Visvambhara Swami story
“ Those under the spell of
the material energy cannot at all appreciate the activities between the Lord
and His devotee. But by executing
devotional service under the regulative principles, one can become very highly
elevated and then begin to appreciate the dealings of pure love under the
management of yoga-maya.”
(C.C. Adi-Lila 4,30, purport by His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada)
“Na dharman nadharman
sruti-gana-niruktam kila kuru”
(From Srila Raghunata dasa's Manah-Siksa)
Srila Prabhupada's
translation: "...one should not be much interested in performing Vedic
rituals or simply following rules and regulations.
Regulative principles in
devotional service are meant for those who have not invoked their natural love
of Godhead. When natural love' arises,
all regulative methods are surpassed, and pure love is exhibited between the
Lord and the devotee." (C.C. Adi-lila 4, 26, purport by His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.)
November 4th, 1997
His Divine Grace
Bhaktivedanta Swami Narayan Maharaja Kesava ji Gaudya Math - Mathura, India.
All glories to Sri
Guru-Gauranga.
Dear Maharaja,
Please accept my humble
obeisances. I am Visvambhara dasa, a
fallen disciple of His Divine Grace Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya
Astottara-sata Sri Srimad Abhaya Caran Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada,
who now has accepted Your Grace as his Siksa guru. That encounter was most unpleasant for me. I am most unfortunate, having lost the good
association of the devotees of the International Society of Krsna
Consciousness, Srila Prabhupada's answer to Kali Yuga. But ISKCON, its Governing Body Commission,
and all the faithful followers, altogether, they are my beloved spiritual
master's Institution, the incarnation of Harinam Sankirtan.. At the lotus feet of Srila Rupa Gosvami,
empowered by Om Visnupada His Divine Grace Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya
Astottara-sata Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Srila Prabhupada has
taught us the concept of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to form a Governing
Body Commission to answer the ongoing progress of Krsna Consciousness
throughout the whole world.
The "essence", said Srila Prabhupada, is
"preaching". Srila Krsnadasa
Kaviraja Gosvami in his Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta, (the character of the living
force in immortality) says that the best preaching is one that combines words
and practice. Excesses are due to
intoxication of oneself. We are never the enjoyer, always the servant of the
servants of the Gopis of Vrndavana.
Daily we pray to Srimati Tulasi devi; "I beg you to make me a
follower of the cowherd damsels of Vraja." But externally, the vaisnava
must always be reserved. "Of
sadhana-bhakti, the vaidhi method is a product of scriptural demands and concessions. Raganuga-sadhana is born out of an intense
attraction for the activities of the residents of Vraja. The first
method is for the general mass of people, whereas the second is extremely
rare and confidential." (Sri Hari-Nama Cintamani).
According to Srila
Prabhupada, the Gaudiya-Math fell apart because of two factors:
1) - "The wide spread
acceptance of the doctrines of the numerous, deviant sahajya (false devotees)
groups which had sprang up after the disappearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
and His principal followers." These groups were thought to be standard
Gaudiya Vaisnavism and therefore gave a bad opinion of Krsna Consciousness in
the mind of the intellectual elite of these modern times.
2) - It was Srila
Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a powerful incarnation of Gaura-sakti and
faithful follower of Srila Rupa Gosvami who sounded the alarm in the nineteenth
century and early twentieth century of this Christian era. He revived the true spirit of Vaisnavism and
the Sankirtana movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He unearthed the holy places of Sri Mayapura
dhama His cry for the shelter of his
beloved Lord of Vraja was heard throughout the world. He prayed to the Supreme Lord, bestower of
all benedictions, for someone who could ensure that the chanting of the
maha-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna, Krsna, Hare, Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama,
Hare, Hare, would actually be spread all
over the world in a practical manner.
