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EDITORIAL January 8, 1999 VNN2811 See Related VNN Stories Sridhara Maharaja's 'Final Order' BY GAURIDASA PANDITA DASA EDITORIAL, Jan 8 (VNN) — Dear Prabhus, Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories To Srila Prabhupada and the Gaudiya Vaisnavas! I was asked to reply to Tripurari Swami's statements regarding the ritvik appointments and I obliged. I did not intend to get into a big debate with the Gaudiya Math Vaisnavas on this issue, but I feel it is Krsna's desire that the air be cleared once and for all; so I will make a humble attempt. I got a few responses that did not address the actual facts of the matter. In fact the responses I received were in direct opposition to Sridhara Maharaja's instructions; the one they are supposed to be quoting as their authority! Tripurari Swami and the other respondents claim that the ritvik initiation system is bogus and they quote Sridhara Maharaja as saying so; but they must not be aware that just before his passing from this world Sridhara Maharaja's final order was for a ritvik initiation system ! In one of Sridhara Maharaja's last speeches before he left the planet he appointed Govinda Maharaja as his ritvik representative. This is documented in the Book, "Sermons Of The Guardian Of Devotion" which I will quote below. The devotees have charged that I have misunderstood Srila Prabhupada and that he couldn't of appointed ritviks to initiate disciples for him after his physical departure saying it is apasiddhanta or an apa-sampradaya; but the pure devotees can make adjustments according to time, place and circumstances and his is exactly what Srila Prabhupada and Sridhara Maharaja did. They had the authority to do so and for us and to say they couldn't make those adjustments and didn't, is offensive to Srila Prabhupada and Sridhara Maharaja. After all, it is documented in the July 9th 1977 letter to all GBC's and Temples Presidents and in one of Sridhara Maharajas last speeches. Since the devotees who responded to me did not use any quotes to back up their claims I did the research and came up with the exact quotes from Sridhara Maharaja. We must remember that the final instructions supersede the previous ones. Here are the exact quotes from His Holiness Sridhara Maharaja: "With this I transfer these beads; from now he [Govinda Maharaja] will do so on my behalf as ritvik. The ritvik system is already involved both here and in the foreign land. The ritvik is the representative, so if you want to take [initiation] from me and you take from his hand then it will be as well and as good as taking from me. In the maha mandal [earth] Sargar Maharaja [formerly Akshayananda Swami] and many others, they are also ritviks of Swami Maharaja [Srila Prabhupada] and also myself and they may do so. But in this Math he, Govinda Maharaja will be the representative. Henceforth he will represent me in this affair beginning from today's function. Now I shall go from here, [depart the material world] he will do the necessary on my behalf. He will give Hari Nama diksa, sanyasa and everything." [Sridhara Maharaja Sermons Of The Gaurdian Of Devotion] So it is due to a lack of knowledge that the devotees still decry the bonafide ritvik initiation system. This system is also used in the Ramanuja Sampradaya. Ritvik priests are also mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Krsna book contrary to so many claims of the uninformed sentimentalists. Sridhara Maharaja did appoint 'regular gurus' in the Gaudiya Math and it proved a failure. Also seeing the condition of the guru system in ISKCON after Srila Prabhupada's departure he made the right adjustments according to the circumstances just before his departure. If the devotees would follow his and Srila Prabhupada's final orders we would be a lot better off and could even cooperate to push on Lord Chaitanya's movement. Srila Prabhupada wanted to cooperate with the Gaudiya Math; but with so many gurus fighting over the maths and disciples cooperation is not possible. When the devotees learn the actual instructions of our acharyas and follow them to the letter we will be a dynamic preaching force again. At this point I would like to respond to the latest article against me and the ritvik system posted on VNN called "No Living Guru, No Living Sadhu, Nor Living Shastra" By Syamasundara Dasa. First of all he says that I am not aware of Srila Prabhupada's books. I don't have every word memorized but I have read all of Srila Prabhupada's books at least twice and continue to read them daily. I wonder if Syamasundara Prabhu has even read the whole Bhagavatam and Chaitanya Caritamrta? They have oceans of information regarding the history of the Gaudiya Math and ISKCON, it's problems and the solutions. We have to read and