Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah
BY: MAHESH RAJA
Mar 16, UK (SUN) — Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah
We have to FOLLOW Srila Prabhupada the mahajana - the great authority.
SB 3.16.23 Purport - The Two Doorkeepers of Vaikuntha, Jaya and Vijaya, Cursed by the Sages
"In Bhagavad-gita it is stated by the Lord Himself that the acts and character of great authorities are followed by people in general. Leaders of ideal character are therefore needed in society. Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appeared in this material world just to show the example of perfect authority, and people have to follow His path. The Vedic injunction is that one cannot understand the Absolute Truth simply by mental speculation or logical argument. One has to follow the authorities. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. Great authorities should be followed; otherwise, if we simply depend on the scriptures, we are sometimes misled by rascals, or else we cannot understand or follow the different spiritual injunctions. The best path is to follow the authorities."
Many thanks to Harakumara das Prabhu for a very appropriate
<a href="
http://harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/03-08/editorials2631.htm"
target="_blank"><B>article response</b></a> to
Balavidya prabhu.
I would like to address the two points Balavidya prabhu has
made:
a) Rtvik --
sastric references
b) Souls
falldown from Vaikuntha/Goloka -- which
he denies
a)
Rtvik -- Sastric References
Balavidya Prabhu says there is no
sastric reference so it can not be accepted. But WHERE is Balavidya prabhu's
sastric reference in what Srila Prabhupada did AND was accepted FULLY without
his so-called sastric references?
Here are just a few examples;
1)
He got his disciples married --
Sannyasis do not do this.
2)
He gave Gayatri mantra in tape --
it was never done before
3)
He asked a devotees wife
to chant Gayatri mantra and asked the devotee to hear from his wife -- this was never done before.
Here Srila Prabhupada is showing us he as the EMPOWERED
ACARYA the mahajana sets the precedents this is unique because there is NO
TRADITION in the vedic culture where a wife chants the Gayatri mantra and the
husband hears. Also hearing the Gayatri mantra from Srila Prabhupada's tape
this is also unique traditionally it is given by the acarya BUT Srila
Prabhupada asked they simply hear HIM chant FROM a TAPE. So those who say
Ritvik---there is no precedent in our Vedic culture should understand SRILA
PRABHUPADA IS THE ACARYA----HE SETS THE PRECEDENTS! We are not following
some blind traditions we follow Srila Prabhupada THE MAHAJANA
- GREAT AUTHORITY who set so many examples so that according to the
time place and circumstances we can function as a varnasrama institution.
71-04-04. Letter: Vaikunthanatha,
Saradia
EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE HAD NO GAYATRI MANTRA, STILL YOU ARE MORE THAN BRAHMANA. I
am enclosing herewith your sacred thread, duly chanted on by me. Gayatri mantra
is as follows:
[TAKEN OUT]
ASK YOUR WIFE TO CHANT THIS MANTRA AND
YOU HEAR IT and if possible hold a fire ceremony as you have seen during your
marriage and get this sacred thread on your body. SARADIA, OR ANY
TWICE-INITIATED DEVOTEE, MAY PERFORM THE CEREMONY.
All the change was in terms of FORMALITY(THE CEREMONY
) of initiations described as "That is not very important thing".
Srila prabhupada says, "the FORMALITIES may be slightly changed here
and there to make them Vaisnavas".
that's all. And that formalities was as per
Pancaratriki Viddhi. (<A HREF="
http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/11-07/editorials2223.htm" TARGET="_BLANK"><b>Refer
to my article</b></a>)
SB 4.8.54 P Dhruva Maharaja Leaves
Home for the Forest
Those who are not actually in the
line of acaryas, or who personally have no knowledge of how to act in the role
of acarya, unnecessarily criticize the activities of the ISKCON movement in
countries outside of India. The fact is that such critics cannot do anything
personally to spread Krsna consciousness. If someone does go and preach, taking
all risks and allowing all considerations for time and place, it might be that
there are changes in the manner of worship, but that is not at all faulty
according to sastra. Srimad Viraraghava Acarya, an acarya in the disciplic
succession of the Ramanuja-sampradaya, has remarked in his commentary that
candalas, or conditioned souls who are born in lower than sudra families, can
also be INITIATED according to circumstances. The FORMALITIES may be
slightly changed here and there to make them Vaisnavas.
