Srila Prabhupada, an ISKCON Product
BY: HASTI GOPALA DASA
Sep 22, 2010 — TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA (SUN) — I had a recent correspondence with a devotee of long-term prominence here at Toronto ISKCON. I cannot keep silent about Toronto ISKCON's continuing misrepresentation of my guru, Srila Prabhupada. If one believes that people as a whole are being mislead, then one has a duty to speak up to protect people from falling for false information. I must speak up, and if they have a problem with that let them speak up.
I was sent an email regarding Bhakti Marga Swami, who I was told was initiating on Srila Prabhupada's behalf.
Following was some of my reply:
"ps. between you and me. Bhakti Marga Swami has told a former bhaka, just initiated, that he is initiating him as a disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Who else is there for the whole world at this time....who? :) Hasti
Now the information I received was from a devotee who knows the now former bhakta, and I have heard this from another devotee of high position in Toronto. The response I got was quite cordial in relation to another topic, but this was added from the devotee I was writing to:
"HE IS NOT A RITIVK. He, like most of the ISKCON gurus, explains to every prospective disciple that Srila Prabhupada should remain the disciple's main focus and that he is taking disciples in order to help them become closer to Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON (which is Srila Prabhupada's house. However Bhakti Marga Maharja is the Diksa guru… but in our movement shiksha is extremely important. He takes disciples as a service to Srila Prabhupada."
I will dissect the statement above and respond in kind below.
In reading the whole paragraph, I say... where did Srila Prabhupada set-up this program? Is this "Vedic Tradition"? Srila Prabhupada never initiated his disciples with the above plan, that they get closer to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada. Indeed, he told us not to read his spiritual master's books. "Like most ISKCON gurus" Most? What are the others doing, or is there no standard across the board in ISKCON? What is meant by "that Srila Prabhupada should remain the disciple's main focus" What about the Diksa guru they just took initiation from -- is he not supposed to be the main focus? Srila Prabhupada was our main focus when we got initiated. Again, where is this procedure in Vedic Tradition or anywhere is Srila Prabhupada's books and instructions?
Why would Srila Prabhupada remain the "disciple's main focus" if he is about to be initiated by an ISKCON approved, sum total of the demigods pure devotee who can himself take the disciple back to Godhead? Doesn't ISKCON state that Srila Prabhupada wanted his disciples to become initiating gurus and take their disciples back to Godhead?
...."that he is taking disciples in order to help them become closer to Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON" (which is Srila Prabhupada's house). Again, when did Srila Prabhupada authorise this procedure? In which legal statement, where in his books, letters or even morning walks did he say that this was to be the future procedure? ISKCON temples and their representatives ought to get their stories straight and stop misleading the public that they are authorised to do something that is, in fact, illegal under Vedic law. Here we can plainly see that ISKCON continues with their worldwide deception that anyone regardless can only become connected to Srila Prabhupada through their appointed guru. This smacks of using their positions as patent protectors and Srila Prabhupada as their product.
"However Bhakti Marga Maharja is the Diksa guru". Where in Srila Prabhupada's instructions does he say that upon leaving his body, those he supposedly appointed from then and down line, according to ISKCON, would take on the roll of diksa and he would become siksa guru? "
"…but in our movement shiksha is extremely important. He takes disciples as a service to Srila Prabhupada."
When I was living in the temple (1975) the temple president was the siksa guru. He initiated on Srila Prabhupada's behalf and related to the devotees and congregation as the siksa guru. Srila Prabhupada approved of this.
Why mention that "siksa is extremely important" when I am being told that the swami is a Diksa guru? Then who is the siksa guru? The swami or Srila Prabhupada or the temple president?
Well ladies and gentlemen unless you have not really done your reading, you will have missed one very important ISKCON scam. They have made it official that Srila Prabhupada will become the disciple's siksa guru and the initiator swami will be their Diksa guru. With that there will be two siksa gurus (or more) at any given ISKCON temple or community centre besides Srila Prabhupada, who is locked up in his changed books. So however the temple president sees fit to act or the treasurer or the head cook or even just the doorman, there will be no consistency in protocol, Vedic tradition
or simple old fashioned public policy. Whim then becomes the way of the day. Who wants to be involved with whimsical quasi-religious types who cannot stand for common logic and reason? Not us.
Where did Srila Prabhupada authorise that he was to be demoted as siksa guru by the future ISKCON alleged appointed 11 gurus and their future franchise of gurus? The use of Srila Prabhupada as siksa guru allows ISKCON to feed the present world's population with whatever propaganda it sees fit while they continue to change whatever the founding Acarya has written or talked about. And those in ISKCON and its congregations go along with this.
Once a generation has been fed this propaganda it becomes very difficult for them to even engage in alternative thinking or backtracking in history to see how they have been seriously duped. Or for the sake of argument, whether they have. We challenge ISKCON and their present good congregations then to help themselves, FIND OUT!
There has to be within the present ISKCON framework an intelligentsia who are aware of how they are being duped. If you are some of them, then the time is right to let loose with what you understand and help the world break this present blockage and free the river of life so that everyone may cultivate Love of Krsna, the Godhead, take up the Holy Name and grasp the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada with all the gusto and right they have been given...by him... freely!!
If ISKCON has any real transcendental authorization and the gurus are as bona fide as they say, then they should spread out around the world and start their own disciplic succession, write their own books and preach on their own, independently liberating the world as they go. Now for anyone seriously interested in becoming a Vaisnava, a devotee of Krsna, then you should seriously reconsider getting involved with ISKCON.
One can see as any careful consumer does that any inconsistencies in the functioning of any product indicates that at least at the manufacturing level, there has been very poor co-ordination between departments, what to speak of department heads. Who would buy into a product or method that is constantly being challenged on very high intellectual levels with evidence that it is illegal in its procedure, or shady at best? Not very many. Perhaps that has always been the post-ISKCON plan?
So ladies and gentlemen, simply read Srila Prabhupada's original pre-1978 books, chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, especially the Gita (1972 edition), offer your food to Srila Prabhupada as we have described before in "How To Get Karma Free Food, try to follow the four regulative principles of no meat eating, fish or eggs, no gambling, no intoxicants, tea or coffee or cigarettes, and no illicit sex. Srila Prabhupada will help you understand your personal struggles and lead you in the right direction.
And isn't that what ISKCON says it wants to give you?
Hare Krishna
Ys, Hasti Gopala dasa
