CANCER EPIDEMIC
PADA: Oh oh pilgrims, another youngish devotee lady -- 40 yrs old maybe -- has had to have surgery and chemotherapy for cancer. This is another example of something amiss in the devotee community. I decided not to give her name, but I wish her well.
She said "this was totally un-expected," well yeah, but this is repeating all too often. It is almost expected! My Mormon nurse advisor says, the Krishna devotees are doing something toxic, I think it is stress. Well yup. And eating food offered to predators and / or Satanic beings might not help much either. 
Padambhuja Dāsa was Bhakti Abhaya Carana Swami, a former ISKCON initiating guru who is no longer active in ISKCON’s guru system. He appears in lists of fallen or retired post‑1977 ISKCON gurus.
GBC RESOLUTIONS 2000
Sri Padambhuja Das
=================
Padambhuja Dāsa was Bhakti Abhaya Carana Swami, a former ISKCON initiating guru who is no longer active in ISKCON’s guru system. He appears in lists of fallen or retired post‑1977 ISKCON gurus.
GBC RESOLUTIONS 2000
Sri Padambhuja Das
613 [ACTION ORDER] 1. Sri Padambhuja Das (formerly known as Bhakti Abhay Caran Swami) shall not be privileged to wear saffron cloth and shall be referred to by his initiated name given by Srila Prabhupada. He is indefinitely suspended as a spiritual master, therefore, he cannot initiate nor maintain an absolute siksa position in relation to his disciples and he must follow other aspects of suspension as per ISKCON Law.
2. The GBC Body encourages those who have taken initiation from him to take shelter of Srila Prabhupada and his other followers, as Sri Padambhuja Das is not competent to deliver absolute instruction or receive gifts or veneration at this time. They should refer to the directions in the Guru-asraya paper issued by the GBC Body and stated in ISKCON Law Book at 6.5.1.3-5, which also gives guidance for those who have lost faith in their initiating guru.
3. A program of rectification shall be given by a committee of Jayapataka Swami, Guru Prasad Swami and Virabahu Das.
My words and my counsel I give to you with sincerity and affection, as a spiritual brother. And if they want to participate in this exchange of ideas and words, then they must do it in accordance with the Vaishava etiquette. I must be treated with the respect I deserve by a spiritual brother who has been singing Hare Krishna for over sixty years.
Although I did not formally surrender in 1970, when I met the devotees in Austin, Texas, I was already a Vaishnava from then and was building a home with a person I thought was also a devotee. Later, in 1977, I accepted initiation from one of those false gurus — and you know exactly who I'm talking about — but today I consider that initiation was really Ritvik, because he wasn't authorized to give initiation other than Ritvik.
That is why I consider myself a disciple of Srīla Prabhupāda, and therefore I am also your spiritual brother. So tell your followers to respect me if they want respect from me. Because if they talk to me like karmīs, then I'll treat them like karmī or worse.
That's what I wanted to tell you.
PADA: It looks like the work of some of the Bangalore devotees is drifting around here and there, and people are seeing -- it makes a lot of sense. I think we have to give them a lot of credit for helping explain this stuff to others.
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Viśva-guru, Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jai. In different parts of the Vedas, it is explained that the varṇāśrama system was born from the different parts of the virāṭa-puruṣa incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. Thus, the varṇāśrama system is divine and hence it is eternal.
However, over time, this divine varṇāśrama system gradually degraded and morphed into its present vitiated form of the by-birth caste system of Hinduism. It is to the credit of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura that he demolished this longstanding belief that varṇāśrama is based on birth. He was the ācārya who vociferously, vigorously, and boldly preached that the caste system by birth is not authorized according to the Vedas.
Because of his breaking the stereotype, many influential castes of the time became inimical to him. Listen to Śrīla Prabhupāda talk about this.
This further challenged the hegemony of the higher caste and dented the false ego of the casteists, and hence their desperation to silence him at all costs. But Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura was undaunted and continued preaching unabated. His disciple Śrīla Prabhupāda too adopted the same intrepid mood, and with the foundation laid by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Śrīla Prabhupāda gave brāhmaṇa-dīkṣā even to those born outside Hindu families, smashing all previous stereotypes, superstitions, and customs.
“Śrīla Prabhupāda explained the difference between first and second initiation as follows:
Hare Kṛṣṇa. Viśva-guru Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya.
