“My devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and not striving for some result, is very dear to Me.”
Bhagavad Gita CH 12:16
PURPORT: Money may be offered to a devotee, but he should not struggle to acquire it. If automatically, by the grace of the Supreme, money comes to him, he is not agitated. Naturally a devotee takes a bath at least twice in a day and rises early in the morning for devotional service. Thus he is naturally clean both inwardly and outwardly. A devotee is always expert because he fully knows the essence of all activities of life and he is convinced of the authoritative scriptures. A devotee never takes the part of a particular party; therefore he is carefree.
He is never pained, because he is free from all designations; he knows that his body is a designation, so if there are some bodily pains, he is free. The pure devotee does not endeavor for anything which is against the principles of devotional service. For example, constructing a big building requires great energy, and a devotee does not take to such business if it does not benefit him by advancing his devotional service. He may construct a temple for the Lord, and for that he may take all kinds of anxiety, but he does not construct a big house for his personal relations.”
Kurma Prabhu, 10 March, Australia: ISKCON today has around 200 bogus voted-in Gurus, all vying for their piece of the “big” ISKCON pie: a pie that consists of power, corruption, control, money, and in general, some very unusual psychotic behaviour by those leading, who have stolen Srila Prabhupada’a hard work.
I am probably alone in suggesting that devotees need less authority ruling their lives, but with the conditions we have been subject to since Srila Prabhupada’s departure, this is exactly what I am saying. What is the use of a set of self-imposed rules and regulations if they only serve hypocrites who take the job as leaders, but who cannot deliver the end result? Zero!
In this regard Srila Prabhupada says in the 3rd Canto (3.4.26), “Although one may be well versed in transcendental science, one should be careful about the offense of maryada-vyatikrama, or impertinently surpassing a greater personality. According to scriptural injunction one should be very careful of transgressing the law of maryada-vyatikramabecause by so doing one loses his duration of life, his opulence, fame and piety and the blessings of all the world. To be well versed in the transcendental science necessitates awareness of the techniques of spiritual science.”
So the marginalized devotees, the abused (in all manner), and in general those who have all along wanted to participate within ISKCON regularly, but could not due to the Bogus deviation, theoretically we are the lucky ones. How could that be, some might exclaim!.. Well we are very fortunate because we have not, and I doubt very much that we ever will, commit the above very dangerous offence of maryada-vyatikrama by posing ourselves as Bogus Gurus.
So wherever we are, on this planet we can happily practice our chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra with the peace of mind that we are not attempting to lord it over others by posing ourselves as a Bogus Voted-in Guru or one of their propaganda supporters.
In this regard I retract any comments which may seem to not have supported Jagannatha Mishra’s Vaisnava Fellowship. As I stated in my first posting on the Vaisnava Fellowship, I think it is a wonderful idea.
A few years ago a devotee returned from Mayapur festival and described what was discussed. The “pecking order in Iskcon” was told as follows. The bottom is community members and rank and file devotees. Then higher is the temple presidents. Then higher is the gurus and sannyasis. Then at the top is the GBC members.
And this is the idea of how the devotees are supposed to show respect and understand issues. as one might assume this devotee was recently confirmed as a GBC member..so one might ask where is Srila Prabhupada in this arrangement. And further one might ask why have about 70,000 articles been written in 30 years quoting Prabhupada by way of books and letters and the result is that many are taught that some letters were incomplete or obsolete. And the statements about need for accepting the mahabhagavat as a guru are just not possible or perhaps just positive thinking.
Here is an example of the thinking of some that Srila Prabhupada is not included in the pecking order. What can be imagined what the next generation will start to preach with this type of minimization of the fully self-realized founder- acarya of our Hare Krsna movement. Devotees can quote all of Srila Prabhupada’s books and this is how Lord Caitanya’s movement will spread . Gradually those who are misled but fortunate will slowly see the great offence that has been committed on Srila Prabhupada. and Vaisnava devotees.