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Dipikapedia The online Encyclopedia of guru-tattva SRILA PRABHUPADA QUOTES ON GURU-TATTVA a public service for followers of Srila Prabhupada Everyone is invited to send in quotes, see contact at bottom of page [updated- The pure devotee is equipoised, 23 more quotes added on topic of "presence of guru is immaterial"] Companion Dipikapedia website: discussions TABLE OF CONTENTS QUOTES FOR CURRENT GURU SYSTEM- THE
GIVEN ORDER FOR SIKSA (INSTRUCTING) GURUS : THE MANY KINDS OF SIKSA GURUS- THE PERMANENTLY LIBERATED DIKSA GURU- LESS THAN UTTAMA GURUS WHO TAKE DISCIPLES DIKSA GURU MUST BE QUALIFIED- DIKSA GURU MUST BE ORDERED- STATEMENTS MADE BY SRILA PRABHUPADA IN 1977- WHO IS THE DISCIPLE A DISCIPLE OF? SRILA
PRABHUPADA’S WILL- THE DEFINITION OF DIKSA WHAT IS REAL INITIATION? THE
PHYSICAL PRESENCE OF DIKSA-GURU IS IMMATERIAL THE
QUALITIES OF A PURE DEVOTEE THE PURE DEVOTEE OF LORD KRISHNA IS ALWAYS PEACEFUL, KIND TO OTHERS, TOLERANT AND EQUIPOISED THE
PURE DEVOTEE IS NEVER IN ILLUSION THE
PURE DEVOTEE NEVER FALLS DOWN THE PURE DEVOTEE IS ALWAYS LIBERATED LORD KRISHNA CONSIDERS HIS DEVOTEES GREATER THAN HIMSELF WE SHOULD COOPERATE AND PUSH ON THIS MOVEMENT ONE MUST FOLLOW THE MAHAJANAS SIKSA GURUS TRANSMIT THE PARAMPARA SRILA PRABHUPADA'S USAGE OF THE TERM "RITVIK" THE COMPANION DIPIKAPEDIA WEBSITE FOR DISCUSSIONS, PHILOSOPHICAL EXPOSITIONS QUOTES USED BY ABSOLUTE GURU ADVOCATES- “But as a matter of etiquette it is the custom that during the lifetime of your Spiritual master you bring the prospective disciples to him, and in his absence or disappearance you can accept disciples without any limitation. This is the law of disciplic succession. I want to see my disciples become bonafide Spiritual Master and spread Krishna consciousness very widely, that will make me and Krishna very happy. (Letter: December 2, 1975) Exposition on this point "So we have got this message from Krsna, from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, from the six Gosvamis, later on, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Thakura. And we are trying our bit also to distribute this knowledge. Now, tenth, eleventh, twelfth... My Guru Maharaja is tenth from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, I am eleventh, you are the twelfth. So distribute this knowledge. Arrival Lecture Los Angeles, May 18, 1972 More later… THE
GIVEN ORDER FOR SIKSA (INSTRUCTING) GURUS : "The
GBC should all be the instructor gurus. I am the initiator guru, and you
should be the instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing
what I am doing." (SP
Letter to Madhudvisa, 4/8/75) "Sometimes
a diksa guru is not present always. Therefore one can take learning,
instruction, from an advanced devotee. That is called the siksa
guru." (SP
Bg. Lecture, 4/7/74, Honolulu) "Instruct
everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krsna as they are given in the
Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual
master and try to liberate everyone in this land." (Cc Madhya
7:128) "It
is best not to accept any disciples. One has to become purified at home
by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and preaching the principles
enunciated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus one can become a spiritual
master and be freed from the contamination of material life." (Cc
Madhya 7:130, purport) THE
MANY KINDS OF SIKSA GURUS- 1. The Guru to show the path- Patha-pradarsaka-guru means "the guru, or the spiritual master, who shows the way." Such a guru is sometimes called siksa-guru.=> SB 4.12.32 2. Father is Guru of children- "But you must make your children immortal. That is the injunction. You have become guru." >Bhagavad-gita 2.15 -- London, August 21, 1973 3. Simply speak of Krsna and you are guru- "This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission. He says, "You become a spiritual master." "How? I have no qualification." "No. You just accept my order?" "So what is your order, sir?" Yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna'-upadesa: [Cc. Madhya 7.128] "You simply speak the instruction of Krsna whoever you meet. Then you become a spiritual master." > Bhagavad-gita 4.15 -- Bombay, April 4, 1974 4. Anyone who knows Krsna is Guru- "Anyone who knows Krsna, he can become guru, not others. So that is the statement of the sastras." > Bhagavad-gita 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 4, 1970 5. Even a coolie can be guru, any man can be guru, it's not difficult at all- "The instruction is there; you simply repeat and let them hear -- you become guru. It is not difficult at all. So that is our preaching. We do not want to become alone guru, but we want to preach in such a way that every, the chief man, or any man, he can become guru in his surroundings. Anyone can do that. Even a coolie, he can also, he has got family, he has got friends, so even though he is illiterate, he can hear the instruction of Krsna, and he can preach the same. This we want." > Bhagavad-gita 7.1 -- Bombay, December 20, 1975 6. The "best not to accept any disciple" guru- One has to learn humility and meekness at home, following the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and in that way one's life will be spiritually successful. One should not try to be an artificially advanced devotee, thinking, "I am a first-class devotee." Such thinking should be avoided. It is best not to accept any disciples. One has to become purified at home by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and preaching the principles enunciated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus one can become a spiritual master and be freed from the contamination of material life. > Madhya 7.13 7. Monitor guru- # 13. [in Easy Journey] He must not take on unlimited disciples. This means that a candidate who has successfully followed the first twelve items can also become a spiritual master himself, just as a student becomes a monitor in class with a limited number of disciples. Easy Journey To Other Planets 1: Antimaterial Worlds 8/3/73
lecture- Just
like a peon has brought a money order for you, thousand dollars. So he's
giving you. So you cannot say, "Oh, here is a peon. He's a poor
man. How he can give me one thousand dollars?" He's not giving; the
money is sent by somebody else. He's simply handing you. Therefore
Caitanya Mahaprabhu
says, amara ajnaya guru haya tara sarva-desa, tara ei desa [Cc. Madhya
7.128]. He's asking everyone to become a spiritual master. So how
everyone can become a spiritual master? A spiritual master must have
sufficient knowledge, so many other qualifications. No. Even without any
qualifications, one can become a spiritual master. How? Now the process
is, Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, amara ajnaya: "On My order."
