Summer 2005
A hoax by definition has no substance, built as
it is on a foundation of lies and fabrication. The Guru hoax was
predicated on the lie that Srila Prabhupada had authorised Guru
successors to replace him as the initiating spiritual master in ISKCON.
This hoax very quickly began to unravel as one so-called "as-good-as-God"
ISKCON Guru after another fell down. In response to this embarrassing
fiasco, ISKCON's Governing Body Commission (GBC) has tried various
patchwork remedies to rehabilitate their fallible "Gurus". One such
farcical attempt was made when the GBC published "appraisals" of some of
its Gurus, highlighting areas for "improvement". We reproduce some of
these appraisals below and leave it to the reader to decide whether a
bona-fide Guru would ever need appraising and recommendations for
"improvement" in the first place.
| ISKCON GBC Contradicts ISKCON Founder-Acarya! |
| GBC appraisal of HH Jayapataka Swami, self-authorised ISKCON Guru: |
"We also note he (Jayapataka Maharaja) has made positive efforts to improve the visible chanting of his japa and attendance at the morning program and encourage him to continue with this."
(Final GBC Appraisals)
| GBC appraisal of Virabahu Das, ISKCON GBC voted-in Guru: |
"He (Virabahu Prabhu) should strive on being more visible in his sadhana performance, especially chanting with the devotees."
(Final GBC Appraisals)
| GBC appraisal of HH Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami, ISKCON GBC voted in Guru: |
"We note that at the request of the GBC, Maharaja has taken visible steps to improve his sadhana in the areas of chanting rounds and attending the regular morning programs, and we encourage him to continue with this"
(Final GBC Appraisals)
| His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON Founder-Acarya: |
 |
"The bona fide spiritual master always
engages in unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Personality
of Godhead." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adilila 1.46, purport) "Out of many such Vaisnavas, one may be found to be very seriously engaged in the service of the Lord and strictly following all the regulative principles, chanting the prescribed number of rounds on japa beads and always thinking of how to expand the Krsna consciousness movement." (Nectar of Instruction, verse 5, purport) "When one has attained the topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshiped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhyalila 24.330, purport) |