A Successful Guru Policy -- Are You Sure?
BY: GADADHARA DASA
Sep 30, DALLAS, TEXAS (SUN) — There are three choices: Accept Srila Prabhupada as your Guru as per Rtvik System, choose a self-realized GBC independent Guru, or accept one of the GBC appointed Gurus and take a ride.
In "A Successful Guru Policy" Balavidya Prabhu advocates self-declared Guru, but monitored by GBC. I am a self-realized soul. You are welcome to become my disciple. But beware! GBC can kick me out anytime they see me unfit for the post. Am I not, more or less, a GBC appointed Guru? Yes, you are.
Balavidya Prabhu writes:
"The GBC would still maintain its supervisory role of stepping in if someone misbehaves, as a check and balance."
Considering the above statement, the question is when should the GBC step in if a fallen soul finds an ignorant follower and becomes his Guru? The answer would be at the end of the initiation ceremony, before the innocent man gives his Guru Dakshina. So the GBC is saying, why let them get into such a contract in the first place if they have to declare all such contracts null and void, day after day, in too many cases.
What supervisory role are you giving to the GBC to step in if someone misbehaves? What check and balance are we talking about? What supervisory role -- the GBC has to watch him or sanction him or correct him if they did not appoint him? If it was a contract between two fools, then why should anyone have to and/or have a right to intervene, and on what basis?
Thus the GBC is already appointing Gurus and removing Gurus. Did they not just remove Balabhadra? They may not use the word "appoint", but that is what it is. The GBC is saying that they have a supervisory role before someone becomes Guru and after someone becomes Guru.
However, years of history prove that the GBC has failed at both ends - in appointing and removing. They take it too long, don't they? What about the success/failure ratio of the 70+ GBC appointed Gurus and of the self-proclaimed original eleven Gurus?
Out of the original only three have survived, with clouds hanging over their heads as to their "Good Standing". Of the 70+ GBC appointed Gurus, 40+ have bitten the dust and of the remaining, many may have clouds of doubts hanging over their heads. But we may not see it because the GBC hides their misdeeds. Thus the success/failure ratio of GBC appointed Gurus is better than self-proclaimed Gurus. Did I say it? Isn't the mighty GBC always right?
But wait a minute. But is this 70/40 appointed/failed ratio of Gurus something we can live with? As I have said before in one of my articles, if I had taken initiation from the first Guru declared unfit and then the next in sequence, by now I would have been re-initiated 40 times under the current GBC run system. Wow! Can I remember all those 40 names? How about you? What will you call me when you meet me? "Gordhan Goyani, abc das, lmn das, xyz das". Aren't we having fun?
Which is best - a system of self-declared Gurus or GBC appointed Gurus?
Why not take the Rtvik system? May 28th Conversation, June 4th Will, and July 9th Letter all point to the Rtvik system to preserve 10,000 years of longevity and dynamism of ISKCON. That is too hard too follow. Then your mantra will be either, “I want a living Guru at any cost” or “I want to be a living Guru at any cost” or “I never had a Guru but I want to be Guru at any cost” depending on your situation, state of mind and intelligence.
That is great. Then look at BG 4-34: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.
Read Bhagavad-gita Verses 5-17 through 5-28: where Krishna and His Divine Grace gives plenty of information about who is to be considered self realized soul?
Let us look at Bhagavad-gita 5-23 and its purport: Before giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is well situated and is happy in this world.
PURPORT
"There are the forces of talk, forces of anger, forces of mind, forces of the stomach, forces of the genitals, and forces of the tongue. One who is able to control the forces of all these different senses, and the mind, is called gosvami, or svami. --- Therefore, one must practice to control them (forces of senses and mind) before one gives up this material body. One who can do this is understood to be self-realized and is thus happy in the state of self-realization."
Match contents of Bhagavad-gita 5-23 with:
Nectar of Instruction 1: "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."
Is it not clear now, who can be Guru and who should be chosen as Guru?
Now if you want to be Guru then look at your self and see if you have the meat or not, as described in the above verses. If you want to find a Guru, then see if your prospective Guru has these qualities or not. Make sure you ignore all sweet singing by his followers and his buddies. They can be genuine or a gang of cheaters.
If you avoid the above guideline then you become cheater or cheated. Of course, cheater cheats himself by false pretense before he cheats others.
There are three choices: Accept Srila Prabhupada as your Guru as per Rtvik System, choose a self-realized GBC independent Guru, or accept one of the GBC appointed Gurus and take a ride.
However in ISKCON, only GBC appointed Gurus will be allowed unless and until the GBC goes Rtvik.
Wishing You All Well,
YHS- Gadadhar Dasa