That is the crucial point. One does not become spiritual master by his
own whims. That is not spiritual master. He must be ordered by superior
authority. Then
he's spiritual master. Amara ajnaya. Just like in our case. Our superior
authority, our spiritual master, he ordered me that "You just try
to preach this gospel, whatever you have learned from me, in
English." So we have tried it. That's all. It is not that I am very
much qualified. The only qualification is that I have tried to execute
the order of superior authority. That's all. This is the secret of
success. vyavasayatmika-buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana bahu-sakha
hy anantas ca buddhir avyavasayinam [Bg.
2.41] Bahu-sakha
hy anantas ca. Vyavasayatmika-buddhih, niscayatmika-buddhih. If
one has got unflinching faith in Krsna and guru, guru-krsna-krpaya...
[Cc. Madhya 19.151]. We have to receive mercy both from the spiritual
master and Krsna. We cannot jump over to Krsna. That is another
nonsense. We must approach Krsna through guru. That is parampara system.
Krsna is not so cheap thing that you can jump over. Somebody says,
"Oh, why shall I accept guru? I can approach Krsna directly."
No. Krsna does not accept such...
Mad-bhaktah pujabhyadhikah. Krsna says that "First of all you
become devotee of My devotee." Caitanya Mahaprabhu says,
gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasa-dasanudasah: "I am the
servant of the servant of the servant of Krsna [Cc. Madhya 13.80]."
This is called parampara
THE PERMANENTLY LIBERATED DIKSA GURU- 8. The spiritual master is always the confidential associate of Srimati Radharani or a manifested representation of Srila Nityananda Prabhu- In all the ancient literatures of devotional service and in the more recent songs of Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and other unalloyed Vaisnavas, the spiritual master is always considered either one of the confidential associates of Srimati Radharani or a manifested representation of Srila Nityananda Prabhu. > Adi 1.47 9. Only such a person who is maha-bhagavata is diksa guru- When one has attained the topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshiped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru. - Madhya 24.330 10. Not unless he has attained the platform of uttama-adhikari- One
should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform
of uttama-adhikari. A neophyte Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the
intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must
be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot
advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his So we see the list from 1 – 7 [above] are gurus who are not required to have high qualifications, they are siksa gurus in the temporary liberation status. Srila Prabhupada orders us all to be such gurus, and "any man [woman] can be guru." The list of 8-10 however, are descriptions of the full diksa maha-bhagavata guru, who is uttama, fully liberated, permanently liberated, and personally ordered to be diksa guru by Srila Prabhupada. There is no difference between the siksa and diksa guru in that they both give the same message, still #'s 1 -7 show that siksa guru may be less than liberated while delivering the perfect message, but 8-9 shows that the diksa guru is always liberated. Prabhupada: Guru-krsna-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. We have to acquire this energy through the mercy of guru and Krsna. So Krsna is within as caitya-guru, and when we are serious He comes out as the spiritual master. Siksa-guru, diksa-guru. So there is no difference between siksa-guru and diksa-guru and Krsna. Krsna manifests Himself externally as siksa-guru and diksa-guru. Go on. > The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1972 LESS THAN UTTAMA GURUS WHO TAKE DISCIPLES The kanistha-adhikari or the madhyama-adhikari devotee can accept disciples, according to Srila Prabhupada, but with unpromising results- “A neophyte Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance.” >>> Ref. VedaBase => NoI: verse 5 Note- Srila Prabhupada says “they cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance.” Also- There are those who become guru by their own initiative, the next quote, but Srila Prabhupada says “His is not a very high grade of devotional service” … and “his devotional service becomes slackened.” “The spiritual master must never be carried away by an accumulation of wealth or a large number of followers. A bona fide spiritual master will never become like that. But sometimes, if a spiritual master is not properly authorized and only on his own initiative becomes a spiritual master, he may be carried away by an accumulation of wealth and large numbers of disciples. His is not a very high grade of devotional service. If a person is carried away by such achievements, then his devotional service becomes slackened. One should therefore strictly adhere to the principles of disciplic succession.” >>> Ref. VedaBase => NoD 14: Devotional Qualifications Note- Srila Prabhupada then says “One should therefore strictly adhere to the principles of disciplic succession.” The principles are that the guru candidate should be ordered to be guru, by his guru, after reaching sufficient qualification.
One
should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform
of uttama-adhikari. A neophyte Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the
intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must
be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot
advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his When one has attained the topmost position of maha-bhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshiped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a guru. - Madhya 24.330 In all the ancient literatures of devotional service and in the more recent songs of Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and other unalloyed Vaisnavas, the spiritual master is always considered either one of the confidential associates of Srimati Radharani or a manifested representation of Srila Nityananda Prabhu. > Adi 1.47 "The
guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service.
