In the BTP 24 article “The Divinity Delusion”, we cited ISKCON GBC voted-in guru HH Bhakti Vikash Swami (“BVKS”) claiming he should be worshipped as good as God almighty simply because, like any new bhakta (devotee) who joins ISKCON, he will tell people to follow Srila Prabhupada:
“My Vyasa-puja [...] So you may think, well, what is my qualification to accept the honour and affection that you are offering to me [...] Well, that is my qualification, that if I can glorify Prabhupada then that’s the qualification ...actually, the er... I’m not qualified, intrinsically, but qualified because I can point, “here is Prabhupada, and follow his instructions, and ask you to have faith in what Srila Prabhupada has given.”
(BVKS, “Vyasa-Puja” Lecture, Tirupati, January 5th, 2008)
In fact, this philosophy of “act like a bhakta, get worshipped as a guru” was preached nearly two decades prior by the man responsible for “The Great Guru Hoax, Part 2” (the current GBC guru system), HG Ravindra Svarupa Das (“RSD”). RSD claimed that Srila Prabhupada actually delivers divya- jnana (transcendental knowledge), and one can become a GBC-elected successor guru simply by claiming the credit for delivering this divya-jnana oneself!:
“For example a spiritual master may instruct a disciple, “Make sure you read Srila Prabhupada’s books for two hours every day...” - then he’s giving divya-jnana. He can do it this way. He need not be able to write those books, but if he keep his students reading the books, and he makes sure they understand what they read, then he’s giving divya-jnana.”
(Ravindra Svarupa Das, Vaisnava Institute for Higher Education, January 21st, 1990, Vrindavan, published in ISKCON Journal, 1990).
An ISKCON guru is now no different to any bhakta who distributes books.
ISKCON’s guru hoaxers are happy to let Srila Prabhupada do all the hard work of giving divya- jnana and delivering disciples, while they take all the worship and credit – and they openly admit it!
