Automatic Guru if Faithful Disciple, to Own Guru
BY: P.K. VIDYAVAN
Aug 25, MUMBAI, INDIA (SUN) — I have known ISKCON ever since the time Srila Prabhupada starting visiting and having the programmes in Mumbai. Being from the Hindu culture, I have read with interest the continuing contention over the action of diksa gurus in ISKCON. When I read and hear what has being going on, I must say with respect to the learned devotees that all the problems in this matter have been self-created in ISKCON. Rasaprema dasa is making the matter clear.
In Hindu culture the questions that assail ISKCON simply do not arise for one simple reason: In Hindu culture, all elderly and respectable persons are considered as “guru-jana”, which means “persons who are guru”. Father, mother, pujari, learned Brahmans, school teachers, etc., are all considered as “guru-jana”, and it is a natural part of Hindu culture that the young people learn to respect the advice and instruction of their elders.
Automatic Guru
As regards diksa, then there is no years-long contention. In Hindu culture, those good disciples who have been initiated into a sampradaya, Vaisnava or otherwise, can give the diksa to whomever requests and whomever they see as fit and proper. When their own guru departs this world, then it is automatic that they can give the diksa - in fact, it is the duty. The question of committees deciding if they can give the diksa just is not arising. Simply it is the culture that you can give the diksa. Now the ISKCON managers should understand that this culture of disciplic succession has been going on in this way literally since Sri Krsna initiated Lord Brahma sitting on the lotus flower. There is not the need of the permission of the committee. Why have a committee for something that is automatic function?
Committee Guru
If we are the married man, do I take the permission of a committee of my brothers to have the child with the wife? That is not even a question to be thought of. So why is it a question that all the disciples of Srila Prabhupada cannot give the diksa? I was surprised to hear recently only the hundred disciples of the thousands of disciples of Srila Prabhupada can give the diksa by permission of the GBC. Why?
Why not all the disciples if they feel qualified cannot give the diksa? In the Hindu culture, after departure of the guru one can give the diksa. Why stop the giving of diksa? Giving the diksa is a very good thing blessed by Bhagavan Sri Krsna. Why stop it by the thousands of disciples of Srila Prabhupada? Better to encourage the giving of the diksa. How will ISKCON expand the Gaudiya Sampradaya of Srila Prabhupada teachings if they restrict the elder devotees from giving the diksa? In Hindu culture, we believe that when the diksa is given, then both disciple and guru get a strong blessing from the Bhagavan.
So instead of thousands of disciples of Srila Prabhupada giving the diksa and getting the blessing of Bhagavan, in ISKCON we have many years of fighting. Is that a good exchange? Instead of expanding the sampradaya, we have contention. This is foolish.
Imagination Guru
Another thing that is foolish is the posthumous-diksa idea. From the Hindu cultural point of view this is completely strange. We can learn and worship the previous acaryas, but how can we take the diksa from them? How is this difficult to understand? Can I get married to a girl who is already passed from this world? Only a madman will think in this way. So, this is also another question that simply does not arise in the Hindu culture. Wife should be real, not imagination. It is only the imagination working to say I took the diksa from the previous guru. But what crazy fellow made this idea?
So with respect to all the ISKCON swamis, I must point out that ISKCON is destroying the chance to expand. On one hand, there is the restricting GBC committee-appointment of diksa guru, making everyone angry.. On the other hand, there is the strange idea of taking a disappeared guru as guru.
Disobedient Guru is Showbottle
But I am impressed with the words of Rasaprema dasa. His point cannot be dismissed: If Srila Prabhupada did not give the power to GBC and spoke against the appointment of rubber-stamp GBC guru, then all the people the GBC so appoint are doing something against their own guru. This means disaster. There is a saying: The bird learns to fly only by following the wings of the parents. The point is that if nicely we follow our guru, we can get the blessings of Bhagavan. If we don’t follow our guru, then we fall to the ground. This is the story of ISKCON gurus, I know.
So by committee or imagination one cannot get the diksa, but only from guru who is following his guru we can get the diksa. So even they are visiting India so long, I am surprised the ISKCON members cannot learn from the Hindu culture.
I am here in Mumbai and I see the fight of ISKCON Bombay and ISKCON Bangalore. It is the fight of GBC rubber-stamp guru against imagination guru. That means both sides are foolish and wrong. The real side is disciple who follows his guru faithfully; he becomes guru. This is the example of Srila Prabhupada, so it is good that Rasaprema dasa is ready to speak strongly that both are not the followers of Srila Prabhupada. Let the showbottles fight and break each other’s head; it is what they deserve.
Conclusion
So committee guru, imagination guru, disobedient guru are not the real sampradaya blessed by Bhagavan. The real sampradaya is the faithful disciple of his own guru - he is automatic guru by blessing of Bhagavan. Remember Srila Prabhupada; he was faithful disciple and automatic guru by the blessing of Bhagavan. Without blessing of Bhagavan, we cannot have any success.
