Our Affectionate Guardians
Chapter Five
Misconceptions
Preaching styles among Vaisnavas may differ greatly. It is Krsna's special
mercy that He empowered one Vaisnava, Srila Prabhupada, to spread Krsna
consciousness all over the world and chose another, Srila Sridhara Maharaja,
to stay in one place and preach. Many great Vaisnavas in our line did not
preach extensively, such as Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji, Lokanatha Goswami,
and Gadadhara Pandita. Yet all these devotees greatly served the Lord according
to His desire and are considered most dear to the Lord. Srila Prabhupada's
contribution is unique, unprecedented, and deserves the highest praise.
This does not mean, however, that the activities and contributions of all
other devotees must then be seen as insignificant or worthy of criticism.
Each Vaisnava is unique and should be seen in this way:
One should not be envious, considering one preacher to be very great
and another to be very lowly. This is a material distinction and has no
place on the platform of spiritual activities. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami
therefore offers equal respect to all the preachers of the cult of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who are compared to the branches of the tree. Iskcon
is one of these branches. (Cc. Adi-lila 10.7, purport)
Madhurya-Rasa
Some say that Srila Sridhara Maharaja's tasteful illuminations of the
most sublime aspects of madhurya-rasa and the tantamount
importance of Srimati Radharani and Her dearmost Rupa Goswami [Manjari]
are not in line with Srila Prabhupada's teachings. But we cannot deny that
we are a madhurya-rasa sampradaya. It is our Gaudiya
sampradaya's prominent teaching, and it was dealt
with skillfully by Srila Prabhupada. He warned us not to read the tenth
canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, neglecting the
first nine cantos, but presented Krsna Book early on, showing
us the standard. We invite our readers to read Loving Search For the
Lost Servant by Srila Sridhara Maharaja to see how
he also tastefully presents madhurya-rasa. In this sublime
literature, Srila Sridhara Maharaja presents the highest ideal, prayojana-tattva-- the ultimate aspiration of the followers of Sri Rupa--in a sweet
and relishable way with such taste and careful consideration that one will
not be mislead. Srila Prabhupada has also said:
Oh! It is not that the gopis are boycotted.
The policy should be that because people may not understand the gopis--they may think they are ordinary girls--we should be careful how
we present the gopis. It does not mean that we
shall not even utter the word gopis, that we have taken
a vow to boycott the gopis. No. They are worshipful
devotees. How can we avoid them? (SP, December 24, 1969)
One who has not been attracted by the transcendental beauty of rasa will certainly be dragged down into material attraction, thus to act
in material contamination and progress to the darkest region of hellish
life, but by understanding the conjugal love of Radha and Krsna one is
freed from the grip of attraction to material so-called love between man
and woman. Similarly, if one understands the pure vatsalya, sakhya, and dasya love for Krsna, one will not be
attracted by their material counterparts. (Cc. Adi-lila 4.35)
Srila Sridhara Maharaja was certainly qualified to speak of the higher
dealings of Krsna and His confidential associates, always doing so in the
most tasteful way. Srila Sridhara Maharaja's statement in 1983 was that
"our mission is to uphold the integrity of madhurya-rasa." Srila Sridhara Maharaja's article
Fools Rush In Where Angels
Fear to Tread clearly shows him doing this. The acaryas in our parampara are predominantly of madhurya-rasa. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's lila is audarya-lila--the magnanimous distribution of madhurya prema, manjari bhava-unnatojjvala-rasam
sva-bhakti-sriyam. (Cc. Adi-lila 1.4)
prema-rasa-niryasa karite asvadanaraga-marga bhakti
loke karite pracarana
"Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu desired to taste the sweet essence of
the mellows of love of God [madhurya prema-rasa], and He wanted
to propagate devotional service in the world on the platform of spontaneous
attraction [raganuga-bhakti]." (Cc. Adi-lila
4.15)
The very name of Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Deva Goswami Maharaja--Bhakti
Raksaka--literally means guardian of devotion, a name given by his Guru
Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in recognition of his
purity in the line of Srila Rupa Goswami. When it was suggested by his godbrothers
that Srila Sridhara Maharaja had been granted entrance into manjari bhava by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura at the time of the Thakura's departure,
Sridhara Maharaja remarked that he felt that he was posted at the gate.
