TAMAL KRISHNA MAHARAJA'S; Pyramid house confessions, December 3rd 1980Share.. Monday, April 19, 2010 at 11:15pm
PYRAMID HOUSE CONFESSIONS December 3rd 1980
Tamala Krishna Maharaja: "I've had a certain realization a few days ago.(...) There are obviously so many statements by Srila Prabhupada that his Guru Maharaja did not appoint any successors.(...) Even in Srila Prabhupada's books he says guru means by qualification.(...)
The inspiration came because there was a questioning on my part, so Krishna spoke. Actually Prabhupada never appointed any 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 because we interpreted the appointment of ritviks as the appointment of gurus.
What actually happened I'll explain. I explained it but the interpretation is wrong. What actually happened was that Prabhupada mentioned he might be appointing some ritviks, so the GBC met for various reasons, and they went to Prabhupada, five or six of us. (This refers to the meeting of May 1977,). We asked him, "Srila Prabhupada, after your departure, if we accept disciples, whose disciples will they be, your disciples or mine?"
Later on there was a piled up list of people to get initiated, and it was jammed up. I said, "Srila Prabhupada, you once mentioned about ritviks. I don't know what to do. We don't want to approach you, but there's hundreds of devotees named, and I'm just holding all the letters. I don't know what you want to do".
Srila Prabhupada said, "All right, I will appoint so many..." and he started to name them. He made it very clear that they are his disciples. At that point it was very clear in my mind that they were his disciples. Later on I asked him two questions, one: "What about Brahmananda Swami?". I asked him this because I happened to have an affection for Brahmananda Swami.(...) So Srila Prabhupada said, "No, not unless he is qualified". Before I got ready to type the letter, I asked him, two: "Srila Prabhupada is this all or do you want to add more?". He said, "As is necessary, others may be added."
Now I understand that what he did was very clear. He was physically incapable of performing the function of initiation; therefore he appointed officiating priests to initiate on his behalf. He appointed eleven, and he said very clearly, "Whoever is nearest can initiate". This is very important because when it comes to initiating, it isn't whoever is nearest, it's wherever your heart goes. Who (you) repose your faith on, you take initiation from him. But when it's officiating, it's whoever is nearest, and he was very clear. He named them. They were spread out all over the world, and he said, "Whoever your nearest, you just approach that person, and they'll check you out. Then, on my behalf, they'll initiate." It is not a question that you repose your faith in that person - nothing. That's a function for the guru.
"In order for me to manage this movement", Prabhupada said, "I have to form a GBC and I will appoint the following people. In order to continue the process of people joining our movement and getting initiated, I have to appoint some priests to help me because(...) I cannot physically manage everyone myself."
And That's all it was, and it was never any more than that, you can bet your bottom dollar that Prabhupada would have spoken for days and hours and weeks on end about how to set up this thing with the gurus, because he had already said it a million times. He said: My Guru Maharaja did not appoint anyone. It's by qualification." We made a great mistake. After Prabhupada's departure what is the position of these eleven people?(...)
Prabhupada showed that it is not just sannyasis. He named two people who were grihastas, who could at least be ritviks, showing that they were equal to any sannyasi. So anyone who is spiritually qualified - it's always been understood that you cannot accept disciples in the presence of your guru, but when the guru disappears, you can accept disciples if you are qualified and someone can repose their faith. Of course, they (prospective disciples) should be fully appraised at how to distinguish who is a proper guru. But if you are a proper guru, and your guru is no longer present, that is your right. It's like a man can procreate(...) Unfortunately the GBC did not recognise this point. They immediately (assumed, decided) that these eleven people are the selected gurus. I can definitely say for myself, and for which I humbly beg forgiveness from everybody, that there was definitely some degree of trying to control(...) This is the conditioned nature, and it came out in the highest position of all, "Guru, oh wonderful! Now I am guru, and there is only eleven of us"(...).
I feel that this realization or this understanding is essential if we are to avoid further things from happening, because, believe me, it's going to repeat. It's just a question of time until things have a little bit faded out and again another incident is going to happen, whether it's here in L.A. or somewhere else. It's going to continuously happen until you allow the actual spiritual force of Krishna to be exhibited without restriction.(...) I feel that the GBC body, if they don't adopt this point very quickly, if they don't realize this truth. You cannot show me anything on tape or in writing where Prabhupada says: "I appoint these eleven as gurus". It does not exist because he never appointed any gurus. This is a myth.(...) The day you got initiated you get the right to be come a father when your father disappears, if you are qualified. No appointment. It doesn't require an appointment, because there isn't one.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Sri Sri Radha-PurusottamaJagannatha Puri, India: August 4, 2004
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Purusottama Month in Puri
Wednesday, 04 August 2004
Sri Sri Radha-PurusottamaJagannatha Puri, India: August 4, 2004
Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja
[Under the guidance of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, the month-long Kartika parikrama, inauguration of the newly built Sri Sri Giridhari Gaudiya Matha, and installation of Sri Sri Radha-Vinodabihariji, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the divine murti of Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja was successfully performed. Please excuse us that, due to the art marathon taking place throughout the parikrama, we were not able to send out many lectures. By the mercy of Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga we can now begin the process of transcribing and editing those lectures, and soon you will be receiving them. In the meantime, please accept the first of the lectures given by Srila Narayana Maharaja during the previous parikrama, in Jagannatha Puri:]
Srila Maharaja speaking in Puri{Every evening, when the devotees returned from the day’s Jagannatha Puri parikrama, Srila Maharaja spoke at the Sri Krsna-Caitanya Gaudiya Matha. This temple is the home of Sri Sri Radha Nayana-mani and Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadraji, as well as the holy birth place of Sri Srimad Bhaktsiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada. It is located on the same road as the famous Sri Jagannatha Mandira and is only a five-minute walk from there. The acarya of the temple is Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Gosvami Maharaja, a prominent disciple of Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura. (About 700 devotees from all over the world were in attendance for Srila Narayana Maharaja’s lectures. Many of the parikrama pilgrims were living in the guesthouse of that temple, and others had rooms in nearby hotels.)
The following was Srila Narayana Maharaja’s introductory lecture wherein he welcomed all the international pilgrims and explained to them the significance of their being in Puri at that sacred time.}
I offer pranama to the lotus feet of my guru-padapadma, nitya-lila pravistha om visnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, and also to my siksa-guru, Paramapujyapada nitya-lila pravistha om visnupada Sri Bhakti Dayita Madhava Gosvami Maharaja, who established this temple.
We are all very supremely fortunate to have come here to Purusottama-ksetra Jagannatha Puri-dhama, and stay so close to Purusottama-deva Sri Jagannatha Himself. We are especially fortunate to be here in this month called Purusottama-masa and to perform Purusottama-vrata (the auspicious vows taken on this month). We are even more fortunate to have the shelter of this particular place – the divine appearance place of nitya-lila pravistha om visnupada Sri Srimad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada and the bhajana kutira of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.
In chapter fifteen of Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna describes three types of personalities: ksarah, aksarah and purusottama. Ksarah means fallible, and it refers to those living entities who have forgotten Krsna. By constitution, all living entities are the eternal servants of Krsna. Those living entities who are bereft of the knowledge of their own spiritual identity and nature, and whose nature is now hidden by the material energy, are called ksarah-purusa. They are called fallible living entities or conditioned souls.
There is another type of living entity and Lord Krsna calls them aksarah, infallible. They are the liberated souls. They are fully aware of their identity as His eternal servants.
After describing the ksarah-purusa and aksarah-purusa, Krsna explains that above both categories of souls is the Supermost Personality. He is superior to all the living beings and is therefore called Purusottama, the Supreme Person. Sri Krsna says, “I am that Purusottama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
Purusottama month comes in the leap year – every thirty-two months. Previously this month was known as mala-masa. Mala means unclean, contaminated and suitable for being rejected. This was considered the “rejectable” month, because about it sastra says: “You should not perform any ritualistic activities, such as getting married or receiving sacred thread according to the principles of varnasrama-dharma.” All of these materially auspicious activities are stopped during this month. No one is permitted to perform any of them, and so this month was known as Mala-masa, the contaminated month. The personification of this month approached Sri Krsna and said to Him: “Oh my Lord, all despise me and condemn me in this world, because they cannot perform any auspicious fruitive activities in my presence. I take complete shelter of You and surrender to you. What should I do?”
Krsna explains in the Gita:
sarva dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
[“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” Bhagavad-gita 18.66)]
Give up all types of material religiosity and surrender to Me unconditionally. I will take away all reactions to your sinful activities; do not fear. Lord Krsna replied to Mala-masa, “I will take away all your contamination, because you are surrendered unto Me. I myself will become the predominating deity of this month. From now on the people will not call you Mala-masa. Instead they will call you Purusottama-masa. During this month they will observe Purusottama-vrata, the very auspicious activities of devotional service in Purusottama-ksetra.”
This month should be observed by following the rules and regulations one follows during Kartika month. Srimati Radhika is the predominating deity in the month of Kartika, and Krsna is the predominating deity of Purusottama-masa.
One should not perform any material pious activities (subha-karma) in this month. Instead of being derailed into material activities, one should become one-pointed and do one-pointed vows – for the happiness of Krsna. Only perform service to Hari-Guru and Vaisnavas, chant harinama and stay near Purusottama-deva. For those who observe this vow, it is certain that all their desires will be fulfilled. All so-called auspicious activities of this world, such as performing duties within varnasrama-dharma and getting married, will have no value if one does not perform bhajana and if Lord Krsna is not pleased. Therefore, all the devotees who have assembled here to observe Purustottama-vrata in Purusottama-ksetra, at the birthplace of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, are supremely fortunate.
Those who reside in foreign countries such as Holland and here and there, but whose ancestors are originally from India, are allowed to enter Sri Jagannatha Mandira and Sri Gundica Mandira. For others, Jagannatha-deva is causelessly merciful. Every year during the Ratha-yatra festival He comes to the Gundica temple and all can see Him. I request you to follow the principles of Srila Haridasa Thakura, Srila Sanatana Gosvami and Srila Rupa Gosvami. Srila Haridasa Thakura never tried to enter the Jagannatha temple, but at the time of the car festival no one could check him. He used to dance here and there with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So you are also very fortunate; you can follow in that way.
All the devotees should come here for mangala-arati. After mangala-arati all devotees can sit down and sing kirtana, as we do during Kartika-vrata. Then there can be a short class, and at 6.30 all devotees should leave for parikrama. We will then go to Sri Gambira and Radha-kanta Matha, and from there we will go to Siddha-bhakula, the place of Srila Haridasa Thakura. We will then go to Svargadvara and the house of Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, and after that all the devotees will go to the Jagannatha Mandira. Those who have taken birth in Western countries, who are not of Indian ancestry, should not try to enter the Jagannatha temple. They should stay outside and take darsana of Patita-pavana Jagannatha outside.
Today is the day before we begin our parikrama, and during this parikrama I will explain Raya Ramananda Samvad. As an introduction to Raya Ramananda Samvad, you will need to hear an explanation of how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu first heard about Raya Ramananda from Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya.
Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was living here in Jagannatha Puri, and he was teaching and following the Advaita Vedanta of Sankaracarya. He was so learned, such a great philosopher and so influential that great sannyasis would come to him. They would even receive from him saffron cloth again, as well as the sannyasa reformatory process again. They would thus receive what was considered by the mayavadis to be a more elevated sannyasa community or sampradaya. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met with him He had respect for him, but He was of a completely different opinion regarding philosophical conclusions.
Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya wanted to teach Advaita Vedanta to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, so he began to explain the theory of Sankaracarya and his explanation of all the sutras of Vedanta. He explained that the Absolute Truth is indescribable, beyond the description of words – because it is impersonal.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was sitting before Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya as he explained his philosophy, all day and night for seven days in a row. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was struck with wonder because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu didn’t move, He didn’t ask a question, and there was no expression on His face. Therefore, it wasn’t clear to him whether or not Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu could understand his explanation. He asked, “Do you understand my explanation or not?”
Previous to this, Gopinatha Acarya had spoken with him and tried to convince him that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Gopinatha Acarya was his brother-in-law and he knew that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was that original Supreme Person, Krsna Himself, adorned with the sentiments and complexion of Srimati Radhika.
Although Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was very learned and an incarnation of the demigod Brhaspati (chief priest of the heavenly kingdom and spiritual master of the demigods headed by King Indra), he could not understand the advice and explanations of Gopinatha Acarya. The Bhattacarya had explained to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that God has no form, no qualities and no pastimes. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “O Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, the sutras (verses containing volumes of meaning) of Vedanta are self-effulgent and self-evident like the sun, but your explanation is just like a black cloud covering the sun.” “My dear sir, I can understand the meaning of the sutras like janmady asya yatah , sastra-yonitvat, and athato brahma jijïasa of the Vedanta-sutra, but when you explain them in your own way it becomes difficult for Me to follow them. The purpose of the sutras is already explained in them, but your explanations are covering them with something else. You do not purposely take the direct meaning of the sutras but indirectly give your own interpretations.” When Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya heard this, he said: “Until today, no one has been able to refute my commentaries; so I want to hear your explanation.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then began to explain all the Vedanta-sutras of Vedanta. First of all:
janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah svarat
tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah
tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa
dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi
”O my Lord, Sri Krsna, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Sri Krsna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmaji, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Sri Krsna, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth. (Srimad Bhagavatam) 1.1.1)”
Brahma (the Supreme Spirit) is that from which everything is emanated. Sriman Mahaprabhu gave evidence from the Vedas: ‘yato va imani bhutani.’ Everything has emanated from Brahma, everything is resting in Brahma and everything enters into Brahma. How can it be that the source of all forms and personalities has no form or personality? This is not possible. God is sat-cit-ananda vigraha, He has a form of eternity, knowledge and bliss, as explained in Vedanta-sutra.
Arupa-vat eva hi tat pradhanatvat. This is one of the sutras (verses full with meaning) of Vedanta-Sutra. Arupavat means "apparently without a form." "Rupa” means “form”, “a” means “not” and “vat” means “like”, or “in comparison”. This word, therefore, also means “it is not like the form.” The suffix “vat”, meaning “like” or “in comparison”, is also used in the word "naravat-lila, meaning Sri Krsna’s human-like pastimes. His pastimes appear LIKE those of a human being, but they are not those of a human. “Nara” means “human”, and Krsna’s pastimes (lila) are described as “naravat” meaning “like those of a human”. So the meaning of arupa-vat is: “It is not that God’s form as the Deity is LIKE Him. Rather it IS Him. He IS that very form. The arca-vigraha (Deity in the temple) is not a symbolic representation. It is directly Vrajandra-nandana Syamasundara Himself. By the process of worshipping that Deity, one can directly see Him. I may say “the painting of me is like my form”, but this is not the case with Lord Krsna.