2. The GBC Body encourages those who have taken initiation from him to take shelter of Srila Prabhupada and his other followers, as Sri Padambhuja Das is not competent to deliver absolute instruction or receive gifts or veneration at this time. They should refer to the directions in the Guru-asraya paper issued by the GBC Body and stated in ISKCON Law Book at 6.5.1.3-5, which also gives guidance for those who have lost faith in their initiating guru.
3. A program of rectification shall be given by a committee of Jayapataka Swami, Guru Prasad Swami and Virabahu Das.
PAMHO
Open letter to Padambuja das
By looking at your page and reading what you are posting and writing, I sincerely perceive that you are not feeling very well either emotionally, mentally, even physically, as happened to Satsvarupa Maharaj. And I think this might be due, at least in part, to the many offenses you committed in the 1980s by posing yourself as a guru.
You committed many offences by beginning to receive worship you did not deserve, as a supposed representative of Vyāsadeva. You also received money, service and worship from many people without truly being authorized to hold that position. And deep down you yourself know you were never a faithful guru. You know perfectly well that you took on a role that wasn't meant for you.
Therefore, as a friend and as a spiritual brother, I sincerely recommend you to write a letter asking for forgiveness to all those people who accepted you as a Guru and from whom, knowingly or unknowingly, you took advantage of. People who adored you for years, who gave you their trust, their service and their money.
You should do that now that you are still alive, because afterwards there will be no chance to ask for forgiveness.
You should do that now that you are still alive, because afterwards there will be no chance to ask for forgiveness.
And I say it from my heart, because I remember the friendship we had. Follow the footsteps of other ex gurus like Hansadutta das who did apologise to his disciples before becoming the allies of the Ritviks.
There's another issue as well. You still have followers who see you as an exceptional or extraordinary person, and any comment or criticism a spiritual brother makes to you, is immediately considered an offense. And that's not the case.
My words and my counsel I give to you with sincerity and affection, as a spiritual brother. And if they want to participate in this exchange of ideas and words, then they must do it in accordance with the Vaishava etiquette. I must be treated with the respect I deserve by a spiritual brother who has been singing Hare Krishna for over sixty years.
Although I did not formally surrender in 1970, when I met the devotees in Austin, Texas, I was already a Vaishnava from then and was building a home with a person I thought was also a devotee. Later, in 1977, I accepted initiation from one of those false gurus — and you know exactly who I'm talking about — but today I consider that initiation was really Ritvik, because he wasn't authorized to give initiation other than Ritvik.
That is why I consider myself a disciple of Srīla Prabhupāda, and therefore I am also your spiritual brother. So tell your followers to respect me if they want respect from me. Because if they talk to me like karmīs, then I'll treat them like karmī or worse.
That's what I wanted to tell you.
And as Krishna told Arjuna, now do what you want
Hare Kṛṣṇa.
PADA: This happens a lot with these GBC gurus.
Hare Kṛṣṇa.
PADA: This happens a lot with these GBC gurus.
1) They give themselves divine guru status as God's living successors.
2) Then they have most of us rank and file banned, beaten, sued and maybe killed, and orchestrate a mass child abuse process direct or de facto. All this so they can reign as imperious tyrants without anyone questioning their absolute status.
3) Then they often fall down into scandals. I think this guy had an affair with a female disciple.
4) Then they just waltz out the door, quit and resign, without ever explaining who gave them the post of absolute guru in the first place. And worse, often not even apologizing. And worse, not explaining that none of them were ever appointed as gurus. And worse, not explaining that Srila Prabhupada is their actual guru.
5) Worse, creating the public impression that Krishna and Srila Prabhupada wanted all these conditioned souls to be taking the post of their guru successors, when Srila Prabhupada and Krishna never said anything like that.
6) The upshot is, the temples just get more and more and more empty as the disillusioned, cheated, fleeced and exploited leave ISKCON -- and that makes it an empty shell. And these guys are never held accountable by the GBC. Which is why the Isopanisad says these false gurus can escape the laws of the mundane society, but never escape the laws of God.
But it is not only these leaders who should make a public retraction of all the nonsense they co-created and orchestrated, many of the rank and file who acquiesced and empowered all this should also make a public disassociation from all this, and explain that Srila Prabhupada should be the guru. And yeah, they are all getting older and dying, so they should say something now before it is too late.
Someone else wrote to ask me, how can guys like Giriraj live with himself knowing we all heard from his girlfriend -- he was getting oral sex in the temple room -- and yet he just waltzes around like nothing is wrong? When is he going to apologize or explain any of this? OK their track record is, they mostly never do anything to rectify the situation. And that is very sad because then Yamaraja will double or triple their prison time for their lack of remorse.
ys pd angel108b@yahoo.com
======
PADA: It looks like the work of some of the Bangalore devotees is drifting around here and there, and people are seeing -- it makes a lot of sense. I think we have to give them a lot of credit for helping explain this stuff to others.