761016iv.cha -
Conversations
Interviewer: What is the
procedure of the movement? Do you initiate yourself all the disciples or do
your other disciples also do
that?
Prabhupada: Well,
initiation or no initiation, first thing is knowledge. (break) ...knowledge.
Initiation is formality. Just like you go to a school for knowledge, and
admission is formality. That is not very important thing.
Whereas Srila Prabhupada (Uttama adhikari) DELIVERS by
giving DIKSA knowledge the FORMALITY is conducted by the Rtviks
(Representatives). (<a
href="http://harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/12-07/editorials2330.htm"
target="_blank"><B>Refer to my article</b></a>)
Madhya 22.65 - The Process of
Devotional Service
uttama-adhikari--the topmost
devotee; sei--he; taraye samsara--can deliver the whole world.
Karma is taken by UTTAMA-ADHAKARI Srila Prabhupada. Only he
can DELIVER by definition. uttama-adhikari Sei taraye samsara.
The Rtvik is a PRIEST and
this is evidenced in Srimad Bhagavatam see references below. Since there
were Rtviks in the past WHAT is unsastric about their use NOW in the present or
future? How can you say the RTVIKS can not be part of Vedic culture? Priest is
not part of Vedic culture?
We can see Srila Prabhupada was
USING Rtviks for FORMALITY of 1st and 2nd
initiations as per July 9th 1977 letter and the disciples were to be
Srila Prabhupada's NOT the Rtviks.
How can you deny Rtviks being
part of Vedic culture?
Even sub-Vedic cultures use
PRIESTS so why deny Rtviks?
Srimad-Bhagavatam:
Ritvik : 4.6.1 / 4.7.16 / 5.3.2 / 5.3.3 /
5.4.17 / 7.3.20 / 8.20.22 / 9.1.15
Rtvijah : 4.5.7 / 4.5.18 / 4.7.27 / 4.7.45 /
4.13.26 / 4.19.27 / 4.19.29 / 5.3.4 / 5.3.15 / 5.3.18 / 5.7.5 8.16.53 / 8.18.21
/8.18.22 / 9.4.23 / 9.6.3
Rtvijam : 4.6.52 / 4.21.5 / 8.23.13 / 9.13.1
Rtvigbhyah : 8.16.55
Rtvigbhih : 4.7.56 / 9.13.3
<A
HREF="http://harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/12-07/editorials2265.htm"
target="_blank"><B>In my article</b></a> I
mentioned that one accepting Srila Prabhupada's DISCIPLINE is FACTUALLY
Srila Prabhupada's disciple
What EXTRA discipline can ANY
of these bogus GBC Voted-In conditioned soul opportunist "gurus" give
that is NOT in Srila Prabhupada's books, Tapes, CDs?
ALL the DISCIPLINE is FACTUALLY coming FROM Srila Prabhupada
starting with 4 regulative principles and chanting 16 rounds Hare Krsna Maha
mantra. Srila Prabhupada's books/tapes/cds are FULL with DISCIPLINE and
it is THIS DISCIPLINE that makes DISCIPLE.
The
MEANING of the word "disciple"
Srila
Prabhupada's Morning Walk, March 8, 1976 in Mayapur:
Prabhupada:
"Discipline... Disciple means discipline. The word discipline comes from
disciple, or disciple comes from discipline. So unless there is discipline,
there is no question of disciple. This discipline must... That should be
uniform. Otherwise, sisya... sisya, the word sisya, it comes from the root,
verb, sas-dhatu. sas. sas means ruling. From this word, sasana. Sasana means
government. sastra. sashtra means weapon, and sastra, scripture, and sisya...
These things have come from the one root sas-dhatu. So sas-dhatu means ruling
under discipline. There is another English word, that "Obedience is the
first law of discipline," or something. They say, "Obedience is the
first law of discipline"? So I am right? "Obedience is..."? That
is the...
Tamala Krsna: Yes, that's more or less what it is.
