© 1998 VNN
|
EDITORIAL January 6, 1999 VNN2799 See Related VNN Stories No Living Guru, No Living Sadhu, Nor Living Shastra BY SYAMASUNDARA DASA EDITORIAL, Jan 6 (VNN) — Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Jayatah The following is the result of a little research I have done on the folio, inspired by the response of Gauridasa Pandita Dasa Prabhu to H. H. Tripurari Swami, which sheds some light on a few points. I felt the need to make this kind of research, because too many times I heard statements like "Everything is already there in Srila Prabhupada's books/words", but the people whom I heard this from, didn't really appear to be well acquainted with SP's teachings, his mood and the context in which he made certain statements. By this I am not implying that I am, but that all those factors should be taken into account, as well as a good dose of common sense. Speaking of which, Gauridas prabhu says: "The swami says that we are averse to hearing from the senior Vaisnavas. On this point we need to hear from the most senior Vaisnava, Srila Prabhupada, since he gave the instructions in the first place". But this is a tail-chasing reasoning, because it's Srila Prabhupada's words and desire that are being debated, and since he (the guru) is not present to explain his own words, we have to go to a sadhu to substantiate what he said or intended, as we must turn to shastra as well. Tripurari Swami suggested that Srila Sridhara Maharaja's argument was that of a sadhu; Gauridas Pandit replies that Srila Prabhupada didn't want us to hear from Srila Sridhara Maharaja: "Why would he say on one hand that Sridhara Maharaja was responsible for deviating from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's orders for a GBC managed movement, and that S.M. appointed unqualified gurus, and then ask us to consult him on ISKCON initiations? He wouldn't and didn't. If you think he did then show us the proof!" In the folio I found the reference to this point: "Still he (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada) requested his disciples to form a strong Governing body for preaching the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He never recommended anyone to be acarya of the Gaudiya Math. But Sridhara Maharaja is responsible for disobeying this order of Guru Maharaja, and he and others who are already dead unnecessarily thought that there must be one acarya. . . . So Sridhara Maharaja and his two associate gentlemen unauthorizedly selected one acarya and later it proved a failure (Letter to Rupanuga, 28 April 1974) However, Tripurari Swami's point is still well supported by Prabhupada's words: "So if you are actually serious to take instructions from a siksa guru, I can refer you to one who is most highly competent of all my god-brothers. This is B.R. Sridhara Maharaja, whom I consider to be even my siksa guru, so what to speak of the benefit that you can have from his association. He is living in Navadvipa, and if you like, I can give you letter of introduction as well as I will send him letter to allow you to stay there with him. (Letter to Hrsikesa, LA 31 January 1969). "Prabhupada: (laughs) ...in my house, some may say, a few years, so naturally we had very intimate talks and he was my good adviser. I took his advice, his instruction very seriously, because from the very beginning I know he's a pure Vaisnava and devotee, and I wanted to associate with him, and try to help him also in so many ways. He also tried to help me, so our relationship is very intimate. After the breakdown of the Gaudiya Matha, I wanted to organize another organization, making Sridhara Maharaja head. (730317RC.MAY) The last two quotations make pretty obvious what Srila Prabhupada thought about Srila Sridhara Maharaja, as well as outweigh the first one, referring to a single episode. Furthermore, in the end Prabhupada did tell his disciples they could consult Sridhara Maharaja for philosophy. This fact has been documented by others. Unfortunately most ritvik followers, while advocating the idea that everything is in Srila Prabhupada's words, don't have the ears for hearing all of them, resolving what appears to be contradictory, and arriving at a spiritual understanding of them. Rather than drawing from Prabhupada's words that Sridhara Maharaja is the senior Vaishnava that Swami Tripurari suggested he was, Gauridas Pandit corrects "Tripurari", informing the Swami that the ritviks do respect and take the advice of senior Vaishnavas. He says that Vishnujana Swami is a senior Vaishnava whom he respects (of course, for those who didn't know, he passed away over 20 years ago). As for Hamsaduta, whom he also considers a senior Vaishnava, it is well known that Srila Prabhupada once said that Hamsaduta was praying for him to die, so that he could become the guru. It is also well known that he gave up sannyasa and engaged in many criminal activities, that are not the activities of a senior Vaishnava. The fact that one could propose someone like Hamsaduta prabhu as comparable with Srila Sridhara Maharaja in terms of being a senior Vaishnava makes clear to me that, as Tripurari Maharaja concluded, these people are not very interested in spiritual life, which involves understanding what terms like "senior Vaishnava" are all about. Perhaps ritviks will claim that Hamsaduta has now reformed himself. I sincerely believe that he may have, and I apologize for having brought up his past. Perhaps then we should consider this statement of Hamsaduta prabhu that he is known to have said: "Prabhupada told me personally that everything he learned, he learned from Sridhara Maharaja." Hamsaduta prabhu ki jay! Please note also that although Hamsaduta prabhu can be reformed enough for ritviks to at least consider his advice, Sridhara Maharaja is eternally off limits, because Prabhupada once said that he at one time disobeyed Bhaktisiddhanta. Note also that in the course of telling Rupanuga this in the famous letter cited above, Prabhupada also glorified Sridhara Maharaja thus: "You are right about Sridhara Maharaja's genuineness. But in my opinion he is the best of the lot. He is my old friend, at least he executes the regulative principles of devotional service." This is an understatement in comparison to the many other praises Prabhupada voiced for his "old friend," and "siksa guru." What is a senior Vaishnava, again, a term anyone interested in spiritual life should be acquainted with? In Bhagavad Gita I found what could be Krishna's definition of a senior Vaishnava: sri-bhagavan uvaca prajahati yada kaman sarvan partha mano-gatan atmany evatmana tustah sthita-prajnas tadocyate "The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O Partha, when a man gives up all varieties of desire for sense gratification, which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind, thus purified, finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness." (Bg 2.55) He rejects all mano dharma, the desire born in the mind. This can only be done by acting in accordance with guru, sadhu and shastra. Not only do the ritviks not want a living guru, they don't want a living sadhu, nor living sastra. That which is born in the mind, will die in the mind. Ritvik dharma is mano dharma, and accordingly it causes one to be attracted to the glare of the material energy, mano-rathenasti dhavato bahih. Ritvik dharma is an excuse for not advancing in spiritual life under the guidance of senior Vaishnavas. GBC dharma is just the other side of the same coin. Vaishnava seva ki jay! Syamasundara dasa See Related VNN Stories | Comment on this Story This story URL: http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET9901/ET06-2799.html
NEWS DESK | EDITORIALS | TOP |