Arupa-vat. It is not that God has no form. His Deity (vigraha) is not a symbolic representation of Him. The Deity is directly God Himself. Mahaprabhu explained from the Vedas, “He has no hands, but He accepts offerings.” This means He has no material hands; He has a transcendental form. Sriman Mahaprabhu also explained from Srimad Bhagavatam:
atmaramas ca munayo
nirgrantha apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaitukim bhaktim
ittham-bhuta-guno harih
[“All different varieties of atmaramas [those who take pleasure in atma, or spirit self], especially those established on the path of self-realization, though freed from all kinds of material bondage, desire to render unalloyed devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead. This means that the Lord possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can attract everyone, including liberated souls.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.10)]
‘Ittham-bhuta-guno harih’ means that God has so many wonderful qualities. ‘Nirgrantha’ means those personalities who are completely liberated from this material world, like the four Kumaras (Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanat-kumara), Srila Sukadeva Gosvami and others. Though previously absorbed in nirvisesa-brahma, when they heard about the qualities of Sri Krsna, they became attracted, because His qualities are transcendental. They are abheda, non-different from Him.
Explaining the verses in this way Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu defeated all the explanations of Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and established the actual philosophical conclusions.
He then allowed Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya to see His Sad-bhuja rupa – His six-armed form. This six-armed form has two bluish arms of Krsna holding a flute, two greenish arms of Ramacandra holding a bow in one hand and an arrow in another, and two arms of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu holding a danda in one hand and a water pot in the other. In this way, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was completely transformed.
Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya previously taught ‘sarvam hy etad brahma’, meaning‘everything is ultimately impersonal Brahma.’ One should perform pancha upasana: the worship of Durga, Suryadeva, Ganesha, Siva and Visnu, but actually, everything is that impersonal Spirit. He had been teaching this, but after his meeting with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu he became completely transformed.
The next morning Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave him some prasadam, and he immediately accepted it without taking bath or performing any morning duties. The Bhattacarya then gave evidence from the injunction of Vedic scriptures. In the scriptures it is stated: “Whether you are pure or not, you should take mahaprasadam immediately, even if it has fallen from the mouth of a dog.” In this way we can see how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu transformed his personality.
One day, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya quoted a verse from Srimad Bhagavatam:
tat te ’nukampam susamiksamano
bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam
hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak
[“My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.”(Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.8)]
This verse says, ‘mukti-pade sa’, but he changed it to ‘bhakti-pade sa’. Now that his personality had been changed so greatly, he could not bare to hear the word, ‘mukti-pade’. He was thinking, “Those who tolerate all the difficulties and problems of life, thinking that the difficulties are coming as the fruits of their own karma, those who thus engage their body, mind and words in praying to the Supreme Lord – will get mukti?” He did not like this, so he changed the verse to ‘bhakti-pade sa daya-bhak’.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told him, “There is no fault in Srimad Bhagavatam; you should not change the verse. ‘Mukti-pade’ is perfect.” It refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose lotus feet are served by those living entities who are completely liberated from this world. Srimad Bhagavatam gives the correct conclusion – that those who are addicted to the transcendental service of the Supreme Lord, even if they are offered liberation, will not accept it.
Thus, while living in Jagannatha Puri, Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was completely transformed into a pure Vaisnava by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is from Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu first heard about Sri Raya Ramananda, after which He decided to search for him and have his association.
Tomorrow I will explain how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met with Raya Ramananda, and what subject matter they discussed.
--
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Last Updated on Monday, 26 April 2010
Purusottama Month in Puri
Wednesday, 04 August 2004
Sri Sri Radha-PurusottamaJagannatha Puri, India: August 4, 2004
Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja
[Under the guidance of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, the month-long Kartika parikrama, inauguration of the newly built Sri Sri Giridhari Gaudiya Matha, and installation of Sri Sri Radha-Vinodabihariji, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the divine murti of Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja was successfully performed. Please excuse us that, due to the art marathon taking place throughout the parikrama, we were not able to send out many lectures. By the mercy of Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga we can now begin the process of transcribing and editing those lectures, and soon you will be receiving them. In the meantime, please accept the first of the lectures given by Srila Narayana Maharaja during the previous parikrama, in Jagannatha Puri:]
Srila Maharaja speaking in Puri{Every evening, when the devotees returned from the day’s Jagannatha Puri parikrama, Srila Maharaja spoke at the Sri Krsna-Caitanya Gaudiya Matha. This temple is the home of Sri Sri Radha Nayana-mani and Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadraji, as well as the holy birth place of Sri Srimad Bhaktsiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada. It is located on the same road as the famous Sri Jagannatha Mandira and is only a five-minute walk from there. The acarya of the temple is Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Gosvami Maharaja, a prominent disciple of Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura. (About 700 devotees from all over the world were in attendance for Srila Narayana Maharaja’s lectures. Many of the parikrama pilgrims were living in the guesthouse of that temple, and others had rooms in nearby hotels.)
The following was Srila Narayana Maharaja’s introductory lecture wherein he welcomed all the international pilgrims and explained to them the significance of their being in Puri at that sacred time.}
I offer pranama to the lotus feet of my guru-padapadma, nitya-lila pravistha om visnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, and also to my siksa-guru, Paramapujyapada nitya-lila pravistha om visnupada Sri Bhakti Dayita Madhava Gosvami Maharaja, who established this temple.
We are all very supremely fortunate to have come here to Purusottama-ksetra Jagannatha Puri-dhama, and stay so close to Purusottama-deva Sri Jagannatha Himself. We are especially fortunate to be here in this month called Purusottama-masa and to perform Purusottama-vrata (the auspicious vows taken on this month). We are even more fortunate to have the shelter of this particular place – the divine appearance place of nitya-lila pravistha om visnupada Sri Srimad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada and the bhajana kutira of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.
In chapter fifteen of Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna describes three types of personalities: ksarah, aksarah and purusottama. Ksarah means fallible, and it refers to those living entities who have forgotten Krsna. By constitution, all living entities are the eternal servants of Krsna. Those living entities who are bereft of the knowledge of their own spiritual identity and nature, and whose nature is now hidden by the material energy, are called ksarah-purusa. They are called fallible living entities or conditioned souls.
There is another type of living entity and Lord Krsna calls them aksarah, infallible. They are the liberated souls. They are fully aware of their identity as His eternal servants.
After describing the ksarah-purusa and aksarah-purusa, Krsna explains that above both categories of souls is the Supermost Personality. He is superior to all the living beings and is therefore called Purusottama, the Supreme Person. Sri Krsna says, “I am that Purusottama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
Purusottama month comes in the leap year – every thirty-two months. Previously this month was known as mala-masa. Mala means unclean, contaminated and suitable for being rejected. This was considered the “rejectable” month, because about it sastra says: “You should not perform any ritualistic activities, such as getting married or receiving sacred thread according to the principles of varnasrama-dharma.” All of these materially auspicious activities are stopped during this month. No one is permitted to perform any of them, and so this month was known as Mala-masa, the contaminated month. The personification of this month approached Sri Krsna and said to Him: “Oh my Lord, all despise me and condemn me in this world, because they cannot perform any auspicious fruitive activities in my presence. I take complete shelter of You and surrender to you. What should I do?”
Krsna explains in the Gita:
sarva dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
[“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” Bhagavad-gita 18.66)]
Give up all types of material religiosity and surrender to Me unconditionally. I will take away all reactions to your sinful activities; do not fear. Lord Krsna replied to Mala-masa, “I will take away all your contamination, because you are surrendered unto Me. I myself will become the predominating deity of this month. From now on the people will not call you Mala-masa. Instead they will call you Purusottama-masa. During this month they will observe Purusottama-vrata, the very auspicious activities of devotional service in Purusottama-ksetra.”
This month should be observed by following the rules and regulations one follows during Kartika month. Srimati Radhika is the predominating deity in the month of Kartika, and Krsna is the predominating deity of Purusottama-masa.
One should not perform any material pious activities (subha-karma) in this month. Instead of being derailed into material activities, one should become one-pointed and do one-pointed vows – for the happiness of Krsna. Only perform service to Hari-Guru and Vaisnavas, chant harinama and stay near Purusottama-deva. For those who observe this vow, it is certain that all their desires will be fulfilled. All so-called auspicious activities of this world, such as performing duties within varnasrama-dharma and getting married, will have no value if one does not perform bhajana and if Lord Krsna is not pleased. Therefore, all the devotees who have assembled here to observe Purustottama-vrata in Purusottama-ksetra, at the birthplace of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, are supremely fortunate.
Those who reside in foreign countries such as Holland and here and there, but whose ancestors are originally from India, are allowed to enter Sri Jagannatha Mandira and Sri Gundica Mandira. For others, Jagannatha-deva is causelessly merciful. Every year during the Ratha-yatra festival He comes to the Gundica temple and all can see Him. I request you to follow the principles of Srila Haridasa Thakura, Srila Sanatana Gosvami and Srila Rupa Gosvami. Srila Haridasa Thakura never tried to enter the Jagannatha temple, but at the time of the car festival no one could check him. He used to dance here and there with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So you are also very fortunate; you can follow in that way.
All the devotees should come here for mangala-arati. After mangala-arati all devotees can sit down and sing kirtana, as we do during Kartika-vrata. Then there can be a short class, and at 6.30 all devotees should leave for parikrama. We will then go to Sri Gambira and Radha-kanta Matha, and from there we will go to Siddha-bhakula, the place of Srila Haridasa Thakura. We will then go to Svargadvara and the house of Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, and after that all the devotees will go to the Jagannatha Mandira. Those who have taken birth in Western countries, who are not of Indian ancestry, should not try to enter the Jagannatha temple. They should stay outside and take darsana of Patita-pavana Jagannatha outside.
Today is the day before we begin our parikrama, and during this parikrama I will explain Raya Ramananda Samvad. As an introduction to Raya Ramananda Samvad, you will need to hear an explanation of how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu first heard about Raya Ramananda from Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya.
Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was living here in Jagannatha Puri, and he was teaching and following the Advaita Vedanta of Sankaracarya. He was so learned, such a great philosopher and so influential that great sannyasis would come to him. They would even receive from him saffron cloth again, as well as the sannyasa reformatory process again. They would thus receive what was considered by the mayavadis to be a more elevated sannyasa community or sampradaya. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met with him He had respect for him, but He was of a completely different opinion regarding philosophical conclusions.
Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya wanted to teach Advaita Vedanta to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, so he began to explain the theory of Sankaracarya and his explanation of all the sutras of Vedanta. He explained that the Absolute Truth is indescribable, beyond the description of words – because it is impersonal.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was sitting before Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya as he explained his philosophy, all day and night for seven days in a row. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was struck with wonder because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu didn’t move, He didn’t ask a question, and there was no expression on His face. Therefore, it wasn’t clear to him whether or not Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu could understand his explanation. He asked, “Do you understand my explanation or not?”
Previous to this, Gopinatha Acarya had spoken with him and tried to convince him that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Gopinatha Acarya was his brother-in-law and he knew that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was that original Supreme Person, Krsna Himself, adorned with the sentiments and complexion of Srimati Radhika.
Although Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was very learned and an incarnation of the demigod Brhaspati (chief priest of the heavenly kingdom and spiritual master of the demigods headed by King Indra), he could not understand the advice and explanations of Gopinatha Acarya. The Bhattacarya had explained to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that God has no form, no qualities and no pastimes. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “O Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, the sutras (verses containing volumes of meaning) of Vedanta are self-effulgent and self-evident like the sun, but your explanation is just like a black cloud covering the sun.” “My dear sir, I can understand the meaning of the sutras like janmady asya yatah , sastra-yonitvat, and athato brahma jijïasa of the Vedanta-sutra, but when you explain them in your own way it becomes difficult for Me to follow them. The purpose of the sutras is already explained in them, but your explanations are covering them with something else. You do not purposely take the direct meaning of the sutras but indirectly give your own interpretations.” When Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya heard this, he said: “Until today, no one has been able to refute my commentaries; so I want to hear your explanation.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then began to explain all the Vedanta-sutras of Vedanta. First of all:
janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah svarat
tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah
tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa
dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi
”O my Lord, Sri Krsna, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Sri Krsna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmaji, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Sri Krsna, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth. (Srimad Bhagavatam) 1.1.1)”
Brahma (the Supreme Spirit) is that from which everything is emanated. Sriman Mahaprabhu gave evidence from the Vedas: ‘yato va imani bhutani.’ Everything has emanated from Brahma, everything is resting in Brahma and everything enters into Brahma. How can it be that the source of all forms and personalities has no form or personality? This is not possible. God is sat-cit-ananda vigraha, He has a form of eternity, knowledge and bliss, as explained in Vedanta-sutra.
Arupa-vat eva hi tat pradhanatvat. This is one of the sutras (verses full with meaning) of Vedanta-Sutra. Arupavat means "apparently without a form." "Rupa” means “form”, “a” means “not” and “vat” means “like”, or “in comparison”. This word, therefore, also means “it is not like the form.” The suffix “vat”, meaning “like” or “in comparison”, is also used in the word "naravat-lila, meaning Sri Krsna’s human-like pastimes. His pastimes appear LIKE those of a human being, but they are not those of a human. “Nara” means “human”, and Krsna’s pastimes (lila) are described as “naravat” meaning “like those of a human”. So the meaning of arupa-vat is: “It is not that God’s form as the Deity is LIKE Him. Rather it IS Him. He IS that very form. The arca-vigraha (Deity in the temple) is not a symbolic representation. It is directly Vrajandra-nandana Syamasundara Himself. By the process of worshipping that Deity, one can directly see Him. I may say “the painting of me is like my form”, but this is not the case with Lord Krsna.
Arupa-vat. It is not that God has no form. His Deity (vigraha) is not a symbolic representation of Him. The Deity is directly God Himself. Mahaprabhu explained from the Vedas, “He has no hands, but He accepts offerings.” This means He has no material hands; He has a transcendental form. Sriman Mahaprabhu also explained from Srimad Bhagavatam:
atmaramas ca munayo
nirgrantha apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaitukim bhaktim
ittham-bhuta-guno harih
[“All different varieties of atmaramas [those who take pleasure in atma, or spirit self], especially those established on the path of self-realization, though freed from all kinds of material bondage, desire to render unalloyed devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead. This means that the Lord possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can attract everyone, including liberated souls.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.10)]
‘Ittham-bhuta-guno harih’ means that God has so many wonderful qualities. ‘Nirgrantha’ means those personalities who are completely liberated from this material world, like the four Kumaras (Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanat-kumara), Srila Sukadeva Gosvami and others. Though previously absorbed in nirvisesa-brahma, when they heard about the qualities of Sri Krsna, they became attracted, because His qualities are transcendental. They are abheda, non-different from Him.
Explaining the verses in this way Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu defeated all the explanations of Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and established the actual philosophical conclusions.
He then allowed Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya to see His Sad-bhuja rupa – His six-armed form. This six-armed form has two bluish arms of Krsna holding a flute, two greenish arms of Ramacandra holding a bow in one hand and an arrow in another, and two arms of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu holding a danda in one hand and a water pot in the other. In this way, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was completely transformed.
Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya previously taught ‘sarvam hy etad brahma’, meaning‘everything is ultimately impersonal Brahma.’ One should perform pancha upasana: the worship of Durga, Suryadeva, Ganesha, Siva and Visnu, but actually, everything is that impersonal Spirit. He had been teaching this, but after his meeting with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu he became completely transformed.
The next morning Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave him some prasadam, and he immediately accepted it without taking bath or performing any morning duties. The Bhattacarya then gave evidence from the injunction of Vedic scriptures. In the scriptures it is stated: “Whether you are pure or not, you should take mahaprasadam immediately, even if it has fallen from the mouth of a dog.” In this way we can see how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu transformed his personality.
One day, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya quoted a verse from Srimad Bhagavatam:
tat te ’nukampam susamiksamano
bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam
hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak
[“My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.”(Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.8)]
This verse says, ‘mukti-pade sa’, but he changed it to ‘bhakti-pade sa’. Now that his personality had been changed so greatly, he could not bare to hear the word, ‘mukti-pade’. He was thinking, “Those who tolerate all the difficulties and problems of life, thinking that the difficulties are coming as the fruits of their own karma, those who thus engage their body, mind and words in praying to the Supreme Lord – will get mukti?” He did not like this, so he changed the verse to ‘bhakti-pade sa daya-bhak’.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told him, “There is no fault in Srimad Bhagavatam; you should not change the verse. ‘Mukti-pade’ is perfect.” It refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose lotus feet are served by those living entities who are completely liberated from this world. Srimad Bhagavatam gives the correct conclusion – that those who are addicted to the transcendental service of the Supreme Lord, even if they are offered liberation, will not accept it.
Thus, while living in Jagannatha Puri, Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was completely transformed into a pure Vaisnava by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is from Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu first heard about Sri Raya Ramananda, after which He decided to search for him and have his association.
Tomorrow I will explain how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met with Raya Ramananda, and what subject matter they discussed.
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Last Updated on Monday, 26 April 2010
By BV Bhagavat Maharaja (ACBSP)
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My Response to the GBC Paper – The Final Conversation
Posted on13 April 2010.
PART ONE
When I was asked to look at the report that the GBC has recently published concerning the conversation that took place between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja I immediately understood that they were going to try and present this in a way which would minimize Srila Narayana Maharajas importance in the Samadhi ceremony and his intimate relationship with Srila Prabhupada. Therefore I was not surprised at what I saw but deeply disappointed. However upon examining the document with a Native Bengali speaker and comparing it to the sound file they provided I was shocked that they would be so bold as to make so many changes, omissions, and even additions to the conversation and still provide us with the original tape now highly digitally restored. I am not sure what they were thinking when they were doing this but it was obvious that they felt confident that they could get away with it.
In the early 90’s the followers of Srila Narayana Maharaja made a translation and transcription of this conversation which was published in the book called “Their Lasting Relationship”. The title of the article itself is “Prabhupada’s Final Order: On ISKCON and Srila Narayana Maharaja.” Based on the digitally restored file that I listened to with the Bengali translator there are also numerous errors in this presentation as well. However the translation work by Srila Narayana Maharaja’s disciples was done in the early 90’s off of a cheap cassette tape and not a digitally restored tape with all the background noise removed. I spoke to the person who listened to the cassette tape and did the translation for that book. He explained how he had to listen to it numerous times just to make out the basic words in the conversation and still he was not absolutely sure about some things but did the best he could under the circumstances. So considering the obstacles he had to face it is understandable that there would be errors in the presentation.
I am not sure what the excuse is for ISKCONS recent presentation, however, in commenting on their presentation I would first like to address the issue of the intimate relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja as it concerns this and other conversations which I and other devotees witnessed. If you go to the Veda Base folio and look at the conversation where Tamal Krishna and others are discussing Srila Narayana Maharaja coming on October 8th 1977 you will see that right after the conversation where Srila Prabhupada says: ”Narayana Maharaja comes; then everything is all right” the following conversation ensues after a break:
Prabhupada: When you have come back?
Bhagavat: I just came just now, a half hour before, from America.
Upendra: And he’s real skinny, Srila Prabhupada. He’s skinny.
Prabhupada: Why?
Bhagavat: Because I am following caturmasya. I have reduced to 160 pounds. Before I was 260. Now I am 160.
Prabhupada: Very nice.
Bhagavat: Shall I chant?
Prabhupada: Yes. (kirtana begins)
So here is the evidence that I was in Vrindavan at this time and witnessed Srila Narayana Maharajas intimate relationship with Srila Prabhupada.
Not only was I present for several meetings between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja but others were present also. Here is a copy of a post made on face book by one of my god brothers Pita Das:
“GBC says that NM last Conversation with SP is Oct 8 1977. I was present Nov 10 or 11the when Srila Prabhupada met NM and Swami Bon. First in English I heard SP ask NM to watch over his disciples. Then there was a Bengali Hindi conversation lasting at least 20 minutes. Don’t know if it was taped. Many tapes of 1977 have disappeared Sankarshan Prabhu was duplicating them in Houston naming them by content. He now says they never existed”
This leads us to another question. Where are the tapes? In the folio there are no taped conversations listed from August 18th to October 1st. Why Is that? Where are the conversations? Srila Prabhupada was Silent for 6 weeks? Here we have a devotee who was a witness to a conversation only 1 to 3 days before Srila Prabhupada left where this devotee heard Srila Prabhupada say in English to Srila Narayana Maharaja please take care of my disciples. Where is that tape? Why is the ISKCON GBC saying there is no such conversation when we have witnesses that there was? This same devotee says that Sankarshan Prabhu was making copies of those tapes. I have received an email from Sankarshan Prabhu where he states that he had tapes of Srila Prabhupada but he never had any tapes from Vrndavan in 1977. Are the tapes in the archives? Let’s see what Ekanath Prabhu has to say about that.
I took the following excerpt from a letter posted to the Sampradaya Sun on February 5th 2010 titled “Setting the Record Straight on Srila Prabhupada’s Audio” written by Ekanath Prabhu the director of the BBT Archives. The following except reveals just how much audio of Srila Prabhupada has not been published:
PS. Ongoing progress chart as of 02-05-2010:
•Audio ready for transcribing - 47
•Bengali proofreading in progress - 4
•Digital cassette transfers to be indentified - 249
•English proofreading completed–Stage 1 - 110
•English proofreading in progress–Stage 1 - 62
•English proofreading in progress–Stage 2 - 16
•English transcribing in progress - 66
•Hindi transcribing in progress - 15
•Bengali ready for transcribing - 15
•Ready for Folio– Veda Base ® - 10
•Hindi ready for transcribing - 54
•Sanskrit ready for proofreading - 50
•Reels to be digitized and to be indentified - 161
•Sanskrit proofreading in progress - 26
•Transcripts ready for English proofreading–Stage 1 - 44
•Conservative estimate of new audio files forthcoming – 500
In this recently produced paper the GBC tries to make it look like Srila Narayana Maharaja has misrepresented himself when he says that he was there on the last day. However we have two witnesses that saw him on the last and next to last day. On the next to last day Srila Prabhupada had a conversation with Srila Narayana Maharaja which it appears was either taped and the tape is missing or was not taped and is only in the memory of the witness. On the last day Srila Narayana Maharaja communicated with Srila Prabhupada in a very powerful spiritual way which no other disciple of Srila Prabhupada could. Furthermore there are eyewitness accounts where it appears that there were times when Srila Narayana Maharaja went to visit Srila Prabhupada and he was not communicating with anyone else. Furthermore there is a video on You Tube in which Bhakti Caru Maharaja is speaking at the Devananda Gaudiya Matha in front of Srila Narayana Maharaja, Tamal Krishna and Giriraja Maharaja and many ISKCON devotees. He says the following words I quote:
“Although junior to Srila Prabhupada (pause in speech) Srila Prabhupada used to treat him like his intimate friend, of course in those days none of us were in Krishna Consciousness. But later on when Srila Prabhupada was in Vrndavan in 1977 preparing to leave this planet and go back to Krishna’s eternal pastimes. Srila Prabhupada displayed what an intimate relationship he had with His Divine Grace Srila Narayana Maharaja. Narayana Maharaja used to come and see Srila Prabhupada quite often and they used to discuss about various things very intimately.”
Here is the video:
Here we have a GBC/GURU from ISKCON, who is presently holding both those positions, who is contradicting in the present paper issued by the GBC body his previous statements of the frequency and intimacy of the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja. These eyewitness accounts clearly indicate that Srila Narayana Maharaja is not exaggerating as the GBC contends but that rather the GBC is minimizing the frequency and intimacy of the relationship Srila Prabhupada had with Srila Narayana Maharaja and minimizing the position of Srila Narayana Maharaja in relation to ISKCON.
However the intimacy of the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja does not start in 1977 in Vraja during Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance pastimes as Bhakti Caru Maharaja points out, but starts 30 years earlier when they first met. Here is an excerpt from a letter written by Srila Prabhupada to Srila Narayana Maharaja on September 28th 1966:
“Our relationship is certainly based on spontaneous love. That is why there is no chance of us forgetting one another…..From the first time I saw you I have been your constant well wisher. At first sight of me, Srila Prabhupada also saw me with such love. It was in my very first darshan of Srila Prabhupada that I learned how to love.” (Excerpt from a letter by Srila Prabhupada to Srila Narayana Maharaja dated September 28th, 1966)
This letter makes it clear in Srila Prabhupada’s own words that Srila Prabhupada had very intimate feelings for Srila Narayana Maharaja from the moment they met. Some devotees may say that Srila Prabhupada has expressed similar sentiments to various disciples. However the extent to which Srila Prabhupada is comparing the intimacy of his feelings for Srila Narayana Maharaja with his own spiritual master’s feelings for him has, to the best of my knowledge, never been expressed to any of his disciples quite the way he is expressing it here to Srila Narayana Maharaja. ISKCON’s attempt to diminish the intimacy of the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja based on gerrymandering this one conversation and juxtaposing it against selected and various statements of Srila Narayana Maharaja is in my opinion a shameful exhibition that offends both Acharya’s.
The claim of the GBC is that they are doing this to protect Srila Prabhupada’s movement. However it was Srila Narayana Maharaja who really saved Srila Prabhupada’s movement from being given to Madan Mohan De, who is Srila Prabhupada’s son from his previous ashram, by the courts.
In this court case brought against ISKCON after Srila Prabhupada departed, Madan Mohan De proposed that Srila Prabhupada was not a Brahmin and therefore could not take sannyas. According to presentation to the court this meant that Srila Prabhupada was in fact a business man and that ISKCON was his business enterprise and that it legally belonged to the blood relations, meaning him, the hereditary son. Srila Narayana Maharaja went to court in Bombay at least 6 times at his own expense to serve as a witness on behalf of ISKCON in this case. He quoted extensive shastric evidence proving that a person was a Brahmin by qualification not by birth. That any Vaishnava was equal to and greater than a Brahmin and therefore was qualified to accept the Tridandi sannyas order. He quoted extensive evidence about the history and authority of the tridandi sannyas order and its validity according to shastra. He further explained that it was the order of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, the authorized Acharya in the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya and the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that any person who is a Vaishnava by qualification, no matter what their birth lineage is in fact a qualified Brahmin and that person could and should take sannyas at the appropriate time. He explained that his Guru, Srila Bhakti Prajnana Keshava Goswami who was Srila Prabhupada’s God brother was an authorized sannyasi in the line from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura and was qualified to award the sannyas diksha and mantras. In this way Srila Narayana Maharaja gave evidence that played a crucial role in the case to save ISKCON. Evidence that in fact no one at that time in ISKCON was qualified to give. So what is Srila Narayana Maharaja’s reward for helping Srila Prabhupada’s disciples to protect ISKCON from the court case of his son? What is his reward? He is banned from ISKCON.
If we look at the character of Srila Narayana Maharaja we see first of all that he came to the lotus feet of his Guru as a young man, leaving behind a wife and child and forsaking the orders of his father and mother. This may be no big deal in America but in India this is a serious breach of historical and Vedic social and moral customs. He took to the practice of Bhakti in 1946 and never left the practice of devotional service nor did he disregard its principles at any time in his devotional career. He took Sannyas in 1952 before most of us were even born and he never deviated from his Sannyas ashram vows in 58 years. He has always chanted a minimum of 100,000 holy names every day since the very beginning of his practice of Bhakti which is nearly 65 years. He has demonstrated his elevated position by remaining conscious and chanting Hare Krishna while under anesthesia during heart surgery. Only someone who is completely on the transcendental platform and whose soul is completely free from the encumbrance of the false ego and hence the entire subtle body could perform such a feat because his soul directly inhabits the body and is not affected by anesthesia. One morning during this past Kartik while we were listening to Srila Narayana Maharaja give his morning dissertation the priest from Seva Kunja came into our temple. He was carrying with him the Maha Prasadam and garlands from the previous nights Rasa Lila activities in Seva Kunja. The priest said that he was ordered by Srimati Radhika in a dream to bring the Maha Prasada to her dear sakhi who is known in this world as Narayana Maharaja. Srila Narayana Maharaja is the Mahabhagavat who is dearly beloved of Srimati Radharani and Srila Prabhupada.
In contrast to this picture of ideal and transcendental devotional behavior and spiritual intimacy with the Supreme Lord we have a plethora of persons in ISKCON calling themselves Gurus and Spiritual leaders who are not even able to follow the most basic adjusted principles of Bhakti like following the 4 regulative principles and chanting 16 rounds every day. Out of the so called original eleven Gurus, eight of them have admittedly fallen from the principles of Bhakti. There are numerous others who were made gurus later who have also fallen. Some devotees have been initiated and reinitiated as many as five times. The GBC as a body has written and rewritten one contradictory philosophical and theological position paper after another in order to protect its institutional conceptions only to change them later on. The GBC has admitted to committing serious aparadhas against Srila Sridhara Maharaja and then apologized later on after realizing their mistake. The GBC has admitted to committing serious aparadhas against their own exalted God brother Srila Gaur Govinda Maharaja and then apologized when realizing their mistake later on. They tried to obfuscate that they wanted to ban only Srila Narayana Maharaja from ISKCON in 1995 by making a ban on all of Srila Prabhupada’s God Brothers from visiting the temples. Then they broke their own policy and invited both Bhakti Pramode Puri Maharaja and Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja to ISKCON Vrndavan demonstrating that it was really an exclusive policy against Srila Narayana Maharaja. Devotees in the institution of ISKCON up to its highest levels repeatedly committed physical and sexual abuses against children and women and then the GBC systematically covered it up for years.
This same GBC body is now saying that Srila Narayana Maharaja was not with Srila Prabhupada on the last day, did not meet with him numerous times and have intimate conversations with him, and did not receive instructions to guide and help his disciples. I have shown you in this article that we have witnesses Pita das and Myself, that were present when Srila Narayana Maharaja was with Srila Prabhupada on the next to last and last day. We have witnesses, including a standing member of their present GBC body, Bhakti Caru, who have seen Srila Narayana Maharaja visit Srila Prabhupada numerous times, besides the October 8th conversation, and have intimate spiritual discussions with him. We have witnesses like Pita das who have heard Srila Prabhupada ask Srila Narayana Maharaja to guide and protect his disciples and his mission and we have demonstrated in this article how he has performed this task by saving the entire society. Yet this same GBC Body who has made so many mistakes in the past are now trying to tell us that the Mahabhagavat, a person of great integrity and unblemished character who has lived a true and exceptional devotional life is misrepresenting the facts about his relationship Srila Prabhupada.