When Om Visnupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja
developed his Gaudiya-Math institution he realized by divine inspiration that
the continuity of a Krsna Consciousness culture could only be maintained and
widely spread if it was guided by a "Supreme Council" rather than by
the traditional "Acarya system". "The "Acarya system"
is fine, it should and is being maintained to this day. This is the actual way Krsna Consciousness is
spread. A great acarya surrounds himself
with faithful disciples and preaches Krsna Consciousness as far as he has
become empowered by the grace of Sri Nityananda, the original all-powerful
Spiritual Master. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati had the genius, divinely inspired, to conceive of a plan whereby all
such empowered acaryas could join together, combine forces co-operatively and
become an irrepressible force where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's deep desire to
save the whole world could become a reality.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati chooses to call his "Supreme Council" a "Governing
Body Commission" or GBC (the "GBC" acronym hence
forward)! Om Visnupada Srila A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains in a purport of his wonderful Sri
Caitanya-Caritamrta of Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami:
"Prathame ta’eka-mata
acarya gana
pache dui-mata haila daivera
karana.
(C.C. Adi-lila, 12.8)
Translation:
" At first all the
followers of Advaita Acarya shared a single opinion. But after they followed two different
opinions, as ordained by providence."
Purport: (by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami)
The words daivera
karuna" indicate that by dint of providence, or by God's will, the
followers of Advaita Acarya divided into two parties. Such disagreement among the disciples of one
acarya is also found among the members of the Gaudiya-Math. In the beginning, during the presence of Om
Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, all the disciples worked in
agreement; but, just after his disappearance, they disagreed. One party strictly followed the instructions
of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, but another group created his own
concoction about executing his desires.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, at the time of his departure
requested all his disciples to form a governing body and conduct missionary
activities cooperatively. He did not
instruct a particular man to become the next "acarya". But just after his passing away, his leading
secretaries made plans, without authority, to occupy the post of acarya, and
they split in two factions over who the next "acarya" would be.
Consequently, both factions were "asara", or
useless, because they had no authority, having disobeyed the order of the
spiritual master. Despite the spiritual
master's order to form a governing body and execute the missionary activities
of the Gaudiya-Math, the two unauthorized factions began litigation that is
still going on after forty years without no decision.
Therefore, we do not belong
to any faction. But because the two
parties, busy dividing the material assets of the Gaudiya-Math institution,
stopped the preaching work, we took up the mission of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to preach the cult of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu all over the world, under the protection of all the
predecessor "acaryas", and we find that our humble attempt has been successful. We followed the principles especially
explained by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura in his commentary on
Bhagavad-gita verse "vyavasayatmika buddhi. ekeha kuru-nandana."
According to this instruction of Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, it is the duty
of a disciple to follow strictly the order of his spiritual master. The secret of success in advancement in
spiritual life is the firm faith of the disciple in the orders of his spiritual
master. The Vedas confirm this:
yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hi arthah
prakasante mahatmanah
To one who has staunch faith
in the words of the spiritual master and the words of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead the secret of success in vedic knowledge is revealed." the
Krsna Consciousness Movement is being propagated according to this principle,
and therefore, our preaching work is going on successfully, in spite of the
many impediments offered by antagonistic demons, because we are getting
positive help from our previous "acaryas". One must judge every action by its
result. The members of the self-appointed
"acarya's" party who occupied the property of the Gaudiya Math are
satisfied, but they could make no progress in preaching. Therefore, by the results of their actions
one should know that they are "asara”, or useless, whereas the success of
the ISKCON party, the International Society for Krsna Consciousness, which
strictly follows "guru" and Gauranga, is increasing daily all over
the world. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura wanted to print as many books as possible and distribute them
all over the world. We have tried our
best in this connection and we are getting results beyond our expectations.
Therefore, it stands to
reason that if we are to have any success at all in spreading Krsna
Consciousness all over the world, we must without fail avoid
"sahajyaism", work cooperatively under a governing body commission,
print and distribute books and endeavor to understand our previous acaryas in
this wonderful Gaudiya sampradaya.
ISKCON and its GBC is
therefore not an ordinary society. Its
members are dedicated to Srila Prabhupada, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Swami. The GBC, and learning how it can function
effectively, is an absolute principle, not a debatable one. His Divine Grace
once said that his ISKCON Society was an incarnation of Godhead. The incarnations of Lord Krsna are usually
not recognized for what they are. But
the pure devotee does not exaggerate just for, the sake of making a point. The sayings of the pure devotee are
nondifferent from scriptural revelations.
