The Rtvik Representative Of The Acharya
“Temple Presidents may HENCEFORWARD send recommendation for first and
second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their temple.
After considering the recommendation, these representatives may accept the devotee
as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada by giving a spiritual name, or in the case
of second initiation, by chanting on the Gayatri thread, just as Srila Prabhupada has done.”
The following is an article, I have wanted to include for some time now, which was written by Krsnacandra Prabhu and posted on his page Prabhupadvision.com. In light of our recent post entitled Sri Madhu Pandit’s Official Reply to the EC we feel it is timely, and of utmost importance to our society that we understand the issues. Although our page is not intended as a political forum, it is a tool in the mission of our spiritual master, for the propagation of The Hare Krishna Movement or Krishna Consciousness.
Now that Śrīla Prabhupāda has named these representatives Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendations for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their Temple.
After considering the recommendation, these representatives many accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of a second initiation, by chanting on the Gāyatrī thread just as Śrīla Prabhupāda had done.
The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has accepted him or her to Śrīla Prabhupāda, to be included in Divine Grace’s “Initiated Disciples” book. (from July 9th letter)
The Rtvik Representative Of The Acharya
by Kṛṣṇacandra Dāsa – Vṛndāvan:
Shortly after His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda entered into his Samādhi līlā in 1977; 11 of his senior disciples and members of the GBC who held the official position of representatives of His Divine Grace in 1st and 2nd spiritual initiations [as per July 9th Document], without authority and without an order by His Divine Grace announced themselves to be pure devotees of the Lord and forcibly seized the titles, roles and functions of acharyas and Initiating Spiritual Masters of ISKCON.
Several months prior to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s departure he signed a document to formalize the initiation process and granted some of his disciples to act on his behalf as representatives in the initiation process for his ISKCON society. This document is known as the July 9th Document.
click on letter to enlarge
These 11 disciples’ duty as delineated in the July 9th document, was “to act as ṛtvik representative of the acharya, for the purpose of performing initiations, both first initiation and second initiation” and were given no other ‘special’ duties or entitlements. Following is a breakdown of the specifics contained in the document for ease of reading.
Now that Śrīla Prabhupāda has named these representatives Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendations for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their Temple.
After considering the recommendation, these representatives may accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of a second initiation, by chanting on the Gāyatrī thread just as Śrīla Prabhupāda had done.
The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has accepted him or her to Śrīla Prabhupāda, to be included in Divine Grace’s “Initiated Disciples” book.
The role of the Temple President is also included in the July 9th Document:
“After the Temple President receives a letter from these representatives giving the spiritual name or the thread, he can perform the fire yajña in the Temple as was being done before.”
Basically the “representative’s” duty was to act in an official capacity to officially accept, name and record any candidates who were being recommended by the local Temple President for initiation while Śrīla Prabhupāda was not present. The Temple President did the rest. The 9th of July Document did not authorise the “representatives” to do anything else.
How that would translate into practice would be if, say, the ṛtvik representative of Śrīla Prabhupāda was stationed in Vrdnavan while the candidate for initiation was a member of the Delhi Temple. The Delhi TP would send the recommendation to the representative in Vṛndāvan who would give the candidate their name or chant on their Brahmin thread. Once this was done the representative would record their name in the Śrīla Prabhupāda disciple book and the rest including the ceremony would be done by the Temple President. This left Śrīla Prabhupāda free to work on his writing and preaching activities.
The July 9th Document did not authorise them as representatives of Śrīla Prabhupāda; to intervene in the process by removing the role of the Temple President in the initiation process established by Śrīla Prabhupāda and then take the place of the Brahman and preside at the fire yajña to personally initiating the bhakta.
It also did not give them or anyone the right to act as a ṛtvik guru and personally initiate the candidate on behalf of Śrīla Prabhupāda. It merely granted a select number of devotees to act as Śrīla Prabhupāda’s representative in a more or less bureaucratic function in the initiation process.
They were only ṛtvik ‘representatives’ of the Acharya [Śrīla Prabhupāda] for the purpose of initiation, and were never termed as, or considered ṛtvik gurus by Śrīla Prabhupāda. They merely officially represented Śrīla Prabhupāda as he was not able to be in attendance as it was a growing worldwide Society and Śrīla Prabhupāda could not be everywhere at the same time.
Being a “representative” does not infer that one is a guru in any shape or form of the term. A representative is a person who represents someone else’s policy or purpose or stands in for a person. A representative represents someone for a specific purpose. If a representative is to represent Śrīla Prabhupāda for a TV interview it does not mean that the representative impersonates Śrīla Prabhupāda during or after the interview is over and conducts their affairs as if they were Śrīla Prabhupāda. They represented Śrīla Prabhupāda for a specific purpose, nothing more and nothing less.
The idea that the ṛtvik representative of Śrīla Prabhupāda is a ṛtvik guru and actually initiates devotees on behalf of Śrīla Prabhupāda is a misconception.
If there is no order rescinding this mandate by Śrīla Prabhupāda then one would have to believe that this system was established by Śrīla Prabhupāda to be enacted when he was not physically present to initiate the devotee, and is therefore still applicable.
The ṛtvik representatives would continue as established by Śrīla Prabhupāda and they would have no actual part in the initiation process other than that stated by the July 9th Document.
Senior men would be appointed by the GBC, as the need arose, to act in the capacity of a ṛtvik representative of Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the initiation process and the Temple Presidents would look after the rest.
This system effectively removes the concern that everyone has, that the representative will impersonate Śrīla Prabhupāda, and start making their own disciples whether they are his ṛtvik disciples or his dīkṣā disciples. There will be no avenue for anyone to be anyone else’s disciple as they would be Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciples; as per the July 9th Document.
For no matter what – ṛtvik or voted in dīkṣā guru – no baddha jīva, who is not on the uttama platform, is able to withstand the allure of worship, fame, power and respect that such an elevated status brings. NO ONE! We have to accept that our duty, our sevā, our role in ISKCON under the auspices of Śrīla Prabhupāda is to act as preachers according to our actual adhikāra.
To this day the GBC, as a body, use their positional power as managers of ISKCON to continue to promote and forcefully support the heretical philosophical deviation that the original 11 usurpers imposed upon Śrīla Prabhupāda’s ISKCON claiming that the role of a dīkṣā guru is open to anyone they deem fit and continues to appoint more and more unqualified, kannistha adhikāra devotees, into the role and function of a dīkṣā guru.
Thus they have relegated His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda as merely the ‘preeminent’ śikṣā guru of ISKCON thus denying his preeminent position as the sole dīkṣā guru of ISKCON. (Per GBC Resolution 1998 404 [Vision and Goal] Definitions of guru and divya jñāna)
Yet the July 9th Document clearly states what the process of initiation should be, when His Divine Grace is not physically present. The only contention would be that the neophyte devotee mistakenly believes that the soul dies when the body dies and that a Vaiṣṇava’s soul can also die and that they are no longer functional in the sense of providing diska or transcendental knowledge, divya jñāna, as they are dead.
However, being the ‘devotee Bhāgavata’ embodied in his transcendental books which provide both the ‘book Bhāgavata’ and the ‘devotee Bhāgavata’; via Śrīla Prabhupāda’s purports, Śrīla Prabhupāda is always with us and instructing us and similarly Kṛṣṇa is there through the book Bhāgavata. Those with a poor fund of knowledge or who are envious in nature cannot understand these topics.
