In reply to the article "On Prabhavisnu Swami's retirement" by Jnanagamya das While the sentiments expressed by Jnangamya Dasa in his article are nice, it should be noted that there is a big difference between a sadhaka or practitioner of bhakti who falls down and one who poses as diksha-guru, thus misleading thousands of devotees and the public and bringing disrepute to Srila Prabhupada's movement.
Many warnings have been given by Srila Prabhupada. Everyone should study these carefully.
There is no question of liking or disliking the truth… There can be no compromise, for this is a matter of necessity.
Sri Ishopanishad Mantra 14
Srila Prabhupada: I was living with servant and two sons. So I helped to start… [break] …took from my friends, I collected some money and… So other important members said, “Why Abhaya Babu is living separately? He should be the president of the Bombay.” I never said, but they said. I was living separately. Then Prabhupada requested, I mean to say, pleaded in my behalf so many things. He said three words, “It is better that he is living outside your company. He will do, when time will come, he’ll do himself everything. You haven’t got to recommend him.” These very words. [break] …Krishna require any president or any GBC. He's giving chance to everyone, that's all. Otherwise thousands of presidents and thousands of GBC may come and go, His work will go on. Krishna is complete Himself. He doesn't require anyone's help. That is Krishna. [break] …sei hetu pracara. One who has got life, he can preach. One is dead, what he can do? He used to say. – Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, September 26, 1976, Vrindavana If everyone just initiates there will be contradictory result. As long as it goes on, there will be only failure." – Srila Prabhupada Phalgun Krishnan Panchami, verse 23, 1961 Srimad-Bhagavatam predicts the appearance of bogus gurus, swamis etc.
sudrah pratigrahisyanti tapo-vesopajivinah dharmaḿ vaksyanty adharma-jsa adhiruhyottamasanam
SYNONYMS
sudrah — lowly, common workers; pratigrahisyanti — will accept religious charity; tapah — by shows of austerity; vesa — and by dressing as mendicants; upajivinah — earning their living; dharmam — the principles of religion; vaksyanti — will speak about; adharma-jsah — those who know nothing about religion; adhiruhya — mounting; uttama-asanam — a high seat.
TRANSLATION
Uncultured men will accept charity on behalf of the Lord and will earn their livelihood by making a show of austerity and wearing a mendicant's dress. Those who know nothing about religion will mount a high seat and presume to speak on religious principles.
Srila Prabhupada explains about the position of bogus gurus
Jayatirtha: Yesterday Nitai found a quote from the Puranas that says, “There are many gurus who will take away your money, but rare is the one who will take away your miseries.
Srila Prabhupada: Guravo bahavah santi vittapaharakah Devotee: Yes, right.
Srila Prabhupada: guravo bahavahsanti vittapaharakah tam tu gurum na pasyami sisya-santa- paharakah There are many gurus. They are very expert in plundering disciples’ money, but it is very difficult to find out a guru who can take out all the anxieties of the disciple.” Sisya santa-paharakah.
Guru is meant for taking away the santapa. Samsara-davanala-lidha-loka-tranaya karunya- ghanaghanatvam. “The sisya will be peaceful”—objective of life—that is the business of guru, not to take away his money. – Morning Walk Conversation with Srila Prabhupada, February 4, 1975 Srila Prabhupada warns about so-called acharyas of the age of Kali loka-gati dekhi’ acarya karuna-hrdaya vicara karena, lokera kaiche hita haya Seeing the activities of the world, the acharya felt compassion and began to ponder how He could act for the people.
PURPORT
This sort of serious interest in the welfare of the public makes one a bona fide acharya. An acharya does not exploit his followers. Since the acharya is a confidential servitor of the Lord, his heart is always full of compassion for humanity in its suffering. He knows that all suffering is due to the absence of devotional service to the Lord, and therefore he always tries to find ways to change people’s activities, making them favorable for the attainment of devotion. That is the qualification of an acharya. Although Sri Advaita Prabhu Himself was powerful enough to do the work, as a submissive servitor He thought that without the personal appearance of the Lord, no one could improve the fallen condition of society… The so-called acharyas of the Age of Kali are more concerned with exploiting the resources of
their followers than mitigating their miseries; but Sri Advaita Prabhu, as an ideal acharya, was concerned with improving the condition of the world situation. – Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi Lila 3.98 Srimad-Bhagavatam warns of Kali-yuga panditas lingam evasrama-khyatav anyonyapatti-karanam avrttya nyaya-daurbalyam panditye capalaḿ vacah
SYNONYMS
lingam – the external symbol; eva — merely; asrama-khyatau — in knowing a person's spiritual order; anyonya — mutual; apatti — of exchange; karanam — the cause; avrttya — by lack of livelihood; nyaya — in credibility; daurbalyam — the weakness; panditye — in scholarship; capalam — tricky; vacah — words
TRANSLATION
A person's spiritual position will be ascertained merely according to external symbols, and on that same basis people will change from one spiritual order to the next. A person's propriety will be seriously questioned if he does not earn a good living. And one who is very clever at juggling words will be considered a learned scholar. – Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.4 5) [As stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam 10.33.30]: "An ordinary soul should never imitate the activities of the Supreme Lord, even in his mind." According to these instructions in devotional service, the unqualified imitators are ruined. 1) Those disciples who were irresolute in performing devotional service according to your instructions have now divided your mission in many factions. It appears that the tigress of ambition for material names and fame has appeared and personally provoked this upheaval. 2) Your so-called disciple, the jackal named Ananta Vasudeva, disobeyed your final instructions to keep the mission united, and thereby created a scandalous fiasco.
