Mahavidya's Illusion
BY: KRSNA DASA
Mar 27, UK (SUN) — In his article, "Further Consideration, Mahavidya is convinced that Srila Prabhupada requested him to become a (Diksa) guru "...he told me that face to face".
Understanding Srila Prabhupada's letter below, I believe Mahavidya dasa neglected to ask Srila Prabhupada what type of guru he should become.
"Regarding your question about the husband becoming the Spiritual Master of the wife, anyone who can give instruction in spiritual life is treated as Spiritual Master. There are two kinds of Spiritual Master, initiator and instructor. So the husband can help the wife as instructor."
Srila Prabhupada Letter, Los Angeles, January 24, 1969
Later he tries to bolster his appointment from Srila Prabhupada by quoting Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 8:128 with a select portion of Srila Prabhupada's purport, and I would like to stress he has tried to extract a support for his appointment without really understanding what Srila Prabhupada is purporting.
But by carefully reading the WHOLE purport to Madhya 8:128 we can get the true purpose to Srila Prabhupada's delivery against Mahavidya's diksa guruship.
In Madhya lila, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is relating with Ramananda Raya who is apparently from the sudra caste. Caste Brahnans believe that Diksa guruship is applicable only to the hereditary line of brahmans.
"If a person is born in a sudra family but has all the qualities of a spiritual master, he should be accepted not only as a brahman but as a qualified spiritual master also. This is also the instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvati Thakura therefore introduced the sacred thread ceremony for ALL Vaishnavas according to the rules and regulations."
Srila Prabhupada further states in his purport that the unintelligent do not know the difference between a brahman and a Vaishnava. They are under the impression that unless one is a brahman (caste) one cannot be a spiritual master. AND
"FOR THIS REASON ONLY, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu makes the statement in this verse: kiba vipra, kiba nyasi....."
Madhya 8:128pp
So Mahavidya dasa quoted the NEXT paragraph from the above of Srila Prabhupada's purport to effect his (Mahavidya's) authorisation as a possible Diksa guru BUT he neglected to present the preceding paragraph before his choice quote of Srila Prabhupada. Mahavidya's wishful devices have misled his audience.
"..he told me that face to face" (to be GURU?)
NO Mahavidya, Srila Prabhupada is demonstrating, if you read the WHOLE purport, that in Lord Caitanya's movement of Krishna consciousness there is NO CASTE MENTALITY.
"This is the essence of Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s instructions in this verse."
Madhya 8:128pp
(my stress in Prabhupada's purports)
The letter below from Srila Prabhupada promotes a DIKSA guru to be from Krishna loka. The GBC have no right to present DIKSA gurus by their ecclesiastical vote. The GBC population of ISKCON APPROVED GURUS is artificial because they deny responsibility for any level of realization of any said guru from the population. But Srila Prabhupada has written below that a guru is liberated and from Krishna loka. Therefore the GBC should perform a genocide on the present list of gurus. Or they should confirm them to be from Krishna Loka/Liberated.
....The answer to your Istagosthi questions are as follows: 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. And who is a liberated person? One who knows Krishna. It is stated in BG, fourth chapter, anyone who knows Krishna in truth is immediately liberated, and after quitting the present body, he immediately goes to Krishna. That means he becomes a resident of Krishna Loka. As soon as one is liberated he is immediately a resident of Krishna Loka, and anyone who knows the truth of Krishna can become Spiritual Master. That is the version of Lord Caitanya. So to summarize the whole thing, it is to be understood that a bona fide Spiritual Master is a resident of Krishna Loka. Your next question, whether the Spiritual Master was formerly a conditioned soul, actually a bona fide Spiritual Master is never a conditioned soul. There are three kinds of liberated persons. They are called 1) sadhan siddha, 2) kripa siddha, and 3) nitya siddha. Sadhan siddha means one who has attained perfection by executing the regulative principles of devotional service. Kripa siddha means one who has attained perfection by the special mercy of Krishna and the Spiritual Master, and nitya siddha means one who was never contaminated. The symptoms of nitya siddha is that from the beginning of his life he is attached to Krishna, and he is never tired of rendering service to Krishna. So we have to know what is what by these symptoms. But when one is actually on the siddha platform there is no such distinction as to who is sadhan, kripa, or nitya siddha. When one is siddha, there is no distinction what is what. Just like when the river water glides down to the Atlantic Ocean nobody can distinguish which portion was the Hudson River or some other river. Neither is there any necessity to make any such distinction. Actually, every living entity is eternally uncontaminated, although he may be in the material touch. This is the version of the Vedas. Asanga ayam purusha-the living entity is uncontaminated. Just like when there is a drop of oil in water you can immediately distinguish the oil from the water, and the water never mixes with the oil. Similarly, a living entity, although in material contact, is always distinct from the matter.
You are correct when you say that when the Spiritual Master speaks it should be taken that Krishna is speaking. That is a fact. A Spiritual Master must be liberated. It does not matter if he has come from Krishna Loka or he is liberated from here. But he must be liberated. The science of how one is liberated is explained above, but when one is liberated, there is no need of distinction whether he has come directly from Krishna Loka or from the material world. But in the broader sense everyone comes from Krishna Loka. When one forgets Krishna he is conditioned, when one remembers Krishna he is liberated. I hope this will clear up these points. I hope this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
New Vrindaban
10 June, 1969
69-06-10
