Back To Prabhupada, Issue 79, 2024
In the last issue, we showed that the claim that diksa guru successors were appointed by Srila Prabhupada depended entirely on mind-reading (please see BTP 78, "A Guru System Dependent Entirely on Mind-Reading"). We will see that the corresponding denial of Srila Prabhupada continuing as ISKCON's diksa guru is dependent on similar trickery. (Emphases added.)
"ISKCON News" is the official, authorised mouthpiece for today's ISKCON. It claimed in regard to those who accept the IRM's position that Srila Prabhupada should remain ISKCON's diksa guru – whom they label "rtviks" – that:
"Ritviks are persons who oppose the continuation of the ISKCON Gaudiya Vaishnava parampara as desired by ISKCON's Founder-Acarya, Srila Prabhupada; and instead, believe that Prabhupada wanted to directly initiate disciples even after his passing from this world in 1977."
(ISKCON News article, 28/10/23)
1) The use of the phrase "even after his passing" implies that it has already been established as a fact that Srila Prabhupada must stop initiating before "his passing".
2) This assertion then allows one to demand that evidence be produced in which Srila Prabhupada states specifically that he "will continue to accept disciples after his physical departure", as illustrated here by ISKCON GBC guru and GBC member, HH Badrinarayana Swami ("BAD"):
"But they cannot provide one single piece [sic] evidence to answer the key question [...] "Where did Srila Prabhupada say that he will continue to accept disciples after his physical departure?" Seems like a reasonable question, isn't it? It's the cornerstone question. They have no proof; they have no evidence."
(BAD Lecture, 5/12/21)
Thus, through this two step process, ISKCON leaders ask a question which they claim means that they have "won" the debate. However, since this question depends entirely on the assertion that Srila Prabhupada must stop initiating on his physical departure, we need to see if this assertion is actually true. Otherwise, Srila Prabhupada would automatically continue initiating because he has not stopped to begin with! But, Srila Prabhupada has never stated that:
i) He must stop initiating on or before his physical departure.
ii) He must be physically present to initiate.
iii) He is limited in how long he can remain the diksa guru for the Society of which he is the Acarya.
iv) He needs to stop initiating on his physical departure in order to allow the parampara to continue.
Since Srila Prabhupada has not taught any of the above, the assertion that Srila Prabhupada must stop initiating after his physical departure then simply becomes an assertion without evidence. And:
Assertion minus Evidence = Assumption.
It is not disputed that, after founding ISKCON in 1966, Srila Prabhupada established himself as the diksa guru of ISKCON. Thus, Srila Prabhupada had already given the orderthat he is the diksa guru for ISKCON:
"I am the spiritual master of this institution, and all the members of the Society, they're supposed to be my disciples. They follow the rules and regulation which I ask them to follow, and they are initiated by me spiritually."
(Srila Prabhupada, Radio Interview, 12/3/68)
"I am in [sic] the initiator guru, and you should be the instructor guru"
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 4/8/75)
Further, it is the order of the guru that is the "active" principle of spiritual life:
"The order of the spiritual master is the active principle in spiritual life."
(Cc., Adi-lila, 12.10)
This means one can only act based on Srila Prabhupada's order.
Therefore:
1) Srila Prabhupada established himself as the diksa guru for ISKCON by his order.
2) Thus, to change this state of affairs requires that one take an action, which in turn requires an order from Srila Prabhupada to that effect, since that order would be the active principle which allows actions to be taken.
Hence, there is no question of asking if "Srila Prabhupada will continue" to do what he is already continuing to do. If Srila Prabhupada –
a) Is acting continuously;
b) Has not stopped acting;
– then asking if Srila Prabhupada, who is already continuing to act as ISKCON's diksa guru, "will continue to act" as ISKCON's diksa guru is a meaningless, irrelevant and frankly insane question, rather than a "reasonable" or "cornerstone" question as BAD claims. Rather, the question has to be reversed, since to reverse Srila Prabhupada continuing to act as ISKCON's diksa guru requires an order to that effect, and thus one must ask:
"Where did Srila Prabhupada say that he will stop initiating after his physical departure?"
And, we have already established in the previous section that, to quote BAD:
"They have no proof; they have no evidence."
– in response to this correct question. The whole debate rests on asking this correct question, because as soon as one does just this, the entire debate is over.
Thus, BAD's "reasonable question" is actually based on an assumption that Srila Prabhupada must stop initiating after his physical departure. But that very assumption is the very assertion that first needs to be proven (also known as "begging the question"). Hence, the argument for denying that Srila Prabhupada can remain ISKCON's diksa guru is based entirely on an unproven assumption, or the logical fallacy of "assuming that which needs to be proven". Because if you just already assume that which needs to be proven, then you can actually "prove" absolutely anything at all!
If we combine the conclusion of this article with the conclusion of the article from the last issue mentioned at the outset, it means that, if we remove assumption and mind-reading, then we are left with the fact that:
1) Srila Prabhupada does not stop initiating after he physically departs;
2) No successor diksa gurus were ordered;
3) Therefore, Srila Prabhupada remains ISKCON's diksa guru, as there is no order which countermands his original order that he is ISKCON's diksa guru.
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