Back To Prabhupada, Issue 86, 2026
The previous article showed how relying on what people claim “Prabhupāda said” – rather than on Śrīla Prabhupāda's actual recorded words (“Prabhupāda-Only Paradigm”, POP) – can lead to deviation. Thus:
1) By accepting HH Jayapātāka Swami (“JPS”)'s claim about what is “sinful”, it would lead us to deviate from what Śrīla Prabhupāda actually said is sinful.
2) Similarly, JPS claimed to have been appointed as one of the 11 so-called “Zonal Ācāryas”. But as later admitted even by the GBC and published as an editorial in ISKCON's official Back To Godhead magazine, this alleged appointment was completely false (see “An Apology”, Back To Godhead, #25-01, 1991).
3) JPS also claimed that Śrīla Prabhupāda ordered him to make “50,000 disciples” (JPS Letter, 1/12/23). But, as we have documented in The Final Order, Śrīla Prabhupāda did not authorise anyone to become a dīkṣā guru.
4) In the last issue, in “Portraying Śrīla Prabhupāda as Conditioned”, we showed that accepting JPS's “garbage” story about how large-scale prasādam distribution was allegedly started, would lead us to not see Śrīla Prabhupāda as being transcendental.
We will further see how deviation can arise by not relying on Śrīla Prabhupāda's exact words.
ISKCON organisations such as “Food For Life”, “ISKCON Food Relief”, and “Akshaya Patra” justify going outside the temple property into places such as homeless areas, etc., to distribute food as a stand-alone project by claiming that Śrīla Prabhupāda said, to use an example from ISKCON's official website, that:
“No one within ten miles of an ISKCON temple should go hungry.”
(www.iskcon.org)
However, the above is not what Śrīla Prabhupāda actually said, though it is “similar”. Śrīla Prabhupāda's exact words were:
“In all our temples the prasāda distribution should be so random, that within ten miles nobody should remain hungry.”
(Conversation, 13/1/77)
This is the only recorded “10 miles” quote from Śrīla Prabhupāda. Hence, in regard to this “10 miles” quote, Śrīla Prabhupāda is speaking specifically only about prasādam being distributed on temple grounds. And thus, this quote only justifies people who visit the temple being fed. Which is consistent with Śrīla Prabhupāda's other instructions:
“Regarding food distribution, they may come to take at our Temple. With travelling saṅkīrtana we can distribute wherever we go, but not to the emergency spot, like that.”
(Śrīla Prabhupāda, Letter to JPS, 28/9/76)
Thus, one cannot use the “10 miles” quote from Śrīla Prabhupāda to justify such stand-alone food distribution programs.
ISKCON Bangalore's “Akshaya Patra” food distribution program also has its own version of the “10 miles” quote as follows:
“Śrīla Prabhupāda [...] said 10 mile radius nobody should go hungry especially children.”
(Madhu Pandit Dāsa, Interview, 28/1/23)
The above quote stating “especially children” would thus appear to marry up perfectly with Akshaya Patra being a mid-day meal program feeding children in schools. But the above is a fake quote. We earlier quoted Śrīla Prabhupāda's actual words, and “especially children” is not stated. Which again is consistent with Śrīla Prabhupāda's other instructions, where focusing on specific groups such as children in need was forbidden:
“So far the Fiji constitution is concerned, where it says: “supplying needs to the sick, poor, and orphans, etc.” That is not our program. We distribute prasadam to everyone, not particularly to the needy. We make no discrimination, rich or poor.”
(Śrīla Prabhupāda, Letter, 30/6/76)
Indeed, we find that there are at least *10* different variations of the “10 mile” quote used by different ISKCON organisations. Which is what happens when one relies on “Prabhupāda said” memories and anecdotes, rather than Śrīla Prabhupāda's actual words. Which raises an important and obvious point. Śrīla Prabhupāda's actual words exist, and are easily available to anyone who wishes to consult Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings. So not using Śrīla Prabhupāda's actual words means that:
a) Śrīla Prabhupāda is deliberately being misrepresented;
b) Or, no one believes in consulting Śrīla Prabhupāda before acting.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda: Making up words
he never said leads to mass deviation
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For example, Akshaya Pātra displays huge billboards with Śrīla Prabhupāda's name and picture attached, claiming that he said:
“No one within a ten-mile radius of our center should go hungry.”
But we know Śrīla Prabhupāda did not speak these exact words, which omit “In all our temples” and “prasāda”. So, if we are going to publicly use Śrīla Prabhupāda's name and picture, there is no excuse for not using his actual words, when what he actually said is already known. Otherwise, to not do so is considered even by materialists to be a misuse and misrepresentation of that person.
Every morning during guru-pūjā, we sing to Śrīla Prabhupāda:
“My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating from his lotus mouth.”
(Śrī Guru-vandanā, Verse 3)
1) In order for this to be true, one needs to know what words emanated from Śrīla Prabhupāda's lotus mouth. Which means we must follow the POP – as that is the only way to know for certain the exact words that came from Śrīla Prabhupāda's lotus mouth.
2) And once these words are known, unless we actually use only those words, then we do not actually wish to have our consciousness purified by those words.
Hence, even if the words used are similar, our daily guru-pūjā means nothing unless we use the exact words from Śrīla Prabhupāda's lotus mouth, given they are actually available!
We have now shown at least 6 reasons for not using personal testimonies instead of POP:
1) They're not always free from error and bias.
2) We have to gamble on which are accurate.
3) It's not an authorised channel.
4) It's forbidden to use “Prabhupāda said”.
5) It leads to deviation.
6) Exact words needed to honour guru-pūjā.
How many more do you need?
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