Bhaktivedanta Swami skimped on Bhoga offering mantras?

[andy108]

Are AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's disciples bereft of the proper mantras to offer Bhoga to Lord Krsna as Narayana Maharaja suggests?

 

**snip from full lecture reproduced below**

 

 

Srila Swami Maharaja introduced something for his new disciples. Even if they had not received second initiation, he told them, "You can offer bhoga to Krsna by the mantra:

namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te / krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah and namne bramanya jagat"

A question may arise here: "Did Srila Swami Maharaja take initiation from his Gurudeva or not? Did he know all the rules and regulations for offering bhoga? Did he give those mantras [which are not for offering bhoga, but rather for offering obeisances] out of his ignorance, or did he purposely and knowingly give them? What is the reality?" The reality is that Srila Swami Maharaja considered, "Somehow I should gradually introduce all the rules and regulations. For these neophytes, the only rule and regulation is that they should not take meat, eggs, and alcohol. They should not smoke or engage in other abominable activities. They should think that they are devotees." For that purpose your Prabhupada gave initiation into the Hare Krsna mantra, and he told his young disciples, "Now you are devotees. You can now offer bhoga by this mantra: 'Namo brahmanya devaya…'"

This is not an offering mantra. He knew this, but he purposely did not give the offering mantra because at that time his disciples were not qualified to receive it. Proper following was very difficult for them. Now, however, so much water has passed under the bridge. Now they are very qualified, even more so than Indians. They can do it now. Now they should make offerings according to the proper procedures, and your Prabhupada has therefore sent me. He told me, "Go and introduce all these principles."

 

**end snip**

 

Full Lecture

 

[srila Narayana Maharaja is sometimes asked why the procedures and standards for offering bhoga to the Deities, as taught by him, appear different from those established by Srila Prabhupada Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. In the following class, given on Dec. 16, 2001, Srila Maharaja replies:]

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] If you want to ask anything, you can ask. For example, I heard a question regarding a person who is not initiated, or a person who has only received first initiation (harinama). The question was asked, "Has such a person the right to make offerings to Krsna? What should he do?"

Suppose a person is not initiated at all, but he has faith and honor for Krsna and he knows that Krsna is Supreme Personality of Godhead. Or, he believes in Nrsimadeva or Rama or any Visnu-tattva as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He wants to serve, he is engaged in some puja, and he has learned something from his family, his father, mother, or anyone else. He can offer preparations to Krsna. We have heard from sastra:

nanopacara-krta-pujanam arta-bandhoh

premnaiva bhakta-hrdayam sukha-vidrutam syat

yavat ksud asti jathare jaratha pipasa

tavat sukhaya bhavato nanu bhaksya-peye

["As long as there is hunger and thirst within the stomach, varieties of food and drink make one feel very happy. Similarly, when the Lord is worshiped with pure love, the various activities performed in the course of that worship awaken transcendental bliss in the heart of the devotee." (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 8.69)]

If you are fully initiated but you do not have love and affection for Krsna, then even if you offer something by mantra and 16 kinds of paraphernalia, Krsna will not accept your offering. On the other hand, if you have prema, Krsna will have so much hunger for taking whatever you offer. Krsna thinks, "When My devotee offers anything to me, I will take it. I will accept it, because he has prema. If that pure devotee is bringing something to Krsna and he has not yet offered it, Krsna will run after him to take it.

Even if one has not received second initiation, if he offers anything with bhakti, Krsna is bound to accept his offering. It may be that one has devotional impressions from past births, and in this birth he has surrendered to a sad-guru. The abovementioned verse is for him only. It is not meant for kanistha-adhikaris, those who are without such past impressions and who are just beginning to receive impressions in this birth by somehow associating with devotees. If one has some transcendental sraddha, he can make an offering. The kanistha-adhikari Vaisnava does not have very much faith. He is not of that high caliber.

Srila Swami Maharaja introduced something for his new disciples. Even if they had not received second initiation, he told them, "You can offer bhoga to Krsna by the mantra:

namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te / krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah and namne bramanya jagat"

A question may arise here: "Did Srila Swami Maharaja take initiation from his Gurudeva or not? Did he know all the rules and regulations for offering bhoga? Did he give those mantras [which are not for offering bhoga, but rather for offering obeisances] out of his ignorance, or did he purposely and knowingly give them? What is the reality?" The reality is that Srila Swami Maharaja considered, "Somehow I should gradually introduce all the rules and regulations. For these neophytes, the only rule and regulation is that they should not take meat, eggs, and alcohol. They should not smoke or engage in other abominable activities. They should think that they are devotees." For that purpose your Prabhupada gave initiation into the Hare Krsna mantra, and he told his young disciples, "Now you are devotees. You can now offer bhoga by this mantra: 'Namo brahmanya devaya…'"

This is not an offering mantra. He knew this, but he purposely did not give the offering mantra because at that time his disciples were not qualified to receive it. Proper following was very difficult for them. Now, however, so much water has passed under the bridge. Now they are very qualified, even more so than Indians. They can do it now. Now they should make offerings according to the proper procedures, and your Prabhupada has therefore sent me. He told me, "Go and introduce all these principles."

