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EDITORIAL  Seminars for Sale: Bhakti or Business? BY ANANTADEVA DASA EDITORIAL, Oct 23 (VNN) — Since the samadhi of Srila Prabhupada, it has become a widening practice within ISKCON to charge fixed fees for courses on the Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita, etc., and even mundane psychology, something unheard of in the manifest presence of Srila Prabhupada. Recently, there were some postings: (1) VIHE Fees: 10,000 Rupees ($210) to help cover the expenses connected with conducting the course. This does not include room and prasadam. Listener category is available, for which the fee is Rs. 4,000. Men and women have their classes together. (2) VTE BHAKTI-SASTRI COURSE Monday 21st February - Friday 17th June, 2005 * Bhagavad-gita * Nectar of Instruction * Sri Isopanisad -* Nectar of Devotion Participation: 1,200 Euros Is this new entry into Vaisnava society bona fide? Is the demand for money in return for instruction in Krsna-consciousness in line with the principles of unmotivated bhakti and the traditions of our sampradaya? Does Srila Prabhupada approve or condemn? The following is a collection of Srila Prabhupada quotes from the Vedabase Folio, so the Vaisnavas and the ISKCON GBC can consider who is following Srila Prabhupada: (1) Morning Walk, Vrndavana Hrdayananda: Prabhupada, generally in colleges in the West, they charge some fee for going to the college. What is our position? Prabhupada: No, we don't charge any fee. There is no question of money. Because the brahmanas, they'll teach free. They require money because they have to give fat salary to these rascals. But we haven't got to. And even if we have to feed them, we produce our own grain. So where is the question of taking money? (2) Honolulu 23rd March 1969 How much does this course of study cost? It costs nothing. If you simply come here, you understand everything. We don't charge anythingÉ ÉBut how we can charge? We are servant of Krsna. Krsna says, You speak, so we are speaking. That's all. Why should we charge? But if somebody, out of sympathy, gives us something, we don't refuse. But we have no cost. We are working ourself as far as possible and maintaining ourself, but anyone who comes, we don't charge anythingÉ ÉSo there is no cost. There is no official cost. How much does this course of study cost? We don't charge anything. (3) SB, 3rd Canto Sri Narada Muni asked Brahmaji: O chief amongst the demigods, O firstborn living entity, I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto you. Please tell me that transcendental knowledge which specifically directs one to the truth of the individual soul and the Supersoul. Purport The inquisitive student must approach a qualified spiritual master to receive transcendental knowledge by surrender, submissive inquiries and service. Knowledge received by submissive inquiries and service is more effective than knowledge received in exchange for money. A spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from Brahma and Narada has no demand for dollars and cents. A bona fide student has to satisfy him by sincere service to obtain knowledge of the relation and nature of the individual soul and the Supersoul. (4) In New Delhi, the capital, there is a neighbourhood, which is called Canakya Puri, and all the foreign embassies are there. Your American embassy is also there. So he was a great politician. But still, he was living in a cottage. He was not accepting any salary because he was brahmana. Brahmana cannot accept any salary. Just like you have accepted me as your acarya, but you do not pay me any salary. This is forbidden. The teacher will not accept salary. Then he comes down to the sudra platform. The sudra accepts salary. I serve you, you pay me. And the brahmana will distribute knowledge freely, and the ksatriya will give protection to the brahmana. This is the system of Vedic system. Even in fifty years ago, education in India, there was no charges. A learned brahmana will sit down in corner of a neighborhood and all the children will come there. They will learn primary education. And the parents of the children will send, somebody will send rice, somebody will send dal... Just like we are maintaining, by collecting. Not here, but in Bombay, our centre is collecting and distributing. (5) Pusta-krsna: And that is supposed to be the brahmana class too, the professors. They're the educated class of people. Prabhupada: No, no. They are not brahmanas. Those who give education in exchange of money, they are not brahmanas. Just like we are lecturing, educated, educating people. We don't say that Give us salary. We simply ask them, Please come. Therefore, we are making food. I'll give you food. I'll give you good seat. Please come and hear. We are not asking money, that First of all pay the fees. Then you come and learn Bhagavad-gita. We never say so. So those, these so-called teachers, they first of all set up salary, What salary you'll give me? That is dog's business. That is not brahmana's business. Brahmana will never ask. Brahmana is eager to give lesson only. That's all. Brahmana is eager to see that people are educated. Take free education and be educated. Be a human being. This is brahmana's business. I came here not to ask for any money. But I want to give lesson. This is brahmana's business. (6) Now the school, college, the teacher is also depending on salary. So they are sudras. So what teaching they will give? Teaching is the business of the brahmana. No salary. Formerly, all the brahmanas, they used to have that... It is called tola, catuspathi. Catuspathi. Brahmana, he'll sit down anywhere and invite that If you like, you can come and take some teachings from me. Brahmananda: Caitanya Mahaprabhu did that. Prabhupada: Yes. So still in villages you'll find, the brahmana is sitting somewhere, and the small children are coming, and they're bringing some presentation. Somebody's bringing rice, somebody ... And brahmana was satisfied, satisfied. Whatever Krsna sends, that's all right. This is brahminical qualification. He doesn't want more. (7) Although he was the prime minister, Canakya Pandita maintained his brahmana spirit; he did not accept any salary. If a brahmana accepts a salary, it is understood that he has become a dog. (8) One should also avoid those who are averse to Lord Visnu and His devotees, those who are Mayavadis, those who offend the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, those who simply dress as Vaisnavas or so-called gosvamis, and those who make a business by selling Vedic mantras and reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam to maintain their families. (9) Prabhupada: You take prasadam. But why salary? Where is the question of salary? Where is vairagya, renouncement? So in all circumstances the salary process should be stopped. One who wants salary, he can work outside. (10) Yogesvara dasa: They're supposed to be the educated class too-brahmanas. Srila Prabhupada: No, they are not brahmanas. Those who give education in exchange for money-they are not brahmanas. For instance, we are lecturing, educating people. We don't say, Give us a salary. We simply ask them, Please come. That is why we are cooking food and holding so many free festivals. We'll give you food. We'll give you a comfortable seat. Please come and hear about self-realization and God consciousness. We are not asking money-First of all pay the fee; then you can come and learn Bhagavad-gita. We never say that. But these so-called teachers who first of all bargain for a salary-What salary will you give me?