Bhakta Harry
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Posts posted by Bhakta Harry
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I can understand that the ritviks have some concerns about what is going on within ISKCON but why do they also blaspheme great Vaisnavas outside of ISKCON as well?It is a fact that there have been many active pedophiles in ISKCON. So are we to proclaim that everyone in ISKCON is a pedophile?
Similarly there may be some who adhere to the ritvik conclusions who blaspheme "great Vaisnavas outside of ISKCON". Are we acting truthfully to suggest that they all do?
If you can be more specific by supplying details of any alleged blasphemy then we can discuss on that basis.
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Srila Prabhupada speaks to Sridhar Maharaja--March 1977(BENGALI CONVERSATION, TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY BHAKTI CARU SWAMI)
Srila Prabhupada: I very much want, Maharaja, that you come and stay at Mayapura. Because Prabhupada [bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur] always desired that you preach. He told me quite a few times, "Why don't you pull him out?" [They both laugh.] You know, I also tried to some extent before, but somehow or other it did not work out. Now, why don't you come and stay at Mayapura?
Srila Sridhara Maharaja: At last Prabhupada [bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur] told me: "You are an ease-lover. [Laughter] The qualifications - that you have."
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that's true. He told me also, "He is such a qualified person. Sridhara Maharaja is one of the finest preachers." I want to take you everywhere. At least at the place we have in Mayapura, people are coming from all over the world. Why don't you come and stay there? What is your objection to staying in Mayapura? If you just agree, then whatever kind of building you want, I will arrange it for you. They are trying to build a house for me, so both of us will stay there. And whenever you want, you can come here [to this Navadwipa math].
Srila Sridhara Maharaja: Yes, as long as I am alive to fulfill Prabhupada's desire.
Srila Prabhupada: This is my earnest desire. Since you could not go around the world and preach, at least stay there and people will come to you. I shall make that arrangement. And if you stay there, then it will be very helpful to me also. Sometimes I need to consult with someone but there is no one. There is no one with whom I can consult. I feel this deficiency very greatly.
Devotee: If he stays in Mayapura, then all kinds of people will get to hear from him.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that's right.
Srila Sridhara Maharaja: Yes, people from all kinds of cultural backgrounds will come there.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, they are already coming. And in that house I will make arrangements for an elevator so that you won't have to go through the difficulty of walking up and down the stairs. You won't even have to move a step yourself. I'll make arrangements for a car and a lift. Jayapataka Maharaja is telling me that he will build a house for me. So both of us will stay in that house. Most of the time I am just traveling around, so if you are there, then they can get some guidance. So Maharaja, please-give me the order and I will make all the arrangements for you.
Srila Sridhara Maharaja: Well, I'll think it over and let you know.
Srila Prabhupada: Let me make that arrangement, Maharaja. That planetarium [the "Temple of Understanding"] also will be built under your direction. My idea is to combine the Indian culture and the American money-the lame man and the blind man policy. I tell them also that this will be very beneficial for the world. Indian culture and varnasrama. Prabhupada's desire was to establish the varnasrama-dharma. So we have to do that: we have to establish our Varnasrama College. Let the people from all over the world come and learn about varnasrama.
Some points to consider regarding the validity of this post.
1) It is not on the vedabase, so there are immediate doubts as to the value of this conversation.
2) It was spoken in Bengali. Thus we are depending on a translation by HH Bhakti Caru Swami who is not a very reliable translator as the following explains.
Bhakti Caru Swami Caught Cheating (IRM Newsletter 20)
One of the key points that we quote in the Final Order to show that any Diksa Gurus in ISKCON would have had to been specifically authorised by Srila Prabhupada, is the following verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam:
"One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master coming in the disciplic succession, who is authorised by his predecessor spiritual master. This is called diksa-vidhana." (S.B. 4.8.54, purport)
The key part of this quotation is the 'authorised by his predecessor spiritual master' , since this smashes their current bogus Guru program as it requires them to show specific authorisation from Srila Prabhupada.
They cannot palm us off with some vague notion that it is 'automatic', or that it is a 'timeless order' or that it is 'tradition' or any other such nonsense. They need to show authorisation from Srila Prabhupada directly.
And as we have shown repeatedly they cannot do so. So hard-pressed are they to do this, that after 23 years they still can only trot out the same 'appointment tape' with its 5 different transcripts and 4 different official GBC interpretations - which have been used to justify different guru systems by the GBC. So what to do? Simple. Get rid of this troublesome quote.
And that is exactly what Bhakti Caru Swami has done in his Bengali translation of the Srimad Bhagavatam. As the official BBT Bengali translator for the Bhagavatam, he has translated the above as:
"Manuser Kartabbo hoche guruparampara dharay sadguru kach theke diksa Grahan kara. Eka bale diksa-bidhan".
"One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master coming in the disciplic succession. This is called diksa-vidhana." (S.B. 4.8.54, purport)
Yes, he has simply removed the troublesome phrase - the literary equivalent of 'splicing'. This proves two things:
1. That the above quote does deliver a death-blow to the current ISKCON Guru system just as 'The Final Order' claims. Otherwise why take it out?
2. That Bhakti-Caru Maharaja, who of course is one the current illegitimate Diksa Gurus in ISKCON, has shamefacedly engaged in this blatant cheating to try and save his Guruship. He has desecrated the teachings of Srila Prabhupada simply to keep his Guru ambitions afloat.
Never mind being a sannyasi and a Guru. Such an example of blatant dishonesty does not even qualify him to be a Brahmin. Do these people have no shame? Having realised that the game is up they can only resort to the last refuge - cheating - to try and prop up their bogus temporary occupation of Srila Prabhupada's seat.
3) The poster of this conversation has given it the title "Prabhupada Said Srila Sridhar Maharaj Should Give Guidance To His Disciples." However when we read the conversation we see no such thing. What it actualy says is, "so if you are there, then they can get some guidance." So it is clearly not the same. The poster has obvious difficulties with his reading of the English language. Or the poster is also pushing an agenda and is unable to present the facts in a straightforward manner.
It is thus safe to conclude this is another phony propaganda effort from the Sridarittes. Who seem to think it is essential to propagate that HH BR Sridar Maharaja & Srila Prabhupada were always boosom buddies. Irrespective of the truth.
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Bhakta Harry,
You make some good points. But then, why not just practice K.Con in isolation (by isolation, I do nopt mean devoid of association. I mean outside the society)? That would make better sense to me. Just like Srila Prabhupada did not expend much effort trying to fix the Gaudiya matha. he went to Vrndavan and practised his sadhana there to perfection. And later, he started his own society.
It is true that Srila Prabhupada did not try and fix the Gaudiya Matha, but just formed his own new society called ISKCON. This analogy however fails due to one big difference - Srila Prabhupada is the Acarya (mahabhagavat), and therefore can set up his own society, as acaryas do - but we are not acaryas, only disciples, and therefore must simply try and work under the parameters given by Srila Prabhupada.
One of these parameters as given by Srila Prabhupada, shortly before he departed, was in relation specifically to the situation we find ourselves in now:
Bhavananda: There will be men, I know. There will be men who want to try and pose themselves as guru.Tamala Krsna: That was going on many years ago. Your Godbrothers were thinking like that. Madhava Maharaja...
Bhavananda: Oh, yes. Oh, ready to jump.
Prabhupada: Very strong management required and vigilant observation.
(Room Conversation, May 27th, 1977)
Since many in ISKCON have decided to 'pose as Guru' and been 'ready to jump', the sincere devotees have been forced to provide the 'vigilant observation' through their writings, and also provide a 'strong management' by reviving a real ISKCON based on Srila Prabhupada's directives.
That way, one does not disrupt the efforts of others.
For example, the ritviks go around to different festivals organized by ISKCON and disrupt them by distributing nonsensical magazines.
Have you read these magazines? If so, be so kind as to post some examples of this alleged nonsense. That way we can all see who is the real nonsense.
This is a huge dis-service and grossly offensive to the Lord. Instead, why can't they write nice philosophy glorifying the Lord in those magazines and distribute it to the general population?
I'll let the editor of the magazine answer that point. This is from issue 7.
Most ironically, ISKCON itself already expends a great deal of effort glorifying Srila Prabhupada via various publications, videos, diaries and memorial festivals. One might ask how people who wish to usurp Srila Prabhupada can also find it within themselves to glorify him on a regular basis?Srila Prabhupada is undoubtedly ISKCON’s biggest asset. His vast canon of teachings and outstanding personal example of purity and saintliness are what usually attract people to the Movement in the first place. Srila Prabhupada wrote all the books that shall form the basis of everything ISKCON will ever teach for up to ten thousand years hence. It is these books that explain the entire science of Krishna Consciousness, and inspire people to surrender their lives to Krishna. In effect, the Guru hoaxers have made a career out of basking in Srila Prabhupada’s reflected glory, using him to bolster their own competing mini-missions.
For these personalities, Srila Prabhupada is the ‘goose who always lays the golden eggs’. That is why they must keep telling people how great he is and promoting his books.
The Guru hoaxers use this glorification rather like an unscrupulous shopkeeper who puts an attractive item in his window to attract the customers, only to sell them a vastly inferior product once they set foot inside the store. This is called “bait-and-switch”. You draw people in with something wonderful, and then switch it for something cheap and nasty once you have them “hooked”. Newcomers to ISKCON are thus encouraged, “Look how wonderful Srila Prabhupada is, what a perfect spiritual master!”, and then when they join the ‘product’ is switched – “but you can only have him as your direct guide for the first six months, then you must choose someone else from the GBC-approved Guru list.” It sounds strange, but the fact is that if BTP only expanded on this “glorification” it would actually be doing the greatest disservice.
We would simply be assisting in the process of drawing people into the Guru hoaxers’ trap.
Just as a doctor who prescribes medicine without warning of possible side-effects would be acting unprofessionally, as devotees it is completely irresponsible to attract people to Srila Prabhupada’s Movement without telling them anything about what has gone wrong.
ISKCON may appear to be teaching Krishna Consciousness, but the formula has been changed. Srila Prabhupada’s final order on how initiations were to run has been disobeyed, and this one act of defiance is causing untold harm to everyone involved.
Thus the aim of BTP is to:
Prevent new devotees from accepting unauthorised replacements for Srila Prabhupada.
Expose those who are “glorifying” Srila Prabhupada simply as a means of expanding their own little empires.
Encourage devotees to work together to return to the correct, winning formula, as originally ordered by Srila Prabhupada in his institutional directive of July 9th 1977.
In this way we hope to one day put an end to the bait-and-switch scam that has been going on since November 14th 1977.
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Bhakta Harry,It seems that you are mistaken about my post. I simply asked 2 questions. I repeat the 2 questions here for the sake of refreshing memory-
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1. "Srila Prabhupada also gave numerous 'instructions' to not criticize any Vaisnava, much less an exalted Vaisnava like Sridhar Maharaja. But you choose to ignore that particular 'instruction'. Why is that?"
Please post examples of my criticizm.
2. "Even sincere neophytes try to avoid that dangerous road. Why do you wish to invite your own spiritual downfall?"
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You responded saying that I was 'criticizing you. Since when has asking questions equated to criticizing someone?!
If you read your post again you also wrote ....
"It's funny how you vehemently argue to establish the association of Srila Sridhar Maharaja as undesired because Srila Prabhupada 'instructed' as such"
Here you criticize my method of arguing without substantiation. Thus it is deemed as critical.
Anyways, if Srila Prabhupada is the only pure devotee from his time (from the Gaudiya matha) which is what you are trying to establish in your posts,This is a very poor speculation and as such is against the 4 regs ie: mental speculation. He may have been a pure devotee but he was not qualified to be an acarya.
that reflects rather poorly on Srila BhaktiSidhanta Saraswati. Was he such a weak Acarya that he could make just 1 pure devotee? I do not believe that is the case.Who are you to judge how many pure devotee's Srila BhaktiSidhanta Saraswati produced by his preaching?
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I agree with Sunandaji. That is the approach I will take as well. What will please the Spiritual Master the most ... our endeavor to fix ourselves first. People are not introduced to temples or institutions to fix the temple ... they're introduced so they can practice Krsna Consciousness and overcome their own anartas.
There are many reasons as to why people are introduced to temples or institutions. One of which you have mentioned above. However without the blessings of a bona-fide spiritual master it is very difficult to overcome our own anarthas.
Letter to: Satadhanya Calcutta 20 February, 1972The key to success in spiritual life is to always endeavor to please the Spiritual Master, and follow his instructions.
Letter to: Joan Fields: Bhaktivedanta Manor 24 July, 1976
One should always be sincere to please the spiritual master by following his instructions, then life is very easy.
Ultimately, that is what will putus on the path back Home.I wonder where you get the idea that everyone is obliged to fight against institutional policies.
Your question in relation to ISKCON; is such that some of these "institutional policies" are in direct conflict with the instructions of the founder of the institution. Those who are aware of this and who are sincere about pleasing the spiritual master by following his instructions have no option but to preach the truth of the situation to those concerned. This means fighting as Srila Prabhupada states:
Prabhupada: So preaching is always difficult. That I have repeatedly saying. You cannot take preaching very easy-going. Preaching must be fight. Do you mean to say fighting is easy thing? Fighting is not easy thing. Whenever there is fight, there is danger, there is responsibility. So preaching means... What is the preaching? Because people are ignorant, we have to enlighten them. That is preaching.[731212mw.la]'To save his mission from total failure', as you put it, one must first become a pure devotee and that only comes by strict sadhana
Of course there are differing degrees of purity. Strict sadhana without the blessings of the guru will not give one purity. Sadhana involves chanting the holy names; one of the offenses in chanting the holy names is to disobey the orders of the guru. So how can one become pure by participating in the disobedience of the gurus order?
and not by wasting one's time revolting against the institution.
On the contrary; it is the institution which has become revolting.
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So does Srila Prabhupada as I quoted in my last post.