“There are two types of Bhāgavatas, namely the book Bhāgavata and the devotee Bhāgavata. Both the Bhāgavatas are competent remedies, and both of them or either of them can be good enough to eliminate the obstacles. A devotee Bhāgavata is as good as the book Bhāgavata because the devotee Bhāgavata leads his life in terms of the book Bhāgavata and the book Bhāgavata is full of information about the Personality of Godhead and His pure devotees, who are also Bhāgavatas. Bhāgavata book and person are identical.
The devotee Bhāgavata is a direct representative of Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead. So by pleasing the devotee Bhāgavata one can receive benefit of the book Bhāgavata.” [Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Canto 1: Chapter Two, Text 18]
So we can all stop dreaming of being a diska guru or a ṛtvik guru and allow the pure devotee, the śuddha bhakta, the mahātmā, the paṇḍita, the devotee bhāgavata, the seventh Goswami, the jagat guru and ISKCON’s dīkṣā guru, our parama guru His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda be who he is – the divine representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
We on the other hand “represent” Śrīla Prabhupāda and as such humbly preach the glories of the holy name and do our duty as prescribed by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Yours in the service of Śrīla Prabhupāda
Kṛṣṇacandra Dāsa
Revised November 2012
Originally Published: November 2011
Text pasted from: http://prabhupadavision.com/
In the British Commonwealth of Nations, the Queen is the ultimate “Head of State” and appoints an ‘officiating representative’ in each country known as the ‘Governor-General’. This position is non-political and the Governor-General ACTS as the officially appointed representative of the Queen in her physical absence, for various ceremonial functions and official duties that would otherwise require the personal presence of the Queen.
If the Governor-General was to ever think or act that now they had become independent of the Queen and can carry on in their own arbitrary way, keeping all for themselves, they would be quickly removed and criminally charged.
In ISKCON since Srila Prabhupada concluded his manifest lila, we have first had his officially appointed 11 disciples as “rittik-representative of the acarya”, act contrary to the July 9th Document by usurping disciples and daksine belonging to the Founder-Acarya His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. This was begrudgingly admitted by the usurpers in the Topanga Canyon Pyramid House Talks by TKG ….
“Tamal Krsna Goswami: Actually, Prabhupada never appointed any gurus. He didn’t appoint eleven gurus. He appointed eleven ritviks. He never appointed them gurus. Myself and the other GBC have done the greatest disservice to this movement the last three years (28 now) because we interpreted the appointment of ritviks as the appointment of gurus.”
Of course in order to keep their own self appointed guroo-ships, they decided best to be inclusive and open the floodgates to any disciple with a no-objection rubber stamp vote from a 2/3 of a GBC quorum with the following flawed reasoning…….
TKG….Many times Prabhupada said, “There should be millions of gurus. This world requires millions of gurus.” Even in Prabhupada’s book he says “guru means by qualification.”
Yes, but millions of vartma-pradasak & siksa gurus as per Sriman MahaPrabhu’s direction, CC Madhya-lila, Ch.7 Text 128-129.
Which is why only an uttama-adhikari is qualified to be an initiating spiritual master, and worshiped EXACTLY LIKE HARI. And why Srila Prabhupada states in no uncertain terms.
“One should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of uttama-adhikārī.” (NOI 5)
“When one has attained the topmost position of mahä-bhägavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshiped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru.” (Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 24.330)
Begging forgiveness for my numerous offenses,
I remain.
Yhs, Balaram das.
pamho agtACBSP, GOVINDA MASA KI JAI
The main point is that the factor time is predominant in all fields. All these misunderstanding take place because the so called representative of international society for krsna consciousness are not using the factor time to let SRI SRI GURU GAURANGA to sort out what belong to THEM, but the factor time is not all the time the same, I mean all these fake gurus are under the three gunas still, because they are not using the time properly in iskcon by following the right way out by SRILA PRABHUPADA to overcome the three gunas of material nature.
Where is loulyam kalatvam? Where is the final order? All these good qualities through truthfulness already disappeared because they are influenced by the three modes of material nature still, but they are claiming they are free, like that swimming man who was swimming in the ocean of ignorance a ferry boat passed through and ask him do you need any help sir, and he answered no thank you my god will save me, then a airplane passed through and ask him the same question and he answered in the same way, but when the factor time got over he found himself without any physical energy and died without the help of nobody. After that he asked God, I was trusting in you why you didn’t come to save me? And God answered him within his heart, I sent you the ferry and the plane, but now it’s too late.
In the same way it may become too late for the gbc to understand what is their real business when the factor time will be over, what is gone. Now make your own field and act on my behalf, used to say SRILA PRABHUPADA. They make their own field, but instead of acting on behalf of SRILA PRABHUPADA they are acting on behalf of their stink false ego, which will die altogether including all their foolishness, as soon as the factor time will be over within the duration of all their offences to the lotus feet of a maha bhagavata devotee as SRILA PRABHUPADA.
agtSP ys haribol
Henceforward Means From Now On
http://prabhupadavision.com/2012/04/henceforward-means-from-now-on/
Devaki Kurma Dāsa – West Bengal India: Śrīla Prabhupāda used the term henceforward at least 100 times in Vedabase. It is very obvious what henceforward means – FROM NOW ON.
So let this put the screwed up interpretations of henceforward by the GBC and their apologists to rest and allow us to understand the term henceforward when it is given in the July 9th Document to henceforward mean from now on – The ritvik Representatives of the Ācārya Initiation System shall be used in ISKCON FROM NOW ON.
http://www.iskcon-truth.com/ritvik-letter-july9th.html
How can anyone accept foolish ideas like “when these 11 die’ or ‘it means only until Śrīla Prabhupāda dies’ or any such misinterpretation by those who are either stupid or have a vested interest in refusing to accept Śrīla Prabhupāda’s use of the term to mean from now on. Vested interest means if we reject the true meaning of the term henceforward really means, I want to be a guru too.
Here are some internet searched meanings for those you are not used to ‘archaic’ English terms.
Henceforth – from now on / from then on
Henceforward – from now on / from then on
{ http://www.translegal.com/drafter/legalese }
Here henceforward is used in a US historic legal document.
The Emancipation Proclamation – US National Archives & Records Administration
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/print_friendly.html?page=index_content.html&title=Emancipation_Proclamation
If you are still in doubt to what the meaning of the term henceforward is then read just a handful of the many times Śrīla Prabhupāda used the term henceforward which can be found in the Prabhupāda Vedabase where it clearly means FROM NOW ON.
The Views software and VedaBase (henceforward these two taken together are referred to as the “SOFTWARE”) are provided under a license agreement (below). {Vedabase License Agreement}
The Lord was also asked by Nityānanda Prabhu to accept these repenting souls, and the Lord agreed to accept them on one condition, that they henceforward completely give up all their sinful activities and habits of debauchery. both the brothers agreed and promised to give up all their sinful habits, and the kind Lord accepted them and did not again refer to their past misdeeds. {SB.Cant 1 – Introduction}
Or are you in great anxiety because henceforward the unlawful meat-eaters will exploit you? [SB.1.16.20]
All the twice-born [brāhmaṇas] were forbidden henceforward to perform any sacrifice, and they were also forbidden to give charity or offer clarified butter. {SB.4.14.6}
My dear King, O protector of the citizens, henceforward be very careful to execute My orders and not be misled by anything. {SB.4.20.33}
Mahārāja Barhiṣat— henceforward known as Prācīnabarhi {SB.4.24.11}
Now that I have become fixed in the Absolute Truth, henceforward I shall not identify myself with the body. {SB.6.2.38}
“My dear servants, despite what you may have done previously to disturb the devotees, henceforward you should stop. {SB.6.3.27}
“henceforward I shall certainly develop devotional service unto Your lotus feet. For this reason I have come to You and have fallen down at Your lotus feet.” {CC.Madhya.25.86}
“Do not again misappropriate the revenue of the government. In case you think your salary insufficient, henceforward it will be doubled.” {CC. Antya 9.106}
Those who are followers of sanātana-dharma may henceforward take up those principles in the spirit of the Bhagavad-gītā. {EJ 1}
If you still refuse to accept then you are an idiot.