Dear Maharaja, please excuse
the long preamble. It will prove helpful
I hope for what is to follow.
First, allow me to introduce
myself. A fallen disciple of Srila
Bhaktivedanta Swami. Early on, I was
more or less pressed into a disastrous marriage, to be granted a divorce five years later. I accepted many responsibilities in
ISKCON. I was coaxed to accept the
sannyasa order because of a desire of the local GBC member.
When the Zonal-acarya program was instituted I was not
sufficiently philosophically aware that it was fundamentally flawed. But it quickly showed its flowers. I saw some of my dearest godbrothers become
puffed with pride and sexually inclined.
But I followed, not blindly, but as a belief that the GBC as a body
would eventually correct itself and the situation. When it all came down, there ensued much
bitter fighting amongst the devotees. I
no longer had any authority to refer to or anyone I could fully trust. I decided to finish the few responsibilities incumbent upon me and give up an
ill-acquired sannyasi role. Nor could I
pretend to be qualified to take disciples as many of my godbrothers did. I offered my former wife shelter as a sense
of duty to her. Luckily for me, she was already otherwise
engaged. Then I came here to my country
of birth to live by myself and try to chant Hare Krishna.
Throughout all this I have seen my spiritual master's
institution go through this difficult transitional
period after the departure of our beloved founder-acarya Om Visnupada Srila
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.
The travails of ISKCON are and have been many. But the most trying have been over the
"acarya" concept. First, one
group volted to the shelter of the feet of Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Sridhar
Maharaja while ISKCON and the GBC tried to establish the ridiculous notion of
"Zonal acaryas."Now there are many many groups, each with its
particular philosophy. In 1995, His
Divine Grace Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja predicted that an "acarya"
would manifest himself in 1996 and guide ISKCON out of its troubles. His many disciples and followers thought he
was the one. When he disappeared from
this world in February 1996, his followers began searching for the designated
one. Now your followers say that you are
the next "acarya" capable of fulfilling what Srila Prabhupada has
given us.
I must pay my humble
obeisances onto my godbrothers, godsisters and others who have mercifully kept
ISKCON on track. I think their
accomplishment is marvelous. They have
managed to stop the course, faithful to the vision of Vaisnavism instituted by
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and confirmed by Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami:
that world-wide preaching activities should be conducted cooperatively under
the guidance of a Governing Body Commission, not by a single
"acarya". The GBC can
structure deployment efforts, protect the doctrine and ensure the force of
continuity. As a vaisnava I dream of a
day when Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's sankirtana legions will be
enthusiastically led by many pure devotees, acaryas in their own right,
willingly collaborating with a
wisened GBC, understanding that the interest of the general mass of people is
best served in this way.
Nor has the GBC been
completely unwise in the past. They have
carefully steered the ISKCON ship through its most difficult times. When, after some years, I came back to the
ranks of ISKCON for the Centennial Celebrations in honor of Srila Prabhupada
(in 1996), 1 was amazed to see how the boisterous ISKCON I had known had
matured. Sincere and qualified disciples
of Srila Prabhupada are diligently spreading the mission in cooperation. Initiating spiritual masters are training
well-mannered dedicated vaisnavas and there is no envy between the disciples of
one spiritual master and those of another.
More and more the GBC is giving itself the means to accomplish its task. The holy name is constantly being chanted,
the divine works of His Divine Grace are being distributed, prasadam is
distributed in large quantities, deity worship is well established and proper
respect of other vaisnavas is being taught.
Those who criticize ISKCON
and the GBC are somewhat dishonest. They
impute to ISKCON and to the GBC the deviant actions of individuals. In fact, the GBC is usually left with crisis
after crisis to resolve with urgency after individuals have abused their
God-given responsibilities. To their
immense credit, the GBC has dealt with those individuals with a mixture of
compassion and disciplinary action. This
is truly following in the footsteps of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada who
dealt so kindly with us fallen mlecchas, always encouraging us to keep chanting
the holy name, hoping that some day we might understand the true meaning of
devotion to the lotus feet of the spiritual master.
