Srila Prabhupada’s Greatest Accomplishment!!!

[krsna]

Srila Prabhupada’s Greatest Accomplishment!

BY: BHAGAVAT DAS (ACBSP)

 

 

Dec 31, USA (SUN) — A response to Rocana Prabhu’s Counterpoint, "Searching for Sadhu? Danger Ahead".

 

 

Rocana Prabhu has written a counterpoint article complaining about my glorification of a pure devotee of the Lord, Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja. I would like to respond to his criticisms of Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja. I wrote 90% of this article before Murali Krsna Swami posted his response to Navadwip Chandra. It covers a couple of his points but the bulk of my article makes some very significantly different points as well.

 

Rocana Prabhu makes the following statement in his article:

• “In my mind, Bhagavat das appears to be somewhat disingenuous in writing his miracle articles, in that he only mentions Srila Prabhupada's miracles in comparison to Gour Govinda Maharaja's miracles. In my mind, it seems that he's not so much promoting Srila Prabhupada as he is comparing and promoting Gour Govinda Swami. He knows that in this atmosphere of the devotee community, you'd better not leave out Srila Prabhupada. In other words, in order to get Gour Govinda Maharaja's miracles heard and hopefully appreciated, you've got to mention something about Srila Prabhupada. So it seems that he's not really trying to glorify Srila Prabhupada so much as he's taking the example of making this comparison in order to glorify Gour Govinda.”

I wonder if Rocana Prabhu ever used his mind to consider the fact that the greatest miracle that the Bona Fide Acharya in the Parampara performs is the transformation of a jiva into a pure unalloyed devotee of Sri Sri Radha Krishna. What greater glorification can one give his Spiritual Master than to glorify his greatest accomplishment creating that one full Moon? Just as a father takes great pride in hearing of the accomplishments of his children Srila Prabhupada also took great pride in hearing about the accomplishments of his disciples and hearing of their glories on sankirtana, from life members, and members of society. Making comparisons to the glorious activities of the guru and the disciple, like a father to his son, should be a cause of great happiness amongst those who are genuine disciples of Srila Prabhupada. I had intended to write other articles showing the various events and activities in the lives of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja that further demonstrated the most glorious accomplishment of our Divine Master. However it appears that hearing about this most glorious accomplishment of Srila Prabhupada is distasteful to the readership on this forum. Since you have made some erroneous comments about Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja I will take sometime in this rebuttal to clarify them and speak the truth about Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja no matter how unpalatable it may be for some to hear the most glorious accomplishment of Srila Prabhupada. I do this because I personally witnessed how deep and intimate the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja was and is. Therefore out duty to my Srila Prabhupada I defend his dear and loving disciple.

 

You state the following in your counterpoint article:

• "I am personally not a follower or promoter of Gour Govinda Maharaja and I've never met him personally. I don't know him. I also don't know well the devotees who are speaking on Gour Govinda's behalf, and who are essentially part of his lineage or branch coming from Srila Prabhupada. Our understanding of Gour Govinda Swami is based in part on their testimonials. Given the fact that Gour Govinda Maharaja is now departed, we have no way of getting more direct evidence, except by listening to his lectures and reading his writings. As I understand it, his writings weren't extensive and his preaching effort was primarily in Orissa.”

It shows you did not know him by your statements like: “his preaching effort was primarily in Orissa”, which is a backhanded way of saying he is a village guru not a Jagat Guru like Srila Prabhupada. However you failed to mention, and maybe because you had no knowledge of it, that Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja circled the globe on preaching tours 8 times in his service to Srila Prabhupada.

 

His excellent classes presenting the siddhanta enlivened and rejuvenated the lives of hundreds of disillusioned and disgruntled devotees who were forced to suffer through between 1 and 3 initiations by the so called zonal acharya’s who kept falling down because they had falsely taken a responsibility that they were clearly unqualified for and was not authorized by Srila Prabhupada. Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja encouraged these devotees to stay in ISKCON and to preach Srila Prabhupada’s mission. In his attempts to save these previously uneducated devotees from the erroneous teachings of the zonal acharya’s, Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja very clearly enunciated what the qualifications of a real Guru were and what the consequences of disregarding or criticizing a bona fide acharya were “AS IT IS” taught in Srila Prabhupada’s books, not any concoction of his own like the bogus zonal acharya’s who preceded him. As a result he greatly disturbed some of the GBC and Gurus who, at that time were erroneously representing themselves as good as God, perfectly pure, and infallible personalities.