understand them with a pure heart and then practice them. Syamsundara Prabhu says we need a 'good dose of common sense' and here is some: First read before you write! Syamasundara Prabhu quotes a letter from 1969 authorizing a devotee to stay with Sridhara Maharaja. But later Srila Prabhupada wrote to all of his disciples forbidding any association with his Godbrothers after he saw the confusion it caused. Again the final instructions supercede the previous ones; that's simple logic. The next point in contention is the common statement made by Symasundara, " Furthermore, in the end Prabhupada did tell his disciples they could consult Sridhara Maharaja for philosophy. This fact has been documented by others." If this is 'documented' please let us see it! We need to start talking facts and end the confusion. Next Symasundara says, " 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." Srila Prabhupada himself said that everything we need to know is in his books and if we simply read them the answers will come. Yes we advocate this. Again things must be taken into context and not twisted to suit our own philosophies and desires. I couldn't make out what he meant in the last part of his sentence. Maybe he can clarify? Next Syamasundara says, " Rather than drawing from Prabhupada's words that Sridhara Maharaja is the senior Vaisnava 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)." Yes Sridhara Maharaja is a senior Vaisnava; but isn't he also 'passed away' as you say about my spiritual mentor Visnujana Swami, who continues to inspire me and others? Why make a distinction here? The Vaisnava dies to live! He reasons ill who says that Vaisnavas die! And please be nice to the departed Vaisnavas! Whether he passed away or not has nothing to do with it. Both remain an inspiration to many of us. They are living still in sound. I'm listening to Visnujana Swami right now chant Gopinath and it is ecstatic. I play it constantly. We all know Hansadutta Prabhu has had his problems in the past. That's because he tried to be the guru instead of being the ritvik representative of the guru, as ordered by His Divine Grace. I lived with him recently for almost a year and can say that he follows a strict sadhana rising early, bathing outside despite the cold and performing Mangala aratika for his beautiful Deities. He also chants his rounds. It says in the Harinama Cintamani that if we hold a rectified Vaisnava to his past mistakes we are guilty of blaspheming that devotee. To forgive is the first Vaisnava quality. Look at Jagai and Madhai and Sri Sri Goura Nitai's mercy upon them! Do you think the mercy should be stopped? I hope not! Syamsudara continues, " 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. I was not comparing them! We are interested in spiritual life. Why would I sacrifice my time and effort to respond to all of this if I wasn't interested in rectifying the situation. This goes beyond my selfish interests and addresses the interests of all of the Vaisnavas now and into the future. Believe me, I'd rather be chanting blissfully with Visnujana Swami or someone like him than having to answer every bogus allegation made against me, the ritvik initiation system and most of all Srila Prabhupada. Syamasundara then makes this statement which really ruffles my feathers, " Not only do the ritviks not want a living guru, they don't want a living sadhu, nor living sastra." We have a living guru, Srila Prabhupada! The senior devotees are 'sadhus' and also 'living representatives' of the guru. There is life where the orders of the spiritual master are followed. For those who don't follow there is a spiritual 'death'. The Sastra is always living except for those who twist it to suit their own material desires. So we do want the living guru, the living and departed sadhus and the living Sastra. You're the one's who say that Srila Prabhupada is 'not available anymore' and that we need a new 'living guru'! Are all of the devotees initiated by Sridhara Maharaja in the past going to get re-initiated now? In conclusion I would like to request all of the devotees from all camps to seriously study this matter with an open mind and heart for the benefit of all. Please come to the LA meetings or meetings in the future and discuss the philosophy like the six Goswami's of Vrindavan did. This is in our tradition, to debate philosophical matters and churn out the Truth for the benefit of the mission of Sri Sri Guru and Gouranga and the fortunate souls of the world. Hoping this meets you well, Your servant, Gauridasa Pandita Dasa About the Author | Other VNN Stories by this Author See Related VNN Stories | Comment on this Story This story URL: http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET9901/ET08-2811.html
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