Panihati VIDEO / Surya Narayan Writes / Mahatma das 06 01

SHARING - Please feel free to share your thoughts. 

Purple Horses: Living Gurus, Dead Gurus.

By Surya Narayana das - A Blunt Crayon Production.

*While drafting this my phone voice recognition kept coming up with ‘purple horse’ when I said “purport,” so I ran with it.

———

“The Bhagavad-gītā should be understood by the line of disciplic succession of authorized ācāryas.

“Fortunately, in your South India all the great ācāryas appeared—Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, all of them.

“So you are very fortunate, and the ācārya commentary is also there. Rāmānujācārya commentary is there, Madhvācārya commentary is there.

“So you take advantage and read them very nicely. That is our request, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

“And try to understand Kṛṣṇa. If you simply understand Kṛṣṇa, then the result will be, janma karma me divyam yo jānāti tattvataḥ, in truth, in fact, which you can do only if you follow the ācāryas, not the rascals.

“Don't follow any rascal. You follow the ācārya, you'll get the benefit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is our request.”
(Lecture on SB 1.2.5 - Visakhapatnam, February 20, 1972, Ladies Club)

———

In his wisdom, Srila Prabhupada gave us direction: “Therefore, our only means for satisfying Kṛṣṇa is to pursue the injunctions of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who says, “Whomever you meet, instruct him on the teachings of Kṛṣṇa. In this way, on My order, become a spiritual master and deliver the people of this country.”
(CC Madhya 7.128)

And all over the world, members of the Hare Krishna Movement have taken it up: book distribution, harinama, Sunday Love Feasts, travelling festivals, preaching to new bhaktas, speaking with friends, family and workmates, etc.

We’ve been inspired, trained, and educated by our many siksha gurus, and hopefully have gone on to become good sikshas ourselves.

“Simply trying to follow the orders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we speak to the people of the world about Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. This will make us qualified to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.”
(CC Adi 17.78, Purport)

The siksha gurus in Iskcon - those considered by leadership to be from within the rank and file - play a vital role in the expansion of KC to every town and village. It’s the siksha who goes out on the street, standing in the rush of the opposing current, sometimes facing threats and abuse, and every now and then if they’re lucky, snagging a sincere soul zipping by.

Once back at the temple, centre, or our homes, the siksha might start with the basics: Who is Krishna, what is karma, reincarnation, then on to how to sling a dhoti or wrap a sari (the more liberal centres these days may teach you how to do both). We’re taught how to cook and offer our food, apply tilak, recite Prabhupada’s pranamas, chant on beads, ride the kartals, and later maybe to dress Prabhupada’s murti, wake the Deities, give Bhagavatam class, or hit the street on books, taking up the role of siksha ourselves.

The siksha gurus weave through the new devotees' awakening, and if we’re fortunate, there will always be siksha encouragement and support through the years whenever we need.

As siksha, we may counsel, console, challenge, listen and encourage, while showing kindness and care to the newcomer as they deal with the ups and downs of re-entering the spiritual atmosphere and Maya’s calling them back. Recently, I wrote to two of my original siksha gurus to let them know I’d not forgotten how valuable and impactful that initial contact had been.

The siksha might don the hat of mother, father, sister, friend, guide, counsellor, chef, nutritionist, hygienist, priest, spiritual doctor, first responder, educator, editor, confidant, personal trainer, protector, travelling companion and all round servant, to name a few.

Within the current Iskcon structure we then see after all the hard work is done by the rank and file shiksha devotees, then the Iskcon diksha guru flies into town and scoops up the fresh devotees, and at next year’s Vyasa puja the new disciple may pontificate on their guru having saved them, how they owe him their life, a debt they can never repay, without His Holiness the wretched soul is simply a worthless dust-speck, etc., etc. Many lofty accompanying verses from sastra may be quoted to drive the point home. But is this perception of both the Iskcon guru and disciple accurate or even true?

A guru / teacher is important, and most devotees will act in the capacity of siksha guru at some point and place in their lives, possibly in a variety of settings and circumstances, as was the desire of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It never really goes away, and I’m guessing most practicing devotees have these kinds of exchanges still, where they share the Krishna lifestyle and teachings to varying degrees with people they meet.

———

PADA: Yes, I just told some media people their whole idea is:

"You need to worship the living pedos to attain God"

Recently ammended!

You have to worship our dead pedos in samadhi!

