with many of the basic tenets of Vaisnava philosophy found in Srila Prabhupada's books, and are in blatant violation of Srila Prabhupada's final order.
The fact that the identical system to ritvik is not directly mentioned in sastra, or ancient Vedic texts, is also not pertinent. According to some Vedic rules, sudras and women should not even receive brahmana initiation at all:
" Diksa cannot be offered to a sudra [...] This initiation is offered not according to Vedic rules, because it is very difficult to find out a qualified brahmana."
(Srila Prabhupada Bg. Lecture, 29/3/71, Bombay)
Thus, strictly speaking, Srila Prabhupada should not have initiated any of his western disciples since they were all born lower than the lowest Vedic caste. Srila Prabhupada was able to over-rule such Vedic laws through the invocation of higher order sastric injunctions. He sometimes exercised these injunctions in ways that had never been applied before:
"As Hari is not subject to the criticism of mundane rules and regulations, the spiritual master empowered by Him is also not subjected."
(C.c. Madhya, 10.136, text and purport)
"Therefore the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Isvara Puri is not subjected to any Vedic rules and regulations"
(C.c. Madhya, 10.137)
ACARYA CREATES THE TRADITION NOT THAT TRADITION CREATES ACARYAS WAY TO PREACH !!!
Bhaktivinode Thakura writes:
"Devotees of the Supreme Lord are not controlled by the scriptures since their activities are congenial to Divine Wisdom. When self-realized devotees ordain any new arrangement, this should be accepted as religious code, even if such new arrangements are not found in the scriptural dictums of the previous sages."
(Sri Tattva- Sutra) .
“Every acarya has a specific means of propagating his spiritual movement with the aim of bringing men to Krishna consciousness. Therefore, the method of one acarya may be different from that of another, but the ultimate goal is never neglected.”
( Caitanya-caritamrta purports Adi 7.37)
“Except for God, no one can establish the principles of religion. Either He or a suitable person empowered by Him can dictate the codes of religion.”
(purport, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.43)
The important point is that although the ritvik system may be totally unique, (Ramanujacarya-sampradaya has also a permanent ritvik-system!!!), it does not violate higher order sastric principles. It is testament to Srila Prabhupada's genius that he was able to apply such sastric principles in new and novel ways according to time, place and circumstance.
Perhaps we have yet to fully grasp just how unique Srila Prabhupada is. There has never been a world acarya before. No previous acarya has ever stated that his books would be the law books for ten thousand years. Here there has never been anything like ISKCON before. Why should we be so surprised that such an unprecedented personality might decide to set a seemingly unusual initiation system?
Iskcon GBC say:
"Since there is no specific mention of the ritvik system prior to July 9th, 1977, it could not possibly have been intended to continue past Srila Prabhupada's disappearance."
This objection rests on the premise that Srila Prabhupada would never "spring" anything new on the Movement. Taken literally, this objection is absurd, for it means that any order from the guru can be rejected if it is new, or even just a bit different from ones issued previously. It infers that in his final months Srila Prabhupada should not have delivered far-reaching instructions regarding his Society, unless everyone was already familiar with them.
As i have explained, the ritvik system was not "new" anyway. Prior to the July 9th letter, the experience of diksa initiation in the Movement would have predominantly been through the use of representatives. Srila Prabhupada was the diksa guru in ISKCON, and most initiation ceremonies, particularly in the later years, were performed by a Temple President or some other representative or priest.
The most notable difference after July 9th, 1977 was that the acceptance of new disciples would now be done by representatives without recourse to Srila Prabhupada. The letter, which was sent out to new initiates, would no longer be signed by Srila Prabhupada, and the selection of all the initiates" names would be done by the ritviks. Also the procedure was now linked with the relatively unfamiliar word – "ritvik".
Now , in Iskcon it is politically incorrect, to be an so called " ritvik" . When you are labeled as "ritvik" in Iskcon then this is same or similar like " racist, antisemit, nazi etc." and you are banned or finished. The brainwash is very strong. The words like "ritvik" , "racist" , "antisemit" , " nazi " , " holocaust deniers" etc. are used as subtle psychological or mental weapon and it is working very well.
To get connected to the bona fide acarya through the use of representatives was the experience of initiation that was familiar for thousands of disciples. The July 9th letter defines the word "ritvik" as meaning: "representative of the acarya". Clearly the system of being initiated by Srila Prabhupada through the use of representatives was nothing "new" at all. It was merely the continuation of what Srila Prabhupada had taught and put in practice as soon as his Movement reached a state of rapid growth.
Why should it have come as such a great shock that this system would continue beyond November 14th, 1977?
Although unfamiliar to many, the word "ritvik" was not new either. The word and its derivatives had already been defined 31 times by Srila Prabhupada in his books!!! No joke! What was "new" was that the system which had already been in existence for many years was now put in writing with the necessary adjustments for the future. Hardly surprising, since Srila Prabhupada was at this time issuing many documents in writing regarding the future of his Movement. This arrangement was actually a re-endorsement of a system that everyone had already come to consider as standard practise.
Ironically what was really "new" was the curious metamorphosis of the ritviks into the "material and spiritual pure successor acaryas" to Srila Prabhupada. This particular innovation came as such a shock that many hundreds of disciples left the Movement shortly after its implementation, with thousands to follow them.
"I am the Spiritual Master of this institution, and ALL the members of the Society, they’re supposed to be MY disciples. They follow the rules and regulations which I ask them to follow, and they are INITIATED BY ME spiritually" –
(Srila Prabhupada Radio Interview, 12 March 1968, San Francisco)
"Unless one is initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, all his devotional activities are useless. A person who is not properly
initiated can descend again into the animal species."
