Back To Prabhupada, Issue 79, 2024
Whether or not Srila Prabhupada's instructions are true is obviously crucially important. If only some of his instructions are true, then not only can we be misled, but how exactly one discriminates between his true and false instructions, and who is qualified to do so, creates a whole new set of issues.
Whilst giving class, GBC guru HH Hridayananda Dasa Goswami ("HD") claimed:
"go to HDgoswami.com and look up "Understanding Prabhupada" – I give pages of Prabhupada quotes where he says ‘I am infallible only when I'm repeating sastra and if I'm not citing sastra it is ludicrous, it is absurd, to say that I'm infallible'. And that's Prabhupada speaking."
(HD Class, ISKCON Alachua, 23/1/23)
Thus, HD is claiming that Srila Prabhupada has stated in "pages" of quotes that it is "ludicrous" to say that his statements will always be true if he is not citing sastra (scripture).
Upon consultation of HD's "Understanding Prabhupada" paper, where HD has supplied pages of Srila Prabhupada's quotes, we find that in around half of them, Srila Prabhupada does not even refer to his own statements, but rather just speaks in general about the "guru" and the "acarya", and how he will always speak authoritatively, etc. E.g.:
"He is guru who speaks only what Krsna has spoken. This is the sastric injunction."
(Lecture, 13/11/74)
In the quotes where Srila Prabhupada does make specific reference to his own statements, he simply states that he will also always speak authoritatively, e.g:
"I don't speak anything which I have not heard from my Guru Maharaja."
(Conversation, 24/1/77)
"I have no opinion. I take sastra as it is."
(Conversation, 28/11/75)
"But, so far I am confident that I did not adulterate the words of Krsna. That's all."
(Lecture, 19/5/72)
Thus, Srila Prabhupada does not state even once, never mind in "pages" of quotes, that "If I'm not citing sastra" it is "ludicrous to say I'm infallible". Rather, Srila Prabhupada does not even refer to the idea that he will make statements that may not be true, or that his statements will deviate from sastra.
Srila Prabhupada does mention something being "ludicrous" in one quote supplied by HD. But it does not state what HD claims. As HD's whole "ludicrous" claim about Srila Prabhupada's "pages" of quotes rests only on this one quote, we analyse it below in detail. This quote is from a lecture given on 16th May, 1970 and is shown in the bolded sections below, in full context, split into parts. The underlined section refers to the only part of this quote that was provided by HD in his paper:
1) "Somebody has got some name, a scholar, and he takes advantage of the popularity of Bhagavad-gita, and he writes some comment. And they claim that anyone can give his own opinion. But that is not the process. You cannot give any opinion."
Srila Prabhupada states that not just anyone can give an opinion on the Bhagavad-gita.
2) "Suppose I am a preacher of Krsna consciousness. How I can give opinion on medical science? That is ludicrous. I can give opinion in my jurisdiction – that's all right – but if somebody asks me opinion about some medical treatment or some legal implication, so what can I do?"
(Emphases throughout issue added)
To illustrate the point that not just anyone can give an opinion on Bhagavad-gita, Srila Prabhupada then gives an example: that, similarly, one who is a preacher should not give an opinion on medical matters, as that is not within his jurisdiction, and to do that would be "ludicrous". And thus, he would not give such an opinion – "so what can I do".
3) "Similarly, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet (MU 1.2.12) [Full transliteration of Bg. 4.34 verse given] Tattva-darsinah means one who has seen, one who has realized the Absolute Truth. So you have to go there."
Srila Prabhupada therefore concludes that one should actually understand Bhagavad-gita from one who has seen the truth.
In the "Understanding Prabhupada" paper, HD claims about this one "ludicrous" quote given above, that Srila Prabhupada considers:
"the notion that he is always correct in worldly matters to be ludicrous"
As noted above, HD extracted only the part of the quote where "ludicrous" is mentioned, but when the full quote is given, we see:
1) That the "ludicrous" section simply gives the example of a hypothetical preacher who should only give his opinion on matters that are within his jurisdiction.
2) And, thus, he will not give an opinion outside his jurisdiction.
3) This example is given merely to establish the conclusion that one should learn Bhagavad-gita from the self-realised guru.
Hence:
a) Srila Prabhupada makes no reference to anything being "ludicrous" regarding any actual statements he has made, or will make.
b) Thus, Srila Prabhupada makes no reference to statements that he has made on supposedly "worldly matters".
c) Points 1) and 2) would indicate that Srila Prabhupada will only make statements on matters that are within his jurisdiction, and not speak outside his jurisdiction.
d) Thus, this quote, if anything, simply reinforces the notion that, in general, if Srila Prabhupada does make a statement, he considers it to be within his jurisdiction (unless he has specifically stated otherwise).
1) There is not a single quote, never mind "pages" of quotes, where Srila Prabhupada states:
a) That there is anything "ludicrous" about the actual statements he makes;
b) Or that he actually makes two types of statements: the fallible ones on "worldly" matters, and the sastric infallible ones.
2) Thus, the claims that HD made in his class, and in his "Understanding Prabhupada" paper, regarding the supposed "ludicrous" nature of some of Srila Prabhupada's statements, are themselves shown to be ludicrous.
3) Whenever an ISKCON leader makes a claim, always double check and verify it.
4) Whenever an ISKCON leader provides a quote, always check the full quote for context!
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