Srila Prabhupada’s struggles with his disciples Keeping disciples in India – politics – weaknesses “Prabhupada’s own movement also soon provided him with ample reason for discouragement.
From the very outset there was trouble: his authority was challenged; his position compromised; his instructions distorted, neglected or selectively followed; his teachings moulded to various fancies; his assets misused, mismanaged and misappropriated; his standards broken; his dependents neglected, exploited and abused. And the worst of this was committed by men Prabhupada entrusted with responsible positions. Prabhupada travelled continuously around the world, grappling with problems. Each day his mail washed up to him a jumbled deposit of scandals, failures and disappointments. Internal weaknesses and shortcomings turned the eleven years of Prabhupada’s personal supervision into a concatenation of crises.” – Pillars of
Success: The Principles and Practices of Reform in ISKCON by Ravindra Svarupa Dasa, ISKCON Communications Journal July/December 1999.
Nine months later, Srila Prabhupada was again pleading with the same two senior sannyasis to remain in India. It was not going well. Seeing how upset Srila Prabhupada was, I was squirming in the corner of the room. I also understood how hard it was to stay in India. Srila Prabhupada was depending on these men to assist him in this important work, but they just couldn’t do it any longer. It was a fierce battle. The intensity of negotiation was what I would have expected amongst peers, rather than between spiritual master and disciple. Srila Prabhupada wanted them to stay, and that was final. His disciples argued that they needed to leave India to preach.
At this time the West was a fertile preaching field. Finally, in apparent disgust, Srila Prabhupada said, “All right, you just chant your sixteen rounds, follow the four regulative principles and do any damn thing you want.” (Srila Prabhupada Uvacha 125: Mercy By Serving According To Srila Prabhupada’s Desire) Gurudasa has all of a sudden left. How will the Vrindavan expenditure be met? Where is the money Gurudasa collected for the Deities? Where is it kept and what is the account? Yamuna is
very clever, and I know they have collected huge sum. (Srila Prabhupada Letter to: Tejiyas: — Mayapur 11 October, 1974) Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated, December 28th, 1974 and have noted the contents. You also organize a party like Tamala Krishna’s and preach like that. I like that-more of preaching. If Yamuna has left you, why remain as grhastha? Better take sannyasa like Tamala Krishna Gosvami. I know Yamuna has Krishna in her heart. She’ll not be spoiled, but let her have some temporary independence and be more Krishna Conscious. I am glad you have sent the money to India that you have collected. Now, you left Vrindavana on account of Yamuna, but she has left you there also, although you wanted to live with her.
Anyway, try to forget all this material attachment and try to be attached to Krishna more and more. Actually, I want many parties like the party of Tamala Krishna and Vishnujana, and they can preach all over—USA especially. So, Tamala Krishna has attained experience in this type of preaching work, so you also take advantage of this experience. If you like, you can stay with him for some time. If you can preach there, it is better that you remain in USA. Vrindavana will be managed somehow or other. (Srila Prabhupada Letter to: Gurudasa — Bombay 31 December, 1974) As far as your proposals are concerned the real thing is that we must make broader constitution of the management by GBC. But the difficulty is that our GBC men are falling victim to maya.
Today I trust this GBC and tomorrow he will fall down. That is the difficulty. If the GBC men are so flickering then what to speak of the others. Unless this problem is solved whatever we may resolve it will not be very useful. We shall discuss this at our meeting. If the GBC men can ever manage properly then I shall get some time for writing my books.
Letter to: Jayatirtha — Bombay 16 December, 1974 Politics, diplomacy, fraud, cheating – the general qualification of western people.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Brahmānanda: He was planning to go and visit Revatīnandana.Prabhupāda: Now, the Revatīnandana and this man and Śyāmasundara is making a clique. I can understand. What they are planning, that also I know. But I don’t wish to disclose it. So if these things come, then how this movement will go on? Politics, diplomacy, fraud, cheating, these are the general qualification of the western countries.
Jayatīrtha: Sitting?
Prabhupāda: Politics, diplomacy, fraud, cheating. These things are the general qualification of the western people. Do you admit or not?
Devotees: Yes.
Prabhupāda: If they are, these things come within our movement, then it will not be succesful.
Tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. One has to become purified. Even sometimes we have to take… But that is for Kṛṣṇa’s. There must be now checking that all these rascals may not join and spoil the movement. You should not admit. (Morning walk in LA on July 13, 1974) News of Bombay followed Prabhupada to Dallas. A devotee who had recently come to the West from Bombay informed Prabhupada of Giriraja’s recent talk of resigning as president of the center. Depressed by his ineffectiveness in dealing with Mr. N., the lawyers, and the government, and harassed by bickering and uncooperative devotees, he was considering
himself unworthy to keep the charge.
Now Giriraja’s anxiety became Prabhupada’s as again he concerned himself with all the affairs of his Juhu project. There seemed to be no one he could discuss this with, since the devotees in America knew almost nothing of matters in Bombay.
The night was too hot for sleeping, and Prabhupada could not concentrate on translating Srimad-Bhagavatam. So he stayed up late, talking with his secretary about Bombay. Surmising the mind and mood of Mr. N. and expressing his concern for his Hare Krishna Land and his wonder at the devotees’ hesitation and disheartenment, he turned the argument this way and that, considering it in different lights, until in the early morning he finally put it aside. Afterward, he composed another telegram: “SETTLE LAND IMMEDIATELY AT BEST PRICE POSSIBLE N. PROMISED TO PAY IT IF HE WONT WE CAN PAY SUGGEST 15000 DON’T CHANGE PRESIDENCY UNTIL I COME.” (12 Sept 1972) – (Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta Volume 5) I have requested Siddhasvarupa Ananda to meet me in Los Angeles, but if he is not able to then I am coming to hawaii soon on my way to India and I can meet him there and take him with me to India. Meanwhile, do not be disturbed. Everything is alright. If I cannot rely on you to assist me in the GBC position, who can I rely on? So I beg you to reassure me that you will continue to help me in this way, and do not become withdrawn from your active role. Kindly relieve me of this great anxiety. I want to retire now and simply concentrate on translating work, but how can I do it if I cannot give over the management of my society to you all my advanced senior disciples? If one moment you are willing and the next moment there is some small disagreement and immediately you all go away, how can I be calm in my mind? I am going to India by first week of October and I shall stop over one night in Honolulu en route and we can discuss the matter further at that time. (Srila Prabhupada letter to Gaura Sundara Dasa, 26th, August, 1972)