(Madhya 15:108 (p), quoting Hari Bhakti Vilasa, 2.6)
“Yes, there is definitely a vast difference between initiated and non-initiated. One who is initiated is authorized, and one who is not initiated is not authorized. . . . One who becomes initiated is channelized to the authorities in the disciplic succession. One who isn't initiated may chant Hare Krishna (and should certainly be encouraged to do so) and serve in his own way. And gradually, by doing so, he may want to be initiated.”
(Letter to Satsvarupa, 11-14-68)
"...in order to receive the real message of Srimad Bhagavatam one should approach the current link, or spiritual master, in the chain of
disciplic succession. After being initiated by the proper spiritual master in that chain of succession, one should engage himself in the discharge of tapasya in the execution of devotional service"
(S.B. 2.9.7, purport)
Ritviks or Representatives of acarya are sastra confirmed but our Iskcon-Gurusystem now is not Guru,sadhu and Sastra-confirmed !
"In this way the disciple renders devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master >>"OR"<< his representatives for at least six months to a year."
(C.c. Madhya, 24.330, purport)
NOTE: OR HIS REPRESENTATIVES ( RITVIKS, SIKSA GURUS ETC.) !!
“Our present system has institutionalized a process of senior devotees voting or offering no-objection to prospective gurus. But we do not find that this institutionalized blessingseeking process is mentioned by guru, sadhu or sastra as the way that one is authorized to become a guru.”
(Balancing the roles of the GBC and the disciple in Guru selection, SAC)
NOTE: What is realy Guru, Sadhu and Sastra confirmed?? You have the choice !! We have all our free will, but please use it!
Excerpt from Srila Prabhupada's Declaration of last Will :
"The executive directors who have herein been designated are appointed for life. In the event of death or failure to act for any reason of any of the said directors, a successor director or directors may be appointed by the remaining directors, provided the new director IS MY initiated disciple following strictly all the rules and regulations of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness as detailed in my books, and provided that there are never less than three (3) or more than five (5) exeutive directors acting at one time."
Especially this point: ...." provided the new director is MY initiated disciple"....!!
“the will is signed by Srila Prabhupada, and it clearly says that each successor director should be Srila Prabhupada’s initiated disciple.”
(Where the Ritvik People are Wrong, Jayadvaita Swami, 1996)
This of course can only happen if the ritvik system is in place for all times in ISKCON, and therefore every future devotee becomes “Srila Prabhupada’s initiated disciple.”
Challenging this direct evidence for the ritvik system in ISKCON,Jayadvaita Swami Maharaja states the following:
“And ultimately one can become not only his disciple in spirit but his “initiated disciple” through the guru-parampara system.”
(Where the Ritvik People are Wrong, Jayadvaita Swami, 1996)
Jayadvaita Swami Maharaja states that one becomes Srila Prabhupada’s initiated disciple through the guru-parampara system.
In a subsequent paper Jayadvaita Swami Maharaja states the ritvik system brings:
“an end to the parampara system”
(Where the Ritvik People are Wrong Again, Jayadvaita Swami, 1998)
NOTE: His two different opinion is confusing many devotees , but actually it is very very clear ! Or?
This Prabhupada's final will can only work in the future after Prabhupada's physical departure, if these Ritvik-system instruction are followed and this instruction also:
“The GBC should all be the instructor gurus. I am the initiator guru, and you should be the instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you must actually come to this platform. This I want.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 4th, 1975)
"My books will be the law books for the next ten thousand years"
(Srila Prabhupada statement in Los Angeles, 1976).
"After me there will be no more Acarya"
(Statement by Srila Prabhupada in New York in 1968 )
"The order of the spiritual master is the active principle in spiritual life. Anyone who disobeys the order of the spiritual master immediately becomes useless."
PURPORT
"Here is the opinion of Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī. Persons who strictly follow the orders of the spiritual master are useful in executing the will of the Supreme, whereas persons who deviate from the strict order of the spiritual master are useless."
(Adi-Lila 12.10)
"Some of the disciples strictly accepted the orders of the ācārya, and others deviated, independently concocting their own opinions under the spell of daivī-māyā."
PURPORT
"This verse describes the beginning of a schism. When disciples do not stick to the principle of accepting the order of their spiritual master, immediately there are two opinions. Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual master is useless. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into spiritual advancement. That is deviation. There is no scope for adjusting spiritual advancement to material ideas."
(Adi-Lila 12.9)
„The whole situation has been spoiled by these so-called rascal gurus who gives his own opinion. This is our plain declaration: Let any rascal guru come. We can convince him that he is not guru, because he is speaking differently !!!!
So guru is one. Guru cannot be two. As soon as you find two opinions of guru, either both of them are rascals, or one is still at least rascal.“
(Lecture: What is a Guru? London, August 22, 1973)
The initiating and instructing spiritual masters are equal and identical manifestations of Krsna, although they have different dealings.
(Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.34, purport )
NOTE:
The issue of difference amongst and between gurus is not on the platform of their realizations; it is in connection to their functions or dealings. But to act as Diksa-Guru , the guru must have not only the qualification to be an uttama-adikari full liberated maha-bhagavata soul , he must have also in same time , has an authorization from his diksa guru, to act as initiating guru !
“Guror avajna. First offense is guror avajna: Defying the authority of guru. This is the first offense. So one who is offensive, how he can make advance in chanting? He cannot make. Then everything is finished in the beginning. Guror avajna. Everything is there. If one is disobeying the spiritual master, he cannot remain in the pure status of life. He cannot be siksa-guru or anything else.”