 

However I compare his preaching in the late 80’s and early 90’s to the preaching that Srila Prabhupada did in the late 60’s and early 70’s. During that time (late 60’s and early 70’s) there was a proliferation of a different brand of bogus gurus who were advertising themselves as GOD and promising that their followers could also become GOD. There was Merha Baba, Maharishi, Bal Yogi, Sachitananda, and cavalcade of others too numerous to mention. The one thing that we as Srila Prabhupada’s disciples noted was that these so called gurus always promoted themselves in the first person “I am GOD” “I have become perfect” “I can make you perfect and even make you GOD for a certain sum of money” Srila Prabhupada would always talk in the third person. Srila Prabhupada would explain what the qualities of the pure devotee and the bona fide acharya were. He would describe what a real guru was and he would rail against the bogus persons and warn against following them.

 

Srila Prabhupada would also describe in Caitanya Caritamrta and other places what the results of offenses against a real Vaishnava acharya were. Srila Prabhupada never said I am the real guru and bona fide acharya he always talked in the third person. So when Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja talks in the third person you accuse him of self promotion and when Radhanatha Maharaja talks in the first person you accuse him of self promotion. In which case should the devotee speak in order to meet your standards, second person twice removed? I see you constantly reminding everyone about your articles that you have written, “I have already addressed this issue in my article entitled” you do it in this very counterpoint article as follows: “In a recent article entitled "The List of 32", I offered my personal thoughts about how one should compare other advanced devotees to Srila Prabhupada.” Are you not posing yourself as the self appointed authority when you say WE SHOULD all follow your thoughts on how to compare other advanced devotees to Srila Prabhupada. You obviously think very highly of your mind and of your personal thoughts which, you are always directing everyone to read. Are you not being a self promoter?

 

Like Srila Prabhupada, Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja was born into a Vaishnava family descending in the line of Srila Shymanada Pandit the contemporary of Srila Narottama Das Thakura. Like Srila Prabhupada from a young age Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja heard kirtana and Srimad Bhagavatam from his father everyday until he was a teenager and his father passed away. Like Srila Prabhupada, He left his wife and 7 children only at the age 46 years old instead of at age 54. The only difference was that Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja went to search for his real guru while Srila Prabhupada already had his Guru.

 

Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja traveled to all the Holy Dhams of India and inquired from every person who posed himself as a guru “do you teach the truth about Gour and Gopal? He even changed his name from Braja Bandhu to Gour Gopal to emphasize the focus of His search. When he met Srila Prabhupada he knew he was his Guru because Srila Prabhupada taught the truths he had leaned from the Srimad Bhagavatam about Gopal and the truths he learned about Lord Caitanya from the Caitanya Bhagavat, Srila Prabhupada taught the truth about Gour Gopal. Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja knew Srila Prabhupada was his Guru because he told him in their first meeting I will give you sannyas and you will preach and make your own disciples. Srila Gour Govinda knew Srila Prabhupada was his guru because acting as the external manifestation of Supersoul Srila Prabhupada knew what was in Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja’s heart, to take sannyas and preach the glories of Gour Gopal. Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja knew that his guru was out there and he paid his dues in his search for his guru a real bona fide acharya who taught the proper truths about Gour and Gopal.

 

Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja never asked anyone to do anything that he did not already do himself. He always set the perfect example of the perfect disciple. Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja never left the little mud hut that was given to him by Srila Prabhupada as his place of residence. Even when he built that big temple and guest house in Bhubaneshwara, he could have lived in a fancy room like so many of his god brothers. But he stayed in the little hut with mud and brick walls and a straw thatched roof as he was given by his guru maharaja. Unlike his god brothers who insist on all kinds of special meals for their so called health Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja would not eat from the time he arose in the morning until he had done his quota of translation work for Srila Prabhupada. Furthermore he would eat whatever the other devotees ate, dhal, rice, chappatis, and subji. He used to eat curds under doctors strict orders for a bone disease he had due to lack of calcium. You know how he got that condition in the first place? Because when he was given the last cup of hot milk one night in Bhubaneshwara one of his god brothers complained “Oh he has gotten milk and I did not get”? Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja did not act like his zonal acharya god brothers and label the devotee an envious snake, in fact he forbid any devotee from criticizing him. Instead Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja considered himself an offender and refused to take a single drop of milk for the rest of his life, this lead to his calcium deficiency and his bone disease. He conceded to eating curds under the strict order of his doctor only because he accepted the principle that his body belonged to Srila Prabhupada and therefore to finish his service to his Guru Maharaja as he was ordered to do he would not drink milk but accept curds for his bone disease.

 

You, Rocana, even praised Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja for his devoted attitude to Srila Prabhupada’s books and translation work. Do you think that any disciple can perform such service? Only a true disciple who has perfect devotion, pure devotion to his guru can perform such a task as irrefutably presenting evidence for the authority of his Guru Maharaja’s translation work.

 

Let me give you an example of how a real Vaishnava treats a great Mahabhagavat like Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja. During the Rathayatra at Jaggannatha Puri one year the head vedic astrologer for the entire Ramanuja Sampradaya went to take darshan of Lord Jaggannatha and see his pastimes. He noticed in the crowd many western devotees and asked amongst the local people where these devotees resided in Puri as he wanted to meet with them personally. At the time ISKCON did not have a place in Jagganatha Puri and He was informed about the temple project in Bhubaneshwara where the devotees resided. He then went to Bhubaneshwara to see the western devotees and at that time met with Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja. When he saw Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja’s auspicious features he became impressed, a proper vedic astrologer of his caliber can understand a person just by looking at the shape of his body and the different parts of his body.