But here it is prescribed that if you want to make solution of the problems of life, then you adopt, you have to adopt a life of tapasya, austerity, which begins from brahmacari.personal endeavor of discipline, undertaken to achieve a goal, discipline in general, discipline like Hiranyakasipu performed when he stood on the tip of his toes with his hands raised for thousands of years this is called tapasya.
Your example of Hiranyakasipu is a very extreme form of tapasya, is it not?
Brahmacarya when related to the path of bhakti-yoga, Srila Prabhupada explains, no requirement to practise brahmacarya separately because this kind of pleasure becomes naturally abominable - but only when one becomes devotee. And of course your spiritual master has to be bona fide in order to experience genuine actual spiritual happiness when serving such a pure devotee.
"[...]By some artificial bodily exercise one can control the senses. That is called yoga. But one who becomes directly a devotee, his sense control is automatically done, if he is devotee. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt [sB 11.2.42]. If one is devotee, then he does not like anything material.
And the sex enjoyment is the topmost pleasure in this material
world. So naturally one who is devotee, he doesn’t require to
practice brahmācārya separately—paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate—because
sex pleasure may be very nice in this material world, but when one
gets a sense of spiritual pleasure, then this pleasure becomes
abominable. It is said by Yamunācārya,
yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor
nava-nava-dhāmany (udyataṁ) rantum āsīt
tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame (smaryamāne)
bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭu niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca
“Since I have begun to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness and getting
relish, then, since then, when I think of…,” bata nārī-saṅgame, “sex
pleasure with woman, I spite on it and my mouth becomes curved,
‘Eh,’ like that.” [...]
Of course if you are a devotee on par with Yamunācārya then you don’t require to practice brahmācārya separately. As at that level it is part of ones consciousness.
All others have to go through the brahmācārya ashram for training in the principals. Thats why Srila Prabhupada introduced the brahmācārya ashram. If it was automatic as you suggest then there would be no need for such an ashram in ISKCON.
So your statement posted on 10-04-2006 "There's no need of practising brahmacari in this age" is not supported by Srila Prabhupada:
Srila Prabhupada: “Brahmacarya is very, very essential. When one becomes detestful to sex life, that is the beginning of spiritual life.” (Lecture, 4/4/75)“Without becoming brahmacari, nobody can understand spiritual life.” (Airport Reception, 18/09/69)
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Anyone can quote but are your actions backed by Srila Prabhupad?????Yes
But the world is such that satyam bruyat priyam bruyat ma bruyat satyam apriyam. They want if you can say the truth, but don't say the unpalatable truth. But that is social etiquette. When you speak about spiritual life there is no such scope. You must speak the truth:[sBL 7.9.10]I really have little intrest in HH BR Sridar Maharaja, however when his followers make unsubstantiated claims like Sridas has on this thread like this:
A practical example of the vaisnavas help for me personally was when Srila Prabhupad directed his disciples to go to Srila Sridhara Maharaj for any guidance,This is lies - as I have pointed out in a previous post
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Srila Prabhupada never tells US to accept Sridhara Maharaja as OUR Siksa guru or to consult him. On the contrary, as I have quoted before, he instructs US to actually AVOID Sridhara Maharaja.
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Further the only time anyone was advised to go to Sridhara Maharaja, was only to STOP that person from going to a 'black snake'.
- Thus there are NO instructions from Srila Prabhupada instructing us to take shelter of Sridhara Maharaja (except to stop one person from taking shelter from a 'black snake'), but there ARE instructions from Srila Prabhupada telling us to NOT take shelter of Sridhara Maharaja.
You must speak the truth. :[sBL 7.9.10]
and as Srila Prabhupada has said in the quote above
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satyaM brUyAt priyaM brUyAt na brUyAt satyam-apriyaM /priyaM ca nAnRtaM brUyAt esha dharmas-sanAtanaH
Always speak the truth, but don’t be eager to speak unpleasant truth, at the same time, don’t speak lies just because they are pleasing, speak that truth which is pleasing priyam. Priya means pleasing, truth is justice, but priya is above justice, it is grace, charm, beauty, mercy and love. And lila means the life-giving pastimes of love and beauty. And Radha and Krishna are the monument of Love and Beauty. And we are requested to speak that Truth which glorifies the lila of our Lord, Hari Katha, for He is Truth personified.
Their pastimes won't bring reaction, as do our minds and attempts at speech.
So speak of Him and who He likes in order to satisfy the whole audience.
Thank-you for your erudite points.
However my purpose in quoting this has been misunderstood, so I shall post some quotes to clarify my point.
It is certainly unpleasant, but the officers who publish the magazine do not know satyam bruyat priyam bruyat, in this material world only palatable truth should be spoken. Unpalatable truth should be carefully avoided. ............
Devotees always humbly offer respect to everyone, but when there is a discussion on a point of sastra, they do not observe the usual etiquette, satyam bruyat priyam bruyat. They speak only the satyam, although it may not necessarily be priyam. [Letter to: Sumati Morarjee Valencay, France 7 August, 1976]
But the world is such that satyam bruyat priyam bruyat ma bruyat satyam apriyam. They want if you can say the truth, but don't say the unpalatable truth. But that is social etiquette. When you speak about spiritual life there is no such scope. You must speak the truth:[sBL 7.9.10]Satyam bruyat priyam bruyat ma bruyat satyam abruyat.It is social convention that if you want to speak truth, you speak truth very palatable, flattering. Don't speak unpalatable truth. But we are not meant for that purpose, social convention. We are preacher, we are servant of God. We must speak the real truth. [sPL OCT 20TH 1968]
So this is our position. Satyam bruyat priyam bruyat ma bruyat satyam apriyam.(?) The world situation is that you can speak truth if it is palatable. And if it is unpalatable, don't speak. But this thing cannot be maintained when you are preaching spiritual life. There we cannot cheat. Spiritual life must be declared very frankly. Not that we have to declare; it is already declared.[RC JAN 3RD 1977] -
we should forget all these politics and chant Hare Krishna...My appraoch is the following now: when i see a person who is too much into politic or to fanatic i just say "ok i have to go now" and walk away... and i feel better since then.[emph added]
What is common about this reply and ones similar, is that the focus is always on what seems is best for me, not what is best for Srila Prabhupada. Yet Srila Prabhupada tells us that:
“By satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satisfied. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Krsna consciousness.” (BG, 2:41p)“Satisfaction of the self-realized spiritual master is the secret of advancement in spiritual life.” (BG, 4:34p)
So therefore the correct mentality should be; what will satisfy Srila Prabhupada the most at this time?
Trying to save his mission from total failure, or seeing to my own personal comforts & safety?
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My point to Suchandra was:
"Thank you for your comments. However you have not given any evidence to support your above statement."
This was in relation to his statement
"There's no need of practising brahmacari in this age"
He then posted the following as evidence supporting his above statement.
"Thus a Vaishnava automatically becomes a brahmana. This idea is also supported by Sanatana Gosvami in his book Hari-bhakti-vilasa, which is the Vaishnava guide. Therein he has clearly stated that any person who is properly initiated into the Vaishnava cult certainly becomes a brahmana, as much as the metal known as kamsa (bell metal) is turned into gold by the mixture of mercury. A bona fide spiritual master, under the guidance of authorities, can turn anyone to the Vaishnava cult so that naturally he may come to the topmost position of a brahmana."
I am such a fool that I am unable to comprehend the relevance of his quote to his statement.
However fortunately I was able to find many clear quotes such as the following which explain the importance of brahmacarya.
Srila Prabhupada on BrahmacaryaBy His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
The following is taken from a lecture by Srila Prabhupada on the Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.11, New York, July 25, 1971:
So the tapasya life begins from celibacy, brahmacaryena. Sukadeva Gosvami recommends. Brahmacarya is described in the sastras that:
smaranam kirtanam keli preksanam guhyam asanam [sankalpa dvyavasaya].
Smaranam [remembering], thinking of sex life, that is against brahmacarya. Complete celibacy means one should not think of even sex life.
Kirtanam [chanting], talk of sex life. Our modern literature, newspaper and everything, simply full with talks of sex life. But this is against brahmacarya life.
Keli [performing], actually indulging in sex life.
Preksanam [looking], overlooking a nice boy or nice girl. That is also against brahmacarya.
Guhyam [confidential], whispering between girls and boys. That is also against brahmacari.
Asanam [sitting], Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 9: Chapter Nineteen, Text 16 (Translation):
"One should not allow oneself to sit on the same seat even with one's own mother, sister or daughter, for the senses are so strong that even though one is very advanced in knowledge, he may be attracted by sex."
Sankalpa [determination], determination of sex life.
Advyavasaya [endeavoring], endeavoring how to effect sex life.
So when we can stop all these activities, that is real brahmacarya. It is very difficult at the present age.
Etad maithunam asthangam pravadanti manisinah vikarita brahmacaryam eda astanam laksanam iti.
So brahmacarya means that you cannot think of sex life, you cannot talk of sex life, you cannot whisper about sex life, or you cannot endeavor for sex life. These eight types of activities in sex indulgence are against brahmacary life. But here it is prescribed that if you want to make solution of the problems of life, then you adopt, you have to adopt a life of tapasya, austerity, which begins from brahmacari.
</O:P
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Bhakta Harry,It's funny how you vehemently argue to establish the association of Srila Sridhar Maharaja as undesired because Srila Prabhupada 'instructed' as such. Srila Prabhupada also gave numerous 'instructions' to not criticize any Vaisnava, much less an exalted Vaisnava like Sridhar Maharaja. But you choose to ignore that particular 'instruction'. Why is that?
Even sincere neophytes try to avoid that dangerous road. Why do you wish to invite your own spiritual downfall?
Of course by criticizing me for criticizing, you are guilty of the very thing you accuse me of, and thus your charge is self-contradictory. It is nonsense as soon as it is made.
If it is wrong to criticize then why criticize me? All my words are backed by quotes from Srila Prabhupada.
Next let us assume that your complaint is correct. Then we should ask if the criticizm is correct and truthful? To this the answer must be yes, because if the criticizm was wrong, then you would not bother to criticize me for simply criticizing! You would actually criticize me for telling lies. Therefore know that whenever someone criticizes someone else for the fact that they “only criticize”, this is another way of saying:
“I cannot criticize WHAT you say, therefore I will criticize you FOR saying it!”
On further examination, we find that all preaching is constructive criticizm: e.g. Maya bad – but Krishna good.
Some are similarly criticizing constructively: e.g. Unqualified gurus bad – Srila Prabhupada good.
Actually amongst my Godbrothers no one is qualified to become acarya. So it is better not to mix with my Godbrothers very intimately because instead of inspiring our students and disciples they may sometimes pollute them. [sPL Rupanuga April 1974]Ultimately if you think about it, all of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, are basically exposing all the impostors that exist in the material world, and showing us the reality, distinguishing truth from illusion.
satyam bruyat priyam bruyat
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There's no need of practising brahmacari in this ageThank you for your comments. However you have not given any evidence to support your above statement.
The process of speaking in spiritual circles is to say something upheld by the scriptures. One should at once quote from scriptural authority to back up what he is saying. [bg 17.15p] -
A very nice post by krsna, thank-you:)
The following essay may also be helpful in understanding the importance of practicing brahmacari.
Chastity, continence, or brahmacharya, is one of the five moral values, yamas, prescribed as preliminary disciplines in the Yoga system of Patanjali. It is essential for success in Yoga. In all religions it is greatly stressed. It is one of the five basic vows, vratas, in Jainism, where it is obligatory for all its votaries, monastic as well as lay. The Jain monks observe a vow of absolute chastity--mahavrata, and the householders observe it as an anuvrata, relative vow. In Buddhism also, brahmacharya is prescribed as one of the five values, panchasheel. In Hinduism, it is equally extolled. A Hindu is supposed to observe brahmacharya in three of the four ashramas or periods of life: brahmacharya or student life, vanaprastha or the period of retirement, and finally sannyasa or monastic period. Sex is allowed only during the householder-period and that too only for progeny. Christianity is also no exception. St. Paul advises the Christians:
“I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain let them marry for it is better to marry than to burn.”(New Testament, I Cor. 7,8-9.)
Jesus Christ has advocated a very high standard of sexual purity:
“You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”(St. Matthew, 5, 27-29)
Some saints too seem to endorse the above statement of Jesus. As in the example of the great Bilvamangala Thakura who lived for seven hundred years in Vrindavana, becoming a great devotee of Krishna. Yet in the beginning he was an impersonalist. He was a South Indian brahmana, a very rich man and such a sensuous person. He was so much devoted to a prostitute that while he was performing his father’s death ceremony. He was asking the priest, “Please, haste. Please make haste. I have to go. I have to go.” This means that he wanted to go to that prostitute’s house. But when he left his home, oh, it was such torrential rain. But being full of passion he never cared for the rain. He went to the riverside. Oh, there was no boat and the river was so turbulent. The waves were very furious. And he thought, “How can I go to the other side?” Anyway, despite the great difficulties he swam across the river. Meanwhile the prostitute was thinking, “Oh, it is raining tonight, Bilvamangala will not come.” So she bolted the door and went to sleep. Then when he came to the house he saw, “Oh, the door is locked,” and it was still raining. “So how can I go home now?” he thought. So he crossed over the wall by catching one snake. Just see how intensely he was attached to sense gratification. So he went to the prostitute, and she was astonished: “Well, Bilvamangala how did you dare to come here in weather like this?” So, he described his great endeavour to get to her place, “Yes. I did this, I did this, I did this, I did this.” Oh, the prostitute was astonished. Her name was Cintamani. So the prostitute said, “My dear Bilvamangala, you have got such intense love for me, oh, had it been for Krishna, how your life would have been, sublime.” Oh, that struck him: “Yes.” He at once left and went away: “Yes, you are right.”