I have now shown you in this the first part of my refutation how the GBC have contradicted themselves on the points that they have tried to establish in their paper the Final Conversation. Now in the second part of my refutation I will present a new commentary on the conversation based on the accurate translation of the digitized audio of the October 8th conversation and demonstrate yet again how they have mistranslated the words and meanings of Srila Prabhupada’s words in order to minimize the intimacy of his relationship with Srila Narayana Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to him to take care of his society and his disciples.
Bhakti is for Sharing:
9 Responses to “My Response to the GBC Paper – The Final Conversation”
B.V. Bhagavat Maharaja says:
April 14, 2010 at 11:25 AM
I received an email today from Sankarshan Prabhu who says that he had tapes of Srila Prabhupada but not those tapes from Vraja in 1977. So I reported what Pita Das told me and now Sankarshan Prabhu says that he has none of those tapes. I accept his statement.
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Das soham says:
April 14, 2010 at 12:36 PM
Thank you Uncle Bhagavat.
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Admin says:
April 15, 2010 at 12:03 PM
Here are some comments collected from Facebook:
Jayadvaita Dasa April 14 at 4:36am
Hare Krsna Maharaja please accept my dandavat pranams all glories to Sri guru and Gauranga.Just a quick message thanking you for your response to the gbc paper. The facts are very clear and the potency of the Mahabhagavata does and always will shine through regardless of what others say or do.It’s a great service you are doing thanks. your servant jayadvaita dasa Wales.
P.s are you planning on coming to wales this year as your association was really nice last year?
Tulsi Krishna April 13 at 10:31pm
Thank you so much Maharaj for such a very extensive presentation of facts. And more so, because you yourself was there, talking now on first hand account . Indeed Krishna is so merciful that He will always arrange in such a way that what Srila NArayan MAharaj told us is substanciated by wisnesses such as yourself. With your exposition, the deeper my love became to our beloved Srila Narayan Maharaj.
I did not meet Srila Prabhupad personally , although I’ve been a devotee since 1970 because the one incharge here in our place has some personal motive.He did not let any of us write a letter to Srila Prabhuapad. I cried when Srla PRabhupad left Nov.14th 1977. . But when I visited his samadhi last 1988, I was there crying at the back of his murti , hiding so no one will see me, and praying to please show me the person he favors to lead me to Krishna. Then the next day, , I met Srila Narayan MAharaj. I still have to this day a photo I took on that event.
Since I was the personal servant of Tamal Krishna Maharaj then, I was not able to have so much association of Srila Narayan Maharaj. I followed Srla NArayan Maharaj in some parikrams. Tamal KrishnaMaharaj noticed my behaviour towards Srila Narayn Maharaj that he took my passposrt and forwarded it to Gopal Krishna Maharaj in Bombay just to remove me from Vrindaban.
So I went back here in Philippines broken hearted. But 10 years later 1n Feb 8 1999, Srila Narayan Maharaj came here in our country with the help of Radha Kanta Prabhu. I was able to serve Srila Narayan Maharaj then more personally and ask him to take me as his disciple. ISKCON banned me upon knowing this, but I AM VERY HAPPY because Srila Prabhupad answered my prayer for he sent Srila Narayan Gurudev even to this very far place of asia!!!
Jonathan Glass April 13 at 2:40pm Report
Dear Bhagavat Maharaja,
dandavat pranams. thankyou so much this clarity. I pray all devotees will read. very illuminating!
your servant
Nimai Caitanya das
Szymon Potynski April 13 at 10:46am
Maharaja, Thank you so much for writing the response. Really appreciate it. It’s so sad for me that ISKCON become so heartless, while the essence of bhakti is a deep heart connection. Thank you for all your work. Radhe Syam.
Sakhya Rasa das
Bhagavan Das April 13 at 12:26pm
Good work my friend. I’m glad you are still alive! The Great Body of Calcifides is not porous enough to allow love or truth to permeate the membrane of the mind or heart.
Bruce Slayman April 13 at 10:39am
Dandabats maharaja. Sri Sri guru gauranga jayatah!
I just posted Shyamarani didi’s paper athttp://bvml.org/contemporary/JD_p3f.html Will post your today or tomorrow. I am on my way to India to perform Chardhama yatra.
Ys,
BBd
Śrī Rādhā Vallabha Dear Sripada Bhagavat Maharaja, my pranams to you!
thank you for your wonderful publication!
Hari Saran Das
Many thanks Maharaj for writing this response to the GBC. As usual, you always surprise us with interesting historic facts, which in this case it is helpful to clarify those misunderstandings regarding the -spotless- relationship between Srila BV Narayna Maharaj and Srila BV Swami Prabhupada.
Santosh Lalgith
THIS is real clarification. Thank you Uncle Bhagavat.
Gita Dasi
I am certain that many persons are shaking in their wooden platform sandles after hearing this mighty roar of Bhagavat Maharaja.
Kishori Mohan
My favorite line is: ISKCONS attempt to diminish the intimacy of the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayan Maharaja based on gerrymandering this one conversation and juxtaposing it against selected and various statements of Srila Narayan Maharaja is in my opinion a shameful exhibition that offends both Acharya’s.
Thanks! Excellent Rebuttal!
Narayanashram Austria
Please keep on publishing like this, and spread it ALL around, as it will give healing to the wounded hearts of thousands!
Przemek Premananda Pawelczak
Thanks You very much Bhagavat Maharaja!. This presentation give me so much reliefe. Just pasted it on polish forum “vrinda” and tomorrow start to translate. topmost urgency for truth!
Molly Carano
Thank you Bhagavat Maharaja! This letter is so needed and healing! you shared your beautiful and sweet memories…who can argue with that?!! Truth will out indeed!
Jaya Sri Saci-nandana Gaurahari! “He is absorbed in vraja-rasa. As the trascendental Kamadeva, He chastises the evil-minded and destroys deceit. As Radha-ramana Rama, He nourishes His pure devotees, drives away dry impersonalism, and removes all imitations of bhakti”, this is from Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s wonderful bhajan ‘Kali Kukkura Kadana’
All Glories to Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja
Who is the embodiment of all auspiciousness and who bestows al spiritual perfection and happiness!
Patita Pavana Gurudeva!
Kilimba G Alvarez
Thank you, Sripad Bhagavat Maharaj, for standing tall above the sea of apathy around this vitally important issue. As an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada, diksa disciple of Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaj and a heartfully connected siksha disciple of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, I would very much like to see Truth prevailabout the actual harmony and unity among the higher Vaisnavas. There is so much potential for sharing what we’ve been given by these maha-bhagavata pure devotees with the world. Imagine if we could show by combined behavior how powerful this Love really is..
Chiranjib Boyd
As a diksha disciple of Srila Prabhupada and a siksha disciple of Srila Gurudeva [BV Narayana Goswami Maharaja] I very much appreciate your efforts to defend the glory of their intimate relationship. I eagerly await your presentation of part two. I hope to get your association again at Badger Festival.
Bv Suddhadvaiti Swami
What a wonderful rebuttal letter in the face of these villains! What a splendid piece! Thank you so much, Maharaja.
Tracy Tabler Boyd
wow, this is so amazing, thank you for sharing this Maharaja, all glories to you!
Bv Damodara
You buried them so deep, they will need to dig with earth movers for the next 100 years to ever see the sunlight again……Thankyou Maharaja
Sudevi Dasi
Lol! Damodar Maharaj ! That really says it all…and more…
Guru Gauranga Das
As someone who doesn’t know Narayan Maharaja very well. And after reading both the GBC and your documents. I feel that I have gained more appreciation for Narayan Maharaja as a result of reading your document than I have gained doubts about him from the GBC document. It is always best to keep Vaisnava relationships strong. You must publish this on other sites. It will go along way to giving a balanced understanding of the situation.
There tends to be an understanding of them and us from the ISKCON camp. The GBC document is written to increase this feeling among their followers.The light of Bhakti is not trapped in the realm of any institution. And since when did ISKCON institutionalize Radha and Krishna, they are never bound. To imply that NM had a material agenda in regards to his relationship with SP is an insult. If they are not implying that, then what are they implying?
What is the logicical reason that the advanced devotees in ISKCON do not rise up against such blasphemy? The logic is that they are eating in the house of Duryodhana. And who is the Duryodhana of ISKCON? The Duryodhana is the internal personal pride and ambitions of the individual GBC and Guru’s. What is the reason that they maintain this internal Duryodhana of pride? Their reason is that they are protecting SP ISKCON. What does protection mean to them? Protection to them means to maintain a system that has proven to convert simple Vaisnava’s into disciple and money hungry businessmen! How is this maintained? By a system of exclusive Knitehood into their GBC based on exclusive boys club. Let us hope that creating a GBC in the NM camp does not end in the same way.
I pray that the salve of Bhakti will mend the hearts of those who have taken any position to lead any group of Vaisnavas. May Mahaprabhu bless everyone with his causeless Mercy!
Abhay Khurana
Thank you for this Maharaja. It’s wonderful to see false statements challenged quickly with the truth like this. All glories to your service.
Bankebihari Dasa
I agree with Sriman Guru Gauranga dasa that any “camp” spirit has been manufactured by the so called leaders of ISKCON in the wake of the coup-de-tat which hijacked an external manifestation of Srila Prabhupad’s beautiful bhakti wave. I haven’t seen any divisive camp spirit anywhere else. Institutionalism certainly cannot contain the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His pure maha-bhagavat representative on earth. Let the dogs bark, the caravan shall pass.
Ram-Chandra Das
Thank you so much Maharaj! the great research work to reveal the hidden truth!
Jaga Mohan Flood
Very well written and thought out.
Reply
Laksmidevi dasi says:
April 17, 2010 at 7:06 PM
Mahalo from Hawaii. Dandavats Bhagavat Maharaja! I pray every senior devotee of Srila Prabhupada’s who understands the truth you are speaking will also come forth with their stories as to why they left ISCON after their beloved Srila Prabhupada left. There are many, many who have their unpublished stories to fortify the truth about the GBC guys.
They need to say what they know while they are still on the planet.
I feel so sorry for those innocent devotees in ISCON who are bewildered by GBCON nonsense. When I was in Alachua they told me “Don’t ever call yourself a disciple of Srila Prabhupada.” I wept to the bone, my heart hurt so much. Even tho’ I read all of his books, I went to his temples, I associated with those actually initiated by Srila Prabhupada. He was so in my heart. I prayed to him to find me a Guru like him. I left Alachua on Radhastami, praying & chanting all the way back to California. Immediately I met a devotee who took me straight to Srila Narayana Maharaja. HARIBOL!!!!!! Jaya Gurudeva! Jaya Srila Prabhupada! Jaya Radhe!! Jaya Krishna!
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Acyutananda Dasa says:
April 18, 2010 at 5:13 AM
I wrote this on facebook, but it has not yet shown up here.
I want to share my thoughts on this issue, but I just hope this does not get taken the wrong way.
The issue between the GBC and our sanga stems not from an ideological dispute perse. Rather, it is being masqueraded as such to prevent the public from being concerned with the real issue at hand. The problem clearly is the attachment of a few select members (perhaps of the GBC) to their material assets (viz. followers, temples, property, prestige etc.) To think there will be some progress made at the legislative level (within ISKCON) by debating over the legitimacy of Gurudeva’s presence within their institution is an exercise in futility, because no matter how right you are, the problem is not an ideological one, but a material one.
‘Loyalty’ to Prabhupada in essence becomes a tool in manipulation to protect their vested interests, deceive the masses, and maintain some sort of doctrinal equilibrium. I do appreciate the articles that Syamarani didi, Swami BV Bhagavat and Swami BV Damodara have composed as it just continues to reveal ISKCONs ideological fallacy and reinforce our understanding of the true situation. But the issue is deeper, and I think that no matter how much we nail in these points, there’s always going to be something else they will manufacture to protect their assets. My real sympathy goes to all those who are currently being deceived into thinking that this type of attitude and behavior from the GBC is representative of Prabhupada’s innermost intention. Not only are they being materially deprived, but so much more so spiritually. In the political world this type of activity is termed ’spin’.
I beg forgiveness from my heart if I have offended anyone in this message, I just wanted to offer my perspective on the situation.
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Jayanta Dasa says:
April 18, 2010 at 6:22 PM
Dear Sripad Bhagavat maharaja,
My dandavat pranams. Sri Guru Gauranga Jayatah !
I just wanted to offer my heartfelt appreciations to you, Srimati Syamarani didi and Sripad BV Damodar maharaja for the most wonderful shastric refutations defending our most beloved Srila Gurudeva against these maha, maha aparadhis ! Who are these blasdphemous rascals ? What are their qualifications ? What are their lives histories ? What are their motives and modus operadhis ? We will find that they are all nitya baddhas and never free from the four defects 1) tendency to fool and cheat others 2) sure to commit mistakes 3) sure to be illusioned 4) always has imperect senses.
It is their false egos alone that causes them to “use Srila Prabhupada’s name and fame” for their malicious intent. The very fact that they are nitya baddhas and not free from there four defects make them totally ineligible to be believed in anything they say. Does any of them chant pure Nama ? How can they if they disobey the first offence and that is not “to blaspheme the Pure Devotees who have given their whole lives for propagating this Krsna Consciousness” ! Srila Prabhupad himself has stated there will demons
who will be masquerading as devotees in our Krsna Consciousness movement. They are surely detected as soon as they open their mouths ! On the other hand, our most beloved Srila Gurudeva is a Nitya Siddha, free from the four defects, whose most glorious character is sung throughout the vedic scriptures and all the three worlds ! I’ve been silent for along time but now I feel compelled
to throw my little pebbles just like the squirrels did along side of Hanumans to please and protect our “Lord Ramachandra” against these most wicked Ravanas ! We must not be silent and make the mistakes in the Mahabharat, just like Grandfather Bhismadeva ! We all must speak up against these nitya baddhas who will always have the four defects of conditioned souls and are of this material world whereas the Nitay Siddhas whom they have offended, such as our most beloved Srila Gurudeva, our beloved Nityalila Sri Srimad Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaja, our beloved Nityalila Sri Srimad Srila Gour Givinda Maharaja and others, are not of this material world but from Goloka Vrndaban, just to help conditioned souls like them, but they are blinded by their material ambitions and politics and lead others into a hellish condion with themselves ! Who would you believe, the nitya baddhas or the Nitya Siddhas ? The answer is
obvious and without doubt for all the simple hearted real devotees ! Hare Krsna ! All glories to Srila Gurudeva ! All glories To Srila Prabhupada ! Jaya, jaya Sri Radhe !
