Sadhu Swami and the Brahmacarya Conference

[Guest guest]

I really feel sad to read such statments. Since more than 10 years I am

serving this movement as a preacher and a bhakta course leader, but I never

had to "protect" anyone from other opinions.

If we have fear that someone might leave and go elsewhere - this just shows

that we are not really convinced that we follow para-satyam. (If we are not

able to confront ourselves with other views then this insecurity will drag

as away anyway.)

I take "my" new bhaktas right from the beginning to all different kinds of

ashrams, monasteries and spiritual groups and I let them confront deeply on

a philosophical level all kinds of philosophies. And I tell them, if they

find anything more deep and profound than Srila Prabhupadas teachings, they

should stay there. Not one ever went away from Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

We are not in Krishna consciousness because we cannot see and understand

other things ("one has to be protected from them"), but rather because we

have seen everything, we are in KC.

The first approuch to KC is compulsive and the secound is voluntary (and

only here can actual love begin to sprout.)

If we are real searchers for truth than we have to confront ourselves with

different opinions and views

 

siddhanta baliya citte na kara alasa

iha ha-ite krsne lage sudrdha manasa

 

A sincere student should not neglect the discussion of such conclusions,

considering them controversial, for such discussions strengthen the mind.

Thus one's mind becomes attached to Sri Krsna.

(Adi 2.117)

 

Conversation 9.3.76:

 

Madhudvisa: In the Eighteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, in one of your

purports, you say that a sannyasi should never discourage a young man from

becoming, from getting married. But on the other hand, we have understood

that a sannyasi should encourage young men to remain brahmacari. So it seems

to me like there's some kind of a...

Prabhupada: According to time, circumstances. Just like Krsna says, niyatam

kuru karma tvam: "Always be engaged in your prescribed work." And, at last,

He says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [bg. 18.66]. Now we

have to adjust. That is not contradiction. That is suitable to the time and

circumstance.

 

 

We all know that Sadhu Maharajas preaching is all on sastra. But now (just

because of some contraversial statments) we just want to remove him from the

conference.

This is cowardly.

 

 

> Sadhu Swami is causing confusion and problems on other WINCOM conferences

> as well. As a matter of fact, there is a discussion in "Krsna Katha" about

> removing him right now (if it has not yet been done.) You should read what

> His Grace Hari Sauri Prabhu and others have to say about him.

>

> Removing him from this conference does not keep us from having a "samah

> darsinah" vision. In this connection, Srila Prabhupada said

> "discrimination is the greater part of valor." He said that we should not

> embrace a lion just because a lion has the same type of soul that we do.

>

> A good argument could be made that Sadhu Swami is indeed very threatening

> to ISKCON because he does not accept any ISKCON authority (rather, he

> defies it) and thus promulgates things different and in many ways contrary

> to what Srila Prabhupada says. It may be easy for Krsna Candra Prabhu and

> other erudite followers of Srila Prabhupada's teachings to discern from

> Sadhu Swami's postings what is in line and what is not in line with

> Prabhupada's instructions, but why go through that botheration and

> anxiety?

> Personally, I have many more important services to perform for ISKCON than

> to spend my time worrying and combing through the sand of Sadhu Swami's

> darsans to check for deviant statements that could seriously confuse and

> damage the faith of young ISKCON brahmacaris.

>

> Also, as I said earlier, this man is directly insulting ALL the ISKCON

> initiating gurus by saying that their policy on giving diksa to women is

> not sastric. How could Krsna Candra Prabhu (or any grand-disciple of

> Prabhupada) tolerate this?

> My Guru Maharaja, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami, initiates women. He is

> acting perfectly according to sastra, and so is His Holiness Sacinandana

> Maharaja, Radhanatha Maharaja, Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja, etc.. Now, you

> expect me to be part of a conference in which an individual who thinks

> that all ISKCON gurus are just not good enough for him (otherwise, why

> would he have taken re-initiation outside?), that they are all wrong in

> giving initiation to women, and so many other things, has the full freedom

> to speak his voice??

>

> We shed gallons of blood to make new devotees. We try to protect the

> ISKCON brahmacaris. We try to instill in them the necessary faith in Srila

> Prabhupada to make them loyal servants of ISKCON. It is also a known

> history that Gaudiya Matha members repeatedly poach new devotees from

> ISKCON and recruit them to their camps. Furthermore, Sadhu Swami has

> disturbed many senior devotees in ISKCON, both young and old, in India and

> on the internet. Why, then, are we still harboring the idea of allowing

> him to speak his new-and-improved notions of Gaudiya Vaishnavism on this

> conference, which, in a very real sense, is one of the most important

> conferences that exist?

>

> I speak with all respect for Krsna Candra Prabhu. I pray that he forgives

> me for any offense to him in saying these few words.

>

> Hare Krsna,

>

> Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON,

>

> Candrasekhar Acarya dasa

>

>

>

> These are a few statements about Sadhu Swami, by His Grace Hari Sauri

> Prabhu:

>

> Now sadhu swami claims his guru

> > vargya has authorized him to initiate disciples himslef. yet, sadhu

> > maharaja refuses to let me know if he has asked his superior gaudiya

> > math guru's if his propogation of chanting "gauranga nityananda mantra

> > on japa beads was authorized by them.

>

> Of course not; now he is a guru he is absolute and can do as he

> likes -- we have of course already seen this mentality in the earlier days

> of ISKCON gurus... its nothing new.

>

> Your humble servant,

> Hari-sauri dasa

>

>

>

>

> Frankly speaking, this man went outside of ISKCON for sannyas

> because he is after name and fame and following and he would never have

> got it by staying in ISKCON. This concoction of mantra he is propagating

> along with the "5 regulative principles" is to give himself some

> distinction among the Vaisnavas in the same way that a muni has to come up

> with a new philosophy in order to distinguish himself.

>

> yhs, Hari-sauri dasa

>

> >

> > I just want to inform you that we had similar problems with Sadhu Swami

> > in the brahmacari conference. He was posting his own official

> > "purports" to the 11th and 12th cantos of the S.B, and he was saying

> > that the ISKCON gurus are all wrong in giving initiation to women. We

> > made a complaint, and he was officially removed from the conference. He

> > just makes trouble.

>

> No initiations for women??? Where does he get that from? Certainly

> not any acarya in our line. He's obviously a nonsense and should be

> blocked from any ISKCON conferences.

>

> Your humble servant,

> Hari-sauri dasa