Imagine if you will, a snow-flake-like round lotus mandala. At the center, all points are visible as extension from the essential core. The flower is One, yet it has distinctive petals. Now, transmorphing our simile; Srila Prabhupada as the center of a lotus-mandala representing the philosophical and practical positions and applications of all the devotees worldwide who have taken up the service of Si Krsna Caitanya Mahapabhu's mission, in all their glorious diversity.
Let us stretch a little further; Imagine a world-wide set of temples of Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON, in which happy brahmanas study and elaborate on the teachings of our pure and powerful Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya, setting a global standard of excellence. The priests daily perform initiations, a baptism of fire, into the cult of eternal service to the perfect Masters, as revealed by the unquestionably perfectfully empowered universal Gurudeva, Srila Prabhupada. These scholarly devotees are fully conversant both with sastra and the spoken directives of Srila Prabhupada.
Sometimes, a devotee will display such fine Vaisnava qualities that many are attracted to his or her association, in fact refusing anything but to take diksa from this perfected devotee. With full blessings and initial support, such an individual and followers can open a center of their own, in which there are no restrictions from GBCs etc. Regularly, they are invited to take prasadam, join the kirtana, perhaps give a class or two for the edification of all the devotees. No one finds fault, no one plays politics, no one is banned, castigated, slandered, interrupted. But they must not , of coure, sit in Srila Prabhupada's Temples to perform their Diksa services etc.We would hope that the humble pure devotees will not leave the Guru's ashrama, but serve his mission exclusively.
We have clear evidence that Srila Prabhupada left a ritvik system, same as we always practiced in Iskcon, and practical necessities of the times reveal the wisdom of these arrangements. At the same time, great devotees such as, we confidently suggest, HDG Gour Govinda Swami, or others, cannot be refused their natural pride of loving disciples, without whom carrrying out their broad preaching programs is impossible. Must there be a conflict?
From the vision of the center of our inner mandala, we see these two otherwise oppositional approaches fully harmonized. there is no incongruence, no opposition, when the mission of Srila Prabhupada is made the center. This harmonizing centrist position disposes of the entire mal-vision of seperateness.
What has been downgraded by calling it "soft ritvik" is actually the position of harmonizing the incongruent. This understanding, as best I have understood Srila Prabhupada's desires, is the only understanding which takes everybody into account, in the absolute.
Hard ritvik may be troublesome, misleading, as it denies the natural appearance of great devotees, leading to difficult divorces, stolen property, and lengthy proceedings. An example is the splintering and fighting amongst some of the American Prabhupadanugas due to acceptance or reject-ance of Gour Govinda Swami, with consequent blasphemy and inter-factional rifting.
On the other hand, in Kali yuga, the many sannyasis etc. proving unequal to the task of guruship, reveals the cheating propensity in operation, with the results as we observe in Iskcon today.
Seeing from the eyepoint of the snow-flake branches, the other arms appear seperate. But the Prabhupada-centred hamonists' position resolves all the issues. The branches are part and parcel of the purpose of the snowflake, same and different simultaneously. Seeming contradictions are resolved, and made harmonious again in serving Srila Prabhupada's purposes. Therefore this position should be accepted and instituted immediately, before the whole she-bang gets buried further under life-blood-draining sectarianisms.
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pamho agtACBSP
Prabhupada: “This is parampara system. You cannot jump over. You must go through the parampara system. You have to approach through your spiritual master to the Gosvamis, and through the Gosvamis you will have to approach Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and through Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu you have to approach Krsna. This is the way.
Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura said, ei chay gosai jar—tar mui das. We are servant of servant. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s instruction, gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah. The more you become servant of the servant, the more you are perfect.
And if you all of a sudden want to become master, then you go to hell. That’s all. Don’t do that. This is the teaching of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If you go through the servant, servant, servant, then you are advanced. And if you think that you have now become master, then you are going to hell. This is the process. Dasa-dasanudasah.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu said. So servant, servant, servant, a hundred times servant now, that means he is advanced. He is advanced. And one who is becoming directly master, then he is in the hell.
So anarpita-carim cirat. So we should always remember the instruction of Srila Rupa Gosvami. Therefore we pray, sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale. Our mission is to establish the desire of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 1.4
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Mayapur, March 28, 1975
Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.18.9
svasty astu viśvasya khalaḥ prasīdatāṁ
dhyāyantu bhūtāni śivaṁ mitho dhiyā
manaś ca bhadraṁ bhajatād adhokṣaje
āveśyatāṁ no matir apy ahaitukī
SYNONYMS
svasti—auspiciousness; astu—let there be; viśvasya—of the entire universe; khalaḥ—the envious (almost everyone); prasīdatām—let them be pacified; dhyāyantu—let them consider; bhūtāni—all the living entities; śivam—auspiciousness; mithaḥ—mutual; dhiyā—by their intelligence; manaḥ—the mind; ca—and; bhadram—calmness; bhajatāt—let it experience; adhokṣaje—in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond the perception of mind. intelligence and senses; āveśyatām—let it be absorbed; naḥ—our; matiḥ—intelligence; api—indeed; ahaitukī—without any motive.
TRANSLATION
May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other’s welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him.
PURPORT
The following verse describes a Vaiṣṇava:
vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca
kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo
vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ
Just like a desire tree, a Vaiṣṇava can fulfill all the desires of anyone who takes shelter of his lotus feet. Prahlāda Mahārāja is a typical Vaiṣṇava. He prays not for himself, but for all living entities—the gentle, the envious and the mischievous. He always thought of the welfare of mischievous persons like his father, Hiraṇyakaśipu. Prahlāda Mahārāja did not ask for anything for himself; rather, he prayed for the Lord to excuse his demoniac father. This is the attitude of a Vaiṣṇava, who always thinks of the welfare of the entire universe.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and bhāgavata-dharma are meant for persons who are completely free of envy (parama-nirmatsarāṇām). Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja prays in this verse, khalaḥ prasīdatām: “May all the envious persons be pacified.” The material world is full of envious persons, but if one frees himself of envy, he becomes liberal in his social dealings and can think of others’ welfare. Anyone who takes up Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engages himself completely in the service of the Lord cleanses his mind of all envy (manaś ca bhadraṁ bhajatād adhokṣaje). Therefore we should pray to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva to sit in our hearts. We should pray, bahir nṛsiṁho hṛdaye nṛsiṁhaḥ: “Let Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva sit in the core of my heart, killing all my bad propensities. Let my mind become clean so that I may peacefully worship the Lord and bring peace to the entire world.”
courtesy NK dasi, Gour Purnim, 2012.