Back To Prabhupada, Issue 63, Vol 3, 2019, Interactive
"My husband and I accepted the rtvik system 6 months ago, but more and more questions arise as the time goes by. There are some arguments that the modern ISKCON offer to justify their guru system and we do not know how to correctly refute them. May we ask you some questions?
Balaramacharya Prabhu from BVKS (Bhakti Vikasa Swami) sanga has recently given a lecture where he mentions Sri Narahari Sarakara Thakura's Krsna-Bhajanamrta (Sivarama Swami also uses the same argument). It is supposedly stated in the book that a guru can fall down and does not need to be liberated:
"If the spiritual master commits a wrongful act breaking Vaisnava regulative principles then in that case one should in a solitary place, confront him for his rectification using logic and appropriate conclusions from sadhu, sastra and guru references, but one is not to give him up. [...] it has been prescribed that one must appropriately discipline even a spiritual master [...]: who has deviated from the Krsna conscious path"
(Verses 59-60)
The question is: how to correctly answer to these arguments? Maybe you have a separate article refuting this argument?
Thank you,"
- Vladimir and Jana Matavejeva, Krasnodar, Russia
1) Srila Prabhupada's teachings are very clear. He has stated that a bona fide guru does not deviate:
"A bona fide spiritual master is in the disciplic succession from time eternal, and he does not deviate at all from the instructions of the Supreme Lord".
(Bg., 4.42)
2) Srila Prabhupada taught that we cannot "jump over" him to the previous acaryas:
"This is called parampara system. You cannot jump over to the superior guru [...] neglecting the next acarya, immediate next acarya."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 8/12/73)
3) Even the GBC agrees, since it has said:
"...we must see the previous acaryas through Prabhupada. We cannot jump over Prabhupada and then look back at him through the eyes of previous acaryas."
(Our Original Position, GBC Press, p. 163)
4) Hence, if Srila Prabhupada had wanted us to "jump over" him and consult the Krsna-Bhajanamrta, then he would have ordered us to do this. But he did not. Therefore, we do not even need to consider these arguments, since Srila Prabhupada has not authorised us to consider them. After all, Srila Prabhupada has already taught us Krsna consciousness. Thus, there is no need to look elsewhere unless we do not "like" what Srila Prabhupada has taught and are specifically looking for a way to override Srila Prabhupada's teachings.
5) We covered this argument in TFO (The Final Order) when it was brought up 25 years ago – please see Objection 23. At that time, persons using this argument revealed that the Krsna-Bhajanamrta also contained the following verses:
Verse 48:
"A disciple may hear some instructions from another advanced Vaisnava but after gaining that good instruction he must bring it and present it to his own spiritual master. After presenting them, he should hear the same teachings again from his spiritual master with appropriate instructions."
Verse 49:
"...a disciple who listens to the words of other Vaisnavas, even if their instructions are proper and true, but does not re-confirm those teachings with his own spiritual master and instead directly personally accepts these instructions, is considered a bad disciple and a sinner."
Therefore, even the Krsna-Bhajanamrta is supposedly telling us to not "jump over" Srila Prabhupada! Thus, apparently according to the Krsna-Bhajanamrta itself, those disciples of BVKS would need to get what they have learned from Krsna-Bhajanamrta confirmed by their guru, BVKS. But BVKS could only do this if, similarly, he himself first had these new teachings confirmed by his own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. But BVKS has never done this. Therefore, supposedly according to the Krsna-Bhajanamrta, they are "bad disciples and "sinners" for promoting these teachings.
6) In addition, we have covered this argument in detail in the last issue. Please see the article, "ISKCON's New Authority System".
Therefore, from every angle -
a) What Srila Prabhupada teaches regarding guru-tattva;
b) What Srila Prabhupada teaches regarding "jumping over";
c) What the GBC taught regarding "jumping over";
d) What the Krsna-Bhajanamrta itself supposedly teaches regarding "jumping over"
- this argument is defeated.
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