Solution to our problems?

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> Even we in ISKCON, just a few years after Prabhupada left,

> having thousands of audio tapes of his lectures and conversations,

> thousands of his written letters, sets of books dictated personally by

> him, hundreds of video tapes, thousands of living direct disciples, and so

> on and so on... Yet we are in dispute over sooo many vital and important

> issues, splitting hears (and ourselves)

> left and right about "What Prabhupada actually meant and wanted".

 

Srila Bhaktisidhanta Sarasvati Maharaja pointed out the solution to this

problem in an article he wrote in the Harmonist, in which he addressed the

disciples of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

 

Here is an exerpt from the harmonist article:

 

"There have, however already arisen serious misunderstandings regarding the

proper interpretation of the life and teachings of Srila Bhaktivinoda

Thakur. Those who suppose they understand the meaning of his message without

securing the guiding grace of the acarya are disposed to unduly favour the

method of empiric study of his writings. There are persons who have got by

heart almost everything that he wrote without being able to catch the least

particle of his meaning. Such study cannot benefit those who are not

prepared to act up to the instructions lucidly conveyed by his words...."

 

Surely such instructions as these are also applicable to the teachings and

writings of Srila Prabhupada?

 

He says further:

 

"The personal service of a PURE DEVOTEE is ESSENTIAL (emphasis mine)for

understanding the spiritual meaning of the words of Thakura Bhaktivinoda.

The editor of this journal, originaly started by Thakur Bhaktivinoda, has

been trying to draw attention of all the followers of Thakur Bhaktivinoda to

this all important point of his teachings....."

 

It seems that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta had to remind the devotees, that simply

by reading the Thakur's books, their own Guru Maharaja, they would not be

able to understand. Srila Prabhupada also instructs us in the same way

 

Further Bhaktisiddhanta says:

 

"Those who repeat the teachings of Thakura Bhaktivinoda from memory do not

necesarily understand the meaning of the words they mechanicaly repeat.

Those who pass an empiric examination regarding the contents of his writings

are not necesarily also self realised souls. (note that his qualification

for *understanding* as opposed to reciting is that he must be self realised,

and not simply a good follower, as is our current standard of qualification)

They may not at all know the real meaning of the words they have learnt by

the method of empiric study."

 

....................................

 

We know that as the law books for the next ten thousand years Srila

Prabhupadas instructions are all available. But we often find devotees

trying to justify certain positions regarding philosophy using Prabhupadas

quotes, often to find another brandishing a different set of quotes which

may appear to be contrary. There is the saying; "We read the Bible day and

night, you read black, and I read white". So it seems that the only way we

can understand transcendental knowledge, is to hear fromthe LIPS of a pure

devotee, who because he is actualy pure, and in direct personal contact with

Krsna, can explain the meaning to each person in such a way as it enters

that persons heart.

 

Prabhupada said in a lecture in Rome, May 27th 1974:

 

"Unless one is svanubhavam, SELF REALISED (emphasis mine) [unless his] life

is Bhagavat, he cannot preach Bhagavat. That will not be effective. A

gramaphone will not help (listening to tapes?). Therefore Caitanya

Mahaprabhu's secretary, Svarupa Damodara, reccomended, bhagavata pora giya

bhagavata sthane, that "if you want to read Srimad Bhagavatam, you must

approach a person who is life giving Bhagavata" Bhagavata pora giya

bhagavata sthana. Otherwise there is no question of BHagavata

realisation.........

There are many scriptures, many religious scriptures, especialy the Vedas.

Sruti means Veda. Sruti is learned by hearing, not by reading. You can

understand Vedic principle even though you are illiterate, provided you hear

them, aural reception. God has given you the ear. And if you try to hear

submissively, to hear something, then it will be fruitful."

 

He also says in the Bhagavatam 7.13.9:

"Srimad Bhagavatam itself is meant for the paramahmasa (paramo nirmatsaram

satam). Unless one is in the paramahamsa stage, he is not eligible to

understand the Srimad Bhagavatam."

 

There are many many quotes in Prabhupadas books which explain ALL of the

qulifications of a pure devotee, such as being an uttama adhikary,

mahabhagavata, etc, as well as the minimum qualifications we often quote.

Surely when judging whether or not one is a "Pure Devotee", one must include

ALL the criteria, and not just the minimum qualification?

 

If a pure devotee does not appear to be found in our ISKCON (and I am not

saying there arent any) then surely we need to pray for him/her to manifest.

If we remember that naturaly a pure devotee would be characterised by his

humility, rather than looking to the ranks of flamboyant leaders, we may

find him in the pot room, unmanifest because no one is crying for his help.

 

It may be that some of Srila Prabhupada's disciples may not readily accept

that they need to hear Prabhupadas Bhagavatam from someone else. And this

would not be surprising considering the abuse some of them received at the

hands of their godbrothers. The fear is that the person will come between

them and Prabhupada. But surely this would not be the case.

 

A person who is Prabhupadas disciple, and who is completely pure

(mahabhagavata) would never presume to overshadow Prabhupada. In fact he

would be such a humble servant of Srila Prabhupada, that he would never

impose himself on anyone. Pure devotee means HUMBLE. We say the trinad api

verse everyday, but analyse what that means, and we dont se it practised by

the majority of the devotees.

 

So the godbrother that is actualy fully pure, would be such a humble soul,

but at the same time so full of prema, that any sincere godbrother would

immediatly want to embrace him, and serve him spontaneously. It would be a

GENUINE competition to see who could be more humble.

 

It is important to consider that Srila Prabhupada would never desert his

SINCERE disciple, he will always be looking out for that disciple. If that

disciple is really crying for help, he will send someone to guide him.

Something like the time when Prabhupadas godbrother kept insisting he take

Sanyas. Prabhupada considered that it was his gurumaharaj speaking. So in

this way Prabhupada will help his disciple through a humble godbrother or

maybe even a grandisciple! (although that might seem like it could be a

stretch).

 

Ys Samba das