Nov 20, 2017 — CANADA (SUN) —
DKS: There are some devotees, they feel that Srila Prabhupada, he is being offended. That in their estimation the greatest vaisnava is being offended.
SM: BCS Bengali
BCS:
DKS: By the… for example vyasasanas… we are talking in general of having vyasasanas right next to Prabhupada.
SM: [*]According to my consideration as I hear that the grandeur of the acarya… of the puja of the present acaryas, that is undesirable and too much. It's too much and undesirable and that will create some difficulty. It should be modified. The way in which the acarya puja has been established, that should be modified to suit the circumstances and adjustment with the godbrothers. A protocol, a spiritual protocol should be evolved which may not be very harmful to the body, to the association, organization, ISKCON. Because it is a very difficult thing in tackling the fine points of sentiment divine.
So very carefully the adjustment in the spiritual protocol should be observed. Not only adjustment with the sentiment of the godbrother of the acaryas, but also the disciples of the acaryas amongst themselves, this difficulty will continue. So very sober and well thought conception should be evolved by the help of the scripture and the statements of the vaisnava and their experience considering all these things. Adjustment may help the mission to grow. Adjustment may not be detrimental to the missionary activity. It is a very difficult thing.
DKS: In the sastras we see examples when there is an assembly of great devotees that one of them is elevated to the vyasasana. We haven't seen any examples of where there are two vyasasanas. We see Sukadeva Goswami is occupying the vyasasana, or Suta Goswami, and all the other sages who are great exalted vaisnavas, they are sitting below. So Ramesvara Maharaja wanted to know is there some example where there can be these two vyasasanas like that?
BCS: Bengali
SM: General honor should be given to the nominated acaryas, then ordinary disciples. Then suppose the birthday ceremony of a particular acarya, if others come there then that acarya whose birth ceremony is being celebrated, he should be given preference. Bengali There is a saying, "On the day of one's marriage bara asana, that he gets the highest position __________. His father, his uncle, they also take ordinary seats, but___________________.
DKS: But can the seat be taken in the presence of Srila Prabhupada who is sitting in every one of our temples on the vyasasana, or should it be done separately?
SM: …then that acarya he first… all of them first worship his guru and others… together… and then he will show some respect to the godbrothers, acaryas and others. Then he will take the seat of his own for the necessity, to serve the necessity of the day… special… it is a special ceremony… special occasion and then the acaryas, the GBC members, the principal persons, they will also show some honor to that gentleman, to the acarya, with some garland or something like that. Then they will take their seat. Then the disciples will begin acarya puja. And after acarya puja, they will also show some respect to all others, godbrothers of the gurudeva. In this way some sort of distribution of honors. In this way. It is also mentioned in the scripture when many vaisnavas are in one place and the gurudeva is also there, a disciple will bow down, show honor to his guru in one case. including all, saparsada, saparsada guru. In this way he will show the respect, the guru with his parsada, with his friends (paricaraka sahitam). It is mentioned not… it is difficult that the hierarchy, first the guru deva, then who, then who, then who. To avoid all these difficulties they will ___________________ with all, gurudeva with all his ___friends and servants___.
BCS: So this worship should not be done every day?
SM: Every day as I hear, that every day the acaryas come and the disciples come to worship them, this is… this seems to be too much.
DKS: But what about the principle that a disciple must worship his guru daily?
SM: Show some respect, of course, ___does not mean that whenever you meet…___ show some respect, but puja in a gorgeous way whenever an acarya will come, that gorgeous puja that will create havoc and disembarkment in the mission, so much grandeur.
BCS: What do you think of that asanas they have in the temple?
DKS: Vyasasanas. Prabhupada is sitting on the vyasasana in the murti form in every ISKCON temple, either murti or picture, and now the standard is…
SM: The fixed acarya Prabhupada's asana will be everywhere, and the acarya of the zone he will also have a permanent seat there and all other attending acaryas occasionally they may have one respectable asana. There they will take their seat.
BCS: But I see that in your temple you don't have an asana for yourself.
SM: Myself? No, it is… as we saw that Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Prabhupada, Gaura Kisora dasa babaji ______________________ it is going on like that.
BCS: Yeah, that is asana on the altar, but what we have in our temple is something _____________ asana.
SM: A permanent asana. Suppose Swami Maharaja introduced such thing perhaps.
