First Understand, Then Refute
BY: SITA-PATI DAS
Dec 18, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA (SUN) — Ladies and gentlemen, in Vedic debate before refuting an opponent's position you must first demonstrate that you have actually understood it. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's essay "Brahmana and Vaisnava" available here) is a great example of the Vedic method of debate - mastering your opponent's position, securing their agreement, and then extending and refuting it. Reading what the various commentators on me have written here, none of them thus far have demonstrated that they actually understand my presentation.
I cannot with confidence say, as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati famously said of one of his disciples: "Publish whatever he writes - he has understood me".
I have not said that "it's OK for a Guru to have a sexual relationship (of any kind) with a disciple". What I said was that this is not necessarily grounds for rejecting him as a guru. This is a specific case of the general principles described by Srila Narahari
Sarkar in his book Sri Krishna Bhajanamrita.
If a guru is acting in a way that breaks Vaisnava regulative principles then there is a process that a disciple should follow, and the first step is *not* immediate rejection. The guru has the opportunity to rectify himself. Narahari Prabhu explains what the disciple should do while he is waiting to give an opportunity for the guru to rectify himself, and what the disciple should do if the guru does not rectify himself.
Both blind acceptance and blind rejection are wrong. It is not black or white. That is why we have guru, sadhu, and sastra. We are expected to hold the guru accountable to an external objective standard precisely because the guru is not an independent absolute authority. This arises from the two simultaneous and paradoxical aspects of guru - the guru is a human being anda divine agent - simultaneously. Some people have trouble understanding this paradox. One writer here said that guru is not heterosexual or homosexual. Guru the divine agent is of course none of these things, however, the wife of the guru is one of the seven mothers, and hellish punishments are promised for anyone who sleeps with the wife of the guru. The guru is at once human and divine.
Sometimes a guru, being a human being from the class of ksara, fallible beings in this world, does something that is out of alignment with his role as guru, the agent of divinity. This may occur to those pure devotees who belong to the first three categories of pure devotees defined by Srila Jiva Goswami: those with both legs in this world and
their gaze fixed on the spiritual world, and those with one foot in this world and one foot in the spiritual world.
If this occurs it falls to the disciple to hold the guru accountable, and give the guru support and give the guru the opportunity to rectify himself.
I wrote about this systematically in March of this year with reference to Srila Narahari Sarkar's Sri Krishna Bhajanamrita (one writer here quoted me in his article without realizing that it was actually a quote from this book). Narahari Prabhu describes how the disciple should handle this situation, what they should do, and under what circumstances a person should be rejected as guru.
I submit that writing, below, and you can discuss that paper, rather than a few comments out of the complete context.
kind regards,
Sita-pati das
When Guru Falls
Sita-pati das
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
Published March, 2008 on Atmayogi.comm.
What to do when the guru falls? What to think? How to feel?
Of course no-one wants this to happen, or even to think about this
happening to them, but we have seen in the short history of ISKCON that
many people find themselves having to deal with the unthinkable. And
many other people have an underlying fear as a result.
We need some guidance on this matter, because our process is to follow
the footsteps of the mahajanas, rather than rely on just our
own experience or limited mental powers. These two things have their
place in bhakti, but properly within the context of guru,
sadhu, and sastra:
sadhu-sastra-guru-bakya
cittete kariya aikya
satata bhasiba prema-majhe
Making the words of the guru, sadhus and sastras one with my heart,
I constantly float and swim in the ocean of pure love.
- Narottama das Thakura, Prema Bhakti Candrika
In our Gaudiya Vaisnava system authority rests on the three legs of guru (spiritual master), sadhu (saintly persons), and
sastra (scripture). Therefore sadhu and sastra are the two legs that support and validate guru.
That our understanding of this situation must be based on
sastra, rather than our own limited ideas, or an emotional
reaction arising from a sense of disillusionment or betrayal, is
reinforced by this statement by Srila Rupa Goswami:
s'ruti-smr.ti-pura-n.a-di
pańcara-tra-viddhim. vina-
aika-ntiki- harer bhaktir
utpa-ta-yaiva kalpate
This statement, quoted by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, emphasizes the
importance of following the guidelines laid out by previous saints:
dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam
mahajano yena gatah sa panthah
In our tradition we accept as sruti, or Vedic evidence on the
level of sastra, the songs written by our Vaisnava acaryas:
The Narottama dasa, he has sung so many Vedic songs. Narottama
dasa's song, although it is written in Bengali, it is considered as
sruti, Vedic.
All Vaisnavas, songs are like that, Vedic evidence.
- Srila Prabhupada
With respect to the situation where the guru falls down, Srila Narahari Sarkar, the 40th branch of the Caitanya tree, has specifically addressed
this in his book Sri Krishna Bhajanamrita.
This work explains what to do when the guru deviates from sad-acar, or proper behaviour.
That Narahari Sarkar writes about this subject demonstrates that this is a very real occurrence, and part of the manifestation of Guru
tattva. It is not something unique to modern history or to ISKCON. The guru is empowered by God, and at the same time is a human being - he has a human side and is fallible.
The specific instructions that Narahari Sarkar gives are the Vaisnava etiquette for dealing with this situation. He says that the guru is to help them rectify the situation:
When the guru does fall down, as many in ISKCON have unfortunately experienced, it is the duty of the disciple to help him pick himself up again. Srila Prabhupada once said that he considered all his disciples as being sent by his own Guru Maharaja to help him, so this is a case where the disciple must instruct the spiritual master, by reminding him of the teachings that he himself gave to the disciple. Yes, sometimes
this does happen, as I'm sure those of us with kids have experienced - sometimes we find our own children reminding us of what we should be doing...
One should not be hesitant or fearful because one is
confronting or challenging a spiritual master.
"For it has been prescribed that one must appropriately discipline
even a spiritual master who is:
*bewildered about what he should or shouldn't do;
*who is inexperienced or ignorant:
*who has deviated from the Krsna conscious path;
*or if he is bewildered by false pride."
- Sri Krishna Bhajanamrita 60
Sri Narahari Sarkar makes it clear that this statement is relevant to our contemporary times:
While waiting for the guru to pick himself back up, and offering support, the disciple should continue taking shelter of previous instructions, their own intelligence, scripture, and other saintly Vaisnavas:
The natural behavior of the Vaisnava devotees is to
take complete refuge of Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, accepting Him as their principal and real shelter. The very
life of the Vaisnava devotees of the Lord is singing the glories of Lord
Sri Krsna, describing and expanding the fame of Lord Sri Krsna, and
discussing the nectar of His transcendental pastimes.
The authorized course of action is to continue, as before, with
one's prescribed devotional service. One may take guidance through or
instructions from the Vaisnavas, as all Vaisnavas are considered guru or
"spiritual master," or one may use one's own intelligence, duly
considering the relevant instructions from sadhu, sastra and guru. In
all cases one should continue in one's devotional service.
- Sri Krishna Bhajanamrita 62-63
The guru, as Srila Prabhupada explained, is a peon - he is a postman whose duty it is to deliver the message. The message is the important thing. The postman may go astray, but the message stays the same.
At the same time the disciple naturally feels indebted to the guru for delivering this message to him.
The spiritual master should only be rejected under certain circumstances, where he has become definitely deviated and will not
rectify himself:
Specifically, if one's guru acts contrary to his duty,
has misconceptions about the Supreme Lord, is indifferent to the fame of
Krsna, does not accept the reality of Krsna's pleasure pastimes, is
inordinately proud because ordinary people flatter him, or imitates
Krsna--then he should be rejected.
Under those circumstances one should not doubt, "How can I give up
my spiritual master?"
- Sri Krishna Bhajanamrita 65-66
Earlier in this work Narahari Sarkar draws a parallel between the relationship of guru and disciple and the relationships between husband
and wife, and father and son. The same principles are in play. The husband may make a mistake, and the wife should not simply immediately divorce him. Instead she should help him to get back on track. Similarly for a father and son, the father may make a mistake, but the son should not renounce his father. He should help him. The relationship between guru and disciple is a familial relationship, a spiritual one. The guru is the spiritual father, and the Vedas are the mother. So the son should help his father if the father comes into difficulty. And if the father
should fall from grace completely, then the son should redeem him with his own character.
We all need help, always.
I hope this always remains a theoretical consideration for you, but if it doesn't, I pray that you deal with the situation with maturity and
gravity, and that you continue your service with determination to achieve the goal in this lifetime, and help others to do the same.
