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Attack on ISKCON
<< 7 Our allegiance should be with Śrila Prabhupāda >>
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| Another instance was when Prabhupāda was very sick in 1971, he wanted to go back to India, and one disciple said, "Well, Prabhupāda, if you go and you don't come back, can you send one of your Godbrothers back to guide us?" So you know what Prabhupāda did? He started crying.
| | He said, "How do you think anyone can replace me?" He said, "Besides, if they come and they say one thing different, it will create chaos." We have to understand that. With all due respect, all of Prabhupāda's Godbrothers are great souls, but Prabhupāda was the greatest soul, he was mahātmā. He was particularly empowered how to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness around the world. And we know that it is so because he has been so successful. And you should know for a fact that even within Gauḍīya Maṭh there's so many differences, differences of opinion, differences on the conclusion of śāstras, etc.
| | So if one Gauḍīya Maṭh member comes and says something different, that is to undermine Śrīla Prabhupāda's position as very special personality. "Oh, you can take this opinion or Prabhupāda's opinion." Prabhupāda is a mahā-bhāgavata, śaktyaveśa-avatāra, his position is not simply, you know, a spiritual master. Śrīla Prabhupāda is ācārya. So if a member of Gauḍīya Maṭh says something different, then who do we owe allegiance to? To Śrīla Prabhupāda. And they do say things different.
| | For example, His Holiness Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja, who has become very popular figure throughout the world. He's very charismatic. He says that he is a close associate of Śrīla Prabhupāda (chuckles) because Prabhupāda used to write him letters. And no doubt, he's a very advanced soul. But he says some things different, he stresses, you know, rasika-bhakti for even young devotees. He doesn't stress the preaching so much. He says the origin of the jīva is not the spiritual world, but a state of being between the material and spiritual world.
| | So these are distinct differences from the teachings of Śrīla Prabhupāda. So to whom are we to give our allegiance? He is a charismatic person, and in his movement there's not so many problems because it's a young movement. So, out of some frustration should we leave ISKCON and join his movement? Just because emotionally he's, you know... You're upset with ISKCON, and he is a very charismatic person, so should we just leave ISKCON and join Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja, or any other member of Gauḍīya Maṭh? Purī Mahārāja. There's two Purī Mahārājas.
| | No, we should stay in ISKCON, our allegiance should be with Śrīla Prabhupāda. Even if these personalities don't say something different from ISKCON and don't criticize ISKCON, still we shouldn't leave ISKCON because ISKCON is Prabhupāda's movement. But I am simply dumbfounded by how many letters I'm getting even from disciples, that they want to accept this Gauḍīya Maṭh person as śikṣā-guru.
| | Or even some of my disciples have left ISKCON taking re-initiation, which is completely bogus, in Gauḍīya Maṭh. You can't take re-initiation (chuckles). If your spiritual master is in good standing you can't just give him up because you think that someone else is more advanced, and you wanna take initiation from him. That means you've given up this spiritual master, and your so-called initiation with other spiritual master is bogus, so you are nowhere.
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