“I personally believe that His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta is not a corporate material that can be claimed as a copyright object. Srila Prabhupada is not confined or subjected only to his disciples before 1978 till he entered his samadhi. Srila Prabhupada is a pure Devotee of The Supreme personality of Godhead. He is available equally for everyone regardless of *Age, sex, religion, nationality, color, and race. Anybody can claim to be his disciple. Anyone who follows His 4 regulative principles, chants atleast minimum 16 rounds daily, Reads his books and follows his vani without any doubts is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and is qualified to be His Disciple. If there was no Srila Prabhupada then there wouldn’t have been any GBC representatives to initiate disciples. As His Divine Grace himself said that: “Well, initiation or no initiation, first thing is knowledge. Initiation is formality. Just like you go to a school for knowledge,and admission is formality. That is not very important thing. “
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Message from Haldhara dasa
caksur unmiltam yena / tasmai sri-gurave namah
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My Dear Respected vaisnavas/Vaisnavis
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Please Accept My most Humble Obeisances at your feet! All Glories to Jagat-Guru His Divine Grace Srila Abhaya Charanarvindam Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada!
Many of you you did recently notice the unrest on my facebook page regarding certain issues on which i earlier decided to remove my page. I however, have been greatly discouraged by alot of devotees for not doing so especially Mother Rukmini Priya (ACBSP)
I am writing this note to explain the meaning of the initials after my profile which is: Haldhara Dasa BKG ACBSP – I never intended to use these initials for stealing Srila Prabhupada’s Honor. These Initials simply means that i was initiated By H.H. Bir krishna Goswami who was initiated by Srila Prabhupada which literally means that he is a servant of Srila Prabhupada and i am a servant of both ACBSP and BKG.
I have read many comments based on this where i have been accused of cheating and stealing my rights as a disciple of Srila Prabhupada including threats via messages.
I personally believe that His Divine Grace Srila A.c. Bhaktivedanta is not a corporate material that can be claimed as a copyright object. Srila Prabhupada is not confined or subjected only to his disciples before 1978 till he entered his samadhi. Srila Prabhupada is a pure Devotee of The Supreme personality of Godhead. He is available equally for everyone regardless of *Age, sex, religion, nationality, color, and race. Anybody can claim to be his disciple. Anyone who follows His 4 regulative principles, chants atleast minimum 16 rounds daily, Reads his books and follows his vani without any doubts is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and is qualified to be His Disciple. If there was no Srila Prabhupada then there wouldn’t have been any GBC representatives to initiate disciples. As His Divine Grace himself said that: “Well, initiation or no initiation, first thing is knowledge. Initiation is formality. Just like you go to a school for knowledge,and admission is formality. That is not very important thing.
I have no hatred against anyone.I get along fine with “Ritvik” devotees and NOn-Ritvik devotees. For me everyone is Srila Prabhupada’s disciple.
We as conditioned souls have no RIGHTS whatsoever to bombard other souls with disrespectful questions such as: “How can you be a ACBSP disciple if you were born in 1982?” or Are you a Ritvik or Non-Ritvik devotee. The relationship between a Uttama-Adhikari and a conditioned soul is confidential between them. Only a pure devotee like Srila Prabhupada has the rights to that and only he alone can understand this relationship.
In My opinion every living entity has the freedom to express their love towardas a pure devotee and that’s a right no one steal from them. Srila prabhupada doesn’t care about who is a ritvik and who is a non-ritvik. All he cares about is that how much one sincerely follows his instructions and how serious one is about going Back To Godhead. Had this not been the case then no westerner, Non-Indian, or Indian born abroad should claim themselves as a brahmana. Srila prabhupada oversaw these things and equally bestowed his mercy on everyone.
brÄhmaṇe gavi hastini
Å›uni caiva Å›va-pÄke ca
paṇá¸itÄḥ sama-darÅ›inaḥ
I personally have no hatred against any Ritvik or Non-Ritvik devotee. As long as you see Srila Prabhupada as a pure devotee then that’s all it matters to me. Then you are my best friend. I however personally feel that it is very unfortunate that some “political-minded” members in our movement have created such words as “Ritviks”, Non-Ritviks” sahajiyaism and non-sahajiyaism for their personal motives. We all often use phrases such as “Srila prabhupada built a house in which the world can live”. How can we all live in that house if we are busy fighting about Guruship and Discipleship? How is it possible?
Every soul has the right to their own views on issues in life.
If one glorifies Srila Prabhupada and can feel his presence all the time then that doesn’t make him a sahajiyaism devotee. If someone is born in the *0’s or (0’s and chooses to use ACBSP initials after his name so that it will remind others of Srila Prabhupada is not a crime and doesn’t make him a sahajiyaism devotee. IN my opinion, Ritvik is a pure word that has been constantly maligned and polluted by some corrupted personalities in our movement from both parties.
I don’t really care who or what you are. As long as you glorify Srila Prabhupada then you are my priya-bandhu. The moment one says: Jai Srila prabhupada then you have me as your best friend. I will never even bother to ask you if you are from the IRM, Ritvik association, follower of a GBC Sanyasi, or a follower of Narayana Maharaja.
Attitudes such as “Ritvik-Basher” and NON-Ritvik Basher is not supported by me at all. If criticizing the GBC makes you happy then all the best. If criticizing the “Ritviks” makes you a happier person then knock yourselves out. I don’t really care for such issues and i don’t like to participate in such political discussions. My only focus is Srila prabhupada. That’s all i care about. As far as threats are concerned then i know myself very well. I can defend myself from anyone.
