Srila Prabhupada's Words, Not Mine
BY: BHAGAVAT DAS (ACBSP)
Jun 16, USA (SUN) — Nava Jauvana Prabhu has made the following statement in his recent article:
“If we sincerely study his letters, and carefully follow his guidance, there is no need to seek out a new siksa guru, as Bhagavat das encouraged me to do in his article responding to the "Dilemma of Association" piece I recently wrote.”
This statement is grossly incorrect! I have not encouraged Nava Jauvana Prabhu to do anything. Srila Prabhupada has encouraged him and everyone in the whole world to seek out anyone of the many spiritual societies and associations of pure devotees and associate with them. I have merely pointed out the words of Srila Prabhupada. To refresh everyone’s memory I will reproduce the quote here.
"There are many societies and associations of pure devotees, and if someone with just a little faith begins to associate with such societies, his advancement to pure devotional service is rapid. The influence of a pure devotee is such that if someone comes to associate with him with a little faith, one gets the chance of hearing about the Lord from authoritative scriptures like Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam."
Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 19
So these are the words of our Srila Prabhupada enshrined in His Original Unedited Nectar of Devotion from 1970 THEY ARE NOT MY WORDS! I then made the following statement: “All Nava Jauvana Prabhu has to do is find one of the many other societies that Srila Prabhupada is talking about and associate with them to make advancement.” This statement encourages Nava Jauvana Prabhu to follow the instructions of Srila Prabhupada as enshrined in His unedited books. Just because Nava Jauvana Prabhu does not like the particular instructions which Srila Prabhupada has given, that I have pointed out, that is not my problem, it is his!
Now Nava Jauvana has done exactly what I stated in my article someone would do if he does not accept the words of Srila Prabhupada. Here is that statement from my article:
“Now of course if one does not accept the words of Srila Prabhupada and brings in some other statement of Srila Prabhupada’s to try and nullify this one, then one is just nullifying his spiritual master's own words. If, however, we accept the words of Srila Prabhupada AS IT IS then we MUST ACCEPT that there are societies and associations of pure devotees other than ISKCON and by taking their association we can make rapid advancement to the level of pure devotional service.”
Nava Jauvana Prabhu has brought in other statements of Srila Prabhupada’s to try and nullify this statement of Srila Prabhupada’s with the added twist of ascribing the words to me when they are not mine at all. It appears that Nava Jauvana Prabhu cannot accept Srila Prabhupada’s instructions AS IT IS so let me give him an example of what Srila Prabhupada did in His own life when he no longer felt as Nava Jauvana say’s in this last article of his: “There would also be no need for any godbrother to stay outside the institution that Prabhupada founded if the leaders of Iskcon sincerely followed Prabhupada's detailed instructions found in his letters. Unfortunately, they don't.”
The following quote is from a purport in the Caitanya Caritamrta expresses in Srila Prabhupada’s own words enshrined in the purports of his unedited books the same dilemma that he was facing after the departure of the manifest presence of hi Guru Maharaja:
“In the beginning, during the presence of Om Visnupada Paramahansa Parivrajakacarya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada, all the disciples worked in agreement; but just after his disappearance, they disagreed. One party strictly followed the instructions of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, but another group created their own concoction about executing his desires.” Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi lila, Ch. 12, Vs. 8 Purport
So according to this statement one group of Srila Prabhupada’s God Brothers strictly followed the instructions of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura. So Srila Prabhupada formed a new society with them called Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti. This Group included Srila Bhakti Prajnana Keshava Maharaja, Srila Madhusudana Maharaja, and Srila Prabhupada who all signed the original documents of incorporation. Srila Prabhupada also accepted Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaja as his siksha guru as He describes in a quote from the following letter to His disciple Hrishikesh Das on January 31 1969: “So if you are actually serious to take instructions from a siksa guru, I can refer you to one who is most highly competent of all my god-brothers. This is B.R. Sridhara Maharaja, whom I consider to be even my siksa guru, so what to speak of the benefit that you can have from his association.” There are some devotees who would like to minimize this letter because they do not believe that Srila Prabhupada accepted Srila Sridhara Maharaja as a siksha guru in any formal sense. However, in India in Srila Prabhupada’s rooms in Radha Damodara in the old days when I was in India in very early 70’s there was 4 pictures in Srila Prabhupada’s room where he slept and wrote the Srimad Bhagavatam. A picture of Sri Sri Radha Krishna, a picture of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, a picture of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, and a picture of Srila Sridhar Maharaja.