Criticism comes easily to an unpeaceful mind. Srila Prabhupada gave birth to a new and
beautiful concept of sankirtana or Krsna Consciousness. We, his disciples and followers, are most
unqualified and create for ourselves unnecessary predicaments and
hardships. On the other hand, one could
say, historically speaking, that, under the able guidance of his Divine Grace
Srila Prabhupada we are quickly learning that there are no possible substitutes
to pure devotional service. Anything
else is unacceptable to our divine spiritual master. Srila Rupa Gosvami's bhakti is preserved
within the walls of the ISKCON institution.
Devotees everywhere are becoming transformed, in sweet and merciful
vaisnavas. ISKCON's developmental troubles
are not to be solved by straying for on the order of the spiritual master. "Persons who deviate from the strict
order of the spiritual master are useless." (C.C. Adi-lila 12, 10,
purport). By clinging to Srila
Prabhupada's order, ISKCON, in time, will execute the will of the Supreme.
For my humble self, taking
the lotus feet of all vaisnavas within my heart, I beg for the shelter of their
presence. I offer my humble obeisances
to all vaisnavas everywhere. My whole
heart is the property of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada my eternal
master. He has transformed my life. He put me on another path. Gradually, my sinful fever I comprehend more
and more and I pray always for the merciful shelter of Sri-Srila Nityananda
svarupakam. ISKCON and the GBC are valid
vaisnava institutions created for the benefit of the world by our
founder-acarya,. They deserve the proper
respect of all true vaisnavas. Let us
not be blinded by the temporary. The
instruction of guru is eternal and will not fail. My deepest respect goes to all faithful
followers of ISKCON everywhere whatever their position. Together they incarnate Srila Rupa Gosvami's
vision of a better world. I pray for the
day when I shall again have the opportunity of being of some service to
them. All glories to Srila Prabhupada's
GBC who is protecting the transcendental ship of ISKCON. All glories to the many spiritual masters who
are training nice vaisnavas everywhere in the world. All glories to harinama sankirtana, the life
and soul of the world. All glories to
Srila Prabhupada's transcendental works.
Pure devotional service as taught by Srila Prabhupada will gradually
conquer the world away from the hands of the great demons.
It is in this context, your
Divine Grace, that I am approaching your lotus feet. I have heard many devotees chant
enthusiastically your glories. They seem
to take pleasure in studying the scriptures and describing the wonderful
pastimes of Sri-Sri Radha and Krsna and Their many gopis attendants. They are enthusiastically chanting and seem
to be making progress in Krsna Consciousness.
And they are unanimous about your own elevated position in devotional
service. I am all the more favorably
inclined to take shelter of your blessed association since I have heard of how
close a friendship you had with our divine master Srila Prabhupada. Anything auspicious in my life I owe to Srila
Prabhupada. To have association with
someone who was close to him will certainly be of great spiritual benefit to
me.
Your followers put forward
the idea of you as the present acarya of ISKCON, capable of taking the devotees
to where Srila Prabhupada wanted them to go.
They prioritize the "raganuga" leaf of Srila Rupa Gosvami's
sadhana-bhakti. They say that Srila
Prabhupada would have wanted us at this time to explore the realm of
spontaneous attraction to serving the gopis of Vrndavana, our eternal
function. To this ISKCON replies
(perhaps I am presuming here. I cannot
claim to actually represent ISKCON in any way whatsoever. I am actually just presenting my own humble
opinion on a situation that seems to divide the devotees). Vaidhi-bhakti was
taught by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. During his presence among us, Srila Prabhupada
strictly prohibited any premature attempt of higher stages of devotional
service. All of Srila Prabhupada's holy
scriptures is a constant encouragement for the whole world to reach the highest
echelon of pure love of Godhead without even the slight inconvenience of such
elevated stages of love of Godhead as "aisvarya" worship. But, as we are called higher, we are
constantly reminded of our responsibilities in educating the general
public. Rules and regulations have to be
established always everywhere.