Srila Prabhupada worked so hard for all of us. He is a pure devotee who sacrificed his blood, tears, and sweat for all of us and our future generations. Each and every drop of his tears, sweat and blood is even more pure than the pure Mother Ganges. Please realize that.
Your Eternal Servant
Haldhara Dasa BKG ACBSP
Hare Krsna.
Yes in Iskcon we have the great misconception of the definition of the word “disciple” and more importantly how to apply it.The problem has been handed down from the “older” devotees thinking they had exclusive rights to Srila Prabhupada because they thought they were the only devotees that can be initiated by Him.
By definition anyone can be a “disciple” of Srila Prabhupada if they follow His discipline(ie follow 4regulative principles and chant a minimum of 16 rounds a day),this discipline is found in His books and this discipline is what He taught and expected His devotees to follow when He was here and after he disappeared.
The concept that we need a physically present person to be able to follow the discipline is inapplicaable and does not exist in Scripture and has not been taught by any Vaisnava Guru that i am aware .Think about all the instructional knowledge that Srila Prabhupada included in His Books,if there was to be another Diksa Guru like Him after Him then what on earth would He being including such instructions for.And why would He have written so encyclopaedic,it does not make any common sense.If we were to have another great Acharya directly as soon as Srila Prabhupada disappeared then the Books would be of no use and the instructions on what is required of a disciple to be initiated would be of no use because the next Acharya would of had His own discipline.
Srila Bhaktisiddhantas discipline was different from Srila Prabhupadas and so on backwards,when we study carefully the nature ,the law, and the constitution of the Disciplic Succession we find that all the Acharyas manifest Their own stamp on things.Srila Prabhupada stamped His in the name of Iskcon and He instructed His requirements for disciples to follow to be members and intiates of Iskcon and therefore of Srila Prabhupada. We cant seperate Iskcon from Srila Prabhupada like the modern self-made unauthorised gurus.They have no mandate and authorisation directly from Srila Prabhupada to operate as they do within Iskcon. The whole system that the Gbc have set up is totally bogus and the sooner it goes the better.iskcon could not have been more compromised by the Gbc and the gurus even if they had tried.Its the worst possibly scenario nowadays,its practically speaking a material institution dealing with something called devotional service to make a business,totally useless.
We have had year upon year of rubbish,speculation,abuse and so many material considerations how much longer does it have to go on?End it all now and lets just have Srila Prabhupada back in the centre as the Acharya ,no-one else,He is easily the best and the most humble and we all love Him.
The level of indifference you talk about, Haladhara prabhu, is a very high realization, and I doubt whether it can be established so easily. You write;”I don’t really care who or what you are. As long as you glorify Srila Prabhupada then you are my priya-bandhu. The moment one says: Jai Srila prabhupada then you have me as your best friend. I will never even bother to ask you if you are from the IRM, Ritvik association, follower of a GBC Sanyasi, or a follower of Narayana Maharaja.”
So, let us see it now practically. Let’s say I have an “ISKCON” “guru”, all of them, so he also takes the part of the BBTI Jayadvaita Swamis camp, and he claims being faithfull follower of H.D.G Srila Prabhupada, while at the same time he supports re-editing all of His books to an extend far beyond any reason, under the nonsense plea of doing it for Prabhupada.
How than may I worship Srila Prabhupada and someone who don’t care about His writen heritage at the same time? And what, if I am a follower of the alleged “next acarya”, who constantly breaks the rules of Vaishnava etiquette and talks in open meetings about “higher rasa”, and so on? I mean to say, Haladhara prabhu, that your attempt to establish here the level of an uttama adhikari base of the “outside attitude” towards the Acarya is premature, and has all the signs of a good wish only.
I am sorry to say that, but such shortcuts are probably not going to work in spiritual live. The only way for unity is to follow the Acarya. I am however very much inclined to the idea expressed in the introduction: ““I personally believe that His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta is not a corporate material that can be claimed as a copyright object.
Srila Prabhupada is not confined or subjected only to his disciples before 1978 till he entered his samadhi. Srila Prabhupada is a pure Devotee of The Supreme personality of Godhead. He is available equally for everyone regardless of *Age, sex, religion, nationality, color, and race. Anybody can claim to be his disciple. Anyone who follows His 4 regulative principles, chants at least minimum 16 rounds daily, Reads his books and follows his vani without any doubts is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and is qualified to be His Disciple.
If there was no Srila Prabhupada then there wouldn’t have been any GBC representatives to initiate disciples. As His Divine Grace himself said that: “Well, initiation or no initiation, first thing is knowledge. Initiation is formality. Just like you go to a school for knowledge,and admission is formality. That is not very important thing.“
y.s jd
Who is Srila Prabhupada’s Disciple?
Srila Prabhupada’s Morning Walk, June 13, 1976, Detroit:
Prabhupada: “Who is my disciple? First of all let him FOLLOW STRICTLY THE DISCIPLINED RULES.
Devotee (2): As long as one is following, then he is…
Prabhupada: Then he is all right.â€
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Bhaktijana, September 21, 1972:
“You do not require to worry as I shall never leave you, you are my disciple and I am your spiritual master, so there is no question, AS LONG AS you follow my instructions, that I shall ever leave you. Just remember under all circumstances to chant sixteen rounds of japa daily, offer your prasadam to Krsna, and do all of the things which you already know, as you are senior disciple. These things will protect you under all conditions, without any doubt.â€
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Madhudvisa, November 7, 1975:
“SO LONG AS one follows the principles, he continues to be my disciple.â€
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Tusta Krsna, November 9, 1975:
“SO LONG AS one continues to follow the rules and regulations, he continues to be my disciple wherever he may be.â€
More here: http://www.prabhupadanugas.eu/news/?p=827
Non-ritvik = false guru