(SP Lecture in Honolulu, July 4,1974)
Diksa normally involves a ceremony, but it is not absolutely essential, more a formality:
"So anyway, from 1922 to 1933 practically I was not initiated, but I got the impression of preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu's cult. That I was thinking. And that was the initiation by my Guru Maharaja."
(SP Lecture, 10/12/76, Hyderabad)
"Initiation is a formality. If you are serious, that is real initiation. My touch is simply a formality. It is your determination, that is initiation."
(BTG, Search for the Divine)
“Diksa actually means *initiating* a disciple *with transcendental knowledge* by which he becomes freed from all material contamination.”
(Madhya-lila, 4:112, Purport)
"Diksa is the process by which one can awaken his transcendental knowledge and vanquish all reactions caused by sinful activity. A person expert in the study of the revealed scriptures knows this process as diksa."
(C.C. Mad., 15-108)
"First He says the spiritual master awakens the sleeping living entity to his original consciousness so that he can worship Lord Visnu. This is the purpose of diksa or initiation. Initiation means receiving the pure knowledge of spiritual consciousness."
[Madhya-Lila 9.61,purport]
"...disciplic succession does not always mean that one has to be initiated officially. Disciplic succession means to accept the disciplic conclusion."
(SP Letter to Dinesh, 31/10/69)
"If you have understood this Krsna philosophy and if you have decided that you will take Krsna consciousness seriously and preach the philosophy to others. That is your initiation, my touch is simply a formality. It is your determination that is initiation."
(B.T.G. Article "Search for the Divine")
Prabhupada: Well, initiation or no initiation, first thing is knowledge. (break) ...knowledge. Initiation is FORMALITY. Just like you go to a school for knowledge, and admission is FORMALITY. THAT IS NOT VERY IMPORTANT THING.
(Srila Prabhupada in an interview to the press on Oct 16th 1976 in Chandigarh)
"The chanting of Hare Krsna is our main business, that is real initiation. And as you are all following my instruction, in that matter, the initiator is already there."
(SP Letter to Tamal Krsna, 19/8/68)
“Yes, there is definitely a vast difference between initiated and non-initiated. One who is initiated is authorized, and one who is not initiated is not authorized. . . . One who becomes initiated is channelized to the authorities in the disciplic succession. One who isn't initiated may chant Hare Krishna (and should certainly be encouraged to do so) and serve in his own way. And gradually, by doing so, he may want to be initiated.”
( Letter to Satsvarupa, 11-14-68 )
„Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.“
(BG 4.34)
"Eternal bond between disciple and Spiritual Master begins from the day he hears."
(SP Letter to Jadurani, 4/9/72)
"These are not ordinary books. It is recorded chanting. Anyone who reads, he is hearing."
(Letter to Rupanuga Das, 19/10/74)
"The spiritual master by his words, can penetrate into the heart of the suffering person and inject knowledge transcendental which alone can extinguish the fire of material existence."
(S.B. 1.7.22, purport)
Devotee:
Srila Prabhupada when you're not present with us, how is it possible to receive instructions? For example in questions that may arise...
Srila Prabhupada:
Well the questions are answ...answers are there in my books.
(SP Morning Walk, Los Angeles, 13/5/73)
Srila Prabhupada:
Even a moments association with a pure devotee - all success!
Revatinanda:
Does that apply to reading the words of a pure devotee?
Srila Prabhupada:
Yes
Revatinanda:
Even a little association with your books has the same effect?
Srila Prabhupada:
Effect. Of course it requires both things. One must be very eager to take it.
(SP Room Conversation, 13/12/70)
Paramahamsa:
My question is, a pure devotee, when he comments on Bhagavad Gita, someone who never sees him physically, but he just comes in contact with the commentary, explanation, is this the same thing?
Srila Prabhupada:
Yes. You can associate with Krishna by reading Bhagavad-Gita. And these saintly persons, they have given their explanations, comments. So where is the difficulty?
(SP Morning Walk, Paris 11/6/74)
"So we should give more stress on the sound vibration, either of Krishna or Spiritual Master. Never think that I am absent from you, presence by message (or hearing) is the real touch."
(SP Letter to students, 2/8/67)
"Reception of spiritual knowledge is never checked by any material condition."
(S.B. 7.7.1. purport)
"The potency of transcendental sound is never minimised because the vibrator is apparently absent."
(S.B. 2.9.8. purport)
"There is nothing new to be said. Whatever I had to say, I have already said in my books. Now you must try to understand it and continue with your endeavours. Whether I am present or not does not matter. "
(Arrival Conversation, Vrindavan, 17/5/77)
"If I depart there is no cause for lamentation. I will always be with you through my books and orders. I will always remain with you in that way."
(Back To Godhead 13:1-2, December 1977)
"Every one of you must regularly read our books at least twice, in the morning and evening, and automatically all questions will be answered."
(SP Letter to Randhira, 24/01/70)
"So utilise whatever time you find to make a thorough study of my books. Then all your questions will be answered."
(SP Letter to Upendra, 7/1/76)
"In my books the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness is explained fully so if there is anything you do not understand, then you simply have to read again and again. By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you and by this process your spiritual life will develop."
(SP Letter to Brahmarupa Dasa, 22/11/74)
Narayana:
So those disciples who don't have the opportunity to see you or speak with you...
Srila Prabhupada:
That he was speaking, vani and vapuh. Even if you don't see his body, you take his words, vani.
Narayana:
But how do they know that they're pleasing you?
Srila Prabhupada:
If you actually follow the words of Guru, that means he is pleased. And if you do not follow, how can he be pleased?
Sudama:
Not only that, but your mercy is spread everywhere, and if we take advantage, you told us once, then we will feel the result.
