Re : CONFESSIONS OF A GURU (SP)

[Guest guest]

Pracetana:

>> Dear Harsu:..........there are devotees who say, Prabhupada wanted

>> rittvik representatives of the Acharya, Himself, to initiate on His

>> behalf after His

 

Madhava Ghosh:

>forget about the big island in the middle full of devotees who don't

accept that

>

Pracetana:

>> My personal quest is to know, what Srila Prabhupada's last wishes were

>> in regards to initiations after his departure.

 

You know the wishes. He said he will appoint so he appointed. And also he

said if some will fall away they should be replaced. Now you wonder how is

that some fell. I think it is wonderfull that some remained. Yes most took

too many disciples, yes too much worship, yes this mistakes are there. But

the principle is right, you should have a connection with a devotee whom you

can ask about Krsna and then accept initiation from him. And he is

representative of Prabhupada for you and NO you cannot take initiation from

Prabhupada directly even he is everyone guru in ISKCON. Is that so difficult

to understand?

 

I was listening to a wonderful interview with Prabhupada when Ramesvara

other devotees (who left sannyas) later where present. Recently I was

cooking for Radha Govinda and enjoing the way Prabhupada would answer

difficult questions of a reporter. Text (that I bring below) doesn't show

all the emaitions of how Ramesvara just COMPLETELY misunderstood Prabhupada

when he said that it is through the intelligence that Prabhupada is

representing Krsna. Prabhupada corrected him. Also in this conversation he

speaks about the selection of the leaders and how he was selected by his

guru maharaja.

 

And after saying how he is in the direct contect with Krsna and Krsna tells

him what to do he said, "That is, therefore the minor devotees, they consult

the spiritual master. That is our process. Yasya prasadad

bhagavat-prasadah."

 

Interview with SP New York, July 14, 1976

 

Reporter: How do you choose, you are responsible for the organization.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes.

Reporter: Are you the one who chooses who runs each center, who is

responsible in each temple.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Our program is to open centers in every village,

every town, to propagate Krishna consciousness.

Reporter: And you choose the leaders, or Krishna does and tells you, how

does that work?

Srila Prabhupada: NO, I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY MY SPIRITUAL MASTER.

Reporter: Yes. And you in turn choose others?

Srila Prabhupada: Oh yes. That is our succession.

Reporter: On what basis?

Srila Prabhupada: Basis, on the order of Krishna. Originally the order is

from Krishna.

Reporter: How does that come?

Srila Prabhupada: Comes by disciplic succession. Just like Krishna said this

knowledge to Arjuna and Arjuna said to others and it is open. Everyone can

take it, there is no secrecy. We have to accept only, that's all.

Reporter: I missed that, I'm sorry.

Srila Prabhupada: The order is already there, it is open, open secret. There

is no secrecy. Anyone can take it.

Reporter: All right. But in terms of specific, say, choosing, specific

things, specific details.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, in all details, how to become Krishna conscious,

there is all details in this book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is.

Hari-sauri: So he's asking what's a man's qualification to be chosen.

Ramesvara: In other words Prabhupada will decide who should be leader if

he's qualified and there's a process for making him qualified and there's a

process for testing to see if he is qualified. So in that way it all comes

from Krishna.

Reporter: You chose, for example, these fellows here to run the publishing

house and be responsible for the east coast.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, like that. He's in charge of publication, he's in

charge something else, he's in charge, like that.

Reporter: On what basis, though, can you tell me some of the things that...

Srila Prabhupada: Basis, just to see whether he's qualified, that's all.

Just like ordinarily one manager is appointed by the superior authority on

the merit, on his qualification. That's all.

Reporter: Okay, is it a mediated choice or is it a direct communication from

Krishna, that's my question.

Srila Prabhupada: No.

Ramesvara: He's asking WHETHER WE CLAIM THAT GOD SPEAKS TO US DIRECTLY.

Srila Prabhupada: YES, GOD SPEAKS TO YOU WHEN YOU ARE QUALIFIED. You cannot

expect God as order supplier. When he sees that you are qualified, HE WILL

SPEAK TO YOU.

Bali-mardana: The spiritual master is the representative of God to the

disciple because he is in direct contact with God.

Srila Prabhupada: *****My spiritual master appointed me that "You do this."

Similarly, I SHALL APPOINT SOMEBODY ELSE, THIS IS THE WAY.******

Ramesvara: It's difficult for people to understand that God can speak to a

man. They question, "How can God speak to some man?"

Srila Prabhupada: That is, anything, that, the radio message is coming, a

foolish man cannot understand how it is coming. He'll think "How it is that,

speaking?" So any foolish man will be astonished how things are happening.

That is foolishness. But God says, find out this verse...

Hari-sauri: Four three? Sa evayam maya te 'dya?

Srila Prabhupada: Huh? No no. Buddhi-yogam dadami tam yena mam upayanti te.

Ramesvara: Tesam satata-yuktanam.

Srila Prabhupada: Ah, tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam.

Hari-sauri: Dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te.

Srila Prabhupada: Ah, yes.

Hari-sauri: "To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I

give them the understanding by which they can come to Me."

Srila Prabhupada: God is situated in everyone's heart. As soon as He sees

that "Here is a qualified person," then He gives him instruction.

Reporter: But in the same way that Krishna says He'll provide for your needs

you still must work to achieve whatever Krishna is giving you.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. You work for Krishna. You have to work to get your

necessities.

Reporter: In the same way I'm curious with respect to the way Krishna

communicates with you, whether it's in a similar kind of way that He gives

you your necessities.

Bali-mardana: In other words, when you decide that someone is to be in

charge of a particular temple does Krishna tell you that this person should

be in charge.

Reporter: Or do you by judging him say this person is qualified.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, because a devotee always consults Krishna and He

gives order.

Reporter: It's a more direct communication.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. And He gives order.

Ramesvara: (really off the wall remark) Because intelligence, our philosophy

is that intelligence comes from Krishna. So if I have some...

Reporter: And your philosophy is that your daily necessities come from

Krishna as well.

Ramesvara: (and again) Yes, try to understand. Suppose my intelligence sees

that this person is qualified, that means Krishna has told me.

Srila Prabhupada: No, not necessarily, KRISHNA WILL TELL DIRECTLY. A devotee

always consults Krishna and Krishna tells him, "Do like this." Not

figuratively.

Reporter: Does that apply then to other kinds of decisions and other kinds

of activities as well?

Srila Prabhupada: Everything. Because a devotee does not do anything without

consulting Krishna.

Bali-mardana: But that applies to a very greatly elevated soul, that is not

an ordinary person.

Srila Prabhupada: That is, therefore the minor devotees, they consult the

spiritual master. That is our process. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah.

Ramesvara: (apologizing) I see, I was trying to explain the minor devotees.