Rather oddly, the Dayalu Nitai / Prahlad das / Prabhupadanu EU / HKC Jaipur guys chastised PADA repeatedly, demanding to know: "are you working with Bangalore"? Umm, am I working with the people who promote Srila Prabhupada? I dunno.
Why would I work with you guys and promote Saint Radhanath's molester messiah's project cheer leaders? Same thing, no explanation ever given, because there is none that sounds good. But to answer their question, no I am not in favor of cheer leading the anal reconstructive surgery epidemic messiah's program along with you guys. Neine danke!
Anyway, good writing here!
ys pd
BANGALORE's IDEA IS CORRECT
Apurba Indadyumna:
ISKCON-GBC Gurus Do Not Give Real Initiation by Śrī Suvyakta Narasimha Dāsa.
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Viśva-guru, Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jai. In different parts of the Vedas, it is explained that the varṇāśrama system was born from the different parts of the virāṭa-puruṣa incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. Thus, the varṇāśrama system is divine and hence it is eternal.
However, over time, this divine varṇāśrama system gradually degraded and morphed into its present vitiated form of the by-birth caste system of Hinduism. It is to the credit of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura that he demolished this longstanding belief that varṇāśrama is based on birth. He was the ācārya who vociferously, vigorously, and boldly preached that the caste system by birth is not authorized according to the Vedas.
Because of his breaking the stereotype, many influential castes of the time became inimical to him. Listen to Śrīla Prabhupāda talk about this.
Morning Walk ‒ February 10, 1976, Māyāpur
Prabhupāda: Allen Ginsberg introduced. “Yes. Gāñjā smoking is not taken as bad in India by the sādhus, not ordinary men.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Right. He told me, Mr. Das that it increased his meditation and ecstasy.
Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be, gāñjā smoking by the sādhus, sannyāsīs, is not taken very badly. The hippies learned from them.
Yes.
Allen Ginsberg introduced it.
Yes. Yes.
Gāñjā smoking is very good by saintly persons.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think your Guru Mahārāja spoke strongly against such persons.
Oh, yes. And from him we learned that intoxication, any kind of intoxication, is bad.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also was... He was also not very serious. But Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura was very serious.
And we learned from him.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How is it... Here it is, śāstra. No intoxication. Good.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How is it that Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was not so strict in that regard, yet his son, who learned from him, became very strict like a rod?
Prabhupāda: Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, so strict [laughs] that because he married twice, he used to say, strī-saṅgī, attached to women, even about his father. He was very strict. Sometimes when he would be angry, he would say, strī-saṅgī. And don’t discuss this thing.
He was very strict. No excuse. No compromise.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That’s where you got all of that from.
Prabhupāda: My imitation, but his was real. All these Navadvīpa people were afraid of him.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Afraid.
Prabhupāda: Strong-hearted. They made a, what is called, conspiracy to kill him.
Hṛdayānanda: Who did this?
Prabhupāda: Oh, the Navadvīpa Gosvāmīs. They raised twenty-five thousand rupees and wanted to bribe this police officer: ‘You take this money, we shall finish him. Don’t take any action.’
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But the policeman said?
Prabhupāda: Refused. ‘Yes, we take bribes, but not in such cases.’
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Why?
Prabhupāda: “He’s a saintly person. We cannot agree to that.” Everyone knows who takes bribes. They admit, ‘Yes, you take bribes, but not in such cases.’ This was told by Guru Mahārāja, Bhaktisi… to me. He was talking many things confidently.”
___________
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Right. He told me, Mr. Das that it increased his meditation and ecstasy.
Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be, gāñjā smoking by the sādhus, sannyāsīs, is not taken very badly. The hippies learned from them.
Yes.
Allen Ginsberg introduced it.
Yes. Yes.
Gāñjā smoking is very good by saintly persons.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think your Guru Mahārāja spoke strongly against such persons.
Oh, yes. And from him we learned that intoxication, any kind of intoxication, is bad.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also was... He was also not very serious. But Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura was very serious.
And we learned from him.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How is it... Here it is, śāstra. No intoxication. Good.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How is it that Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was not so strict in that regard, yet his son, who learned from him, became very strict like a rod?
