Back To Prabhupada, Issue 65, Vol 1, 2020
A
most basic teaching of Krsna consciousness is the concept of
the parampara or disciplic succession. If we do not
even understand this, then it will not be possible to
understand Krsna consciousness, as the parampara
system is the basis by which we receive all knowledge about
Krsna consciousness. All emphases below are added.
The parampara system means that we must
understand and approach Krsna not directly, but through our
own spiritual master in disciplic succession:
"This is parampara system. You
cannot jump over. You must go through the parampara
system. You have to approach through your spiritual
master to the Gosvamis, and through the Gosvamis you will
have to approach Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and through Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu you have to approach Krsna. This is
the way."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 28/3/75)
This would mean, therefore, that in ISKCON,
disciples of Srila Prabhupada will understand Krsna through
their spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada.
However, ISKCON guru HH
Hridayananda Dasa Goswami ("HD") has inverted this most
basic tenet of the parampara and claimed instead
that he understands Srila Prabhupada through Krsna!:
"I understand Prabhupada in a way that does not
contradict Bhagavad-gita. [...] I understand
Prabhupada's words in a way that is compatible with Krsna's
teachings. [...] So I'm sticking with Krsna."
(HD "Darshan", 15/9/19)
HD therefore states that he understands sastra
(scripture) not through the parampara system by
going through his guru Srila Prabhupada, but by independently
reading it:
"I don't just understand sastra
through Prabhupada in the sense that okay
here he says this, here he says that. Prabhupada taught me
the siddhanta of sastra. I know what the
sastra's conclusions are and I know how to read sastra,
I know Who Krsna is, I know what the soul is, [...] So yes,
I do understand sastra."
(HD "Darshan", 15/9/19)
Thus, he has claimed to bypass the parampara
system entirely, and instead understand sastra
directly.
In the previous article ("Krsna's
Causeless Mercy"), we covered how HD refuses to accept
Srila Prabhupada's teachings on causeless mercy. Rather, HD
believes that Srila Prabhupada is wrong and must be corrected
based on what HD has 'directly understood' from Krsna. And
thus, HD claims that Srila Prabhupada's teachings are in
error, since if we believed them then it would mean that
"Krsna is lying"!:
"So, however, that's not what Krsna teaches
in the Gita. It's just not what Krsna
teaches. [...] So if you believe that Krsna,
in other words, if you believe that Krsna is lying,
if you believe that Krsna is not telling the truth, He's not
really equal to everyone, and therefore He just sometimes
for no good reason just gives causeless mercy"
(HD "Darshan", 15/9/19)
Not only does HD attempt to surpass Srila
Prabhupada at every turn, he actually preaches that adhering
to learning sastra only through Srila Prabhupada, as
dictated by the parampara system, leads to "evil":
"So, because you know well you can't
understand sastra without Prabhupada, so
basically it's just Prabhupada. [...] when
you start using this kind of language like we can't
understand sastra then you are opening the door to
all kinds of evil."
(HD "Darshan", 15/9/19)
Thus, HD has everything back to front:
1) He claims he understands Krsna
directly, rather than through Srila Prabhupada.
2) Hence, HD believes he does not need the parampara
to understand Krsna. Rather, he states that Srila Prabhupada's
understanding must be mediated through him!
3) Thus, he must correct Srila Prabhupada's
understanding because Srila Prabhupada's teachings must match
how HD has already understood Krsna.
Therefore, this is the ultimate jumping over: HD
goes straight to Krsna, making the concept of the parampara
useless.
Please see the diagram above, where we contrast the
parampara system with HD's back to front system.
Thus, according to HD's system, the parampara system
is irrelevant.
Srila Prabhupada gives the following warning right
after his statement about the parampara given at the
outset of this article:
"The more you become servant of the
servant, the more you are perfect. And if you all of a
sudden want to become master, then you go to hell.
That's all. Don't do that."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 28/3/75)
Not only has HD usurped Srila Prabhupada's position
as "master" by usurping Srila Prabhupada's position as
ISKCON's diksa guru, but he now also believes that
he does not need Srila Prabhupada to understand Krsna, and
that, rather, Srila Prabhupada would need him to understand
Krsna!
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