Some reflections on initiation, by Nitai Das
Premananda Dasa
The Truth is Out There
Many of us who were originally drawn to the bhakti tradition of India were
first introduced to that school by the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness (ISKCON) through the efforts of its founder/acharya, 108 A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Prabhupada worked tirelessly circling the
globe to bring the message of Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavata Purana, Caitanya
Caritamrta, Isopanisad and many other sanskrit texts in the Vaisnava
tradition to people around the world. In a span of a little over a decade,
he was able to instill in many thousands on six continents a fervor for the
practices of bhakti and hari-nama-sankirtana, which is the recommended yajna
(sacrifice) for this current age of strife (kali yuga). ISKCON is a totally
separate organization from an earlier organization originally known as
Gaudiya Math. Prabhupada studied with the founder of that organization,
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami, whom was a son of the famous Vaisnava
from West Bengal, Bhaktivinode Thakur. It is our understanding that he also
studied with other Vaisnava scholars in Vrndavana, District Mathura, Uttar
Pradesh, India. What some of us witnessed within ISKCON was influences both
from the Gaudiya Math and from the babaji community. Although just about all
of the sannyasis Prabhupada initiated into that order among his disciples
were brought into the tridandi order (whose members wear saffron colored
cloth), one disciple in Chicago in 1975 was initiated into the babaji order,
whose members wear white cloth. In the sampradaya (disciplic succession)
coming from Sri Krsna Caitanya, which has four main branches, the tridandi
order is only found in ISKCON and the various offshoots of the original
Gaudiya Math. It originates in the Madhva sampradaya in South India.
ISKCON publishes in its books a disciplic succession that is utterly
improbable from a historic standpoint. That succession also traces back in
time before Sri Krsna Caitanya to Madhvacarya and back to Lord Brahma. The
standard within the disciplic successions coming from Caitanya is to trace
back only to one of four of his associates (since historians and scholars
agree that Caitanya did not make any disciples personally, but rather
delegated that authority), Nityananda Prabhu, Advaitacarya, Sri Gadadhara
and Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami. Our sampradaya won recognition as a
legitimate fifth Vaisnava sampradaya when Baladeva Vidyabhusana successfully
defended his new Govinda Bhasya commentary on the Vedanta Sutras.
Therefore, on account of those apparent missing links in the chain, some of
us went out and found branches on the Caitanya tree coming from one of those
four original main branches to become affiliated with and to obtain diksa
(initiation) and siksa from them. It is our opinion that it is better to err
on the side of caution, considering the seriousness nature of getting
initiation via the proper recognized channels. After Prabhupada passed on to
higher realms and left this earthly plane, there were those who took our
path and others that sought refuge at the offshoots of the original Gaudiya
Math, and yet others that took some other path. And some remained behind
within the institution known as ISKCON.
It is not our purpose to detract from any mahatma’s (great soul’s )
accomplishments nor to say that we are in any position to judge how advanced
in bhakti any one person may or may not be. In those matters the scriptures
spell out how to recognize such persons and ultimately our own consciences
have to be our guides in choosing a guru. We are only concerned that the
truth be known, so that others can judge for themselves which direction to
take.
So I pen this awkward effort at in introduction to a series of articles by
Neal Delmonico, Ph.D., my colleague and friend of many years.
- M.R.D.
Some reflections on Initiation
By Neal Delmonico
© Copyright 1999, All Rights Reserved
March 19, 1999
Recently, among the many other projects I have started and not finished, I
have been been working on Visvanatha Cakravartin's Krsna-bhavanamrta, a
delightful poem embodying raganuga bhakti. The very first verse of the text
contains the word parampara, which, among other things, may be translated
disciplic succession. The verse reads like this in my translation:
I surrender to the rain-cloud Krsna Caitanya, who instantly destroys the
world of darkness and refreshes the whole world through the successions of
showers of his beauty like the beauty of millions of gods of love.
