Back To Prabhupada, Issue 33, Autumn 2011
n his 1999 paper, "ISKCON and Varnasrama Dharma: A Mission Unfulfilled", former GBC chairman and ISKCON guru and leader, HG Ravindra Svarupa Das, stated very frankly that ISKCON had no brahmanas, and therefore no brain:
"The first and foremost is that ISKCON - I put it starkly - has no brain. [...] You will recall that Prabhupada originally thought that ISKCON would perform the brahminical function for the rest of society - ‘I have come to give you a brain.'[...] My proposal, therefore, for establishing varnasrama-dharma in ISKCON, and even in the society at large, is first of all to take the first step and do everything needed to form a proper community of brahmanas. [...] If this first step is taken, and ISKCON is thus given a brain, then I am sure we shall be in a better position to know where to go further."
On pages 4-5, we have another ISKCON guru and leader, HH Bhakti Vikash Swami, confirming that the situation today remains the same, and that even this first step has yet to be taken, and ISKCON still has no brain or brahmanas:
"So still the need is there to get the head in order [...] We're still at the stage of needing to get the brahmana order in proper shape. [...] So these are just some examples of how those who are the leaders seem to be very much misleading, themselves not properly situated. [...] our movement's basically off the track and not properly following Srila Prabhupada."
(BVKS Lecture, 24/8/11)
On the contrary, he claims that ISKCON is full of sudras:
"Numerous devotees who have been initiated for ten years or more, and are even brahmana-initiated, have not read all of Srila Prabhupada's books, and apparently have never thought of doing so. They are depriving themselves of the nectar of Srila Prabhupada's association and guidance — maybe due to lack of time, a sudra-like mentality (being preoccupied with working hard and earning money), having little interest in philosophy, wasting their life watching TV or on the internet, or reading other books apart from Srila Prabhupada's."
(BVKS Lecture, 10/11/11)
This means that ISKCON is headless, and being headless, not only can it not guide society, but will itself be degenerating into deviation and materialism, being unable to understand and follow Srila Prabhupada's instructions. And as we have documented in BTP, this is exactly what has happened.
This situation needs to be contrasted with what Srila Prabhupada actually expected from ISKCON, as we see below:
"Actually all our devotees are supposed to be brahmanas. A brahmana's business is to preach the glories of the Lord, to learn the essence of Vedic knowledge—Krsna Consciousness—and to teach others of the same knowledge."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 18/4/1970)
"So our this movement is not for the krpanas. It is meant for the brahmanas. We want to become ourself brahmana, and we want to make others also brahmana. Because there is need of brahmana at the present moment."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 15/6/1973)
ISKCON meant for creating brahmanas
"We are therefore creating brahmanas. We are not creating sudras. Sudras are already there."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 19/5/1972)
"As I told you that this propaganda is meant for creating some brahmanas all over the world because the brahmana element is lacking, so one who seriously comes to us, he has to become a brahmana. So he has to adopt the occupation of a brahmana, and he has to give up the occupation of a ksatriya or a sudra."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, 22/6/1971)
"The Krsna consciousness movement has been started especially to create qualified brahmanas to broadcast spiritual knowledge all over the world, for thus people may become very happy."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.12.48, purport)
"The position is that the whole world is full of sudras. The sudra's business is to somehow or other catch up some nice service under some good master and get a nice wife and home. That is their success in life. [...] How they can be interested in Krsna Consciousness, which is the business of high class brahmanas and Vaisnavas? Still it is our duty to preach, and our sincere endeavor for preaching work will be appreciated by the Lord."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 21/5/1973)
"So far we are concerned we shall keep ourselves in ideal brahminical position and if need be if no ksatriya or vaisya is here we can take up their work as emergency. Our business is to create ideal ksatriyas and vaisyas but beyond that our real business is to keep ourselves as ideal brahmanas. If we are not ideal we cannot create others as ideal. [...] So our business is to keep fit as brahmanas and to train others to be ideal ksatriyas and vaisyas for advancing the whole society."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 28/4/1974, emphasis added)
"So this Krsna consciousness movement is creating some brain of the human society. Brahmana. And this brain. Brahmana's business is... Brahmana, this word, very word comes [...] So brahmana means one who knows God. That is brahmana. And keeping in view God, they teaches others to become God conscious. Without becoming God conscious, the human society's simply animal society. [...] So in the human society, if there is no brahmana who can teach about God, who can elevate persons to God consciousness, then it is also animal society. [...] Then human, the mission of human being will not be fulfilled."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 8/4/1973, emphasis added)
"Now this Krsna consciousness movement is meant for creating some brahmanas, or the most intelligent class of men. [...] Brahmana means who has got very nice intellectual brain, who can understand the Absolute Truth. [...] So this Krsna consciousness movement is trying to create some good brains so that he can understand, one can understand what is the Absolute Truth. This is the movement."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 21/2/1973, emphasis added)
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