Anyone who does not worship the living and dead pedophiles?

Banned, beaten, sued and killed. 

Any questions?  

In his paper, What is Guru? – Part 1, Illuminations 68, Mahatma Das writes the following in his list of reasons one may not want to take an Iskcon diksha guru:

“The person considers Prabhupada to be his guru and he thinks that accepting another guru will interfere with this relationship.”

He then offers the following advice:

“One simply needs to ask his siksa guru to help him deepen his relationship with Prabhupada and act as an intermediary between him and Prabhupada.”

Although somewhat encouraging, like others, Mahatma Prabhu wants to keep Srila Prabhupada out of reach, repeating the institutional line: we can’t be trusted to discern Prabhupada’s purports, stand on our own two feet, or hold our own in a student / master relationship with the sampradāya ācārya. In the absence of any evidence as to why, Mahatmaji simply tells us we need someone to ‘act as an intermediary BETWEEN us and Prabhupada.’

PADA: Pretty simple really. How would people worship Mahatma's illicit sex with men, women and children guru's process -- which bans, beats, molests, sues and assassinates devotees -- if they worship Srila Prabhupada instead of following his process? Mahatma's folks have a very strict program, we have to worship their anal reconstructive surgery of children epidemic process, or we are "bogus ritviks." 

And then when the children victims of his process are taking their lives, and thus ISKCON is sued for $400,000,000 for mass child abuse, then Mahatama says the people leading this process are "God's successor gurus," when even ordinary media people tell me, these people are a Satanic child abuse cult. 

And the Dallas court folks say -- these are the most horrific cases of child abuse they have ever witnessed in this court. But the people leading the abuse regime are allegedly "God's successors" which simply doubles down the abuse and makes the victims feel even more distraught. The people who orchestrated our abuse are "God's successors"? Who would say such cruel things to abuse victims?

Mahatma Prabhu would have us believe without a designated caregiver we can’t approach Srila Prabhupada directly, understand his teachings, develop or deepen a relationship with him through service, practice, and chastity to his teachings. As a senior and a teacher, Mahatmaji is shaping young minds, having them believe they cannot directly approach and understand ‘the Acarya commentary.’ I disagree.

[PADA: Correct. The people who read Srila Prabhupada's books know that worshiping illicit sex with men, women and children is bogus.]

I would suggest that the current climate in Iskcon around the function and role of these replacement gurus has the potential to keep the disciple in a spiritually infantile or stunted state, believing they cannot fully function or truly think for themselves, and are therefore unfit to be trusted in a direct relationship with Srila Prabhupada, what to speak of the caitya-guru within the heart.

“In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that to those who are constantly engaged in devotional service with love and affection, the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives intelligence from within, and thus they may make further progress.”
(SB 4.9.8, Purport)

The living guru theory may actually limit our natural growth, self-realisation, and healthy spiritual interdependency. Disciples may feel they only have one ‘port of call,’ with both Prabhupada and Krishna beyond reach. ‘Jumping over’ is considered aparadha, and the living guru holds all the power to control, direct and affect as he pleases. But could the living Iskcon guru actually be holding the disciples back, keeping them stuck on his level, as we discussed in “Kaniskcon” - Prabhupada’s Spiritual Master Plan?"

PADA: But even an ordinary mundane person walking down the street knows that worshiping pedophiles as God's messiahs is against God and His teachings.

"The chanting of Hare Krishna is our main business, that is real initiation. And as you are all following my instruction, in that matter, the initiator is already there." (Srila Prabhupada Letter, 19/8/68)

The living guru coercion and the resultant institutional mindset can disempower and create unhealthy, co-dependent relationships rather than independently thoughtful empowering, and instilling of confidence that Krishna is in control of everything, including our spiritual lives, and that through our honesty and sincerity to follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, as above mentioned, God will guide and teach us, and that we have everything we need. Indeed we’re seeing a growing trend where Iskcon devotees are openly rejecting their living gurus as their less than pure and unmotivated activities are exposed.

“As the Supersoul, Lord Kṛṣṇa enlightens the devotee from within the heart and disperses the gloom of ignorance.

"The Lord gives the devotee the spiritual intelligence to attain Him.”
(Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.13)

Extreme examples of this spiritual debilitation can be found in disciples who refuse to give up the worship of their fallen living Iskcon guru (as outlined in the Angry Mother piece from my earlier article), even when that person has betrayed them and failed to act as an even half-decent disciple of their own spiritual master.

