Madhava Maharaja thinks he is Krishna?

[PADA: Brief history of Gaudiya Matha problems http://youtu.be/YqCFMHLisBI]

Srila Paramgurudeva's (Madhava Maharaja) last instructions

The following lecture was delivered at the Calcutta Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 30, 1978. Srila Gurudeva His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj told Srila Paramgurudeva His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj that a North-Indian, inexperienced devotee had come to Calcutta from Chandigarh in order to receive personal instructions from Srila Paramgurudeva Himself. The devotee had been there for several days, but since the doctor had forbidden Paramgurudeva to talk excessively, he had no opportunity to hear him speak. It would be nice if Paramgurudeva could say something to him. Our most worshipable Srila Paramguru Maharaj then started to speak, directing his words to the North-Indian devotee who had taken shelter of Him.

Exclusive devotion to Krishna

"I am not well and the doctor has warned me not to speak too much. It is quite possible that I do not stay much longer in this world. I am telling you that to engage in a proper practice of devotional service, you must be fixed in the worship of your desired form of the Lord.

No one is equal to Krishna. Everyone should keep this in mind and worship Krishna exclusively and with dedication. Devotion will not increase by making a great sound and fury. Everyone should remember this. We will not condemn any other gods or goddesses, but will pray them to give us the blessing that we remain fixed on our supreme object of worship, Krishna."

Instructions for the Math after His departure

"I have registered the Math. The Math is no one's personal property. But that doesn't mean that I am going to leave this place a mess, with everyone in charge. I have therefore devised a management scheme, which is necessary for the proper running of the Math after I am gone. One person will be named Acharya; he will be the headman or president.

[PADA: This is the problem with these Gaudiya Matha's leaders, they think that there has to be a "named successor" to the acharya. Madhava Maharaja correctly states -- later on -- that Krishna is the person who selects the acharya, but then he says, therefore I am selecting the acharya Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha maharja as Krishna's successor. Wait a minute? (A) Krishna selects the acharya, therefore (B) I am selecting the acharya because (C) I am the same as Krishna, or I am Krishna? The post-1977 ISKCON GBC has the same problem, they are "selecting acharyas," knowing that is the job of God and not them.

[Post-1977 ISKCON leader Badrinaryan das is a de facto disciple of Madhava Maharaja, he also says that the acharyas are "selected" by him and his "votes" and not by Krishna. No wonder then, most of Badri's gurus end up deviating. Badri thinks Krishna is his subordinate, he is going to over-ride Krishna and select acharyas without Krishna's backing and authority. Unfortunately, the people who think Krishna is their subordinate are destined for the court of Yamaraja.]

Then we have the people who "un-select" (or erase) the acharya, like Rocana, Kailash, Torben, Wyatt etc. Yes, Krishna has selected Srila Prabhupada to be the acharya but no, no one is allowed to accept him as the acharya. So they are also acting as if they are God, they think they can "un-select" the acharya that is chosen by God. They think they are God on the other side of the GBC coin. And so they erase the acharya by sayinghe is post-samadhi, posthumous, postmortem, of course this is foolish, the acharya is in eternal samadhi all the time! So they want to start a bogus religion, please come and worship the post-samadhi, posthumous, post mortem guru, this is never going to work. And its not working. 

God selected and chose the acharya, therefore they are going to block that and challenge God's decision, because they are God's advisors, and actually that means they think they are better than God, they know better. Worse, we have people like Wyatt demanding that God has to write a letter proving that He has selected the acharya. Nope, the acharya is self-effulgent, there is no need for a confirmation letter. 

The next problem is -- that hardly anyone ever cared for Madhava Maharaja's post-1936 "named acharyas" program, and thus their "acharyas" started infighting over properties, started lawsuits, began to publicly condemn one another, formed schisms, made the temples into ghost towns, and were only able to make small temples and small preaching programs. And in sum they were NOT able to preach outside of India the way Srila Prabhupada did. And this is the exact carbon copy of what the post 1977 GBC gurus are doing, they have empty temples, bankrupted zones and etc.

Srila Prabhupada said, among my God brothers no one is qualified to be acharya, yet they rubber-stamped dozens of alleged acharyas. Srila Prabhupada said their plan was, "unfit persons to become acharya." The result was: that their mission became fractured and disintegrated, and this same identical "appointed guru" deviation is slowly choking ISKCON to death by the same process. Never mind the Gaudiya Matha had big guru scandals, murders of dissenters, bad media publicity etc., and -- not to be outdone by the post-1936 deviants -- the GBC followed that exactly in their footsteps of that bogus process as well. 

The post 1936 false gurus of course includes Madhava Maharaja, who was very critical of Srila Prabhupada for his using the title of "Prabhupada." Despite the GBC knows that Madhava Maharaj was one of the foremost critics of Srila Prabhupada, some of them made Madhava's "successor" Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha into a big authority in sectors of ISKCON after 1977. In other words, the pattern is that the main body of GBC kicks out the Prabhupada worshipers, and then goes way out of their way to join forces with various deviants if not critics of Srila Prabhupada.]

