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EDITORIAL February 17, 1999 VNN3083 See Related VNN Stories The Fox Watching The Chicken BY SADHUSANGA DAS EDITORIAL, Feb 17 (VNN) — After reading the GBC resolutions on the Ritvik Initiation System, I'm totally disappointed and discussed. It's almost like all the Foxes taking a group vote on watching the Chickens while the boss is gone. The outcome of the vote is 100% predictable. "Yep, we better just keep watching over all these Chickens, this is the way it should be, don't you think fellows? OK, its settled then, this is what the boss wants!" There doesn't seem to be ANY room for reform in the present guru system as long as the decision makers are themselves the main players. It's a fundamental conflict of interest, and we can NEVER expect any type of rational decision coming from the present GBC on this issue. Any GBC member who has disciples, or any GBC member who is strongly influenced by godbrothers who have disciples, will naturally VOTE TO KEEP THEMSELVES IN A POSITION OF CONTROL over the younger devotees. What's at stake here is obvious: loss of power, worship, prestige, comfort, security, fame, bank balance, travel expense, laptop computers, etc. etc. etc. What happened to the ideal sannyasi / spiritual master as described in the Bhagavatam: wandering from village to village, sleeping under a tree and begging milk as a pretense for preaching to the conditioned householders. Not that we should take this literally in today's world, but the spirit of simple living and high thinking has disappeared. Today, the business of "guruship" has become a profitable profession. It's no wander why no one wants to renounce in the renounced order. So many Sannyasis / gurus control more wealth and comfort levels than their own householder disciples! It's truly a Kali-yuga phenomena. I humbly beg forgiveness from those sincere, advanced vaisnavas who actually ARE renounced, and are truly well wishers of the conditioned souls. I'm not directing any criticism toward you. My complaint is directed toward those self-interested individuals who exploit the younger generation of devotees for their own sense gratification. These individuals, many of which are in positions of gurus and GBC, MUST come to accept Srila Prabhupada's FINAL ORDER, and renounce all this sense gratification, which is ruining ISKCON (and will eventually destroy it!) There has been ample proof by scholarly ISKCON vaisnavas in support of the Ritvik system. There has also been scholarly commentary and advice given from other senior vaisnavas outside ISKCON, again supporting this Ritvik system as set up by Srila Prabhupada. So why doesn't the GBC recognize that black is black and white is white? I simply don't understand. But I DO understand that if the Ritvik system would have continued as Srila Prabhupada had wanted, ISKCON would have by now grown to hundreds of thousands of full time members. Book distribution would be flooding the entire world, and so many more MILLIONS of conditioned souls would have the mercy of Lord Caitanya. The whole issue of "bloop gurus" wouldn't even be an issue. Just see all the problems produced by this present system: pay offs of millions of dollars, devotees threatening violence and suicide, and good vaisnavas becoming so bewildered by the whole mess that they simply give up their Krsna Consciousness or ISKCON affiliation all together. None of this would have happen if Srila Prabhupada's original FINAL ORDER was followed properly, as he set it up. The sense of cooperation and AUTHENTIC respect between godbrothers and godsisters around the world still be fully intact. As for myself, SRILA PRABHUPADA'S books made me a devotee. I took to the chanting of Hare Krsna because of SRILA PRABHUPADA. I follow the regulated principles because of SRILA PRABHUPADA. I have been given Vedic knowledge because of only one person, SRILA PRABHUPADA. I understand who Krsna is because of SRILA PRABHUPADA. I met Srila Prabhupada in 1976 in New York, personally listened to his lectures, took remnants of Maha prasadam from him, and was even blessed with a morning walk with his Divine Grace. At that time (even though there was no formal fire sacrifice), I accepted Srila Prabhupada as my eternal guru maharaja, within my heart. I have total faith in Srila Prabhupada as a pure representative of Krsna. Srila Prabhupada is a pure devotee, free from illusion. I don't want to be exploited by someone who officiates a half-hour fire sacrifice and then claims eternal proprietorship over my daily life, and eternal soul. Now I certainly don't mean to offend the particular sannyasi (name withheld) who has authorized my initiation (1st and 2nd) because I still have the highest respect for him, but in the final analysis, I have to consider my siksa / diksa guru His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and no one else. The devotees who took initiation from His Divine Grace prior to his passing in 1977 got his full mercy, and I wouldn't want to settle with anything less either! Prabhupada wanted his mercy to be distributed to EVERYONE, not just those few individuals physically present for 11 years while he was here. Srila Prabhupada always said, over and over again, that he always LIVES in his books and in his instructions, so what's the problem? Anyone who doubts Srila Prabhupada's presence and power is in illusion. Srila Prabhupada IS here! I think its evident that the verdict is in, on the Final Order. Again, it has been explained by scholarly devotees and authenticated by senior vaisnavas outside of ISKCON as well. We humbly request the GBC come to grips with the facts and face this issue as Srila Prabhupada wants, before its too late. Your servant, in the service of Srila Prabhupada, Sadhusanga das See Related VNN Stories | Comment on this Story This story URL: http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET9902/ET17-3083.html
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