Prabhupāda: Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, so strict [laughs] that because he married twice, he used to say, strī-saṅgī, attached to women, even about his father. He was very strict. Sometimes when he would be angry, he would say, strī-saṅgī. And don’t discuss this thing.
He was very strict. No excuse. No compromise.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That’s where you got all of that from.
Prabhupāda: My imitation, but his was real. All these Navadvīpa people were afraid of him.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Afraid.
Prabhupāda: Strong-hearted. They made a, what is called, conspiracy to kill him.
Hṛdayānanda: Who did this?
Prabhupāda: Oh, the Navadvīpa Gosvāmīs. They raised twenty-five thousand rupees and wanted to bribe this police officer: ‘You take this money, we shall finish him. Don’t take any action.’
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But the policeman said?
Prabhupāda: Refused. ‘Yes, we take bribes, but not in such cases.’
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Why?
Prabhupāda: “He’s a saintly person. We cannot agree to that.” Everyone knows who takes bribes. They admit, ‘Yes, you take bribes, but not in such cases.’ This was told by Guru Mahārāja, Bhaktisi… to me. He was talking many things confidently.”
___________
So, because Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura established on the basis of śāstra that caste is by qualification and not by birth, the casteists even hatched a conspiracy to assassinate him, but they failed. The casteists were, as it is, unable to counter Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura on the basis of śāstra. Over and above that, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura also started giving brāhmaṇa-dīkṣā, or initiations, to people who were born in non-brāhmaṇa families, provided, of course, they were following the four regulative principles and chanting sixty-four mālās of Hare Kṛṣṇa daily.
This further challenged the hegemony of the higher caste and dented the false ego of the casteists, and hence their desperation to silence him at all costs. But Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura was undaunted and continued preaching unabated. His disciple Śrīla Prabhupāda too adopted the same intrepid mood, and with the foundation laid by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Śrīla Prabhupāda gave brāhmaṇa-dīkṣā even to those born outside Hindu families, smashing all previous stereotypes, superstitions, and customs.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the śāstric basis for initiating or giving dīkṣā to people who are not born in brāhmaṇa families in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā,
Chapter 7, Verse 47, purport:
“In this Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī gives definite instructions that by proper initiation by a bona fide spiritual master, one can immediately become a brāhmaṇa. In this connection, he says:
yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti kāṁsyaṁ rasa-vidhānataḥ tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇām
‘As bell metal is turned to gold when mixed with mercury in an alchemical process, so one who is properly trained and initiated by a bona fide spiritual master immediately becomes a brāhmaṇa.’
Sometimes those born in brāhmaṇa families protest this, but they have no strong arguments against this principle. By the grace of Kṛṣṇa and His devotee, one’s life can change. This is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by the words jahāti-bandham and śuddhyanti.”
So, that revelation of divya-jñāna and vanquishing of sinful reactions is dīkṣā-vidhāna, or the process of initiation. Remember, initiation is a process, not a one-time activity. And in that process, which is a very lengthy one, the one-time activity of the ceremony, which is explained in the July 9th order, is a formality.
But then, the process of dīkṣā involves two things: divya-jñāna and pāpasya saṅkṣaya. When a devotee starts hearing, immediately the revelation of divya-jñāna begins. So, there dīkṣā starts.
But then, the process of dīkṣā involves two things: divya-jñāna and pāpasya saṅkṣaya. When a devotee starts hearing, immediately the revelation of divya-jñāna begins. So, there dīkṣā starts.
What about pāpasya saṅkṣaya (the destruction of sins)? Papa, or sinful reaction, is of two kinds. One is the stored-up or accumulated sinful reactions for which one is bound to suffer. Another is the propensity to perform sinful activities. When we start following Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions, we gradually take up the four regulative principles. That means our mind is gradually shifting away from the propensity to act sinfully.
We are no longer inclined to engage in the four sinful activities. That vanquishing of the propensity to act sinfully is one aspect of pāpasya saṅkṣaya. Hence, the moment a person starts reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books and starts following his instructions, starts following the four regulative principles, both divya-jñāna and pāpasya saṅkṣaya have commenced.
In other words, dīkṣā-vidhāna has started. The process of initiation has started. Therefore, Śrīla Prabhupāda is saying that the eternal bond between the disciple and spiritual master starts the day one begins hearing, and that when one decides to follow Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions seriously, that is real initiation, because dīkṣā-vidhāna has started from that moment.
