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EDITORIAL December 24, 1998 VNN2732 See Related VNN Stories Open Letter To Bhakti Charu Swami BY URDHVAGA DAS EDITORIAL, Dec 24 (VNN) — Dear Bhakti Charu Swami, please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Since you never replied to my letter, published August 1991 in VVR, I feel compelled to republish it in order to find out if I am wrong in my understanding Srila Prabhupada's philosophy, or if you are the one who is suffering from serious philosophical misconceptions. I beg for excuse if unintentionally any offenses have been committed in the process of finding out the truth. Your god brother Urdhvaga Das BHAKTICHARU SWAMI'S "CURRENT LINK" BUNK by Urdhvaga Das I would like to reply to Bhakticharu Swami's "Guru-Ashraya" paper. This paper is severely lacking because it not only falls short of describing "guru-tattva", but mainly deals with forced re-initiation, already refuted in VVR #10. I will not go into details here, because BCS's "guru-asraya" paper has already been very scholarly refuted by different devotees; but I wonder why BCS hardly mentions Srila Prabhupada, who is not only the example of the perfect guru, but also the diksha and siksha guru of so many devotees? The essential point in the "guru-asraya" paper is completely avoided by BCS, namely that any devotee can accept Srila Prabhupada as his siksha guru and follow him directly through his vani (books). Did BCS avoid this because Srila Prabhupada has gone back to Godhead now and we need a new guru as the "current link" to explain to us what Srila Prabhupada really means to say regarding guru-tattva as described in Srimad-Bhagavatam? Or how do we understand the following statement in the "guru-asraya" paper: "In order to receive the real message of Srimad Bhagavatam, one should approach the current link, or spiritual master, in the chain of disciplic succession." Of course, one has to understand the message of the Bhagavatam through the person Bhagavata. That is why Srila Prabhupada wrote his own purports. Our Srimad Bhagavatam is unique because the verses of the Bhagavatam are directly complemented with the purports of Srila Prabhupada, who is the bonafide maha- bhagavata ; therefore, the book Bhagavata and the person Bhagavata are combined in Srila Prabhupada's Srimad Bhagavatam. Therefore, there is no need for a third party, "the so called current Iskcon links" to (mis)interpret what Srila Prabhupada really means to say. Why is it that Srila Prabhupada's books are no longer able to communicate directly to his readers? Didn't it work with you BCS? Aren't they the Law books for the next 10,000 years? Otherwise, what is the use of our mass book distribution if Srila Prabhupada is no longer directly available through his books, but only through the interpretation of so called current links? Srila Prabhupada himself said in his last words: "There is nothing new to be said. What ever I had to say, I have already said in my books. Now you must try to understand them and continue with your endeavours. Whether I am present or not present doesn't matter. I'll always be with you in that way. (quoted from BTG, Vol. 13, 1-2) But BCS concludes his paper as follows: "Now that Srila Prabhupada is no longer physically present, those who truly take shelter of him are those who take shelter of his servants." BCS why are you stopping devotees from accepting Srila Prabhupada as their shiksa-guru? Are you better then Srila Prabhupada? Why are you forcing devotees to accept self-appointed, Iskcon gurus, who fall down after some time? Why cant they accept Srila Prabhupada, when he says he is with us through his books? Or could it be, that devotees cant understand the books anymore because Jayadvaita changed them? BCS's "current link philosophy" in support of "voted in successor acaryas", with a "less then liberated guru thesis" and a "minimum qualification theory", is completely nonsensical in any context and is not confirmed by shastra and is a negation of Srila Prabhupada's presence in his "vani". It is simply the same old bogus philosophy which has caused so much chaos in our movement. These "guru-asraya papers" are sastra-ninda, or a twisting of the Vedic philosophy, to suit BCS self-motivated ends of being an exclusive current link. What TKG did on the gross platform (Perverting the guru system), BCS is doing on the subtle platform (perverting the philosophy). That BCS has more philosophical misconceptions than TKG can be seen by the fact that he has become the judge, jury and executioner, i.e., he has already proclaimed himself as guru, sastra and sadhu, by speculating on and miss-interpreting the guru-tattva issue in his "guru-asraya" paper; by comparing his god brothers to the Kesi demon; and by twisting sastra and preaching bogus philosophy in support of current links, excluding Srila Prabhupada as a non physical link. It is heartbreaking to see how new disciples in Iskcon are forced to worship their "present day living survivor gurus" (who fall down after some time), being denied direct access to and through Srila Prabhupada. Iskcon devotees have to see their so called "current living links" on the same platform as Srila Prabhupada, infallible equal in all respect, with the same worship. Prabhupada is secondary because he is not a living guru. It is such an impudence and arrogance of Iskcon kanistha-gurus to teach their disciples such bogus philosophy. New devotees are not even being allowed to accept Srila Prabhupada as their siksha-guru, or instructing spiritual master, what to speak of diksa-guru, although Srila Prabhupada says: "I'll always be with you in that way". Isk con gurus are claiming from their disciples both positions, to be their initiating as well as the instructing guru. So where does Srila Prabhupada comes in? Is he not needed anymore?. Because of BCS's philosophy: "Now that Srila Prabhupada is no longer physically present........" new devotees are forced to worship fallible gurus in a bogus current link sampradaya, excluding Srila Prabhupada in the chain of disciplic succession. See Related VNN Stories | Comment on this Story This story URL: http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET9812/ET24-2732.html
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