Later, recalling this incident, he remarked further that "he was not
letting just anyone in." Thus his discussions regarding the highest
mellows of love, the prayojana-tattva, were always tasteful
and appropriate. Srila Sridhara Maharaja spoke about things that Prabhupada
had not gone into detail about, yet everything he spoke about was appropriate
for advancing sadhakas. Should we think that our
siksa guru will have nothing new to say? If so,
what then is the purpose of a siksa guru?
A Pound Of Caution
Srila Sridhara Maharaja's penetrating explanation of Brahma Gayatri
pointing to radha-dasyam revealed his profound
depth of realization. He also gave a deep explanation of Sri Bhagavad-gita, revealing the extent to which the Gaudiya siddhanta is represented in the Gita. His brilliant and
penetrating madhurya commentaries charmed and
captured many hearts. But it is to be noted that Srila Sridhara Maharaja
always gave us a pound of caution with every ounce of sweetness. His distaste
for the sahajiya section was well-known. He referred
to the premature siddha-pranali advocates as pukura-curiwale, pond thieves, and called their so-called sakhi identity false
and imaginary and their achievement sheer concoction-having not even passed
through anartha-nivrtti.
Examining the quality of Srila Sridhara Maharaja's writings, one cannot
help but realize his substantial connection with the topmost object of our
aspirations, his total internal absorption and dedication to the highest
ideals of Vaisnavism. That Srila Sridhara Maharaja presented profound realizations
and deep knowledge of the scriptures is self-evident to the unbiased observer.
And this is the criterion for judging a Vaisnava as given by Srila Rupa
Goswami Prabhupada--to take note of his internal absorption over his style
of delivery or temperament. One simply has to read Srila Sridhara Maharaja's
literatures or listen to the recordings of his talks for oneself.
Sixteen Rounds
Most of the controversy surrounding the subject of how many rounds Srila
Sridhara Maharaja recommended one to chant centers on a misrepresentation
of Srila Sridhara Maharaja's teachings. Although the following excerpt instructs
that a devotee should chant sixteen rounds, it was propagated that Srila
Sridhara Maharaja taught that only four rounds were necessary. The following
excerpt from his book Search for Sri Krsna: Reality The Beautiful shows how his teachings were misrepresented:
One should chant sixteen rounds, as recommended by Bhaktivedanta Swami
Maharaja, but if there is any emergency, one must chant at least four rounds;
the mala should not be kept fasting.
This harinama maha-mantra is found in the Upanisads, as well as in the Agni Purana and the Brahmanda
Purana. In the Kalisantaranya Upanisad, it is recommended as the highest mantra, and scholars have mentioned
this mantra as a means of address only; no appeal should be attached to
it. This Hare Krsna maha-mantra is the yuga-dharma
nama, or the process of God-realization especially
meant for the present age: Kali-yuga.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura emphasized that kirtana means not only loudly singing the holy name, but preaching. There
is a difference between the preaching mission of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura and the so-called bhajana of the sahajiyas, or imitationists.
Once, one of our godbrothers (Niskincana Krsnadasa Babaji Maharaja)
was the subject of our Guru Maharaja's stern remark. He was a man of good
character, but his tendency was generally toward nama bhajana. He did not like to do any other service, but was only inclined to
chant the name of Krsna on his beads. I was in charge of the Delhi temple
at the time and was intimate with him, so I wrote to Prabhupada [Bhaktisiddhanta]:
"If you permit, I would like to engage my godbrother in some preaching
work here in the Delhi temple." The letter that Prabhupada wrote is
still here. He wrote me in his letter, "If you can bring him there
and make him help you in the work of preaching, then you will be doing
the service of a real friend to him. I don't recognize that sitting in
the jungle of Balihati only chanting, counting beads, is krsnanusilanam, the proper cultivation of Krsna consciousness."
So, kirtana means preaching, sravanam, kirtanam.
Kirtana does not simply mean loudly chanting, but
preaching. Preaching means there must be a fight with the opposition party.
Kirtana means a fight. Kirtana creates the divine
vibration. It will fight with all the ordinary vibrations that are floating
in this world in subtle and gross waves. So, our Guru Maharaja told us
that our tulasi beads should not fast. His minimum advice was that we must
do some service in the form of chanting Hare Krsna while counting on beads,
at least once daily. His exact words were malika upabasa na: "The beads should not fast." And his general instruction
was to preach as much as possible.