(Krsna-bhavanamrta, 1.1)
It is a nice image. Caitanya is like a rain cloud pouring down his beauty
like rain on a thirsty world. Imposed on this rather poetic, natural view is
the word succession (parampara). It seems to spoil everything. Rain clouds
rain indiscriminately, but in Visvanatha's verse he has left the natural
order and imposed the idea of succession on the image. Since it doesn't fit
the image very easily, he must have had a very good reason for it. Or
perhaps the image should be one of lines or bands of rain moving across the
landscape the way one sometimes sees them in the summer, an intense,
dark-blue downpour soaking a particular area, but leaving the surrounding
areas dry. However one imagines it, the meaning seems clear: Caitanya's
shower of beauty or light (kanti) is mediated through successions and for us
in the Caitanya community this means disciplic successions. This verse
reminded me of an insipid little book that was sent to me recently. Written
by someone named Tripurari (what kind of a Vaisnava name is this, anyway),
it was called Sri Guru Parampara:Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, heir to
the esoteric life of Kedarnatha Bhaktivinoda. The book is full of goofy
errors, sophistry, and misunderstandings, but criticizing that worthless
little book is not the point of this essay. The author, however, claims that
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had received diksa (initiation) in the Gaudiya
sampradaya and this reminded me of my own parting of ways with ISKCON.
The main reason for my departure from ISKCON was that I came to believe (and
I still do) that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had never received proper
initiation into the sampradaya. This revelation absolutely shook my world to
pieces. I remember sitting on the roof of ISKCON's Vrindaban guest house the
following day sadly watching the sun come up. It seemed like a different sun
and the world I saw was a strange, frightening one. For weeks I had no idea
what I was going to do. The man who broke the news to me was Dr. Kapoor,
elder savant of the Caitanya Vaisnava tradition and former member of the
Gaudiya Math. He himself had found genuine initiation outside the
organization of Bhaktisiddhanta. Even though I greatly respected Dr. Kapoor,
I refused to accept what seemed to me to be extremely bad news on his word
alone. I interviewed others and did my own research, but every where I
turned I found the course led to the same unbelievable conclusion.
Bhaktisiddhanta had been refused initiation by Gaura Kisora Das Babaji and
he had insulted his father's guru, Bipin Bihari Goswami. His enormous ego
and rather sharp tongue closed the doors of Krsna's realm to him and to
those who have depended on him. When he was called on his lack of initiation
by one of the Caitanya tradition's greatest scholar-practitioners of the
century, Pandita Ramakrsna Das Baba, who was universally respected and
honored by Vaisnavas of all sampradayas, he turned his venom on the babas
who were following the only recognized form of renunciation in the Caitanya
tradition. This has had a profound effect on the functioning of Gaudiya Math
and all its children, one among which is ISKCON. More will be said about
this side of the problem in future installments of this essay.
Why did I come to believe that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was never
initiated? This was universally the reason ex-members of the Gaudiya Math
gave for their own departures from that organization. I had always been told
that after the death of Bhaktisiddhanta, the Gaudiya Math disintegrated as a
result of politics and greed. The actual impetus I learned was the discovery
of the inauthenticity of Bhaktisiddhanta's initiation. The man who began the
fracture of the GM was Puri Das Goswami, the leader of the GM picked by
Bhaktisiddhanta himself, and his reason was precisely his own discovery of
the flaw in the parampara. He called the members together, especially the
sannyasis, and informed them that their efforts were in vain. Without the
proper initiation of their teacher, the mantras he gave them were useless.
He advised them to go home and get married. Their pursuit of sannyasa was a
waste of time. Most of all he advised them that for their own spiritual good
they go get properly initiated. This I heard from several aged Vaisnavas in
Vrindaban and Nabadvip who knew Puri Das and who left along with him or some
time shortly afterwards. In addition, I did a little research on my own.
