Guruvani

it's quite obvious that creationism and evolution are both factors in the existence of species. Darwin's theory was based upon what he observed on a three week visit to the Galapagos and was based primarily on what he observed about a species of Finches on the islands. He didn't publish his book on the origin of the species till 24 years laters. No doubt, there is some evolution of the species, but that theory certainly doesn't account for the full explanation of the existence of species. Some species like the Crocodile haven't evolved at all in many millions of years. It doesn't have to come down to evolution or creationism. There can be both. In fact both principles are behind the existence of different species of life.

Srila Prabhupada didn't "feign" any disrespect for those Godbrothers. He admitted that he had been "at war" with his Godbrothers throughout his years of building ISKCON. I think it is ludicrous to say that Srila Prabhupada battled these Godbrothers in a "war" for over a decade and relentlessly attempted to keep his disciples away from the Gaudiya Matha and then at the end wanted all his disciples to just cozy-up to all these Godbrothers and forget that anything every happened. "the war is over" Sure, "the war is over" because Srila Prabhupada was not going to be around anymore to fight the war. He had been fighting the "war" for over a decade. Now, all his disciples were just supposed to forget about the "war" and kiss-up to the Gaudiya Matha? I don't think so. How could Srila Prabhupada fight a long and hard battle with the Gaudiya Matha in front of his disciples for over 10 years and say so all sorts of negative things about them and order his disciples time and time again to stay away from them and then just before his passing expect that all the ISKCON devotees were just going to forget all that and buddy-up to the Gaudiya Matha? I don't think so. I think that what Srila Prabhupada hammered into this disciples for over a decade about his Godbrothers can't just be erased and swept under the rug by four words "the war is over". He admitted that he had been "AT WAR" for over a decade. How in the world is that all supposed to be turned around with four words in his last days? Srila Prabhupada passed away in November of 1977. Just a few months before that he was still firing away at the Godbrothers of the Gaudiya Matha. So, not everybody buys into the concept that "the war is over" means that the disciples of Srila Prabhupada can ignore a decade of prohibition about association with the Gaudiya Matha Godbrothers. For many devotees, there is nothing that can ever undo a decade of war with the Gaudiya Matha. If a King fights a ten year battle with an enemy and then dies, can it be expected that now everyone in the Kingdom is just going to run over to the enemy and start kissing his backside? Not hardly.

It's just ridiculous. He labels himself as a "struggling sadhaka", yet he is going to accept disciples. Struggling sadhakas should not accept disciples. "Struggling" means his own faith is weak. This man should never have accepted the role as guru for anyone. He hasn't even convinced himself yet and he is going to lead others. It's very sad that ISKCON has come to this.

he also says: He admits that his mind is battling back and forth between doubt, fear and despondency and then optimism. Really, I don't see how anyone with that kind of weakness could ever be guru to anyone. Why does he have disciples? He is still very much a neophyte. This is making ISKCON totally irrelevant as a shelter for spiritualists seeking liberation from mundane existance.

I agree with the "honest" part, but "inspiring"...............I don't know. He seems depressed. I am sorry for him if he is. I don't know for sure what the cure is. If he is chanting Maha-mantra and not feeling bliss and tasting nectarine freshness in his soul, then that is very sad. I know it takes time to get to the stage of actually feeling the direct effect of Namakirtan. I think I must have attained something in previous lifetimes. Otherwise, I can't explain why I feel so much pleasure in chanting Maha-mantra. There is no option but to just stick with the process and hopefully someday he will start to relish the nectar of the Holy Name. Maybe he should get away from ISKCON? The atmosphere there might be very polluted now. Maybe he should take off the costume and wear some pants?

The fact is, people like you have not even mastered the "elementary" principles, practices and philosophy of bhakti-yoga, yet you presume to go on to some higher level. You can't even graduate "elementary" school, yet you claim to be on some higher level of understanding. If ISKCON is elementary, then the rest of them are pre-school, because at least Srila Prabhupada gave Srimad Bhagavatam and Sri Caitanya Caritamrita to his followers. That is more than the rest of them have done. So, maybe you should try to graduate pre-school and then go on to Srila Prabhupada's college of the Bhagavat. Sri Caitanya Caritamrita is said to be the topmost book on the teachings of Mahaprabhu, so there is certainlty nothing "elementary" about what Srila Prabhupada gave.

