ISKCON UK congregational preaching director HG Kripamoya Das (“KMD”) has again argued that due to the need for “… rebuke, correction, and ongoing guidance”, the diksha, or initiating, guru must be: “in Srila Prabhupada’s own words: ‘concrete,’ ‘appearing before the physical senses of the disciple,’ and someone to whom the disciple can surrender in person.”
(both quotes from The Vaishnava Voice, April 4th, 2010)
As we have documented in previous issues of BTP, KMD continues to falsely attribute to Srila Prabhupada his philosophical misconception that the guru must be physically present before the disciple in order to act as the disciple’s guru. Let us examine the first quotation KMD alludes to:
“Not that in air you make a spiritual master. You make a spiritual master concrete.”
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, September 23rd, 1969)
Here all Srila Prabhupada is saying is that you cannot fabricate a spiritual master out of the air. Is KMD arguing that Srila Prabhupada is a fabrication? If so, he has been the disciple of an imaginary guru for the past 33 years!
Regarding the guru “appearing before the physical senses of the disciple”, KMD later confessed:
“I will admit to being unable to find the specific quote I wanted.”
(HG Kripamoya Das, June 10th, 2010)
As for the need for “rebuke”, “correction” and “ongoing guidance”, KMD contradicts himself, since he has admitted that he himself was never rebuked, corrected or guided by Srila Prabhupada when he was physically present!:
“you (Srila Prabhupada) replied “Jaya” [...] That was the only word you said to me directly [...] One word spoken thirty years previously”.
(HG Kripamoya Das, Vyasa-Puja offering to Srila Prabhupada, 2007)
