Winter 2005/6
In the Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, it is stated:
“The order of the spiritual master is the active principle in spiritual life.”
(Chaitanya-Charitamrta, Adi-lila, 12:10)
This should be an obvious point – we only do what the spiritual master tells us, and if he has not asked us to do something, we should not do it.
| The commencement order |
It is agreed by everyone that on July 9th, 1977 Srila Prabhupada authorised that a ritvik system of initiation using representatives be operated in ISKCON. Thus the spiritual master gave an order, and according to the verse from the Chaitanya-Charitamrta given above, we should follow this order.
| The termination order |
However, on November 15th, 1977, the day after
Srila Prabhupada’s departure, the GBC decided that ISKCON must now stop
following this ritvik order of Srila Prabhupada. The obvious
question is WHY? By the verse given in the Chaitanya-Charitamrta,
and also by the mechanism which brought this order into being in the
first place, the only possible reason that could justify terminating
this order would be if Srila Prabhupada ordered it; that is, if Srila
Prabhupada ordered that on his departure the ritvik system should
be terminated. However, such an order has neither been found nor even
proposed as existing by the GBC. Thus by the verse from the
Chaitanya-Charitamrta, the conclusion is clear - one cannot stop the ritvik order of Srila Prabhupada without a countermanding order. And
the IRM’s position is therefore authorised.
However, in the absence of such a clear termination order from Srila
Prabhupada, the GBC and its supporters have invented many fanciful and
constantly changing explanations as to how one can indeed stop the order
of the spiritual master without an order to do so.
| a) Order given in advance |
The first explanation was that on May 28th, 1977, Srila Prabhupada had
already stated that the ritviks he appointed would automatically
transmogrify into full-fledged diksa gurus immediately on his
departure.
This “appointment” theory lasted 11 years before it was ditched by the
GBC (the Great Guru Hoax, part 1).
| b) Order not needed |
However, around 1986-87, in order to usher in
the Great Guru Hoax, part 2, where now anyone could be guru, it was now
proposed that an order terminating the ritvik system and
appointing them as gurus was never needed.
Now it was proposed that it was “understood” by the “law of disciplic
succession”, that on the departure of the guru all his disciples become
gurus themselves. This was a seismic shift in position, for as well as
jettisoning the previous explanation that the May 28th conversation
appointed 11 ritviks to metamorphose into diksa gurus, it was now
proposed that one does not even need an order to terminate the ritvik system. It is “automatic” due to the disappearance of the spiritual
master.
This “law of disciplic succession” was stated only in a private letter
to a deviant disciple, Tusta Krishna Das, in 1975, and not available
until many years later, and states:
 |
|
Now this letter in no way gives an order to
terminate the ritvik system on Srila Prabhupada’s departure.
It simply states that it is possible to be a spiritual master only if
one’s guru has disappeared. This is therefore only an order as to when
you can definitely NOT be a guru. It does not order the ritvik system to be terminated on Srila Prabhupada’s departure, with the ritviks automatically becoming diksa gurus. However, it was
argued by the GBC that such an instruction is indeed implied in the
above instruction, even though there is no mention of ritviks and
when they cannot operate.
Rather, the only order given is in regards to when one can not act as a GURU, not when one can not act as a ritvik, which is the
order we seek.
| c) Take your pick |
Come the 21st century, and now even the “law of
disciplic succession” explanation, which itself was not really an
explanation since it merely moved the goalposts and eliminated the need
for an order from the spiritual master completely, has been jettisoned.
For now the GBC have happily broken the “law of disciplic succession”
they previously promoted, and authorised at least 3 diksa gurus
in ISKCON, even though their own gurus are still physically present on
the planet.
To fill the gap created by the lack of a termination order from Srila
Prabhupada, with the GBC’s most recent explanation now invalidated by
the GBC themselves, the answer will depend on who you speak to. With
there now no longer being an official explanation, the GBC and their
supporters usually give one of the following explanations:
The two already given above, even though they have been rejected by the GBC themselves.
An appeal to history, “common sense” and “sastra” (scripture), that “obviously” the ritvik system cannot continue in the physical absence of the guru.
An appeal to general instructions from Srila Prabhupada wherein he states the qualifications of a guru, or asks his disciples to “become guru” (none of which state that the disciples are authorised to automatically become diksa gurus the very second Srila Prabhupada departs, thereby terminating the ritvik order).
Various other assorted speculations and
theories.
| Conclusion |
We have an order instituting a ritvik system in ISKCON, a fact agreed on by everyone. We have no specific
order terminating it. This fact is also agreed on by everyone.
Game over at this point for anyone who accepts the verse from the
Caitanya-caritamrta given at the outset.
But as we have seen, there are others who will go to any lengths to
cover up for the lack of a ritvik termination order from Srila
Prabhupada, such as first saying one thing, then saying another, then
saying you don’t even need an order, and then just throwing the field
open for anything anyone can think up. We will leave it to the readers
to choose which path they wish to follow.