Thanks to Bhakta Suria
BY: JANMASTAMI DAS
Apr 09, WEST VIRGINIA, USA (SUN) — I would personally like to thank Bhakta Suria prabhu and all those that have helped him with his appreciation of this ISKCON movement that His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami has so kindly formed for so many to take advantage of. Bhakta Suria himself is proof of the transcendent nature of Bhaktivedanta Swami's Presence, a Presence which many are still acutely aware of. Recent debates concerning fallen entities, their recoveries, and their "eternal positions" leave many doubting the authenticity of a process once seen as flawless. Nothing disempowers a preacher more than having to explain the falldowns of those they once glorified and advocated for.
In some of Suria's earlier offerings, most notably those concerning the July 9th, 1977 Letter, he has offered us his opinions based on personal observations, from a time and era that he may not have experienced. Surely such conclusions require some supporting hearsay evidence or some speculation, unless like many of us, he was able to take darshan of His Divine Grace without having accepted formal initiation prior to November of 1977. If not, many question his qualification to lecture on the matter. If so, his opinion seems as nothing more than one in an ocean of divergent opinions.
An initial speculation, that the July 9th Letter was a time sensitive document THAT WAS TERMINATED BY THE EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 1977, rather than instructions for what to do post-November 1977, seems to be the crux of the argument between the Rtvik and the anti-Rtvik camps. If the letter is taken at face value, as advocated by Krsna Kant Desai and a number of like minded thinkers, then ISKCON remains Srila Prabhupada's mission, those newly initiated disciples remain "His" disciples (let's let Srila Prabhupada and KRSNA work out whether Srila Prabhupada's Words are capable of transcending our material concept of death or not), and things have not been done according to Srila Prabhupada's instructions. If, as Suria prabhu suggests, the document was only intended to be enforced UNTIL November of 1977, then due to negligence, the question as to "what to do when you are no longer with us?" remains largely unanswered, especially as it relates to spiritual mentoring, which as KRSNA bhaktas should be our only business.
If no instructions exist, then no system can be "wrong". This appears to be the course that he has chosen as a result of studying the movement throughout the period. This would account for one system pre-1986 and the one post-1986, and still allow them both to be "perfect", each in their own relative timeframe. We look for something more permanent in our search for spiritual direction.
His speculation that since November 1977, no one can "write to Srila Prabhupada" (much the same as the challenge of the same nature issued by ISKCON GBC Ravindra Swarup), and his further conclusion that, barring lack of communication by mail from His Divine Grace, the instructions contained in the letter can no longer apply, present a logic of questionable validity. Were we to follow that same logic, the annual Vyasa-puja offering would either be an exercise in futility or a pandering of the egos of a few pseudo-intellectuals, each seeking to enhance his own image only in the eyes of his Godbrothers. It smacks of impersonalism.
Some of his other more interesting and imaginative (a word he uses quite freely) theories include these:
Suria says:
"'In the past Temple Presidents have written to Srila Prabhupada recommending a particular devotee's initiation."
The above quote means that a change is about to take place in terms of initiation. The words "in the past" indicate that they were doing something previously and now they are changing that."
He must be reading the deluxe edition Gita if he seriously thinks that the modifications suggested from the past to the future system were in any way an authorization for the behavior that has taken place. That behavior was wrong, admitted by all parties to the discussion, and the later ISKCON modifications are only to the personal in the multiple acarya system itself, not even admitting for a second that such an understanding was in fact a "misunderstanding" from its onset. I can say that "in the past, some people respected unqualified gurus", but that doesn't mean that anything in that system is about to change anytime soon.
Suria also said:
"'Now that Srila Prabhupada has named these representatives, Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendation for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives"
The letter was clearly addressed to these 11 representatives, and nobody else. "
This perverse twisting of the English language flies in the face of modern communication etiquette. The letter clearly states who it is addressing (and, as Bhakta Suria has told us, "understanding the mood of the times", we know it was posted on every temple bulletin board for all devotees to see) and that is "Letter to: All G.B.C., All Temple Presidents", and to try to interpret that to mean other things is disingenuous. You can't argue logically with someone who is wrong and refuses to discuss his perverted thinking.
Suria also said:
"The word "henceforward" means from now on. You have to interpret that in the context of the whole letter. "to Srila Prabhupada" means Prabhupada has to be physically around."
Clearly, this is the thinking of a neophyte who knows nothing but the material concept of things. Again, following this logic, what use to vyasa- puja offerings or offerings to past spiritual masters because "to XXX means XXX has to be physically around"?
The list doesn't stop there, neither with this subject matter nor with his more recent revelations concerning "the true meaning" of Srila Prabhupada's last Will and Testament. And we can expect that he can debunk the Direction of Management instructions as well. With this much knowledge, not having as yet even secured a guru, we can only expect that Bhakta Suria well go far in an organization that seeks that kind of loyalty from it's congregation.
