Proper Gurus, Not More Gurus BY: CAITANYA DAS

PADA: The GBC says they cannot guarantee the level of realization of the gurus they are voting in. Well no kidding, their gurus keep flopping left, right and center. Rocana says we shall continue the process of adding more (conditioned soul) gurus, but we need to simply increase the guru administration department -- so we can vote in, vote out, censure, suspend, monitor, excommunicate and regulate them better. Gurus need administration by a committee?

Maybe they should only make gurus out of people who are qualified? Of course none of these people address the fact that conditioned souls cannot absorb sins like Jesus and be diksha gurus. That is impossible. ys pd 

GBC RESOLUTIONS, No 409, 2004

"When the GBC allows a devotee to take up the service of initiating, it does not thereby endorse him as an uttama-adhikari or "pure devotee" or certify his having achieved any specific state of realization. Rather, the GBC indicates that it has no objection to his initiating disciples within ISKCON".


Proper Gurus, Not More Gurus

BY: CAITANYA DAS — MANCHESTER, ENGLAND —

There is a call from some quarters in ISKCON, we need more Gurus. What type of Gurus? Family gurus, as was prominent in the debunked false varnashram system fraudulently posing as real varnashram and for so long prominent in India?

Instead of speculations and endless committees and passing of papers, why not hear what our Acaryas have said on the matter. Let's begin with text one of Nectar of Instruction:

A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind's demands, the actions of anger, and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world,

One who only speaks on the Subject matters related to Krishna Consciousness, who is fully absorbed within his mind in the external services of the followers of Rupa Goswami, the transcendental passionate devotees of the Lord, will be a fit Candidate.

One who is free from envy of Vaishnavas, who is truly cooperative and sees the vision of His Guru as the paramount importance in his and other's lives, and is free from malice and criticism toward the bone fide devotees of the Lord, will be a candidate

One who is moderate and simple in his living standards, and who is completely free from sex life will be a candidate. We cannot have candidates for Guruship who in any way contemplate the objects of the senses, or who within their minds carry sex desire.

Such a person will have to be well established in Krishna Consciousness and naturally relishing the Holy Name, Form, Qualities and Pastimes of the Lord, and understand the significance of text 8 of the Nectar of Instruction.

The essence of all advise is one should utilise one's full time, twenty four hours a day in chanting and remembering the transcendental form qualities and eternal pastimes, thereby gradually engaging one's tongue and mind. In this way one should reside in Vraja and serve under the guidance of devotees.

One should follow in the footsteps of the Lord's beloved devotees, who are deeply attached to His devotional service. As previously stated, Srila Visvanatha Cakravati Thakur has in his auspicious invocation to his Sri Krishna Bhavanamrita mahakavya:

I worship Srila Sanatana and Srila Rupa Goswami who brought the King and Queen of Vrndavana Sri Sri Radha Krishna out of their hearts into this world, and who revealed Their pastimes from the Vedic literature, and who are followed by the Transcendentally passionate devotees with an external body.

Second meaning he gives:

With a mentally conceived spiritual body, I worship the girlfriends of Srimati Radharani and Sri Krishna, headed by Lalita, who always keep the eternal forms of the Lord and Lady of the Vraja forests within their hearts, and whose desire tree of pastimes are being praised by the Divine Couple Themselves when they unit, and without whose assistance the pastimes of the Divine Union cannot reach perfection.

In the purport of Chapter eight of the Nectar of Instruction, the clear understanding is given by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Goswami Maharaja, who Srila Prabhupada quotes, of exactly how one can progress in Krishna Consciousness, and I would suggest anyone considering taking disciples, or those considering advocating increasing the Gurus, should study and bear this purport in mind.

We do not require family gurus in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, rather we require self realised souls.

We shall consider other verses and recommendations in our next post, including tad viddhi pranipatena, — tasman gurum prapadyeta —-tad vijnananartham sa gurum evabhigacchet, as well as saksad-dharitvena samasta sastrair, and the implications of the verse brahmananda brahmite kona bhagyavan jiva.

The understanding of Siksa and Diksa gurus and the prominent line of highly qualified siksa within our sampradaya, despite the differences of space time, needs careful consideration, contemplation and understanding.

Further to emphasise the point, in his essay entitled 'The Acaryas Unequalled and Unsurpassed Greatness', Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Goswami makes the point of a need to give up family based dharma to accept the necessity of haribhajan. In so doing one gives up the uselessness of materialistic family gurus and serve exclusively the paramahamsas.

ISKCON should keep its standard high of accepted Diksa gurus in light of what Srila Bhaktisiddhanta says, by the education of prospective disciples, less we are seen to be endangering the real Mission of Mahaprabhu, daivi-varnashram, and instead bringing about a varnashram mission with family gurus who are far from being the Paramahamsas that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and Srila Prabhupada envisaged.