REPLY ON MASS DISTRIBUTION OF GAURA-LILA IS THE ONLY WAY! ONLY WAY!

[Guest guest]

>From : Nikhilananda Dasa ( ACBSP )

Dear Nayana ranjana Prabhu, Please accept my humble obeisances.

In your reply to my letter you have asked me a couple of questions :

 

> I am greatly disheartened by your reply to my message so much so that I

> do not feel like even replying to your messages

 

Considering that, you have written a reply letter which is extremely long.

 

> > 1. I doubt that many people would be interested in or even be able to

> > understand the Caitanya caritamrta, without the purports of Srila

> > Prabhupada. These books have to be received through the via media of

> > pure devotees. Your suggestion to print and distribute the CC -without-

> > the purport of Srila Prabhupada seems to be -not- a good one.

 

> You are wrong on that one. The recent book Cc Summary by Purnaprajna

> Prabhu has tremendously kindled interest in Cc among the people.

 

If Purnaprajna Prabhu´s book is a summary meant to create interest in Srila

Prabhupada´s books, such a book is a very good thing. That is not the same

as your suggestion to print the CC and take away Srila Prabhupada´s purports

( !) as you have suggested in your original message. You contradict yourself

all the time. In your eagerness to defend yourself you are trying to insult

those who reprimand you. That is not Vaishnava behavior, as one would

expect from the quotes, you have flooded us with in previous weeks. To

speak of humility and practice it are two things. The proof is when you are

tested.

 

> a demo version with a beautiful ad

>of Prabhupada Cc set in the back cover and references throughout the book,

>surely will tremendously increase the sales of SP's Cc set.

 

That sounds like a good suggestion. Again, it is not the suggestion you

mentioned originally and to which I referred ( see above ). Do not get

carried away. Stick to the truth . If you expressed some things in a

misunderstandable way, admit it. I will be more than glad to hear and accept

that you did not mean it the way it was written before.

 

What I did not like about your original message and the ones preceding it

is that there is some terminology visible in them as we know them from the

"conversion " attempts of ex Gaudiya math groups. Like your enthusiastic

request that we cooperate with the Gaudiya missions ( "all Gaudiya

Vaishnavas of the world" ) etc. in publishing gaura lilas and that will be

the formula of future success etc.

They also claim that we have not been successful yet because we

did not publish so many lilas etc. And they always preach to us like they

know all the solutions and we never read or understood a thing.

I have no complexes regarding the gaudiya math because I previously even

helped them to build temples etc. all with support of iskcon. I observed a

bit of carelessness in your youthful enthusiasm regarding the mentioning

of Srila Prabhupada´s purports, a carelessness, which unfortunately has

become a wide-spread trend recently among some of the the younger generation

devotees. I have a right to make you aware of it and you have a right

to accept or reject my suggestion. It is not good for your spiritual life

to resort to revenge and insults.

 

> Prabhupada's plan for the BBT markup was the greatest genius mastermined

> plan to actually spread KC. I never doubted that. Nor I am saying that

> there is anything wrong in the distribution of Prabhupada's books while

> making profit on it.

 

If I got you wrong on this one, I am more than glad. I really hope so.

In that case, accept my apology.

So far, all BBT publications have been very affordable if you compare them

to books of other publishers of similar quality. Except for small editions

which are more for devotees.

 

> > Your

> > enthusiastic request that we will only be able to spread KC world wide

> > if we immediately translate so many other works by the six goswamis etc

> > and distribute them sounds nice but is not realistic.

 

> I never said all or any of the books of the six Goswamis. Please don't

> extrapolate and put words in my mouth just to prove your points.

 

Nor did - I- use the term "all books of the six gosvamis" as seen from

your own quote. You are defeating your own statement.

 

> > Nor does it correspond to the priorities and instructions left by Srila

> > Prabhupada.

> You are totally wrong again.

 

Sorry, it is widely known that although Srila Prabhupada encouraged

and appreciated the translation and publication of all kinds of bona fide

Vaishnava literature, he asked us to -first- publish and thoroughly study

his books. That´s all I said. I am glad that some devotees translate and

publish books like the Caitanya Bhagavat and works by Bhaktivinoda

Thakura. I also mentioned that , so you have nor reason yto feel

disheartened. But regarding the distribution of books in quantity and their

effect on making devotees, Srila Prabhupada´s books come first.

