Muddled thinking of Madhava Ghosh Prabhu

[Guest guest]

> > > > He said it was better to worship the demigods &

> > > > follow the Vedic system than to worship the one God of the western

> > > > religions.

> > > >

> > > > In other words, he clearly **rejected** the western scriptures.

> > >

> > > Saying something is better than something else is not equivalent to

> > > rejecting it. To say samosas are better than rice does not mean we

> > > reject

> rice.

 

> > Prabhuji - I *WAS* there & you *were not*, no? Why should you interpret

> what Prabhupada was saying - when it was *crystal clear*. His spoke with

> obvious *disdain*.

 

> I'm entirely convinced you heard it that way, judging from your disdain

> for so many things. Still, the point remains, Srila Prabhupada did not

> reject all things Western. After all, without the Westerners, there would

> be no ISKCON, as all the pious Hindus appeared too preoccupied to help.

 

You do not *disdain* modern materialistic society? Sorry if I've trampled

on something sacred here.

 

You are right about the Hindus not helping Prabhupada - after all that's why

he came to the west. Ex-Swami Achyutananda Swami once told me that

Prabhupada said that "Lord Chaitanya's movement is in the hands of the

Americans". So it was obvious to me that he didn't reject "all things

Western" back in the middle '70's. By the way, when did YOU join the KC

movement."

 

If I may be permitted to do so... I might mention that it was the grace of

your guru maharaj, Srila Satsvarupa Maharaj, that I came to India in the

beginning of 1974 from the USA. He was my GBC & ordered my TP that I go to

India & I cooperated with the GBC then & still do. I mention this to try &

make this discussion a little more personal. And to let you know that I

know exactly what Prabhupada's opinions were because I was there to hear &

discuss with him personally - which I did on numerous occasions in various

places in India. It was my good fortune. His opinions, the ones I heard

are there for posterity in his books & now, for us computer madmen, on the

SP folio, are they not?

 

> Since it was Lord Caitanya's order that the residents of Bharatavarsya

> take up KC and spread it over the globe, yet it was initially only the

> young Americans who did so, one might suspect it takes a good American to

> make a proper Indian. And in the end, he felt grateful to America for the

> facility he found, or so we hear.

 

Srila Prabhupada was informed shortly before his disappearance that I had

met some ministers in New Delhi to extend my visa. Since then I became an

Indian citizen. Srila Prabhupada wanted his western disciples to come to

India & learn the nuances of the culture. Initially he also wanted his

disciples to associate with his godbrothers, but was rebuffed by their

maryada vyatikrama & so you have the letter he wrote to Rupanunga from

Tirupati (I was there with Srila Prabhupada & Satsvarupa Maharaja, etc.) on

April 28, 1974.

 

Of course I could go on. H.H. Bhakti Vikas Swami has recently published a

very nice book on this subject; Glimpes of Indian Village Life, which I hope

you will enjoy reading.

 

> My point is--Srila Prabhupada could be very appreciative of the

> contributions of others--he wasn't an exclusivist.

 

Agreed. But he was determined to introduce vedic culture in the west (&

revive it here in India). An article of mine about Srila Prabhupada's

intentions to create brahmanas & vaishnavas in the west was published in BTG

back in 1982.

 

This is the point. I hope you agree. Why should ANY of us be enemies?

Aren't we in the same ISKCON? And isn't the aim of the movement to bring

the world closer to Vedic culture and the teachings & pastimes of Lord

Krishna?

 

My attempt via e-mail & the attempt of the others on GHQ was that & nothing

more. Obviously a couple of devotees spoke ill of others in an off the cuff

manner never expecting some immoral person to send it to VNN. As I

mentioned before, I was a voice in the group to stick to philosophy & not

get personal. The rest is history, but the aim of establising the kind of

society based on the instructions of vedic literatures & Prabhupada

teachings is for all of us. Ameyatma Prabhu made that point & that is why I

requested you to read his letter.

 

What will anyone gain by making COM into a "frier's club"? That was never

my intention. Hope you will accept what I'm attempting to say here. What

do I, who lives 10,000 miles away from you, have to "gain" from you here

politically? Too bad some immature devotees feel that way. They haven't

investigated the issue in toto - nor heard both sides of the story.

 

dasabhas,

 

Basu Ghosh Das