Srila Prabhupada:
Yes.
Jayadvaita:
And if we have faith in what the Guru says, then automatically we'll do that.
Srila Prabhupada:
Yes. My Guru Maharaja passed away in 1936, and I started this movement in 1965, 30 years after. Then? I am getting mercy of Guru. This is vani. Even if Guru is not physically present, if you follow the vani, then you are getting help.
Sudama:
So there is no question of ever separation as long as the disciple follows the instructions of Guru.
Srila Prabhupada:
No. Cakhu-dano-dilo-jei. What is the next one?
Sudama:
Cakhu-dano-dilo-jei, janme janme prabhu sei.
Srila Prabhupada:
Janme janme prabhu sei. So where there is separation? Who has opened your eyes, he is birth after birth your prabhu.
(SP Morning Walk, 21/7/75, San Francisco)
“So Krishna is within as caitya-guru, and when we are serious, He comes out as the spiritual master. Siksa-guru, diksa-guru. So there is no difference between siksa-guru and diksa-guru and Krishna. Krishna manifests Himself externally as siksa-guru and diksa-guru.”
(SP Lecture in Vrindavan on Oct. 29, 1972)
"If there is no chance to serve the spiritual master directly, a devotee should serve him by remembering his instructions. There is no difference between the spiritual masters instructions and the spiritual master himself. In the absence therefore, his words of direction should be pride of the disciple."
(C.c. Adi 1.35, purport)
“The first manifestation described is the spiritual master, who appears in two plenary parts called the initiating spiritual master and instructing spiritual master. They are identical because both of them are phenomenal manifestations of the Supreme Truth.”
(Caitanya-caritamrita, Introduction to Adi Lila )
“He helps us from within as Caitya Guru, and He expands Himself externally as Siksa Guru (as instructor) and Diksa Guru (initiator). So, the principle is that whatever you are instructed by the Caitya Guru internally may be confirmed by the instructor or initiator externally. Then your progress will be complete.”
(SP Letter to Sivananda, May 21, 1969 )
NOTE: Siksa and diksa-guru must be externally there.......:
"There is no difference between the spiritual masters instructions and the spiritual master himself. In the absence therefore, his words of direction should be pride of the disciple."
(C.c. Adi 1.35, purport)
"He lives forever by his divine instructions, and the follower lives with him."
(S.B. Preface)
"Yes, the ecstacy of separation of Spiritual Master is even greater ecstasy than meeting with him."
(SP Letter to Jadurani, 13/1/68)
"Krishna and his representative are the same. Similarly, the spiritual master can be present wherever the disciple wants. A spiritual master is the principle, not the body. Just like a television can be seen in thousands of place by the principle of relay monitoring."
(SP Letter to Malati, 28/5/68)
Does the Guru have to be physically present?
"Physical presence is immaterial. Presence of the transcendental sound received from the Spiritual Master should be the guidance of life. That will make our spiritual life successful. If you feel very strongly about my absence you may place my pictures on my sitting places and this will be source of inspiration for you."
(SP Letter to Brahmananda and other students, 19/1/67)
"But always remember that I am always with you. As you are always thinking of me, I am always thinking of you also. Although physically we are not together, we are not separated spiritually. So we should be concerned only with this spiritual connection."
(SP Letter to Gaurasundara, 13/11/69)
"So we should associate by vibration, and not by the physical presence. That is real association."
(SP Lectures SB, 18/08/68)
“Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami states that the instructing spiritual master is a bona fide representative of Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna Himself teaches us as the instructing spiritual master from within and without. From within, He teaches as Paramatma, our constant companion, and from without He teaches from the Bhagavad-gita as the instructing spiritual master. There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the disciple’s spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions. Thus the instructions in the science of devotion are differentiated in terms of the objective and subjective ways of understanding.”
(Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.47, purport)
"There are two conceptions, the physical conception and the vibrational conception. The physical conception is temporary. The vibrational conception is eternal.[...] When we feel separation from Krishna or the Spiritual Master, we should just try to remember their words or instructions, and we will no longer feel that separation. Such association with Krishna and the Spiritual Master should be association by vibration not physical presence. That is real association."
(Elevation to Krishna Consciousness, chapter 4)
"Although according to material vision His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarsavati Thakura Prabhupada passed away from this material world on the last day of December 1936, I still consider his Divine Grace to be always present with me by his vani, his words. There are two ways of association - by vani and by vapuh. Vani means words and vapuh means physical presence. Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but vani continues to exist eternally. Therefore, one must take advantage of the vani, not the physical presence."
(C.c. Antya, concluding words)
"Therefore we should take advantage of the vani, not the physical presence."
(SP Letter to Suci Devi Dasi, 4/11/75)
"I shall remain your personal guidance, physically present or not physically present, as I am getting guidance from my Guru Maharaja."
(SP Room Conversation, Vrindavan, 14/7/77)
"It is sometimes misunderstood that if one has to associate with persons engaged in devotional service, he will not be able to solve the economic problem. To answer this argument, it is described here that one has to associate with liberated persons not directly, physically, but by understanding, through philosophy and logic, the problems of life."
(SB 3:31:48 purport)
"I am always with you. Never mind if I am physically absent."
(SP Letter to Jayananda, 16/9/67)
"What we have heard from the Spiritual Master, that is living."
(Lecture, 15/1/69)
Statement by Srila Prabhupada in New York in 1968:
“After me there will be no more Acarya”
(recounted by Rohini Kumar Swami in July 1989, November 1991 and February 1993).
I wish that each and every Branch shall keep their independent identity and cooperate keeping the Acarya ( Srila Prabhupada) in the centre. On this principle we can open any number of Branches all over the world.