Krsna Nama-An Express Train to Vrndavana
Srila Sridhara Maharaja continues:
Once I had a talk with one of the big spiritual leaders of the Udupi
temple in Madras. He told me, "Sometimes I preach about Madhvacarya
and the bhakti cult, but I have no time for sadhana." I supported him. Our Guru Maharaja said that hari-katha,
preaching about Krsna, is no less important than sadhana. Rather, it is a more living thing, pran ache yar sei hetu pracar. Preaching is more vital. When we are preaching, we must have the maximum
concentration, but while chanting on our japa beads, we may
be absentminded. When we are speaking about Krsna, we must be all-attentive;
otherwise, we cannot speak accurately. All our attention will automatically
be concentrated when we talk about Krsna. And in writing about Krsna, accuracy
is even more necessary than speaking about Krsna. So, writing is also kirtana. The cultivation of Krsna consciousness may even be more intense when
we are engaged in writing about Krsna.
The preaching mission of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, the
Gaudiya Matha, has declared totalitarian war against maya, illusion, and all other existing conceptions of religion. What is
really all-important is the spirit of service. We are not told that the
gopis always count the name on tulasi beads, yet they possess the highest position in the service of Krsna
in Vrndavana.
So, krsna-nama will help us greatly to go toward
Vrndavana. Its importance is there. Like an express train, the holy name
of Krsna carries us to the goal without stopping at any other station.
My Guru Maharaja's general recommendation for his initiated disciples was
to chant 25,000 names, 16 rounds daily, or at least four rounds minimum.
When someone had no work, he would chant 100,000 names, or 64 rounds.
Srila Sridhara Maharaja is enunciating the teachings of his Guru Maharaja,
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, so one should be careful not to
criticize these instructions of our param guru; rather, one should
try to harmonize them with Srila Prabhupada's.
But Srila Sridhara Maharaja Was Outside ISKCON
While it is true that certain institutional considerations must be maintained,
we cannot forget that it was Srila Prabhupada himself who opened the door
for his disciples to hear from Srila Sridhara Maharaja: he sent Acyutananda
Maharaja and others to Srila Sridhara Maharaja to receive siksa from him, and Srila Prabhupada informed his disciples that after he
left this world they should "see my godbrother B. R. Sridhara Maharaja
for questions of philosophy." The principle of siksa guru, essential in our evolving Krsna consciousness, is discussed in
detail in Sri Guru and His Grace by Srila Sridhara
Maharaja.
Did Srila Sridhara Maharaja Re-initiate Srila Prabhupada's Disciples?
Srila Sridhara Maharaja has sometimes been portrayed as eager to collect
Srila Prabhupada's disciples, as several of his godbrothers were. The following
section includes excerpts from various darsanas of Srila Sridhara Maharaja.
These excerpts reveal that Srila Sridhara Maharaja's mood was in fact just
the opposite. Srila Sridhara Maharaja expressed many times, however, that
he could not ignore those having a faith crisis-he felt it his duty to give
them strength, nurture them, and in some cases, when devotees did not have
proper connection with a guru in good spiritual standing, connect them to
the source of their newfound faith-a natural spiritual progression.
Many Came to Take Initiation
Srila Sridhara Maharaja related on August 19, 1980 that Srila Prabhupada
had implicit faith in him because he knew that Srila Sridhara Maharaja would
not re-initiate his disciples:
Swami Maharaja had earlier approached me to train up some boys, but
first he sent them to another Maharaja, disciples like Acyutananda, Ramanuja,
Hrsikesa, and some others. But one of our godbrothers took one away from
your Guru Maharaja and made him his own disciple, and then he wrote to
me in the name of Govinda Maharaja asking me to look after the boys. [1] That letter I still have. So Acyutananda and Ramanuja
came first; he wanted me to train them up. He always had great trust in
me that I would not make disciples out of his disciples. For this reason,
he would come to me, and also he knew me from earlier days.
Pisima (Prabhupada's sister, Bhavatarini) had taken hari-nama diksa
from our Guru Maharaja, and she had come to me for
the second initiation. At that time, I decided not to give any diksa because I thought myself unfit. But on the other side there was Prabhupada's
(Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's) order to give diksa pracar. I was wavering between these two points: on one side my guru's orders,
and on the other side I thought myself unfit to give diksa. But the point that I did not want to give was more prominent. I went
to Sripada Nityananda Prabhu's birthplace, and there I felt an urge to
give diksa. And then reading Srila Jiva Goswami,
I came across a point where it is said that I should give what I have.
