Which sastra says...?

[Guest guest]

The way the pro-rtviks put it is absurd: "A powerful diksa-guru such as

Srila Prabhupada CAN post-humously initiate and accept disciples. Which

sastra says that he cannot do so?"

 

Well, a powerful diksa-guru CAN post-humously also do so many things but

this is not the procedure in the sampradaya.

 

For instance, the Prabhupada Murti in our temples CAN (if he wanted)

factually talk to everyone and eat prasadam right within our physical sense

perception. But that doesn't mean that we offer prasadam to Prabhupada Murti

while we wait for the Prabhupada deity to move his hands and eat right in

front of us. That is not the procedure we are taught to perform by Guru,

Sadhu, Sastra. So we cannot do that.

 

We also know that Lord Krsna is sarva-saktiman, He can do anything. And He

is present as the Deity form. Now, the Deity form, if He wants, can

certainly eat raw rice grains which are offered to Him. Which sastra says

that Krsna CANNOT eat offered raw rice grains? No sastra says so. But can

one then conclude that it is alright to offer raw rice grains to Krsna?

 

No. WE CANNOT do so. WE DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO SO. Certainly Krsna

can do anything; but we can only offer Him cooked rice bhoga according to

Pancaratra, though it is certainly a fact that He can eat raw uncooked rice.

Why? Because that is the procedure we are taught by Guru-Sadhu-Sastra.

 

Similarly, the actual point is not whether Prabhupada or any other spiritual

master in the parampara CAN or CANNOT do, on whether they CAN or CANNOT

offer diksa to their followers after their physical departure. The point is

that WE, as their followers, DO NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO SO because we

don't have the Guru-Sadhu-Sastra authority to do so.

 

What we should do is to approach a non-post humous spiritual master (many

quotes for which have been supplied previously). This is the procedure

according to Guru-Sadhu-Sastra. In this regard, here is a quote from a

purport in the Seventh Canto:

 

"To practice bhakti-yoga, one must first accept a bona fide spiritual

master. Srila Rupa Gosvami, in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.74-75),

advises:

 

guru-padasrayas tasmat

krsna-diksadi-siksanam

visrambhena guroh seva

sadhu-vartmanuvartanam

sad-dharma-prccha bhogadi-

tyagah krsnasya hetave

 

"One's first duty is to accept a bona fide spiritual master. The student or

disciple should be very inquisitive; he should be eager to know the complete

truth about eternal religion (sanatana-dharma). The words guru-susrusaya

mean that one should personally serve the spiritual master by giving him

bodily comforts, helping him in bathing, dressing, sleeping, eating and so

on. This is called guru-susrusanam. A disciple should serve the spiritual

master as a menial servant, and whatever he has in his possession should be

dedicated to the spiritual master." (SB 7.7.30-31, purport)

 

Note the word "diksa" in the Sanskrit. Here it is stated that one should

take diksa from a guru and personally serve him. Therefore he must be

personally present.

 

Some things are understood. Here is an example from nyaya sastra.

 

Jalanayana nyaya:

 

Jala means water and anayana means to bring. If someone is told to bring

water, it is understood that he must bring it in a suitable container. This

maxim refers to saying something which is not stated, but is nevertheless

understood. It doesn't have to be explicitly stated because it is plain to

understand.

 

[The quote from Seventh Canto and the example from the Nyaya-sastra are

provided by Srila Bhakti Vikasa Swami Maharaja. Many thanks to His Holiness

for this.]