At present, the devotees are offering agarbatti (incense) for much longer than necessary when they perform arati. At that time Krsna is very hungry, thinking, "When will he finish?!" Then, after the incense, they offer a lamp, again for too long. Again Krsna thinks, "I'm so hungry. If he does not stop this arati soon, I will die of hunger. I will definitely die today." Therefore, Krsna runs away as they perform arati. Don't follow this drawn-out procedure. Try to follow what has been written in the scriptures that teach the proper procedures. You can offer agrabatti to Krsna three times, and then to His associates. The lamp may be offered fourteen times, but not more than that. Otherwise, Krsna will be very upset and run away. He especially fears if someone improperly offers the camara. He thinks, "Oh, he came to make an offering, but now he is exercising." Don't discover new things. Follow what is written in the authorized sastras.

Srila Swami Maharaja somehow engaged them. It was very, very difficult for him, as it would have been for any pure guru at that time, to introduce the actual strict procedures. "Jena tena prakarena" He introduced them to the line of bhakti and engaged them. [in his lecture of Dec. 20, 1966, Srila Prabhupada explained, "Rupa Gosvami, one of the big acaryas, says, yena tena prakarena manah krsne nivesayet: 'The first business is that somehow or other people should be Krsna conscious." So far rules and regulations are concerned...

yena tena prakarena

manah krsne nivesayet

sarve vidhi-nisedha syur

etayor eva kinkarah

[if one takes to that line of activities, Krsna consciousness, then all regulations will follow as a servant follows a master. If the master starts, the servant follows. Similarly, the rules and regulations will follow automatically.'"] Now the time has come for us to reform and progress. At the time of offering your preparations, you should utter the correct mantras: "Etat naivedyam sa tulasi paniya jalam, kling gauraya svaha," and so on.

At first you should remember your Gurudeva and think, "Krsna may reject my offering, but He cannot reject my Gurudeva's offering." You should offer the bhoga to Gurudeva, not for his eating it, but for his offering it to Radha-Krsna and Mahaprabhu. Then you should call the Deity. Still now, in Puri, at the Radha-Kanta Matha, the vigraha of Sri Gopal Guru is presented the bhoga, and after that, thinking that Gopal Guru is making the offering, the bhoga is offered to Thakurji. Try to follow all these principles. Those who have not received second initiation, therefore, should take initiation. Otherwise, if the Guru thinks they should wait for some time, they can offer in this way: "Prabhu , I don't know anything. Gurudeva, please offer this." And he can do it. Krsna is 'bhava grahi janardana.' He accepts an offering according to the level of devotional qualification of the devotee making the offering. Such a devotee can offer according to his ability.

[Prabhupada stated in his lecture of May 25, 1969, "But in everything we do, devotion and sincerity are the real things. There is a word in Sanskrit; bhava grahi janardana: This means the Lord accepts service in devotional emotion. If we are sincere in offering something to the Lord in devotional love, He will accept it. The procedure may not be very correct, but the desire being sincere, He accepts our offering. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. He accepts foodstuffs from devotees because they are offered to Him in complete love and affection. That is required."]

[Beggar]

 

...Srila Swami Maharaja somehow engaged them. It was very, very difficult for him, as it would have been for any pure guru at that time, to introduce the actual strict procedures. "Jena tena prakarena" He introduced them to the line of bhakti and engaged them. [in his lecture of Dec. 20, 1966, Srila Prabhupada explained, "Rupa Gosvami, one of the big acaryas, says, yena tena prakarena manah krsne nivesayet: 'The first business is that somehow or other people should be Krsna conscious." So far rules and regulations are concerned...

yena tena prakarena

manah krsne nivesayet

sarve vidhi-nisedha syur

etayor eva kinkarah

[if one takes to that line of activities, Krsna consciousness, then all regulations will follow as a servant follows a master. If the master starts, the servant follows. Similarly, the rules and regulations will follow automatically.'"] Now the time has come for us to reform and progress. At the time of offering your preparations, you should utter the correct mantras: "Etat naivedyam sa tulasi paniya jalam, kling gauraya svaha," and so on.

At first you should remember your Gurudeva and think, "Krsna may reject my offering, but He cannot reject my Gurudeva's offering." You should offer the bhoga to Gurudeva, not for his eating it, but for his offering it to Radha-Krsna and Mahaprabhu. Then you should call the Deity...

