Back To Prabhupada, Issue 80, 2024, Interactive
"This is what is circulating. Have fun with the typical misrepresentation of Srila Prabhupada's final order."
- Yasoda-nandana Dasa, Los Angeles, USA
Editor replies:
The above refers to an article titled "Srila Prabhupada's Battlefield Commissions", being circulated on social media. This article is the excerpt of a long email sent on 2/12/23 by Rupanuga Dasa ("RD"), who was one of the first members of the GBC. The parts in the shaded boxes below are taken from this article.
1) RD first explains what he means by "Battlefield Commissions" by quoting Dhristadyumna Dasa from "DVD 11: Following Srila Prabhupada – Remembrances" giving his "memory" of Srila Prabhupada saying:
It is called in wartime, ‘battlefield commission.' There is no qualified leaders, but someone has to lead the charge. [...] you are not sufficiently equipped for this fight and most of you will go down."
Thus, by "battlefield commissions", RD means that Srila Prabhupada appointed persons for a role they were not qualified for.
2) RD then states:
""First of all, there will be no sannyasi anymore. I have got very bad experience. And, at least we are not going to create new sannyasis." [...] he also said: "This should be strictly outlawed, no more sannyasis." [...] And there were no recommendations for sannyas that upcoming Gaurpurnima on March 5th 1977, as was previously usually given to Srila Prabhupada at Gaurpurnima time. [...] the truth is, Srila Prabhupada stopped his sannyasi "battlefield commissions" BEFORE HE LEFT."
The bolded parts are quoted by RD verbatim from Srila Prabhupada's recorded conversation of January 7th, 1977. Thus, RD states that Srila Prabhupada had stopped making these "battlefield commissions" of unqualified persons after January, 1977.
3) However, RD then claims:
"the May 28th yearly meeting of the GBC, during which Srila Prabhupada stated he would name some of his senior disciples to become "regular gurus" [...] Six of the devotees present during the above May 27th conversation [...] appeared on the list given by Srila Prabhupada on July 9th. This statement above – "Among yourselves, there is no strong man. That is the defect. All like child. That is the defect." – this statement substantiates that they were also battlefield commissions appointed in the July 9th letter."
a) RD states that those named in the July 9th, 1977 letter were unqualified to become diksa gurus because 6 of them were present during a conversation on May 27th, 1977, in which Srila Prabhupada stated that it was a "defect" that they were all like "child", and there was "no strong man".
b) And we quoted RD in the last section stating that Srila Prabhupada stopped making "battlefield commissions" for sannyasis in January 1977 because of the "very bad experience" he had in giving such commissions to unqualified persons.
c) These 2 points from RD are thus actually very strong evidence from him that Srila Prabhupada could not have been appointing those named in the July 9th letter as unqualified "battlefield commission" diksa gurus. Especially since the qualification required to become a diksa guru is even greater than that required for a sannyasi, and thus there would be a good chance that Srila Prabhupada would again have a "very bad experience". And, indeed, we can see that history bore this out, as most of those named in the July 9th letter did fall down into gross deviation, after they unauthorisedly became diksa gurus.
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d) However, RD contradicts himself and claims that Srila Prabhupada did appoint those named in the July 9th letter as unqualified "battlefield commission" diksa gurus! RD tries to justify this contradiction by claiming that on May 28th, 1977, Srila Prabhupada "stated he would name some of his senior disciples to become "regular gurus"". However, RD has just made this up because Srila Prabhupada does not "state" that he "would name" regular gurus. He actually states that:
"When I order you become guru he becomes regular guru."
Thus, RD has changed "When I order" into "would name". RD had made a similar cheating argument earlier, which we covered in depth in last issue's "Nonsense Challenges" column. The very fact that one is forced to go to the lengths of even deleting Srila Prabhupada stating "When I order", proves just how fatal these words are to the guru hoax.
e) Therefore, having given good arguments for why Srila Prabhupada would not be making unqualified persons into diksa gurus via "battlefield commissions" on July 9th, 1977, RD changes Srila Prabhupada's words and contradicts himself.
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