Back To Prabhupada, Issue 65, Vol 1, 2020, Interactive
The following letter was sent to us by Advaita Dasa ("AD") from Putaruru, New Zealand, and our response is interspersed between his statements below. All emphases added.
"Just as a police officer can become cynical and even disgusted with their righteous service due to associating with the lowest caliber of people; I see you slipping into fault finding and stretching meanings as a part of your service of exposing the deviations and disrespect to HDG [Srila Prabhupada - Ed.]."
However, Srila Prabhupada's definition of "fault finding" is:
"Of course to call a thief a thief is not faultfinding, but to call an honest person a thief is very much offensive."
(Bg., 16.1-3, purport)
1) AD states that our service is "righteous" and exposes "the deviations and disrespect to HDG" carried out by the "lowest caliber of people", and thus he must agree that "fault finding" cannot apply to BTP, since he accepts our content is truthful.
2) Further proof of this is given by the fact that in this letter, AD is unable to state even a single instance of an untruthful statement in BTP.
3) Hence, this false criticism of BTP by AD would itself be classified as "fault finding", and thus he is engaging in what he falsely accuses us of doing.
"Similarly this issue lacks any attempt to glorify HDG."
Srila Prabhupada has instructed us how to actually "glorify" him:
"You can eulogize your Guru Maharaja, but you have to learn it and face the public and be strong to defend yourself. That is success. Not by praising your Guru Maharaja. You'll praise your Guru Maharaja. That is not very difficult. But be victorious to the opposing elements. Then you will praise your Guru Maharaja nicely. [...] But you have to fight. Then your Guru Maharaja will be glorified."
(Conversation, 26/12/75)
1) Every single BTP article is full of such glorification, where we "fight" those "opposing" Srila Prabhupada and emerge "victorious". Thus, BTP glorifies Srila Prabhupada in the way he has actually asked us to glorify him.
2) Consequently, AD's wholly false criticism that BTP 64 lacks "any attempt" to glorify Srila Prabhupada, would itself be an example of "fault finding", and thus AD is again engaging in what he falsely accuses us of doing.
"Your opening dialogue [Editorial – Ed.] [...] should clearly state that the sincere disciple/student that reads HDG's book will be properly educated and protected so he cannot be easily fooled by maya's tricks."
We do state this, as the very conclusion to the very Editorial being criticised:
"Srila Prabhupada continually equipped us with the knowledge to confront deviant philosophies."
"One point of concern is the title "The Rtvik Delusion". This space could be used to re-confirm that Rtvik is the actual correct method used by HDG [...] No one is a diksa guru without disobedience to His Rtvik instruction."
But we do state this in the "The Rtvik Delusion" article. If AD had actually bothered to read the articles he criticises, rather than simply rush to desperately fault-find, he would have read the following:
"He did however give an order for 11 "rtviks" on July 9th, 1977 [...] These rtviks would only make disciples for Srila Prabhupada. So, only rtviks, and not "regular" or diksa gurus, were ever ordered [...] But the GBC and HD are still deludedly imagining that the appointment of these rtviks is the appointment of regular or diksa gurus."
"Your valuable space would be better served with clarification of HDG's instructions on the core issues as opposed to repetition of the glaring faults these unauthorised fools perform."
1) The "glaring faults these unauthorised fools perform" that BTP points out are, as AD defined them above, "deviations and disrespect to HDG". Remaining silent about such disrespect would actually be a great fault:
"Although a devotee maintains an attitude of meekness and gentleness, it is a great fault on his part if he remains silent when the Lord or His devotee is blasphemed."
(SB, 4.14.32, purport)
Additionally, Srila Prabhupada states that preaching means to call out such unauthorised fools and expose them:
"And the position of the preacher is madhyama adhikari. Therefore they have to point out, "Here is a jealous man, envious man." But people do not want it. They say, "Why you are pointing out? Why you are pointing out?" But this is business of the preacher. Otherwise how he will preach?"
(Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk, 7/4/74)
2) Moreover, the means by which we expose the "glaring faults" of these fools is clarification of Srila Prabhupada's instructions on the core issues, by contrasting Srila Prabhupada's actual instructions with the cheating being carried out in his name.
"Do not use quotes from ISKCON unauthorized Gurus (Bhakti Vikash Swami) to support your service value. Unauthorised is unauthorised in any case."
1) Srila Prabhupada approves of using another's own statements against them:
"There is a Bengali proverb: tora sil tora noda, tora bhangi dantera goda. I take your mortar and pestle and I break your teeth. This means that we use the scientists own weapons and with them we defeat their atheistic philosophy."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 8/3/76)
2) BTP aims to save devotees from being cheated in Srila Prabhupada's name by the false GBC gurus – and many such devotees are followers of the false gurus. Hence, if their gurus themselves are saying something positive about our service, this can only assist in our mission by making the followers more open to reading our materials.
"I feel it is now time for us to chalk out the correct path and perspective for the guidance of the innocent, in addition to all of the work that has been done pointing out the deceptions of the selfish fools in devotee dress."
This is exactly what we have been doing from day 1, since "the innocent" have been taken off the "correct path" by the "deceptions of the selfish fools in devotee dress." Therefore, there is no more suitable activity for BTP – which aims to prevent innocent devotees from being cheated – than to expose the cheaters!
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