There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from
the topmost class. The first-class devotee is the spiritual master for
all kinds of people. It is said, gurur nirnam. The word nirnam means
"of One who defies the authority of guru, cannot become siksa guru or anything else- Prabhupada: (Ignoring question) Because that is offense. Guror avajna. First offense is guror avajna, defying the authority of guru. This is the first offense. So one who is offensive, how he can make advance in chanting? He cannot make. Then everything is finished in the beginning. Guror avajna. Everything is there. If one is disobeying the spiritual master, he cannot remain in the pure status of life. He cannot be siksa-guru or anything else. He is finished, immediately. Guror avajna > Bhagavad-gita 17.1-3 -- Honolulu, July 4, 1974 "Therefore you must follow the regulative principles. As soon as you become a rascal_'Now I have become advanced. I don't require to chant sixteen rounds. I can do whatever I like,' then he has gone to hell. Upstart, immediately he becomes a paramahamsa? He is rascal. He was given the path of becoming paramahamsa. One is admitted in the school, he must learn, and one day he will become M.A. But simply by entering in the school, if he says, 'I am an M.A.,' that is rascaldom. One has to try very rigidly then he'll become paramahamsa. Therefore amongst the devotees, there are three grades: kanistha adhikari, madhyama adhikari, and uttama-adhikari. So if the kanistha-adhikari thinks that 'I have become uttama adhikari,' then he's rascal. He's a rascal. If he wants to imitate the uttama-adhikari, then he's a rascal." (Morning walk, 4 February 1976) Guru must be powerful- “This is risky because when a spiritual master accepts a disciple, he naturally accepts the disciple's sinful activities and their reactions. Unless he is very powerful, he cannot assimilate all the sinful reactions of his disciples and has to suffer the consequences. Therefore one is generally forbidden to accept many disciples.” > Madhya 22.118
"Vallabha
Bhatta wanted to be initiated by Gadadhara Pandita, but Gadadhara
Pandita refused, saying, "The work of acting as a spiritual master
is not possible for me. "I am completely dependent. My Lord is
Gauracandra, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I cannot do anything
independently, without His order." (CC, Antya 7:150-151) "An
actual guru always remains the servant of his own guru and the
predecessor acaryas. Attempting to become a guru without one's own
guru's order is a materialistic ambition. Accepting followers and
circumventing one's own guru is offensive." >>> Ref.
VedaBase => MGM 22-11: A Lost Son "On
the whole, you may know that he is not a liberated person, and
therefore, he cannot initiate any person to Krsna Consciousness. It
requires special spiritual benediction from higher authorities."
(SP Letter to Janardana, 26/4/68) "One
should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master coming in the
disciplic succession, who is authorised by his predecessor spiritual
master. This is called diksa -vidhana." "Indian
man: When did you become spiritual the leader of Krsna Consciousness? Srila
Prabhupada: What is that? Brahmananda:
He is asking when did you become the spiritual leader of Krsna
Consciousness? Srila
Prabhupada: When my Guru Maharaja ordered me. This is the guru
parampara. Indian
man: Did it... Srila Prabhupada: Try to understand. Don't go very speedily. A guru can become guru when he is ordered by his guru. That's all. Otherwise nobody can become guru. " (SP
Bg. Lecture, 28/10/75) "Guru
cannot be self-made. No. There is no such single instance throughout the
whole Vedic literature. And nowadays, so many rascals, they are becoming
guru without any authority. That is not guru. You must be authorised.
Evam parampara-praptam imam ra... As soon as the parampara is...kalena
yogo nasta parantapa, immediately "Self-made
guru cannot be guru. He must be authorized by the bona fide guru. Then
he's guru. This is the fact...Similarly, bona fide guru means he must be
authorized by the superior guru." (SP NOD Lecture, October 31.
1972) "Therefore
guru must be authorized person, not that bhumi-phala-guru. No. I am
guru," no. You cannot become guru unless you are agent to draw out
the mercy water from the ocean of mercy of Krsna. That is guru. And
therefore a guru is not an ordinary person. He is the representative,
bona fide representative of Krsna." (SB Lecture,November 30, 1976) "The
schoolmasters in the modern days are paid agents for giving some
information, but the spiritual master is not a paid agent. Nor can he
impart instruction without being authorized." (SB:2.9.43, purport) "A
Guru can be Guru when he is ordered by his Guru.
That's all. Otherwise
nobody can become Guru." Conversely, a student does not become spiritual master on his own initiative The
spiritual master must never be carried away by an accumulation of wealth
or a large number of followers. A bona fide spiritual master will never
become like that. But sometimes, if a spiritual master is not properly
authorized and only on his own initiative becomes a spiritual
master, he may be carried away by an accumulation of wealth and large The
reason why the GM failed is because they UNAUTHORISEDLY selected an “Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura, at the time of his departure, requested all his
disciples to form a governing body and conduct missionary activities
cooperatively. He did not
instruct a particular man to become the next acarya.
But just after his passing away, his leading secretaries made
plans, without authority, to occupy the post of acarya, and they split
into two factions over who the next acarya would “Why
this Gaudiya Matha failed? Because
they tried to become more than guru. […] They declared some unfit
person to become acarya. Then another Srila
Prabhupada: "He, [Srila Bhaktisiddhanta “Therefore we may not commit the same mistake in our ISKCON camp.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter To Rupanuga, 28/4/74)
STATEMENTS MADE BY SRILA PRABHUPADA IN 1977- The
5/28/77 conversation- Satsvarupa: By the votes of the present GBC. Then
our next question concerns initiations in the future, particularly at
that time when you're no longer with us. We want to know how first and
second initiation would be conducted. Srila Prabhupada: "Yes. That is formality. Because in my presence one should not become guru, so on my behalf. On my order, amara ajnaya guru hana, be actually guru. But on my order." Satsvarupa Maharaja: "So they maybe considered your disciples?" Srila Prabhupada: "Yes, they are disciples but consider... who..." Tamala Krsna Maharaja: "No. He is asking that these ritvik- acaryas, they are officiating, giving diksa, their - the people who they give diksa to - whose disciples are they?" Srila Prabhupada: "They are his disciples." Tamala Krsna Maharaja: "They are his disciples." Srila Prabhupada: "Who is initiating...His grand-disciple..." Satsvarupa Maharaja: "Then we have a question concerning..." Srila Prabhupada: "When I order you become guru, he becomes regular guru. That's all. He becomes disciple of my disciple. Just see." - May 28th – 77. July
9th letter Recently when all of the GBC members were with His
Divine Grace in Vrndavana, Srila Prabhupada indicated that soon He would
appoint some of His senior disciples to act as
"ritvik-representative of the acarya, for the purpose of performing
initiations, both first initiation and second initiation. His Divine
Grace has so far given a list of eleven disciples who will act in that
capacity: In the past Temple Presidents have written to Srila Prabhupada recommending a particular devotee's initiation. Now that Srila Prabhupada has named these REPRESENTATIVES, Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendation for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their temple. After considering the recommendation, these representatives may accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of second initiation, by chanting on the Gayatri thread, just as Srila Prabhupada has done. The newly initiated devotees are disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI PRABHUPADA, the above eleven senior devotees acting as His representative. After the Temple President receives a letter from these representatives giving the spiritual name or the thread, he can perform the fire yajna in the temple as was being done before. The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has accepted him or her to Srila Prabhupada, to be included in His Divine Grace's "Initiated Disciples" book. Srila
Prabhupada’s letter of July 31st 1977 to Hansadutta Maharaja, he says
“Make your own field and continue to become ritvik and act on
my behalf.” Room
conversation JULY 19TH, 1977, Vrndavan (taped), more quotes will be added later..... WHO
IS THE DISCIPLE A DISCIPLE OF? The
new disciple is to be considered His Initiated or Prabhupada:
Yes, I am the spiritual master of this “…a
successor director or directors may be appointed by the remaining
directors, provided the new director is my initiated disciple…”
from Srila Prabhupada’s last Will and Testament. "After
considering the recommendation, these representatives may accept the
devotee as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada.."