During one of my visits to Nabadwip I visited the bhajana kutir/mandira of
Gaura Kishora Das Babaji and spoke with the pujari there. I asked him if he
knew whether Gaura Kishora Das Babaji had any initiated disciples. His
answer, after consulting with some of the other elders of the compound, was
that, as far as he knew, there were only four, a married couple of modest
means and two others, agriculturalists, none of whom were Bhaktisiddhanta.
How he knew this and how reliable his testimony is, I don't know. It may be
worthless, but in conjunction with the other evidence it lends support to
the thesis that all that Bhaktisiddhanta got from Gaura Kishora Das Babaji
was a little dust sprinkled on his head.
The third bit of evidence comes from an eye witness account. Tripurari
claims that there were witnesses to Bhaktisiddhanta's initiation (p. 37). He
doesn't mention who they were or even how he knows there were witnesses. We
are expected, I suppose, to accept it on his authority. His authority is
useless, however, and unless he has some evidence, we can treat the witness
claim with the doubt it deserves. The eyewitnesses I know of and from whom I
heard were eyewitness to Bhaktisiddhanta's admission before Pandita
Ramakrsna Das Baba that he had not received initiation from Gaura Kishora
Das Babaji. Bhaktisiddhanta was in the habit of visiting Pandita Babaji
during his visits to Vrindaban since he was without a doubt the most
respected of the Caitanya Vaishnavas of the 1920s and 1930s. On one occasion
Bhaktisiddhanta was highly praising Gaura Kishora Das in Pandita Baba's
presence. Pandita Baba asked him if he had received initiation from him.
Bhaktisiddhanta said he had received it in a dream. Pandita Babaji said that
that was fine, but he should receive it in the flesh since that is the only
type of initiation accepted in the Caitanya tradition. Bhaktisiddhanta said
he would and ended the visit. A few years later Siddhanta returned to
Vrindaban, now the acharya of the Gaudiya Math, a famous man. He visited
Pandita Babaji and was asked again if he had gotten initiation from Gaura
Kishora Das Baba. His answer was the same, at which point Pandita Baba got
extremely angry with him for making disciples without proper initiation.
Pandita Babaji threw him out of the ashrama and Bhaktisiddhanta, fearing
damage to his reputation, began his calumny of the Vrindaban babas and
forbade his disciples from associating with them. This account was given to
me by Advaita Das Baba (I'm unsure if this is the correct name of this baba
after all these years) in Govardhan who said he was witness to the
admission. Advaita Das Baba, then quite old and once the siksa disciple of
the great smarana teacher Manohar Das Baba of Govardhan, assured me that I
had nothing to fear from the anger of Bhaktivedanta which I knew I would
incur if I left ISKCON and sought shelter at the feet of Kishorikishorananda
Das Baba. His exact words were "such anger is powerless". I took my leap of
faith shortly thereafter and have never looked back with any regret.
Does all this prove that Bhaktisiddhanta did not receive initiation? I think
not, not conclusively, at any rate. It does however shroud the whole affair
in suspicion and doubt and with initiation, such an important step in one's
return to Krsna, one needs certainty. My advice to ISKCON-men and women and
to ex-ISKCON-men and women and to non- ISKCON-men and women is this: get
yourselves properly initiated. There are several members of Vaisnava
parampara around whose lineages are undisputed. We are compiling a list of
such Vaisnavas on this site along with contact information when available.
Appeal to them for an authentic taste of the beauty of Sri Krsna Caitanya.
Next month: The second part of the argument: phenomenological evidence that
ISKCON has no authentic initiation. Has it really been successful? Has
anyone become advanced? What role does the holy name play in the society? Is
all of this consistent with the idea that the inner door is bolted closed?
Premada
While I disagree with your theories, it is always nice to see that people are
pushing the boundaries of accepted fact in pursuance of truth. The issues of
Diksa/Siksa, so many people are avoiding altogether, though it is of central
importance to our devotional lives.