Then when he was going to Vrindavana. He saw another beautiful woman because this was his habitual practise. So he followed that woman. That woman belonged to a respectable family. So the woman said to her husband, “Oh, this man is following me. Please ask, ‘What is the idea?’ ” So the husband asked, “My dear sir, from your appearances I understand you to be a very nice gentleman, and you belong to a very aristocratic family. What do you want? Why you are following my wife?” Bilvamangala said, “Yes, I am following your wife because I want to embrace her.” “Oh, you want to embrace? Come on. Embrace. Come on. You are welcome. Come on.” He ordered his wife, “Oh, here is a guest. He wants to embrace you and kiss you. So please decorate yourself nicely so that he may enjoy.” So the wife followed the instruction of the husband because the wife’s duty is to follow the husband’s instructions. Then when in the woman’s room Bilvamangala said, “My dear mother, will you kindly give me your hairpins?” “Yes. Why?” she said. “I have got some business.” Then he took the hairpin and at once pierced his eyes: “Oh, this eye, and this eye, is my enemy.” And he became blind. “That’s all right. Now no more I shall be disturbed.” So in that blindness he was practising, austerity in Vrindavana.
However Srila Prabhupada has a more pragmatic approach for today’s world.
“The concession for this age, when we think of any sinful activities it does not affect us, but when we actually... Suppose I’m thinking of killing you. This thinking of killing you is also sinful, but unless I kill you, the sin is not so prominent. In this age that is a concession.” [s.B. 6.1.6, Sydney, February 17, 1973]India, of course, is steeped in the tradition of brahmacharya. Indians worship Shiva, the great Lord, Mahadeva, who is among the greatest of the conquerors lust. He burnt Cupid, the god of lust, by the fire from his third eye. Then we have the illustrious grandsire Bhishma, who took the vow of life-long celibacy and kept it under heavy odds. Jain history is also replete with illuminating and amazing stories of the practice of chastity even in marriage.
It is said in the Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (II, 38) that one who gets established in brahmacharya by the unbroken practice of continence in thought, word and deed for twelve years gains tremendous energy and a gigantic will power. He gains a unique power of convincing others by whatever he says. Continence gives a tremendous control over mankind. According to Srila Prabhupada, brahmacharya is the great tapas or austerity.
“Great vows of austerity are undertaken by sages to achieve success in self-realization. Human life is meant for such tapasya, with the great vow of celibacy, or brahmacarya. In the rigid life of tapasya, there is no place for the association of women. And because human life is meant for tapasya, for self-realization, factual human civilization, as conceived by the system of sanatana-dharma or the school of four castes and four orders of life, prescribes rigid dissociation from woman in three stages of life. In the order of gradual cultural development, one’s life may be divided into four divisions: celibacy, household life, retirement, and renunciation.During the first stage of life, up to twenty-five years of age, a man may be trained as a brahmacari under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master just to understand that woman is the real binding force in material existence. If one wants to get freedom from the material bondage of conditional life, he must get free from the attraction for the form of woman. Woman, or the fair sex, is the enchanting principle for the living entities, and the male form, especially in the human being, is meant for self-realization. The whole world is moving under the spell of womanly attraction, and as soon as a man becomes united with a woman, he at once becomes a victim of material bondage under a tight knot. The desires for lording it over the material world, under the intoxication of a false sense of lordship, specifically begin just after the man’s unification with a woman. The desires for acquiring a house, possessing land, having children and becoming prominent in society, the affection for community and the place of birth, and the hankering for wealth, which are all like phantasmagoria or illusory dreams, encumber a human being, and he is thus impeded in his progress toward self-realization, the real aim of life.
The brahmacari, or a boy from the age of five years, especially from the higher castes, namely from the scholarly parents (the brahmanas), the administrative parents (the kshatriyas), or the mercantile or productive parents (the vaishyas), is trained until twenty-five years of age under the care of a bona fide guru or teacher, and under strict observance of discipline he comes to understand the values of life along with taking specific training for a livelihood. The brahmacari is then allowed to go home and enter householder life and get married to a suitable woman. But there are many brahmacari’s who do not go home to become householders but continue the life of naisthika-brahmacari’s, without any connection with women. They accept the order of sannyasa, or the renounced order of life, knowing well that combination with women is an unnecessary burden that checks self-realization. [sB 2.7.6p]
Probably the most famous advocate of brahmacharya in recent times is Mahatma Gandhi. The opinion of Gandhiji carries great weight because he was a householder and yet took the vow of brahmacharya and fulfilled it successfully. Srila Prabhupada attributes his success in driving the British from India due to him being a resolute brahmacharya.
The yogi must also be “completely free from sex life.” If one indulges in sex, he cannot concentrate; therefore brahmacarya, complete celibacy, is recommended to make the mind steady. By practicing celibacy, one cultivates determination. One modern example of such determination is that of Mahatma Gandhi, who was determined to resist the powerful British Empire by means of non-violence. At this time, India was dependent on the British, and the people had no weapons. The Britishers, being more powerful, easily cut down whatever violent revolutions the people attempted. Therefore Gandhi resorted to nonviolence, noncooperation. “I shall not fight with the Britishers,” he declared, “and even if they react with violence, I shall remain nonviolent. In this way the world will sympathize with us.” Such a policy required a great amount of determination, and Gandhi’s determination was very strong because he was a brahmacari. Although he had children and a wife, he renounced sex at the age of thirty-six. It was this sexual renunciation that enabled him to be so determined that he was able to lead his country and drive the British from India.Thus, refraining from sex enables one to be very determined and powerful. It is not necessary to do anything else. This is a secret people are not aware of. If you want to do something with determination, you have to refrain from sex. Regardless of the process—be it hatha-yoga, bhakti-yoga, jnana-yoga, or whatever—sex indulgence is not allowed. Sex is allowed only for householders who want to beget good children and raise them in Krishna consciousness. Sex is not meant for sense enjoyment, although enjoyment is there by nature. Unless there is some enjoyment, why should one assume the responsibility of begetting children? That is the secret of nature’s gift, but we should not take advantage of it. These are the secrets of life. By taking advantage and indulging in sex life, we are simply wasting our time. If one tells you that you can indulge in sex as much as you like and at the same time become a yogi, he is cheating you. If some so-called guru tells you to give him money in exchange for some mantra and that you can go on and engage in all kinds of nonsense, he is just cheating you. Because we want something sublime and yet want it cheaply, we put ourselves in a position to be cheated. This means that we actually want to be cheated. If we want something valuable, we must pay for it. We cannot expect to walk into a jewellery store and demand the most valuable jewel for a mere ten cents. No, we must pay a great deal. Similarly, if we want perfection in yoga, we have to pay by abstaining from sex. Perfection in yoga is not something childish, and Bhagavad-gita instructs us that if we try to make yoga into something childish, we will be cheated. There are many cheaters awaiting us, waiting to take our money, giving us nothing, and then leaving. But according to Sri Krishna’s authoritative statement in Bhagavad-gita, one must be “completely free from sex life.” Being free from sex, one should “meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life.” This is real meditation. [Path of Perfection 4]
Gandhi has devoted two chapters to brahmacharya in his autobiography, My Experiments with Truth. Gandhiji related all moral values to truth. For him, brahmacharya was essential for the right practice of truth and ahimsa. Besides, he realized its importance for social life, and has also described his experiments with the control of other senses, especially the sense of taste, and diet and fasting as aids to the practice of brahmacharya.
Today we have reached a stage where sex is beginning to be looked upon merely as a means of recreation, and its biological, moral, ethical and spiritual aspects are being disregarded. One can become a parent today without sex and there can be sex without parenthood. The institution of marriage and its sanctity and inviolability is no more there. It has been replaced by new sets of norms, laws and concepts governing sexual relationships.
Authoritarian restraint of sexual behaviour by the orthodox religious societies and puritanical Victorian morals has been replaced by unhindered sexualization of modern culture. Literature, painting, sculpture and music have been sexualised. Stage, movies and television have been worse affected. So far, almost the only important achievement of this relatively new instrument of communication (TV) has consisted in bringing into millions of our homes the erotically charged, alcoholic atmosphere of night clubs, ugly commercials and endless murder and sex plays.
Popular press and advertising have not escaped. Even sciences, especially historical, psychological, biological and social, have been adversely affected. There is a greatly increased sex--mindedness in today's psychology, sociology and anthropology. Thus, what is a natural instinct has been converted into the basest form of cultural perversion. But spiritual seekers still continue to consider brahmacharya as the most important means of attaining the spiritual goal.
The ultimate goal of all spiritual endeavour is to rise above body-consciousness and attain Krishna-consciousness, and since lust is the grossest manifestation of body-consciousness, it is diametrically opposed to the spiritual goal. To realize one's true spiritual nature, therefore, one must rise above the idea that one is a body and is male or female. The very first step to this is to eschew lust in every form.
The goal of Patanjali's system of yoga is restraint of the thought waves arising on the surface of the mind. Now, these thought waves can arise due to external stimuli received through senses, or from subconscious impressions in the form of memory, imaginations or desires. These subconscious impressions are deep, as has been demonstrated by Freud. The roots of sex are indeed very deep. Unless they are rooted out, one cannot attain perfect concentration and samadhi.
Patanjali's yoga sutras describe five kleshas--the basic causes of suffering--one of which is raga or attachment to objects, activities and individuals, which give us pleasure. Lust is one such raga, since it gives the maximum momentary pleasure. The ultimate cause of all suffering, however, is avidya or ignorance, and conquest of lust helps a great deal in attenuating avidya. Avidya being the root cause, lust can die only when this avidya is completely destroyed.
According to the Tantras, brahmacharya is important for the awakening of Kundalini, the psychic shakti which lies dormant at the lowermost centre called the muladhara. When awakened, it ascends and passes through five more chakras to finally unite with the supreme spirit, Brahman, in the highest centre, sahasrara. Normally an average individual's mind dwells in the three lower chakras, the muladhara, swadhishthana and manipura, which correspond to the functions of eating, sleeping and procreation. The kundalini shakti also remains confined to these centres only. This concept very appropriately correlates with Freud's concept of the three levels of libido: oral, anal and genital.
It is believed that human beings derive maximum pleasure in sex. However, a child whose sex-organs and sexuality are not yet developed does not derive joy from sex. Instead, it gets joy in eating--the mouth is the centre of his pleasure. Now, just as sex is the next stage and the genital organ the next centre in the evolution of the pleasure principle in an individual, there could be further levels as centres of pleasure. The Tantras state that this is indeed the case. Anahata, Vishuddha, Ajna and Sahasrara are such higher centres. It is a mistake to think that sexual enjoyment is the maximum possible enjoyment one can have. All saints and sages vouch from their personal experience that an individual experiences greater and greater pleasure as his higher chakras bloom and open up, or become active. It is said that when the kundalini reaches the highest chakra and the sahasrara opens, the aspirant merges in samadhi and gets bliss equivalent to the pleasure of sexual union in every pore of the body! Lord Krishna says in Bhagavada-gita:
“The stage of perfection is called trance, or samadhi, when one’s mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This is characterized by one’s ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.” [bG 6.20-23]All worldly and even heavenly joys then pale into insignificance. It is said that the pleasure of sex-enjoyment and the superhuman enjoyments obtained in heavens are not even a sixteenth part of that obtained by giving up all desires.
Etymologically the word brahmacharya means:
“Brahma means Absolute Truth. And cari means who is, whose business is only with Brahman, aham brahmasmi, with spiritual advancement of life. That is called brahmacari. And he has no interest with anything material. He’s, at least, educated in that way, that “Actually, you have no interest with these material things. You are, you should be interested only for your spiritual advancement. This is the opportunity.” [74.06.12 SB. PAR]Vyasa, the commentator of the Yoga Sutras, however, defines brahmacharya as the control of the organ of generation and giving up of all forms of lust, which means not only abstaining from gross sexual indulgence but also thinking, willing, seeing, talking, observing and indulging in sexual entertainment mentally or through other senses.
Srila Prabhupada explains the vital importance of brahmacharya thus:
“Brahmacarya means stopping sex life or controlling sex life. Brahmacarya. Therefore Vedic civilization is, from the very beginning, to train the boys to become brahmacari, celibacy. Not that modern days, the schools, boys and girls, ten years, twelve years, they’re enjoying. The brain is spoiled. They cannot understand higher things. The brain tissues are lost. So without becoming brahmacari, nobody can understand spiritual life.” [690918 RA.LON emphasis added]Sex plays such a dominant role in the life of most of the people that it is worth considering another of its dimensions, viz., social. Ever since the postulation of the theory of libido by Sigmund Freud and the consequent sexualization of the western culture, the social dimensions of sex and brahmacharya have gained much greater importance. We may not agree with the postulate of Sigmund Freud that sex is the most important driving force in man and that the fullest sexual development, both physical and psychological, is the goal to be achieved for a complex-free psyche. But we must admit that Freud has provided us with deep insights into the workings of the subconscious mind. The roots of lust are indeed deep. Even Lord Krishna has hinted at it in answer to a pertinent question by Arjuna. He not only describes the power of lust but in a significant in-depth analysis, points out three seats of lust:
Arjuna said:O descendant of Vrshni, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?
The Blessed Lord said:
It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material modes of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring, sinful enemy of this world.
As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the embryo is covered by the womb, similarly, the living entity is covered by different degrees of this lust.
Thus, a man’s pure consciousness is covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire.
The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust, which veils the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him.
[bG 3.36-40]
Thus according to Lord Krishna, desire, especially lust, is extremely powerful and can overpower even a wise man.