Aspiring for the mercy of Hari, Guru and Vaisnavas,
Jayanta das
Reply
Devarsirat das (ACBSP 1976) says:
April 18, 2010 at 9:14 PM
About The GBC Statement about Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja
Dear Sripad Bhagavat Maharaja,
Please accept my dandavats pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Sri Sri Radha Vinode Bihariji
I also like to offer my deep appreciations to You, Srimati Syamarani didi and Sripad BV Damodar Maharaja for defending our wonderful Srila Gurudeva.
In a huge list of truth distortions by the GBC, the recent GBC paper, is one of the worst, because it shamelessly attempts to direct the reader away from Srila Prabhupadas final wishes and instructions. I just feel sorry for the many devotees in Iskcon, who are misled by such interpretations and go to hell because of the resulting offences they are bound to make against Krishnas pure devotee, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.
When will everyone understand, that the GBC was not meant to be spiritual authority, but just a managing (money estates businesses e.g.) group of directors. Voting gurus in, Is not Vaisnava practice. Voting in a manager, yes, but not a genuine spiritual master. I was there when Srila Prabhupada passed away and when the managers suddenly became “divine graces;” Today, most of them have fallen down.
Why? Because at that time, their personal guidance from Srila Prabhupada stopped when He left for Goloka Vrindavan and they never took up to finish their training with Srila Narayana Maharaja.
They did not accept genuine Vaisnava Guidance from then until now, which is a huge gap in time and that explains the many disasters in Iskcon, we have all experienced or heard about. Everyone knows that Srila Prabhupada did not think these men were qualified and for them to have represented themselves as HDG Gurus immediately after Srila Prabhupada went into Samadhi, was disgusting and showed that they were not trained completely, otherwise they could have never done that. Srila Prabhupada knew their mentalities and for that reason He only made then managers. He wanted what He had begun, to be completed by HDG Srila Narayana Maharaja and this is the undistorted truth which the GBC members (which seem to process no shame doing so) try to distort by all means. To them it does not seem to matter, that they are misleading their disciples and all new comers wholesale.
Still what they began in those days, continues to this day, the idea of what a real guru is, has been watered down, with the only difference being, that this time there is no HDG title and the “Vyasasan” is a little lower. Today it is accepted in Iskcon that the Guru can fall down at any time…. GBC gurus give initiation and accept guru positions, without having had proper direct and complete training by a pure Vaisnava Spiritual master as directed by Srila Prabhupada.
Over and over again, some Iskcon voted in Guru has accepted disciples and they have accepted him, trusting this flawed voting system, thinking him to be very high, only later discovering to their despair (after they have given all their heart and so much money and service for years) that their “voted in” guru was not a highly advanced devotee after all and behind their back had sex with the wife of a disciple, or stole money, took drugs or was corrupt in some other way.
To make matters worse,the GBC,Instead of offering his lost disciples proper guidance, directing them to a real spiritual master as it is the system, handed them over to yet another so called spiritual master, who then later also fell down for some stupid reason.
In this way some devotees in Iskcon have had 3 or so called spiritual masters and this is going on to this day. Now they have the audacity, to criticise our beloved Srila Gurudeva whose record is completely unblemished and free from all faults.
Similarly to voters who believe that this time the next president or prime minister will be the big saviour of the country, Iskcon GBC also made their followers believe, that a guru can fall down and that the system is to surrender to yet another guru coming from the same unauthorised system. This is a grand deception and even so materially workable, spiritually it is like suicide.
Why was he voted in in the first place? GBC leaders have either no interest at all in promoting a genuine society of Vaisnavas and have no real mercy for the fallen souls Lord Chaitanya came to save, or they have completely misunderstood Guru tattva from the very beginning.
The existence of big buildings, lots of cash, opulent deity worship big positions and charismatic leaders (at least to the outside) does not automatically mean, that everything is pure bhakti and genuinely spiritual. Karmis and mayavadies also have big buildings and places for their practices and they also experience some bliss, but are we really so gullible to think, that the existence of wealth and marble, means there must also be real devotional substance?
If the genuine pure devotees direct personal guidance and direction is missing and another pure devotee is being rejected, is it really real?
Srila Prabhupada writes in the
Bhagavad Gita 4.42 Purport
One is therefore advised to study Bhagavad-gita, or any other scripture, under a bona fide spiritual master, with service and surrender. 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. The Lord is definitely the supreme person, and His activities are transcendental. One who understands this is a liberated person from the very beginning of his study of Bhagavad- gita.
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Gour Govinda das says:
April 22, 2010 at 1:42 AM
Dandavats B.V. Bhagavat Maharaja;
Glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja
The Glorious Disciplic Succession will always be established in all Yugas and in all times. Nothing and I mean nothing can stop the progressive march of Lord Chaitanya’s movement.
Banishment is actually a sure sign that one is on the right track. The Pandavas were banished. Lord Rama was banished. The smartas tried to kill Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja. Haridas Thakura was beaten twenty-one times. Jesus was crucified. What little discomfort we my experience in the service of our beloved Gurudeva is nothing in comparison. These hindrances are merely meant to hone our skills in defeating all avaishnava philosophies. Actually without these trials we would become complacent in our sadhana. We have to delve deep within our hearts to extract the pure desire to serve the true Vaishnavas. Krishna would want nothing less than full surrender. That is where the nectar lies.
To remove all material obstacles is not easy. We need to just sit and deeply meditate on the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva and that is where we will find the strength to go on. Gurudeva’s words are full of such sweet nectar. His devotion is so very deep and his spiritual strength knows no bounds. To have a moments association with a pure devotee of the Lord is all that is necessary for making solid progress on the path of spiritual realization. The barking dogs offer up nothing but noise. They too shall pass into the annals of history as nothing more than sign posts towards a dead end.
Thank you Sripad Bhagavat Maharaja for bringing the light of truth into the dark and cold cellar of misconceptions. No one can touch the powerful pure devotees of the Lord.
Gour Govinda das
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Sudarsana Das Vanachari says:
April 25, 2010 at 7:10 PM
All glories to Srila Gurudeva!
It is most wonderful that Sripad Bhagavat Maharaja, Sripada Damodara Maharaja and Srimati Syamarani didi have come to the defence of our beloved Srila Gurudeva and our beloved Srila Prabhupada in what can only be described as a devious and calculating ploy by those on the GBC, who by attepting to distort the truth are simply cheating others and themselves.
In the eyes of The Lord these personalities by their actions, are ”irrelevent” and their misdeeds will not go unpunished.
It is most heartening and enlivening to read all the comments of all the wonderful vaisnavas also who have certainly been blessed by our beloved Gurudeva.
This old verse I found in a book of “Quotations” and although “anonomous” rings true…….
For want of me the world’s course will not fail
When all its work is done, the lie shall rot
The TRUTH is great and shall PREVAIL
Where non cares whether it prevail or not!
Sudarsana Das Vanachari
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My Response to the GBC Paper – The Final Conversation
Posted on13 April 2010.
PART ONE
When I was asked to look at the report that the GBC has recently published concerning the conversation that took place between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja I immediately understood that they were going to try and present this in a way which would minimize Srila Narayana Maharajas importance in the Samadhi ceremony and his intimate relationship with Srila Prabhupada. Therefore I was not surprised at what I saw but deeply disappointed. However upon examining the document with a Native Bengali speaker and comparing it to the sound file they provided I was shocked that they would be so bold as to make so many changes, omissions, and even additions to the conversation and still provide us with the original tape now highly digitally restored. I am not sure what they were thinking when they were doing this but it was obvious that they felt confident that they could get away with it.
In the early 90’s the followers of Srila Narayana Maharaja made a translation and transcription of this conversation which was published in the book called “Their Lasting Relationship”. The title of the article itself is “Prabhupada’s Final Order: On ISKCON and Srila Narayana Maharaja.” Based on the digitally restored file that I listened to with the Bengali translator there are also numerous errors in this presentation as well. However the translation work by Srila Narayana Maharaja’s disciples was done in the early 90’s off of a cheap cassette tape and not a digitally restored tape with all the background noise removed. I spoke to the person who listened to the cassette tape and did the translation for that book. He explained how he had to listen to it numerous times just to make out the basic words in the conversation and still he was not absolutely sure about some things but did the best he could under the circumstances. So considering the obstacles he had to face it is understandable that there would be errors in the presentation.
I am not sure what the excuse is for ISKCONS recent presentation, however, in commenting on their presentation I would first like to address the issue of the intimate relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja as it concerns this and other conversations which I and other devotees witnessed. If you go to the Veda Base folio and look at the conversation where Tamal Krishna and others are discussing Srila Narayana Maharaja coming on October 8th 1977 you will see that right after the conversation where Srila Prabhupada says: ”Narayana Maharaja comes; then everything is all right” the following conversation ensues after a break:
Prabhupada: When you have come back?
Bhagavat: I just came just now, a half hour before, from America.
Upendra: And he’s real skinny, Srila Prabhupada. He’s skinny.
Prabhupada: Why?
Bhagavat: Because I am following caturmasya. I have reduced to 160 pounds. Before I was 260. Now I am 160.
Prabhupada: Very nice.
Bhagavat: Shall I chant?
Prabhupada: Yes. (kirtana begins)
So here is the evidence that I was in Vrindavan at this time and witnessed Srila Narayana Maharajas intimate relationship with Srila Prabhupada.
Not only was I present for several meetings between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja but others were present also. Here is a copy of a post made on face book by one of my god brothers Pita Das:
“GBC says that NM last Conversation with SP is Oct 8 1977. I was present Nov 10 or 11the when Srila Prabhupada met NM and Swami Bon. First in English I heard SP ask NM to watch over his disciples. Then there was a Bengali Hindi conversation lasting at least 20 minutes. Don’t know if it was taped. Many tapes of 1977 have disappeared Sankarshan Prabhu was duplicating them in Houston naming them by content. He now says they never existed”
This leads us to another question. Where are the tapes? In the folio there are no taped conversations listed from August 18th to October 1st. Why Is that? Where are the conversations? Srila Prabhupada was Silent for 6 weeks? Here we have a devotee who was a witness to a conversation only 1 to 3 days before Srila Prabhupada left where this devotee heard Srila Prabhupada say in English to Srila Narayana Maharaja please take care of my disciples. Where is that tape? Why is the ISKCON GBC saying there is no such conversation when we have witnesses that there was? This same devotee says that Sankarshan Prabhu was making copies of those tapes. I have received an email from Sankarshan Prabhu where he states that he had tapes of Srila Prabhupada but he never had any tapes from Vrndavan in 1977. Are the tapes in the archives? Let’s see what Ekanath Prabhu has to say about that.
I took the following excerpt from a letter posted to the Sampradaya Sun on February 5th 2010 titled “Setting the Record Straight on Srila Prabhupada’s Audio” written by Ekanath Prabhu the director of the BBT Archives. The following except reveals just how much audio of Srila Prabhupada has not been published:
PS. Ongoing progress chart as of 02-05-2010:
•Audio ready for transcribing - 47
•Bengali proofreading in progress - 4
•Digital cassette transfers to be indentified - 249
•English proofreading completed–Stage 1 - 110
•English proofreading in progress–Stage 1 - 62
•English proofreading in progress–Stage 2 - 16
•English transcribing in progress - 66
•Hindi transcribing in progress - 15
•Bengali ready for transcribing - 15
•Ready for Folio– Veda Base ® - 10
•Hindi ready for transcribing - 54
•Sanskrit ready for proofreading - 50
•Reels to be digitized and to be indentified - 161
•Sanskrit proofreading in progress - 26
•Transcripts ready for English proofreading–Stage 1 - 44
•Conservative estimate of new audio files forthcoming – 500
In this recently produced paper the GBC tries to make it look like Srila Narayana Maharaja has misrepresented himself when he says that he was there on the last day. However we have two witnesses that saw him on the last and next to last day. On the next to last day Srila Prabhupada had a conversation with Srila Narayana Maharaja which it appears was either taped and the tape is missing or was not taped and is only in the memory of the witness. On the last day Srila Narayana Maharaja communicated with Srila Prabhupada in a very powerful spiritual way which no other disciple of Srila Prabhupada could. Furthermore there are eyewitness accounts where it appears that there were times when Srila Narayana Maharaja went to visit Srila Prabhupada and he was not communicating with anyone else. Furthermore there is a video on You Tube in which Bhakti Caru Maharaja is speaking at the Devananda Gaudiya Matha in front of Srila Narayana Maharaja, Tamal Krishna and Giriraja Maharaja and many ISKCON devotees. He says the following words I quote:
“Although junior to Srila Prabhupada (pause in speech) Srila Prabhupada used to treat him like his intimate friend, of course in those days none of us were in Krishna Consciousness. But later on when Srila Prabhupada was in Vrndavan in 1977 preparing to leave this planet and go back to Krishna’s eternal pastimes. Srila Prabhupada displayed what an intimate relationship he had with His Divine Grace Srila Narayana Maharaja. Narayana Maharaja used to come and see Srila Prabhupada quite often and they used to discuss about various things very intimately.”
Here is the video:
Here we have a GBC/GURU from ISKCON, who is presently holding both those positions, who is contradicting in the present paper issued by the GBC body his previous statements of the frequency and intimacy of the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja. These eyewitness accounts clearly indicate that Srila Narayana Maharaja is not exaggerating as the GBC contends but that rather the GBC is minimizing the frequency and intimacy of the relationship Srila Prabhupada had with Srila Narayana Maharaja and minimizing the position of Srila Narayana Maharaja in relation to ISKCON.
However the intimacy of the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja does not start in 1977 in Vraja during Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance pastimes as Bhakti Caru Maharaja points out, but starts 30 years earlier when they first met. Here is an excerpt from a letter written by Srila Prabhupada to Srila Narayana Maharaja on September 28th 1966:
“Our relationship is certainly based on spontaneous love. That is why there is no chance of us forgetting one another…..From the first time I saw you I have been your constant well wisher. At first sight of me, Srila Prabhupada also saw me with such love. It was in my very first darshan of Srila Prabhupada that I learned how to love.” (Excerpt from a letter by Srila Prabhupada to Srila Narayana Maharaja dated September 28th, 1966)
This letter makes it clear in Srila Prabhupada’s own words that Srila Prabhupada had very intimate feelings for Srila Narayana Maharaja from the moment they met. Some devotees may say that Srila Prabhupada has expressed similar sentiments to various disciples. However the extent to which Srila Prabhupada is comparing the intimacy of his feelings for Srila Narayana Maharaja with his own spiritual master’s feelings for him has, to the best of my knowledge, never been expressed to any of his disciples quite the way he is expressing it here to Srila Narayana Maharaja. ISKCON’s attempt to diminish the intimacy of the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja based on gerrymandering this one conversation and juxtaposing it against selected and various statements of Srila Narayana Maharaja is in my opinion a shameful exhibition that offends both Acharya’s.
The claim of the GBC is that they are doing this to protect Srila Prabhupada’s movement. However it was Srila Narayana Maharaja who really saved Srila Prabhupada’s movement from being given to Madan Mohan De, who is Srila Prabhupada’s son from his previous ashram, by the courts.
