Back To Prabhupada, Issue 84, 2025
ISKCON sannyāsī and GBC member HH Bhānu Swami ("BS") became a GBC voted-in guru over 30 years ago. However, he is very unusual for a GBC guru, because in all that time he has allegedly refused to accept a single disciple! Indeed, some time after he became a GBC guru, he eventually simply decided to officially declare that he will not accept disciples at all – period. In a lecture given on 18/2/25 at ISKCON Mayapur, BS revealed why he refused to participate in the GBC guru system, and ended up promoting the IRM's position. Quotes in shaded boxes are from this lecture.
No knowledge of dīkṣā
BS was asked the following question from the audience at the lecture:
"In early 90s, you were authorized to become an initiating guru, but you have refrained from doing that. So what would be your reasons for doing that"
BS replied:
"the idea of what a dīkṣā guru was unclear, by followers or disciples, when they artificially project things upon the guru which are not true. The other is probably in ISKCON itself in general, maybe in the GBC itself, the idea of the function of the guru is a little unclear [Laughs]... what they're doing."
BS states that the reason he has refused to participate in the GBC guru system, even though he has become a GBC guru himself, is that the idea of what a dīkṣā guru is and what he does is unclear to both prospective disciples and the GBC who has authorised such gurus. This is thus a damning indictment of the whole GBC guru system, because if ISKCON as a whole does not even know what a dīkṣā guru is or what he should be doing, then they do not have an authorised dīkṣā guru system.
Promotes ṛtvik solution - 1
Having stated that the role of a dīkṣā guru is not clear, BS then explains what would make the position of a dīkṣā guru "very clear":
"So if we give an exact statement like you're only the postman, that's all you're doing, it would be very clear [...] we're not doing anything really. We're just assistants. We're not the deliverer. We leave that up to our founder".
BS thus claims that the role of the GBC dīkṣā guru should be an "exact statement", wherein:
a) They are "not doing anything really".
b) Śrīla Prabhupāda, the "Founder", is actually the one who does everything because he is the one who is delivering the disciple.
BS is correct that such an explanation would indeed make the situation very clear, because the above accurately matches the reality of what happens in practice. But this would mean that the GBC "gurus" are no different to "ṛtviks" who just assist by only performing initiation formalities, while Śrīla Prabhupāda is actually the initiating guru, the person who is delivering the disciple. In this way, the situation is unchanged from what happened whilst Śrīla Prabhupāda was physically present:
a) Śrīla Prabhupāda did all the work, and delivered the disciple.
b) Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples just assisted him in doing this.
This answer from BS preaches the IRM's position, or "ṛtvik" as it is known in ISKCON. A fact that was easily noticed by the audience, with one member responding to BS that:
"this is what the ṛtviks are saying. [...] if the dīkṣā guru cannot deliver someone and only Prabhupada is the deliverer, I don't see any difference".
Promotes ṛtvik solution - 2
BS states there is a difference between him and "the ṛtviks", which is:
"There is something, something different. [...] What the ṛtviks say [...] second initiation comes from Prabhupāda. That's what they are saying. And so they play a tape. And Prabhupada gives you the dīkṣā mantra. So he is your dīkṣā guru. So I'm not saying that."
BS states that the only difference between his position and that of the IRM is that he disagrees that one can take 2nd initiation from Śrīla Prabhupāda, which is done by listening to the Gāyatrī mantra from Śrīla Prabhupāda's tape. However, this difference:
1) Does not change the point BS had just made, that we should see Śrīla Prabhupāda as the one who is delivering the disciple.
2) Which in turn would mean that BS has to agree that the following statement from Śrīla Prabhupāda –
"The spiritual master initiates the disciple to deliver him"
(Cc., Madhya-līlā, 1.128, purport)
– would be referring to Śrīla Prabhupāda. And thus, BS is accepting that Śrīla Prabhupāda is the spiritual master who is initiating everyone in ISKCON as his disciple to deliver them – which would still be the very definition of "ṛtvikism" in anyone's eyes!
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Bhānu Swami: States that
Śrīla Prabhupāda is the deliverer guru
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Promotes ṛtvik solution - 3
"the counter argument [...] everybody is the deliverer. Which is also true because your śikṣā guru, your dīkṣā guru, Prabhupāda, harināma, scripture, Krsna, they're all contributing definitely like that."
To try to counter the idea stated in the previous section, that Śrīla Prabhupāda is the guru who initiates disciples to deliver them, BS presents the idea that "everyone is the deliverer" – because they are all "contributing". But this was also the case when Śrīla Prabhupāda was physically present. Even then, Śrīla Prabhupāda, śikṣā gurus, the GBC members, sannyāsīs, devotees, harināma, scripture, Kṛṣṇa – all the same elements were present and "contributing". But it is not disputed that at this time Śrīla Prabhupāda was still the initiating guru of ISKCON who delivered his disciples. And we already confirmed BS stating that nothing has changed since then in terms of the contribution made by Śrīla Prabhupāda compared to the GBC "gurus" today – with the GBC gurus "not doing anything really". And thus, BS is accepting that in terms of "delivering", there is "no change" to the situation when Śrīla Prabhupāda was physically present. Which would mean also there is "no change" to him being the initiating guru of ISKCON. This is the IRM's "No Change Paradigm".
Conclusion
BS states, in three different ways, that the position of Śrīla Prabhupāda is that, as promoted by the IRM:
He is the spiritual master who "initiates the disciple to deliver him".
And, as we noted in the Editorial, by stressing this point three times, it means that it 'cannot be denied'!
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