In fact you a devious rascal who has rejected Srila Prabhupada’s order.
BLACKS LAW DICTIONARY: Henceforth. A word of futurity, which, as employed in legal documents, statutes, and the like, >alwayspresent time forward,< but excludes the past.
The do not want to obey Srila Prabhupada’s July 9th 1977 Order of Ritvik Initiations because they are DEMONS in the dress of devotees.
They want to SCREW MONEY and control others BY SLAVERY (so called disciples). They want to be worshipped as GOOD AS GOD:
Bg 16.10
kāmam āśritya duṣpūraṁ
dambha-māna-madānvitāḥ
mohād gṛhītvāsad-grāhān
pravartante ‘śuci-vratāḥ
TRANSLATION
The demoniac, taking shelter of insatiable lust, pride and false prestige, and being thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean work, attracted by the impermanent.
PURPORT
The demoniac mentality is described here. The demons’ lust is never satiated. They will go on increasing and increasing their insatiable desires for material enjoyment. Although they are always full of anxieties on account of accepting nonpermanent things, they still continue to engage in such activities out of illusion. They have no knowledge and cannot tell that they are heading the wrong way.
Note: these Anti Ritvik CROOKS want to be WORSHIPPED as good as God they are ENVIOUS of Srila Prabhupada’s position as CURRENT Diksa Guru so they want to REPLACE Srila Prabhupada as CURRENT Diksa guru: The words used here are particularly important: BEWARE OF SELF-INTERESTED PEOPLE AFTER PERSONAL AGGRANDIZEMENT WHO DEVIATE OTHERS FROM THE ACTUAL PATH.
Bg 4.42 P Transcendental Knowledge
A bona fide spiritual master is in the disciplic succession FROM TIME ETERNAL, and he DOES NOT DEVIATE AT ALL from the instructions of the Supreme Lord as they were imparted millions of years ago to the sun-god, from whom the instructions of Bhagavad-gita have come down to the earthly kingdom. One should, therefore, follow the path of Bhagavad-gita as it is expressed in the Gita itself and BEWARE OF SELF-INTERESTED PEOPLE AFTER PERSONAL AGGRANDIZEMENT WHO DEVIATE OTHERS FROM THE ACTUAL PATH.
Note: These Anti Ritvik GBC voted CONDITIONED soul bogus gurus are the JEALOUS PEOPLE who want to usurp Srila Prabhupada’s Curent Diksa guru position. Srila Prabhupada states: A MUNDANE PERSON IN THE DRESS OF A VAISNAVA SHOULD NOT BE RESPECTED BUT REJECTED
Madhya 1.218 The Later Pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
Srila Narottama dasa Thakura says, chadiya vaisnava seva nistara payeche keba: unless one serves a Vaisnava, he cannot be delivered. The spiritual master initiates the disciple to deliver him, and if the disciple executes the order of the spiritual master and does not offend other Vaisnavas, his path is clear. Consequently Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested all the Vaisnavas present to show mercy toward the two brothers, Rupa and Sanatana, who had just been initiated by the Lord. When a Vaisnava sees that another Vaisnava is a recipient of the Lord’s mercy, he becomes very happy. Vaisnavas are not envious. If a Vaisnava, by the mercy of the Lord, is empowered by Him to distribute the Lord’s holy name all over the world, other Vaisnavas become very joyful–that is, if they are truly Vaisnavas. One who is envious of the success of a Vaisnava is certainly not a Vaisnava himself, but an ordinary mundane man. Envy and jealousy are manifested by mundane people, not by Vaisnavas. Why should a Vaisnava be envious of another Vaisnava who is successful in spreading the holy name of the Lord? An actual Vaisnava is very pleased to accept another Vaisnava who is bestowing the Lord’s mercy. A MUNDANE PERSON IN THE DRESS OF A VAISNAVA SHOULD NOT BE RESPECTED BUT REJECTED. This is enjoined in the sastra (upeksa). The word upeksa means neglect. One should neglect an envious person. A preacher’s duty is to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, make friendships with Vaisnavas, show mercy to the innocent and reject or neglect those who are envious or jealous. THERE ARE MANY JEALOUS PEOPLE IN THE DRESS OF VAISNAVAS IN THIS KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS MOVEMENT, AND THEY SHOULD BE COMPLETELY NEGLECTED. THERE IS NO NEED TO SERVE A JEALOUS PERSON WHO IS IN THE DRESS OF A VAISNAVA. When Narottama dasa Thakura says chadiya vaisnava seva nistara payeche keba, he is indicating an actual Vaisnava, not an envious or jealous person in the dress of a Vaisnava.
Srila Prabhupada has given us ample warnings about these OPPORTUNISTS who are PRETENDING to be Diksa guru:
760628bj.nv Conversations
Pusta Krsna: Some of them will say some things that Krsna says, but they’ll take from other places also. What is the position of such persons?
Prabhupada: HE’S MOST DANGEROUS. HE’S MOST DANGEROUS. HE IS OPPORTUNIST. He’s finding out customer, something here… According to the customer he is giving something, as the customers will be pleased. So he is not guru.
Isopanisad 12
THE PSEUDO RELIGIONISTS HAVE NEITHER KNOWLEDGE NOR DETACHMENT FROM MATERIAL AFFAIRS, FOR MOST OF THEM WANT TO LIVE IN THE GOLDEN SHACKLES OF MATERIAL BONDAGE UNDER THE SHADOW OF PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITIES DISGUISED AS RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. BY A FALSE DISPLAY OF RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS, THEY PRESENT A SHOW OF DEVOTIONAL SERVICE WHILE INDULGING IN ALL SORTS OF IMMORAL ACTIVITIES. IN THIS WAY THEY PASS AS SPIRITUAL MASTERS AND DEVOTEES OF GOD. Such violators of religious principles have no respect for the authoritative acaryas, the holy teachers in the strict disciplic succession. They ignore the Vedic injunction acaryopasana–”One must worship the acarya”–and Krsna’s statement in the Bhagavad-gita (4.2) evam parampara-praptam, “This supreme science of God is received through the disciplic succession.” INSTEAD, TO MISLEAD THE PEOPLE IN GENERAL THEY THEMSELVES BECOME SO-CALLED ACARYAS, BUT THEY DO NOT EVEN FOLLOW THE PRINCIPLES OF THE ACARYAS.
THESE ROGUES ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS ELEMENTS IN HUMAN SOCIETY. Because there is no religious government, they escape punishment by the law of the state. THEY CANNOT, HOWEVER, ESCAPE THE LAW OF THE SUPREME, WHO HAS CLEARLY DECLARED IN THE BHAGAVAD-GITA THAT ENVIOUS DEMONS IN THE GARB OF RELIGIOUS PROPAGANDISTS SHALL BE THROWN INTO THE DARKEST REGIONS OF HELL (BG. 16.19-20). SRI ISOPANISAD CONFIRMS THAT THESE PSEUDO RELIGIONISTS ARE HEADING TOWARD THE MOST OBNOXIOUS PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THEIR SPIRITUAL MASTER BUSINESS, WHICH THEY CONDUCT SIMPLY FOR SENSE GRATIFICATION.