If I don't give what I have, I am a cheater. All these points-and Guru
Maharaja was always in favor of kirtana and pracar. But Pisima came before this, so I had to turn her away. Many
people had come, many, many nice people had come, but I had to turn them
away, all of them.
They all wanted me to become acarya. Madhava Maharaja,
Goswami Maharaja, and Kesava Maharaja would not have become acaryas if I had taken up this post of being acarya. They all wanted
me to become the acarya, especially Madhava
Maharaja and Kesava Maharaja, and many others, even Jajabar Maharaja. They
started initiating because I did not want to initiate. Swami Maharaja had
great faith that I would not try to lure away his disciples. I did not
want to become a big person. That is not in my nature. I did not want to
move around with many people. I'm just satisfied with whatever I have.
I am only concerned about my high thinking. That is my life. My spiritual
thinking is my life. The conclusions of the scriptures, the advice of the
mahajanas, to relish them and practice them, and
to discuss them in a small confidential circle, that is the main goal of
my life. That's why he trusted me.
Prabhupada's Disciples Never Re-initiated
Srila Sridhara Maharaja never re-initiated Srila Prabhupada's disciples.
Some of Srila Prabhupada's disciples, out of their great love and affection
for Srila Sridhara Maharaja, recognizing his unlimited grace, felt that
they wanted some sort of affectionate connection with him. So, he gave a
name to them--in the spirit of encouragement--hardly could this be called
a re-initiation. We may recall that it was Srila Sridhara Maharaja himself
who suggested the name change from "Bhaktisiddhanta" dasa to "Bhaktivedanta"
dasa for Srila Prabhupada--confirmed by the assembled godbrothers. Srila
Sridhara Maharaja is also the sannyasa guru of Srila Prabhupada's
sannyasa guru, so in this way, he is substantially
connected to our parampara prior to Srila Prabhupada,
and as such his activities should not be questioned in this way. Many have
wished to deny this essential truth.
Srila Sridhara Maharaja's mood of disinterest in collecting disciples
may be contrasted with the mood of other godbrothers of his, some of whom
re-initiated or tried to capture Prabhupada's disciples during the time
of Srila Prabhupada. [2] It would also be prudent to
contrast his disinterested mood with regard to collecting disciples with
the mood of those who criticized him, asserting that he was eager to collect
followers and to live off Srila Prabhupada's accomplishments.
Re-initiation: Grand Disciples Only
Those who were grand disciples of Srila Prabhupada and had lost faith
in their guru due to his being in questionable standing were sometimes given
re-initiation. Srila Sridhara Maharaja was most careful in this regard.
Many were refused. Mukunda Mala dasa, a first initiated disciple of Srila
Prabhupada with diksa (gayatri) from a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, had lost all faith in his mantra
guru and taken off his brahmana thread. In a disparaged
state, he approached Srila Sridhara Maharaja. His faith in this divine process
rekindled by the potent hearing sessions with Srila Sridhara Maharaja for
many months, he requested diksa initiation. Srila
Sridhara Maharaja then requested that his mantra guru be approached first
for his blessings. However, his mantra guru replied to this humble request
with, "I'd rather see him rot in the hell of guru aparadha." Hearing of this, Srila Sridhara Maharaja responded, "This
will not increase his fame as a merciful man."
Many within ISKCON, having lost their taste for
Krsna consciousness, found great inspiration and renewed enthusiasm in the
words of Srila Sridhara Maharaja. Subsequent to giving initiation to devotees
whose severely diminished faith had been rekindled, Srila Sridhara Maharaja
sent them back to ISKCON with the instruction to continue
their service there as before. The response of the ISKCON
leaders to this was complete intolerance--the GBC issued
an ultimatum that if these devotees wished to continue their service in
ISKCON, they must reject their initiation. No proper
attempt was made to approach Srila Sridhara Maharaja on a middle ground.
Nor was consideration given to the faith that the devotees had developed
in their siksa guru. These devotees then had no
choice but to join completely with Srila Sridhara Maharaja. Srila Sridhara
Maharaja's mood was that of relief work for the discouraged and disillusioned;
in no way was he "trying to collect ISKCON's devotees
as disciples." Devotees who joined with Srila Sridhara Maharaja in
this way were requested to live and manage themselves separately from his
matha.