In this court case brought against ISKCON after Srila Prabhupada departed, Madan Mohan De proposed that Srila Prabhupada was not a Brahmin and therefore could not take sannyas. According to presentation to the court this meant that Srila Prabhupada was in fact a business man and that ISKCON was his business enterprise and that it legally belonged to the blood relations, meaning him, the hereditary son. Srila Narayana Maharaja went to court in Bombay at least 6 times at his own expense to serve as a witness on behalf of ISKCON in this case. He quoted extensive shastric evidence proving that a person was a Brahmin by qualification not by birth. That any Vaishnava was equal to and greater than a Brahmin and therefore was qualified to accept the Tridandi sannyas order. He quoted extensive evidence about the history and authority of the tridandi sannyas order and its validity according to shastra. He further explained that it was the order of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, the authorized Acharya in the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya and the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that any person who is a Vaishnava by qualification, no matter what their birth lineage is in fact a qualified Brahmin and that person could and should take sannyas at the appropriate time. He explained that his Guru, Srila Bhakti Prajnana Keshava Goswami who was Srila Prabhupada’s God brother was an authorized sannyasi in the line from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura and was qualified to award the sannyas diksha and mantras. In this way Srila Narayana Maharaja gave evidence that played a crucial role in the case to save ISKCON. Evidence that in fact no one at that time in ISKCON was qualified to give. So what is Srila Narayana Maharaja’s reward for helping Srila Prabhupada’s disciples to protect ISKCON from the court case of his son? What is his reward? He is banned from ISKCON.
If we look at the character of Srila Narayana Maharaja we see first of all that he came to the lotus feet of his Guru as a young man, leaving behind a wife and child and forsaking the orders of his father and mother. This may be no big deal in America but in India this is a serious breach of historical and Vedic social and moral customs. He took to the practice of Bhakti in 1946 and never left the practice of devotional service nor did he disregard its principles at any time in his devotional career. He took Sannyas in 1952 before most of us were even born and he never deviated from his Sannyas ashram vows in 58 years. He has always chanted a minimum of 100,000 holy names every day since the very beginning of his practice of Bhakti which is nearly 65 years. He has demonstrated his elevated position by remaining conscious and chanting Hare Krishna while under anesthesia during heart surgery. Only someone who is completely on the transcendental platform and whose soul is completely free from the encumbrance of the false ego and hence the entire subtle body could perform such a feat because his soul directly inhabits the body and is not affected by anesthesia. One morning during this past Kartik while we were listening to Srila Narayana Maharaja give his morning dissertation the priest from Seva Kunja came into our temple. He was carrying with him the Maha Prasadam and garlands from the previous nights Rasa Lila activities in Seva Kunja. The priest said that he was ordered by Srimati Radhika in a dream to bring the Maha Prasada to her dear sakhi who is known in this world as Narayana Maharaja. Srila Narayana Maharaja is the Mahabhagavat who is dearly beloved of Srimati Radharani and Srila Prabhupada.
In contrast to this picture of ideal and transcendental devotional behavior and spiritual intimacy with the Supreme Lord we have a plethora of persons in ISKCON calling themselves Gurus and Spiritual leaders who are not even able to follow the most basic adjusted principles of Bhakti like following the 4 regulative principles and chanting 16 rounds every day. Out of the so called original eleven Gurus, eight of them have admittedly fallen from the principles of Bhakti. There are numerous others who were made gurus later who have also fallen. Some devotees have been initiated and reinitiated as many as five times. The GBC as a body has written and rewritten one contradictory philosophical and theological position paper after another in order to protect its institutional conceptions only to change them later on. The GBC has admitted to committing serious aparadhas against Srila Sridhara Maharaja and then apologized later on after realizing their mistake. The GBC has admitted to committing serious aparadhas against their own exalted God brother Srila Gaur Govinda Maharaja and then apologized when realizing their mistake later on. They tried to obfuscate that they wanted to ban only Srila Narayana Maharaja from ISKCON in 1995 by making a ban on all of Srila Prabhupada’s God Brothers from visiting the temples. Then they broke their own policy and invited both Bhakti Pramode Puri Maharaja and Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja to ISKCON Vrndavan demonstrating that it was really an exclusive policy against Srila Narayana Maharaja. Devotees in the institution of ISKCON up to its highest levels repeatedly committed physical and sexual abuses against children and women and then the GBC systematically covered it up for years.
This same GBC body is now saying that Srila Narayana Maharaja was not with Srila Prabhupada on the last day, did not meet with him numerous times and have intimate conversations with him, and did not receive instructions to guide and help his disciples. I have shown you in this article that we have witnesses Pita das and Myself, that were present when Srila Narayana Maharaja was with Srila Prabhupada on the next to last and last day. We have witnesses, including a standing member of their present GBC body, Bhakti Caru, who have seen Srila Narayana Maharaja visit Srila Prabhupada numerous times, besides the October 8th conversation, and have intimate spiritual discussions with him. We have witnesses like Pita das who have heard Srila Prabhupada ask Srila Narayana Maharaja to guide and protect his disciples and his mission and we have demonstrated in this article how he has performed this task by saving the entire society. Yet this same GBC Body who has made so many mistakes in the past are now trying to tell us that the Mahabhagavat, a person of great integrity and unblemished character who has lived a true and exceptional devotional life is misrepresenting the facts about his relationship Srila Prabhupada.
I have now shown you in this the first part of my refutation how the GBC have contradicted themselves on the points that they have tried to establish in their paper the Final Conversation. Now in the second part of my refutation I will present a new commentary on the conversation based on the accurate translation of the digitized audio of the October 8th conversation and demonstrate yet again how they have mistranslated the words and meanings of Srila Prabhupada’s words in order to minimize the intimacy of his relationship with Srila Narayana Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to him to take care of his society and his disciples.
Bhakti is for Sharing:
9 Responses to “My Response to the GBC Paper – The Final Conversation”
B.V. Bhagavat Maharaja says:
April 14, 2010 at 11:25 AM
I received an email today from Sankarshan Prabhu who says that he had tapes of Srila Prabhupada but not those tapes from Vraja in 1977. So I reported what Pita Das told me and now Sankarshan Prabhu says that he has none of those tapes. I accept his statement.
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Das soham says:
April 14, 2010 at 12:36 PM
Thank you Uncle Bhagavat.
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Admin says:
April 15, 2010 at 12:03 PM
Here are some comments collected from Facebook:
Jayadvaita Dasa April 14 at 4:36am
Hare Krsna Maharaja please accept my dandavat pranams all glories to Sri guru and Gauranga.Just a quick message thanking you for your response to the gbc paper. The facts are very clear and the potency of the Mahabhagavata does and always will shine through regardless of what others say or do.It’s a great service you are doing thanks. your servant jayadvaita dasa Wales.
P.s are you planning on coming to wales this year as your association was really nice last year?
Tulsi Krishna April 13 at 10:31pm
Thank you so much Maharaj for such a very extensive presentation of facts. And more so, because you yourself was there, talking now on first hand account . Indeed Krishna is so merciful that He will always arrange in such a way that what Srila NArayan MAharaj told us is substanciated by wisnesses such as yourself. With your exposition, the deeper my love became to our beloved Srila Narayan Maharaj.
I did not meet Srila Prabhupad personally , although I’ve been a devotee since 1970 because the one incharge here in our place has some personal motive.He did not let any of us write a letter to Srila Prabhuapad. I cried when Srla PRabhupad left Nov.14th 1977. . But when I visited his samadhi last 1988, I was there crying at the back of his murti , hiding so no one will see me, and praying to please show me the person he favors to lead me to Krishna. Then the next day, , I met Srila Narayan MAharaj. I still have to this day a photo I took on that event.
Since I was the personal servant of Tamal Krishna Maharaj then, I was not able to have so much association of Srila Narayan Maharaj. I followed Srla NArayan Maharaj in some parikrams. Tamal KrishnaMaharaj noticed my behaviour towards Srila Narayn Maharaj that he took my passposrt and forwarded it to Gopal Krishna Maharaj in Bombay just to remove me from Vrindaban.
So I went back here in Philippines broken hearted. But 10 years later 1n Feb 8 1999, Srila Narayan Maharaj came here in our country with the help of Radha Kanta Prabhu. I was able to serve Srila Narayan Maharaj then more personally and ask him to take me as his disciple. ISKCON banned me upon knowing this, but I AM VERY HAPPY because Srila Prabhupad answered my prayer for he sent Srila Narayan Gurudev even to this very far place of asia!!!
Jonathan Glass April 13 at 2:40pm Report
Dear Bhagavat Maharaja,
dandavat pranams. thankyou so much this clarity. I pray all devotees will read. very illuminating!
your servant
Nimai Caitanya das
Szymon Potynski April 13 at 10:46am
Maharaja, Thank you so much for writing the response. Really appreciate it. It’s so sad for me that ISKCON become so heartless, while the essence of bhakti is a deep heart connection. Thank you for all your work. Radhe Syam.
Sakhya Rasa das
Bhagavan Das April 13 at 12:26pm
Good work my friend. I’m glad you are still alive! The Great Body of Calcifides is not porous enough to allow love or truth to permeate the membrane of the mind or heart.
Bruce Slayman April 13 at 10:39am
Dandabats maharaja. Sri Sri guru gauranga jayatah!
I just posted Shyamarani didi’s paper athttp://bvml.org/contemporary/JD_p3f.html Will post your today or tomorrow. I am on my way to India to perform Chardhama yatra.
Ys,
BBd
Śrī Rādhā Vallabha Dear Sripada Bhagavat Maharaja, my pranams to you!
thank you for your wonderful publication!
Hari Saran Das
Many thanks Maharaj for writing this response to the GBC. As usual, you always surprise us with interesting historic facts, which in this case it is helpful to clarify those misunderstandings regarding the -spotless- relationship between Srila BV Narayna Maharaj and Srila BV Swami Prabhupada.
Santosh Lalgith
THIS is real clarification. Thank you Uncle Bhagavat.
Gita Dasi
I am certain that many persons are shaking in their wooden platform sandles after hearing this mighty roar of Bhagavat Maharaja.
Kishori Mohan
My favorite line is: ISKCONS attempt to diminish the intimacy of the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayan Maharaja based on gerrymandering this one conversation and juxtaposing it against selected and various statements of Srila Narayan Maharaja is in my opinion a shameful exhibition that offends both Acharya’s.
Thanks! Excellent Rebuttal!
Narayanashram Austria
Please keep on publishing like this, and spread it ALL around, as it will give healing to the wounded hearts of thousands!
Przemek Premananda Pawelczak
Thanks You very much Bhagavat Maharaja!. This presentation give me so much reliefe. Just pasted it on polish forum “vrinda” and tomorrow start to translate. topmost urgency for truth!
Molly Carano
Thank you Bhagavat Maharaja! This letter is so needed and healing! you shared your beautiful and sweet memories…who can argue with that?!! Truth will out indeed!
Jaya Sri Saci-nandana Gaurahari! “He is absorbed in vraja-rasa. As the trascendental Kamadeva, He chastises the evil-minded and destroys deceit. As Radha-ramana Rama, He nourishes His pure devotees, drives away dry impersonalism, and removes all imitations of bhakti”, this is from Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s wonderful bhajan ‘Kali Kukkura Kadana’
All Glories to Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja
Who is the embodiment of all auspiciousness and who bestows al spiritual perfection and happiness!
Patita Pavana Gurudeva!
Kilimba G Alvarez
Thank you, Sripad Bhagavat Maharaj, for standing tall above the sea of apathy around this vitally important issue. As an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada, diksa disciple of Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaj and a heartfully connected siksha disciple of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, I would very much like to see Truth prevailabout the actual harmony and unity among the higher Vaisnavas. There is so much potential for sharing what we’ve been given by these maha-bhagavata pure devotees with the world. Imagine if we could show by combined behavior how powerful this Love really is..
Chiranjib Boyd
As a diksha disciple of Srila Prabhupada and a siksha disciple of Srila Gurudeva [BV Narayana Goswami Maharaja] I very much appreciate your efforts to defend the glory of their intimate relationship. I eagerly await your presentation of part two. I hope to get your association again at Badger Festival.
Bv Suddhadvaiti Swami
What a wonderful rebuttal letter in the face of these villains! What a splendid piece! Thank you so much, Maharaja.
Tracy Tabler Boyd
wow, this is so amazing, thank you for sharing this Maharaja, all glories to you!
Bv Damodara
You buried them so deep, they will need to dig with earth movers for the next 100 years to ever see the sunlight again……Thankyou Maharaja
Sudevi Dasi
Lol! Damodar Maharaj ! That really says it all…and more…
Guru Gauranga Das
As someone who doesn’t know Narayan Maharaja very well. And after reading both the GBC and your documents. I feel that I have gained more appreciation for Narayan Maharaja as a result of reading your document than I have gained doubts about him from the GBC document. It is always best to keep Vaisnava relationships strong. You must publish this on other sites. It will go along way to giving a balanced understanding of the situation.
There tends to be an understanding of them and us from the ISKCON camp. The GBC document is written to increase this feeling among their followers.The light of Bhakti is not trapped in the realm of any institution. And since when did ISKCON institutionalize Radha and Krishna, they are never bound. To imply that NM had a material agenda in regards to his relationship with SP is an insult. If they are not implying that, then what are they implying?
What is the logicical reason that the advanced devotees in ISKCON do not rise up against such blasphemy? The logic is that they are eating in the house of Duryodhana. And who is the Duryodhana of ISKCON? The Duryodhana is the internal personal pride and ambitions of the individual GBC and Guru’s. What is the reason that they maintain this internal Duryodhana of pride? Their reason is that they are protecting SP ISKCON. What does protection mean to them? Protection to them means to maintain a system that has proven to convert simple Vaisnava’s into disciple and money hungry businessmen! How is this maintained? By a system of exclusive Knitehood into their GBC based on exclusive boys club. Let us hope that creating a GBC in the NM camp does not end in the same way.
I pray that the salve of Bhakti will mend the hearts of those who have taken any position to lead any group of Vaisnavas. May Mahaprabhu bless everyone with his causeless Mercy!
Abhay Khurana
Thank you for this Maharaja. It’s wonderful to see false statements challenged quickly with the truth like this. All glories to your service.
Bankebihari Dasa
I agree with Sriman Guru Gauranga dasa that any “camp” spirit has been manufactured by the so called leaders of ISKCON in the wake of the coup-de-tat which hijacked an external manifestation of Srila Prabhupad’s beautiful bhakti wave. I haven’t seen any divisive camp spirit anywhere else. Institutionalism certainly cannot contain the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His pure maha-bhagavat representative on earth. Let the dogs bark, the caravan shall pass.
Ram-Chandra Das
Thank you so much Maharaj! the great research work to reveal the hidden truth!
Jaga Mohan Flood
Very well written and thought out.
