A Global Sanga of Prabhupada Disciples
I have been discussing with Damaghosa, Gauridas Pandit, Yasodananda and others about starting some global sanga. It would be a loose confederation of independent groups or preaching centers and temples whose leaders all agree to sign a spiritual and philosophical manifesto regarding Srila Prabhupada and the siddhanta of guru-tattva.
Dear Madhuvisa prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
It was a pleasure to discover your website recently. I have been off line for a long time, and I rarely ever look at devotee sites because I am always afraid of reading some blasphemy or poison.
It is not that all attempts to cooperate outside of Iskcon have failed. Even as we speak there are many devotees working together successfully outside of ISKCON. They may only be small sangas without much contact with other sangas worldwide but the preaching is definitely going on. Your own website is a good example. I see the names of several devotees who have written nice articles and sent them in. So this is cooperation.
Regarding a well-organized global movement, that is not so easy.
It must begin small and sincere. No big rah rah rah with fancy titles and positions will be enough to revive a global mission unless it is led by a group of pure brahmins or sincere devotees fully committed to Srila Prabhupada’s mission. Adau sraddha, sadhu sanga. I was hearing a tape yesterday, and Srila Prabhupada was saying that most religious leaders and sadhus have doubts about God. They are not fully convinced or fully informed and therefore they can’t fully convince or inform others. I think some one or few among us who at least know the philosophy must become fully fixed up and strong. It is like becoming guru. It requires some qaulification; then only is it successful. Srila Prabhupada empowers us to become gurus or preachers, and he tells us just how to do it when we are purified and surrendered. He has given us the format, and it used to be taken for granted in ISKCON that everyone must abandon personal motive and work as a menial servant of the Acarya. This is real glory, to become the dog of a Vaisnava — not to become a king among beasts who tries to devour the Acarya.
I have been discussing with Damaghosa, Gauridas Pandit, Yasodananda and others about starting some global sanga. It would be a loose confederation of independent groups or preaching centers and temples whose leaders all agree to sign a spiritual and philosophical manifesto regarding Srila Prabhuapda and the siddhanta of guru-tattva. The bottom line is that not everyone is ready to accept Lord Caitanya’s complete mercy in the form of Srila Prabhupada and His mission. Thus so many sahajiya groups will spring up in the West, as they have done in India for hundreds of years.
We should go on patiently hoping for good association and remain determined to stay within our small circle of friends, Who include the Sad-Gosvamis, the Pancatattva, Srinivasa Acarya, Narotamma das Thakura, and the Four Great Acaryas — Bhaktivinode Thakura, Srila Gaura Kisora das Babaji, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and Srila Prabhupada. When we are really relishing this advanced association we will be able to help others get that association. Unless devotees are exclusively devoted to Srila Prabhupada’s mission, they can’t help anyone or themselves. At least about this fact we should have no doubt at all. We should never be fooled by those who claim some higher connection to Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura or those who claim no one can accept Srila Prabhupada directly without a “living guru”.
We are having our first meeting of the Global Vaisnava Sanga (Pacific Northwest) in the mountains of southern Oregon on a big lake in the forest in late July. We are inviting devotees worldwide and will be listing founding members and ritual offices. This won’t be a legal organization, at least not at first.
We would like to make an announcement on Krishna.org tomorrow.
Thank you for creating and maintaining such a glorious, Prabhupada conscious website. Hope you are well.
your servant,
Narasimha das
About the Author
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Hare Krishna,
Iskcon Bangalore still follows the original system of initiation set forth by Srila Prabhupada. If you want I can help you further as Im in touch with them as even I was facing the same problem and they are helping me out.
YS.
Hare Krishna prabhuji. Actually i am serving ISKCON for the past 18 years. Now i think i want to take initiation. I am confused about it as i am not clear of ritvik and ISKCON initiation. But i love Srila Prabhupada more than anything else in this world. My tongue find it hard to glorify any other acharya than Srila Prabhupada. But reading Prabhupad’s book, he stress that one must accept a Guru. But i cant find any Guru that i attracts me. Infact i am carried away with Gaudiya Matha Guru. If i take initiation from him, will i be out of Srila Prabhupad’s parampara? Please advise. Hare Krishna.
Your confused servant,
Punithan Jaganathan
Malaysia
Hare Krishna Punithan
You need to read Srila Prabhupada’s Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-Lila. In there he describes that the Gaudiya Matha has become a disconnected branch of the Caitanya tree because when Srila Bhaktsiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur was leaving his body he did not mention anything about appointing an acharya to take over his position after he left, rather he instructed his leading men to form a GBC to manage the Gaudiya Matha. But when Bhaktsiddhanta disappeared they disobeyed this order and immediately appointed an acharya and it turned out very badly with the so-called acharaya falling down and all the disciples fighting and all becoming so-called acharya’s themselves so the preaching of the Gaudiya Matha stopped. Prabhupada stresses that the Gaudiya Matha are asara, useless, they have no potency to help us advance in Krishna consciousness but they are very expert in destroying our progress in Krishna consciousness.
Prabhupada has forbidden us from reading the Gaudiya Matha books or even visiting their temples. They are very envious of Srila Prabhupada and the followers of Srila Prabhupada.
So taking initiation from the Gaudiya Matha would be a disaster. That would mean rejecting Srila Prabhupada.
But ISKCON can not offer any bona fide acharya either. They have simply followed in the same footsteps as the Gaudiya Matha, although Srila Prabhupada warned them not to, still they have disobeyed Prabhupada’s instructions in regard to initiations in ISKCON, Prabhupada also did not appoint any successor acharyas, rather he appointed 11 ritvik priests who were to initiate disciples on his account, and he established the GBC to manage ISKCON. Unfortunatly as soon as Prabhupada disappeared, just like the Gaudiya Matha, ISKCON immediately lied and said Prabhupada had appointed 11 of them as his successors, the next acharyas… And it also turned out to be a disaster with all these 11 so-called ‘acharyas’ now either fallen down, dead untimely or completely incapacitated. So ISKCON also has become a disconnected branch of the Caitanya tree, asara, useless…
You are like me many years ago. I was also looking for a guru. But finally I realized I already have a guru and so do you. Your guru is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and he is living with you in his books and the more we follow his instructions the more we will feel his real tangible personal presence…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna
I love this site. I’ve recently begun reading posts on this site and I’ve had this excited feeling for two day in the pit of my stomach. To be reading real thoughts from devotees, pure devotees who seem sincere and deeply concerned with Prabhupada’s message of Krishna. I live in Lynchburg, Virginia and don’t know anyone that is a follower of Srila Prabhupada. I am the least qualified and would never dare call myself a devotee but, I want to be and I have no devotees to associate with. This site has been a great inspiration for me and my son, thank you.
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