Dear Isvara das
BY: MAHAVIDYA DAS (ACBSP)
Mar 18, UK (SUN) —
Dear Isvara prabhu, thank you for your most recent posting. All glories to your service.
You say, "we accept Srila Prabhupada's books as the final authority" and in your own words or thereabouts, "because He placed the emphasis on distributing His books".
Please clarify why we should not consider Srila Prabhupada's lectures, conversations, or letters to carry the same authority.
After all... Srila Prabhupada is the exact same person throughout.
Your argument of time, place and circumstance could also be used with reference to Srila Prabhupada's books.
"Srila Prabhupada's books are only for the next 10,000 years, so in 10,001 years they have no authority."
So…
what exactly are you saying?
Are we to infer that His Divine Grace is less of an authority when he lectures?
Is His Divine Grace less of an authority when He had conversations?
Is His Divine Grace somehow less of an authority when He speaks/writes his correspondence?
As I mentioned in a comment on the most recent article from Bhakta das prabhu,
I am presently reading The Teachings of Lord Kapila by His Divine Grace.
That particular book is a compilation of lectures by His Divine Grace.
In your estimation, following your logic, should I or should I not be reading it?
What about Srila Prabhupada's articles in BTG?
My point is, once we travel down the road of selective editing,
where do we stop?
May I leave you with this quote…
"I also thank you very much for your appreciation of my books and letters and for my speaking in the meetings. They are not my words, as I have repeatedly informed you that I am simply the bearer of the message from Lord Chaitanya through the disciplic succession and I do not make any addition or subtraction. Similarly, if you all carry these words successively, then the transcendental parampara system will be exactly maintained and people in general will be benefitted."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Bhagavan das, 10th January 1970)
And…
"Regarding the printing of my different letters, if you have sufficient time you can work on this project"
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Gargamuni das, 5th February 1969)
