© 1999 VNN
|
EDITORIAL October 5, 1999 VNN4869 Related VNN Stories Srila Prabhupada's Implicit Faith In Srila Narayana Maharaja BY MADAN MOHAN DASA EDITORIAL, Oct 5 (VNN) — "...Fools do not know how to honour Vaisnavas. By your greatness, please excuse him...I only told him to visit you. Anyway, excuse his aparadha. C----.is a good man, but out of foolishness he used bad words to you. You please forgive him and me by your good qualities" (Letter to Srila Narayan Maharaja, December 15th, 1966) "...Because in all the Gaudiya Maths, I think that you are the real guru-sevaka, so I always correspond with you and I always give my full love and affection to you." (Letter to Srila Narayana Maharaja, May 17th, 1967) Dear VNN readers, please accept my dandavat pranams. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga! I am writing to highlight Srila Prabhupada's own personal words relating to Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, in order to counter the current wave of Vaishnava aparadha and apasiddhantic notions with regard to guru-tattva that leave so many conditioned souls shelterless and confused, with no hope of actually attaining the very Krishna-bhakti our acaryas have come to give. "An uttama-adhikari is not interested in blaspheming others, his heart is completely clean, and he has attained the realized state of unalloyed Krishna consciousness. ...One should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of uttama-adhikari. A neophyte Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot advance very well towards the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance. Therefore a disciple should be careful to accept an uttama-adhikari as a spiritual master." (Nectar of Instruction Text Five, purport) Excerpted from Srila Prabhupada's own personal, hand-written letters: "My Dear Narayana Maharaja/Sripada Narayana Maharaja, ...I have taken so much help from you, and I request that this time also you will help me in this preaching work. I will be so grateful to you. (NY 21.8.66) Our relationship is certainly based on spontaneous love. That is why there is no chance of us forgetting one another...From the first time I saw you I have been your constant well-wisher. At the first sight of me Srila Prabhupada also saw me with such love. ...You wrote to me,"You can engage me in any preaching work in India according to my ability. I shall always be ready to do so." So I can preach wholeheartedly by your good wishes. ...My only concern is that due to my absence from India my printing work is held up. Regarding this, if you can supervise a little, then I will have no worry. (NY, 28.9.66) In your previous letter I came to know that you are willing to help me, but from your current letter I see that this is difficult for you now. At present there is no need to send anything. ...I was very enthusiastic to learn from your previous letter that your help will always be available, but having come to learn from your present letter that you are not well, I am discouraged. Whatever happens according to Krsna's desire is for the best. Make me happy by replying to my letter as soon as you receive mine and give me news of Vrndavana. (NY, 19.11.66) ...I came to know that my disciple Candrasekhara from Delhi wrote you a letter. Candrasekhara sent me a copy of your reply to him. In that letter I came to know that foolish Candrasekhara had blasphemed you. Fools do not know how to honour Vaisnavas. By your greatness, please excuse him. I haven't instructed him to do such a thing. I only told him to visit you. Anyway, excuse his aparadha. Candrasekhara is a good man, but out of foolishness he used bad words to you. You please forgive him and me by your good qualities. (NY, 15.12.66) Accept my dandavats in this letter. I received your letter dated December 21st and I came to know all the news. (NY, 30.12.66) ...If in this way everything is done under your supervision I shall be very glad. I hope you will ever oblige me by helping in this way. Kindly send me my mrdanga and karatalas that are in Vrndavana. (NY, 14.4.67) Because in all the Gaudiya Maths, I think that you are the real guru-sevaka, so I always correspond with you and I always give my full love and affection to you. ...If I was not thinking like this and putting so much trust in you, I would never have sent you my key and my money. I have so much faith and love for you. (NY, 17.5.67) Accept my dandavats. I received your letter dated 19.5.67 and became very happy to read it. ...I always consider you as my son! ...I always have a very high opinion of you. (NY, 24.5.67) If I obtain all of your blessings, I hope I will quickly finish my work and be able to return to Sri Vrnadavan dhama. I pray you are well. (NY, 1.7.67) I am very pleased that you have so kindly despatched the books from Delhi. (NY, 