He is Not Obliged to Answer Your Challenge
BY: JANARDAN DAS
Jun 25, USA (SUN) — Praghosh Prabhu writes, "He is not obliged to answer your challenge for the specific reason that he takes nothing from you in his endeavors to engage in samkirtan". So what Praghosh Prabhu is saying is that Rocana Prabhu is too beneath Indraduymna Swami to require a personal response, and that Rocana Prabhu doesn't provide anything of substance to his Godbrother. In the rest of the paragraph Praghosh Prabhu goes on to indicate that pretty much means a cash donation (Canadian). He denies it in the next paragraph, but it's clear that's what he means. Apparently Indraduymna Swami can be a servant of Srila Prabhpada, but not a servant of the servant of Srila Prabhupada. Is that what we strive for?
Dear Praghosh Prabhu, I don't think you're doing your friend any favors with this kind of response. It's a pretty stunning statement that is an insult to both Rocana Prabhu and Indraduymna Swami.
I don't get the whole "Man to Man" point Praghosh Prabhu has made in his articles. Is he implying that Rocana Prabhu isn't a real man because he uses the Internet to address his Godbrothers? Would a real man receive a personal response from His Holiness without a donation? It's all very silly, this mentality devotees have to deal with in ISKCON. This inflated sense of male machismo. It's really embarrassing to see these mature men still clinging to the false notion of what it means to be 'real men' when so many have a history of failing in the subject.
Praghosh Prabhu seems to have difficulty respecting Rocana Prabhu's intelligence and skills in debate, yet he wants to engage him. It all comes across as very patronizing. Praghosh says "If you carefully read my last comments - you will not find my making any assessment of the value of HH Indradyumna Swami's 'Dairy'". Then, in his next post, he goes on to say; "the purpose in publishing the diary is to reach out to his network of supporters and keep them involved and inspired to help him in his efforts. In other words - he is actually trying to engage thousands and thousands of people TODAY & TOMMORROW in the direct service of the Holy Name and our Srila Prabhupada - the Current Link to the Parampara or as you like to stress, the 'Sampradaya Acharya'".
So now if we go back to Rocana Prabhu's response, we see that he did correctly understand Praghosh's assessment of Indradyumna Swami's Diary, even though Praghosh Prabhu doesn't commit to say if he reads it or not. Praghosh Prabhu wants to play both sides of the fence. He writes of appreciation for Rocana Prabhu's Sampradaya Acharya thesis, but makes it clear that Rocana Prabhu has spent a lot of time and effort on something that everyone already knows. That's another way of saying he wasted his time. He doesn't want to say he reads Indradyumna Swami's Diary, but he's sure of it's potency in spreading the Holy name.
I personally find Praghosh's articles (in what's commonly referred to in ISKCON as) "wish-washy" even though he attempts to be very forceful in his delivery. I don't see that as being very "Manly" of him.
Your fallen servant,
Janardana das
