Sometimes devotees ask why we need to criticise ISKCON’s renegade gurus:
“Why not just glorify Srila Prabhupada, that will attract more people”, “Just concentrate on positive preaching, distribute books, and stop criticising others,” are comments we sometimes hear. In response to this:
We always quote extensively from Srila Prabhupada – from his books, conversations and letters for Prabhupada’s mission and right.
But:
“Devotees always humbly offer respect to everyone, but when there is a discussion on a point of sastras (scripture), they do not observe the usual etiquette, satyam bruyat priyam bruyat. They speak only the satyam (truth), although it may not necessarily be priyam (following norms of etiquette).”
(Srila Prabhupada letter 7.8.76)
“Srila Jiva Gosvami says that there are three types of discussion – vada, jalpa and vitanda. In a vada discussion the motive of all concerned is to find out the truth. This is the ideal kind of discussion. It is for persons who are sober and impartial about the outcome; they simply want to know what is the truth of the matter. They are in the mode of goodness. Jalpa is a discussion wherein one is not interested in what is said by others, whether it has some truth or all of the truth, because one simply wants to be heard. Any other view or contribution is of no interest. This is the way for a person in the mode of passion. A vitanda discussion is in the mode of ignorance. In this version the truth is of no value. One simply wants to win at all costs.”
(Srila Jiva Gosvami; Sri-Sat-Sandarbha).
Note:
And perhaps most ironically, ISKCON itself already expends a great deal of effort glorifying Srila Prabhupada via various publications, videos, diaries and memorial festivals.
One might ask how people who wish to usurp Srila Prabhupada can also find it within themselves to glorify him on a regular basis?
Srila Prabhupada is undoubtedly ISKCON’s biggest and greatest “asset”. His vast cannon of teachings and outstanding personal example are what usually attract people to the Movement in the first place. Srila Prabhupada wrote all the books that shall form the basis of everything ISKCON will ever teach for up to ten thousand years hence. It is these books that explain the entire science of Krishna Consciousness, and inspire people to surrender their lives to Krishna. In effect the guru hoaxers and putanas have made a career out of basking in Srila Prabhupada’s reflected glory, using him to bolster their own competing mini-missions. For these personalities, Srila Prabhupada is the goose who always lays the golden eggs. That is why they must keep telling people how great he is and promoting his books.
The putanas use this glorification rather like an unscrupulous shop keeper who puts an attractive item in his window to attract the punters, only to sell them a vastly inferior product once they set foot inside the store. This is called bait and switch. You draw people in with something wonderful, and then switch it for something cheap and nasty once you have them ‘hooked’. Newcomers to ISKCON are thus encouraged- ‘Look how wonderful Srila Prabhupada is, what a perfect spiritual master!’, and then when they join the product is switched- ‘but you can only have him as your direct guide for the first six months, then you must choose someone else from the GBC approved putana cheater guru list.’
We would simply be assisting in the process of drawing people into the putana guru hoaxer’s trap.
Just as a doctor who prescribes medicine without warning of possible side effects would be acting unprofessionally, as devotees it is completely irresponsible to attract people to Srila Prabhupada’ Movement without telling them anything about what’s gone wrong.
ISKCON ore better F-Iskcon may appear to be teaching Krishna Consciousness, but the formula has been changed. Srila Prabhupada’s final ritvik order, direction of management ( DOM) order and many more on how initiation and management were to run has been disobeyed, and this one act of defiance is causing untold harm to everyone involved.
In this way we hope to one day put an end to the bait and switch scam that has been going on since November 14th 1977.
So the Prabhupadanugas concentrates often , but not only, on the subject of showing why those who stand between us and Srila Prabhupada as his substitutes are unnecessary and unauthorized; that is also important to do , since the GBC themselves rely on this very greatness of Srila Prabhupada as part of their “bait-and-switch” tactic. It is the same tactic like with Jesus Christ and with the Christian church infiltrated by same agents of “Synagogue of satans” mostly. In support of this point, Srila Prabhupada states the following:
Hamsaduta:
It would make a good article, what you’ve just spoken.Srila Prabhupada:
So write.Harikesa:
You so completely destroy the opposition, it’s very hard to say anything more.Srila Prabhupada:
Yes. That you have to prove. You can eulogize your Guru Maharaja, but you have to learn it and face the public and be strong to defend yourself. That is success. Not by praising your Guru Maharaja. You’ll praise your Guru Maharaja. That is not very difficult. But be victorious to the opposing elements. Then you will praise your Guru Maharaja nicely. At home, you can praise your Guru Maharaja, and Guru Maharaja be satisfied, “Oh, my disciples are praising me.” That is not very…. That is good. Respectful. That is the qualification. But you have to fight. Then your Guru Maharaja will be glorified.
(Room Conversation, December 26th, 1975)
Note:
Srila Prabhupada makes it very clear that what is also required is to “defend”, “fight” and be “victorious”, and not to simply “praise” him. Thus taking the cue from Srila Prabhupada, one, only one, of the Prabhupadanugas success should be measured, according to Srila Prabhupada, in terms of how much it is fighting and emerging victorious against those elements who oppose Srila Prabhupada’s position as the real bona fide Diksa-Guru for ISKCON, and not just by how much “praise” it contains. Only then will Srila Prabhupada be truly glorified.
“Whenever an acarya comes, following the superior orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His representative, he establishes the principles of religion, as enunciated in Bhagavad-gita. Religion means abiding by the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Religious principles begin from the time one surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is the acarya’s duty to spread a bona fide religious system and induce everyone to bow down before the Supreme Lord. One executes the religious principles by rendering devotional service, specifically the nine items like hearing, chanting and remembering. Unfortunately, when the acarya disappears, rogues and nondevotees take advantage and immediately begin to introduce unauthorized principles in the name of so-called svamis, yogis, philanthropists, welfare workers and so on….The acarya, the authorized representative of the Supreme Lord, establishes these principles, but when he disappears, things once again become disordered. The perfect disciples of the acarya try to relieve the situation by sincerely following the instructions of the spiritual master…. Similarly, a devoted disciple of the spiritual master would rather die with the spiritual master than fail to execute the spiritual master’s mission. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes down upon this earth to re-establish the principles of religion, so His representative, the spiritual master, also comes to re-establish religious principles. It is the duty of the disciples to take charge of the mission of the spiritual master and execute it properly. Otherwise the disciple should decide to die along with the spiritual master. In other words, to execute the will of the spiritual master, the disciple should be prepared to lay down his life and abandon all personal considerations…. .”
(Srila Prabhupada from Srimad Bhagavatam 4.28.48,50,51)
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”
( Abraham Lincoln)
Srila Prabhupada is our real valid passport to Goloka Vrindavana!
Good journey! Hare Krishna!
YS Mathias Sabji
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