MM: When I am gone, one person will take my place. Who will that be? My spiritual master did not like the idea that there should be a vote to decide the matter.

[PADA: Good, the entire GBC system of "2/3 show of hands voting for gurus" is not authorized, even some of the Gaudiya Matha folks understood that this is a bogus concoction on the part of these GBC gurus.] 

MM: To elect an acharya is not in accordance with the principles of Hari bhakti.

[PADA: The Gaudiya Matha elected a number of acharyas who subsequently fell down, so they learned the hard way that this process does not work. Unfortunately, Sridhara Maharaja never learned this guru voting idea was bogus and wrong, so he advised our post-1978 ISKCON GBC to start "voting in gurus," and they adopted Sridhara's "guru by votes" system. Of course, voting for the acharya is "not in accordance with the principles of Hari Bhakti." The guru self manifests by his self-manifest potency, and not by "mundane votes and high court decisions -- as Srila Prabhupada says.]

MM: God himself will decide who is the acharya. The acharya is the person who is most dear to the Lord. Who will make that decision? The proper arrangement is when the Lord himself says, 'This person is the one who is most dear to me.'

[PADA: This is good. Yes, the CORRECT idea is -- that the acharya is selected by Krishna, not by some mundane votes and appointments. So when the GBC "votes in and selects" an acharya, they are actually attempting to take over the post of, and operate in the capacity of, Lord Krishna. Never mind the GBC says they are going to dictate to the acharyas, whereas Krishna says He dictates to the acharyas. 

The GBC says, we no longer need Krishna to dictate to His successors, we are taking over that job. So this is called atheism, fools think they are taking over the function of God. And we can see the difference, God always selects pure people to be his guru successors, whereas the GBC often selects deviants who are prone to illicit sex, drugs, beer drinking, and all sorts of odious behaviors as their acharyas.]   

MM: Therefore the rule of the disciplic succession is that the choice should come from above. The correct process is that the order should be given from higher up. From the worldly point of view, everyone can get together to elect a leader, but the correct process is that the Lord himself indicates which devotee is filled with love for him, and he makes him the acharya. This is the process approved by scripture.

[PADA: This is actually good. Srila Prabhupada says that the acharya is self-effulgent.]

MM: When Srila Prabhupada was ill, he asked the solicitor, Mr. J. N. Basu, to write up a constitution. We heard that the constitution could be made according to one of two methods, by nomination or by election. Finally, the constitution was written according to the latter method. But Srila Prabhupada did not like it and he rejected it. I and two or three others were personally present when it happened. You cannot decide who is a sadhu, an acharya or realized soul by taking a vote on the matter. Someone will say one thing, another something else and the debate will simply go on. Therefore the proper method is that the Lord himself will choose which person should be honored with the position of acharya. The scripture enjoins us to respect this process.

[PADA: Yet as soon as AC Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada emerged as the acharya, many folks from the Gaudiya Matha did not accept him as the self effulgent choice of the Lord. They denied the process made by the Lord, just as the post 1977 GBC, and their sympathizers like Rocana are doing.]

MM: This process is not followed only in the Gaudiya sampradaya; it can be seen in every Vaishnava sampradaya, the Ramanuja, Madhva, Nimbarka and Vishnusvami lines. This is the way that the disciplic succession is maintained. Therefore, the process ordained in the disciplic succession must be followed. I have therefore discussed with my senior godbrothers who are a part of the Gaudiya Math brotherhood, and I have decided to make Sriman Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha my successor and president in my absence.

[PADA: OK, here we go again: "The Lord has decided who will be His successor, and I am that Lord, so I have decided." No, you are not the Lord. This is amazing, Madhava Maharaja  says that only the Lord can select the acharya, then he say, and guess what, I am that Lord and I will select the acharya. This is what the post 1977 GBC and their members like Badrinarayana does every day, they select and vote in acharyas, but that means they are trying to hijack the post of Krishna, that is GOD'S job to empower and select the acharya.]

MM: When I have gone, that does not give you all an excuse to behave just as you please. The defining characteristic of a Vaishnava is following a devotee. The Lord's blessings follow the blessings of the devotee. When a devotee is merciful to someone, the Lord's mercy follows. This is the essence of my instruction to you, please follow it. I have written about this in more detail elsewhere. It will not be correct if you try to expel someone from the Math as soon as there is some discord. That will result in chaos. You must first try to explain and clarify the situation. If that still doesn't work, then give the devotee some money and a letter and send him to another Math.

[PADA: Wow! So Madhava Maharaja already knows that many devotees will object to his appointed guru; there will be chaos; and people will have to leave. He already knows that because most devotees left the Gaudiya Matha, and there was chaos, when they appointed a guru in 1936.]  

MM: Do not act impetuously, but try to work together by following the person who has been made leader. It is not proper to ignore his commands and to do as one pleases. One has to follow the directions of the temple commanders. All his commands are given for the service of the Lord, bear that in mind."

