ISKCON and Maha-ISKCON Guru-tattva As It Is
BY: SADHUDASA ANUDASA
Aug 27, 2010 — SRI MAYAPURA DHAMA (SUN) — Dear ISKCON Members and ISKCON-GBC Members, All glories to Srila Prabhupada and the unalloyed devotional service offered by all of you to his holy feet and his sacred mission! Please receive my sincere humble obeisances at your feet, whether you may or may not be willing to accept them.
This message is being addressed and sent by electronic mail to the entire ISKCON-GBC, comprised of the ISKCON-GBC Members of Mumbai, the North American ISKCON-GBC, the ISKCON-GBC Members of Bangalore, and the entire ISKCON Membership of pure and aspirant Vaishnavas.
The ISKCON-GBC Members of India, North America, and the ISKCON Members in general, who are the recipients of this message are humbly requested to distribute it to other members for the obvious reason that this list would be extremely long. I sincerely thank you all.
The purpose of this message is my personal concern with what seems to be unfolding as the first historical official collapse of the ISKCON-GBC and the ISKCON Membership, strictly based on philosophical grounds.
Although from its homogeneous start as the ISKCON society founded in 1966 by Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON has suffered uncountable disagreements and dissensions due to managerial and philosophical differences as consequent of the inherent eternal diversity of its GBC and general membership —with unavoidable lost Court cases due to proved administrative mistakes— Srila Prabhupada's Movement carried on without Court or Legal battles based on its philosophical discrepancies.
It is the humble opinion of the author that if the GBC members of ISKCON-Mumbai and ISKCON-Bangalore do not solve their ongoing legal battles in the Indian Courts, which rose from legal administrative or managerial differences, it could consequently spread into Court cases based on philosophical grounds. The reasons for the author's fears is the simple fact that ISKCON-Bangalore split from ISKCON-Mumbai is on the basis of managerial discrepancies based on legal possessions of physical properties, and NEVER on philosophical grounds.
The author has received official information from the ISKCON-Bangalore Temple President HG Madhu Pandit Dasa declaring that the "ritvik" system that establishes HDG Srila Prabhupada as the exclusive diksha-guru to represent the Gaudiya parampara from now on —although somehow still philosophically supported by its members— has NEVER been officially implemented since the last ten years, when it was then embraced in ISKCON-Bangalore.
The message received by the author reads as follows:
From: Madhu Pandit Dasa
Subject: RE: Proposals to the ISKCON-Bangalore GBC
Date: 25 March 2010 10:40:22 PM GMT+05:30
To: Sadhudas Anudas
Dear Sadhudas Anudas Prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Thank you very much for your visit and various discussions you had with me. All the points made by you in this message will be presented to the IB-GBC. Their decision is important before you speak it out on our behalf. You can say the fact that no rtvik diksha has happened till date. And every person who sat for the Oath taking Ceremony has giving in writing to this understanding that it is not an initiation. OF course the basis is July 9th directive. The reasoning is because there were no duly appointed rtvik as all these years a GBC was not put in place. One year after the duly elected GBC has been put in place, still we have not appointed the rtviks for some reason or the other. This is what I communicated to you. So it is correct to say that no diksha has happened in IB last ten years. If it has some meaning, fine.
Your paper on Guru tattva in ISKCON is welcome. But right at the outset you are prejudiced with the conclusion that, Srila Prabhupada is only the siksha guru and somebody else has to be diksha guru. Anyway let us see the basis for bringing these points out. What would have a significant effect on us is if you specifically refute the contents of July 9th Directive is asastric if implemented after the lifetime of Srila Prabhupada and also explain why it was sastric during his physical presence on this planet. We do not accept tradition argument that it is unprecedented.
May I request you to kindly go through the July 9th Directive carefully. I was a little surprised that day in my room, you had not even read it scrutinizingly. At least try to understand what is our position before your well intentioned move to help us.
Ys/mpd
Aiming to solve what it seems is an escalate of Court litigations, the author has compiled an essay on guru-tattva, which can be downloaded here in Word (4.17 MB), or from Public.me.com/sadhu.
