If you ever get money, print books

[Guest guest]

I agree Suchandra prabhu but books alone cannot get the job done. A genuine sadhu can impart more knowledge by way of answering questions that the seeker may have but books cannot asnwer questions!

 

When Pariksit Maharaja enquired about the absolute, the sages did not give him a book to read. Sukadeva GOswami appeared on the scene and dispeeled his doubts. I fail to understand why the prabhupada-onlyites and book-vadis keep ignoring historical precedents.

 

 

 

Thanks to "GuestwhoaddressSuchandra" for this important job of repeating Srila Prabhupada’s teachings to the world about what is actually the real point why Prabhupada came to US in September of 1965. Prabhupada was asked repeatedly, “why do you bring us another religion - we have in US already 9000 registered religions”?

Prabhupada’s simple reply was, Krishna Consciousness is the only religion, because it is not a worldly concoction but directly presenting the words of Krishna without adulteration - Krishna’s teachings like Bhagavad-Gita which are above the four defects of conditioned souls.

In sum, according my understanding and what surely all Vaishnavas stand for - to present to suffering humanity not something defective but the errorless knowledge of vedic wisdom as translated and commented by Srila Prabhupada in his books/lectures/letters, especially when it comes to the central point of any religion – diksa, baptism.

[Guest guest]

 

Probably the only solution: "They should remain for good", should be stopped and that the GBC shall consist of devotees who shall each serve an initial three year term.

(DOM 7/28/70)

 

That was a good idea. However, even Srila Prabhupada did not actually follow that system, especially in the later years. Still, I would be much better than the current system which only fosters abuse and incompetency.

[suchandra]

 

I agree Suchandra prabhu but books alone cannot get the job done. A genuine sadhu can impart more knowledge by way of answering questions that the seeker may have but books cannot asnwer questions!

 

When Pariksit Maharaja enquired about the absolute, the sages did not give him a book to read. Sukadeva GOswami appeared on the scene and dispeeled his doubts. I fail to understand why the prabhupada-onlyites and book-vadis keep ignoring historical precedents.

 

Good question for Guruvani prabhu - can Srila Prabhupada's books answer all our questions or do we sometimes have to ask a living Vaishnava in order to get the right answer? For example, I read Srimad-Bhagavatam and daily chant Hare Krishna, the question might come up, am I advancing in spiritual live properly or is there something what can be improved?

Do you mean such a question?

[suchandra]

 

That was a good idea. However, even Srila Prabhupada did not actually follow that system, especially in the later years. Still, I would be much better than the current system which only fosters abuse and incompetency.

Somehow Prabhupada must have felt not really happy about so many sannyasis and devotees with leading potential deviated or left, Bali Mardan, Syamasundara, Karandhar, Revatinanda, etc. There were quite a lot disciples who Prabhupada considered as persons whom he can trust but suddenly really disappointed him. In 1975 after a dispute Harikes run away, somehow Harikes reconsidered and went on his own to Europe. His idea of resigning from managerial activities and simply translate books actually didnt work in fact his leaders kept him bussy more and more. So he might not have followed a system because he personnally supervised everything constantly.

Presently there should be definetly a foolproof system which makes people, especially within the movement, confident that the management can be trusted.

[Guruvani]

 

Good question for Guruvani prabhu - can Srila Prabhupada's books answer all our questions or do we sometimes have to ask a living Vaishnava in order to get the right answer? For example, I read Srimad-Bhagavatam and daily chant Hare Krishna, the question might come up, am I advancing in spiritual live properly or is there something what can be improved?

Do you mean such a question?

The Bhagavatam is hailed as sufficient in itself for God realization.

 

It's more important to just study the Bhagavatam very seriously and then we should find that all the important questions that need to be answered are asked by more qualified persons than us in the Bhagavat and answered by the greatest authorities on self-realization.

 

Because we are immature, childish and impatient we have so many foolish and childish questions that we sometimes aren't patient enough to learn from the lessons of the Bhagavatam.

 

However, if we are so impatient, childish and immature that we cannot give the Bhagavatam the proper chance to enlighten and educate us in self-realization, then we aren't going to become self-realized by asking unqualified questions to unqualified gurus who are themselves not self-realized.

 

The Bhagavatam is sufficient.

 

All our childish and foolish questions to unqualified gurus won't really help us.

 

Sure, we can learn many things from the Vaishnavas.

We need to learn practical things from them.

Nobody disputes that.

 

But, when it comes to the Gaudiya theology, there is no better and more complete education than comes from the study of Srimad Bhagavatam.

 

If you will remember, in the pastimes of Mahaprabhu many devotees came to see the Lord and get some mercy.

 

All of them were instructed by Svarupa Damodar Goswami to go and make a complete and thorough study of Srimad Bhagavatam as Sri Gadadhar Pandit was so enraptured with.

 

The principle instruction coming from the camp of Mahaprabhu was to go back home and study Srimad Bhagavatam.

 

For the rank and file devotees of Mahaprabhu, this was the consistant and relentless instruction that came from the leading disciples of Mahaprabhu.

[Guest guest]

 

Somehow Prabhupada must have felt not really happy about so many sannyasis and devotees with leading potential deviated or left, Bali Mardan, Syamasundara, Karandhar, Revatinanda, etc. There were quite a lot disciples who Prabhupada considered as persons whom he can trust but suddenly really disappointed him. His idea of resigning from managerial activities and simply translate books actually didnt work in fact his leaders kept him bussy more and more. So he might not have followed a system because he personnally supervised everything. Presently there should be definetly a system which makes people confident that the management can be trusted.

 

I also think along these lines. He seems to have given up on some of the earlier concepts (like DOM, GBC consisting mainly of grihastha devotees, sannyasis removed from any managerial responsibilities) as the movement expanded very rapidly and things got very hectic on all fronts. It seems like in the later years management was reduced to dealing with things from day to day, from one crisis to another. He had a lot of pies in a lot of ovens and some of them got burned.

[AncientMariner]

 

The Bhagavatam is hailed as sufficient in itself for God realization.

 

It's more important to just study the Bhagavatam very seriously and then we should find that all the important questions that need to be answered are asked by more qualified persons than us in the Bhagavat and answered by the greatest authorities on self-realization.

 

Because we are immature, childish and impatient we have so many foolish and childish questions that we sometimes aren't patient enough to learn from the lessons of the Bhagavatam.

 

However, if we are so impatient, childish and immature that we cannot give the Bhagavatam the proper chance to enlighten and educate us in self-realization, then we aren't going to become self-realized by asking unqualified questions to unqualified gurus who are themselves not self-realized.

 

The Bhagavatam is sufficient.

 

All our childish and foolish questions to unqualified gurus won't really help us.

 

Sure, we can learn many things from the Vaishnavas.

We need to learn practical things from them.

Nobody disputes that.

 

But, when it comes to the Gaudiya theology, there is no better and more complete education than comes from the study of Srimad Bhagavatam.

 

If you will remember, in the pastimes of Mahaprabhu many devotees came to see the Lord and get some mercy.

 

All of them were instructed by Svarupa Damodar Goswami to go and make a complete and thorough study of Srimad Bhagavatam as Sri Gadadhar Pandit was so enraptured with.

 

The principle instruction coming from the camp of Mahaprabhu was to go back home and study Srimad Bhagavatam.

 

For the rank and file devotees of Mahaprabhu, this was the consistant and relentless instruction that came from the leading disciples of Mahaprabhu.

 

 

I read in Prabhupada's books that the book Bhagavatam and devotee Bhagavatam are identical and either one or both are sufficient to overcome the obstacles to self realization. That pretty much says it all as far as I am concerned. I hear people say you can't become self realized from reading Prabhupada's books but that seems to be in contradiction to what Prabhupada said when he said either one is sufficient.