In the Krishna Book, this Jambavan is described as king of the gorillas. What reason do we have to think that the daughter of this gorilla was a beautiful human girl? It's just a major leap to just think that the daughter of the gorilla king was a human girl. I can envision that this gorilla girl was something of a humanlike primate that was not an ordinary female gorilla but was a very beautiful female primate with human-like features with some gorilla-like features. Krishna has many wonderful and amazing pastimes. I think marrying a beautiful Vanara girl is not beyond the realm of possibilites. Then again, Krishna could have transformed the Vanara girl into a human girl or a goddess very easily.

We also need to think about what might have happened had not Kunja Babu come along with his big fund raising mentality and and causing Srila Saraswati Thakur to have to build temples and Mathas to find some way to use that money up before it got embezzled and wasted. Just think if the mission of Srila Saraswati Thakur had been more of a grass roots movement like Mahaprabhu's movement in South India? Actually, Mahaprabhu's grassroots movement in South India was the true prototype of what Mahaprabhu wanted his Sankirtan movement to be. Kunja Babu came along and built up a big institutional organization that actually became a headache to Srila Saraswati Thakur who lamented openly that he would be willing to sell off the marble in the temples to print books and push the grassroots movement ahead. (but, Kunja Babu would never have allowed that) So, of course, when Srila Saraswati Thakur knew his time was coming to depart, he mostly left the bricks and mortar to the man that had been responsible for so much of the actual development of the institutional organization. But really, Srila Saraswati Thakur lamented that he would have preferred to print books instead of building temples. But, Kunja Babu was about buildings and fund-raising. The grassroots movement of Mahaprabhu has suffered because of this kind of thinking. Srila Saraswati Thakur was not at all satisfied with the how this institutional situation had become a source of weakness and dependence for some of his so-called leading disciples as they quarrelled and bickered over position and prestige in these Mathas. We know for sure that the legacy of Srila Saraswati Thakur had really nothing to do with buildings and properties.

Another meaning we can see in this statement is "he can't be treasurer". or "don't let him get his hands on the treasury". Senior disciples had been complaining for years that Kunja Babu was embezzling funds from the Gaudiya Matha. So, Srila Saraswati Thakur wrote it on the walls at the Matha that Kunja Babu would be "secretary" and NOT treasurer.

Srila Saraswati Thakur also relegated Kunja Babu to a permanent status as "secretary of Sri Gaudiya Matha" which was another way of saying that he can never be the acharya or guru, because he has been assigned the permanent post as secretary. What is extremely conspicuous by it's absence is any hint that Kunja Babu can ever become successor acharya. In fact, the long list of "praises" by Srila Saraswati Thakur was in essence saying that Kunja Babu can be everything BUT acharya of Sri Gaudiya Matha. "secretary" was the rank that Srila Saraswati Thakur limited Kunja Babu too. Secretary to the bricks and mortar.

We know that this remark is an insult in disguise because really everybody knows that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur and Srila Gaura Kisora das Babaji were the real moving forces behind the mission and movement of Srila Saraswati Thakur. For Srila Saraswati Thakur to write something like this about Kunja Babu we can only see it as a stern warning about the mindset and the mood of Kunja Babu. Kunja Babu thought he was the minister behind the awakening and development of Sri Jagabandhu's service attitude. That was his over-exaggerated opinion of himself. Such a claim is patently false and a red flag to be sure.

Srila Prabhupada's Room Conversation in Vrindaban 5/24/77:

Srila Prabhupada's Room Conversation in Bombay 1/8/77:

Srila Prabhupada's Letter to Sukadeva 11/14/73:

Here Srila Saraswati Thakur is revealing how Kunja babu thought. He is revealing that Kunja Babu thought he was the central jewel, when we know that really Srila Saraswati Thakur was the central jewel. Do you remember the old adage that too much praise is actually an insult. Srila Sarasawati Thakur praised Kunja Baba to the point that we can see that it was actually being sarcastic.