12.7.67) I thank you very much once more for all the trouble you are taking for me... Let us co-operate for propagating Krsna-consciousness all over the world. I am very happy to receive a letter in your own handwriting dated the 8th of July. I have received all of your letters and I have replied to each. ...You bless me so that I can return to Vrndavana. ...Gradually life is coming in my dead body and there are some improvements. That is why I am writing to you in my own handwriting. You are a sincere Vaisnava. Krsna will certainly listen to you. (CA, 14.7.67) Affectionately yours/Your ever well-wisher/nivedana (I offer myself to you)/vasamvad (gratefully)/krpa parthi (I want your mercy)/ Yours, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami" (The above are all excerpts from 'Letters From America', 17 remaining examples of Srila Prabhupada's personal correspondence to Srila Narayan Maharaja, handwritten in Bengali and translated into English for the first time just two years ago). Srila Prabhupada's implicit faith in the exemplary service mood and pure character of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja speaks for itself. As aspiring Vaishnavas and neophytes on the path of bhakti, if we are unsure about the character of an acclaimed senior Vaishnava guru it is our duty to consult the opinion of senior Vaishnavas in whom we have absolute faith to establish a clearer picture of whether we should accept or reject such sanga. If we remain unsure through the effect of so much negative propaganda - even after hearing Srila Prabhupada's own words of praise, affection and positive affirmation - then it is better to simply offer respects from a distance. If we are to make a mistake in terms of respecting Vaishnavas it is always better to err on the side of caution and offer "too much" respect, than to become implicated in soul-destroying Vaishnava-aparadha by criticising any Vaishnava in any way, what to speak of Srila Prabhupada's closest friend and eminently qualified siksa disciple Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja. It is not my business to petition on behalf of my Guru Maharaja. If Sri Krishna desires to appear before sincere Vaishnava aspirants in any particular form of Sri Guru, then that is between God and the individual jiva. I have only been inspired to write to VNN because I find it totally unnacceptable to witness not only Vaishnava-aparadha but also the active prevention of sincere Vaishnava aspirants in connecting with Krishna in the form of Sri Guru, when our beloved Srila Prabhupada has formed his wonderful institution primarily to facilitate that very connection. Sincere aspirants will always connect with Krishna in the form of Sri Guru, but what a grievous shame that many fallen and confused conditioned souls have to negotiate a minefield of institutionalised "alternatives" to realise the one truth propounded by Srila Prabhupada throughout all his books: By the grace of Sri Krishna we get direct sanga of pure, uttama-adhikari, paramahamsa, rupanuga Vaishnava gurus. By the direct sanga and causeless mercy of pure, uttama-adhikari, paramahamsa, rupanuga Vaishnava gurus we get pure Krishna-prema. Criticising Sri Guru in any form is an offense to Srila Prabhupada and all other Gaudiya Vaishnava acaryas past, present and future. Criticising and rejecting Srila Narayana Maharaja is no different from criticising and rejecting Srila Prabhupada, to anyone who has - by the grace of pure sanga - grasped even the most elementary understanding of guru-tattva. Even if such a thought is unpalatable to certain individual aspirants due to some sort of over-enthusiastic or inappropriate expressions of "loyalty to Srila Prabhupada", then the very minimum of Vaishnava sadacara to be observed is proper respect from a distance. Simply to hear or accept into our hearts and minds blasphemy of any Vaishnava - what to speak of an exalted Vaishnava who is recognised and acknowledged by all credible authorities as an exemplary Vaishnava guru of impeccable status - guarantees immediate falldown and carries the risk of permanent exclusion from Krishna's personal abode of superlatively pure spontaneous devotional service. Better to err on the side of caution, if Krishna-prema is truly our goal. Please correct me if I have expressed any misunderstandings of Srila Prabhupada's teachings and feel free to contact me at any time, with sastric validation from Srila Prabhupada's books to support opposing viewpoints. Thank you. Your servant aspiring for the service of Sri Guru & Gauranga, Madan Mohan dasa. Please send any comments or responses to 106650.1421@compuserve.com Gaura premanande! About the Author  Other Stories by this AuthorRelated VNN Stories Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
NEWS DESK | EDITORIALS | TOP |