This is a perfect analysis and makes good sense. But you have to understand that the second part, the instructions on how to offer bhoga the way it was done in the mission of Srila Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati Thakur, is for those who have implicit faith in the speaker. Also remember, the instruction is about the details of devotional service not the essence.

Therefore the essential part is:

 

If one takes to that line of activities, Krsna consciousness, then all regulations will follow as a servant follows a master. If the master starts, the servant follows.

And:

 

...and think, "Krsna may reject my offering, but He cannot reject my Gurudeva's offering."

It will take an overly critical and devious mind to oppose these concepts.

[andy108]

BG 10.3 Purport

 

Therefore if we at all want our activities to he auspicious, then we should work under the directions of the Supreme Lord. Such directions are given in authoritative scriptures such as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā, or from a bona fide spiritual master. Because the spiritual master is the representative of the Supreme Lord, his direction is directly the direction of the Supreme Lord. The spiritual master, saintly persons and scriptures direct in the same way. There is no contradiction in these three sources.

 

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: I have given you everything to get back to Godhead. Make no changes. There is nothing to add.

 

Narayana Maharaja: Your Prabhupada sent me to give you what he could not.

 

 

He knew this, but he purposely did not give the offering mantra because at that time his disciples were not qualified to receive it.

 

Speculation. And makes no sense. They were making offerings to Krsna. And making it through their Guru. They knew that much. If the mantra made the difference between an offering that Krsna would accept and one he would reject, does anyone think Bhaktivedanta Swami would have left that out?

 

That all the disciples he initiated into Spiritual Life, and would after he left by his officiating system, who he promised received complete instructions from him with nothing left to chance, are somehow now bereft of a missing link and would need to seek out Siksa from someone else, even though Swamiji insisted that his disciples DO NOT DO THAT?

 

 

Now they are very qualified, even more so than Indians. They can do it now. Now they should make offerings according to the proper procedures, and your Prabhupada has therefore sent me. He told me, "Go and introduce all these principles."

 

THEY SHOULD DO IT ACCORDING TO PROPER PROCEDURES. (The ones he offers). And if not? What about all those disciples of Bhaktivedanta Swami who will never here this? And will carry on his methods for thousands of years?

 

If the essence is all that is needed, a little love, Bhaktivedanta Swami could have simply told his disciples : just say Dear Lord Krsna, please accept this humble offering through my Gurudeva". That is simple enough to understand for an English speaker. Does someone have to be advanced and super qualfied? So he gave the Obeisance/Glorification mantras. He considered that in line with Srila Narada's Pancaratrik Viddhi. Now suddenly, those are impotent.

 

 

Now the time has come for us to reform and progress.

 

This is the kicker. Narayana Maharaja is speaking to those who came to him. I agree. So why the ambiguity. He says here "US" as in We as in present company need reform in order to progress. But just before he was saying that "TheyShouldmake" offerings according to PROPER procedure.

 

They. Not his sanga. They means Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami's hapless bereft disciples. Who were told by their Acarya that he gave them everything, and he lied. No need of change or addition. But he forgot to mention that they needed to seek Narayana Maharaja for proper Bhoga offering mantras.

 

Narayana Maharaja ought to contemplate on his assessment that Bhaktivedanta Swami assessed his disciples low qualifications and gave them sadhana commensurate to that.

 

And then take his own advice. He is stirring up more trouble than is worth. His disciples have proven just as neophyte and fanatic as any of Bhaktivedanta Swami's, and now he gives his overzealous disciples more ammunition to fuel their puffed up egos in regard to the Iskcon disciples who have not yet found the "missing link Acarya" to Goloka Vrndavana in Narayana Maharaja.

 

BG 10.3

Therefore if we at all want our activities to he auspicious, then we should work under the directions of the Supreme Lord. Such directions are given in authoritative scriptures such as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā, or from a bona fide spiritual master. Because the spiritual master is the representative of the Supreme Lord, his direction is directly the direction of the Supreme Lord. The spiritual master, saintly persons and scriptures direct in the same way. There is no contradiction in these three sources.

 

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: I have given you everything to get back to Godhead. Make no changes. There is nothing to add.

 

Narayana Maharaja: Your Prabhupada sent me to give you what he could not.

 

I believe Narayana Maharaja means well. But there was a reason why Lord Krsna sent Bhaktivedanta Swami to set the standard and crisscross the globe. May he understand that reason someday more deeply.

