Back To Prabhupada, Issue 46, Winter 2014/15, Editorial
Welcome to Issue 46 of Back To Prabhupada (BTP).
The bulk of this issue is dedicated to destroying a deception which is used to extinguish all possibility that Srila Prabhupada remains the diksa guru of ISKCON. This deception is that the physical departure of the spiritual master from an institution automatically results in that spiritual master having to stop initiating. Without this deception, the following "nightmare" scenario for the GBC becomes a reality:
1) If the spiritual master does not have to stop initiating immediately on his departure, then this would mean that the spiritual master remains in place. And rtvik initiations on behalf of Srila Prabhupada, which Srila Prabhupada ordered for ISKCON without a corresponding order that they terminate on his departure, could continue in his physical absence.
2) If the spiritual master then remains in place after departure, it means that, in principle, he could continue to be available as the diksa guru for all future devotees who join ISKCON.
3) Once this occurs, devotees would no longer immediately be forced to choose whatever spiritual masters the GBC votes in as being substitutes for Srila Prabhupada, because Srila Prabhupada is supposedly not available. Rather, with Srila Prabhupada continuing to remain ISKCON's diksa guru, unauthorised voted-in GBC "successors" would no longer be necessary as a substitute for Srila Prabhupada.
And thus, with the end of the departure deception, we would arrive at the IRM's position, that Srila Prabhupada is the sole diksa guru for ISKCON, period!
It is to avoid the possibility of this "nightmare" scenario, which would finish the "guru business" for good, as well as to prevent even the possibility of this departure deception being examined and exposed, that the GBC is forced to still desperately cling to a discredited theory. And that is to claim that Srila Prabhupada was, in any case, succeeded on his departure by 11 rtviks turning into diksa gurus. We say "discredited theory" because of the facts:
a) In 1978, it was first claimed that Srila Prabhupada had "selected" these 11 rtviks as "spiritual masters" (GBC resolution 16, Morning session, 19/3/78).
b) By 1990, realising that there was zero evidence that these 11 rtviks had been selected to be anything other than rtviks, we had GBC member Ravindra Svarupa Dasa stating that what actually happened was:
"[...] this is the selection that never was. [...] he both selected and didn't select, very cleverly or obliquely, and at arm's length. This was a nod in their direction."
(Ravindra Svarupa Dasa, San Diego Rtvik Debate, 1990)
c) Then, in 2004, the GBC went even further. They withdrew their position paper which stated that Srila Prabhupada had given an "order" for the 11 rtviks to become diksa gurus as soon as Srila Prabhupada departed. This withdrawal followed an analysis by HH Jayadvaita Swami which concluded that at best we can only say that Srila Prabhupada "implicitly intended" for these 11 rtviks to become diksa gurus (please see BTP 17, "Playing Games with the Truth"). And when we conclude what someone "intended" rather than said, and even this only "implicitly", we are in the realm of not fact, but mind-reading.
d) At least 8 of these 11 "diksa gurus" were subsequently found to not even be following the devotional standards that a neophyte bhakta is supposed to follow.
Thus, the theory is so discredited that even the GBC admit we have to go from "selected" to "no selection arm's length nod" gobbledegook, to "implicit intention" mind-reading. And this is combined with the claim that Srila Prabhupada specifically chose those who were nowhere near the level to become diksa gurus, to become diksa gurus. But that is the whole point. The GBC is forced to prop up such a laughable nonsensical theory simply because without it, their essential departure deception is opened up to being examined and defeated - and that is exactly what this issue does.
Thank you and Hare Krsna.
In Srila Prabhupada' service,
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