from the 7/9/77 letter to the whole society. PRABHUPADA'S
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT “The system of management will continue as it is now and there is no need of any change. Each new executive director for the ISKCON properties must be my initiated disciple." "In
the event of death or failure to act for any reason of any of the said
directors, a successor director or directors may be appointed by the
remaining directors, provided the new director is my initiated disciple
following strictly all note-
According
to Srila Prabhupada's will, all executive directors
must be initiated disciples of Srila Prabhupada. They are the only one's
to be able to One
must only accept one initiating spiritual master. C.C.
Adi Lila 1.35 Purport. "...A devotee must have
Note-
First one must know what is the definition of "diksa" as that
is why we become a disciple of the diksa-guru or one who gives diksa (bonafide
spiritual master). "Diksa
is the process by which one can awaken his transcendental knowledge and
vanquish all reactions caused by sinful activity. A person expert in the
study of the revealed scriptures knows this process as diksa."
(Bhakti-sandarbha 283; C.C. Madhya 15:108 purport) "Diksa
actually means initiating the disciple with transcendental knowledge by
which all material contamination is destroyed." Caitanya "The
spiritual master can be compared to the lower kindling stick, the
disciple to the upper kindling stick, and the instruction given by the
guru to the third stick placed in between. The transcendental knowledge
communicated from guru to disciple is compared to the fire arising from
the contact of these, which burns the darkness of ignorance to ashes,
bringing great happiness both to guru and disciple." (SB 11.10.12) When
a person is serious about accepting diksa, he must be prepared to
practice austerity, celibacy and control of the mind and body. If one is
so prepared and is desirous of receiving spiritual enlightenment (divyam
jnanam), he is fit for being initiated. Divyam jnanam is technically
called tad-vijnana, or knowledge about the Supreme. Tad-vijnanartham sa
gurum evabhigacchet: when one is interested in the transcendental
subject matter of the Absolute Truth, he should be initiated. Such a
person should approach a spiritual master in order to take diksa.
Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.21) One
should not accept a spiritual master without following his instructions.
Nor should one accept a spiritual master just to make a fashionable show
of spiritual life. One must be jijnasu, very much inquisitive to learn
from the bona fide spiritual master. The inquiries one makes should
strictly pertain to transcendental science (jijnasuh sreya uttamam). The
word uttamam refers to that which is above material knowledge. Tama
means "the darkness of this material "The
seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped with "So
anyway, from 1922 to 1933 practically I was not initiated, but I got the
impression of preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu's cult. That I was thinking.
And that was the initiation by my Guru Maharaja." "Physical
presence is immaterial. Presence of the transcendental sound (Letter
to Brahmananda and other students, 19/1/67) (Elevation
to Krsna Consciousness,(BBT 1973), Page 57) "Although
according to material vision His Divine Grace Srila
"Anyone
who has developed unflinching faith in the Lord and the Devotee:
"...so sometimes the Spiritual Master is far away. He may be THE
QUALITIES OF A PURE DEVOTEE In
other words, a Vaisnava who is incessantly thinking of the form of Lord
Krsna is to be known as a pure Vaisnava. NOD - The Lord's Extraordinary
Mercy That pure spiritual conception makes him immune to all contamination of material association. The pure devotee never forgets the touch of the Lord in all circumstances. SB 3.9.33 A pure devotee always engages in the service of the Lord, taking shelter of His lotus feet, and therefore he has a direct connection with the saffron mercy-particles that are strewn over the lotus feet of the Lord. Although when a pure devotee speaks the articulation of his voice may resemble the sound of this material sky, the voice is spiritually very powerful because it touches the particles of saffron dust on the lotus feet of the Lord. As soon as a sleeping living entity hears the powerful voice emanating from the mouth of a pure devotee, he immediately remembers his eternal relationship with the Lord, although up until that moment he had forgotten everything.
SB 4.20.25 The
pure devotee never hankers after any kind of material prosperity.
The karmis, however, or jnanis or yogis endeavor always for their own
personal happiness. SB 4.9.36 However,
a pure devotee never aspires for any kind of material happiness.
The pure devotee is consequently transferred directly to Vaikunthaloka,
which is described here as param.
SB 4.30.2 The
pure devotee never attempts to reach the Supreme Lord directly. The most
important way to worship the Lord is to go through the disciplic
succession of devotees. SB
4.30.3 A
pure devotee never wants to see the Lord unnecessarily. The Lord is
engaged in various activities, and the pure devotee does not want to see
Him whimsically, for his own sense gratification.
SB 5.3.15 A
pure devotee never desires to gain material opportunities by rendering
transcendental loving service to the Lord.
SB 6.11.25 A
pure devotee never asks Lord Visnu for any material profit. Instead he
serves Lord Visnu without material desires and is therefore ultimately
transferred to the spiritual kingdom.
SB 6.16.29 A
pure devotee never begs the Lord for material happiness in the shape of
riches, followers, a good wife or even mukti.
SB 6.18.75 A
pure devotee never complains against the mercy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. A vivid example is Prahlada Maharaja.
SB 8.22.8 A
pure devotee never asks for any kind of material or spiritual
benediction from the Lord; his only prayer is that he may not forget the
lotus feet of the Lord in any condition of life.