When three disenfranchised devotees left ISKCON
to take shelter of Srila Sridhara Maharaja, after hearing from him over
a period of many months, they were given sannyasa--a natural, spiritual
progression in their ongoing, intimate relationship. This was taken by the
ISKCON leaders as an intolerable attack-that Srila
Sridhara Maharaja was stealing their men. Srila Sridhara Maharaja's sweet
and substantial response to this is presented in Sri Guru and His Grace, in the section entitled, "God Consciousness vs. Society Consciousness."
We Will Be Responsible to Mahaprabhu
Srila Sridhara Maharaja related that he felt it his duty to give proper
advice when requested by devotees--that it was an offense to not help. Although
asked by the GBC to not advise members of ISKCON,
it soon became apparent to Srila Sridhara Maharaja that it was the GBC's activities that were the very cause of the majority
of these devotees' problems. The GBC wished to maintain
the status quo without any suggestion of reform. By providing counsel to
disturbed ISKCON devotees, Srila Sridhara Maharaja
provided a forum for the many problems within ISKCON
to be voiced and proper solutions suggested. However, any such suggestion
of impropriety on the part of the GBC, or reform of
such, was strongly opposed.
On August 25, 1981, Srila Sridhara Maharaja addressed accusations that
his preaching to disenheartened devotees was inappropriate:
Your vision is different than mine. My vision is that a jiva is in the ocean and is going up and down with the weeds. Going down
gradually. And anyhow he has come to the shore. And again I shall push
him into the ocean? Consider his eternal life. This time he has come to
you in his eternal chain of life, birth, and death and he can be saved.
Back to God, back to home. He is coming home and I shall push him back
into the ocean of this death and birth? I can't be so cruel.
On January 11, 1982, he spoke further:
So many good souls came under the flag of Mahaprabhu through Swami Maharaja--will
they fast and die? So, some relief work should be done, that was my intention,
avoiding all possible clashes with the main distribution [preaching of ISKCON]. No clash with the main distribution, but only
relief work, that is my only concern-the big souls, the great souls, they
are being aloof, and going away and becoming indifferent to Swami Maharaja
and Mahaprabhu and our Guru Maharaja, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Krsna. And I shall stand and tolerate all these things-seeing
that, I shall feel that I am not seeing the real thing. [It cannot be true.]
That is difficult for me. So, I ask my friends, "Start some relief
work, to save your own friends, those who are not encouraged by the present
organizers." It is obvious that they [gurus] will rely more on the
sons [disciples] than on the [god] brothers. It is a general thing, and
we have the sad experience in our own distribution like that [in the Gaudiya
Matha]. So, I could conjecture that such things should occur, and we shall
try to help them somewhat; otherwise, we will be responsible to Mahaprabhu,
although personally I am not fit to carry on with the responsibility of
many devotees, especially in this old age. Jiva Goswami says jnana sathya
vittha sathya, that if I have some money and another
person is suffering and I can't pay--if I keep tight that money, and he
lies fasting without food, then I'll be responsible for that. Vittha
sathya. So, jnana sathya is there, I have
got some knowledge, I can help my neighbor, but if I don't do that, then
I am responsible. I shall commit an offense against the society and against
the cause.
Is Sridhara Maharaja's Mood Different From Prabhupada's?
A more pertinent question to ask is whether the GBC's
mood is different from Srila Prabhupada's. Srila Prabhupada was always ready
to show with reason, logic, and scriptural references how all his plans
and decisions were solidly Krsna conscious. The GBC,
on the other hand, has shown a different mood over the years.
If Srila Sridhara Maharaja's mood was different from Srila Prabhupada's,
the difference did not compromise the unity they both lived for. Furthermore,
Sridhara Maharaja knew well both the internal and external mood of Srila
Prabhupada, and he was thus competent to advise Srila Prabhupada's disciples.
Indeed, it is rare to find a siksa guru that is as
acquainted with the mood of the diksa guru. Rather than
being a point of departure for the disciple, the difference in mood between
that of Srila Sridhara Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada served as an added
advantage for the advancing disciples of Srila Prabhupada. This was so because
it gave them the opportunity to rise above a kanistha-adhikari conception of guru and consider the very principle of guru, as opposed
to the guru's particular style of presentation.
GBC Apologizes?
