Myth: “One cannot take shelter of Srila Prabhupada anymore, since he is param-guru”
Anti Ritvik Myths debunked (#49)
Myth: “One cannot take shelter of Srila Prabhupada anymore, since he is param-guru, our grand spiritual master ”
Truth: Unauthorized “successors” are to be avoided or rejected, and Srila Prabhupada should be accepted as one’s current link guru, just as he ordered.
In 2014, maya-ISKCON GBC decided to introduce a ‘Disciple Course’ and made it compulsory for anyone willing to get initiated (resolution No. 317). Accordingly, they devised the student’s handbook. It’s current, fifth edition has a section called “Arguments Refuting the Posthumous Ritvik Theory” (pg. 16) that provides brief, very misleading arguments, without any quote from Srila Prabhupada, regarding ritvik initiations in ISKCON. The first three arguments stress the idea that Srila Prabhupada is one’s “param-guru”. Let’s examine these statements.
“1) There is no example of one taking diksa from one’s param-guru in any of the bona-fide Vaisnava sampradayas”
Firstly, one’s param-guru is the previous guru after whom there is a genuine, authorized guru who is current link of the parampara. A maya-ISKCON Bhakta Program manual gives the definition, “Param-guru is the guru of our spiritual master.” That is, one’s grand spiritual master. Then how does this situation relate to the position of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples and followers, Prabhupadanugas (or to the “ritvik theory”)? How can we get diksa from the “guru of our spiritual master”, “one’s param-guru”, and why do this if we already have some another bona fide diksa guru who is the current link guru? Why should anyone overstep one’s bona fide guru for getting diksa from a param-guru? And if he is not bona fide, this means he didn’t give proper initiation, etc. He is to be rejected, and a genuine guru should be accepted, as per sastric injunctions. So this is not an argument “refuting the ritvik theory”, but a word jugglery. [Read More…]
Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa as seated beneath a wish-fulfilling tree in Vṛndāvana on a throne decorated with valuable jewels
In a temple of jewels in Vṛndāvana, underneath a desire tree, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda, served by Their most confidential associates, sit upon an effulgent throne. I offer my humble obeisances unto Them. (CC/Adi/1/16)
dīvyad-vṛndāraṇya-kalpa-drumādhaḥ-
śrīmad-ratnāgāra-siṁhāsana-sthau
śrīmad-rādhā-śrīla-govinda-devau
preṣṭhālībhiḥ sevyamānau smarāmi
SYNONYMS – dīvyat—shining; vṛndā-araṇya—in the forest of Vṛndāvana; kalpa-druma—desire tree; adhaḥ—beneath; śrīmat—most beautiful; ratna-āgāra—in a temple of jewels; siṁha-āsana-sthau—sitting on a throne; śrīmat—very beautiful; rādhā—Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī; śrīla-govinda-devau—and Śrī Govindadeva; preṣṭha-ālībhiḥ—by most confidential associates; sevyamānau—being served; smarāmi—I remember.
TRANSLATION – In a temple of jewels in Vṛndāvana, underneath a desire tree, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda, served by Their most confidential associates, sit upon an effulgent throne. I offer my humble obeisances unto Them.
Govinda resides eternally in Vṛndāvana. In the spiritual world of Vṛndāvana the buildings are made of touchstone, the cows are known as surabhi cows, givers of abundant milk, and the trees are known as wish-fulfilling trees, for they yield whatever one desires.
Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa as seated beneath a wish-fulfilling tree in Vṛndāvana on a throne decorated with valuable jewels. There Kṛṣṇa’s dear friends, the cowherd boys and the gopīs, serve Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa by singing, dancing, offering betel nuts and refreshments and decorating Their Lordships with flowers.
In Vṛndāvana Kṛṣṇa herds the surabhi cows, and He is worshiped by hundreds and thousands of gopīs, cowherd girls, who are all goddesses of fortune.
चिन्तामणिप्रकरसद्मसु कल्पवृक्ष-
लक्षावृतेषु सुरभिरभिपालयन्तम् ।
लक्ष्मीसहस्रशतसम्भ्रमसेव्यमानं
गोविन्दमादिपुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ५.२९॥
cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhir abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
Brahma-saṁhitā || 5.29||
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.
