Question
Hare Krsna!
Maharaj.
Accept my humble and respectful obediences, all glories to Srila Prabhupad! đ
Let me ask you another question!
Letâs talk about relationships between devotees!
1-Why then are there different sampradayas or different spiritual lineages?
2- Why those sampradayas do not mix one with another?
Your servant:
Mukunda madhava das.
Hare Krsna đ
Answer
Dear Mukunda Madhava Prabhu,
Accept my respectful tributes. All the glories at Srila Prabhupada.
The Vedas are spoken by many sages, in the Maha-bharata we find histories and philosophies of so many personalities and the same is in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and in all Puranas. So it can be said that the Vedic and the Krishna Consciousness culture is a choral effort and not of a single individual.
However this fact is perfected by other information found in the Scriptures, where we find that everyone, during their young age, go to gurukula, at the school of the Guru. Not that every day go to a different Guru. The Guru is one.
After the period of basic instruction, for various reasons, one can accept other teachers.
When a Guru speaks he automatically creates a school. Teacher and pupils. This is a school. Then the disciples will one day become teachers and establish their schools.
Why are they different? What are the differences? These can simply be constituted by the personality of the Guru, by his way of teaching and by differences of various kinds.
Not necessarily one of these “schools” must become a large organization like the one that created Srila Prabhupada. Even in our Movement there are “schools”. The differences between spiritual Masters and their disciples are obvious. But these do not become different organizations because Srila Prabhupada wanted us to stay together.
I saw this with the god-brothers of Srila Prabhupada. Although many of them were evidently saints and scholars, the differences were obvious. While appreciating their association, personally I have always felt more comfortable with Srila Prabhupada, with the environment and style that he created.
Now, why do not the different spiritual lines mix together?
The association amongst devotees is very important. However if we want to learn math we do not go to a different school every day, study under a different teacher and associating with fellow students whose understanding is different.
Even if the subject is the same (Krishna consciousness), it is not what should be done. This would cause great mental confusion. Unless one really doesnât wants to study and go deep in what spiritual life really means. In this case he can not see differences that can generate problems.
The system is that one chooses his Guru and learns Krishna consciousness from him. As in the example of mathematics, at the beginning it is better to have a single guide. The reason for this is given by the diversity of personality. Each one teaches in his own way, he has his own system, from different rules, never equal priority.
Unless (as I have seen and still see today) people are not interested in going deep in Krishna consciousness but prefer to remain on the surface. This is the reason why they think that “they are all Hare Krishna, one or the other makes no difference”. Instead the differences are there.
Once one has grown up and its philosophical base is robust, diversity becomes wealth.
Your servant
Manonatha Dasa (ACBSP)
PS
THE NEW ARCHIVE: www.isvara.org
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