 

The astrologer drew up a chart for the moment and could understand that he was in the presence of a great Mahapurusha a fully liberated soul who was a pure devotee. However the thing that impressed him most was Srila Gour Govinda Maharajas grasp of the siddhanta. This astrologer ultimately recognized the pure devotee by the process of hearing the transcendental sound vibration from his lotus lips. When the astrologer returned to Sri Rangam he informed the Acharya of the entire Ramanuja Sampradaya for all of India that he had dasrshan of a great Mahapurusha and that he recommended that the Acharya take this opportunity to go there and take darshan of Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja. The Acharya then cleared his calendar of all other commitments and went almost immediately to meet with Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja.

 

Upon reaching there and having his darshan they spent time together discussing the finer points of Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushanas Govinda Bhashya commentary of Vedanta Sutra which describes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhus acintya veda-aveda philosphy and Ramanuja Acharyas Vashistha Adwaita commentary on Vedanta Sutra which is the closest philosophical concept to Acintya Veda-aveda of all the commentaries on Vedanta Sutra. So we can see that even an Acharya from another Vaishnava Sampradaya knows how to properly respect a pure devotee of the Lord, whereas Srila Gour Govinda’s godbrothers can only criticize him in an offensive manner.

 

I see, read, and hear the glorifications of Vishnujana Maharaja and Jayananda Thakura by so many of my godbrothers and I see, read, and hear of the glories of my godbrothers who sacrificed years of their lives to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books but Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja not only translated so many of Srila Prabhupada’s books into the Oriya language but he inspired his disciples to travel on buses and vehicles to every little town and village of Orissa and distribute hundreds of thousands of books. None of Srila Prabhupada’s books would have been distributed in Orissa without the translation work and inspiration of Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja he is entirely responsible for the success of that mission and the construction of one of the best temples in ISKCON. Yet I see people on this forum criticizing him for not encouraging the distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books.

 

I see former sannyasis that are now vantasis, eating their own vomit, criticizing Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja when his conduct in the sannyas ashram and as a guru was spotless and exemplary. Of course these bogus persons were criticizing Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja back in the day and for their offenses to a pure devotee they have fallen down into an abominable condition. However they are so ignorant of the principle of Vaishnava Aparadha that they continue to criticize the pure devotee even now.

 

This erroneous attitude of my godbrothers who insist that Srila Prabhupada is the only pure devotee is the greatest offense to my Srila Prabhupada! How you might ask, because it characterizes Srila Prabhupada as impotent and incapable of making even one pure devotee. Srila Prabhupada is the only one! The real pure devotee, the best amongst the devotees, the greatest devotee in the history of the parampara, and on and on my god brothers pontificate. But he could not have been that great if according to your other ranting and ravings he could not even produce an heir. Every one else in our sampradaya was potent enough to make a pure devotee but not our most exalted Srila Prabhupada? Is this your conclusion? Well I do not accept this erroneous conclusion. My Srila Prabhupada is all the great things that you say he is BECAUSE HE MADE SRILA GOUR GOVINDA MAHARAJA A PURE DEVOTEE! THAT IS WHY HE IS THE GREATEST!

 

Yes I glorify my god brother Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja and I am proud and honored to do so. He has honored Srila Prabhupada by his service and steadfast devotion to the Lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada and the instructions Srila Prabhupada gave him. He has done all that and more. He has actually fulfilled the most cherished desire of Srila Prabhupada; he became a pure unadulterated devotee of Sri Sri Radha Krsna, a fully liberated Mahapurusha, Mahabhagavat, and Pure Devotee of Sri Sri Radha Krsna. He is Srila Prabhupada’s greatest accomplishment and his one full moon that Srila Prabhupada so fondly wished for. Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja is the dearest and most intimate disciple of Srila Prabhupada because he has glorified Srila Prabhupada better than any other disciple of Srila Prabhupada by actually surrendering to him completely and becoming a pure unalloyed devotee of the Lords most intimate devotee.

I will glorify Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja every day in everyway that I can and I know that Srila Prabhupada hears these glories with great relish and appreciation. One who is the devotee of my devotee he is my devotee. I pray to become a speck of dust on the Lotus Feet of Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja then I will have pleased my spiritual master, my Srila Prabhupada by becoming the servant of the servant of the servant, this is my greatest aspiration. By glorifying Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja I glorify my Srila Prabhupada in the greatest way possible by recognizing Srila Prabhupada’s greatest accomplishment the transformation of one jiva soul into an eternally pure devotee of their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Krsna.