Prabhupada on Haribol!

[Guest guest]

> Dears Readers.

>

> Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

>

> We had a discussion regarding Prabhupada and his reaction when devotees

> would chant 'Hari Bol', 'Nitai Gaura Hari Bol'. Could anyoune share any

> info?

>

> I hope this meets you in good health, your servant,

>

> Rasananda Swami

>

> PS: Thank you Hari Sauri Prabhu being always ready to answer my mail.

 

Here you go Maharaja, sorry for the delay, I am a bit wrapped up in

the GBC meetings right now (excuse the diacritics, I didn't have time to

convert them):

 

August 30th 1976, New Delhi

 

As Çréla Prabhupäda sat on the small stage, Lokanätha Mahäräja led his men

in an exuberant kértana. After singing the standard prayers and the mahä

mantra, he began chanting Agaura nityänanda bol, haribol, haribol; gaura

çréadvaita bol, haribol, haribol; gaura çré gadädhara bol, haribol haribol

.... with a lot of emphasis on the response of haribol, haribol. Çréla

Prabhupäda suddenly signaled him from the stage to stop it; he apparently

didn't like it, although he didn't say why.

 

September 6, Vrindavana

Haribol, haribol and Panca-tattva mantra

After the temple darçana in the evening there is always a big kértana during

ärati, especially with Lokanätha Mahäräja and his men here, as they are

extremely enthusiastic chanters. However, they have developed a style of

kértana that is a little different from the ISKCON norm. When the kértana

reaches its climax, they gather around in a group and start singing Anitäi

gaura haribol, haribol, haribol, haribol. They get completely carried away

with chanting haribol. Sometimes they go on for five or ten minutes singing

back and forth, 'haribol, haribol! haribol, haribol! Sometimes it even goes

on longer than the chanting of the mahä mantra. Some devotees are not happy

about it, although no one can fault their enthusiasm.

Harikeça Swami objects to it quite strongly, and this evening he went into

the garden to ask Çréla Prabhupäda's opinion. Since we have never heard

Çréla Prabhupada sing this mantra, Harikeça had doubts it was actually a

bona fide practice. Prabhupäda had stopped Lokanätha's kértana at the

pandala in Delhi, but at that time he gave no reason why.

Now this evening, Prabhupäda, although not too upset by it, made it clear

that such chanting was not approved by him. He told us that we should mainly

chant the Hare Kåñëa maha mantra. He said 'nitäi gaura haribol' is all

right, because they are bona fide names of the Lord, but the real point is

that we should strictly follow only what the äcäryas have given. This is the

process. He said that the äcäryas only chant all five names of the Païca

tattva, not just two. So although there is no offence in chanting the names

of Gaura-Nitäi, if we deviate and chant our own made up mantras then this is

guror avajnä, or disobeying the orders of the spiritual master, and the line

of äcäryas. To make advancement in spiritual life one must always follow the

line of äcäryas.

He referred to the äçrama at the back of our temple where they sing every

morning, Anitäi gaura rädhe çyäma japa hare kåñëa hare räma. He said that it

is offensive because it is a deviation from the line of äcäryas.

Other devotees were also present in the garden as we talked. Caraëäravindam

has discovered that his service as Prabhupäda's gardener gives him free

access and the ability to be present there whenever Prabhupäda is.

Prabhupäda doesn't mind at all. Another devotee was Svayambhür däsa, an

Australian. And we were joined by Vipramukhya däsa, one of the püjärés, who

came seeking Prabhupäda's blessings because he is setting out tomorrow to

open a center in Turkey. So there was a small group this evening, sitting at

Çréla Prabhupäda's lotus feet, in a congenial atmosphere cooled and soothed

by the sound of water gently flowing from the lotus fountain, and the

nectarean words gently flowing from Çréla Prabhupäda's lotus lips.

 

Svayambhür wanted more clarification on what Çréla Prabhupäda had said about

the chanting of Nitäi Gaura being a deviation. In his mind there was some

contradiction, and he put it to Prabhupäda to resolve. "Prabhupäda, you

wrote in the Caitanya caritämåta that the Caitanya mahä mantra, çré kåñëa

caitanya prabhu nityänanda. ... there is no offence to that. And so

therefore in the Kali yuga it is actually more beneficial ..."

Prabhupäda repeated his comments made to Harikeça Mahäräja. "Offence is that

what is spoken by the äcäryas, if you do not follow, that is offence.

Guror-avajïä. To chant Gaura Nitäi is no offence. But if our previous gurus

have chanted çré kåñëa caitanya prabhu nityänanda çré advaitaCwhy should we

go beyond that? That is guror-avajïä. Even there is no aparädha, because

guru, Kaviräja Gosvämé, has sung like that and my guru has sung, we should

follow that. We should not make any deviation. That is guror-avajïä, çruti

çästra nindanam; nämno baläd yasya hi päpa buddhiù. So it comes to be one of

the items of the daça vidha aparädha [ten offences in chanting].

Guror-avajïä.

"Is it more beneficial for people to hear the Païca tattva mantra than the

Hare Kåñëa mahä mantra?" Svayambhür asked.

"Oh yes," Prabhupäda told us. "You are going to Hare Kåñëa through Nitäi

Gaura. Nitäiyer karuëä habe braje rädhä kåñëa päbe. But he added, The

principle is don't try to manufacture. Because you are not experienced, so

what nonsense you will manufacture, that will be offensive. Better go on,

the simple thing."

Svayambhür said that he knew someone who chants the Païca tattva mantra on

his beads.

Prabhupäda raised his eyebrows. "Who?"

AThat boy Richard in Rädhä kuëòa."