(Letter to Kirtanananda -- San Francisco 11 February, 1967)
"Srila Prabhupada has taught us that the disciplic succession is a living affair [...] The law of disciplic succession is that one approaches a living spiritual master - living in the sense of being physically present."
(Sivarama Swami ISKCON Journal, p.31, GBC 1990)
It is hard to reconcile the above assertion with statements such as:
"Physical presence is not important."
(Srila Prabhupada Room conversation, 6/10/77, Vrindavan)
or
"Physical presence is immaterial."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 19/1/67)
Of course, we must have a guru who is external, since in the conditioned stage pure reliance on the Supersoul is not possible, but nowhere does Srila Prabhupada teach that this physical guru must also be physically present:
"Therefore one must take advantage of the vani, not the physical presence."
(C.c. Antya, concluding words)
Srila Prabhupada practically demonstrated this principle by initiating large numbers of his disciples without ever meeting them physically at all. This fact in itself proves that diksa can be obtained without any physical involvement from the guru. There is nothing in sastra, or from Srila Prabhupada, linking diksa with physical presence.
Krsna has given you the ears. Therefore Vedic knowledge is called sruti. You go to a proper person, guru, and hear from him. Therefore this word is used. Sruyamanayam. If you hear from the right person, then krsne parama puruse bhaktir utpadyate. Then you develop your Krsna consciousness.
(S.B. Lecture, 1.7.7 Vrndavana 6th September, 1976)
Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental books are his loud chanting of the holy name. Such loud chanting is giving the people of the world Harinama diksa. The representative of acarya and siksa guru system should continue for the rest of the golden age to formalise such mass initiation. This is the verdict of Sadhu, Sastra and Guru !!!
Regarding Sankirtana and book distribution, book distribution is also chanting. Anyone who reads the books that is also chanting and hearing. Why distinguish between chanting and book distribution? These books I have recorded and chanted, and they are transcribed. It is spoken kirtanas. So book distribution is also chanting. These are not ordinary books. It is recorded chanting. Anyone who reads, he is hearing. Book distribution must not be neglected.
(S.P.L. to Rupanuga dasa, 19th October, 1974)
"When a devotee is perfectly qualified in chanting the transcendental vibration of the holy name, he is quite fit to become a spiritual master and to deliver all the people of the world. The chanting of the holy name is so powerful that it gradually establishes its supremacy above everything in the world. The devotee who chants it becomes transcendentally situated in ecstasy and sometimes laughs, cries and dances in his ecstasy. Sometimes the unintelligent put hindrances in the path of chanting this maha-mantra, but one who is situated on the platform of love of Godhead chants the holy name loudly for all concerned. As a result everyone becomes >>INITIATED<<< in the chanting of the holy names--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare."
(T.L.C. Chapter 18)
SRILA PRABHUPADA'S BOOK DISRIBUTION INITIATING THE WORLD WITH THE HOLY NAME !!
In this article we will be examining book distribution through the eyes of sadhu, sastra and guru. In doing so we shall understand a little more deeply the purpose of distributing Srila Prabhupada'a original and authorized books, and there importance to the unity of Srila Prabhupada's society. The quotes we have presented analyse what is actually happening when a conditioned soul receives one of Srila Prabhupada books, and clearly defines that souls relationship to Srila Prabhupada. Before we present these quotes let us hear from Srila Prabhupada on the importance of distributing his books.
Please try to popularize this book throughout England as much as possible. Because if these books are read, there is no doubt that many sincere souls shall be attracted and will join you in your work for Krishna. So please try for selling these books, it shall be considered as the greatest service.
(S.P.L. to Gurudasa 1/12/68)
One Krishna book sold means we go forward one step in our Krishna Consciousness. We should always remember this.
(S.P.L. to Visnujana Maharaja 4th April 1971)
But in my heart I want that KRSNA book in small or large form, should be distributed in every home who are English-speaking people.
(S.P.L. to Karandhara May 17th 1971)
I am glad to hear that you are distributing nicely books and magazines. The more we sell books, the more we advance in KC, and the more we help others to have solid information how they may take advantage of their human form of life and achieve the supreme perfection. So I want that you should now increase very greatly this selling of books and literatures.
(S.P.L. to Kulasekhara 20/1/72)
I am very glad to hear all the good news, especially that you want to sell books more and more. That is the best preaching work; each book sold means there is some practical effect of preaching, there is some tangible progress. So try to sell books as many as possible in your country, and in this way, so long you remain active but not for your personal sense-gratification, so long you remain active only satisfying Krishna's senses, then this movement will be successful without any doubt. As soon as someone wants to satisfy his own senses, then he fails at everything.
(S.P.L. to Kuruksetra 23/11/12)
Actually producing and distributing books is our most important engagement, all other engagements culminate in this one end--distribution of books.
(S.P.L. to Tamala Krsna 27th July 1973)
I understand from Karandhara that you are one of the most staunch supporters and workers for distributing our books and I assure you that it is the highest service to my Guru Maharaja. Thank you very much.
(S.P.L. to Trai dasa 8/12/73)
So I am always emphasizing book distribution. It is the better kirtana. It is better than chanting. Of course chanting should not stop, but book distribution is the best kirtana.
(S.P.L. to Srutadeva dasa 24/10/74)
I am especially pleased at how you are distributing our books, particularly to the schools and universities. This program is so important and should be increased more and more. We want to flood the world over with our books. So go on in this way and Krishna will surely bless you.
(S.P.L. to Sri Govinda 21/1/71)
Actually this book production is most important, and you have pleased me very much. Just go on and flood the whole world with these Krsna books.