“My advice is always chant 16 rounds minimum and follow the four regulative principles.

“All of my disciples must agree on this point otherwise they are not my disciples.”
(Letter to Raja Laksmi 1976)

The fallen guru may have done things that honest men on the street wouldn’t dream of, and that a true Vaishnava would certainly never do. They may have committed one or more state crimes, and yet members of the society, (ex)disciples, well-wishers, and leadership may continue to hold that person in high regard, above even Prabhupada’s instructions, allowing them position and place within the society, enjoying service and facilities while being protected from the consequences of their degraded actions with zero accountability.

“They ignore the Vedic injunction ācāryopāsana—"One must worship the ācārya"—and Kṛṣṇa's statement in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.2) evaṁ paramparā-prāptam, "This supreme science of God is received through the disciplic succession."

“Instead, to mislead the people in general they themselves become so-called ācāryas, but they do not even follow the principles of the ācāryas.”
(Sri Isopanisad 12, Purport)

In extremes of this extreme, we may see fallen and sinful men offered big worship and honour befitting a Mahant, accumulating disciples still, or being placed into samadhi in the holy ground of Vrndavana. And members of the society who dare point out the obvious may be threatened, assaulted, and in some instances, killed. 

“The Emperor is not naked, you just can’t see his fine gold clothes.” It would appear the living guru indoctrination runs deep.

“Śrī Īśopaniṣad confirms that these pseudo religionists are heading toward the most obnoxious place in the universe after the completion of their spiritual master business, which they conduct simply for sense gratification.”
(Sri Isopanisad 12, Purport)

———

When we study the early history of the movement, we see that HDG trusted Krishna would guide His devotees, and regularly sent disciples away from his personal overseeing to open new centres and preach, even as relatively young devotees. And when listening to Prabhupada’s lectures, we never really hear him say, “Without my advice you’ll all be finished, so you have to constantly be asking your living guru stuff.”

"In my books the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness is explained fully so if there is anything which you do not understand, then you simply have to read again and again.

“By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you and by this process your spiritual life will develop.

"Krishna Consciousness is not a hackneyed thing but it is something which is our natural and original consciousness.

“Presently our consciousness is clouded just like a mirror becomes covered with dust. So the cleansing process is this chanting and hearing and doing some service and trying to please the Spiritual Master.

“By this process our consciousness becomes clear and we are able to understand everything."

(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 22, 1974)

——

So what about the diksha guru that Iskcon insists we must accept to replace Srila Prabhupada? A living guru to guide us. An absolute essential lest we become lost in the complexity of the four regs and Bhagavad Gita remains meaningless hieroglyphics on a page? But what of Srila Prabhupada’s assurance: “By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed”? Why must we go and beg from someone for this knowledge via their all-merciful interference?

“Surrender by your intelligence but don't surrender your intelligence."

(SP to Bali Mardana, 1974)

To roll over and accept the post-1977 decree that Prabhupada is gone may be challenging for many, as it asks us to dismiss the experiential knowledge we’ve gained, in some cases over decades, that’s shown us we’re doing just fine without the living Iskcon guru they once pressed into the equation. What do we do with our very real, ‘living guru-free’ experience making steady, tangible advancement, getting realisations, losing a taste for matter, and feeling expanding spiritual happiness?

The living Iskcon guru seems something like the man at the restaurant who wants to be paid for assuring us that we feel full after eating a sumptuous meal he didn’t cook. Do we really need permission from a so called senior intermediary to directly experience Prabhupada’s presence in our lives?

——

“Bhakti does not depend on the age, Bhakti depends on sincerity of service.
“It’s not that because one man is older than me, therefore he’ll be greater devotee. No…

“This is real knowledge, to remain always insignificant before Guru, Krishna.
“If somebody thinks, “I have become more than my Guru, more than Krishna” then he is finished.

“That was the instruction of my Guru Maharaj, that bada vaisnava - “I am very big Vaisnava, everyone should come and obey my orders” - this is condemned position.”

(Srila Prabhupada: SB 7:9:3 - Feb 10, 1976 Mayapur, India)

——

Taking a morning walk with Prabhupada around Stow Lake in 2023 and hearing him speak is no less spiritually potent than it was in 1968, regardless of what Mahatma or others might say. For many of us, His Divine Grace is neither dead nor gone.