The ceremony—the fire sacrifice, chanting on the beads, handing them over, and giving a spiritual name—is all simply a formality. In Message of Godhead, Chapter
One, Śrīla Prabhupāda says:
“The process of initiation begins from the date when we establish our transcendental relationship with the spiritual master.”
That means when we begin hearing from Śrīla Prabhupāda, the transcendental relationship of dīkṣā-guru and disciple is established eternally between Śrīla Prabhupāda and us. And this relationship is forever. This is the beginning of the process of initiation.
Now comes the natural question: What then is the need for formal initiation? One may even ask: Why is the July 9th order needed then? Why is a ṛtvik needed? We might as well take formal or official initiation from any one of the unauthorized dīkṣā-gurus in ISKCON. How does it matter? After all, it is only a formality or official procedure.
This raises the question: Are the devotees of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s ISKCON group overemphasizing the matter of formal initiation by insisting on following Śrīla Prabhupāda’s July 9th order? Because what is the July 9th order? The July 9th order of Śrīla Prabhupāda simply lists the procedure for formal or official initiation. That’s all.
So, if the devotee in his heart accepts following Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions, then he is truly initiated by Śrīla Prabhupāda. Officially, or as a formality, he may take initiation from any one of the hundred-plus dīkṣā-gurus in ISKCON, or maybe even from someone outside ISKCON. How does it matter?
To gain clarity on this, let us go through this letter to Satsvarūpa Prabhu dated 14 November 1968, in which Śrīla Prabhupāda throws more light on this:
“Yes, there is definitely a vast difference between initiated and non-initiated. One who is initiated is authorized, and one who is not initiated is not authorized.
Just like, for example, Pradyumna is attending Sanskrit classes in a college. He is given a chance to learn Sanskrit, but he is not equal with the regular students.
One who becomes initiated is channeled to the authorities in the disciplic succession.
Just like, for example, Pradyumna is attending Sanskrit classes in a college. He is given a chance to learn Sanskrit, but he is not equal with the regular students.
One who becomes initiated is channeled to the authorities in the disciplic succession.
One who is not initiated may chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and should certainly be encouraged to do so and serve in his own way, and gradually by doing so he may want to be initiated. But otherwise, he may fall away from following the rules and regulations.”
If you recall, Śrīla Prabhupāda, in a previous quote we shared, said that formal initiation is like admission to a school: a formality. Extending that same example here, Pradyumna Prabhu did not get formal admission into the Sanskrit college, but he was definitely a Sanskrit scholar. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda says he is not equal with those who underwent formal admission into the Sanskrit college.
That is why Śrīla Prabhupāda said to Suresh Chandra, “If you follow my instructions, then you are as good as my disciple.” Prabhupāda did not say, “Then you are my disciple.” Prabhupāda said, “You are as good as my disciple.” There is a difference between the two.
That is why Śrīla Prabhupāda said to Suresh Chandra, “If you follow my instructions, then you are as good as my disciple.” Prabhupāda did not say, “Then you are my disciple.” Prabhupāda said, “You are as good as my disciple.” There is a difference between the two.
So, although one may not undergo formal initiation but still follow Śrīla Prabhupāda without fail, there is still some difference between such a devotee and another who has undergone the formal ritual initiation ceremony.
What is the difference? What are the things that make a devotee who has undergone official ritual initiation different from one who has not?
What is the difference? What are the things that make a devotee who has undergone official ritual initiation different from one who has not?
In his letter to Jadurāṇī Mātājī dated 4 September 1972, Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote:
“The spiritual master accepts the sinful activities of his disciples from the first initiation. I may give initiation very easily, but what can I do? I am prepared to go to hell for the service of Lord Caitanya.”
“The spiritual master accepts the sinful activities of his disciples from the first initiation. I may give initiation very easily, but what can I do? I am prepared to go to hell for the service of Lord Caitanya.”
So, this means that when one undergoes formal initiation, Śrīla Prabhupāda takes the accumulated sinful reactions of the disciple at that time. The same thing was conveyed in a letter by Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Gosvāmī to Satsvarūpa Gosvāmī on 7 August 1977:
“Śrīla Prabhupāda explained the difference between first and second initiation as follows:
‘Why do you believe in rumors that first initiation is not so important as second? I have already said that it is equally important, but you say a rumor. Actually, first initiation is more important. We can go without second initiation. If the first initiation is executed very thoroughly, that is sufficient. First initiation stands strong.
