Siksa guru as personal spiritual guide

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>

>

> Concerning seniority, I have been told time and again that NM is a grand

> disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta. If true, it is curious how now some

> wish to prop some grand disciples as miles above all of Srila

> Bhaktisiddhanta's other grand disciples. For me, such attitudes are

> reminiscent of ISKCON in the early 80's.

 

 

Coming to this moment, there is the letter from Ravindra Svarupa

prabhu where he, among other things, places his doubts on Narayana

Maharaja's actually following the line of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

Thakura:

 

 

 

>

> >Narayana Maharaja as deviating from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

> >Thakura Prabhupada

> >

> > Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada radically

> >reformed the Gaudiya Tradition, transforming it into a global preaching

> >mission for the modern world. His work was not much appreciated by many,

> >prominent among them the babajis of Vraja, who felt that he was deviating

> >by his emphasis on vigorous preaching rather than the esoteric

> >cultivation of raga-marga. His disciples were constantly assailed by the

> >charge that their Guru Maharaja was a deviant who could not offer them

> >the "real thing." As you know, a number of them succumbed, most

> >prominently the unauthorized "successor-acarya" Ananta Vasudeva dasa

> >(later reinitiated in the babaji community as Puri Goswami).

> >

> >A number of our own God-brothers also fell prey to the same attack, even

> >while Prabhupada was present. And the attack continues to this day. My

> >doubt here is whether Narayana Maharaja has become an instrument of this

> >attack against the mission of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

> >

> > What he is now preaching and delivering clearly comes from outside

> >the line of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. He did not get this from

> >Bhakti Prajnan Kesava Maharaja, his diksa guru. Narayana Maharaja has

> >acknowledged that there was no practice of raga marga in that matha, no

> >"rasa-katha" but rather discourse about Prahlada Maharaja, Dhruva

> >Maharaja, and so on.

> >

> >Narayana Maharaja was apparently not satisfied with this, for, as he once

> >confessed, he left his spiritual master's temple without permission, and

> >he went to Goverdhana. In great distress, crying, Bhakti Prajnan Kesava

> >Maharaja came and brought him back.

> >

> >But later, after the departure of his Guru Maharaja, Narayana Maharaja

> >returned to the babajis of Goverdhana, and from among them he accepted a

> >rasika guru, supposedly the one who "pushed the switch" which made the

> >"current of bhava flow."

> >

> >It troubles me greatly that after his guru's departure Narayana Maharaja

> >did something his guru had forcibly prohibited in his presence.

> >

> >This babaji, then, is Narayana Maharaja's siksa guru-a personage, as you

> >yourself argue, who often can be more prominent than the diksa guru.

> >Whatever it is that Narayana Maharaja is giving comes from this babaji.

> >This is his lineage.

> >

> >It is clearly not the lineage from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. I

> >don't know anything about this babaji, but given the judgment about

> >Radha-Kunda babaji by our recent acaryas, we have the obligation to be

> >doubtful. Don't we have to ask a few questions about this babaji, and

> >whoever else in that community Narayana Maharaja may have learned from?

> >What did Narayana Maharaja actually get? Is it the real thing?

> >

> >As you know, there is a shadow or simulacrum of authentic spiritual

> >emotion that can fool even an experienced devotee.

> >

> >At any rate, we know that Narayana Maharaja, against the order of his

> >spiritual master, went to the babajis for spiritual instruction. (I am

> >sure he can offer a clever rationalization for this. Indeed, it is surely

> >the same one he provides Prabhupada's disciples to justify our own

> >disobedience of Prabhupada's instructions in order to surrender to him.

> >History repeats itself.)

> >

 

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>

> Naturally not wishing to be accused of defending the GBC out of line, but

> where does our Srila Prabhu come off thinking he has sufficient adhikara

> chastizing his godbrothers on these points?

 

As far as "adhikara" is concerned, Srila das has decided in the name

of entire ISCKON that it is Narayana Maharaja who got all required

adhikara of an infallible mahabhagavata and thus to be unconditionally

followed by all. The refusal of his conclusion is considered by him to

be SADHU NINDA.

 

So again, where did Srila das got his adhikara to place himself in

such vartma-pradarsaka/siksa guru of the entire ISCKON, is also

under the doubt (if we are allowed at al to have doubts here).

 

 

 

 

- mnd