Spirit above Body
BY: RADHAVALLABHA DASA (BVNM)
Nov 03, NETHERLANDS (SUN) — Please allow me to share some more food for thought in regards to guru-tattva.
In regards to parampara, if it were up to diksa alone, the parampara on most ISKCON/Gaudiya Matha altars would look like this: Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (and/or the present Gaudiya Matha acarya), Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada, Srila Gaura-kisore Dasa Babaji, Srila Bhagavat Dasa Babaji, Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji, Srila Madhusudana Dasa Babaji.
First of all, interesting to see the number of babajis in our line, isn't it?
Second, where is Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura? Factually, he was a diksa disciple of Sri Vipina Vihari Gosvami, coming in the line of Sri Jahnavi Thakurani, but his siksa-guru was Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji, who is generally regarded as the Thakura's real spiritual master.
Without accepting the importance of the siksa-parampara (spirit) over the diksa-parampara (body), Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura would not even be part of the succession as we know it nowadays.
One can go all the way back to Lord Caitanya Himself, but if only diksa would count, there would hardly be a Gaudiya-sampradaya, since most guru-disciple relations were (and still are) based on siksa. Many prominent acaryas even had their diksa in other sampradayas, like the Madhva-sampradaya, but were connected with the Gaudiya lineage through siksa.
In regards to initiating while one's diksa-guru is still physically present: as far my resources go at present, Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakura already had his own disciples while Srila Gaura-kisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja was still physically on the planet.
One famous example, Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Maharaja (Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's sannyasa-guru) was initiated by Srila Sarasvati Thakura in 1915 and later on met his own param-guru, Srila Gaura-kisore Dasa Babaji Maharaja in person.
Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja recalled that when Aprakrta Prabhu prepared to go to London, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada garlanded him and said, "If anyone there desires to take harinam, I grant you permission to give that".
These are just a few considerations.
Servant of all Vaisnavas,
Radhavallabha dasa
