05/22/98 - 1811

Why I Left ISKCON

USA (VNN) - by Madhava das

om ajnana timirandasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri guruve namah
nama om visnu padaya radhikayai-priyatmane
sri srimad bhaktivedanta narayan iti namine
nama om visnu padaya krishna presthaya bhu-tale
srimate gour govinda swamin iti namine
nama om visnu padaya krishna presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta swamin iti namine
namas te sarasvati deve gaura-vani pracarine
nirvisesa sunyavadi pasccatya desa tarine

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

My name is Madhava das. I am a disciple of Om Vishnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja. I received hari-nama initiation from Nitya Lila Pravista Om Vishnupada Paramahamsa Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja In February 1995. I have served for five years within the institution of ISKCON. I have traveled on six of the international preaching tours of Srila Gour Govinda Swami and I recorded his lectures and edited and distributed his lecture tapes from 1994 through 1996. I have served for one year as the temple commander for New Hastinapur Dhama in Washington D.C. beginning in 1996. Finally, I served as an asrama teacher for the Bhaktivedanta Swami International Gurukula in Vrindavan, India for the fall semester of 1997. For the last six months I have been under the shelter of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.

I want to explain my reasons for leaving the institution of ISKCON because I do not feel at all that I have left the mission of Srila Prabhupada. It is my deep hope that one day the entire Gaudiya Vaisnava community may settle their differences and join together to pursue the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with great vigor. Therefore, I will endeavor to discuss the philosophical root of the manifold problems that face ISKCON today. I will not voice any specific complaints. I myself am very fallen and degraded and I have no qualification to deliberate on such matters. Nevertheless I pray that I may be able to render some service to the Vaisnavas. As affectionate parents are pleased by their child's endeavors though they may be feeble and lacking, I request those who may read this presentation to kindly overlook its faults and shortcomings and try to understand the essence, and to please forgive me for my trespasses.

As I have understood, hearing from authorities, the mission of Srila Prabhupada is the continuing mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu which has been pursed by the Rupanuga Vaisnava Acaryas since the time of His advent. Briefly stated, we may say that the jivas (souls), due to ignorance of their true nature, have become bound up in this material world. Under the spell of the illusory energy they work very hard in pursuit of happiness, but because of their misunderstanding of their own nature and the nature of the Supreme Reality, they always fail and are thus forced to accept ever increasing misery life after life. Out of compassion for the jivas and with a desire to relish pastimes, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has descended and is distributing pure love of God (sva bhakti sriyam).

Since it is the natural condition of the jiva to be situated in love of God the activities of preaching Krishna consciousness involve only the removal of obstacles and education. There is no question of forcefully imposing any kind of doctrine on the jiva. Since the position of jiva as the eternal servant of Krishna is factual, the mood of service to God automatically manifests in the purified state. Force is never required.

The illusion of the conditioned souls is, however, very extensive. As the person afflicted with serious disease can only think of his own pain and nothing else, so the jiva immersed in the fever of materialistic life cannot conceive of anything beyond his body and its demands. All activities that increase the absorption of the mind in bodily concerns are therefore to be rejected. The activities of animal killing, illicit sex, intoxication, and gambling are the principal obstructions to the development of spiritual consciousness and therefore the first stage of spiritual life involves the cessation of these activities.

There is, however, an even more primary obstruction to the development of spiritual consciousness, and its removal is one of the foundational principles of the mission of Srila Prabhupada. It is indicated even in his pranam mantra: namas te sarasvati deve gaura vani pracarine nirvisesa sunyavadi pasccatya desa tarine. "Our respectful obeisances unto you, O servant of Sarasvati Gosvami. You are kindly preaching the message of Gaurasundara and delivering the Western countries which are filled with impersonalism and voidism." Nirvisesvada and Sunyavada philosophies are both commonly reffered to as Mayavada philosophy. Since pure Mayavada philosophy ultimately recommends the worship of Govinda, Nirvisesvada and Sunyavada are mentioned here to indicate the rejection of Mayavada as it is propounded today and not the original philosophy of Sankaracarya.