Bg 16.4 T The Divine And Demoniac Natures
dambho darpo ‘bhimanas ca
krodhah parusyam eva ca
ajnanam cabhijatasya
partha sampadam asurim
SYNONYMS
dambhah–pride; darpah–arrogance; abhimanah–conceit; ca–and; krodhah–anger; parusyam–harshness; eva–certainly; ca–and; ajnanam–ignorance; ca–and; abhijatasya–one who is born of; partha–O son of Prtha; sampadam–nature; asurim–demoniac.
TRANSLATION
Arrogance, pride, anger, conceit, harshness and ignorance–these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Prtha.
PURPORT
In this verse, the royal road to hell is described. THE DEMONIAC WANT TO MAKE A SHOW OF RELIGION AND ADVANCEMENT IN SPIRITUAL SCIENCE, ALTHOUGH THEY DO NOT FOLLOW THE PRINCIPLES. They are always arrogant or proud in possessing some type of education or so much wealth. THEY DESIRE TO BE WORSHIPED BY OTHERS, AND DEMAND RESPECTABILITY, ALTHOUGH THEY DO NOT COMMAND RESPECT. Over trifles they become very angry and speak harshly, not gently. THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT SHOULD BE DONE AND WHAT SHOULD NOT BE DONE. THEY DO EVERYTHING WHIMSICALLY, ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN DESIRE, AND THEY DO NOT RECOGNIZE ANY AUTHORITY. These demoniac qualities are taken on by them from the beginning of their bodies in the wombs of their mothers, and as they grow they manifest all these inauspicious qualities.
SB 4.28.48 P Puranjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life
Whenever an acarya comes, following the superior orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His representative, he establishes the principles of religion, as enunciated in Bhagavad-gita. Religion means abiding by the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Religious principles begin from the time one surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is the acarya’s duty to spread a bona fide religious system and induce everyone to bow down before the Supreme Lord. One executes the religious principles by rendering devotional service, specifically the nine items like hearing, chanting and remembering. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN THE ACARYA DISAPPEARS, ROGUES AND NONDEVOTEES TAKE ADVANTAGE AND IMMEDIATELY BEGIN TO INTRODUCE UNAUTHORIZED PRINCIPLES IN THE NAME OF SO-CALLED SVAMIS, YOGIS, PHILANTHROPISTS, WELFARE WORKERS AND SO ON.
730503mw.la Conversations
Prabhupada: No, it is Sanskrit. And in Bengal it is called vane asiya raja.(?) “In the forest a jackal has become king.” They are like that. Nila-varna-srigalavat.(?) When… There is big story about this jackal. I will tell you some. A jackal came in the village and he fell in the tub where, what is called, the water? No, no. The water man keeps the water for dipping, making
little bluish. For coloring. That blue, blue. So the washerman kept the dye water in a big tub, and the jackal fell in it. So jackal fell in it; he became blue, all blue. So he fled away, and all the animals said, “What is this animal? What is the animal? What is that animal? Oh?” All, even lion became surprised. “We have not seen this.” “So who are you, sir?” “I AM SENT BY GOD TO RULE OVER YOU.” “OH?” SO THEY BEGAN TO WORSHIP HIM AS GOD, AS LEADER. Then one day other jackals, they were crying, “Wa, wa,” but the jackals cannot stop. If others jackals cry, the jackal cannot stop. So he also began to “Wa, wa.” Oh, then, they, oh, this rascal is a jackal. Yavat kincin na bhasate. That these rascals are jackals. Now they are talking nonsense. We can detect that “Here is a jackal.” SO WE HAVE TO EXPOSE THEM. THEY ARE NOT LEADER; THEY ARE JACKALS. SO JACKALS CANNOT ANYMORE RULE OVER. THAT SHOULD BE OUR PROPAGANDA. NOT ONLY SCIENTIFIC, ALL POLITICAL THINGS, SOCIAL THINGS, EVERYTHING. THEY SHOULD BE ALL KICKED OUT. THEY SHOULD BE REPLACED BY KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS. THEN PEOPLE WILL BE HAPPY. THIS SHOULD BE OUR PROGRAM. Our, this propaganda means to make people happy. It is not a business, to make business and take some money. And so many jackals have been arrested and resigned in your… You know that? Many jackals have been obliged to resign their post in the government.
Note: Just see HOW they SCREW money: Salary UP TO £60,000 for the MAIN guys:
Bhaktivedanta Manor Accounts SALARIES
http://www.prabhupadanugas.eu/news/?p=38907#comment-24810
http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends49/0000259649_ac_20111231_e_c.pdf
The one who represent Krishna cannot be self sended.
HENCEFORWARD
The Ratification of a Process Established In ISKCON Years Before 1977
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Ordered The Rtvik System
Rajen Babu: Isn’t the kanistha-adhikari qualified to give initiation into the mantra?
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati: Where is the kanishtha-adhikari coming from? Who gave him the adhikara? A kanishtha-adhikari can never become a guru.
Rajen Babu: Can a madhyama-adhikari give diksa?
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati: HE CAN ONLY PERFORM THE INITIAL DUTIES OF DIKSA. It is the uttama-adhikari maha-bhagavata Vaisnava who is actually the diksa-guru. There are two types of Vaisnavas – the ragatmika and the raganuga. Those who are from the eternal realm offer service to Sri Krsna directly. These ragatmikas serve Sri Varshabhanavi and Her direct expansions. Those who perform direct service to the ragatmikas and take shelter in them through the performance of smarana are raganugas. These are spiritual gurus.
Quoted from August 8th 1934, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Q&A with Sriyukta Rajendranath Pal Chaudhuri Mahasaya, the famous Zamindar of Louhajang.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Anubhasya…
“Without being empowered by the direct potency of Lord Krishna to fulfill his desire and without being specifically favored by the Lord, no human being can become the spiritual master of the whole world… Only an empowered personality can distribute the holy name of the Lord and enjoin all fallen souls to worship Krishna. By distributing the holy name of the Lord, he cleanses the hearts of the most fallen people; therefore he extinguishes the blazing fire of the material world. Not only that, he broadcasts the shining brightness of Krishna’s effulgence throughout the world. Such an ACARYA OR SPIRITUAL MASTER should be considered nondifferent from Krishna— that is, he should be considered the incarnation of lord Krishna’s potency. Such a personality is krsnalingita-vigraha— that is, he is always embraced by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. Such a person is… the guru or spiritual master for the entire world, a devotee on the topmost platform, the mahabhagavata stage.” (Quoted in Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya 25.9, Purport)
Srila Prabhupada Is This Predicted Personality
“So, my dear boys and girls, about six years ago I came to your country single-handed, with this pair of cymbals. Now you are so many chanting Hare Krishna. That is my success. It was the prediction of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu: prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama, sarvatra pracara hoibe mora noma. Lord Caitanya desired that ‘In all the towns—in as many towns and villages as there are on the surface of the globe—My name will be broadcast.’ He is Krishna Himself—svayam krsna, krsna caitanya-namine — simply changing His name as Krishna Caitanya. So His prediction will never go in vain. That’s a fact. So my plan was that I shall go to America… If I can convince the younger generation of America, they will take it up.’ If you kindly take this Krishna consciousness movement seriously, your country will be saved, and the whole world will be saved.”