-that is a dog's concern. That is not a brahmana's concern. A brahmana will never ask about a salary. A brahmana is eager to see that people are educated. Take free education and be educated; be a human being-this is a brahmana's concern: You see? I came here not to ask for any money but to give instruction. Bhagavan dasa Gosvami: Today the priests are afraid to speak too strongly-or else they'll be fired and get no salary. And the politicians-they're also afraid to say what they really believe. They're afraid that they'll be voted out or get no more money to support themselves. Srila Prabhupada: The priests are after money. They are not first class; they are low-class men. This is the reason that Christianity has fallen down. (11) The rules and regulations were already set forth by great sages like Manu, Yajnavalkya, Parasara and other liberated sages, and the enactments were all suitable for all ages in all places. Therefore the rules and regulations were standard and without flaw or defect. Kings like Maharaja Pariksit had their council of advisers, and all the members of that council were either great sages or brahmanas of the first order. They did not accept any salary, nor had they any necessity for such salaries. (12) Of the six occupational duties of the brahmanas, three are compulsory-namely, worship of the Deity, study of the Vedas and the giving of charity. In exchange, a brahmana should receive charity, and this should be his means of livelihood. A brahmana cannot take up any professional occupational duty for his livelihood. The sastras especially stress that if one claims to be a brahmana, he cannot engage in the service of anyone else; otherwise he at once falls from his position and becomes a sudra. (13) There is no gain, however, in accepting the message of Bhagavatam from the unbelievers, atheists and professional reciters who make a trade of Bhagavatam for the laymen. It was delivered to Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, and he had nothing to do with the Bhagavata business. He did not have to maintain family expenses by such trade. Srimad-Bhagavatam should therefore be received from the representative of Sukadeva, who must be in the renounced order of life without family encumbrance. Milk is undoubtedly very good and nourishing, but when it is touched by the mouth of a snake it is no longer nourishing; rather, it becomes a source of death. Similarly, those who are not strictly in the Vai–‘ava discipline should not make a business of this Bhagavatam and become a cause of spiritual death for so many hearers. (14) It is therefore strictly forbidden to recite Srimad-Bhagavatam as a profession to earn a livelihood. Only one who is completely surrendered at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, depending fully on Him for personal maintenance or even for maintenance of his family, can attain perfection by recitation of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is full of narrations of the pastimes of the Lord and His devotees. The process can be summarized as follows: the audience must be faithfully receptive to the Bhagavata message, and the reciter should completely depend on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhagavata recitation must not be a business. If done in the right way, not only does the reciter achieve perfect satisfaction, but the Lord also is very satisfied with the reciter and the audience, and thus both are liberated from material bondage simply by the process of hearing. (13) Of course, we distributed Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's message of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra without bargaining or selling. As a result, this movement has spread all over the world. Some obvious conclusions: (1) A devotee does not take part in charging a salary or fee for instruction in the eternal truth of Krsna-consciousness, though (2) he may accept spontaneous charity, 'daksina', and be so satisfied, seeing this as the grace of Krsna. (3) If he charges a fee, he is not a brahmana but is a dog. (4) Srila Prabhupada faithfully followed the eternal Vedic system and so attained success: As a result, this movement has spread all over the world. So, we can see that ISKCON in the matter of attempting to educate its members in Vaisnavism has adopted the college paradigm of the mleccha/yavana society rather than that of the Vedic culture. One pays a fee and receives a certificate like a mundane college. Such financially based procedures are unheard of in the Vaisnava literatures Srila Prabhupada worked so hard to present. In fact, they are actively condemned. Certainly, Srila Prabhupada even in his most penniless moments never charged fees for instruction. However, the practices of colleges that Srila Prabhupada referred to as slaughter houses have become the methods of ISKCON as the society studies but strays far from the practice the Vedic knowledge. Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upanisads, Puranas and Narada-pancaratra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in the [ISKCON] society. Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.101 Srila Prabhupada: The priests are after money. They are not first class; they are low-class men. This is the reason that Christianity has fallen downÉ. Adi, 12,10: The order of the spiritual master is the active principle in spiritual life. Anyone who disobeys the order of the spiritual master immediately becomes useless. Purport Here is the opinion of Srila Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami. Persons who strictly follow the orders of the spiritual master are useful in executing the will of the Supreme, whereas persons who deviate from the strict order of the spiritual master are useless. Your servant, Anantadeva dasa Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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