(S.P.L. to Bali-mardana 8/873)
So I am very pleased with your activities. Now continue and increase. Everyone will want our books. We will always have customers. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mercy.
(S.P.L. to Ghanasyama 20/11/75)
Your report of the book distribution there is very encouraging. Make program to distribute our books all over the world. Our books are being appreciated by learned circles, so we should take advantage. Whatever progress we have made, it is simply to distributing these books. So go on, and do not divert your mind for a moment from this.
(S.P.L. to Ramesvara dasa 11/10/74)
So that is the real preaching, selling books. Who can speak better than the books? At least whoever buys, he will look over. If you have to sell books, do it by hook or by crook. The real preaching is selling books. You should know the tactic how to sell without irritating. What your lecture will do for three minutes, but if he reads one page his life may be turned.
(S.P.L. to Bali Marden 30th September 1972)
"Devotional service entails being initiated by a bona fide spiritual master and following his instruction in regard to hearing about the Lord. Such a bona fide spiritual master is accepted by regularly hearing from him about the Lord."
(S.B. 3.5.42)
Diksa Given to Madhyama-adhikari is Not a Formality
No disrespect intended to Shiva das Prabhu, but there is a philosophical misunderstanding and I have just compiled below a reply to prove the point. Shiva das wrote:
"Also contradicting his thesis is the numerous places where Srila Prabhupada said that madhyama and even kanistha devotees can act as diksa gurus"
This is a misunderstanding - you will not find ONE quote to say Kanistha or even a Madhyam devotee can act as DIKSA guru!
THE STUDENTS AND DISCIPLES ARE INITIATED ACCORDING TO AUTHORIZED PANCARATRIKI REGULATIONS
There are two aspects in initiation:
1) Formality (Pancaratriki) - name giving ceremony etc
2) Diksa (Knowledge= divja-jnana) - spiritual initiation received by Madhyama adhikari
So a question may be raised, why formality?
The answer is very simple: the Diksa given to Madhyama adhikari is NOT a formality. Initiation offered to neophyte/Kanistha IS a Formality. THIS is the BIG difference!!
In conformity with the establishment of the formality of a Ritvik System 9th July 1977, Srila Prabhupada’s signed directive to the society the Pancaratriki regulations were followed in this initiation. “THE STUDENTS AND DISCIPLES ARE INITIATED ACCORDING TO AUTHORIZED PANCARATRIKI REGULATIONS”
„This is a general principle. However, A person who is liberated acharya and guru cannot commit any mistake, but there are persons who are less qualified or not liberated, but still can act as 'guru' and 'acharya' by strictly following the disciplic succession.“
(Lecture 26th April, 1968. New York)
Whether one uses the terms OFFICIATING ACARYA OR RITVIK OR REPRESENTATIVE they mean the SAME ie to ACT ON BEHALF OF ACARYA. So this is act as “guru” and “Acarya”. They ACTING as OFFICIATING ACARYA OR RITVIK REPRESENTATIVE OF ACARYA. They are NOT acarya but acting as in capacity to OFFICIATE on behalf of the ACARYA. This is very clear. Srila Prabhupada has in all front cover of the Books:
Founder-Acarya His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The hypen means Srila Prabhupada IS the ACARYA of ISKCON not simply its Founder consequently, one who wants to accept the position of formality of initiating others can ONLY do so ON BELHALF of Srila Prabhupada the ACARYA. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. Srila Prabhupada’s Diksa giving position in ISKCON as long as it exists is IRREPLACEABLE.
"Whenever an acarya comes, following the superior orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His representative, he establishes the principles of religion, as enunciated in Bhagavad-gita.
Religion means abiding by the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Religious principles begin from the time one surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is the acarya's duty to spread a bona fide religious system and induce everyone to bow down before the Supreme Lord. One executes the religious principles by rendering devotional service, specifically the nine items like hearing, chanting and remembering.
Unfortunately, when the acarya 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….The acarya, the authorized representative of the Supreme Lord, establishes these principles, but when he disappears, things once again become disordered. The perfect disciples of the acarya try to relieve the situation by sincerely following the instructions of the spiritual master….Similarly, a devoted disciple of the spiritual master would rather die with the spiritual master than fail to execute the spiritual master's mission.
As the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes down upon this earth to re-establish the principles of religion, so His representative, the spiritual master, also comes to re-establish religious principles. It is the duty of the disciples to take charge of the mission of the spiritual master and execute it properly. Otherwise the disciple should decide to die along with the spiritual master. In other words, to execute the will of the spiritual master, the disciple should be prepared to lay down his life and abandon all personal considerations…. When one becomes serious to follow the mission of the spiritual master, his resolution is tantamount to seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead.“
(Srila Prabhupada from Srimad Bhagavatam 4.28.48,50,51)
Here Sripad Aindra Prabhus quotes :
"Let the over-intelligent, doggedly resorting to materially contrived managerial stratagems, injudiciously undermine the essential principle of keeping single-minded confidence in the lucid instructions of the institutional Founder-acarya; they’ll have to learn the hard way – as will the attendantly implicated!
Let hundreds of heedless sannyasis and guru-figureheads plunge from their pompous pedestals owing to their often sentimentally justified, inappropriately frequent, and overextended proximity in dealings with their female disciples and so on. Why should we lament or bother ourselves to in any way condemn or condone; these things are going on – and on – and will continue to go on and on and on . . . Trust no future however pleasant.