KB 69: The Great Sage Narada Visits the Different Homes of Lord
Krsna
THE PURE DEVOTEE OF LORD KRISHNA IS ALWAYS PEACEFUL, KIND TO OTHERS, TOLERANT AND EQUIPOISED A pure devotee is never disturbed in any circumstances. Nor is he envious of anyone. Nor does a devotee become his enemy's enemy; he thinks, "This person is acting as my enemy due to my own past misdeeds. So it is better to suffer than to protest." In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.8) it is stated: tat te 'nukampam su-samiksamano bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam. Whenever a devotee is in distress or has fallen into difficulty, he thinks that it is the Lord's mercy upon him. He thinks, "Thanks to my past misdeeds I should suffer far, far greater than I am suffering now. So it is by the mercy of the Supreme Lord that I am not getting all the punishment I am due. I am just getting a little, by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Therefore he is always calm, quiet and patient, despite many distressful conditions. Bg 12.13-14 Whenever and wherever there are peaceful, equipoised devotees who are well behaved and decorated with all good qualities, that place and the dynasties there, even if condemned, are purified" (SB 7.10.18-19) A devotee is also always kind to everyone, even to his enemy. Nirmama means that a devotee does not attach much importance to the pains and trouble pertaining to the body because he knows perfectly well that he is not the material body. He does not identify with the body; therefore he is freed from the conception of false ego and is equipoised in happiness and distress. He is tolerant, and he is satisfied with whatever comes by the grace of the Supreme Lord. Bg 12.13-14 Because of his transcendental intelligence, the pure devotee is equipoised in his vision and sees himself to be uncontaminated by matter. He does not see anything as superior or inferior, and he feels himself elevated to the transcendental platform of being equal in qualities with the Supreme Person. SB 3.32.25 A devotee is equipoised. He sees everyone on the same transcendental platform. A devotee knows that although a conditioned soul has a particular type of body according to his past fruitive activities, factually everyone is part of the Supreme Lord. A devotee sees all living entities with spiritual vision and does not discriminate on the platform of the bodily concept of life. Such qualities develop only in the association of devotees. Without the association of devotees, one cannot advance in Krsna consciousness. Therefore, we have established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. SB 4.12.37 One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contamination, always silent and satisfied with anything, who doesn't care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and engaged in devotional service, is very dear to Me. From Bhagavad-gita chapter 12
THE
PURE DEVOTEE IS NEVER IN ILLUSION The
function of illusion is to separate one from Lord Krsna, but the brief
and occasional appearance of duality in the behavior or mentality of a
pure devotee never separates him from the Lord. It does not constitute
actual illusion, for it lacks the essential function of illusion,
namely, the separation of one from Lord Krsna. > SB 11.18.37 Under no
circumstances can the words of persons bewildered by the illusory energy
of the Lord deviate the intelligence of those who are completely
surrendered souls. > SB 3.2.10 One cannot become the Lord's pure devotee without taking the dust of a great devotee on his head (pada-rajo-'bhisekam). A pure devotee is niskincana; he has no material desire to enjoy the material world. One has to take shelter of such a pure devotee in order to attain his qualities. The pure devotee is always free from the clutches of maya and her influence. > SB 5.3.14 For
that matter any pure devotee, never identifies with these social and
spiritual divisions of life, for a devotee is always transcendental to
these different gradations of society.
Adi 7.33 A
pure devotee never thinks himself great; he always thinks that other
devotees are greater than himself. NOD- Attracting Krsna Out
of humility a pure devotee never thinks he is elevated. He always thinks
he is in the lowest status of spiritual life. THE
PURE DEVOTEE NEVER FALLS DOWN One
has to take shelter of such a pure devotee in order to attain his
qualities. The pure devotee is always free from the clutches of maya and
her influence. SB
5.3.14 There
is no possibility that a first-class devotee will fall down, even though
he may mix with nondevotees to preach. >Madhya 22.71 A
Spiritual Master is always liberated. In any condition of His life He
should not be mistaken as ordinary human being. God
is always God, guru is always guru. As a matter of etiquette, God is the
worshipable God, and guru is the worshiper God (sevaka-bhagavan).
SSR Srila
Prabhupada: Well, if he is bad, how can he become a guru? [Laughter.]
How can iron become gold? Actually, a guru cannot be bad, for if someone
is bad, he cannot be a guru. You cannot say "bad guru." That
is a contradiction. SSR "Prabhupada
was not pleased. He told me, ‘You should know that the spiritual
master never falls down.'" RDV
THE PURE DEVOTEE IS ALWAYS LIBERATED Although
working for the liberation of conditioned souls, the messenger of the
Supreme Lord remains untouched by the material energy. Generally
ever-liberated personalities live in the spiritual world as associates
of Lord Krsna, and they are known as krsna-parisada, associates of the
Lord. Their only business is enjoying Lord Krsna's company, and even
though such eternally liberated persons come within this material world
to serve the Lord's purpose, they enjoy Lord Krsna's company without
stoppage. The ever-liberated person who works on Krsna's behalf enjoys
Lord Krsna's company through his engagement.
Madhya 22.14–15 A
pure devotee of the Lord does not live on any planet of the material
sky, nor does he feel any contact with material elements. His so-called
material body does not exist, being surcharged with the spiritual
current of the Lord's identical interest, and thus he is permanently
freed from all contaminations of the sum total of the mahat-tattva. He
is always in the spiritual sky, which he attains by being transcendental
to the sevenfold material covering by the effect of his devotional
service. The conditioned souls are within the coverings, whereas the
liberated soul is far beyond the cover.
SB 1.13.56 The
specific qualification for becoming the representative of the Lord is to
be unaffected by the material modes of nature. The highest qualification
of a person in the material world is to be a brahmana. But since a
brahmana is in the mode of goodness, to be a brahmana is not sufficient
for becoming a representative of the Lord. One has to transcend the mode
of goodness also and be situated in unalloyed goodness, unaffected by
any of the qualities of material nature. This stage of transcendental
qualification is called suddha-sattva, or vasudeva, and in this stage
the science of God can be realized. As the Lord is not affected by the
modes of material nature, so a pure devotee of the Lord is also not
affected by the modes of nature. That is the primary qualification for
being one with the Lord. A person who is able to attain this
transcendental qualification is called jivan-mukta, or liberated, even
though he is apparently in material conditions. This liberation is
achieved by one who constantly engages in the transcendental loving
service of the Lord. This
is the divinity of the Personality of Godhead: He is not affected by the
qualities of material nature, even though He is in contact with them.
