Back To Prabhupada, Issue 54, Winter 2016/17
n the article on page 4, we highlighted the absurdities that occur due to making up a guru system, instead of accepting the one given by Srila Prabhupada. These absurdities lead to confusion and ignorance about the very basics of Krishna Consciousness, such as how to conduct a kirtana. Even more basic than this is the fact that Krishna Consciousness is meant to combat illusion (maya) by bringing a person into reality. It would be completely absurd, therefore, if instead practitioners remained in illusion and avoided the reality. Yet, this is exactly the absurd situation which arises as a result of the made-up guru system practised in ISKCON, as we shall see.
Srila Prabhupada explains:
"The platform of paramahamsa is described in Bhagavad-gita (2.15): sama-duhkha-sukham dhiram so ‘mrtatvaya kalpate. When one is callous to all duality, the happiness and distress of this material world, one is fit for amrtatva, eternal life. [...] One has to understand that in the material world of duality, to think that this is good or that this is bad is simply a mental concoction. However, one should not imitate this consciousness; one should actually be situated on the spiritual platform of neutrality."
(SB, 5.9.11)
Thus, one has to actually be situated on a spiritual level, rather than imitate it.
HH Kadamba Kanana Swami ("KKS"), an ISKCON sannyasi and guru, explains what happened when he was about to get initiated by his guru, HH Jayadvaita Swami ("JAS"):
"When I approached my spiritual master for initiation, he said, "Hmmm, as good as God, are you prepared to accept that?" And I thought, "Umm, well, I don't know..." but I just said yes with a weak voice because it is not so simple to accept the spiritual master as good as God. But this is Krsna's standard so what can we say."
("Dandavats", 6/1/17)
He explains that he had to accept JAS "as good as God" because it is "Krsna's standard". Yes, it is a fact that it is the system to accept the bona fide guru "as good as God". But that is because the bona fide guru must first actually be at the highest spiritual position:
"When one has attained the topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshiped 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)
Thus, both things must be there -- the guru is worshipped "as good as God" ("exactly like Hari") because only a person who is already in the topmost position of being a maha-bhagavata is allowed to become a diksa guru to begin with. And as we saw in the previous section, one must actually attain the level one is supposed to be on and not imitate it.
However, KKS describes the standard system in ISKCON, which is an imitation system. Gurus must be worshipped "as good as God" even though they are not. By JAS's own admission, he had been in maya supporting a false zonal-acarya guru system at the time he himself became a guru in 1986 (please see our book, The Book Changer, for evidence), rather than being situated on the maha-bhagavata level. And ISKCON Guru Services Committee Chairman (at the time), HH Prahladananda Swami ("PAS"), admitted that no guru in ISKCON is on this level:
"Such an uttama-adhikari Vaisnava is in perfect touch with the Supersoul and at every moment knows the Supreme Lord's desires."
("Duties of GBC and Guru in ISKCON", PAS, 2006)
"If the GBC Body sees someone as a self-effulgent acarya who is completely aware of the Supersoul and Srila Prabhupada's desires and instructions they can and should follow his/her instructions. No one so far has been seen in that category."
(PAS, 30/8/06)
Even in materialistic society, if one engages in imitation, such delusion can be considered a mental illness, and one may be locked up in a mental asylum. For example, in such asylums one may find persons who claim to be the President of the United States or hold some such lofty position, and other inmates may even treat them as such. Whereas in ISKCON, we have persons imitating being "as good as God" by demanding worship as such, and others offering such worship, even though both will know that the person concerned is not actually "as good as God". The situation in ISKCON is, therefore, actually worse: the mental patient in the asylum may genuinely be deluded and think he really is the President of the United States; whereas in ISKCON both the guru and disciple actually know they are engaging in a charade and thus cannot claim genuine delusion as an excuse.
KKS also explains regarding his initiation ceremony:
"I had to sit in a yajna again with the new bhaktas, remove my brahmin thread and sit down there and be initiated! [...] He said, "I want to give him two initiations at once." Well, that was a relief because I wasn't sure if he was going to do that so at least I was going to get my brahmin thread back; that was something!"
("Dandavats", 6/1/17)
KKS had already been given both first and second initiation by another ISKCON guru, Bhavananda, who subsequently "fell down". KKS did not consider either of these initiations valid, because he approached JAS for new initiations, and was expecting to get a new brahmana initiation and thread from JAS, as he describes above. And yet, KKS had to remove his brahmana thread for the ceremony, because he had continued to wear his Bhavananda brahmana thread. So he continued to pretend he was still a bona fide initiated brahmana, even though he accepted he was not and needed to get re-initiated. Such is the confusion and contradiction that surrounds the "re-initiation" program invented in ISKCON.
Srila Prabhupada states:
"Everything in Krsna consciousness is scientific. It is not bogus, whimsical, sentimental, fanatical or imaginary. It is truth, fact, reality."
(Easy Journey to Other Planets, Chapter 2)
Yet, as we have documented above, the made-up ISKCON guru system results in one avoiding reality, and instead living in an imaginary world of make-believe.
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