Spontaneous awakening to the practice of "raganuga" is, says
Srila Haridasa Thakura through the pen of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in Sri
Harinama Cintamani, "extremely rare and confidential". (SHNC. Chapter XV, section titled: "Two methods
of sadhana: vaidhi and raganuga".
Furthermore, Srila Prabhupada writes to conclude the chapter of the
"Nectar of the Devotion" summary study of Srila Rupa Gosvami's
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu entitled "The first stages of devotion":
"let everyone be engaged in whatever occupation he now has. Simply let him worship Lord Krsna by the
result of his activities in Krsna Consciousness. That will adjust the whole situation and
everyone will be happy and peaceful within this world. In the Narada'-pancaratra, the regulative
principles of devotional service are described as follows: "Any activities
sanctioned in the revealed scriptures and aiming at the satisfaction of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead are accepted by saintly teachers as the
regulative principles of devotional service.
If somebody regularly executes such service unto the Supreme Personality
of Godhead under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, then gradually
he rises to the platform of serving in pure love of God".
Your followers, Maharaja, say
that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said that after twenty years of chanting
regularly the Hare Krsna maha mantra one should enter the stage of
raganuga. First, for most of them, it has
not been twenty years yet. The others
should follow Srila Prabhupada's divinely inspired example and remain any sober
in order to give good training to everyone.
"Bliss later", used to say Srila Prabhupada. Surely Srila Prabhupada was as the Six
Gosvamis of Vrndavana were: "Immersed in the ocean of the nectar of the
gopis love for Lord Sri Krsna, rising and falling in great waves of
ecstasy". Yet, externally Srila
Prabhupada always remained reserved, dignified, efficient, demanding, a perfect
leader in Krsna Consciousness. Is it not
better for us to accept the example he gave us just as it is, rather than
speculate on how it might have been or how he meant it to become?
ISKCON and the GBC are just
suitable vehicles for propagating Krsna Consciousness as it
should be, in order to
convert the entire world. On the world
stage, the role Krsna Consciousness should play may be the subject of contrary
opinions. Often these contrary opinions
amongst your devotees yield unexpected solutions that are truly divinely
inspired.
Should differences of opinion
remain, it may be, as stated in Sri Caitanya-cairitamrta: "daivera-karuna,
divinely inspired". Both are for
the pleasure of the lotus feet of guru, as others are, and combinedly they
serve the higher purposes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri
Krsna. As long as the chanting of the
holy maha-mantra is going on in public
places and the rules and regulations of devotional service as taught by Srila
Rupa Gosvami are followed, let us offer respect to one another as vaisnavas
should. But surely there is no reason to
be envious of the other. I personally do
not see that ISKCON has in any manner fundamentally deviated from the teachings
of Srila Prabhupada. The ship has stayed
the course and the devotees have become purified by the process. A noon stage of expansion of Krsna
Consciousness will soon take place if we strictly abide to Srila Prabhupada's
words.
Any attempt at usurping
ISKCON should be resisted. Subversive
forces may help us grow stronger. But we
should not surrender to other paths.
One should always beware of
the association with devotees who still have accounts to settle. They are unhappy persons and their hearts are
not clean. They see evil in everyone except
in their own hearts and they do not know how to properly respect other
vaisnavas. They claim to be in the
practice of the higher stages of devotional service but their behavior is less
than desirable.
I am now coming to the main
point of this letter which is to inform you of a just now occurred incident when
recently I had association with Sriman Ramavijaya dasa Adhikary, a strong
supporter of Sripad Gour Govinda Swami formerly, and now a great champion of
your cause as the avatara of the natural evolution of Krsna Consciousness and
next prominent acarya to the world.
Ramavijaya dasa has been
pastly a friend to me for many years.
Recently he phoned and asked if he could come to my home for a week to
work in collaboration on a film project
he felt Gour Govinda Swami had encouraged him to do. Over the years our relationship has been
ambivalent. But fundamentally I
sincerely believe that Ramavijaya is sincere, if misguided. Reluctantly I agreed and he came from Paris
to Montreal and to my home.
