Gadadhara Dasa: “Serpents ARE Damned!”

Sep 07, Berkeley, USA:  A response to “Serpents be Damned! Addressing ISKCON Concerns About My New Kirtan Book” by Satyaraja dasa.

“If one associates with the Mayavada philosophy, his devotional life is doomed”

Satyaraja’s article, posted a while back on Dandavats.com, represents a very shameless and offensive attitude which ISKCON has adopted since 1977. Actually, we cannot really refer to this movement as ISKCON, who has adopted this attitude. ISKCON is a pure movement presented by a bona fide Acarya, HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, who daily spoke directly with Krishna while forming his movement. Rather, we should refer to this adopted side movement as FISKCON (Fraudulent ISKCON), because it does not actually represent ISKCON. There are many who are actually following ISKCON and it is still very much alive, but FISKCON seems to have some prominent members with their own agenda in mind.

The crux of the attitude in this FISKCON movement is very simple: “Srila Prabhupada is gone, now we must change with the modern times. We must compromise.”

This is a very dangerous road to take, indeed.

Satyaraja, who has been known to be a very scholarly writer, seems to have gone way off the mark with his new book about kirtan. He is off in the actual meaning of Kirtan. He presents many Mayavadi singers who claim to be performing Kirtan in his book, but they are not actually performing Kirtan. Srila Prabhupada said “from the grammatical point of view” it may be Kirtan. But Real Kirtan means “describing the Supreme authority, the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead”. One who is a Mayavadi is one who propagates God as Everything and Everyone, therefore his Kirtan is not actually Kirtan at all.

“The chanting process offered by Lord Caitanya for achieving love of God is called samkirtana. Samkirtana is a Sanskrit word. Sam means samyak-“complete.” And kirtana means “glorifying” or “describing.” So complete description means “complete” glorification of the Supreme, or the Supreme Complete Whole. It is not that one can describe anything or glorify anything and that will be kirtana. From the grammatical point of view that may be kirtana, but according to the Vedic system, kirtana means describing the Supreme authority, the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is called kirtana..”
(Science of Self Realization 5)

Satyaraja writes:

“Again, I know many of these “outside” kirtaniyas personally, and I know them to be good, sincere people, with a true appreciation of the holy name. That qualifies them to chant and to be heard. That’s why they’re included in the book.”

These so-called kirtaniyas that Satyaraja refers to have a clear message: “THE PATH TO THE ONE”. Here are a few examples:

“Satsang is where people gather together to remember, to turn within and find their own inner path to the One.”
~ Krishnadas

To quote from Krishnadas’s authoritative source, his Guru Neem Karoli Baba says:

“If you want to see God, kill desires. Desires are in the mind. When you have a desire for something, don’t act on it and it will go away. If you desire to drink this cup of tea, don’t, and the desire for it will fall away.”
~ “NeemKaroliBaba.com

Srila Prabhupada has emphatically commented on this subject:

“The impersonalists recommend that one should become desireless, and others recommend banishing desires altogether. That is impossible; no one can banish desires altogether because desiring is the living symptom. Without having desires a living entity would be dead, which he is not. Therefore, living conditions and desire go together. perfection of desires may be achieved when one desires to serve the Lord, and the Lord also desires that every living entity banish all personal desires and cooperate with His desires. That is the last instruction of the Bhagavad-gita. Brahmaji agreed to this proposal, and therefore he is given the responsible post of creating generations in the vacant universe. Oneness with the Lord therefore consists of dovetailing one’s desires with the desires of the Supreme Lord. That makes for the perfection of all desires.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.25)

Another example:

“When a man has reached the point where he can sit in meditation for six months, there is no need of eating, no need of latrine or of rest. Only one drop of amrit nectar from the top of the head to the body keeps him alive. If a tiger eats that body there is no care, but only when the life comes back to the body will there be pain.”
~ Neem Karoli Baba

Srila Prabhupada says:

“The Yoga-sutra also prescribes meditation on Visnu, and not meditation on the void. The so-called yogis who meditate on something which is not the Visnu form simply waste their time in a vain search after some phantasmagoria. We have to be Krsna conscious-devoted to the Personality of Godhead. This is the aim of the real yoga.”
(Bhagavad-gita 2.61 Purport)

We find this written from one of Neem Karoli Baba’s disciples, Ram Dass:

“Baba Neem Karoli Maharaj was a great Indian saint of the Himalayan lineage who left his body in 1973. Neem Karoli Baba is also known as Neeb Karori Baba, and is called “Maharaj-ji” by His devotees. Maharaj-ji’s teachings were simple and universal. He often said, “Sub Ek” — All is One.”
~ Ram Dass

Srila Prabhupada refutes this proposal over and over again:

“So this Mayavadi philosophy, to become one with the supreme father, is like that”. . .”So this is the last snare, that to become one with the Supreme. Ye ‘nye ‘ravindaksa vimukta-ma…tvayy asta-bhavat. Because they have no information that they can go back to home, back to Godhead, and enjoy the company of the Supreme Lord, they think that to become one with the Supreme, that is the highest perfection.”
(3.25.33-34 — Bombay, December 3, 1974)

“The Mayavadi philosophy, impersonalists, they say that if God has expanded in everything there is no particular personal existence of God. That is Mayavada philosophy. But that is not the fact. Fact is that although God is personal, He is person. Just like you are person, I am person, He is person, but He is the Supreme Person. And everything is expanded by His energy.”
(Srila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita 9.5 — Melbourne, April 24, 1976)

Satyaraja writes:

“Indeed, there are only a small number of ISKCON conservatives who would deign to see “snakes” where there aren’t any, and they often make their assessment based on superficial differences.”
~ Dandavats.com

Srila Prabhupada make this very clear when he says:

“So when you become actually preacher of God consciousness, you cannot make any compromise. You must call the spade a spade“.
(Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2: Lecture, Calcutta, September 27, 1974)

“We, we don’t make any flattery to satisfy the whims of the ordinary… We speak from Srimad-Bhagavatam, we speak from Bhagavad-gita, and present them as it is, without any adulteration. This is our position. If you like, then you make progress. If you don’t like, that is your option. But we cannot make any compromise. We must present the sastra as it is.”
( Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2 Lecture, Vrndavana, October 16, 1972)

“If we actually want detachment from this material world, we should be prepared to accept such cutting words from the spiritual master. Compromise and flattery have no effect where strong words are required. ”
(Srila Prabhupada, Path of Yoga, Ch.4)

Satyaraja goes on to write:

“For these few who might be worried, I have a few words to say. What is it that makes one a serpent anyway? Does a card-carrying member of ISKCON automatically eschew serpent status? Is anyone outside the parameters of the movement necessarily a serpent?”
(~ Dandavats.com)

This is a nice, fluffy scholastic paragraph. But, actually, Srila Prabhupada makes it easy for us to understand:

“We are all originally situated on the platform of Krsna consciousness in our eternal personal relationship of love of Krsna. But due to forgetfulness we become familiar with the material world or Maya.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter to Stan – Bombay, 17 November, 1970)

What makes a serpent? Those who are apposed to Krishna, those who are specifically preaching that “we are all one”… we are just as equal and powerful as Krishna. These people are serpents, Srila Prabhupada referred to them as “almost demons” (even worse) who, if they are heard reciting scriptures, preaching the Glories to Krishna, or chanting Krishna’s names, a create a poisonous effect.

“One should not hear anything about Krsna from a non-Vaisnava. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects; similarly, talks about Krsna given by a non-Vaisnava are also poisonous.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 6.17)

“As far as possible, chanting from the lips of nondevotees should be avoided. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects”
(Topmost Yoga System, Ch. 6: The Hare Krsna Mantra)

Satyatraj goes on to write:

“Sometimes we call someone a serpent if they’re critical of ISKCON. But if we think about it, we insiders, too, are often critical of our beloved institution, and often with good reason. Let us consider, then, that maybe Krishna is sometimes speaking through our critics — to edify us, to make us more vigilant about correction and change. In these cases, such persons are not necessarily serpents. They might in fact be angels in disguise.”

Criticisms of the ISKCON society are some how similar to the Vaisnava’s criticisms of Mayavadi Philosophers? How he can mingle these two points without readers catching this is beyond me. They are two different subjects altogether and not at all analogous.

It is not very complicated. A Mayavadi is someone who preaches that “we are all one”. A devotee is a devotee. If the devotee is preaching something different that his Guru, than he is not a devotee, he is a rascal and should be called so by the, as Satyaraja says, “angels in disguise.”

Satyaraja goes on to say:

“So let us reflect on just what it means to actually be a serpent — it might be slightly more nuanced than we at first suspect. To be fair, there are positive serpents, too: Sesaji is the bedstead of Lord Vishnu and Mucalinda shielded Buddha from the elements as he sat wrapped in meditation. Not all serpents are dangerous.”

We can only comment that Satyaraja has not at all “reflected” on what it actually means to be a serpent, referring to Sesa as if he were merely one of us (how offensive), then he merely brushes it off with a half joke “Not all serpents are dangerous.”

He goes on to write:

“In all seriousness, though, when Srila Prabhupada uses the metaphor — “milk touched by the lips of a serpent” — he is referring chiefly to “nondevotees,” to people who professionally recite the Bhagavatam, to those who have no true feeling for spiritual subjects, and so on. The idea is that the holy name is as pure and as nourishing as milk. But even such prophylactic substances can be compromised by outside elements, indicating that the “milk” of the holy name should be taken purely, without “contaminating influence.”