The spiritual master accepts the disciple’s sinful reactions upon giving first initiation. The Vedic system was to give the sacred thread at the first initiation. We are following pāñcarātrikī. Vedic initiation was given to a person born to a brāhmaṇa. That is not possible in this age. Therefore, he has to be prepared by harināma initiation and then second initiation. He is given a chance. Therefore others protest that I am giving initiation. “He is not born of a brāhmaṇa. How can he be initiated?”’
At the time of formal initiation, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the dīkṣā-guru, accepts the disciple’s sinful reactions.
For a devotee who is not formally initiated, Śrīla Prabhupāda removes the propensity to perform sinful activities, but the devotee still has to suffer for the accumulated sinful reactions. Those sinful reactions are absorbed or accepted by Śrīla Prabhupāda only at the time of formal initiation. This is one aspect of formal initiation.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains another aspect of what happens during formal initiation in this letter to Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Gosvāmī dated 19 August 1968:
“The chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is our main business. That is real initiation. And as you are all following my instruction in the matter, the initiator is already there. Now the next initiation will be performed as a ceremony officially. Of course, that ceremony has value because the holy name will be delivered to the student from the disciplic succession. It has got value. But in spite of that, as you are going on chanting, please continue with this business sincerely, and Kṛṣṇa willing, I may be coming to you very soon.”
So here, the second thing that happens at the time of official or formal initiation is that the holy name is delivered to the disciple through the disciplic succession.
Hence, Śrīla Prabhupāda says in this letter that the official or formal initiation ceremony has value. We cannot neglect it.
Hence, Śrīla Prabhupāda says in this letter that the official or formal initiation ceremony has value. We cannot neglect it.
In yet another letter to John Darsinos, dated 23 November 1968, Śrīla Prabhupāda says:
“In answer to your question about the importance of initiation, it is to be understood that initiation means that power is coming from the Supreme by the bona fide disciplic succession. This is required. Of course, for anyone to hear the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will produce a favorable result. But formally, one should receive this knowledge from the disciplic succession.
For example, Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa were friends, but still Arjuna submitted himself formally as Kṛṣṇa’s disciple. This is essential. We should take example from these great personalities. Arjuna was hearing Bhagavad-gītā from Kṛṣṇa, but still he submitted: ‘Now I am Your disciple. Please instruct me.’ So this is the process. I hope this will clear up your question sufficiently.”
So here, Śrīla Prabhupāda stresses that formal initiation is essential. Śrīla Prabhupāda gives the example of Arjuna, that he was hearing from Kṛṣṇa, but still he formally submitted himself as Kṛṣṇa’s disciple. So this formality is also essential in the entire process of initiation.
At the time of formal initiation, those two things—that of accepting the accumulated sinful reactions of the disciple and delivering the holy name from the disciplic succession to the disciple—are performed by the dīkṣā-guru.
Pāpasya saṅkṣayam actually has three aspects. One of them, as we have discussed, is the removal of the propensity to act sinfully, which is done before formal initiation. The second aspect of pāpasya saṅkṣayam is the acceptance of the accumulated sinful reactions of the disciple by the dīkṣā-guru, which is done at the time of formal initiation.
Pāpasya saṅkṣayam actually has three aspects. One of them, as we have discussed, is the removal of the propensity to act sinfully, which is done before formal initiation. The second aspect of pāpasya saṅkṣayam is the acceptance of the accumulated sinful reactions of the disciple by the dīkṣā-guru, which is done at the time of formal initiation.
The third aspect of pāpasya saṅkṣayam is explained by Śrīla Prabhupāda in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.1.35, purport:
“When a person, even though a caṇḍāla, is initiated by a pure devotee into chanting the holy name of the Lord, his body changes as he follows the instructions of the spiritual master. Although one cannot see how his body has changed, we must accept on the grounds of the authoritative statements of the śāstra that he changes his body. This is to be understood without argument.
This verse clearly says sa jahāti bandham—he gives up his material bondage.
This verse clearly says sa jahāti bandham—he gives up his material bondage.
The body is a symbolic representation of material bondage according to one’s karma. Although sometimes we cannot see the gross body changing, chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord immediately changes the subtle body, and because the subtle body changes, the living entity is immediately freed from material bondage.
After all, changes of the gross body are conducted by the subtle body. After the destruction of the gross body, the subtle body takes the living entity from his present gross body to another. In the subtle body, the mind is predominant, and therefore if one’s mind is always absorbed in remembering the activities or the lotus feet of the Lord, he is to be understood to have already changed his present body and become purified.
Therefore, it is irrefutable that a caṇḍāla, or any fallen or low-born person, can become a brāhmaṇa simply by the method of bona fide initiation.”
