Evidence for guru-related-problems during Lord Caitanya's times

[Guest guest]

Dear Vidyan Gauranga Prabhu,

 

PAHMO. AGSTP. Can you provide us a list of fallen gurus during the time of

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. According to Caitanya Caritamrta and Caitanya

Bhagavat all the associates of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu were all

nitya-siddhas. There might have been who were impersonalists, such the as

the Varanasi sanyassis like Prakasanda Sarasvati, but upon meeting and

conversion by Lord Caitanya, they all became pure devotees. Once taken

shelter of Lord Caitanya, there is no question of fallen down.

 

If we accept the idea that a guru in good standing may fall down, and should

not be rejected, then why since 1980, Iskcon devotees whose gurus fell down

have been told to accept another guru. Nowardays in Iskcon, we have devotees

who have already got 4-5 gurus in this lifetime.

 

This is not to support the ritvik idea, but we should be careful in not

watering down our Gaudiya Vaisnava siddhanta by propounding that a bona-fide

guru may fall down. In order to understand the real qualification of a guru,

we should study the life of the immediate followers of Lord Caitanya and all

great maha-bhagavasts in Srimad Bhagavatam. It is often said that spiritual

life is like a razors edge, and if not applied carefully, one runs the risk

of being cut. Because of our laziness in studying and understanding the

purports of the scriptures, we become blind to the actual qualification of a

guru. A guru must be able to deliver the disciple from the jaws of maya. But

a guru who is unsure of his own final destination, how can I deliver others,

expect to simply cheating others. A pure devotee vaisnava guru does not come

dime a dozen. But somebody very rare. We will be highly fortunate in this

lifetime if we come accross such a person.

 

ys,Isvara dasa.