The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them. [bG 2.60]Secondly, it has three seats, i.e., it acts and rests at three levels. That a person enjoys the objects through the senses is understandable. But lust also rests in the mind. That means, an individual 'enjoys' through imagination, memory, and mental cogitation also. The third seat of lust--intellect--is the most significant and deep. Intellect is that function of the mind, which arrives at firm conclusions and decisions, which later take the form of beliefs and convictions, which prompt our thoughts and actions. So what is the meaning of having intellect as the seat of lust? When one, through experience, reason or by false belief, is convinced that indulging in sex is good, that it conduces to health, peace and happiness, that it is the only true goal of life and that there is nothing wrong in fulfilling one's lustful desire by whichever means, then lust is firmly established in its deepest, surest seat in the intellect. It is easy to control the senses; one might with some effort abstain from sensual imagination, memories and thoughts pertaining to lust, but it is extremely difficult to conquer lust if it has taken firm root in the intellect in the form of a firm conviction. Hence Lord Krishna, while advising Arjuna 'to kill this sinful thing which destroys the realization of knowledge, by first controlling senses at the very outset,' also advises him as follows:
Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to material senses, mind and intelligence, one should control the lower self by the higher self and thus—by spiritual strength—conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.[bG 3.43]In the Katha Upanishad we hear of the concept of shreyas and preyas.
“[Yama said]: The ultimate good [shreyas] and the immediate good [preyas] are distinctly different. They bind the living being to different goals. Of the two shreyas is productive of liberation for one who accepts it, while one who chooses preyas misses the chance of salvation and becomes degraded.The ultimate good and the immediate good both proffer themselves to the living being, but the sober carefully discriminate between the two. The wise reject the preyas and choose instead the shreyas. The foolish choose the preyas and the resultant conception of gain and preservation of acquisitions.” [Katha Upanishad 2.1-2]
Needless to say, shreyas - The ultimate good, should be the goal of the spiritual aspirant (brahmacharya). Whereas the preyas – the immediate enjoyment, is rejected by the higher self.
Of the five yamas or moral values, brahmacharya alone has a physiological dimension, which has been studied by the Indian system of medicine, Ayurveda. According to Ayurveda, there are seven dhatus or elements in the human body. The food that we eat is digested and converted into its essence or rasa, which is absorbed into the system.
Rasa is transformed into blood, blood into flesh, flesh into fat, fat into bone, bone into marrow and marrow into shukra or seed or semen. According to this theory semen is the seventh dhatu and naturally the most important and refined. It is the very essence, as it were, of all the preceding six dhatus. Hence its loss is considered a great loss.
If preserved, shukra gets absorbed into the system and is converted into ojas. Ojas is something subtler than the dhatus. It has a physical aspect as well as a subtler mental aspect. It nourishes not only the physical body but also the brain and the nervous system. It imparts physical lustre and charm to the body and sharpens the intellect, heightens the memory and conduces to general serenity and blissfulness.
According to Ayurveda, therefore, excessive loss of shukra through sex would lead to weakening of the proceeding six dhatus by draining them out, and would also reduce ojas. It is, therefore, expressly advised that shukra must be discharged only for procreation and not otherwise.
Is there any counterpart of this theory in modern physiology? Probably not. It is difficult to confirm this theory of Ayurveda on the basis of the knowledge of allopathic physiology. Both the systems--modern Allopathic medicine and Ayurveda--have their own theories and concepts, entirely different from each other and it is not a sound policy to try to confirm one concept with the help of the other.
According to modern physiology the human body is governed by two sets of nerves; one, which is under the voluntary control of the individual, and the other, which works involuntarily and is not under the control of the individual. The latter, the autonomic nervous system, has two components: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. These two are highly excited during sexual intercourse. Whenever we are emotionally disturbed--be it in anger, fear, or sexual excitement--the autonomic nervous system is activated. The heart starts beating faster; the respiration becomes fast and irregular; there is perspiration, increase or decrease in salivation, etc. Such repeated stimulation of the autonomic nervous system and the consequent unnatural excitation of the cardio-respiratory system may ultimately produce permanent damage to these systems.
It has been shown that the seminal fluid contains secretions from a gland called prostate situated at the base of the urinary bladder. This prostatic secretion contains phosphates, which it has been proved, are useful for cerebral functions. Glycerophosphates are often used as brain tonics. Besides, prostate also produces chemicals called prostaglandins, which have a wide range of anti-inflammatory protective effects on various organs of the body. Synthetic prostaglandins are nowadays extensively used as anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic drugs. It seems that the secretion of natural prostaglandins was Mother Nature's method of keeping the body protected against a large number of inflammatory reactions and providing natural resistance.
To what extent the loss of semen affects the natural prostaglandin-regulatory system and leads to loss of natural phosphates, and whether such a loss is significant for the physical and mental health of an individual, is difficult to say. But it is quite understandable that if the above facts are true, over-indulgence in sex and excessive loss of semen might adversely affect the physical and mental health of the individual. Ojas, in terms of modern physiology can well mean greater natural resistance and an ability to bear greater stress and strain, both physical and mental.
There are also many other ways in which these chemicals can be lost or gained. Even according to Ayurveda, ojas can be lost in many ways other than sex. It also remains to be determined what is the counterpart of shukra or semen in women. It is therefore irrational to lay too great a stress on the physiological aspect of brahmacharya. However, one fact cannot be denied. Sexual indulgence leads to excitement of the cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems. No sadhaka aspiring to have deep, prolonged meditation can risk such excitement. One may, by practice, be able to sit unmoved in one posture for a long time as a physical feat, but without Brahmacharya it is impossible to have deep and prolonged one-pointed meditation.
Since lust has various seats--senses, mind and intellect--the practice of brahmacharya can also be done variously. Lord Krishna advises Arjuna to first of all control the senses:
Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bharatas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization. [bG 3.41]It is always a safe policy to avoid people, places, activities and situations, which might stimulate lustful thoughts. In the spiritual warfare, flight is the best way of winning over this deadly enemy, lust. Let us never be too self-confident.
Some restrictions about food will also help in reducing the pull of the turbulent senses. Srila Prabhupada comments in this regard:
“Hearing of the transcendental activities of Lord Krishna is therefore expert treatment for the mad mind, and eating the foodstuff offered to Krishna is the appropriate diet for the suffering patient. This treatment is the process of Krishna consciousness.” [bG 6.35p]“To accept the Lord’s prasada means to control the entire set of senses. The tongue is considered to be the most uncontrollable sense because it hankers for so many unwholesome eatables, thereby forcing the living entity into the dungeon of material conditional life. As the living entity transmigrates from one form of life to another, he has to eat so many abominable foodstuffs that finally there is no limit. The tongue should be engaged in chanting and in eating the Lord’s prasada so that the other senses will be controlled. Chanting is the medicine, and prasada is the diet.” [sB 4.7.24p]
Mahatma Gandhi as mentioned previously, did a number of experiments with diet and was of the opinion that occasional fasting helped in subduing lust. The control of palate is often underestimated and not practised as rigorously as it should be. It is impossible to subdue lust without controlling the palate. Then there are certain Hatha-yogic practices, which, though effective, have the disadvantage of making one all the more body-conscious. They may, however, prove useful for some temperaments.
The ultimate solution, however, to the problem of lust is to develop Atmabuddhi--to consider ourselves and others as sexless, pure, blissful Atman rather than male or female bodies. How often did Srila Prabhupada say that we are not these bodies?
“You do not understand that you are atma. Aham brahmasmi. That you do not understand. You think “I am body.”That is nonsense.” [751223mw.bom]
“First of all, people are suffering on account of misunderstanding of self realization. The whole world is moving under the conception of the body in different names are caste, creed, nation, culture, like that. By chanting Hare Krishna Maha Mantra offenselessly, one immediately realizes himself as spirit soul which is described in the Vedas as aham brahmasmi.” [sPL 74.03.11]
Unfortunately it is not so easy and requires persistent, prolonged effort. These are some of the general means and methods for the practice of brahmacharya. Modifications and alterations must be made according to the individual and his station in life. It is also heartening to see that many married couples, inspired by Srila Prabhupada’s preaching, are trying to practise brahmacharya in married life and endeavouring to reinstate the institution of marriage to its sanctified height once more.
According to Pitrim Sorokin (famous for his work on sociology), there is an odd, unidentified revolution-taking place in modern times. This involves only individuals and has no army, or civil war. And yet this silent revolution, which he calls 'Sex Revolution', is being carried on by billions of people all over the world leading to sexual anarchy. This is as important as any other revolution because of its profound effects upon the individual and society. Sorokin, in his book, Sane Sex Order, discusses the harmful effects of sex anarchy on the physical and mental health and creativity of individuals, and upon society in general. One of its most dreaded effects is the breakdown of the family, which is the unit of a sane and stable society.
In USA and European countries, family life is rapidly deteriorating. In Britain, every year 150,000 children under 16 are added to the numbers who experience the divorce of their parents. Never-married mothers quadrupled to 360,000 over the period 1971-89. In 1980, 12 percent births took place outside marriage; in 1990, 28 percent did so. One-parent families now comprise 19 percent of the total, and more than 30 percent of births now take place outside marriage.
In USA, the epidemic of teenage pregnancy, 'Children having children', has become a public health crisis, and divorce rate has doubled in ten years. Two-fifth of children live in single-parent homes for at least some part of their youth.
It is not that children from single- parent families cannot prosper, but they do worse on average than those from traditional families in every dimension--physically, emotionally, behaviourally, educationally, economically and in terms of smoking and drinking. They die earlier, do less well at school, are less well nourished, suffer more unemployment, and are more prone to deviance, crime and are more susceptible to psychiatric illness. The community in one sense is an extended family. Loss of community life finds expression in crime, vandalism and violence. Establishment of a sane sex order and a stable marriage system are, therefore, the most important sociological needs of the times.
Anthropologically, there are many kinds of marriages. In Vedic culture eight kinds of marriages have been described but monogamy with mutual consent is the accepted pattern.
“There are eight forms of marriage mentioned in the scripture Manu-smrti, but only one process of marriage, brahma or rajasika marriage, is now current. Other kinds of marriage—by love, by exchange of garlands or by kidnapping the bride—are now forbidden in this Kali age. Formerly, kshatriyas would, at their pleasure, kidnap a princess from another royal house, and there would he a fight between the kshatriya and the girl’s family; then, if the kidnapper was the winner, the girl would be offered to him for marriage.” [sB 3.22.16p]But polygamy was allowed until about eighty years ago in India:
“In India in those days and even until fifty years ago, polygamy was freely allowed. Any man, especially of the higher castes—the brahmanas, the vaishyas and particularly the kshatriyas—could marry more than one wife. In the Mahabharata, or the old history of India, we see that kshatriya kings especially used to marry many wives.” [C.C. Adi 14.58p]“Brahmacari is meant for the boys, not for the girls. Girls, they are to be married. A brahmacari may remain unmarried for life, but according to Vedic civilization, a girl must be married. As soon as... Before the age of attaining puberty, it is the duty of the father, or if she has no father, it is the duty of the elder brother to get her married somehow or other. (laughter) Give her in responsibility to another young man. This is the duty. Yes. This is the duty. So therefore... Female population is always bigger than the male population. Then you can ask, “Where so many husbands?” Therefore polygamy was allowed. And the kings, the kshatriyas who had money and who had very nice strength also, they used to marry more than one wife. You’ll find all the kshatriyas... Even Krishna, the best kshatriya, He married 16,108 wives.” [74.06.12 SB PAR]
Then there are still some tribes where polyandry is in vogue. There are also many kinds of family, apart from the traditional joint families and nuclear families with two stably married individuals living at home. While these traditional modes of marriage and family patterns may not be the ideal ones for industrial and post industrial societies, the need for human care and support by carers close to us, ideally our parents, until we are at least 20 and thereafter support of a spouse 'in sickness and in health' ...'till death do us part,' is one of the most notable features of the modern day human being in todays society.
All this cannot be fulfilled in the modern day culture dominated by sexual anarchy and illicit sex relationships. Sorokin, therefore, suggests a scheme of ennoblement of culture and social life as a means to establish a sane sex order. It basically consists in liberation of our culture and institutions from the curse of sexuality. The main change in such ennoblement must involve desexualization of our fine arts, the media, including radio and TV, recreations and sports, our sciences and philosophy, social and humanistic disciplines, ethics and law; in short, our total way of life. Idealistic ennoblement of love, marriage and family are also a part of this great transformation.
This, then, in sum is the sociological dimension of Brahmacharya, which must not be overlooked even while practicing Brahmacharya in thought, word and deed.
Appendix
Dhatus.
Dr. Satish Kulkarni.
The three basic constituents of the body (three Doshas i.e. vaat-pitta-kafa) are created by five supreme powers i.e. Earth (pruthvi), Water (aap), Divine Fire (tej), Air (vayu) and Universal Space (aakash). Amongst these powers, Divine Fire (tej) is the precursor of pitta and body fire (agni) is the successor of pitta.
Agni plays a vital role in the creation and maintenance of body tissues (dhatus). The human body is made up of seven basic tissues or vital substances called dhatus. The meaning of the sanskrit word dhatu is ‘that which binds together’. Dhatu is the element, which constructs our body. Dhatu is the base of growth and survival. Dhatus take different forms in our body to maintain life. Different organs (sharir avayavas) and different body systems (strotasas) are made out of dhatus. Our nourishment and development is fully dependent on dhatus.
Ayurveda believes that there are seven dhatus in all. They are: life sap (rasa), blood (rakta), muscles (mansa), fatty tissue (med), bones (asthi), bone marrow and nervous tissue (majja) and semen and reproductive system (shukra). Each dhatu has its own agni i.e. dhatu-agni. Our food intake is converted into life sap by agni of rasa dhatu and rasa dhatu is produced. Likewise, agni of rakta dhatu prepares rakta out of rasa and so on. Every dhatu is a precursor of the next dhatu. Rasa is transformed into rakta, rakta prepares mansa, mansa is further transformed into meda, meda is used to make asthi, asthi forms majja and majja produces the ultimate dhatu i.e. shukra.