I received him as a vaisnava
should be received in one's home, respectfully putting at his disposition
everything one has. From the airport I
drove him to my home, fed him prasadam, we chanted, discussed Krsna Conscious
matters, studied the scriptures and worked on an idea for making the
transcendental pastime of Lord Sri Nrsimhadeva, praname, and Mahajana Sri Srila
Prahlada Maharaja. We went for a walk in
nature and generally enjoy a cordial relationship as devotees.
Ramavijaya dasa has certainly profited in Krsna
Consciousness thanks to the good association he has had. But very quickly my guest became upset with
me for objecting to hearing criticisms of my good godbrothers and godsisters
who are faithfully carrying out the instructions of Srila Prabhupada. Ramavijaya dasa sees only the deviants of
Krsna Consciousness in ISKCON and the GBC.
He does not have faith in Srila Prabhupada's order and example. He favors a quicker, more
"ecstatic" solution to the problems of his life. He does not recognize the facts of reality,
he prones a fantasy solution that is nothing but a sentimental approach to
devotional life. It is doomed to fail
him because it is not founded in practical application of devotional service
under the direct supervision of a spiritual master. For him, a spiritual master is someone who
leaves him free to do whatever he likes while showering him with great
kindness.
My own personal experience
with Srila Prabhupada was that he could at times be extremely severe with his
disciples. Srila Prabhupada demanded
absolute surrender to the spiritual master and his order. From the bottom of my heart I thank him, the
great acarya to these western countries where we, mlecchas, have been condemned
to live, away from Vrndavana, the place of predilection.
Ramavijaya dasa is surprised
at my being offended by his derogatory statements about ISKCON and the
GBC. He predicts that soon, Your
holiness will emerge as the next great acarya capable of uniting the world to
Krsna Consciousness, whether ISKCON follows suit or not.
When I became offended, he
accuses me of great pride and stubborn narrow-mindedness. Constantly, again and again, subtly and
grossly, he attacks Krsna Consciousness as practiced by ISKCON under the care
of the GBC. He hints at some
incompleteness in Srila Prabhupada's legacy.
Ramavijaya dasa was cheated
in ISKCON, and he cannot forgive. He
sees only the worst in other people. He
has deep hatred. I believe he is
suffering, in his very body, the weight of offenses to other vaisnavas.
We had strong words with each
other three or four times. Then we
agreed to stay clear of the subject of ISKCON and potential acaryas. He admitted that while constantly glorifying
his association with your entourage, he systematically denigrated anything and
everything about ISKCON, the GBC, the initiating gurus, the devotees'
narrow-mindedness and past and present errors.
One day we quibbled about the nature of Lord Nrsimha's
transcendental appearance and pastimes.
Ramavijaya dasa insisted that adoration of Lord Krsna's pastime as the
half-man half-lion incarnation was a lower type of worship of the Supreme Lord,
the form of "aisvarya" worship. Ultimately, that form of worship
whereby the Supreme Lord is approached in deep awe and reverence is meant to be
given up for the higher, deeper and sweeter pastime of Lord Krsna and Srimati
Radharani in the groves of Vraja, surrounded by the loving gopis - the
vaisnava's dream, the Six-Gosvamis of Vrndavana's eternal function of
gopi-bhava-rasartabdhi-lahari-kallola magnau muhar.
I agree with him, but I
challenge his understanding of Srila Prabhupada's wonderful instruction that in
the eyes of the pure devotees of the Lord all pastimes are equally
marvelous. Again, he heaps insults upon
me. He says I am a neophyte who refuses
to see the path of raganuga-bhakti as the only hope for Krsna Consciousness in
the near and long future. He quotes
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati has saying that after twenty years of chanting
the maha-mantra Hare Krsna one should enter the path of raganuga-sadhana.
That statement cannot be
questioned and in my heart I accept it as true for the purposes of the
discussion. But practicing Srila Rupa
Gosvami's instructions for the practice of raganuga-bhakti is not the same as
blabbering about it in public, or think of oneself as more advanced than those
persons who are still under rules and regulations, while, at the same time,
criticizing other devotees constantly.