The disfranchisement of the Gaudiya Math Movement of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada occurred on administrative or managerial grounds —and it is an ongoing occurrence on their many split sections even today. However, it NEVER occurred on philosophical grounds.
The reasons for the author's clear suspicions of an eventual lawsuit in Indian Courts on philosophical grounds that would promote a literal split into many dismembered ISKCON branches —as it has NEVER philosophically happened within the Gaudiya Math— is based on three points of the following presentation:
HYPOTHESIS:
1— ISKCON-Bangalore has split from ISKCON-Mumbai on grounds of managerial discrepancies —and so far— NEVER on proven philosophical discrepancies. (Please notice that the Indian Legal system still uses the traditional Vedic lore to solve legal cases of religious institutions that are based on philosophical grounds.)
2— The legal case between ISKCON-Mumbai vs. ISKCON-Bangalore has created an inconceivable amount of financial loses to Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON Movement on the part of both combined GBC parties, due to its obvious administrative mismanagement or defective capacity of communication. Consequently, both parties have confirmed their split, and deepened their bitter antagonism.
3— If in due course of time it becomes legally proven that ISKCON-Bangalore has never deviated from the philosophical tenets of Sri Chaitanya's theology —or the principles of Jiva-Tattva, Guru-Tattva and Rasa-Tattva that constitute its philosophical basis, which Srila Prabhupada spread throughout the whole world—, the present legal situation could have a radical twist on their favor.
The above Hypothesis will promote the following thesis only if ISKCON-Bangalore GBC discloses that [they] have officially rejected the ISKCON-Mumbai GBC Resolutions No. 79-80/1995 (which was based on Resolution No. 87 of March 4th, 1990) on the grounds of the official Proposal entitled " CREATING THE ISKCON JIVA-TATTVA RESEARCH COMMITTEE" of 28th November 2009, and have embraced the process of guruship as philosophically proven and delineated on the enclosed document entitled "ISKCON and Maha-ISKCON Guru-tattva As It Is," which can be downloaded here in Word (4.17 MB) or from Public.me.com/sadhu.
THESIS
1—WHEREAS ISKCON-Bangalore has NEVER officially established the philosophical "ritvik" proposal that Srila Prabhupada is the official diksha-guru for their entire project, the ISKCON-Bangalore GBC declares the ISKCON-Mumbai GBC unfit to lead Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON Movement on the next solid philosophical and managerial evidences of corruption or unfitness:
A) WHEREAS ISKCON-Mumbai-GBC has been philosophically misdirecting the whole of the ISKCON Members through their ambiguous GBC Resolutions No. 79-80 of 1995, on regard to the "ORIGIN AND IDENTITY OF THE LIVING ENTITY" —a vital principle of Vaishnava philosophical outlook since it established the principle of "sambhanda-jnana" to safely proceed on one's spiritual progress in Krishna consciousness—, i.e. since the last fifteen years the ISKCON-GBC Corporation (recently established also in Kolkata) has failed to offer ISKCON Membership solid philosophical directives to maintain harmony and homogeneous understanding of the ISKCON siddhanta, according to Srila Prabhupada's teachings and the rest of the Vaishnava sampradayas.
B) WHEREAS the ISKCON-Mumbai/Kolkata-GBC has transgressed its identity and responsibilities of its vital principle as the "ULTIMATE MANAGERIAL AUTHORITY" of ISKCON as so wished by the ISKCON Founder-acharya HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, after having failed to give sound and definitive philosophical directives to its Membership on the subject of JIVA-TATTVA and consequently about GURU-TATTVA since decades.
C) WHEREAS the ISKCON-Mumbai-GBC has transgressed its identity and responsibilities of its vital principle as the "ULTIMATE MANAGERIAL AUTHORITY" of ISKCON as so wished by the ISKCON Founder-acharya HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, after having illegally prosecuted by lawsuits ISKCON-Bangalore without the official support of the senior most community of ISKCON Membership conformed by the majority of the duly initiated disciples of ISKCON Founder-acharya in their legal capacity as "ISKCON OFFICIAL LIFE MEMBERS IN THEIR LEGAL CAPACITY AS FOUNDING-ASSISTANT MEMBERS."
THEREFORE, once Srila Prabhupada's disciples come to know the truth about the above facts, and vote on ISKCON-Bangalore's favor, it is considered that the ONLY philosophical and managerial legal representative for the whole ISKCON society in India as well as abroad, is the legal entity known as ISKCON-Bangalore.
CONCLUSION
Obviously, these Hypothesis and Thesis are simply POSSIBLE AND REAL intellectual speculations NOT meant to create havoc among ISKCON Membership. However it promotes awareness of the situation that these disagreements have caused, and may STILL cause to Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON Movement.
After all, who knows how many of Srila Prabhupada's disciples may unite again, and combine efforts to set the differences between ISKCON-Mumbai/Kolkata-GBC and ISKCON-Bangalore-GBC in a philosophical and managerial STRAIGHT AND CORRECT manner? After all ISKCON-Bangalore is conformed of Srila Prabhupada's diksha and shiksha disciples.
I beg to always remain your servant, in the exclusive seva to Srila Prabhupada and the pure Vaishnavas,
R.A. Sadhudasa Anudasa
PD: Again, the enclosed document entitled "ISKCON and Maha-ISKCON Guru-tattva As It Is" can be downloaded here in Word (4.17 MB) or from Public.me.com/sadhu.
What follows are excerpts from the compilation entitled "ISKCON and Maha-ISKCON Guru-tattva As It Is":
SRI KRISHNA IS THE UNIQUE SUPREME IDENTITY OF LOVE, AND HIS PERSONALITY IS NOT EXACTLY THE SAME TO EVERYBODY. SRI KRISHNA RECIPROCATES ACCORDINGLY TO HOW EACH INDIVIDUAL PERCEIVES, AND CONSEQUENTLY FEELS ABOUT HIM. THUS HE MANIFESTS IN VARIOUS RASAS OR PARTICULAR FORMS OF RELATIONSHIPS AS KRISHNA-MAHAMAYA, KRISHNA-BRAHMAN, KRISHNA-PARAMATMA, KRISHNA-VAIKUNTHA, KRISHNA-AYODHYA, KRISHNA-DVARAKA, KRISHNA-MATHURA, KRISHNA-VRINDAVANA, AND SRI KRISHNA-CHAITANYA.
SPIRITUAL REALITY IS DYNAMIC, THEREFORE THE LORD OF SUCH REALITY — KRISHNA REALITY-THE BEAUTIFUL— ALSO MANIFESTS HIS SAME IDENTITY AS SRI KRISHNA-CHAITANYA WITH HIS OWN PARTICULAR PERSONALITIES OF DIVERSE RELATIONSHIPS. THEREFORE FROM HIS ASPECT AS SHACHINANDANA, NIMAI-PANDIT, SRI-CHAITANYA, MAHAPRABHU-NADIYA, MAHAPRABHU-NILACHALA, AND MAHAPRABHU-GAMBHIRA, SRI KRISHNA-CHAITANYA ALSO EXCHANGES DIFFERENT RASAS WITH HIS ETERNAL PARIKARAS AND ALL THE PEOPLE IN GENERAL.
DIKSHA SHIKSHA-GURU VICHARA
Considerations on Equality and Differentiation amongst the only Initiating (diksha) Spiritual Master that Vaishnava students should accept, and the many Instructing (shiksha) Spiritual Masters that may also accept within ISKCON, and everywhere else in MAHA-ISKCON
Sri Krishna as the Original Guru is One in tattva (Truth), and also Many in rasa (Relationships). Each of the many equal and direct personal expansions from Sri Krishna manifest with different moods. Sri Krishna requests that His eternal Bona Fide Representatives or ritvik-gurus be considered non-different than Him (SB 11.17.27). However this injunction is observed only under the principle of His rasa with His pure devotees, not on tattva since the pure devotees will never be like Sri Krishna, Who is Bhagavan. Pure devotees are considered Bhagavatas, or similar to Him due to their close relation with Bhagavan, thus having achieved 78% of Krishna's qualities.
The equality amongst the infinite ritvik-gurus (Representatives) of Sri Krishna is based on spiritual terms, or tattva. However they all differ since there is infinite representatives of Krishna's Divine Grace holding eternal individualities, and consequent moods or rasas. Vaishnava conclusions permanently embody the eternal network-like intermingling principles of tattva and rasa, which are absolutely present in all kinds of relationships—whether in the mundane or spiritual worlds. Thus, while obeying one's inner rasa it is not so important who one's dikshsa-guru is, but who are the Shiksha-gurus one has accepted throughout one's entire life.
ISKCON's devotees naturally enter into a different class of relationships never practiced before. Because ISKCON devotees are not members of a particular ethnic, religious, or mundane varnashrama denominations, Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON is transcendental, thus follows daivi-varnashrama or sanatana-dhama. This is the ISKCON Srila Prabhupada brought form Krishnaloka, or MAHA-ISKCON. Those who don't realize this, and mainly follow the ISKCON incorporated in some place of this world are "caste" conscious neophyte Vaishnavas. Therefore neophytes are NOT complete Krishna conscious, neither Prabhupada conscious.
By ignoring Vaishnava transcendental formulas (siddhanta) one cannot become liberated (siddha). Therefore Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON-GBC is becoming ransacked and divided by some neophyte members. If one does not understand the philosophy given by Sri Chaitanyadeva and Srila Prabhupada, how can be posing as a true Vaishnava spiritual leader, even holding "Bhakti" degrees? It is better to step-down on free will—Krishna will like it. "Cleanness is closer to Godliness."
"According to social conventions, it is said that one can speak the truth only when it is palatable to others. But that is not truthfulness. The truth should be spoken in such a straight and forward way, so that others will understand actually what the facts are. If a man is a thief and if people are warned that he is a thief that is truth. Although sometimes the truth is unpalatable, one should not refrain from speaking it. Truthfulness demands that the facts be presented as they are for the benefit of others. That is the definition of truth." Srila Prabhupada (Bg. As It Is 10:4)
ONLY ASPIRANT VAISHNAVAS WHO REALIZE THE INTRICACIES OF THE TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE LORD'S ENERGIES (PARINAMAVADA - CC. Adi-lila, 7.122-123) CAN BE CONSIDERED TRUE ASPIRANTS TO QUALIFY AS BRAHMANAS WHO CAN LEAD ANY ISKCON-GBC AMONGST THE UNLIMITED THAT CONFORM MAHA-ISKCON.
ONE SHOULD ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT A SACRED THREAD ALSO ADORMS THE BODY OF VAISHYAS AND KSHATRIYAS. ONLY BRAHMANAS AND KSHATRIYAS SHOULD LEAD ANY ADMINISTRATION OF RELIGIOUS MANAGEMENT, OTHERS WILL UNCONSCIOUSLY TURN ANY SOCIETY OF VAISHNAVAS INTO A BUSINESS CORPORATION THAT USUFRUCTS SHUDRAS' LABOR.
FOR SOMEBODY ATTEMPTING TO MANAGE A SPIRITUAL INSTITUTION MUST BE ABLE TO DISPLAY A PERSONALITY THAT IS CAPABLE TO DEAL WITH MATERIAL ELEMENTS, HOWEVER NEVER LEAVING THE ORIGINAL SOURCE OR THE SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE OF ONE'S ORIGINAL IDENTITY —THIS IS THE ISKCON-TATTVA, OR THE ESSENCE OF AN ISKCON-GBC ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD OF MAHAMAYA OR EITHER YOGAMAYA.
THERE ARE GURUS STANDING IN THE TRANS-GEOGRAPHICAL PLANETS OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD, WHO CAN REACH THE MATERIAL WORLD TO ASSIST CONDITIONED SOULS. THERE ARE GURUS WITH ONE FOOT —SO TO SPEAK— IN THE TRANS-GEOGRAPHICAL PLANETS OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD AND THE OTHER FOOT IN THE MATERIAL WORLD, TO ALSO ASSIST CONDITIONED SOULS. THERE ARE ALSO GURUS STANDING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD, AND PERFECTLY ASSIST CONDITIONED SOULS WILLING TO REACH THE TRANS-GEOGRAPHICAL PLANETS OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD.
IT IS THE DUTY OF ALL ASPIRANT VAISHNAVAS TO FIND OUT WHO THOSE GURUS ARE, AND FAITHFULLY SERVE "ALL" OF THEM. IT IS NOT THAT THEY SHOULD IDLY EXPECT THE KINDNESS OF THESE GURUS TO "BE GIVEN" TO THEM BY ANY UNFAMILIAR PERSON OR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION —THIS IS THE FUNDAMENTAL ASPECT OF SELF-REALIZATION THAT ACTUAL BRAHMANAS ULTIMATELY RELY ON.
SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL WITHIN THE MATERIAL WORLD, OUR INFINITE GURUS HAVE NOT NECESSARILY BEEN AS THEY MAY ACTUALLY BE. OUR GURUS' IDENTITIES ALWAYS DEPEND ON HOW EACH ONE OF US PERCEIVES, CONSEQUENTLY FEELS, AND INDIVIDUALLY RELATES WITH ALL OF THEM.
PURE VAISHNAVAS REGARD OTHERS IN THE PROPORTION THAT SUCH PERSONS FEEL ABOUT THEIR PARTICULAR ISHTA-DEHA (PREDOMINATING ASPECT OF GOD, OR WORSHIPING DEITY). THEREFORE PURE VAISHNAVAS ALWAYS OFFER PROPORTIONATE RESPECT TO ALL PERSONS IN REGARD TO THEIR PARTICULAR RASAS WITH THEIR LORD. THEREFORE A PURE VAISHNAVA IS IMPARTIAL TO ALL, HOWEVER BECOMES PARTIAL TO OTHER PURE VAISHNAVAS.
SOME ASPIRANT VAISHNAVAS MAY SEE SOME OF THEIR GOD BROTHERS AND GOD SISTERS UNDER PARTICULAR FEELINGS OF EXTREME AFFECTION OR REPULSION, WHICH LEADS TO RADICAL SECTARIANISM DUE TO INSTITUTIONAL PARTY SPIRIT. THE ESSENCE OF SUCH FEELINGS IS BASED ON IMMATURE DEVOTION, WHILE TENTATIVELY TRYING TO EMULATE DEVOTION FOR THE LORD'S ETERNAL ASSOCIATES THAT THEY MAY SINCERELY TRY TO IDENTIFY WITH. HOWEVER, THIS MAY BE WELL CATEGORIZED AS PRAKRITA-SAHAJIYSM.
SELF-REALIZED VAISHNAVAS NATURALLY EXTEND THEIR SPIRITUAL REALIZATIONS TO INCLUDE ALL CREATURES AS THEIR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN GOD. REGARDLESS OF THE OTHER PERSONS' PARTICULAR FEELINGS TOWARDS GOD OR THEIR GURUS, PURE VAISHNAVAS ACTUALLY FEEL THAT EVERYONE IS CONNECTED WITH KRISHNA. THEIR REALIZATION IS NOT EXCLUSIVE OF THEIR PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERSTANDINGS —BASED ON GURU-SADHU-SHASTRA— NEITHER SECTARIAN PARTY SPIRIT STIMULATED BY MUNDANE RELIGIOSITY. HOWEVER IT IS BASED ON THEIR ALREADY ESTABLISHED PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH KRISHNA THROUGH PURE LOVE, OR UNALLOYED DEVOTION.
THEREFORE SRI KRISHNA REVEALS HIMSELF IN THREE BASIC ASPECTS: BRAHMAN, PARAMATMA AND BHAGAVAN. ONLY UNALLOYED DEVOTION FOR HIS PERSONAL ASPECT IN GOLOKA VRINDAVANA AWAKENS ONE'S DIRECT ENGAGEMENT ON HIS ETERNAL SERVICE IN SAKHYA, VATSALYA OR MADHURYA-RASA. EVERYONE IS BOUND TO SEE —I.E. HAVE DARSHAN— OF WHAT ONE ULTIMATELY FEELS WITHIN ONE'S HEART. THIS PROCESS IS CALLED "LUST" IN MATERIAL CONSCIOUSNESS, AND "PREMA-BHAKTI" OR ACTUAL LOVE IN SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS.
I beg to remain your humble servant, in Srila Prabhupada and the pure Vaishnavas' seva.
R.A Sadhudasa Anudasa
