Back To Prabhupada, Issue 45, Autumn 2014
elow we demonstrate with a case study example, how the threat posed by the ISKCON Revival Movement (IRM, publishers of BTP) to those who are desirous to be unauthorised ISKCON diksa gurus, leads to self-delusion.
A GBC-elected guru offered the following recollection of Srila Prabhupada teaching about the insignificance of physical association with the guru:
"Those who think that association with the spiritual master is physical, they are no better than a mosquito sitting on the lap of a king. And what is the business of a mosquito? Simply to suck blood. So many of my godbrothers, they were big, big sannyasis, and they thought like that, and they simply sucked blood."
(HH Giriraja Swami, "Srila Prabhupada -- Vani and Vapuh", 20/8/14)
The IRM also accepts Srila Prabhupada's teaching that physical association with the guru (vapuh) is not important compared to vani (association via instructions):
"There are some of my Godbrothers here in India who had constant personal association with Guru Maharaja, but who are neglecting his orders. This is just like the bug who is sitting on the lap of the king. He may be very puffed-up by his position, but all he can succeed in doing is biting the king. Personal association is not so important as association through service."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 20/2/72)
Yet, whilst GBC-elected guru HG Kripamoya Dasa ("KMD") does not object to this teaching when given by his GBC guru colleague above, he has attacked it (in an exaggerated fashion) when the IRM stated it:
"[...] the 'Back to Prabhupada' people [...] introduce vaguely impersonalist elements into Vaishnava theology [...] when we stress vani over vapu to the point where we deligitimise vapu almost entirely".
(KMD, The Vaishnava Voice, 30/6/09)
Thus, KMD will delude himself that Srila Prabhupada's teachings can become right or wrong depending on whether or not the IRM states them!
In a similar vein, KMD claims that the IRM'S lack of physical association with Srila Prabhupada leads to less charitable behaviour:
"The IRM people [...] Most of them did not meet His Divine Grace personally, because if they had they would be infinitely more charitable with his disciples, just as he was."
(KMD Article, 2/8/12)
KMD also admits that he never met His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada personally either, beyond allegedly receiving a one-syllable acknowledgement:
"[...] you (Srila Prabhupada) replied "Jaya" [...] That was the only word you said to me directly [...] One word spoken thirty years previously".
(KMD, Vyasa-puja offering to Srila Prabhupada, 2007)
But KMD does not state that his lack of physical association with Srila Prabhupada also makes him less charitable to his Godbrothers.
So again, KMD can delude himself that the same principle can become right or wrong if the IRM is involved!
In regards to those, such as the IRM, who may point to ISKCON's lack of preaching success in certain areas, KMD claims that such a point is not true:
"From time to time I hear accusations that ISKCON is not growing; or worse still, that it may be shrinking; and that proof of this is that some temples are closing, empty during the week, or only attracting Indian families. Personally I don't believe that this is the case. I consider these accusations to be largely the propaganda strategies of embittered former members."
(KMD Lecture, 4/3/11)
Yet, when he himself states the same points, they magically become true!:
"In some parts it (ISKCON) has dried up. In some parts it is constipated. In some parts it is dust. In some places it has vanished. [...] 50% of our congregation go to congregational groups. And of that, only 50% turn up regularly [...] Guaranteed that many, many people who come to this temple on a Sunday don't know Caitanya Mahaprabhu after coming here for 20 or 30 years."
(KMD Lecture, 11/10/14)
Thus, again we see that KMD can delude himself that the same facts can become true or false if the IRM is involved!
KMD recently gave his effusive bless-ings for a temple's opening:
"This is a historic moment [...] an auspicious moment in history [...] from this place the fame of Caitanya Mahaprabhu will travel all over the world [...] now there is this wonderful place. [...] You have an even greater opportunity to give Krishna consciousness to the people, not only of London, but all of the South of England. [...] For this mandir, [...] let there be all success, all endurance, all health, all wisdom, all service, all joy and all victory."
(KMD Speech, 16/8/14)
But these blessings were not given for a temple where Srila Prabhupada is worshipped as the exclusive Acarya, which even the GBC accepts should be the case in ISKCON. Rather, the blessings were given for a Gaudiya Matha temple that actually has multiple acaryas, none of whom is Srila Prabhupada:
"Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math's current President-Acharya, Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj. [...] invited the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Acharya-vrinda to attend [...] three of whom are appointed Acharyas."
(Official temple opening report)
Yet, the one movement that is promoting only Srila Prabhupada as the Acarya -- namely the IRM -- KMD states is "extremist", "parasitic" and "has created a Prabhupada of their own imagination" (KMD article, 2/8/12).
Thus, KMD deludes himself that it is better to glorify a group that does not accept Srila Prabhupada as Acarya, rather than one that does, due to the threat posed by the IRM to his position.
For those who are desirous of becoming unauthorised diksa gurus, Srila Prabhupada's teachings, the truth, and allegiance to Srila Prabhupada are no longer absolute. Instead, they become whatever they need to be, as dictated by the desire to protect one's unauthorised guru position from the threat posed to this position by the IRM. Therefore, whatever such a person says or does becomes corrupted by this desire. Hence, rather than being self-realised, those desirous of being unauthorised diksa gurus are simply self-deluded.
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