“Because for a serious student of devotion, Krishna is in his hand.”
(Srila Prabhupada: SB 7:9:3 - Feb 10, 1976 Mayapur, India)

I’ve seen many examples, and we have our own experience where the living Iskcon guru is long gone, and yet the ‘disciples,’ who were supposedly utterly dependent on, and totally bewildered and scripturally illiterate without said guru, are thriving free from the psychoses many an ex-disciple openly admits plagued them in the past. How do we convince these devotees that they need, or ever needed a living guru in place of Srila Prabhupada?

That the organisation calling itself Iskcon insists we need a living guru to make advancement raises genuine concerns. Based on logic and reason we might be forgiven for respectfully challenging, “How is it that the devotees acting as diksha gurus today themselves had very limited ‘living guru’ time (1966-77) with Srila Prabhupada, and yet somehow feel they still have direct access to the Acarya commentary?” If they expect us to swallow this, ‘haves and have nots’ philosophy they’ve got some explaining to do.

Wouldn’t the current Iskcon living guru model by default mean that access to the living spiritual guru stopped for all disciples the day Srila Prabhupada stopped living?

If they say the knowledge and guidance they’ve receive post-Prabhupada nurtures them still (and therefore feel they’re not simply stunted spiritual ten-year olds), then why not everyone go to the same available source and drink from that same well of knowledge?

Is it right that one group claim monopoly over the transcendental knowledge - the divya jana delivered by our undisputed ācārya-sampradāya - repackage it, and then on-sell it as a carefully controlled, branded, indispensable spiritual commodity available only at certain outlets? Capitalistic Spiritualism.
How do we to accept with full faith that Srila Prabhupada is good enough for some, but not for others? Did a chosen few receive some kind of Zap obtainable only in the presence of a living guru, and that’s why they no longer need a living guru, but we do?

The potential danger of having an Iskcon guru foisted upon us in the belief that only they can directly experience and understand Prabhupada, is that by inserting someone between us and HDG our natural opening of the heart and reawakening of an original loving relationship with the Lord could become tainted or contaminated by this third party intervention, interference and interpretation, born of whatever impurities sit within the heart of those less qualified than the pure devotee, Srila Prabhupada. Actually we’ve already seen this play out many times with unqualified meddling living gurus destroying spiritual lives and poisoning the well.

Certainly if we study the influence Iskcon gurus have had from the Big Eleven down side by side with Prabhupada’s unadulterated teachings, I think we’ll find two quite different realities. Many believe the Iskcon gurus are leading us down the garden path (toward the compost, not the roses), in a hapless, unauthorised mission shift. Would this have happened if members were given free access to Srila Prabhupada and his teachings without living guru sway over the faithful?
If the Founder-Acarya is sufficient after his disappearance to guide some (who we presume believe they’re making spiritual advancement still), then again it begs the question, why’s he not sufficient to guide others by the same means? Why do we need other acaryas if it’s obvious the sampradāya ācārya is more than capable of carrying out all the functions he’s being replaced to do?

Why this burning need to oust His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the Hare Krishna Movement if, after his physical departure, disciples felt no need to go off in search of a living replacement, but rather considered, and still consider our sampradaya ācāryas guidance and mercy more than adequate?

There’s something disingenuous about being told you have to have a living diksha guru by a man who for most of his spiritual life has not had a living diksha guru.

———

“Thus it is the duty of the ācārya to publish books that will help future candidates take up the method of service and become eligible to return home, back to Godhead, by the mercy of the Lord.

“Thus the devotees have been advised to refrain from four sinful activities—illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling—and to chant sixteen rounds a day.

“These are bona fide instructions.

“Kṛṣṇa will accept a devotee who strictly follows the regulative principles and the method prescribed in the various books and literatures published by the authorities.

“The ācārya gives the suitable method for crossing the ocean of nescience by accepting the boat of the Lord’s lotus feet, and if this method is strictly followed, the followers will ultimately reach the destination, by the grace of the Lord.

“This method is called ācārya-sampradāya. It is therefore said, sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ. (Padma Purāṇa)

“The ācārya-sampradāya is strictly bona fide. Therefore one must accept the ācārya-sampradāya; otherwise one’s endeavor will be futile.

“Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore sings:
tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta sane vāsa
janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa

“One must worship the lotus feet of the ācārya and live within the society of devotees. Then one’s endeavor to cross over nescience will surely be successful.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 10.2.31 Purport)