Just Simply Follow Sadhu, Sastra and Guru
BY: GOKULANANDA DASA
Mar 24, VANCOUVER, CANADA (SUN) — I have been following some of the articles regarding the disciplic succession, but have not wanted to participate. Now I have been compelled to join in due the utter concocted nonsense written by Harakumara Dasa in his “Uno por Matha, Por Favor!” article.
I firstly want to establish my title, Just Simply Follow Sadhu, Sastra and Guru, as the prerequisite for making any advancement in Krishna Consciousness. If we don’t do so then we are simply wasting our time. Many devotees use a single quote from Srila Prabhupada’s letters or lectures to establish their point. Often these quotes were intended for a particular individual or audience and can therefore sometimes be deemed irrelevant to us all, so I will give substantial quotes from Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita and one from a lecture. They are not just one sentence quotes because I don’t want to be accused of taking quotes out of context, so please be patient and read through them
Firstly from Srimad Bhagavatam 4.16.1. Purport Srila Prabhupada states:
"Here the word muni-coditah indicates instructions received from great sages and saintly persons. Although Maharaja Prthu was simply enthroned on the royal seat and was not at that time exhibiting his godly powers, the reciters like the suta, the magadha and the vande understood that King Prthu was an incarnation of God. They could understand this by the instructions given by the great sages and learned brahmanas. We have to understand the incarnations of God by the instructions of authorized persons. We cannot manufacture a God by our own concoctions. As stated by Narottama dasa Thakura, sadhu-sastra-guru: one has to test all spiritual matters according to the instructions of saintly persons, scriptures and the spiritual master. The spiritual master is one who follows the instructions of his predecessors, namely the sadhus, or saintly persons. A bona fide spiritual master does not mention anything not mentioned in the authorized scriptures. Ordinary people have to follow the instructions of sadhu, sastra and guru. Those statements made in the sastras and those made by the bona fide sadhu or guru cannot differ from one another."
Then from the Introduction of Bhagavad Gita As It Is Srila Prabhupada states:
"We have to receive knowledge from the proper source in disciplic succession beginning with the supreme spiritual master, the Lord Himself, and handed down to a succession of spiritual masters. Arjuna, the student who took lessons from Lord Sri Krsna, accepts everything that He says without contradicting Him. One is not allowed to accept one portion of Bhagavad-gita and not another. No. We must accept Bhagavad- gita without interpretation, without deletion and without our own whimsical participation in the matter. The Gita should be taken as the most perfect presentation of Vedic knowledge."
And finally, to establish the following of sadhu, sastra and guru, Srila Prabhupada states in a Srimad Bhagavatam lecture, SB 6.1.39 given in Los Angeles on 5 June 1976:
"Everything is there. In the Fifth Canto, everything is there. There are different planets where Yamaraja is there, how a dead man or the soul is taken there, the path-everything is in detail there. If you say it is mythology... Why you should say mythology? You have not seen the whole universe, how it is situated. You are simply imagining from this place. So your imagination, imaginology, and we have our mythology. So we have got some evidence, but you have no evidence. At least we have got some support of the books. But what you have got? You are simply imagining, "I think," "I believe." What is this nonsense? What is your proof? Everyone is saying "I believe." Hundreds and thousands... And what is correct? Everyone... At least, we have got something correct. We don't say "I believe." This is not our process of knowledge. We, Krsna conscious person, we never say "I believe." No, we immediately quote from the sastra.
Here is the statement, sruti-pramanam. According to Vedic civilization, evidence, is sruti, Vedas. If you say something and if you give evidence, proof from the Vedic literature, then it is perfect. No such nonsense things: "I believe," "We believe," "Perhaps," "Maybe." No. Such foolish things are not accepted. Then everyone will say something. There are thousands and millions of people, everyone will imagine something and say something. Then where is the correct thing? This is not good. Veda-pramanam. That will be described in the next verse. Veda-pranihito dharmo. Veda- pranihito. What is explained in the Veda, that is dharma. You cannot manufacture dharma. If it is mentioned in the Vedas, what is dharma, what is adharma, then it is acceptable. I have several times explained that you cannot make law in your comfortable home. No. Law is made by the government. And you have to accept it. You cannot say that "I believe this will be law." Who will care for your law? You may believe. You believe at your home. That will not be accepted. The law given by the government, "Keep to the right," that you must have. You cannot say, "I believe left thing" or... No. That is not."