If one will contemplate, questions will arise as follows: The stated goal of impersonalism and voidism is impersonal liberation, or mukti, but who in the west is attracted by mukti? The attempt to escape the miseries of material life through economic development is known as "artha" and is distinct from moksha (mukti). Practically speaking no one in the west has even heard of Mayavada, Sunyavada or Nirvisesvada philosophy and they do not appear to be practicing it under any other name, so what was the necessity for Srila Prabhupada to come to the west, and how can it be understood that the western countries are full of Mayavada philosophy?

To answer this question we must clearly understand what is Mayavada philosophy. According to Mayavada philosophy the Absolute Truth is without form, variation, and consciousness. That is, taken as a whole, the entirety of existence is a mass of undifferentiated energy. From time to time some transformations of this energy may take place and appear as variety, but this variegation is only superficial and illusory. When a particle of this undifferentiated energy becomes somehow separated in perspective from the whole, it becomes a witness to the transitory transformations of energy and symptoms of consciousness arise. The separated individual then endeavors to act meaningfully in its environment, but due to the illusory nature of that environment it can never attain peace or satisfaction in any way. If the separated individual then overcomes the false conception of identity and gives up all tendency to act within the illusory world it then rejoins with the whole and attains peace.

As everything in existence is considered to be only a transformation of the unvariegated energy the Mayavadi has no fixed object of worship. According to this conception, since there is no ultimate variety, the examination or worship of any object or aspect of the creation will lead one to the conclusion that individual existence is illusory. Therefore the saying has come, "Don't worship Tulasi, worship an eggplant, because you get the same result and you also get to eat the eggplant." The conception is that by worship of any object one may disengage one's attachments from the immediate environment and engage them only in that object of worship. When one has transferred all attachment to the object of worship one then contemplates the illusory nature of that object thereby uprooting the conception of separate identity and consciousness and thus returning to the void, or brahman, or the "ultimate reality".

In this type of practice the object of worship is not fixed and it is also not considered to have any potency. All potency is considered to lie within the efforts of the practitioner. The object of worship is considered to be only a crutch which aids the individual in transitional stages. Further, as the goal may be obtained by the worship of any object because all objects are only transformations of the same undifferentiated energy, so also may any direction or path be adopted as all will ultimately lead to the same place (yato mat tato pat).

The conception that the individual alone is potent, that all objects of worship are relative and that all paths are equal is very much prominent in western society. Attitudes of gross selfishness, disinterest in qualified authority of any kind (especially spiritual), and the conception that all attainments are relative, form the underling basis of western hedonism. If the individual is supreme, all guidance by authority insignificant, and all goals equal, then where is the need of self restraint? The man who dedicates his life to indulging in sense gratification is praised for his thirst to taste life and he is considered equal to and above the reproach of the saintly persons. Indeed even when it becomes obvious that the sense gratifier has brought great suffering upon himself and others as a result of his activities there is still failure on the part of the people in general to reject his activities. We have personal experience of seeing a man so intoxicated that he could not even raise himself to his hands and knees to vomit, but upon expressing concern for him being told, "he's ok, he's on his stomach. And are you sure he's not having fun?"

The gross selfishness and hedonism of the western countries is a degraded form of Mayavada philosophy. It is rooted in, protected and nourished by Nirvisesvada and Sunyavada philosophies which deny any objective or universal dharma, code of conduct, or criteria for distinguishing between right and wrong. "...Consequently, the impersonalist philosophers have given indirect impetus to the abominable mundane sex life because they have over-stressed the impersonality of the ultimate truth. Consequently, man without information of the actual spiritual form of sex has accepted perverted material sex life as all in all..." (S.B. 1.1.1. purport.)

It is the normal tendency of the individual to remain in a fixed social position. As a piece of wood floats on water, so a person will generally adopt the lifestyle or dharma of the family into which he has been born. If that same piece of wood, however, is fashioned into an arrow and fired into the water from a bow it will plunge into the far depths. By uprooting regard for all types of dharma, Mayavada philosophy acts as the bow which propels the jivas to the lowest regions of consciousness. Without first expelling Mayavada conceptions, there is no possibility of spreading Krishna consciousness for the general welfare of all. Under the spell of Mayavada philosophy the people in general remain at the mercy of their insatiable desires and those few who seek moksa have neither concern for others nor regard for any shastra.