BCS: Yeah, but a… but is it… say for Prabhupada we can have an asana, fixed asana in the temple, but for everyone to have an asana, all… is it good… Lots of people are criticizing us for that. Like even in Los Angeles, some Muslims are criticizing us, they… the other day they asked Dhira Krsna Maharaja that…
DKS: Sometimes there are eleven vyasasanas in the temple…
SM: And the next generation, there will be hundreds (laughing), and then the asana will go on from the mountain to the sea. (laughing)
DKS: Bhagavan Maharaja and Ramesvara Maharaja, they said after… when they die that they can take it out… fifty or sixty years from now.
SM: Ah… Oh…
DKS: Some devotees feel that there should be… Prabhupada's vyasasana is there, he is sitting there in his murti, and when the gurus come before him they are as disciple, they are in the mood of a disciple. So Ramesvara Maharaja…
SM: ___We may be given___ two things to be considered. One thing that he was jagat guru. Jagat guru, he has some special inspiration, saktyavesa avatara as I like to tell about him. He was saktyavesa avatara, the abode of some special potency of the Lord. Otherwise, with whose work would not have been possible by any ordinary acarya, saktyavesa. So a special consideration for him, it is good. And now another thing in the opposite. Mat guru si jagat guru – a newcomer, he should be given such understanding that my guru is not less in capacity of divinity. Acaryam mam vijaniyam – sastra has got no mean mantra for a small guru and a big mantra for a big guru. Do you see?
DKS: Yes.
SM: Guru should be looked at by the disciple with maximum reverence. And to draw the maximum reverence or sraddha, faith, from the disciple, it is not a very easy thing. The maximum faith must be drawn from the disciple so the guru should not be shown of ___dwarfed___ position. Mat guru si jagat guru; acaryam mam vijaniyma. The mantram also same, sastric process of honor given also same. So two things should be considered and an intermediate process should be evolved.
____________________________
FOOTNOTE:
[*] A portion of dialogue from this part of the August 18, 1980 conversation with Srila Sridhara Maharaja was included in chapter 5 of the book, "Our Affectionate Guardians". However, the text in the book does not match what appears to be the original transcript, presented here. There are quite a number of differences, because excerpts of Srila Sridhara's statements have been "English-ified" and cobbled together, cutting some portions out, and making it appear that the excerpted pieces were spoken in the order presented. But that is not the case.
Following is the text as presented in the book:
Acarya Grandeur
"On August 18, 1980 Srila Sridhara Maharaja addressed the problem of acarya grandeur:
According to my consideration, as I hear it, the grandeur of the acarya, the puja of the present acaryas, it is undesirable and too much and that will create some difficulty. It should be modified. The way in which the acarya puja has been established, that should be modified to suit the circumstances and some adjustment with the godbrothers should be made. A protocol, a spiritual protocol should be evolved which may not be very harmful to the body, to the association, the ISKCON organization. It is a very difficult thing tackling the fine point of divine sentiment. So, very carefully the adjustment in the spiritual protocol should be observed. Not only adjustment with the sentiment of the godbrothers of the acaryas, but also the disciples of the acaryas amongst themselves, this difficulty will continue. So, a very sober and well thought conception should be evolved by the help of the scriptures and the statements of the Vaisnavas and their experience-all these things must be considered. Adjustment may help the mission to grow-adjustment such that it may not be detrimental to the missionary activity. It is a very difficult thing to adjust. Then there is acarya puja-afterwards they should also show some respect to all others, the godbrothers of the gurudeva. In this way the respect will be shown-the guru with his parsada-with his friends (paricaraka sahitam). . . . But puja in a gorgeous way whenever an acarya will come, that gorgeous puja that will create havoc and disembarkment in the mission, so much grandeur. And now another thing in the opposite. Mat guru si jagat guru-a newcomer, he should be given such understanding that my guru is not less in capacity of divinity [than Srila Prabhupada].The newcomers should be given the highest attraction-to draw their maximum faith. Acaryam mam vijaniyam-sastra has got no mean mantra for a small guru and a big mantra for a big guru. Guru should be looked at by the disciple with maximum reverence. And to draw the maximum reverence or sraddha, faith, from the disciple, it is not a very easy thing. So, two things should be considered and an intermediate process should be evolved."
