What's so Difficult to Understand?
BY: BHAKTA SURIA
Mar 26, SINGAPORE (SUN) — I am replying here to the rebuttals made by Gadadhara das to my earlier article, "The July 9th Letter", but not others which were irrelevant to the subject.
Gadadhara dasa writes:
"(1) Suriya Prabhu states:
"The letter was clearly addressed to these 11 representatives, and nobody else."
That is way off. The title of the letter says: "Letter to: All G.B.C., All Temple Presidents". Suriya Prabhu needs to calm down. Don't let your expectations color your perceptions."
Prabhu you're wrong. That address is to notify the GBC and Temple President, what I really meant is the main ingredient within the letter. Let's examine:
"The newly initiated devotees are disciples of His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the above eleven senior devotees
acting as His representative."
So it's very clear that these are the only 11 who are acting as his representative and nobody else. Full stop. What's so difficult in understanding that prabhu?
"After considering the recommendation, these representatives may
accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada "
"These representatives" means those 11 only, nobody else. Direct meaning.
"The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the
representative who has accepted him or her to Srila Prabhupada."
So only these representatives should send the names to Srila
Prabhupada. Which representative? Those 11 only. So the whole letter
is addressed to these 11 representatives only, who are conducting and
giving names. Nobody else. What's there to argue about? Common sense.
So if you interpret it for the next 10,000 years, what about these 11
representatives. That is the point.
"To Prabhupada" means he must be around, I sent this file to John. This
means John must be around. Common sense. So "henceforward" from now
on, "these representative" will conduct initiations and they will send
the names " to Srila Prabhupada". So what does this say? Both the
sender and receiver must be around to make it valid, not for thousands
of years, that is rubbish. Srila Prabhupada confirms it:
"...continue to become ritvik and act on my charge." (July 19th, 1977)
"...continue to become ritvik and act on my behalf." (July 31st, 1977)
So it's very clear, ritvik system means acting under the charge of Srila
Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada must be around to take charge. Charge
means "supervisory" -- Srila Prabhupada had to supervise. Common sense. My
manager requested me to act on his behalf, but when my manager is no
longer around, who's behalf am I going to act upon? All these give
reference to physical presence. If you still cannot understand it, it
means Krsna has taken away your intelligence to understand the most
important element in the scriptures, "The Spiritual Master".
You said,
"Suriya Prabhu needs to calm down and stop speculating. The letter itself gives the real reason for its existence:
"Recently when all of the GBC members were with His Divine Grace in Vrndavana, Srila Prabhupada indicated that soon He would appoint some of His senior disciples to act as "ritvik" –representative of the
acarya, for the purpose of performing initiations, both first initiation and second initiation. His Divine Grace has so far given a list of eleven disciples who will act in that capacity"
Yes soon, but why? Why would he indicate? Was there a reason? Srila
Prabhupada was already not well for the most part of 1977. Here is a
Confirmation:
By Gauridasa Pandita dasa:
May 17 1977
"Srila Prabhupada arrived at the temple at about 7am. At this point
Srila Prabhupada's health had deteriorated so much that he could no
longer walk on his own. The devotees in Vrindavan, and around the
world, were unaware of this. We brought a rocking chair out to the car
to carry Srila Prabhupada in."
According to Gauridasa Pandita, Srila Prabhupada said:
"So I cannot speak. I am feeling weak. I was to go to other places
like Chandigarh, but I canceled the program because the condition of
my health is very deteriorating. So I preferred to come to Vrindavan."
Source: Vrindavan-dham.com
So you can see this was in May and Srila Prabhupada was very sick, therefore later on, on the 28th Srila Prabhupada indicated a ritvik initiation, as he could not conduct one himself. Srila Prabhupada was giving letter initiations, and on July 7th Tamala Krishna Goswami was saying;
"Srila Prabhupada, we are receiving a number of letters now."
Only Krsna knows for how long the letters were stacked up. Srila Prabhupada
indicated a ritvik system on May 28th. Why? Everything was going on
smoothly for a few years, why would Srila Prabhupada change that? Why
was he in Vrindavan only and hardly traveling? There must be a reason.
As Tamala Krishna Maharaj indicated, the "letters were stacking up". Why? Common sense prabhu: Srila Prabhupada was not well; this is 1977, prabhu. As Tamala Krishna Maharaj confirms on July 7th:
Tamala Krishna: "Your health is not so good, so that should not
be...That's why we've been asking everybody to wait. I just want to
know if we should continue to wait some more time."
Tamala Krishna: "Some devotees are writing you now for second initiation. And I am writing to them to wait a while, because you are not well. So can I continue to tell them that?"
Then on October 22:
Srila Prabhupada: "You have got a list of names? And if by Krishna's grace I recover from this condition then I shall begin or I may not but in this condition to initiate is not good".
"If I recover from this condition" means If I'm ok, then I will continue to initiate. Such simple statements. Take the direct meaning.
Tamal Krishna Goswami also confirms it later on:
"Now I understand that what he did was very clear. He was physically
incapable of performing the function of initiation; therefore he
appointed officiating priests to initiate on his behalf. He appointed
eleven, and he said very clearly, "Whoever is nearest can initiate".
(Pyramid House Confessions, December 3, 1980)
So I have given numerous evidences to support my claim, without a doubt Srila Prabhupada was not well.
You said:
(3) Suriya Prabhu gives the following quote:
"Every man, whoever is initiated, he is competent to make disciples.
But as a matter of etiquette they do not do so in the presence of
their spiritual master. This is the etiquette. Otherwise they are
competent. They can make disciples and spread they are competent to
make disciples. (Detroit ,July 18 1971)
If that is the case, then the GBC should demolish their Guru Rubber
Stamping Factory and let every Tom, Dick, and Harry become Guru."
In the presence of the Spiritual Master it is a tradition that a disciple cannot become Guru, even if he is super-qualified, unless ordered. But after the departure of the grand Spiritual Master, the disciple, if he is qualified, can act as Guru.
May 27th Room Conversation:
Bhavananda: "There will be men, I know. There will be men who want to
try and pose themselves a gurus.
Tamal Krishna: That was going on many years ago. Your Godbrothers were
thinking like that. Madhava Maharaja ...
Bhavananda: Oh yes. Oh, ready to jump.
Srila Prabhupada: Very strong management required and vigilant
observation ... "
What are those observations? To observe the prospective devotee if he is qualified. What are the basic qualification? 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. (Nectar of Instruction Text 1)
You said:
"…why did the GBC delegation go to Srila Prabhupada on May 28th
and ask the following question:
SDG: "Then our next question concerns in the future, particularly at
that time when you are no longer with us. We want to know how first
and second initiation(s) will be conducted.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. I shall recommend some of you. After this is
settled up I shall recommend some of you to act as officiating acarya(s).
TKG: Is that called rittviks acarya?
Srila Prabhupada: Rittviks. Yes.
Please note that Srila Prabhupada did not say follow my words spoken
on "Detroit, July 18, 1971". Nor did he say the GBC can decide as they
like. Nor did he say follow the tradition. He gave a specific and
clear answer."
Don't ever think Srila Prabhupada had answered Maharaj's question, he did not. Srila Prabhupada only explained what's going to happen next after "this is settled up". Meaning they were discussing something and a change may take place after that. Again, you nicely cut the conversation short to suit your Rtvik—vada. Here is the continuation:
Tamala Krishna: Is that called ritvik-acarya?
Srila Prabhupada: Ritvik. Yes.
Satsvarupa: What is the relationship of that person who gives the
initiation and...
Srila Prabhupada: He's guru. He's guru.
Satsvarupa: But he does it on your behalf.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. That is formality. Because in my presence one
should not become guru, so on my behalf. On my order, amara ajnaya
guru hana, be actually guru. But on my order."
Bingo the answer is right there. After all the talk about ritvik acharya, Srila Prabhupada said yes, because one cannot become Guru in his presence unless ordered (to complete the quote above). And Prabhupada said "this is a formality" Formality means a tradition which is in practice for thousands of years. This give clear evidence that Ritviktism was valid only during the presence of Prabhupada.
You said:
"The same is given in the July 9th Letter, but you Vapuvadis cannot accept it because you want to be Guru."
Is it a sin to become a Guru?
"If he is conversant in the science of Krsna he can become a spiritual
master as vartma-pradarsaka guru, diksa-guru or siksa-guru"
(Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 8.128 purport)
"Mundane votes have no jurisdiction to elect a Vaisnava acarya. A
Vaisnava acarya is self-effulgent, and there is no need for any court
judgment. (C.c. Madhya-lila 1.220, purp.) His idea was acarya was not
to be nominated amongst the governing body. He said openly you make a
GBC and conduct the mission. So his idea was amongst the members of
GBC who would come out successful and self effulgent acarya would be
automatically selected."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, April 28, 1974)
I know of one devotee who was inspired by a particular Guru-maharaj. He went all the way out to seek him and request acceptance as disciple, and this went on for few years. Then he realized he was voted-in, but its immaterial for him because a self-effulgent acarya has nothing to do with votes.
Prabhu, the meaning of the above quote is, it does not matter if a Vaisnava is voted or not, a self effulgent Vaisnava is beyond the jurisdiction of voting. It does not mean, only if you vote then he becomes self-efflgent, that is bogus. Voting is immaterial for a self-effulgent acarya.
Reporter: "Are you training a successor?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, my Guru Maharaja is there."
(Srila Prabhupada Press Conference, July 16, 1975, San Francisco)
Srila Prabhupada had left it to his Guru Maharaj to take care, such a humble servant.
"Only Lord Caitanya can take my place. He will take care of the Movement."
(Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation - translated from Hindi, 2/11/1977)
Srila Prabhupada had left it to Lord Caitanya to take care of the movement.
Newsday Reporter: "You are now the leader and the Spiritual Master. Who
will take your place?
Srila Prabhupada: That Krishna will dictate, who will take my place."
(Interview, July 14, 1976, New York)
Srila Prabhupada left it to Krishna to dictate.
So the GBC is the ultimate authority, and whatever happens is the will of the Lord. Srila Prabhupada kept faith in Krsna, Mahaprabhu and his Guru Maharaj to take care. So this is how it is for the past 32 years.
Your servant,
Suria
