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Re: Sannyasa Gurus (was Re: The New Guru System)


Dear Guy,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

>I have read your eloquent defense of the ritvik system.

  It's not a "defense of the ritvic system" at all. It's a historical
  account of ISKCON till now.

>But I am wondering a little bit about your own situation in this regard.
>Specifically, I wonder about your sannyasa.

>Sannyasa, as Prabhupada often stated, is not necessary for preaching.

  He said this but he also gave sannyasa to so many young men because "this
  was necessary for preaching..."

>His grihastha disciples did in London what the Gaudiya Math sannyasis
>could not do.

  There is no difference in Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement.

>Meanwhile, if there is no self-effulgent acharya available just now, and a
>ritvik connection to Prabhupada is sufficient to take one back to Godhead,
>I wonder what is the necessity for a ritvik-vadi to call himself a
>sannyasi?  By whose authority is your sannyasa given?

  I took sannyasa from Srila Prabhupada on Radhastami in Vrndavana in
  1993.

>If the answer is that a currently living devotee decided that you were
>eligible for sannyasa, then in order to call yourself a sannyasi you are
>accepting that devotee's authority over your own, and in an important
>sense accepting that devotee as your guru, whatever else you may call the
>relationship.

  I have a real, tangible relationship with Srila Prabhupada through
  reading his books, listening to his classes and trying with all my
  energy to serve him and follow his instructions. After all Srila 
  Prabhupada said, "If you want to know me, read my books."

>And if the answer is that you gave yourself sannyasa on Prabhupada's
>order, and that you are his sannyasi rather than the disciple of a living
>sannyasa-guru, then what is the mechanism to prevent any pretender from
>calling himself a sannyasi even if he has no qualifications and is not
>submitting himself to another Vaishnava to receive sannyasa?  Did
>Prabhupada want to see such chaos in his society?

  There is no such mechanism, nor has there ever been one. We have seen
  so many rascal sannyasis create chaos. One has to test the qualities of
  someone according to guru, sadhu and shastra, then you can know if
  someone is qualified or not.

  I am sure you are aware that Srila Bhaktsiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja took
  sanyassa from Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura after Bhaktivinode had left his
  body.

>Sannyasa is not necessary to go back to Godhead.

  No. It's for preaching.

>Prabhupada didn't just let any disciple decide to take sannyasa; he was
>careful about who he accepted.

  He gave sunnyasa to expand the preaching. Generally he gave sunnyasa to
  those who wanted it and were good preachers.

>So it looks rather egotistical for a devotee to say, on the one hand,
>that there are no qualified sannyasis who can accept disciples at
>present, but on the other hand that you are qualified to enter into the
>sannyasa ashram and follow Prabhupada properly.

  Anyone is qualified if they follow Srila Prabhupada's instructions.
  It's not a very difficult thing... But not so many are doing it.

>By deciding that you were qualified to take sannyasa, weren't you placing
>yourself in a position higher than your Godbrothers?  If you had the
>authority to make this decision, weren't you saying that you are more
>qualified than they?  And if you are thus qualified, shouldn't YOU be
>accepting disciples?

  No. It's to preach. ISKCON is not the place to have such discussions at
  the moment [as you well know]. I'm interested in preaching, helping the
  conditioned souls find out something about Krishna... not ISKCON
  politics.

>I apologize if my questions seem a bit blunt.

  It does seem a bit blunt... What's a devotee to do. Srila Prabhupada
  saved me. He is personally present in his books. I have dedicated my
  life, my words, my possessions to serving him. Devotees who know me
  know this. There is no place for me in ISKCON. So I am chanting Hare
  Krishna and preaching by myself. Where's the problem? What else am I to
  do?

>but I am genuinely interested in understanding why a devotee who doesn't
>believe there are sufficiently advanced devotees now present would give
>up the humble position and take sannyasa when it was entirely
>unnecessary, except as a means to bolster his own ego.

  You can judge. But really is it up to you? How can you know why I took
  sannyasa?

>Thanks in advance for your response...


Hare Krishna.

Madhudvisa dasa       .


Thank you. Hare Krishna!

Madhudvisa dasa       
(madhudvisa@krishna.org)     /sudarsana 
                                
All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada!
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