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Laksmidevi dasi says:
April 17, 2010 at 7:06 PM
Mahalo from Hawaii. Dandavats Bhagavat Maharaja! I pray every senior devotee of Srila Prabhupada’s who understands the truth you are speaking will also come forth with their stories as to why they left ISCON after their beloved Srila Prabhupada left. There are many, many who have their unpublished stories to fortify the truth about the GBC guys.
They need to say what they know while they are still on the planet.
I feel so sorry for those innocent devotees in ISCON who are bewildered by GBCON nonsense. When I was in Alachua they told me “Don’t ever call yourself a disciple of Srila Prabhupada.” I wept to the bone, my heart hurt so much. Even tho’ I read all of his books, I went to his temples, I associated with those actually initiated by Srila Prabhupada. He was so in my heart. I prayed to him to find me a Guru like him. I left Alachua on Radhastami, praying & chanting all the way back to California. Immediately I met a devotee who took me straight to Srila Narayana Maharaja. HARIBOL!!!!!! Jaya Gurudeva! Jaya Srila Prabhupada! Jaya Radhe!! Jaya Krishna!
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Acyutananda Dasa says:
April 18, 2010 at 5:13 AM
I wrote this on facebook, but it has not yet shown up here.
I want to share my thoughts on this issue, but I just hope this does not get taken the wrong way.
The issue between the GBC and our sanga stems not from an ideological dispute perse. Rather, it is being masqueraded as such to prevent the public from being concerned with the real issue at hand. The problem clearly is the attachment of a few select members (perhaps of the GBC) to their material assets (viz. followers, temples, property, prestige etc.) To think there will be some progress made at the legislative level (within ISKCON) by debating over the legitimacy of Gurudeva’s presence within their institution is an exercise in futility, because no matter how right you are, the problem is not an ideological one, but a material one.
‘Loyalty’ to Prabhupada in essence becomes a tool in manipulation to protect their vested interests, deceive the masses, and maintain some sort of doctrinal equilibrium. I do appreciate the articles that Syamarani didi, Swami BV Bhagavat and Swami BV Damodara have composed as it just continues to reveal ISKCONs ideological fallacy and reinforce our understanding of the true situation. But the issue is deeper, and I think that no matter how much we nail in these points, there’s always going to be something else they will manufacture to protect their assets. My real sympathy goes to all those who are currently being deceived into thinking that this type of attitude and behavior from the GBC is representative of Prabhupada’s innermost intention. Not only are they being materially deprived, but so much more so spiritually. In the political world this type of activity is termed ’spin’.
I beg forgiveness from my heart if I have offended anyone in this message, I just wanted to offer my perspective on the situation.
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Jayanta Dasa says:
April 18, 2010 at 6:22 PM
Dear Sripad Bhagavat maharaja,
My dandavat pranams. Sri Guru Gauranga Jayatah !
I just wanted to offer my heartfelt appreciations to you, Srimati Syamarani didi and Sripad BV Damodar maharaja for the most wonderful shastric refutations defending our most beloved Srila Gurudeva against these maha, maha aparadhis ! Who are these blasdphemous rascals ? What are their qualifications ? What are their lives histories ? What are their motives and modus operadhis ? We will find that they are all nitya baddhas and never free from the four defects 1) tendency to fool and cheat others 2) sure to commit mistakes 3) sure to be illusioned 4) always has imperect senses.
It is their false egos alone that causes them to “use Srila Prabhupada’s name and fame” for their malicious intent. The very fact that they are nitya baddhas and not free from there four defects make them totally ineligible to be believed in anything they say. Does any of them chant pure Nama ? How can they if they disobey the first offence and that is not “to blaspheme the Pure Devotees who have given their whole lives for propagating this Krsna Consciousness” ! Srila Prabhupad himself has stated there will demons
who will be masquerading as devotees in our Krsna Consciousness movement. They are surely detected as soon as they open their mouths ! On the other hand, our most beloved Srila Gurudeva is a Nitya Siddha, free from the four defects, whose most glorious character is sung throughout the vedic scriptures and all the three worlds ! I’ve been silent for along time but now I feel compelled
to throw my little pebbles just like the squirrels did along side of Hanumans to please and protect our “Lord Ramachandra” against these most wicked Ravanas ! We must not be silent and make the mistakes in the Mahabharat, just like Grandfather Bhismadeva ! We all must speak up against these nitya baddhas who will always have the four defects of conditioned souls and are of this material world whereas the Nitay Siddhas whom they have offended, such as our most beloved Srila Gurudeva, our beloved Nityalila Sri Srimad Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaja, our beloved Nityalila Sri Srimad Srila Gour Givinda Maharaja and others, are not of this material world but from Goloka Vrndaban, just to help conditioned souls like them, but they are blinded by their material ambitions and politics and lead others into a hellish condion with themselves ! Who would you believe, the nitya baddhas or the Nitya Siddhas ? The answer is
obvious and without doubt for all the simple hearted real devotees ! Hare Krsna ! All glories to Srila Gurudeva ! All glories To Srila Prabhupada ! Jaya, jaya Sri Radhe !
Aspiring for the mercy of Hari, Guru and Vaisnavas,
Jayanta das
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Devarsirat das (ACBSP 1976) says:
April 18, 2010 at 9:14 PM
About The GBC Statement about Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja
Dear Sripad Bhagavat Maharaja,
Please accept my dandavats pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Sri Sri Radha Vinode Bihariji
I also like to offer my deep appreciations to You, Srimati Syamarani didi and Sripad BV Damodar Maharaja for defending our wonderful Srila Gurudeva.
In a huge list of truth distortions by the GBC, the recent GBC paper, is one of the worst, because it shamelessly attempts to direct the reader away from Srila Prabhupadas final wishes and instructions. I just feel sorry for the many devotees in Iskcon, who are misled by such interpretations and go to hell because of the resulting offences they are bound to make against Krishnas pure devotee, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.
When will everyone understand, that the GBC was not meant to be spiritual authority, but just a managing (money estates businesses e.g.) group of directors. Voting gurus in, Is not Vaisnava practice. Voting in a manager, yes, but not a genuine spiritual master. I was there when Srila Prabhupada passed away and when the managers suddenly became “divine graces;” Today, most of them have fallen down.
Why? Because at that time, their personal guidance from Srila Prabhupada stopped when He left for Goloka Vrindavan and they never took up to finish their training with Srila Narayana Maharaja.
They did not accept genuine Vaisnava Guidance from then until now, which is a huge gap in time and that explains the many disasters in Iskcon, we have all experienced or heard about. Everyone knows that Srila Prabhupada did not think these men were qualified and for them to have represented themselves as HDG Gurus immediately after Srila Prabhupada went into Samadhi, was disgusting and showed that they were not trained completely, otherwise they could have never done that. Srila Prabhupada knew their mentalities and for that reason He only made then managers. He wanted what He had begun, to be completed by HDG Srila Narayana Maharaja and this is the undistorted truth which the GBC members (which seem to process no shame doing so) try to distort by all means. To them it does not seem to matter, that they are misleading their disciples and all new comers wholesale.
Still what they began in those days, continues to this day, the idea of what a real guru is, has been watered down, with the only difference being, that this time there is no HDG title and the “Vyasasan” is a little lower. Today it is accepted in Iskcon that the Guru can fall down at any time…. GBC gurus give initiation and accept guru positions, without having had proper direct and complete training by a pure Vaisnava Spiritual master as directed by Srila Prabhupada.
Over and over again, some Iskcon voted in Guru has accepted disciples and they have accepted him, trusting this flawed voting system, thinking him to be very high, only later discovering to their despair (after they have given all their heart and so much money and service for years) that their “voted in” guru was not a highly advanced devotee after all and behind their back had sex with the wife of a disciple, or stole money, took drugs or was corrupt in some other way.
To make matters worse,the GBC,Instead of offering his lost disciples proper guidance, directing them to a real spiritual master as it is the system, handed them over to yet another so called spiritual master, who then later also fell down for some stupid reason.
In this way some devotees in Iskcon have had 3 or so called spiritual masters and this is going on to this day. Now they have the audacity, to criticise our beloved Srila Gurudeva whose record is completely unblemished and free from all faults.
Similarly to voters who believe that this time the next president or prime minister will be the big saviour of the country, Iskcon GBC also made their followers believe, that a guru can fall down and that the system is to surrender to yet another guru coming from the same unauthorised system. This is a grand deception and even so materially workable, spiritually it is like suicide.
Why was he voted in in the first place? GBC leaders have either no interest at all in promoting a genuine society of Vaisnavas and have no real mercy for the fallen souls Lord Chaitanya came to save, or they have completely misunderstood Guru tattva from the very beginning.
The existence of big buildings, lots of cash, opulent deity worship big positions and charismatic leaders (at least to the outside) does not automatically mean, that everything is pure bhakti and genuinely spiritual. Karmis and mayavadies also have big buildings and places for their practices and they also experience some bliss, but are we really so gullible to think, that the existence of wealth and marble, means there must also be real devotional substance?
If the genuine pure devotees direct personal guidance and direction is missing and another pure devotee is being rejected, is it really real?
Srila Prabhupada writes in the
Bhagavad Gita 4.42 Purport
One is therefore advised to study Bhagavad-gita, or any other scripture, under a bona fide spiritual master, with service and surrender. 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. The Lord is definitely the supreme person, and His activities are transcendental. One who understands this is a liberated person from the very beginning of his study of Bhagavad- gita.
Reply
Gour Govinda das says:
April 22, 2010 at 1:42 AM
Dandavats B.V. Bhagavat Maharaja;
Glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Narayana Maharaja
The Glorious Disciplic Succession will always be established in all Yugas and in all times. Nothing and I mean nothing can stop the progressive march of Lord Chaitanya’s movement.
Banishment is actually a sure sign that one is on the right track. The Pandavas were banished. Lord Rama was banished. The smartas tried to kill Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja. Haridas Thakura was beaten twenty-one times. Jesus was crucified. What little discomfort we my experience in the service of our beloved Gurudeva is nothing in comparison. These hindrances are merely meant to hone our skills in defeating all avaishnava philosophies. Actually without these trials we would become complacent in our sadhana. We have to delve deep within our hearts to extract the pure desire to serve the true Vaishnavas. Krishna would want nothing less than full surrender. That is where the nectar lies.
To remove all material obstacles is not easy. We need to just sit and deeply meditate on the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva and that is where we will find the strength to go on. Gurudeva’s words are full of such sweet nectar. His devotion is so very deep and his spiritual strength knows no bounds. To have a moments association with a pure devotee of the Lord is all that is necessary for making solid progress on the path of spiritual realization. The barking dogs offer up nothing but noise. They too shall pass into the annals of history as nothing more than sign posts towards a dead end.
Thank you Sripad Bhagavat Maharaja for bringing the light of truth into the dark and cold cellar of misconceptions. No one can touch the powerful pure devotees of the Lord.
Gour Govinda das
Reply
Sudarsana Das Vanachari says:
April 25, 2010 at 7:10 PM
All glories to Srila Gurudeva!
It is most wonderful that Sripad Bhagavat Maharaja, Sripada Damodara Maharaja and Srimati Syamarani didi have come to the defence of our beloved Srila Gurudeva and our beloved Srila Prabhupada in what can only be described as a devious and calculating ploy by those on the GBC, who by attepting to distort the truth are simply cheating others and themselves.
In the eyes of The Lord these personalities by their actions, are ”irrelevent” and their misdeeds will not go unpunished.
It is most heartening and enlivening to read all the comments of all the wonderful vaisnavas also who have certainly been blessed by our beloved Gurudeva.
This old verse I found in a book of “Quotations” and although “anonomous” rings true…….
For want of me the world’s course will not fail
When all its work is done, the lie shall rot
The TRUTH is great and shall PREVAIL
Where non cares whether it prevail or not!
Sudarsana Das Vanachari
Reply
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Friday, March 5, 2010
True Guru is free from Material desires
Haribol dear devotees and friends
Last night the Pietermaritzburg
devotees met at the weekly Nama
Hatta.We begun with Arati to their
Lordships Sri Sri Radha Vinodhe
Bihariji and then bhajans.
Then we had a lecture,and
discussion about Sri Guru
since all the devotees here
had the Great oppurtunity
to meet our beloved Srila
Gurudeva ,and we discussed
that the true Guru is free
from material desires,especially
from the desire for marriage,mundane
tv movies and films and the True
Guru is always immersed in bhajan
and enthuses his disciples and all the people
where ever he goes.
All the devotees were glorifying our
beloved Srila Gurudeva Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta
Narayan Maharaja and how fortuanate that such
a Pure Vaishnava came here many so called sadhu`s
come but i`ve seen how they are attached to movies,tv
and the desire to get marriage,how unfortuanate
for those followers who are getting cheated
we are lucky that we have been saved by our
Srila Gurudeva.
Last night the Pietermaritzburg
devotees met at the weekly Nama
Hatta.We begun with Arati to their
Lordships Sri Sri Radha Vinodhe
Bihariji and then bhajans.
Then we had a lecture,and
discussion about Sri Guru
since all the devotees here
had the Great oppurtunity
to meet our beloved Srila
Gurudeva ,and we discussed
that the true Guru is free
from material desires,especially
from the desire for marriage,mundane
tv movies and films and the True
Guru is always immersed in bhajan
and enthuses his disciples and all the people
where ever he goes.
All the devotees were glorifying our
beloved Srila Gurudeva Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta
Narayan Maharaja and how fortuanate that such
a Pure Vaishnava came here many so called sadhu`s
come but i`ve seen how they are attached to movies,tv
and the desire to get marriage,how unfortuanate
for those followers who are getting cheated
we are lucky that we have been saved by our
Srila Gurudeva.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Who is the True Guru?
Welcome to
Rays of The Harmonist
Monthly On-line Edition
By the causeless mercy of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga, the Rays of The Harmonist team would like to welcome you to this monthly on-line edition, which exclusively features some of Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s discourses.
The domain name of this email address, sarasvati-vinoda, has a special meaning. Sarasvati is the name of transcendental knowledge herself and also the embodiment of transcendental knowledge Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, and vinoda means “spiritual bliss” or more particularly “one who increases Srila Sarasvati Thakura’s transcendental bliss”. In other words, vinoda refers to Srila Sarasvati Thakura’s illustrious disciple Sri Vinoda-bihari Brahmacari, later known as Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja is the sannyasa guru of Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja and the spiritual master of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja.
If the souls suffering in this world receive this transcendental knowledge with faith, they will experience spiritual bliss. At the same time, the aim of distributing this transcendental knowledge is to enhance the vinoda of Sarasvati Prabhupada.
We hope these articles nourish you. In this way we may all increase the bliss of Srila Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada.
Aspiring for the service of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga,
The Rays of The Harmonist team Sri Sarasvati Thakura (right) & Sri Vinoda-bihari Brahmacari (second from left).
sri sri guru gauranga jayatah!
Year-1, Number 8
Posted: 20 September 2008
Dedicated to
nitya-lila pravistha om visnupada
Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja
Inspired by and under the guidance of
Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja
Who is the True Guru?
by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada
Who is the true Guru? It is he who is constantly engaged in the service of Sri Hari. And who is the truly learned man? It is he who, in the words of Sri Krsna, is well conversant with actual knowledge of the jiva’s bondage and his deliverance from it (cf. Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.19.41).