Prabhupada: No, what is the word, exact. There is an English word.
"Obedience is the first law of discipline." So unless there is
obedience, there cannot be any discipline. And unless there is
discipline, there is no question of disciple. DISCIPLE
MEANS ONE WHO FOLLOWS DISCIPLINE."
b)Souls falldown from Vaikuntha/Goloka -- which he denies
Instead of accepting the evidence FROM Srila Prabhupada you
can see Balavidya prabhu denies him. This is called living in denial.
This is his sheer lack of honesty. The whole philosophy is understood in terms
of SIMULTANEOUS ONENESS AND DIFFRENCE . I have already <a
href="http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/01-08/editorials2417.htm"
target="_blank"><B>explained here</b></a>.
Lets see further evidence HOW Balavidya prabhu lives in
denial by NOT accepting Srila Prabhupada:
Srila Prabhupada qualifies the word USUALLY does not fall
down
Letter to
Jagadish, 4.25.70
"Regarding
your questions concerning the spirit soul's falling into maya's influence, it
is not that those who have developed a passive relationship with Krishna are
more likely to fall into nescient activities. Usually, anyone who has
developed his relationship with Krishna does not fall down in any
circumstances, but because the independence is always there, the soul may
fall down from any position or any relationship by misusing his
independence. But his relationship with Krishna is never lost. Simply it
is forgotten by the influence of maya, so it may be regained or revived
by the process of hearing the Holy Name..."
When fall takes place, it means falling down from the
non-fallen condition. Bramajoti fall down(the impersonal brahma) is non
Krsna Conscious condition consequently it is FALLEN condition also. So where is
NOT FALLEN condition? Vaikuntha.
70-06-13. Letter:
Revatinandana
The next question, about the living
entities falling down in this material world are not from the impersonal
brahman. Existence in the impersonal brahma is also within the category of
non-Krsna consciousness. Those who are in the brahman effulgence they are
also in the fallen condition, so there is no question of falling down from a
fallen condition. When fall takes place, it means falling down from the
non-fallen condition.
Here Srila Prabhupada makes it very clear -- Because we
have also come down from Vaikuntha some millions and millions of years ago -- What
can be more clear?
730806BG.LON - Lectures
"Because
we have also come down from Vaikuntha some millions and millions of years ago.
Anadi karama-phale. Anadi means before the creation. We living entities,
we are eternal. Even the creation is annihilated after millions and trillions
of years, the living entities, they are not annihilated. Na hanyate hanyamane
sarire. They remain. So when this whole cosmic manifestation will be
annihilated, the living entities will remain in the body of Visnu. Then when
again another creation will take place, they will come out again to fulfill
their desires. The real desire is how to go to home, back to Godhead.
So this chance
is given. So if this chance is misused, this life, human form of life, it is
very, very risky. Again we will have to accept the cycle of birth and death.
And not only that, if we do not fulfill the mission of life, then again there
will be annihilation of the whole creation and we will have to stay within the
body of Visnu for millions and trillions of years. Again we will have to come.
So therefore it is called anadi karama-phale. Anadi means "before the
creation." This is going on. And to teach the befooled living entities,
Krsna personally comes. Krsna is very much anxious to take us back to home,
back to Godhead. Because we are part and parcel of Krsna. Suppose if your son
is loitering in the street, are you not anxious, "Oh, there may be some
accident, and the poor boy will be killed." So you go, try to find out.
Similarly, Krsna's position is like that. We are in this material world simply
suffering life after life. Duhkhalayam asasvatam. This place is miserable. But
maya's illusion, we are taking this miserable condition of life as happiness.
This is called maya."
We do not even know how many
creations we have been, in and out. But one important factor is that the
original fall was from Vaikuntha. If we say before creation, then we have to
ask which creation?
REINSTATED
how can one be reinstated UNLESS he comes FROM the ORIGINAL plane of service in
VAIKUNTHA?
NOD Ch 9 - Submission
This desiring some perfectional stage in spiritual life is
not sense gratification. When one realizes something of his constitutional
relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he understands his
original position and wants to be reinstated in this position, either as friend,
servant, parent or conjugal lover of Krsna. That is called lalasamayi, or
very eagerly desiring to go to one's natural position. This lalasamayi stage of
submission comes in the stage of perfect liberation, which is technically
called svarupa-siddhi, when the living entity understands, by perfect spiritual
advancement and revelation, his original relationship with the Lord."
