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EDITORIAL August 29, 1999 VNN4609 Related VNN Stories Gaura Govinda Maharaja And ISKCON BY PARAMANANDA PURI DASA EDITORIAL, Aug 29 (VNN) — Dear Rasikananda Prabhu, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Well, I definitely believe your letter is sincere on certain issues, but still your conclusions are wrong. I don't know if Narayana Maharaja ever met Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaja. I am sure if we ask Narayana Maharaja he will tell us the truth. However if any disciple has fabricated something like that it would be a serious offense. It remains to be seen. However, I can't agree with the conclusions that all the persons that left ISKCON where nonsense. Even if Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaja may have been disappointed that some left, as a pure devotee he would never condemm anyone. If anyone claimed that Prabhupada had only taught basic KC it would be an offense, stating that Srila Sridhara Maharaja was teaching all the rasika things. However we have to remember that Prabhupada had to train often former hippies and drug addicts from the very beginning levels of KC, and as such he did not emphasize books like Lalita Madhava etc. for devotees to read, it was not the time and place. I do agree that Gaura Govinda Maharaja filled a very important role in this need, as devotees when they advance want to understand the sandarbhas and rasika literature. Gaura Govinda Maharaja invited me personally to come to Bhuvanesvara to learn the Sandharbhas from him, especially the Priti Sandarbha, as I had asked him some question on Rasa tattva. (unfortunately I was worried my then diksa/siksa Guru, Harikesa would have rejected me). Then some fools in ISKCON were also preaching that he was recruiting disciples of other Gurus, but he never did that, and in my case he wanted to help me advance in KC. This is the nature of a pure devotee. Similarly Srila Narayana Maharaja is not trying to amass more and more disciples to steal from ISKCON or something like that. He wants to help devotees to advance. And just as Srila Sridhara Swami was a well-wisher of ISKCON, so Srila Narayana Maharaja is. Yes, devotees took shelter of Srila Sridhara Swami instead of their 11 godbrothers that constituted the zonal Acharya system. I think we can understand why they went. The problem is that they wanted to stay in ISKCON and take siksa and inspiration from Srila Sridhara Maharaja, but then they were condemned as demons instead, and rejected as members of ISKCON. There was simply an unjustified fear that devotees would be recruited to join Srila Sridhara Swami, and be so-called disloyal to the 11 "new so-called acaryas". Also similarly at this point so many devotees are taking Siksa from Srila Narayana Maharaja or in some cases also diksa if their Guru has fallen away. Personally I have also taking reinitiation (after the fall of Harikesa) and am inspired by Srila Narayana Maharaja and his disciples. If there is any big recruiting attempt by any Guru that is not the symptom of a bonafide Guru. Sastra warns about accepting to many disciples for personal gain. And bonafide disciples of any bonafide Guru also do not make a big recruiting attempt, that is undisputedly stated in Sastra. The real problem is that the GBC body should allow devotees that take Siksa and or Diksa from other bonafide Gaudiya vaisnavas, and also keep serving in ISKCON. In this way we are not pushing away devotees that love Srila Prabhupada and want to also keep serving in ISKCON. This is at least my own personal intention. And then it will be seen that this open minded mentality will increase the KC within ISKCON as well. Your servant Paramananda Puri Dasa I do want to mention that Srila Narayana Maharaja, Srila Puri Maharaja and Srila Sridhara Maharaja were all close to Srila Prabhupada and taking any diksa and siksa from them or any one in the line of Gurus that follow them should be accepted as bonafide as long as the interest is the same. I know for sure that both Puri Maharaja and Srila Narayana Maharaja don't mind if their disciples serve in ISKCON. Related VNN Stories  Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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