We should only accept as our guru he who employs all of his time, cent per cent, in God’s service. Otherwise we will fail miserably by following him. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta has instructed us: “A true guru teaches his disciple through his own behaviour and practice. He cannot teach dharma who does not abide by it himself.”
The srutis instruct us, “one who seeks true knowledge of tat – that Supreme Being – should gather the necessary articles for initiation and approach a guru who is conversant in the Vedas and steeped in realization of Brahman – the Supreme Spirit” (Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.12). This instruction has also been given in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.21): “One who seeks his highest well-being should surrender himself to a guru who is well-versed in the imports of the Vedas, who has full realization of Parabrahma and who has thereby become the shelter of true peace.” Neither platform-speakers, who are but skilled in giving speeches, yet who conduct themselves improperly, nor professional priests can be gurus.
One who does not stay constantly engaged in hari-bhajana (devotional service to Sri Hari) will be anxious to take up other engagements on the strength of sri-nama and will thus risk committing the severe aparadha, or offence, of utilizing sri-nama in sinful affairs. Moreover, one who acts in the capacity of guru for a salary or according to a contract cannot be a guru, nor can one who reads the Srimad-Bhagavatam blindly. First of all, refrain from approaching such professional priests and platform-speakers. Observe whether or not they fully devote their time to Srimad-Bhagavatam. For one who is steeped or accomplished in realization of Parabrahma, one’s full time is occupied with service to God.
From whom should we hear the Srimad-Bhagavatam? We should hear and learn the Bhagavatam from a true Vaisnava, for it cannot emanate from the mouth of one who is not a bhagavata, or true devotee. Pretending to ably recite it just leads others astray. He who does so is himself deceived and as such, deceives others. How can the Bhagavatam, which is not different from Sri Bhagavan, really play on the tongues of the professional readers who pose as conversant scholars when reading it before others, but who have no true devotion to Sri Bhagavan due to being engaged in worldly enjoyment? On the plea of discussing the Bhagavatam, they simply gratify their own senses instead of the senses of Sri Krsna.
He who is anxious for his true well-being should never come in contact with such professional readers and thereby court his own downfall, while falsely believing that he will truly be benefited by accepting them as his gurus and hearing from them as though he were their disciple. How can someone who is busy with the maintenance of his wife and children; who is fully devoted to his desire for worldly enjoyments, which arise out of illusion; and who tries to employ God, the highest Entity worthy of adoration and service, in supplying him fuel for the fire of those enjoyments; act as jagad-guru, or the true instructor of all people?
What do we observe in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and in the conduct and preaching of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees? Those who foster within their hearts fear, affliction, illusion, sensual desires, greed, and feelings of frustration in relation to their bodies, wealth, friends and so on due to their attachment to some object other than God, have not surrendered themselves to God. Such undedicated individuals cannot advise others to surrender to God. Even if they give verbal instructions, their preaching, which is bereft of any practical examples from their own conduct, is ineffective.
Only a mahabhagavata (exalted devotee of God) who has no worldly possession or attachment, and who has sincerely surrendered himself to Krsna and exclusively serves Him twenty-four hours a day can legitimately occupy the acarya’s seat.
adapted from The Gaudiya Volume 24, No.11
Posted by the Rays of The Harmonist team
Special On-line Edition – The disappearance day of Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, 14 October 2008
Next Issue - #9: “By what means can one receive the complete mercy of Krsna?”, 19 October 2008
Visit Rays of The Harmonist Monthly On-Line Edition at Purebhakti.com for a complete list of articles.
Or click here to download PDFs of the Rays of The Harmonist yearly magazine.
Rays of The Harmonist On-line; Year 1, Number 8 – “Who is the True Guru?” by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License to ensure that it is always freely available.
You may redistribute this article if you include this license and attribute it to Rays of The Harmonist. Please ask for permission before using the Rays of The Harmonist banner-logo.
--
Rays of The Harmonist
Monthly On-line Edition
By the causeless mercy of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga, the Rays of The Harmonist team would like to welcome you to this monthly on-line edition, which exclusively features some of Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s discourses.
The domain name of this email address, sarasvati-vinoda, has a special meaning. Sarasvati is the name of transcendental knowledge herself and also the embodiment of transcendental knowledge Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, and vinoda means “spiritual bliss” or more particularly “one who increases Srila Sarasvati Thakura’s transcendental bliss”. In other words, vinoda refers to Srila Sarasvati Thakura’s illustrious disciple Sri Vinoda-bihari Brahmacari, later known as Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja is the sannyasa guru of Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja and the spiritual master of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja.
If the souls suffering in this world receive this transcendental knowledge with faith, they will experience spiritual bliss. At the same time, the aim of distributing this transcendental knowledge is to enhance the vinoda of Sarasvati Prabhupada.
We hope these articles nourish you. In this way we may all increase the bliss of Srila Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada.
Aspiring for the service of Sri Sri Guru Gauranga,
The Rays of The Harmonist team Sri Sarasvati Thakura (right) & Sri Vinoda-bihari Brahmacari (second from left).
sri sri guru gauranga jayatah!
Year-1, Number 8
Posted: 20 September 2008
Dedicated to
nitya-lila pravistha om visnupada
Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja
Inspired by and under the guidance of
Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja
Who is the True Guru?
by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada
Who is the true Guru? It is he who is constantly engaged in the service of Sri Hari. And who is the truly learned man? It is he who, in the words of Sri Krsna, is well conversant with actual knowledge of the jiva’s bondage and his deliverance from it (cf. Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.19.41).
We should only accept as our guru he who employs all of his time, cent per cent, in God’s service. Otherwise we will fail miserably by following him. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta has instructed us: “A true guru teaches his disciple through his own behaviour and practice. He cannot teach dharma who does not abide by it himself.”
The srutis instruct us, “one who seeks true knowledge of tat – that Supreme Being – should gather the necessary articles for initiation and approach a guru who is conversant in the Vedas and steeped in realization of Brahman – the Supreme Spirit” (Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.12). This instruction has also been given in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.21): “One who seeks his highest well-being should surrender himself to a guru who is well-versed in the imports of the Vedas, who has full realization of Parabrahma and who has thereby become the shelter of true peace.” Neither platform-speakers, who are but skilled in giving speeches, yet who conduct themselves improperly, nor professional priests can be gurus.
One who does not stay constantly engaged in hari-bhajana (devotional service to Sri Hari) will be anxious to take up other engagements on the strength of sri-nama and will thus risk committing the severe aparadha, or offence, of utilizing sri-nama in sinful affairs. Moreover, one who acts in the capacity of guru for a salary or according to a contract cannot be a guru, nor can one who reads the Srimad-Bhagavatam blindly. First of all, refrain from approaching such professional priests and platform-speakers. Observe whether or not they fully devote their time to Srimad-Bhagavatam. For one who is steeped or accomplished in realization of Parabrahma, one’s full time is occupied with service to God.
From whom should we hear the Srimad-Bhagavatam? We should hear and learn the Bhagavatam from a true Vaisnava, for it cannot emanate from the mouth of one who is not a bhagavata, or true devotee. Pretending to ably recite it just leads others astray. He who does so is himself deceived and as such, deceives others. How can the Bhagavatam, which is not different from Sri Bhagavan, really play on the tongues of the professional readers who pose as conversant scholars when reading it before others, but who have no true devotion to Sri Bhagavan due to being engaged in worldly enjoyment? On the plea of discussing the Bhagavatam, they simply gratify their own senses instead of the senses of Sri Krsna.
He who is anxious for his true well-being should never come in contact with such professional readers and thereby court his own downfall, while falsely believing that he will truly be benefited by accepting them as his gurus and hearing from them as though he were their disciple. How can someone who is busy with the maintenance of his wife and children; who is fully devoted to his desire for worldly enjoyments, which arise out of illusion; and who tries to employ God, the highest Entity worthy of adoration and service, in supplying him fuel for the fire of those enjoyments; act as jagad-guru, or the true instructor of all people?
What do we observe in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and in the conduct and preaching of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees? Those who foster within their hearts fear, affliction, illusion, sensual desires, greed, and feelings of frustration in relation to their bodies, wealth, friends and so on due to their attachment to some object other than God, have not surrendered themselves to God. Such undedicated individuals cannot advise others to surrender to God. Even if they give verbal instructions, their preaching, which is bereft of any practical examples from their own conduct, is ineffective.
Only a mahabhagavata (exalted devotee of God) who has no worldly possession or attachment, and who has sincerely surrendered himself to Krsna and exclusively serves Him twenty-four hours a day can legitimately occupy the acarya’s seat.
adapted from The Gaudiya Volume 24, No.11
Posted by the Rays of The Harmonist team
Special On-line Edition – The disappearance day of Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, 14 October 2008
Next Issue - #9: “By what means can one receive the complete mercy of Krsna?”, 19 October 2008
Visit Rays of The Harmonist Monthly On-Line Edition at Purebhakti.com for a complete list of articles.
Or click here to download PDFs of the Rays of The Harmonist yearly magazine.
Rays of The Harmonist On-line; Year 1, Number 8 – “Who is the True Guru?” by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License to ensure that it is always freely available.
You may redistribute this article if you include this license and attribute it to Rays of The Harmonist. Please ask for permission before using the Rays of The Harmonist banner-logo.
--
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Durban Nama Hatta
All Glories to Srila Gurudeva Sri Srimad
Bhaktivedanta Narayan Gosvami Maharaja
Yesterday by the Mercy of our Srila Gurudeva
Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayan Gosvami
Maharaja the Durban devotees started the
Durban Nama Hatta at Atul Krsna prabhu`s
house.Durban has so nice sincere souls.
Srila Gurudeva on his first ever visit
to Durban has inspired so many of these
wonderful Vaishnava`s.I was thinking
whilst i was at the programe yesterday
that all the devotees gathered only
by Srila Gurudeva`s mercy and that Gurudeva
is in the centre and all his children are
circumambulating him by serving his mission
and studying his books and hearing his Divine
Hari Katha by which he captures everyones hearts.
Johannesburg devotees also have plans for a
Nama Hatta which is headed up by Ujjvala
prabhu the senior Srila Gurudeva`s disciple
in the Johannesburg area.It all looks auspicious
and and positive now,the preaching will definetely
be taken to new heights.Pietermaritzburg preaching
also is going to new heights,with new devotees
who attended Srila Gurudeva`s programmes in the
Aryan Hall in Pietermaritzburg are now coming
forward enquiring about Krsna Consciousness.
Bhaktivedanta Narayan Gosvami Maharaja
Yesterday by the Mercy of our Srila Gurudeva
Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayan Gosvami
Maharaja the Durban devotees started the
Durban Nama Hatta at Atul Krsna prabhu`s
house.Durban has so nice sincere souls.
Srila Gurudeva on his first ever visit
to Durban has inspired so many of these
wonderful Vaishnava`s.I was thinking
whilst i was at the programe yesterday
that all the devotees gathered only
by Srila Gurudeva`s mercy and that Gurudeva
is in the centre and all his children are
circumambulating him by serving his mission
and studying his books and hearing his Divine
Hari Katha by which he captures everyones hearts.
Johannesburg devotees also have plans for a
Nama Hatta which is headed up by Ujjvala
prabhu the senior Srila Gurudeva`s disciple
in the Johannesburg area.It all looks auspicious
and and positive now,the preaching will definetely
be taken to new heights.Pietermaritzburg preaching
also is going to new heights,with new devotees
who attended Srila Gurudeva`s programmes in the
Aryan Hall in Pietermaritzburg are now coming
forward enquiring about Krsna Consciousness.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Successfull festivals with our Beloved Srila Gurudeva
Wow!is all i can say our beloved Srila Gurudeva
has come and captured the hearts of many South
African`s.We had successfull preaching in Pietermaritzburg,
Durban and in Johannesburg,Benoni and Lenasia.
You know the strangest thing happened during us
preparing for our Srila Gurudeva and during the
festivals with our Srila Gurudeva.Iskcon
had programmes on the same day as us in the
same city.They have tried to oppose our
preaching and in this way have dissapointed
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Bhaktivedanta
Svami Maharaja Prabhupada.None the less we continued
our programmes and were very successful.Many sincere
souls came and heard Pure Hari Katha which was lacking
since 1975 since Srila Prabhupada came to South Africa.
Also a devotee by the name of Bhakti Caitnaya Swami
wrote some very untrue comments on his website.
he described the preaching as a phenomona and has
this idea that Srila Gurudeva`s disciples go to
Iskcon devotees homes and pull them away.
He also said that some of Srila Gurudeva`s disciples
preached strongly to the youth to join Srila Gurudeva.
I wonder which century this devotee Bhakti Caitanya
has his facts all wrong.He also accused us of taking
away a family that has been in Iskcon for the last
25 years ,tell me Maharaj who took these devotees away.
Do you want these devotees to follow the GBC?
The same GBC that elected 11 so called Maha Bhagvats
and brought shame to your society and the effects are
still felt today.The same Gbc makes sanyassis that
had illicit relations with women and keep them as
retired sanyassis?do you want devotees to follow this
system?You do not have the face to come face to face
with our Srila Gurudeva and tell him all of these things.
Do you want to know why i left one of your so called
Iskcon Guru`s?Be carefull of Vasihnava Aparadha.
has come and captured the hearts of many South
African`s.We had successfull preaching in Pietermaritzburg,
Durban and in Johannesburg,Benoni and Lenasia.
You know the strangest thing happened during us
preparing for our Srila Gurudeva and during the
festivals with our Srila Gurudeva.Iskcon
had programmes on the same day as us in the
same city.They have tried to oppose our
preaching and in this way have dissapointed
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Bhaktivedanta
Svami Maharaja Prabhupada.None the less we continued
our programmes and were very successful.Many sincere
souls came and heard Pure Hari Katha which was lacking
since 1975 since Srila Prabhupada came to South Africa.
Also a devotee by the name of Bhakti Caitnaya Swami
wrote some very untrue comments on his website.
he described the preaching as a phenomona and has
this idea that Srila Gurudeva`s disciples go to
Iskcon devotees homes and pull them away.
He also said that some of Srila Gurudeva`s disciples
preached strongly to the youth to join Srila Gurudeva.
I wonder which century this devotee Bhakti Caitanya
has his facts all wrong.He also accused us of taking
away a family that has been in Iskcon for the last
25 years ,tell me Maharaj who took these devotees away.
Do you want these devotees to follow the GBC?
The same GBC that elected 11 so called Maha Bhagvats
and brought shame to your society and the effects are
still felt today.The same Gbc makes sanyassis that
had illicit relations with women and keep them as
retired sanyassis?do you want devotees to follow this
system?You do not have the face to come face to face
with our Srila Gurudeva and tell him all of these things.
Do you want to know why i left one of your so called
Iskcon Guru`s?Be carefull of Vasihnava Aparadha.
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