(Lecture, May 18, 1972, Los Angeles)
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Never Recommended Anyone To Be Acarya Of The Gaudiya Math.
”… If Guru Maharaja could have seen someone who was qualified at that time to be acarya he would have mentioned. Because on the night before he passed away he talked of so many things, but never mentioned an acarya… Therefore we may not commit the same mistake in our ISKCON camp.” Letter by Srila Prabhupada to Rupanuga Dasa, April 28, 1974:
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Ordered Srila Prabhupada
”It may not be out of place to mention herein that His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswaty Goswami Prabhupada, just before his departure from this mortal world, wrote me a letter from Puri dated the 3rd December, 1936 directing me towards my duty in fulfilling His mission in the world for propagating the religion of Divine Love as propounded by Lord Chaitanya. In course of writing that letter, He wrote the following lines amongst other things… “I am fully confident that you can explain in English our thoughts and arguments to the people who are not conversant with the languages of other members… This will do much good to yourself as well as your audience… I have every hope that you can turn yourself a very good English preacher if you serve the mission to inculcate the novel impression to the people in general and philosophers of modern age and religiosity.”
Only Someone Empowered By Sri Krishna Can Be Guru.
“By the grace of Lord Sri Krishna, we had the chance of being born in a Vaisnava family, and in our childhood we imitated the worship of Lord Krishna by imitating our father… Our spiritual master, who also took his birth in a Vaisnava family, got all inspirations from his great Vaisnava father, Thakura Bhaktivinoda… There is always symmetry between the early lives of all great devotees of the Lord… Such maha-bhagavatas are called nitya-siddhas, souls liberated from birth.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.15, Purport)
“A Guru Can Become Guru Only When He’s Ordered By His Guru.”
“One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master coming in the disciplic succession, who is AUTHORIZED BY HIS PREDECESSOR SPIRITUAL MASTER. This is called diksa vidhana.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 4.8.54, purport)
“Self-made guru cannot be guru. HE MUST BE AUTHORIZED BY THE BONA FIDE
GURU. Then he’s guru. This is the fact… Similarly, bona fide guru means he must be authorized by the superior guru.” (Srila Prabhupāda Lecture on Nectar of Devotion, October 31. 1972)
“Guru cannot be self-made. No. There is NO such single instance throughout the whole vedic literature. And nowadays, so many rascals they are becoming guru without any authority. That is NOT guru. You MUST be authorized!” [Bg. 4.2 P.]
Brahmananda: He’s asking when did you become the spiritual leader of Krsna consciousness?
Prabhupāda: When my Guru Maharaja ordered me. This is the guru-parampara.
Indian: Did it…
Prabhupāda: Try to understand. Don’t go very speedily. A guru can become guru when he’s ordered by his guru. That’s all. Otherwise nobody can become guru. When my Guru Maharaja ordered me. This is the guru-parampara.” (Lecture on Bhagavad-gita, Nairobi, October 28, 1975)
Reporter: “Is there anyone who is designated to succeed you as the primary teacher of the movement?” Prabhupada: “I am training some, I mean to say, advanced students so that they may very easily take up the charge. I have made them GBC. They are under my direct training, and I think they will be able to conduct this movement.” Reporter: “Do you expect to name one person as your successor or have you already?” Prabhupada: That I am not contemplating now. But there is no need of one person.” (Int. 6/4/76
Interviewer: “What happens when that inevitable time comes when a successor is needed?” Ramesvara: “He is asking about the future, who will guide the movement in the future.” Prabhupada: “They will guide. I am training them.” Interviewer: “Will there be one spiritual leader, though?” Prabhupada: “No, I am training GBC, eighteen all over the world.” (Conv. 6/10/76 L.A.)
Interviewer: “I was wondering if he had a successor to do… Do you have a successor to take your place when you die?” Prabhupada: “Not yet settled up. Not yet settled up.” Interviewer: “So what process would the Hare Krsnas…?” Prabhupada: “We have got secretaries. They are managing.”
He Still Lives In The Sound
“Sri Jiva Gosvami advises that one not accept a spiritual master in terms of hereditary or customary social and ecclesiastical conventions. One should simply try to find a genuinely qualified spiritual master for actual advancement in spiritual understanding… The service of the spiritual master is essential. If there is no chance to serve the spiritual master directly, a devotee should serve him by remembering his instructions. There is no difference between the spiritual master’s instructions and the spiritual master himself. In his absence, therefore, his words of direction should be the pride of the disciple.”
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 1.35, Purport)
Iskcon Is Not A Sampradaya
“I AM THE SPIRITUAL MASTER OF THIS INSTITUTION, AND ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY, THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY DISCIPLES. They follow the rules and regulations which I ask them to follow, AND THEY ARE INITIATED BY ME SPIRITUALLY.”
(Srila Prabhupada Radio Interview, 12/3/1968)
“Eternal Bond Between Disciple And Spiritual Master Begins From The Day He Hears.”
(Letter to Jadurani, 4/9/72)
Vaikunthanatha: Prabhupada, we’re distributing hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of books, but how will those people get initiated in the future? How will they get initiated?
Prabhupada: One who reads my books is initiated.
“Regarding the disciplic succession coming from Arjuna, disciplic succession does not always mean that one has to be initiated officially. Disciplic succession means to accept the disciplic conclusion.” Letter to Dinesh (10-31-69)
Srila Prabhupāda is The Diksa Guru of ISKCON
“I am the initiator guru, and you should be the instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you should actually come to this platform. This I want.”
(Letter, August 4, 1975)
”I wish that each and every Branch shall keep their independent identity and cooperate keeping the Acarya in the centre. On this principle we can open any number of Branches all over the world. The Ramakrishna mission works on this principle and thus as organization they have done wonderfully.” (Letter Feb. 11, 1967)
Indian Lady: … is that spiritual master still guiding after death?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, yes. Just like Krsna is guiding us, similarly spiritual master will guide us. (General lectures, 69/09/23)
Paramänanda: We’re always feeling your presence very strongly, Çréla Prabhupäda, simply by your teachings and your instructions. We’re always meditating on your instructions.
Prabhupäda: Thank you. That is the real presence. Physical presence is not important. (Vrin. Oct. 6 77)
Devotee: Srila Prabhupada when you’re not present with us, how is it possible to receive instructions? For example in questions that may arise…
SRILA PRABHUPADA: Well the questions are answ… answers are there in my books. So utilize whatever time you find to make a thorough study of my books. Then all your questions will be answered. Every one of you must regularly read our books at least twice, in the morning and evening, and automatically all questions will be answered. (Morning Walk, Los Angeles, 13/5/73, various Letters)
“If I depart there is no cause for lamentation. I will always be with you through my books and orders. I will always remain with you in that way.” (BTG 13:1-2, December 1977)
Srila Prabhupāda: “Who is my disciple? First of all, let him follow strictly the disciplined rules.”
Disciple: “As long as one is following, then he is …”
Srila Prabhupāda: “Then he is all right.”
(Conversation, June 13,1976, Detroit)
“Sisya means [one] who accepts the ruling of his spiritual master, and disciple means also the same thing—[one] who becomes disciplined by the spiritual master.”
(Lecture, September 12,1969, London)
“The Krishna consciousness movement is spreading to enlighten people about their real position, their original relationship with Krishna. One requires Krishna’s special power in order to be able to do this… The Lord empowers a special devotee to teach people their constitutional position.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 19.114, Purport)
“I shall remain your personal guidance, physically present or not physically, as I am getting personal guidance from my guru maharaja” (Srila Prabhupada Letter 14 July 1977)
“… the Christians are following Christ, a great personality. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. You follow some mahajana, a great personality…. You follow an acarya. Like the Christians— they follow Christ, an acarya. The Muhammadans—they follow an acarya, Muhammad. That is good. You must follow some acarya…. Evam parampara-praptam.”
(Conversation, May 20, 1975, Melbourne)
“This is called guru-parampara, disciplic succession… This is the perfect process of knowledge. You approach the perfect person and get knowledge, and that is your perfect experience… We are getting knowledge from Krishna, the most perfect. Or you get knowledge from Jesus Christ. That is also perfect, because the source is perfect.”
(Conversation, June 19, 1974, Germany)
“Actually, one who is guided by Jesus Christ will certainly get liberation.” (Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers, Chapter 9)
Disciple: Is there any way for a Christian to —without the help of a spiritual master- to reach the spiritual sky through believing in the words of Jesus Christ and trying to follow his teachings?
Srila Prabhupāda: When you read the Bible, you follow the spiritual master. How can you say “without”? As soon as you read the Bible, that means you are following the instruction of Lord Jesus Christ—that means you are following the spiritual master. So where is the opportunity of being “without a spiritual master”?
Disciple: I was referring to a living spiritual master.
Srila Prabhupāda: The spiritual master is not the question of [“living”]… The spiritual master is eternal— the spiritual master is eternal. So your question is “without a spiritual master.” Without a spiritual master you cannot be— at any stage of your life. You may accept this spiritual master or that spiritual master. That is a different thing. But you have to accept. You say “by reading the Bible.” When you read the Bible, that means you are following the spiritual master, represented by some priest or some clergyman in the line of Lord Jesus Christ. So in any case, you have to follow a spiritual master. There cannot be the question “without a spiritual master.” Is that clear? (Questions and answers following a lecture, October 2, 1968, Seattle)
“Although a physical body is not present, the vibration should be accepted as the presence of the spiritual master. Vibration —what we have heard from the spiritual master— that is living.”
(Lecture, January 13, 1969, Los Angeles)
Reporter: “What will happen to the movement in the United States when you die?”
Srila Prabhupāda: “I will never die. I shall live from my books, and you will utilize.”
Reporter: “Are you training a successor?”
Srila Prabhupāda: “Yes, my Guru Maharaja is there.”
(Interview, July 16,1975, Berkeley)
Guest: “Are you planning to choose a successor?”
Srila Prabhupāda: “It is already successful. A genuine thing is always a success.”
Disciple: “One thing he’s saying, this gentleman— and I would like to know: Is your successor named?”
Srila Prabhupāda: “My success is always there. Yes. Just like the sun is there always. It may come before your vision or not— the sun is there. But if you are fortunate, you come before the sun. Otherwise, you remain in darkness. The sun is open to everyone. Our Krishna consciousness movement, Krishna, is open to everyone. But if you are fortunate, you come to the light. If you are unfortunate, you do not. That is your choice.” (Conversation, February 12, 1975, Mexico City)
“Only Lord Caitanya can take my place. He will take care of the movement.” (Conversation, November 2, 1977, Vrndavana)
“Whatever is to be learned of the teachings of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura can be learned from our books. There is no need whatsoever for any outside instruction.” (Letter, December 25, 1973)
“Everyone can become a first-class preacher. Simply cram the purports of my books. The references are there. The philosophy is there. Everything is there.” (Letter, September 19,1974)
“Simply read my books and repeat what I have written. Then our preaching will be perfect.” (Letter, April 4, 1975)
Disciple: “You are the real acarya for this age, Srila Prabhupāda.” (October 3,1977, Vrndavana)
Please note: Srila Prabhupāda’s response to this comment was silence. He would have objected had the comment been bogus or improper: “It is characteristic of advanced Vaisnavas… that they think themselves ordinary human beings. This is not an artificial exhibition of humility; a Vaisnava sincerely thinks this way and therefore never admits his exalted position.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.24.26, Purport)
Disciple: “Srila Prabhupāda, when you are not present with us, how is it possible to receive instructions— for example, on questions that may arise?”
Srila Prabhupāda: “Well, the answers are there in my books.”
Disciple: “Other than that—for example, [questions] that we would ask you in [specific daily matters]. Do you direct us, also, through the heart? Besides the Paramatma?”
Srila Prabhupāda: “If your heart is pure. Everything depends on purity.” (Conversation, May 13, 1973, Los Angeles)
“… The disciple and spiritual master are never separated, because the spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple, as long as the disciple follows strictly the instructions of the spiritual master. This is called the association of vani (words).” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.28.47, Purport)
“Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but vani continues to exist eternally. Therefore we must take advantage of the vani, not the physical presence.”
(CC Concluding Words Antya 5, p. 319),
“… one has to associate with liberated persons not directly, physically, but by
understanding, through philosophy and logic” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.31.48, Purport)
“These are not ordinary books. It is recorded chanting. Anyone who reads- he is hearing.” (Letter, October 19, 1974)
Disciple: “I feel so far away from you, you know, when you’re not here.”
Srila Prabhupāda: “Oh— that you should not think. There are two conceptions: the physical conception and the vibration conception. So the physical conception is temporary. The vibration conception is eternal. Just like we are enjoying or we are relishing the vibration of Krishna’s teachings. So by vibration He is present. As soon as we chant Hare Krishna or chant Bhagavad-gita or Bhagavatam, He is present immediately by His vibration. He’s absolute. Therefore, try to remember His words of instruction— you’ll not feel separation. You’ll feel that He is with you. So we should associate by the vibration, and not by the physical presence. That is real association.”
(Questions and answers following a lecture, August 18, 1968, Montreal)
“Just like Krishna can be present simultaneously in millions of places, similarly the spiritual master also can be present wherever the disciple wants. A spiritual master is the principle, not the body. Just like a television can be seen in thousands of places by the principle of relay monitoring.”
(Letter, May 28, 1968)
“But always remember that I am always with you. As you are always thinking of me, I am always thinking of you also. Although physically we are not together, we are not separated spiritually. So we should be concerned only with this spiritual connection.” (Srila Prabhupada letter, 13/11/69)
Disciple: “In some of our temples, such as Vrndavana, the statue [murti] of Your Divine Grace has been installed, and they [your disciples] are offering prasadam [food]… So is it the same [as Lord Krishna accepts offerings through His Deity form or picture] that the prasadam is accepted by the guru?”
Srila Prabhupāda: “Yes. Saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair. ‘The guru is nondifferent than Krishna.’ That is accepted by all the sastras… Kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya: ‘But the guru’s position is the most confidential servant.’ So the guru is the servant God, and Krishna is the master God. Both of them are God —servant God and Master God.”
(Conversation, October 27, 1975, Nairobi)
“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you, because he has seen the truth.” (Bhagavad-gita As It Is 4.34)
“The path of spiritual realization is undoubtedly difficult. The Lord therefore advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from the Lord Himself.” (Bhagavad-gita As It Is 4.34, Purport)
“In this age it is very difficult to follow thoroughly the regulative principles and studies of the Vedas which were formerly recommended. However, if one gives aural reception to the sound vibrated by great devotees and acaryas, that alone will give him relief from all material contamination. Therefore it is the recommendation of Caitanya Mahaprabhu that one should simply hear from authorities who are actually devotees of the Lord. Hearing from professional men will not help. If we hear from those who are actually self-realized, then the nectarean rivers, like those which are flowing on the moon planet, will flow into our ears. This is the metaphor used in the above verse.” (Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 10)
Regarding parampara system: THERE IS NOTHING TO WONDER FOR BIG GAPS. Just like we belong to the Brahma Sampradaya, so we accept it from Krishna to Brahma, Brahma to Narada, Narada to Vyasadeva, Vyasadeva to Madhva, and between Vyasadeva and Madhva there is a big gap. But it is sometimes said that Vyasadeva is still living, and Madhva was fortunate enough to meet him directly. In a similar way, we find in the Bhagavad-gita that the Gita was taught to the sungod, some millions of years ago, but Krishna has mentioned only three names in this parampara system–namely, Vivasvan, Manu, and Iksvaku; and so these gaps do not hamper from understanding the parampara system. WE HAVE TO PICK UP THE PROMINENT ACARYA, AND FOLLOW FROM HIM. There are many branches also from the parampara system, and it is not possible to record all the branches and sub-branches in the disciplic succession. We have to pick up from the authority of the acharya in whatever sampradaya we belong to.
“Unless you cent percent agree with the spiritual master’s opinion or philosophy, there is no need of accepting a spiritual master. There is no need. (Lecture: Bhagavad-gita 2.8-12 – Los Angeles, November 27, 1968)
Adi 1.35 The Spiritual Masters
“They Shall, Of Course, Still Be Considered My Disciples”
Srila Prabhupada: “My Dear R-, Please accept my blessings. Just now I have received some more requests for giving first initiation …, and now I am receiving weekly not less than ten to fifteen such requests from new students. So it is becoming very expensive to send so many sets of beads such a long distance and it has become a little bothersome for me also, so I think now you may be appointed by me to give first initiations to new disciples by chanting on their beads on my behalf. In America K- is doing that. So now if there are two of you, that will give me great relief. K- will chant on the beads for new devotees in America, Canada, like that; you can chant on the beads for the European continent, new disciples. They shall, of course, still be considered as my disciples, not that they shall become your disciples, but you will be empowered by me to chant their beads and that is the same effect of binding master and disciple as if I were personally chanting.” (Letter, January, 4, 1973)
May 28th Discussion
Satsvarupa: “Then our next question concerns initiations in the future, particularly at that time when you’re no longer with us. We want to know how first and second initiations would be conducted.”
Prabhupāda: “Yes; I shall recommend some of you. After this is settled up, I shall recommend some of you to act as officiating acharyas.”
Tamala Krsna: “Is that called ritvik-acharya?”
Prabhupāda: “Ritvik yes.”
Letter July 9th, 1977
“In the past Temple Presidents have written to Srila Prabhupāda recommending a particular devotee’s initiation. Now that Srila Prabhupāda has named these representatives, Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendation for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their temple. After considering the recommendation, these representatives may accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupāda by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of second initiation, by chanting on the Gayatri thread, just as Srila Prabhupāda has done. The newly initiated devotees are disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the above eleven senior devotees acting as His representative. After the Temple President receives a letter from these representatives giving the spiritual name or the thread, he can perform the fire yajna in the temple as was being done before. The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has acceted him or her to Srila Prabhupāda, to be included in His Divine Grace’s “Initiated Disciples” book.
From A Letter Sent On Behalf Of Srila Prabhupāda, By His Secretary.
“A letter has been sent to all the Temple Presidents and GBC [the July 9th directive on initiations], which you should be receiving soon, describing the process of initiation to be followed in the FUTURE. Srila Prabhupāda has appointed thus far eleven representatives who will initiate new devotees on HIS BEHALF. You can wait for this letter to arrive (the original has been sent to R- for duplicating) and then all the persons whom you recommended in your previous letters can be initiated.” Letter, July 11th, 1977
”On My Behalf.”
Srila Prabhupāda: “I have selected you among eleven men as ‘rittvik‘ or representative of the acharya, to give initiations, both first and second initiation, on my behalf.” (July 10th)
“…The Process For Initiation To Be Followed In The Future.” (July 11th)
“… continue to become ritvik and act on my charge.” (July 19th)
“Nobody is going to disturb you there. Make your own field and continue to become rtvik and act on my charge.” Letter to Hansadutta in Ceylon July 31/77
Srila Prabhupāda: “Hare Krishna. One Bengali gentleman has come from New York?… So I have deputed some of you to initiate. I have already deputed… So, deputies… J’s name was there?”
Disciple: “It is already there,
Srila Prabhupāda. His name was already on that list [of deputies in the July 9th directive, stating Srila Prabhupāda’s authorized system for initiations ‘henceforward’].”So I depute him to do this… This initiation; I have deputed my disciples. Is it clear or not?”
Disciple: “It’s clear… We will explain to the Bengali gentleman, just as you have described to us, so that he’ll be satisfied with this arrangement.” (Conversation, October 18, 1977, Vrndavana)
”The system of management will continue as it is now and there is no need of any
change” (Srila Prabhupada’s Last Will and Testament, Registered 7/6/77, Paragraph 2)
Topanga Cannyon, Pirtamid House conversation, Dec. 1980
“Prabhupada never appointed any gurus. He did not appoint eleven gurus. He appointed eleven rittvik [officiating priests]. He never appointed them as gurus. Myself and the other GBC have done the greatest disservice to this movement for the last three years, because we interpreted the appointment of rittviks as the appointment of gurus.”
Interviewer: What is the procedure of the movement? Do you initiate yourself all the disciples or do your other disciples also do that?
Prabhupada: Well, initiation or no initiation, first thing is knowledge. (break) …knowledge. Initiation is formality. Just like you go to a school for knowledge, and admission is formality. That is not very important thing. 761016iv.cha Conversation Interviewer:
“Prabhupāda: Yes. I shall choose some guru. I shall SAY, “Now you become ACARYA. You become authorized.” I am waiting for that. You become all acarya. I retire completely. But the training must be complete.“
Srila Prabhupāda Room Conversation, Bombay, April 22, 1977
“Mistakes, illusions, cheating, and defective perception do not occur in the sayings of the authoritative sages.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 2.86)
“Mundane votes have no jurisdiction to elect a Vaishnava acharya. A Vaishnava acharya is self-effulgent and there is no need for any court judgement.”
(CC M 1 220 Purport),
“The spiritual master must not be subjected to the advice of a disciple, nor should a spiritual master be obliged to take instructions from those who are not his disciples. This is the sum and substance of Srila Rupa Gosvami’s advice in the sixth verse.” (NOI. TEXT SIX P.)
“Vallabha Bhaṭṭa wanted to be initiated by Gadādhara Paṇḍita, but Gadādhara Paṇḍita refused, saying, ‘The work of acting as a spiritual master is not possible for me. I am completely dependent. My Lord is Gauracandra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. I cannot do anything independently, without His order.’” (Cc. Antya 7.150. 151)
“The guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service. There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from the topmost class… When one has attained the topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is to be accepted as guru and worshiped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 24.330, Purport, citing Padma Purana)
“The spiritual master must never be carried away by an accumulation of wealth or a large number of followers. A bona fide spiritual master will never become like that. But sometimes, if a spiritual master is not properly authorized and only on his own initiative becomes a spiritual master, he may be carried away by an accumulation of wealth and large numbers of disciples. – Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 14
Disciple(1): .Srīla Prabhupāda, what are the qualifications of a perfect leader?