He was referring to a tall thin New Yorker, liked by Çréla Prabhupäda and

many devotees for his humble attitude, who has been living in Rädhä kuëòa

for quite a long time.

Prabhupäda shook his head in disapproval and sympathy. "Rascal. That is his

bad association. Therefore I say don't follow these so called Rädhä kunda

bäbäjés. Nara kunda bäbäjé. And they smoke bidi. I have seen. Richard is

still there?"

 

May 2, 1976 B Fiji

Nitai Gaura will have some effect

Prabhupäda's feelings about the Mäyävädés are well known, but there are

variations of Vaiñëavism that are not so clearly understood. Desiring to get

some clarification on gurus who may not be so far removed from our lineage

Gurkåpa Mahäräja cited the statement in çästra that if someone can induce

others to chant Hare Kåñëa they must be empowered, and therefore qualified.

He then asked about one Caraëa däsa Babajé in Bengal, who in the early part

of this century had induced people to chant a mantra which included the holy

name. He built up a large following, but the mantra was his own invention

and not strictly within the paramparä.

Prabhupäda acknowledged that the man had some credit, but he said that

overall he was not successful because of his deviation. "He introduced a new

system of chanting: nitäi gaura rädhe çyäma. So the Nitäi Gaura chanting

will have some effect in Kali yuga. Although he was presenting pervertedly,

the beginning was Nitäi Gaura, so it would have some effect. He did not know

actually Nitäi Gaura from his words it appears. He used to preach that Nitäi

is Rädhäräëé and Gaura is Kåñëa. That is siddhänta viruddha. But some way or

other, he was chanting Nitäi Gaura, so some effects were there. Just like

sandalwood: you do not know which way better pulp comes out, but if you rub

anyway, some pulp will come because it is sandalwood. So he had some effect

of chanting Nitäi Gaura, but later on they deteriorated because they did not

know actually; neither they were taught. Siddhänta virodha means it will

deteriorate; it will not endure."

Gurukåpa Mahäräja then brought the conversation closer to home. He wanted to

know about Çréla Prabhupäda's Godbrothers, because they have disciples, they

are properly initiated, and they give the Hare Kåñëa mantra.

Prabhupäda gave us a frank, unbiased analysis from his own broad perspective

and successful experience. "The thing is the spirit, real service of

preaching, stopped. The formality is going on, but the real business. ...

 

"Caitanya Mahäprabhu's movement means ämära äjïäya guru haïä tära' ei deça

[become a guru and try to liberate everyone on this landCCc. Madhya 7.128]

That is stopped. Do you follow? The formality is there, but the real life of

Caitanya Mahäprabhu's movement is preaching. Otherwise why Caitanya

Mahäprabhu says, ämära äjïäya guru haïä tära' ei deça. Tara means preaching.

Yäre dekha täre kaha 'kåñëa' upadeça [instruct everyone to follow the orders

of Lord Çré Kåñëa as they are given in the Bhagavad gétä and Çrémad

BhägavatamCCc. Madhya 7.128] And that is stopped. They are satisfied if they

could construct one temple and beg some rice from the neighborhood: 'Sir, we

have got some temple.' That's all. They are satisfied. The spirit of

preaching forward "päpé täpé yata chila, hari näme uddhärila that is

stopped.

"So by hari näma, by chanting, by this way, to live little peacefully in the

temple and eat and sleep, that much they have got. If that is the success,

that success they have got. And this was condemned by my Guru Mahäräja, that

'To earn some money by showing Deity in the temple and eat and sleep? Better

you become a sweeper in the street and earn your honest livelihood and

live.'"

Many temples in Våndävana have the same mentality, he said. They think of

the operation of the temple as a business; that if people are coming and

they give something, that is their good income. "According to the temple's

popularity, they think, 'This is our success.' Therefore they are

deteriorating. So that is not success. Success is his who is pushing forward

the preaching method. That is his success. And if we think that 'By showing

a temple Deity we get some money and rice and cloth and just peacefully live

here; don't bother about going to Fiji and all over. ...' That much success

they have got. But that is not Caitanya Mahäprabhu. Påthivéte äche yata

nagarädi gräma, sarvatra pracäraCWhat they are doing for that? That is

point."

"What if sometimes a disciple, he may go to preach, but he's not preaching

in the exact same spirit of his spiritual master?" Gurukåpa wanted to know.

"Therefore he is not to preach," Çréla Prabhupäda said. "Caitanya Mahaprabhu

says, janma särthaka kari' kara para upakära: 'Go to do good to others.

First of all you do good to yourself.' First of all you become really

preacher. Then go to preach. Caitanya Mahäprabhu never sent neophyte to go

to preach. For neophyte the preaching is not their business. For neophyte,

one should stick to the worship of Deity in the temple.

"And those who have understood the philosophy, applied the philosophy in his

life, he should go for preaching. Otherwise he'll preach wrongly, like

Caraëa däsa Bäbäjé. And it will stop. He wanted to preach but he did not

know how to preach, and therefore after his life it is finished. So Caitanya

Mahäprabhu does not say like that, that 'You remain a rascal and go to

preach.' No. Janma särthaka kari'. 'Your first business is that you make

your life perfect. Then go to preach. Perfect means you learn how to obey My

orders.' That is perfection. Ämära äjïäya. So if you are actually,

perfectly, carrying out the orders of Caitanya Mahäprabhu, then you are

preaching. Otherwise you will do wrongly, mislead. Don't do that. Andhä

yathändhair upanéyamänäù. If you remain blind, don't try to lead other blind

men. That is misleading. First of all open your eyes. Everything is there.

Nobody can do anything whimsically. If you do whimsically, concoctedly, that

will be failure. It will not be effective."

 

 

Your humble servant,

Hari-sauri dasa