Taking shelter of Srila
Prabhupada's lotus feet I humbly beg to differ with Ramavijaya dasa and I pray,
not with you, Your Divine Grace. If I
were to summarize what I have personally understood from Srila Prabhupada so
far, it would be something like this:
"My greatest misfortune
is that I have no attraction for the holy-names of Radha and Krsna. It may take twenty years, it may take twenty
thousand lifetimes, or it may take less than two seconds, but because I was
touched by the lotus feet of Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya
Astottara-sata Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, some day,
I will spontaneously desire to serve the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna and His
Consort, Srimati Radharani, in the mood of the gopis of Vraja. But in the meanwhile, let me chant my rounds
of japa, follow all the rules and regulations of vaisnava behaviour, contribute
my humble efforts to the development of the International Society for Krsna
Consciousness under the still good care of the Governing Body Commission, that
wonderful brain child of his Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura Prabhupada. The flame of pure
bhakti brought to the world by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila
Prabhupada is alive and well within the sacred walls of ISKCON. I have not felt it anywhere else at any
time. Throughout thirty years and many
ups and downs, I have heard beckoning calls to many other destinations. But my soul knows and craves the good
association of the faithful followers of Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON
institution. I see the day soon to come
when many pure devotees of the Lord will join together in great jubilation
under the banner of ISKCON and bless the whole world with the chanting of the
holy names. The GBC will become an
enlightened council to the world of Krsna Consciousness. Various forces will always attack and
denigrate the pure practice of bhakti. But in difficult times, pure devotees
will join together for the first time
in the history of Lord Sri-Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's sankirtana movement. Even in spiritual life, the force of many is
greater than the force of one, even if the one is absolute in force. This transcendental mystery is explained in
the famous verse from Sri Isopanisad:
Om purnam adah purnam idam
pusnat pusnam udacyate
purnasya purnam adaya
purnam evavasisyate
From His sublime omniscience
Lord Sri Caitanya has let loose upon the world the gem stone of
sankirtana. Let us chant together. For the conduct of the missionary activities
all over the world let us not underestimate the visionary capacities of our
great founder acaryas, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and Srila
A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami. Let us humbly,
under their protection do what we may to help their vision along. The GBC and ISKCON are not evil as your
followers openly state. ISKCON and the
GBC throughout all the great perils that have beset them following the physical
disappearance of our founder-acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Srila Prabhupada, has served to strong them it. The abuses were from
individuals. Individuals created havoc
due to inexperience, former bad habits, and great pride. But the ISKCON Institution under the kind
care of it Governing Body Commission has held its ground. Its control of passionate individuals has matured
and improved. The voice of wisdom is
being heard and the practice of bhakti-yoga is intact.
I offer my humble obeisances at the lotus feet of ISKCON,
its GBC, its bonafide spiritual masters and their faithful followers. And to all its followers and well-wishers.
Together they are the incarnation of Rupanuga-bhakti; I invite Ramavijaya dasa
for kirtana. I ask him forgiveness for
having said that I did not want to hear his kirtana. He is like a son to
me. I wanted to wake him from his
illusions because he is a dear devotee of the Lord.
This letter, I sincerely
hope, will be informative for you. 1, myself, am a very fallen disciple of
Srila Prabhupada. I gave up the sannyasi
order, feeling that it had been improperly conferred upon me. I left the
association of the devotees, feeling it unbearable, after the disaster of the
guru-acarya concoction. I have
criticized the GBC for perceived faults and disagreed with it on how things
should best be done. On the one side one
could say that ISKCON ruined my life.
But on the other side I have never felt any real shelter anywhere in the
world but in ISKCON. Associating with
true followers of Srila Prabhupada is always a most soothing experience. I pray to have that association always.
Am I blind to all the
faults? No. But throughout all the
faults I have learned to practice the vaisnava vision and, Srila Prabhupada
once quipped: "Try to see only the good the devotees are doing, just as
bees are attracted to honey."
