by Krishnakant
Feb 20 1998- The GBC mouthpiece web site CHAKRA constantly posts articles that systematically misrepresent the IRM position on Srila Prabhupada's rightful status as ISKCON's diksa guru. This misrepresentation must be deliberate since, although we have repeatedly pointed it out, they have never once apologized or written a retraction. Following the GBC's latest horrendously misjudged resolutions there has been a flurry of articles by MASS adherents all seeking to jump on the ritvik bashing bandwagon.
As readers will know, the one thing all the GBC approved authors whose papers we have critiqued share in common, is a pathological incapacity to present what we actually say. Instead they present endless straw man arguments, and defeat them instead. They will say 'ritviks say this' or 'ritviks say that' but practically never quote from any of our papers on the authorized IRM web site. They feel they can get away with it because CHAKRA's dishonest editorial policy never allows its readers to read any response. It is becoming quite tedious to have to keep pointing this out, but we find it hard not to speak out when devotees are being deliberately deceived on practically a daily basis. Looking at just two of these recent items perfectly illustrates our point.
For instance, Danavir Goswami's whole paper is based on the premise that the 'ritviks' want to 'eliminate' or 'jump' the process of diksa. Of course he never quotes us proposing such a thing, because we never have. It is pure fabrication and lies, as he very well knows. Our position is that diksa must go on in an authorized form, and that ISKCON's diksa guru is Srila Prabhupada. Thus it is the GBC, not us, who have sought to eliminate the bona fide, authorized diksa guru and replace him with inferior models who cannot even honestly present another persons position. Virtually all of his paper is full of such deceitful 'straw man' arguments. (HH Danavir Goswami, pictured, right) |
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Bhadra Balaram does the same thing in his most recent article. His whole paper rests on the allegation that we insist that an 'order' from Srila Prabhupada must have the word 'order' in it. Again we have never said this.
Thus we would urge those who venture into CHAKRA's treacherous web to adopt the following checklist next time they read something that is supposed to be 'defeating' the 'ritvik theory'.
- Does the paper in question produce any quotes from an IRM paper?
If so, does the quote actually support the proposition they are trying to 'defeat'?
If 1 and 2 are not present then they are not addressing the issue at hand, and their paper does not actually move the issue forward, and thus can be discarded. In this way the vast majority of CHAKRA's items on this matter can be best stored in the circular file.