Ayurveda researchers must have observed that food is the starting point of life. Food enters the body from the inlet— the mouth and the end products come out of body through the outlet— the genitalia and anus. The second important observation must have been that any living creature (including human beings) survives and grows with food and dies without it. They must have seen that starvation retards growth of the body and destroys the body in the end. Thus, this theory of dhatus must have arrived from these observations.
Dhatus protect our body from external encounters. They are responsible for our immune mechanism. If there is wasting (kshaya) of dhatus then the body construction collapses and ultimately life ends.
Ayurveda recognises shukra as the most important dhatu. It states that one needs a hundred drops of blood (rakta) to produce one drop of semen (shukra). Shukra is the essence of all the body tissues and is that creation of Mother Nature, which has the capacity to produce new life. In any case, it should not be wasted without substantial reason (i.e. reproduction).
Disorder in doshas (vaat-pitta-kafa) affects dhatus. These affected or defective dhatus hamper the quality of life. Proper diet (ahar) and proper life style (vihar) help in maintaining the balance of Doshas and in producing healthy dhatus.
To summarize, dhatus account for the ayurvedic explanation of the anatomy and physiology of the human body. Our body processes consumed food and transforms it into life sap, which in turn creates a chain of further body tissues i.e. dhatus. Their gain gives quality to our life and their loss destroys life.
Quotes
"Ayurveda itself teaches a physiology of the production of sperm, based on the central idea that there are seven essential constituents of the body (the seven dhatus: chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen) produced through a cycle of successive internal cookings and transformations. The ultimate distilling, the most concentrated and hence the most precious, is semen".
"The present study indicates that the attitudes toward semen loss constitute an organized belief system... [more common in] low-education and low-income groups... Semen is considered a precious material formed by the distillation of blood. Forty meals gives rise to one drop of blood. Forty drops of blood give rise to one drop of bone marrow. Forty drops of bone marrow give rise to one drop of the elixir of life, semen. One ejaculation of semen will lead to wastage of a wealth of energy. This belief can be traced back to the holy scriptures”.
"Celibacy improves the condition of your semen. However much semen you are able to retain, you will receive in that proportion greater wisdom, improves action, higher spirituality and increased knowledge. Moreover, you will acquire the power to get whatever you want. (Yogacharya Bhagwandev 1992: 15)"
[Abstract] "A large segment of the general public from all socioeconomic classes believe that semen loss is harmful. Seminal fluid is considered an elixir of life in the physical and mystical sense. Its preservation guarantees health, longevity, and supernatural powers" (Malhotra and Wig, 1975: 519).
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Sridas prabhu;
Thank you to giving me the opportunity to debunk the various specious arguments presented by some of the followers of H.H. BR Sridhar Maharaj.
You ask,"Who and where are we to pass judgement and criticise those who have sacrificed their whole life for the benefit of all suffering conditioned souls."
But you yourself have done the same thing and the website you linked to also passes the same judgement on Srila Prabhupada statements in 1974. In fact you yourself even had the audacity to say that there was something contradictory about these statements by Srila Prabhupada. "It appears somewhat contradictary if this is truly the statement of Srila Prabhupada." If this is not an example of passing judgment and criticising. I don't know what is.
You ask;"Why do you think so many of Srila ACBS Prabhupads disciples and siksas (approximately 22 sanyasis) came to Srila Sridhara Maharaj to start with and stayed with him, if they weren’t advised from Prabhupad himself to take his dharsan…. ? "
Just because a certain number of Shrila Prabhupada's disciples went to HH Sridhar Maharaj's mutt does not prove that they were authorised to do so by Srila Prabhupada. For example the same disciples told us in 1978 that Srila Prabhupada had authorised only eleven selected chosen disciples to be initiating gurus within ISKCON. However by 1986 they had then declared that this was all lies and that actually Srila Prabhupada wanted more than just eleventh of these choosen disciples to be initiating gurus. So as I pointed out in my previous post unless it is in writing or recorded on tape by Srila Prabhupada it is not really direct evidence and can only be considered as supporting evidence to any point which is being made.
You state;"Prabhupads Sanyas Guru was given Sanyas by Srila Sridhara Maharaj. Doesn’t it make sense that Prabhupad trusted the person that trusted Srila Sridhara Maharaj to receive sanyas from, and if SSM wasn’t bona fide then neither was Sripad Kesava Maharaj and hence he would have been initiated into sanyas from a less than uttama bhakta or are you missing something?"
No, where does Srila Prabhupada state that the giver of sannyasa (Sannyasa guru) has to be an "uttama bhakta"? This is your invention and as such it is reprehensible.
You state;"But we accept that they were all siddha parush."
siddha-purusa--liberated persons [CC ML TEXT 162-163]
This method is applicable both in the stage of sadhana [spiritual practices executed while in the stage of bondage] and in the stage of sadhya [God realization], when one is a siddha-purusa, or a spiritually perfect soul."[NOI 8]
I find that your above statement is highly doubtful. If your statement was true then why would Srila Prabhupada, our ever well-wisher, advise his beloved disciples to avoid these persons (his godbrothers), not to mix with with them etc.
"We shall be very careful about them and not mix with them." [sPL Rupanauga 28.4.74]
You state;"It’s a known fact that Prabhupad first approached Srila Sridhara Maharaj for Sanyas but Guru Maharaj didn’t wish to disturb Prahupads family as he was very close to them, so he then suggested taking from Goswami Maharaj."
You claim that Sridhar Maharaj was very close to Srila Prabhupada family - not just close - but "very close to"! Approximately how many times did HH Sridhara Maharaj actually meet the members of Srila Prabhupada's family and was he meeting them on a daily basis or are you trying to create another illusion adding to the web of illusion which you have been spinning us so far?
You state;"Srila Swami Maharaj Prabhupad wasn't present in this particular assembly."
How do you know this? Who are you to judge? He may not have been there in the flesh and blood but that does not mean to say that he was not present and that his presence was not perceived by the speaker.
You state;"It only proves nothing if you don't accept the authority of Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakur."
Just because I challenge your interpretation of what Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati has said does not mean that I do not accept the authority of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati and suggesting such merely proves my point that you take every opportunity to mislead the reader.
You state;"Actually I'm not trying to be offensive I'm simply endeavouring to protect you from committing spiritual suicide further than you already have, for the benefit of those who come here to receive some spiritual sustenance and nourishment through Hari katha, instead of common devotees accounts of Pure devotees characters."
Because I challenge your erroneous conclusions you conclude that I am an offender and that I am committing spiritual suicide this is the sum and substance of your presentation. Your mentality is very similar to that of certain Christian cults who insist that if one does not accept Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour then one is doomed to hell and in hell it is very, very hot, full of suffering and misery. In other words they cannot discuss sidhanta in a logical and rational basis and instead attempt to instill fear for any alleged offences. The main offence - being that of disagreeing with what they have declared to be the truth. It is evident that you have not made any more advancement than the members of these Christian cults because you have the same mundane mentality. The statements which I have posted about HH Sridhar Maharaj and his godbrothers are not my statements they are Srila Prabhupada statements and if you think he is a just another common devotee then your problem is much worse than I had initially thought.
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Sridas prabhu;
Having looked at the website which you have linked to. I have selected chapter four of “Our Affectionate Guardians” as being the most relevant to the points under discussion. Chapter four begins with an attempt to present some evidence as proof that Srila Prabhupada wanted his disciples to approach “Sridhara Maharaja if they had questions about philosophical matters.” The authors of this document then proceed to give us testimonies from several of Shrila Prabhupada disciples, to this effect. However there is no written or taped evidence from Srila Prabhupada himself which is essential if the author’s are trying to establish their point. The testimonies from Srila Prabhupada’s disciples is acceptable as supporting evidence but without direct statements from His Divine Grace the position of the author’s can be considered to be very weak.
This fact is practically admitted by the authors themselves when they state that “[some of whom later changed their minds regarding the validity of their previous statements].” This quote is in regard to the validity of the statements which they are presenting as evidence, as such is most revealing as to the nature of their evidence. Srila Prabhupada himself said in a letter to Omkara –Vrindaban 2 September, 1975
“.. They misunderstand me. Unless it is there from me in writing, there are so many things that ‘Prabhupada said.’ ”
There is nothing in writing from Srila Prabhupada to confirm the validity of the testimonies of his disciples, which as the author's have admitted, are constantly changing. Depending on whom they are speaking to at the time etc.
The authors then proceed to inform us that sometimes “Srila Prabhupada himself spoke highly of Srila Sridhara Maharaja”. They then give 5 quotes to substantiate this conclusion. Of these five statements only three can be verified by looking on the vedabase. It would be nice if the author’s could produce the other two statements in full and if they are bona-fide - present them to the Bhaktivedanta Archives for inclusion in the next version of the Vedabase.
However no one is disputing the fact that sometimes Srila Prabhupada did speak highly of Sridhar Maharaj. This however does not prove that he instructed his disciples to go to Sridhar Maharaj after his departure, or at any other time for that matter - post 1974.
The author’s then presume that which is yet to be proven “Despite Srila Prabhupada's final and conclusive statements regarding Srila Sridhara Maharaja” but where are these final and conclusive statements other than those statements from 1974 in his letter to Rupanuga?
So what the authors of “Our Affectionate Guardians” have done here is they have tried to establish a scenario of contradictions. They have tried to establish in the reader's mind that Srila Prabhupada gave some instructions to his disciples to take guidance from Sridhar Maharaj and that this contradicts Srila Prabhupada statements made in 1974 and thus we must look at those statements made in 1974 in some other light, other than in the direct perception.
I find this highly misleading and will present evidence from Srila Prabhupada’s disciples which support those statements to Rupanuga in 1974 and give some background information as to why Srila Prabhupada made those statements. (As follows)
….. I do not wish to discuss about activities of my Godbrothers but it is a fact they have no life for preaching work. All are satisfied with a place for residence in the name of a temple, they engage disciples to get foodstuff by transcendental devices and eat and sleep. They have no idea or brain how to broadcast the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. My Guru Maharaja used to lament many times for this reason and he thought if one man at least had understood the principle of preaching then his mission would achieve success. In the latter days of my Guru Maharaja he was very disgusted. Actually, he left this world earlier, otherwise he would have continued to live for more years. Still he requested his disciples to form a strong Governing body for preaching the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He never recommended anyone to be acarya of the Gaudiya Math. But Sridhara Maharaja is responsible for disobeying this order of Guru Maharaja, and he and others who are already dead unnecessarily thought that there must be one acarya. If Guru Maharaja could have seen someone who was qualified at that time to be acarya he would have mentioned. Because on the night before he passed away he talked of so many things, but never mentioned an acarya. His idea was acarya was not to be nominated amongst the governing body. He said openly you make a GBC and conduct the mission. So his idea was amongst the members of GBC who would come out successful and self effulgent acarya would be automatically selected. So Sridhara Maharaja and his two associate gentlemen unauthorizedly selected one acarya and later it proved a failure. The result is now everyone is claiming to be acarya even though they may be kanistha adhikari with no ability to preach. In some of the camps the acarya is being changed three times a year. Therefore we may not commit the same mistake in our ISKCON camp. Actually amongst my Godbrothers no one is qualified to become acarya. So it is better not to mix with my Godbrothers very intimately because instead of inspiring our students and disciples they may sometimes pollute them. This attempt was made previously by them, especially Madhava Maharaja and Tirtha Maharaja and Bon Maharaja but somehow or other I saved the situation. This is going on. We shall be very careful about them and not mix with them. This is my instruction to you all. They cannot help us in our movement, but they are very competent to harm our natural progress. So we must be very careful about them…….
Now some people may wonder what is the background to the statements by Shrila Prabhupada to Rupanuga. This is also something the authors have tried to establish in their paper “Our Affectionate Guardians.”
I shall now present the rather passionate testimony of Narah Narayan Das which will help the reader to understand just what was going on in 1972-1974.
“Before joining Iskcon in the fall of 1968, I had been taking darshan of a Bengali Fakir named Ashok Fakir. He claimed to present the mood and philosophy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but was actually a worshipper of Rama Krishna and Goddess Kali. He had acquired a few mystic Siddhis, and would lead kirtans and dance very artistically while chanting with his troop of "Baulas" of San Francisco. (His ashram was also in San Francisco, the city where we all lived). So, we gathered with instruments in front of the Rathayatra cars, and listened with great admiration at the astonishing expertise of his mridanga players and "professional" styled chanters. Ashok Fakir seemed to become overwhelmed by ecstasy, and danced and chanted in his flowing saffron robes in front of the Ratha Cars for the whole duration of the procession. (Srila Prabhupada was slowly recovering from His heart attack either in India, or in Montreal, and was therefore absent)
A good time was had by all............until the next day, when I saw to my horror that the San Francisco Chronicle ran a front page story on Rathayatra with huge photo showing Ashok Fakir dancing artistically in front of the Carts, with the Rathas behind him. (The photo seemed to show that the whole festival was about him.) then........I recoiled in complete disgust when I read the article!........ASHOK FAKIR MADE BROAD AND COMPELLING STATEMENTS AS TO HOW THIS WAS ACTUALLY HIS FESTIVAL, AND THAT THE ISKCON DEVOTEES PRESENT WERE HIS OWN DISCIPLES! What a cheater! (It seemed impossible that two days before that I had contemplated taking initiation from him! It made me want to spit!)
This was too much for my Puritan blood!.........I stormed into his ashram with the article in my hand and demanded an explanation as to how and why a "SADHU" could be such a cheater as to claim another guru's festival and disciples to be his own! Ashok laughed, and tried to placate me with assurances that "all gurus are one" and that there could therefore be no offense. I did not buy that at all, and begged him for his blessings for me to go and take shelter of the Iskcon temple. He graciously gave his blessings, (although I was one of his chief recruiters of followers for him) and I Joined Iskcon and took initiation from Srila Prabhupada who I could then see shone as a brilliant luminary and Spiritual Source in contrast to this useless, sahajiah, Ashok Fakir!
