Back To Prabhupada, Issue 48, Summer 2015
n the article on page 5, we quoted HH Bhakti Charu Swami claiming that the GBC "allowing" Srila Prabhupada to be restricted to only be the "pre-eminent" siksa guru of ISKCON constitutes them "glorifying" Srila Prabhupada. However, in practice, ISKCON does not even adhere to this restricted "glorification" of Srila Prabhupada as only being the "pre-eminent siksa guru". Below is this year's Vyasa-puja offering to HH Sivarama Swami ("SRS") made by a very prominent disciple who is the Temple President of ISKCON's largest temple in Europe, which is also the headquarters of ISKCON UK:
"Guru Maharaja you are the patita-pavana, saviour of the fallen. Our only real business should be to follow your instructions and work for your pleasure and Krsna's."
(Srutidharma Dasa, "Vyasa-puja" offering to SRS, 2015, emphasis added)
1. The GBC idea is that one should follow Srila Prabhupada's instructions since he is supposed to be "the pre-eminent and compulsory siksa-guru for all vaisnavas (gurus and disciples) in the Society" (GBC Resolution 409, 1999). Yet, here we have a "Vyasa-puja" offering stating that the "only real business" should be to follow the instructions of, not Srila Prabhupada, but one of the GBC-authorised diksa guru "successors" to Srila Prabhupada. Thus, for the disciple, his GBC guru, SRS, is actually the "pre-eminent siksa guru" as well as his diksa guru.
2. And we have shown repeatedly that the "instructions" of SRS are different to the instructions of Srila Prabhupada. Indeed, we have managed to produce a whole book, 100 Deviations: The Life and Teachings of HH Sivarama Swami, documenting this. In addition, in practically every BTP issue we document how SRS deviates from Srila Prabhupada's teachings, including in this issue, on the previous page!
3. And SRS's deviations are blatant and usually the exact opposite of what Srila Prabhupada teaches.
For example, Srila Prabhupada states:
"Physical presence is immaterial".
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 19/1/67)
Whereas SRS states:
"It doesn't mean that vapu [physical presence] is immaterial."
(SRS Podcast, 20/5/15)
Srila Prabhupada states:
"Guru cannot be a conditioned soul. Guru must be liberated."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 16/2/71)
Whereas SRS states:
"And therefore in that way those who are not liberated souls, but even conditioned souls can take the position of guru."
(SRS Podcast, 3/11/08)
Srila Prabhupada states:
"When one has attained the topmost position of mahabhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshipped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru."
(Cc., Madhya-lila, 24.330)
Whereas SRS states:
"He [Krishna]'s willing to make the compromise that less than maha-bhagavatas can become gurus"
(SRS Podcast, 3/11/08)
And so on.
4. Therefore, the guru hoax is so pernicious that it cannot even maintain keeping Srila Prabhupada as ISKCON's pre-eminent siksa guru. Rather, in practice, the GBC-authorised diksa guru becomes everything for the disciple, and Srila Prabhupada takes a back seat. Of course, all these issues would be resolved instantly if ISKCON simply agreed to follow Srila Prabhupada's orders and keep him in the same position he held when he was physically present, which included him being the diksa guru for every member of ISKCON.
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