 

We should not even -think- of publishing Srila Prabhupada´s books -without-

purports.

 

> Prabhupada is saying that when this books come to light, India's glory and

> the message of love will overflood this morbid world. Why you are denying

> that it his instructions?

 

Never did , Prabhu, better cool down for 48 hours or so and read my

comments once again in a favorable mood of humility, as one should expect

from a great scholar.

 

> He clearly says that one should increase the number of books. Of course

> someone may take out a meaning that it means only to translate his books

> further but it surely does mean also to publish new Krsna conscious books

> because he said that the first duty of a sannyasi is to write books.

 

As I mentioned in my letter : To translate and publish all the bona fide

Vaishnava literature is important. That Srila Prabhupada´s disciples write

books is important, too. Who ever denied that ? BUT :

1. The publication of Srila Prabhupada´s works - with - commentaries is

the top priority.

If you check your own letter regarding the word "top priority" you will

find an entirely different statement there. ( Here we find under No.1

Caitanya Bhagavata which you are working on Under No 2 : Srila Prabhupada´s

CC- without his purports )

I understand your enthusiasm but do not put yourself more into the center

than Srila Prabhupada, even unintentionally.

2. Our successes in preaching rest mainly on Srila Prabhupada´s books.

Books like the Caitanya Mangala are, as we have seen in the West,

obviously scriptures for devotees.

 

You quote :

> DUE TO MISUNDERSTANDING SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM, PEOPLE ARE MISLED REGARDING THE

> SCIENCE OF KRSNA. HOWEVER, BY READING SRILA VRNDAVANA DASA THAKURA'S BOOK

> ONE CAN VERY EASILY UNDERSTAND THIS SCIENCE."

 

This quote is for those who are already scholars and know the Srimad

Bhagavatam and make a false interpretation. It does not relate to the

masses who neither know the Srimad Bhagavatam nor Lord Caitanya.

A sincere devotee can understand the Srimad Bhagavatam by reading the

Caitanya Bhagavata, as mentioned in your quote. A sincere devotee can also

understand the Srimad Bhagavatam from Srila Prabhupada´s purports and his

descriptions of Lord Caitanya.

 

Again, the more agressive of the ex gaudiya math members have repeatedly

tried to tell us us that it is -not- sufficient to read the Srimad-

Bhagavatam as given to us by Srila Prabhupada, for attaining perfection

in God consciousness. This is in DEFIANCE of such clear statements as :

 

1....tatho jayam udhirayet - "THIS SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM IS OUR VERY MEANS OF

CONQUEST" (SB 1.2.4 )

2. idam bhagavatam nama....dhanyam svasty-ayanam mahat ( dhanyam is

translated by Srila Prabhupada as "completely SUCCESSFUL" ) (SB 1.3.40)

Purport: "... By reciting the Srimad Bhagavatam we can receive all the light

of the Supreme Brahman, Sri Krishna, if we receive it through the medium

of the transcendental spiritual master....The person Bhagavatam is the

self-realized, genuine spiritual master and ONLY THROUGH HIM ONE CAN

UNDERSTAND THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE BHAGAVATAM AND THUS ATTAIN THE DESIRED

RESULT".

3. Purport (SB 2.7.52 ) : "... As previously explained, the

Srimad-Bhagavatam is made in such a scientific way that any sincere

student of this important science WILL BE ENABLED TO UNDERSTAND THE

SCIENCE OF GOD, simply by attentive reading or regularly hearing it

from a bona-fide speaker....Even those who still strive for the pleasures

of this world CAN take shelter of this greta science of the Srimad

Bhagavatam and they will be successful in the end."

 

Your work may be important, dear Nayana-ranjana but Srila Prabhupada´s

purports will always be far more important.

 

> So how will the Caitanya-bhagavata be available to the common man unless

> it is translated into all the languages of the world in the form of an

> affordable edition?

 

I never said that it should not be translated. I referred to your

suggestion to publish the CC without Srila Prabhupada´s purports

which is not a good one, according to all I have learnt.

 

> Since every word of the pure-devotee is transcendental, some follower of

> Prabhupada may want to make the above instructions of Prabhupada his life

> and soul so how can you say that he is a misled deviant, offender,

> pretender, shameless, ungrateful etc.

 

If you read my letter you will find that these words referred to those

members of the gaudiya splinter groups who try to diminish Srila

Prabhupada´s achievements and authority and claim that they know better.