So, after joining Iskcon, I was not surprised that I was asked by Srila Prabhupada to build the Rathayatra Car for the 1969 Festival, and then three enormous rathas (with 7 foot tall solid wood wheels) for the 1970 Rathayatra festival, and I admit to taking a very personal satisfaction in building all those Ratha Carts as a penance for having taken part in Ashok Fakir's cheating deception of 1968. From that time on, my life has been consumed with the service of Lord Jaganatha, resulting in Srila Prabhupada awarding me the title "Vishwakarma" in 1969, and myself and my family carving a large number of sets of Jaganatha deities in many Iskcon temples. I went to London, and built the Rathayatra Carts there for the 1971 festival, and then arrived in India via Nairobi and Mombassa where I worked on presenting two huge Indian/African mixed Kirtan and Prasadam festivals presided over by Srila Prabhupada.
In 1972, I presided over construction of the Festival Site of Srila Prabhupada's first Mayapur festival (it's thirtieth anniversary will be celebrated this year) and commissioned the famous blue and white sign showing the proposed Mayapur Temple, and the fateful words, "His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada", that was the stimulus that caused Narayan Maharaja to organize a boycott of the festival which Sridhara Maharaja had also been browbeaten by him into not attending as well.
In 1974, the incident in question took place:
Word went around the several hundred devotees gathered at our site in Mayapur that Sridhara Maharaja had invited us all to come to visit his ashram. We were very exited!......After the boycott by Sridhara and fifty of Srila Prabhupada's godbrothers and their disciples in Nabadwip in 1972, it seemed that finally the ice was melting and that a genuine healing was to take place! We all flocked eagerly onto the famous Mayapur wooden taxi-boats wearing our very best, and "set sail" for the ashram of Sridhara Maharaja! When we arrived, we kept waiting to see Srila Prabhupada being greeted by Sridhara Maharaja, and all of us dancing and chanting together. Finally it was clear that Srila Prabhupada not only wasn't coming, but that He HAD NOT EVEN BEEN INVITED BY SRIDHARA MAHARAJA! We were not very advanced devotees, but it seem that things were a bit strange.
Sridhara had (at that time) around 8 disciples, and he had hired cooks to make some sort of blackish bitter tasting potato and vegetable subji cooked in oil. His pandal was made of ragged burlap, and he had an elevated seating place where he addressed the crowd in Bengali. He spoke for about two hours in Bengali as we politely listened attentively, although none of us spoke that tongue. Afterward, his disciples came at us with very meaningful look in their eyes, and asked us to dance and chant with them. We were used to the spontaneous dancing and chanting taught to us by Srila Prabhupada, and it seemed weird and a bit forced, particularly as Sridhara Maharaja's disciples danced in a very erratic and almost violent style and chanted without much beauty as we were accustomed. After taking prasad, we went home by boat completely "weirded out" and not at all pleased with our visit.
THE NEXT DAY ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE!
Someone had brought Srila Prabhupada the local paper from Krishnagar!.....There was no mention of Srila Prabhupada or HIS MAYAPUR FESTIVAL! Instead, the whole article was about Sridhara Maharaja who apparently had arranged our "visit" with a press conference, where he announced to the reporters that "THE WESTERN DEVOTEES WERE HIS DISCIPLES WHO HAD COME FROM AMERICA TO HAVE DARSHAN OF HIM!" HE ALSO CLAIMED THAT HE AND HE ALONE HAD FULFILLED THE PROPHESY OF THAKUR BHAKTIVINODE IN WHICH HE HAD CRIED OUT" WHEN WILL THE FAIR SKINNED DEVOTEES FROM THEIR SIDE DANCE IN HOLY ECSTASY WITH THE BENGALI DEVOTEES"?...(This explained why his disciples had insisted that we "dance" with them in front of the reporters!)
NEEDLESS TO SAY, I WAS WAS IMMEDIATELY THRUST BACK TO SIX YEARS BEFORE IN 1968 WHERE I PUBLICLY DENOUNCED ASHOK FAKIR FOR THIS VERY SAME CHEATING TRICK!
Now, it all made sense! the invitation (WITHOUT INVITING OUR SPIRITUAL MASTER, SRILA PRABHUPADA), the very long lecture IN BENGALI that HE KNEW that we did not understand, and then the "forced" dancing with his disciples!
The horrible "karmi cooked" foodstuffs were just a bait to get us to come.
THEN SRIDHARA MAHARAJA ADDED INSULT TO INJURY! (In a style reminiscent of Sisupala) .......HE SENT SRILA PRABHUPADA A BILL, DEMANDING THAT SRILA PRABHUPADA PAY FOR THE FOODSTUFFS WE HAD EATEN AT SRIDHARA MAHARAJA'S ASHRAM!
Srila Prabhupada was not pleased!
He made a general announcement that none of His disciples should visit Sridhara maharaja or visit his ashrama ever again.
(This point is generally ignored by those who try to "sell" the idea that Srila Prahupada relied heavily on Sridhara Maharaja for spiritual guidance and other similar absurd claims).
IT IS A SIMPLE FACT THAT SRILA PRABHUPADA'S GODBROTHERS BETRAYED HIM, TRIED TO CHEAT HIM, DEFAMED HIM, BOYCOTTED HIM, PLOTTED AGAINST HIM WITHOUT CEASE.
Fifty Gaudiya Matha Sanyasis showed up at Mayapur in 1972. Neither Narayan Maharaja who falsely claims that Srila Prabhupada is his "siksa guru" showed up, nor did Sridhara Maharaja show up. Not only did they not show up, but they organized a boycott and tried to prevent ANY AND ALL GAUDIYA MATHA MEMBERS FROM OFFERING THEIR RESPECTS TO SRILA PRABHUPADA AS HE LAID THE CORNERSTONE FOR THE MAYAPUR TEMPLE!
[.........]
Dhananjaya prabhu confirms the above incident in a more concise and less passionate manner as follows:
Through Jayapataka Maharaj we had all been invited to Sridhar Maharaj's Math in Navadwip, where a big program was arranged with talks by Prabhupada's godbrother Sridhar Maharaja and other Gaudiya Math sannyasi godbrothers, as well as prasadam. We were there for a few hours and then returned. Prabhupada was waiting at the gate. He said to Jayapataka Maharaj, "Where have you all been?" Jayapataka Maharaj said, "We went over to Sridhar Maharaj's Math for a program." Prabhupada said, "You didn't invite me?"
No one had informed Prabhupada about this program. Prabhupada was upset. He called Jayapataka Maharaj up to his room and told him, "This is not right. All the local Bengalis in Navadwip think that you foreigners have come due to the preaching effort of Sridhar Maharaj, but he never preached in the West. I preached in the West.
All of you have come because of me, but he is getting the publicity." He said, "You have to be very careful in your dealings with my godbrothers. They will take advantage. They will take all the credit, but they don't deserve that credit."
In conclusion without any direct evidence from Srila Prabhupada that he wanted his disciples to take instructions from Sridhar Maharaj and with the supporting testimonies of Nara Narayan and Dananjaya prabhus we have to conclude that Srila Prabhupada’s statements to Rupanuga in 1974 should be taken at face value.
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I repeat these qualities of a vaisnava they fit Srila Sridhara Maharaj perfectly:(1) He is very kind to everyone.
(2) He does not make anyone his enemy.
(3) He is truthful.
(4) He is equal to everyone.
(5) No one can find any fault in him.
(6) He is magnanimous.
(7) He is mild.
(8) He is always clean.
(9) He is without possessions.
(10) He works for everyone's benefit.
(11) He is very peaceful.
(12) He is always surrendered to Krsna.
(13) He has no material desires.
(14) He is very meek.
(15) He is steady.
(16) He controls his senses.
(17) He does not eat more than required.
(18) He is not influenced by the Lord's illusory energy.
(19) He offers respect to everyone.
(20) He does not desire any respect for himself.
(21) He is very grave.
(22) He is merciful.
(23) He is friendly.
(24) He is poetic.
(25) He is expert.
(26) He is silent.
(27) He is not qualified to become acarya.
"Actually amongst my Godbrothers no one is qualified to become acarya. So it is better not to mix with my Godbrothers very intimately because instead of inspiring our students and disciples they may sometimes pollute them."
(Letter to Rupunuga, 28/4/74)
It's up to each aspiring soul if they are genuinely seeking a representitive of Swayam Bhagavan Sri Krsna, to seek these qualities in the acharya, and in doing so imbibe them into oneself.
I personally found all of these qualities and more in the personality of Srila Sridhara Maharaj as did thousands of far more advanced souls than myself.
It appears somewhat contradictary if this is truly the statement of Srila Prabhupad
You can't believe it. Wake up babe! It is there, so either you have got it wrong or ? I would rather not mention the alternative option.
as he himself visited Srila SM on numerous occasions, at times with his young and fresh neophyte disciples who at that time had no idea what vaisnava ettiquette was, and in their kanishta maddness insulted SSM, who only ever tried to help them as a loving father, friend and guardian, because Prabhupad asked him if SSM "could polish them up," as he felt he didn't have the time to finish what he started and they were still rough cut gems, so he requested of SSM, "if they come to you, you can refine them"
Please prove these statement that you have in quotation marks by supplying verifiable references.
Prabhupad even took them to Srila Sridhara Maharaj to learn the proper honor for Vyasa puja also.
Please prove this also.
Further more Acyutananda Prabhu was personally sent by Prabhupad to live at SSM's Math to learn the songs of the Gaudiya Acharyas, it doesn't exactly make sense if he didn't want them to associate with SSM that he would ask them to learn the mood of kirtan at Sri Caitanya Saraswat Math.
Please prove this also.
but there is so much 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation misconception, controversy and confusion abounding these days about so many issues, that it doesn't surprise me what states of ignorance and aparadhe proliforate in the name of Krsna consciousness.
Well we can agree on this point. Of course I don't expect you to perceive that you are also adding to the situation by your unverified statements.
I can understand Prabhupad wanted to protect his disciples from hearing aparadhe against himself thus dissturbing their faith, but even more from some of his immature young fanatics causing problems with their still raw fundermentalist KC.
That's why we'd recommend hearing direct from someone who spent many years of intimate association with both of these glorious acharyas.
Srila Sridhara Maharaj never needed anyone's certificate of authenticity to verify his credentials, as the fruit of his actions more then amply confirmed his level of God realization.
Once again your statements are just not in line with those of Srila Prabhupada.
Aside from the qualification, Srila Prabhupada also taught that specific authorisation from the predecessor acarya was also essential before anyone could act as a diksa guru:
"On the whole, you may know that he is not a liberated person, and therefore, he cannot initiate any person to Krsna Consciousness. It requires special spiritual benediction from higher authorities."
(SP Letter to Janardana, 26/4/68)
"One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master coming in the disciplic succession, who is authorised by his predecessor spiritual master. This is called diksa -vidhana."
(S.B. 4.8.54, purport)
Indian man: When did you become spiritual the leader of Krsna Consciousness?
Srila Prabhupada: What is that?
Brahmananda: He is asking when did you become the spiritual leader of Krsna Consciousness?
Srila Prabhupada: When my Guru Maharaja ordered me. This is the guru parampara.
Indian man: Did it...
Srila Prabhupada: Try to understand. Don't go very speedily. A guru can become guru when he is ordered by his guru. That's all. Otherwise nobody can become guru.
(SP Bg. Lecture, 28/10/75)
Thus, according to Srila Prabhupada, one can only become a diksa guru when both the qualification and authorisation are in place.
We're like pigmies trying to touch the self effulgent moon when it comes to his glories. Even Sri Sesa Naga would get tongue tired trying to befittingly praise His divine Grace, but if it did need someone then there is no one more fitting than his own guru Srila Bhaktisidanta Saraswati Thakur, when he stated, "Now I'm satisfied at least one person can continue our (disciplic) line." After reading one of SSM's eulogies and deep insight into the spirit of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur.
Even if what you have written here is true, it proves nothing. For example he could have been looking at Srila Prabhupada when he said "Now I'm satisfied at least one person can continue our (disciplic) line."
Some of us have fortunately had siksa and diksa from both SSM and SACBSP and met with various other godbrothers of them both, and I've found them all to be proper gentlemen, all with different unique individual qualifications and contributions. Maybe not on the scale of Srila Prabhupad's dispensation to the west, but even if they just make one sincere devotee or make themselves a devotee it's good enough.
Srila Sridhara Maharaj may not have made it to the western world, but neither did Mahaprabhu in his time, yet many of SSM's disciples and grand disciples through the grace of Srila Govinda Maharaj have taken Krsna consciousness to just about every country of the globe.
Your sur name isn't Harry Karri is it?
No, but I hope you are not trying to be offensive!
Regarding this nonsense statement;
Therefore we can conclude:
If you wish to take shelter of a black snake, and have rejected the shelter of Srila Prabhupada, THEN Sridhara maharaja is a better alternative.
In ALL OTHER CASES - Avoid the association of Sridhara Maharaja.
This is what Srila Prabhupada actually advises.
This is your conclusion Harry and is diametrically opposite of what SP advised.
so if you make yourself party to such erroneous conclusions take resposibility for your own statements, and the consequences of such propergation. But thank God and Prabhupad that many of his sincere disciples didn't come up with the same unfortunate twisted logic that you have.
Try this also from Prabhupad;
"who is the most highly competent of all my godbrothers. This is B. R. Sridhara Maharaja, whom I consider to be even my siksa guru. If you are serious about the advancement of your spiritual life, I advise you to go to Sridhara Maharaja and I will feel that you are safe.You can also make arrangements for your other godbrothers to go there in the future." (SP Ltr. Hrsikesa, January 1, 1969)
Yes, well I think you are chewing the chewed here.
