Guest guest Posted July 21, 1999 Report Share Posted July 21, 1999 I wish more devotees would speak out so nicely like this against the ritviks and broadcast such articles. Jaya Antardvip. ys ada > BY ANTARDWIP DAS > > EDITORIAL, Jul 16 (VNN) Ñ Dear Adri and Madhu Pandit, > > In contrast to you, we believe there is: > > 1: No failure on Srila Prabhupada's part to produce qualified > vaishnava spiritual masters, > > 2: No self-contradiction in Srila Prabhupada's teaching on > whether his disciples would initiate or not, because we accept > his statements at face value and have an straightforward > understanding of the word "henceforward". > > 3: No failure in Srila Prabhupada's ability to communicate > clearly to his disciples on the vital subject of initiation, > because, unlike you, the vast majority of his closest > disciples DO accept Srila Prabhupada's qualified disciples as > bone-fide spiritual masters. > > 4: No contradiction between Srila Prabhupada's teaching for > ISKCON and the accepted vedic system of disciplic succession > throughout time and throughout India, > > 5: No disrespect for the four major bone-fide sampradayas, > because we accept that other groups also have qualified > spiritual masters to initiate. > > But you have difficulty with all the above. > > Although you say on one hand his books are to be the law books > for ten thousand years, you believe even his closest students > are so bewildered over the law of disciplic succession in his > books that you consider the lawyers of Calcutta better judges > then them. And that is just TWENTY years after he left, not > ten thousand! So what value do you, according to your actions, > put on being a disciple of Srila Prabhupada? > > This brings me to my main point. What makes you think that > devotees becoming disciples of Srila Prabhupada through you > with your association will fare better than those godbrothers > you are fighting who became Srila Prabhupada's disciples > through him with much much more association from him than you > had, especially Madhu Pandit who had none? Do you think > godbrothers initiated through yourselves and not trained or > given association by Srila Prabhupada directly will do better? > You are better than Srila Prabhupada? Why do you want more > disciples of Srila Prabhupada - especially without his > personal input - when you already consider so many of them to > be deluded? > > > " Earlier this year, Sri Madhu Pandit das told Sri Srivatsa > das (Hyderabad) when I was in the same room this exact thing: > "A powerful diksa-guru such as Srila Prabhupada CAN > post-humously initiate and accept disciples. Which sastra says > that he cannot do so?" > On the one hand you declare Srila Prabhupada as such an > effective initiator of disciples that he should be everyone's > guru while on the other hand valuing his disciples who had > much personal association with Srila Prabhupada as being less > spiritually capable than a Calcutta Court. In this case again, > why do you want there to be more Prabhupada disciples if you > do not value them? > > Srila Prabhupada writes: > > "It is the custom that during the lifetime of your Spiritual > master you bring the prospective disciples to him, and in his > absence or disappearance you can accept disciples without any > limitation. This is the law of disciplic succession." > > Logically, the points 1-5 above cannot be believed if you > accept your ritvik philosophy, for ritvik philosophy depends > on many defects in Srila Prabhupada, not least his inability > to communicate the ritvik theory which only now dawns of > yourself twenty years after his departure. You say that over > 200 of the 205 or so Temple Presidents in the world and 100% > of the GBC are deluded and 0% are capable of giving initiation > - that is a serious failing in Srila Prabhupada's ability as a > spiritual master, no? This begs the question that if Srila > Prabhupada was of the standard to change that primordial vedic > tradition on initiation, would he not also have been of the > standard to instruct his disciples clearly? With many quotes > from Srila Prabhupada such as the above clearly supporting his > disciples ability to initiate, surely you hold him responsible > for bewildering his disciples? You say the majority are > bewildered. We don't, we say that just two or three temple > presidents have become carried away with their position and > are deluded as to their . I would like to return a favourite > quote Adri used to devalue so many humble vaishnavas serving > in Calcutta Temple, but apparently never applied to himself, > "You are insignificant." Unlike those valuable humble > vaishnavas serving their guru you insulted so often whose > service made you so significant you feel you can criticize > your guru, you are the one who has lost all value because you > are serving your material desires. > > Common sense has somehow got lost in your thinking. And the > result is to criticize Srila Prabhupada. You think you have a > right to do so because you are a Srila Prabhupada disciple. > What of his other disciples' and grand disciples' and public > donors' rights without whom you would have done nothing in > Calcutta and Bangalore, and whose hard work and donations you > are using for purposes other than they were intended? That > makes you simply thieves. When Srila Prabhupada was unhappy > with the Gaudiya Math, he didn't fight internally and steal > Gaudiya Matha money and properties he was not entitled to, he > left and served sincerely elsewhere and was successful. > > Are you disciple (follower of his example) enough to leave? > > Or only disciple (thief) enough to take? > > Hare Krishna, > > Antardwip das Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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