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EDITORIAL July 12, 1999 VNN4279 Comment on this story Useless Battles BY TIRTHAPADA DASA EDITORIAL, Jul 12 (VNN) — Dear Prabhus, regarding ritvik, I sympathize with it only to a small degree, but unfortunately as its spiritual position, it is a dead end. One devotee who performed a fire yajna said it appropriately when I told him you are making such nice advancement. His astute reply was, "It is not bhakti." For example, in a recent book authorized by Jayapataka Swami, he and the other ISKCON panel give "100 deviations" regarding ritvik. In the book they (the ISKCON panel) make the statement that even a maha-bhagavata can fall down. I was quite amazed to see this statement. Obviously, I and many other godbrothers would be quick to disagree with this absurd statement. When such statements are made like this, how can one put faith in the conclusions of the book. I for one am not supportive of the ritvik system of "initiating on behalf of Srila Prabhupada". But as long as ISKCON makes such absurd statements to justify its obviously ignorant position of the whole matter, people will doubt their leadership. Srila Bhakti Pramoda Puri Maharaja has said, "Ritvik means death to our sampradaya." Srila Narayana Maharaja has written an entire essay stating the duty and position of ritvik, and it not being a spiritual position. It is almost like trying to say the Varnasrama is the final words of Srila Prabhupada, yet Caitanya-Caritamrita says, "This is external. Go Further." The ultimate point is this: these useless battles will continue within ISKCON until it collapses completely until it finally takes guidance from the siksa of senior Vaisnavas who know the siddhanta and are rasika. They know the entire picture, my dear godbrothers. So we can sit and argue all day about the jiva issue, about the ritvik issue, about the poison issue, about who is uttama and who is madhyama, and so on, and so on, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Why not take shelter of Vaisnavas like Srila Narayana Maharaja or Srila Sridhara Maharaja or Srila Puri Maharaja? They can give us clear cut answers about these present problems. What keeps us back? I think some of my other godbrothers that are now hearing Srila Narayana Maharaja and Srila Puri Maharaja can answer that. dasanudasa, Tirthapada Dasa Comment on this story  Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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