Regarding Srila Prabhupada's statement about Sridhara Maharaja being his 'siksa guru' let us look at the complete statement. It comes from a letter in 1969 to a disciple Hrisikesa, who had ALREADY REJECTED Srila Prabhupada, and who wished to join the Gaudiya Matha. However he had selected to join Bon Maharaja who Srila Prabhupada describes in the same letter as being a 'black snake'. Therefore in order to save someone who had already left ISKCON, from going to a black snake, Srila Prabhupada refers him to Sridhara Maharaja. Why? Because as Srila Prabhupada states later:
" But in my opinion he is the best of the lot. He is my old friend, at least he executes the regulative principles of devotional service."
(Letter to Rupunuga, 28/4/74)
Because Sridhara Maharaja was the best of the 'lot', the same 'lot' which Srila Prabhupada also condemned as not being qualified to be acharya,
"Actually amongst my Godbrothers no one is qualified to become acarya. So it is better not to mix with my Godbrothers very intimately because instead of inspiring our students and disciples they may sometimes pollute them."
(Letter to Rupunuga, 28/4/74)
and because he AT LEAST followed the regulative principles, Sridhara Maharaja was recommended as an alternative to a black snake.
Therefore this was NOT just an act of diplomacy. It was an act of mercy, to save someone from a black snake, and therefore the person was advised to take shelter of Sridhara Maharaja, and in THIS CONNECTION Sridhara Maharaja is praised, in order to induce his disciple to leave Bon Maharaja.
However please note the following facts which are relevant:
EVEN if we accept for the sake of argument, that Sridhara Maharaja WAS Srila Prabhupada's Siksa guru, Srila Prabhupada never tells US to accept Sridhara Maharaja as OUR Siksa guru or to consult him. On the contrary, as I have quoted before, he instructs US to actually AVOID Sridhara Maharaja.
Further the only time anyone was advised to go to Sridhara Maharaja, was only to STOP that person from going to a 'black snake'.
Thus there are NO instructions from Srila Prabhupada instructing us to take shelter of Sridhara Maharaja (except to stop one person from taking shelter from a 'black snake'), but there ARE instructions from Srila Prabhupada telling us to NOT take shelter of Sridhara Maharaja.
Therefore we can conclude:
If you wish to take shelter of a black snake, and have rejected the shelter of Srila Prabhupada, THEN Sridhara maharaja is a better alternative.
In ALL OTHER CASES - Avoid the association of Sridhara Maharaja.
This is what Srila Prabhupada actually advises.
Or if you want an even more comprehensive and accurate assesment of these our beloved guardians relationship go here ...for further in depth understanding. All based on hard copy and taped conversations.
Don't just cut and paste from IRM,
Why not? If you can demonstrate that what is posted is false, then I can see your point. However you have not been able to demonstrate such, so far.
try getting a little more perspective, otherwise you run the risk of cutting off the very head that gives life to everyones body. As you are doing Srila Prabhupad and those observers that take on board such a narrow view, a grave disservice.
I might add that most everyone I know from the line of Srila B.R. Sridhara Maharaj worships the divine relationship of these two great souls with the uttmost reverence and honor as they both would have wished of each other.
Both Srila Govinda Maharaj and Srila Sridhara Maharaj lived together preaching in the same house as Prabhupad for twelve years in their early devotional life, travelling around India chanting and preaching before most of us had even taken birth.
And yet somehow we have the arrogance to think we know all about them from some snippet we read.
I think that you have displayed the same arrogance in your post. So how can I learn from you?
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it all started very much when Prabhupada was still here. how many Iskcon criminals were handed over to the police for prosecution during these years? NONE. Prabhupada chose do handle things discretely and internally, as to not make bad propaganda for our movement. while the intent was good, the concept backfired big time as it only fostered the culture of internal corruption that had it's peak during the zonal 'acharya' days.just like in Catholic Church, Iskcon offenders (common thieves, women and child abusers, illegal money collectors, etc) were only lightly admonished at best and quietly transferred to a different temple or removed from the institution.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, however we don't need to agree with it. Kulapavana prabhu's above statement is not upheld by the facts.
HH Jayapataka Maharaja:
There was a con artist who dressed like a sannyasi and collected money in the name of ISKCON. He gave himself the name "Achyutananda" and was known amongst the devotees as "Achyutananda Number Two." He was based in Rajastan and collected near Jaipur. He made a big construction plan for building a temple and somehow copied receipts, rubber stamps and everything else one needed to collect money.
Some of the people who donated money to this Achyutananda appeared in Bombay and said, "We were made a Life Member by Achyutananda in Jaipur." Achyutananda Number One was in Hyderabad so we sent a few devotees to find out who this Achyutananda was, and they discovered that he was a thief. Somehow they got him to see Prabhupada in Mayapur. Prabhupada had called the CID, the equivalent of the FBI in India, and the
Superintendent of Police. In the meantime Prabhupada talked with Achyutananda Number Two, who said to him, "You are a great spiritual master, a gaint, and I feel changed after talking with you. I want to surrender at your lotus feet. I am going to surrender my life to you and do whatever you say. I am giving up all my bad ways."
Prabhupada called in the big police officers who had come to take this person away (a case had already been registered) and said, "I have to give this person asylum because he has surrendered to me.
As a spiritual master, if someone surrenders to me, I have to give him shelter." The police were ready to dive in on him and take him away, but they said, "Guruji, what can we say? But we don't believe this person. He is a thief." Prabhupada said, "What can I do? If he surrenders then I have to accept." Prabhupada told Achyutananda Number Two, "If you follow, you are safe. But if you leave, I am going to turn you over to the police." To keep him engaged
Prabhupada had Achyutananda do some writing for him, but after about ten days some devotees spotted him during mangal arati trying to leave the front gate with a bag. They grabbed him and brought him to Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada said, "You said you were surrendering, and I gave you a chance. But now you have revealed that you are not sincere." He called the police and gave Achyutananda over to them.
In case Kulapavana prabhu thinks that HH Jayapataka is a liar, his testimony is confirmed by Mahamaya dd.
The discussion at darshan one evening was about an Indian man going around telling people he was Acyutananda Swami, from ISKCON. Not knowing that Acyutananda Swami is a white American, some people believed this Indian impersonator was him. He convinced them to become life members, but kept their money. When these people came to know they’d been cheated, they were upset.
Srila Prabhupada wanted the devotees to catch this culprit, and somehow they did. He begged for forgiveness and asked to be allowed to become a devotee of Lord Krishna. Srila Prabhupada allowed him to stay in Mayapur to practice Krishna consciousness. Soon, however, he was caught sneaking out the front gate with his belongings, proving his insincerity. He was promptly handed over to the police.[sPIC.15 Mahamaya dd]
Or perhaps they are both under the influence of the material energy. However Srila Prabhupada has the following statements to add to the above.
My Dear Gurukrpa Swami:
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 15, 1975 and have noted the contents. Regarding Manasvi you immediately inform the police that he has misappropriated so much money. He must give the account or we shall prosecute. [Letter to: Gurukrpa:--Vrindaban 26 August, 1975]
Govardhana: Srila Prabhupada, one time a boy came to our temple. He chanted and took prasadam, became very blissful, purchased Bhagavad-gita to study.
Prabhupada: Eh?
Govardhana: And then he went away for one week and associated with some Christians, and they convinced him that he had committed a great sin, that he should come to the temple and destroy the Deity. So after dancing and chanting in ecstasy, taking prasadam and reading Bhagavad-gita, he returned to the temple one week later and tried to destroy the Deity.
Prabhupada: Where?
Govardhana: Detroit.
Prabhupada: Oh, he attempted it?
Govardhana: Yes, but we prevented him.
Prabhupada: So we must be careful. There may be so many fanatics.
Govardhana: That shows that because he was not in the constant association of devotees that he lost those qualities.
Prabhupada: Yes. Sangat sanjayate kamah. So why did you not arrest him and give to the police?
Govardhana: We did. We beat him. Then we took him to court and had him put in jail for three months.
Prabhupada: Oh, that’s nice. Yes.
Morning Walk--December 10, 1973, Los Angeles
Letter to: Tamala Krsna--Vrindaban3 November, 1972
n.b. Unless the conveyance is made, don't make any settlement with Rathaneparke. If there are any incidents, the men responsible should be taken to the police.
So far Dvija Hari is concerned if he is acting in that way, that is abominable. He has collected some money, so my direct order for him is that he should immediately leave Delhi and return to his country, using the money has got. He may go to Los Angeles and stay in the temple there, taking instruction and help from Karandhara. If he tries to commit any further harm to you or attack you physically, inform the police and have him arrested.
[Letter to: Tejiyas –Bombay 19 December, 1972]
One thing is, you must be careful with the subscription books so that they are not counterfeit or used by cheaters. One man, Agarwal, was cheating us in Kota and is now captured and given to the police. [Letter to: Yasomatinandana –Mayapur 15 February, 1976]
So in conclusion Kulapavana prabhu's above statement
how many Iskcon criminals were handed over to the police for prosecution during these years? NONE. Prabhupada chose do handle things discretely and internally,is bogus as it is coming from a poor fund of knowledge.
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A practical example of the vaisnavas help for me personally was when Srila Prabhupad directed his disciples to go to Srila Sridhara Maharaj for any guidance, as he personally regarded him as his Siksa guru, so what to speak of our benefit.
Regarding Srila Prabhupada's statement about Sridhara Maharaja being his 'siksa guru' let us look at the complete statement.
For spiritual advancement of life, we must go to one who is actually practicing spiritual life; not to some head of a mundane institution, not to one who has offended his Spiritual Master in so many ways. I do not wish to go into all details here, but I must inform you that this Bon Maharaja may be considered as a black snake, and at the time of His Disappearance, my Guru Maharaja did not even wish to have him in His presence due to the character of this Bon Maharaja. So if you are actually serious to take instructions from a siksa guru, I can refer you to one who is most highly competent of all my god-brothers. This is B.R. Sridhara Maharaja, whom I consider to be even my siksa guru, so what to speak of the benefit that you can have from his association. He is living in Navadvipa, and if you like, I can give you letter of introduction as well as I will send him letter to allow you to stay there with him. So if you and Acyutananda are not lost to the poison of Bon Maharaja, and are still serious about advancement of your spiritual life, I will advise you to go to Sridhara Maharaja. Or else I do not know what will save you. So my advice to you both is that you immediately leave the unhealthy and envious association of Bon Maharaja and either proceed to Germany as I have instructed you, or at least go to someone who will be competent to act as siksha guru. This is Sridhara Maharaja.Regarding Srila Prabhupada's statement about Sridhara Maharaja being his 'siksa guru' let us look at the complete statement. It comes from a letter in 1969 to a disciple Hrisikesa, who had ALREADY REJECTED Srila Prabhupada, and who wished to join the Gaudiya Matha. However he had selected to join Bon Maharaja who Srila Prabhupada describes in the same letter as being a 'black snake'. Therefore in order to save someone who had already left ISKCON, from going to a black snake, Srila Prabhupada refers him to Sridhara Maharaja. Why? Because as Srila Prabhupada states later:
" But in my opinion he is the best of the lot. He is my old friend, at least he executes the regulative principles of devotional service."
(Letter to Rupunuga, 28/4/74)
Because Sridhara Maharaja was the best of the 'lot', the same 'lot' which Srila Prabhupada also condemned as not being qualified to be acharya,
"Actually amongst my Godbrothers no one isqualifiedto becomeacarya. So it is better not to mix with my Godbrothers very intimately because instead of inspiring our students and disciples they may sometimes pollute them."(Letter to Rupunuga, 28/4/74)and because he AT LEAST followed the regulative principles, Sridhara Maharaja was recommended as an alternative to a black snake.
Therefore this was NOT just an act of diplomacy. It was an act of mercy, to save someone from a black snake, and therefore the person was advised to take shelter of Sridhara Maharaja, and in THIS CONNECTION Sridhara Maharaja is praised, in order to induce his disciple to leave Bon Maharaja.
However please note the following facts which are relevant:
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EVEN if we accept for the sake of argument, that Sridhara Maharaja WAS Srila Prabhupada's Siksa guru, Srila Prabhupada never tells US to accept Sridhara Maharaja as OUR Siksa guru or to consult him. On the contrary, as I have quoted before, he instructs US to actually AVOID Sridhara Maharaja.
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Further the only time anyone was advised to go to Sridhara Maharaja, was only to STOP that person from going to a 'black snake'.
- Thus there are NO instructions from Srila Prabhupada instructing us to take shelter of Sridhara Maharaja (except to stop one person from taking shelter from a 'black snake'), but there ARE instructions from Srila Prabhupada telling us to NOT take shelter of Sridhara Maharaja.
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If you wish to take shelter of a black snake, and have rejected the shelter of Srila Prabhupada, THEN Sridhara maharaja is a better alternative.
- In ALL OTHER CASES - Avoid the association of Sridhara Maharaja.
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EVEN if we accept for the sake of argument, that Sridhara Maharaja WAS Srila Prabhupada's Siksa guru, Srila Prabhupada never tells US to accept Sridhara Maharaja as OUR Siksa guru or to consult him. On the contrary, as I have quoted before, he instructs US to actually AVOID Sridhara Maharaja.
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Why to worry about those who are sick? Krsna is not sick!!! Think about Krsna only that will take away all sickness.One of the symptoms of their sickness is the havoc they have been creating in society. This is distressing to those who have some affection for Srila Prabhupada and his mission.
The pseudo-religionists have neither knowledge nor detachment from material affairs, for most of them want to live in the golden shackles of material bondage under the shadow of altruistic and philanthropic activities and in the guise of religious principles. By a false display of religious sentiments, they present a show of devotional service while indulging in all sorts of immoral activities. In this way they pass as spiritual masters and devotees of God. Such violators of religious principles have no respect for the authoritative acaryas, the holy teachers in the strict disciplic succession. To mislead the people in general, they themselves become so-called acaryas, but do nt even follow the principles of the acaryas.