The signature of Mayavada philosophy; that is the faith in the potency of the individual and the belief in the relativity of all objects of worship and all paths is entirely absent from Vaisnava thought. The supreme object of worship is Sri Krishna, or God, because He is the Absolute Truth. He is the source of all creation, and although he is beyond the reach of our senses His existence is factual. Taking shelter of Him frees one from bondage to this world. Without His good will no one can be delivered from miseries. Following the path that has been laid out by Him and His pure representatives results in elevation to the spiritual world. Disregard for His authority and the authority of His representatives leads one into miserable conditions of life. Vaisnavas understand that the object of worship is fixed and can never be changed. True dharma, or the path to be followed is also eternal and cannot be altered. The individual is tiny and insignificant. He has no potency to accomplish anything without the sanction of Sri Krishna.

Externally we may see that Mayavadis and Vaisnavas in some cases follow the same practices and superficially appear to be identical. We should never forget, however, that ultimately they are as different as day and night. The Vaisnavas always believe in the factual existence of God and worship Him with great love. Mayavadis only make a pretense of belief and devotion in order to fulfil their selfish desires. Association with such persons is extremely destructive to the development of devotion, as is stated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself:

"The Buddhists do not recognize the authority of the Vedas; therefore they are considered agnostics. However, those who have taken shelter of the Vedic scriptures yet preach agnosticism in accordance with the Mayavada philosophy are certainly more dangerous than Buddhists." (C.C. ML 6.168.)

Those who have accepted the beliefs of the Mayavada school and are externally practicing Vaisnavism may appear to be similar to real Vaisnavas, yet they can be recognized by their refusal to truly adopt Vaisnava principles and by their adherence to the three above mentioned Mayavada principles. Stated again: Mayavadis put faith in their own prowess, they reject the absolute nature of Sri Krishna and manufacture their own paths. Any conclusion that is based on these conceptions must be considered to be Mayavada philosophy. For example, if one suggests that it is not necessary to worship a bonafide guru, but that one may be delivered by dint of their own sincerity through the worship of materially engrossed guru, this is Mayavada philosophy. If one considers the shastra to be subservient to the practicalities of management concerns, this is Mayavada philosophy. If one considers the shastra to be subservient to so-called political imperatives, this is Mayavada philosophy.

The need for acceptance of a bonafide spiritual master and the qualifications of such a person are extensively detailed throughout the vedic literatures as well as in the commentaries of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and shall be quoted extensively here as it is of great relevance.

Of the different processes recommended for disentanglement from material life, the one personally explained and accepted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be considered all perfect. That process is the performance of duties by which love for the Supreme Lord develops.

One must accept the bonafide spiritual master and render service unto him with great devotion and faith. Whatever one has in one's possession should be offered to the spiritual master, and in the association of saintly persons and devotees one should worship the Lord, hear the glories of the Lord with faith, glorify the transcendental qualities and activities of the Lord, always meditate on the Lord's lotus feet, and worship the Deity of the Lord strictly according to the injunctions of shastra and guru.

(S.B. 7.7.29-31.)

In the previous verse (29) it has been said that the process which immediately increases one's love and affection for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the best of many thousands of ways to become free from the entanglement of material existence. It is also said, dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam : actually the truth of religious principles is extremely confidential. Nonetheless, it can be understood very easily if one actually adopts the principles of religion. As it is said, dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam : the process of religion is enunciated by the Supreme Lord because He is the supreme authority. This is also indicated in the previous verse by the word bhagavatoditah. The injunctions or directions of the Lord are infallible, and their benefits are fully assured. According to His directions, which are explained in this verse, the perfect form of religion is bhakti-yoga.

To practice bhakti-yoga, one must first accept a bonafide spiritual master. Srila Rupa Goswami, in his Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu (1.2.74-75.) advises:

One's first duty is to accept a bonafide spiritual master. The student or disciple should be very inquisitive; he should be eager to know the complete truth about eternal religion (sanatan-dharma). The words guru-susrusaya mean that one should personally serve the spiritual master by giving him bodily comforts, helping him in bathing , dressing, sleeping, eating and so on. This is called guru-susrusanam. A disciple should serve the spiritual master as a menial servant, and whatever he has in his possession should be dedicated to the spiritual master. Pranair arthair dhiya vaca. Everyone has his life, his wealth, his intelligence and his words, and all of them should be offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the via medium of the spiritual master. Everything should be offered to the spiritual master as a matter of duty, but the offering should be made to the spiritual master with heart and soul, not artificially to gain material prestige. This offering is called arpana. Moreover, one should live among devotees, saintly persons, to learn the etiquette and proper behavior of devotional service. Srila Visvanath Cakravarti Thakura remarks in this connection that whatever is offered to the spiritual master should be offered with love and affection, not for material adoration. Similarly, it is recommended that one associate with devotees, but there must be some discrimination. Actually, a sadhu, a saintly person, must be saintly in his behavior (sadhavah sad-acarah ). Unless one adheres to the standard behavior, one's position as a sadhu, a saintly person, is not complete. Therefore a Vaisnava, a sadhu, must completely adhere to the standard of behavior. Srila Visvanath Cakravarti Thakura says that a Vaisnava, a person initiated into the Vaisnava cult, should be offered the respect befitting a Vaisnava, which means that he should be offered service and prayers. However, one should not associate with him if he is not a fit person with whom to associate.

(S.B. 7.7.30-31. purport)

We should clearly understand this topic if we wish to practice Vaisnavism. The supreme object of worship is Sri Krishna. His existence is factual. He is the proprietor of the entire creation and yet He is aloof from it. He cannot be known by the ascending process of knowledge - that is through mental speculation or by analysis of the material world. He can be known only through devotional service under the guidance of a bonafide spiritual master. If we examine a wrist watch, we may come to understand the principles by which it works, and we may come to the conclusion that it must have been built by someone, but by no means will we come to know the person who has built the watch unless we contact him or someone who knows him. We are completely dependent on knowledge that has been gathered from the proximity of the object of inquiry, which is far beyond our personal reach. This is called amnaya, or the descending process for acquiring knowledge. Sri Krishna is factual and we want to know really about Him, who is one without a second, the Absolute Truth. The revealed scriptures direct us again and again to take shelter of a bonafide guru as the preliminary requirement for entrance into transcendental knowledge.

The actual qualification of guru is that he is factually a link between the jivas and Sri Krishna. He is, in actual fact, a pure representative of Sri Krishna and therefore he can deliver us from ignorance. His internal symptom is that he is fully established in his loving relationship with Sri Krishna. He is situated on that platform to which we wish to obtain. His external symptoms are saintly behavior and complete detachment from material affairs. The goal of Vaisnavism is Sri Krishna, and the path to Him requires the acceptance of a bonafide guru. These things cannot be changed.

If we think that our own efforts are sufficient for our deliverance, then we may superficially accept a guru who is not transcendentally situated. We may claim that Sri Krishna must be aware of our service and that the result will be the same whether we serve a conditioned soul or a pure devotee, but this is not correct. Trying to obtain a relationship with Sri Krishna by worshiping a conditioned soul is like attempting to cross the ocean by grasping the tail of a dog. How can a person who has no realized knowledge of Sri Krishna, being bound by material desires, act as a via medium for the awakening of one's relationship with Sri Krishna? It is a very simple point- you cannot give what you do not have. To consider the object of worship, in this case guru, to be without potency and that potency rests within the efforts of the individual practitioner is Mayavada philosophy.

If we do not have actual faith in Sri Krishna, then we cannot have faith in guru. A person with such a mentality may pose as a guru or as a disciple considering that goals of social organization or economic development are thereby fulfilled. Such a person is practicing only Mayavada philosophy, not Vaisnavism.

To follow the path indicated by the Acaryas may not always be a simple matter. After the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada, the question looms large: Whom shall we go to for shelter? The shastra may direct us to take shelter of a pure devotee, but what shall we do when such a person is not obviously manifest before us? At this time considerations of practical management necessities may come into play and the recommendation may be that one should make the best of whatever is available. It should be understood, however, that such temporary management dilemmas do not form a platform from which to interpret the shastra. That is, it is a fallacy to suggest that only because I may not know where I can take shelter, the indications of the shastra that I must take shelter of a bonafide guru have become invalid and irrelevant. If the application of rules and regulations are adjusted (especially by a pure devotee) with a view towards increasing the accessibility of Krishna consciousness to the conditioned souls that is one thing, but we must understand that to alter the very conclusions of shastras with a view towards solving immediate problems of management is quite something else. When the former practice is adopted the integrity of the tradition is immediately vanquished, and the whole wealth of the Vaisnava line is relegated to a mere warehouse of useful ideas that may be picked and chosen according to one's individual tastes. Such is the practice of Mayavada philosophy.