When Kṛṣṇa descends to the material world, this same Vṛndāvana descends just as an entourage accompanies an important personage. Because when Kṛṣṇa comes, His land also comes, Vṛndāvana is not considered to exist in the material world. Therefore devotees take shelter of the Vṛndāvana in India, for it is considered to be a replica of the original Vṛndāvana. Although one may complain that no kalpa-vṛkṣa, wish-fulfilling trees, exist there, when the Gosvāmīs were there, the kalpa-vṛkṣa were present. It is not that one can simply go to such a tree and make demands; one must first become a devotee. The Gosvāmīs would live under a tree for one night only, and the trees would satisfy all their desires. For the common man this may all seem very wonderful, but as one makes progress in devotional service, all this can be realized. [Read More…]
Myth: “Srila Prabhupada was unqualified guru if he couldn’t leave a pure devotee, a successor guru””
Anti Ritvik Myths debunked (#48)
Myth: “Srila Prabhupada was unqualified guru if he couldn’t leave a pure devotee, a successor guru”
Truth: Pure devotees don’t necessarily become diksa guru successors, and Srila Prabhupada continues to create pure devotees even now. He ordered the ritvik system to continue, he remains the current link guru, and he didn’t authorize the new guru system in maya-ISKCON which is exposed by dozens of their officially fallen “successors”.
Tamal Krishna, the mastermind of ISKCON coup in 1977-78 and a key architect of zonal acarya system, was among those who introduced this incorrect argument. A quote from his book:
“Did Prabhupada fail so miserably that he could not create even one pure devotee qualified to be a guru?” (A Hare Krishna at Southern Methodist University – Collected Essays 1995-1997, ch. The Perils of Succession)
BBTI officer Vijitatma das wrote:
“In fact, such an assumption insults our acarya, since it implies Srila Prabhupada allegedly failed to train even a single worthy disciple.” (New Ritviks, Old Delusions, 2009)
Maya-ISKCON Disciple Course says:
“The argument that there are no qualified diksa-gurus amongst Prabhupada’s disciples indicates that Prabhupada’s teachings have not proven effective. So what would be the use of becoming Prabhupada’s diksa disciple through the ritvik priest anyway?” (ISKCON Disciple Course, fifth edition, 2017, pg. 16)
One can find many similar statements. But let’s take a closer look at this argument: [Read More…]
An ocean of mercy
Srila Prabhupada is an ocean of mercy. The spiritual master receives the blessing of the ocean of mercy. Just as a cloud pours water on a forest fire to put it out, the spiritual master releases the afflicted material world by extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. I offer my respectful obeisances to the lotus feet of that spiritual master, who is an ocean of auspicious qualities.
I share a very moving story, we were in Vrindavana, India, in the house of some Italian devotees, we were respecting some maha-prasada pizzas, a very old disciple of Srila Prabhupada arrived, I don’t remember her name, but I know she was Lohitaksa’s wife, she told us that Srila Prabhupada was in the temple in New York and they were doing guru puja, suddenly a person with very long hair and a beard and very dirty entered the temple as if it were a dog on all fours. [Read More…]
prabhupadanugas
- Srila Prabhupada’s Exalted Hidden Glories: Shaktyavesha Avatara, Present Acharya, Current Link
- Myth:”Pro-ritvik devotees are like whimsical rioters who try to impose a revolution”
- Life Steps
- Myth: “Rivik initiations system is like rejected disciple Ekalavya”
- Free Wheelin
- Myth: “Ritvik system is Christianization of Vaisnavism”
- Down by the river
- Myth: “Ritvik initiation system is mayavada”
- Flag day
- Myth: “If we can accept Srila Prabhupada now then we can instead accept some previous acarya as our guru”
- Sri Madhavendra Puri’s Devotional Service
- Lecture by Srila Prabhupada on Sri Nrsimha-caturdasi (Appearance Day)
- Factual Analysis of Tusta Krsna Letter in Detail
- Myth:”There is no need to get authorization from one’s own guru to become the next diksa guru”
- Heliograph
- Myth: “Ritvik system disrupts guru-disciple relationship and ongoing supervision by guru”
- “I”nternal Documents
- Disappearance day of Sri Vrindavana dasa Thakura (tirobhava tithi)
- Myth: “There is strict sampradaya history of accepting only physically present gurus”
- Sastra-caksus
- Reply to ERIC JOHANSON
- Myth: “You are imposing disciples and their karma on Srila Prabhupada after his departure”
- Prabhupada originally coined ‘FISKCON’
- Detected
- Myth: “Srila Prabhupada books cannot be understood unless they are explained by a living diksa guru”
- Sri Rama Navami
- What we can learn from the Iran conflict regarding simple life in a village
- Sacred Appearance Day of Sripada Ramanuja Acarya
- Myth: “Audio recordings do not contain spiritual sound energy sabda brahma”
- Spoken Authority
Recent Comments