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To The GBC: Help! Is My Guru a Deviant?

 

BY: VRINDAVANA CHANDRA DAS

 

Jun 24, 2016 — INDIA (SUN) —

 

Respected GBC Member / Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

I recently become aware about the Resolution published by ISKCON GBC regarding the ban on H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami’s book, Women: Masters or Mothers?

 

I am a disciple of Maharaja and after seeing the Resolution I am perturbed about my spiritual situation as to what I am supposed to do henceforth. Thus I am writing this letter and seeking a reply.

 

The GBC is the ultimate managerial authority of ISKCON set up by Srila Prabhupada. I respect and accept its authority as devotees therein give direction to the movement as per Srila Prabhupada’s teachings. The GBC includes the top cadre of our society involving senior disciples and grand-disciples of Srila Prabhupada who work hard and make strategies to spread the sankirtan movement of Lord Caitanya.

 

On the other side, I have taken shelter of Srila Prabhupada’s sannyasi disciple H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami, who I have chosen to be my spiritual guide. As any disciple in ISKCON would, I want genuine spiritual guidance from someone who represents Srila Prabhupada in toto. Srila Prabhupada often said that a guru should be a transparent-via-medium to the parampara.

 

For example, Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport to BG 4.34:

 

“The Lord therefore advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from the Lord Himself. No one can be a bona fide spiritual master without following this principle of disciplic succession. The Lord is the original spiritual master, and a person in the disciplic succession can convey the message of the Lord as it is to his disciple. No one can be spiritually realized by manufacturing his own process, as is the fashion of the foolish pretenders.”

 

Srila Prabhupada also writes further in the purport that one should not follow blindly. Therefore as a disciple my duty is also to be cautious to see that the guidance that I receive from my guru is in line with guru-sadhu-sastra. More alertness is required especially in the present times where there are already many known cases within ISKCON where gurus have become victims of maya, either in the form of philosophical deviation or sensual fall-down.

 

The GBC has put in the Resolution that ISKCON does not endorse the content of the book. It is also mentioned therein that the book is causing misunderstanding of Srila Prabhupada’s instruction, alienation and polarization of many devotees. It has potential to create even more disruptions to many aspects of ISKCON’s preaching work in the future.

 

I am thankful to the GBC that they have taken immediate steps for the benefit of the wider Vaisnavas society. It is clear from the above words that the direction given in the book is not the way that the GBC wants devotees to trend. The GBC also doesn’t want to incorporate teachings of the book into ISKCON’s preaching work.

 

Having read this in the Resolution I have now become seriously doubtful whether I should be taking further guidance from my guru. He has been trying to convince and push disciples to take up varnasrama and follow Vedic culture for many years via books, lectures and other ways. Is he polarizing and alienating us away from Srila Prabhupada? If so, I would not want to further put my spiritual life at risk under him. The human form of life is very important. I am a full-time brahmachari and would not want to waste my rare opportunity or get misdirected and not achieve the ultimate goal of life.

 

Hence it becomes very important for me (and probably for all my godbrothers too) to clearly know in what way Bhakti Vikasa Swami has deviated from Srila Prabhupada’s instructions. Specifically, what is in the book that the GBC considers to be making misunderstanding of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions?

 

I fully repose my faith in the GBC as per Srila Prabhupada’s instruction. However I want to now confirm whether my spiritual master has deviated and only the GBC, being representatives of Srila Prabhupada, can help me to decide. The case here is of philosophical fall-down, which is more dangerous than sensual fall-down.

 

Hence I request the GBC to point out the exact deviations that Bhakti Vikasa Swami has introduced in his book, Women: Masters or Mothers? When I read the book, I found it very convincing, as in 250 pages of the book there are more than 130 quotes taken directly from Srila Prabhupada’s books, and 88 quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s lectures, conversations, and letters. Moreover there are more than 50 quotes from the books by other ISKCON devotees. It presented a very convincing case of why ISKCON should head towards adopting the Varnasrama way of life.

 

However as the GBC deems this as having potential to disrupt the future preaching work, then I would want that they present a clear case based on Srila Prabhupada’s teachings how it can do, so that I can follow the GBC and not my Guru Maharaja. However if the GBC fails to do so, then I don’t have any other option but to lose my faith in them.

 

I would want the GBC to come out with an explanation as early as possible as otherwise it can create havoc in spiritual lives of many like myself.

 

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