At any rate, here is a small article. It proves nothing conclusively, but
makes for interesting reading on the subject of the relationship between
Gaurakisore Dasa Babaji and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura.
----
"There was a disciple of Prabhupada (BSST) named Rama-Govinda Vidyaratna who
was a scholar of Vedanta, the Srimad Bhagavatam, and all the scriptures. He
was a very good devotee and later became Niami Maharaja. Once, he desired to
have darsana of Prabhupadas Guru, Srila Gaurakisore dasa Babaji Maharaja, and
Guruji (Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja) also wanted to go; so taking
Prabhupadas permission, they went. At that time, to avoid the trouble that
ordinary people were giving him, Babaji Maharaja had locked himself in an
abandoned latrine for some time and was just chanting "Hare Krsna, Hare
Krsna..."
The news reached the district magistrate and the police superintendant , and at
once they all came running there. Seeing that the door was locked from inside,
they approached with folded hands and said "Babaji Maharaja, we will contruct
you a very nice hut for bhajana."
However, he replied "No, this is very nice."
"Why?"
"Because the stench of the lust of materialistic people does not come here. I
prefer the stench of stool to that."
"All right, Maharaja, we will supply you with one boy to keep those people away
from you."
Day and night they were trying to pursuade him to come out, but he would only
say that "For me, this is Vaikuntha." So many times they asked him to please
open the door, but time and again he would reply. "I am not well, I am unable
to do it." He would not open the door for those people, and he just continued
chanting "Hare Krsna, Hare krsna.."
Then Guruji approached the door and said "Babaji Maharaja, we are disciples of
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati." Hearing the name of Prabhupada, Babaji Maharaja at
once stood up. Opening the door, he let them in and again locked the door.
The two boys offered pranama and grasping the feet of Babaji Maharaja, Guruji
said, "Please give us your blessings."
Then Babaji Maharaja told him "I will take all of your hardships and
impediments away so you can always perform bhajana freely - this is my
blessings." Later on, Guruji would say on many occasions that although
difficulties may have come to him from time to time, by the mercy of Babaji
Maharaja nothing could ever disturb him.
- An excerpt from "Shower of Love", a collection of tours and talks by Sri
Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja
Ys
Muralidhara Dasa
M. Tandy
The late afternoon/ early evening, when the cows are led home
from their pastures, is called "go-dhUli-kAla" (cow-dust time), for the
many herds of cows all moving at once stir up quite a bit of dust.
go-dhUli-dhUsarita-komala-gopa-veza
gopAla-bAlaka-zatair anugamyamAnam
sAyantane prati-gRhaM pazu-bandhanArthaM
gacchantam acyuta-zizuM praNato 'smi nityam
"I eternally prostrate myself before the Infallible Lord, who
comes in the guise of an ordinary cowherd child. His soft, tender limbs
are covered in the dust upraised by the hooves of all the cows He herds,
and he is accompanied by hundreds of cowherd boys as He returns every
evening to each house in Braj to tether the cows into their sheds."
This is an old Sanskrit verse which has been attributed to the
early medieval poet Bilvamangala, Lilasuka (14th CE?). But it's quite
possible that someone even before him actually wrote it; the themes of
traditional vaisnava poetry are remarkably consistent throughout history.
