Back To Prabhupada, Issue 53, Autumn 2016
n the last issue we presented a simple test to determine whether or not Srila Prabhupada actually ordered successor diksa gurus (see "The Simple Test for Diksa Guru Succession"). This test involves checking if Srila Prabhupada actually stated that he would give up acting as ISKCON's diksa guru. If one applies this test, it will be seen that Srila Prabhupada never stated that he would give up acting as ISKCON's diksa guru. Thus, he did not order any diksa guru successors, and hence remains ISKCON's diksa guru. To illustrate this, we analyse two quotes which have often been claimed as evidence that Srila Prabhupada is directly saying that he will give up acting as ISKCON's diksa guru.
"You become all acarya. I retire completely."
(Srila Prabhupada, Room conversation, 22/4/77)
On the surface, this quote appears to satisfy the test. Srila Prabhupada appears to directly speak of giving up acting as ISKCON's diksa guru by saying "I retire completely", right after stating he wants all his disciples to become "acarya". However, as we have demonstrated many times in BTP, when you look at the full quote, the reality is very different:
Tamala Krsna: "Well, I have studied myself and all of your disciples, and it's clear fact that we are all conditioned souls, so we cannot be guru. Maybe one day it may be possible..."
Srila Prabhupada: "Hmm."
Tamala Krsna: "...but not now."
Srila Prabhupada: "Yes. I shall choose some guru. I shall say, "Now you become acarya. You become authorized." I am waiting for that. You become all acarya. I retire completely. But the training must be complete."
(Room conversation, 22/4/77)
1) Srila Prabhupada states that he is "waiting" to "retire". Thus, Srila Prabhupada is not actually saying that he is retiring.
2) More importantly, he states that the process of him retiring will happen only if he personally chooses a guru by issuing an order to him whereby he will say "Now you become acarya, you become authorised". Thus, by claiming that in this conversation Srila Prabhupada is speaking of diksa guru successors, those putting it forward have established the standard that any diksa guru succession can only be activated by Srila Prabhupada personally choosing successors with a direct order stating that "Now you become acarya, you become authorised".
3) Yet, it is an historical fact that, following this conversation, Srila Prabhupada never chose any persons as diksa gurus with such an order. Rather, as the previous two articles proved, even ISKCON's
leadership accepts that Srila Prabhupada appointed no diksa gurus, and only chose "continental representatives" (rtviks).
Hence, not only does this quote not establish that Srila Prabhupada gave up acting as diksa guru, but its call for Srila Prabhupada to issue a direct personal order to authorise successors proves conclusively that actually Srila Prabhupada never ordered a successor, period. Because no such order was given to anyone. Therefore, rather than prove succession, this quote actually conclusively establishes the exact opposite – that no such succession ever took place.
Srila Prabhupada: "I stop for the time being. Is that all right?"
Tamala Krsna: "Stopped doing what, Srila Prabhupada?"
Srila Prabhupada: "This initiation."
(Room conversation, 18/10/77)
Again, this quote seems to satisfy the test, since Srila Prabhupada appears to directly speak of giving up acting as ISKCON's diksa guru by saying that he has "stopped initiation". However, let us again examine the full quote:
Srila Prabhupada: "Hare Krsna. One Bengali gentleman has come from New York?"
Tamala Krsna: "Yes. Mr. Sukamal Roy Chowdury."
Srila Prabhupada: "So I have deputed some of you to initiate. Hmm?"
Tamala Krsna: "Yes. Actually... Yes, Srila Prabhupada."
Srila Prabhupada: "So I think Jayapataka can do that if he likes. I have already deputed. Tell him."
Tamala Krsna: "Yes."
Srila Prabhupada: "So, deputies, Jayapataka's name was there?"
Bhagavan: "It is already on there, Srila Prabhupada. His name was on that list."
Srila Prabhupada: "So I depute him to do this at Mayapur, and you may go with him. I stop for the time being. Is that all right?"
Tamala Krsna: "Stopped doing what, Srila Prabhupada?"
Srila Prabhupada: "This initiation. I have deputed the...my disciples. Is it clear or not?"
Giriraja: "It's clear."
Srila Prabhupada: "You have got the list of the names?"
Tamala Krsna: "Yes, Srila Prabhupada."
Srila Prabhupada: "And if by Krsna's grace I recover from this condition, then I shall begin again, or I may not be pressed in this condition to initiate. It is not good."
(Room conversation, 18/10/77)
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1) Srila Prabhupada refers to an initiation being carried out by one of the "deputies", Jayapataka, who was on the list of those deputed to initiate. The only such list was the list of rtviks given by Srila
Prabhupada on July 9th, 1977, who had been deputed to initiate on Srila Prabhupada's behalf. This list included Jayapataka, and all those initiated by the rtviks would become Srila Prabhupada's initiated disciples. Thus, Srila Prabhupada is actually continuing to initiate.
2) Also, Jayapataka could not be acting as a diksa guru here, because that would violate the "law of disciplic succession" which states that the disciple cannot initiate in the physical presence of his guru (Srila Prabhupada's letter to Tusta Krsna Dasa, 2/12/75).
3) Thus, at the end of the quote where Srila Prabhupada speaks about stopping initiating temporarily due to his "condition" – from which he hopes to recover – he can only be speaking of that part of initiation which is dependent on his "condition". And that is himself personally performing the initiation ceremony – which he is unable to do because of his physical condition.
The diksa guru succession test is not satisfied by either of these quotes as Srila Prabhupada is clearly not stating that he is giving up his position as the diksa guru of ISKCON. Rather, the first quote actually proves that Srila Prabhupada was never succeeded, and thus remains as the diksa guru of ISKCON! Thus, in the desperation to replace Srila Prabhupada as ISKCON's diksa guru, one ends up proving the very opposite of what was intended!
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