(BY: VIDURA MAHATMA DAS)
SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 — LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
The idea that one must approach or take shelter of a “living” guru is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most damaging of lies within the Krishna consciousness movement. This lie was started by a few deviated disciples after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance in order to support their claim that Srila Prabhupada had appointed them to begin accepting disciples of their own and thereby become full-fledged diksa gurus.
If you take away the need for a living guru lie, what is left unclouded in the minds of so many bewildered people is the July 9th 1977 Directive issued by Srila Prabhupada (via his secretary) wherein Srila Prabhupada’s ongoing acceptance of disciples even after his disappearance is expressed in legal form. Moreover, the hundreds of quotes by Srila Prabhupada which the ritviks have continually presented over the years may also become unclouded to the minds of thousands of bewildered people. As of right now, Srila Prabhupada’s ritvik order – a clear and simple issue – seems like a big gray area to most people at best, if not outright rejected as a deviant philosophy itself. Could things be any more topsy-turvy? “The intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.” (Bg 2.41)
The living guru lie has become so deeply infiltrated within the society and its members that it is hard to not find traces of its influence even amongst persons apparently separate from ISKCON or in some other camp. The strange and insubstantial emphasis on the physical body (vapu) of the spiritual master over the actual instructions (vani) of the spiritual master has spread its influence far and wide.
Below we present just a few quotes from Srila Prabhupada which focus on material ideas versus actual spiritual life. This small compilation of quotes and notes may serve as a reminder of the truth and help in countering the detrimental living guru lie – a cause that any truthful devotees are humbly encouraged to contribute to.
“Although according to material vision His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda passed away from this material world on the last day of December, 1936, I still consider His Divine Grace to be always present with me by his vāṇī, his words. There are two ways of association-by vāṇī and by vapu. Vāṇī means words, and vapu means physical presence. Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but vāṇī continues to exist eternally. Therefore we must take advantage of the vāṇī, not the physical presence.” (Cc. 1975 Concluding Words)
“…progress in spiritual life cannot be obstructed by any material condition. This is called ahaituky apratihatā. Reception of spiritual knowledge is never checked by any material condition.” (SB 7.7.1 purport)
“This verse describes the beginning of a schism. When disciples do not stick to the principle of accepting the order of their spiritual master, immediately there are two opinions. Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual master is useless. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into spiritual advancement. That is deviation. There is no scope for adjusting spiritual advancement to material ideas.” (CC Adi 12.9 Purport)
“So now, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu and in the presence of my Guru Mahārāja, you are so nice boys and girls. So in front of Caitanya Mahāprabhu you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and you are taking part in it very seriously. So my Guru Mahārāja will be very, very much pleased upon you and bless you with all benefits. So he wanted this, and he is not… It is not that he is dead and gone. That is not spiritual understanding. Even ordinary living being, he does not die. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg. 2.20]. And what to speak of such exalted, authorized personality like Bhaktisiddhānta. He is seeing. […] Similarly, Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s representative, spiritual master, if you keep always intact, in link with the words and instruction of the superior authorities, then you are always fresh. This is spiritual understanding.” (Lecture: His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada’s Appearance Day, Lecture — Atlanta, March 2, 1975)
“So 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.” (SB Lecture, 13/01/69, Los Angeles)
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Srila Prabhupada in one letter confirmed that one can come to God through the representative of God, Jesus Christ. Srila Prabhupada said there is no difference between surrendering to God or surrendering to God’s representative, “Just like Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita that one should surrender to a bona fide spiritual master, and then He also says that one should “Surrender unto Me.” Therefore Christ is also saying just surrender to me, the son or representative or spiritual master, and that is the same as surrendering to my Father. Accepting the Lord or His representative as one’s savior means to render loving devotional service to Him, and in return he will give you all protection.”
There is no difficulty in understanding the clear instructions of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada never denied the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” and Srila Prabhupada confirmed this statement with the evidence of guru, sadhu and sastra (Bhagavad-gita As It Is).
Unfortunately, many devotees are misled by envious cheaters who are saying that Lord Krsna, Jesus Christ and Srila Prabhupada, after their physical departure, are not present on this planet any more, and one must surrender to a “living guru” to be saved. But it is not what Lord Krsna, Jesus Christ and Srila Prabhupada are teaching. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life,” and not the “living gurus.” Their idea is a mental concoction of disastrous and huge proportions. We must understand that those pretender leaders are all conditioned souls, because they are unable to see the truth beyond their own material eyes, thinking that the body of Lord Krsna, Jesus Christ and Srila Prabhupada is material.
Should we think that Jesus Christ’s teachings were valid only while he was living? That he was “the way and the truth and the life” while he lived, but since he died it is not truth any more? Then why the Bible and the Christian priests are still preaching that one should surrender to Jesus Christ, if he is dead or departed from this world for almost 2,000 years? Does it make any sense?
This is just another example to show how the “living guru” concoction is a serious impediment to one’s spiritual life. It is the greatest obstruction to the natural progress of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s spiritual movement, which is invented and used by demons to keep all souls far away from Lord Krishna. Those demons are going to such an extend that if someone tries to compare the disciplic succession of Christianity with that of Vaisnavas, he will be labeled as neo-christian propagandist within Vaisnavism, or one who wants to bring Srila Prabhupada in the center of Hare Krsna movement, as Christians have brought Jesus Christ in the center of Christianity. I have personally heard so called devotees within ISKCON who are against bringing Srila Prabhupada in the center of the movement. They say Srila Prabhupada is dead, he is not present, and we must approach a “living guru”, otherwise Krsna will not accept our devotional service. I am not joking. This philosophy has caused my own self to approach and surrender to a bogus conditioned soul within ISKCON. Only after initiation his own disciples told us that we should not think that our guru is a pure devotee, or liberated soul, etc, etc. All cheaters and the cheated.
But if we refer to Srila Prabhupada, he never criticized the Christian philosophy. Jesus Christ preached according to time, place and circumstances. Srila Prabhupada only criticized those who did not follow the Christ’s clear instructions, like “Thou shall not kill,” but call themselves Christians. Srila Prabhupada was against religious hypocrisy, in the same way as Jesus Christ was critical to the religious hypocritical authorities of his times.
All in all, the “philosophy” that one must approach the “living guru” to be saved or come to God is not based on guru, sadhu and sastra, and it should be carefully considered and rejected as material, as materialistic philosophy created by demons (Satan) to keep everyone imprisoned within the illusion that we are part of this temporary material world, and not the eternal spirit souls, part and parcel of Supreme Lord Krsna.
Hare Krsna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.