Mar 13 2009, HIGH SPRINGS, FLORIDA: In response to the article submitted by Rupanuga prabhu, Ritvik Reality or “I Stop for the Time Being”, I would have to say that there appears to be a flaw in his logic. The flaw is that in the article he quotes Srila Prabhupada as saying, “I stop for the time being,” “And if by Krsna’s grace I recover from this condition, then I shall begin again”. But in reality, initiations in ISKCON did go on after the appointment of the Rtviks.
The initiates heard the diksa mantras on the tape recording and the devotee was considered a disciple of Srila Prabhupada. This type of initiation went on in the last days, up until the last days of Srila Prabhupada’s presence, and was going on at the time of the conversation he references in his article.
So, the only thing that stopped was Srila Prabhupada personally performing the initiations. His accepting of disciples did not stop but continued through the recommendation of the Temple President to the GBC and then the GBC to the rtvik who would approve the initiation and choose a name for the disciple of Srila Prabhupada. I know personally this is how it happened because I was once such initiate who was initiated just a few days before the passing of Srila Prabhupada.
The flaw in Rupanuga prabhu’s logic is that he is wrongly asserting that Srila Prabhupada was not accepting disciples at the time of the conversation between the Bengali devotee and Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada was accepting disciples at that time, but he was having the rtviks give the final approval and choose the name and the rtvik, GBC or Temple President would perform the initiation ceremony on behalf of Srila Prabhupada.
Rupanuga prabhu is somehow suggesting that Srila Prabhupada was not accepting disciples at that time and that he had somehow authorized some leading disciples in the form of rtviks to accept their own disciples unless and until Srila Prabhupada recovered his health. That is wrong.
What Srila Prabhupada was saying to the Bengali devotee was that he could not personally perform any initiation, but that his disciples were performing initiations for him on his behalf as rtviks. It cannot be anything else, because around ISKCON, those rtviks at that very time were approving and performing initiations on behalf of Srila Prabhupada.
Rupanuga prabhu is asserting that Srila Prabhupada was not accepting any more disciples at that time. That is incorrect. He was accepting disciples through his rtviks. It is a historical fact in ISKCON and many devotees can testify to that.
Srila Prabhupada did not appoint rtviks to accept their own disciples. They performed initiations and played the tape of the diksa mantras on the headphones for the initiate.
As well, Srila Prabhupada never authorized the GBC or anyone to stop that rtvik process at any time. In fact, Srila Prabhupada told his senior men several times in his last days, “don’t change anything after I am gone, do you understand?” They all repeated over and over that “yes, we understand”. Then when Srila Prabhupada
passed away they started changing the way initiations in ISKCON went on. So, obviously, they did not understand what Srila Prabhupada meant when he said “don’t change ANYTHING after I am gone”.
Rupanuga prabhu appears to be confused about this issue. I hope this clears things up and he can start to understand the matter based on historical facts in ISKCON. It has been a long time since then, but these are the historical facts about the history of ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada’s appointment of the rtvik authorities.
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