Note: So there are many ways to come under the disciplic succession, but the one common point is that an authorized Acharya starts the particular trunk or branch. He is the prominent Acharya whose orders must be followed if a disciple is to continue the branch. If that disciple instructs differently than his Acharya, the branch dries up.
“Advaita Acharya was a disciple of Madhavendra Puri, Ishvara Puri’s spiritual master. Therefore Ishvara Puri, the spiritual master of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was Advaita Acharya’s Godbrother. As such, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu treated Advaita Acharya as His spiritual master, but Sri Advaita Acharya did not like this behavior of Lord Chaitanya, for He wanted to be treated as His eternal servant. Advaita Prabhu’s aspiration was to be a servant of the Lord, not His spiritual master.” CC Adi-lila 17.68 “In this connection, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in his Amrita-pravaha-bhasya, gives this short note: “Sri Advaita Acharya is one of the important trunks of the bhakti-kalpataru, or desire tree of devotional service. Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as a gardener, poured water on the root of the bhakti tree and thus nourished all its trunks and branches. But nevertheless, under the spell of maya, the most unfortunate condition of a living entity, some of the branches, not accepting the gardener who poured water on them, considered the trunk the only cause of the great bhakti-kalpataru. In other words, the branches or descendants of Advaita Acharya who considered Advaita Acharya the original cause of the devotional creeper, and who thus neglected or disobeyed the instructions of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, deprived themselves of the effect of being watered and thus dried up and died. It is further to be understood that not only the misguided descendants of Advaita Acharya but anyone who has no connection with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu – even if he is independently a great sannyasi, learned scholar or ascetic – is like a dead branch of a tree.” CC Adi-lila 12.73
Note: Sri Advaita Acharya approached Lord Chaitanya who was the most prominent Acharya despite the fact that His initiating spiritual master was Madhavendra puri. It is a fact that
Madhavendra Puri is listed previous to Lord Chaitanya on the Parampara list of prominent Acharyas. Advaita Acharya picked up from the Prominent Acharya, who was the current link who introduced something new to be followed by everyone, superseding the orders of the Acharyas previous to him. He strictly followed the teachings of that prominent Acharya.
“As already stated, Brahma is the original spiritual master for the universe, and since he was initiated by the Lord Himself, the message of Srimad-Bhagavatam is coming down by disciplic succession, and in order to receive the real message of Srimad-Bhagavatam one should approach the current link, or spiritual master, in the chain of disciplic succession.” SB 2.9.7
Note: The current link is the disciple who is following the Prominent Acharya’s orders, cent per cent. As the previous letter to Kirtananan dasa (1/25/69) showed, such a link might “only” be an instructing spiritual master! He does not need to be an initiating spiritual master. It is right there in black and white.
“The conditions for hearing the transcendental message of the Absolute Truth are set forth herein. The first condition is that the audience must be very sincere and eager to hear. And the speaker must be in the line of disciplic succession from the recognized Acharya.” SB 1.1.13
Note: Currently”, the only Acharyas I recognize are those who follow the instructions of the Founder-Acharya of our trunk of the devotional tree. He told us to become instructor gurus, but he would remain the initiating Guru.
“Regarding Sydney, that the President has left, if one does not follow the regulative principles, then he will leave. That is a fact. Has somebody else been elected? This is the function of the GBC, to see that one may not be taken away by maya. The GBC should all be the instructor gurus. I am in the initiator guru, and you should be the instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you must actually come to this platform. This I want.’ Srila Prabhupada letter 75-08-04 He shall be the supreme power with respect to all matters of the Society, and that status shall not be occupied by or shared with any other individual, either during his lifetime, or after his death…” (Certificate of Incorporation: Jan 12 1976) Nov 1977 – “The system of management will continue as it is now and there is no need of any change.” (Section 1. Srila Prabhupada’s Last Will and Testament) Nov 1977 – “In the event of death or failure to act for any reason of any of the said directors, a successor director or directors may be appointed by the remaining directors, provided the new director is my initiated disciple …”
Note: In the ISKCON trunk of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Tree of Bhakti, there is one “Founder-Acharya” and initiating spiritual master, who authorized all his disciples to represent him as priests for initiations, and to act as Siksha Gurus or Acharyas. He also said that only strictly obedient disciples can come to that platform of Siksha Guru. Simple logic dictates that among those posing as Diksha Gurus within ISKCON, there is not one who meets this criteria of obedience. Thus, sad to say, they themselves have produced dried up branches that cannot perpetuate the bona fide disciplic succession.