Back To Prabhupada, Issue 80, 2024
One characteristic of sahajiyaism is trying to hear about Lord Krsna's intimate pastimes with the gopis (the damsels of Vrndavana) before one is perfect or liberated:
"Without coming to the perfectional stage, if anyone tries to understand the Gopis he becomes a sahajiya."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 14/12/72)
Below we document the GBC's shocking conversion from having earlier very strongly condemned such sahajiyaism to now allowing its propagation within ISKCON.
Originally, the GBC had banned the propagation of any literature that focused on Lord Krsna's "intimate" pastimes with Radharani and the gopis:
"The recent proliferation in ISKCON of literature focusing on "rasika-bhakti," intimate Radha-Krsna lila, and other subject matters suitable only for highly advanced souls, represents a departure from Srila Prabhupada's orders and obstructs the smooth spiritual progress of ISKCON devotees. ISKCON members should therefore avoid collecting, reading, discussing, or distributing such literature."
(GBC Resolution 73, 1995)
The GBC also issued a paper titled "Keeping Faith with Srila Prabhupada" (1996, henceforward "KFSP"), to explain this resolution. The paper explains that this ban was necessary because such intimate topics are only suitable for those who are already liberated:
"advanced topics concerning Krsna's conjugal pastimes. [...] a devotee must be liberated from material desires to be qualified [...] no one should delve into these topics as long as anarthas remain in the heart."
(KFSP)
GBC voted-in guru HH Sivarama Swami ("SRS") is in the process of writing and publishing his own extensive 5,000-page, 8-volume "commentary" on Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami's most sacred Sri Vilapa-kusumanjali, of which the first few volumes have already been released. This SRS commentary will henceforward be referred to as "VKM". SRS boasts about the content of VKM using the exact same terms used by the GBC to describe the very literature that it had banned. Thus, the GBC resolution we quoted forbade literature dealing with "intimate Radha-Krsna lila", and SRS states that is exactly what VKM deals with:
"Vilapa-kusumanjali and similar madhurya literature. [...] books detailing Krsna's intimate gopi pastimes. [...] his most intimate dealings with his eternal associates. [...] Krsna's intimate affairs"
(VKM, Vol. 2, Introduction)
SRS promotes such literature because he maintains that, contrary to the GBC's assertion, it can freely be accessed by those who are conditioned souls:
"a misunderstanding that for conditioned souls to hear topics of madhurya-lila is sahajiyaism [...] nothing could be further from the truth [...] this Vilapa-kusumanjali and its commentary may be read by everyone"
(VKM, Vol. 2, Introduction)
Again, in a direct challenge to the GBC, SRS has framed his rejection of the GBC's position regarding what only liberated souls may hear, by using the same terms used by the GBC. We quoted their paper KFSP stating "advanced topics concerning Krsna's conjugal pastimes", and above SRS speaks of "topics of madhurya-lila", where "madhurya-lila" is simply the Sanskrit term for "Krsna's conjugal pastimes"!
Thus, it is clearly established that SRS's VKM is exactly the sort of literature that has been forbidden by the GBC. Yet, in opposition to its official position, the GBC is allowing the propagation of VKM throughout ISKCON:
a) GBC member (and fellow GBC voted-in guru) HH Devamrta Swami is helping to produce the volumes of VKM as stated in Volume 2's "Dedication". And a core member of the GBC's Sastric Advisory Council, Hari Parsada Dasa, has also heartily endorsed VKM by writing a glowing foreword to it.
b) The GBC is allowing VKM to be openly promoted and sold in ISKCON temples. As well as being sold and promoted in ISKCON Hungary, SRS's book sales team recently embarked on a big tour of the USA to sell the books in many ISKCON temples. GBC voted-in guru HG Adi Karta Dasa has even joined this sales team. VKM was also prominently promoted at the public 2024 ISKCON Budapest Ratha-yatra.
Yet, as we have noted, the GBC considered the circulation of such literature in ISKCON to be so dangerous as to constitute a deviation from Srila Prabhupada's orders and the promotion of sahajiyaism.
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The GBC was originally forced to forbid the hearing of such intimate pastimes of Lord Krsna because ISKCON leaders, including ironically SRS, were going outside of ISKCON to hear them from HH Narayana Maharaja ("NM") of the Gaudiya Matha. The GBC justified its ban by presenting various quotes in KFSP from Srila Prabhupada which stated that those who are not liberated are forbidden from hearing such content. Neither these quotes, nor the GBC's arguments, made any special exemptions for others to present such content. Therefore, the position of the GBC was that one cannot hear from NM because the content he was putting forward was forbidden. Thus, they were arguing that such content should not be heard, period, regardless of who was presenting it.
Hence, in now allowing SRS to present the same content, the GBC has stunningly been exposed as having never been opposed to sahajiyaism at all. Rather, the GBC simply used it as an excuse to stop people going to listen to NM because he represented a threat to the GBC's power due to not being part of ISKCON. And now that the GBC has declared such content to be bona fide, the GBC will have to now allow ISKCON members to hear it also from those outside ISKCON. Because there is no quote from Srila Prabhupada which makes such content bona fide only when presented by a GBC guru! Thus, the GBC's acceptance of sahajiyaism will backfire on them.
In the article on page 3, we saw how ISKCON's leaders merrily accept and reject the same philosophical position depending on what personal agenda they are trying to achieve. Their rejection and acceptance of sahajiyaism is yet another example of this. Thus, it is not so much that the GBC has the wrong philosophy, but that it has no philosophy at all – anything goes!
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