[PADA: OK except appointing a guru is making it impossible for people to negotiate when there is a disagreement. As soon as someone challenges the "appointed guru," he can be banned, beaten and even killed. Appointing gurus is what ruined that Gaudiya Matha.] 

Three impediments to devotional service

"I want to say one more thing. We have come here to engage in devotional service to Krishna. There are three principle impediments we have to watch out for. The first is the desire for sense gratification. The first obstacle to devotional service is kanaka, gold -- the greed to accumulate lots of money. Your attention, your attachment, should be fixed on Krishna's lotus feet. If you become attached to anything else, you will fall down. You should not think that because outsiders will not understand, you should save money for a rainy day. Mendicants will beg, that is their dharma. But they should turn whatever money they collect over to the Math on the same day.

The temple managers should note that they must arrange for treatment if any temple devotee falls ill. If necessary, they should borrow money, but they must see that the devotee is taken care of. I can remember a time in the Math when we didn't even have money for groceries. So I borrowed money from someone without telling any of the devotees and went and bought food from the market. Only Uddharan Prabhu knew about it. Uddharan Prabhu would go to a householder's place and borrow money from him. The householder was Govinda Babu. If Govind Babu didn't have any money, he borrowed it from his wife. Later I paid all the money back. How many people know about that?

Sripad Goswami Maharaj, Sripad Nemi Maharaj, and I did all the collecting. I would put on a waistcoat and go out to collect. Then I would come back and give all the money to the temple. Srimad Bhakti Pradip Tirtha Maharaj, Jajabar Maharaj and Sridhar Maharaj would accompany me. Whenever they needed something I would buy it, but I never spent the temple collection money for myself.

When I was at the Calcutta Math, I would say to Kunja Da, "Is there any cloth in the Math? If there is, let me have one." But I would never ask for anything that I did not need, just for pleasure. None of you should horde money that was collected for the temple. That will disrupt your devotional life. It doesn't really matter to the Math if you decide to hold some of the money for yourself, because Krishna will take care of the Math and the devotees. But if you try to build up a savings account with that money, your spiritual life will go to hell and you won't be able to last in devotional service. Don't please don't set money aside for your personal use; give everything to the temple manager. If there is any problem, tell the temple manager. The desire for money is an obstacle to devotional service.

The next obstacle is association with women. Both direct association and subtle association cause problems. It goes without saying that you don't engage in gross sexual activity, but you shouldn't even think about it, because we have given up everything to come here and engage in the service of the Lord.

The third obstacle is the desire for personal aggrandizement. Srila Prabhupada wrote:

kanaka kamini pratistha baghini / chaiyache jare sei to vaisnava /sei anasakta, sei suddha bhakta, samsara tathaya pay parabhava 'Someone who has given up the tigresses of gold, women, and fame, is a true Vaishnava. He is unattached and a pure devotee. He has overcome the illusory power of the material world'.

Prabhupada has compared the desires for wealth, women and fame with a tigress. The desire for fame and good reputation are very strong and problematic. But even someone who does not seek fame finds that it comes to him of its own accord when he engages in true service to the Lord. People naturally give him their respect. People will always give respect to a true devotee.

pratisthara bhaye puri gela palana krsna-preme pratistha cale sange garana 'Madhavendra Puri ran away, afraid of being distracted by fame. But when one has love for Krishna, fame flows alongside him'. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.4.147) So, you avoid these three obstacles. It is not an easy thing to do, for they draw the mind. The conditioned soul lives for money, women and fame. They are anarthas that remain to a greater or lesser extent in the mind of the practitioner, but we should not tolerate their presence there or approve of them.

Tirtha Maharaj cannot always stay here. So Jagamohana Prabhu has to run the Math. Don't be offended if I am rough with you. Forgive me. I only wish to serve the Vaishnavas. I want to serve all of you. Worship the Lord with unflinching dedication. Don't stop worshiping Him, no matter what situation you are in. This is my prayer to you, my appeal and my instruction. Chant the Holy Name in all circumstances. Worship Krishna always. Always respect the best Vaishnava, and don't hesitate to do so. May all auspiciousness follow you all."

vancha-kalpa-tarubhyas ca kripa-sindhubhya eva ca patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah
'I offer my respectful obeisance's unto all the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees which can bestow all that is wished for, they are oceans of compassion who purify the fallen souls.'

[PADA: Great, except what happened is that the Gaudiya Matha was unable to expand with all these self appointed gurus, and the mission became stunted, slowed and in some cases, stopped and closed altogether, just like our San Francisco temple here was permanently closed -- and now there is none here. That is exactly what is happening to ISKCON operating under the same system of self appointed gurus, its growth is being hampered severely. 

Anyway, this is a nice philosophical explanation for all this, these people say God is the only person authorized to select the acharya, and so we are going to kick out God and do that ourselves, because, we are ourselves God. This is the trouble with these people, they think they are God, or that they can do what God does, they cannot. The GBC wrote that they are "empowering the acharya" by voting him in, when they could not empower a dead mouse to come back to life. So this is all Mayavada contamination, these people think they and God are equals, sorry, they are not. ys pd]