Summer 2006
Previously, we published a statement from ISKCON GBC-elected guru HH Bhakti Caru Swami (BCS) whereby he admitted that all disciples in ISKCON belong to Srila Prabhupada, and that only Srila Prabhupada was the bona fide Guru who would deliver them to Krishna. In the following, we see yet another confession from BCS.
Not authorised by Srila Prabhupada to initiate:
Here we have HH Bhakti Caru Swami confessing again, previously we quoted GBC-elected guru HH Bhakti Caru Swami (‘BCS’) admitting that he himself is not able to take anyone to Krishna, but rather it is Srila Prabhupada who takes one to Krishna:
| “Therefore our responsibility is to mediate between you and Srila Prabhupada, and Srila Prabhupada will take you to Krsna.” (BCS, Durban disciples’ meeting, reported on April 7th, 2006) |
Yet another confession was recorded in a recent initiation ceremony in Calcutta, wherein BCS stated:
| “I cannot lead you to Krsna." (BCS Istagosthi, March 28th, 2006) |
These confessions should be extremely worrying for BCS’s disciples and followers, since Srila Prabhupada states:
“It is illegal to become a spiritual master if one is unable to deliver the disciple.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.7 purport)
Furthermore, BCS also admitted:
| “I give initiation because I have been asked to do so. If ISKCON tells me, ‘initiate,’ I initiate. And if the GBC tells me, ‘don’t initiate,’ I don’t initiate.” (BCS Istagosthi, 28th March 2006) |
Here BCS confesses that he is completely powerless to function as an “initiating guru” without the sanction of ISKCON’s managerial body, the GBC (Governing Body Commission), who can also withdraw his “initiating powers” whenever they see fit! BCS states with reference to the GBC: “I give initiation because I have been asked to do so”. Please note that at no point does BCS say he is initiating because Srila Prabhupada has asked him to do, or because Srila Prabhupada authorised him to do so. Rather he admits that this cannot be the case, since his authorisation came not from Srila Prabhupada but from ISKCON via the GBC. This statement from BCS himself alone proves that he is not a bona fide guru, since he admits openly he was not authorised by Srila Prabhupada, as required:
ONLY SRILA PRABHUPADA CAN AUTHORISE INITIATING GURUS
“One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master coming in the disciplic succession, who is authorised by his predecessor spiritual master. This is called diksa-vidhana.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.8.54, purport)“A guru can be guru when he is ordered by his guru. That’s all. Otherwise nobody can become guru.”
(Srila Prabhupada Bhagavad-gita Lecture, 28/10/75)“Self-made guru cannot be guru. He must be authorised by the bona fide guru. Then he’s guru. This is the fact...Similarly, bona fide guru means he must be authorised by the superior guru.”
(Srila Prabhupada Nectar of Devotion Lecture, 31/10/72)
So previously we documented how BCS confessed that he cannot take one to Krishna, as a bona fide Guru does, and here he adds yet another, and stronger reason, as to why he is not a bona fide guru: he was not authorised to initiate by Srila Prabhupada.
- When the gurus themselves are admitting they are not bona fide – what more evidence is required?!
In the meantime, BCS himself has warned his followers that worshipping him rather than Srila Prabhupada is dangerous:
| “Although I am happy about this website, but to tell you frankly, I do have some concern, because first of all I did not really see any need of such a website. I use to feel that such arrangements could lead to breed some sectarian mentality with me in the centre. […] However if my disciples get united around me, it may create some sort of unity but it will fail to see the larger family of ISKCON and, as a result of that, instead of creating actual unity it may cause discord. However, if we keep our focus on Srila Prabhupada, then yes, we will be able to avoid that danger.” (BCS Podcast 25/5/06) |
Thus, from BCS’s own words we learn that:
- Making BCS the centre of a disciple’s life could breed a sectarian mentality.
- Making BCS the centre of a disciple’s life may cause discord.
- Keeping Srila Prabhupada in the centre is the only way to avoid a dangerous personality cult where BCS is in the centre. However, in classic bait-and-switch style perfected only by the best practitioners of the guru hoax, BCS then states:
| “…we are simply basking on Srila Prabhupada’s glory […] whatever recognition, honour and worship I am getting today is simply because of Srila Prabhupada. I personally do not have any qualification and therefore I do not actually deserve any honour and glory myself.” (BCS Podcast 25/5/06) |
Thus we see that while he admits that he is one of these personalities basking in the reflected glory of Srila Prabhupada, and that he does not actually deserve such worship, BCS to this very day happily still continues to receive the worship that he claims is only meant for Srila Prabhupada!
So our appeal to BCS is very simple: Please ACT on your words by doing the following, and in this way prove you are not a hypocrite:
- STOP the worship of yourself by renouncing your “Vyasa Puja” celebrations etc., and return ALL your disciples to Srila Prabhupada.
- STOP initiating any more disciples as your own, thereby following your own advice:
| “So for the time-being, let’s stop giving initiation and find out what is actually the problem and what is the solution to this problem, whether we can find a solution and until then, let us stop.” (HH Bhakti Caru Swami, July 20th 2003, Toronto) |
- SURRENDER every last penny you have acquired in “guru daskhina” (money gifted to the guru), and return it to its real owner, Srila Prabhupada, by publishing literature and establishing temples (minus IT parks and flight training academies) which actively preach that ONLY Srila Prabhupada is ISKCON’s Guru. This should be very easy for you to do, since you seem to be well-financed:
“Dear Bhakti Charu Maharaja …Your letter was very helpful. Even more so was the example you set by pledging $1 million in Mayapur.”
(Letter from GBC member Badrinarayan Das, posted May 29th 2006)
In this way, you really will be able to stop the danger of sectarian discord in ISKCON which has ripped the movement apart ever since Srila Prabhupada was kicked out as ISKCON’s Guru.