Similarly, the devotees who have taken shelter of the Lord do not become
influenced by the material qualities.
SB 1.11.38 The
Personality of Godhead and His liberated devotees like Narada appear in
the material world by the same process. As it is said in the
Bhagavad-gita, the birth and activities of the Lord are all
transcendental. Therefore, according to authorized opinion, the birth of
Narada as the son of Brahma is also a transcendental pastime. His
appearance and disappearance are practically on the same level as that
of the Lord. The Lord and His devotees are therefore simultaneously one
and different as spiritual entities. They belong to the same category of
transcendence. SB
1.6.30 From
authoritative sources it can be discerned that associates of Lord Visnu
who descend from Vaikuntha do not actually fall. They come with the
purpose of fulfilling the desire of the Lord, and their descent to this
material world is comparable to that of the Lord. The Lord comes to this
material world through the agency of His internal potency, and
similarly, when a devotee or associate of the Lord descends to this
material world, he does so through the action of the spiritual energy.
Any pastime conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is an
arrangement by yogamaya, not mahamaya. Srila
Prabhupada - Although I had immense opportunities to indulge in the four
principles of sinful life because I was connected with a very
aristocratic family, Krsna always saved me, and throughout my whole life
I do not know what is illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating or
gambling. So far my present life is concerned, I do not remember any
part of my life when I was forgetful of Krsna. A
Spiritual Master is always liberated. In any condition of His life He
should not be mistaken as ordinary human being. This position of a
Spiritual Master is achieved by three processes. One is called sadhana
siddha. That means one who is liberated by executing the regulative
principle of devotional service. Another is krpa siddha, one who is
liberated by the mercy of Krsna or His devotee. And another is nitya
siddha who is never forgetful of Krsna throughout his whole life. The
kitten feels comfort in the mouth of the mother, whereas when the rat is
carried in the mouth of the cat, the rat feels the blows of death.
Similarly, those who are sadhavah, or devotees engaged in Krsna
consciousness in the transcendental service of the Lord, do not feel the
contamination of material miseries, whereas those who are not devotees
in Krsna consciousness actually feel the miseries of material existence.
SB 3.25.24
LORD KRISHNA CONSIDERS HIS DEVOTEES GREATER THAN HIMSELF- Lord
Krishna considers His devotees greater than Himself. In this Nobody
can be better devotee than Radharani. So as soon as Radha’s name is
there, Krishna is more pleased. So that is the way. So if we glorify the
devotees, the character of the devotees, before the Lord, He’s more
pleased than to glorify Himself, He directly. -Lecture - SB 7.9.11-13,
Hawaii, March 24, 1969: Worshiping
My devotees is better than worshiping Me directly.
- SB
11.19.21 “‘My
dear Devi, although the Vedas recommend worship of demigods, the Purport:
... There are recommendations in the Vedas for the worship of various
demigods as well as Lord Vishnu. In this quotation from the Padma Purana,
Lord Siva answers a question posed to him by goddess Durga. This verse is
also included in the Laghu-bhagavatamrita (2.4), by Srila Rupa Gosvami.
The words vishnor aradhanam refer to the worship of Lord Vishnu, or
Krishna. Thus the supreme form of worship is the satisfaction of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. It is further concluded that
the worshiper of Lord Vishnu renders better service by worshiping the
devotee of Lord Krishna. There are different types of devotees—those in
santa-rasa, dasya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vatsalya-rasa and madhurya-rasa.
Although all the rasas are on the transcendental platform, madhurya-rasa
is the supreme transcendental mellow. Consequently it is concluded that
the worship of devotees engaged in the Lord’s service in madhurya-rasa
is the supreme spiritual activity. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His
followers mainly worship Lord Krishna in madhurya-rasa. Other Vaishnava
acaryas recommended worship up to vatsalya-rasa. ... Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu appeared in this Age of Kali to exhibit the super-excellence of
madhurya-rasa, a gift never previously bestowed by any acarya or
incarnation. Consequently Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is accepted as the most
magnanimous incarnation. It is He only who distributed love of Krishna
while exhibiting the superexcellence of loving Krishna in the conjugal
rasa. - CC Madhya 11.31 p “My
dear Partha, one who claims to be My devotee is not so. Only a person who
claims to be a devotee of My devotee is actually My devotee.” -
CC Madhya 11.28, Lord Caitanya quoting the Adi Purana. That
same Supreme Personality of Godhead has declared in the Vedas and "If
anyone worships his spiritual master Those
who worship the Supreme Lord but are indifferent to the worship of Srila
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has pointed out that the original Without
the mercy of a bona fide spiritual master, even a so-called religious man
will gradually become atheistic, offend the Lord by foolish "One
who performs worship of Lord Govinda but fails to worship His Srila
Jiva Gosvami says in his
Sat Sandarbha, Bhakti Sandarbha, Anuccheda 237, "In
the Vamana-kalpa, Lord Brahma explains: "One's mantra is identical
with his spiritual master. One's
spiritual master is identical with Lord Hari. "When
the spiritual master is pleased, then Lord Hari is pleased." It is "In the
Narada-pancaratra it
is said: "With body, mind and words, one should worship his Vaisnava
spiritual master who is as good as Lord Visnu, who teaches the science of
Lord Visnu. One who knows the true meaning of "In the Padma
Purana, Rsi
Devadyuti prays: "For me devotion to my spiritual master it is more
important than devotion to Lord Hari.
