The ‘In’ Crowd | Mahasana Dasa

video credit: Matsyavatara Prabhu
By Mahasana dasa (with help from my Godbrother, Shyamasundara dasa)

I’m in with the ‘In’ crowd

I go where the ‘In’ crowd goes

I’m in with the ‘In’ crowd

And I know what the ‘In’ crowd knows

– (Old Billy Page song)

Below is an advertisement posted recently on the internet:

“ISKCON Bangalore Prabhupada Reunion Festival: Next year we are inviting all original Srila Prabhupada disciples for an open and honest forum and festival in March, 2012, at the Radha – Krishnacandra ISKCON Bangalore temple at Hare Krishna Hill, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

Make your plans now. We also need help getting contact information for notifying all Srila Prabhupada’s original disciples so that we can invite them here for the Prabhupada Reunion Forum and Festival. If you can help in this regard, please send us the names, locations, email addresses, phone numbers, or Facebook IDs of any original Srila Prabhupada disciples that you may know of.

Please also spread the word about this festival and send it to all of your god brothers/god sisters and friends. If you have any information you can send to me, our e-mail address is:”

This is not the only advertisement for “original” Srila Prabhupada disciples that I have seen.  I have been invited to several gatherings of original Srila Prabhupada disciples.  As a so-called original Srila Prabhupada disciple, I’m in with the “In” crowd!

I find it troubling, being categorized as an original Srila Prabhupada disciple.  Perhaps it has to do with the word, original, and what it implies.

First of all, being an original Srila Prabhupada disciple implies that there are non-original Srila Prabhupada disciples.  In other words, anyone who has taken initiation from Srila Prabhupada after November of 1977 (ritvik) would fall in the non-original category.  It would look something like this:

If we look at just the year 1977 (below), we will notice a caveat.  From July 9^th to November 14^th (below, yellow), Srila Prabhupada was still here, “in Vrndavana” (but is he ever elsewhere? …).  So, if someone took initiation during that interval, would that person be an original or non-original disciple?  If we say original, then Srila Prabhupada’s presence takes precedence over initiation style, and if we say non-original, then initiation style takes precedence over Srila Prabhupada’s presence.

So we have a problem:  where to draw the line between original and non-original disciples.

Furthermore, did Srila Prabhupada ever use the word, original, when referring to his disciples?  I have never heard Srila Prabhupada say, “I initiate you Soandso dasa, my original disciple.”

I think the concept, original disciple, is a concoction.  Was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta an original or non-original sannyasi disciple of Srila Gaura Kisora?  Srila Bhaktisiddhanta took sannyasa initiation in Srila Gaura Kisora’s absence.  Applying a designation (original) to a spiritual concept is material.

Calling one disciple, original, and implying that the other is non-original is also insulting.  Srila Prabhupada’s original books are the authentic books, the non-originals are the bogus books.  So, doesn’t that imply that the ritviks, the non-original disciples, are bogus disciples?  Non-originals are never as good as originals.  They are copies, imitations, like reproduced oil paintings.  Flattering one half of a group insults the other half.

Recently, a Godbrother asked me, “When were you initiated?”  I said, “July 1975”.  He said, with a twinkle of superiority, “I was initiated in January 1975.”  Then I responded, “Well… I moved into the temple in January 1975, but, I first met the devotees in 1967.”  Like dueling mridangas, we tried to “out original” each other.

In truth, advancement depends on sincerity.  We can advance like a jet plane or like a bullock cart.  There are many ritvik disciples, who never met Srila Prabhupada, who outshine some of those that walked with, talked with, and even touched Srila Prabhupada.  We are close to Srila Prabhupada by service and devotional qualities, not by something physical.

In the San Diego temple, way back when, I heard, “Those that distribute my books are closer to me than those that go on my morning walk.”  That “Srila Prabhupada said” went around all the temples.  If this is true, then where does this place the ritviks who are distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books?  Aren’t they close to Srila Prabhupada?

We are all conditioned, envious, and neophyte.  I wonder what Srila Prabhupada thinks when he hears us divide ourselves, based on how and when we got our beads.  It is like the teacher observing the third grader who refuses to play with the second grader because… he is too little.  Aren’t we all too little?

I think it is best to consider all of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples simply Srila Prabhupada’s disciples.  If we play the big shot game, the ritviks can play it too.  Suppose they said, “We are more sincere than the originals because we became Srila Prabhupada’s disciples without his vapu.  We loved him so much, we didn’t need the vapu crutch.  We came to him the perfect way, through his words alone.”

What if the ritviks were to advertise, “We are having a get-together of all the vani disciples of Srila Prabhupada, the ritvks.   Vapus are not invited because… they often reason ill.  We will make our notes available, however.”

If we don’t dispense with the word “original”, when referring to Srila Prabhupada’s disciples, we risk losing the respect of the ritviks.  They may conclude that we are bad association, only worth instructing.