So, the third aspect of pāpasya saṅkṣaya is that the dīkṣā-guru changes the subtle body of the disciple and grants him a brāhmaṇa body.
One receives one’s gross and subtle body due to previous karma. The dīkṣā-guru destroys one’s karmic subtle body and grants one a new brāhmaṇical sāttvika subtle body, which one could not have attained otherwise through one’s karma.
That is how, although a person is not born in a brāhmaṇa family—he may not even be born in a Hindu family—if he takes pāñcarātrika-dīkṣā from a bona fide spiritual master, from a pure devotee, as we saw in the first quote from Śrīla Prabhupāda, then he can chant the Gāyatrī mantra and worship the Deity of Viṣṇu, which is allowed only for brāhmaṇas.
That is how, although a person is not born in a brāhmaṇa family—he may not even be born in a Hindu family—if he takes pāñcarātrika-dīkṣā from a bona fide spiritual master, from a pure devotee, as we saw in the first quote from Śrīla Prabhupāda, then he can chant the Gāyatrī mantra and worship the Deity of Viṣṇu, which is allowed only for brāhmaṇas.
So the question comes: What kind of spiritual master can do this? This requires extraordinary power—the power to absorb previous karma and grant a fresh new subtle body of a brāhmaṇa. This cannot be done by some “no-objection” dīkṣā-guru.
Only a dīkṣā-guru who is a pure devotee, as we saw in the first quote—only a dīkṣā-guru who has been specifically empowered by the authorization of his predecessor dīkṣā-guru to become a dīkṣā-guru himself—only such a dīkṣā-guru has the power received from Kṛṣṇa and his predecessor dīkṣā-guru to absorb accumulated pāpa-karma and to replace one’s subtle body with a brāhmaṇical sāttvika subtle body.
That is why Śrīla Prabhupāda says in several places that unless one is a pure devotee, one must not even attempt to become a dīkṣā-guru.
The GBC, however, in its Resolution No. 409 of 2004, has categorically denied any such power in their “no-objection” dīkṣā-gurus. Then what is the value of the dīkṣā that they are giving?
The GBC, however, in its Resolution No. 409 of 2004, has categorically denied any such power in their “no-objection” dīkṣā-gurus. Then what is the value of the dīkṣā that they are giving?
The unauthorized dīkṣā-gurus in ISKCON are not replacing the subtle body of their disciples, nor are they revealing divya-jñāna in the hearts of their disciples, nor are they removing the sinful propensities of their disciples, nor are they absorbing the accumulated sinful reactions of their disciples. They are not doing any of these things.
The only thing they are doing is giving formal or official initiation—not real initiation—to their disciples. What is the value of such initiation or dīkṣā? We urge you to please consider this very seriously.
Now, from the side of the disciple, due to formal initiation there is another thing that happens. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes it in his letter to Dayānanda Prabhu dated 24 March 1974:
“All initiated devotees must chant at least sixteen rounds daily without fail. Now that they are initiated, there is no question of not doing their rounds. You may hold a fire yajña, and Jagadīśa Prabhu may chant on their beads.
In court, when a person swears to tell the truth, he can be punished for perjury if he does not take it seriously and tells a lie. So those who promise before the Deity to follow the rules and regulations of initiated disciples will be punished if they fail to do so.”
So this means that if after formal initiation a disciple fails to follow the instructions of the dīkṣā-guru, he will be punished for it. That may not be the case with a person who has not undergone formal initiation.
Such a devotee who has not taken formal initiation may not be punished if he transgresses any of the regulative principles. But if a formally initiated disciple does that, he will be punished for it. Hence, formal initiation is also a serious matter.
Although it is only one step, a one-time activity in the whole process of initiation or dīkṣā-vidhāna, still it is a serious matter.
Therefore, although the ṛtvik initiation ceremony outlined in the July 9th order is only formal initiation—the formality part of the entire initiation process—still it is essential and has great value.
It follows, therefore, that we cannot say: “I will accept Śrīla Prabhupāda as my guru in my heart, but officially, as a formality, I will get initiated by any one of the unauthorized dīkṣā-gurus in ISKCON.”
You see, everyone in ISKCON gets divya-jñāna by reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. Everyone gives up sinful propensities by following the four regulative principles, and who has given these four regulative principles? It is Śrīla Prabhupāda who has given them. None of these unauthorized dīkṣā-gurus are giving the regulative principles.