The result of this philosophical deviation is evident to this day as imitative sahajiyas are being worshiped as gurus in your temples. 3) Is there a single temple to be found where your instructions are still being followed? – Viraha Ashtaka Citations from Eight Prayers in Separation from My Spiritual Master by His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada – December 1958 recently translated and published from Bengali into English by Dasaratha-suta dasa.
As it is said: "punar musiko bhava"- Everyone has "again become a mouse." ******** The incident herein described is very significant. In a previous verse it is stated, vina mahat- pada-rajo-’bhiekam: one cannot attain perfection without smearing the dust from the lotus feet of an exalted devotee on his head. If one always follows the orders of the spiritual master, there is no question of falling down. As soon as a foolish disciple tries to overtake his spiritual master and becomes ambitious to occupy his post, he immediately falls down. Yasya prasadad
bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gati kuto ’pi. If the spiritual master is considered an ordinary man, the disciple surely loses his chance to advance further. Despite a very rigid life in devotional service, Bharata Maharaja did not consult a spiritual master when he became overly attached to a deer. Consequently he became strongly attached to the deer, and, forgetting his spiritual routine, he fell down. – Srimad-Bhagavatam : Canto 5: "The Creative Impetus" : SB 5.12: Conversation Between Maharaja Rahugana and Jada Bharata : SB 5.12.14 Deluded by the modes, he thinks he is divinely inspired "Therefore, it is a hazardous path of elevation that depends on personal characteristics within the jurisdiction of the three modes of nature. Without transcending these three material modes, a person will find himself securely in their clutches, and thus deluded, he will think that all his activities are divinely inspired. He will then broadcast this false concept, considering himself an advanced devotee and everyone else inferior. Impressed with his own knowledge, he will try to see God by dint of this knowledge instead acting in such a way that God will want to see him.
Intoxicated by false ego, he will see his activities, which are motivated by passion, as divine.
Those who are proud of their knowledge do not surrender to the Lord; instead, they try to attain the Supreme Lord's mercy by the inductive method and thus exhibit an obnoxious mentality.
One should constantly remember the Lord and pray to Him for mercy. The Lord, situated in the devotee's heart, responds to such a prayer and illumines his heart with knowledge, which dissipates the darkness of ignorance.
Lord Chaitanya has taught: trnad api sunicena taror iva sahisnuna amanina mana-dena kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31] – Srila Prabhupada BTG 1960 By pride, either artificial or real, the resultant action of austerity is spoiled; by too much affection for female association, cleanliness is spoiled; by too much addiction to intoxication, mercy is spoiled; and by too much lying propaganda, truthfulness is spoiled. – Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 1:"Creation”: SB 1.17: Punishment and Reward of Kali: SB 1.17.25 "… It is also said, phalena pariciyate: one’s success or defeat in any activity is understood by its result. There are many karmis in the dress of devotees, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead can detect their purpose. The karmis want to use the property of the Lord for their selfish sense gratification, but a devotee endeavors to use the Lord’s property for God’s service.
Therefore a devotee is always distinct from the karmis, although the karmis may dress like devotees. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (3.9), yajsarthat karmano ’nyatra loko ’yam karma- bandhanah. One who works for Lord Vishnu is free from this material world, and after giving up his body he goes back home, back to Godhead. A karmi, however, although externally working like a devotee, is entangled in his non devotional activity, and thus he suffers the tribulations of material existence. Thus from the results achieved by the karmis and devotees, one can understand the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who acts differently for the
karmis and jnanis than for the devotees. – Srimad-Bhagavatam : Canto 8: "Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations" : SB 8.9: The Lord Incarnates as Mohini-Murti : SB 8.9.28 : PURPORT
Srila Prabhupada: Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he said that "When our men will be sahajiya, oh, they'll be more dangerous." So our men are becoming, some of them, sahajiyas.
This very word he said, that "When our men will be sahajiyas he'll be more dangerous."
Devotee: Without any proper realization, on the basis of being able to read Sanskrit, they delve into all kinds of books, and then they pick fault—"Oh, this rule is not being followed. This is wrong. This is wrong."
Devotee: We don't chant sixty-four rounds, so that is very bad. We'll never make any progress. – Room Conversation — January 24, 1977, Bhuvanesvara Srila Prabhupada regarding – Person who thinks he is the wiser man I may inform you that you cannot be fool as you have humbly expressed yourself. Better to remain an ever fool before the spiritual master. But if a disciple is actually fool it reflects on the spiritual master. To think of becoming a fool is the real qualification for a bonafide disciple.
As soon as one thinks that he has become the wiser man than the spiritual master one is surely doomed. We should remain everlastingly a fool before the spiritual master. Not artificially but feelingly and then we can make real progress.
Even my spiritual master a great scholar remained a so called fool before His spiritual master who was outwardly an illiterate village fellow. So in the Absolute world the fool is also the master and the master is also a fool in reciprocal exchange of dealings. Lord Chaitanya also accepted Himself a great fool before His spiritual master and all of us must follow the transcendental process. – Letter to Rayarama, December 14, 1967, San Francisco, California