The following is a response to an article entitled "The tragic case of Bhakta v Bhakta" by Yaduvendu Das, in which he attacks the IRM for promoting the fact that Srila Prabhupada is the diksa Guru for ISKCON. Statements from Yaduvendu's article shall be enclosed in brackets thus [ ], with Yaduvendu referred to as the 'author'.
The author Yaduvendu Das, is of course here referring to himself, since he has been a devotee for over 30 years, is in his 50's, and is presently experiencing the fleeting nature of life as a 'senior' devotee.
Consequently in his desire to open up Guru-ship to anyone such as himself who is in his '50's and 60s', and who has been a devotee for 'thirty to forty years', the author has resorted to implying that Srila Prabhupada may not have been faultless – i.e. not a pure devotee, and therefore a conditioned soul subject to the 4 defects. As well as this insinuation of the author being highly offensive to Srila Prabhupada, motivated as it is by a desire to become Guru, the idea that one can become a Guru simply due to longevity in the movement is of course proven incorrect by the facts. The *oldest* devotee in the movement, Satsvarupa Das, was has been practising for almost 40 years, and is 66, was only recently exposed as having an illicit affair and had to step down from being Guru. Similarly many other recent casualties such as Prithu Das, Vipramukhya Das and Suhotra Das, were all in their 50s and 60s, having been devotees for 'thirty to forty years', and all had to step down from the position of Guru relatively recently.
So immediately the main thrust of Yaduvendu's thesis, viz. that the IRM's stance is wrong because as long as someone has been a devotee for more than thirty years, they can be Guru, because Srila Prabhupada himself may not have been free from fault – is proven incorrect, and his thesis stands defeated.
However for completeness we will also rebut some of his other points.
if we simultaneously think that the orders of the spiritual master are insignificant?
And such a faithless disciple, who thinks Srila Prabhupada may have been a conditioned soul, has the audacity to stake his claim on behalf of all the 'senior devotees' to become Srila Prabhupada's successor.
It is acknowledged by all that Srila Prabhupada DID appoint ritviks in the July 9th directive. If Yaduvendu is also acknowledging that these ritviks were NOT also appointed as diksa Gurus, then obviously they can only have remained as ritviks. In which case WHERE is the authority for these ritviks, or anyone else for that matter, to suddenly become diksa Gurus? Yaduvendu here unwittingly supports the IRM's basic point – that only ritviks were ever authorised by Srila Prabhupada.
Of course no one, except perhaps the author, is proposing that we take away the element of the parampara. The parampara CONTINUES with Srila Prabhupada, just as it continued with Srila Prabhupada in 1966. The author presents no basis for his implied assertion that the parampara would stop if Srila Prabhupada continued to represent it.
[*How many times have we heard that the spiritual master speaks according to time and place?
So as long as ISKCON exists, and there is a need for initiation, the directive IS being applied according to time, place and circumstance.
It is accepted that Srila Prabhupada established himself as the diksa Guru for ISKCON. Unless this is accepted, the issue of Srila Prabhupada even being replaced as the diksa Guru for ISKCON does not even arise. Hence that fact that Srila Prabhupada is the diksa Guru of ISKCON does not require proving. What does require proving is that Srila Prabhupada should be REMOVED as the diksa Guru for ISKCON. If Srila Prabhupada had wanted this, then he could have made his wishes crystal clear, drumming it into us on a daily basis, in his letters, classes and conversations. He didn't do that.
And we have already seen that the disciplic succession CONTINUES with Srila Prabhupada, so the idea that Srila Prabhupada acting as the diksa Guru for ISKCON would STOP the disciplic succession has no basis. What the author is actually trying to say, quite bizarrely, is that the lack of a MATERIAL body of a SPIRITUAL master prevents him from acting as a diksa Guru. However the author offers absolutely no proof for such a fanciful suggestion.
The author again puts forward a contemptible assertion that to unauthorisedly throw Srila Prabhupada out of his own movement and declare he is dead and unavailable as the Guru, (as has been done by the current ISKCON regime which BTP is exposing) is NOT a crime against Srila Prabhupada; but to simply state the truth about Srila Prabhupada is!
We are not broadcasting a devotee's faults. We are simple repeating the information broadcast by the GBC regarding their unauthorised Gurus. Thus the author needs to take up his complaint with the GBC, who are the source of virtually all our information.
Also it is important that devotee's DO lose faith in the unauthorised Guru's and instead develop faith in Srila Prabhupada.
To say that truth can never be found in an extreme is itself an extreme truth, and therefore the author has contradicted himself. Further the author offers absolutely no evidence for his speculation that truth can only be in the 'middle'. Truth is to be found in the orders of Srila Prabhupada. We strongly suggest the author consults them, for he has not quoted any such orders even ONCE in his lengthy diatribe against Srila Prabhupada.
If we therefore apply the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, we would conclude that Srila Prabhupada established himself as the diksa Guru for ISKCON in 1966, sent out a directive that he would continue as such, and never stated anything to the contrary. The only thing the author has applied thus far is a whole string of false and speculative statements, tied together by attacks on Srila Prabhupada for maybe having faults, and on his orders for being insignificant.
So in conclusion, though the author had titled his attack on Srila Prabhupada as being the 'tragic case of Bhakta v Bhakta', in reality it should be titled the 'tragic case of 'Bhakta v. Guru', since he who is supposed to be a Bhakta has gone AGAINST his Guru, because he wishes to be Guru himself.