If you believe that Muralidhara, you are sad. Everyone knows that Srila Saraswati Thakur was the life-breath of the Gaudiya Matha and that Kunja Babu was the most controversial over his taking money from the Matha to put relatives through law school. The guy was guaranteed to be at the heart of the Gaudiya Matha melt down and Srila Saraswati Thakur knew it well. "Give the bricks to Kunja Babu and dispatch the rest to go out and preach the message of Mahaprabhu"

In other words he was saying "you, all my other disciples get the hell out of this bricks and mortar and spread the mission of Mahaprabhu, I am not allowing you to destroy the mission of Mahaprabhu over these buildings that you will be fighting over". He was saying "it's not about the buildings, go out and sacrifice and serve and please Mahaprabhu with your missionary activities" Kunja babu was the scapegoat. If somebody had to be cursed with inheriting the buildings it would have to be him because he had been taking money from the mission for years and he deserved the punishment.

The fact is, that inheriting the bricks and mortar is in many ways a curse. Especially, in the Gaudiya Matha, we can be sure that Srila Saraswati Thakur knew there was going to be conflict or in his own words "there will be a fire" after his passing. In spiritual life, the bricks and morter is not what you want to inherit from your guru. If the truth underneath the facade were revealed, we would see that in giving Kunja Babu the bricks and mortar he protecting his other disciples from the curse and encouraging them to go out and preach and make their ways. The idea that Kunja Babu got the bricks and mortar because he was most dear to Srila Saraswati Thakur is patently ridiculous.

Think about it...... If your guru called you a "friend of the Gaudiyas", wouldn't you be devastated? The idea is to become a Gaudiya, not a friend of the Gaudiyas.

Since Srila Saraswati Thakur in his later days was very disgusted with the politics and bickering of his disciples over who was what in the bricks and mortar mission, it is obvious that he just wanted to give the brick and mortar to Kunja Babu knowing that the most all the others would have to leave and go preach to make their own ways. Giving Kunja Babu the bricks and mortar is not really such a great compliment. In some ways, it is saying that bricks and mortar are all that he will inherit from the acharya.

Some of these "compliments" are actually a little insulting if you really think about it. For example "the greatest friend of the Gaudiyas"? Really, "friend of the Gaudiyas?" Notice how it designates him as friend of the Gaudiyas. Being a friend of the Gaudiyas is not such a big praise. "Friend of the Gaudiyas" is like someone who is NOT a Gaudiya but who is friendly with them. "Servitor of the servitors of Sri Guru?" In other words he has been permanently prohibited from being guru and has been instructed to "serve the servitors of guru". So, he is supposed to serve those who are the real servitors of Sri Guru. Really, I read this "praise" as like a bold prediction that he is a disaster waiting to happen. Use your imagination. This "praise" of Kunja babu is not really what it appears to be a first glance. If you fill in between the lines, it can get quite revealing.

Back in them days I also had designs on taking sannyasa. I asked Sudhir Maharaja if I could take sannyasa from him, but he said he couldn't do that but that he would recommend me to Sridhar Maharaja and all I had to do with get to Navadvip and with his recommendation I could have taken sannyasa from Sridhar Maharaja. But, when I saw these guys like Mahayogi, Parivrajaka, and some others going to the Matha and whining and complaining and loitering there till Sridhar Maharaja finally gave them sannyasa to get rid of them, I decided I didn't want to be another one of these sorry sannyasis. Eventually, I fell out with Sudhir Maharaja because of his closed door meetings with Bhakta Priya dasi. I saw the temple going the wrong direction and i decided I had my fill of institutional living and I moved into the basement of Jagadananda's house and got a job driving cab in silicon valley. the rest is history.... Jagadanananda was one of the dearest friends I ever had in the movement. Damn, I miss him more than about any devotee friend I ever had. Pavitra Sevan? Man, I loved that guy too. I wonder what ever happened to Pavitra Sevan. I know he got hooked-up with that one female devotee, but it doesn't appear they stayed together. Maybe he eventually had to go back to Honduras over visa issues?

so, in other words you have no scriptural support for your claim that Jambavan was a Kimpurusa and just just made it up because you thought it sounded cool? Me the simpleton? I am the one that says Krishna can have a gorilla girl for a wife and you simpletons are the one that is trying to say that such a thing is not possilbe. Now, who is the simpleton here? You are just trying to dodge my request that you show proof that Jambavan was a Kimpurusha, because in fact it's just an idea you dreamed up all by your itty-bitty self.

thats funny. The ritviks are like a bad case of genital herpes on the groin of the GBC. Once you get herpes it never goes away. (no, I don't have herpes)