The above verse represents the early evening, when Krishna comes
home after grazing His father's cows. This is always an exciting time for
all the residents of Vrindavana, even though it is repeated daily, for as
Shrila Prabhupada says, the appearance of the Lord is always a festive
occasion (BhAgavatam, 9.20.37, 9.24.65). The VrajavAsIs, especially the
gopis, have been anxiously thinking of Krishna all day long, worrying
about His tender, pinkish lotus feet being bruised by the sharp rocks and
thorns of VRndAvana's pastures:
"The gopIs always thought of the Lord's lotus feet when He was
walking in the pasturing grounds, and, as described in the previous verse,
simply by thinking of the Lords lotus feet, the gopIs were fully absorbed
in transcendence (aviSTa-cetA na bhavAya kalpate). Like the gopIs, one who
is always absorbed in thought of the Lord is beyond the material platform
and will not remain in this material world. It is our duty, therefore,
always to hear, chant and think about the Lord's lotus feet, as actually
done by VaiSNavas who have decided to live in VRndAvana always and think
of the Lord's lotus feet twenty-four hours a day." (BhAgavatam,
10.2.38, purport)
Nanda and Yashoda also send some of the taller gopis up to the
Candra-shala (a small structure on the roof wherein one can view the moon)
to look for Krishna, so that the girls might inform them as soon as
Krishna has been spotted (BhAgavatam, 10.35.23, purport). In general,
everyone is very anxious for the Lord's speedy and safe return home.
Thus, when it is time to milk the cows, Krishna and Balarama,
accompanied by their gopa friends, return home at this go-dhUli-kAla. The
Supreme Lord BhagavAn Krishna, being covered with the Divine dust of the
hooves of from the cows of Vraja, is bathed affectionately by His mother,
who then dresses Him comfortably in clean clothes and ornaments. Some
temples with a higher standard of worship therefore also do this for the
Deity form of the Lord every evening. The two transcendental brothers
Krishna and Balarama then sit down to relax and enjoy Their evening meal
(this is known as "ByArU") which has been prepared by Yashoda, RohiNI, and
other gopIs.
In Krishna book (or maybe it was Nectar of Devotion, I don't
remember now) Srila Prabhupada describes Krishna and Balarama's return
home as follows:
"When KRSNa, BalarAma, and Their friends entered the village of
VRndAvana, They played Their flutes, and the boys praised Their uncommon
activities in the forest. Their faces were decorated with tilaka and
smeared with the dust raised by the cows, and KRSNa's head was decorated
with a peacock feather. Both He and BalarAma played Their flutes, and the
young gopIs were joyous to see KRSNa returning home. All the gopIs in
VRndAvana remained very morose on account of KRSNa's absence. All day they
were thinking of KRSNa in the forest or of Him herding cows in the
pasture. When they saw KRSNa returning, all their anxieties were
immediately relieved, and they began to look at His face the way drones
hover over the honey of the lotus flower. When KRSNa entered the village,
the young gopIs smiled and laughed. KRSNa, while playing the flute,
enjoyed the beautiful smiling faces of the gopIs. Then KRSNa and BalarAma
were immediately received by Their affectionate mothers, YazodA and
RohiNI, who, according to the time's demands, began to fulfill the desires
of their affectionate sons. Simultaneously, the mothers rendered service
and bestowed benediction upon their transcendental sons. They took care of
their children by bathing Them and dressing Them very nicely. KRSNa was
dressed in yellowish garments, and BalarAma was dressed in bluish
garments, and They were given all sorts of ornaments and flower garlands.
Being relieved of the fatigue of Their day's work in the pasturing ground,
They looked refreshed and very beautiful. They were given palatable dishes
by Their mothers, and They pleasantly ate everything. After eating, They
were seated nicely on clean bedding, and the mothers began to sing various
songs of Their activities. As soon as They sat down on the bedding, They
very quickly fell fast asleep. In this way, KRSNa and BalarAma used to
enjoy VRndAvana life as cowherd boys." everyone is very much anxious for
the Lord's speedy and safe return home.
Thus, when it is time to milk the cows, Krishna and Balarama,
accompanied by their gopa friends, return home at this go-dhUli-kAla. The
Supreme Lord BhagavAn Krishna, being covered with the Divine dust of the
hooves of from the cows of Vraja, is bathed affectionately by His mother,
who then dresses Him comfortably in clean clothes and ornaments. Some
temples with a higher standard of worship therefore also do this for the
Deity form of the Lord every evening. The two transcendental brothers
Krishna and Balarama then sit down to relax and enjoy Their evening meal
(this is known as "ByArU") which has been prepared by Yashoda, RohiNI, and
other gopIs.
