Back To Prabhupada, Issue 62, Vol 2, 2019
he previous article explained the methodology accepted by the GBC of using non-Srila Prabhupada sources to disobey Srila Prabhupada's recorded orders. Not only is this methodology unauthorised, but we will show that it was employed using deceit and false reasoning, thereby highlighting the desperation to somehow achieve the circumvention of Srila Prabhupada's orders.
Srila Prabhupada stated that guests who visit the temple are not expected to follow the standards of the devotees:
"We cannot expect our guests to follow all our principles, but whoever lives in the temple must follow."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 12/1/74)
Consequently, his orders regarding fasts that were to be followed by the devotees were not intended for those visiting the temple, and instead Srila Prabhupada sanctioned different arrangements for the latter on festival days:
Satsvarupa: "Pancadravida Swami will organize how to distribute prasadam to all visiting pilgrims on Gaura-Purnima day. [...]"
Srila Prabhupada: "Ask everyone visiting, "Please take prasadam." [...]"
Tamala Krsna: "Srila Prabhupada, what kind of prasadam would you suggest?"
Srila Prabhupada: "Khicuri. [...] Give them sumptuous food. [...] sweet rice [...] Then people will be very much satisfied."
(Room Conversation, 4/3/77, emphases added)
Mahamsa: "then on the 18th morning [...] we have made these kinds of packages [...] a little prasadam feast [...] we'll be giving everyone who comes [...] And then in the evening [...] Janmastami program. This is for public."
Srila Prabhupada: "[...] Anyone comes, if you have made packages for distribution, give a package."
(Evening Darsana, 16/8/76, emphases added)
Thus, those visiting the temples on festival days could be offered sumptuous grain prasadam without timing restrictions, since the visitors, unlike the devotees, were not expected to observe the fasts.
Yet, the GBC-accepted SAC (Sastric Advisory Committee) paper mentioned in the previous article changed Srila Prabhupada's orders for fasts to be observed by devotees, by arguing that instead of following these orders one should:
"follow Srila Prabhupada's mood. His mood is primarily that of preaching and engaging everyone in celebrating Krsna consciousness. [...] on major festival days [...] He would also arrange for an opulent feast [...] if we serve austere (or very unusual) prasadam, we will be limited both in attracting the public and "to bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krsna, the prime entity." [...] Both the timing of completing the fast and the type of prasadam served should be based on what would most facilitate the enthusiastic participation of the local community of devotees and the maximum outreach effect regarding the general public."
(p. 34)
a) But since Srila Prabhupada had already allowed for different arrangements to be made for those visiting the temple, these arguments are unnecessary.
b) Thus, these arguments are irrelevant, since arrangements made by Srila Prabhupada for preaching to those visiting the temple are not the same as the orders Srila Prabhupada gave for the devotees to follow, and thus one cannot change the latter based on the former.
These obvious points would have been known to the SAC and GBC if they concentrated on studying Srila Prabhupada's orders rather than finding ways to disobey them!
As already noted in the previous and earlier articles, one cannot use "memories" as a substitute for, or to override, Srila Prabhupada's actual orders (POP). However, we will note that the SAC paper cheats even when using this unauthorised method to supplant Srila Prabhupada's orders. The paper presents a number of memories on pages 25-28 from Srila Prabhupada's disciples. Regarding these memories, the paper claims that:
"Srila Prabhupada's verbal instruction on the day of Rama-navami itself and his instruction and practice on locations when Rama-navami was occurring was to fast until noon".
(p. 5, emphases added)
However, only one of the memories even makes any reference to something that Srila Prabhupada actually said on the day of Rama-navami, and this memory from Giriraja Swami ("GRS") states:
"Srila Prabhupada agreed" that "we fasted until sunset". GRS then claims that later on Srila Prabhupada also told him that he could find out what the local Hindu temples did and this could be followed. And GRS found out that the local Hindu temples broke their fast at noon.
But this is not the same as Srila Prabhupada giving an instruction to "fast until noon", as the paper claims. On the contrary, GRS states that Srila Prabhupada agreed that fasting is done until "sunset", which corresponds with his recorded orders! In addition, virtually all of the rest of the memories that deal with what happened when Srila Prabhupada was physically present on Rama-navami, refer to the grand opening of the Vrndavana Krsna-Balarama temple. These memories describe how Srila Prabhupada wanted a grand grain feast to be served at around noon for the opening to the "6,000" visitors. But these are not relevant, as we already established in the first section that Srila Prabhupada authorised that the temples not force the guests to follow the fasts!
Thus, even though the SAC is relying on unauthorised, non-Srila Prabhupada sources, it still needs to resort to presenting irrelevant memories and then misrepresenting the sole memory that has some relevance!
Thus, the SAC was not even able to produce one memory supporting its claim that Srila Prabhupada directly said temple devotees should "fast until noon". Though, even if they could, it would not matter, since we are not in any case authorised to change Srila Prabhupada's orders using what someone may "remember" "Srila Prabhupada said":
"Unless it is there from me in writing, there are so many things that "Prabhupada said." "
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 2/9/75)
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