Back To Prabhupada, Issue 78, 2023
In the previous article, we examined the consequence of accepting ISKCON's leaders' claims as being true. The consequence was that the guru hoax depends entirely on assuming that ISKCON's leaders possess mind reading powers! Below we examine the further consequences that arise from such an acceptance. All emphases added.
The normal system is to get knowledge by reading Srila Prabhupada's words and accepting what they say literally. However, if we accept the 5 "mind reading" rules documented in the previous article for how we must understand Srila Prabhupada's statements, then such "rules" could be applied to anything Srila Prabhupada states. Which would mean that whatever Srila Prabhupada states could not be understood directly. Rather, it would have to be understood via ISKCON's leaders first reading Srila Prabhupada's mind and then informing us what Srila Prabhupada is "actually" trying to say.
Thus, ISKCON's leadership has had to invent a brand new system of epistemology just to circumvent the rtvik system given by Srila Prabhupada and establish the guru hoax!
Another consequence of accepting the mind reading rules is that it explicitly links "rtviks" with "regular guru" or diksa guru. It is claimed in the slideshow mentioned in the previous article, that when Question 6 is asked:
"Srila Prabhupada then states how initiations should go on when he was no longer physically present."
However, Question 6 specifically asks about rtviks:
"No, he's asking that these rtvik-acaryas [...] they give diksa..."
Thus, this would mean that it is claimed that the statement about "regular guru" or diksa guru which comes after Question 6 would apply to these rtviks. Hence, the consequence would be that Srila Prabhupada is supposedly appointing rtviks who were to become diksa gurus. Thus, Srila Prabhupada would therefore actually be appointing diksa gurus via first appointing them as rtviks. However, ISKCON's leadership had already rejected this theory long ago:
"Myself and the other GBC have done the greatest disservice to this movement the last three years because we interpreted the appointment of ritviks as the appointment of gurus."
(HH Tamala Krsna Goswami, 3/12/80, one of the 11 rtviks, quoted in GBC's ISKCON Journal, 1990)
Thus, another consequence of accepting this current mind reading interpretation from ISKCON's leaders is that they have been forced to resurrect an appointment theory which they themselves had discarded long ago.
In 2004, the GBC passed Resolution 409, which stated about the May 28th, 1977 conversation (henceforward "the conversation"):
"Srila Prabhupada said that his disciples would become "regular gurus" [...] the GBC concludes that Srila Prabhupada intended his disciples to become "regular gurus" after he physically departed."
1) This is all the resolution states about the conversation, and thus the existence of the 11 appointed rtviks is not even mentioned.
2) Therefore, the term "his disciples" here must refer to all of Srila Prabhupada's disciples and thus it is claimed that the conversation asks all of them in general to "become regular gurus" or diksa gurus. But it is not claimed that Srila Prabhupada ordered all his disciples to become diksa gurus – only that he "intended" it. Nor that it should even happen on his physical departure, but only at any time after it. Thus, the GBC is not even claiming that Srila Prabhupada ordered the 11 disciples appointed as rtviks to become "regular gurus" or diksa gurus on his physical departure.
After ISKCON's leadership rejected "the diksa gurus were appointed" theory, they still needed a non-appointment way to explain how exactly the 11 rtviks stopped being rtviks and instead became diksa gurus on Srila Prabhupada's physical departure. Thus, over the years, they came up with 5 theories.
1) Rtviks' own personal desire
"So it stands to reason that after Prabhupada's departure, they [the 11 rtviks] would go on, if they so desired, to initiate."
(HH Tamala Krsna Goswami, one of the 11 rtviks, 3/12/80)
2) Srila Prabhupada's "hope"
"Prabhupada's ritvik appointment therefore indicated, those whom he hoped would be able to become actual gurus; but he did not appoint them gurus."
(Under My Order, Ravindra Svarupa Dasa, 1985)
3) Through a ‘nod and a wink'
"obliquely and at arm's length. He appointed 11 ritvik gurus [...] this was a nod [...] a nod in their direction."
(Ravindra Svarupa Dasa, San Diego Debate, January 1990)
4) "Intended" it happen someday
GBC's "official" theory – see previous section
(GBC Resolution 409, 2004)
5) The GBC voted them in
"because the GBC voted that I should serve Prabhupada as a bona fide guru"
(HH Hridayananda Dasa Goswami, one of the 11 rtviks, 18/4/14, personal website)
But, as can be noted, all of these theories have a fatal failing in that they all accept that Srila Prabhupada did not order the 11 rtviks to become diksa gurus on his physical departure.
Everything hinges on 11 rtviks turning into diksa gurus on Srila Prabhupada's physical departure, otherwise the rtviks would remain as rtviks, and the guru hoax would not have begun. Therefore, in their desperation to concoct something to justify this happening, we can note that ISKCON's leadership:
1) First claimed the rtviks were appointed to become diksa gurus;
2) Then rejected this appointment theory;
3) Then offered 5 alternative theories for how the rtviks became diksa gurus, but all the theories accepted that Srila Prabhupada did not order the rtviks to turn into diksa gurus on Srila Prabhupada's physical departure.
4) Hence, in desperation, ISKCON's leaders have now resorted to:
a) Mind reading;
b) Thus, inventing a new epistemology;
c) And again taking shelter of the appointment theory they had begun with and already rejected as being false!
Desperation indeed!
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