These rogues are the most dangerous elements in human society. Because there is no religious government, they escape punishment by the law of the state. They cannot, however, escape the law of the Supreme, who has clearly declared in Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 16.19-20) that envious demons in the garb of religious propagandists shall be thrown into the darkest regions of hell. Sri Isopanisad confirms that these pseudo-religionists are heading toward the most obnoxious place in the universe after the completion of their spiritual master business, which they conduct simply for sense gratification. [sri Isopanisad mantra 12 purport]
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Although most persons generally do not appreciate others’ criticism of them, the Vedic literatures saythat tolerating and forgiving our critics is beneficial.
Forgiving our critics is a course recommended in the Bible, the Koran and other religious traditions. Yet, what happens to the critic? The English writer and philosopher Aldous Huxley has described:
"The effects that follow the constant and intense con-centration upon evil are always disastrous. Those who crusade, not for God in themselves, but against the demons in others, never succeed in making the world better.... No man can concentrate his attention on evil, or even the idea of evil, and remain unaffected. To be more against the demon than for godliness is exceedingly dangerous. Every crusader is apt to go mad. He is haunted by the wickedness that he attributes to his enemies; it becomes sort of a part of him."
The following are some verses describing the Vedic teachings on this point:
Whoever indulges in praising or criticizing the qualities and behavior of others will quickly become deviated from his own best interest by his entanglement in illusory du-alities.
(Krishna to Uddhava. Bhag. 11.28.2)
Throughout his life, a brahmana should consider material prestige to be like poison and dishonor to be like nectar. After all, if one learns to tolerate dishonor, then his agitation will subside and he will happily sleep, happily wake, and happily move about. The person who insults him will, because of his sin, become regretful, and his happiness in this and the next life will be vanquished.
(Manu-samhita 2.162-163. Quoted by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur in Brahmana O Vaisnava.)
The ignorant seek to injure the wise by malice and back-biting; by doing so the critic takes upon himself the load of the wise man’s sins, which he, the wise man, casts off by forgiving the ignorant.
Vidura to Dhritarastra. (Mahabharata, udyoga parva 34.74)
A person being criticized should not criticize in retaliation, for the pain felt upon receiving criticism, if endured, will itself consume the critic and bring in exchange the results of his good deeds.
(Dattatreya to the Saddhyas. Mahabharata, udyoga parva 36.5)
One who remains tolerant, not becoming angry, certainly attains the abuser’s pious credits. Indeed his own sins are transferred to that wrathful person.
(Bhishma to Yudhisthira. Mahabharata Santi-parva 115.3)
A person who praises someone in his presence, but criticizes him behind his back, is no better than a dog. His chances for elevation to higher planets are completely spoiled in this world.
(Bhishma to Yudhisthira. Mahabharata, Santi parva 115.11)
Criticism and back-biting were also present in Greek culture. Plato is quoted as follows
When men speak ill of thee, live so as nobody may believe them.
Plato
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where is smoking and drinking mentioned? I do not smoke or drink, but this is a Gaudiya rule, not a hard rule on Moksha. Jesus drank wine, and he said he represented God.This is a common misapprehension. The following quote from "The Four Principles Of Freedom" by Satyaraja Das, 1994 is quite definitive on this subject.
We are sometimes told that great saints, the emblems of sobriety, have endorsed the taking of alcoholic beverages. But there is no foundation for such claims. It is just a rationale to drink and then pat oneself on one's back that he is following in the footsteps of some great religious personality. This is especially the habit of adherents to the Western religious traditions. Take Jesus and the Bible for example. In Biblical times, all fruit of the vine was called wine, whether it was fermented or not. There are thirteen different words used in Hebrew and Chalde, and four in Greek. The common word in Greek was oinos. This Greek word corresponds to yain in Hebrew, vinum in Latin, and wine in English. However, in classical Biblical usage these words refer simply to grape juice.
In the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Bible, the Hebrew word for grape juice is translated thirty-three times as the Greek word oinos. It is also used to denote other kinds of drinks, such as lotus fruit and dates.
According to Professor Samuel Lee of Cambridge University, the root of this word in Hebrew is yain or wine. The word does not generally refer to intoxicating liquor made by fermentation, but more so to a thick, non-intoxicating syrup produced by boiling to make it storable. The grape syrup was stored in new wineskins to prevent fermentation. It was referred to as "new wine," even though it was only grape juice. The thick syrup was similar to our grape jellies and would be squeegeed onto bread or dissolved in water, to be reconstituted as a very desirable grape drink.
I know this is true because I have lived in the Greece for many years and they still do the same today in rural districts with fruit juices.
However Lord Jesus may have drunk alcoholic wine at some time or other due to certain mitigating circumstances, however he was never doing so as a sense enjoyer.
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I can't agree that child molesters like Kirtanananda "truly helped devotees", nor that "Krishna acted through them". Krishna acted through his pure devotees such as Srila Prabhupada. Because Prabhupada's books are still being distributed, ISKCON is still making new devotees. Everything is based on the potency of Prabhupada's books, not on the preaching of child molesters.Anyone with common sense can understand that if ISKCON hadn't had the fake zonal acharya's the preaching success would have been many times greater than it has been. They were simply a drag and disruption to Prabhupada's movement. Prabhupada's books were so potent that those books continued to make new devotees despite the presence of rogues within ISKCON.
Some people mistakenly think that potency actually came from the rogues themselves with Krishna acting through them, when in reality they were just blocks clouding the potency in Prabhupada's books.
Someone spends hundreds of thousands of dollars making a flying UFO [yes, literally], and we are expected to think it was Krishna acting through him? These people were just literally insane, but no one wanted to point it out.
Well said!
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Haridasa Sadhu
The famous sannyasi, Haridasa Sadhu, was born in a small village in Maharastra. When he was about fifteen or sixteen years old, a sannyasi arrived from Tailangadesa (a south Indian district) now in the vicinity of Andhra and Telingana), and sat down under a tree near Haridasa's house. This sannyasi was a Vaisnava of the Kuver sect.
Haridasa had great respect for this sannyasi and spent considerable time with him. Suddenly one day the sannyasi was found missing from his usual place under the tree, and simultaneously Haridasa also disappeared from the village.
Haridasa accompanied the Tailangasvami to Puskara where he took initiation in sannyasadharma. After spending a few months at Puskara, Haridasa went to Kuruksetra with his guru, and devoted himself to the difficult practices of yogasiksa. He began by learning the art of the intake of food, asanavandhana, vaksamyama, and pranayama.
Eventually, Haridasa became conversant with the entire difficult procedures related to yoga and successfully mastered the control of his respiratory system.
By following `khecuri mudra', Haridasa mastered the art of locking the tongue in reverse which increased his capacity to retain air required for samadhi-asana. At last as a result of his complete mastery over Yogabhayasa, Haridasa acquired certain supernatural powers which earned him a great deal of respect and admiration not only from the general public, but from such personalities as the Raja, associates and ministers from the royal court, Mussalmen of the sunni-sect, and even Hindu-hating Christians.
By 1815 AD. stories of the miraculous achievements of Haridasa Sadhu had spread far and wide. During his stay at Jambu, Raja Dhyana Simha, a minister of Maharaja Ranjitsimha, came to know, through his messenger, that a sannyasi named Haridasa had remained alive after a four months stay under mounds of earth in Amritsar.
Dhyanasimha then sent a messenger to bring Haridasa back to Jambu. Despite the messengers insistence, Haridasa refused to go to Jambu. Then Dhyanasimha himself went to Amritsar and brought Haridasa and his associate disciples back to Jambu. In Jambu, Haridasa remained like an inanimate object under the earth for four months which Dhyanasimha observed with his own eyes.
Prior to entering the prescribed spot Haridasa had his face clean shaven, yet when he emerged after four months, no growth of hair could be seen on his face.
When many accounts of such episodes regarding Haridasa began to appear in various magazines, many people refused to accept them as facts. It has been said (Visvakos) that Lord Bentinck and Lord Auckland, both wrote letters to political agents at Rajaputana and Punjab asking them to verify the authenticity of the published reports.
But Haridasa Sadhu refused to go to Calcutta as he thought that the Englishmen would, somehow or other, try to destroy a person like himself, who possessed extraordinary miraculous power.
However, Mr. McNaughton, the political agent of Rajaputana, was determined to find out the truth. He brought Haridasa to Puskara where Haridasa performed asanavandhana and entered into a state of dhyana in the presence of an audience of many respectable persons. McNaughton then locked Haridasa in a safe and kept the safe in his own room. When the safe was unlocked and opened on the thirteenth day, Haridasa was found in an unconscious state and his body had become stiff like dried wood. However, within a short time, signs of life appeared in his body.
Maharaval of Jalsamir was childless. Under the advice of his minister, Isvarlala, he brought Haridasa to his capital. On behalf of Maharavala, in order to nullify the effect of the antagonism existing on the planet, Haridasa, after performing the pre-samadhi rituals at his own residence, positioned himself in samadhi-asana within a very small pit about 3ft. long, 2 1/2 ft. deep, which was covered on top with earth. When the pit was cleared of earth after one month in the presence of Lieutenant Baylow and other high officials of the royal government, Haridasa was found still alive.
Such extraordinary happenings were witnessed by many dignitaries at that time and these became widely known not only within India but in many countries overseas. Rumor mongers became active; Some expressed views that Sadhu Haridasa was actually a Frenchman and had migrated to India in Punjab after the battle of Waterloo.
He became conversant with charlatanism while in Europe and had become an expert in the line; A section of the orthodox Hindu community claimed that Haridasa was the great saint Vedavyasa in his past incarnation and at the advent of Kaliyuga had kept himself in hiding (samahita) under the earth, and the Englishmen had discovered him while digging the earth; The Sikh community in Punjab regarded him with love and devotion, considering Haridasa Sadhu as an incarnation of Guru Nanak.
To Englishmen such as Lt. Baylow and others, Haridasa explained in brief three rules to be practiced for yogabhyasa. These were; pranayama, khecurimudra, and rules for the intake of food. By observing the said rules during samadhi-asana, the activities within the human body cease to work and the body becomes inert like a corpse.
Haridasa arrived at Lahore in 1835 Ad. on the occasion of the marriage ceremony of Navanihalsimha. Raja Dhyanasimha, the minister of Maharaja Ranjitasimha, who had previously met Haridasa, told the Maharaja about Haridasa's arrival at the palace and of his miraculous powers. Out of curiosity the Maharaja called for Haridasa, but upon seeing him the Maharaja suspected that all this talk about miraculous power was nothing but a fabricated story.
To verify the truth, the Maharaja ensured that Haridasa, after his routine rituals, was placed inside a small wooden safe under lock and key. He had his men affix the royal seal on the lock and had the safe buried in the palace courtyard. As a further precaution against any loop holes, the Maharaja had his men sow barley seeds on the land covering the area under which the safe was buried.
After forty days, when the seeds had grown into plants, the safe was excavated in the presence of Capt. Wade and other English officials. After the safe was unlocked, Haridasa's inert body was taken out and subjected to medical examination by Dr. McGregor, Dr. Murray and others. The doctors not only declared that Haridasa was dead, but remarked sarcastically that if Haridasa were able to regain his life then they would be prepared to believe that even the creation of a human being were possible.
Disciples of Haridasa began to apply various methods for the revival of Haridasa's respiratory system and slowly signs of life appeared in the inert body, while everyone present stood watching the performance anxiously.
After this incident no one had any furter doubts regarding Haridasa's miraculous power. In the course of discussing the subject of samadhi, Haridasa Sadhu spoke as follows:
In the state of samadhi he enjoyed such blissful pleasure that he did not consider the exercise as a form of self-castigation.
Actually the rituals to be performed prior to getting into the samadhi-asana were very painful and that is why Haridasa preferred to stay in the samahita state for a long period of time.
The renowned Honigueburger, in his comments on yoga-nidra, said that animals like frogs are known to live hundreds of years in a state of deep sleep in the darkness of mountains. But as soon as they are brought into the presence of light and allowed to breath air, they become like regular live species. The same explanation may be offered in respect to yogis; once in a yoga-state, yogis also sleep in the same way as the frogs.
Only on one more occasion Haridasa, at the request of Maharaja Ranjitsimha, remained buried underground for nearly ten months, that was his last demonstration. On various excuses, he declined the request of Englishmen like Mr. Osborne and others at Adinanagara.
The Rani of Jhindana, by virtue of her exquisite beauty, intelligence and spirited character, was an embellishment of womankind; and as such it is difficult to guess the reason why she was so displeased with Haridasa. In fact, under her advice, the royal messengers insulted Haridasa very badly. So much so that even a yogi like Haridasa flew into such a rage that he told the messengers to convey to the wicked Maharaja that the latter would have no one to continue his line of descent. The very next day Haridasa disappeared with all his disciples from Lahore. As if by coincidence, a ksatriya girl also ran away from her home in Lahore about the same time.
Haridasa's death also took place under extraordinary circumstances. One day he called his disciples and announced that his end was near. No one would be able to bring him back to life from the samadhi-asana he was going to perform. True enough he got into his usual samadhi-asana and passed away in a samahita posture. Around the time that Haridasa was born in India, ordained ministers of the Christian religion were busy propagating the viewpoint that the sastras and dharma followed by the Hindu's had no substance. By dint of Haridasa's yoga power he was able to establish that it was possible to acquire different kinds of power and authority by following the rules and practices described in the philosophy and sastra of the Hindu religion.
(Visvakos Vol. 22, p. 491-493)
ISKCON is not only Srila Prabhupada's creation, it is Srila Prabhupada's body
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Srila Prabhupada is a bona-fide guru and he advised some of his disciples as follows....
Who are these unqualified sadhus?
This is of course another misinformed ant-ritvik diatribe from the GM propaganda machine.
Srila Prabhupada himself said that he was "THE acarya of the present Gaudiya-sampradaya." So why blame the ritviks?
Well that statement would be correct, if ISKCON was not so corrupt.