e were recently alerted to a lecture given by ISKCON leader Praghosa Dasa ("PD"), who is a member of numerous GBC committees, due to the "rtvik" (IRM) message it conveyed. The lecture was given at ISKCON London on 30/5/24, and all the quotes in the shaded boxes are from this lecture. Emphases added.
PD states that Srila Prabhupada is a bona fide spiritual master that one should take shelter of:
"Srila Prabhupada is the ultimate shelter, and it's an infallible shelter. [...] It's a complete and total shelter [...] it's so important for us that we're following somebody who is self-realised. Somebody who is bona fide. Somebody who, you know, you take Srila Prabhupada [...] There was no question of Srila Prabhupada ever doing something that he shouldn't do and all of that kind of thing. So yeah, that's our protection and our shelter."
To emphasise his point that it is Srila Prabhupada who is the person most qualified to provide the shelter we should be seeking, PD makes it clear that the GBC gurus are nothing in comparison to Srila Prabhupada:
"You know, we have got to, and I say this to everyone in the room, young and old, new and old, and whatever: we have got to understand there is a massive difference between the gurus that we take initiation from in ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada. It's like Prabhupada is the moon and they are tiny little twinkling stars"
Thus, PD makes it clear that this bona fide spiritual master, who provides the "ultimate" and best possible shelter that we must take, is Srila Prabhupada, rather than the GBC gurus.
But Srila Prabhupada states that one must take shelter of the bona fide spiritual master by initiation, which makes him the diksa guru:
"Any person who is seriously desirous of achieving real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation."
(SB, 11.3.21)
The above verse is quoted by Srila Prabhupada over 150 times in his books and lectures.
Thus, if we are to follow PD's advice here, then we would need to accept shelter of the bona fide spiritual master, which he states is Srila Prabhupada – a shelter which must be taken by initiation, which would mean we must accept Srila Prabhupada as our diksa guru.
In case one may think that Srila Prabhupada cannot be one's diksa guru because he is not physically present, PD goes out of his way to disabuse us of this idea by referring to a quote which we give in The Final Order (TFO):
"And there's a wonderful quote where Prabhupada says guru is the principle, not the body. So it's a principle, it's not an individual – that's all, you know, neither here nor there."
PD refers to the following quote:
"Krishna and His representative is the same. Just like Krishna can be present simultaneously in millions of places. Similarly, the Spiritual Master also can be present wherever the disciple wants. A Spiritual Master is the principle, not the body. Just like a television can be seen in thousands of places by the principle of relay monitoring."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 28/5/68)
We give this quote in TFO to make exactly the same point that PD makes here – that the principle of accepting the spiritual master does not depend on him having a physical body.
"Diksa is simply, really, if you strip it all away, it's simply connecting you to the parampara. It's a formal procedure that connects us to the parampara."
PD claims that diksa is simply a one-time formal event designed to make a connection, i.e. the initiation ceremony or initiation procedure and rituals. In the next section, we will show that this is actually not a correct definition of diksa. However, if we assume for the sake of argument that PD is correct, what would this mean?
Well, we know for a fact that providing such a formal procedure did not require Srila Prabhupada's physical presence. Because on the 9th of July, 1977, Srila Prabhupada specifically established a system of giving initiation in ISKCON which would not require his physical presence or involvement in any way. Anyone recommended by a temple president would automatically become initiated and formally connected to the parampara without Srila Prabhupada needing to be involved at all:?either for the process of accepting disciples or the initiation ceremony. And all such persons became Srila Prabhupada's initiated disciples.
Thus, according to PD's definition of diksa, Srila Prabhupada would easily be able to continue giving such diksa even after his physical disappearance – just as he did when he was physically present – as the initiation system he established just before physically departing did not require his physical presence, and thus there was no reason to stop it.
 |
Though PD defined diksa as being a formal procedural ceremony, Srila Prabhupada actually defines diksa as "initiating a disciple with transcendental knowledge" (Cc., Madhya-lila, 4.111, purport), and "receiving the pure knowledge of spiritual consciousness" (Cc., Madhya-lila, 9.61, purport).
And, if we actually use this correct definition of diksa, it makes the case that Srila Prabhupada is ISKCON's diksa guru even more clear cut. Because diksa actually requires the diksa guru to impart transcendental knowledge to the disciple – which PD agrees Srila Prabhupada is doing for everyone in ISKCON since Srila Prabhupada is at least everyone's "pre-eminent siksa guru":
"they [disciples of GBC gurus] have to also understand that Srila Prabhupada, we say ‘pre-eminent siksa guru' [...] pre-eminent siksa guru's not strong enough actually, it's actually not strong enough of a term"
(PD, Interview, 18/11/20)
If Srila Prabhupada is imparting transcendental knowledge "above all others" (the meaning of "pre-eminent"), then there is no question of anyone else in ISKCON being able to surpass him in terms of "initiating with transcendental knowledge" – or giving diksa.
We have yet another ISKCON leader who cannot help but copy the IRM's message even though they are supposed to be opposing it! PD has made a strong case for why one should accept Srila Prabhupada, rather than the GBC gurus, as one's ultimate shelter and diksa guru.
Subscribe for FREE to Back To Prabhupada Magazine - Click Here
Return to Praghosa Dasa Index
Return to "Succession" Index
Return to IRM Homepage
