Excerpt from Bhagavad Gita As It Is defeating ritvikism A Question

[Guest guest]

Dear Krishna Priya Mataji, PAMHO. AGTSP!

 

> but you are now being obnoxious.

 

That is based on your understanding of what I wrote. You misunderstood me.

 

> Who are you to DEMAND evidence from Srila Prabhupada's guru???? Srila

> Prabhupada, being BONA FIDE was PERFECT SADHU. And His writings are

> SHASTRA. The only SHASTRA we should be concerned with.

 

No, Srila Prabhupada said "guru - sadhu - sastra". He did not say "sastra

only".

 

> Srila Prabhupada when asked about when he became diksa guru, simply

> answered: WHEN I WAS ORDERED BY MY SPIRITUAL MASTER. See TFO for the

> relevant quote.

 

Did Srila Prabhupada say "When I was ordered by my spiritual master to

establish a ritvik system for the next 9500 years"? I doubt that.

 

> It is unfortunate that we, the most fallen, think we have become so smart,

> that we can question Srila Prabhupada....

 

I do not question Srila Prabhupada. But I do and, since I am a fool, must

question my understanding of Srila Prabhupada's instruction. Everything that

Srila Prabhupada said, wrote or did is based on guru, sadhu and sastra. For

example the four regulative principles ("dyutam panam striyah suna", SB

1.17.38), the phrase "Supreme Personality of Godhead" ("paramam purusam

divyam", Bg. 8.8 and 8.10), initiating mlecchas ("yatha kancanatam yati

....", hari-bhakti-vilasa 2.12), etc. So if I understand Srila Prabhupada's

instruction in a way that is not confirmed by sadhu and sastra, then my

understanding is wrong. It is not that Srila Prabhupada is wrong.

 

Srila Prabhupada never did anything unauthorized. If somehow I come to the

conclusion that he did something that is not authorized, then my conclusion

is wrong, and it is my duty to find out the right conclusion. Not that I

blindly accept my understanding of Srila Prabhupada's instruction as the

absolute truth, based on sentimentality.

 

Krishna Consciousness is a scientific way to go back to Godhead. It is not

sentimentality ("Oh my guru has been enlightened and I follow him blindly")

or fanatics ("Only we know the truth. The others are all ignorant"). And as

a science everything has to be based on pramana (evidence, standard). We

have enough sects on this planet founded by persons not connected to a

parampara that thought they know the truth (Smith, Russel, Moon, etc.).

 

The understanding of the ritvik followers is that Srila Prabhupada set up a

ritvik system for the next 9500 years. But they cannot provide any evidence

that Srila Prabhupada was authorized to do that. So my conclusion based on

guru, sadhu and sastra is that their understanding is incorrect.

 

Krishna Priya Mataji, you have already several times misunderstood me, and I

had to correct you. And probably you will misunderstand also some of above

statements. So what gives you the confidence that you have correctly

understood Srila Prabhupada's instructions?

 

ys Ramakanta dasa