In Krishna book (or maybe it was Nectar of Devotion, I don't
remember now) Srila Prabhupada describes Krishna and Balarama's return
home as follows:
"When KRSNa, BalarAma, and Their friends entered the village of
VRndAvana, They played Their flutes, and the boys praised Their uncommon
activities in the forest. Their faces were decorated with tilaka and
smeared with the dust raised by the cows, and KRSNa's head was decorated
with a peacock feather. Both He and BalarAma played Their flutes, and the
young gopIs were joyous to see KRSNa returning home. All the gopIs in
VRndAvana remained very morose on account of KRSNa's absence. All day they
were thinking of KRSNa in the forest or of Him herding cows in the
pasture. When they saw KRSNa returning, all their anxieties were
immediately relieved, and they began to look at His face the way drones
hover over the honey of the lotus flower. When KRSNa entered the village,
the young gopIs smiled and laughed. KRSNa, while playing the flute,
enjoyed the beautiful smiling faces of the gopIs. Then KRSNa and BalarAma
were immediately received by Their affectionate mothers, YazodA and
RohiNI, who, according to the time's demands, began to fulfill the desires
of their affectionate sons. Simultaneously, the mothers rendered service
and bestowed benediction upon their transcendental sons. They took care of
their children by bathing Them and dressing Them very nicely. KRSNa was
dressed in yellowish garments, and BalarAma was dressed in bluish
garments, and They were given all sorts of ornaments and flower garlands.
Being relieved of the fatigue of Their day's work in the pasturing ground,
They looked refreshed and very beautiful. They were given palatable dishes
by Their mothers, and They pleasantly ate everything. After eating, They
were seated nicely on clean bedding, and the mothers began to sing various
songs of Their activities. As soon as They sat down on the bedding, They
very quickly fell fast asleep. In this way, KRSNa and BalarAma used to
enjoy VRndAvana life as cowherd boys."
There is a beautiful Brajabuli song composed by one devotee, a
disciple of Srinivasacarya named Mohana dasa, which also describes the
Lord's return home at dusk from the cowherd pastures (Pada-kalpataru,
1209):
bana-saGe Aota nanda-dulAla
godhUli-dhUsara zyAma-kalevara
AjAnu-lambita vana-mAlA //
ghana-ghana zRGga- veNu-rava zunaIte
barajavAsi-gaNa dhAy /
maGgala-thAri dIpa kare vadhU-gaNa
mandira-dvAre dARAy //
pItAmbara-dhara mukha jini vidhu-vara
nava-maJjarI avataMsa /
cURA-mayUra zikhaNDaka-maNDita
bAyaI mohana-vaMza //
barajavAsi-gaNa bAla-vRddha-jana
animikhe mukha-zazi heri /
bhukhila-cakora cANda janu pAola
mandire nA calaye pheri //
go-gaNa sabahuN goThe parabezala
mandire calu nanda-lAla /
Akula panthe yazomatI Aola
mohana-bhaNita rasAla //
"Nanda-dulala, the beloved son of Nanda, comes back from the cow
pasture. His blackish form sprinkled with the dust kicked up by the cows'
hooves, (He wears) a garland of forest flowers which reaches to His knees.
Hearing the sound of the cowherd boys' horns and flutes, the Brajavasis
come running. Standing in the doorways of their houses, all the ladies
wave plates of lamps to greet Krishna, who wears yellow garments. His face
vanquishes the beauty of the full moon. He wears a fresh ManjarI blossom
on His ear, a peacock feather in the crown of His topknot, and plays upon
His enchanting flute. All the Brajabasis, young and old, behold Him with
unblinking eyes, like thirsty partridges upon finding the moon*; they
can't bear to return to their houses. All the cows enter their respective
sheds, and Nanda-lala walks home. Utterly delighted, Yashomati comes out
to meet Him on the path. Relishable is this song of Mohana."
