© 1998 VNN
|
USA December 28, 1998 VNN2752 See Related VNN Stories Initiate Rejects Ritvik Guru BY RIKTAHARSAN USA, Dec 28 (VNN) — PUBLIC NOTICE To all the Hare Krsna devotees: Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada! Herewith I am self-annulling the fire sacrifice involving me performed by Kapindra das (Swami), whose organization is known as Prabhupada Sankirtan Society, Inc. Performed by Kapindra on March 4, 1996, this fire ceremony supposedly initiated me as a diksa disciple of Srila Prabhupada. During performance of this fire ceremony Kapindra chanted on tulasi beads, which he then handed to me, and gave me a so-called spiritual name. I had no prior association with any bonafide Vaisnava sampradaya. Kapindra led me to believe that, by participating in his so-called rittvik-officiated ritual fire ceremony, I was accepted by Srila Prabhupada and he became my diksa guru. Although this initiation occurred only in imagination (being in fact bogus, unauthorized, uncustomary and anti-sastric), nevertheless, Kapindra performed this invalid fire ceremony. On December 16, 1998, I personally begged Kapindra to annul this fire ceremony. I asked him to free me from the connection and entanglement with him and to release me from the initiation of the rittvik-bija. However, Kapindra stone-heartedly and stubbornly refused to mutually annul this fire ceremony. Therefore, I am declaring to the Vaisnavas and to the world that I have not for some time, nor am I now, nor will I ever be considered a rittvik-initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Now I am publicly annulling Kapindra's fire ceremony. Thus I exorcise rittvik-bija identification with Kapindra and the so-called spiritual name he gave me. I humbly offer sincere apology to the lotus feet of my eternal vartma-pradarsaka and siksa guru, Srila Prabhupada. I am self-annulling Kapindra's invalid fire ceremony. I beg forgiveness from His Divine Grace for my presumptuous ignorance and evident insincerity which made me complicit in the concoction known as "rittvik", which I now know to be an apasiddhantic conspiracy of persons who nurse within their hearts deep-seated grudges. As a self-appointed "rittvik-acharya", Kapindra continues to perpetrate a dangerous and destructive hoax against the innocent and less-intelligent devotees of Sri-Sri Radha-Krsna. Depending upon the mercy of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, I beg to remain, Your servant, Bhaktin Catherine Blackwell bhagavats2@aol.com New York, New York Why annulment? "I realized I would be unable to make any further spiritual advancement on the path of bhakti yoga," bhaktin Catharine said, "without completely severing the connection with the rittvik nescience." Evidently, as the text of her public statement makes clear, bhaktin Catharine had already gone to Kapindra swami's ashrama on December 16 to personally request him to mutually annul the fire ceremony and so-called diksa connection. Kapindra told her at that time that since Srila Prabhupada was the initiator that he could not annul. This was what led her to draw up and publicly declare the self-annulment. When asked why she had described Kapindra reaction to her direct request as "stubborn and stone-hearted" bhaktin Catharine replied as follows: "Kapindra was rather taken aback. He said that people like me usually 'just go away.' I told him that, as for myself, I am serious about my spiritual life. Although we might disagree, still he performed the ceremony and he could annul. I told him that no initiation had in fact occurred, and he just gave me one of those 'you know that I know that you know that I know' kind of looks, but still adamantly refused--although I begged him to at least reciprocate according to Vaisnava etiquette." As her public statement makes clear, it was this recalcitrant refusal which led her to issue the public statement of self-annulment. Had she pursued any other means to obtain a mutual annulment with Kapindra prior to issuing the self-annulment statement? Interestingly enough, bhaktin Catharine revealed that a concerned third party, who was a potential negotiator and mediator, had recently spoken with Kapindra on her behalf. Apparently, in this conversation Kapindra said that he might be willing to annul the ceremony if the wording of the signed statement was agreeable to him. Additionally, Kapindra told the third party that he had problems with the idea of annulment because other followers had also participated in the same rittvik fire ceremony. Because this conversation took place after she issued the self-annulment statement bhaktin Catharine has not yet followed up on this. What about this apparent contradiction on Kapindra's part? On one hand, he initially said that he could not annul because Srila Prabhupada was the supposed initiator. However, shortly thereafter he gave a concession that if a statement was worded to his satisfaction that he might agree to annul. Bhaktin Catharine was not too receptive to this contradictory offer: "Kapindra Swami is an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada and in his heart knows the Truth. He may intellectually justify his rittvik activities, but because he has been implicated in this nescience for so long, his discriminatory intelligence is warped or clouded. He should understand, that by distorting sastra and staging bogus initiations, he is performing disservice to his spiritual master and harming people who are attracted to Srila Prabhupada's philosophy of Krsna consciousness. Kapindra Swami should get out of the guru business now." When asked about the authenticity of accepting initiation from a spiritual master who is no longer physically manifest, bhaktin Catharine replied as follows: "If we take Bhagavad-gita, AS IT IS as a sastric basis for initiation, we can understand that Lord Sri Krsna and Arjuna serve as our model for guru-disciple relationship. Krsna personally instructed and guided Arjuna throughout the entire Kuruksetra battle. Guru is personally there for disciple, accepting the disciple's karma and bestowing transcendental knowledge. There is really no 'mystery of guru-tattva.' It is all explained in Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita purports, like that, A,B,C,D of spiritual life." What was the reason that had driven her to want to annul the initiation? Certainly she no longer regarded the initiation as bona fide, but then why bother to annul something which she now accepted as invalid? Perhaps Kapindra was right when he said that people like her usually "just go away." Bhaktin Catharine said the following: "Just as a bona fide, i.e. qualified, guru plants in the heart of the disciple the seed of devotional service, the bhakti-lata bija, so by taking part in a bogus initiation ceremony--conducted by a cheating no-guru guru (such as an irresponsible rittvik)--then a seed is planted in the heart. But instead of getting the seed of devotional service, one gets a bad seed that is like a sterile hard knot that, sooner or later, obstructs the devotee's progress toward self-realization, i.e. Krsna consciousness." In her mind was there is any legitimacy to the argument that the fire ceremony is eternal and cannot be annulled? She answered: "A disciple's relationship with a bona fide diksa guru is eternal, but getting handed beads and throwing grain and a banana in a fire is merely an empty ritual that is over as soon as the ashes are scattered. The Lord in the heart always knows our sincerity and as Caitya guru will reveal Himself and send guru according to our degree of sincerity. I have had to accept and admit to myself (and before the Vaisnavas) that, at the time I participated in Kapindra's fire ceremony, I was just not sincere enough--not sincere enough to deserve a bonafide guru." What about the repercussions and/or positive spiritual ramifications as well as the response which she has received from other devotees? "Certainly it was not easy," bhaktin Catharine admitted, "but virtually immediately I began to feel the potency of the correctness of this decision. I am confident that Lord Sri Krsna is pleased that I am no long implicated in the rittvik delusion. Rittviks like Kapindra will not be able to tell persons like me (whom they may have entrapped) that there is no way out because Srila Prabhupada was the initiator. In a way, it is precedent setting and other rittvik victims no longer have to feel like spiritual pariahs. On the whole, response from the Vaisnava community has been positive and supportive." About the Author | Other VNN Stories by this Author See Related VNN Stories | Comment on this Story This story URL: http://vaishnava-news-network.org/usa/US9812/US28-2752.html
|