[stonehearted]

Seven... You have got that list? You have now... Ten kinds offenses? In this, is it written there that you cannot commit offense on the strength of Hare Krsna mantra? Yes, that's... So tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavah. Viplavati. It vanquishes, it nullifies, it neutralizes. That's a fact. Nasayati. Yasmin vag-visarge, vag-visarge abaddha, abaddhavaty api apasabdadi-yukto 'pi prati slokam anantasya yasasah ankitani namani bhavanti.(?) So such kind of Hare Krsna mantra, or sometime... Just like you are chanting, you are, the mantras, because it is not your language. So sometime it appears broken. Just like guru. Sometimes you say "goru.Goru" means cow, and "guru" means spiritual master. So the difference of meaning is vast. (chuckling) The spiritual master is not a cow. Or a bull. (laughs) But sometimes they... Because it is not your language... But that doesn't matter. Because bhavagrahi janardana. Krsna is within you. He knows what you want to chant. Therefore He takes the meaning of guru and not goru, even it is spoken as goru. That doesn't matter. Bhavagrahi janardana. He, Krsna, knows that what you are actually... Just like I know that although you are speaking guru as goru, I, I, I, don't take offense because I know that your desire is something else. I do not protest. (laughter) That "You are addressing me goru. I am not goru." (laughter) So that is not a fault.

 

Lecture, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.11 -- New Vrindaban, June 10, 1969

[andy108]

 

Seven... You have got that list? You have now... Ten kinds offenses? In this, is it written there that you cannot commit offense on the strength of Hare Krsna mantra? Yes, that's... So tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavah. Viplavati. It vanquishes, it nullifies, it neutralizes. That's a fact. Nasayati. Yasmin vag-visarge, vag-visarge abaddha, abaddhavaty api apasabdadi-yukto 'pi prati slokam anantasya yasasah ankitani namani bhavanti.(?) So such kind of Hare Krsna mantra, or sometime... Just like you are chanting, you are, the mantras, because it is not your language. So sometime it appears broken. Just like guru. Sometimes you say "goru.Goru" means cow, and "guru" means spiritual master. So the difference of meaning is vast. (chuckling) The spiritual master is not a cow. Or a bull. (laughs) But sometimes they... Because it is not your language... But that doesn't matter. Because bhavagrahi janardana. Krsna is within you. He knows what you want to chant. Therefore He takes the meaning of guru and not goru, even it is spoken as goru. That doesn't matter. Bhavagrahi janardana. He, Krsna, knows that what you are actually... Just like I know that although you are speaking guru as goru, I, I, I, don't take offense because I know that your desire is something else. I do not protest. (laughter) That "You are addressing me goru. I am not goru." (laughter) So that is not a fault.

 

Lecture, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.11 -- New Vrindaban, June 10, 1969

 

Jaya

[Beggar]

Also within Srila Prabhupada's community of followers during his manifest lila, there were different standards for different classes of devotees. For instance, uninitiated devotees were taught through different Iskcon publications to offer their food at home, usually to a picture of Srila Prabhupada and a picture of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. Those who did the pujari activities of puja were second initiated into the gayatri [diksa] mantras and offered bhoga to the dieities installed by Srila Prabhupada by including either the full number of gayatri mantras or the abreviated form only meant for offering bhoga (usually depending on the time of the offering). Srila Prabhupada was fully aware that Jayatirtha had published the Iskcon Arcana Padati, which is coming directly from Hari Bhakti Vilas. After that, the puja rituals for diety worship became more complex. By the late eighties the GBC had deputed some pujaris to go to South India temples and learn even more about deity worship. Of course they could not go to the Gaudiya Math, which was much more closely related with Iskcon, due to politics and prejudices.

[Sonic Yogi]

Well, Narayana Maharaja was chosen by Srila Prabhupada to perform his funeral ceremony because none of the ISKCON "leaders" knew how to do it.

 

So, Narayana Maharaja knows a lot more about rituals, rites and customs.

 

Is there any wonder that he knows more about the formal aspects of vaidhi-bhakti and Gaudiya culture than the average ISKCON "leader"?

 

There is nothing wrong with the KC movement learning more about the rites, rituals and formal aspects of the culture.

 

We can all learn some nice cultural aspects and pancharatika principles from Narayana Maharaja.

 

Bringing the devotees up to a higher and higher culture is certainly nothing to be ridiculed or criticized.

 

Prabhupada made many compromises in bringing KC to the global scale.

 

In the future there will certainly be higher and higher standards of cult and culture that can be accepted by the global Vaishnava community.

 

Prabhupada gave enough that anyone can become a Mahatma by following his instructions.

 

That however does not mean that he taught ISKCON all the traditional rites and practices according to the strict standards that were introduced by the Gaudiya acharyas of days gone by.

 

If in the future the standard gets higher, there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

 

That is not to say, the Narayana Maharaja is not capable of saying something the can be easily misunderstood and causing the wrong reaction around the ISKCON community.

 

He means well.

We should not doubt that.

 

He exists in his own character which is of course no carbon copy of Srila Prabhupada.

But, then again.....who is?