Prabhupāda: No mistake, no illusion, no cheating, no imperfection. Anyone who commits mistake, he’s illusioned, he’s a cheater and imperfect- he cannot lead….If you think your leader is mistaken, then you are mistaken. (laughter) (Morning Walk – March 16, 1976, Mayapura)
“Knowledge should be taken from the perfect person— because if you take knowledge from a person who is defective, your knowledge has no value. You must take knowledge from the perfect.” (Lecture, April 12 1974, Bombay)
“I may say many things to you, but when I say something directly, “Do it,” your first duty is to do that. You cannot argue, “Sir, you said me like this before.” No, that is not your duty. What I say now, you do it. That is obedience. (Śrīla Prabhupāda, April 15, 1975)
“… acaryavan puruso veda: one who follows the disciplic succession of acaryas knows things as they are.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.22.24, Purport, citing Chandogya Upanisad 6.14.2)
“One should not try to be an artificially advanced devotee, thinking, ‘I am a first-class devotee.’ Such thinking should be avoided. It is best not to accept any disciples.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta,
Madhya 7.130, Purport)
“One who thinks he is guru becomes goru [cow].” (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, essay)
“If everyone just initiates, then there will only be a contradictory result. As long as it goes on, there will be only failure.” (From Phalguna Krishna Pancami, Srila Prabhupada’s 1961 poem honoring the appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.)
“Regarding the parampara system: there is nothing to wonder for big gaps. We have to pick up the prominent acarya and follow from him.” (Letter, April 12, 1968)
“By the mercy of the spiritual master, one receives the mercy of Krishna. Without the grace of the spiritual master, no one can make any advancement.” (Sri Sri Gurv-astaka, Verse 8, by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
“After reception of this order from My spiritual master, I have engaged Myself constantly in chanting Hare Kåñëa.” That is disciplic succession. Even if you do not understand the version, the motive, of spiritual master, you have to follow without any argument… And one has to execute that particular order without any deviation. That will make him perfect. There may be different orders for different disciples, but a disciple should take the order of the spiritual master as his life: “Here it is, the order. So let me execute it without any deviation.” That will make him perfect…You cannot deviate the order of the spiritual master by an inch if you really want success…”I received this order from My spiritual master, and I follow it strictly.”… Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu says that “I accept the order of My spiritual master in toto, without any interpretation, without any argument, without any understanding. Whatever he has said, it is all right.” This is acceptance of spiritual master. “Oh, I accept spiritual master, but I don’t accept your order”—this is not acceptance of spiritual master. If you at all accept somebody as spiritual master, you must test him. You must test him for at least one year if you have got doubts. And when you are convinced that “Here is a person whom I can follow blindly,” then you accept. You haven’t got to follow blindly. Spiritual master will not place before you anything unreasonable. But the process is that you cannot change the order of spiritual master. You cannot argue. You… Unless you are convinced that “I shall accept the order of this person without any argument,” don’t accept anybody as spiritual master. It is a false acceptance… That one vow, that “I have to follow the order of my spiritual…,” that will make you advanced. The more you strictly follow the order of spiritual master, the more you become advanced. You do not become fool. Actually you become advanced. Otherwise, what is the use of…? It is not a formality. It is actually fact, if you at all want to make advancement in spiritual life, you must follow the orders of the bona fide spiritual master. As Caitanya Mahäprabhu, such a great scholar, and He’s accepted as the incarnation of God, and He’s showing us the example that “I followed the order of My spiritual master because he found Me a nonsense.” How you can prove Bhagavad-gétä nonviolence? There is tacit order, “You must fight. The other party is impious. So you must fight.” These are the injunction. You cannot change.
“Whenever there are references to the avatäras, religious principles are established, and demons who are against Kåñëa are killed. The Kåñëa consciousness movement is spreading all over the world with two aims—to establish Kåñëa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and to kill all the pretenders who falsely present themselves as avatäras. The preachers of the Kåñëa consciousness movement must carry this conviction very carefully within their hearts and kill the demons who in many tactful ways vilify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa. If we take shelter of Nåsiàhadeva and Prahläda Mahäräja, it will be easier to kill the demons who are against Kåñëa and to thus reestablish Kåñëa’s supremacy. Kåñëas tu bhagavän svayam: [SB 1.3.28] Kåñëa is the Supreme Lord, the original Lord. Prahläda Mahäräja is our guru, and Kåñëa is our worshipable God. As advised by Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, guru-kåñëa-prasäde päya bhakti-latä-béja [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. If we can be successful in getting the mercy of Prahläda Mahäräja and also that of Nåsiàhadeva, then our Kåñëa consciousness movement will be extremely successful.” (SB. 7.10.42.P.)
Dear Readers,
It is clearly stated in the Sastras who is GURU ;
c.c. Madhya-lila, Ch.7 Text 128 instructs every one TO BECOME A GURU in the Science of Krsna Consciousness
And
c.c. Madhya 24.330 confirms who is TO BE ACCEPTED AS THE GURU and worshipped exactly like HARI, the Personality of Godhead, WHEN, one has attained the topmost position of mahä-bhägavata.
Further it is also confirmed in the NOI 5 which reads ;
“One should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of Uttama-Adhikārī.”
OM TAT SAT.
Hare Krishna. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The word “SCIENCE” in the SCIENCE of Krsna Consciousness needs to be UNDERSTOOD properly.
The SCIENCE student in a primary school and a University Professor of Science can BOTH be classed as understanding science. BUT still their – LEVEL- in UNDERSTANDING the SCIENCE is VAST different: the University Professor of Science can understand the Nuclear Physics and the ordinary bhakta Joe can comprehend simple ABC of the alphabet of science.
Kanistha Adhikari is NOT on the LEVEL of Mahabhagavata in UNDERSTANDING the SCIENCE of Krsna Consciousness.
The Mahabhagavata PURE DEVOTEE Srila Prabhupada can SEE, Krsna, Communicate with Krsna, SEE the Spiritual world IN his HEART. Hence his SCIENCE understanding is different from ordinary bhakta Joe understanding of SCIENCE of Krsna who can simply instruct other members of public first to read Srila Prabhupada’s books to understand Krsna:
SB 1.6.33 P Conversation Between Narada and Vyasadeva
The Absolute Personality of Godhead is not different from His transcendental name, form, pastimes and the sound vibrations thereof. As soon as a pure devotee engages himself in the pure devotional service of hearing, chanting and remembering the name, fame and activities of the Lord, at once He becomes VISIBLE TO THE TRANSCENDENTAL EYES of the PURE DEVOTEE by REFLECTING HIMSELF ON THE MIRROR OF THE HEART BY SPIRITUAL TELEVISION. Therefore a PURE devotee who is related with the Lord in loving transcendental service can EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD AT EVERY MOMENT.
SB 2.9.35 P Answers by Citing the Lord’ s Version
Therefore, although He is present in every atom, the Supreme Personality of Godhead may not be visible to the dry speculators; still the mystery is unfolded before the eyes of the pure devotees because their eyes are anointed with love of Godhead. And this love of Godhead can be attained only by the practice of transcendental loving service of the Lord, and nothing else. The vision of the devotees is not ordinary; it is purified by the process of devotional service. In other words, as the universal elements are both within and without, similarly the Lord’s name, form, quality, pastimes, entourage, etc., as they are described in the revealed scriptures or as performed in the Vaikunthalokas, far, far beyond the material cosmic manifestation, are factually being televised in the heart of the devotee. The man with a poor fund of knowledge cannot understand, although by material science one can see things far away by means of television. FACTUALLY, THE SPIRITUALLY DEVELOPED PERSON IS ABLE TO HAVE THE TELEVISION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD ALWAYS REFLECTED WITHIN HIS HEART. THAT IS THE MYSTERY OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD.