'Therefore I Am Of No Faction'

Since you didn't answer my last email when you posted an article I can understand you aren't really interested in dialogue beyond your own opinions, no harm. Here is my reaction to your latest VNN presentation nevertheless.

"If you want to understand who is god and who is guru you must have the mercy of guru, otherwise not."

The final order is simply to become Krsna conscious.

Srila Prabhupada suspended the GBC in 1972. If he saw it today likely he would do that again. They are not listening to him. They deserve ritvik opposition as a counterpoint to their institutional madness, and misunderstanding of their function according to the directives of management. Mention of their consistent manifestations of Vaisnava aparadha are conspicuous by their absence in your articles.

"The Governing Body Commission (GBC) will be the ultimate managing authority of the entire International Society for Krishna Consciousness."

"Therefore I am of no faction." (C. Adi lila Ch. 12. text 8) Who butters your chapatis prabhu? You follow your godbrothers and endorse their rubber-stamp useless non approval disapproval guru madness. As you wish.

"It is clear that His Divine Grace was not pleased by this type of behavior and even stressed that it "is regrettable because they are POSING themselves as Vaishnavas."

Who is posing? You have not discussed this side of the issue at all.

Who is actually qualified to offer diksa. What is the real nature of guru according to Srila Krsnadas Kaviraj Goswami. What do you read babba, GBC law instead of Caitanya Caritamrta?

"It is only the most extreme acid brained RtViks who have no hesitation broadcasting to the rest of us that the healthy and thriving relationships which currently exist between ISKCON spiritual Masters and their respective disciples are illegitimate, bogus, and completely corrupt. What is intelligent about proposing the GBC...

"Healthy and thriving" Is that your evaluation of current events.

Please tell me where, who and how many. And where are all of your godbrothers prabhu?

You give me one example of one of our godbrothers who is qualified to offer diksa and is not also giving "insufficient guidance" according to Nectar of Instruction. Better they were honest men and accepted the association of higher vaisnavas and not pretend to be all in all. Here is what His Divine grace has written in his commentary of the 5th sloka of Srila Rupa Goswami's Upadesamrta, his final order if you will:

"In this verse Srila Rupa Gosvami advises the devotee to be intelligent enough to distinguish between the kanistha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari. The devotee should also know his own position and should not try to imitate a devotee situated on a higher platform. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has given some practical hints to the effect that an uttama-adhikari Vaisnava can be recognized by his ability to convert many fallen souls to Vaisnavism. One should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of uttama-adhikari. A neophyte Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance. Therefore a disciple should be careful to accept an uttama-adhikari as a spiritual master."(NOI Purport Verse 5)

Also conspicuous by its absence in your article is very much scriptural reference. Lots of words babba, but not much shastra.

Your willingness to discuss Srila Prabhupada's unsigned will, and even mention his external characteristics like accent, use of English, etc. also neglects any serious discussion of His Divine Grace's internal mood, which is also conspicuous by its absence in your articles. Your counterpoint to TFO will simply spark more useless rhetoric from them.

Why be a defense lawyer for a guilty client? Better to find a legal mind of higher quality and learn to listen to him instead.

YS
Puru

Previous unanswered email:

Dear Mayesvara Prabhuji,

Dandavats and pranams. I had a few comments after re reading your very well written and even minded article on VNN. Here they are, if you will indulge me.

"I have been accused by the FO-Extremists of equivocating on the issue and not joining one of the two sides. I have been told that my unwillingness to declare which side of the argument I am on is conclusive evidence again that I am a confused fool This is clear evidence that you have dry corn starch (functional brain substance) and will certainly disqualify you from both groups of asara fanatical thinkers.

And as such I am disqualified from joining in a debate where all the players have been clearly identified. These individuals would much prefer to package me neatly in either a black or white container because that is their myopic way of relating to a world that is full of many brilliant colors.

Careful prabhu. Too much Krsna consciousness exhibited by your self and Svavasa will get the word from Badri to ban you from the temple. Wait and see.

Frankly I feel our spiritual cousins in the Gaudiya Math have provided the most accurate understanding of the current Guru-RtVik mess we are in better than either the black-ies or the white-ies. They are correct for scoffing at the idea of nominating someone to be a Guru, and they are also correct for guffawing at the knee-jerk-alternative-reactionary-solution to change the entire system to a totally vanilla flavored brew of RtVik.

Uh Oh, babba. You said the four letter word, "Gaudiya Math" in a favorable way. You are not allowed to do this prabhu. You surrender your first amendment rights and your freedom of speech and thought when you deal with ISKCON of today. You are exhibiting too much Krsna consciousness. They will have to get rid of you, ban you eventually, or just find some way to discredit your personally so now one will want to listen to your mature opinions. No freedom of thought or capitalism is allowed in the Communist party. The party way or the highway babba.

That is why my suggestion for adopting AIM has always been for pragmatic reasons only and not because of some spurious renegade speculative publication. It's very clear by the frequency of times Srila Prabhupada referred to the principal of Phalena Paricityate that he always applied practical reasoning to problem solving. The issue of Guru-Tattva is a big problem and it is appropriate that we follow his example in resolving this incredibly insidious controversy because it continues to polarize devotees and is exhausting our collective strength.

Prabhu very soon I will post the l979 transcript of the GBC meeting that dealt the death blow to Pradyumna and established zonal acarya imitation of the mahabhagvata for some time longer until it fell in on itself. When you read it you will be horrified. You will understand better the (GBC) mentality you are trying to reason with.

You will be forced to find better association somewhere else eventually.

I will be in CA in the beginning of May. Let me take you to meet Srila Narayan Maharaj. His association and the association of other members of his sanga will not hurt your effort to reunite ISKCON, but will show you a practical alternative to current madness. "Therefore I am of no faction" and I am not joining the Gaudiya Vedanta Samhiti, either, but I will affiliate with them, while I am forced to avoid all of the GBC bullies. Bullies they were, bullies they still be. They have power and influence only if sheep continue to follow their spurious lead.

The extremists may consider such a simple solution ridiculous because there is no specific scriptural references that spells it out for us. But Srila Prabhupad did spell it out for us many times.

"When non-devotees quarrel they cannot stop and end up killing each other. But the devotees' disagreement does not last long because they patch it up for Krsna's sake, because they are all working for the same end--Krsna's service." - Letter to Bhumata Calcutta March 10, 1983

"Sometimes there may be disagreement and quarrel but we should not go away. These inebriates can be adjusted by the cooperative spirit, tolerance and maturity so I request you to kindly remain in the association of our devotees and work together.

"Our devotees" takes on a completely different meaning in the present day, does it not?

The test of our actual dedication and sincerity to serve the Spiritual Master will be in this mutual cooperative spirit to push on this Movement and not make factions and deviate"

"deviate" takes on a unique application in the present day and age does it not? guru tattva, jiva tattva,vaisnava aparadha. Plenty of all three from both sides, asara's to the last man, naked emperors or screaming diaper wetting babies.

Letter to Babhru Los Angeles December 9, 1973

"They may have had some disagreement with you, but expert management means to engage all of the devotees and not allow them to split into different parties."

"All" of the devotees should include Srila Prabhupada's duly initiated disciples, don't you think? even if they don't presume to give diksa from the neophyte stages of practicing bhakti yoga. Even if they answer questions about guru tattva from new devotees by quoting the information in the Cc. Adi lila and Nectar of Instruction, verses 1 & 5.

-Letter to Cyavana, Dallas July 29, 1975 I pray for you prabhu, and I am only certain that the local saffron police will come crashing down on you very soon. You too need to find an alternative as you have suggested to the ritviks. You are an intelligent mature devotee. I suggest you pen your own matha and preach freely and show by your own example the stalwart ideals your AIM will accomplish.

Send me full copy and I will make it part of my by laws when I am finally able to open "The A.C. Bhaktivedanta Gaudiya Matha," one day.

Your servant, Puru Das Adhikari

Dear Mayesvara, Dandavats and pranams. All glories to Sri Guru and Gouranga.

Good luck knocking your head against the ritvik wall. The Final order is simply to become Krsna Conscious. Too much and too simple and direct for the ritviks. Read Badri's GBC report and you can see simply the other side of the same ritvik coin. GBC/ritvik. Flip the coin and you get tails either way.

Ignore Srila Prabhupada's Cc. and NOI purports and the essence of Srila Prabhupada's instructions and take no guidance from higher Vaisnavas and you got this amazing useless conflict. The GBC being correct to some extent on the principle of diksa, but not understanding what diksa really is and the ritviks being correct on the limitations the GBC (other recent VNN article by Adridharna) should observe, but not understanding diksa. What a circus babba. Can't tell the players without a score card. Everyone playing without a coach thinking they own the team.

I go to a different ball park where they play by the rules of guru, sadhu and shastra. Too much madness in and around ISKCON. GBCitis, ritivikitis, vapuh madness, diksillusions, suddha bhaktilessness.

All success to your effort. I am going to chant 32 rounds today to clear my mind of the VNN front page. Dandavats, Your servant,
Puru Das

[Originally published 04/16/99 on VNN]

Sripad Puru Das
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