If I am devoted to my spiritual master, then Lord Hari will
personally reveal Himself to me." "In such a situation there is
no need even to worship the Supreme "This
is explained in the pancaratra, where, in the course of describing "Srila Sridhara
Svami, the
original commentator on the Vedanta Sutra, comments: “This verse
explains that no one is more to be worshipped than the spiritual master
who gives transcendental knowledge. Therefore no duty is more important
than the worship of him. In this verse the word "ijya" means
"the ritual duties of a householder", "prajatih" means
“begetting good children” or “the second birth by accepting the
sacred thread” and describes the duties of a brahmacari. "Tapasa"
describes the duties of a vanaprastha "Worship
of the guru has precedence over all others: “First
guru-kripa, then krishna-kripa”: for more quotes of this nature, go to the Vyasa-puja page WE SHOULD COOPERATE AND PUSH ON THIS MOVEMENT Whenever an acarya comes, following the superior orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His representative, he establishes the principles of religion, as enunciated in Bhagavad-gita. Religion means abiding by the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Religious principles begin from the time one surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is the acarya's duty to spread a bona fide religious system and induce everyone to bow down before the Supreme Lord. One executes the religious principles by rendering devotional service, specifically the nine items like hearing, chanting and remembering. Unfortunately, when the acarya disappears, rogues and nondevotees take advantage and immediately begin to introduce unauthorized principles in the name of so-called svamis, yogis, philanthropists, welfare workers and so on. Actually, human life is meant for executing the orders of the Supreme Lord, and this is stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.34): man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru mam evaisyasi yuktvaivam atmanam mat-parayanah "Engage your mind always in thinking of Me and become My devotee. Offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." The main business of human society is to think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead at all times, to become His devotees, to worship the Supreme Lord and to bow down before Him. The acarya, the authorized representative of the Supreme Lord, establishes these principles, but when he disappears, things once again become disordered. The perfect disciples of the acarya try to relieve the situation by sincerely following the instructions of the spiritual master. At the present moment practically the entire world is afraid of rogues and nondevotees; therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is started to save the world from irreligious principles. Everyone should cooperate with this movement in order to bring about actual peace and happiness in the world. SB 4.28.48 ONE MUST FOLLOW THE MAHAJANAS- One should always follow the footprints of the standard Mahajan or the Acharyas recognized by all concerned. Article by Srila Prabhupada - BTG 11/20/1958 One mahajana follows another mahajana, and by following the parampara system of mahajana activities one can become advanced in spiritual consciousness. SB 8.18.28 Where, then, is the difficulty in finding a guru? Lord Krsna directly instructed Arjuna. Arjuna is therefore tattva-darsi or guru. Arjuna accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead (param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12]). Similarly, following in the footsteps of Sri Arjuna, who is a personal devotee of the Lord, one should accept the supremacy of Lord Krsna, as supported by Vyasa, Devala, Asita, Narada and later by the acaryas Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Nimbarka and Visnu Svami and still later by the greatest acarya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Where, then, is the difficulty in finding a guru? If one is sincere he can find the guru and learn everything. One should take lessons from the guru and find out the goal of life. Maharaja Satyavrata, therefore, shows us the way of the mahajana. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. SB 8.24.53 If one does not follow in the footsteps of the real mahajanas, one's plans for happiness will be frustrated. Madhya 17.185
SIKSA GURUS TRANSMIT THE PARAMPARA- SP letter- "Just as an aerial message, is transmitted from one place to another, similarly, this Guru parampara system is working. My disciples are my agents, my representatives, so by hearing it from them, you are receiving it from me. And because you are a sincere soul, those who are hearing the Mantra from you are receiving it in disciplic succession, from Lord Caitanya and from Lord Krishna." Letter to: Andrea Temple - Los Angeles 6 March, 1968 "I have heard how the new devotees are all executing their devotional services very enthusiastically and with sincerity and humility. Yes, I have asked them to take instruction from you, one of their elder Godsisters. Whatever you have learned -- you are one of the old students -- whatever you have gathered by experience, you must hand them over to the new students. This is called parampara." >Letter to: Malati -- Los Angeles 6 March, 1970 Regarding parampara system: there is nothing to wonder for big gaps. Just like we belong to the Brahma Sampradaya, so we accept it from Krishna to Brahma, Brahma to Narada, Narada to Vyasadeva, Vyasadeva to Madhva, and between Vyasadeva and Madhva there is a big gap. But it is sometimes said that Vyasadeva is still living, and Madhva was fortunate enough to meet him directly. In a similar way, we find in the Bhagavad-gita that the Gita was taught to the sungod, some millions of years ago, but Krishna has mentioned only three names in this parampara system -- namely, Vivasvan, Manu, and Iksvaku; and so these gaps do not hamper from understanding the parampara system. We have to pick up the prominent acaryas, and follow from him. There are many branches also from the parampara system, and it is not possible to record all the branches and sub-branches in the disciplic succession. We have to pick up from the authority of the acharya in whatever sampradaya we belong to. > Letter to: Dayananda -- San Francisco 12 April, 1968 You cannot be without a spiritual master- Prabhupada: Spiritual master is not the question of... Spiritual master is eternal. Spiritual master is eternal. So your question is without spiritual master. Without spiritual master you cannot be, at any stage of your life. You may accept this spiritual master or that spiritual master. That is a different thing. But you have to accept. As you say that "by reading Bible," when you read Bible that means you are following the spiritual master represented by some priest or some clergyman in the line of Lord Jesus Christ. So any case, you have to follow a spiritual master. There cannot be the question without spiritual master. Is that clear? > Lecture -- Seattle, October 2, 1968 These original teachings and the founder-acarya of the sampradaya should be worshiped with all respect. One should be loyal to his conclusions and instructions, not taking teachings from others. One should take as siksa guru only a person who is following faithfully the teachings of that founder-acarya.” Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, HC: Chapter 6 Note- Usually we only give quotes from Srila Prabhupada, but this is a very powerful quote from Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur and valuable instruction to all new devotees of Iskcon, to always remain loyal to Srila Prabhupada’s original teachings, and to only accept siksa from gurus who are following faithfully the teachings of Srila Prabhupada. Srila
Prabhupada’s usage of the term “ritvik.” Srila
Prabhupada and Tamal Krishna and other GBC’s and Vaisnavas used the
term “ritvik” frequently. The word “ritvik” is also found in
many passages in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Here
are about 16 instances of the use of the term “ritvik” as used by
Srila Prabhupada and the GBC, and other Vaisnavas, and many times in the
Srimad Bhagavatam: 1.