Your Divine Grace, you are a
dear friend to Srila Prabhupada, an advanced devotee of the Lord, a spiritual
master and acary,a in your own right, and an older kind brother to us all in
ISKCON. Please come and help us make
things work better. But please do not
ask us to give up what Srila Prabhupada has kindly left in our hands. Help us rather to make it fructify for the
benefit of the world. The concept of
acarya is perfect. But now, Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's concept of GBC-acarya is even more perfect and will
ensure the constant progress of Krsna Consciousness all over the world as Lord
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu desired.
Raganuga-bhakti will spontaneously manifest everywhere if we all just
busy ourselves in the service of Lord Sri Nityananda, The powerful spiritual
master of the entire world.
No one can restrict the pure
devotee of the Lord in any way whatsoever.
Only voluntarily can a pure devotee choose to agree to restrict himself
within the confines of a Governing Body Commission.
But in the future and already now, bonafide spiritual
masters and their many disciples are cooperating together with great success.
During these transitional times
ISKCON may seem to falter. No one should
exploit the weaknesses of the baby learning how to walk. Everyone should rather come and lend support. ISKCON and its GBC will survive and thrive
and the world become Krsna conscious because our pure Gaudiya-sampradaya has
wished it upon the world. May 1, some
day soon, become a devotee myself and serve again in Srila Prabhupada's world
mission.
I thank you, your Divine
Grace, for hearing me out on these matters.
Anyone is free to spread Krsna Consciousness to all conditioned
souls. But why define oneself by
criticizing ISKCON and promoting premature Raganuga? As I told Ramavijaya dasa,
I do not think these things come from you.
Ramavijaya dasa was greatly hurt and cheated, his heart is still bitter
and he can only see the faults in others.
But he has taken shelter of your feet, considering you to be his
siksa-guru.
I am sure he does not
correctly represent you, but his heart is sincere. He needs to gain confidence again in Srila
Prabhupada's ISKCON and its GBC. Be kind
upon him who has rendered great service to Srila Prabhupada by powerfully
distributing his books.
In time, ISKCON will emerge
glorious. Great vaisnavas will define
themselves in terms of how much they cooperated to realize the vision set forth
by Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami rather than how a pure devotee may desire as he wishes for
he is the representative of the Supreme Lord.
Our positive identification
is that we are vaisnavas, servants of Lord Visnu. If we respect that within our hearts we will
not think the worst of others. We will
not mind serving and glorifying the previous acaryas.
Ramavijaya dasa did me a
great service by chastizing me. My pride
is great. Sometimes I think I am a true
sannyasi, having given up even the sannyasi order. I have no family, no following and no money
and Lord Krsna taught me that I could die at any moment no matter how strong
and healthy I may think I am. So when a
vaisnava tells me about all my faults I should stand corrected and more aware
of the extraordinary powers of Maya. But
in spite of all my degradation, I have received initiation in the holy name and
still make hopeless attempts at becoming Krsna conscious. So please, in my presence, do not find faults
in my spiritual master and my saintly godbrothers and godsisters. This is customary vaisnava etiquette. Otherwise, I must follow Srila Rupa Gosvami's
instruction to either:
I)- Cut out your tongue,
2)- Commit suicide,
3)- Leave the place immediately.
(In this case I asked Ramavijaya
dasa to leave since we were then situated in my home. This made him angry and he assured me of
being a materialist, always thinking "me" and "mine").
Ramavijaya dasa left my home
after stealing money from me. How can
one then speak of "Raganuga-bhakti" ?
Your Divine Grace, please
accept my humble obeisances. Forgive me
any offense I have made. Ramavijaya dasa
and myself did not offer each other obeisances upon leaving one another. I hope by now he has forgiven me. And as he so kindly put it, the whole episode
may all have been arranged by the Supreme Lord so that I might have the
opportunity of associating with your elevated self. I sincerely hope that it is so. I am the most fallen of all. My mind is constantly in the darkness. My spiritual master and the holy name he so
kindly dispensed upon me are my only shelter.
May the association of other vaisnavas be my daily sustenance.
Terminated on November 4th,
1997
Disappearance day of His
Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Your servant,
Visvambhara dasa.
Copy to: The appropriate GBC
Committee.
evam parampara-praptam".
(B.g. 4.2)