*(Cakora birds are said to subsist on moonbeams.)
Among many, many others, there is a very similar description in
the Srimad Bhagavatam (10.15.41 through 46), which might even be the basis
of both of the above poems. The following verse (42) suggests this:
taM gorajaz-churita-kuntala-baddha-barha-
vanya-prasUna-rucirekSaNa-cAru-hAsam
veNuM kvaNantam anugair upagIta-kIrtiM
gopyo didRkSita-dRzo 'bhyagaman sametAH
"Lord KRSNa's hair, powdered with the dust raised by the cows, was
decorated with a peacock feather and forest flowers. The Lord glanced
charmingly and smiled beautifully, playing upon His flute while His
companions chanted His glories. The gopIs, all together, came forward to
meet Him, their eyes very eager to see Him."
We can thus think of Krishna and His devotees in the afternoon,
instead of thinking of whatever usually engages us every afternoon. The
basic principle of Krishna consciousness is to always remember Lord
Krishna and never forget Him. If we try to always remember Lord Krishna,
Krishna will always help us to do so, as the essential four verses of the
Bhagavad-gItA (10.8-11) teach us. The help of so many other devotees is
also available. Srila Prabhupada in his many books, and so many previous
AcAryas, as well as VyAsadeva in the Srimad BhAgavatam, have given us
so many of their realizations for us to take shelter of. And when we share
such mercy with others, it also becomes solidified within our own hearts!
MT
M. Tandy
> first introduced to that school by the International Society for Krishna
> Consciousness (ISKCON) through the efforts of its founder/acharya, 108 A.C.
> Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Prabhupada worked tirelessly circling the
> globe to bring the message of Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavata Purana, Caitanya
> Caritamrta, Isopanisad and many other sanskrit texts in the Vaisnava
> tradition to people around the world. In a span of a little over a decade,
> he was able to instill in many thousands on six continents a fervor for the
> practices of bhakti and hari-nama-sankirtana, which is the recommended yajna
> (sacrifice) for this current age of strife (kali yuga). ISKCON is a totally
> separate organization from an earlier organization originally known as
> Gaudiya Math. Prabhupada studied with the founder of that organization,
> Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami, whom was a son of the famous Vaisnava
> from West Bengal, Bhaktivinode Thakur.
"studied with," which smells distinctly academic; I've no doubt it's a
characterization of his relationship which Srila Prabhupada would prefer.
> Although just aboutall
> of the sannyasis Prabhupada initiated into that order among his disciples
> were brought into the tridandi order (whose members wear saffron colored
> cloth), one disciple in Chicago in 1975 was initiated into the babaji order,
> whose members wear white cloth.
As was well understood at the time, that Srila Prabhupada offered
him this opportunity because he had a terminal illness. Many of us also
assumed even then that Srila Prabhupada fully expected him to do what he
eventually did with that opportunity; Prabhupada engaged him as an example
to any other would-be babajis that would otherwise likely have popped up.
To no one's surprise, this "babaji" fairly soon fell down from devotional
service when he realized that his condition wasn't terminal after all. As
far as I know, he never returned.
> ISKCON publishes in its books a disciplic succession that is utterly
> improbable from a historic standpoint.
This is of course consonant with most other Vedic literatures,
as it is with most other Indian traditions too.
It is our opinion that it is better to err
> on the side of caution,
Hmmm. I'm afraid I must say that some of the comments I've herein
deleted don't look very "cautious" at all.
> It is not our purpose to detract from any mahatma’s (great soul’s )
> accomplishments nor to say that we are in any position to judge how advanced
> in bhakti any one person may or may not be.
This comment too, I find surprising. The former Nitaidasa
displayed precisely this hardihood before Srila Prabhupada. Deleted here
(out of consideration for more well-mannered readers) are some more recent
examples he provides of this tendency, which he evidently hasn't yet been
able to shake off in the many years since he knowingly offended his guru.
With respect,
MT