FORMERLY WE WERE WITH KRSNA IN HIS LILA OR SPORT.
This is VERY clear. HOW can ANYONE deny this?
Crow And Tal-Fruit Logic
We never had any occasion when we were separated from Krsna.
Just like one man is dreaming and he forgets himself. In dream he creates
himself in different forms: now I am the King discussing like that. This
creation of himself is as seer and subject matter or seen, two things. But as
soon as the dream is over, the "seen" disappears. But the seer
remains. Now he is in his original position.
Our separation from Krsna is like that. We dream this body
and so many relationships with other things. First the attachment comes to
enjoy sense gratification. Even with Krsna desire for sense gratification is
there. There is a dormant attitude for forgetting Krsna and creating an
atmosphere for enjoying independently. Just like at the edge of the beach,
sometimes the water covers, sometimes there is dry sand, coming and going. Our
position is like that, sometimes covered, sometimes free, just like at the edge
of the tide. As soon as we forget, immediately the illusion is there. Just like
as soon as we sleep, dream is there.
We cannot say therefore that we are not with Krsna. As soon
as we try to become Lord, immediately we are covered by Maya. FORMERLY WE
WERE WITH KRSNA IN HIS LILA OR SPORT. But this covering of Maya may be of
very, very, very, very long duration, therefore many creations are coming and
going. Due to this long period of time it is sometimes said that we are
ever-conditioned. But his long duration of time becomes very insignificant when
one actually comes to Krsna consciousness. Just like in a dream we are thinking
very long time, but as soon as we awaken we look at our watch and see it has
been a moment only. Just like with Krsna's friends, they were kept asleep for
one year by Brahma, but when they woke up and Krsna returned before them, they
considered that only a moment had passed.
So this dreaming condition is called non-liberated life, and
this is just like a dream. Although in this material calculation it is a long,
long period, as soon as we come to Krsna consciousness then this period is considered
as a second. For example, Jaya and Vijaya. They had their lila with Krsna, but
they had to come down for their little mistake. They were given mukti, emerging
into the Brahmasayujya after being killed three times as demons. This
Brahmasayujya mukti is non-permanent. Every living entity wants pleasure, but
Brahmasayujya is minus pleasure. There is eternal existence only. So when they
do not find transcendental bliss, they fall down to make a compromise with
material bliss. Just like Vivekananda founded so many schools and hospitals. So
even Lord Brahma, he is still material and wants to lord it over. He may come
down to become a germ, but then he may rise up to Krsna consciousness and go
back to home, back to Godhead. This is the position.
So when I say Yes, there is eternal lila with Krsna, that
means on the evidence of Jaya-Vijaya. Unless one develops full devotional
service to Krsna, he goes up only up to Brahmasayujya but falls down. But after
millions and millions of years of keeping oneself away from the lila of the
Lord, when one comes to Krsna consciousness this period becomes insignificant,
just like dreaming.
BECAUSE HE FALLS DOWN FROM BRAHMASAYUJYA, HE THINKS THAT
MAY BE HIS ORIGIN, BUT HE DOES NOT REMEMBER THAT BEFORE THAT EVEN HE WAS WITH KRSNA.
So the conclusion is that whatever may be our past, let us come to Krsna
consciousness and immediately join Krsna. Just like with a diseased man, it is
a waste of time to try to find out how he has become diseased, better to spend
time curing the disease.
Conclusion:
Lord Sri Krsna is the benefactor of TRUTHFUL devotee NOT one
who is living denial or who resorts to twisting Srila Prabhupada's words to
suit his ego. These passages are transparent or self-effulgent so clear because
they are surcharged by Srila Prabhupada's words . Anyone who is honest
can understand and appreciate.
Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17 T --
Divinity and Divine Service
srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani
vidhunoti suhrt satam
TRANSLATION
Sri Krsna, the Personality of
Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the
benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment
from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages,
which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.
