By my order

[Guest guest]

Dear Deepak,

 

Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

 

I am new to this conference, but have been in Iskcon since 1977.

I would like to offer an understanding of the May 28th conversation.

The natural progression of the guru parampara is for the disciples to become

gurus on the disappearance of their gurus. This is the default setting , as it

were, for the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition.

Some times, on receiving the blessings of his guru, the disciple may initiate

his own disciples while his guru is still physically present on the planet.

That is going on now within Iskcon.

Srila Prabhupada says:

" When I order, "You become guru," he becomes regular guru. That's

all. He becomes disciple of my disciple. That's it."

It seems clear to me that Prabhupada is indicating that at some time in the

future, he may authorize his disciples to accept their own disciples, WHILE HE

(Srila Prabhupada) IS STILL PHYSICALLY PRESENT, but to curb the

over-enthusiastic, he says "on my order". They should wait for the signal from

him.

This is like a father who is considering retirement from his business empire

telling his son,

"One day son, all this will be yours"

"Gee Dad, will I be in charge of everything?"

"Yes son, but only when I say."

Now if the father leaves his body before he retires from his position as sole

owner of the company, and before handing over everything to his son, it does

not mean that the son can not inherit what is his by right, after the father

has departed this world. In the absence of any contrary instruction, the son

will naturally inherit the property of the father.

The King's eldest son naturally, by default, succeeds his father to the throne.

If for some reason he is disqualified (blind?) then it goes to his younger

brother, if he dies, then it goes to his younger brother, and so on. These are

the natural laws of succession. there is no need for the king to make a will

bequeathing the country to his son. It is automatic.

Similarly, it is an automatic right that the disciple can initiate his own

disciples after the departure of his guru. It does not need to be stated

categorically.

Thus Srila Prabhupada's remark::" when I order, you become guru," refers to a

situation that may have arisen in the future if Srila Prabhupad decided to

authorize his disciples to accept disciples of their own, while he is himself

was still physically present on the planet. How can there be any 'regular

gurus' and Grand disciples' of His Divine Grace if everyone is to be a disciple

of Srila Prabhupada. As it turned out Srila Prabhupada did not, in the

remaining six months, give this order, but that in no way invalidates the

disciples right to continue the parampara by initiating after the departure of

his guru.

No amount of legalistic word- jugglery can hide the common sense of it. It is

pointless to demand and give quote after quote to support or attack

diametrically opposite points of view. With apologies to Benjamin Disraeli:

There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Quotes!

Your proposal for initiations has been scrutinizes by the GBC and rejected.

Bad Luck.

If the GBC have issued three papers defining Iskcon's policy on guru tattva, so

be it. Let them issue a dozen if that's what it takes to get it right.There is

no harm in adjusting details at the beginning of a 9,500 year age to find what

works best in any given time place and circumstance.

Preaching strategies may change and evolve, but the principal of preaching is

constant.

Because we are an institution, and want to uphold a common standard throughout

the society, then of necessity there must be rules, regulations, criteria to be

met etc. and if these are adjusted it is not important, so long as the

principal of guru-disciple relationship is maintained.

Many disciples of fallen gurus have left Iskcon.

Many disciples of Srila Prabhupada have left Iskcon. So what?

There are many excuses for leaving Prabhupada's society, but only one reason.

Many disciples of fallen gurus have stayed and continued to make advancement.

You have had your say, and the highest managerial authority in Iskcon disagrees

with you, either toe the line or stick to the non-devotees for your preaching.

There is no need to continue to present your philosophy to the devotees of

Iskcon.

Disappointed with the Gaudiya Math, Srila Prabhupada started Iskcon. He did not

waste hours of time and thousands of dollars trying to destroy or rectify the

institution.

Better that you and your like-thinking friends prove your points by

establishing another movement that will quickly eclipse Iskcon, and when the

sincere devotees of Iskcon realize their mistake by seeing your vast and

faultless society, you can compassionately welcome them into your fold.

This would be far more beneficial than continuing your diatribe with its

accompanying self-aggrandisement and sense-gratifying one-upmanship that reeks

of frustrated subtle sex desire.

 

Ys

Sunanda das.