Do I think that Srila Prabhupada needed a siksha guru? NO DEFINITELY NOT! The Nitya Siddha, Shaktavesh avatar, empowered by Lord Nityananda certainly does not need any siksha or diksha guru, any more than Sri Krsna Bhagavan needs a diksha guru. However they accept them for the purpose of teaching us the process of devotional service perfectly so that everyone can understand that you must have diksha and siksha guru to achieve perfection. Raghunatha Das Goswami is initiated by Srila Yadunandan Acarya but he is known as Swarup-er-Raghunatha, the Raghunatha of Swarup Damodara, why, because Raghunatha Das Goswami is the siksha disciple of Swarup Damodar Maharaja the secretary of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wrong to assign a siksha guru to Raghunatha Das Goswami, did he make some mistake?
When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Swarup Damodar left this world Raghunatha Das Goswami went to Vrndavana to take siksha from Srila Rupa Goswami and Srila Sanatana Goswami demonstrating that one should always take shelter and association of superior Vaishnava’s. Throughout the Caitanya Caritamrta Srila Krsna Das Kaviraja repeatedly offers his humble obeisance’s to Srila Rupa Goswami and Srila Raghunatha Das Goswami who are his siksha gurus but never once mentions his diksha guru. The first 5 acharya’s after Srila Madhvacharya in our Brahma Sampradaya are all directly initiated disciples of Srila Madhvacharya. So there was a siksha guru relationship between them as senior and junior disciples of Srila Madhvacharya. So many more examples are there again and again of the importance of siksha guru. Srila Gaura Kishore Das Babji is the siksha disciple of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who is the siksha disciple of Srila Jagganatha Das babji, who is the siksha disciple of Srila Baladeva Vidya Bhushana, who is the siksha disciple of Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura, who received neither diksha or siksha from Srila Narottoma Das Thakura but is initiated by a spiritual master whose lineage goes back 5 guru’s to Srila Narottoma Das Thakura, who is the siksha disciple of Srila Jiva Goswami, who took diksha from Srila Rupa Goswami, who took siksha from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So our whole Sampradaya practically is siksha sampradaya filled with siksha gurus.
So you complained in your first letter that ISKCON is not following the instructions of our guru maharaja Srila Prabhupada and you cannot find any sadhu sangha there. So I have showed you the words of Srila Prabhupada saying you can get association in so many pure devotional societies and in your response you write accusing me of saying something that Srila Prabhupada said and then you quote a series of letters from Srila Prabhupada that have nothing to do with Sadhu Sangha. So what happened, sadhu sangha is not important anymore? Now I have shown you how Srila Prabhupada in his own life when faced with a similar dilemma left the society started by his guru maharaja and took the association of his god brothers who were following the instructions of his Guru and formed a new society and took siksha from Srila Sridhar Maharaja.
So I have shown you what Srila Prabhupada’s instructions are on this matter, his teachings of how practically our entire Sampradaya has accepted siksha guru’s and I have shown you how Srila Prabhupada himself acted in regards to this dilemma you are facing. These are Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, teachings, and actions, not mine! If you do not like them or do not want to follow them then complain to Srila Prabhupada DO NOT BLAME ME OR COMPLAIN TO ME! Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, teachings, and actions, are CRYSTAL CLEAR ON THIS ISSUE, and I have accepted them. Now I have shown them to you Oh Nava Jauvana Prabhu you may deliberate on them carefully and act as you so desire.