So every devotee in ISKCON, without exception, has established an eternal bond with Śrīla Prabhupāda as his disciple from the day he begins to hear from Śrīla Prabhupāda, from the day he begins to read Prabhupāda’s books. Śrīla Prabhupāda starts the process of initiation, or dīkṣā-vidhāna, in every devotee’s life in ISKCON.
Now, when the time for formal initiation comes, if the devotee is told that formally he should accept someone else as his dīkṣā-guru—one of the unauthorized dīkṣā-gurus in ISKCON—is that not an insult to Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Śrīla Prabhupāda did all the hard work, revealed transcendental knowledge in the heart of the devotee, removed his propensity to act sinfully, and then what happens? An unauthorized dīkṣā-guru in ISKCON, who neither gave divya-jñāna nor performed pāpasya saṅkṣaya, claims that the devotee is his disciple.
Is this not a direct insult and offense at the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Is this not a direct insult and offense at the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda?
By banning the ṛtvik system of initiations, is not the GBC of ISKCON declaring that Śrīla Prabhupāda must give divya-jñāna and remove the sinful propensities of the devotees in ISKCON, but must do so only to hand over the disciple to them? Is that fair?
If the unauthorized dīkṣā-gurus in ISKCON were revealing transcendental knowledge, divya-jñāna, in the hearts of their disciples from day one, and if those disciples never heard from Śrīla Prabhupāda, and if the unauthorized dīkṣā-guru removed all their sinful propensities by his powerful preaching, then the matter would be different. But that is not what is happening in ISKCON.
Śrīla Prabhupāda does all the hard work, and someone else enjoys the fruit of the disciple. Can you imagine that?
Have the GBC not made Śrīla Prabhupāda a servant of their ambition to become dīkṣā-gurus by relegating him to the position of some “preeminent śikṣā-guru,” when it is Prabhupāda who is doing all the hard work of real initiation—dīkṣā?
If some devotee was kept in the dark by the GBC and he took formal initiation from some unauthorized dīkṣā-guru sincerely believing that this was the system Śrīla Prabhupāda established, but later he comes to know about the July 9th order and accepts that Śrīla Prabhupāda alone is his dīkṣā-guru, and that the person whom he considered his dīkṣā-guru till then acted only in the capacity of a ṛtvik to oversee the formal initiation ceremony, then that devotee will be absolved of any offense at the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda because he was misled. It is not that he deliberately disobeyed Prabhupāda.
If some devotee was kept in the dark by the GBC and he took formal initiation from some unauthorized dīkṣā-guru sincerely believing that this was the system Śrīla Prabhupāda established, but later he comes to know about the July 9th order and accepts that Śrīla Prabhupāda alone is his dīkṣā-guru, and that the person whom he considered his dīkṣā-guru till then acted only in the capacity of a ṛtvik to oversee the formal initiation ceremony, then that devotee will be absolved of any offense at the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda because he was misled. It is not that he deliberately disobeyed Prabhupāda.
But if someone, after knowing about the July 9th order and knowing that the ṛtvik system of dīkṣā is available to him in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s ISKCON group, still goes ahead and takes formal dīkṣā from any of the unauthorized dīkṣā-gurus in ISKCON, is he not directly insulting Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Please deeply ponder over these questions, and if you truly want to be saved from any offense to the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda, it is better to take formal initiation through the ṛtvik system of initiations.
The dīkṣā-vidhāna, or process of initiation in your life, was started by Śrīla Prabhupāda, and he alone is revealing divya-jñāna in your heart and removing all sinful propensities in your life. Hence, he is eternally your dīkṣā-guru.
The earlier you recognize this and surrender your allegiance as a disciple to Śrīla Prabhupāda instead of one of the unauthorized dīkṣā-gurus, the faster you will be relieved from the offense of insulting Śrīla Prabhupāda, which the GBC of the ISKCON Mumbai group is indulging in.
The earlier you recognize this and surrender your allegiance as a disciple to Śrīla Prabhupāda instead of one of the unauthorized dīkṣā-gurus, the faster you will be relieved from the offense of insulting Śrīla Prabhupāda, which the GBC of the ISKCON Mumbai group is indulging in.
We trust that we have been able to convey the importance of the July 9th order. Although that order details the formal initiation ceremony and is not the entire initiation process itself, still it is very crucial.
We hope you understand why we are so vocal about supporting and propagating the July 9th order and the ṛtvik system of initiations. That is why it is important to follow the July 9th order of Śrīla Prabhupāda and implement the ṛtvik system of initiations in ISKCON.
Hare Kṛṣṇa. Viśva-guru Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya.
