On origins of the discussion

[Guest guest]

Prabhus,

 

There is no fault here in inviting this discussion, and the discussion

itself can certainly be very insightful provided that the conclusion is an

increase in our awareness of our tradition. Since it is beyond the ability of

most people familiar with the Krishna Consiousness movement to even imagine

that Prabhupada's authenticity could be questioned, it is a service to provide

a supervised forum for this topic. If one wishes to contest the authenticity

of Prabhupada's spiritual connection to Mahaprabhu's line (directly or via

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati) though, rather than beat around the bush it should

be said in a straightforward manner. Our purification will come from

participation in the sankirtana movement not from our exclusion from it. And

this is not a kirtana movement but a sankirtana movement - congregational

participation. It's not that there was no Gaudiya line prior to

Bhaktisiddhanta or Bhaktivinoda, but the movement of spreading Hari Nama to

every town and village of the world part was kind of dead in the water.

 

Perhaps we should familiarize ourselves with some of the obstacles that the

devotees of the 17th and 18th centuries faced: an inimical Moghul government, a

partial braminical brain drain to serve the court (not just Rupa, Sanatana.

et.al.), the popularity of Sakti worship among the Bengalis, and the arrival of

the European commericial ventures that resulted in an erosion of Mughal rule but

without any government to replace them initially. This in itself aggravated

numerous problems such as swarms of mendicants preying on villagers in the name

of spirituality, and famine that claimed countless Bengali lives. What to

mention of the 19th century Bengali Renaissance, some of the biggest proponents

of which (Rommohan Roy) made it their business to reject deity worship, a

personal God, and a host of other essentials. It is to the credit of the

devotees of the time that so much survived but that does not give license to

criticize those who have taken up the task of modernizing the movement.

 

ys, Santiparayana dasa