And to those who discredit the importance of Srila Prabhupada´s purports.

I never used them to describe devotees who are loyal to Srila Prabhupada.

 

>But you take it for granted that I had evil motives to minimize

>Prabhupada's books and thus repeatedly replied me to very harshly in a

>public forum.

 

1.I never referred to your motives in my letter because I do not know them.

2. I did not repeatedly reply to you harshly in a public forum, I only

posted two medium size comments once - that was yesterday.

 

> > Some of these

> > books were published by scholars and Gaudiya missions before and they

> > had hardly any impact on people anywhere in the West.

> Maybe only one or two books and that also in English language only. But

> they were never made available to people on a mass-scale

 

If you want to publish these books in Indian languages, go ahead, a great

service. You do not need our praise in advance.

 

>You are free to believe what you think but please don't make a campaign

against me

 

Never intended to. I only dared to post two comments.

I do not know you and I have no prejudice.

 

> > Many beginning devotees nowadays jump prematurely into all

> > these different pastimes which are published without purports and before

> > having sufficiently studied Srila Prabhupada´s purports. Needless to

> > mention that such lack of understanding is bound to produce confusion.

 

> No one will ever confused of reading Lord Caitanya's lila

 

You probably wanted to say "ever be confused by reading..."

Sorry, may be you are living in paradise. Our experiences are different.

We want the new devotees to at least study the basics about Lord Caitanya

from Srila Prabhupada´s books. For example, in one of Lord Caitanya´s

biographies some of Lord Caitanya´s pure devotees who are above all

regulative principles are described as smoking a hookah pipe or eating fish

as part of their lilas and rasas. How do you expect a new person to

understand this and not become a sahjiya ? Obviously, these books are for

devotees who know at least the basics.

 

> The purports are the personal ecstacies of the the senapati-bhakta of Lord

> Caitanya and are the deliverer of everyone who reads them. This is an

> undisputed fact and nobody should ever dare to minimize them.

 

That is all I wanted to hear from you. You should have reduced your long

letter to this simple and nice statement which builts on what I wrote you.

 

> I never directly implied gaudiya missions. That's again your

> interpretation.

 

To refresh your memory :

You suggested in your original message that we should create a huge book

publication project of Caitanya lilas and that we should do it in

cooperation with "all the Gaudiya Vaishnavas of the world."

In addition, you referred to the gaudiya missions in many indirect ways

in some of your recent texts. Directly or indirectly is of no concern.

 

> On the contrary, you cannot also claim that all of

> Prabhupada's followers who have faith in publishing and distributing his

> books or Caitanya-bhagavata have to be restricted to those within the

> ISKCON society.

 

Never did. Instead I wrote "If they want to spread gaura lilas, no one

keeps them from doing it. "

 

> But is very costly atleast as per Indian standards. Rs.400 per volume

> (totally 6 volumes).

 

So translate some of the books into Hindi, Tamil etc and publish them

cheaper in India just as we did with Srila Prabhupada´s books. If you are

enthusiastic to translate books about Lord Caitanya and get them distributed

in India, wonderful. So go ahead. Srila Prabhupaad and Krishna will help

you. No need to turn to the ex gaudiya math groups. As you righly say, they

were only able to publish one or two such books in small quantity.

 

> Thus I am not at all interested in discussing this issue furthur, also

> because I am shocked at the way you have presented your points. You could

> have done it in a more palatable manner...

 

> Last but not the least, I require your mercy

 

Please forgive me for provoking you. I just could not resist it because you

seemed to be so proud when you mailed us so many quotes and your opinions in

volumes of texts. May be it was just over enthusiasm. Don´t be angry, as per

your own quote, arguments between devotees arise because Krishna allows it

to happen, due His playful nature. So why should you be upset now ?

Practice what you teach. You have used many insulting and harsh words in

your reply to me and I am not upset about you. Say what you want, I take

it as a beating with a flower when you reproach me. You are a devotee who

tries to serve the Lord, that is wonderful.

 

In the future, simply be more careful with your use of the name

of Srila Prabhupada and his purports, and do not try to teach ex gaudiya

group ideology to us - directly or indirectly, intentionally or

unintentionally.

 

In that case, I wish you all succes in your future service and the

mercy of Lord Caitanya. Your servant Nikhilananda Dasa