Let the upper-organizational----oligar
( His Holiness Sripad Aindra Prabhu in his book : "The heart of transcendental book distribution " )
Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja Prabhupada:
“Therefore having a bona fide spiritual master and serving him and pleasing him and getting his mercy is essential. Otherwise there can be no advancement in Krishna consciousness. And unless the spiritual master is a pure devotee of Krishna then he has no potency to give you Krishna. He is simply a cheating rascal.
So in fact above all the rules and regulations and offenses I have mentioned the most important thing, the essential thing, which is required if you want to come to the stage of purely chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is you must have a bona fide spiritual master who is a pure devotee of Krishna. Without having a bona fide spiritual master you can chant Hare Krishna forever but you will not be able to advance because Krishna does not reveal Himself in this way. He only reveals Himself to those devotees who surrender to and serve and please His pure devotees.”.
(SP Letter to his London disciples, July, 1969)
“And if you get a bona fide spiritual master, he will take you to Krsna.”
(The Laws of Nature, chapter 1, p. 43)
“This is the process of initiation. […] Then, the spiritual master takes care of him and elevates him to spiritual emancipation.”
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 24.256)
“It is not that after we become initiated we become perfect. No. It requires teaching. So if we take instruction from them, all senior godbrothers may be treated as guru, there is no harm.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 20th, 1971)
The class monitor never takes the place of the teacher, but assists him in his absence
“Sometimes a diksa guru is not present always. Therefore one can take learning, instruction, from an advanced devotee. That is called the siksa guru.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, July 4th, 1974)
AINDRA PRABHUs FINAL WORDS FOR A SANKIRTAN REVOLUTION !!!
RELIGIO-INSTITUTIONAL PSYWAR
[Principles of psychological disempowerment]
1. Convince the enemy [us, the laity] that there is no war so we see no cause for alarm.
2. Make us believe that they [the institutional power elite] are stronger than they really are, and make us believe that we [the grass roots contingency] are weaker than we really are.
3. Hide the truth cover-up, distort, lie, confuse, falsify . . . divert, pervert, put down, and demonize the truth . . . to manipulate the history, present, and future of society.
4. Quell the resistance before it has a chance to raise its ugly head. Slander, scorn, and/or eliminate dissenters [the audacious few who break the code of silence] to demoralize further potential protests.
5. Intimidation compel by unilateral communication of increasingly ever-constraining institutional law. Supplant multi-angular philosophical discussion with sophistical dogma.
The institutional power elites are small in number [potentially weak] but at present considerably organized and dominant though not very popular. We,the unvoiced majority, are potentially powerful but presently misinformed, under-educated, apathetic, obsequious, disarrayed, and disorganized too busy with our dumbed-down pursuit of our daily fare to think very deeply about anything.
The power elites, by exercising their political leverage, have quite a handle on the temporal institutional facilities [men, money, social and organizational infrastructure, media (spin control), etc.] They are parasitic in behavior, fat, corrupt, speculative, deceitful, increasingly sluggish, and paranoid. We the laity control very little of the institutional hardware. It will be very difficult for us to erect a power structure as they have to counter their political advantage within the context of their establishment. Yet those of us who are awake to the power elites misguided agenda to stealthily hijack, dysfunctionalize, and derail, from within, the Krishna consciousness movement by incremental trans-sectarian interfaith homogenization can and must assiduously acquaint ourselves and others with the true principles of sampradaya as per the gaudiya-siddhanta according to the statements of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the previous acaryas.
WAKE UP PRABHUS! EVERYONE WAKE UP!
Everything is not alright. We have been and are being purposely steered off course. Do not acquiesce to any so-called leader's [or any group of so-called leaders] deviant philosophical misconstructions. Understand the issues: errant material control systems, corporatization, centralization, bureaucratization, social liberalization, rubberstamped
guruship, psychologically coerced communal compliance, marginalization of nama-sankirtana, contractual institutional commitment, etc. Understand the ramifications: guru-avajna; crippling of individual striving, creativity, and expression; decline of pure devotional ethos into obscurity, vulnerability to broad-scope multi-level globalist
infiltration.
They rely on our ease-loving ignorance, our tendency to gravitate through the supposed path of least resistance, and our lazy disinclination to stand up against all odds to fight for truth on behalf of our predecessor acaryas. We cannot blame anyone except ourselves for our lack of Krishna consciousness. We must think with our own minds !!
not with theirs. Understand their tactics. Increased awareness of the truth brings with it increased spiritual power. Increased spiritual power puts time on our side. That is our strength.
Temporal institutional might does not make right. Even if the clandestine manipulators of institutional affairs are able to nefariously usurp the external institutional set-up, they can neither usurp our souls nor will they ever win our heartfelt comraderie. It is time for revolution a revolution of consciousness. Let the institutional power brokers beware.
The increasing numbers of we who are on to their antics will have revolution with or without their consent or cooperation. The biggest bubble of maya can doubtlessly be burst by the minutest pinprick of genuine Krishna consciousness. The critical mass of our spark-like grass-roots Krishna consciousness will ultimately prevail and
conflagrate their insinuative billowing-cotton-like mayic institutional tyranny.
A CALL TO ARMS
1. Intelligently fight institutional maya with the most powerful weapon of the Holy Name.
2. Form local daily nama-sankirtana cells world-wide.
3. Regularly congregate for prolonged mass hari-nama-sankirtan demonstrations.
4. Start chanting a minimum of one lac of Holy Names daily.
5. Confront local, regional, and zonal institutional authorities and convince them to do the same its either shape up or ship out.
6. Organize a grass roots signature campaign to express the general lack of confidence in the current institutional leadership.
7. Transition from the problem-think to the solution-think mind-set.
8. Be Krishna conscious in all circumstantial success or failure.
If we are not part of the solution we are part of the problem.
