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EDITORIAL December 26, 1998 VNN2740 See Related VNN Stories The Ritvik Wave BY SWAMI BV PARIVRAJAK EDITORIAL, Dec 26 (VNN) — Jnan Goodhrie, Sri Vrindavan Dham, December 25th, 1998 Before starting this article on the ritvik problem, I shall briefly introduce myself. My name is Swami B.V. Parivrajak, a disciple of Om Visnupada 108 Srila Bhakti Rakshaka Sridhara Deva Goswami Maharaja. In the article for brevity I shall address: Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as Srila Prabhupada; Srila Bhakti Rakshaka Shridhara Deva Goswami Maharaj as Srila Sridhar Maharaj; Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta. First of all let me explain the reason for the title "The Ritvik Wave". Everyone knows that a wave is something transient and unsubstantial. Waves come and go. How do they originate? Why do they disappear so quickly? This is mysterious. What is sure is that they do not last long. Similarly this ritvik wave will soon disappear. The sankirtan movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is much wider and more magnanimous than the ritvik proponents may ever conceive. They will evaporate into nothing because this is the desire of all the sincere Vaishnavas. Few days ago I was going to take the darshan of Sri Sri Radha Damodar in Vrindavan, when, all of a sudden, a man who was dressed as a Vaishnava attacked me verbally. I had never met this man before. I was surprised: "What kind of strange, bizarre behavior!" I thought. He was doing nagar kirtan all alone with a pair of kartals. Then, all of a sudden, he began insulting me in so many ways. As I am quite known among the local people, the verbal assault of this man turned into my favor. In the end the "aggressor" concluded that "I should put Srila Prabhupada in the center" The "verbal aggressor" was probably thinking that I am a member of ISKCON. He probably thinks also that all the Vaisnavas belong to ISKCON, because he was repeatedly shouting emphatically that "Prabhupada is the guru". This Evangelistic idea of "I am the only way, the Truth and the Life" is very childish if applied to a follower of Mahaprabhu. Unless a devotee loses his prospect, he will never accept such a ridiculous conclusion as the one proposed by the ritvik propaganda. The ritvik whirlpool is for those who want to drown their spiritual life into an ocean of depression by not recognizing the help we can receive by other Vaisnava acaryas. It makes me feel very sad the way some people are using (I should say 'abusing') the name and teachings of such a worshipable personality as Srila Prabhupada. Perhaps this is a natural reaction for many devotees who are nowadays without shelter in ISKCON. The shelter of more advanced devotees as one's self and association with like-minded Vaisnavas is always very helpful for a sadhaka. Unfortunately, many senior devotees have been first-hand witnesses to the many scandals in the formal society started by Srila Prabhupada. As a result of this, their faith is weakened, if not broken. Many have therefore concluded that in ISKCON there is only corruption. No doubt, so many things have happened after the demise of the ISKCON founder-acarya. Those events had nothing to do with the missionary spirit of the beginning days of ISKCON. However, it is unfair to only find fault with the whole body of Vaisnavas for the mistakes of some people within the Society. This is just like within the Catholic Church. People say they believe in Lord Jesus Christ, but they do not trust the priests any more. They also say that everyone is corrupted, but the message of Lord Jesus is all right. And the situation among the Christians is that their faith is shattered and their missionary spirit is lost because they do not have any living representative they can really trust. This happened in the name of Lord Jesus. The ritviks are doing the same in the name of Srila Prabhupada. Christians are actually better than the ritvik hard-liners, because at least they also recognize other saints besides Jesus in their own tradition. I wonder how one can even entertain the idea of the ritvik gospel. The tradition to approach a living preceptor to get spiritual enlightenment is so ancient and deeply rooted that it definitely does not require my endorsement. That this tradition will not end with Srila Prabhupada (the "only" savior) is clear to everyone except some Vaishnavas who happen to be his disciples. The ritvik thunderbolt is no more than a storm in a glass of water. Now I am in a dilemma. How should I behave when any ritvik brain washer will attempt to convince me of the validity of the famous "final order"? Should I reject the connection with my guru (something I would not do even in a dream) and take the ritvik certificate. My appreciation of Srila Prabhupada is well known among all who know me. This appreciation is genuine, not a matter of duty, neither it is imposed by any "final order". My beloved guru-maharaj, Srila Sridhar Maharaj also had genuine appreciation for the great labor of love that his beloved Godbrother Srila Prabhupada, carried on selflessly. Only envious people would not appreciate the ways of the exalted devotees. I hope devotees will understand my position. Shrila Prabhupada is not my diksha-guru. Definitely he is in the category of a shiksha guru for me. Other spiritual preceptors have inspired me greatly in my spiritual life as well. I am indebted to them all. I do not need the papers of the ritvik lawyers in my spiritual choices. Ritvik enthusiasts cannot see what happened and still happens beyond the boundary walls of their house. The ritvik sect and ISKCON devotees in general have failed to appreciate the contribution of so many dedicated Vaisnavas, who were the Godbrothers of Srila Prabhupada. They think they can judge others, like gurus do, without assuming any responsibility. The recognition should come from above, not the opposite. For example, my guru maharaja got recognition in his own life by his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta. Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta described his dear disciple Srila Sridhar Maharaj as 'niveditatma' which means a soul completely surrendered to the Lord. In the words of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, his disciple was 'shastra-nipuna' which means a genius in understanding the scriptures. This was the diploma that he got from his spiritual master. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta never flattered anyone in his spiritual career, what to speak of praising his own disciples! And yet, after reading a poetic composition in praise of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura authored by Srila Sridhar Maharaj, he commented, "Now I know that after my departure, someone will be able to represent me properly." Only a living personality can clear the numerous doubts in the mind of sincere seekers of the Absolute Truth. According to Sri Krsna's own words in the Gita, one should not try to approach Him directly, but through the medium of a sad-guru. The guru or tattva-darshi has come in touch with the Absolute Truth and is able to share his experience with others, who will regard themselves as his disciples. This is Krishna's desire. The Lord is giving a general idea for all the generations to come. He said, "If you want any connection with me, you should approach a genuine spiritual master." So many gurus appeared before Srila Prabhupada and others came after his disappearance. Others will come in the future, but not for the Ritvik students, because they actually do not like to come in touch with a living spiritual master and receive his affection and his chastisement. Will they be able to solve all their spiritual problems and evolve spiritually accepting only the scriptures and rejecting the sadhus who give life to the scriptures? I doubt it seriously. And, what more, Srila Prabhupada explained in his own Bhaktivedanta purports the necessity to study the books of the previous acaryas too, and not only his own books. In his famous lecture delivered at Dinajpore in 1869 (when Srila Prabhupada had not yet appeared, at least as we know him) Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura after an enthusiastic and comprehensive glorification of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, concluded, "Truth is eternal and unexhausted. The soul receives a revelation when he is anxious for it. Our Shastras, in other words, books of thought do not contain all that we can get from the infinite Father. No book is without errors." "Everything is in my books." A guru must speak emphatically to his disciples in order to capture their faith. This is not cheating. He will do this in their interest, keeping in mind their level of realization and capacity to assimilate the sacred teachings. Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Prabhupada and so many other stalwarts spoke very authoritatively to their own disciples and as a result of their expert preaching, their followers had eyes only for them. In other words, the guru sometimes builds a fence around the plant of his achievements in such a way that passersby may not trample upon it. Srila Prabhupada said for instance, "Everything is in my books." What does this mean? Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura replies to this as follows, "We have been advised in the 14th Chapter of the 11th Canto of the Bhagavatam to believe that truth when revealed, is absolute, but it gets the tincture of the nature of the receiver in course of time and is converted into error by continual exchange of hands from age to age. New revelations, therefore, are continually necessary in order to keep truth in its original purity." Or as Sri Krsna explains in the Gita, evam parampara praptam, etc. Krsna told His dear friend Arjuna that sometimes the parampara gets lost and then He has to advent Himself to rectify the situation. Commenting on this point, all the acharyas have concluded that the Lord comes through the agency of sri guru. Sri Krsna, however, never said anywhere that, "I will send a particular saint, you listen from him only and when he will go away, read only his books and that is all." It is my humble opinion that if the ISKCON founder would be physically present now, he would be the first to leave the mission he himself made and would surely create a new one. Why is it so? Because "new revelations are continually necessary in order to keep truth in its original purity." He would not like the idea to be the guru of a Society which has largely divorced from the spirit of his own teachings. Some devotees may object that since I am not a member of ISKCON, I should not interfere in this matters. However, I cannot tolerate to see how many devotees are becoming bewildered by this suicidal proposal of the ritvik poison. By chance I read on VNN a letter of a devotee by the name Manohar das replying to an article of Sripada Bhakti Gaurava Narasingha Maharaja entitled "Ritvikism". The letter of Manohar Prabhu was dated November 25th. I have some comments to make on this. Hopefully Manohar Prabhu will not take offense for my judgment in this regard. I do not know personally Manohar Prabhu, whereas I am rather familiar with Swami Narasingha. First of all I would like to say few words about spiritual etiquette. None, if he thinks of himself as a Vaisnava, should speak in such an arrogant and offensive tone as Manohar Prabhu has done with Swami Narasingha. I felt much pain in my heart by reading line after line the counterattack written by Manohar Prabhu. Dear Prabhu, I do not know if you have received diksha directly from Srila Prabhupada or through the ritvik system. In either case, what did you learn up to now in the matter of Vaisnava relations? Please, read the Bhaktivedanta purports for enlightenment in this regard. It seems that you do not know how to properly relate to a senior Vaisnava like Swami BG Narasingha who is well known among the erudite circles of Vaisnavas for his spiritual integrity. Incidentally I noticed that you call him sometimes Jagat Guru Swami, other times you put initials or something else. You are quick to judge him, but it would be good for you to