As said in the 7/9 letter- "Recently when all of the GBC members
were with His Divine Grace in Vrndavana, Srila Prabhupada indicated that
soon He would appoint some of His senior disciples to act as "rittik"-representative
of the acarya..." [7/9 letter] This
Vrindavana meeting referred to is the 5/28 meeting - when all of the
GBCs were with SP in Vrindavana and asked him about "initiations in
the future, particularly at that time when you are no longer with
us". 2.
May 28 conversation: "Officiating acarya".
"Ritvik. Yes" 3.
July 10th - (TKG quotes SP in letter to Hamsadutta):
"I have selected you among eleven men as “rittvik” or
representative of the acharya, to give initiations, both first and
second initiation, on my behalf.” 4.
July 12th- (TKG to Sucandra and Avinas Chandra cc-ed
to HARIKESA): "[handwritten] P.S. Information on the process for
conducting initiations is co[ntained] in a letter already sent to
Ramesvara for xeroxing. Prab[hupada] has name 11 persons, inclu[ding]
yourself, to act as 'rittik', H[is] representatives for
initiating." - THIS IS
ON FOLIO 5.
July 19th: "Make your own field and continue to become
ritvik and act on my charge" 6.
J31 (TKG quotes SP in letter to Hamsadutta): "Make your own
field and continue to become ritvik and act on my behalf.'" 7.
Srimad-Bhagavatam: Ritvik
:
4.6.1 / 4.7.16 / 5.3.2 / 5.3.3 / 5.4.17 / 7.3.20 / 8.20.22 /
9.1.15 . Rtvijah
:
4.5.7 / 4.5.18 / 4.7.27 / 4.7.45 / 4.13.26 / 4.19.27 / 4.19.29 /
5.3.4 / 5.3.15 / 5.3.18 / 5.7.5 8.16.53 / 8.18.21 /8.18.22 / 9.4.23 /
9.6.3 . Rtvijam
:
4.6.52 / 4.21.5 / 8.23.13 / 9.13.1 . Rtvigbhyah
: 8.16.55 . Rtvigbhih
:
4.7.56 / 9.13.3 .
8.
The following statements by TKG, in his Topanga Canyon admission, show
that Srila Prabhupada said there would be more ritviks added later in
the future- "Later
on there was a piled up list of people to get initiated, and it was
jammed up. I said, 'Srila Prabhupada, you once mentioned about ritviks.
[…] Srila Prabhupada said, 'All right, I will appoint so many...' and
he started to name them. He made it very clear that they are his
disciples. [….] I asked him two questions, one: 'What about
Brahmananda Swami?'. I asked him this because I happened to have an
affection for Brahmananda Swami. [...]
Srila Prabhupada said, 'No, not unless he is qualified'.
[…]Before I got ready to type the letter, I asked him, two: 'Srila
Prabhupada is this all or do you want to add more?'. He said, 'As is
necessary, others may be added.'"
(TKG, December 3rd 1980) This
statement from Srila Prabhupada, as recorded by TKG, of more ritviks
being added in the future is strongly supported by other written
documents as well: "His
Divine Grace has so far given a list of eleven disciples who will
act in that capacity" (J9 letter) 9.
"Srila Prabhupada has appointed thus far eleven
representatives who will initiate new devotees on His behalf."
(TKG's letter to Kirtanananda, July 11, 1977) 10.
"Srila Prabhupada's initial list of disciples appointed to
perform initiations for His Divine Grace. This initial list is also
being sent to all centers." (Ramesvara's letter to GBC, July 21st,
1977) Other
statements of the term ‘ritvik’ made by Tamal and others- 11. Some of the original 11 gurus have
said that Srila Prabhupada ordered ritviks only, and for the
future. Tamal Krishna Gosvami confessed this at a Topanga Canyon
meeting, saying “Actually Prabhupada never appointed any gurus. He
appointed eleven ritviks. He never appointed them gurus.” 12. Hamsadutta told a room full
of devotees, "I'm sorry I did this to you. Srila Prabhupada didn't
order me to be a guru, he only made me an officiating priest."
Also devotees tell that Ramesvara and Kirtanananda both said they
were ordered ritvik only. Other
instances where the term ‘ritvik’ is used by elder Vaisnavas, and
senior disciples: 13. HH BV Puri Maharaja recollected a conversation (memories#26) Where Srila Prabhupada declared to him that He had appointed 11 Ritviks. HH
BV Puri Maharaja said,"You should have appointed only one.....when
You are gone, they will not be satisfied as Ritviks, and will declare
themselves as "regular" Gurus, and they will
fight.".....Srila Prabhupada replied..."What can I do....IT IS
UP TO KRISHNA!" [here Srila Prabhupada agrees with HH BV Puri
Maharaja, about the ritvik system intending to be after “when you are
gone.”] 14.
Bhaktisiddhanta dasa was in a room with Srila Prabhupada and
Tamal-Krsna, 1977, and the explanations of the order [ritviks for the
future] was given by Srila Prabhupada himself to Tamal, and
Bhaktisiddhanta dasa witnessed the whole conversation. He said that
neither did Tamal understand, nor would he accept this adjustment made
by the spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. 15. There is the documented evidence of the diary of Yasodanandana das, with its original entries made directly after conversations with TKG. This diary quotes the secretary, Tamal, to say, (after departure) "they’ll be ritviks, its all on tape." 16. Another diary entry records how Gauridas Pandit das heard Srila Prabhupada say, "Tomorrow I will I will announce some ritvik acharyas who will initiate disciples on my behalf when I leave the planet." Thus we see that Srila Prabhupada and other Vaisnavas used the term ‘ritvik’ many times, at least 16 times by our count on record, and so it is simply amazing how the GBC has banned this term, ‘ritvik,’ somehow thinking this prohibition pleases Lord Krishna and Srila Prabhupada and their many godbrothers, and the Vaisnavas, even though our founder acharya, Srila Prabhupada, used it several times, some say he used it to implement a system of initiations after “he is no longer with us.”
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