lecture by Vaikunthanath Prabhu

[Guest guest]

Dear Vaikunthanath Prabhu,

please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 

I've read your letter in Varnasrama development conference. So

you said that your letter was radical - don't worry, there was

nothing radical. A very gentle letter, I have to say.

 

>But before going into details, I would like to discuss main thing. In

>The beginning we should free our consciousness from different

>directives, useless opinions and false information.

 

Hmm, sounds like beginning of Saltykow-Shedrin's "The dry-cured

vobla." Remember? Are you sure that brainwashing should be in

the beginning, not at the end? Seriously speaking, I don't think

it practically could be done. One may say, "Oh, wow, now I'm

compltely free from useless opinions and false information", but

better to stop delude ourselves. Maybe you wanted to say, "let

us avoid useless opinions and false information" ?

 

>Therefore than more we understand basic principles of our

>existence and theirs role in composition of our world’s picture,

>than more responsible we are in our testing how real these

>principles are, than more attentively we hear others and do all

>this every day, not once in ten years, than more our range of

>vision and objective our angle are.

 

You're speaking about broad vision, yes, if one has desire, it's

up to him, people (and devotees also) often in their search for

security create for themselves a kind of conchshell, and in

result - a narrow mind and self delusion.

 

>If you will be open-hearted, then you can accept this

>possibility which would allow you to get things which are many

>of you are searching for. You should just open your mind. To

>begin association or to have important deal having opened mind

>is like jump bail out with closed parachute.

 

Open your mind...open your mind....open your mind...

Ok, now I'm ready for hypnosis.

 

>The reason of this speech is serious crisis in ISKCON. This is my

>personal opinion and I hope that many Vaisnavas would agree with me.

>Yes, crisis - it’s Krsna. But that doesn't mean we should sit and wait

 

"And after His expansion as a Paramatma, Lord Krishna entered

every corner in material existance in the form of crisis."

- unknown source

But wait a minute, ISKCON is completely spiritual and

transcendental to material nature. We are all transcendental, we

have no crisis. The only reason of problems is that we chant the

holy name with offences!

- unknown brahmacari

I know what is a main reason of crisis in ISKCON. This is

becuase GBC refused to follow th order of Srila Prabhupada to

keep the post-humorous practice. Now Krishna is very upset with

them, and soon whole ISKCON will be vanished.

- unknown rtvik priest

 

Let us not afraid any difficulties, be proactive, and to

consider them as another opportunity to make more endevour in

our advancement, make changes which weren't made and to imrpove

what can be improved.

 

>To this day because in ISKCON there is no appropriate

>managerial, educational system and system which divides

>devotees, the best devotees who really want and could do many

>positive and valuable things leave ISKCON, because of inability

>to tolerate intolerable conditions which are in ISKCON nowadays.

 

There is such a system - varnasrama - in unmanifested form. But

it should not divide devotees, it should unite instead. Am I not

right? We are already sooo divided!

 

You are not in Varnasrama conference, unfortunately, but here

and in some other place these subjects are discussed already

some years! You are speaking truth, and it's not news. Due to

our "specific" conditions we were far away from it, but it seems

that Russia awakes from alcoholic dreams now. Isn't it a good

consequence of the crisis, that devotees become more mature,

sober and responsible?

 

>This is horrible antinomy: before one became a devotee, everybody would

>deal with him in a very nice way, wheedle him and smiling to him. But as

>soon as he becomes devotee, he would be treated as if he is slave or

>nobody would even pay attention to him. Nobody is interested in him and

 

Sometimes even worse. One devotee told me his story, how did he

became a devotee in Perm, so due to first impression, he

thought that all devotees are such a nice people, so he smiled

to everyone, until one of temple leaders came to him with iron

face, looked at him cynically and said, "Why are you smiling all

the time, like an idiot?!". You may guess what did he feel.

 

>Could you, please, tell me what’s the meaning of loitering

>away so many endeavors and time to attract a man, and then thrust him

>away or consider him as empty place?

 

It's not in all places like that, I need to say. But yes, it's

very common in Russia.

 

>Why in any organization where materialists or even demons manage

>everything there is order? Why in ISKCON, the greatest

>organization in the world, and where leaders are propelled by

>higher spiritual goals and ideals, there is no such order? Who

>can answer to my question? I would be very grateful to the

>person who will satisfy me with his answer.

 

Why demons (I mean vedic demons) live in a very comortable way?

Because they also have a varnasrama! We have very undeveloped

social structure, so many people don't feel comfortable in

ISKCON, since they cannot find their natural position in

society.

 

>I am approaching you not to fulfill my ambitions and express my hurt. I

>say it because of duty and desire to help those, who need it. I have

>worked out a very detail and revolutionary plan by fulfilling which will

>definitely help to solve all above mentioned problems. And if some

>senior Vaisnavas or GBC members would be interesting in my plan, I am

>ready to start fulfilling it with them.

 

I've not seen anything detailed and revolutionary in this letter

yet, sorry. If you really do have it, show it, for instance, in

this conference. Here are many senior vaisnavas and many of them

much more revolutionary than you and me (no offence). Don't

worry about copyrights, your glory will not be forgotten.

 

>Therefore don't cry and complain, but take future in your hands. Make

>your choice. You have possibility to change your life just now.

 

Sorry, but you are little bit late, I've already figured it out

for myself long time ago.

 

>Therefore, my dear devotees, if you really love Krsna and Srila

>Prabhupada, you should do what you should do.

 

My dear Vaikunthanath Prabhu, thank you so much for nice

instructions. Actually I find that your letter is very well made

for a lecture. But for this conference it's too long. I'm sure

that many persons here skipped it 'cause of it's lenght and some

indistinct statements. I write you this to not diminish your

value, but to encourage you to join varnasrama development- you would

better understand the mood of this conference.

 

>I would like to add that I tried to make my letter topical both for new

>devotees and ISKCON oldtimers, and that I tried to be gentle as much as

>possible for not shock someone at once, from the first day of our

>possible association. But my ideas and propositions are much more

>radical in fact, and I think that many mature Vaisnavas will not

>contravene them.

 

I can assure you, no one was shocked, really.

 

>Now, those of us, who agree with this ideas and who ready to help me,

>please, write to me in a personal letter (I'm not a member of Varnasrama

>development conference yet) for additional detail explanaitions, questions

>and to discuss my program.

 

So join here, what's a big deal. I still have to imagine what

is your program, since from your letter it's not clear at all.

And you ask for help. Who knows, maybe you mant to organize

second October revolution?

 

Anyway, I beg forgiveness if you've been offended by me, so if

you desire, write me and I will tell, whether I fit for your

program or not.

 

Your humble servant,

bhakta Oleg.