Back To Prabhupada, Issue 5, Autumn 2004, Editorial
Welcome to issue 5 of Back to Prabhupada (BTP), and a big "thank you" to all those who flooded us with letters of appreciation for issue 4. Many readers could not understand how the GBC, after the public humiliation of having to admit that their previous "final" position paper on how they became Gurus was full of "lies", can still have the audacity to carry on with their Guru business as usual. Well, you're in good company because neither can we!
Some devotees feel that the Guru controversy in ISKCON is just too big an issue for them to tackle. "Why not just leave it up to Krishna to sort out?" they sometimes say. "I don't have time to get into all this arguing and bickering over legal documents, word definitions, quotes and counter-quotes; I just want to get on with my service". There are, however, several problems with this approach.
Firstly, it assumes that one can perform devotional service without even knowing for sure the identity of the current, authorised representative of Krishna through whom you are offering that very service. How can we approach Krishna, or assist others to do so (the whole purpose of all preaching), if we do not even know who the bona fide Guru is?
Secondly, it ignores a very obvious point: either Srila Prabhupada did want to carry on as the diksa Guru for ISKCON, or he did not. It has to be one or the other. How hard can it really be to come to a conclusion, especially since Srila Prabhupada always gave specific instructions to the GBC on how ISKCON was to function.
Thirdly, it is not our philosophy that we just "leave everything up to Krishna". What if Arjuna had this attitude 5000 years ago on the battlefield of Kurukshetra: "Please Krishna, all this fighting is too troublesome for me to get into. Since you are God, why can't You just sort this mess out and please just let me get on with my service?"
The main thing we should consider is how Srila Prabhupada would react if he heard that people were hijacking his movement, saying he was no longer "living", posing themselves as initiating acaryas and stealing all his disciples. The following prophetic conversation from 1977 indicates that the IRM's approach is quite in harmony with the behaviour Srila Prabhupada expected from his followers:
Bhavananda: "There will be men, I know. There will be men who want to try and pose themselves as Guru."
Tamala Krishna: "That was going on many years ago. Your Godbrothers were thinking like that. Madhava Maharaja..."
Bhavananda: "Oh, yes. Oh, ready to jump."
Prabhupada: "Very strong management required and vigilant observation."
(Room Conversation, May 27th, 1977)
This Freudian slip by two future Guru hoaxers, who proved themselves more than ready to "jump" just a few months later, was met with a clear answer from Srila Prabhupada: "Very strong management required and vigilant observation." Srila Prabhupada did not say: "Oh well if it happens it happens, just let Krishna sort it out."
That is how we should see things. We should be willing to co-operate, with whomever is willing, to put things back in place so that everything is managed exactly as Srila Prabhupada requested.
And on July 9th, 1977 he told all the Temple Presidents and GBCs in ISKCON just how he wanted initiations to run. If we help put his clear, signed "management" directive back into force, if we are "strong" and "vigilant" in doing so, then we will get the spiritual credit for re-establishing Srila Prabhupada's mission, just as Arjuna got the credit for fighting for Krishna.
The next objection is "but what can I do?" Well, firstly please always chant 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra every day and read Srila Prabhupada's books. This will give you the spiritual strength and intelligence by which to clearly distinguish reality from illusion and to therefore effectively fight for Krishna. Next, please read all the papers on the IRM website (www.iskconirm.com), starting with The Final Order which consists of all the relevant instructions and documents from Srila Prabhupada establishing himself as the sole initiating spiritual master (diksa Guru) in ISKCON. On our matrix of "Defeated challengers to Srila Prabhupada" on the website's homepage you will be able to read our responses to all the main leaders in ISKCON who argue that Srila Prabhupada is no longer the diksa Guru. You should carefully study both the GBC's arguments, along with our responses, until you become completely convinced of what it was Srila Prabhupada wanted. If you decide he wanted to remain the sole initiating Guru for ISKCON, and that you would like to help restore him to that position in exactly the way he ordered, then welcome to the IRM - the only international organisation in the world dedicated to that purpose.
Please feel free to write to me at the following address if you have any questions, criticisms or comments: irm@iskconirm.com.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read our magazine, which we hope you find useful in sorting out the truth from the falsehoods in ISKCON today. Hare Krishna.
Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada,
Editor
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