It is not that Mayavadis are simply “nondevotees, or people who professionally recite the Bhagavatam, to those who have no true feeling for spiritual subjects, and so on.” Yes. . . they are “nondevotees”, but they are more than that. They are preaching that “Krishna is Dead”, “We Are All One”, “We Are ALL Krishna”, “ALL IS ONE”. This is what Krishna Das says, this is what Jai Uttal says. This is impersonalism and it is, in fact, as Srila Prabhupada instructs: “Milk touched by the lips of a Serpent causes a poisonous effect.”

Satyaraja borders on offensiveness by referring to the Maha Mantra as a mere “prophylactic substance”, something that can ward off disease but which can be compromised. Actually, it is not the Mantra itself that is compromised, it is the person who is chanting it. The mantra is there, it is 100% pure, but it acts very weakly when it is chanted by the non-devotee. Just like if your stomach is not working properly. The food is there, it has all the power to work, but if your stomach is not working properly then the food will not produce very much energy. Srila Prabhupada explains in the following conversation:

Ramesvara: If you want to sell some product, you may make so many claims, and then the public will buy. So sometimes we quote these psychologists who have done studies that “If you chant Hare Krsna, there are some good effects.”
Prabhupada: Good there is undoubtedly. If you eat something, there will be some effect of eating. But if it is properly eaten, properly made, it will be, have better effect. That is the idea.
Ramesvara: We were thinking that something is better than nothing.
(Room Conversation with Artists about BTG—February 25, 1977, Mayapur)

Satyaraja goes on to write:

“All interviewees in my kirtan book are serious about the holy name and aspire to advance in spiritual life. They want to develop love for God; they are generally humble and sincere people. Readers may have heard other stories; but I know these individuals personally. Even if one doubts these chanters because they come from an alternate lineage or hold a different understanding of ultimate reality, is it not true that by associating with devotees this can all be rectified? Consider the words of the Caitanya-caritamrta: “When one is encouraged in devotional service by the association of devotees, one becomes free from all unwanted contamination . . .” (Madhya 23:10) Does this not speak to the importance and effectiveness of us working together, as we do in this kirtan book?”

What he has done here is “compromise” the instructions of The Acarya, his own Guru. No, it is not true that “by associating with devotees this can all be rectified”, as he poses the question. Actually, only if one comes in contact with a bona fide spiritual master and “fully surrenders on to him” can one be rectified. “When we, when we see some person, we do not associate with him, but we give him chance to associate with me. Why you should make compromise? What is the reason? If you know something positively, why should you make compromise?”
(Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk—June 11, 1974, Paris)

Srila Prabhupada specifically says not to associate with Mayavadis and NOT TO COMPROMISE! ”

Srila Prabhupada talks on this very topic of compromising, and I will leave the reader with these selected quotes:

“So when you become actually preacher of God consciousness, you cannot make any compromise. You must call the spade a spade“.
(Srila Prabhupada, SB 1.2: Lecture, Calcutta, September 27, 1974)

“If we actually want detachment from this material world, we should be prepared to accept such cutting words from the spiritual master. Compromise and flattery have no effect where strong words are required.”
(Srila Prabhupada, Path of Yoga, Ch.4)

“If one desires to make a compromise with the Mayavadis, he is also engaged in material activity. A devotee should never make compromises with nondevotees. By acting as a professional guru, mystic yogi or miracle man, one may cheat and bluff the general public and gain fame as a wonderful mystic, but all this is considered to be dust, straw and grains of sand within the heart.”
(Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya lila 12.135 Purport)

“You haven’t got to do anything more. Just hear about Krsna. Srnvatam sva-kathah… Then everything will be cleared, gradually. This is our purpose. This center is giving chance that you come here and hear about… We, we don’t make any flattery to satisfy the whims of the ordinary… We speak from Srimad-Bhagavatam, we speak from Bhagavad-gita, and present them as it is, without any adulteration. This is our position. If you like, then you make progress. If you don’t like, that is your option. But we cannot make any compromise. We must present the sastra as it is. ”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2: Lecture, Vrndavana, October 16, 1972)

“Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has condemned this Mayavadi commentary. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said, mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa [Cc. Madhya 6.169]. Mayavadi krsne aparadhi. He has plainly said. No compromise. The Mayavadis, they’re great offender to Krsna. Tan aham dvisatah kruran [Bg. 16.19], Krsna also says. They’re very, very envious to Krsna. Krsna is dvi-bhuja-muralidhara, syamasundara, and the Mayavadi explains that “Krsna has no hand, no leg. This is all imagination.” How much offensive it is they do not know. But to warn people like us, Caitanya Mahaprabhu has plainly warned that “Don’t go to Mayavadis.” Mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa. Mayavadi haya krsne aparadhi. This is the statement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. ”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.8 Lecture — Vrndavana, September 7, 1976)