be more careful. This is my friendly advice to you. You may not know that the title and name Bhakti Gaurava Narasingha was bestowed upon him by my beloved gurudeva Srila Sridhar Maharaj, the same divine personality who gave the title Bhaktivedanta to Srila Prabhupada and that many devotees in ISKCON simply call "Sridhar". It is well documented that Shrila Prabhupada regarded Srila Sridhar Maharaj as his own shiksha-guru. Do you think he had no right to deal affectionately with the disciples of his dear Godbrother? Ritvik arguments are rather inconsistent and Swami Narasingha has exposed them with his brilliant presentation. On the other hand, it seems to me that you were not able to defeat even a single one of his points and you had to twist some of his statements in order to find fault with him. For your information, I do not belong to the mission of Swami BG Narasingha and I am trying to look at the matter from an impartial point of view. Where, in his own books, has Srila Prabhupada ever said anything substantial about the ritvik link? No mention anywhere, only a letter which is at best vague and unclear. Definitely nothing which can be really called a "testament", a "final order" which would validate the end of the parampara tradition. You are launched in a big crusade with the aim to achieve what? Think more deeply before entering the dangerous field of Vaisnava aparadha. Since you cannot understand the words of Srila Prabhupada, I would suggest you to humbly approach a senior Vaisnava for guidance. After all, shiksha is more important than diksha because the former involves the substance of the process and the latter is rather a formality. The substance is higher than the form. Accept sadhu-sanga and make progress. Also, do not underestimate your fellow Godbrothers who have dedicated their life to the Lord. As far as commenting on the many points of your letter, I feel annoyed by it and I do not like to argue with you. As I have already mentioned, I do not know you. Therefore there is nothing personal against your good self in my remarks. Please, take my words in a philosophical way. Don't mind if I tell you that your lack of philosophical discrimination is tremendous. This is shown, for example, by the way you try to defend the imaginary fall theory of the GBC from the Vaikuntha planets. Material qualities cannot enter the spiritual realm. This means that maya cannot affect the spiritual personalities of the Vaikuntha planets. Perhaps there is a ritvik planet, unknown to the previous acaryas, from where sometimes "envious" people fall down. If you would really catch the spirit of Srila Prabhupada's instructions, you would stop repeating everything he said as a parrot. "Srila Prabhupada said this or that." Can't you dive more deeply into reality? Can't you see that not always preaching means siddhanta? Apparently not. Why? Because you are enamored by the ritvik game and therefore you are forced to remain on the surface. Your campaign is, at best, superficial. You are actually wasting the time and energy of so many Vaisnavas. This is offensive even if at present you are not able to see it clearly. Again, if you are superficial, you may not like my presentation and will find many faults with it. Srila Prabhupada never left any final order. We do not need any fabricated proof to substantiate this statement. There is, anyhow, a "final order" for every sincere Vaisnava. As my gurus have given that order to me, I humbly pass down that final order to you for your personal consideration. The final order is "Become more humble and try to be a servant of the Vaisnavas. Also, do not see the Vaisnavas in a mundane way." We should become the servants of the Vaisnavas. Now, the natural position of the newcomers joining ISKCON should be to serve the disciples of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada instead to attempt to obtain their status artificially. They should search among the disciples of His Divine Grace those who they feel are genuine and have fully received the mercy of Srila Prabhupada. In light of the many sad events surrounding ISKCON gurus, some devotees may feel that nobody is qualified to guide others. No help, then what to do? If they do not find anyone within the boundary walls of "their" Society, they should move towards another direction. In spiritual life one should not be narrow-minded. One can look and cry for help and guidance wherever is available. It will be available by Krsna's grace. I close my article with an earnest request. I submit to the ritvik proponents that they should stop disturbing the missionary work of the present Vaisnavas who are acting as acaryas on the planet today. Either you believe it or not, there are presently many qualified Vaisnava preachers who are successfully spreading the eternal message of the Bhagavatam and changing the lives of others by their exemplary behavior. This is also the mercy of Srila Prabhupada (and other Vaishnava acaryas). Jagat Guru Srila Prabhupada was a guru for other gurus and a maker of gurus. Nobody has doubts about his lofty position and unlimited glories. The ritvik obsession is just an acid wave which is only disturbing the faith of many devotees who are supposedly dedicating their life for the service of guru and Krsna. This Wave is producing some unnecessary turmoil inside the movement started by Srila Prabhupada. Waves, however, come and go. They agitate the surface of the ocean for a while and then disappear. What is sure is that they do not last long. O dear Vaishnavas, please, enlarge your mental horizon if you want to catch the Real Wave, eternal and indestructible, the infinitely relishable Wave of Love of the "living" rupanuga-sampradaya of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. All glories to Sri Guru and the Supreme Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. om tat sat Tridandi Bhikshu Swami BV Parivrajak vanshik@nde.vsnl.net.in See Related VNN Stories | Comment on this Story This story URL: http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET9812/ET26-2740.html
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