So hopefully now everyone will accept that we have to follow sadhu, sastra and guru, not just one of them but all three as Srila Prabhupada says himself.
So now regarding the continuation of the disciplic succession and particularly Srila Prabhupada being the only diksa guru in ISKCON, I would like you to consider the following verses from 1st Vilasa of Sanatana Goswami’s Sri Hari-bhakti-vilasa:
Text 73
tayoh pariksha canyonyam
ekabdam saha-vasatah
vyavahara-svabhavanu-
bhavenaivabhijayate
tayoù-of the two; parékñä-examination; ca-and; anyonyam-mutual; ekäbdam-for one year; saha-väsataù-living together; vyavahära-actions; svabhäva-character; anubhävena-by seeing; eva-indeed; abhijäyate-is born.
The prospective spiritual master and disciple should live together for one year and, carefully examining each other's activities and character, test each other to see if they are qualified.
Text 74
atha parikshanam
mantra-muktavalyam
tayor vatsara-vasena
jnatanyonya-svabhavayoh
guruta sishyata ceti
nanyathaiveti niscayah
atha-now; parékñaëam-the test; mantra-muktävalyäm-in Mantra-muktävalé; tayoù-of the two of them; vatsara-for one year; väsena-by residence; jïäta-known; anyonya-of each other; svabhävayoù-teh natures; gurutä-the status of a spiritual master; çiñyatä-the status of a disciple; ca-and; iti-thus; na-not; anyathä-otherwise; eva-indeed; iti-thus; niçcayaù-determination.
The Test
In the Mantra-Muktavalam it is said:
“The prospective spiritual master and disciple should live together for one year. In this way they will come to understand each other's nature. Then it will be known whether the spiritual master is a genuine spiritual master and the disciple a genuine disciple. There is no other way to know this.”
Text 75
srutis ca
nasamvatsara-vasine deyat
çrutiù-the Çruti-çästra; ca-and; na-not; a-without; samvatsara-for a year; väsine-living togther; deyät-should be given.
The Sruti-sastra explains:
"The spiritual master should not give initiation without first living for a year with his disciple."
Text 76
sara-sangrahe 'pi
sad-guruh svasritam sishyam
varsham ekam parikshayet
sära-saìgrahe-in the Sära-saìgraha; api-also; sad-guruù-a genuine spiritual master; sväçritam-taking shelter; çiñyam-disciple; varñam-year; ekam-one; parékñayet-should examine.
In the Sara- sangraha it is said:
"For one year the spiritual master should examine his prospective disciple."
Sanatana Goswami was instructed personally by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and instructed to write books giving guidance on how to perform devotional service, so that we might all receive the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sanatana Goswami is the direct disciple of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, so if we refuse to follow the instructions of Sanatana Goswami then what hope do we have of gaining the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Therefore it is impossible in the absence of the physical presence of the prospective spiritual master for the disciple to live with, and test the qualifications of, the prospective spiritual master. Likewise it is impossible for the spiritual master to examine his prospective disciple and for either to examine each other’s activities and character.
So let’s please end this Rtvik imaginology, one has to take diksa from a physically present spiritual master. The current diksa process within ISKCON is also concocted imaginology, it most certainly does not follow sadhu, sastra and guru. It certainly does not allow for what Sanatana Goswami describes above. Most disciples within ISKCON have no real relationship with their guru whatsoever and the gurus have no real conception of the activities and character of their disciples. Some gurus would not even recognise their disciples if they walked past them.
We all, in particular the GBC, gurus and leaders, have to once again simply follow the instructions of sadhu, sastra and guru. So many times in his lectures Srila Prabhupada says you should all become guru, Srila Prabhupada also instructs us so many times to never leave ISKCON. So Srila Prabhupada wanted all his disciples and his disciple’s disciples to become guru within ISKCON and continue the work he started as instructed by sadhu, sastra and guru.