The GBC, in their 1995 Mayapur resolutions stated:
In the spirit of the Srila Prabhupada Centennial, the GBC
formally extends apologies to any devotees who have been hurt by poor treatment
or mistakes made by ISKCON leaders.
Somaka Maharaja, a respected sannyasi preacher in ISKCON, in his paper entitled In Search of Harmony, asks relevant questions in light of this GBC statement:
What is the plan to approach the devotees and actually beg pardon from
them, admit our mistakes, give them a strong embrace and try to solve the
differences? Is the GBC body going to approach Pradyumna
Prabhu and apologize to him and give him back his service as translator
as given to him specifically by Srila Prabhupada? Is the GBC
going to recognize that in the letter that Pradyumna Prabhu wrote to Satsvarupa
Maharaja in 1978 he pointed out all the defects that in 1987 [sic 1985?]
due to so many falldowns they had to admit? Are the GBC
men going to approach Paramadwaiti Maharaja to recognize that all the defects
that he was presenting in his letter of 1984 were forcibly accepted in
1987? Vaisnavas do not get stature by bureaucracy and diplomacy; they get
stature based on humility, simplicity, meekness, detachment, and so many
other godly qualities. The rectification of our movement isn't finished
yet. There are still so many becoming dissatisfied and going away. Let
us be more careful and kind to everyone. This is the first quality of a
Vaisnava.
ISKCON: Kanistha Society?
Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu gave a still applicable description of ISKCON in his paper Ending the Fratricidal War (written in the mid-1980s). Therein he stated, "A society of devotees
in which proper Vaisnava relations are not yet the norm is called a kanistha-adhikari
society," and "spiritual immaturity often
leads a kanistha-adhikari to identify spiritual
advancement with organizational advancement. He thinks that attaining prestige,
power, and the perquisites of office are evidence of spiritual advancement.
In this way, competition becomes institutionalized in kanistha-adhikari
societies." Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu reiterated
in February 1995 this previous statement that ISKCON
is a kanistha-adhikari society: "Well, lets
face it, ISKCON is a society of kanisthas."
Living GBC Committee Wanted
In the Prabhupadanuga newsletter (Vol. 1, No.
1), Sivarama Swami suggests that the GBC members should
be more in touch with the rest of ISKCON:
The GBC could actually be leaders or sources of
inspiration. Instead, they get there once a year [to the Mayapur GBC meeting] and try to be just simply administrators,
and try to solve problems through administration.
Srila Sridhara Maharaja's advice was similar:
Not just a formal meeting for two days, three days. But it must be a
meeting to satisfy the real necessity of the day. That is a living committee
that we want. Not a formal meeting. After one year, a formal meeting and
some resolutions passed and everyone has gone to his own field and is doing
as he likes. (Navadvipa conversation, 1980)
GBC Suspended
Srila Prabhupada himself personally fired the entire GBC
on at least two occasions and always reviewed their resolutions and rejected
inappropriate ones. For example, a memo was sent to all ISKCON
temples on April 8, 1972:
I also understand that immediate actions are going to take place even
prior to my permission, and that also, "without divulging to the devotees!"Under
these circumstances, I authorize you to disregard for the time being any
decision from the GBC men until my further instruction.Finally,
I beg to repeat that all GBC orders are suspended
herewith by me until further notice. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami.
Three days later, Prabhupada wrote to Hamsaduta:
There was to be immediate action without divulging the matter to the
devotees. And I am surprised that none of the GBC
members detected the defects in the procedure. It was detected only when
it came to me.
What will happen when I am not here? Shall everything be spoiled by
GBC? So for the time being, let the GBC
activities be suspended until I thoroughly revise the whole procedure.So
our view is that we shall be strictly following the rules and regulations.
Monetary matters are secondary.
It is ironic that the far from perfect activities of the GBC
differed from the standard of Srila Prabhupada greatly, while the apparent
discrepancies between the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and those of Srila
Sridhara Maharaja were misperceptions on the part of those who differed
considerably from Srila Prabhupada in their administrative policy as well
as their understanding of Gaudiya siddhanta.
Notes:
[1] SP Ltr. Govinda Mj, Jan. 29, 1969 (not in BBT
archives)
[2] SP Ltr. Mukunda, March 26, 1968, SP Ltr. Brahmananda,
September 17, 1968, SP Ltr. Karunasindhu, November 9, 1975
Chapter Six
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