remain strong on the spiritual platform

[Guest guest]

Dear Prabhus

 

Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila

Prabhuapda!

 

The full letter is below. I find it is always better to read the quotes in

context. A letter is only a few paragraphs so there is no difficulty in

reading the whole letter and in that way we can understand it more clearly.

 

And rather than speculate on it it is better to find out the actual history.

 

Srila Prabhupada left the United States in 1970 because he felt many of his

leading devotees were minimizing his position. There was a string of

incidents indicating disrespect to Srila Prabupada including the BBT

publishing books that just fell apart when Prabhupada opened them, buildings

without "His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Founder-Acharya of the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness displayed on them, and many

other things.

 

In the face of this growing disrespect for their spriitual master among

Prabhupada's leading disciples, Srila Prabhupada decided to leave the United

States and preach in India. He had some money, I think it was about $20,000

and he went to India via Japan. In Japan he visited Dai Nippon printers and

convinced them to print something like $200,000 worth of books and send them

to India for him. So he Prabhupada went to India and invented the life

membership program for distributing his books and reestablished Krishna

consciousness and opened temples there.

 

At ITV we have the film of Srila Prabhupada's departure address from Los

Angeles where he says that he is going to India to preach and distribute

books there and to open some temples there.

 

After Srila Prabhupada went to India, at his Vyasa Puja festival in New

Vrindavana, Brahmananda, Gargamuni and Visnujana, who were all swamis then,

started preaching Mayavadi philosophy to the devotees. They were saying that

Srila Prabhupada was actually Krishna and now he has left the society and so

many other things. The bottom line was: "Prabhupada has gone and now we are

in charge..." Brahmananda admits to this today and says it was not that they

were consciously trying to do anything against Srila Prabhupada, he says

they were under the spell of some "mayic" infulence which was forcing them

to do these things.

 

This was simply a further development of the same posionous effect in the

society that Prabhupada had detected eairler and which had prompted him to

leave the US, the arena of his disciples offences, and go to India to

preach.

 

When news of this reached Srila Prabhupada he wrote this letter to

Hansadutta, about this poisionous effect that had entered the society.

Basically that posinous effect is disrespect of Srila Prabhupada. Our only

hope for making spriitual advancement is to get the mercy of Srila

Prabhupada but there was a great movement in ISKCON at that time, which

still continues today, to undermine this relationship between the disciples

and Srila Prabhupada.

 

Srila Prabhupada made it very clear that he know where this poision had come

from. He said his godbrothers in India had become very upset that his

disicples were addressing him as "Prabhupada," and for this reason they had

tried to poison the whole society. This poison was introduced by Srila

Prabhupada's godbrothers to Prabhupada's disciples who were preaching in

India at the time and by this time it was spread all over the society.

 

The poison is minimising the position of Srila Prabhupada. And it was going

on before Srila Prabhupada left for India, and it got worse after he left,

Srila Prabupada has indicated in this letter that the poison will not act if

some of his disciples are as good as Prahlada Maharaja. We are still waiting

for that. The posion is still strong.

 

To claim, as has been claimed in this thread, that the GBC members at that

time were all as good as Prahlada Maharaja, is outrageous. Prahlada Maharaja

is one of the 12 mahajanas, his glories are unlimited and unfathomable, he

was a pure devotee from birth, with all due respect how can anyone say that

the GBC members at that time in ISKCON were all as good as Prahlada

Maharaja? Most of those GBC men are now very much in maya. That proves they

were not as good as Prahlada Maharaja. Such a pure devotee on the level of

Prahlada Maharaja is so very rare. How can one even imagine that 11 men who

are for the most part no longer even practicing Krishna consciousness are as

good as Prahlada Maharaja?

 

Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

 

Your servant

 

Madhudvisa dasa

 

Letter to: Hamsaduta

—

Calcutta

2 September, 1970

70-09-02

 

 

Hamburg

 

My Dear Hamsaduta,

 

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 23rd

August as well as the German "Zuruck zur Gottheit.'' This masthead was

submitted to me by Jaya Govinda and I approved of it, but I advised him to

put the words "Back to Godhead'', as it is. The idea is that the original

name, "Back to Godhead'', even it goes to foreign country it should continue

to be the same. As you can see from other important magazines like "Life''

and "Time'' they are distributed in foreign countries is the same name

without being translated into the local language. If you think that such

change will be more convenient, I have no objection—such change means,

instead of "Back to Godhead'', "Zuruck zur Gottheit.''

 

Regarding the poisonous effect in our Society, it is a fact and I know where

from this poison tree has sprung up and how it affected practically the

whole Society in a very dangerous form. But it does not matter. Prahlada

Maharaja was administered poison, but it did not act. Similarly Lord Krsna

and the Pandavas were administered poison and it did not act. I think in the

same parampara system that the poison administered to our Society will not

act if some of our students are as good as Prahlada Maharaja. I have

therefore given the administrative power to the Governing Body Commission.

I have tried to give you all Krsna Consciousness, now it is your duty to

develop it. If you remain strong on the spiritual platform then your

progress will not be checked or blocked. I do not know what was resolved in

New Vrindavan although Sriman Rupanuga Prabhu has informed others that he

has sent a tape in this connection. I am still in darkness about the

proceedings in New Vrndavana, but I have heard that Brahmananda is preaching

about me that I am Krsna, that I am Supersoul, that I have withdrawn my

mercy from the disciples, that I have left the Society and so on. I do not

know how far they are correct, but I have written him a letter that he may

not do something which may harm the interest of the Society. You are also

one of the members of the GBC, so you can think over very deeply how to save

the situation. It is a fact however that the great sinister movement is

within our Society. I have not heard anything from Krsna das or

Syamasundara., so all of you may try to save the Society from this dangerous

position.

 

So far my coming here [india], it appears that it was Krsna's desire. There

was very good reception in the Airport and the public opinion is that it was

the unique reception so far given to any VIP man. Here in India, especially

in Bengal, the political conditions are not very good. Everyone is feeling

some sort of anxiety due to the political condition, so I have given them a

sort of hope that if they take to Krsna Consciousness their problems will be

solved. It is not my mental concoction, but I believe in the words of

Narottama Dasa Thakura that the shelter of the Lotus Feet of Lord Nityananda

is as cooling effectively as the combined moonshine of millions of moons. So

I am sure anyone taking shelter of Krsna Consciousness Movement will be

happy. Please try to push this Movement on this process.

 

Offer my blessings to Himavati. Hope this will meet you in good health.

 

Your ever well-wisher,

 

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

 

ACBS:ds