The Need to Read Srila Prabhupada's Words

Back To Prabhupada, Issue 51, Spring 2016

e have been asked why persons follow the guru hoax when Srila Prabhupada's instructions on the issue are very clear. Unfortunately, the clarity of Srila Prabhupada's instructions will not help if one refuses to read Srila Prabhupada's words and instead relies on asking a guru hoaxer what Srila Prabhupada said about the guru hoax! This is like asking a fox to make sure he has secured the henhouse! Below is a stunning example of this, involving GBC-elected guru hoaxer HG Sankarshan Dasa ("SAD") and a prospective disciple of his. Extracts in the shaded boxes are taken from a lecture given by SAD in Kaunas, Lithuania, published on 7/2/16. All emphases added.

I will ask the Fox

"So I have one student named David in the United States and here's a letter that I received from him: He says, "Dear Srila Gurudev, \[...\] this devotee tells me to go to this website and read the free book The Final Order. I told this devotee I will ask my spiritual teacher about that book. \[...\] then he tells me that only Prabhupada was spiritual master and that I should read the book before asking you about it. \[...\] So I said I will ask you first about it." "

1) "David" is asked to read Srila Prabhupada's words as presented in The Final Order, and thus see their misrepresentation by persons such as SAD.

2) He decides to not read these words, and instead ask the very person, SAD, who could potentially be misrepresenting these words, about these words!

Thus, having been told that the henhouse is under attack by the fox, he decides to "check" if this is the case, not by going and visiting the henhouse and seeing for himself, but by instead asking the person who could be the fox!

Fox lies

"Srila Prabhupada instructed us that after his departure, those of his disciples who are strictly following his instructions should also become spiritual masters and initiate disciples. Srila Prabhupada personally encouraged me that I could become a spiritual master, and trained me how to be properly qualified to do so. So now on his order and with the blessings of ISKCON's Governing Body Commission, GBC, I'm initiating disciples all over the world."

In reply, Mr. Fox (SAD) not surprisingly tells his hapless student that the henhouse is not at risk at all! His claim that Srila Prabhupada instructed:

"that after his departure, those of his disciples who are strictly following his instructions should also become spiritual masters and initiate disciples"

is a straightforward lie. One can check for oneself, and one will see that Srila Prabhupada never orders anyone that "after my departure, initiate disciples". Nor does Srila Prabhupada tell SAD that he should:

a) Become a diksa guru, and;
b) Do not become a diksa guru unless you get the necessary votes from the GBC, no matter how long this takes. (SAD had to wait almost 25 years before he followed this non-existent "order" from Srila
Prabhupada to become a "diksa guru"). Such a concocted hybrid order does not exist. Nor does order a) exist either.

Foxy quote

"The ritviks say there is only one acarya and that is Srila Prabhupada. But Prabhupada told us in ISKCON, that in this movement, we will have ten million acaryas. He told us in a lecture in Mayapura."

The fox actually does refer to a real lecture:

"we want to spread Krsna consciousness. Simply prepare yourself how to repeat Krsna's instructions very nicely, without any malinterpretation. Then, in future... Suppose you have got now ten thousand. We shall expand to hundred thousand. That is required. Then hundred thousand to million, and million to ten million. So there will be no scarcity of acarya".
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 6/4/75)

However, with foxy cunning, SAD does not explain that the "acaryas" Srila Prabhupada refers to are not 10 million diksa gurus who would replace Srila Prabhupada as the Acarya (Founder and Acarya/Founder-Acarya) and diksa guru of ISKCON! Rather, it refers to followers of Krishna consciousness, as seen by the parts underlined above. And to be doubly sure, the very next day there is further questioning about this specific statement, and Srila Prabhupada confirms it refers only to persons who take up Krishna consciousness, and not diksa gurus who will replace Srila Prabhupada:

Satsvarupa: "Srila Prabhupada, sometimes you say only a very small percentage can take to Krsna consciousness."
Srila Prabhupada: "Yes."
Satsvarupa: "But yesterday morning in your lecture you were saying it can expand to ten thousand, million, or ten million."
Srila Prabhupada: "Yes, if you take the proper way it can be increased."
Satsvarupa: "Is that just up to our preaching?"
Srila Prabhupada: "Yes."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 7/4/75)

Srila Prabhupada's words

"These people have their own magazine, they call it Back To Prabhupada. And on every page it's simply blasphemy against ISKCON leaders."

If "David" read Srila Prabhupada's words directly, and Back To Prabhupada, rather than receiving a self-serving misrepresentation from the Fox, he would find that Srila Prabhupada always speaks about blasphemy in terms of making false, not truthful, statements:

"They'll concoct, manufacture some blasphemy against you."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 4/9/73)

Thus, making truthful statements about ISKCON "leaders" as found "on every page" of Back To Prabhupada is not blasphemy. It's just the truth.

Conclusion

Srila Prabhupada states very clearly that in order to learn about Krishna consciousness, and have one's questions answered, one needs to consult Srila Prabhupada directly by reading his books:

"In conjunction with this you should always read my books daily and all your questions will be answered and you will have a firm basis of Krishna Consciousness. In this way your life will be perfect."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 22/11/74)

Srila Prabhupada never says that we should skip reading his words, and instead just ask some self-interested fox about them. Otherwise we will be misled by those who want us to learn about Srila Prabhupada's teachings not through his words, but their false words instead.

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