The solution is simple [for the simple]: Harer-namaiva-kevalam.
Take shelter of the Holy Name as your only business.
Nothing to lose everything to gain.
(His Holiness Sripad Aindra Prabhu)
Now, Canakya Pandita gives three things, formula, “If you want to be fortunate, then do these three things.” What is that? Murkha yatra na pujyante: “Do not give any credit to the rascal.” That is first qualification. Don’t be carried away by the rascal. Murkha yatra na pujyante. If you worship a rascal, then your life is spoiled. You must worship a really learned representative of God. That is very good.
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.31 San Francisco, July 16, 1975)
"So this movement is so important. Somehow or other if you can engage them in chanting and dancing, the whole world will be united. What the United Nations has failed, this movement can do–if it is not checked by the rascals. But the rascals are ready to check this movement. That is the difficulty. Otherwise, God, Krsna, is always ready to help us."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.18 Bombay, December 27, 1974)
The pseudo religionists have neither knowledge nor detachment from material affairs, for most of them want to live in the golden shackles of material bondage under the shadow of philanthropic activities disguised as religious principles. By a false display of religious sentiments, they present a show of devotional service while indulging in all sorts of immoral activities. In this way they pass as spiritual masters and devotees of God. Such violators of religious principles have no respect for the authoritative acaryas, the holy teachers in the strict disciplic succession.
THEY IGNORE THE VEDIC INJUNCTION ACARYOPASANA–”ONE MUST WORSHIP THE ACARYA”–and Krsna’s statement in the Bhagavad-gita (4.2) evam parampara-praptam, “This supreme science of God is received through the disciplic succession.” Instead, to mislead the people in general they themselves become so-called acaryas, but they do not even follow the principles of the acaryas. These rogues are the most dangerous elements in human society. Because there is no religious government, they escape punishment by the law of the state. They cannot, however, escape the law of the Supreme, who has clearly declared in the Bhagavad-gita that envious demons in the garb of religious propagandists shall be thrown into the darkest regions of hell
(Isopanisad 12)
SRI ISOPANISAD CONFIRMS THAT THESE PSEUDO RELIGIONISTS ARE HEADING TOWARD THE MOST OBNOXIOUS PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THEIR SPIRITUAL MASTER BUSINESS, WHICH THEY CONDUCT SIMPLY FOR SENSE GRATIFICATION.
(Bg.16.19-20)
“There are many jealous people in the dress of Vaishnavas in this Krishna Consciousness movement, and they should be completely neglected. A false acarya may try to override a vaishnava by a high-court decision,
(2/3 hand vote) but Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that he is nothing but a
disciple of Kali-yuga.”.
“Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, Kali-cela. He indicates that there are other Vaishnavas, pseudo-Vaishnavas, with tilaka on their nose and kunti beads around their neck. Such a pseudo-Vaishnava associates with money and
women and is jealous of successful Vaishnavas. Although passing for a Vaishnava, his only business is earning money in the dress of a Vaishnava”.
(CC.Madhy.,Ch.1, Text 218 / 220, purport)
"Satyam, truthfulness, means that facts should be presented as they are for the benefit of others. Facts should not be misrepresented. According to social conventions, it is said that one can speak the truth only when it is palatable to others. But that is not truthfulness. The truth should be spoken in a straight and forward way, so that others will understand actually what the facts are. If a man is a thief and if people are warned that he is a thief, that is truth. Although sometimes the truth is unpalatable, one should not refrain from speaking it. Truthfulness demands that the facts be presented as they are for the benefit of others. That is the definition of truth."
[Srila Prabhupada from Bhagavad-gita 10.4-5]
Prabhupada: (break) ...worm and the sun. When the sun is arisen, the glowworms, automatically finished. (break) ...motto, "Krsna is sun." You know it? Krsna surya-sama. So when Krsna sun is there, all these glowworms' lightening will be finished. (break) Keep this sun always shining. Then these glowworms will be finished.
( S.P.Morning Walk June 21, 1975, Los Angeles)
Prabhupada: Ah. So this is our one of the items, to vanquish all these rascals, so-called swamis. They say that "Why you criticize others also?" Because we have to vanquish them. Now these people cannot rise. When there is sunrise, there is no use of these glowworms. So this Krsna consciousness movement is Krsna Himself. Therefore they must be finished, all over the world. So-called religionists, so-called philosophers, so-called avataras, swamis, yogis--finished. Our program should be like that. (break) ...all these rascals, anymore to flourish.That is one of our program.
(S.P.Morning Walk Excerpts May 2, 1974, Bombay)
Prabhupada: Potency. Just like electricity. There is standard regulation: "This is negative; this is positive. You must act like this. You must fix like..." You cannot do whimsically: "No, why not this way? Why not that way?" Then it is lost. Then there will be no electricity. Similarly, there is standard method how to understand this philosophy, how to get it, I mean to say, what is called, authoritatively. Then it will act.
(S.P.Room Conversation with Bill Faill (reporter)October 8, 1975, Durban)
If you go on as you are doing now,then it will go on. But if you stop...
Ganesa: Srila Prabhupada, if the knowledge was handed down by the saintly kings, evam parampara-praptam, how is it that the knowledge was lost?
Prabhupada: When it was not handed down. Simply understood by speculation. Or if it is not handed down as it is. They might have made some changes.Or they did not hand it down. Suppose I handed it down to you, but if you do not do that, then it is lost. Now the Krsna consciousness movement is going on in my presence. Now after my deparature, if you do not do this, then it is lost. If you go on as you are doing now, then it will go on. But if you stop... (end)
( S.P.Room Conversation with Carol Cameron May 9, 1975, Perth)
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