Back To Prabhupada, Issue 67, Vol 3, 2020
GBC voted-in guru Kalakantha Dasa ("KAL") states:
"We teach the students that, ‘don't give so much focus to your guru, put your focus on Prabhupada' [...] this creates a family atmosphere [...] the first question we always ask each other, ‘Who's your guru?' [...] We teach people, ‘Yeah don't do that, okay, it's not important. We're all followers of Srila Prabhupada.' "
(KAL Interview, published 30/5/20)
KAL states that:
1) Srila Prabhupada and not the GBC guru should be the main object of one's focus.
2) The very fact that one has a GBC guru is not even important because we are all followers of Srila Prabhupada.
KAL also states we should keep the very existence of one's GBC guru a secret:
Interviewer: "Keep your guru a secret and keep your mantra also secret, yeah."
KAL: "Yes, so we emphasize this"
(KAL Interview, published 30/5/20)
This raises the obvious question of why then can we not just put all of our focus on Srila Prabhupada, especially since having a GBC guru is not even important enough to be acknowledged. Then the issue of having to teach how the GBC guru can be a distraction to the actual goal of focusing on Srila Prabhupada and having a "family atmosphere", would automatically be solved.
Thus, there is no need to waste time –
a) First creating GBC gurus;
b) Then teaching their disciples to not focus on them;
– when you could just eliminate them to begin with!
Supporting the above points is the fact that the GBC accepts that the GBC gurus would appear to serve no spiritual purpose:
Teaching
The GBC has already accepted that everything we need to learn comes directly from Srila Prabhupada:
"b. Srila Prabhupada's instructions are the essential teachings for every ISKCON devotee.
c. Srila Prabhupada's books are the embodiment of his teachings and should be accepted as the standard by all future generations of ISKCON."
(GBC Resolution 35, 1994)
Thus, we do not need the GBC gurus for spiritual teachings.
Connection
Nor do we need GBC gurus to connect to Srila Prabhupada since the system after joining ISKCON is that everyone is already directly connected to Srila Prabhupada as his siksa disciple and they offer pranam mantras to Srila Prabhupada directly. No GBC guru is required. (See GBC Resolutions 71, 1992.)
Guidance
Any devotee senior to us can direct us to study Srila Prabhupada's books and help us with any questions we may have regarding the practicalities of how to perform service, etc. Indeed, this was the system Srila Prabhupada instituted for ISKCON, whereby day to day guidance would be given to devotees by their temple president, sankirtana leader, etc. Nor can the GBC gurus claim that a "living" (as in physically present) guru is necessary since, in the main, they themselves do not have one.
Therefore, the GBC has established that their gurus do not serve any spiritual purpose that is not fulfilled by Srila Prabhupada and other temple devotees.
Thus, it would appear that the GBC gurus exist mainly for the sake of themselves so that they can benefit from being treated 'as good as God', amass followers and garner 'Profit, Adoration and Distinction' (PAD). This provides further evidence of a guru hoax, by demonstrating that the GBC guru system exists only for the purpose of self-aggrandisement, rather than fulfilling a spiritual function.
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In addition to the fact that the GBC gurus are unnecessary and distracting shows evidence of a guru hoax, we can also note that such a supposed guru system goes against Srila Prabhupada's teachings. KAL teaches that the GBC guru, who is supposed to be one's diksa guru and therefore the current link to the parampara or disciplic succession, should be shown much less importance, and instead one should "jump over" him and show more importance directly to one's supposed "param" or grandfather guru, Srila Prabhupada. However, Srila Prabhupada teaches that one cannot neglect the current link and jump over him to the link above in the parampara:
"This is called parampara system. You cannot jump over to the superior guru, I mean to say, neglecting the next acarya, immediate next acarya."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 8/12/73)
Nor did Srila Prabhupada teach that one must keep one's guru a secret. On the contrary, he urged in regards to a public invitation card that:
"One thing, on the invitation card you have written All Glories to Our Guru Maharaja. This is impersonalism. As soon as we offer obeisances to guru, the name should be there. We are strictly personalists. The sahajiya's, they write Glories to Guru. Why you are learning this impersonalism, who has taught you?"
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 14/7/72)
Therefore, as part of helping to perpetuate the guru hoax, KAL has invented a dual system whereby:
a) One's supposed diksa guru can be neglected and treated as if he does not even exist, and one instead "jumps over" him and focuses on the guru of one's guru.
b) But when it comes to being worshipped daily 'as good as God' and other personal benefits, the GBC gurus are to suddenly be treated as current-link diksa gurus.
But Srila Prabhupada never taught such a diksa guru system.
In order to perpetuate the guru hoax, ISKCON has had to create a hodgepodge "guru":
a) Who fulfils no necessary function that is not fulfilled by Srila Prabhupada and other senior devotees.
b) Who thus exists to simply allow the ambitious to be worshipped and treated as if they are 'as good as God'.
c) Who has nowhere been described by Srila Prabhupada – never mind ordered to be introduced in ISKCON in lieu of himself as ISKCON's diksa guru!
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