Siddanta, or Vedic conclusion, is eternal. Its source is Sri Krishna, and it is not discovered, but it is revealed. It cannot be altered by the audacious voting of ignorant men. If a group of blind men come together and vote that day has become night or that the jiva has fallen from Vaikuntha, the sun will nevertheless rise at the appointed time and the siddanta will remain the same. To consider the pursuit of actual knowledge of siddanta to be too troublesome and therefor unnecessary is only ignorance. To consider that the siddanta is not absolute but only relative is to deny the absolute nature of Sri Krishna and the authority of the shastra. Such is the practice of Mayavada philosophy.

Sri Krishna is beyond the reach of our senses, yet He exists. Similarly we as individuals must be prepared to accept that the siddanta may be beyond our ability to clearly understand at any given time, but it nevertheless remains eternal and unchanging in nature. To deceive innocent people by espousing unconsidered, bogus interpretations of the shastra with a view towards political gain and the acquisition and maintenance of position, wealth and prestige is a despicable practice which can only be carried out by a faithless practitioner of Mayavada philosophy. Anyone who knowingly participates in such an unholy political initiative must also necessarily be know as a Mayavadi. A Vaisnava can never engage in such behavior.

Innocent people may be deceived. Hearing only that an elephant has four legs, a long nose and big ears, one may mistake a donkey for an elephant. One who has acquired only a little more knowledge, however, will have little difficulty in understanding the error, and, of course, someone who has once seen an elephant will not be confused for an instant. Similarly, a foolish person may consider that a person who adopts the external symbols of devotion has become qualified to be a spiritual leader, but anyone with only a little bit of knowledge must come to the conclusion that someone who is full of lust and greed for wealth and power, who is proud and demands respect, who is uncaring and intolerant, always attached to position and honor, bereft of Krishna katha and full of all kinds of mental speculation and unauthorized philosophy, who is duplicious, diplomatic and envious of superior Vaisnavas, who adopts the pretension of devotional service simply as a profession for the maintenance of his body and as a vehicle to fulfill material ambition - such a person is not a spiritual leader, he is only a jackass, and only a fool will serve him.

It may sometimes be seen that an affectionate father while playing football with his son may praise him by saying "Oh, you are as good as Jesse Owens", or some other famous athlete, in order to encourage his son. On the real field of play, however, such words are meaningless. One must actually posses the qualifications of an athlete to play with athletes. Similarly one should understand that for the successful execution of spiritual life one must have the association and guidance of real, actual, pure, bonafide Vaisnavas who are established in their relationships with Sri Krishna. There is no substitute. If one encounters statements that appear contradict this assertion, those statements should be understood to be words of encouragement only.

Therefore, being dissatisfied with the standard of adherence to the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and our Rupanuga guru varga as well as being distressed by the resulting decline in behavioral standards and absence of loving feelings among the devotees, I have sought shelter at the feet of Om Vishnupada Paramahmsa Asttora-Satta Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, who is very dear to Srila Prabhupada and whose qualifications are as effulgent as the sun to anyone who cares to examine them in a reasonable state of mind.

I pray that anyone who reads this presentation with care and attention may be freed from the desire to associate with Mayavadis and the desire to practice Mayavada philosophy. I beg the reader not to consider these deliberations as simply an expression of the tensions between so-called traditionalists and reformists. The very essence of our tradition is being lost before our eyes. The Mayavadi discards the rice of faith and love of God and chews the stale husk of pointless austerity and empty ritual. All forms of Vaisnava aparadha must be entirely rejected. Threats, intimidation, and abusive language are not the tools of the Vaisnavas. We should not allow ourselves to be moved by such canine tactics. We should not allow ourselves to become situated in hypocrisy only because of fears for our bodily maintenance. Sri Krishna Himself has promised to protect us, and we should have faith in His words.

I am very fallen. My heart is a vast reservoir of virulent poison. Oh Vaisnava Thakura, I have fallen into the material pool and I am drowning. Please pick me up from this ocean of misery and place me as a speck of dust at your lotus feet! vanca kalpatarubyas ca krpa sindubya eva ca patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah.